Joelen's Culinary Adventures

Blondies Have So Much Fun!

2008-05-14T16:44:00.004-06:00

Its afternoon and the sweet tooth is acting up. My husband has it too. So how do we satisfy the cravings? Blondies, of course!

I'm going to throw out yet another recipe from the 2005 America's Test Kitchen Live! cookbook because as you may have guessed, this is where I got the blondie recipe from. What we wanted: Bakers like blondies because they are so simple to prepare, but many recipes are pretty flavorless. Is there a way to make a great blondie that's still quick and easy?

What we learned: Use melted butter than creamed butter to create dense, chewy blondies. Light brown sugar (rather than dark brown sugar) and vanilla are the keys to creating a rich butterscotch flavor.

The verdict? Heaven. I used the cookbook's Blondie recipe (pages 297-288) as the base for my Milk Chocolate Caramel Blondies and you can use pretty much any type of chocolate chip, flavored morsels and/or chopped nuts. Here's my adapted recipe for Milk Chocolate Caramel Blondies:

1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted & cooled
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup milk chocolate caramel morsels (Nestle brand)
1 cup walnuts, chopped

1. Adjust an oveen rach to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13 by 9 inch baking pan with two pieces of foil. Spray the foil-lined pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.

3. Whist the melted butter and brown sugar together in a medium bowl until combined. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well. Using a rubber sptula, fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture until just combined. Do not overmix. Fold in the morsels and the nuts and turn the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing thetop with a rubber spatula.

4. Bake until the top is shiny and cracked and feels firm to the touch., 22 to 25 minutes. Place the pan on a rack and cool completely. Cut into bars.

My Flashback Lunch With Salmon

2008-05-14T12:33:00.008-06:00

I failed to blog about the amazing birthday dinner my husband took me to a couple weeks ago. He took me to Roy's Restaurant, which was focused on Hawaiian fusion cuisine. It was a wonderful restaurant that impressed me with their various preparation of fish. We indulged in:

Two appetizers including Coconut Crusted Tiger Shrimp with hawaiian pineapple sweet chili sauce and the Maine Lobster Dim Sum white truffle emulsion & lobster cream sauce

My main entree: Roy's Classic Roasted Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi Mahi with marine lobster butter sauce

My husband's main entree: Roy's Classic Trio which included hibachi grilled salmon, Roy's original blackened island ahi & hawaiian style misoyaki butterfish citrus ponzu sauce, spicy soy mustard butter, wasabi ginger cilantro

My cocktail: The Original Hawaiian Martini nothing says martini like shaken, not stirred, and Roy's put this delectable creation on the map. in classic Hawaiian fashion, our Maui pineapples are infused in Skyy vodka, Stoli vanil vodka and Malibu coconut rum. shaken and served with fresh pineapple

For dessert: the Molten Chocolate Lava cake and the Pineapple Upside Down Cake... both amazing!

But I digress. Today's post is really about the lunch I prepared today that reminded me of that fabulous dinner at Roy's. I found this recipe for Maple Soy Glazed Salmon in the 2005 America's Test Kitchen Live! cookbook (pages 152 - 155) and it was perfection. The original recipe is for the grill, but I adapted it by cooking it indoors on a grill pan.What we wanted: To avoid the burnt, stuck to the grill crust and flavorless interior that plague most glazed salmon. We also hoped to create a sweet, crisp and flavorful salmon dish.

What we learned: Marinate the flesh side of the fish in a mixture of soy sauce and maple syrup. Grill the fish, flesh-side down, then flip, glaze twice, and flip again. When the fish comes off the grill, glaze it again. Needless to say, a well-oiled grill is a must...

I opted not to glaze quite as often as the recipe calls for since I was preparing my salmon on a grill pan. Perhaps if I did use an outdoor grill, I would have glazed more often to ensure the flavors are locked in. Either way, the glaze was a perfect balance of sweet and salty, with a wonderful consistency. Here is my adapted recipe for Maple Soy Glazed Salmon (indoor on grill pan):

1/3 cup good quality soy sauce
1/3 cup real maple syrup
4 salmon fillets (about 8 oz each), each about 1 1/2 inches at the thickest part
Ground black pepper
Vegetable or olive oil
Sesame seeds for garnish

1. Whisk the soy sauce and maple syrup in a baking dish until combined. Carefully place the fillets flesh-side down in a single layer in the marinade (do not coat the salmon skin with the marinade). Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

2. Heat the oil in your grill pan over medium high heat until hot. Remove the salmon from the marinade and sprinkle the flesh liberally with freshly ground pepper. Place the fillets flesh-side down on the hot grill pan and cook until grill-marked, a deeply browned crust has formed and the salmon is opaque. Using tongs, flip the fillets skin-side down. Cook until skin is nicely browned, careful to not overcook the salmon. Remove from heat and allow salmon to rest.

3. In a small non-stick pan, place remaining marinade and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cook until slightly thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Brush the salmon with the glaze and use to dress plate.

I served the salmon over a bed of steamed brown rice with a bit of sliced scallions. For a nice side, I also steamed some sugar snap peas that I lightly tossed in 1/2 tablespoon of butter. To garnish, I sprinkled some sesame seeds over the dish.

Fantastic Fajita Bowls!

2008-05-13T12:19:00.006-06:00

As a result of doing some rearranging and spring cleaning in my kitchen, I've been on a cookbook kick lately. I took for granted all the wonderful cookbooks I have in my collection and figured I better put them to use. So having gone through 8 of my America's Test Kitchen Companion Books, I made notes of what recipes I could make using what I have on hand.

For lunch today, I used a recipe from the 2005 America's Test Kitchen Live! cookbook and the 2007 America's Test Kitchen Favorites cookbook for a Mexican-inspired meal. We enjoyed chicken fajitas sans tortillas, but over Mexican rice instead. As always, everything came out fabulous and I learned some great tricks that really made a difference in the dishes.

To make the chicken fajitas, the 2007 America's Test Kitchen Favorites recipe (pages 148 - 151) was made for cooking on an outdoor grill; however I made some adaptations to cook it indoors. What we wanted: Chicken fajitas that don't rely on a truckload of toppings for flavor - just smoky grilled vegetables and tender, well-seasoned pieces of chicken that taste great on their own.

What we learned: Briefly marinate the chicken breasts in an acidic mixture of lime juice and oil (along with a little Worcestershire for smokiness and depth and some jalapeno and cilantro for brightness) for best flavor. A combination of green and red bell peppers creates a pleasing contract of bitter and sweet.... Toss a small amount of extra marinade with the chicken and vegetables just before service for an added burst of flavor.

Keys to a Better Marinade: This marinade transforms bland chicken in just 15 minutes. We found that a generous dose of lime juice and a shot of Worchestershire sauce (or soy sauce) were key. The lime juice adds acidity, while the Worchestershire lends smoky, salty depth.

I really have to agree with the reasoning behind the recipe itself. It really had some amazing flavor - mildly spicy with citrus tones that really made it fresh. Here is my adapted recipe for Chicken Fajitas (Indoors on a Grill Pan):

1/3 cup juice from 3-4 limes
6 tablespoons olive oil
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
1 jalapeno chile, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro leaves
salt & ground black pepper to taste
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 medium red onion, peeled & cut into rounds
1 cup frozen, sliced multi-colored bell pepper strips

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the line juice, 4 tablespoons of the oil, garlic, soy sauce, brown sugar, jalapeno, cilantro, salt and pepper. Slice the chicken breast into strips. Place the chicken and marinade in a quart sized storage bag (Ziploc) and refrigerate 15 to 30 minutes.

2. After the chicken has marinated, heat a grill pan over medium high heat. Place chicken and marinade in grill pan, tossing until cooked and the marinade is absorbed/evaporated. The chicken will start to brown and caramelize.

3. When the chicken starts to brown and caramelize, add the sliced red onion and frozen (or fresh) bell pepper strips. Cook until onions and peppers begin to caramelize.

4. Enjoy with flour tortillas or Mexican Rice.

For the Mexican Rice I served my chicken fajitas with, I normally prepare it quickly over the stove top with canned tomatoes. However using a recipe from the 2005 America's Test Kitchen Live! cookbook (pages 167-169), I learned some new tricks that made even better Mexican Rice.

What we wanted: Mexican rice that was rich tasting without the greasiness.

What we learned: Rinse the rice to remove excess starch and then fry it in a modest 1/3 cup of oil for a rice but not greasy flavor. Use fresh tomatoes for the best flavor, but add a little tomato paste for color. Bake the rice to ensure even cooking and finish with chiles, cilantro, and lime juice.

Again, America's Test Kitchen didn't fail me. I was a bit skeptical about the recipe because it was much different from how I normally prepare it... however delivered some amazing results. The rice was flavorful, tender and even better than what I've had at local Mexican restaurants. Here is my adapted recipe for Mexican Rice:

2 medium ripe tomatoes, cored & quartered
1 1/2 medium white onions, peeled & quartered
2 medium jalapeno peppers
2 cups long grain white rice
1/3 cup olive oil
4 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 cup homemade chicken stock
1 cup water
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro leaves
1 lime, cut into wedges for serving

1. Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Process the tomatoes and onions in a food processor or blender until smooth and thoroughly pureed, about 15 seconds, scraping down the bowl if necessary; you should have2 cups. Remove the ribs and seeds from the 2 jalapenos and discard; mince the flesh and set aside.

