Vegetarian “Paté”

Posted on March 10, 2019 by Alana

First, let’s get this out of the way… this does not taste like actual paté at all. However, being pregnant and not able to currently have paté made me crave something of a similar texture. This “paté” can be used spread on crackers or bread. Or it can be used a dip. Also if you want to make it vegan skip the cheese.

You will need a food processor for this recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1 one box of cremini mushrooms, chopped into slices
  • 1/2 a large yellow onion diced
  • 1 tbsp fresh dill finely chopped
  • 2 tbsps of ground or finely chopped walnuts
  • 1 tbsp shredded cheddar cheese
  • 4 cloves garlic diced
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1 tsp pepper

Instructions:

  1. On medium skillet hit 1 tbsp of olive oil
  2. Add diced yellow onion and cook on medium heat, stirring until onions are golden
  3. Add mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook until mushrooms become more brown and smaller. Usually 6-8 minutes. Stir periodically
  4. Add in the garlic and stir it in. Cook another 2 minutes
  5. Place the whole mixture in food processor and blend it until fairly smooth. Add cheddar cheese and mix again
  6. On a small skillet heat butter on medium heat. Add walnuts and stir frequently until they are slightly toasted. Be careful because these can burn fast
  7. Add walnuts and fresh dill to mushroom mixture and mix together
  8. Refrigerate for a couple of hours and serve with crackers, bread or as a dip
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Eggs Benedict with faux-hollandaise sauce and quick cheesy biscuits

Posted on December 26, 2017 by Alana

This was quick and easy but required some multitasking. The whole thing take about 25-30 minutes. There’s a lot of steps but its just to explain the instructions, it isn’t difficult to make.

Serves 2 people

Tip: make the eggs last.

Ingredients:

Cheesy Biscuits

  • 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • Pinch of salt, pepper and garlic powder
  • 1 egg beaten
  • 1/4-1/2 cup of half and half (see instructions)

Faux hollandaise

  • 1.5 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 cup mayo
  • 1/2 tsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp butter melted

Roasted potatoes

  • 1-1.5 large potatoes or 8-10 small potatoes chopped into 1/4 inch thick pieces
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt to taste
  • Pepper to taste
  • 1 tsp Garlic powder

Poached eggs

  • 4 eggs (for 2 people)
  • 1 tbsp vinegar
  • Medium pot with 1-2 quarts of water

Instructions:

  1. Start with the potatoes.
  2. Preheat oven to 400
  3. Lay cut up potatoes on a greased baking sheet pan
  4. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic powder and olive oil so it’s relatively even
  5. Bake for 25-30 minutes
  6. While potatoes are baking, make the biscuits.
  7. In a medium bowl combine flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder and mix
  8. Add an egg and cheese and mix (the dough should not be runny, it should be like cookie dough in consistency.
  9. Add 1/4 of half and half. Dough should still be not liquid. If it’s liquid, add more flour. If it’s too solid, add a little more half and half
  10. Using your hands separate dough into 4 even pieces and shape into round biscuit shape
  11. Heat large pan with cooking spray and place biscuits on it. Cook for 1-2 minutes per side on medium heat or until cooked through. Be careful not to burn them.
  12. Start making the faux hollandaise sauce by mixing the mustard, mayo and lemon together in a small bowl.
  13. In a separate bowl, melt 2 tbsp of butter and set aside until everything else is done.
  14. Once the potatoes are almost done, you can start poaching the eggs (this part is from a recipe from Genius Kitchen)
  15. Crack open eggs one at a time, into a small bowl.
  16. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce temperature.
  17. When water reaches a gentle simmer, pour egg into a ladle.
  18. Gently transfer eggs into simmering water.
  19. The egg whites will coagulate instantly & the vinegar will change the pH level of the poaching water.
  20. . Poach the eggs for 3 minutes spooning the simmering water over the eggs.
  21. When the whites become opaque and feel firm to the touch they are done.
  22. . Gently remove eggs with a slotted spoon
  23. Serve eggs on topic each biscuit
  24. Mix melted butter into hollandaise sauce mixture and pour over eggs and biscuits
  25. Serve with potatoes
  26. Enjoy!
Posted in Breakfast | 3 Comments

