(Let's pretend I got an email from a fan asking me what to do with leftover BBQ chicken? OK? Cool. )
6/9/11
buffalo chicken salad
The other day I got an email from a fan asking me if I had any great ideas for leftover BBQ chicken. Oh I sure do! Leftover BBQ chicken makes the best buffalo chicken salad--perfect for those nights when you do not want to cook during the 1000 degree heat waves. And if you're like me, and love spicy buffalo sauce with cold blue cheese crumbles in your chicken salad, then this would be the salad for you. What a great question. Thanks for the email and question! :-) I hope this salad is exactly what you're looking for.
Who else had a heat wave? We did. It wasn't so much hot, but really humid here on cape cod. With humidity my appetite goes away. I just want to eat ice cream. But sadly I cannot eat ice cream every minute err day. So when I saw, sitting in the back of the fridge, a nice big bowl of leftover BBQ chicken. I knew it was going to be transformed into the best buffalo chicken salad ever. Why? Because I LUCKILY had all the ingredients in the fridge. LOL
Please note: in the pic I have Trader Joe's mayo, DO NOT use this. Use Hellmans instead. Hellmans went better than the slightly sweet Trader Joes. OK?
buffalo chicken salad
print recipe
Please note these measurements are to my liking; you may need more or less depending on likeness on level or heat and/or mayo. Also if you don't have as much leftover chicken you might need to scale down. As with anything, it’s best to taste test as you go along.
Leftover BBQ chicken (about 2-3 breasts), cold & chopped
¼ cup red onion, chopped
½ cup or more of broccoli slaw (you can use regular cole slaw too)
3-5 TB Hellmans mayo
¼ cup (or more) blue cheese, chopped
2-4 TB hot sauce
Salt & pepper to taste, if needed
Lettuce for decoration and/or extra crunch
Chop up leftover BBQ chicken. In a bowl mix the mayo, hot sauce, blue cheese crumbles. Taste and see what it needs. Add in the red onions and chopped chicken, then the broccoli slaw. Mix well.
Serve on lettuce or rolls.
6/5/11
teriyaki beef strips
I literally just made this for sunday dinner. Never would have thought to post it and share with you. Why? It's one of those dishes you make a lot and never think to post. But my cheerleading/peanut gallery/support team at home thinks otherwise and encouraged me to post this one. It sure is tasty, that sweet sticky glaze that forms on the tender beef while it's being grilled.... Oh yeah. So why not share something this good with others. Plus it's super easy; a snap to pull together. And everything can be done on the grill--those are my kind of easy dishes.
Serving grilled beef; I firmly believe if the meat is grilled and well-seasoned all you really need with it are grilled veggies and bread for all those juices. Okay potatoes too, but I'm kind of carb-watching.
And yes, I always plate my food kind of fancy. Ask hubby. Like the scene in the movie "The Birdcage" starring Robin Williams and Nathan Lane where they are trying to dress over nathan lanes character to be more manly, putting him in a suit so he won't appear to be so flamboyant. Clearly the suit looks fine until the camera pans down to the feet where he is wearing pink socks. And Nathan Lane turns and says: "Too much?" "Well, one does need a hint of color!". Love love love that part and adore the movie. It's how I feel about plating food. One does need their food to be presentable, fashionable, more desirable? Too much? I could be in a buffet line, and I would make sure to arrange the food in a colorful fashion so each bite of food is well blended with the other foods on the plate. Ask my hubby, at times while we are dining out, I've been guilty of taking his plate, rearranging the proteins with the veggies and making sure to drizzle on the right amount of sauce or even if there is too much sauce scraping some off to the side for later, should it be needed. I know, bad habit. I just love to properly plate foods and desserts. It makes it more appealing. Perhaps in a past life I was a trained culinary chef....yes, I had to be.
So with this dish, its so simple. You must make this this summer. All I ask is that you marinade your beef at least 5 hours. It's needs to get nice and tasty or as Emeril says "happy happy".
teriyaki beef strips
print recipe
7 strips sirloin beef (about 1 ½ to 2 lbs)
¾- 1 cup of soy sauce
1 & ½ TB of chopped garlic
3 TB of fresh ginger root, chopped
¼ cup plus 2 TB packed dark brown sugar
2-3 TB honey
Couple dashes of ground black pepper
Cook notes: If you want it spicy, just add a few pinches of red chili pepper flakes to the marinade. Also serve with grilled bread. Dip the bread (quickly) in some of the cold marinade then grill. So good. Put the grilled bread on the bottom of the plate to sop up the juices from the grilled beef. I’ve also taken the marinade and reduced it down for a fabulous side sauce. I've also broiled this steak--it cooks very fast so literally watch it. I've also grilled them up in a cast iron pan, about 5 minutes per side. I've never fried them; steak tips don't stay that moist when frying unless they are in tiny strips and get cooked very hot and fast.
