Wednesday, January 30, 2013

And These Are a Few of My Favorite Things...

City Style

I'm not quite sure if this post fits into a specific category, but I've come across some cool photos recently. They've given me something to look forward to during the dead of winter. When it's below freezing, raining, or snowing in New York City, scrolling through some bright and colorful photos helps bring me out of my winter slump...
MmMmMacarons.

Floral pattern.

Sea glass gets me in the mood for summer...

How can I make these? Oh so yummy.

Wouldn't hate a bouquet of these for Valentines' Day...

Fresh squeezed juice? Yes please.

So cute I'd want to frame them instead of eat them.

I just love this.

Lovin' the Missoni-esque painting.

xoxo

Monday, January 28, 2013

My Quest for the Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Sweet Treats

Like most people on this planet, I love chocolate chip cookies. But not everyone likes their cookies the same way - chewy, crunchy, extra-chocolatey, warm, cold, dipped in milk...So, I embarked on a mission to find the best chocolate chip cookie of all time.
My mission was successful.

In 2008, the New York Times went on a similar mission: Perfection? Hint: It's Warm and Has a Secret.
...and they came up with a world class cookie..."The result was a recipe for a consummate cookie, if you will: one built upon decades of acquired knowledge, experience and secrets." The recipe is adapted from Jacques Torres's classic cookie, but was perfected by discoveries and insights of other bakers. I made the mistake of baking these immaculate cookies on Friday afternoon because my diet last weekend consisted of cookies and milk for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They were perfect - chewy in the middle, crunchy on the edges, and filled with melty, gourmet chocolate chunks. I ate them hot, I ate them cold, I ate them soaked in milk, I ate them before 10am, I ate the raw dough. Without further ado...

Ingredients:
*This makes about 20 large cookies
**NOTE: Do not substitute these flours for all-purpose flour. The pastry and bread flour are what make the cookies so perfect.
***NOTE: Leave enough time to chill the dough for 24-36 hours before baking.
  • 2 cups minus 2 tablespoons pastry flour
  • 1 & 2/3 cups bread flour
  • 1 & 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 & 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 & 1/2 sticks (1 & 1/4 cups) unsalted butter
  • 1 & 1/4 cups light brown sugar
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 & 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate, at least 60% cacao content (I used Ghiradelli)

Recipe:
1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a bowl:

2. Cream butter and sugars together until very light (roughly 5 minutes):

3. Add eggs one at a time and mix well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low and add dry ingredients. Mix until just combined (roughly 10 seconds):

4. Chop up the chocolate:

5. Drop in chocolate pieces and incorporate without breaking them:

6. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24-36 hours:
WARNING: The dough is addictive and delicious, so don't eat it all raw!

7. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop and shape balls of dough (about the size of golf balls) onto the baking sheet:

8. Bake until golden brown but still soft (roughly 18-20 minutes):

Then, according to the New York Time's article, "Eat warm, with a big napkin." It's my recommendation to pour a large glass of milk.

Friday, January 25, 2013

Quinoa and Feta-Stuffed Peppers

Savory Eats

"Fearless cooking from a tiny kitchen in New York City" is Deb's slogan (she is the cook and writer of Smitten Kitchen). I can thoroughly relate to those words...which gives me more reason to be obsessed with the Smitten Kitchen food blog. Last night I whipped up yet another fantastic Smitten Kitchen inspired recipe. In addition, I've been reading up on some food photography lessons and my photos are looking progressively more appetizing! The recipe I am going to share with you today was SO flavorful, SO colorful, SO healthy, and SO easy...
Quinoa and Feta-Stuffed Bell Peppers
Photos taken by yours truly!

What's great about this dish is the portions are perfect. You can quarter the recipe and make one delicious stuffed pepper (a meal in itself) or you can double the recipe and make 8 peppers for a hungry crowd!

Ingredients:
  • 1 1/4 cups vegetable broth
  • 2/3 cup red quinoa
  • 4 extra-large bell peppers
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 1/2 cup onion, chopped
  • 1 zucchini, chopped
  • 1 yellow squash, chopped
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in quarters
  • 15 oz. canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 4 oz. crumbled light feta cheese (about 1 cup)
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • Salt and pepper

Recipe:
*Preheat the oven to 350F
Bring vegetable broth to a boil in a saucepan, add quinoa, cover, and cook for 15 minutes (or as directed on the package).

While the quinoa is cooking, cut the tops off of the peppers and scoop out the seeds.

Place peppers upright in a baking dish and roast them at 350F for 15 minutes (until they soften up). Remove from the oven and set aside.

Meanwhile, chop up your veggies.

Heat oil in a skillet and add onions, zucchini/squash, fennel seeds, oregano, and salt. Cook for 5 minutes until vegetables are softened.

Remove from heat and add in the tomatoes, chickpeas, and tomato paste.

Mix it up well. 

Add your cooked quinoa. Mix it up well.

Mix in your crumbled feta.

Fill your peppers with the quinoa mixture. Bake in the oven for 15 more minutes at 350F.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

How To Roast Garlic...

Savory Eats

Roasted garlic is so delicious that I could squeeze the cloves out and eat them plain.

The best part about roasted garlic? It's so easy to make and very hard to mess up. Mine came out perfect and golden brown even as a first timer.

Ingredients:
  • 2 heads of fresh garlic
  • 4 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt and pepper (I used some white truffle salt)
Recipe:
*Thanks for the pictures Angela (my pics didn't come out as great)
**Preheat the oven to 400F.
Peel off the loose skin.

Cut the head so every clove is exposed.

Drizzle 1.5 to 2 teaspoons of olive oil on each head of garlic.

Wrap each head of garlic in tin foil and roast in the oven at 400F for about 45 minutes until the cloves are golden brown.

The roasted cloves should look like this!

And they pop out very easily.

Now comes the fun part...what should we do with our perfectly roasted garlic? Here are some ideas that I have tried (and loved!):
1. Spread on toasted and oiled baguette slices.

2. Mix in with some roasted vegetables.

3. Sprinkle on top of a homemade pizza.

4. Mash up in some hummus or baba ghanoush (P.S. my dad's famous baba ghanoush recipe is soon to be revealed).