A much needed post...

It has been way too long since my last post, so here is the latest in my kitchen experiments. A couple of weeks ago, i decided to make some carrot ginger soup, and also make something with my honey crisp apples. Not having a recipe, this is what I came up with...

Carrot Ginger Soup and Apple Gruyere Grilled Cheese:



For the soup:

In a large stock pot, I added two onions, 2 cloves garlic and about a 1" piece of ginger (chop all three). Saute these ingredients with olive oil until the onions begin to sweat and turn translucent in color. Next, chop up 2lbs of carrots. cook until tender. Add 4 cups chicken broth (low sodium). Last but not least, add salt, pepper and curry powder and season to taste (the curry is makes a huge difference in the flavor). heat for another 15 min. blend the in mixer until smooth. If you like a creamier soup, you can add some heavy whipping cream, or you can either add more chicken broth or water to thin out the soup.


Apple Gruyere Grilled Cheese:

Caramelize onions in a pan with oil. Add thinly sliced honey crisp apples (or any kind for that matter) and cook until soft. On bread of your choosing, layer on ham, the apple and onion mixture along with Gruyere cheese (I found apple wood smoked Gruyere cheese that was fa-nominal!). brown the sandwich in a pan just like any grilled cheese.



So when you are looking for an easy to make fall meal that screams comfort food, this is it!

Enjoy!

Banana Pecan French Toast

Recently I had breakfast at this little restaurant in NE with the BF called Hazel's. We tried their Banana Walnut French toast, and it was heavenly! Since I do not have the moo la to go there all the time, I attempted to make my own version of this tasty breakfast.

Sadly, I did not write down the recipe, so this post may not be exact. But on the plus side this is one of those dishes the does not require exact measurements.

Banana Pecan French Toast.

2 slices of Texas Toast.
A handful of Toasted Pecans
One Banana Sliced
One Banana mashed
Nutella
Brown Sugar
Cinnamon
Vanilla extract
Nutmeg
3-4 eggs
Milk
Jack Daniels Whiskey Bourbon

For the frech toast:

Beat eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and milk together. Add a splash of Mr. Jack Daniels (this is definitely the grown-ups version). Soak the bread in the mixture, and fry it up.

For the Pecan mixture:

In a pan, toast the pecans. Once toasted, add some brown sugar, and a little milk to make a caramel sauce. Add a splash of Jack Daniels. The end result of the sauce should be like a thick but runny syrup.

For the Assembly:

Place one piece of french toast on plate. add a layer of Nutella, and Then the mashed banana. Place the other piece of french toast on top. Top with the caramel pecan mixture, and place some slices of bananas on top.

And there you have it! A tasty treat for breakfast (or dinner)!

Margarita Pizza

Last night a good friend of mine stopped by for dinner. Looking for something quick and easy, I decided to make grilled margarita pizzas for us. The only problem is that 1), i do not have a working oven at the moment, and 2). I do not have a grill. The solution? Cook the pizzas on the stove in my cast iron pans. They turned out surprisingly well!

Margarita Pizza:

naan bread
pesto
sliced tomatoes
fresh mozzarella
Fresh basil

lightly brown one side of the naan bread in the cast iron pan, and flip. cover the naan with some pesto, top with sliced tomatoes, and fresh mozzarella. Salt and pepper the pizza, and sprinkle on some chopped fresh basil. Cook the pizzas on low heat so that you do not burn the bottom of the bread, and so that the cheese melts. cook until the bread is a little crispy on the bottom.

Rainy day activities

Unable to bike because of the rain, I spent my morning with a not so exciting activity i like to call LAUNDRY:(

Taking It Easy On A Friday Morning

I have been eating strawberries like crazy lately. With no work today, I took it easy and filled a bowl with yogurt, strawberries and granola. I had some leftover peanut butter from the Wedge, so a slathered some homemade bread with it along with some lavender honey. Simply delicious!


Looking for a super easy tasty treat? Try making these little strawberry tarts.


To make them, all you need is:

phyllo pastry dough
mini tart pan/muffin cups
white chocolate pudding
strawberries

bake the phyllo dough as directed, fill with pudding and top with chunks of strawberries. BEWARE! Once you try one, you will probably consume more than you would like to...