Mix all ingredients in a glass or ceramic dish. Mix well until sugar is dissolved. Then add in beef strips. Cover and place in fridge. Every 3 hours turn beef over. Marinade at least 5 hours or longer.
When ready to eat just grill until done, about 4 minutes each side for med-rare.
Serve with grilled veggies. Any kind of veggie really will do: red, yellow, orange peppers, red onions, asparagus, corn, etc…
When ready to eat just grill until done, about 4 minutes each side for med-rare.
Serve with grilled veggies. Any kind of veggie really will do: red, yellow, orange peppers, red onions, asparagus, corn, etc…
5/31/11
chicago dog err sausage
Summer is here. And wow was it hot and humid in the northeast. Here on cape cod we were slammed with extreme weather very fast. Our spring meant we literally went from electric blankets to A/C in a matter of days. Wild. When it gets too hot to cook inside I like to go outside and grill. Did anyone cook this weekend? Lately we've been eating a lot of ice cream for lunch and dinner; humidity when it gets to 100% and a dew point of 70 or higher literally zaps your appetite. But I did manage to sneak in these Chicago dogs. OK they aren't the authentic Chicago Dog but its kind of close. I first saw this recipe over at my buddy Nick's site: macheesemo. I tend to make a lot of what he makes. He's got good taste and easy to follow recipes. I need to know how he stays so thin though....
Instead of using hot dogs I used sausages with a nice char on them. I know I know it's not really a true Chicago dog, but then again I never ever follow the rules. If you want the original way head over to see Nick. He even made the relish from scratch. Good man. If you like charred sausages, sweet pepper relish on your dog then I'm your best bet. Whatever you choose....please make sure you butter and toast them rolls people! Makes all the difference.
chicago dog (my way)
kielbasa, Italian sausage or beef franks, grilled with nice crispy char
mayonnaise
grainy mustard
pickles, sliced
tomatoes, sliced
white onions, diced
sweet pepper relish
celery salt
buttered & grilled hot dog rolls
grill up your sausages
butter and grill up your hot buns
layer the buns in this order:
mayonnaise, mustard, pickles, tomatoes, white onions, sweet pepper relish, and then a sprinkling of celery salt.
Serve with baked beans. Enjoy.
5/26/11
chocolate cake w/ olive oil and sea salt
One of the great joys of blogging is the down time I have with scoping out new favorite bloggers. Granted I don't get a lot of down time, but when I do my ideal situation: 6pm or 7pm, dishes are done, everyone is fed, jazz on the internet radio--time to look at other food blogs and food writing websites. I get great inspiration from other food blogs; love seeing new photos, new techniques, other bloggers taking some old recipe, jazzing it up with a new twist or several twists. Honestly I get all my inspiration if I come across a really good food photo. For me inspiration starts with the eyes, then the stomach, then seeing if the flavors I want to add in will match/coexist happily. This chocolate cake with olive oil and sea salt was inspired by sprinklebakes.com When I saw that she had done a sea theme by baking the cakes in shells I was hooked. I didn't use seas shells because I wanted to make sure I liked the whole baking sweets with olive oil first. Admittedly I was very skeptical about using olive oil in anything sweet or baking related. Not any more. The olive oil really does pair very nice with dark chocolate. Not sure about milk chocolate, so stick with the 70% (or higher) dark chocolate. The next time I make these I will try them with the sea shells and the added extra touch of drizzling them with a last coat of olive oil before serving.
Have a good Memorial Day weekend everyone! What are you doing?
chocolate cake with sea salt & olive oil
adapted from sprinklebakes.com
print recipe
Cook notes: I wanted to try and make brownie-like cake. See my changes. And I used a chocolate Ganache instead of the chocolate sauce. This is a very moist cake; it was very hard to cut these into perfect little squares for the photo. If you want to make this the original way please visit sprinklebakes.com
Cake:
7oz. dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids)
3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp unsalted butter (14 tbsp. or 1 3/4 US sticks)
4 medium eggs
3/4 cups granulated sugar
Scant 1/2 cup all purpose flour (I used 1 cup flour)
1 1/2 ts baking powder
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Brush the entire bottom and sides of a brownie pan (8x8 or 9x9) with generous amount of olive oil; set aside.
Melt chocolate in a heat proof bowl over a pan of simmering water.