Cilantro Garlic Butter

Posted on November 1, 2017 by Alana

IMG_4124

You guys… I think this is the best butter I’ve made so far. Its such a good flavor combo and goes well with so many things. You need a stand mixer for this recipe (you can use a hand mixer too but it’ll take a while and your arm will get tired)

Ingredients:

  • 1 pint of heavy whipping cream (or 1 quart if you want more butter, double everything if you use a quart)
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions:

  1. Combine heavy whipping cream, cilantro, black pepper, garlic powder and salt in a large bowl
  2. Set mixer to medium speed and mix for about 15 minutes (it’ll take about 25-30 minutes for a quart of whipping cream). You will see the cream thicken first, then you’ll start to see globs of butter forming and the rest of the cream thinning and forming buttermilk. When the globs start forming, it gets very splashy, so I suggest putting a towel around/over the bowl and turning the mixer speed down a bit.
  3. Once you see lots of globs and some buttermilk (liquid), you’re done mixing (see picture below)
  4. Pour off the buttermilk into a jar (you can use this later for cooking a creamy sauce or whatever you want).
  5. Then place butter globs into a cheesecloth or towel and squeeze as much buttermilk out of it as you can. This will make the butter keep longer
  6. Store it in parchment paper. If you squeezed out the buttermilk well it will keep for about 1-2 weeks in the fridge and about 1 month in freezer
  7. Enjoy!

*** You can use the leftover buttermilk to make a sauce for pasta, rice or potatoes***

IMG_4125

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Banana pancakes with maple caramelized peaches

Posted on November 1, 2017 by Alana

pancakes

These are my go-to pancakes. They are easy to make and the peach maple topping really adds something decadent and unique to them.

This recipes makes about 12 smaller pancakes or 6-7 regular sized pancakes

Ingredients:

Pancakes:

  • 2 bananas mashed
  • 2 cups of pancake mix of your choice (or 2 cups all purpose flour and 1 tsp baking soda)
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/2 cup half and half or milk
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tbsp butter

Topping:

  • 1 peach finely sliced
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar

Instructions:

  1. Combine all pancake ingredient except butter in a bowl and mix together until smooth. The batter should be liquid but not runny, like the consistency of a creamy sauce. If its too runny add more flour. If its too thick, add more water
  2. Heat butter on large pan or griddle
  3. Using a small ladle (about 2 tbsp), pour mixture onto pan or griddle. Adjust amount of batter based on how many pancakes you want. Turn to heat to medium and cover
  4. Flip pancakes after about 1-2 minutes
  5. For the topping: In a small/medium pan heat up 1 tbsp butter
  6. Add brown sugar and mix with butter until it forms a relatively uniform mixture
  7. Add peach slices and turn heat to medium
  8. Flip peaches around with spatula until they start to soften a bit
  9. Add maple syrup and mix it around with the peaches
  10. Turn heat to medium low, mixing occasionally, and cook for about 5 minutes
  11. Serve pancakes topped with the maple peaches
  12. Enjoy!
Posted in Breakfast | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Tri-tip steak topped avocado salad

Posted on November 1, 2017 by Alana

IMG_4126

Ingredients:

  • 2-4 pieces of tri-tip (4-6oz each)
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp soy sauce
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 tsp corn starch
  • 1 avocado
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp chopped scallions
  • 1/4 finely chopped red onion
  • 1 tbsp butter

Instructions:

  1. Combine red wine vinegar, salt, sugar, soy sauce, olive oil, pepper and corn starch inborn and mix well. Place steak in same bowl or into ziplock and pour mixture into bag.
  2. Shake the bag or flip the meat around in the bowl to coat with marinade. Marinate for 30-60 minutes
  3. While marinating, prepare all the ingredients for the avocado topping
  4. Heat a large pan with some butter
  5. Sear steak on both side for about 1-2 minutes on each side, then decrease heat to medium and cover the pan. Cook until internal temp is 130-135F for medium rare or about 145 F for medium
  6. Allow meat to rest on a covered plate for 5 minutes
  7. Mix all the avocado ingredients together and serve on top of steak
  8. Enjoy!

