Today is Memorial Day, but it’s also my mother’s birthday. While you’re all probably grilling and pie-making, I made a cake to celebrate a very special lady.
My mom claims to not like cake and dessert, but really I know she’s just picky. She loves certain desserts and she loves everything banana. No crazy combinations here, because of her picky palate, I went the simple route.
I made a simple banana cake like the little banana cake I made before (recipe doubled for a full cake), but with a few changes to the filling
I whipped up a ton of whipped cream with sugar and a touch of vanilla for filling and frosting, fried some bananas with rum and added some slivered almonds.
and ta-da! A birthday cake just for my mother. I added some fresh flowers for a pop of color.
Happy Birthday Mom!
Is your mother picky about desserts like mine? I feel like that’s one thing my children will never have to worry about. I’ll pretty much enjoy anything.
Like I mentioned last time, I was in Guatemala the last two weeks visiting family. About 95% of my family lives in Guatemala. The last time I went was in 2009, so it was nice to see everyone, especially my grandma. The last time I saw her was back in 2011, when she came with my parents to visit me in Italy.
That was then, this is now:
I went with my mom, sister (Laura) and nephew (Graham). There weren’t too many outings, mostly just visiting people and eating lots of foods I love (i.e. beans and plantains every single day for breakfast). Since this is a food blog, let me tell you about my trip through food…
The first few days were mainly spent at home. On Sunday, the best cook in Guatemala came to my grandma’s house to make Pepian.
That’s Tere. She makes the best Chile Rellenos, Tamales, Rellenitos and Pepian on the planet. True story. She made some Rellenitos that I froze and brought home with me. This time, she taught me how to make Pollo en Crema con Loroco (Chicken in loroco cream sauce). I’ll give that recipe a whirl then tell you about it as soon as I can.
No trip to Guatemala is complete without two things:
1. Pollo Campero
Ok this is totally silly, but we had to introduce Graham to Pollo Campero. It’s Guatemalan fast food that I’m totally obsessed with. When I was little I remember having a birthday party in their huge play place (when I was little I spent most of my birthdays in Guatemala since we went every summer). It’s basically fried chicken, but wayy more delicious than KFC (which also exists in Guatemala). I also just realized I didn’t take a picture of the food… fail.
2. Obleas
They used to sell these at the entrance of the grocery store (Paiz), but now they sell them in boxes of 8. My sister bought like 6 boxes to take home with her.
We broke one open while we were there. The best way to describe obleas is like the Eucharist. I’m not saying that as a joke. But you know in church/mass when you receive the Eucharist and it’s like a dry, bread-like cracker? That’s sort of what the oblea tastes like, but then you spread it with arequipe (what we call dulce de leche)
and then you put another one on top and you get a delicious, crunchy snack
Oh and honorable mention for things you have to eat in Guatemala…
Surprisingly, I only had Pan Dulce once, at my mom’s cousin’s house in Escuintla. Escuintla is about an hour from Guatemala City, and it’s basically where my mom’s whole family is from.
We spent some time exploring, like the main church and plaza. Then we headed to my mom’s cousin’s house which is on the land my mom’s family used to own.Very pretty and tropical and HOT. But our time in Escuintla was pretty short. We headed back to the city to spend more time with family.
Overall, it was a great trip. I’m glad my grandma got to meet Graham.
And I’m glad I got to see all my family that I rarely get to see. I hope we can make it back soon to see everyone again.
I promises there are more awesome recipes coming up soon! Hope you have a great Memorial Day Weekend!
Hi friends! I’ve been MIA a few days (almost 2 weeks?). I apologize. I’ve been in Guatemala visiting family. I’ll tell you more about it when I get back but first… Goats
This morning we heard the neighbors dogs barking like crazy. So I peeked outside to look and it was a bunch of goats.
So I got some goats milk because 5 quetzales for a cup of fresh milk (less than US$ 1) seems like a good deal. Plus I’ve never had fresh goat milk, so why not.
