Tag: Delicioso!

Sunday Dinner

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I love big families.

My family is big and loving and fun.  When we get together, everyone is greeted with a hug and kiss.  There’s always a ton of food and generally some salsa music playing in the background (Laura, that Celia Cruz CD has a permanent spot on my ipod and in my heart).

Last week, I was lucky enough to meet and share a meal with a family that rivaled my own in enthusiasm and affection.

The Biscotti Queen talks about Sunday dinner with her family all the time, usually recounting the amazing things her grandmother makes.  She wasn’t kidding when she said Sunday dinner with her family is an event.

This lady made it all happen.  That’s the Biscotti Queen’s grandmother.  She made an outstanding meal all on her own!

Penne in Vodka Sauce with crusty ciabatta

Green Beans, Lamb, Corn, Potatoes, zucchini pancakes.  I was so excited I forgot to take pictures of it all.

and three desserts:

Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse in Dark Chocolate Cups

Chocolate Pavlova made by the Biscotti Queen’s beautiful mama.  Oooooh myyyy goodness. I think this one was my favorite!  I’d never had pavlova before but it was aaaamaaazing!

and a sponge cake with peaches and cream.

You’ve probably noticed I love dessert.  I was in heaven… and luckily surrounded by wonderful people

and cute dishes!

Dinner was never this exciting (or long!  the whole meal took about 4 hours!) at my house!

I’m so thankful Sara’s wonderful family let me join them for their weekly family tradition!  This was most definitely one of my most memorable meals!

Nutella Makes Everything Delicious

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I want a big scoop of ice cream right now more than you’ll know.  Instead of giving in, I’m going to try to write about a fantastic dessert the Biscotti Queen and I made for Sunday Dinner with her family

Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse in Dark Chocolate Bowls.

Do I need to say any more? Well maybe just how to make it.

Inflate some balloons to the size that you want your bowl to be.  Dip the balloons in melted dark chocolate chips, place on plate/sheet pan lined with wax paper.

Refrigerate (or put infront of the AC) until the chocolate hardens.

In the meantime, make the mousse.  Mix together a 13oz jar of nutella with 3 cup of heavy cream.  This guy comes in handy…

Whisk with a mixer until you get peaks.  Be careful!  I overmixed in the first attempt (don’t go thinking I let all that nutella and cream go to waste… more on that in a bit).  Once you’ve whipped up the mousse, pop the balloons!  You might have to peel them off carefully and gently like we did.  Be careful not to crack the chocolate or handle it too long, as it’ll melt.

Fill the bowls with mousse and refrigerate for a few hours.  We didn’t do this so we had sort of a soupier mousse than is desirable, but I’m sure if refrigerated in the bowls it would turn out great!

Serve with a strawberry!

The presentation is lovely and the taste is absolutely AMAZING!!  The best part… it’s SUPER easy!  Only 3 ingredients: Nutella, Cream and Chocolate!

Now onto my mistake.  So I accidentally overwhipped the nutella and cream!  Oops!  It turned to liquid again!  Boo!

Solution: Chocolate Hazelnut Creme Brulee

Chocolate Hazelnut Creme Brulee

1 13 oz jar nutella
3 cup heavy cream
7 egg yolks, lightly beaten
12 teaspoons sugar

Preheat oven to 275F.  Combine the first 3 ingredients.  Pour mixture into 12 ramekins.  Put ramekins in a large baking dish or roasting pan, fill pan with hot water until ramekins are half way submerged.  Bake 45-60 mins.  Allow to cool, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.  Sprinkle with a teaspoon of sugar and burn sugar using a kitchen torch or broiler.

Deeeeelish!

Best mistake I’ve made in a while.

Hmm… I still want ice cream.  Distracting yourself from your cravings with other delicious treats probably isn’t the best idea.  Oh well!

Coming up… Sunday Dinner with Italians!

Cherry Cobbler

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Most of the time, I don’t have the heart to bake with fresh fruit that is delicious (i.e. blueberries, cherries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, etc.).  I usually think they should be enjoyed, raw, delicious and completely on their own (I don’t understand putting sugar on strawberries!), as nature intended.

But if someone gives me some fruit and asks me to bake something with it, do you really think I’d say no?

Cherry Cobbler

from All Recipes

3 tablespoons butter (I used EarthBalance)*
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup milk*
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup boiling water
3 1/2 cups fresh pitted cherries
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spread cherries in a greased 9 inch pie pan or 9×9 square baking dish.   Combine the first seven ingredients in a bowl. Spread the mixture over the cherries.  Combine the 1 cup of sugar with a tablespoon of flour and a cup of boiling water then pour it over the batter and cherries.  Bake for 45 minutes.

*Use non-dairy milk and Earthbalance to make it vegan.

Potential Problems You Might Face in Making This Cobbler:

  • Pitting the cherries if you don’t have a cherry pitter.  –> Solution: Enlist the help of a friend.  Slice the cherries in half and pull out the pit with your fingers.
  • Temptation to eat the entire thing –> Solution: Give it to the friend who helped with the pitting.
  • Feeling that you need an occasion to make this.  –>  Solution: New season of Mad Men started last night, make this next Sunday and have a piece with Don Draper and an Old Fashioned.

Was anyone else as sorely disappointed as I was at that first episode last night?

Wafflezone-o-wich?

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Nope.  Those aren’t burnt waffles.

It’s a waffle, pizza, calzone, and a panini all in one!

Okay so I have no idea if I read about this or dreamt about it.  Let’s be realistic, I probably read about it because I doubt I could be this creative.

Actually nevermind, let’s pretend I’m great and I thought it up all on my own.

I made a quick whole wheat pizza dough by mixing together:

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or just 1 cup WW flour and omit all purpose)
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 1/8 tsp yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
3/4 cup warm water
1/2 tbsp olive oil

After kneading it for about 2 minutes.  I let the dough rest for about 10 minutes.  Then I divided it into two equal sized pieces and on a well floured surface, rolled each piece VERY thinly.  I topped one side with some pasta sauce, kale (obviously), smart dog and 1 string cheese.  I put the other thinly rolled piece of dough on top and sealed the edges by folding over and pinching together.  After I put it in a heated waffle iron for 5 minutes.  The dough shouldn’t reach the edges, you’re going to squish it down so it’ll get there but leave about an inch of room all around.

It got a little messy in the spots where the sauce oozed out.  But it was completely worth it.

Perfect for days like today when turning on the oven could easily qualify as murder.  Not to mention it takes about 20 minutes total to make and if you use store bought pizza dough, the process takes less than 10 minutes.

Also fun because I’m obsessed with this waffle maker!  While these were delicious, there’s always room for improvement.

A few suggestions:

  • Roll the dough very thinly,  maybe don’t use all the dough.
  • If something is in chunks (i.e. kale and smart dog in this situation), chop them very finely.  Big chunks are okay but I bet it would be less messy if the chunks were smaller.
  • Reduce the sauce or just use tomatoes.  Ragu is a little more runny than other sauces.  I’d reduce it a bit (or maybe I was just over zealous with the sauciness, as I often tend to do).

I should also note that this waffle maker is huge!  So one waffle is enough for two people.

If you have a waffle maker, try it!  Super easy and relatively healthy!

Glamorous

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Little known fact about me: I love spy movies.  A lot.

Last night, I saw

I was entertained.  Probably a little over the top (okay REALLY over the top) but better than a lot of other movies I’ve seen recently.

For some reason, movies always portray spy life as pretty glamorous.  It’s probably not, but it’s still my secret dream job.  In the meantime, I’ll fake the glamorous lifestyle.

For example: Last week, the Biscotti Queen and I made a glamorous cocktail.

I scoop of your sorbet of choice (we used grapefruit)

Top it off with champagne.

Let it fizzle.

Enjoy.

Okay so life’s not going to be that glamorous the next few weeks.  I’m moving twice in the next 2 weeks!  Not fun! But before that there’s the weekend!  Have a good one!

Introducing the Biscotti Queen

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Looks can be deceiving.  Sometimes I make things that look good, like this

But really they’re not that great and end up in the trash.

On the other hand, sometimes the lighting in a room isn’t the best so your pictures don’t turn out fantastic, but the end product is AMAZING.

You’ve seen Sara on here a lot.  She will from now on be referred to as the Biscotti Queen.

Why?  Because she makes biscotti that will make your Italian grandmother jealous.

I’ve tried to make biscotti numerous times.  It never turns out right.  But the Biscotti Queen has got it down. Way back when in January, she even sent me some in the mail!