Add butter and stir until butter is melted and well combined with the chocolate.
Remove bowl from simmering water and let stand until later needed.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the eggs and sugar together and mix on high speed until mixture turns pale and doubles in volume.
Decrease mixer speed and add the flour a little at a time, then the baking powder.
While mixer is running, pour the chocolate mixture in a thin stream into the egg and sugar mixture.
Mix until well blended. Pour batter into brownie pan
Bake for 25-30 minutes. When cake is done, it will form a brownie-like crust on top and a toothpick tester should come out clean.
(Instead of the chocolate sauce I used a dark chocolate Ganache: 1 cup of dark chocolate melted with 1-2 TB of heavy cream whip until nice & glossy)
Chocolate sauce:
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup half and half
3 TB sugar
2 TB unsalted butter
4 oz. dark chocolate
1 ts vanilla extract
In a medium saucepan, stir together cream, half and half, sugar and butter.
Place pan over medium-high heat and stir to dissolve the sugar and melt butter.
When sugar and butter has melted, add chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth.
Add vanilla extract and whisk again.
Remove from heat. Let the mixture stand for a few minutes and then whisk again.
(This is a good all-purpose chocolate sauce and can be stored in refrigerator for up to two weeks.)
Assembly:
Spoon a small amount of chocolate sauce/or ganache over cake, smoothing it to the edges with the back of a spoon. Lightly sprinkle cakes with sea salt (don't use a heavy hand with this if using coarse salt).
Drizzle cakes with olive oil. (I did not do this)
5/23/11
white chocolate-cranberry quick bread w/ lemon glaze
Quick and easy coming right up! And let me just say this was super tasty too. I know we all love our Trader Joes, but what I love more is a bargain AND something super-tasty. This bread when I first baked it was ok, just a little dry, and a little bland. They do put a lot of cranberries in the mix, thankfully. I decided to jazz it up a bit, with white chocolate chips since they, when melted have a nice buttery taste. Perfect! And then the gentle lemon glaze made it fabulous. You simply have to try this. This is the perfect last minute gift for whatever pops up. They'll never know it was from a box. Never never know I swear. My friends didn't--well they do now.
A big congrats to the winner of the giveaway. It was Valerie, lucky #99, She won the over-sized boxes of Guylian Chocolates and the amazing Nespresso machine. Congrats Val! Let us know what espresso and chocolate creations you make with it? What a fabulous machine. A very special "thank you" to Guylian Chocolates for donating these prizes.
I am working on getting another BIG PRIZE giveaway coming up soon. Only the biggest and best gifts for my fans!
white chocolate-cranberry quick bread w/ lemon glaze
print recipe
1 box of Trader Joe’s Cranberry Bread
(plus all the ingredients the box direction calls for)
½ cup – ¾ cup good quality white choco chips
Glaze
1 large lemon
3-4 TB of confectioners sugar, sifted
Cook notes: the glaze is very very mild. I only wanted a hint of lemon on there as the bread is very sweet on it’s on; so I did not use a strong glaze. Feel free to use whatever you want. The white chocolate chips make this cake very moist and almost buttery-like tasting. You could probably do this in a bundt pan, just reduce the cooking time by 5 – 10 minutes.
Mix cranberry bread according to box directions. Preheat oven according to box directions. Grease up or butter up a loaf pan, pour ¾ batter into pan, sprinkle the white chocolate chips, then pour on the remaining ¼ batter. Tap pan to get out excess air. Bake according to box directions or until cake tester comes out clean.
Let cool in pan about 10 minutes then flip onto wire rack. Prepare the glaze by mixing the lemon juice with the confectioners sugar. It’s a very mild and gentle glaze. If you want a stronger/thicker glaze then add in more confectioners sugar and/or lemon juice.
white chocolate-cranberry quick bread w/ lemon glaze
print recipe
1 box of Trader Joe’s Cranberry Bread
(plus all the ingredients the box direction calls for)
½ cup – ¾ cup good quality white choco chips
Glaze
1 large lemon
3-4 TB of confectioners sugar, sifted
Cook notes: the glaze is very very mild. I only wanted a hint of lemon on there as the bread is very sweet on it’s on; so I did not use a strong glaze. Feel free to use whatever you want. The white chocolate chips make this cake very moist and almost buttery-like tasting. You could probably do this in a bundt pan, just reduce the cooking time by 5 – 10 minutes.
Mix cranberry bread according to box directions. Preheat oven according to box directions. Grease up or butter up a loaf pan, pour ¾ batter into pan, sprinkle the white chocolate chips, then pour on the remaining ¼ batter. Tap pan to get out excess air. Bake according to box directions or until cake tester comes out clean.
