Monday, December 17, 2012

I'll Take You to the Candy Shop

Earlier this week, my friend Neema and I got together to bake goodies for our co-workers for the holidays.  Somehow, we got a little crazy with it and ended up making five different desserts from scratch!  I blame pinterest.  Though I guess I should thank pinterest at the same time.  We made...

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Sugar Cookies

Oreo Truffles
(Adapted from this recipe.)
(dipped in melted milk and semi-sweet chocolate and drizzled with white chocolate)


Chocolate Walnut Fudge


Gotta have brownies!


And pumpkin cheesecake mini muffins!
(Adapted from this recipe.)
 
After two days of baking (yes, TWO DAYS), I packaged the goodies up...
 
Added labels...
 
And delivered them at work!  I sure did feel like Santa, and I sure am bummed I didn't bake enough so I could have some too.
 
OOPS.  Novice baker faux pass.


 

Friday, December 14, 2012

Bday Boy

Wednesday was my dad's birthday.  He turned 63 and doesn't believe he is doesn''t look a day over 25.  We had a good old time celebrating at my apartment.  I baked him an eggless french vanilla double layer cake with espresso cream frosting and chocolate chips. 
 
 
Unfortunately, it looks and sounds better than it tastes.  I tried applesauce and greek yogurt as egg substitutes, and although the cake was very moist, it had a tangy after taste, not something you'd want in an espresso cake.  Ah well, you can't win em all!  I will say the frosting was delicious, and you can't get to the aftertaste if you've never stopped eating.
 
 


 
We skyped my brother in on the singing and while my dad opened his presents.  We got him a Ralph Lauren Sports Coat and Aqua di Gio cologne.  Then, I took them out to Mellow Mushroom for dinner.  It was a great night! 
 
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PAPA!
 
 

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Big Girl Watch

After starting my new job at my law firm, I wanted to treat myself to something nice.  I've been eyeing those big chunky watches for some time now, but I just couldn't justify spending that chunk of change on a watch.  I looked and looked for sales and found out that these watches go on sale at Macy's twice a year: during their friends and family event.  This is the one I was eyeing.  Well, the friends and family sale finally came early this December, and I saved 25% plus an extra 20% for opening a Macy's card.  I NEVER open retail credit cards, but this card made this watch a steal.  I saved $100!


 
The thing I love most about this watch is with the black and rose gold combination, it matches almost everything!  The rose gold lets you wear brown clothes and even gold jewelry, while the black really brings out silver jewelry.  It was just what I was looking for.
 
What do you think about chunky, big faced watches?  Do you like the trend?  Would you buy one?

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Rosemary Mushroom Comfort Soup

S. was sick this weekend, so I made him some of his favorite mushroom comfort soup.  It's basically this recipe, with a few substitutions because I never have thyme or parsley at home, and I like onions. 

Excuse the photography!  This was just a quick snap at the end, but if you garnish it with some parsley or thyme, it really will be a beauty!
 
Ingredients
2 tbs butter
2 tbs olive oil
3/4 small red onion chopped
3 tbs chopped garlic (3 large cloves)
The larger size container of fresh mushrooms (can use any, I used white button)
2-3 bay leaves
1 tsp fresh or dried rosemary
2 tsp Worchestershire sauce
1 cup vegetable broth
1 tbs flour dissolved in 1 tbs water
1/2 tsp cinnamon
salt to taste
black pepper to taste
1/2 cup 2% milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
 
 
Method
1. Heat oil, butter, garlic, and onion in large pot.
2. Add mushrooms, Worchestershire sauce, bay leaves, and rosemary.  Cook until moisture from mushrooms is gone (about 5 minutes, stirring frequently).
3. Add vegetable broth and stir till mixture boils.  Then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Add diluted flour and stir until mixture thickens.  Add salt and pepper to taste, plus cinnamon.
5. Add milk and heavy cream.  Stir and simmer for a few minutes.  Turn heat off.
6. Serve hot with my favorite, toasted rosemary olive oil bread.
 
Enjoy and hope you feel better!
 



Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Plantains are Yummy

Do you like bananas?  Do you like sweet potatoes or butternut squash?  Then you're going to LOVE plantains!  I love all of the above, so I am truly in love with plantains, as they give me the consistency and texture of a banana with the starchy sweetness of a sweet potato or a butternut squash.  The thing is, they are often deep fried, and that does not make for a healthy snack.  I find that sauteing them in a bit of olive oil until both sides are nice and browned is the best method.  It really brings out the sweetness and gives the outsides a nice crispy texture. 

 
You can drizzle honey over them after they are cooked for a nice, light, dessert, or, if you're in the mood for something more salty, use salt, garlic powder, and a dash of paprika.  These store well too, so you can take them to lunch the next day.  What a great side to dress up that boring old sandwich!
 
Do you have any plantain recipes to share?

