Chai Tea Concentrate

Chai tea is an Indian drink that you make by steeping various spices in milk and water and then sweetening with sugar.  You can buy pre-made mixes or spice blends, but this concentrate is a great thing to keep in your fridge.  It's super easy to make and is a great drink for a cold winter night.  I gave the jar I made as a christmas gift (hence the packaging).
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Stovetop Popcorn

Sometimes you come home from work and all you want to do is plop down in front of the TV and watch a mindless movie with a bowl of popcorn on your lap.  Forget buying microwaveable bags and make some stovetop popcorn!

2 Easy and Delicious Holiday Gifts

It's that time of year!!

Here are two gift ideas are quick to make, sure to please, and both require time to do the work for you.  That being said, if you wish to make either of these in time to give as gifts for the holidays, you should start at least a week before you intend to give it to a friend/loved one.  So, what are you waiting for?

Pecan Apple-Brandy Tart

For this tart, I used A recipe from Bon Apetit magazine but made one minor change.  The recipe called for bourbon (which goes very well with pecans in baked goods) but I had a bottle of Applejack Brandy that was calling to me.  The result was definitely delicious and I can't wait to serve it on Thanksgiving.

S'mores pie

This is a yummy, gooey, chocolatey, and crunchy dessert that is sure to have people asking for seconds.  It has a graham crust, fudgy brownie filling and toasted marshmallow meringue topping.  Winning!

Pumpkin Banana Bread

This is my usual banana bread recipe with pumpkin puree and spices added to make it a delicious seasonal dessert/snack.  It tastes great hot with some ice cream on top, or cold the next day.  I personally like having it plain for breakfast with a cup of coffee.

Fancy Pants Butternut Squash Soup

Last year I posted this recipe for butternut squash soup that has ginger in it and gets topped with candied pumpkin-seeds.  This time I made a more savory recipe that is ri-goddamn-diculously delicious.  I topped it with diced apples for sweetness, a drizzle of rosemary oil for  another layer of flavor, and finish with a crispy whole-grain breadstick for crunch.   It looks very fancy and is sure to impress whoever you make it for.

Turkey Lettuce Wraps

This is a fast, delicious meal that is also diet-friendly when you replace the usual tortilla wraps with lettuce leaves.  You can make it with other ground meat but this time I used turkey breast because it's lean and I think it tastes great in this dish.  I also noticed while typing out the recipe that there is "1" of almost every ingredient so it's easy and is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.

My favorite Gingersnap Recipe

I love these cookies because they are spicy and taste like Fall.  I took this recipe from joyofbaking.com and made some minor changes.  I also added a pumpkin frosting filling for when you really want to go off the deep end.  The great thing about it is you can make a batch, roll the dough into balls and freeze them so you can bake off fresh gingersnap cookies throughout the Fall season.

Red Wine Braised Shortribs and Orange-Sage Roasted Sweet Potatoes

After reading a recipe in Bon Apetit on red-wine braised short ribs, I decided to make my own personal touches and pair them with some delicious roasted sweet potatoes.  The result was a very hearty meal that was full of robust savory flavors.  Mmmmm...

Easy Italian Wedding (Inspired) Soup

I wanted to make an easy, delicious soup for dinner last night because soup season is upon us.  This is similar to Italian wedding soup but with a few minor differences.  I didn't make the stock myself because this was all about making something fast.  A lesson on homemade stocks will be part of a later post.  Until then, enjoy the shortcut and try out this yummy meal.  This makes a large batch so you can have leftovers.

Granola

Granola can be a sneaky little bastard.  It's delicious, highly addictive and "healthy"....but half a box later you find yourself begging your friends and family to take the bag away from you as you lick your oat-crusted fingers.  Everything in moderation right?
This is a recipe I developed for the bakery where I work.  It's addictive, and not overly sweet.  You can play around with the add-ins to make it your own.

Pesto alla genovese

Our basil plants grew to ridiculous proportions and so my Dad and I decided to turn it into lots of pesto.  I used the recipe from our family friend, Florencia, whose mother is from the region of Italy where basil pesto originated.  Pretty authentic stuff.  You will never want to buy bottled pesto ever again.

Chocolate raspberry tart

I used linzer cookie dough to make the tart shell.  I had no clue what I was going to fill it with until I spied some chocolate and a quart of raspberries in the fridge.  I also ended up using some of the grenadine I made way back when to glaze the top of the tart.  The result was yummy as hell.

Food for the outside of your body

I went into a bath and body type store recently looking for a body scrub and noticed that the prices were obscene.  This particular brand featured salt from the dead sea and all that jazz.  The product works great, but you can't tell me that salt and some oil is worth $30 for a small jar.  I decided to make my own out of things in my kitchen.

Lavender-Candied Pecans and a Delicious Dessert

I know, it sounds weird, but I assure you these are absolutely delicious!  I wanted to make candied, spiced pecans to top a dessert I was making and spied a jar of lavender in my spice rack.  I thought "why not?"  I came up with this little recipe and it was part of a dessert inspired by Silan (date honey from Israel.  Read on for the recipe and the final dessert :-)

Pickles!!

 I wanted to try and make pickles using the traditional method of fermentation.  It is so easy, requires very few ingredients and they're super-yummy!  You can also play around with the flavors to get the kind of pickle you want. 

Ending my Lazy Streak...with a somewhat lazy post

Ok....so I admittedly dropped the ball on writing in my blog, but I'm back with a wonderful cookbook recommendation.  This book was a gift from my wonderful friend Morgan, and I think it is not only beautifully illustrated, but the food in incredible.  The book is called The Food of Thailand.   It includes appetizers, soups, curries, desserts, street foods, etc. I showed it to my friend from Thailand once and she gave her seal of approval to the recipes so I trust it.  Thai cooking is complex and requires a lot ingredients, but don't let that intimidate you.  I started off just making basic curries, and tonight I branched out ever-so-slightly to make a Chicken in green curry, coconut sticky rice, and a mushroom tofu dish.  It came out pretty tasty.  This book has yet to fail me and it is a great way to try something new.  Next time I'll have a recipe for you all but for now, here are pictures of the meal I prepared:-)

Individual pies

For the 4th of July I wanted to make an easy, yummy dessert.  I had seen this recipe and decided to attempt it while making a few changes.  This was a very easy last minute dessert and they look store-bought and very impressive.  The best part is you can really make any filling you want.  They also make a great dessert for a picnic.

Kale and fried egg sandwich

After coming home from work earlier this week, I wanted something quick and easy for me and my brother to eat for dinner.  I started off by sauteing some Kale and ended up with a very tasty sandwich.  The best part is, it works for any meal of the day (at least I think it would also make a great breakfast or lunch sandwich).

For one sandwich
Ingredients:
1/2 bunch of kale, washed and dried with the center vein removed
1 Tablespoon of olive oil
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 egg
around 1/2 Tablespoon butter or oil
a slice of cheese (I used white sharp cheddar)
two slices of bread (I used ezekiel bread)
salt and pepper

Instructions:

1) Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan.  Add some red pepper flakes and when they start to sizzle add the kale.  Stir a few times and cook for 2-3 minutes or until wilted.  Remove from pan.
2) Then in the same saute pan, toast the slices of bread in a little bit of oil or butter.
3) In a smaller pan heat the butter or oil and then add the egg to fry.  Using a spoon, ladle the hot oil onto the top of the cooking egg to cook it without flipping the egg over.  Repeat this until the top is entirely white.  I like the egg to be runny, so I removed it from the heat relatively quickly.  Season it with salt and pepper.
4) Make a sandwich by layering the kale, fried egg and cheese between the bread.  The heat from the egg should melt the cheese if you time it correctly.  Enjoy!

Brownie-Chunk-Vanilla-Mint Ice Cream

At work we always have these extra brownie scraps that we either sample or end up throwing out.  For months now I've been wanting to make this ice cream using the scraps, but by the time I get home it seems that all of my friends or family have eaten all of them.  I have to admit I am to blame for a small portion that manages to "disappear".  This time I vowed to use the scraps for ice cream that I wanted to make by adapting this recipe by David Lebovitz.

Makes about 1 Quart 

Ingredients:

2 cups (80 grams) fresh mint leaves (washed)

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 cups heavy whipping cream

2 cups whole milk

1 vanilla bean pod

pinch of salt

5 egg yolks

1 1/2 cups soft brownie chunks (SLIGHTLY under-baked is better)

1) In a large saucepan combine the mint leaves, sugar, 1 cup of the cream, milk, vanilla bean pod (first slice it down the middle and scrape the seeds.  Add the emptied pod along with the beans) and the pinch of salt. 

2) Bring the mixture to a boil then immediately remove from the heat, cover with a lid, and allow it to steep for an hour.  This is when I watched Game of Thrones ;-)

3) Strain out the mint leaves and vanilla bean pod into a bowl and make sure to squeeze out all the liquid before discarding them.  Return the mixture to the saucepan and warm it up.  Meanwhile put the egg yolks into a medium bowl.

4) Temper the yolks by adding some of the hot liquid to it while constantly stirring.  Then add the yolks to the saucepan and whisk constantly until it begins to thicken.  Strain (to make sure no scrambled eggs are in it) into a bowl containing the last cup of cream and place in an ice bath.  Stir constantly to cool.  Allow to cool completely.  I chilled mine overnight before spinning in the machine because this created a creamier ice cream.  

5) Spin in the machine according the the manufacturers directions.  

6) Put some brownie chunks into the container you are going to store the ice cream in then add some ice cream and then add more chunks.  Keep doing this until all of the ice cream is in the container and the brownies are throughout the mixture. Serve immediately or store in the freezer (duh) until ready to consume!  Enjoy!

Kimchi Pancake

Kimchi has become extremely popular recently and has been appearing on restaurant menus in very interesting ways ranging from kimchi tacos to kimchi on hot dogs.  So what is kimchi?  It's a Korean dish consisting of fermented cabbage or other fermented vegetables.  Sounds yummy right ;-)  It's actually really delicious and can be used to make this amazing dish I first tried while in China.  It's a Kimchi pancake!!  This makes a great spicy, salty, crunchy appetizer.

Serves 5 people as an appetizer
Ingredients:
1 cup Kimchi cut into thin strips
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup kimchi liquid (from the jar of kimchi)
pinch salt
1 egg

1) Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix until everything is well incorporated.
2) Heat a large skillet with a 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil.  Add the kimchi mixture and spread it out evenly into one giant pancake.  Cook over medium heat and flip after 3-4 minutes (when it begins to brown).  Cook another 3-4 minutes or until both sides are browned and the center is cooked.  You may have to lower to heat to ensure the inside cooks but the outside doesn't burn.
3) Remove from heat, cut slices and serve immediately.

Steak Sandwich and a Reflection on Leftovers

When I came home from work yesterday, I opened the door and suddenly the unmistakable scent of burning charcoal came drifting towards me.  I followed the scent and found my parents in the front yard grilling up some some steaks and vegetables for dinner.  After a hearty meal complete with some delicious red wine, there was still some steak that remained uneaten. Leftovers are an opportunity to make a completely different dish the next day and still enjoy the deliciousness from the day before.  I love leftovers, and today I decided to make a steak sandwich.  After throwing this into the oven at work for 10 minutes it'll be delicious, crunchy, gooey, chewy goodness.  Really you can make whatever sandwich you want with as much of each ingredient as you want, but this is what I made.

Pan-fried Quinoa Balls

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is an ancient grain that is amazingly versatile and very delicious.  It is gluten-free and rich with protein and also has a fair amount of the essential amino acids.  You can eat it hot or cold, and it can be mixed with just about anything.  Make sure you always rinse your quinoa before cooking otherwise it was have a very bitter taste to it (due to a coating of bitter saponins). Tonight I decided to make it into balls stuffed with cheese and pan-fried.  The result was delicious and also healthy.

Vanilla-Lemongrass Infused Simple Syrup

Basic simple syrup is one of the easiest things in the world to make.   It is a combination of sugar and water (usually in a 1:1 ratio) that allows you to sweeten things without having to worry about trying to dissolve the sugar.   It is a great way to add flavor to drinks especially if you infuse it with other flavors.  Today I decided to make Vanilla-Lemongrass simple syrup.  It has a fruity/floral scent that adds that extra pop of flavor to whatever you choose to use it on.  

Roasted Beet Salad

This salad is quick and actually very pretty.   I don't think there are many things more beautiful than the inside of a roasted beet.  Seriously, take a moment to appreciate it the next time you find yourself roasting a beet.  That's reason enough for me to make this dish again.

Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
2 large beets, washed to remove any dirt
1 cup red wine vinegar
olive oil, salt and pepper
1 red onion, sliced
1/3 cup feta cheese plus more for crumbling on top
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
1 Tablespoon torn mint
more red wine vinegar (to taste)

1) Preheat your oven to 375 F.  Place the washed beets into a loaf pan and drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper, and then add the red wine vinegar so that there is about an inch of liquid in the pan.  Cover and seal with aluminum foil and put it in the oven for 40-50 minutes or until the beets are easily pierced with a paring knife.
2) Remove the beets from the oven and allow to cool completely or enough for you to handle them.  Meanwhile, place the red onions in some red wine vinegar or lemon juice for 15 minutes to remove the bitterness from them and then rinse them off.   If you want to save vinegar you can just soak them in ice water instead, but the vinegar gives the onions a nice flavor.
3) Wearing gloves, take some paper towels and rub the skin off of the beets.  Then cut them into cubes and place in a large bowl.
4) Add the torn mint, pine nuts, a drizzle of olive oil, crumbled feta, some of the cooking liquid, fresh red wine vinegar (to taste) salt and pepper.

5) Put into serving bowls and top with some more crumbled feta and mint.  Enjoy!

*I used mentuccia which is a wild mint plant because it grows in our yard but you can just use fresh mint leaves.

Flourless Molten Chocolate Cake (Good for Passover)

I wanted to make a Passover dessert that wouldn't taste like cardboard.  After looking through a lot of molten chocolate cake recipes, I came up with this one.  It is so so so easy to make and a definite crowd pleaser. 

Jalapeno Infused Tequila

A couple of months ago my brother ordered this amazing drink at a restaurant in the city.  It was spicy, refreshing and delicious.  I recently looked up the ingredients of said drink and found out it contained jalapeno infused tequila muddled with fresh cucumbers.  The restaurant has since closed, so I decided to recreate the tequila myself.

Cake Pops

A blog called Bakerella came up with a neat idea called "cake pops".  They are essentially a mix of cake and frosting rolled into a ball, put on a stick, and dipped in chocolate.   They have become pretty trendy and I decided to try my hand at making them.

Using a Ball Jar for it's original purpose

Ball Jars are the classic glass mason jar used for canning, but lately I see them being used for just about everything but canned goods.  People use them in place of cups, holders for candles, and I've even seen someone use them to make a thing called "pie-in-a-jar".  While these are very clever uses for the Ball Jar, I decided it was time for it to get back to its roots by making some sour orange marmalade.  There are very few ingredients, it only takes about two hours to bang out 7-8 oz. jars, and you learn how to make canned goods in the process.  Let's begin!

Everything Cookies

This cookie recipe came as a byproduct of scraps we were going to throw away at work.  We make and sell chocolate bark with nuts and berries it, but when the bark gets cut there are a lot of little pieces we can't  sell.  They were going to throw away these delicious little nuggets of cashews, almonds, and cranberries covered in chocolate.  I decided to take it home and transform this trash into treasure.  I then filled them with Mint Ice Cream that I made a couple of weeks before for a delicious gooey sandwich.

Brutti ma Buoni

I decided to make some of my favorite cookies that come from the Lazio region of Italy, but first a very brief lesson on Italy.

If you had one last day...

Last week I had to say goodbye to my good friend Pleng who was moving back to Thailand.  We met on 23rd street and I promptly asked her "where do you want to go for your last lunch in NYC??"  To which she responded "anywhere, it doesn't matter."  I wasn't willing to let this meal be at any old mediocre restaurant.  It had to be something yummy that she would want to have one last time.  So, we ended up at.....

One perfect day

I tried my hand at making a blog once before and I really dropped the ball on that one.  Anyways, I stumbled upon one of the posts from that first attempt and thought I would share it on this blog.  It's not about food, but it's about one of my favorite days from when I lived in Rome after college in 2008.  Enjoy!

You will want to lick the bowl...

This is my favorite soup to make because it always comes out delicious and takes almost no effort at all.  The flavors are also complex enough to impress whoever you serve it to.  My crunchy topping adds another yummy factor to it as well.

Feelin saucey on V-day

Here's a little something for the lovers on Valentines Day:

Spinach-artichoke Dip Triangles

My friend was throwing a mini party for the Superbowl, and I wanted to bring some snacks.  At first I thought of making some spinach-artichoke dip, but I wanted to add my own little spin on it...

Fortune cookie

I wanted to try my hand at making my own fortune cookies with personalized messages in them to send to my friend in a little care package.  I haven't seen this friend for a while and wanted to send a fun and yummy baked gift.  Fortune cookies are perfect for this because you can personalize the messages you put inside of them.  I looked up funny, cute quotes that I thought she would like and that would cheer her up.  

Monogamy and Wine

I found this article on www.thekitchn.com and thought it was really interesting.  It talks about how the production of wine in ancient civilizations coincided with the transition from polygynous (men with multiple wives) to monogamous cultural norms.   Check it out:

Wine and Monogamy

French pressed.....tea?

I love loose-leaf tea mainly because I can mix and match flavors to create my own blends.  The other day I went to brew myself a pot and couldn't find the strainer-thingamabob.  What to do??

Miso Hungry

One of the true tests of a good sushi restaurant (for me at least) is whether or not they have tasty miso soup.  Recently I decided to try my hand at making my own version of this delicious Japanese soup.

Blueberry Muffins

Yes, I know it's winter and berries aren't in season, but we had a huge Costco sized container of berries in the fridge just begging to be made into something.  Besides, fruits that aren't in season can still taste delicious when dipped in gooey muffin batter and you bake the crap out of them.  I tried my hand at creating my own recipe for these and I think they turned out pretty good.  Pat on the back.

Vanilla Extract

When living abroad, I realized that vanilla extract is used in nearly every American cookie, brownie, cake, etc... but it's not as common in other countries.  I found myself wanting to make cookies and brownies but could not seem to get my hands on some vanilla extract.  I decided I had to try and make my own.  Turns out it's the easiest thing to make, but just requires some patience.  All you need to do is add an empty vanilla pod to some vodka and allow it to sit for 6-8 weeks, shaking occasionally.  I started this batch two weeks ago because I had some empty vanilla pods lying around.  This is an excellent way to not waste these precious pods (vanilla is the second most expensive spice in the world).  Plus home-made vanilla extract makes a pretty and unique gift for baking savvy friends.

Limoncello=liquid gold

It's no secret.....limoncello is ridiculously delicious, but what people may not know is that it is ridiculously easy to make.