Giving Thanks: Thanksgiving

I have a lot to be thankful for this year, Alex passed the New York Bar, I survived my first year of graduate school and this Thanksgiving I was thankful to have old and new friends around to celebrate. I had a lot of fun decorating for Thanksgiving this year. We ended up having eighteen people over. Everyone brought delicious food and it turned out to be a wonderful evening. 

For the flower arrangements my neighbor went out and picked some berry branches, sprayed them with lacquer and gave us some. I thought they were so beautiful and what a great way to make a cheap and seasonal arrangement. I also put some cranberries in some small vases with a floating candle and sprinkled some fall leaves on the table.

This pecan pie was pretty good. Alex loved it, but I have a family recipe for a chocolate coconut pecan pie that I am making this weekend...it is heavenly. Don't worry, I'll be sure to post it! For the crust I used this  recipe, but substituted 1/2 cup of butter for 1/2 cup of shortening, because I really like butter.  I want to try butter flavored Crisco and see if that adds the flavor I'm looking for.

This year I grew a pumpkin in my garden, actually the pumpkin grew itself.  I didn't plant any pumpkin seeds, it just magically appeared one day and before I knew it I had a beautiful pumpkin growing in my yard.  So, I decided to make use of this magic pumpkin and make pumpkin pie from scratch.  The only thing I changed about this recipe was that I added a little bit of nutmeg and it turned out delicious.

I love homemade cranberry sauce and isn't the color amazing!  I used 1/4 cup of brown sugar and 3/4 cup white sugar (instead of all white sugar). I also added 1/4 cup of maple syrup and a splash of vanilla...yummy.

My grandma stumbled upon this recipe for sweet potato soufflé while she was living in South Carolina.  It has been a family favorite since we started making it. I hope you guys enjoy it too!

Sweet Potato Soufflé

3 c boiled mashed sweet potatoes

1 c white sugar

2 eggs beaten

1/2 cup sour cream

1/3 c butter

1/2 tsp. Salt

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 c coconut

Combine all ingredients and mix well, pour into 9x13

1 c brown sugar

1/2 c flour

1 c chipped pecans

1 stick butter

Combine (will be crumbly) and spread over potato mixture

Cook at 350 for 30-40 min

Hollenbeck's Cider Mill

I've decided to start posting about the delicious food Alex and I have come across during our time in Upstate New York. Partly, because I want to remember all of my favorite places so I can go again next year and partly, because I want to show my family how awesome it is up here in the hopes of convincing them to come and visit. For some reason, Upstate New York hasn't been as appealing as Southern California...go figure?  

Really though, the Fall here is beautiful and one of my favorite places to visit in the Fall is Hollenbeck's Cider Mill.  They have the most delicious apple cider, which they make on site with a cider press from 1873!  If you show up on Saturday morning you can watch them make the cider and they even let you try some before they pasteurize it -so, so, so good. They also have doughnuts on the weekends and all kinds of other tasty treats in their bakery.  And don't forget about the apples, lots and lots of yummy apples!

Roast Chicken with Homemade Gravy and Yorkshire Pudding

Good old comfort food, that's what I'm talking about.  You know, the kind of food that makes you want to curl up under a blanket next to a roaring fire.  And what's better than a roast chicken served with homemade gravy and yorkshire pudding?  Not much.
For the gravy, I use homemade chicken stock instead of the water called for in the recipe.  Also, use the leftover chicken carcass to make your own homemade chicken stock.  I make tons of stock during the summer, when fresh herbs are readily available, and then I just freeze it and use it all year long. This meal is so easy and so good, it's a perfect meal for the fall season.

Microscopy: A Small World

Every year Nikon has a photomicrography competition to recognize the efforts of those involved in photography through the light microscope. The winners for this year have been posted and there are some pretty amazing pictures. You can check them out at WIRED. It's crazy what things look like through a microscope: for example, this picture is of a fern spore. I took this during my microscopy class - is it weird I think it looks like a dragon riding the moon? Well that's the microscopic world for you or maybe it's just me.

