As February comes to a close I am feeling a bit off. Not quite myself. Even while I blog all these desserts this month, I feel like I'm not being myself. Maybe because I'm not much of a dessert person and I've been making a lot of desserts. My refrigerator is full of uneaten cheesecake and fudge. Kind of like I'm on sugar overload. Like my blood sugar is sky high and I'm feeling crappy. The uneaten sweets a reminder of the empty, wasted effort. I can't help but notice that all these dessert blogs coincide with my difficulty with writing and connecting to what I'm writing about. It's not really who I am. I really don't eat dessert that often. I'm a geeky girl who loves vegetables, cheese and tacos. My comfort food is salad...not nearly as popular as desserts are in the blog world. It's just what I like and no one really has to like it.
This blog is my canvas to express myself, my feelings, to share my creativity and share the things that I like whether they are popular or not. I took down a revealing and painful blog a few weeks ago and I have lost my way because of it. I gave in to the pressure at the expense of being true to myself, to my feelings.
My dear friend, Neidin, who is a loyal reader of my blog, said she could tell the difference in my writing lately. It's not as personal, she said. And she was right. I guess I was hoping it didn't show. The reason I'm feeling so off comes from denying what I feel. Covering up my feelings, editing and denying them with likeable subjects like "dessert blogs". All sweet and feel good, but not really good for you.
But no more.I'm returning my diet to it's norm. Leveling out and getting back to taking care of my feelings and myself again. No more sweets. Bring on the veggies!
Red Curry Tilapia with Vegetables and Brown Rice Serves 4
4 small Tilapia fillets, rubbed with marinade (see below) 2 shallots, chopped 2 cloves of garlic, minced 1-2 T olive oil 1 cup mushrooms, sliced 1 cup baby carrots 2 cups broccoli florets 1/2 cup red bell peppers, large dice 3-4 ice cubes 2 T Thai red curry paste 1 can lite coconut milk 1 cup dried brown Basmati rice 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth Rub Marinade for fish 1 T olive oil Juice of 1 lime 1/2 t sea salt 1/2 t cayenne pepper 1 T coriander, ground 1/2 t cumin, ground cilantro leaves, chopped
Rub Tilapia fillets with marinade. Let
marinate in refrigerator for 30 minutes or more. While the fish is
marinating, prepare rice and vegetables.
Prepare rice according to package directions. Cover and set aside. (Note I prepared the rice with Chicken broth instead of water for additional flavor)
In a large skillet, add the oil, mushrooms, shallots and garlic and saute for about 4 minutes until shallots are translucent. Add carrots, broccoli, bell peppers and ice cubes and cover with a tight fitting lid. Steam vegetables for about 10 minutes or until broccoli is just tender. Be careful to not over cook the veggies.
In a small saucepan, whisk together the curry paste and the coconut milk and heat to boiling. Reduce heat and cook 3-4 minutes until thickened.
Grill or pan fry the Tilapia.
Add 1/2 cup of rice to a serving bowl, add vegetables and Tilapia and top with 1/2 cup of coconut curry. Enjoy!
I'm always looking for kid-friendly recipes that my kids will eat. Outside from my usual kid-friendly menus of spaghetti, tacos, meatloaf, pasta and chicken, my kids are pretty picky about just about everything else. Maybe it's my fault for exposing them to so many different food choices. Their response, a rebellion of sorts, clinging only to those few, familiar foods. I like to try different things and for the most part, if it's something that I know my kiddos won't like, (i.e. too spicy) I'll make something I know they like while my husband and I eat the "something different". The new dishes that I know they will like, I ask that they try it before they say they don't like it. Fair enough right? I'm a reasonable person. :) As long as they try it and then can say they don't like it, is fine by me. I really dislike it when they look at something new I've made and judge it before knowing really what it tastes like. They must try it. It's a rule. Anyway, my search ended when I saw these Pizza Puffs on Pinterest. I thought proudly to myself, I can't go wrong with pizza. They'll love these! Wrong! They wouldn't even try them! Can you believe that? They broke the rule. The whole house smelled like fresh baked pizza, it was wonderful. I
was so excited for them to try them and I got a big, NO. Denied. They said, "We only like certain pizza mama."
