So this is the first time I tried a recipe from a blog that I have subscribed to for quite a few months. Ya know trying a new recipe source is kind of like hunting prey...or maybe I should say what I imagine hunting prey would be like. You watch it for awhile, assess your kill strategy, toy with it,  and then pounce!! So I have watched this blog, read the posts and looked at the recipes and decided sure I think this blog is worthy of my attention. It is called Pass the Sushi, however I do have to say in the 6 months that I have subscribed to it I haven't seen a single sushi recipe, but hey its not my blog. Anyway the recipes look really good but the writing is definitely not as funny as mine, but since we are being honest she is a better photographer so I will give her props for that.
Check her out: http://passthesushi.com/andes-creme-de-menthe-chunk-cookies/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+passthesushi%2FjktB+%28Pass+The+Sushi%21%29

Last night I decided to try and make her Andes Creme de Menthe Chunk Cookies. My first challenge was to find Andes chocolate mint chips...which honestly was way easier than I expected as I found them at Target (Moorpark) and they truly do taste like the after dinner mints you get at restaurants. I could have honestly just snacked on them, but I figured that pretty much defeats the purpose of a cooking blog if I just eat the ingredients and I don't cook with them.



So this recipe is way easy. Just cream the butter with the 2 sugars, add the baking soda and baking powder...and get this its the same measurement for the powder and the soda so you don't have to stress about getting them confused. Ya know when you are baking sometimes it's the little things and I am sure we have all gotten the measurements for the baking soda and the baking powder confused a time or 2.

Then add the vanilla and eggs. Once those are combined turn off the mixer...seriously no one needs a hand/mixer accident during a pleasant baking experience. Mix in the mint chips and the flour. Put the dough in the fridge for an hour...I highly recommend using that hour to catch up on reality tv, but that is just my opinion.

Once that hour has passed with a glass of wine and some housewives you can shape your cookies into balls and place them on a parchment lined cooking sheet. I cooked mine for 9 minutes and put them on a rack to cool.

Finally, melt the chocolate and dip the bottoms of the cookies in the melted chocolate. Sure mine didn't turn out as pretty as the picture on the Pass the Sushi blog, but mine were made by a human rather than a machine or a robot...just saying...ok sure a little bitter but still making fun with love.



Anyway these cookies are yummy!!! They are chewy just the way I like them and the combination of chocolate and mint make for happiness. Love them!!! If anyone wants cookies this weekend hit me up. XOXO

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup salted butter – softened
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
• 1 teas baking soda
• 1 teas baking powder
• 2 teas vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 10 oz  Andes® Crème de Menthe Baking Chips
• 2-2/3 cups sifted flour
• 4 oz semi sweet chocolate

Preparation:

After running 3 miles at the gym I decided I needed a little post-run carb load. Ok sure normally you carb load before you run, but hell its me and you all know how I love to break the rules...so I went with it. I actually don't carb load before runs, even the big ones. For some reason my body always craves protein so I normally eat chicken or fish.  I get so nervous before a big race that I usually can't eat the morning of and I have to run 13+ miles off whatever I ate the night before. Isn't that just friggin awesome that I have half marathon performance anxiety? Sure I can talk in front of a crowd, jump out of an airplane, call a high speed vehicle pursuit on a police radio, talk to a brick wall...but I pretty much want to vomit on my shoes before I run 13 miles by myself. Ahhh the weird running idiosyncrasies...but alas this is not a running blog...this is a food blog



So tonight I made Orecchiette Salad with Roast Beef. Thought this would be a great recipe for after a run because it has the carbs from the pasta, the protein in the roast beef and some vegetables so it's pretty much a well rounded meal on a plate.

This recipe is also super easy which as you all know I just love...especially because by the time I ran, went to the grocery store and took a shower it was already 2100 and I was starting to get sleepy. So cook the pasta in salted water. Did you all know that orecchiette means "little ears?" This is a picture of the pasta up close...I guess if you have really had a few glasses of wine you would start to see an ear in this pasta shape...eh details right.



Then in a large bowl mix the bocconcini (baby mozzarella balls), artichokes (I was hoping for extras so I could snack on them as I cooked but there weren't any), marinated peppers and mint (but I used basil and it was yum). Then add olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice and salt/pepper. Btw if you are not the proud owner of a lemon zester do yourself a favor and go buy one...it will truly make you happy.



Add the pasta and finally add the roast beef and the arugula. I used an arugula and spinach blend just so the arugula wasn't totally over powering and I thought it worked great.