Monday, December 10, 2012

Festival of Lights (Xmas not Diwali this time)

Good Monday morning!  I had a great time with family and friends this weekend.  What about you?  Friday night, we went to the festival lights in downtown Greensboro (yes, Greensboro actually has a downtown) with a few friends, S., and my parents.  It really was fun to see so many Greensborians (?) gathered together to celebrate in the holiday spirit. 

My parents and I at the lighting of the Christmas tree.  Don't hate on my awesome antlers.

Greensboro went all out.  Soap snow in 50 degree weather!

My best friend, Neema, joins in the fun.  Ooh!  That's my office building in the background.

My mom NEVER looks at the camera.
 
After Friday, S. and I went to my office holiday party Saturday night, and then I got to hang out with another best friend, Deepti, on Sunday evening.  We always have a good old giggly time when we get together, and it reminded me of how much fun we had last year in NYC celebrating my 26th birthday.

Deepti, me, and Neema in NYC on my 26th.
 
Hope you had just as good a weekend as me!

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Chili Cook-off - 2nd Place

The law firm I work for has been fundraising for the United Way, and, one of the events was a Chili Cook-off!  I got asked to participate because of course one time I told the person who happened to be organizing the event that I like to cook, as she had smelled my lunch that I was warming in the microwave.  Of course, I did not tell her that food had been made by my mom.  HA!  KARMA sucks.  So I'd never made chili before, and here I was participating in a chili contest.  Thankfully, over the weekend, S. had made his yummy chili, and I was able to watch and take tips from him.

S.'s Veggie Chili
 
I used the same basic method as S., but I forgot to buy some ingredients and therefore had to play it by ear.  Uh oh.  It was also my first time using a crock pot.  Double uh oh.  Thankfully, with some help from my mom and advice from S., the chili turned out great!  In fact, I managed to nab second place in the cook-off!  

My "Just Because It's Vegetarian, Doesn't Mean It's Not Good" Chili
 
And, an actual testimonial from a partner at my firm:
"I voted for yours.  In a million years, I never would have guessed that I would vote for veggie chili.  I’m going to need the recipe for that."
 
The thing is, I know what I put in it, I just never measured how much of what I put in it. I'll have to get back to him (and you) on that when I can sit down and figure it out. For the time being, I'll tell you the two "secret" ingredients were BBQ sauce and Thai Peanut sauce (thanks to S.). Also, the Boca Veggie Crumbles were a hit, and people actually thought I had lied by calling my chili vegetarian!  Go figure. 
 
 


Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Croissants, Pot Pie, and Soup! Pizza too.

This weekend, S. and I realized we had definitely fallen off when it comes to cooking.  Therefore, we spent our Saturday night proving it to ourselves that we still had it.  Of course, we didn't really think about the fact that we would eat it ALL, resulting in us falling off another wagon (trying to lose a little weight).  OOPS.  But honestly, it was totally worth it and not all that unhealthy - minus the first item on the menu...

Nutella Croissants. 
Whoever said dessert had to be last didn't make good enough dessert.  Just buy a can of crescent rolls, dollop nutella on each triangle, roll it up, and bake!  So easy, so good.
 
Might as well keep going backwards in the meal.  Here was our main dish:
Veggie Pot Pie 
S. added some curry powder that makes me think even my mom will eat this!  We used Gardein's chicken strips, though, and I have to say I prefer the Morningstar ones.  Gardein's are bland and didn't seem to soak up flavor as well as the Morningstar chicken strips.
 
And on to the appetizer...
Mushroom Soup!  I followed this recipe from pinterest, but I substituted rosemary for thyme (didn't have any thyme; who ever has the thyme to do anything?! - so corny, I know) and skipped the parsley.  I used all white button mushrooms, since those are the cheapest, but I can imagine this being delicious with a medley of mushrooms.  I forgot to garnish with some sliced mushrooms, but it was still awesome.  This was definitely S.'s favorite.
 
And here's a gem from another night: Portabella, Red Pepper, and Goat Cheese Pizza
I was most excited about the pizza dough.  I got the idea from pinterest (where else?).  Buy a bag of frozen dinner rolls (I bought a pack of 36 for $4.50).  Twelve rolls, thawed, and rolled together make a pizza plenty large enough to feed two hungry people, with a slice or two leftover.  That's $1.50 per crust, which is a lot cheaper than your pre-made crusts and a lot tastier!  Also - the red peppers roast nicely while the pizza is baking, and the goat cheese adds a savory touch that is out of this world.  Give it a go!
 
Tip:  if you have trouble getting the dough to stay spread apart as your roll it into a pizza shape, put plastic wrap (I used a plastic bag because that's all I had - don't judge) over the dough and wait 15 minutes.  Something about bonds and chemicals and science and stuff - but that definitely solves the problem!

What have you been cooking lately?