Tag Archives: eggs

January 20, 2012 · 5:16 am

Lemon Bars

Sometimes I just get the urge to bake. Tonight was no different. Unfortunately, I am in desperate need of a grocery shopping excursion. As a result, I’m left to the bare minimum for food. This lack of items did not help me with my baking quest at first; however, it did help me uncover easy recipes that I could use with both few and ordinary items. I settled upon making Lemon Bars – delicious, refreshing and probably one of the best desserts to make if in a bind for ingredients.

Step 1: Cream Sugar and Butter; Add Flour

Step 2: Mix Wet Ingredients

Step 3: Bake Dough; Pour Wet Ingredients

Step 4: Bake and Enjoy!

Did I mention this is a Barefoot Contessa recipe? Although this is a dessert served better in the summer, I personally think it is a perfect change for a season that’s filled with way too many heavy items.

Cheers!

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November 13, 2011 · 5:26 pm

Poached Eggs in Marinara Sauce


Usually, breakfast is one of the most simple meals of the day. After all, shouldn’t it be? Unless it is a weekend, most individuals opt for cereal or something that requires little effort in the morning.

However, this past weekend, a friend and I decided to try a recipe from The New York Times health section: Eggs Poached in Marinara Sauce. At first glance from the picture in the article, this recipe just looked pretty, well, interesting. All the more reason to try it, right? Well, at least our ambitious cooking minds convinced us so.

Basically, in theory, this recipe is quite simple, but the perfect egg execution is essential to this dish’s success. It took a few rounds of botched poached egg plates before we got it just right. The key in all of this? After heating up sauce in a small saucepan, use a ladle to make a “pouch” in the center of the pan to pour the eggs into and make sure to pour the egg in very, very slowly while making sure the yolk plops into the saucepan last.

In addition to the eggs and sauce combo, we totally negated the healthy aspects of this meal by adding green onions, cheese and avocado slices and  toasted bread with a mixture of olive oil, garlic and oregano beneath melted mozzarella cheese. Oh, and what breakfast meal wouldn’t be complete without bacon?

Although this did take a lot more effort than the standard breakfast, the end result tasted delicious. And, even though to some it may not look the most appetizing, I promise that it is — I completely recommend it!

Cheers!

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April 25, 2011 · 12:31 am

Buttermilk Pancakes With Blueberry Compote


I rarely make pancakes. But, this past Sunday, I decided to make them on a whim. It wasn’t until I was flipping my first batch of pancakes that I remembered how much I enjoy making them. This brought me back to the days when I used to make “Mickey Mouse” pancakes or make pancake letters that spelled out our names. After experiencing this bout of nostalgia, I realized that my taste bud preferences have vastly changed since then. When I was younger, peanut butter was usually the topping of choice or I would occasionally douse my pancakes in maple syrup. Now, I opt for fresh fruit or fruit flavored syrups instead. So, it’s no surprise that I picked Buttermilk Pancakes With Blueberry Compote to make for a Sunday breakfast.

Step 1: Mix Dry Ingredients Together;
Mix Together with Wet Ingredients 


Step 2: Drop Pancakes Onto Greased Griddle


Step 3: Flip After Bubbles Start to Form


Step 4: Mix Blueberries, Sugar, and
Water Together; Let Simmer for 10 Minutes

Step 5: Scoop Blueberry Compote Onto
Pancakes and Enjoy!


Making pancakes appears easy; however, in my opinion, it takes a perfect art to get them right. I usually have to temper with the temperature and size of pancakes a few times before I can get into a successful pancake-making-rhythm. Unfortunately, this results in a few burnt or undercooked batches, but usually by the third batch I’m creating good results!

My family thoroughly enjoyed this recipe. The blueberry compote was a nice change from a standard maple syrup. Although the recipe doesn’t call for it, I added a bit of cornstarch to the compote to help thicken it a bit. The blueberries were very tasty, but I’d like to experiment with raspberries for next time.

Cheers!

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April 18, 2011 · 3:30 am

Easter Cupcakes

Cupcakes are absolutely one of my favorite desserts. Although it may seem strange, the actual ingredients and tastes of cupcakes are not the reasons why I love them. My love of cupcakes stems from the endless possibilities of intricate designs, colors, and presentation features available to put on these quaint little cakes. For example, in the past, I’ve experimented with different icing lettering, vibrant frostings, and cookies/candies galore to add onto the top. Simply, cupcakes are a fun dessert.

One of my favorite cupcake recipe books is titled Hello, Cupcake. Although I did not follow a recipe from this clever book for this blog post, I highly recommend to either buy, peruse the book, or check out their website for fun ideas (in the past year, I made the Snowman and Penguin cupcakes — they seemed daunting, but they turned out really well!).

Anyway, I hadn’t made a “creative” dessert in quite some time. I first became inspired to make cupcakes after a friend bought me a “Cupcake Kit” (from Chronicle Books/Elinor Klivans and seen here).

This kit contains a reusable pastry bag, assorted piping tips, and cupcake baking liners. With this added inspiration, I began to scan the Food Network website for potential cupcake ideas. I finally found a recipe for Chick and Egg Cupcakes and decided to make a version of these to put me into the Easter spirit. I didn’t follow the recipe 100% (I cheated and used boxed cupcake mix to save some time), but I really enjoyed the results!

Step 1: Bake Cupcakes and Let Cool

Step 2: Add Green Dye to Frosting and Coconut

Step 3: Frost; Layer Coconut, Eggs, and Peeps on Top;
Use Pastry Tips to Make Intricate Designs

 

That last picture of a cupcake looks a bit haphazard; however, it was fun to experiment with different pipping techniques. I definitely need to improve with cupcake decorating — my next quest will be to find tips on how to best use the pipping utensil in order to produce the best results.

Until then…


[as seen from "The Cupcake Kit"]

Cheers!

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January 17, 2011 · 2:37 am

Bittersweet Molten Chocolate Cakes

 I needed something to provide some cheer during this dreary month of January. Chocolate always seems like an easy solution, but I definitely wanted to try something different than standard chocolate chip cookies or a candy bar. So, when I found the recipe for Bittersweet Molten Chocolate Cake, I became ecstatic.  A chocolate cake that oozes chocolate? I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try it. Plus, the recipe only calls for five ingredients!

Now, this was an incredibly simple and easy recipe; however, the cook time is the most essential part of the baking process. These cakes cannot be undercooked or overcooked. They have to be just right.  To ensure that this cooks correctly, these chocolate cakes have to be taken out of the oven when “the edges are puffed and slightly cracked but center one-inch moves slightly when shaken gently (about 13 minutes).” The result of following these last instructions flawlessly: chocolate-y decadence.

Step 1: Chop Chocolate; Stir Chocolate
and Butter Over Low Heat

 

Step 2: Beat Eggs, Egg Yolks, and Sugar
Until Pale Yellow in Color (8 minutes)

Step 3: Fold Chocolate and
Egg Mixture Together

 

Step 4: Place in Rammekins;
Bake at 425 Degrees (13 Minutes)

Step 5: Add Powdered Sugar or
Ice Cream and Enjoy!

Two words to describe this: Chocolate Coma. Although that may sound bad, it was a totally good feeling.

Cheers!

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January 10, 2011 · 6:18 am

Chicken and Waffles

A few years ago, we held a family reunion in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Although vastly different than the Pacific Northwest, I thoroughly enjoyed that vacation and absolutely fell in love with the scenery, food, and people.  Prior to this trip, I had never been informed about Waffle Houses and a Southern favorite: Chicken and Waffles. I then became highly intrigued as to how savory fried chicken eaten jointly with sweet waffles and syrup would taste. Unfortunately, we ran out of time in Tennessee and I regretfully never tried Chicken and Waffles.

Now, it wasn’t until recently that I was reminded of Chicken and Waffles after flipping through Bobby Flay’s Cookbook. Instantly, my first thoughts reverted to my family’s trip to Tennessee and my regrets for never trying the esteemed dish of Chicken and Waffles. Well, luckily for me, my boyfriend and his roommates happen to love fried chicken. So, with little convincing, the decision was made to make these on a weekend morning.

We chose to make Melba Wilson’s Fried Chicken and Eggnog Waffles with Strawberry Butter from that cookbook. However, we didn’t have eggnog or strawberries (oops!). Instead, we substituted buttermilk and blackberries. The waffles were very similar to a recipe that I used a few weeks ago for brunch (as seen here).

Fried Chicken

Step 1: Marinate Chicken With
Spices and Buttermilk for 2 Hours


Step 2: Coat Chicken With Flour

Step 3: Fry Chicken in Vegetable Oil

Buttermilk Waffles

Step 1-2: Combine Dry and Liquid
Ingredients; Add Whipped Egg Whites
Step 3: Drop Batter on Waffle Iron

Blackberry Butter

Step 1: Cut Softened Butter into Cubes;
Whip in Food Processor; Pulse Berries

Step 2: Form Into “Loaf”; Put in Freezer
to Shape; Serve with Waffles

[Don't let the picture fool you -- although it doesn't
look appetizing, the butter was one of the best parts!]

Voila: Chicken ‘n Waffles!

[All previous qualms regarding this dish and it's
questionable taste were completely abolished.
Delicious and a great success!]

Every now and then I crave fried chicken. And, every now and then I crave waffles. But, after this meal we had this weekend, I will definitely crave chicken and waffles concurrently. Although not the healthiest, this is a perfect meal to share with friends and when in the mood for fried goodness and a sweet treat!

Cheers!

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