The guy milked the goat right there in front of the door
Then handed me a cup of milk
Then I realized I should probably try it and for some reason that freaked me out…
I took a sip, then thought about it
Tried it again
I won’t lie. It was tastier than cow milk, but the fact that it was warm and foamy was a little off putting.
But in the end, glad I tried it.
See you all when I get back!
Cinco de Mayo just happened. You’re probably tired of Mexican food, but let’s be honest Corona and Guacamole don’t really qualify as Mexican food. That doesn’t really qualify as food. That’s a snack.
And it’s Tuesday. Taco Tuesday. How about some tacos?
Trust me. You need these tacos in your life.
I remember the first time I ate these tacos. Jesse made them for me, pretty early on in our relationship, and I was skeptical. But I swear it was love at first bite. I’m talking about the tacos here.
Ever since that first time, I’ve probably had them a dozen times with a million variations: shrimp, chicken, etc.
But these are the best.
Chipotle Fish Tacos
3 pieces of tilapia, cut into small pieces 1/2 tbsp olive oil 1/2 an onion, diced 1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo, chopped 1/4 cup cilantro Juice of 1/2 lime salt and pepper 1-2 cups cabbage, thinly sliced 1 diced tomato 1/4 cup mayo 1 tbsp sriracha* a few lime wedges 1 avocado sliced 6 tortillas
Heat oil in the pan. Add 1/4 of onion (so you’ll have 1/4 of onion left for putting on the tacos) and cook for a few mins. Add fish and chipotle (depending on how hot you want it use 1-2 or more, for less spice just use the adobo sauce, not the chile itself), cook for a few minutes until fish is no longer translucent. Stir in juice of 1/2 lime, about a tablespoon of cilantro and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Stir together sriracha and mayo. Thin out with some lime juice or water. Depending on how spicy you like it, the ratio of sriracha to mayo might be different for you. Add a bit, try it and add more if you’d like.
Now you can start assembling your tacos (this recipe will make about 6 tacos). Heat up your tortillas. Start by laying some fish in the center.
Then you add your ingredients of choice. We like to have it all on a plate at the table and assemble as we go.
Lay on the cabbage, tomato, onion, cilantro and avocado.
Then drizzle with sriracha mayo. Squirt with a wedge of lime and devour.
That’s exactly what I do. I devour these, because they’re amazing.
Happy Taco Tuesday! What’s your favorite kind of taco?
I love fish tacos, but I think shrimp tacos are my favorite.
This blog post was original a dramatic complaint about how my life isn’t perfect. I just re-read it, and I feel dumb, capricious and immature. Because I realize all the things I worry about are trivial. There are far more serious things in life than the fact that I have a pile of student loan debt, a mean comment from a reader or a little bit of back pain.
Last week, I thought I was having a terrible week. Things kept going wrong, or so it seemed. But I was wrong.
This week is far more terrible, because terrible things didn’t happen to me. They happened to my loved ones, and that is a million times worse.
So in those moments when I feel like my life is crumbling, like a pie crust that doesn’t have enough water to help it stick together, food is important. Those moments are when pie is essential.
Really though.
Even if you don’t eat it, because by now I know turning to food when things aren’t going well is wrong, make the pie and give it away.
Give it to a loved one who isn’t having the best day, or a friend you haven’t talked to in a long time.
Pie doesn’t heal all wounds, but it helps.
Peanut Butter and Jelly Pie in a Pretzel Crust
1 1/4 cup of pretzel crumbs 1/2 cup butter, melted 1/4 cup sugar 1/2 cup peanut butter, smooth natural 4 oz cream cheese, softened 7 oz sweetened condensed milk 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided 1/2 cup + 3 tbsp strawberry jam
First make your crust by mixing together pretzel crumbs, butter and sugar. Press into a 9” pie dish and place in the freezer until ready to use.
Next, beat together peanut butter, cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk. Beat 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream until if holds firm peaks. Fold whipped cream into peanut butter mixture until combined. Set aside.
Beat remaining 1 cup of whipped cream. Once it start to form peaks, add in 3 tbsp of strawberry jam. If you want to avoid clump, blend your jam before adding it to the whipped cream. Set aside.