An Experimental Weeknight Dinner

In the mood for something different, I decided to experiment a little in the Kitchen, and it actually turned out to be quite tasty!


Apple, onion and fennel sandwich:

one loaf of herbed focaccia bread
2 apples peeled, cored and cut into thin slices
one large onion, thinly sliced
one large fennel bulb, chopped
brie cheese
garlic and herb alouette cheese
spring lettuce

Saute the apples, onions and fennel until the apples are tender and the onions are caramelized. Slice the focaccia bread in half for sandwiches, and spread a thin layer of the alouette cheese on both the bottom and top half. Add the apple mixture to the bottom half of bread, then add thin slices of brie on top of that. Grill the sandwich slightly so that the crust is a little crispy and the cheese melts. Add the lettuce. Serve.

Roasted Pears with Blackberries, Ricotta, and Lavender Sugar:

yield: Makes 6 servings
active time: 20 minutes
total time: 1 hour 15 minutes

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon dried lavender blossoms
6 unpeeled pears (such as Bosc or Bartlett), quartered, cored
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 12-ounce package frozen blackberries
1 cup fresh whole-milk ricotta cheese, crème fraîche, or vanilla ice cream


Grind first 2 ingredients in processor until lavender is finely chopped.
Preheat oven to 425°F. Generously butter large rimmed baking sheet. Toss pears, lemon juice, and 3 tablespoons lavender sugar in large bowl. Transfer pears, 1 cut side down, to baking sheet. Roast 20 minutes. Turn pears, placing other cut side down. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon lavender sugar; roast 20 minutes. Turn pears, skin side down. Preheat broiler. Sprinkle pears with 1 tablespoon lavender sugar. Broil until pears begin to caramelize, about 8 minutes. Arrange berries around pears; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon lavender sugar. Broil until berries begin to release juice, about 5 minutes.
Divide pears, berries, and juice among bowls. Top with dollop of ricotta and serve.

Where Have You Been All My Life?

Where have you been all my life Midtown Global market? I went there for the first time today with Dan, and I have found out that I have been missing out all of these years! Growing up in my family, we were lead to believe that anywhere beyond the suburbs was considered to be extremely dangerous. At any moment you could get shot, stabbed or even mugged.



While sitting at a table eating our Jamaican Patties at West Indies Soul Food, and the delicious Vietnamese from Pham's Deli, I had the opportunity to enjoy a meal while people watching. Let's just say that if I decide to wear bright purple jeans, a Hawaiian shirt, and neon yellow loafers, I will fit right in. Some people are so fashion forward.

Steak Sandwiches!

In the mood for some good old comfort food, I decided to make some steak sandwiches for dinner. They turned out pretty good, but I have yet to make them quite like my dad:)



Steak Sandwiches:

1/2 lb. top sirloin steak, cut into strips.
1 clove garlic
1/2 onion chopped
1 green bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch strips
1 jalapeño pepper, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Heat pan, and cover bottom with olive oil/butter. Add onions, peppers, and garlic. cook until tender. Add meat, and cook to medium rare. At the tail end, add the Worcestershire sauce.

Toast bread, and melt cheddar cheese in the broiler. Add the meat mixture. You can also add a steak sauce of your choosing for added flavor.

Cupcake Marathon!

Although I certainly got my fill of sugar over the holidays, I was still craving something sweet this past week. This past summer when I visited Anisha in Chicago, we went to a cupcake shop called Sugar Bliss ( http://www.sugarblisscakes.com/ ). This place was AWESOME!!! A cupcake lovers ultimate dream! Not too long ago, I found out that there was another specialty cupcake shop here in Minneapolis called Coco and Fig ( http://www.cocoaandfig.com/ ). I went there this past week to try out the cupcakes, but instead got their flour-less tort... It is a must have! Afterwards, I decided that my project of the week was to attempt to make some filled cupcakes.

