Here we go again with another dessert. As a person who loves citrus so much (I once had a lime plant), I am surprised I have never attempted to make lemon bars before. But the reason I ended up making this dessert is because we are trying to limit our visits to the supermarket so I’m still trying to use what I already have in my pantry and in my fridge... as long as the recipe is quick, easy and kid friendly. Also, I only called this “cake” because I made it in a round baking dish so I can serve it like a slice of cake... just having fun with it! Ingredients: Crust
Combine the crust ingredients in medium sized bow Press crust into a baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick baking spray. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. I used whole wheat flour and I think less time would have been better. A good rule is to check when you see the edges turn golden brown. Mix together all the ingredients for the filling and then pour onto baked crust Bake again for another 25 minutes or until the filling is set. Wait for it to cool and then sprinkle with powdered sugar. I have some baking stencils I thought it would be fun to use since I was making lemon bars but serving it like a cake. Enjoy!
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Dessert in 30 minutes? That's right! I normally do not venture into the baking world unless it is completely and absolutely necessary. In fact, the minute I was pregnant with Elia, I told my mother-in-law who makes the best desserts in the world, that she will be on call every time Elia needs cookies, cupcakes, brownies or some kind of dessert for school. They do this together already (Elia baking with grandma) and I love how much Elia enjoys it. Ingredients:
Deviled eggs are like the must-have food item for Easter Sunday, at least for us! Each year I make it a little bit different from the last. A couple of years ago I made one inspired by a Chrissy Teigen and I loved them so much. However, these are the most refined and my favorite now! They are as delicious as they are good-looking! Ingredients: A dozen hard-boiled eggs, peeled and halved 6 Tbsp crème fraîche 3 Tbsp mayonnaise 2 tsp dijon mustard 1 tsp truffle oil (I used white truffle oil) 1/2 tsp sugar 1/2 tsp white wine vinegar 1/2 tsp kosher salt or pink Himalayan salt if you want pink! 1 tsp herbs de provence * Natural food coloring or beet juice Herbs de provence is a mixture of dried herbs considered typical of the Provence region of southeast France. It consist of thyme, basil, savory, fennel, and lavender flowers. You can make your own or get it on Amazon or the grocery store. I got mine at Trader Joe's 1. Hard boil the eggs. I know there are a ton of different methods so whatever works best for you is fine. 2. After the eggs are done, bring them to the sink and fill the pan with ice water. The ice bath will stop the cooking process. 3. Once cooled, peel the eggs, cut them in half and carefully take the yolk out and place the yolks in a separate bowl. Finish up by rinsing all the eggs and make sure there is no yolk. 4. You can either dye them with natural food coloring or use beet juice. I used natural food coloring this time because that's what I had at home. Add two or three drops of the food coloring in a bowl with water then place the eggs in the bowl and let the color start to set in. This process can take a few minutes to hours depending on the color you what to obtain. Once it’s the perfect pink, take them out and place on a paper towel to dry. 5. Combine yolks with the crème fraîche, mayo, mustard, truffle oil, sugar and vinegar. Make sure it is mixed thoroughly so it doesn't get stuck during piping. 6. Pipe or scoop mixture into the pink egg. Top with herbs de provence and pink Himalayan salt, Kosher salt or another finishing salt. 7. Garnish with Chamomile flowers and enjoy!
This is not a recipe, well, it sort of is. However, I see it more as a piece of advise, tip, shortcut or a just a way to save some time. Like most people, I love caramelized nuts, I can buy a bag or can at the store and eat it in a day or two. I also like to use it as a salad or ice cream topping, specially when you need a little crunch and sweetness. I used to make my own by using brown sugar, syrup and butter. This used to be messy, and I was never happy with the taste even after adjusting the portions. One time I saw in a magazine while I was waiting for an appointment that somebody used maple syrup to caramelize nuts and I thought I could give it a try. I love that method so much and I wish I remember the magazine so I could give proper credit but I feel I'm doing it justice by spreading the word. So here it is... Ingredients:
That's it! Place put the pecans or walnuts in a skillet with pure maple syrup. Cook over medium heat for five minutes or so. The water in the syrup will evaporate and the syrup will caramelize.