Chocolate Hazelnut and Ginger Biscotti

from Epicurious

1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup hazelnuts, toasted and chopped
1/3 cup crystallized ginger, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.  Mix in 3 eggs until combined.  Stir in the chocolate chips, hazelnuts and crystallized ginger.  Turn mixture onto a floured surface and shape into two logs, flatten to about an inch and a half high and 3 inches wide.  Transfer to a greased and floured baking sheet, brush with a beaten egg and bake for 35 minutes.

Take the logs out of the oven, reduce the heat to 325F.  Allow to cool about 10 minutes then cut into 1/2 inch slices.  Bake again for 7 minutes on each side.  Then drizzle with melted white chocolate if you’d like and give them as goodies!

We also made some White Chocolate Espresso biscotti, but sadly white chocolate does not work that well.  It all melted away and just left holes!  Still tasted delicious though!

The point of that is photos can be deceiving and the Biscotti Queen makes amazing biscotti!

Have a great day!!

Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream

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Apparently, it’s National Ice Cream month.  Good thing I took my neighbor‘s ice cream maker hostage.

After you read this recipe and try it, you have to promise me you will never EVER again buy Ben and Jerry’s Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream.  This one tops it.  That’s right.  I said it.

I took these pictures and put the ice cream back in the container but saved a spoonful for myself to try.  About 30 seconds later, I went back to the freezer and put the scoops I had returned to the container back into my bowl.

Then I had to brush my teeth and basically strap myself down to keep myself from eating more.

Better Than Ben and Jerry’s Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream

adapted from Kitchen Chick

1 cup smooth peanut butter
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup whole milk
1 1/3 cup half and half
1/2 tsp vanilla
7 Reese’s Peanut Butter cups, chopped

In a bowl, mix together the peanut butter and sugar.  Gradually stir in the milk, half and half and vanilla until the peanut butter is dissolved.  Chill in the freezer for a few minutes (about half an hour should be fine).  Put in the ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.  In the last 5 minutes of turning, drop in the pieces of Reese’s Peanut Butter cup.  Freeze for a few hours and serve.

This evening, I took it over to Sara(who will from now on be called the biscotti queen, I’ll tell you why another day)’s house.  It cannot be around here.  You can probably tell, this stuff is faaaaaaaaattyyyyyyy!  It’s one of those once a year type things.

Speaking of once a year… Yesterday was my friend Daniele’s Birthday!

Hey yo Daniele, Happy Birthday yesterday!!  Miss your face!

And Rhoda, we all always miss you!

Brownies and the French

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July 14th was Bastille Day.

I’m not French.

I know that, but I’d take any excuse for a party and baking.

Some friends had a party, Sara and I made Champagne Brownies

and I tried to look French because obviously a black dress with a sassy look and an odd hairdo screams Je suis française!

But really, Champagne, we can call that French, right?

I’m not sure we should call these brownies brownies though.  They should probably just be called fudge.  They’re dense and bittersweet and intense.

Champagne Almost Fudge Brownies

adapted from Couture Cupcakes

1 lb of unsweetened chocolate (i.e. baker’s squares or coco powder+oil)
12 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar (omit if you use sweetened chocolate)
4 eggs
3/4 cup flour
1 cup champagne

Preheat oven to 325F.

In a large pot on low heat, melt together the chocolate and butter.  Remove from heat.  Add the salt, sugar and vanilla.  Stir together to combine.  Stir in 1 egg at a time until just combined.  Add the flour stirring until just combined.  Add the champagne and stir until incorporated.  Transfer to a greased 9 x 13 baking pan.  Bake about 40 minutes.  Allow to cool completely (I would even say you can chill them), cut and serve (with ice cream or on its own).

So rich!

I kept up with the French theme this morning (two days later).

Omelets are French.

Zucchini Goat Cheese Omelet

1/2 tsp olive oil
3 tbsp diced onion
1 small zucchini, diced
1/2 cup chopped chard or kale
1/2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley or basil
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup egg substitute  (or 3 eggs, beaten)
1 oz goat cheese

In a small skillet, heat oil, add onions and zucchini cook for a few minutes until zucchini is almost tender.  Add chard and cook an additional minute or two.  Season with salt and pepper and set aside.  Spray a medium skillet with cooking spray and put on medium/low heat, add eggs, cover and cook until eggs are pretty much cooked through (no longer jiggle when shaken) about 4 minutes.  Carefully flip the egg using a spatula, sprinkle with goat cheese and vegetable filling, fold over and transfer to a plate.

Sprinkle with a little more parsley and serve with a slice of homemade oatmeal bread.