...Huh?
...It's pizza. Their loss. These were absolutely delicious and super easy. I adapted the original recipe to suit my taste by adding a few more ingredients to the to the batter recipe but you also can add your favorite pizza toppings to mix them up a bit. I made pepperoni because I was thinking of my kids, but I would have loaded these babies up with grilled chicken, spinach, pesto and garlic butter and different cheeses. But use your imagination and have fun with these little morsels. These are great as a quick appetizer when you have last minute company. Serve them along with marinara sauce and you'll have bite-sized pizzas. These also make for an easy end-of week dinner, add a salad or some carrots with ranch dressing and you have a fun easy kid-friendly meal.
For the record, I'm not giving up on getting my kids to try these. Round 2...Ding, ding. Enjoy! Pepperoni Pizza Puffs (adapted recipe from Plain Chicken) Makes 24 3/4 cup flour 3/4 t. baking powder 3/4 cup milk 1 egg
1 clove garlic finely minced or grated 1 t. Italian Seasoning pinch of salt 1 cup sharp cheddar, grated 1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated 1 cup pepperoni, chopped
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix first four ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and set aside for 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, except for the Parmesan Cheese and mix until well combined. Spray a mini muffin pan with baking spray and with a small cookie scoop, fill each cup to the top. Top each cup with grated Parmesan cheese and bake for 20 minutes. Serve with your favorite marinara sauce.
When I was a little girl, I was a huge chocolate lover. I wouldn't eat any dessert if it wasn't chocolate. Cake, pudding, cookies and ice cream, it all had to be chocolate. No vanilla or strawberry for me. I remember one Christmas, I must have been 9 or 10 years old, my step mom took us kids Christmas caroling to all our neighbors. I know that sounds very Charles Dickens-ish. When I think of caroling, I envision women in full length, fur-lined dresses with those ridiculous bonnets tied in bows under their chins and men in vested suits with top hats and scarves, singing along in swirling snow...
So yes. We actually went caroling. Minus the costumes and snow. :)
I remember being embarrassed at first, I was a very shy little girl, but after the first house it was actually quite fun. In particular, I remember going to one neighbor and after our song, she gave us a container full of holiday fudge. Absolute heaven! What's better than solid chunks of pure chocolatey goodness in the form of fudge? Yum! We got home and ate a few pieces of it with a big glass of milk. The fudge was great but I remember being a little disappointed because it had walnuts in it. I wasn't a big fan of nuts in my chocolate, but I ate around them anyway. I spat the nuts out after sucking all the chocolate off them. I remember thinking that if I ever made fudge, I would leave out the nuts.
Fast forward 35 years...here's my first attempt at making this Easy Fudge without nuts. The ten year old little girl inside me is so happy. Enjoy!
Easy Fudge (recipe from Weight Watchers Chocolate Marshmallow Fudge* by laaloosh) 1 2/3 cup sugar 2/3 cup evaporated milk 2 T butter 12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips 14 large marshmallows
non-stick cooking spray Spray a 8" x 8" pan with cooking spray. In a medium saucepan, stir together sugar, milk and butter and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and cook for three minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in chocolate and marshmallows; remove from heat and stir until smooth. Pour mixture into pan and refrigerate until firm. About 2 hours. Cut into 1-inch squares. (Makes ~49 pieces)
* Weight Watchers recipe calls for low fat evaporated milk and light butter or margarine.
Here's a little distraction from Dessert Month. With all the sweets in my house lately, I'm in dire need to blog something savory, like soup. The weather out here in California remains unseasonable warm and I've resigned myself to this Spring-Summer-like Winter. No need to pine away for cooler weather, this is what we've got and it's time to just kick back in the sun and enjoy it! ...And that includes, making some delicious soup no matter what the weather.
