German Chocolate Cookies

My mom and I baked a variety of cookies last night. Every single cookies is now gone (thankfully) because were were baking them for someone else. We baked some classics--chocolate chip, peanut butter, and oatmeal raisin. We also baked a more "unique" cookie since my mom wanted to try something new, so we made German Chocolate cookies, inspired by German Chocolate cake.

The cookies were two fudge cookies sandwiching the traditional icing on a German chocolate cake--a combination of coconut, pecans, and caramelized sugar. These cookies were soooo incredible. I actually cut one sandwich cookie into fourths, because I had already ate a couple of chocolate chip cookies by the time these were done.

These cookies will definitely be added to our current cookie rotation!

Old Fashioned Apple Pie

This is the one dessert where the Americans have the French beat, hands down. A "tarte aux pommes" can't even be compared to an old-fashioned Apple Pie!

My mom's grandmother made these pretty much every day of her life, and my mom said that this apple pie tasted just like her grandmother's apple pies.

This pie was very easy to make--you just peel the apples, slice them, toss them in flour, spices, and sugar, and put them in the pie shell. The magic happens in the oven. The apples and pie crust transform into the familiar taste of an apple pie :)

Pie crusts: If you don't want to make a pie crust from scratch, you can buy sheets of pie dough at the grocery store. You'll need this instead of the pre-made pie shell because an apple pie needs two layers of crust--one for the bottom and one on top.

Once you figure out the pie crust situation, it really is just a matter of peeling apples, slicing them, tossing the ingredients together in a bowl, putting it in the pie dough, sealing the second piece of pie dough on top, and baking it.

Recipe- Apple Pie
Pie Crust
2 c. all purpose flour
3/4 tsp. salt
1 c. vegetable shortening, room temperature
1 egg
2 tablespoons cold water
1 tablespoon white vinegar

Apple Filling
5 large apples (variety)
3/4 cups sugar
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Pie Crust:
1. Combine flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Cut shortening into flour until it is in pea-sized clumps.
2. Beat the egg, water, and vinegar together. Pour the liquid over the flour mixture.
3. Stir with a fork until the mixture is moistened. Divide the dough in half and shape into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for fifteen minutes.
4. Remove dough from refrigerator. Dust the rolling pin and the counter with flour, and roll the dough into a circle that is slightly larger than your pie pan. Place the dough into the circle, and press down in the pan.
If using store bought pie dough, start here. Repeat Step 4 with your dough.
5. Preheat oven to 400 F.
6. Peel, core, and slice apples, about 16 wedges per apple.
7. Mix apples with sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Place the apples in the pie shell.
8. Roll out the second pie crust and place it on top, and press down the edges with the first pie shell, sealing it.
9. Cut a hole at the top of the pie, and make about 4 1-inch slits. Place the pie in the freezer for 30 minutes.
10. Bake it on a cookie sheet for about 40 minutes (until the apples are tender and the juice is running).
11. Let chill for about one hour on a wire rack.

Mulled Wine

If you are looking for a holiday cocktail (aside from eggnog..), try spicing things up with mulled wine. Mulled wine is typically a red wine served warm and seasoned with cinnamon, vanilla pods, cloves, orange zest, and honey.

Mulled wine has its modern roots in Germany (gluhwein). It is also popular in France (vin chaud) and Italy (vin brulee). Adding spices and sugar was a way to make spoiled wine drinkable. But, please do not use spoiled wine if you are going to make this drink!

Recipe- Mulled Wine

3 bottles of red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot)
3/4 cup of port (dessert wine) OR brandy
16 whole cloves (not ground cloves!)
6 cinnamon sticks
1 large orange, zested
juice of 1 orange
1/2-3/4 cup honey or sugar (optional)

Combine ingredients in a large pot over low heat. Bring to barely a simmer and let it heat for about 20 minutes. If it boils, you will boil the alcohol out. Serve warm.

Classic Cheese Fondue

Fondue. It comes from the French word "fondre," which means "to melt."

If you read this blog and you know me at all, you know that I love fondue! It's such a wonderful winter treat. One of my favorite fondues is the "classic" cheese fondue. It's a combination of Gruyere and Emmenthal cheese. It really is a classic fondue, and it is so delicious! I like to serve this with bread, apples, broccoli, and cauliflower.

My fondue pot is electric, so it's super easy and convenient. This recipe is for an electric fondue pot, but if you have a regular one, just make it in a saucepan and then pour into your fondue pot. Enjoy!

Recipe- Classic Cheese Fondue
6-8 Servings

1 pound Gruyere, grated
3/4 pound Emmenthal, grated
6 teaspoons cornstarch
1 garlic clove, cut in half
2 and 1/4 cups DRY white wine
dash of nutmeg
2 and 1/2 tablespoons Kirschwasser

1. Place the grated cheese in a large bowl and toss to combine. Add the cornstarch and toss to coat the grated cheese completely. Reserve.
2. Rub the bottom and lower half of the sides of a fondue pot (or sauce pan) with the cut sides of the garlic cloves. Add the wine to the pot and bring to a strong simmer (bubbling, but not boiling strongly).
3. While stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or nonstick whisk, gradually whisk in the grated cheeses, sprinkling in one handful at a time; don't add any more cheese until each handful is completely melted and smooth. Stir in the kirschwasser and nutmeg.

