White & Dark Chocolate Heart Brownies

Sweet Treats

My latest cooking obsession (besides my new KitchenAid and Cuisinart) is Smitten Kitchen blog. I just love all of her recipes. Last night I tackled some incredibly delicious and cute Smitten Kitchen brownies. I couldn't believe how perfect they came out...

White and Dark Chocolate Heart Brownies

They remind me of New York's famous black and white cookies...but in brownie form.

Not only do these brownies look absolutely adorable with the heart cutouts, but they taste scrumptious and homemade.

Ingredients:

*you will need a 1-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter*

White Chocolate Brownies

• 4 ounces of *high-quality white chocolate (ie. Ghirardelli white chocolate bar)

*VERY important to use good chocolate. According to Smitten Kitchen, cheaper "white chocolate baking chips" melt into yellow-oiled chunk...ew!

• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) of unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour

Dark Chocolate Brownies

• 4 ounces of semisweet chocolate (ie. Ghirardelli semisweet chocolate bar)
• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) of unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour

Recipe:

-Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8x8-inch or 7x11-inch baking pan with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray or grease with butter.

-Now, here's the interesting part. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a simmer. Place a large bowl on the pot...

Like so.

Smash the chocolate bar to pieces.

Melt the white chopped white chocolate and one stick of butter in the bowl. Stir to prevent burning.

Whisk in the sugar.

Whisk in the eggs (one at a time), flour, and salt. Then add the vanilla. Stir until just combined.

Spread into prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes.

-Repeat these steps for the chocolate version...

-But...bake the chocolate brownies for 25-30 minutes!

-Place the baked brownies in the freezer for 30 minutes. This will make the "cookie-cutting" much cleaner and easier.

Measure and cut the brownies.

Yum.

Cookie-cut the centers out of the brownies.

Put the dark chocolate centers into the white chocolate brownies.

And the white chocolate centers into the dark chocolate brownies.

CATCH, NYC: Top (Chef) Seafood

Big Apple Bites

I had my heart set on trying Catch Restaurant in the Meatpacking District before 2012 came to a close. After weeks of attempting to get a reservation, my dream came true! Catch won me over on all fronts - starting with the relaxed yet trendy and upscale vibe.

If you can't find the restaurant, don't panic...it is above the Sephora on the corner of 13th Street and 9th Avenue. Yes, we walked around the block three times before finding the front door...

But, the restaurant's location on the 2nd floor provides a great view of Meatpacking!

Onto the best part: food.

Like I've said before, you know a restaurant is going to live up to your expectations when the complimentary bread is good. Well, Catch exceeded those expectations...

Braided pretzel rolls with honey mustard butter...can you say, YUM?!

Next up? The meal.

 With a menu like this, how do you narrow down your options?

Hamachi Tartare

pear, avocado, and potato chips.

So fresh and so clean.

Red Mussels

chili, tomato, extra virgin olive oil.

Best part? The crunchy toast dipped in the delicious tomato broth.

Herb-Roasted Branzino

creamy vegetable basmati rice.

Perfection.

Sauteed Snapper

lobster mash, truffle, lemon-brown butter.

I'll eat anything with "truffle" and "browned butter" in the description.

Overall rating: fantastic. A little tricky to find, but it's well worth the scavenger hunt. Last but not least, the executive chef is Top Chef winner Hung Huynh...and we all know how much I love Top Chef.

Thanks for the amazing meal, Hung!

Whole Wheat, Almond Pancakes with Cherry Syrup

Sweet Treats

First off...Happy 2013!

To my loyal followers (grandma, Jack, Susan, mom...), sorry for the lack of posts the past few weeks. It was a busy week at work then I was off to California for winter break. BUT, back in action for the new year! Plus, Santa(s) - aka Mom and Nat - got me a Cuisinart Food Processor and a KitchenAid for Christmas. My kitchen is now on fire. Onto something sweet and delicious...

Whole Wheat Almond Pancakes with Cherry Syrup

There's a sweet, crunchy brunch party in my mouth.

The new year rolls around and everyone and their mother is at Equinox hittin' the treadmill. The chocolate cookies, ice cream, and baguettes found their way to the trash can. So here are some healthy, yet tasty, pancakes to kick off 2013.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dried sweetened sour cherries
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1/2 cup sugar free maple syrup
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/4 cup quick cooking oats
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups lowfat buttermilk (emphasis on the lowfat)
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup nonfat vanilla Greek yogurt (for dipping)
• Extra sugar free maple syrup (for drizzle)

For those visual cookers...

Recipe:

-In a small saucepan, bring the cherries, 1/2 cup water, and cinnamon stick to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup maple syrup. Set aside.

-In a bowl, whisk together flours, oats, baking soda, and salt...

-In another bowl, whisk eggs and buttermilk. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir batter until just combined...

-Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Pour about 1/4 cup batter into the pan, sprinkle with almonds, and flip (about two minutes on each side)...

-Repeat with all batter. If batter is too thick for your liking, thin it out with some water.

-Serve hot with cherry syrup, a dollop of yogurt, and maple syrup! Even the boys liked it...

You're welcome for the deliciously healthy breakfast Jack!

Nom nom nom.

Holidaze in the City: Union Square Holiday Bazaar

Funtivities

One thing I was really looking forward to living in the city is the holiday season. You could do a new holiday activity every day during December. So far, my favorite activity has been the Union Square Holiday Market.

Rows and rows and rows of holiday carts with food, gifts, trinkets, and much more.

My mom and I nearly stumbled into the market during Thanksgiving break. We wove through every row in search of some tasty treats and cute gifts...

Beware of crowds on the weekends.

We ran into this unique cookie stand and tried one of each...

AMAZING cookies with almonds, pretzels, earl gray, lavender, bananas...

My roommate, Anja, is German and introduced me to some European holiday treats at this German Delights stand...

If you want to get into the Christmas Spirit, make your way to Union Square!

Spaghetti with Clams and Broccolini

Savory Eats

On Monday night, Nat took me to a pasta-making class with an amazing chef from the Food Network's Chopped. It was a blast (and I actually learned A TON).

Anyways, this cooking adventure really got me in the mood for pasta. So, last night I made a dish that really boosted my "culinego" (culinary ego). I swear I could have been on Top Chef...

Spaghetti with clams and broccolini - from Fine Cooking Magazine

Never having cooked with raw clams before, I was shocked by how easy it was...and they tasted incredible.

Ingredients:

*These measurements made 3 large servings without leftovers

• A large bunch of fresh broccolini, sliced into 1 inch pieces
• 1/2 box of thin angel hair spaghetti
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 lb Manila clams
• Sea salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

**I added 1 cup of sauteed shrimp to the pasta to add some more protein.

Recipe:

-Start boiling water for the pasta. Generously salt the water.

Cut the broccolini and chop the garlic.

-Once the water has reached a rolling boil, add the angel hair pasta and broccolini. Cook until pastsa is al dente (roughly 4 minutes). Drain and reserve 1/4 cup pasta water.

Thoroughly wash the clams with water. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the chopped garlic and chili flakes. Cook for 1 minute (until fragrant). Add the clams, cover, and cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until the clams open (roughly 5 minutes).

Add the spaghetti/broccolini and 1/4 pasta water to the opened clams. (I also added the shrimp in this step)

Top with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

Top with fresh parsley. Add some salt and pepper and mix well.

I served the pasta with a side of sauteed broccolini. Sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on top if you'd like (I preferred the dish without cheese). ENJOY your gourmet meal!

Mom's Famous Homemade Granola

Sweet Treats

Granola is addicting, plain and simple. It's healthy when sprinkled on yogurt and eaten in moderation, but that is easier said than done. Good granola is very delicious and my mom's homemade granola recipe is goood granola. You're lucky enough to get the recipe today!

Almond granola with dried cherries and (optional) white chocolate chips!

Granola-gredients:

Dry Ingredients

• 6 cups of Rolled Oats (or Old Fashion Oats - NOT Quick Cooking Oats)
• 2 cups roasted, salted whole almonds
• 2.5 cups of roasted slivered almonds
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Wet Ingredients

• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup maple syrup (I use sugar free maple syrup to cut calories)
• 3/4 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Add-Ins

• 1 bag dried cherries
• White chocolate chips (how ever much you want)

All from Trader Joe's

Recipe:

-Mix together all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Set aside.

-Mix together all the wet ingredients in a smaller bowl. Pour the wet ingredients mix into the bowl with the dry ingredients.

-Mix until evenly combined.

-Spread onto baking pans (I use 2 baking sheets). Bake at 225 degrees for 2 hours. Move the granola around the sheet every 20 minutes to cook evenly and prevent burning.

After the two hours, remove from the oven and let the granola cool for about 10 minutes. Then, scoop into a bag or container and let cool for at least one more hour before adding dried cherries and (optional) white chocolate chips.

Makes a great gift in cute bags or mason jars!

While were on this topic, you want to know where you can buy the most AMAZING granola? It's called Hippie Crack from Baked & Wired Bakery in Georgetown (Washington, DC)...

If you're ever in the Georgetown area, I highly recommend stopping by Baked & Wired for some incredibly tasty treats.