May 12, 2013

If I could only eat one food for the rest of my life, it would be this.

First of all, Happy Mother’s Day to everyone! I wondered if the hub would actually recognize my first unofficial mother’s day, and he did! I received a beautiful bouquet of flowers (in a box..? from FedEx? on the front door step?) yesterday, and I was just thrilled. Sometimes, I wonder if he forgets that I’m pregnant, which is hard to imagine given my various food and restroom needs that I remind him of throughout the day (and even the night)!

I of course also sent my mom a card, but what really made her day was a Facebook tribute with the following pictures. She just LOVED that, and I loved showing off pictures of my beautiful mother! Hopefully, I will maintain my style and youthful look once motherhood actually hits, just as she did. 

 

 

I’ll start “maintaining” my look AFTER the baby comes, because in the meantime, pregnancy is just too good of an excuse to eat LOTS of dessert. So guess what I did yesterday? I made an entire bowl of dessert pretty much just for myself. This is one of those desserts you typically make for a crowd, but I just made it for me. And it will probably last one more day, which is sad (not because I ate it all, but because it will be over- do not misunderstand!)

This recipe is pretty incompetent-cook friendly as it simply involves preparing instant pudding and whipping the heavy cream. Otherwise, as long as you can slice store-bought angel food cake and strawberries, you’re good to go!

 

As you can see, once you serve it up, it loses all its presentation points, but it is SO delicious that you get over that pretty quickly. A friend of mine will make individual servings in jars. I made an individual serving in a huge mixing bowl. Whatever floats your boat.

Strawberry Trifle

1 store-bought angel food cake (you may also use pound cake)

1 pint heavy whipping cream

1 large box instant vanilla pudding

3 cups cold milk

2 packages strawberries

 

Prepare the pudding and the whipped cream. Meanwhile, rinse and slice the strawberries. Then, layer the trifle bowl, starting with rough slices of angel food cake (so it completely covers the bottom), one third the pudding, one third the strawberries, and one third the whipped cream (assuming your bowl is the same size from top to bottom, unlike mine). Continue layering until you use all of the ingredients, finishing with the whipped cream. To decorate the trifle, you can save a few strawberries for garnish on top! Refrigerate for a few hours before serving so that the angel food cake will soften up.

 

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April 23, 2013

Tollhouse Pie

We had the chance to host some dear friends at our house for dinner last Saturday, which means I happily spent all day researching recipes I wanted to try and dreaming up my “menu”. At the end of the day, I ended up serving sweet and salty roast brisket, sweet potato mashed potatoes, and a salad (in case you care as much about menus as I do). The highlight, however, was definitely the dessert: a warm and gooey tollhouse pie fresh out of the oven, which despite the complete lack of space, I managed to squeeze in my belly.

One of our favorite restaurants, Murphy’s, serves their own yummy Tollhouse pie. It is above and beyond mine and frankly, nothing like it except for the name and the chocolate part, but it DID inspire me to google up a Tollhouse pie recipe which looked simple enough, so I made it! Basically, it is a warm and gooey chocolate chip cookie in a pie crust- nothing wrong with that! Topped off with some fresh whipped cream, and you have one happy pregnant lady!

I must say that Ryan took all the photos for me, and one of them became his 365 photo of the day, which you can follow here.

Tollhouse Pie (from Nestle, obvy)

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

12 Tbsp butter (1 1/2 sticks)

12 oz chocolate chips

1 pie crust

 

First, combine the eggs and sugar and mix well. Add in the flour, butter, and finally the chocolate chips (nuts optional). Scrape into a pie crust and bake at 325 F for about 60 minutes. Serve warm with fresh whipped cream!

xoxo

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April 15, 2013

Blueberry Banana Muffins

Photo by Ryan Murphy

Hey everyone,

With the gorgeous weather, I have been in full-on “spring cleaning” mode, prepping my garden (ok, my four planters…but still), cleaning out closets, putting away the winter boots and sweaters, and making a list of things I don’t like to do  ways that Ryan can also help us prepare for baby. Speaking of which, does anyone else ever find that when they are trying to rid the house of clutter that no one has touched in months, suddenly, someone (eh hem..Ryan) has an intense attachment to said clutter? For example:

Ryan: “Hey! What are you doing with that pile of hangers*. I need those!”

Me: “What? We have like one bajillion. And these are from MY half of the closet. You still have some hangers. And look. Here is another 50 hangers (referencing the way back corner of the closet where no one dares to go, so I remove them).”

Ryan: “NO!!!! I need those.”

Me: “Ugh…”

*annoying wire hangers from the dry cleaner.

So…ANYWAYS. Made you something. Blueberry banana muffins. For some reason, I am obsessed with muffins (especially Starbucks blueberry muffins, which is kind of gross of me..I know…but they are so good!!!!) Also, due to some midnight leg cramping, I was trying to figure out a way to work more bananas into my life. I could just eat a banana, but last time I did that, let’s just say I spent the next two days NOT eating, so…we’re still in a fight. You know how that goes…

A couple “new” things I did with this batch of muffins. 1) Used an emulsifying wand (this thing) to blend the “wet” ingredients even further. 2) Used the “kneading” attachment on my blender to add the dry ingredients that you should take care to fold in. 3) Used frozen blueberries. I usually use fresh ones!

Photo by Ryan Murphy

Blueberry Banana Muffins:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup sour cream

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

3 ripe bananas, mashed

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup frozen blueberries

 

Topping:

2 Tbsp butter (cold)

1/4 cup sugar

1/6 cup flour

Combine “wet” ingredients (banana, sour cream, eggs, and sugar) and blend thoroughly. I used the hand blender for this. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and “fold in” using the kneading attachment to your mixer. Fold in the blueberries. For the topping, mix the butter, sugar and flour until a crumbly topping forms. Spread evenly amongst the muffins. Grease a muffin tin (I used the 6 jumbo muffin tin) and bake at 350F for 30-35 minutes (20-25 minutes for regular muffins) until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Enjoy!!

xoxo!

 

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April 7, 2013

Lemon Pudding Cake: 23 weeks :)

You know you haven’t been writing as regularly on your blog when you can’t remember your password. I also spent 3 times longer than I should have at the grocery store today because I kept forgetting something and having to go back in. Finally, I just texted Ryan and asked him to pick up the missing items. I even made a list! #pregnancybrain

 

One of my favorite things throughout pregnancy has been lemon-flavored anything. Drinks, desserts, candy- you name it. It’s just so clean and refreshing and even in the dreary winter months, gave me a citrus-y pick me up. So today, one return trip to the store was to buy ingredients for Lemon Pudding Cake. I did sit in the dessert aisle at and stare at their lemon pudding cake. Then I decided “I ain’t payin $5.99″ and probably went along and spent even more than that on supplies. But now I can make 4 cakes. Ha.

 

I adapted this recipe from two places (since I forgot the cake mix too), and it is delicious!! It was the perfect little treat once we returned from our tulip tour at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. I have to admit, as beautiful as they were, they didn’t outshine the tulips in the Boston Commons (which are also free to enjoy, by the way).

 

Hope you had a nice Sunday. I’m going to pregnancy yoga in a bit, ie, nap time with a bunch of other pregnant people, and it’s awesome :)

23 Weeks!

 

Lemon Pudding Cake

2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 cup milk (I used 1%)

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup oil

4 eggs

1 box Jello instant vanilla pudding mix

juice of 1 lemon

 

Icing:

2 cups confectioner’s sugar

2 Tbsp melted butter

2 Tbsp water

1/2 lemon juice

 

For the cake, combine all ingredients in a mixer, pour into the bundt pan, and bake at 350F for 40-45 minutes. Let the cake cool for about 10 minute before moving it to a cooling rack. Meanwhile, combine the icing ingredients and mix thoroughly. Allow the cake to fully cool before drizzling the icing on top. I put paper towels underneath the cake so catch the icing that drips off. Enjoy!! xoxo

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March 17, 2013

Week 20: I’m back

Hey everyone! If you are reading this, then man, are you one loyal follower. I am hoping to now return after my longest hiatus yet since starting the blog. But I have a good excuse: I’m pregnant – 20 weeks tomorrow! And as a result, just trust me- you did not need to cook the foods that I have been sustaining myself (ourselves?) on over the past few months (ie, tortilla chips and ice cream).

