Tuesday, August 30, 2011

peas in a pod

My mom just came back from Argentina where she spent almost a month hanging out with family. When the question was asked: “is there anything you want me to bring back?”, the only logical answer was of course “get me a big tub of dulce de leche”.
She didn’t get me a ‘big tub’, but a good amount none-the-less.
There is nothing like Argentinian dulce de leche. It’s much darker than the kind you’ll find here and it’s taste is much richer, milkier, creamier. Maybe I am slightly biased, but it is so, so good.
And with such an abundance of it, it’s going into just about everything.
Like these freaking delicious cookies.

Photobucket

Can I remind you that chocolate and dulce de leche go hand-in-hand (case in point here and here)?
And this just drives the point home even more.
I start with this recipe for chocolate chocolate chip cookies. I omitted the white chocolate chips and opted for a handful of semi-sweet chips instead.

Photobucket

Then I slathered on the dulce de leche, squished them together and entered serious euphoria.

Photobucket

These are highly addictive. So much so that at around 1:30am while the pup was sleeping, I ever-so-slightly got up to grab one. Or two. Or three.
Occasionally glancing at the calendar marked dentist @ 10 am.
These cookies are so good, the cavities are worth it! Sort of.
Ok not really, but it’s nice to think so.

Photobucket

And for the record, I had no cavities.

Saturday, August 20, 2011

playing favorites

As much as I love food, I do have favorites. More specifically, I have one favorite that is way above the rest.
There is nothing like an ooey-gooey, cheesy, greasy cheeseburger.
I love it when the cheese oozes out. I love it when it’s so messy, I need excessive napkins. I love it when the edges of the burger have been perfectly seared and there’s a nice crisp edge all around the patty.
That is a great burger.
The cliché version of the cheeseburger is much different. You will see it on magazine covers, plastered on billboards, in commercials : a big fluffy bun, and a thick burger patty, making one big cheeseburger - almost too big to comfortably eat.
No, no, and no.
The best burger is a thin patty….preferably layers of them, really…seared on a flat-top so it gets perfectly caramelized, smothered with cheese, and then set perfectly atop a toasty, buttered bun.
When you bite down, the cheese oozes and you get full meat flavor.
I like my burgers with nothing on them. Meat and cheese, the occasional slather of mayo - the end. I like nothing to interfere with a good burger. Same thing goes with fries: a slight sprinkle of salt and I’m good.

Photobucket

Photobucket

The double char burger from Char Hut. Meat, cheese, mayo. Of course it looks like a heart attack waiting to happen, of course it will do terrible things for my thighs, but I don’t care.
If loving you is wrong, I don’t want to be right.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

a farewell to liz

Food is one of the best presents you can give. It’s comforting, it’s simple yet meaningful, and it’s full of love.
A friend was moving away to st. Thomas and I knew I just couldn’t let her go away empty handed (granted she wasn’t leaving entirely empty-handed - she was flying with her neurotic, yet charming, cat). Being a big fan of dulce de leche, I opted to make her these fantastic dulce de leche brownies. Brownies AND dulce de leche?? Is there anything else necessary in the world?? These brownies could probably stop wars.
While I’m not a big fan of cakey brownies, these actually have a great balance between cakey and fudgy. They’re a wonderful chocolate flavor and the dulce de leche globs are a delightful surprise. You really can’t eat just one. Though let's be honest, I rarely eat just one baked good when I'm baking.
But I have been trying to control my eating-a-whole-pan-of-brownies-in-one-sitting thing. What can I say? It's not easy.
And if you were wondering, she loved them.

Photobucket

Photobucket

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

his & her salads

Five reasons I love salads:
1. Easy clean up. Almost as good as one-pot meals.
2. Anything goes. Leftover, unloved veggies in the back of the fridge are begging to be in your salad!
3. Lovely for dinner, lovely for lunch, even lovely for breakfast if that’s your thing.
4. Healthy! Granted if you pile on cups of ranch or blue cheese dressing or something, that’s not healthy. But the majority of the time it’s relatively guilt-free eating.
5. Lightweight for a hot summer night dinner. And with this unbearable heat, it's perfect.

Photobucket

Photobucket

romaine, feta, olives, cucumber, grilled chicken in a lemon vinaigrette. the husband likes tomatoes and onions, too.

Friday, August 5, 2011

curly cues

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

I keep things incredibly simple when it comes to my hair.
Brush, blow-dry 2 minutes (tops), go.
I am all about low-maintenance. Homegirl does not have patience.
But lately it's been boring me. So I pulled out my curling iron - still in the package, mind you - and had some fun.
A couple of curls and braids later and the result is cute and different and I like!

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

breakfast of champions

Photobucket

My usual go-to breakfast is a bowl of cereal. Sometimes a bagel and cream cheese if I’m feeling wild and crazy.
Since I've been getting up much earlier to tend to the pup, my breakfasts have been heartier. And lately I’ve been on a serious pancake kick. The mix comes together in seconds and with the help of my handy-dandy trusty griddler, I’ve got breakfast in no time!
And the mix is a blank canvas - which is arguably the best part. Lately I’ve been partial to chocolate chip and almond-granola.
A good glass of OJ makes this one heck of a breakfast.

Photobucket

When I was in high school, I was in a food production class. One class was dedicated to breakfast and we received handouts with recipes, including one for pancakes. I have used that recipe ever since. It really is perfect.
It makes a light, fluffy pancake and it comes together in a snap. As for syrup, I know it’s wrong, immoral, and I might as well be a communist, but I really like pancake syrup. Gobs of it. It is a serious guilty pleasure. Don’t judge.


Pancakes!
One batch makes about 4-6 pancakes, depending on size. Perfect for 2, but it can easily double if you want to make more.

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 heaping T sugar (I usually add a pinch more)
1 T baking powder
½ t salt
1 egg
¾ c milk
2 T melted butter or vegetable oil

1. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and whisk to combine.
2. Melt a pat of butter in a pan or griddle. Ladle some batter in and sprinkle on add-ins (chocolate chips, nuts, blueberries, etc.). Wait til bubbles show up on the surface of the pancake.
3. Flip, cook on other side, eat!

Photobucket

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

a grilled summer lunch

Photobucket

While those shredded pork lettuce wraps were delicious, sometimes I want something grilled, hearty, but still light enough for a hot summer day.
This is a fantastic take on meat and potatoes if you ask me.
With almost anything I grill (specifically on steaks), I use the same marinade: some lemon or lime juice, soy sauce, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and whatever spices I'm feeling at the moment.
On occasion I've used honey, too. The sugar caramelizes the meat and gives fantastic flavor. Either way, the marinade is versatile and incredibly simple.
And the best part: it can sit for as little as 10 minutes and you're ready to grill.
While the meat is grilling, throw on some boiled, sliced potatoes to grill as well.
I used some romaine I had in the fridge, but spinach is really good with grilled steak. Throw in some sliced carrots, broccoli, and whatever else you fancy. I'm a sliced almonds, cucumbers, and feta kinda girl.
Throw in the potatoes and steak.
As for the dressing? I keep it simple with lemon juice, olive oil, and some parsley.
Simple, fresh, clean, fantastic.

Photobucket