Next assemble the pie. Spread half of the jam on the bottom of the pie crust. If it’s hard to spread, feel free to add a little water or blend it to make it smooth. Next spread on half the peanut butter mixture, then another layer with remaining jam. Top with remaining peanut butter mixture. Transfer whipped cream to piping bag and pipe strawberry whipped cream onto the pie, alternatively you can just spread it.
Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight and serve cold to someone special.
This is comfort food to the max, because sometimes we need a little comfort and a big hug.
After a long week, sometimes you need a drink. This week was pretty rough. On Thursday, I pulled a muscle in my lower back while working out. Someone suggested I have a drink to relax the muscles. Worth a try.
I’m not a big drinker, but I love a good gin and tonic. And you know me, I love to spice things up. So I decided to give give it a few little tweeks and this is what I came up with:
Strawberry Basil Gin and Tonic
2 oz gin 2 strawberries, sliced1-2 basil leaves, chopped 4-6 oz tonic water twist of lime
Muddle together the strawberries and basil. Add the gin and mix together. Pour over ice. Squeeze in some lime juice, top with tonic water and serve.
Serving it in a mason jar is totally ok. This is about relaxing. Mason jars are laid back. They’re also for hipsters or people who are too cheap to buy real glasses. Glasses are also allowed. They’re fancier.
Either way, get your sip on.
So that was Friday.
Saturday, I met up with Allie from Sweet Potato Bites. We realized we live like 2 miles away from each other and thought we should probably meet up for a doughnut.
Because that’s what foodies do. So we headed to Sidecar Doughnuts and I had a tasty yeast doughnut with chocolate and salt.
Sooo good. Allie was awesome! I’m excited to have made friends with a cool blogger. After our 2 hour chat session, I headed to a thrift shop where I bought exciting things for my upcoming Chicken and Waffle party.
You heard that right. Chicken and Waffles party. It’s going to be epic. I’ll tell you more about it when it rolls around.
Sunday, was also awesome. Well that’s today. Jesse and I are celebrating our 1.5 versary, because we’re cool like that. So we had brunch at Public Kitchen in The Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood.
I bought a Travel Zoo deal for brunch for two. While it was nice scenery, and the bathrooms were awesome…
Brunch was meh. It ended up costing $55 for a glorified continental breakfast. It probably doesn’t help that I don’t really like buffets. I’d much rather just get a plate of food. Jesse and I both don’t eat enough to feel like buffets are worth it. Nothing was omg-amazing-must-have. But oh well. It was still a nice time.
After brunch, we headed back to OC. Jesse needed to work and I did arts and crafts…
Now we’re enjoying cucumber-basil water and trying to figure out what to have for dinner (or am, while Jesse works).
Overall, it’s been a great weekend. Can’t complain, not even about the fact that my back hurts. Maybe I need another drink? What do you think?
So remember when I finished the Paleo Challenge, I learned I needed to eat actual meals instead of snacks for dinner?
Well I’m trying to get better at that. I’ve been trying to incorporate more salads into my dinners, like the Roasted Beet Asparagus and Arugula salad in my last post. But today and yesterday were long days. I’ve been stressed and I’ve had a headache since I woke up today.
To remedy all that, I did two things:
1. Went to the Good Will
Thrift shops in Orange County aren’t as cheap in the song, nor are they as cheap as they were in Central NY. But I still managed a few good finds.
A tart pan for $2.50, a lovely oval shaped plate for $4.99 (over-priced in my opinion) and a cake plate for $2.50. I also managed to find a rotating cake stand that will be great for frosting cakes.
2. Grilled Cheese
Let’s be more specific. Brie Tomato Basil Grilled Cheese.
Now don’t get me wrong, traditional caprese with mozzarella is lovely, but seriously. This sandwich is out of this world.
Last week someone asked me for tips on a good grilled cheese. Obviously it’s all a questions of taste but here are…
My Top 5 Tips for Making the Perfect Grilled Cheese
1. Good Bread. If your bread sucks, your grilled cheese will too. Don’t you dare you sliced white bread. Invest in some good bread. I used Trader Joe’s Italian Bread. Tasty enough. Orange County is seriously lacking in good bread bakeries.