• Kosher salt
• 8 ounces orecchiette pasta
• 1 cup bocconcini (small mozzarella balls), halved
• 1 cup marinated artichoke hearts, quartered
• 8 small sweet marinated peppers (such as Peppadew), quartered
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint or basil
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• Freshly ground pepper
• 4 cups baby arugula
• 6 ounces deli-sliced roast beef, cut into strips

Directions

This salad has a lot of great flavor as the citrus from the lemon, the spice from the arugula and the roasted peppers are a great combination paired with the pasta and roast beef. I think this salad would be great with a nice pinot noir but since I was dehydrated from my run I just drank water.

Hope everyone has a fantastic week. Cheers my friends!

So I had to go into work yesterday and since I didn't know how long I would be there I didn't want to make plans and be a last minute flake. So as I was driving home from work I decided to stop at the grocery store and buy ingredients to make a Raspberry Lemon Cake. And I know when you think cake you often think of multiple layers, gads of icing and a kind of more fluffy dessert variety. However, this cake definitely reminds me more of a coffee cake and so that is what I had for breakfast this morning...raspberry cake and chai tea. Yum! Sure I will be hitting the gym as soon as I finish writing this, but actually to be honest this cake is pretty low in fat and calories since the butter is cut down with the use of plain yogurt.



This cake is perfect for a summer or I guess as of today fall treat. The fresh raspberries coupled with the lemon curd make it tart which I just love and the powdered sugar gives it just enough sweetness so your mouth doesn't pucker. I have to say that I am a huge lemon curd fan...I fell in love with it when I went to this cute scone shop in Carmel a million years ago and it has been one of my favorite foods on the planet ever since.



In case you wanted to know a little bit about lemon curd let me share. It is most well known for being British and it is normally associated with tea, as an accompaniment to scones, muffins, etc. It has been around since the 18th century so it definitely is not a new thing. It is made with lemon juice, sugar and egg whites and its cooked to make a custard type of mixture. I haven't personally tried making it but I did read a few recipes just so I could share with you all.  Sometime it has lemon zest added to it to give it an even more intense citrus flavor. I also read that sometimes butter or cream are added to make it more soft and creamy, however I have never had it that way. I just love the tart, strong, lemon flavor. Supposedly it is also made in other citrus varieties like orange, tangerine or lime but I have never tried or seen those so I can't vouch for them.



Anyway back to the cake. It is super easy to make and it is pretty much made with one bowl. Cream the butter and sugar in a mixer. Add the eggs, salt, vanilla, yogurt, milk and lemon curd and mix until blended. Add the dry ingredients which consist of flour, baking soda and baking powder. The cake is put together kind of in a lasagna style, layer of batter, layer of raspberries, layer of batter and finishing with a layer of raspberries. Voila!



I was worried that the raspberry juice would smear into the batter and turn it a funky pink color so I did dry the raspberries after I washed them and that seemed to work just fine. The recipe says to bake the cake for an hour, however mine still had raw batter in the middle after an hour so I baked it for closer to an hour and 15 minutes just so someone didn't get a dough ball in the middle of their cake.

Let the cake cool for an hour and then sprinkle with powdered sugar. I was pretty excited as this cake gave me an excuse to buy a sifter so I could put the pretty smattering of powdered sugar on my cake. Loved it!!

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt 
• 1/2 cup low-fat milk
• 1/4 cup lemon curd*
• 2 1/2 cups flour 
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 4 3/4 cups raspberries (about 18 oz.)
• Powdered sugar

Preparation

1. 1. Preheat oven to 325°. Butter a 9- by 13-in. baking pan. In a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed, beat butter and granulated sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs, salt, vanilla, yogurt, milk, and lemon curd until mostly blended.
2. 2. Add flour, baking soda, and baking powder to bowl and beat until smooth. Spread half of batter in pan and scatter half of raspberries on top. Gently spread remaining batter over berries. Scatter remaining berries on top.
3. 3. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 1 hour; if cake begins to brown too quickly, tent with foil. Let cake cool about 1 hour, then dust lightly with powdered sugar.
4. *Find with jams at grocery stores.

The only drawback to this cake is the fact that it makes 15 servings so if anyone wants raspberry cake this weekend please give me a call. I would be more than happy to be a raspberry cake delivery service...well within reason...I do have a delivery driving range. Cheers my friends!!

So I bought this salsa because well Guy Fieri's face was on it. I know you are thinking well that is kind of random, what exactly made you decide salsa verde would be good if there is a white guy with crazy blond hair on the label, right? Well let me help you with the answer to that question.