Let cool in pan about 10 minutes then flip onto wire rack. Prepare the glaze by mixing the lemon juice with the confectioners sugar. It’s a very mild and gentle glaze. If you want a stronger/thicker glaze then add in more confectioners sugar and/or lemon juice.
5/18/11
lobster-tarragon BLT
Is anyone going to read this post if I type one up? Or will you just glance on by and get right to the photos? I mean when I served this to my hubby and started talking he didn't hear a word I said. He was gone--transfixed to another foodie planet......
OK, I'll make it quick. Living on cape cod there is an abundance of scallops and lobster. One can get quite sick of it. Yes, it does happen. Thankfully lobster and scallops are a very mild but sweet protein with which the pairing possibilities are endless. Remember my lobster salad with spicy adobo-mayo? That was my favorite. I made it with you in mind: you know quick, easy, but really packs a flavor-punch. See I'm always thinking of you; I know you want to cook, your tastebuds are craving some real flavors, textures and such, but some nights you just don't want to do a lot of prepping--you want to eat now. I hear you. A lot of days I do not want to take an hour or more to prep and cook dinner, especially in the heat of the summer, which is coming soon btw. I give you this tasty lobster-tarragon on a BLT. It's so easy to prepare, has a few flavors going on here and will definitely wow your family, friends or guests. I mean it wowed you right? See, then you can do it too.
tarragon-lobster BLT
print recipe
(this recipe is enough for 3 good sized lobster rolls)
1 lb of fresh lobster meat
Couple tablespoons of lemon juice (optional)
2-3 TB Hellmans mayo (you don’t want a lot of mayo)
3 TB fresh tarragon, chopped
Salt & pepper to taste, if needed (I used pepper only)
6-9 Cooked bacon slices (about 2-3 slices per roll)
Sliced tomatoes
Fresh lettuce
3 jumbo rolls, buttered and toasted/grilled
Chop up lobster meat, sprinkle with lemon juice. Set in fridge until ready to use.
In separate bowl mix the mayo, tarragon and pepper. Mix and let it chill in fridge a bit to let the tarragon seep into the mayo (about 20 mins or longer if you can).
Get your buns buttered and grill them till nice and golden brown (I forgot this step this time). You can also toast or fry them if no grill.
When ready to serve, take the lobster chunks and mix them with the tarragon mayo, stir well. Then take toasted bun, fill with lettuce, tomato, bacon, then the lobster salad.
Serve with potato chips or fries.
5/16/11
chocolate dipped cherry-rum hand pies
Cherries soaked in rum are one of my favorite treats. I love to use them in homemade ice creams, use as a topping on ice cream, pour over warm pancakes, and have even thought about making them into a jam. Wouldn't that taste good? A rum-cherry jam? Maybe not kid friendly, but definitely adult friendly. The dark rum marinating fresh tart, ripe cherries...heavenly. Instead of making a cherry pie I wanted to kick it up a notch and make hand pies because I had in the back of my mind (for ages) on taking flaky hand pies and dipping them in milk chocolate. I got the idea (several times) when I would dip strawberries in chocolate. Why not cherries? Well, why not cherry hand pies? Cookies are done this way why not hand pies?
Well, I'm really glad I did, they were so tasty. The rum-soaked cherries, the flaky pie crust and the milk chocolate all paired really nice together. Plus they were super easy to make. If you're ever strapped for time you can easily make these with pre-made pie doughs.
chocolate dipped cherry-rum hand pies
print recipe
2 cups of dark cherries, chopped & pitted (don’t chop too small)
¼ cup of good quality DARK rum
(Might need a pinch or two of white sugar in the filling)
1-2 TB cornstarch, sifted
6 pre made round pie crusts or make your own pie dough
1 egg, beaten for egg wash
¼ cup of half & half and a beaten egg for brushing the tops of the hand pies
Milk or dark chocolate chips for dipping the hand pies in
Cook notes: I don’t have exact measurements here as I did not write the recipe down. The only area you have to look out for is making cooking the filling over heat; you might need 1 or 2 TB of cornstarch to thicken it. Use 1 TB and see how the filling comes along as you heat it up. If it’s too thick add a bit of water or if it’s too thin add some more cornstarch –just watch it as you cook it. I tend to like my pie fillings very thick. Make sure to use a dark rum—they taste better and don’t have that strong alcoholic flavor. I like to sift my cornstarch as it avoids any lumps in the sauce/filling. I used dark cherries; I have not used red cherries—don’t know how they would work. Please taste test the filling after it’s cooked and see if it needs a pinch or two of sugar. Some people love their pie fillings sweet, I do not. But experiment as you go along!