2. Make sure there’s cheese on both sides of the bread. If you’re putting something other than just cheese, you need to make sure the cheese is on both sides. The cheese is the binding agent. If you don’t have it on both sides, it’ll all fall apart.
3. Use Real Butter. If you’re going to make a grilled cheese, now’s not the time to be healthy by avoiding butter. No. You’re choosing to make grilled cheese. If you wanted a healthy meal, you’d make a salad. Use butter. It makes your bread golden, toasty and delicious. Don’t skimp.
4. Mustard. Unless you’re making a grilled cheese sandwich with some sort of jam, mustard almost always makes a grilled cheese taste better. Cheese and mustard just go together. I’m not talking about yellow mustard. I’m talking tasty dijon-style mustard or the kind with the wonderful mustard seeds in it. If you hate mustard, you can ignore this comment. But if you like mustard, trust me. Give it a try.
5. Low and slow. Don’t turn the flame on high! Heat your pan to medium/low. It might take a few minutes for it to get golden and for the cheese to melt, but that’s way better than a burnt piece of bread with hard cheese in the middle. Be patient. It’ll be tastier.
That’s pretty much there is to it. Oh and if you use sliced Kraft American Cheese or Velveeta… You’re dead to me
Brie Tomato Basil Grilled Cheese
2 slices of amazingly tasty bread of your choice
a big pat of butter
1-2 oz brie, sliced (keep the rind! it’s tasty!)
3-4 tomato slices
1-2 basil leaves, chopped
Spread each slice of bread with butter on one side. On the other side, layer cheese tomatoes and basil. I try not to use too much cheese because brie is pretty strong, so I put half the cheese on one side and the bread and the other half on the opposite half of the other piece (does that make any sense? See the pic below)
Heat pan to medium/low heat. Place sandwich, butter side down on pan. Cook about 3 minutes per side or until golden all around and cheese in the center has melted.
Serve with a bowl of soup and enjoy! I had it with a bowl of Trader Joe’s Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato soup. Tastiest soup from a box ever. I promise!
Added bonus: This month is National Grilled Cheese Month. I have no idea who decided that but I support, and so should you. Eat Grilled Cheese Today!
As much as I advocate cake and pie eating, I really want you to eat vegetables too.
Lots of vegetables.
They’re good for you. Sometimes sugar and butter need to take a back seat and we need to have something good for you. Like this salad.
Roasted Beet, Asparagus and Arugula Salad
2-3 fresh beets 3-5 cups arugula1/2 lb asparagus, cut into 1″ pieces 1 tomato, sliced 2 oz goat cheese 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil 2 tsp honey 2 tsp dijon mustard salt and pepper to taste fresh chopped parsley (optional)
Pre-heat oven to 400F. Thoroughly wash beets, then wrap beets in aluminum foil. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 45 mins to 1 hour, or until tender. Allow to cool. Peel and slice. (Note: You can roast a bunch of beets and once and store them in the fridge for about a week in the roasting foil. Peel and slice when you’re ready to serve them)
Steam asparagus for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and rinse with cold water. Set aside. (You can do this while the beets roast, or you can plan your next vacation)
Make dressing by mixing together balsamic vinegar, olive oil, honey, dijon mustard, salt and pepper. Whisk until well combined.
Lastly, assemble the salad. Start with a bed of arugula, layer on the tomatoes, asparagus, beets and goat cheese. Drizzle with dressing and serve! This salad will feed 2 very hungry people or 4 as a side salad.
Friday afternoon snack, beer and Persian flatbread
And kept it healthy with bacon waffles with bananas for dinner
The weekend wouldn’t be complete without a pie. That’s a peanut butter and jelly pie on a pretzel crust. Want to know how to make it?
Last week, I planted some tomato seeds. They sprouted!!!
And then I hung out with this guy. He was super fussy, but he just wanted to be held.
Later today… More waffles!!
How was your weekend? Any highlights?
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