 

Posted in Main Dishes, Red Meat | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Cilantro shrimp with rice pilaf

Posted on October 8, 2017 by Alana

IMG_3178

This recipe will include both the shrimp and the rice. I suggest making the rice first because the shrimp are super quick.

For the shrimp:

Ingredients:

  • 1 lbs of shrimp peeled and de-veined
  • 1.5 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1 tbsp fresh cilantro chopped
  • 4 cloves of garlic minced
  • pinch of cayenne pepper
  • 2 tbsp butter (melted)

IMG_3171

Instructions:

  1. Preheat broiler to 500
  2. In a large bowl mix together paprika, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper
  3. Mix in melted butter, garlic and cilantro
  4. Allow to marinate for 15 minutes
  5. Place on broil-safe baking dish and cook for 2 minutes, then flip and cook another 2 minutes

For the rice pilaf:

Ingredients

  • 2 2/3 cup low-sodium vegetable broth (use chicken or beef broth if you are making this rice with meat)
  • 1/3 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 tsp. kosher sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp. paprika
  • 1/4 onion powder
  • 3 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1/3 cup orzo
  • 1 cup long-grain white rice
  • 1 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro (or parsley)

Directions
  1. In a medium bowl add the vegetable broth, butter, salt, garlic powder, pepper, paprika, and onion powder. Heat in microwave for 2 minutes
  2. In a large skillet set over medium heat, add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the orzo and cook until brown, about 4-6 minutes.
  3. Add the rice and cook until it turns bright white, about 5-7 minutes.IMG_3170
  4. Pour the warm broth mixture into the skillet, stir to combine. Once the mixture simmers, cover and cook for 12-15 minutes, on medium-low heat. Remove the cover, add cilantro, cover and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes or until all of the broth is absorbed.
  5. Enjoy!

IMG_3172

Posted in Main Dishes, Seafood, Side dishes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Spicy butter

Posted on October 8, 2017 by Alana

IMG_3307

This butter has a nice little kick to it. It goes really well with seafood, but also other dishes. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of the butter itself once I drained and squeezed all the buttermilk out. But it basically looked the same as my prior butter recipe, but more red. See my prior herbed butter recipe here.

Ingredients:

  • 1 pint of heavy whipping cream (or 1 quart if you want more butter, double everything if you use a quart)
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • pinch of cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions:

  1. Combine heavy whipping cream, paprika, pepper, chili powder, cayenne pepper and salt in a large bowl
  2. Set mixer to medium speed and mix for about 15 minutes (it’ll take about 30 minutes for a quart of whipping cream). You will see the cream thicken first, then you’ll start to see globs of butter forming and the rest of the cream thinning and forming buttermilk. When the globs start forming, it gets very splashy, so I suggest putting a towel around/over the bowl.
  3. Once you see lots of globs and some buttermilk (liquid), you’re done mixing.
  4. Pour off the buttermilk into a jar (you can use this later for cooking a creamy sauce or whatever you want).
  5. Then place butter globs into a cheesecloth or towel and squeeze as much buttermilk out of it as you can. This will make the butter keep longer
  6. Store it in parchment paper. If you squeezed out the buttermilk well it will keep for about 1-1.5 weeks in the fridge and about 1 month in freezer
  7. Enjoy!

*** You can use the leftover buttermilk to make a sauce for pasta, rice or potatoes***

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Basil lemon garlic bread

Posted on October 8, 2017 by Alana

FullSizeRender 7

Ingredients:

IMG_3464

  • 1 packet of yeast
  • 1/2 cup warm water
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups warm milk
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 2 tbsp olive oil (and another 1/2 tbsp for brushing)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
  • 2 tbsp of lemon juice
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 cups of rye flour
  • coarse salt for sprinkling on top of bread
  • 1/2 tsp of dry basil for sprinkling
  • 1/4 tsp lemon zest
  • 2 garlic cloves minced

Instructions:

  1. In a medium sized bowl mix the yeast, sugar, and warm water.
  2. Set aside for 5 minutes or until foamy. If it doesn’t foam that means the yeast is dead and you need to start over
  3. Whisk the milk, honey, salt, olive oil, and baking soda together and add it to the yeast mixture.
  4. Add fresh basil and lemon juice and mix
  5. Add 3 cups of all purpose flour (1 cup at a time) and mix until smooth. Use a mixer for this if you can
  6. Add the rye flour, one cup at a time, keeping mixer on low speed.
  7. Once the dough pulls from the sides of the bowl take it out it from the bowl and place on a lightly floured surface. Knead a little bit
  8. Place in bowl, cover with towel or plastic wrap and leave it alone and let it rise for 1.5 hour
  9. Preheat oven to 400F.
  10. At this point you can just put the dough in baking dish lined with parchment paper (this will make it easier to take out). Or you can braid it by splitting the dough into 3 pieces.
  11. Brush the tops of the loaves with olive oil and sprinkle coarse salt, then dry basil, lemon zest and then garlic
  12. Bake for 12 minutes. Take out and spray with some water. This will crisp the tops a bit. Bake another 13 minutes.
  13. Remove loaf from oven
  14. Allow to cool in pans for 10 minutes
  15. Enjoy!

**Notes: If you want a crisper crust, brush the bread with egg instead of olive oil. You could also use melted butter instead of olive oil. I think my favorite is to brush with egg before baking and butter after baking***

***If you dont have rye flour, you can just use all purpose flour for the whole thing***

FullSizeRender 8

Posted in Breads | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Magic cake

Posted on October 8, 2017 by Alana

FullSizeRender 4

This is a really cool cake. You make just one batter pour it into a baking dish and you end up with a 3 layered cake! I had never heard of this before, but apparently its been around for a while on different baking and cooking blogs. I got this recipe from JoCooks (https://www.jocooks.com/bakery/cakes/magic-cake/). I actually made all 3 versions of the cake that she has on her site (original, Nutella and lemon). Unfortunately, I didn’t take any photos of the Nutella cake, but next time I make it I definitely will because it was really delicious! This recipe is for her original cake. I made a few small tweaks to the recipe based on making this cake a few times and realizing some things that make the process easier and create those 3 layers.

The original cake is very light and airy. It has 3 layers: a fudge-like dense layer, a custard middle layer and a top airy layer.

So here is the recipe with the changes I made:

Ingredients:

IMG_3459

  • 4 eggs at room temperature (separated into egg yolks and egg whites)
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 8 tbsp butter unsalted and melted
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups milk lukewarm (heat in microwave for 1 minute to get it to the right temperature)
  • powdered sugar for dusting cake

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 325 F degrees. Grease a 8 inch x 8 inch baking dish
  2. Separate the eggs and beat the egg whites with a standing mixer if you have one, until stiff peaks form. (I usually just let the mixer do the work here and at the same time hand mix the other ingredients in a different bowl)

    img_3382.jpg

  3. *I suggest doing this part by hand (using a whisk or fork), I think it came out better when I did it this way.* Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add melter butter and vanilla extract and continue beating for another minute or two after which you can add the flour and mix it in until fully incorporated.
  4. Slowly start adding the milk (about 1/2 cup at a time) and beat until everything is well mixed together. (if you’re using a mixer here, this ill get super messy and splatter)
  5. Now add the egg whites to the bowl. Fold them in gently and mix by hand. You want to leave some little globs floating around, so don’t mix it completely. It should look like the picture below, on the right

  6. Pour batter into baking dish and bake for 40-50 minutes or until the top is lightly golden. My oven took 45 minutes pretty consistently *According to JoCooks: The baking time can vary greatly for this cake. I’ve baked this cake in 3 different ovens and I’ve always needed different times which were from 40 to 70 minutes. Test it after 40 minutes to see what it looks like. The cake is done when it only jiggles slightly but feels firm to touch.*
  7. Sprinkle some powdered sugar after cake has cooled.
  8. Enjoy!