For the marinade:
use a cherry pitter or by hand slice the cherries in half, place in a glass or ceramic bowl and drizzle with dark rum, toss, cover, then refrigerate overnight.
For the filling:
When you are ready to use the cherries, let them come to room temp and mix with a generous tablespoon or TB and ½) of cornstarch. Mix thoroughly. Put into a small saucepan and cook until you have your desired thickness. Take off heat and set aside.
For the pie crusts:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Take your egg wash, place in a small dish and beat it well, set aside. Take your other egg wash: the half & half and egg and mix well in another dish, set aside. Use pre made pie crusts or make your own using the recipe I provided above. When you are ready, lay your pie crust on a well floured board, cut the circle in half. Take one half, place about 3-4 TB of the filling on one half, don’t spread the filling to the edges. Take your egg wash, and brush the edges of the pie crust—all edges. Then seal them up. Take the edges and fold them over about a ¼ of an inch all the way around; take a fork and crimp them down. This way you have a pie crust all the way around and it prevents any filling spillage. Now take your half & half and egg wash and brush the tops of the hand pies before baking. Also place a small slit or two on the top and middle of each hand pie to let the steam vent. Bake on parchment lined cooking sheets for about 20-30 minutes or until the tops are light golden brown.
Mine were done around the 30 minute mark.
Let them cool before dipping into melted chocolate. I also topped a couple of mine with fresh coconut right after they had been dipped in chocolate.
5/14/11
giveaway time!
CONTEST CLOSED! CONGRATS TO THE WINNER
Anyone in the mood for a really good giveaway?
As many of you know I don't do a lot of 3rd party giveaways unless the prize is something big and good. I LOVE to give my fans really good gifts. I'm just not into small little gifts that make you go thru hoops of posts, tweeting, and facebooking--I hate that.
The wonderful folks at Guylian Chocolates contacted me back in winter about a giveaway and I asked them to come back to me when they had something fabulous to giveaway. And just a couple days ago they contacted me again with this giveaway. It is a GOOD one. Check this out.
Guylian Gourmet Chocolate‐Espresso Tasting Experience Giveaway (Valued at $340):
• Nespresso Pixie‐‐ An eye‐catching new single‐cup machine that combines a supercompact silhouette with superb espresso‐making abilities.
• Nespresso Tasting Box‐‐ An ebony‐tinted, varnished wood tasting box with 36 capsules of a different array of coffee samples
• B. Smith 13‐Piece Espresso Set‐‐This attractive and functional espresso set will make entertaining your favorite guests extra special. It features six ultra white porcelain espresso cups and saucers with elegant shapes that are stored on the iron carry‐all stand, creating an impressive presentation.
• Guylian Artisanal Belgian Chocolate Truffles—Slowly savour our signature “ultraindulgent” luxurious chocolate truffle seashells made from 100% pure, silky smooth, dark and white Belgian Chocolate and filled with rich, decadent creamy chocolate praline truffle.
• Guylian Original Belgian Chocolate Truffles—8.8 oz., 22‐piece
• Guylian Extra Dark Belgian Chocolate Truffles‐‐8.8 oz., 22‐piece
Pretty cool right? I mean you will get all that. To be honest I'm just happy with all that chocolate-- 44 pieces of chocolate! And in case you didn't know if you put one of their chocolates into your espresso and let it melt--oh heavenly; read more below. But come on aren't those little cups to die for cute?
Did you know that Guylian Chocolates are a naturally inviting duo, pairing a fresh roasted cup of espresso or coffee and Guylian Artisanal Belgian Chocolates will create a unique gourmet experience. You certainly don't want to rush as you take a moment to appreciate all of the aromas and flavors the coffee has to offer.
Try combining a sip of coffee with a bite of chocolate. Let the flavors of the two meld together in your mouth and take a moment to fully savour the complex new flavor that emerges. Each type of coffee or espresso drink offers a different level of intensity and balance. Experiment with them to find the perfect coffee pairing. For a truly intricate taste experience, try these irresistible pairings:
- Dark Roast Indonesian, Guatemalan or Sumatran varieties
- Espresso drinks like cappuccinos, café lattes and Ristrettos
- A Hazelnut Roast will delicately enhance the flavor of the Mediterranean Hazelnuts in Guylian’s signature praliné filling.