2. Place the rice in a large fine-mesh strainer and rinse under cold running water until the water runs clear, about 1 1/2 minutes. Share the rice vigorously in the strainer to remove all excess water.

3. Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed straight-sided 12-inch ovenproof saute pan or Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Drop 3 or 4 grains of rice into the oil if the grains sizzle, the oil is ready. Add the rice and fry, stirring frequently, until the rice is light golden and translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, add the garlic and jalapenos, and cook, stirring constantly until fragrant, about 1 1/2 minutes. Stir in the pureed tomato mixture, chicken broth, water, tomato paste, and salt. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and transfer to the oven. Bake until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender, 30 to 35 minutes, stirring well after 15 minutes.

4. Stir in the cilantro to taste. Serve immediately, passing the lime wedges separately.

Wild for Wildfire Salad!

2008-05-12T17:31:00.005-06:00

One of my favorite salads comes from a regional restaurant chain, Wildfire. It's a restaurant where I've celebrated some memorable occassions such as past birthdays of mine, family members and friends, and even our engagement party. In fact the last time I went to Wildfire was 2 years ago, which was when we had our engagement party. But back to the salad... Wildfire has an amazing chopped salad. The citrus lime vinaigrette is what completes this salad for me and I remember several years ago, I even called the local restaurant requesting to speak to the chef in hopes of getting the recipe for the vinaigrette. But no such luck.

Forwarding to present day, I was reminded of the restaurant by a friend and all the memories of this salad came flooding back. I checked out their website to see if any changes have been made to their menu. Little did I know that since the last time I've been to Wildfire, they began bottling the citrus lime vinaigrette. I loved so much!

That same day, I made a stop at Wildfire on the way home and picked up 2 bottles of this prized vinaigrette. Tonight, I used it and recreated the Wildfire Chopped Salad... and boy, it definitely hit the spot.

Here's the recipe for Wildfire's Signature Chopped Salad
(which is also printed on the bottled dressing label)

1 bag of mixed greens or chopped romaine lettuce
1 cup chopped roasted chicken
1 avocado diced
1 tomato, seeded & diced
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/4 cup cooked bacon, crumbled
1 scallon, sliced thinly
1/2 cup super sweet corn
fried corn tortilla strips, for garnish
1-2 tablespoons Wildfire Citrus Lime Vinaigrette

Toss all ingredients in a large salad bowl.
Serve immediately.

Starting the Day a Mile High!

2008-05-12T17:07:00.004-06:00

A favorite breakfast of my husband's is a denver omelette. In fact, everytime we go out to breakfast or brunch, that is what he tends to order. So fortunately for him, I had all the makings for his favorite omelette. However, instead of whipping them up as I usually do, I wanted to try out a recipe for a Denver Omelette from one of my America's Test Kitchen cookbooks.

Taken from the 2004 Companion cookbook, Inside America's Test Kitchen:

What we wanted: A hearty American omelet with properly cooked vegetables and tender eggs.
What we learned: Dice the pepper and onion so they cook quickly and don't poke through the eggs. Add the diced ham steak, garlic, parsley, and hot sauce to liven the vegetable filling. Add milk or cream to keep the eggs moist as they cook and make sure to use a nonstick pan set over medium high heat.

I followed the recipe exactly and it came out perfectly with a bit more flavor. The addition of the Tabasco sauce really made it stand out. Louis, my husband, thought this variation of the Denver omelette was great and I would definitely make this again. Here's the recipe for Denver Omelette
Inside America's Test Kitchen 2004
pages 256-259

Prepare the filling (recipe follows) and then begin making the omelet. The filling recipe makes enough for two omelets and can be doubled. You can make one omelet after another in the same pan, although you may need to reduce the heat. For the best results, serve all omelets on warmed plates.

3 large eggs
1 tablespoon cream or milk
salt & ground black pepper
1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (about 1/2 cup)

1. Beat the eggs, cream or milk, and salt & pepper to taste with a fork in a small bowl until thoroughly combined.

2. Heat the butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. When the foaming subsides and the butter just begins to turn color, pour in the eggs. Cook until the edges begin to set, about 2 to 3 seconds, then, with a rubber spatula, stir in a circular motion until slightly thickened, about 10 seconds. Use the spatula to pull the cooked edges in to the center, then tilt the pan to one side so that the uncooked egg runs to the edge of the pan. Repeat until the omelet is just set but still moist on the surface, 1 to 2 minutes.

3. Sprinkle the cheese evenly across the surface of the omelet and allow to partially melt, 15 to 20 seconds. With the handle of the pan facing you,. spoon the filling over the left side of the omelet. Slide the omelet onto a warmed plate, filled-side fist, and with a slight twist of the wrist, invert the pan so that the other side of the omelet folds over the filling. Serve immediately.

Filling for Denver Omelet
A ham steak is our top choice for this recipe, although canned ham and sliced deli ham will work. (If using sliced deli ham, add it with the garlic, parsley, and hot sauce). If you can find them, Cook's brand ham steaks are our favorite.

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 medium red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded & diced
1/2 medium green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded & diced
1 small onion, diced
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 ounces ham steak, diced (about 1 cup)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (Tabasco)

Heat the butter in a medium non stick skillet over medium-high heat. When the foaming subsides, add the peppers, onions and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions begin to soften, about 4 minutes. Add the ham and cook until the peppers begin to brown lightly, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic, parsley, and hot sauce and cook for 30 seconds. Transfer to a small bowl and cover to keep warm.

Spicing It Up!

2008-05-10T19:51:00.001-06:00

Spices are a great way to add flavor to dishes. In honor of the power of spices, I took my group on a Spice Tour at the The Spice House, a wonderful spice shop owned by Tom & Patty Erd. If you're familiar with Penzey's spices, Patty Erd is the daughter of Bill Penzey Sr.! You can read about their history in the spice industry here. For this culinary adventure, my group received a wonderful presentation on spices. We learned the origins of common spices including vanilla, nutmeg, peppercorns, saffron, ginger just to name a few. After their presentation, we got to browse their shop and indulge in the amazing aromas and textures.

Here are pictures of the great purchases I made...

Grains of Paradise
This was in a goodie bag given to all of us at the tour by Tom & Patty.
Interestingly enough, Alton Brown is an avid user of this product
and he can be seen using this specific spice in his pickling & brining show!

Red & Black Hawaiian Sea Salts
I purchased these for some dishes I plan on making in the future for some summer parties I have lined up. These are great finishing salts and are ideal for making kalua pork. The red salt is milder than the black but both offer some great flavors and aromas.

Crystallized Ginger
This was another treat in our goodie bag, We learned quite a bit about ginger and how it was used in history. It's a great thing to take for stomach aches and mild sicknesses.

Chinese Five Spice Powder
Since I love cooking asian inspired dishes, I was running low on this spice so I picked some up. I'm anxious to use this in some of my dishes including Chinese BBQ pork ribs!

King Creole Seasoning
Another goodie bag item, this seasoning mix is great for a little heat. One of the things I plan on making in a couple of weeks is a good hearty jambalaya... so this will come in handy!

Chesapeake Bay Seasoning
I'm hosting a seafood boil next month for a wine tasting event and this caught my eye. Rather than the usual Old Bay seasoning commonly used for seafood boils, I plan on using this for added flavor.

Chai
No more powdered chai mixes for me! I had a cup of chai using this mix and wow! It was fabulous and I'll never go back to those premade mixes again. The flavor was complex, rich and well, the way chai is meant to taste.

Tasty Tools: Blender Challenge!

2008-05-06T06:30:00.001-06:00

May is one of my favorite months of the year and to do it right, we're ready for another fun Tasty Tools event for this month! Read on about the Tasty Tool Challenge for May...

Tasty Tools is a monthly food blogging event I host, allowing an opportunity to use various kitchen tools to create a myriad of sweet and savory dishes. For this event, a specific kitchen tool will be chosen each month, which will be used in creating your recipe. I’m not one for “uni-taskers,” so I’ll be choosing kitchen tools that are versatile enough to use in both cooking and baking. You may already have these tools home or they may be something you were thinking of purchasing. As a result of the event, we’ll have a collection of recipes that I hope will inspire you to use these tools more often.
For the month of May, Tasty Tools is focusing on the mighty blender! This is in honor of my recent birthday gift from my husband, a Vita-Mix. Now sure, blenders are great for smoothies & fun slushie cocktails... however blenders have quite a bit of versatility to them aside from popular uses. Have you considered salad dressings? various dips & spreads? soups? batters? sauces? fondues? pureed baby foods? ice creams & sorbets?
What will you make to show off your blending abilities?! To participate here are the event rules:

1) Make a recipe using the featured “Tasty Tool” of the month - May: the Mighty Blender - and create a blog post about it from now until the midnight deadline on Friday, May 30th, 2008. If you have any tips about using the tool, please share that too.

2) Add a link back to this event’s URL

3) Submit your entry by emailing the following information to itsjoelen@gmail.com:
- “Tasty Tools” in subject line
- Your name
- Your state, country location
- Your food blog name & link to your event entry
- Name & picture of your entry with your “tasty tool” used

You can participate even if you don’t have a blog. Non-bloggers can email the above information (sans blog details) and I’ll include it in the round up.

I’ll be posting a round-up of the entries on Monday, June 2nd, 2008 to recognize and highlight all the creative recipes using the Tasty Tool of the month. Until then, I look forward to the entries and some tool tips!

Tasty Tools: Scoop Challenge Round Up!

2008-05-05T08:48:00.031-06:00

Thank you to all the food bloggers (and non-bloggers) who participated in the April Tasty Tools blogging event! We had a total of 38 participants from all over the world including Canada and all throughout the US. I'm thrilled to share with you all the wonderful recipes that can be made with standard ice cream and portion scoops. Hopefully these recipes will inspire you to use these tools more often! Now onto April's Tasty Tools participants... After throwing my luau party over the weekend, I'm especially fond of Amanda of Like Sprinkles on a Cupcake's entry - Pineapple Coconut Mini Muffins! She hails from Alabama and her creativeness inspired these muffins based on what she had on hand. They came out great! Thanks Amanda for joining the event and enjoy your brand new scoop!

Mandy of Fresh From the Oven joins us from Atlanta to share her amazing profiteroles filled with Gianduja gelato. She used her mini scoop to get the perfect amount of gelato in these profiteroles. She uses Gianduja for added richness and I'm inspired to make them soon. Thanks Mandy for sharing these nuggets of deliciousness!

I can never get enough of cookies. They are the perfect snack size and the possibilities of flavors are endless. But one of my fave cookies has to be chocolate chip. Mollie of Reading, 'Riting & Recipes is from Massachusetts and is after my own heart with her submission for the Best Big Fat Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies, aka BBFCCC. Even better is that this is Mollie's very first blogging event! Thanks Mollie for joining in and hope you continue to in future Tasty Tool events!

Another cookie submission comes from Melissa of Made By Melissa, who joins us from New Hampshire. She shares a classic recipe for Snickerdoodle cookies. These are always a wonderful cookie to share and using a scoop ensures uniform and perfect portions! Thanks Melissa for joining us!

To add to our cookie loving scoops, Carrie of Carrie's Cooking Adventures, joins us from Minnesota. Carrie made some fabulous M&M cookies that probably taste wonderful and look so colorful too! This serves as another reason why scoops are the perfect tool for portioning out cookies. Thanks Carrie for your colorful cookies!

Black & White are classic colors to any waredrobe, but Alexandra of Addicted Sweet Tooth takes that concept to create her Black & White cookies. Alexandra hails from New York State her blog is cleverly titled because I'm craving many of her creations in addition to these cookies! Thanks Alexandra for sharing these and your baking skills with us!

Spring is a perfect time to bake and Dana of Dulcedo does just that with her Whole-Wheat Banana Nut Bread. Dana joins us from Washington state and her largest scoop (whichholds about 4 tablespoons) to divide the batter between her loaf pans. Thanks Dana for sharing a wonderful recipe with us!

If you like cheesecake as much as I do, then you'll love these Cheesecake Pops that Jaime of Good Eats & Sweet Treats shares with us! Jaime is from Texas and I'm sure these offer some sweet enjoyment. She used her scoop to carefully portion out each cheesecake pop beautifully. Thanks Jaime for sharing these in the event!

Melissa of In Melissa's Kitchen from California also made these decadent Cheesecake Pops. Melissa made these for her family's passover seder and were a hit! Thanks Melissa for sharing this and also some helpful tips on making them in your blog!

Lemon is a great springtime flavor and Lindsey of Noodle Nights & Muffin Mornings highlights this wonderful citrus flavor in her Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Lemon Glaze. It's a Giada De Laurentis recipe that captures spring perfectly all in a scoop sized cookie! Thanks Lindsey for joining in from New York!

Cara of Cara's Cravings joins us from Boston, Ma. She's a great friend, wonderful cook and so it's no surprise that her entry is a fabulous one. Cara shares with us her Gorgonzola, Apple & Pecan scones. Rather than forming the scone dough into a traditional round loaf, she used her scoops to create the scones with a drop biscuit approach. Thanks Cara and as always, your flavor combos sound amazing!

One of my favorite food bloggers has joined us from Houston, Tx! Shawnda of Confections of a Foodie Bride shares her Lemon Almond Poppyseed muffins. Shawnda mentions how her number 10 scoop is the second most used gadget in the kitchen, specifically for portioning out cookies and muffins. Scoops are a great way to have consistent, uniform portions so get yourself one soon!

Patsy of Family, Friends and Food joins us from New Jersey. Her scooper skills are evident with her Jello Poke Cupcakes to welcome spring. She used her scoop to evenly portion out cupcake batter in each muffin cup so each cupcake is consistent. Thanks Patsy for bringing me back to my childhood with your Jello Poke Cupcakes. Not only are they easy to make, they are a perfect portion as a cupcake!

Another Texan hailing from Dallas, Brandie of Reservations Not Required, shows off her scooper skills with her Morning Glory Muffins. She used a medium scoop for these tasty and healthy breakfast treats. Her muffins includes lots of fruits and nuts making it nutrituous too! Thanks Brandie for participating and sharing your muffins with us!

Remember those Monster Cookies, perhaps from childhood? Well, Robin takes me back on memory lane with her Monster Cookie recipe! Robin of Made With Love joins us from Rhode Island to share these cookies with us. Her scoop was used to portion out the cookie batter for these drop cookies. Thanks Robin for another wonderful entry and I'm saving this recipe to use up the random baking chips I have in my pantry!

A fellow Canadian joins us! Giz of Equal Opportunity Kitchen shares her very cleaver use of a melon baller (small scoop) to create her Stuffed Artichokes recipe. She used her scoop to remove the tough inside core of the artichokes while maintaining its shape. I've always been intrigued with cooking fresh artichokes but have been a bit intimidated. Thanks to Giz, I just might give it a go as she's inspired me with her entry.

Scoops are not just for sweet dishes... but for savory as well! Karen of Lovestoeat's Weblog joins us from Florida to share her Turkey Mini Meatloaves recipe. Sometimes when you're only cooking for 1-2 people, it can be a challenge to make dishes that traditionally serve a larger group. But with Karen's entry, you can see that using a scoop can help make smaller portions of meatloaf suit any size family. Thanks Karen for your creative scooper skills!

Sarah of Homemade, joins us from Yuma, Arizona and shares a Muffins with Raspberries & Lime Zest recipe. This recipe reminds me of summer right around the corner and is a great way to use fresh berries that are in season. Sarah notes that using a scoop to fill her muffin pans made it easier to prepare. Besides, why dirty up a couple of spoons when you can use a scoop for easier filling?! Thanks Sarah for sharing the recipe with us!

I haven't had any cookies since my cookie swap back in February, but with these Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies, I'm close to whipping up some cookies in my kitchen. These fabulous cookies come to the event from Stephanie of Confessions of a City Eater who hails from Boston, Ma. Stephanie's cookies are perfectly formed with her scoop, resulting in beautiful, consistent sized cookies. Thanks Stephanie for sharing these with us!

My Hoosier neighbor, Amber of Amber's Delectable Delights, joins us from Indiana! She shares with us her Cheddar Dill and Parmesan Rosemary Mini Muffins. I love that she chose savory mini muffins for her entry... I tend to forget that I have a mini muffin pan I can use. Amber also reminds me that the small scoops are perfect for measuring mini muffins. Thanks Amber for some great recipes & scoop ideas!

One thing my husband Louis detests is peanut butter. It's sad, I know... but the good thing is that there is always Reese's Peanut Butter Cups for me around Halloween because he won't touch them! Speaking of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Kelsey of Apple A Day joins the event from Phoenix, AZ to share her Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting. They look fabulous and her scoop made it easy to portion out the batter. Thanks Kelsey for a great recipe!

Another recipe using peanut butter was shared by Jen of Beantown Baker. Jen hails from Boston and brings her peanut butter chocolate chip cookies to the blog event! These are the perfect cookies for me to make if i want them all to myself (considering my husband won't touch anything with peanut butter in it - his loss!) Thanks for sharing these Jen!

Another fave ingredient of mine is Nutella... I mean, how can chocolate and hazelnuts be a bad thing? To tempt me with Nutella, Steph of CIA: Cooking in an Apron joins us from California. She made some fabulous Nutella Frosted Cupcakes. Steph has a great collection of scoops she uses specifically for baking and one of them was used in this recipe. Thanks Steph for your Scooper Skills!

Also jumping on board with Nutella is Stefany of Proceed With Caution. Stefany is a fellow Chicagoland blogger who teases us with her Peanut Butter and Banana Nutella Muffins. They look amazing and her small scoop helped give out perfect portions! Thanks Stefany for participating in the event this month!

With all these fabulous recipes, I'm thankful Ricki of Diet, Desserts & Dogs, brings a nutritious and healthy entry for peanut butter biscuits. It may sound calorie laden, but believe it or not, it uses some great ingredients such as agave, spelt flour, and soy milk! Ricki used her scoop to portion out the dough. Thanks Ricki for your great entry!

Aside from the fabulous muffins and cookies that scoops definitely serve a great purpose to make, I used my small scoop for something a bit different. I recently had a bunch of dandelion greens to work with. These were new to me and I decided to make a dandelion pesto. I definitely made quite a bit and using my small scoop, I placed the pesto into ice cube trays to freeze and use later.

Not too long ago I hosted a Cupcake Swap and so some who participated in that have been so kind to submit recipes for the cupcakes they made. All used a scoop to portion out their batters in cupcake liners! So here's a group submission of several recipes! Thanks to everyone from What's Cookin Chicago who participated and submitted recipes to share for this blogging event! The following cupcakes & recipes are found within this link:

Erin's Caramel Applesauce Cupcakes

Susan's White Cupcakesw/Raspberry White Chocolate Frosting

Charity's Peanut Butter Cup Chocolate Cupcakes

Lara's Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

Nick's Mellow Peanut Butter Cup Cupcake

Amy's Chocolate Cookie Cream Cheese "Indulgences"

Tricia's Guiness Chocolate Cupcakes

Chris's Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes w/Ginger Cream & Chocolate Ganache Frosting

Ann's "Expensive" Red Velvet Cupcakes

Elynne's Strawberry Marscapone Cupcakes

Bob's Champagne Cupcakes

I also decided to submit my Boston Cream Pie cupcakes, since I used my medium scoop for that too!

Love me a Luau!

2008-05-03T15:58:00.003-06:00

I love my birthday, May 1st. For one, it falls on Hawaii's "Lei Day" and it gives me a perfect reason to throw a luau. This was exactly how I wanted to celebrate with friends and family - lots of color, flowers and of course, a tropical feast of Hawaiian inspired eats.

Roughly 40 people came over to celebrate with me and it was just as much fun seeing familiar faces as it was to prepare (especially my birthday cake pictured above, shaped into an aloha shirt!) From the massive amounts of drinks, fabulous dinner spread, karaoke seranades, friendly smiles and warm hugs, this was definitely a birthday I'll cherish forever. Here are some pics that were taken during the luau... and I hope to get more from those that were camera ready throughout the night. Mahalo friends!

Kalua Pineapple Pork

Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi Mahi
Pineapple Fried Rice

Macaroni Salad

Seafood Salad w/Crackers

Stir Fry Veggies

Chicken Teriyaki Wings

Seafood Combination Lo Mein

Chicken Mini Eggrolls

Rainbow Salad w/Miso Sesame Dressing

Mango & Raspberry Wonton Cups

Tropical Creamy Fruit Salad

My White Buttercream Cake:

Dr. Seuss-ing It Up

2008-04-27T18:45:00.005-06:00

Last week my mother in law informed me that my husband's nephew was having an upcoming birthday. She asked if I would be willing to make him a birthday cake. Without hesitation I was happy to do it! I immediately had thoughts running in my mind to make something pretty simple, given the busy weekend I had planned during the nephew's birthday party. But then, a challenge was brought on. Little did I know that this nephew had some unique ideas for his cake!Justin was turning 6 years old and has grown fond of Dr. Seuss books. In fact, my mother in law was explaining to me how much he loved the book, Green Eggs & Ham. This book inspired Justin to have a very green birthday... green plates, cups, napkins, etc. So, the challenge was to make a cake that Justin would like as much as his Dr. Seuss books, tie in the color green and have it ready with very little time aside to prepare. I was doomed.

After scoping out ideas from friends and the internet, I came across a cake made in the shape of Dr. Seuss' famous red & white striped hat. I figured I could make that easily so now my cake plan was coming together. I mean, how hard could it be to stack a few layer cakes, tap in a dowel to hold its shape and place some fondant on it before calling it a day? Wrong.

I still had to think of incorporating the color green into the cake. So fortunately my mother in law suggested a pistachio cake. I was unsure about how an average 6 year old would take it, but knowing Justin, he would eat it simply because it was green. So that was the cake flavor I went with.

As I let my cake layers cool, I made a simple buttercream (butter, confectioners sugar, heavy cream). After that was done, it was time to start building. I started stacking my layers but soon realized that the cake was so moist it could not hold its own weight. In fact, it started to crumble as I started to put the dowels in. Uh oh. Thank goodness my husband saved me from a state of panic.

I ended up having to use my trifle bowl and lining the edges with strips of red & white fondant. With the cake practically crumbling in my hands, I decided to salvage what I could and layered inside the trifle bowl, alternating cake and frosting. To cover I laid white fondant on top and used some red fondant to make the brim of the hat. By the time this was completed, it was well after midnight.

So to finish this cake, I decided to put my scrapbooking skills to work and made a small "book" to adorn the top of the cake. Using the actual Green Eggs & Ham as inspiration, I made the book out of orange cardstock and used the picture from the title page to reflect the "Green Eggs & Ham" piece of the challenge.

In the end, it worked out well. My husband was able to safely transport the cake to the party (which would have been possibly disasterous, had my original plan was carried out) and Justin loved the cake. In fact, the parents that attended the party contacted me and asked if I could make cakes for their kids. (Let's just hope they don't have any unique requests for cakes...)

If I were do it again, I would definitely make a denser cake that can stand up to the weight and dowels - a pound cake recipe perhaps? Here's the final product...

Memoirs of a Geisha & Japanese Potluck

2008-04-27T18:29:00.007-06:00

Today I hosted our monthly book/movie gathering between girlfriends. This month we read the book, Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden, prior to our get together. At the get together, we be watched the 2005 movie, Memoirs of a Geisha directed by Rob Marshall. We also tied the book & movie with a Japanese inspired potluck. Editorial Review by Amazon.com:
According to Arthur Golden's absorbing first novel, the word "geisha" does not mean "prostitute," as Westerners ignorantly assume--it means "artisan" or "artist." To capture the geisha experience in the art of fiction, Golden trained as long and hard as any geisha who must master the arts of music, dance, clever conversation, crafty battle with rival beauties, and cunning seduction of wealthy patrons. After earning degrees in Japanese art and history from Harvard and Columbia--and an M.A. in English--he met a man in Tokyo who was the illegitimate offspring of a renowned businessman and a geisha. This meeting inspired Golden to spend 10 years researching every detail of geisha culture, chiefly relying on the geisha Mineko Iwasaki, who spent years charming the very rich and famous.

The result is a novel with the broad social canvas (and love of coincidence) of Charles Dickens and Jane Austen's intense attention to the nuances of erotic maneuvering. Readers experience the entire life of a geisha, from her origins as an orphaned fishing-village girl in 1929 to her triumphant auction of her mizuage (virginity) for a record price as a teenager to her reminiscent old age as the distinguished mistress of the powerful patron of her dreams. We discover that a geisha is more analogous to a Western "trophy wife" than to a prostitute--and, as in Austen, flat-out prostitution and early death is a woman's alternative to the repressive, arcane system of courtship. In simple, elegant prose, Golden puts us right in the tearoom with the geisha; we are there as she gracefully fights for her life in a social situation where careers are made or destroyed by a witticism, a too-revealing (or not revealing enough) glimpse of flesh under the kimono, or a vicious rumor spread by a rival "as cruel as a spider."

Here are pics of the fabulous Japanese inspired potluck luncheon we feasted on as we watched the movie:

Jen's Salmon Pate Joelen's Shrimp Tempura
Joelen's Vegetable Tempura
Anna's Cucumber Salad &
Sake (not pictured)
Jenny's Shrimp Eggrolls &
Ginger Miso Salad (not pictured)
Christine's Broccoli Udon Salad
Becky's Sushi

Jill's Sushi
Joelen's Chicken Teriyaki
Joelen's Sweet Fried Rice
Victoria's Beef Shumai & Shrimp Gyoza
Marcy's Chocolate Chip Cookies
Jessie's Green Tea Ice Cream
(not pictured)

Persian Persuasion & Lebanese Love

2008-04-26T17:40:00.001-06:00

Today I hosted an ethnic food tour for my group. This month we focused on Persian cuisine and visited a Lebanese market. I think I've found my new fave restaurant, Noon o Kabab. It was a fabulous lunch of Hummus, Baba Ghannouj, Kash-Ke-Bademjan, Caspian Eggplant, Joujeh Koubideh, Joujeh Kabab and Koubideh (descriptions follow).

Unfortunately my camera's battery died shortly after taking pics of some of our appetizers, however here's what I was able to take pictures of... (I'm definitely going back there and will try to get more pics to add here!)

Fresh Feta Cheese & Radish Plate

Hummus
Blended chick peas, Tahini (sesame seed oil),
garlic and spices topped with lemon juice.

Kash-Ke-Bademjan
Mix of eggplant, mint and onion with Kashk (aged dried yogurt),
topped with fried onions & mint.

Baba Ghannouj
Charbroiled eggplant, tahini sauce, fresh garlic, and fresh parsley

Caspian Eggplant
Mix of sweet eggplant, tomato, onion and garlic
topped with moosir (Fine Persian Shallot Mix with yogurt).

Koubideh
Fresh ground beef, prepared daily with Persian seasonings
carefully put on skewers, cooked on open fire

Joujeh Kabab
Sskewers of deliciously marinated and seasoned chicken breast

Joujeh Koubideh
Skewers of marinated & seasoned ground chicken

After lunch, we walked across the street to Al-Khayameih, a Lebanese market complete with a bakery, butcher shop, countless aisles of middle eastern foodstuff and even a section dedicated to flavored tobbaccos and hookahs!

From Al-Khayameih, I purchased some sweet walnut baklava... and it was enough for me to return again (perhaps after another lunch at Noon o Kabab! I'd love to also return so I can take pictures of all the wonderful offerings the store has. It really is a great grocery find in such a diverse neighborhood of Albany Park in Chicago!