Gorgonzola and Hazelnut Stuffed Pears with Pancetta and Arugula Salad

Pears are in season, so it's a great time to try out new recipes that incorporate these tasty fruits.  This stuffed pear recipe was delicious.  The rich buttery gorgonzola pairs nicely with the sweet pear.  The honey really made this dish for me, the mildly sweet flavor accompanied by the salty panchetta and peppery arugula salad -yum, yum, yum.  It was a delicious meal to compliment the season.

Stacy's Fall Bridal Shower

I love planning events and parties.  I don't know why, but I always get so excited -and possibly go a little overboard- when I plan a party, but I just can't help myself, I love it!  Well, yesterday I got the chance to help out with a friend's bridal shower.  I volunteered to bring some flowers and make some food. 

I wanted to make some beautiful flower arrangements on a limited budget.  So, instead of buying flowers, I thought hey it's fall, I'll just go pick some flowers.  Actually I wasn't looking for flowers I was looking for wheat, but I found something else just as beautiful, grass.  Yes, grass...and after picking a variety of grasses I had the bulk of my flower arrangements.  I picked some sunflowers from my yard, arranged the flowers and grass, and tied some ribbon around the stems.  Then I stuck the arrangements in some mason jars and ended up with some cheap and beautiful flower arrangements. 

 I wanted to keep the food simple but beautiful, so I had a few ideas that I wanted to try out.  First, I thought of making brownie bites with a little surprise inside.  So, I baked the brownies in a mini muffin tin with a maraschino cherry inside.  Then I covered the brownie bites with chocolate ganache and a ganache covered cherry.  They turned out delicious and they were so simple, you could even use a brownie mix to make them extra easy.

I also thought of making mini puff pastry fruit tarts.  I bought the puff pastry and cut it into little squares and cooked the squares in a mini cupcake tin.  Then I piped in a lemon cream cheese filling and topped the tarts with blackberries and red and white raspberries.  I used apple jelly for the glaze and garnished them with mint.  I thought they turned out beautiful and they were so tasty!

Lemon cream cheese filling:

A: 8 oz cream cheese

B: 12 oz sweetened condensed milk

C: 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

D: 1 tsp lemon zest

E: 1 & 1/4 Cups whipping cream, whipped and not sweetened

Cream together A & B then mix in C &D then fold in E and refrigerate until use.  This also makes a great pie when you pair it with a graham cracker crust.  You can also substitute the lemons for limes to make a delicious key lime pie.

Then I made some mini pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.  I used my go-to cupcake recipe and  used 1/2 cup of pumpkin and 3 Tbs of heavy cream instead of the strawberry puree and milk.  I also added 1 tsp of cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ginger and 1/4 tsp of cloves to the flour mixture.  I used my favorite cream cheese frosting recipe and piped out some chocolate hearts and put them on top of the cupcakes.  They looked cute and tasted delicious.

 So many people helped out and made so much amazing food.  The bridal shower was definitely a success.

The Most Delicious Baked Beans

I love baked beans, actually I love these baked beans.  They are so easy and so, so, so good.  I'm not really sure where this recipe came from I think my dad might have made it up.  I remember eating these beans as a little girl, I loved them then and I love them now.  

3 15 oz. Cans of Pork and Beans

2 Cans Refried Beans or 3 Cups Homemade Refried Beans

2/3Cup Dark Brown Sugar (add more or less depending on how sweet you like your beans)

1/2 Cup Chopped Chives

1-2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard

Squirt of Ketchup

6-8 Strips of Bacon, chopped 

Cook the bacon.  Add the crispy bacon plus the drippings to the rest of the ingredients.  Stir and cook (with occasional stirring) in a crock-pot on low for several hours or in a casserole dish in the oven at 300 degrees for about 3&1/2 hours. You're looking for the beans to get a dark rich color and to have somewhat of a thick consistency.  Try them out and don't be afraid to adjust the flavor as you cook.  It's that simple and they really are sooo delicious!

mmm...Tabouli

Tabouli...oh the memories.  When I was little my dad used to take my siblings and I swimming almost every day.  After swimming we would go to the cafeteria and get pita bread pizzas and tabouli.  Needless to say, I love tabouli. It is a light, refreshing and delicious salad.  And for me, it's comfort food.  I couldn't find a recipe online that quite matches my families recipe.  I'm not really sure where we got the recipe, probably some friend in Arabia.  I just know that for as long as I can remember my family has gathered together in the kitchen around numerous cutting boards to make tabouli.  We would spend hours chopping and chatting as we chopped, we were always exhausted by the end, but the first bite of tabouli made it all worth it.  Now, with my food processor it is a less daunting task, but I have to say I do miss those family tabouli gatherings.  

I looked online and found a recipe that is a good place to start.  To this recipe, I add one bunch of chopped cilantro, one or two finely chopped cucumbers, a teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin and coriander, and a teaspoon of sumac (optional, but highly recommended).  I also use about 1-2 Tbsp of olive oil, not 1/2  a cup and I usually use 2 or 3 tomatoes, not one. 

Give tabouli a try, it is well worth it! 

Hummus with Homemade Pita Bread

Hummus is a quick, easy and delicious snack to whip up -I liked this hummus recipe.  It was simple and turned out wonderful.  Alex made some pita bread from scratch to go along with the hummus and voila we had one delicious side dish to accompany our dinner!

Zuchinni Soup

Zuchinni Soup!  Yes, zuchinni soup, this week you will find all things zuchinni on this blog.  Our garden is on zuchinni overload, so many zuchinnis!  I'm not complaining though, I love zuchinnis.  This soup was a delicious way to use up some extra zuchinni.  I treated this soup like a cream of potato soup, because I decided that it would be quite delicious with some crumbled bacon and a swirl of sour cream, and I was right -it was delicious!

Dispersion Staining

I took a microscopy class last week that was pretty fun.  The class was interesting, but my favorite part was looking at all the amazing colors through the microscope.  I took this picture of some potassium phosphate crystals.  They were white and clear until I added them to a liquid that had a refractive index near the refractive index of the crystals.  The resulting color change is referred to as dispersion staining.  I thought it was beautiful! 

Tequila Lime Chicken Fettuccine

I really like funky fusion pastas -like the ones they serve at California Pizza Kitchen.  This recipe actually reminds me of one of my favorite pasta dishes at CPK.  This post sounds a lot like an add for CPK, right?  Well, I promise you it's not, this post is about pasta.  Tangy, creamy, savory pasta.  I love this dish!  I even like the bell peppers in it and I'm not the biggest fan of bell peppers.  I used spinach fettucine instead of regular fettucine, but I don't think it's necessary.  However, it is necessary that you try this recipe -it's delicious.  

Making Your Own Pickles

I love pickles, so this year I decided to make my own.  If you have a garden and you grow cucumbers, this is a great way to save some money and make some delicious pickles!  If you don't have a garden, you should still make them, because like I said: delicious pickles!  For this recipe, I followed the directions quite carefully, because cucumbers can be tricky to preserve -they are more prone to spoilage than other higher acidic foods.  However, I did change one thing, I added more dill than the recipe called for -I really like dill.  I made 12 quart jars of dill pickles this year.  I'm actually worried this might not be enough, I can literally eat a whole jar in one sitting -scary I know, I told you, I love pickles!

Panna Cotta with Raspberry Puree

Panna cotta is a most delicious Italian dessert.  It is made with sweetened cream and vanilla and served chilled.  I made the panna cotta with a vanilla bean and it turned out wonderful, a creamy custard texture with a delicate vanilla flavor.  I love eating it with fresh berries, pureed or whole. 

Enjoy!

Eggs Benedict

I have been so busy lately, but I have been taking lots of pictures so it is my goal to try and get them all posted this week.  But for now, lets talk about hollandaise sauce.  Hollandaise sauce, need I say more?  This rich, creamy, tangy sauce is delicious on so many things, like eggs and bacon and English muffins, for example.  So easy, rich and delicious, eggs benedict makes a great meal for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  The trickiest part of this meal: the poached eggs.  It took me awhile to get to the point where I felt comfortable poaching eggs, so don't get discouraged if you find this technique a bit tricky.  I found this website very helpful, check it out for some good pointers!

Creamy Tomato and Basil Soup

I have been crazy busy lately, so I've been whipping up some quick meals.  This creamy tomato and basil soup is so easy to make and it is yummy -a perfect meal during a chaotic time.  Wait!  Soup in the summer, I must be crazy!  Well, I probably am, but there is so much basil in my garden that I have to do something with it besides making boatloads of pesto.  Hence, the soup, the deliciously smooth and light soup.  I drizzled it with some olive oil, sprinkled some basil on top and  served it with grilled cheese sandwiches  -simple and delicious.

Enjoy!

Fried Green Tomatoes

Fried green tomatoes are one of the things I look forward to each summer before the tomatoes get ripe.  Crispy on the outside, tangy and juicy on the inside -they are mouthwateringly good.  Fry them up in a basic beer batter -I like to add a little bit of garlic powder and cajun seasoning to mine- and serve them with an ancho chili ranch dipping sauce (pretty much what it sounds like: ranch + sour cream + ancho chili powder) and you've got one delicious snack!

Two of My Favorite Hamburgers and Hot Dogs

I say two of my favorite hamburgers and hot dogs, because I really love grilling up burgers and hot dogs in the summer.  This hamburger is your basic burger recipe dressed up with fixings.  The fixings are my favorite part: lettuce, tomato, cheddar -so far pretty basic, but here is where it gets delicious: caramelized onions, BBQ sauce, bacon and sliced pickled jalapenos.  Yum, yum, yum.

I tried this hot dog combination at Fab Hot Dogs in L.A.  Favorite hot dog ever!  Wrap the dog in bacon and pan fry it, then throw it on the grill for a minute to add some flavor.  For the topping add yellow mustard, chopped onions, chopped tomatoes, cream cheese and Tapatio Hot Sauce.  Seriously, this hot dog is amazingly good!

Spumoni Cake

Spumoni has to be one of my favorite flavor combinations -cherries, chocolate and pistachios, it doesn't get much better than that.  And can I just say how delicious this cake was? It was delicious and yes, I made this cake in a bread pan. Why? I'm not sure...an attempt at creativity? Well, spumoni cake was still a success, despite it's loaf-like appearance.   

Of coarse, you can also do something like this (below) if your looking for a more traditional looking cake.

 Mmmm..layers of cherry and pistachio butter cream frosting. You can't go wrong with that.

For the cake I used an easy fudge cake recipe with a few variations.  Instead of adding hot water to the batter I added hot maraschino cherry juice.  I also added 1/2 cup of  roughly chopped maraschino cherries.  For the frosting filling I made a swiss meringue buttercream frosting.  I halved the recipe and added 2/3 cup of finely chopped pistachios and two tablespoons of chopped maraschino cherries to the frosting. Garnish the cake with cherries and crushed pistachios and you've got one delicious spumoni cake!

Crispy Chicken with Lemon and Capers

I recently discovered the amazing goodness of homemade bread crumbs and I am never going back to store bought ones.  I'm telling you, homemade bread crumbs = awesome.  I made this chicken with some homemade bread crumbs and it was delicious.  The lemon and capers helped give this savory dish a tangy twist.  My Mr. claims that it is now one of his favorite chicken recipes, he loved it.  Try it, you'll see, I really am telling the truth! 

No-Bake Cheesecake

It has been hot here and the last thing I feel like doing is turning on the oven -blah.  So, I've decided to try my hand at no-bake recipes.  The first thing that came to mind was a no-bake cheesecake...mmmm.  I added about 2 teaspoons of lemon zest to the cheesecake and used chocolate graham crackers for the crust and decided to make them in mini molds.  It just happened to be the fourth of July when I decided to undergo this endeavor so, I layered strawberries and blueberries between the crust and cheesecake filling and made some chocolate "fireworks" to top off these cute mini cheesecakes.  They were so easy to make, you can really make them for any occasion -throw on some chocolate hearts for Valentines Day or an anniversary- or just make them to eat because they are delicious!

Enjoy!

Rack of Lamb with Ancho-Honey Glaze

 I love lamb and this post is dedicated to sharing the love.  My neighbor refuses to eat lamb, because he claims it has too strong of a flavor.  Well, I am here to tell you that this is just not true.  Lamb has a very delicate flavor and this recipe is a perfect way to acquaint yourself with it.  The recipe combines sweet spiced honey with the savory lamb.  It was easy and fast and oh so delicious!  It's a great meal for entertaining a few guests -simple and beautiful.  

Fried Chocolate-Hazelnut Wantons with Orange Dipping Sauce

Right off the bat, I have to apologize for this picture.  This is what happens when you don't have natural lighting, you end up with something that looks like it was shot in a photography studio in the 1970s.  But don't let the picture discourage you, this dessert is delicious.  And don't be too hard on me, because there was no way these tasty little treats were going to make it in my house until morning -they were way too tempting.  

For the wanton filling I modified the recipe by adding some chocolate ganache to the nutella (about 1 1/2 oz of semisweet chocolate melted with about 2 Tbsp of heavy cream), if the mixture doesn't look glossy add a little more heavy cream while stirring, until it looks nice and shiny.  For the orange dipping sauce I added some orange zest and slightly whipped up the heavy cream -you don't want peaks to form, just whip it until the sauce begins to thicken.  This sauce is so good, it reminds me of a dreamsicle. Sprinkle the wantons with powdered sugar and you've got a wickedly rich dessert.

Enjoy!

It's All About Chipotles

I have recently discovered a new love: chipotle.  I'm ashamed to say that it has taken me so long to become an admirer of these spicy smoked chilies.  But, now that I have found them I intend to use them...a lot.  Let's start with the tacos.  Soft Chicken tacos, the chicken cooked in a spicy tomato chipotle sauce.  The nice thing about chipotles in adobo is that you can really add as much or as little of the chilies and adobo sauce as you want to -depending on the amount of heat you like.  I made these tacos spicy, because I like heat.  

Then I threw together some guacamole and instead of using cayenne pepper to add a little heat to the guacamole I added some adobo sauce from the chipotle chilies.  It turned out smoky and delicious.  

But, my favorite part of this meal had to be the pan fried queso blanco with chipotle mayonnaise.  Let me just say, amazing!  For the mayonnaise, make it from scratch and add as much or as little chipotle  chilies and adobo sauce as you want.  I suppose you don't have to make the mayo from scratch, but you should, because it's delicious!  Now, if you have never had pan fried queso blanco before, try it now, literally, stop reading this blog and go get some right  now, that's how good this stuff is, it's pretty much my perfect salty snack food.  Okay, now that you have the cheese (you did go get it right?) all you need to do is cut it into slices -as thick or as thin as you like, I like mine thick so they have a gooey cheesy center, my husband likes his thin and crispy all the way through. Back to slices, yes, take the cut slices of cheese and place them on a hot nonstick pan, do not add any oil, just stand back and watch them crisp up...yum! 

Enjoy!

Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes

Aren't lemons just divine? I mean really, is there anything more refreshing on a hot summer day than a glass of lemonade?  I used to incorporate lemon juice or lemon zest into just about everything I made.  I've backed off a little bit, but those sneaky lemons still call to me and end up finding their way into many of my recipes.  I don't mind though, because let's face it lemons are heaven sent.  I decided to try making some lemon cupcakes and then I decided to throw in some blueberries -apparently they were both calling to me this week.  So, I used my previous cupcake recipe and replaced the cherry puree with blueberry puree -I only added 2 Tbsp of the puree to the icing.  I also added the zest from one lemon to the batter and to the icing.  Then for good measure I decided to just go ahead and plop some fresh blueberries into the batter...mmm.  These cupcakes turned out delicious and surprisingly, not too sweet.  Give them a try -you'll be glad you did.

Enjoy!  

Turbot with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

I really loved this sauce, it was spicy, sweet and tangy.  I added a teaspoon of honey and I used roasted orange, red and yellow peppers for the sauce.  Next time I'll make this with halibut or mahi mahi, so that I can  pan sear the fish -yum.  I will not be changing the sauce though, and I am definitely making it again because it was delicious!

Some Chemistry, Finally!

Well, it's only kind of chemistry.  I recently applied for two grants and just found out that I was awarded both of them! This was very exciting news for me, but I was left with the difficult decision of deciding which grant to accept.  After a lot of prayer and thought I have decided to accept the Chemistry and Biology Interface Grant.  I am very excited about this grant as it will allow me to participate in a six week external internship, which I think will be taking place in a research lab at the University of Chicago!  Anyways, just thought I should let you all know-now lets get back to the food!

My Big Sister's Summer Wedding

My older sister got married this past weekend  -it was beautiful, she was beautiful.  So, what was my role for the wedding?  Food...I made food, lots and lots of food.  I have never prepared food on this large of a scale before, it was fun, exciting, an adventure... okay let me be honest with you -it was exhausting.  We decided to keep things simple and serve an array of hors d'oeuvres like fresh vegetables displayed in a shot glass, served with spinach dip.  My favortie spinach dip recipe ever:

8 oz. cream cheese

10 oz. frozen spinach, thawed and drained of liquid

2 Tbsp minced onion  

2 cups Mayonnaise

1 Tbsp Accent

1 Tbsp chopped chives 

1/2 cup half and half

Blend, chill and serve!

Large prawns bathed in a zesty cocktail sauce served in a shot glass -no I did not make the cocktail sauce, I was definitely not feeling that ambitious.

 
A light curry chicken salad filled with almonds, grapes and apples in a crispy mini phyllo cup.  For this I used my previously posted recipe and added about 1 1/2 teaspoons of curry powder.

A mild creamy goat cheese paired with a fresh raspberry, so simple and so delicious.

Sweet watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew melon drizzled with a cool basil mint syrup.  To make the syrup simply use one cup of sugar, one cup of water and one bunch of basil and mint.  Warm up the simple syrup (sugar and water) over the stove until sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat and let the basil and mint steep for about ten minutes then strain the syrup.  I love this syrup paired with all kinds of fruit combinations -it's so cool and refreshing during hot summer months.

Mozzarella, tomatoes and basil tossed in a balsamic vinaigrette, piled high into a serving spoon.  Just your basic delicious caprese salad.

Grilled flank steak marinated in rosemary and garlic, thinly sliced and rested on bruschetta finished with a tomato, artichoke and caper tapenade.  For the tapenade I combined marinated artichokes, tomatoes and capers.  Season with salt and pepper and garnish with basil -yummy. 

A skewer of cheese tortellini, olives and Italian Salami.  Easy peasy, toss the olives and the tortellini in a simple Italian marinade, salt and pepper and you're done!

Moist and tender roasted pork tenderloin sliced and set on a fresh baguette slice, finished with a zesty dijon raspberry sauce.  I pretty much just used this recipe, except more garlic, because I love garlic and then I mixed some raspberry preserves with dijon mustard and viola a simple and delicious appetizer is born.

Thank you to everyone who helped out.  I must admit that I did enjoy catering the wedding, but I came away from the experience with gratitude that I've decided to be a chemist.  I mean I love cooking, but goodness that was a lot of food!

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

Mmm...chocolate ganache sandwiched between peanut buttery goodness makes for some delicious cookies.  I have been pretty obsessed with chocolate ganache lately so when I came across this recipe I had to make it.  These cookies were delicious and surprisingly fast and easy to make.  They are very rich, so next time you have a sweet tooth give these tasty cookies a try.

Enjoy!