Crab Cakes

My family first made these crab cakes last month for Lucy's BR birthday gathering. I think one of my mom's co-workers shared the recipe with her.

These were the hit of our L.A. Christmas party! We probably made about 100. We quadrupled the recipe, and Lucy spent the first hour and a half of our party cooking them! The only snafu was about halfway through, the lemon wedges were put in the refrigerator (and we couldn't find them), so the last half lacked acidity :(

We didn't have a sauce for them, because we figured it would be much easier to pass them around to our guests without a sauce. But, I don't think they needed a sauce--just a squirt of lemon juice!

These are going to be a staple at our family functions. Look for them at our Annual Christmas Eve party!!

Grandma's Cake

My grandmother in Prarieville makes this cake for every holiday. About ten years ago, I went to her house and she taught me how to make it. Pretty much everyone in my family has made this cake--my mother, my sister Lucy--even Stanley made it one year. My mom now bakes this cake on a regular basis because she has so many requests for it!

Lucy was adamant about having this cake at our Christmas party. Baking a cake from scratch is so time consuming, so I told her she'd have to bake it if we were going to have it! So, she did. And it was delicious! We even used the leftover icing to decorate cookies.

The name of grandma's cake is "million dollar cake." It has a pineapple filling and a cream cheese frosting.

Vegetable Soup

Because it's cold outside...

I refuse to eat soup from a can. It's way to easy to make. I wanted something really healthy so I decided on a garden vegetable soup. I made a huge pot, and I'm sure that this soup, oatmeal, fruit, and veggies will all get me through my exams.

The recipe called for only a few vegetables, so I added all of the vegetables I had laying around--zucchini, yellow squash, corn, and roma tomatoes. I'd recommend following the recipe. If you add more vegetables, you'll need to add a little more water.

I had never cooked with saffron before, but I like it!

Recipe- Vegetable Soup
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, chopped
2 leeks, white and green parts, chopped
1 pound diced, unpeeled boiling potatoes
1 pound diced carrots
1 tablespoon kosher salt (omit if you are on a low-sodium diet!)
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 quarts chicken stock or vegetable stock
1 teaspoon saffron threads
1/2 pound green beans
4 oz. spaghetti, broken into pieces
1 cup pistou

Pistou recipe
4 large garlic cloves
1/4 cup tomato paste
24 fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup parmesan, grated
1/2 cup olive oil

1. Saute onions in large pot in olive oil for 10 minutes over low heat. Add the leeks, potatoes, carrots, salt and pepper. Saute over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add vegetable stock and saffron, and bring to a boil. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Add the green beans and spaghetti, and bring to a boil. Simmer for another 15 minutes.
2. Puree all of the pistou ingredients in a food processor to make a paste. Whisk 1/4 cup of the pistou into the soup. Serve the soup with more pistou, if desired. Store remaining pistou in air tight container.

The next soup I'm making will be lentil soup. Stay tuned! (And subscribe if you haven't already. )

Chocolatiest Chocolate Cake

My chocolate lovin sister got to celebrate her birthday again in Baton Rouge over Thanksgiving break. So, my mom and I baked her another cake. We didn't want to bake another German chocolate cake, so we started exploring chocolate cake recipes.

We decided on a chocolate cake with a mousse filling and chocolate ganache icing. Unlike everyone else in my family, I'm not a *real* chocolate lover, but we ALL agreed that this was the best cake we have ever made. All I can say is O-M-G--it was soooo good. I had it with vanilla ice cream. My younger sister is so crazy about chocolate she had it with chocolate ice cream (which would've been too much chocolate, even for Lucy).

Including the cake, filling, and icing, about 3 and a half pounds of chocolate went into this cake. (GASP). We spent $2.50 for every 4 ounces of chocolate, meaning we spent $35 on chocolate alone. We used a variety of chocolate--semisweet, unsweetened, and bittersweet. My mom made the actual cake, and I made the filling and icing. The cake is dramatically tall, and I decided to decorate it with chocolate shavings on top.

Croissants

This is quite possibly one of the most challenging things I've ever made. My mom, sister, and I joined forces in this attempt. It took us three days before they were finished. We also ended up throwing out the first batch! My mom and sister quit on them after the first "turn." I persevered and saved them. Good thing I did cuz these were the flakiest, butteriest croissants I've ever had outside of Europe!!!

One reason they were so challenging is because not only have we never made them before, but we have never seen anyone make them before. The unknown was part of the frustration. Also, the dough is a "sticky dough." I had never worked with sticky dough before, and let me tell you, it was sticky--and not easy to work with.