Very light and tasty.

This omelette only has 200 calories, must be why French women don’t get fat.

We’ll just forget about the brownies.

Baked Falafel

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Today was much better than yesterday.  I was still pretty lazy but not NEARLY as much as yesterday.

I got my butt to the gym as soon as it opened (12:00pm, isn’t that crazyyy late?!?).  I did a FANTASTIC interval work out inspired by this lady.  Actually I wrote this work out plan on a little piece of paper with the intention of taking it to the gym with me, but left it at home as I often tend to do.  Instead, I made up my own on the spot.

5 min warm up
3 sets: (9 mins)
1 min 6.0
1 min 7.0
1 min 4.0
3 sets: (9 mins)
1 min 5.6
1 min 8.0
1 min 4.2
3 sets: (9 mins)
1 min 6.5
1 min 7.5
1 min 4.5
3 sets: (9 mins)
1 min 7.0
1 min 6.0
1 min 4.0
3 sets: (9 mins)
1 min 8.0
1 min 6.5
1 min 4.2
5-10 min cool down

LOVED IT.  I was a sweaty mess at the end.  The work out just flew by!  Probably helped that I was listening to an old school playlist that I hadn’t listened to in a million years.  I hate to admit it but I like running on treadmills.

I’m excited to do this again sometime this week.  Next time, I’ll do her actual work out.  Definitely recommended!

Then I came home and made the most magical lunch ever!

Baked Falafel

adapted from Epicurious
1 cup dried garbanzo beans
1/2 large onion, roughly chopped (about 1 cup)
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon salt
4 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon baking powder
6 tablespoons flour (I used sorghum flour, so I think they were gluten free)

Soak beans overnight in plenty of water.  The next days, put the garbanzo beans and onion in the food processor and pulse to roughly chop.  Next add remaining ingredients and pulse until combine.  Refrigerate mixture for a few hours (this is when I went to the gym and did the above mentioned fab work out).

After the  mixture is chilled, pre heat your oven to 375 degrees.  Form garbanzo bean mixture into 20 walnut sized balls.  Place on a greased baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.  Turn and baked for another 15 minute.  Serve on lettuce with cucumbers, tomato and yogurt tahini sauce.

Yogurt Tahini Sauce

1/4 cup greek yogurt
2 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp water (more or less depending on how thick you want it)

Stir together in a bowl and drizzle over falafel.   This recipe makes enough to serve 4 or 5.

In case you’re curious, this is the nutrition information for each ball:

Pretty tasty!  I will say that they can be rather messy to eat, God forbid I use silverware!

Of course after lunch I watched the World Cup Final.  Big surprise (I’m sure you’re tired of hearing about it, but it’s over now).

Spain won! I’m pleased!

Alright now back to my book!  Have a great night!

Put a Ring on It Blueberry Pancake

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Most pancake recipes are meant to feed groups of 4-6.  That means you can cut it in half but it still makes enough to feed 2 or 3.  I don’t know about you but I’m not a fan of leftovers (although they happen a lot).

But a few days ago I stumbled across a pancake that even Beyonce (you knew it was coming!  I’m obsessed) could appreciate

Obviously, as I always do, I changed the recipe.  This one is healthier, pretty darn tasty… and perfect for one.

Really, you shouldn’t need someone else to have a delicious breakfast.  Be I-N-D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-T

Single ladies like pancakes too, especially blueberry pancakes.

One huge blueberry pancake.

Put a Ring on It Blueberry Pancake

inspired by Joy the Baker’s Single Lady Pancake

1/3 cup + 1 tbsp whole wheat pastry flour
1 tbsp oats
1 tbsp powdered sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp milk (or soymilk or veganify!)
dribble of vanilla
handful of blueberries
1/2 banana, sliced

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl,  add milk and vanilla and stir together.  Heat a greased pan.  Pour in batter, sprinkle with some blueberries then put a lid on it and let it cook for a few minutes.  Flip and cook for an additional minute or two.  Top with more blueberries,  1/2 a sliced banana and syrup of choice.

Because I’m cheap with calories and money, I made my fabulous yogurt syrup concoction: 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt + 1 tbsp real maple syrup + 1 tbsp water.

I feel like my day is already starting off better than yesterday.  Have a wonderful Friday!!

P.S. I just rewatched the Single Ladies video (you probably should too).  How do I get Beyonce’s legs???!?!?!?!?