Once dry and hardened, store in airtight container until needed. This picture of my table escape is from Christmas Eve. I made a Waldorf salad with crunchy caramelized pecans among other things. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all! After Elia's second birthday party we ended with a many left overs including a bunch of strawberries from the ice cream bar. Lucky for me, I had a dinner scheduled with some of my girlfriends so I said that I would make dessert. Full disclosure, I don't like to bake mainly because I like to tweak recipes and make them my own. Also, as hard as I follow the instructions, they never turn as beautiful as those picture perfect Pinterest posts. However, I was not going to let the strawberries go bad (my family ate as many as we could). So I was either going to make Kristin Cavallary chocolate dipped figs sprinkled with pistachios and sea salt and replace the figs with strawberries or a mini pies I was online. I went with the second one because I liked the idea of personal pies instead of making one whole pie. Also, because I made it in 3 batches, I had the chance to fix or teak the recipe if something had gone wrong instead of ruining a whole pie and be left with no dessert. Ingredients 1 Pie crust. Any brand. I used Pillsbury's 3 cups strawberries cut into small pieces 4 tablespoons granulated sugar 2 tablespoons cornstarch 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 egg Optional: 1/4 cup sanding sugar Whipped cream Ice cream Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. In a bowl, combine strawberries, sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla and set aside. Lightly flour a clean surface, roll out the dough to your desired thickness. I made mine as thin as I could because I personally don't like too much dough. Just be careful because too thin and they can easily break. Using a 6-inch cookie cutter or round bowl, begin cutting out your rounds. Most pie crusts come with two sets of dough for top and bottom of your pies so repeat the steps with the second set of dough. Place your rounds on a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, whisk one egg and brush it around the edges of each pie dough round. Place 2 tablespoons of the strawberry filling on one side of each round. Fold the opposite side of the dough round over making a half circle. Using a fork, press the edges together to seal then poke the top of each pie to allow any steam to escape. Brush the tops of each hand pie with the remaining of the egg. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes until the pies are golden brown. Transfer the pies to a cooling rack to cool slightly before serving. Optional - you can garnish them with mint and powdered sugar or serve with whipped cream or a la mode or both!
Enjoy! I remember the first time I tried Pad Thai a few years ago when it wasn't as popular as it is now. I remember it was love at first bite! For about a year my first choice of restaurant for restaurants was Thai, or any Asian restaurant that I knew served Pad Thai. Well after you eat a dish one hundred times. You become very familiar with the ingredients and if you are like me, you find a way to get a recipe so you can make it at home. Even if you are not familiar with Asian ingredients, you can pretty much get any pre-made sauce for many Asian dishes including, Pad Thai, Korean BBQ, Szechwan, you name them. Here is my take on Pad Thai with chicken! Ingredients: 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast White rice noodles 4 cloves minced Garlic Vegetable Oil 1 cup carrots - julienned 2 Eggs 1 cup Bean Sprouts 1/2 cup Peanuts 4 thin sliced Scallions 2 wedged Limes 1/4 cup rough chopped Cilantro Sauce: 2 tbsp lime juice, fresh 1 tbsp peanut butter 3 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp Sriracha or chilli sauce 1 tbsp of fish sauce Place noodles in a in a large pot of bowling water for 12 minutes. Toss noodles with a tablespoon of vegetable oil and set noodles aside. In a wok or skillet, heat oil on medium, crack eggs in the pan. Scramble them until they set then set them aside. Heat more oil in the pan and add garlic and chicken. Stir together until fully cooked. Serve with scallions, cilantro, lime, peanuts, and chili sauce. Add eggs, sprouts, sauce, carrots, and noodles. Serve with scallions, cilantro, lime, peanuts, and chili sauce (optional). |
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