First, we made the sticky dough and we beat the butter into a rectangular sheet. We then wrapped the dough around the butter, and started the process of "turning" the dough. This was the confusing, time-consuming part. You have to "turn" the dough--roll it out, and fold it in thirds, about 5 five times, letting it rest in the refrigerator 30-45 minutes between each "turn." After the last turn, the dough needs to cool in the refrigerator between 4 and 8 hours. Lastly, you roll the dough out, cut it into triangles, shape the croissants, and let it rise for about 2 hours. The dough will rise once it is out of the refrigerator. After it rises, glaze it with an egg wash, and bake until golden brown.

It was all worth it when they came out of the oven! I definitely give them an A. And the next time I make them, it will probably take more like 1 day instead of 3 days.

Mom's Mini Sweet Potato Pies

My mom has always made the most delectable sweet potato pie every Thanksgiving and Christmas. This year, she started making pie in the off season because her office had a bake sale to raise money for the American Heart Association. She baked about a dozen mini pies, and they sold out pretty much instantly! The next week, she baked more mini pies for the fundraiser, and again, they sold out super fast. As a matter of fact, customers started coming in, asking for the pies.

My mom now makes her mini sweet potatoe pies every month for the "sick and shut-in" members at her church in Baton Rouge. There are always a couple left over, which is a nice treat for whoever is lucky enough to be around!

This Thanksgiving, my mom made the mini pies instead of a regular-sized pie. Since my family hosted Thanksgiving dinner, it was an easy way for guests to take home some pie to enjoy later. Sorry folks, there is no recipe. My mom just keeps adding spice until it tastes how it tasted the last time...

German Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Frosting

I baked this cake to help celebrate my roommate's birthday. The cake is German chocolate, made with the Baker's German Chocolate bar. The icing is chocolate frosting--just chocolate, powdered sugar, and a little bit of milk and vanilla. The cake came out suuuuuper yummy.

I had to buy cake pans from Target since I had none, and I was in SUCH a rush to make it because I went out of town this weekend. When I was checking out at Target, the cashier asked me what I was going to do with the cake pans. Curious, I thought. "Bake a cake," I responded. She looked at me like she didn't believe me and said, "YOU are going to bake a cake?" Um, is it that rare for someone to purchase cake pans, who plans on baking a cake??

Anyway, the cake pans were actually rather suspect. I guess you get what you pay for! I'll be hitting up a more trusted kitchen store to buy some quality cake pans real, real soon.

You can find the cake recipe inside the Baker's German Chocolate bar.

**Due to it being finals time, and I have numerous research papers to write and finals to prepare for, I will no longer be updating daily. I will try to update a few times every week.

The Chaya

The Chaya recently opened a location in downtown Los Angeles. The eclectic Japanese/French/American menu is matched by the decor. This trendy restaurant shows off its casual atmosphere with the chandelier in the main dining room--made of colorful, plasic trinkets.

I had the chopped Cajun shrimp salad. It featured loads of shrimp, asparagus, corn, cucumber, tomatoe, avocado, Asiago cheese, and flavor! It is topped with a lemon vinaigrette dressing. Though I wouldn't consider the salad autentic "Cajun," it was so delicious and flavorful!

But, the thing that has brought me back to this restaurant was the dessert--Milk Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding with Caramel Ice Cream. This dessert is incredibly rich, and I could not stop eating it! The flakiness of the croissant is the perfect texture to counter the creaminess of the custard and ice cream. Another fun dessert on the menu is a red velvet cupcake with a "shot du jour."

In addition to downtown, the Chaya has locations in Venice, Beverly Hills, and San Francisco.

Apple and Pecan Cookie-Muffins

I haven't baked a quickbread in a while, and I wanted to practice my "dicing" and play with my new vegetable peeler. So, I chose this apple and pecan muffin recipe. It's a pretty standard quickbead recipe--flour, buttermilk, egg, sugar, etc.

About dicing: Dicing is a knife skill that requires practice! The first apple quarter took me a really long time to dice, but by the time I got to the last one, I had a system down. (Dicing is cutting something into small cubes).

Like everything in life, baking takes practice! If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. I know that it can be disheartening when you put money, time, and effort into a project, and it turns out awful! But, things are pretty much always better the second time around. It's a learning process.

I'm gonna actually call these muffins "cookie-muffins." The brown sugar carmelized and hardened around the edge of the muffin top, and they are suuuuper sweet. This is a recipe that I am going to play around with (maybe add less sugar, more apples, and some spice--maybe cinnamon). I'll update the recipe after I play around with it. Enjoy!

Recipe- Apple and Pecan Cookie-Muffins

Yield: about 18 muffins

2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 and 1/2 cups peeled, cored and diced apple

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 tsp. salt

1 large egg

1 cup buttermilk or sour milk

1 and 1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar

1/4 cup canola oil

1 tsp. vanilla extract.

1. Position rack in the center of the oven. Preheat to 375. Line a 12-muffin tin with baking cups.

2. Combine the flour, baking soda, apples, pecans, and salt in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, beat the egg until foamy. Beat in the buttermilk, brown sugar, oil, an vanilla extract. Combine the two mixtures, blending until the dry ingredients are just moistened.

3. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack 5-7 minutes. Serve warm, or take muffins out of the pan to cool completely.

What's in my Pantry?

Having a stocked pantry definitely helps me when I feel inspired to bake something. There's nothing worse than wanting to cook or bake something, and having to go to the store to buy the ingredients!

Most baking recipes are a variation of a few simple ingredients--milk, flour, eggs, butter, salt and sugar. The important leavening ingredients (what makes stuff rise) is yeast, baking powder and baking soda (in quick breads), and eggs. I looked in my refrigerator and pantry, and realized that I have so many types of flour, milk, sugar and oil.

SO, here's what's my pantry!

4 Types of Flour: all-purpose flour (needed for pretty much EVERY baking recipe), wheat flour, corn flour, and Wondra flour. Most "wheat bread" recipes call for a combination of all-purpose flour and wheat flour. Corn flour can be used to make tortillas, and is used in combination with cornmeal to make cornbread. Wondra "quick-mixing" flour is used to thicken sauces. One type of flour that I don't have is semolina flour (used to make pasta). I'll be getting some soon since one of my tart crust recipes calls for it.

4 Types of Milk: skim milk, sour milk, heavy cream, and whipped cream in a can. The skim milk is for my cereal and oatmeal. The sour milk is left over skim milk I didn't get to. Many muffin recipes call for sour milk or buttermilk. If you don't have sour milk OR buttermilk, you can make buttermilk by adding 1-2 tablespoons of vinegar to 1 cup of milk, and let it sit for few minutes until the milk curdles. This all sounds weird, but the sour milk gives muffins a really nice flavor, and the the high oven temperature kills the bad bacteria. I can make whipped cream out of the heavy cream by adding a little powder sugar and vanilla to it, and beating it. I'm not sure why I have the whipped cream in a can.. I prefer to make my own by beating the heavy whipped cream.

4 Types of Oil: Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, Vegetable Oil, Canola Oil, and Unsalted Butter. Different oils burn at different temperatures, so pay attention to what recipes call for. I mostly bake with vegetable oil or butter. I don't have any vegetable shortening, but it's something I need to make pie and tart crusts.

So, those are a few important ingredients needed in all of the baking recipes I've done. Since buying food can be so expensive, I don't buy anything unil I've planned making a specific dish.

Have uncommon types of flour, oil, or milk in your pantry? Post it under the Comments!

**Note: I updated the peanut butter hummus recipe. Add ground cumin, ground corriander, and paprika to really bring out the flavors. And don't forget that adding the right amount of salt is what brings all of the flavors together!

Quiche Lorraine

Quiche Lorraine.. a great twist on your classic "eggs and bacon" for breakfast!

My mother is actually the guest chef/baker for this post. She made the pie crust and the quiche--and took the pictures. Unfortunately, I didn't get to eat any (since both my mom and the quiche were about 2,000 miles away). However, I will vouch for it since my incredibly picky-eater 17 year old sisters--who don't like much of anything--devoured the quiche in less than 24 hours!

"Quiche Lorraine is so easy to make and it tastes very good. I made my own crust and partially baked it, using pie weights (see photo), before adding the filling. If you don't have pie weights, you can use dry beans. Quiche is normally served for brunch or lunch, and it is a Sunday moring favorite at our house. From the time it came out of the oven, it did not last very long. And my youngest daughter asked me, 'Mom, when are you going to make quiche again?'"-- Diane Lomas

I must say, beautiful crust mom!

Try Emeril Lagassee's Quiche Lorraine Recipe:

Par baked crust (recipe follows)
6 ounces thick cut bacon cut into narrow strips

2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 1/4 cups half-and-half
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup grated Gruyere or Swiss cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. In a medium skillet, cook the bacon until crisp and the fat is rendered, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Arrange the bacon evenly over the bottom of the baked crust.

3. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, yolks, and half and half. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk to combine. Pour into the par baked crust and bake until the custard is golden, puffed, and set yet still slightly wiggly in the center, 30 to 35 minutes.
4. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before serving.

Par baked Crust:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pieces
1 to 2 tablespoons ice water, or more as needed

To make the dough in a food processor, combine the flour, salt, and butter in the processor and process until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about 10 seconds. With the machine running, add the ice water through the feed tube and pulse quickly 5 or 6 times, or until the dough comes together and starts to pull away from the sides of the container. Gather the dough into a ball, flatten it into a disk, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.


On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to an 11-inch circle. Fit into a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom and trim the edges. (Alternatively, a 9-inch pie pan can be used.) Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line the pastry with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until the crust is set, 12 to 14 minutes. Remove the paper and weights and bake until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack. 

Mashed Potatoes

A 10 pound bag of potatoes were on sale at my neighborhood grocery store for 99 cents! I couldn't pass it up. So, you will probably see a number of potatoe recipes in the coming days!

I was too lazy to peel the potatoes before I cooked them, so I just scrubbed them under cold water, poked them with forks in several places, and placed them on the oven--directly on the rack. I baked them at 425 until they were tender (about 55 minutes).