 

This is a post-yoga picture. Don’t judge me…

 

If you’re like everyone else, you probably have a few questions, so here are the standard pregnant lady answers that I probably give to *someone* at least 3-4 times/week at the moment:

1. I’m due August 5th.

2. It’s a girl!

3. Yes, I’ve been thinking about names. No, I’m not going to tell you what they are ;)

4. I feel pregnant. Not good, not bad, just pregnant.

5. Yes, the hub is excited (what kind of a question is that, btw?)

Since my life is mostly consumed by pregnancy at the moment, I’m sure you’ll be hearing all sorts of things about it over the next few months, but in the meantime, thought I would share my “coffee trick” and the latest morning rage at my house: english muffins with raspberry jam and cottage cheese.

So, while you are allowed to have some caffeine each day, I feel dizzy enough as it is without caffeine, so I’ve been sticking to decaf. Now first, the coffee thing is recent because for a while, the idea of coffee was just absolutely repulsive (instant sign that I’m pregnant because I ALWAYS drink coffee). Decaf coffee is just….well….gross. It’s in the “fat free ice cream” category- just not even worth your time. But over spring break, I discovered a little solution: DIY lattes and cappuccinos with Illy Decaf Espresso.

Homemade Cappuccino (if you don’t have a $1000 espresso machine that is…)

Bialetti Stove Top Espresso Maker (I have the 3-cup)

Milk Frother (what I bought, but you can also use a french press for this)

2 Tbsp Illy Decaf Espresso

6 oz water

6 oz 2% milk

2 tsp sugar

I watched a few videos, but basically, you follow the directions to make the espresso, add some sugar to the bottom of your cup, pour in the espresso when done, pour in the milk (I heat mine in the microwave and then transfer to the frother). Save the foam for last, trapping it in the frother while you pour in the milk. Add the foam as a final touch- looks like a real cappuccino!

Breakfast of Champions:

1 whole wheat english muffin, toasted

4 Tbsp raspberry jam

6 oz full fat cottage cheese (go big or go home people)

I assemble the above by starting with the english muffin, spreading the preserves on both sides and then topping it all off with cottage cheese. So yummy….I can’t wait until morning!

 

 

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January 14, 2013

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Hey everyone! So, after Christmas, Ryan and I ventured cross-country to CA! It was one of the few places within the U.S. where the weather would be reasonable, there would be lots to do, and plane tickets were not outrageous (believe it or not!). Also, we were really excited to visit my cousin, Eliza, who now lives in Santa Monica and my bro and fiancee, who live outside of San Francisco. We were able to fit in lots of time with the long lost west coast fam, visited Urth Caffe twice, drove up the PCH stopping for the sunset in San Simeon, stayed in Carmel for the night (where Ryan and I plan to retire once one of us figures out how to make a billion dollars) and spent our final days in San Francisco.

We also spent most of the trip quoting this skit from Saturday Night Live.

Ryan and I on the coast just north of Carmel along “17 mile drive”. (Photo by Ryan)

One of my “must-do’s” was to have lunch in Tartine, the origins of culinary genius found in the cookbook “Tartine Bread”, which many of you are probably familiar with. I am familiar with it in a failure sort of way in that I am not yet capable of successfully preparing the recipe. One day…

First, we wandered the Mission District and came upon this alley totally covered in graffiti. It fit perfectly into Ryan’s obsession with “Urban Decay” and so we spent a good 20 minutes in the alley taking photos. It was pretty unique and awesome!

We then wandered along the suspiciously empty streets, all the while thinking to ourselves “Is this right? Where is everyone?” Well, we found them. They were all at Tartine.

Photo by Ryan Murphy

We waited in line and ordered sandwiches. One would have been plenty for the two of us, but we decided to try two different ones anyway. They were AMAZING! Thick, crusty bread filled with delicious meats and cheeses and with every bite, I enjoyed a view of the bakery display, praying that I would have room for one more thing.

Photo by Ryan Murphy

Needless to say, upon my return home, I wanted to try baking some bread once again. To work up some confidence, I decided to start with Cinnamon Swirl Bread from my “Best Recipe” cookbook, and thankfully, it was a success. That means I’ll be ready for the next step!

Cinnamon swirl bread is appropriate for all meals of the day: breakfast, mid morning snack, mid-afternoon snack, or after dinner “dessert”. I’ve been gobbling it up, and I’m already envisioning some cinnamon swirl french toast for the weekend. Yum, right?

The recipe does involve LOTS of patience, but otherwise, it is pretty straightforward. Hope you get a chance to make it, and when you do, make sure you have a few slices as soon as you pop it out of the oven!

 

Cinnamon Swirl Bread (from Best Recipe)

1/2 cup milk (I used 2%)

4 Tbsp butter

1 envelope yeast (I used Active Rapid Rise Yeast)

1/2 cup warm water

1/3 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp salt

3 1/4 cups flour (plus more as needed)

 

Filling:

1/4 cup sugar

5 tsp cinnamon

 

Glaze:

1 egg

2 tsp milk

 

Heat the butter and milk in the microwave until the butter has melted. Allow it to cool before adding it the mixture. Meanwhile, place warm water and yeast in a stand mixer and let it sit for a few minutes. Add the sugar and eggs and beat at low speed until they are mixed in. Add salt, milk and butter mixture, and 2 cups of flour. Mix at medium speed with the paddle attachment.

Switch to the dough hook, add remaining flour, and knead at medium-low speed for about 10 minutes or until the dough no longer sticks to the side of the bowl (just to the hook). Remove the dough from the bowl, add a bit of flour to your work surface and to the dough as necessary if it is too sticky. Form into a ball and place in an oiled bowl for 2- 2 1/2 hours. Cover with saran wrap. After the rise, punch down the dough and turn it onto a floured surface. Roll it out to a large rectangle shape (about 18 in x 8 in). Spread the cinnamon sugar filling all over the dough leaving about 1/2 in on each edge. Roll the dough carefully and pinch the seam closed. Pinch either end closed as well and place in an oiled bread pan ( 9 x 5), allowing it to rise loosely covered with plastic for another 1-2 hours (until it is 1 inch above the pan).

Brush the top with the egg/milk mixture and bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until the center reaches a temperature of 185-190 F. As soon as it is finished, eat it immediately!!

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January 8, 2013

Easy Homemade Hot Chocolate

 

Hey everyone. I’m back. After a broken dishwasher disaster, a smoking oven, and then the holidays, there wasn’t too much cooking happening around here. And then I’m sure you all did what I did as soon as the holidays were over which was run to Trader Joe’s and spend $100 on fruits, vegetables and healthy grains. And we don’t want to read about all those boring, healthy recipes, do we? That should last about a week ;)

With the winter months officially upon us, I had to share this recipe with you- something that I treat myself to on a chilly January afternoon: homemade hot chocolate.

We all know those packets of hot chocolate just don’t cut it. Even if you mix them with whole milk, they are missing a little something, and that is the presence of ACTUAL chocolate. Ryan and I experienced what I’m pretty sure was a cup of melted chocolate disguised as hot chocolate while in Paris last October. I could only handle a few sips of this rich and chocolatey “drink”, but it was worth every penny and we managed to consume every drop.

At home, you can whip up your own decadent afternoon beverage with some milk and chocolate chips. I combine them in a 4:1 (milk to chocolate) ratio, so for example, 2 cups of milk and 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. All you have to do is pour your milk into a saucepan, heat it up, add the chocolate chips and stir until they are fully melted. Feel free to add sugar if you need to sweeten it up or even a drop of vanilla. And of course, don’t forget the jumbo marshmallows!

Curl up with a good book and enjoy. I just finished “Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn (amazing!) and am currently in the middle of “Wild” by Cheryl Strayed.

xoxo!

Homemade Hot Chocolate

2 cups 2% milk (or whatever you have in your fridge)

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

sugar to taste

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December 9, 2012

Butternut Squash and Brussels Sprout Soup

Hey everyone! I know, I know. I’ve been missing. I’m using my broken dishwasher as an excuse- we are now going on week 9 of no dishwasher, which yes, I realize is not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, BUT, it does not make me want to cook quite as often. Victory is ours, however, because we will be getting a brand new one shortly. It’s actually embarrassing how excited I am about a new dishwasher. What has my life come to?

SO, it is NOT cold in Atlanta, ie, 66 degrees today. December 9th and 66 degrees? But I don’t care. I am still drinking hot chocolate, curling up in blankets watching my favorite Christmas movies (Love Actually, Elf, Family Stone) and pretending it is cold to get in the spirit for the holidays. And a nice hot soup goes perfectly with the no dishwasher/fake winter situation happening at my house. The best part- it’s a one pot deal.

Key ingredients here are the pancetta (do NOT skip this to try to be healthier…it adds so much flavor, you would regret it) and white wine (see excuse for using pancetta). And of course you’ve got the butternut squash and brussels sprouts, two veggies that I am a total sucker for no matter how they are prepared!

If you have the luxury of living anywhere near a Trader Joe’s, it will make your life so much easier. They sell cubed butternut squash and diced pancetta. They even have the “starter” of basically any soup: chopped onions, celery and carrots, so if you’re strapped for time and can head over there, do it. Worth it.

 

Butternut Squash and Brussels Sprout Soup: (adapted from Cooking Light)

5 cups chicken broth

1 cup butternut squash, cubed

1 cup brussels sprouts, halved

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup chopped carrots

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup diced pancetta

1/2 cup farro, cooked beforehand

1/3 cup dry white wine

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp olive oil

salt/pepper to taste

 

Begin by heating the olive oil in your soup pot on medium/hight heat. Add the pancetta, celery, carrots, onions, and garlic and brown, stirring often, for 6-8 minutes. Stir in broth and wine and then add butternut squash, brussels sprouts, farro and tomatoes. Bring to a low boil, and then turn down heat to low and cook for 15-20 minutes. Serve with shaved parmesan cheese.

Enjoy! xoxo.

 

 

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November 26, 2012

Gluten Free Turkey Pot Pie

Hello everyone! Did you all survive the holiday? We had a very relaxing couple of days at home with a quick trip from my parents followed by three days of mostly sitting on the couch watching football (Ryan), Downton Abbey (me), and cooking up the leftovers into this week’s dinners. We also decorated for Christmas with our usual five foot tall tree, found some curtains for our living room (boring detail, unless you have EVER shopped for curtains with an opinionated husband in which case, you can appreciate how big of an accomplishment that is!!), and did manage to check out Richard Blaise’s new Atlanta restaurant, The Spence. MMmmm.

So, if you are a food blog reader, you’ve probably already figured out that Turkey Pot Pie is one of the main “what to do with the leftovers” meals, but I wanted to figure out how to make it GF so I wouldn’t have to eat the whole thing myself. Lately, I haven’t been thrilled with the gluten substitutes (sort of like sugar free desserts – not worth it if you have the choice!). BUT. Thanks to a tip from my friend, Betsy, who told me about Pamela’s Baking and Pancake mix, I might have found a GF baking solution. I found it at Whole Foods and suspiciously used it for the topping. Verdict: yes.

I just used the Betty Crocker recipe for Turkey Pot Pie, but instead of regular pancake mix, I used Pamela’s. Otherwise, followed it pretty closely.

Gluten Free Turkey Pot Pie

Filling:

2 cups cooked turkey, shredded

1 cup wild rice, cooked

1/2 cup diced carrots

1/2 cup diced celery

1/2 cup frozen corn

1/2 cup fresh peas (can be found at Trader Joe’s)

1 cup green beans

1 onion, diced

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1/2 cup milk

salt/pepper to taste

 

Topping:

1.5 cups pancake mix (I used Pamela’s here)

1 egg

3/4 cup milk

 

First, make sure you cook all of the vegetables to soften them up. They can be steamed or boiled until tender. Meanwhile, cook the rice and shred your turkey. Combine all ingredients in a greased 8×8 pan and spread the pancake topping on top. Bake at 400F for 25-30 minutes, or until the top has a golden brown color.

 

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November 19, 2012

The BEST Turkey Recipe!

My fridge is PACKED with food, the turkey is brining, the wine has been chosen as has the menu, so we are ready for some Thanksgiving!

My first turkey, 2009. (Looks better than it tasted…)

 

Ryan slicing our turkey! (I’m going to get in trouble for posting this!)

 

We will be staying at our house again this year, a tradition started after “disaster Thanksgiving 2008″, our first “married” Thanksgiving. Why the disaster? Well…

1) We drove to VA the day before Thanksgiving with ourselves and the dog. Normally takes 8-ish hours. Took us 10-11.

2) We saw both families, which don’t get me wrong- we LOVE seeing our families, but two families in three days is a bad idea.

3) I almost died. Saturday morning after Thanksgiving I woke up and let’s just say, I proceeded to lose 10 lbs in a not so pleasant way over the next 24 hours. I literally thought that was it. That I would die.

4) Half-dead Michelle sits in the car watching episodes of the Office on her iphone for 12 hours because that’s how long it took to drive home from Northern Virginia.

Since then, we happily host Thanksgiving at our house for whomever will join us (this year = my fabulous parents who are willing to make the drive down), and I will be cooking my third turkey.

So- Turkey is not my favorite, until last year. A friend in Atlanta passed along her recipe for Turkey that she absolutely swore by and totally sold me on in seconds, and well- tried it, loved it, and I’m a total convert. Making it again this year.

No pictures of the finished product to show as of yet, but I’ll share some later this week. In the meantime, here are the ingredients and instructions, and hopefully, you trust me enough to try it yourself!

Brining Ingredients

BEST TURKEY EVER! (recipe suitable for a 12-14 lb Turkey)

For the brine:

2 chopped onions

2 sliced tomatoes

1 1/2 cups olive oil

1 1/2 cups good white wine (something you would drink!)

3 Tbsp mustard

3 cloves of garlic

8 bay leaves

1 bunch thyme

3 Tbsp salt

pepper to taste

 

Before you cook it!

2-3 oz whiskey

 

Gravy

2 cups sour cream (this is Thanksgiving- get the real stuff, not the “Fat free”)

1 packet turkey gravy  (Betty Crocker)

2 Tbsp white vinegar

2-3 Tbsp white wine

2-3 cups juices from the cooked turkey

 

First, make the brine. Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor EXCEPT onion and tomato. Blend well, and you will form a yellow “vinaigrette” to soak the turkey in. Combine the turkey (defrosted and giblets removed!), vinaigrette, sliced onions and tomatoes in a bag and allow it to marinate in the fridge for 2-3 days before Thanksgiving. Turn the bag each day to make sure the turkey is evenly coated.

Thanksgiving day! Put the turkey in a roasting pan (tie the legs and wings to ensure more even roasting) and pour whiskey over the turkey. Cover with foil and bake at 400F for 2.5-3.5 hours (depends on the weight of your turkey- I always look up cooking instructions online and I also use a thermometer). For the last 20 minutes of cooking, remove the foil to allow the turkey to brown and the skin to crisp.

When finished, remove the turkey from the oven and use the juices to create the gravy. Mix the juices with the gravy mix on med-high heat over the stove. Slowly add in the sour cream, wine, and vinegar. Stir constantly until it thickens.

Enjoy! Let me know how it turns out! xoxo.

Wishful thinking…I’m sure he’ll have a taste!

 

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