1. Guy Fieri is from Humboldt County so I always kind of felt an alliance with him...well until I read his web page and read that he claimed he was from Santa Rosa instead of Ferndale. Hmm my friend if you don't have Humboldt pride I am a little bitter. His family owns the Ferndale Meat Company which I know for a fact is not in Santa Rosa...just saying.

And although he doesn't claim my people on his own web page Wikipedia came through...thank you for giving the Humboldt/Guy Fieri shout out:

Though born in Ohio, Fieri grew up in Ferndale far up the coast of California in rural Humboldt County where, during high school, he had the opportunity to attend a foreign exchange program to France that began his interest in food and cooking.^[16] He lives in Northern California with his wife Lori, sons Hunter and Ryder, and his dog Rockstar. He collects classic cars and features his own red 1967 Chevy Camaro SS Convertible on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Guy also owns a 1971 Chevy Chevelle, 1968 Pontiac Firebird, 1976 Jeep CJ-5, 1996 Chevy Impala SS, 2004 Cadillac Escalade and a 1967 Chevy C10 pickup


2. I love green salsa. I pretty much put it on everything...fried eggs in the morning, use it as salad dressing, chips obviously, pasta...pretty much you name it I put salsa verde on it. And as you know I love trying new food products so sure why not buy salsa with a white guys face on it.

 I actually really like the Homeboy Industries green salsa as well. This is the company that attempts to rehabilitate gang members by giving them job skills and having them make food products. I personally thought it was a positive to support a company that is attempting to get them away from violence, however I have talked to some people in my profession that just feel this company is a sham so I am a little torn on what to believe.

3. I love that Guy is such a household name that he can put his face on a product and people automatically assume its good and buy it. And I was honestly kind of hoping I wouldn't like it...well just because of professional jealousy reasons. I want to be able to put my face on salsa and have people buy it. However, my professional jealousy failed miserably because I really liked the salsa and I would totally buy it again. It has a great tomatillo flavor and it has a hint of smokiness which is very refreshing. I totally recommend that you try it. Now I just have to figure out what kind of product I can put my face on. Nutella? Anchovy paste? Watermelon?

Hope everyone has a spectacular weekend full of good food, good company and good wine. Cheers my friends!!

So its not often that I work a Saturday and since I was working yesterday I decided I needed to bring in goodies. I found a yummy Betty Crocker recipe or actually it found me. I get so many food emails now its not very often that I have to look for a recipe, they pretty much jump out at me and scream,"make me!!!" And this recipe did exactly that...it sounded easy, yummy and comforting which is pretty much all that needs to be said to peak my interest. So I decided to make Snickerdoodle Bars...however I have to say they kind of lacked the Snickerdoodle spices except for cinnamon so they actually reminded me more of Cinnamon Roll Bars. Just in case you wanted my opinion.



My first Snickerdoodle memory was in 8th grade. I had a crush on this boy and for some random reason I found out he loved Snickerdoodles...yeah I am not sure how the hell I knew that because even in the most awkward romantic phases I don't remember using the phrase,"so what is your favorite cookie?" Anyway I decided to try and make Snickerdoodles to win his heart...ya know the old adage a way to a guys heart is through his stomach...well I decided to give that a try. And they must have been pretty amazing cookies because we started to "date," whatever that means when you are 12. In my experience it meant we kissed once, we danced at our 8th grade graduation dance and we saw each other once like at the mall or something. It was pretty serious!! However, I guess I didn't continue to bake because I got dumped for soccer season because he needed to focus on his game. As you can see from my description of our "relationship" I was really requiring a lot of time and I was truly impacting his game. I know this is going to surprise you but he did not make it pro....which I am still amazed by because there are so many world renowned soccer players that came out of Humboldt County. But I am still making Snickerdoodles so at least I got the last laugh...or well something like that.

However, due to my post traumatic stress disorder relating to Snickerdoodles I decided to try this recipe which shapes them in more of a bar/brownie format. And although I have to say they were pretty tasty they just didn't taste like Snickerdoodles to me. They also kind of screamed more breakfast treat rather than dessert treat, but try them and let me know what you think. All and all they were very easy to make and the recipe is pretty fool proof.



The first thing you do is mix the dry ingredients...easy enough. Then cream the butter, sugars, eggs and vanilla. Add in the dry mixture to the wet mixture and hence your dough. Put half the dough on the bottom of the pan.



Sprinkle with the cinnamon and sugar mixture and then put spoon fulls of more dough on top. Once you put it in the oven you will acquire that pretty swirled texture.



Once the bars have cooled make the glaze which consists of powdered sugar, milk and vanilla and drizzle on top of the bars.

 

2 1/3

cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour

1 1/4

teaspoons baking powder

1/2

teaspoon salt

3/4

cup butter or margarine, softened

1 1/4

cups granulated sugar

1/2

cup packed brown sugar

3

eggs

1

teaspoon vanilla

1

tablespoon granulated sugar

1

tablespoon cinnamon

1

cup powdered sugar

1

to 2 tablespoons milk

1/4

teaspoon vanilla

• 1Heat oven to 350° F. Spray or grease bottom only of a 13x9-inch baking pan with cooking spray. In small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
• 2In large bowl, beat butter with electric mixer on high speed until creamy. Beat in sugars. Gradually beat in eggs and vanilla into sugar mixture until combined. On low speed, beat in dry ingredients until combined.
• 3Spoon half the batter into pan; spread evenly. Sprinkle cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly over batter.
• 4Dollop teaspoon size amounts of remaining batter evenly over cinnamon-sugar mixture.
• 5Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
• 6In small bowl, stir glaze ingredients until smooth and thin enough to drizzle. Drizzle over bars. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows.

So for some weird reason I got this wild hair and I wanted to try Persian food. And since I didn't even know where to start when it comes to cooking Persian food I decided to begin with eating it. I did some research...which was pretty challenging since there are 3 Persian restaurants in my area...and I chose the one with the best restaurant reviews-Char Fasal in Agoura Hills.

 I took the trek to Agoura for my Persian food experience. I truly did not know what to expect, but I was pretty sure I would see some pita bread and maybe some hummus. The first problem was the restaurant had been sold 3 months ago and now was called Maral-House of Kabobs. So my iphone was a little confused and so was I until the random woman in the parking lot bailed me out. She also provided me with some food recommendations...except this is what she recommended and um yeah not so great. It was a yogurt/cucumber dip with currents and nuts and dill on top....kind of bland.




The restaurant was light, bright, had linens on the tables, live music and was pretty classy. BTW, the ambiance included live music that included everything from bad 80's music with a Persian flare to well Persian music. There was also a large screen tv with a Persian newscaster that had a big forehead.

The waiter greeted and seated with ease and a big smile. He had a thick accent and wouldn't make eye contact which had me convinced that this was a family business, he had grown up on baba ganoush, probably knew how to ride a camel, this restaurant was his pride and joy and he learned how to walk in this kitchen. Boy, was I wrong!!! I kind of had a mini-waiter crush on him just because of the accent, the smile, the bad outfit and the endearing awkwardness.

After a night of banter with the waiter including allowing him to pick the food off the menu and stories about the restaurant changing owners and how he had been with the original owner...yada, yada, yada...he even went on to explain that when he smiles it makes people happy and its contagious. Damn I thought we were soul mates especially since he was 5'2" on a good day and I claim 5'4" on a good day...thought this was a perfect combo. Yeah well at the end of the night a simple "so where are you from," shattered my dreams...hmmm he was from Mexico. Dag nab it!!! However, I have decided I loved the food and hell I would go back in a heart beat.




Although I loved the primary waiter there was a random girl that came around to the tables and talked to people. And since the menu wasn't extremely accurate. For example, it listed wine and their liquor license was pending so wine was not available. Oh and get this there was a wine rack with wine visible but not available for sale...it pretty much was a wine tease...just saying. Anyway back to the random girl who looked like she was 16, had a nose ring, wore Converse tennis shoes and although she was extremely enthusiastic you just weren't really sure where she fit in...she came up to the table and when I asked her what she recommended she said,"well we have chicken and we have beef." Thinking she knew her menu I pretty much thought I had the option of chicken or beef until my friendly Mexican buddy told me about the lamb...thankfully.



The lamb was by far some of the best lamb I have ever had. It was cooked to perfection, truly melted in my mouth and it was served with basmati rice. There were 2 varieties of rice, one with saffron and the other with an herb mixture that consisted of 2 types of parsley, dill and something else green. It was great and the portions were huge!! I also had to try the hummus and the baba ganoush which was awesome!

I also learned a valuable lesson, when going to a Persian restaurant you probably shouldn't wear shorts, heels and a tank top because when I got up to use the restroom the patrons of the restaurant stared. And I am pretty sure it wasn't due to my overwhelming beauty, think they may have been thinking,"dang what a whore." Got it...maybe a little too much skin for a Persian restaurant...my bad!

Cheers...well cheers with water until their liquor license is approved!