I then removed the potatoes from the oven, and their skin came off very easily. I put the skinless potato chunks in my potato ricer (see pic). You obviously do NOT need a potato ricer to make mashed potatoes. But, I DID need a potato ricer when I attempted to make gnocci (Italian potato dumplings) earlier this summer.

I have made mashed potatoes many times before, but having a potao ricer made it SO easy. You just put the potatoes in the ricer, and then squeeze the handles. The potatoes come out as tiny, rice-like pellets. I then added a few tablespoons of butter. I had some half and half left over from something else, so I poured the half and half in, a few tablespoons at a time, stirring, until the mashed potatoes reached the consistency I wanted. Then, salt and pepper to taste. TOO easy. Take about 90 seconds after you have "riced" the potatoes.

Enjoy!

Souffle

Being the lover of French food that I am, it should be no surprise that souffle is something I adore. This was my first attempt to make a souffle. I admit, it took me three days, but that's because of the egg whites! Souffles only have a few ingredients--mainly chocolate, eggs, and sugar. The only leavening agent is the egg whites, so if the egg whites aren't prepared correctly, the souffle won't rise. The lightness of a souffle can be attributed to the lack of flour and butter.

So, how do you prepare the egg whites correctly? There are a few cardinal rules:

1. Make sure that absolutely NO egg yolk is in the egg whites. Not even a trace.
2. Don't beat the egg whites until they are at room temperature.
3. If you over-beat the egg whites, you will end up with a sticky mess!
4. Be gentle when "folding" the egg whites into the egg yolk/sugar/chocolate batter.

If you can figure out the egg whites, the rest of the souffle is a breeze (assuming your oven heats evenly).

I was really shocked that my very first souffle came out so well! It was delicious--incredibly chocolatey. It is so chocolatey, you will need vanilla ice cream or whipped cream to go along with it. My roommate made souffle a few days ago (under my watchful eye). We halved the recipe and used the individual-sized ramekins. I also made a whipped cream to go along with it--just beat 1 cup of heavy whipping cream with 2 tablespoons powder sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Enjoy! (Will post recipe soon)

Pairing Red Wine and Chocolate

Red wine and chocolate is currently the "darling" of wine pairing. My roommate was having a red wine/chocolate craving, so we made chocolate souffle and paired it with a red wine. Though the chocolate we used in the souffle was "bittersweet" and had a 60% cacao content, the recipe called for sugar, so the actual souffle was much sweeter than the chocolate.

The amount of sugar in the chocolate is important because the key to a successful red wine/chocolate pairing is that the wine be sweeter than the chocolate. What red wine is sweeter than chocolate? Try a port or a dessert wine.

Just remember: The wine should be sweeter than the chocolate.

If you are eating a bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, try a Merlot. I paired the 2006 vintage of Sterling Vineyard's Merlot with bittersweet chocolate and it was divine! (It was also on sale at my neighborhood grocery store for $10.99).

My absolute favorite port is sold by the V. Sattui Winery in St. Helena, CA. It's "Madeira," solera-made, wood-aged brandy. The solera was actually recently discovered, and is over 120 years old. The after taste of caramel makes this wine especially great if pairing with a chocolate with caramel. You can visit the V. Sattui website at www.vsattui.com. They don't sell their wines to mass distributors, so you'd have to order straight from them (or better yet, go visit their tasting room!)

I ended up pairing the souffle with the Merlot, and it worked out great. Another popular red wine for chocolate pairings is Cabernet Sauvignon.

If you are intimidated by all of this, but you would like to pair a wine with your dessert, you can never go wrong with a sweet sparkling wine (sweet Champagnes are indicated by "demi-sec" or "extra dry"). Be adventurous and try new things--the only way to learn about wine is to drink it ;)

Vegetable Chili

I wanted to make something hearty and healthy. I love this recipe because it's pretty much all vegetables and beans. It's low-sodium, low-cholesterol, and fiber-licious! If you want to save time, just used canned beans instead of cooking the beans yourself.

I also didn't bother "dicing" the vegetables. Instead, I pulsed them in a food processor. I was careful not to over-pulse them because I wanted the soup to be chunky. I can't even imagine how long it would take to dice all of these vegetables! There are a lot of ingredients, but don't be intimidated.

And remember, chili always tastes better the second day.

Recipe- Vegetable Chili

2 cups dried black beans, OR 2 15 oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup dried kideny beans, OR 1 15 oz can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1/3 cup olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 yellow onion, diced or chopped

3 medium carrots, diced or chopped

4 celery stalks, diced or chopped

3 red bell peppers, diced or chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped

1 zucchini, diced or chopped

1 yellow squash, diced or chopped

1 cup canned or frozen corn

2 tablespoons ground cumin

1/3 cup chili powder

2 tablespoons paprika

1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons ground coriander

1 28 oz can Italian-style tomatoes, diced

1 and 1/2 pounds plum tomatoes, diced or chopped

salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste

1 bay leaf

1. If using dried beans, soak them overnight. Drain and rinse. Boil them in 8 cups of water. Reduce heat once boiling and let simmer for one hour. Remove and drain. If using canned beans, drain and rinse.

2. In a large pot, heat the oil on medium, and add the minced garlic. Reduce the heat if the garlic starts to brown. Increase the heat to medium high and add the onion. Sautee for 5-10 minutes, until the onion is tender and translucent.

3. Add the chopped vegetables, one at a time, every five minutes in the following order: carrots, celery, bell peppers and jalapeno pepper (together), zucchini and yellow squash (together), and corn. Then, add all of the spices and cook another 5-10 minutes.

4. Stir in the beans, tomatoes, and bay leaf. Bring the chili to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for an hour or more--until the chili thickens. Serve warm and garnish with sour cream, cheese, grilled chicken or grilled steak.

Empanadas de Pollo (Chicken Empanadas)

I went to a "bring an appetizer" party/potluck this Saturday. I wanted to bring something that was easy to make, used few ingredients, yet was tasty, filling, and a crowd pleaser. I came across this recipe for baked empanadas. I chose not to make my own dough and use frozen dough. You can also use dough in a can (just try to find one with few preservatives and little trans fat).

These were so delicious. A lot of recipes call for cheese, but this one does not. You definitly don't need cheese--the Russian salad dressing and red pepper flakes add so much flavor! You won't be able to stop eating them!

I ended up making this at home and not for the party. It was perfect for a small dinner to nibble on while we made a chocolate souffle (blog post coming soon).

Recipe- Empanadas de Pollo

1 and 1/2 cups roasted chicken, finely shredded

1/4 cup toasted almonds, chopped

1/4 Russian salad dressing

2 cans (8 oz each) crescent rolls, with each triangle cut in half, OR pastry dough (16 oz.), cut into triangles.

1. Position rack in center of oven. Preheat to 375.

2. Combine all ingredients and stir.

3. Spoon about 1/2 tablespoon into each triangle. Fold the dough over and close each triangle by pressing the dough together along the edges. Make sure the dough does not get too thin, or it will tear. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Enjoy!

Biscuits

There are three reasons why I chose to make biscuits. First, my favorite biscuit in a can has 3.5 grams of trans fat--per biscuit. Trans fat comes from overly processed fat--it's not that fat is bad in itself--it's that overly processed fat is bad. Second, I wanted to use my rolling pin. I've never used a rolling pin before. If you don't have a rolling pin, you can still make these biscuits--just use a straight-edged wine bottle. The third reason why I chose this recipe is because I had all of the ingredients already--and I wanted to get rid of this heavy whipping cream that I purchased for a different project.

Kneading the dough and using a rolling pin was so much fun. I've never done either before, and trust me, it was super easy. The key is to not overwork the dough. I think this is a great beginner recipe for anyone who wants to play with dough. My goal is to eventually make my Great Aunt Hesther's roll recipe. My older sister and mom make it EVERY Thanksgiving and Christmas. It is a complicated recipe, so I am practicing skills I'll need to make it. (And the biscuits tasted pretty good too!)

Difficulty: Easy

Prep time: 10 minutes

Bake time: 10-12 minutes

Servings: 6

Recipe- Biscuits

1 and 3/4 cups all-purose flour

2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Place rack in center of oven. Preheat to 450.

2. Combine all of the ingredients and stir just until the dough holds together (don't over mix!) I used the dough hook attachment on my kitchen aid mixer for this part.

3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead 7 or 8 times. (if NOT using the dough hook) (Ladies, you may want to take your rings off for this part). Using a rolling pin (lightly flour the rolling pin or wine bottle), roll the dough out to a thickness of 1/2 inch. (You may want to use a ruler). Tip for using a rolling pin: You roll out from the center. Put the pin in the center of the kneaded dough, and work your way out. (Center of the clock to 12, center to 3, center to 6, center to 9--you get the picture). Using a 4-inch diameter cutter (I used a cup), cut out as many biscuits as possible. Place the biscuits 1 inch apart on a cookie sheet. Take the scraps and roll out and cut more biscuits, until all of the dough is used.

4. Bake for 10-12 minutes (until the tops are golden brown). Serve warm.

***IF you overwork the dough, your biscuits will be hard! Making breads takes practice. Try, try again! There is definitely a learning curve for kneading and rolling out dough.

Cornmeal Pancakes with a Blueberry Compote

Have some free time this weekend and want to veer from the usual cereal or oatmeal for breakfast? Try this homemade pancake recipe. Making pancakes from scratch does require a bit of time, but you will avoid those partially hydrogenated oils (which are very bad) and even trans fat--which can be found in many pancake box mixes.

My mom inspired me to try this recipe because I was recently at home, and she made cornbread "pancakes" in the skillet. I was unaware that it was cornbread--and not a cornmeal pancake, so I drenched them in syrup and ate them. Needless to say, they were totally scrumptious!

The blueberry compote is an essential part to the recipe because the cinnamon in the compote really pairs well with the grated nutmeg in the pancake mixture. Enjoy!

Preparation Time: 35 min.
Difficulty: Medium

Recipe- Cornmeal Pancakes with Blueberry Compote

Pancakes:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 large eggs, separated, at room temperature (yolks in one cup, egg whites in second cup)
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature (or 1 cup milk with 1-2 tablespoons vinegar or lemon juice)
1/2 cup milk at room temperature
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 200. Set a wire rack on a baking sheet and place in oven (this will keep the pancakes warm while we are making them).
2. Combine the flour, cornmeal, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and nutmeg. Whisk the egg yolks with the buttermilk, milk, melted butter, and vanilla extract in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk the egg yolk/milk mixture into the flour mixture to make a thick batter. Do NOT overmix--or the pancakes will be dense. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to fold the egg whites into the batter.
3. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat and coat the surface lightly with butter. Pour the batter into the skillet, 1/4 cup batter per pancake. Cook until bubbles break the surface and the undersides are golden brown. Flip over and cook one minute more. Transfer the cooked pancakes into the warm oven while you finish. Serve with the blueberry compote (directions below).

Blueberry Compote:
1 cup blueberries
1/4 cup PURE maple syrup
1 cinnamon stick OR 1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Heat the blueberries and maple syrup in a small saucepan. Add the cinnamon and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, and the mixture boils and the blueberries just start to pop, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, discard the cinnamon stick. Stir in the butter and lemon juice. Serve warm.

The Yard Gastropub

Earlier this week, I attended the Grand Re-Opening of The Yard Gastropub in Santa Monica. To all of the Top Chef lovers, you will recognize the chef as "CJ" from Season 3.

Only feet from the Santa Monica promenade, the Yard is the perfect spot for lunch, happy hour, or a late night gathering with friends. The decor is whimsical, yet fun and casual. The large table inside encourages mingling and conversation. The smaller tables on the periphery allow for a bit of privacy.

The menu is as fun and sophisticated as the decor. Some of the small plates that are not to be missed are the pan-seared diver scallops with mandarin, the crispy fried cheese with a chili fig sauce, and the "Ain't No Thang" Chicken wings.

Despite the sophisticated flavor profiles, the ambiance and service is as warm as your own backyard. The signature drink, "Backyard Lemonade," comes in a mason jar, reiterating the casual neighborhood atmosphere. Also, local DJs spin on Friday and Saturday nights. Check out the website for details on weekly events!

The Yard Gastropub
119 Broadway
Santa Monica, CA
310.395.6037
www.theyardsm.com

Chocolate Chip Cookies

A few years ago, after a day of blueberry picking with Grace and Angela, Grace shared her blueberry cobbler recipe with me. That recipe is now a favorite among several people in my family. I think baking with friends is very important because you can share--not only recipes--but also ideas on how to bake or anything, really.

Sophia and Amber came over for a night of cookie baking.

We used the chocolate chip cookie recipe on the back of the semi-sweet Toll House chocolate chip bag. The cookies came out really great, and most importantly, we had a good time.

Prep time: 20 minutes
Bake time: 7-9 minutes per sheet of cookies
Difficulty Level: Easy

Yields 5 dozen cookies. (I pretty much always half this recipe. Lucy likes to take some cookie dough, shape it, and put it in freezer bags. That way, if she just wants to bake one or two cookies, they're already prepared.)

Recipe- Original Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies (also found on the back of the Toll House chocolate chips bag)

2 and 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cups packed brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate morsels (chocolate chips)
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in small bowl.
2. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in a large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
3. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts.
4. Drop into round balls, about a tablespoon, onto ungreased cookie sheets.
5. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown (more or less time depending on your oven!)

Falafel

I decided to make falafel because one of my vegan readers suggested it. Falafel is another great way to use fiberlicious garbanzo beans. I remember when I first had falafel--it was in the latin quater in Paris about three years ago. Falafel is really popular in North Africa and the Middle East. It's a great vegan recipe that has a "meaty" feel to it.

If you don't have a deep fryer, cooking it can be tricky. Most people complain that it falls apart in the skillet. I had a mini-disaster the first time I made falafel, about a year ago. The oil in the skillet was waaaay too hot. Luckily, Lucy was around and helped me figure out how to cook it at the right temperature. If you can monitor the temperature of your oil, you probably won't have any problems. Also, remember to let the oil "re-heat" after you take a batch out (meaning, wait about 5 minutes or so before putting another batch in your skillet).

I stuffed these in pita with onion, tomato, lettuce, and herbed cucumber yogurt (see recipe below).

Recipe- Falafel

1 15 or 16 oz. can garbanzo beans (a.k.a. chickpeas), drained and rinsed

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tablespoons fresh parsley

2 tablespoons fresh coriander

1 tablespoon fresh mint

1 teaspoon cumin or cumin seeds

2 tablespoons bread crumbs

1 tablespoon salt

pepper to taste

oil, for frying

1. Ground peas in food processor (or blender) until smooth. Mix in everything else. Pulse. Add salt and pepper to taste.

2. Using wet hands, make round balls (see picture).

3. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

4. Heat in 1/4 inch vegetable oil over medium-high heat in shallow frying pan. Fry a few at a time, turning halfway (about 8 minutes total). Transfer to a paper towel. Reheat oil in between.

Herbed Cucumber Yogurt

1 cup plain yogurt (low fat)

1 kirby cucumber, peeled, seeded*, and chopped

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 clove garlic, minced

salt and pepper, to taste

*to seed cucumbers, i cut in them in half, legnthwise, and then scoop out the seeds with a spoon

Mix all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Serve as sauce inside pita for falafel.

Hummus

Great as a snack, starter, dip, or even a side--hummus is nutritious and easy and fast to make. It's one of those great dishes (like pesto), were you can just throw everything into a food processor--so it takes literally seconds to make. I love hummus as a dip for fresh veggies--especially carrots or celery. I also like to put hummus on pita bread with feta cheese.

Hummus is popular throughout the Mediterannean. My roommate prefers chunky hummus, so the hummus that I made is a chunky, peanut butter hummus. Hummus is traditionally made with tahini (seaseme seed paste), but since I had peanut butter in my pantry, I opted to go with the peanut butter hummus. I'll include a traditional hummus recipe below as well. Again, like pesto, this is one of those recipes that don't really require a recipe--just add however much of the ingredients to your liking.

Prep time: 5 minutes

Difficulty: Super Easy

Recipe- Hummus (with peanut butter)

1 15 or 16 oz. can of garbanzon beans (a.k.a. chick peas), drained (with liquid reserved)

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

2-3 tablespoons of smooth peanut butter

1 tablespoon chopped, fresh parsley

1 lemon, zested and juiced OR 2 lemons juiced

1/3 cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4-1/2 teaspoon ground corriander

1/4 teaspoon paprika

salt and pepper to taste

Chop the garlic, beans, and half of the reserved liquid in a food processr until desired consistency. Add the peanut butter, parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, cumin, corriander, and paprika. Process until it forms a paste. Salt and pepper to taste. May need as much as a teaspoon or more of salt. Add enough salt until you can taste the flavors--stop adding salt JUST BEFORE the hummus tastes "salty." Drizzle with olive oil and garnish with parsley.

Recipe- Traditional Hummus

1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1 garlic clove, minced

6 tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, divided

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. ground cumin

Puree beans, garlic, lemon juice and 3 tablespoons olive oil in bleder or food processor until creamy. Add remaining oil, sugar, and cumin. Puree until very smooth (about 2 minutes). Season with salt and pepper.

Zucchini and Walnut Bread

I baked this bread because a friend of mine asked me to. I'm really glad I did because it came out so good! And, the oil from the zucchini means less oil you have to add. Also, this recipe called for vegetable oil (which is cholesterol free), instead of butter.

The bread has a great spicy flavor because of the cinnamon. It's also really moist. It's better the second or third day.

Dining in the Dark

Dining in the Dark is a new craze that is gaining popularity. This concept forces us to put all of our prejudices based on sight aside. The night is a sensory adventure! After about 20 or 30 minutes, I really noticed that my other senses were heightened. You will hear the wine being poured into a glass like never before... Also, I smelled everything. It's often considered "gauche" to smell your food, but *You taste with your nose.* If you don't smell food or wine, you're not getting the full flavor.

The first course was a seared scallop in curry, paired with a Napa Valley Chardonnay. The scallop was rather large, and not being able to see, I ended up with the entire scallop on my fork--and I ate the the entire scallop in one bite. I also had to use my sense of touch. Using your fingers can be helpful in finding the food on your plate!

The second course was seared polenta and a roasted tomato, with a Rose wine. The seared polenta was so delicious that I will be making polenta this weekend! The third course was duck, paired with a Rhone varietal from Avignon, France. I have actually been to Avignon and drank wine--and I'm not sure how but for some reason I thought this might have been a Rhone Valley red. I was really surprised when the sommelier told me that I was correct. I think I may have some wine intelligence after 5+ years of wine tasting! The last course was panna cotta, paired with a Canadian dessert wine. I had actually had this wine a couple of years prior and recognized it as a Canadian varietal.

Overall, this was a very enlightening experience. I felt like I appreciated the food so much more without being able to see it. I ate things that I would have otherwise avoided. The ambiance was very casual and relaxed. At one point, I was about to knock my entire plate of food on my lap, and someone working there prevented it.

The price was reasonable ($45). Several venues offer this experience under slightly different circumstances (pitch black rooms instead of blind folds). I thought the blind fold was ideal because I was able to shut my eyes and relax--instead of straining to see in total darkness. You can check out the place I went to last night at http://www.themustbar.com and look under the "events" tab. The staff was incredibly friendly. The sommelier was very knowledgeable, and the chef was passionate about his food. It was refreshing to have such an interactive experience with the chef and sommelier. Don't worry--I didn't spoil the menu for you because it changes for each tasting.