- Make yourself an indulgent Guylian Belgian Mocha by melting a Guylian Artisanal Belgian Chocolate into your espresso drink. Top with whip cream for a super indulgent escape. Whatever your favorite coffee pairing, a Guylian Coffee Break is sure to become your secret indulgent escape! For more information, please visit www.GuylianBelgianChocolate.com.
How to win?
- make sure you're a fan of Vanilla Sugar on FB
- leave a comment here on this post, telling me how you like your coffee (easy peasy)
- one entry per person
- please have a valid email address, no anonymous comments
- drawing is done 5/23/2011
- if you want to follow me on Twitter you can - not necessary though
- make sure you're a fan of Vanilla Sugar on FB
- leave a comment here on this post, telling me how you like your coffee (easy peasy)
- one entry per person
- please have a valid email address, no anonymous comments
- drawing is done 5/23/2011
- if you want to follow me on Twitter you can - not necessary though
- Shipping to USA residents only.
5/5/11
bbq-blue cheese burgers w/ tomato-blue cheese slaw
Burgers. Kicked up burgers in this house are a staple. Never used to be that way though. Hubby (who is not yet a foodie I might add) used love McGross burgers. Imagine my shock when I found that out. Here he is thinking the big mac sauce is the bomb. The what? No no. Took me a few years to get him to like burgers with layers of flavors and textures. The first one I gave him he de-constructed it only to leave it de-constructed. Everything was scraped off, until he had bun and beef. What is it Linus says? "ohhh bother". So fast forward five years ahead and hubby now loves my burgers, well not all; I can't get too funky....yet. I can go a little funky as long as the basics are in there: like cheese, tomato, and a dressing. Last night was a proud moment in my foodie life. My hubby who comes home late at times, reheated his burger and put it together without me there to guide him through how to assemble it. You see when I make gourmet burgers (or gourmet anything for that matter) I store his burger separately, making sure to leave said bun and toppings on separate plate: the cold plate; while the burger and cheese: the hot plate are on another plate. This is all for the ease of heating up and proper assembly back together. What? All foodies do this right? LOL And normally I reheat all this for him when he comes home AND put it together ready for eating. But last night, he did it all himself. Knew exactly how to reheat the hot parts and pile on the cold parts. Pretty cool huh? Slowly but surely my hubby is turning into a foodie. Now if I could just get him to learn how to roll sushi we'd be happy happy.
These juicy kicked up burgers are very easy to make. Nothing more than a burger stuffed with a good, giant hunk (or 2) of aged blue cheese in the middle, fry or grill, last 5 minutes of frying or grilling (I recommend grilling) pour on the bbq sauce and let it caramelize. Put on toasted, buttered bun, then top with tomato-blue cheese slaw. Done and done. Easy right?
bbq-blue cheese burgers w/ tomato-blue cheese slaw
print recipe
1 lb. ground beef (I prefer grass fed, humanely raised, safe beef from Whole Foods Market)
8 generous Tablespoons of quality-aged blue cheese (2 TB's per burger)
barbecue sauce
toasted & buttered buns
for the slaw:
2-3 chopped tomatoes, no seeds
thousand island dressing
a couple handfuls of chopped blue cheese (or more)
broccoli or regular chopped slaw (cabbage)
salt & pepper to taste
For the slaw: mix all ingredients in a bowl. Cover and let chill in fridge till ready to use.
Get your cast iron pan, fry pan or grill ready. I highly recommend using a grill--it helps the bbq sauce to harden and caramelize.
Form 4 beef patties, split in half, place about 2 TB of the blue cheese in middle, close up good, seal edges.
On the last 5 minutes of cooking the burgers add on the bbq sauce and let it harden and caramelize on both sides.
Place on toasted bun, then top with the chilled tomato-blue cheese slaw. Should make 4 burgers.
Note: high quality blue cheese with melt right into the meat. The flavor will be there, you just won't see the ooey cheese.
4/29/11
chocolate cake w/ raspberry filling and espresso buttercream
I haven't made a cake in a while. It was time. This cake was so good. It was the kind of cake that when you take your first bite you pound your fist on the table and say "damn! that's a good cake!"
Yep.
I need to get back to making cakes. This one was fun. Cake making is fun. Cakes are not fun with fondant...I have a fear of fondant. I also have a fear of homemade croissants :::shudder::: I wonder if it's a fear or lack of confidence. Let's just say both since it's easier to push your fondants and croissant fears under the carpet.
The middle raspberry filling? Money (and it was just jam....shhhh don't tell anyone)
It's fairly easy to make. Just bake your cakes. Let them cool.
Spread some seedless jam over the middle, not too close to the edges thought. Top cake with other half.
Then spread the frosting over the top and around the sides. Let set up in fridge.
Prepare and pour a thin layer of ganache over the top and let it run down the sides.
It's really a rich cake. You may not be able to finish a slice. If so, call me and I can help you out.
chocolate cake with raspberry filling & espresso buttercream
from vanillasugarblog.com
(chocolate cake base from “butter sugar flour eggs” by gale gand)
print recipe
Cook Notes: I love this chocolate cake recipe and swear by it. If you have a favorite chocolate cake recipe then by all means please use whatever works for you. Devils Food would also work nicely too. Please note this recipe calls for using 3 9-inch pans. I have 2 10-inch pans and used that just fine. If you have 8-inch pans you might have some leftover batter, which you could easily use for cupcakes. If you don’t have a Starbucks Via I guess you could use other espresso granules. Which ones I don’t know, I haven’t tried any others yet. Just taste test as you go along. Also, I use flour in my frosting, if this does not appeal to you then DON'T DO IT. I just like to use a little bit to help my frosting hold up to room temps better and become a thicker frosting. You won't taste it, trust me :-)
For the chocolate cake
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
3 cups light brown sugar, packed
4 eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups sifted cake flour
1 1/3 cups sour cream
1 1/2 cups hot coffee
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 3 (9-inch) cake pans. Cut 3 circles of waxed paper or parchment paper to fit the bottoms of the pans, then press them in.
In a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or using a hand mixer), cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar and eggs and mix until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla, cocoa, baking soda and salt and mix. Add 1/2 of the flour, then 1/2 of the sour cream and mix. Repeat with the remaining flour and sour cream. Drizzle in the hot coffee and mix until smooth. The batter will be thin. Pour into the prepared pans and bake until the tops are firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (a few crumbs are okay), about 35 minutes. Halfway through the baking, quickly rotate the pans in the oven to ensure even baking, but otherwise try not to open the oven. I let my cakes cool in the pan at least 2 hours before using.
raspberry filling
½ - ¾ cup of red raspberry (seedless) preserves/jam, room temp
espresso buttercream
2 sticks of salted butter, room temp
4 ounces full fat cream cheese, room temp
2 ½ - 3 cups of confectioners sugar, sifted
½ packet of one Starbuck Via (Columbia roast)
2 TB all purpose flour (optional)
Tiny pinch of salt
chocolate ganache
1/2 cups heavy cream
8 ounces high quality (60% or higher) bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
(if you want really shiny ganache add in 1 scant tablespoon of corn syrup)
make the espresso buttercream:
In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat the butter with the sifted confectioners sugar until well combined. Add in the flour and the Starbuck Via. Do a taste test and see if it needs the salt—mine did; it’s up to you if you want to add it. Recipe from vanillasugarblog.com The frosting is set to spread. If you do decide to wait and frost later, keep in mind the frosting will set up to be very hard in fridge. Just let it come to room temp (about an hour or more) before using later. Stir the frosting really well before using if you did let it sit in fridge.
for the chocolate the ganache:
In a medium saucepan melt the chocolate with the heavy cream over low heat, stirring constantly. Don’t let this burn. Stir until nice and glossy, take off heat, let it rest a bit (about 10 minutes). Stir up again and pour over cake.
to assemble:
Take cooled cakes, spread a thin layer of the seedless raspberry jam over the bottom half of a cake. Top with other half and begin to frost. Once you’re done frosting, put cake in fridge to set up and get a bit firm before pouring the Ganache over. When you are ready to serve cake, make the Ganache and simply pour over the top of the cake (in a thin layer), using a spatula pushing the Ganache to the sides to let it run down.
Storage:
This cake does well in the fridge for a couple days. It does harden up, so if you need to serve it again, just let it come to room temp for an hour or so before using again.
4/24/11
chocolate covered strawberries
Isn't this the best spring/summer treat? I mean besides fried clams, greasy hamburgers, and ice cream? OK, they're all the best really. Who doesn't love a good chocolate covered strawberry? And with spring here that means the jumbo sized strawberries are in abundance! They are truly perfect for dipping in chocolate. Every year I dip strawberries in high quality dark chocolate and then have one or four with ice cold champagne. What a good combo!
I prefer mine in a dark chocolate. You? Pineapple is also good dipped in chocolate. Marshmallows too, apples, pears, grapes (the dark ones are really good), blueberries are hard to dip, I just get all kinds of messy trying to fish out my blueberries--not a good scene.
And how cute is this one?
4/17/11
quick and easy bacon, pb, cream cheese cinnamon rolls
Love finding creative ways to kick up even the most simplest of ingredients/products at Trader Joe's. It seems every time I go there there is always some new product. For those that follow me on Twitter, you know that when I do go there I'm always sharing photos of the latest finds. One of the latest finds that I had to finally give a try was the cinnamon rolls. They are next to the buttermilk biscuits in the refrigerator section, usually close to the dairy products.
The rolls are ok. They are very light, not heavy at all which is good. I like a lighter cinnamon roll especially if I'm going have a lot of stuff on it. Gotta balance the stuff to bread ratio. It's strange that there are only five rolls in a pack (why 5 I don't know, where did the 6th one go? To trader joe himself?). It also says "jumbo" on the package--I just don't think they are jumbo, certainly not small, but rather med-large size. They taste good when I added the extra flavors; I just wish there was more cinnamon filling inside the rolls of dough--just wasn't enough. Would I buy them again? Sure. Very easy to put together, and the best part very easy to kick up a few notches.
quick & easy pb, bacon, cream cream cinnamon rolls
print recipe
1 pack of Trader Joe’s Cinnamon Rolls (in the can)
2-3 TB of Trader Joe’s peanut butter-cream cheese
3-4 strips of cooked bacon, crumbled
A few dashes of cinnamon, optional
Cook 3 – 4 strips of bacon until crispy. Crumble into small pieces, set aside.
Bake cinnamon rolls according to package directions. Take the sugar topping in the cinnamon pack and mix with 2-3 TB of the Trader Joe Peanut Butter-cream cheese in a saucepan over low heat. Stir until well mixed and melted.
When rolls are done baking pour the pb-cream frosting over the rolls, top with the bacon, and sprinkle with cinnamon if desired.
4/12/11
homemade crunchy peanut butter eggs
This idea came about one sleepless night when I woke up at 2am, turned on my iphone, wrote down in my 'to make recipes': a really good crispy pb egg for Easter.
Knowing I was going to use the same theory/recipe I used when I made the chocolate-pb cups, AND I wanted to factor in a more powerful crunch than what I originally used in the cups. So after much mulling I thought why not panko crumbs? Panko crumbs have a wonderful crunch and texture, plus it holds up very well to moisture. After much experimentation I think I nailed the filling just right. Taste-testing the filling as I went along I just knew these were going to be stellar. And let me tell you, they are fabulous. Very rich, decadent and perfect for upcoming Easter treats.
I'm pretty sure I nailed the pb filling down pat. Crispy, crunchy, not too sweet, with just a hint of salt. I was going to try a couple eggs dipped in the white chocolate but clear forgot.
Can I just say the middle filling is to die for good...again?
You have to make these......go...now!
chocolate peanut butter eggs w/ crunchy filling
from vanillasugarblog.com
print recipe
cook notes:
I used Whole Foods brand organic crunchy pb (it's taste is just perfect), make sure to use plain panko crumbs, use a good quality milk chocolate since you want a good taste and one that will be easy to temper. Always do a taste test and make sure you like the filling before shaping them. If they get to have large chocolate spillage bottoms, don't worry, let them harden up and you can trim them with a sharp knife.
12 oz high quality milk chocolate
1 ½ cups crunchy peanut butter (I used whole foods brand organic crunchy)
2 TB confectioners’ sugar (if you want it sweeter add more)
¼ to ½ cup plain panko crumbs (add as much or as little as you like depending on level of crunch you want)
Giant pinch of sea salt
In a bowl, mix together the peanut butter, confectioners’ sugar, salt, and panko crumbs. Do a taste test. See if it’s sweet enough for you or needs more salt. Cover bowl very well so no air gets in and place in fridge to harden up (at least a few hours or overnight).
Form dough into oval shapes (or whatever shape you want), place on parchment lined tray and chill again.
While the eggs are chilling get the chocolate melted and ready for dipping.
In a double boiler, carefully melt the chocolate (set a metal bowl on top of a saucepan with boiling water).
When you are ready to dip the eggs in the chocolate use a fork to place them in the melted chocolate, turn them over, coating all sides of the egg and then place back onto the parchment paper to set. It’s ok if you get chocolate drips or lines on the sides of the eggs; once they are hard you can just trim the edges off with a sharp knife.
I let mine harden at room temp. If it’s warm out you might want to place them in the fridge to harden..
Once the chocolate is set and hard, take a sharp knife and trim off the chocolate drippings or lines on the bottoms of the eggs, if desired. This just give it a nice look.
Makes about 12 eggs, depending on how you shape them.
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