Happy Belated St. Patty's Day!

What did you make?

A guest had a Bailey's craving and added Bailey's over crushed ice. Chocolate shavings topped off the drink.

How long did it take?

Less than 5 minutes

How did it taste?

It tasted good. The chocolate gave it extra texture.

Breakfast for Dinner!

What did you make?

We had a few menu items.

First there was the yogurt apple cake (look to the "Life is Sweet" post for the recipe). I added some lemon juice and lemon pieces on the apples before adding some honey and then the rest of the batter.

I also found an interesting graham cracker recipe aka graham cracker goodness (found it http://www.cookthink.com/) that called for equal parts melted butter and sugar to be put on the cracker. Then chocolate was added and finally it was baked along with the cake until the butter and sugar hardened and chocolate melted.

We also made some crepes. I found the recipe online. I used 2 eggs, 1 cup of milk, 1 cup of flour, and 3 tablespoons of butter.

Multigrain banana chocolate pancakes were also made.

We also had scrambled eggs and salad to balance out all the sugar.

How long did it take?

This took around an hour but it is hard to say since we ate as each dish was made. There was (somewhat) organized chaos in the kitchen.

How did it taste? Would you make it again?

It tasted great! It was truly a team effort to make these dishes. Sometimes it felt more like dessert than breakfast for dinner :) The graham cracker goodness was particularly different and the multigrain pancake mix from Trader Joes was also very delicious.

The Meal Before...Grocery Shopping

What did you make today?

Today I had to whip something up quickly for lunch but some of the usual staples were missing. I boiled some packaged pork and leek dumplings. I also boiled the broccoli before stir-frying it in garlic and scallions. I also drizzled a bit of sesame oil on it for the smell. The most creative dish was the uncooked tofu, shredded carrots, and three-cheese tomato sauce combination.

How long did it take?

It actually took around 30 minutes because I did it different stages and it was not preplanned.

How did it taste? Would you make it again?

There was a lot of variety in this lunch so that made the meal a 7.5. The brocolli was a little saltier than I intended and the dumplings were good though not exceptional. The tofu absorbs any flavor so it was a true fusion dish. Cold tofu is great for the summer months so I'm starting a little early.

2 great ways to start off the day!

Crispy Salmon Melt
What did you make?
Some mornings I just want something with more protein so I had some leftover canned salmon from a can that I had mixed with mayo. I made myself a salmon melt with cheese and some salad and tomato sauce grilled in a pita. I also had some fruit to go with it.

How long did it take?
Around 10 minutes.

How did it taste? Would you make it again?
I really enjoyed this and I would rate it a 9. I like melted cheese with the crispy pita. The salmon was tasted too.

Brown Butter Honey Lemon Toast

What did you make?

I've had toast with honey and brown butter a few times but yesterday I was inspired to squeeze on some lemon and the results were amazing! Lemon is the perfect note for this toast. Brown butter is also more flavorful than regular butter. To make brown butter you just need to melt regular butter until the color turns brown.

How long did it take?

5 minutes. Let the toast heat and add some butter, honey , and a squeeze of lemon.

How did it taste? Would you make it again?

I would give this a 9. It was delicious and satisfying breakfast.

Sweet Savory Sour Salad

What did you make?

This is my new favorite salad for when I want a light dinner. I use prepackaged salad mix from Trader Joes (just $1.99 a bag--a very recession friendly price) and I added shredded chicken from a rotisserie chicken I bought, grapes, feta cheese, walnuts, and my signature shredded carrots. I use balsamic vinegar for dressing. A tip from the Food Channel: When you add any dressing, pour it on the sides of the bowl so that it gets mixed in more evenly and thoroughly.

How long did it take?

Around 10 minutes. You have to wash the grapes, grate the carrots, shred the chicken, and crumble the feta but it is worth the extra effort.

How did it taste? Would you make it again?

I would give this dish a 9. I would definitely make it again. I love the extra texture of the shredded carrots and the sweetness it adds. I like the combination of sweet, savory, and sour in this salad.

Life can be Sweet

Amaretto-Hazelnut-Cake submitted by Nina from Germany

What did you make?
Amaretto-Hazelnut-Cake

For the bottom: 4 eggyolks with 130 grams sugar and 3 tablespoons warm water: mix until soft/foamy. Beat the eggwhites until stiff. Grind 200 grams hazelnuts and mix these with baking powder (one tablespoon) and 1 tablespoon cinnamon. Mix this into the eggyolks and carefully fold in the beaten eggwhites. (don't stir too much to keep the foaminess). In oven for about 30 mins. let it cool down. on top: 400 grams cream, beat the cream with vanilla-flavoured sugar and cream stabilizer (I dont' know if you can get it in the US, I found this info on the web:"this is a German specialty item, used to make cream stiff so that it can support a bit of weight (such as a layer of fruit or a thin layer of cake); it's also used to keep whipped cream from going runny quite so fast in summer"). Put in grated chocolate and 3 tablespoons amaretto. Put that mix on the bottom, let it cool, add dark chocolate couverture on top. Let it cool again.

How did it taste?

AWESOME. It's quite simple to make but tastes really delicious. The cooling consumes some time, but it's worth it and you can do other stuff in between. I would make it for special occasions!


Om Ali submitted by Kareem in Davis, CA

What you made:

An Egyptian dessert dish called Om Ali, which literally means Ali’s Mother. Most Egyptians consider it to be a hearty dessert with a lot of nutritional value. It consists of puff pastry sheets soaked in sweetened milk and topped with hazelnuts (or walnuts, as in this case) and raisins. Typically, the puff pastry is covered with heavy cream, but as this increases the caloric content significantly, those who prefer lighter desserts can elect to do without it. In addition, reduced or low-fat milk can be used instead of whole milk.

How long it took:

Baking the puff pastry: 30 minutes
Heating the milk: 5 minutes
Chopping the walnuts: 5 minutes
Putting it all together and baking it some more: 40 minutes.
Total time: About one hour and twenty minutes.

How it tasted/whether you would make it again:

It tasted great. The puff pastry was soft in the center and just a tad crunchy on the edges, which was perfect. The milk, however, was only mildly sweet, and although this did not have too much of an effect on the overall taste, a little bit more sugar would have given the dish just the right amount of sweetness. The walnuts were plenty but the dish could have used a few more raisins. With all this taken into account, I would rate this Om Ali a solid 8 out of 10. I would definitely make this dessert again.

Apple Yogurt Walnut Cake by me in NYC



What did you make?

I made yogurt apple cake with walnuts and raisins and lemon juice. This is my signature dessert :)

You need:

1 cup yogurt
1 cup flour
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup olive oil
1-1.5 cups of sugar
1 apple
1 teaspoon vanilla
optional: walnuts, raisins, cinnamon, honey, lemon juice

Mix the wet and dry ingredients separately. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients slowly. Pour 2/3 of the batter into the pan. Add slices of apple onto the batter. Add 1/2 cup sugar or drizzle honey. Today I tried also adding lemon juice to the apple slices and then adding honey. Pour the rest of the batter. Drizzle more honey on top of the batter. When you bake it, the honey pattern will appear.


How long did it take?

If you have the ingredients it can be prepared in 20 minutes. Let it bake at 350 degrees Farenheit for 30-40 minutes until the top is golden.

Would you make it again? How does it tastes?

This cake is my go-to cake. Yogurt makes it very moist. Today I made a bit of a mistake and added more flour than usual so that cake was less moist but still pretty good. I would rate it a 7 only because I've had it even moister and sweeter. The cake is not too sweet so you can have it for either breakfast or snack or dessert. Adding honey on top makes a nice and chewy crust.

Helva submitted by Senay in NYC

What did you make?

I made a Turkish dessert called Helva.

It uses:

1 stick of melted butter

2 cups of flour

1.5 cups of sugar

2 cups of milk

1/2 cup of chopped walnuts

Stir these ingredients in a non stick pan until it becomes paste-like. Then you can shape it into round balls.

How long did it take?

Around 30 minutes.

How did it taste?

It tasted good and reminded me of how my mother makes it.

Boeuf Bourguignon

Big thanks to Meghan from CA and author of "Radishes & Butter"
http://www.radishesandbutter.wordpress.com/





What did you make?

Last night I made Boeuf Bourguignon. Which is stew meat (I used chuck), some dry, full bodied red wine (I tried two different types of wine and the petite syrah definitely created a better sauce than the lighter cabernet sauvignon) and stock for the sauce, onions, carrots, and various seasoning. Technically, the recipe called for bacon, but since I wanted to keep one batch at least somewhat kosher, I only used bacon in one batch and in the other omitted the bacon and used olive oil for the absent bacon drippings. Both versions turned out very well, so omitting the bacon is not at all a problem. About 15 minutes before the boeuf bourguignon is ready to come out of the oven, I par-boiled some pearl onions and then sautéed them in butter. These were then added to the boeuf bourguignon right before it was served.

How long did it take?

Boeuf Bourguignon seems like a time consuming dish, and I guess in some ways it is. However, it does not require much work. There are about 30-45 minutes of prep work before it goes into the oven for another 2 hours. And the nice bonus is that your home will be filled with the wonderful aroma of the rich wine-y stew.

How did it taste?

It tastes phenomenal. The meat melts in your mouth (This is a great way to cook meat that would otherwise be tough and chewy). It is a great dish for a cold, gloomy day. It makes a lot, so we’re looking forward to enjoying the leftovers later this week.