This Minestrone soup is amazing! It has a lot of ingredients so please don't get scared away. Every ingredient makes this hearty soup, incredibly delicious and filling. It is a meal in itself and it makes enough for 20 people. Even if you're not entertaining, make a batch and put the leftovers in Ziplock bags and toss it into the freezer. You'll have an easy last minute dinner for those nights you get home late or when you have unexpected company. Simply re-heat and serve with garlic bread. Enjoy!
MINESTRONE FOR A CROWD (*recipe from Judy Dossa) Serves 16-20 3-4 Quarts Beef or Chicken Broth 1 can cannellini beans (white kidney beans) 1 cup lentils 1 cup tomato puree 1 cup dry red wine 1 cup onions, chopped 1 cup carrots, chopped 2 cups shredded cabbage 2-3 cloves garlic, minced 1 T dried Basil, or 2 T fresh Basil 1 bunch spinach or chard, chopped or 1-2 boxes frozen 1 lb. sweet or hot Italian Sausage, crumbled or sliced into rounds 2 cups zucchini, chopped 1 cup flat leaf parsley 1 cup ditalini, shell or elbow pasta Grated Parmesan cheese Rinse and pick through lentils. Add lentils, to very large stock pot, add broth and 1 can of rinsed cannellini beans. Simmer for 30 minutes. Add tomato puree, red wine, onions, carrots, cabbage, garlic, basil and spinach. Cook 15 minutes. In a large skillet, fry the sausage for 5-7 minutes. drain fat and add to the soup with zucchini, parsley and pasta. Cook until pasta is al dente. Season individual servings with salt and pepper and serve with Parmesan cheese.
* Thank you Judy for this amazing recipe. I think of you often. :)
I love cheesecake but I really don't like to make cheesecake at home because it takes too long to bake. It takes over an hour usually and at two different temperatures, and it needs a special pan and some recipes call for it to bake in a water bath. And then after all that baking time and special handling, it needs to refrigerate for 12 hours. No, thank you. That's a long time to wait for dessert. Cheesecake is a fussy dessert, and who needs that kind of complication when you just want a bite of cheesecake.
Well, I've found the perfect recipe that you can make at home to satisfy your cheesecake craving that is decidedly, not fussy. In fact, these Mini Caramel Cheesecakes are as easy to make as cupcakes, they only take 15 minutes to bake and a little chill time in the fridge and they're done. Top them with your favorite sauce and you'll have a delicious and decadent dessert.
Mini Caramel Cheesecakes (adapted recipe from Betty Crocker) Makes 12 1- 8oz package plus 3oz cream cheese, softened 1/4 cup sugar 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 2 eggs
Crust 1 cup graham cracker crumbs 2 T sugar 1/4 cup butter, melted Smucker's Caramel sauce Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line muffin tin with paper baking cups.
Beat cream cheese and sugar in a medium bowl until fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs one at a time. Set aside. In a small bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter until incorporated.
Add about 1-2 Tablespoons of graham cracker mixture to the bottom of
each baking cup. (I used a small cookie scoop) With the back of a small
spoon, press and smooth out the crumbs so that it forms a crust. Fill cups three-fourths full.
Bake for 15 minutes. Cool for 20 minutes and then refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Remove the paper wrappers and top with some ready-made caramel sauce and serve along side fresh raspberries.
I had some Smucker's Caramel Sauce way in the back of the fridge leftover from our 'Make your own Sundae' day with my boys and decided to top these cheesecakes with it and wow they were amazing, but you can use chocolate or any topping you choose. Here's an idea for an easy fruit topping in a pinch, just heat up some blackberry, strawberry or raspberry jam for a beautiful fruit sauce topper. Enjoy!
I woke up
early this morning and enjoyed the quiet house. I used the time to recharge and reflect on
how I felt and to spend some time alone with my thoughts. Being busy everyday,
it is easy to just go through the motions of life and never stop to
measure how you really feel...and I've been doing that lately. Busy with raising my boys and maneuvering through each day. But as I
looked inside myself this morning, I realized I felt a bit anxious and sad. And
honestly, it was not a new feeling. It's something I always feel and carry
with me. Most days, I tuck it away out of sight. The sting brewing just
under the surface. A simple thought or mention of my sister
will rip open a flood of sadness. I feel compelled to talk
about how I feel, to come clean, to acknowledge the pain and hope to ease it
somehow, if only for today. My sister is an alcoholic and it has been extremely painful for me to watch this disease destroy her. I hate the disease and that it holds such power over her that she hasn't been able to
overcome it. I hate that I'm powerless and can't help her and it frustrates me. I hate that it has driven her so far away. The disease that makes her unapproachable, angry, and perpetually adolescent. I hate that this disease affects all of us!
I don't know why I thought of her
so much this morning because we are in one of those periods where we're
not talking to each other...or maybe that's why. There's a piece of me that is glad for
the reprieve from her hate mail texts and angry
phone calls. Her venomous disease manifested through technology.
Infecting and spreading out to all in it's path. The disease that bleeds
into every crevice of this family and beyond; none of us are untouched. I am hurt, injured and crippled by this disease that makes me half of a person because I can't feel happiness when I think of my sister. I feel sad and helpless, as if I'm watching a plane about to crash. I wish I knew of something to cure her disease, to stop the impact, because I would give it to her in a heartbeat. But, I
know there nothing I can actively do for her. I have accepted that only she can make a change, all I can do is wait and support her
as best I can. We all wait... I
love my sister so very much. I miss her. I miss being able to have a relationship with her. I miss being able to trust her and confide in her. I miss her amazing sense of humor and laughing until our cheeks hurt and bellies ache. I carry this pain with me, this worry for her, this aching loss of
my sister within my heart even though she lives and I want to scream
and shake her out of her cloud of self-hatred and save her! ...to ease myself. To ease this crushing sadness I feel every time I
think of my sister. I love you always.
My girlfriend, Kathryn made this amazing cake this past Christmas and I fell in love with it. It was sooo delicious...but everything she makes is delicious. Kathryn is an amazing cook and baker. In fact, I regard her as our 'expert baker' within our Dinner Club because she always brings the most amazing desserts. This one for me was above the top, good! Not too sweet, full of flavor, and the most perfect texture. It's the perfect combination of cake and cornbread textures, soft like cake but still has that heartiness like cornbread. Just sweet enough with the orange zest and the granulated sugar topping. Surprisingly, this cake also has white wine and olive oil in it. Not exactly what you'd expect to find in a cake recipe but these ingredients make it utterly delicious!
If you are looking for a different take on dessert for your Valentine, give this one a try, you won't be disappointed!
1/2 cup olive oil (plus more for pan) 2 large eggs 1 cup sugar plus 1/3 cup for topping 1/2 cup white wine (or Orange juice) 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour, spooned and leveled 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt finely grated zest of one large orange
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Brush bottom and sides of a 8-inch cake pan with olive oil.
Note: I had problems getting this cake out of the pan without ruining the sugar crust, so the second time I made it, I used long strips of parchment to help lift the cake out of the pan. Cut 2- 2"x16" long strips of parchment paper and place them in the bottom of the pan crossing each other in an X. Place the cake pan on top of a new full sheet of parchment paper and with a pencil, trace along the outside of the pan. Cut out the circle. Then lay the parchment circle on top of the crisscrossed strips. Brush circle with additional oil. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together oil, eggs and sugar and white wine until smooth. Add flour, cornmeal baking powder, salt and orange zest: whisk gently to combine. Pour batter into prepared pans and top evenly with remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar. (Sugar topping will be thick) Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 35-40 minutes. Cool in pan for 20 minutes. Run a knife along the edge of the pan to loosen the cake from the sides of the pan. Use the tabs of parchment paper to gently lift cake from pan and cool completely on a rack. The sugar topping will crack a bit but that is normal. See picture to the right...yum!