Project 1: Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes:


The Cupcake:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or 1 vanilla bean, scraped
5 large eggs, separated
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1 cup plus scant 1/3 cup cake flour (not self-rising)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
Lemon Curd
Sanding sugar
Raspberry vanilla butter cream
24 Raspberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 standard muffin tins with cupcake liners; set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add vanilla; beat to combine. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Sift together both flours, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. With the mixer on low, add flour mixture; mix until well combined. Add sour cream; mix until well combined.
In a clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold egg whites into batter.
Fill each muffin cup half full with batter. Transfer muffin tins to oven and bake until a skewer inserted into the center of one of the cupcakes comes out clean, 20 to 24 minutes. Let cupcakes cool completely.
Using an apple corer, make a hole in the top of each cupcake, taking care not to push the corer through the bottom; remove cake from hole. Fill a squirt bottle with lemon curd and squeeze curd into holes.
Fit a pastry bag with a 3/8-inch plain round tip and fill with buttercream. Pipe buttercream in a circular motion on top of each cupcake; sprinkle with sanding sugar. Pipe a dollop of buttercream in the center of each cupcake and top with a raspberry.

Lemon Curd

Makes enough for 2 dozen cupcakes

1 cup sugar
Zest of 3 lemons
3 large eggs
4 large egg yolks
1 cup Meyer lemon juice
5 ounces unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
Directions

Prepare and ice-water bath. Set a medium bowl in ice-water bath and set aside.
Place sugar and lemon zest in a mortar and grind with a pestle to combine and release the oils. Transfer sugar mixture to a medium heatproof bowl along with eggs and egg yolks; whisk to combine. Place over a saucepan of simmering water and whisk until sugar has dissolved. Add lemon juice and continue whisking until mixture is thick and reaches 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Add butter and whisk until well combined.
Strain lemon mixture through a fine mesh sieve set over prepared bowl. Cover lemon curd with plastic wrap, pressing plastic wrap directly onto surface. Transfer to refrigerator until completely chilled.

Buttercream:

Makes enough for 2 dozen cupcakes

2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into small pieces
3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
Pinch of salt
1 vanilla bean, scraped
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup milk
1-2 teaspoons Raspberry liqueur
Directions

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until creamy. Slowly add confectioners' sugar; beat to combine, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary.
Add vanilla bean seeds, vanilla extract and Raspberry liqueur, and beat to combine. Slowly add milk and continue beating on medium-low speed until smooth and creamy, about 5 minutes.


Project #2: Chocolate Filled Cupcakes



For these sinfully delicious cupcakes, I used a standard chocolate cake recipe. Like the cupcakes above, the centers were cored and filled with Nutella. I used the same buttercream recipe as listed above, but omitted the raspberry liqueur. For a garnish, I put on some chocolate shavings on top.

These cupcakes will be gone in no time guaranteed. I have already had quite a few, and am happy to say that my cupcake craving has been taken care of (for now that is).

Celebrity Baby Names

Remember when Gwyneth Paltrow named her daughter Apple? It was big news when It happened, and Gwyneth was a laughing stock. Today CNN.com came out with 2010's worst celebrity baby names:

Buddy Bear Maurice (Jamie Oliver & Juliette Norton)
Egypt Daoud (Alicia Keys & Kaseem Dean)
Cosima Violet (Claudia Schiffer & Matthew Vaughn)
Axel (Will Ferrell & Viveca Paulin)
Krishna Thea (Padma Lakshmi)
Gideon Scott (Neil Patrick Harris & David Burtka)
Billie Beatrice (Eric Dane & Rebecca Gayheart)
Abel James (Amy Poehler & Will Arnett)
Vida (Matthew McConaughey & Camila Alves)
Nelson (Celine Dion & Angelil)




Doesn't this make you wonder what made Jamie Oliver and wife think of the name "Buddy Bear"? Ridiculous!

Here are a few other celebrity baby names that will cause you to shake your head:

Tu Morrow
Zuma Nesta Rock
Moxie CrimeFighter
Moxie CrimeFighter
Kal-El
Bogart Che Peyote
Fifi Trixibell, Peaches and Pixie
Audio Science
Princess Tiaamii
Prince Michael II / "Blanket"
Calico
Denim and Diezel Ky
Seargeoh and Sage Moonblood
Pirate
Jermajesty
David Duchovny and his Kyd.
Hud and Spec Wildhorse
Pirate
Rebel, Racer and Rogue
Seven Sirius
Harley Quinn
Camera
Blue Angel
Free
Kyd
Reignbeau
Alcamy

Snowy Days and Johnny Cash

I don't know why, but snowy days like today, make me want to listen to Johnny Cash while drinking hot coco. I really don't see how Johnny Cash and hot coco really mix together, but to me they make a great pair. So, here I am sitting in Common Roots, drinking hot coco, eating mack and cheese, and listening to Johnny Cash.

Thanksgiving

Hi y'all!

It's time for another update. Last week I was at Dan's Mom and Stepdad's place for Thanksgiving. They are currently living in lakemoore Illinois, and have beautiful home with a fabulous view out of every window. I had only been out there once before since I have been with Dan, so I had a few butterflies before we got there hoping that the weekend would go well. Once we got there those annoying little butterflies quickly flew away. The group consisted of Dan and myself, his mom and stepdad,Dan's sister Lisa and her Husband Jeremy, and then Their step brother JJ and his wife Mary with their four adorable children Mason, Ellie, Hayden, and Sabrina.

We did a road race on Thanksgiving morning, and I am still thinking about how fast Dan's stepdad is! I tried to keep up with him and Jeremy, but just couldn't do it. What speed demons! The race was in Long grove Illinois, and what a cute little town! I told mom and Heather, that if they could see it, they would move there in a heart beat. It reminded me a little of Harry Potter or something like that.

We went to a christmas tree farm to chop down our own tree on Friday, and what a blast it was! It was cold and windy, but the hot coco and doughnuts were delicious as my ears thawed out. I did not take a lot of pictures over the weekend ( I really didn't want to be labeled as "Dan's creepy girlfriend who takes a lot of photos), but I took a few when we were at the tree farm.






The masked man and his pointy ears:






This is Ellie, and she is simply adorable!




Our trip to the tree farm ended with Dan's stepdad forgetting that the tree was on the roof of the car, and driving it in into the garage, and almost destroying the tree. It was probably the funniest thing I have ever seen. I am still giggling about it a week later.

So there you have it. This was probably one of the best and most memorable Thanksgivings I have had thanks to Dan's wonderful family:)

Have a wonderful day everyone!

What's in your Fridge?

My family loves food! There was never a time growing up, when I looked in the fridge, and it was empty. Dad was always cooking up a storm in the kitchen. His great cooking was also popular amongst both Heather's friends and my friends, knowing that if they came over, he was sure to feed them something delightful.

Last night, after I got home from work, I opened the refrigerator door, leaned forward, and said, "I have nothing to eat!" This was of course a lie, I had plenty to eat. This also brought back a memory of yelling that same phrase to mom and dad just about everyday. We could hardly close the door to the fridge, yet I could NEVER find anything to put into my tiny belly. Also, I was reminded of this strange quark that I have: It doesn't matter who's house I am at, I WILL AT SOME POINT open up the refrigerator door and look to see what is inside. I can't help myself! And one might ponder whether or not I judge them based on the contents of their refrigerator? My answer: YES I DO!!! :P

This brings me to my question to anyone who might read this blog: WHAT'S IN YOUR REFRIGERATOR?

I encourage all you lovely people out there to take a picture of your freezer, your fridge, your cupboards, and post them on here, or even my facebook page if you prefer. I would love to peer into your refrigerators!

For those of you who are curious, here are some pictures of what my fridge looked like just the other day:





Before anyone judges me based on my cupboard, I would like to say after this picture was taken, I have reorganized, and it looks so much better...



For anyone who was wondering Trader Joes is the bomb! Get in your car, and pick some of this stuff up! It will totally rock your socks!

Hurry Back Emily and Nick! I Need Details!!!

Well, the suspense is killing me. I know that Nick popped the question, but I have not been able to get ahold of of them. Dan connected me to their hotel via google voice, but it was 3 a.m. for them. Although, it is a happy time for them, i'm sure getting woken up in the wee hours of the morning is not something they would love.

I just got a video from the two of them from the Tate Modern:



I couldn't download the movie, but at least there is a picture... It was a very daunting task to do so

That rock looks like it is bigger than Emily:)

Congratulations Emily and Nick!!!

