What Making A Peach Pie Can Teach You About Life

August 15, 201114 Comments

A few years ago, I made terrible pies. No really. They were not good. They were runny, caved in.

In short, not cute.

But I kept at it. Now I can honestly say I know how to make a good pie.

Throughout my pie (mis)adventures, I learned a few things about pie making that I think apply to life as well. These are my pearls of wisdom:

1. Be patient.
Pies, like all good things, take time. Your crust needs to rest. First as a ball of dough (at least a few hours). Then as a rolled pie crust (at least an hour, better if a day).

Give it time and keep it cool. It’ll be worth it in the end.

2. When life gives you ____, make pie.
In this case, peach pie.

Leave the skin on, sometimes things are better when they’re a little rough around the edges. Remember, pies (and you) don’t need to be perfect.

3. Be generous with the sugar.

Both in pies and in life, the more sugar, the better. Smile at strangers. Hug your friends. Kiss your loved ones. You won’t regret it.

4. Don’t forget a little spice.

A dash of cinnamon makes most pies delicious. A little sass in your life won’t hurt either. Just a dash. Not too much. No one likes a diva.

5. Sometimes things don’t go your way…
and you drop a piece of the filling on the floor.

When things fall apart, wipe it up and carry on.

6. Fill your life with sweet things.

I’m not talking about inducing diabetes, sometimes a sweet thing doesn’t have to be food. Nice people. Good books. Cute puppies. All sweet things.

7. Don’t be afraid to get complicated

Even if in the end it’s not perfect. It’ll be worth the effort.

8. If you’re not ready for a pie in the oven yet, wrap it up.

Yeah I said it. Truth.

9. Lastly, like the first lesson, be patient some more.

It’s a long process, and takes about an hour to bake (at 375F). But in the end it’s totally worth it. Can’t we say that about most things… degrees. relationships. work.

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Spinach-Quinoa-Peach Salad with Honey-Sage Vinaigrette, My Type of Salad

August 12, 2011October 15, 20116 Comments

You know how they say people have types? A type of guy or girl they always date or crush on.

You know what I mean. You probably have a type.

I like to think this is my type

But realistically, it’s usually some goofy-looking, bearded guy…

I’m not the best at that whole guy thing so instead, I’ll stick to food.

In that department, I most definitely know my type, and this is my type of meal.

I like things that don’t seem to make sense together. I guess that’s true for guys as well, but let’s stick to the topic at hand:

This salad combines sweet, salty, warm, cold, soft, crunchy and creamy. If it were a lady it would be that cute, quirky girl that gentlemen seem to pine over in movie. You know the type:

But in life, it’s just a delicious lunch.

Spinach-Quinoa-Peach Salad with Honey-Sage Vinaigrette

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
1 cup vegetable broth
3 cups fresh spinach, chopped
1 peach, sliced
2 oz goat cheese, crumbled
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp fresh chopped sage
salt and pepper to taste

Combine the quinoa with one cup of vegetable (water and salt works too). Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. In the meantime prepare the salad and dressing.

In a large bowl, combine the spinach, peach slices and goat cheese. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, honey, apple cider vinegar, sage and salt and pepper.

Once the quinoa is ready, fluff it a bit with a fork, pour hot quinoa over the salad, quickly pour the dressing over the mixture and toss to combine. The spinach will wilt slightly but still stay fresh and delicious, giving this salad the perfect combination of textures.

Serves 4 as a side dish, 2 as a main dish.

So whether you’ve found your type or, like me, have no idea what your type actually is, just make this salad. Chances are it’ll be your type too.

Vegan Banana Bread

August 10, 2011August 12, 20112 Comments

I’m pretty sure there’s something in the Bible against lying to your parents. But really, this wasn’t a lie. It was more of a withhold-the-truth type thing. See, if I told them this was vegan banana bread, something undoubtedly would be wrong with it. I can almost guarantee they would hate it.

Instead, I fibbed.

I told them it was the same banana bread I’ve always made with butter and eggs. A banana bread they love.

They loved this one too, and hopefully it won’t raise their cholesterol.

Vegan Banana Bread

1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
2 “flax eggs”*
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
4 ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)

In a small bowl, combine 2 tsbp flax meal with 6 tbsp water. Whisk together and set aside.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In another bowl, combine sugar, oil, “flax eggs” and vanilla. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Right before it’s all combine, stir in bananas and pecans. Don’t overmix.

Pour batter into a bundt pan, bake at 350F for about 40 minutes (this will vary depending on your oven).

Serve and don’t tell anyone it’s vegan. Unless you’re trying to impress a vegan, in which case you can sing its dairy-free praises. However, should you decide to keep its vegan identity a secret, you might get what’s coming to you.

In the process of making the banana bread of lies, I got a paper cut on a bag of flour. Call it karma or punishment. I call it an unfortunate casualty of baking.

Mango Ice Cream

August 5, 20111 Comment

I think I’ve mentioned before that my family isn’t the biggest fan of my cooking. They think I make weird things and constantly ask me why I can’t make “normal” things (with my mom chiming in about the loads of dishes).

Today I saw in utter shock when they actually liked something I made. Even my mom, liked it. She’s not an easy woman to please.

I can chalk up this success to two possible scenarios:

1. This mango ice cream I made, somehow, had a latin flavor, and that’s why they liked it.

2. Our late-night bonding sessions over telenovelas have suddenly made them appreciate my culinary prowess.

I’m going to guess it’s the former and not the latter.

Instead, I’ll just praise my sister and brother-in-law for being supportive and giving me an ice cream maker for my birthday. Thus, my first creation:

Mango Ice Cream

1 cup half-and-half

1 cup whole milk

3 egg yolks

2/3 cup sugar

1 1/4 cup fresh pureed mango*

*I thawed frozen mango chunks, then pureed them in the food processor. It’s okay if there are tiny pieces of mango still in there.

In a saucepan, heat the milk on medium heat until bubble start to form on the edges. In a bowl, mix together the egg yolks and sugar. Put a little elbow grease in it and mix them until they’re slightly pale yellow. Add a little bit of the milk to the yolk mixture, mix it, then add that mixture to the rest of the saucepan. Stir on low heat until the custard begins to thicken, enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Allow it to cool a bit then add the mango puree to the custard. Refrigerate for a few hours until completely cold. Then add it to your ice cream maker according to the manufacturers instructions. Freeze for a few more hours and serve!

Fig-Arugula-Goat Cheese Sandwich with a side of Kale

August 3, 20113 Comments

I have a confession.

I hate cooking at night.

Not always but most of the time.

Most days, I wish someone would cook dinner for me so that I wouldn’t have to touch the kitchen past 2pm. I guess that’s not totally true. Cooking for others at night is fun. Cooking for myself, not so much.

Baking in the morning is my favorite. Making elaborate lunches runs a close second.

Like this guy.

No no, that’s not a boring sandwich. Don’t be fooled, it’s amazing and perfect in every way. I plan to eat it for the next few days. You should try it too. Here’s what you do to make 1 wonderful lunch (or dinner I suppose):

Fig-Arugula-Goat Cheese Sandwich with a side of Kale

2 slices of bread (I used oat nut something or other), toasted
1-2 oz goat cheese
2-3 figs, sliced (I have a tendency to eat pieces as I slice, so 3 for me)
1 handful of arugula
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 tbsp olive oil
2-3 cups of chopped kale
1 garlic clove
salt and pepper to taste

Place 1 sliced fig and 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar in a saucepan over medium heat. Once it comes to a boil, lower the heat and simmer until reduced (about 5 minutes, you can do this while you prepare the rest of the sandwich).

Spread the goat cheese on the toasted bread (either on one side or both, I did one side). Lay the sliced figs one side, the arugula on the other. Once the balsamic reduction is ready, drizzle it on the figs and arugula and your sandwich is ready.

Next make the kale, heat oil in a pan to medium/high. Add kale, garlic, salt and pepper and stir around. Add some water if it’s too dry. Once the kale has cooked (but is still pretty bright green), top with remaining (or just some, if you don’t like things too acidic) balsamic reduction and cooked figs.

Crumble some more goat cheese over it, if you’d like, and serve along side your sandwich!

Best eaten at lunch but works well for dinner too… If that’s your thing… And if it is, come over and make me dinner!

Also Reminder: Summer in a Box Giveaway ends Saturday!

Fig-Honey Cornmeal Cake

July 28, 2011July 28, 20114 Comments

I have something for you, and I’m pretty sure you’ll love it. It’s simple and sweet, with a bit of a rough texture. No, I’m not talking about your perfect man. I’m talking about cake.

If you were here, I’d serve this to you with a cup of tea. Better yet, I should plan a tea party around this cake.

Who wants to come?

The lovely thing about this cake, aside from the fact that it involves figs and honey, is how quick and easy it is. You can make the whole thing in less than half an hour. And that’s exactly what I did this morning.

Fig-Honey Cornmeal Cake

1/4 cup olive oil
1 egg
1/2 cup honey (plus more for drizzling)
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp all purpose flour
1/3 cup cornmeal
1/2 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6-7 fresh figs

Pre-heat oven to 350F. Grease and flour a 9-inch round baking pan. Set aside.

Slice figs into wedges (about 6 wedges per fig). Arrange figs onto prepared baking pan. Set aside.

Combine egg, honey, and olive oil in a medium bowl.

In another bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Combine with cornmeal. Add dry ingredient mixture to wet ingredients. Fold together until just combined.

Then pour the batter over the figs.

Gently spread the batter around. It’ll just barely cover the figs.

Place in the oven and bake until golden brown. In my oven it took about 13 minutes. It cooks very quickly! So check it after 10-12 minutes.

Once it’s out of the oven, allow to cool. Turn over onto a plate and drizzle with additional honey

and serve any time of day!

Quinoa Stuffed Zucchini

July 26, 20114 Comments

Let’s take a break from the usual sweets I present to you on this blog. Instead, I’ll show you some real food. As in a real meal. Are you pumped?

Thought so.

This weekend, I met my neighbors for the first time when I went across the street to ask if they could spare a wood pallet. They could, more on that later… But in addition to giving me a wood pallet, my neighbor showed me her vegetable garden and gave me two huge bags filled with tomatoes and an assortment of squash.

If you know me, you could only imagine how excited I was, especially after being cooped up in the vegetable desert that is my parents’ house.

So my first creation with these delightful vegetables:

Quinoa Stuffed Zucchini

1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup vegetable or chicken broth
4 good sized zucchinis
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
5 tomatoes, diced
3 garlic cloves
salt and pepper to taste
few ounces of queso fresco or queso cotija

In a sauce pan, combine quinoa and broth. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside.

Heat oil in a pan, add onion and cook until translucent. Add red pepper and carrots and cook for another 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, garlic, salt and pepper. Continue to cook until tomatoes have cooked down. Then add the quinoa, turn off the heat and stir together.

If you choose to stop here, you can have a wonderfully delicious and healthy quinoa side dish that I’m guessing would be amazing served over some sauteed kale.

Or you can continue. Slice the zucchinis in half, length-wise and spoon out the center (I actually diced up the stuff I spooned out and added it to the quinoa mixture. No waste!).

Fill the zucchini with quinoa mixture and bake at 400F for about 30 minutes (depending on the size of your zucchini times may differ). I used the toaster oven, because it’s hot and who wants to turn the oven on when it’s 90F degrees out?

Take the zucchini out of the oven, sprinkle with cheese and bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.

Serve and enjoy!

Oh but wait! One last thing… If you decide to put whipped cream on yesterday’s Lemon Blueberry Tartlets

It is divine.

Lemon Blueberry Tartlets

July 25, 2011August 16, 201110 Comments

There are 8lbs of blueberries in the fridge. No, I’m not kidding, nor am I exaggerating.

I love blueberries, and usually I am of the firm belief that they are so delicious that they should be eaten fresh on their own. But I’m the only person in my household who eats blueberries and as much as I like them. I don’t think I can eat 8lbs before they spoil.

So be prepared for some blueberry-related recipes.

This first one though should really be categorized as a lemon recipe.

If you don’t love lemon flavored desserts, we can’t be friends.

Okay, not really, I still love you. But this recipe is so intensely lemony that it takes a true lemon fanatic (aka my sister and me) to truly appreciate its majestic qualities.

Truth be told. It’s pretty easy. All you do is make some lemon curd, put it in a graham cracker crust and top it with fresh blueberries. Don’t let the simple preparation fool you. This thing is intense, amazing and perfect for summer.

Lemon Blueberry Tartlets

1 package graham crackers
6 tbsp melted butter
3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup lemon juice (about the juice of 2 lemons)
4 tbsp butter, softened
zest of 2 lemons
1-2 cups blueberries

Make your crust:

Crush the graham crackers, pour melted butter over graham cracker crumbs. Toss to combine and press into one large tart pan or about 5 mini tartlet pans. Refrigerate.

Make Lemon Filling:

Place a stainless steel or glass bowl over a pot of boiling water. In the bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, and lemon juice. Stir over the double boiler until thick. This will take about 10 minutes. Carefully remove from heat and stir in the butter and lemon zest. Set aside and allow to cool completely. You can make this a day or two in advance and just keep it refrigerated.

Assemble Tartlets:

Spoon lemon filling into prepared graham cracker crusts. Arrange blueberries over the filling. Sprinkle with a little powdered sugar to make it look extra special.

Serve immediately or refrigerate. Makes 5 mini tartlets or 1 large tart.

If you love lemon and blueberries as much as I do, I can almost guarantee the end result will look like this:

Lastly, do you have any blueberry recipes or ideas to recommend?

Coconut Cream Pie but Better

July 14, 20112 Comments

I’m not completely sure what the difference is between a pie and a tart, other than the shape of the pan. For all intents and purposes, what follows is a pie disguised as a tart.

Thus, it is a much fancier (almost French seeming, hey, it’s Bastille Day!) version of coconut cream pie.

Okay, let’s be honest. I’ve never eaten coconut cream pie. I don’t think I’ve ever even seen one in person. That was until I made my version of what I think coconut cream pie should be like.

I have no idea if this is what coconut cream pie should taste like, but here’s my creation. Karla’s new and improved version with rich chocolate whipped cream for topping.

I’m going to go ahead and call it a winner.

Coconut Cream Pie with Chocolate Whipped Cream

1 package of graham crackers
6 tbsp butter
3 cup finely shredded coconut
1 1/2 cup milk
1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk
4 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
1/4 cup corn starch
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 + 2 tbsp cup powdered sugar
3 tbsp cocoa powder

For the crust:

Crush graham crackers and combine with 1 cup of coconut. Melt butter and pour over graham cracker mixture, toss to combine. Press into a pie or tart pan. Refrigerate.

For Custard Filling:

In a saucepan, combine the milk, sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks, vanilla and salt. Heat, stirring constantly, until nearly boiling. Take some of the warm milk mixture and combine in a small bowl with the corn starch, stir until smooth. Pour in the corn starch mixture and the 2 cups of coconut. Continue to stir until thick (not too thick though!). Put in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap. Lay the plastic wrap directly on the custard. Refrigerate until completely cooled, like so:

Once your custard is cool, fill the tart crust with the creamy filling.

Then make your whipped topping.

For the topping, sift together the powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Using a mixer start to whip cream, gradually add in cocoa powder and sugar. Whip until the cream holds firm peaks.

Lay it on there, or nicely use a piping bag.

Either way, it doesn’t really matter. Even the worst spreading will be covered up with some divine toasted coconut. Lay your coconut on a baking sheet or on a piece of foil and stick it in the oven or toaster oven for a few minutes. Turn it every so often and watch out because it can easily burn. Allow the toasted coconut to completely cool and sprinkle as much or as little as you’d like onto your beautiful tart!

Serve, enjoy and feel fancy while you eat it.

Summer Pie in a Jar

July 12, 2011July 12, 20117 Comments

Ithaca made me a jar person.

At the risk of sounding totally hippie/granola, I will say I find jars to be very multifunctional. Not only can you carry soups, beverages and meals in them, you can also make a pie in one…

Versatile. I like it. I also like blueberries and nectarines. Let’s find a way to combine them all.

Doesn’t that look like summer? I thought so.

Summer Blueberry-Nectarine Pie in a Jar

5 half pint mason jars
1 recipe for pate brisee (this is the crust, you can also use store bought)
2 nectarine, diced (optional to peel)
1 cup blueberries
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

A quick note before starting: make your crust/pate brisee a few hours, or the night before, to prevent the dreaded shrinking crust. The longer it rests, the better!

Roll your crust on a well floured surface. I suggest rolling it thinner than you would roll your average pie crust, if not your crust to filling ratio will be quite high, but keep it thick if that’s you’re style. After rolling, line jars with pie crust. This was a little tricky for me. I bought the jars that were kinda narrow so I couldn’t fit my hand in it, so I suggest using the wider mouthed jars. I had to piece to together and use a spoon to press it down. Either way it should look somewhat like this by the end:

Place them in the fridge or freezer as soon as they’re ready. You don’t want melted/soft crusts in your jar!

While your jars chill, dice (and peel, if you like) your nectarines and wash your blueberries. In a bowl, combine nectarines, blueberries, sugar, flour and vanilla. Toss to coat all the fruit in the sugar and flour. Let sit for a few minutes.

In the meantime, make your pie lids. Roll out some more pie dough then using the jar lid, cut out circles.