From Scratch

I am not one of those people who dislikes baking vs cooking or vice versa.  I just like being in the kitchen period.

Typically when I go to someone’s place I bring…something.   A bottle of wine in a pinch (or when I know we’re going to need it), tomato bruschetta to a barbecue,  flowers when the host/hostess declares “Don’t you dare bring anything but yourself”.     Nine times out of ten though – I bring dessert.

My father wasn’t much of a baker but he could take a box of Ghirardelli brownie mix from Costco and make it the best brownie you ever ate.    Sometimes he added extra chips or a squeeze of chocolate syrup but he could really make them sing.

Other than cookies – I rarely make anything completely from scratch.   My cakes might be a bit doctored up and I give brownies the same treatment as my dad once did but I’m very new to the world of scratch cake baking.

I decided on mini cupcakes this time because a) they were for my nieces and they like to eat MULTIPLE cupcakes b) I only have 1 large cupcake tin and I have two mini cupcake tins.    I didn’t feel like babysitting 2 batches of cupcakes.

Note to self – go get some more large cupcake tins.

Don’t tell Dave but I almost married him solely so that I could have a kitchen big enough to own this mixer. :)

 

I decided on vanilla cupcakes.  It was a recipe from allrecipies.com.   I’d link but they were really pretty dry.   Does it count as making something from scratch if next time I add a box of vanilla pudding?   How else can you make moister cupcakes.

Ugh.  Moist.  Jen hates that word.

  Here’s the after.   I made homemade vanilla buttercream and topped with rainbow sprinkles and mini chocolate chips.   The frosting was the best part.

Baking is about as much Science as I want in my life to be honest. 

All and all it was a good experiment.   It didn’t take that much longer than ripping open a box and I won’t deny I like being able to reply yes to the question “You made these from scratch?”

In another life – like a few years down the road – I’d like to open a tiny catering business.     Mini cupcakes would fit right in with what I’m planning.

This is just the first attempt.  I plan to try and improve the recipe in the next few months so stay tuned.

Bouley

Thursday night Patti and I went to an event for the Langham Hotel Group.   Patti says their Pasadena property is one of her very favorites.

We thought it was at the restaurant – but it was actually at the test kitchen.  The chefs from various hotels made a bunch of delicious treats.

It was dark and I only had my iPhone but here’s what I could capture.

I’m very much into flowers these days.  Must be the wedding planning!!!  A duck ravioli with sweet peas.  Delish!  Chocolates. Asparagus all lined up. Roasted shrimp with grape tomatoes in a shot glass. Soft shell crabs. More chocolates. Pear vodka.  Not really a fan but the cocktails they made looked yummy.More flowers. 

There was lots of interesting wall decor. Chefs in action.  

Ice cream pops.  I was told it was vanilla, chocolate and strawberry.  Methinks the bottom layer was actually pistachio.Patti and me with Chef Denis.

Everything was so well done and it was definitely an experience I would not have had if not for this event!

I have more pics from my weekend in Maryland and if I keep my head about me – maybe even pics from me making dinner tonight!  Stay tuned!!

Wanted

See this dog?   She single handedly ate about a dozen and a half mini doughnuts today.  Nevermind that those doughnuts were chocolate (EEEK!).  Do you think she looks appropriately contrite?  

Anyway.  Mora and I made doughnuts.  Mora came with Dave and me to register and procured a mini doughnut pan and mix in the process.  I pretended not to know how to make my own buttermilk in order to put her off till Wednesday to make them.

I’m not a perfect person.

Anyway – the mix itself tasted divine.

  Mora was an expert piper.   Before Genevieve the dog got a hold of them.  There was a full plate at one point.And after….Mora was inconsolable.  Until I went to the grocery store and brought back some ice cream. 

 

The end. :)

Diametrically Opposed

I am a complete contradiction.

I am pleased to report that since Thursday I ate more salads, did more walking, did actual intentional exercise.   I walked for 2 miles at my mom’s on Saturday and then did 5 miles on the bike on Sunday.

Friday Jen made yummy pizza and I ate 2 small slices plus some sauce on the side.After my walk I got some mini bagels.  They reminded me of my dad.  He used to go out to get these for me all the time. Then I ate on Saturday night I ate 1/3 of this eggplant rollatini (I made the mistake of bringing the leftovers to Dave’s and left them as free game in the fridge) And shared this brownie sundae. 

Hopefully it’ll all even out.

Start your day the chocolate way

One of my dreams in life is to go to Paris and eat pain au chocolat for breakfast everyday.  Not like I can’t get that in NYC but I have this image of me sitting at a little sidewalk cafe eating chocolate for breakfast.

And after that I’d go to Christian Louboutain and buy some shoes.

But that’s another story.

Today – I had chocolate for breakfast because when my boyfriend went to Costco I slyly slipped a box of these in his cart.

I love these things.  Just sweet enough and full of chocolaty chips.

We had a lovely weekend. Friday night we went to Codmother’s for dinner.  I had a cup of clam chowder.

I ordered Shrimp Parmesan and split it in half.  I didn’t finish that half and ate the leftovers for lunch on Saturday AND still have some leftover for lunch today.   I don’t know if the portion sizes are just that enormous but it’s making me feel better about my vow to take home leftovers when I eat out.Dave had a salad and Black Sea Bass with Mushroom Risotto, Spinach and Broccoli.

Saturday I sleep super late (9 am – which is really late for me) and then sat like a lump on the couch watching many episodes of Top Chef while Dave ran around doing errands.  I got up – finally – and did something productive – which was to make dinner for Dave and the kids for Tuesday night – a chicken casserole-y type thing.  I should have taken pictures throughout but I get so caught up in cooking that I totally forget. 

Bad food blogger.  Bad.

I am not a big person for casseroles.  We really didn’t eat many growing up but I gotta say – I think this one came out pretty great.  Here’s what happened.

1) I put a pot on to boil and made about 3/4 a pack of Barilla Mostaccioli per package directions (actually slightly more al dente than usual) and set aside.   I drizzled some olive oil and sautéed some onion and garlic.  Then I browned some boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2.5 of them) seasoned with a little kosher salt and fresh ground pepper till almost cooked through and then set aside.

2) I made a rue with a little flour and butter then deglazed the pan with some white wine.  I added one can of Cream of Asparagus soup and 2 cans of lowfat milk and another splash of wine and stirred until creamy.

3) I added  some cayenne (about 1/4 teaspoon) and about the same of poultry seasoning.  I also threw in about 2 tablespoons of grated parmesan.   I added some chopped baby spinach and green onions and about 3/4 of a bag of frozen mixed vegetables.  Then I added the chicken back in + the pasta and stirred till everything was coated.   I added some fresh ground pepper as well – no salt as the cheese and the soup have plenty of sodium already.

I put it all in a shallow pan and added about a handful of breadcrumbs and some more freshly grated parmesan on top (about 1 oz).

It tasted sort of like chicken pot pie with pasta.  I felt very Good Housekeeping after I made this. 

Saturday afternoon, Dave and I headed to Long Island to go to dinner with my mom and Jen.   We went to Fork & Vine which was awesome.  It was very difficult to try and pick what I wanted to eat off the menu.  It was dark and hard to take pictures but if you ever find yourself on the North Shore of Long Island you should give it a try.

They have small plates as well as entrees.  Dave and I split a roasted beet salad.  Mom got the baked St Andre’s Cheese which was very brie like.  We also split the Philly Cheesesteak Spring Rolls.

I had Short Ribs over plantain puree with black beans. Jen got Pork Tenderloin.  Dave got Skirt Steak. Mom had Grilled Sole. The only downside of this meal was the goat cheese mashed potatoes I ordered on the side.   I expected creamy goodness.  They were seasoned with chopped tomatoes.  Wrong color, wrong consistency.  To their credit once I inquired about the ingredients and mentioned I didn’t care for them the waitress whisked them away and off the bill.

Dessert was…I mean…I am having trouble forming words.

There was chocolate.

There was peanut butter.

It was all mixed together in something called a Tasty Cake.

I almost licked the plate.

Sunday we had a delicious breakfast made by my mom aka Annie V.  Later she watched Inception while Jen, Dave and I went for about a 35 min walk.  Dave brought his dog – the lovely Genevieve with him and she proved that the snow is melting here in NY based on her condition when we got back.   She wound up in the tub. 

In the meantime Jen heated up some White Chicken Chili and we had that for lunch.

It’s a totally different taste than regular chili but it was really, really good.

        

I’m going to ask Jen to guest post again soon since she has virtually kicked me out of the kitchen at my mom’s.

We helped to clear out some books from the basement and then headed back to NJ to have Thai & Vietnamese food for dinner.   We went to Lemongrass and started with Shrimp Rolls – which are so delicious.  The peanut sauce on the side is perfect.

I had Thai Style Lo Mein.  Half of this is sitting in Dave’s fridge I’m proud to report.

Dave had Pho with brisket.  He loves Pho.  I think he also likes to say Pho.

And that leaves us with today. 

Today when I signed into MSN Messenger there was an article from Glamour where they talked about what ‘his Valentine’s Day gift means’.  Supposedly if your significant other gets you a frying pan you should break up with them.

Being partial to frying pans I wholeheartedly disagree.

I’ve got some work to do today before Dave and I head out for an early dinner.  I’ve tortured him for nearly a year with every culinary reality show known to man and tonight he is taking me to craft.   I’ve been to craftbar and ‘wichcraft and Williams-Sonoma where I asked Tom Colicchio if his hand hurt from signing so many cookbooks but this is the first time I’ll be dining there.

Happy Valentine’s Day.  Tell those you love you love them today.  You should do it every day – but today you have even more of an excuse.

In a little bit I’m going to go pledge my love to this box of beauties.

What I ate – A Photo Essay

I originally named this post “Weight Loss Sabotage” but that didn’t seem fair – considering my whole food philosophy is to eat what you want – but in moderation.

It’s just that moderation and me – we don’t seem to be communicating lately.

I’m not sure how to get my healthy mindset back.  I know that I feel better when I exercise – that I feel better when I eat better.  i know that I won’t have to deprive myself entirely if I just…basically…MOVE.

SO.

Tomorrow I am facing the music.  I don’t want to see the number I know I’ll see on the scale at M’s tomorrow but I’m going to go anyway.  I’m crossing my fingers that the worst of the winter weather is behind us and that I can actually do more exercise outside than inside.   I’m putting away my Metrocard and walking more.  First up – a walk to chorus tonight.

I’m renewing my gym membership next week and trying Zumba in NJ. 

But first I’m going to go back to Ben. :)

And that’s that.  I have an ugly dress I need to fit into.  I don’t want to have to alter it – and I don’t have time or want to spend money on a new one.

With all that said….look what I made for the Super Bowl.   It was fun to make all this food for a “crowd”.  Dave and the kids seemed to really enjoy it – which makes me happy.

Sidenote – I feel like I’m doing everything half assed these days – as these photos will show.  I need to start taking better – and more complete – pictures.   I tried to fix them with Photoshop but…it’s not really working.

Probably because the shutter is broken on my point and shoot and I muss up the lens with smudges from my fingers anytime I try to take a picture.  Could be the biggest problem of all.  What’s the point of showing you half of what I’ve done???  It’s like me showing you an empty plate and telling you how good whatever I ate was.

Blue Corn Nachos.  This recipe is simple.  Brown 1 package ground turkey with an onion and a drizzle of olive oil.  Add 1 package of taco seasoning – I used a low sodium version.  Add 1 can of black beans – rinsed and drained. 

 

Top with shredded extra sharp cheddar and throw into the oven (at about 375) until cheese is melted.  Garnish with chopped scallions.  Serve with sour cream, salsa and….Jen’s guacamole. Everyone loves hot pretzels.  I served these with yellow or honey mustard.  I wimped out and did the frozen version. 

Mora helped to set the “table”. I made Giada’s Balsamic Wings…. And Baked Buffalo Wings.  These could have stayed in the oven for 5 more minutes I think. 

And chocolate chip cookies for dessert – Toll House recipe – with double the brown sugar as Dave was out of white. 

And then I fell asleep during the game and Dave had to tell me who won.

The end.

Moment of truth tomorrow people.  I hope I’m ready to finally make a change.  I hope a nice long walk today will help get me motivated.

There’s bread in the oven (will be making a sandwich to take with me for dinner).  It smells divine in here.  Lunch tomorrow will be tuna on homemade bread.

I’m really looking forward to it!