This blog is in need of an update!

ooh lala.. this was not intended to be in my post, but now that it just took place in front of me, I must share. The coffee barisa (or is it a baristo if it is a guy?), just got friendly with who appeared to be just a customer, but must be his cowboy boyfriend! How exciting!

Now onto what I was going to talk about, the update:

Boy did October fly by! Halloween was as entertaining as it usually is. On Halloween Eves Eve, Dan and I went to Emily's friend Alexa's house for a part with both Nick and Emily. Due to the fact that Dan is the farthest thing from a Chilean Minor both in looks and height, he had to resort to plan B. Here is a picture that I will cherish always, Dan getting in touch with his inner Martha Stewart.







The following day, I went to my friend Steph's house for another Halloween party. As usual her friends and family guarantee for a good time, but let's not forget about the most important party guest there, Mr. Scoot. Although he seems to be hated by all, he is everyones favorite four legged creature to tease, I think that secretly, deep down everyone loves him, and would shed tears of sorrow if he was no longer there. This dog is my hero. Standing not even one foot tall, he seems to be invincible! According to Steph, earlier in the day he got into some of her sisters pills, including her prenatal vitamins. I hope that He is not trying to tell us that he got a sex change and is now in fact a she, and is expecting... I am not sure the world is ready for little scoot Jr's quite yet...

On Halloween, I ended up going to my parents house, where I was greeted by a pirate, as shark, and a darn cute tiger.




This little shark was both cranky and very very tired... He was NOT going to let me take a picture of him, but thanks to my sneaky aunt skills, I got a side view:)



This little tiger know how to work the camera! ROAR!!!!



What I love most of all about Halloween, is watching my father. Every year he seems to grumble about having to walk to and from the door handing out candy to all the little gremlins, but every year, he gets so excited when he opens the door and sees all of the kids in their costumes. He yells out to my mom, "JULIE!!! We've got a little princess at our door step!", or "JULIE! There is no need to worry anymore, because Batman is here to save us!" And, as usual, my dad ALWAYS has to keep track of how many kids come to the door. This year was record breaking!

Emily and Nick are currently in Paris and London right now, and I am taking care of their four legged baby, Gasthof. Nick has been doing a great job at keeping all of us up to date with what they are doing on their trip. Even more importantly, He has been taking pictures of Emily enjoying the yummy food. As a foodie, I greatly appreciate this. Thank You Nicholas! P.S. A little birdie has informed me of an engagement that has taken place:) It's about time! If only my phone would work and I could actually talk to them myself:( DARN YOU SPRINT!!!

Last weekend Dan and took Gasthof for a run around lake calhoun in this heat wave that we are having in November. Dan has also proven to be just as sneaky as me, leaving me a little note in my freezer,,, And what is even more surprising, is that I didn't see it until a couple days later! HA! There you have it Dan, I am not ALWAYS eating;p. That same evening we went to Martin and Malisa's wedding at the new Twins stadium. I have never been to a wedding at a stadium before, and It turned out to be a blast! It was so cool being at the stadium when the stands were empty. Here are a few pictures from the evening:

They set up one of those photo booths, and boy was that fun... Note to self...





I thought this was a really cool idea that they had for their wedding. As they stood before everyone, Martin whipped out the camera, and took pictures of everyone sitting down. They used this to make a panoramic image of all of their guest who shared in the celebration of their happy day.



I love love loved the coasters that they handed out to all of their guest! Martin later told Dan and I that both he and Malisa hand made all of these! Awesome Idea!



And what's a wedding without a little dancing!



Congrat's Martin and Malisa!

Green Rivers, Green Shirts..... Must Be St. Patty's Day!

I have not made a post in a little while, so here is my update.

The first part of my spring break I went to Chicago to visit Anisha, and I also met Dan's mom and stepdad who live in Lakemoore IL. It was a great weekend!

Here are some images from the weekend:














This past weekend Emily and I ran the Get Lucky 7K in Minneapolis for St. Patricks day. I was sick and still had the tendonitis in my foot, but made it to the end. Here are some images of the day: