Published by mel on March 11, 2010 in breakfast, dessert, recipe and sides & bites.
Nothing says St. Patrick’s Day like a green beer at noon. At least, that’s what it meant in college. Now that I’m “all grownup” drinking green beer, especially before noon, is “frowned upon”. Yet, I have to do something to celebrate the patron saint of Ireland, and nothing is more Irish, or more celebratory, than Guinness.
I happen to absolutely love Guinness. (We drank quite a few on a cruise we recently took to the Bahamas. I think all of the bartenders on the ship came to know us as the Guinness Couple.) You may have noticed my Guinness Mustard a few weeks ago. Now, it’s Guinness Brownies. Ah, Guinness Brownies. They are moist and a little malty, super rich and very chocolatey. I love them so.
No better way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day than with a batch of these brownies. Trust me.
(Oh yeah – I used whole wheat pastry flour. Makes them “healthy” right?)
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Published by mel on March 3, 2010 in breakfast, recipe and sides & bites.
Every year I look forward to the last weekend in February. It’s when the big white tents go up on South Beach and chefs and food lovers flock to the beach to eat and drink everything in sight. Last year, I left disappointed and a little hungry. This year was a completely different story. My favorite year by far. Some of the highlights were beer brewed by Florida International University Students (Rye and IPA), Potato and Shrimp Croquettes with pickled red onion from Gia at the Eden Roc Hotel, Ravioli from The Greenhouse Tavern in Cleveland, OH and Steak with horseradish cream from Luma on Park in Winter Park, FL.
The Whole Foods tent also came strong this year. It’s no secret that Whole Foods is one of my favorite places on earth and their hospitality tent was giving away smoked salmon, caviar, plantains stuffed with chorizo and avocado cream and little toasts with vanilla honey goat cheese. The goat cheese was so simple, but such a tasty little bite that I wanted to attempt to recreate the recipe at home.
This spread is basically just goat cheese whipped with honey and vanilla bean. The honey is a nice contrast to the tangy goat cheese and the vanilla adds a little exotic flavor. It’s a great little snack on crackers or with some strawberries and pretty amazing paired with a fresh mimosa.
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Published by mel on February 8, 2010 in breakfast, recipe and sides & bites.
Anyone who knows me knows I’m a bit persnickety about my kitchen. I like everything to be immaculately clean and orderly – counter tops shining and everything put away. No toaster or blender or mixer out on the counter. I like as much space as possible to make a real mess on when I’m cooking. So, it’s an absolute wonder that I’ve kept my new Ad Hoc at Home cookbook on the counter for the past month. It’s just so beautiful and inspiring and I like to peruse it while I’m wondering what to make for dinner.
One of the recipes that kept catching my eye was a Fig & Balsamic Jam that sounded like the perfect accompaniment to a large hunk of Manchego taking up room in the cheese drawer (Yes, I keep an entire drawer of cheese… Don’t judge me.). Of course, it’s winter and fresh figs are still a few months away. But I wanted some fig jam now! So, I tweaked the recipe to see if it would work with dried figs. And happy surprise – it did!
This jam is super quick and endlessly delicious. Paired with cheese, it’s just dreamy. Brings a little bit of summer to your plate. I highly recommend you make it as soon as possible.
In case you’re wondering, that’s a Fig jam, Manchego and chorizo sandwich in the background. My favorite kind of food…
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Published by mel on January 15, 2010 in breakfast, dessert, recipe and sides & bites.
Tom and I are training for the A1A (Fort Lauderdale) Half Marathon next month and we’re getting to that point in our training where I get really, really hungry in the afternoon. I’m not talking about your typical afternoon snack craving. I’m talking full-on hunger pangs with embarrassing stomach grumbling. The kind that always happens during a quiet lull in your meeting and makes your co-workers giggle. Like I said – embarrassing.
I needed to take action. I needed a snack. Something that was filling and nutritional, but also tasty. These Nutty Power bars are it. They’re really similar to my homemade granola bars, but I added more nuts and peanut butter and omitted the brown rice cereal to keep them dense and nutritionally packed. I love how sticky salty and chewy these are. Just perfect for marathon training, regular snacking and keeping my tummy quiet during meetings.
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Published by mel on December 18, 2009 in breakfast, dessert, recipe and sides & bites.
My mother-in-law is the cookie queen. Especially at Christmas. Every year, I look forward to the massive tupperwares filled with all kinds of cookies. But my favorites are always, always the Candy Cane Cookies. These are the ones I sneak in the morning before breakfast, after breakfast with my coffee, as a mid-morning snack… You get the picture.
They’re simple shortbread-style cookies flavored with almond extract and covered in crushed candy canes and powdered sugar. They look they’re nestled in a snowdrift. They get all over your nice black pants. They’re simply awesome.
These cookies have been a tradition in Tom’s family for years and I know I’ll be including them with my own traditions.
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Published by mel on November 18, 2009 in breakfast, dessert, recipe and sides & bites.
On the subject of pie vs. crumble, I must admit that I’m torn. Sometimes, I like a good and messy crumble with plenty of oats and brown sugar. Other times, I prefer the neat triangles and flaky crust of a pie. Well, I will no longer choose between the two. It’s like Sophie’s Choice. Ok, so maybe I exaggerate, but it really is a tough decision and I won’t make it anymore.
I’m taking Thanksgiving off this year to go on vacation (yay!), but I didn’t want to miss the big Thanksgiving meal we only have once a year. I’ve been making stuffing, roasted squash and carrot pumpkin soup all month to make up for it. Last weekend, I made dessert.
The questions was: Pie or crumble? Why not both? This pie has a ton of crumble top on it, which is much easier – and tastier – than a lattice top. I usually make apple, but since this year we’re going non-traditional, I used pears. All I can say is: Wow. See you later apples – I’m making pear pie from now on. The vanilla and cinnamon bring out the pear flavor, and the crumble top was thick, crunchy and a perfect contrast to the filling.
Served with a ball of vanilla ice cream, it was an amazing way to end just about any meal.
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Published by mel on November 10, 2009 in breakfast, entree, recipe and sides & bites.
I don’t know how much you know about Detroit, but pretty much every diner in the Detroit Metro area serves Greek food, which means you can get Greek Salad, Gyros, Tzatziki, Lemon Rice Soup, Saganaki (Greek fried cheese) and Spanokopita anytime, anywhere. It’s amazing. We always hit up Leo’s Coney Island when we’re in town and I can’t wait to get my fix when we’re there for Christmas.
So, it turns out, Tom loves Spanokopita. This was news to me since he almost always gets the Gyro or the Greek salad or the Lemon Rice Soup. Never the spinach pie. Nonetheless, I was craving a good Spinach pie with a flaky filo crust, so I got to work.
I made a simple stuffing with sauteed onions, garlic, spinach, lemon and good feta cheese. I also didn’t add filo to the bottom of the baking dish because it always gets soggy. Tell me, what is the point of filo dough if it isn’t crisp and flaky? But don’t worry, I added a few extra sheets to the top to made up for it.
It was everything I could ever ask for in a light lunch or snack – flaky, flavorful, full of good stuff and delicious.
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Published by mel on October 23, 2009 in breakfast, dessert, recipe and sides & bites.
If you like fall and pumpkins and seasonal food, then these cookies have your name written all over them. As I’ve mentioned many times before, dessert isn’t really my thing. But cookies are. I love cookies. Soft and chewy and filled with chocolate chips – cookies are my weakness.
They’re easy and delicious and they make your house smell like a bakery. These pumpkin cookies also take less butter than regular cookies, though not on purpose. The pumpkin just adds enough moisture, so you only have to use one measly stick of butter. A touch of cinnamon adds that subtle fall flavor without overpowering the cookie or competing with the chocolate.
In a word, they’re awesome. They’re perfect for the season. I love them. And you should love them too!
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Published by mel on October 16, 2009 in breakfast, entree, recipe and sides & bites.
Around these parts, everyone loves empanadas and you can get them pretty much anywhere. The Cuban kind are usually filled with ground beef picadillo and deep fried. Very tasty, but not exactly light.
Argentine empanadas are usually baked and filled with just about anything: tuna with pepper and onions, corn, Mediterranean-spiced lamb, spinach and ricotta, ham and cheese, chicken fricasse, cheese and onion. The list goes on and on. This is what I love about empanadas – there are endless possibilities.
This morning, I stuffed some store-bought shells with smoked salmon, goat cheese and spinach. It took all of 10 minutes to prepare, then into the oven for a half hour. The result? A delicious snack or light lunch. They’d also make a great addition to a brunch buffet.
A note on ingredients: I’m lucky enough to be able to find frozen, pre-cut empanada shells at any local grocery store. If you’re having trouble finding them, you can order online, substitute frozen pie shell dough or make your own.
Related: Empanadas Three Ways
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Published by mel on October 6, 2009 in breakfast, entree, recipe and sides & bites.
On the rare occasion that I go out for brunch or breakfast, it’s not the French Toast or Pancakes that grab my attention, It’s the salty, starchy stuff. The eggs and omelets, the hash browns and tater tots, the hot sauce. If I see a “skillet” type thing on the menu, I’m probably ordering it. There’s nothing more satisfying than browned and crisp potatoes, smoky bacon and some eggs.
So, when I found myself wondering what to make with the random ingredients leftover from the week – poblano peppers, a potato, some eggs and not much else – breakfast-style stuffed peppers came to mind. No matter that it was 3pm on a Sunday afternoon, I love breakfast any time of day. I sauteed some peppered bacon until crisp, then cooked onions and potatoes in the bacon drippings. Toss everything together with some black beans, stuff into peppers, top with grated Cotija cheese and bake.
The peppers roast in the oven while the potatoes, bacon and cheese brown perfectly into a salty, crisp crust. Top with a poached egg (not pictured), and you’ve got the breakfast (or dinner) of champions.
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