It doesn’t look super impressive when it comes out. Kind of just looks like a poundcake, but the magic happens when you slice into it and see 3 layers!

Below is a photo of the full cake, a slice of the lemon magic cake I made and a slice of the original cake. Though these pictures are not amazing, you can see the layers. So give it a try, I promise its easy!

IMG_3467FullSizeRender 5fullsizerender-4-e1507520519679.jpg

Posted in Desserts and drinks | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Sweet & spicy bacon wrapped chicken with kale and caramelized walnuts

Posted on September 28, 2017 by Alana

IMG_3150

This meal was really amazing, especially considering that it came about from me thinking, “hmm what do we have in the house to eat?”. I has a really great flavor combination, its easy to make and it will leave your guest saying “wow!”

I would suggest brining the chicken if you can, but if you don’t have time you can skip that step.

Ingredients:

Brine:

  • 1 cup boiled water
  • 2.5 tbsp table salt
  • 2 cups cold water
  • 1 tsp pepper

Main meal:

  • 4-6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • 4-6 piece of bacon
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp chili power
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Kale and walnut side dish

  • 4-5 leaves of fresh kale, chopped
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 3/4 cup whole or halved walnuts
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp butter and another 1/2 tsp butter

Sauce

  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1 tbsp heavy whipping cream
  • 1 tbsp corn starch mixed with cold water (do this once you’re actually making the sauce)
  • pinch of salt and pepper
  • pinch of cinnamon

Instruction:

  1. If you are not going to brine the chicken, skip steps 1-4. Combine 1 cup of hot water with salt and pepper and mix well until salt dissolves.
  2. Place chicken in a shallow dish that is deep enough to accommodate 3 cups of water and cover the chicken completely.
  3. In a large bowl combine hot water mix with cold water and pour over the chicken
  4. Let stand in the refrigerator for 4-6 hours or overnight
  5. Preheat oven to 400 F
  6. Combine chili powder, garlic powder, cinnamon, brown sugar and paprika in a small bowl and mix
  7. Brush the spice mix on to each piece of chicken, front and back
  8. Wrap each chicken piece with 1 piece of bacon
  9. Place all the chicken onto a baking dish
  10. Bake for 35 minutes. You can broil at the end for 2 minutes or so to crisp the tops. But you don’t need to do that
  11. While the chicken is baking, make your side dish. Heat a medium pan with some butter
  12. Add walnuts and brown sugar, turn heat to medium and stir frequently so the walnuts get covered in the melted sugar
  13. After about 5-7 minutes, remove walnuts from heat and carefully place them individually on a piece of parchment paper. You need to do this, or all your walnuts with cool to form a big sugar and walnut glob
  14. In a large pan, heat 1/2 tsp butter and add the kale, sprinkle with salt and lemon juice. Mix frequently and cook on medium heat until kale gets more tender.
  15. In a small pot combine buttermilk, cinnamon, salt, pepper and whipping cream and bring to soft boil, dont let it boil over, then turn heat to medium.
  16. Mix cornstarch with cold water until its is completely liquid and add it to the sauce. Stir it.
  17. Allow the sauce to heat a bit more for 2 minutes or so and turn the heat to low
  18. Toss walnuts into pan with kale and mix it together
  19. Remove chicken from oven and serve with kale and walnuts. Pour a small amount of buttermilk sauce over the chicken
  20. Enjoy!

 

Posted in Chicken, Main Dishes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment