Why I love the Internet, Part 2

I previously talked about why I love the Internet, or Google (which for me, is the Internet), but now my love has gone to an all new level. 

If you have a heart of any kind/size, love to get emails, enjoy pictures, or are an over all sap (hello!) this quick video is worth a watch, and whatever tears may follow.

Look, I cried at my desk - that is the power of Google!

I'll Meet You at the Bar

I am not a big drinker, but I love a bar.  I love a cookie dunking, cheese cutting, drink making, ice cream cone stacking, pie slicing bar.  I love it so much that for our wedding I recruited family to make our favorite cookies which were artfully displayed in beautiful glass domes and trays.  

What inspired my cookie bar - Ariel Yve Wedding via StyleMePretty.com

The Viennese table of my bat mitzvah youth, and the all-you-can-eat buffet of my worst nightmares have been elevated to a chic level of sophistication and grace.  You can blame it on food bloggers, food stylists, but Amy Atlas is the pro who has made it an art.  

Gone are over flowing trays of cheddar cheese cubs and sad excuses for French pastries.  In their places are authentic foods, comfort foods, real foods in smaller portions and beautifully displayed.

Ice Cream is amazing, but how much sweeter do you think it tastes when this is how it looks?  Probably a thousand times sweeter is my guess. 

Ice Cream Parlour Chic by Eat Drink Chic

I don't know too many studs who would be plussed by a spud bar, but perhaps the happy homemaker in all of us would make this for her spud loving stud (or little spud stud baby). 

Spud Bar by Botanic Flowers, Photo by TinyWater

Ahh, the cheese plate has grown into a cheese table!  Is this not the most simple and elegant display of some of nature and man's best creations (honey and cheese)?  

Cheese Table by Sunday Suppers

We see a lot of cookies, cakes and pies, but how absolutely delightful to see fruits and vegetables (and their favorite dips) all beautifully displayed and taking center stage?  This shows that eating whole and healthily is beautiful.   

Fruit and Veggie Bar at Ohdeedoh

As I menu plan for the upcoming Passover holiday I can't help but be inspired by the creative presentations and artful edibles.

Crab Cake Appetizers

"Crab cakes and football, that's what Maryland does!" - Wedding Crashers

To live near Maryland is to know (and love) crabs: steamed, dipped in butter, made into cakes.  When I was home for the weekend I made a crab cake appetizers for my parents and grandparents.  It was so fun to cook for people who have cooked for me my whole life, and to make something that doesn't show up too often in South Florida.  Florida is all about stone crabs, not Maryland crabs.

Crab Cake Appetizer, makes 14

2 containers of 8oz crab meat (I used lump and claw)

1 egg, gently beaten

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1/8 cup of Panko breadcrumbs

1/2 lemon juiced

1/2 teaspoon Old Bay (this is not exact*)

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 shakes of Worcestershire sauce

3 cracks of fresh black pepper

sprinkle of salt

Sauce

2 tablespoons of mayonaisse

1/2 teaspoon Old Bay

1/4 lemon juice

chopped chives

In a medium sized bowl empty the crab and with a gentle hand and wooden spoon mix the different kinds of meat together.  You can use all the same kind of meat, but generally one is considerably more expensive than the other, and they have a different flavor, so I combine for more depth.

In the empty crab cup, beat the egg and then add it to the crab.  Add the mustard, and a couple of squirts of the Worcestershire sauce, the lemon juice and the Panko.  

You're probably noticing that the measurements for these ingredients are not overly specific, that's because we're cooking and not baking, and because flavor and spice is personal.  Mark loves Old Bay so I tend to go stronger with that, and I don't care for salt so I tend to go lighter.  If you want spicy crab cakes, add more red pepper - it's that simple!

Again with the wooden spoon, very gently incorporate all of the ingredients, being careful to not pulverize the crab.  A great crab cake is full of big, pump pieces of meat.  I usually take a sniff of the crab mixture to see if it seems balanced, and then maybe add more spices if necessary.

Now, form small balls of the crab mixture is the well of the palm of your hand.  These just need to be gently formed, not packing them too tightly.  Place all of the uncooked cakes on a plate and cover with plastic to refrigerate for about 30 minutes.  Refrigeration lets the crab cakes firm up before they are cooked.

In a large pan over low/medium heat add a touch of butter and get to cooking.  Each side takes 3-4 minutes.

When the crab cakes are out of the pan, give them a few moments to cool and mix up the sauce (mayonnaise, lemon juice and Old Bay) and chop up some chives.  For an extra kick you can add a dash of Tabasco to the sauce.

Place all of the crab cakes on a platter and give some (or all) a small dollop of sauce and a sprinkle of chives, serve with fresh lemon, oh and Enjoy!

(Texas) Pecan Shortbread Cookies

I watch the Bachelor.  

I watched when Trista met Ryan, the formerly chubby comedian, Jen, the football player, the actor's brother, the British guy, Brad, Deanna, Jason - paused after Jason because it was so gross - Ali, and now back to Brad.  

I watch with my husband and my sister.  It has become something of a Monday tradition; three otherwise normal people completely engrossed in some producers' idea of fantasy dates, and hanging onto every clue giving goo-goo eyed look, and promise of "I'm here for the right reasons".

Mark likes to call it from the very first episode and on more than one season he has been right.  Julie and I watch for the subtleties (if you can call them that) in each date.

Tonight is the finale, and tonight Brad will follow his heart back to Texas with one girl as happy as can be, and another girl heartbroken - or at least reality tv broken.

Texas Pecan Shortbread Cookies

*Did you know that the Pecan Tree is the state tree of Texas?

1 stick of butter 

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup pecans (ground up in a food processor after 45 seconds)

3/8 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinammon

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup chocolate chips

First I poured the flour into a pan and sort of toasted it a la Dorie Greenspan's Roasted Flour Shortbread cookies.  Whole wheat flour tends to have a nutty flavor and fuller texture than traditional flour but the 5-8 minutes of "toasting" on medium heat seemed to really highlight that flavor.

With the flour off the heat add the the salt, cinnamon and processed pecans.  Pecans add even more flavor, they're a good source of antioxidants and are low in cholesterol.  Hey, when you're making cookies you look for the goodness anywhere you can.

In a medium size bowl cream the butter, powdered sugar and vanilla.  When the butter is sweetly yellow and fully incorporated and smooth add the flour mixture. 

When the flour and butter are fully blended form the dough into a ball and wrap with plastic and refrigerate for about an hour.  Truly, I don't think an hour is necessary - it was late on Sunday night so 40 minutes worked just fine.

With the dough out of the refrigerator is going to be firm and perfect for cookie cutters.  Here is a tip, layer the dough between two sheets of parchment paper and first use your hands to massage it flat and then use a roller to make it thin (about 1/4") and uniform.  The heat of your hands will warm the dough a bit, the roller on the dough, when it is right from the fridge, will crack it up too much.

I chose hearts, you know, Bachelor finale and all.  Set the oven to 300 degrees and bake for about 18 minutes or until the edges start to turn golden brown.

Allow to cool.  Then you can dip into chocolate, drizzle with chocolate or eat plain. 

I have my favorite in tonight's finale, but I'll tell you what these cookies taste a lot better than a rose and come with a lot less heart ache.  Enjoy the show and the cookies (they can both be a guilty pleasure!)

The Best of the Super Bowl

Let me put on my trained marketer's hat.  Okay, all better.  There are a few key components to what makes a great Super Bowl commercial - and no it is not the suggestive lines of Danica Patrick for GoDaddy.com - they are nostalgia, emotion, and some tasteful humor.

Let's knock out the bad and the ugly right away:

I didn't like last year's "Beat up Betty White" Snickers commercial and I liked this one even less.

I'm sure this will be high on the list of the funny commercials, but to me it was just ick...

I am not sure who Pepsi Zero intended for the audience to be for this commercial: normal sized women who beat up their spouses, or men who get bullied?  Certainly not young runners...

Weird.  A commercial about Eminem not doing a commercial for Brisk Ice Tea.  Super Weird.

The good.

Too funny.  You rarely see a tire commercial not capitalize on safety and often the fear factor.  This was a great twist - laughed out loud.

Chrysler and Eminem.  This commercial wasn't perfect but great play on nostalgia and the strength of a city.

Points for nostalgia and seeing Alf, Marcia Brady and the Fonz all in one commercial.  Well done, NFL.

The favorite.

My nephew has this same Darth Vader costume.  The kid is adorable.  The commercial is awesome.

So, this was technically an intro to the game, but in terms of nostalgia and kind of choking me up "The Journey" voiced by Michael Douglas, big win.

Pre-Game Snacks

I really do love football, but this weekend's "big game" is not really luring me in.  I am not into the teams, and I'm not into the location being a snowy Dallas...

In any case, I am into making food for the "big game".  Did you know that only NFL and the network broadcasting the game are allowed to use the term Super Bowl in a marketing context... little known fact!

If I was having a party for the Big Game I would serve up some of these healthy favorites!

Candied Pecans!

Stuffed Mushrooms!

Sweet Potato Chips and Spicy Arugula Pesto

For more inspiration and to honor the teams playing, The Greenbay Packers and The Pittsburgh Steelers, how about these recipes:

• Creamy Cheddar Soup in honor of the Cheeseheads
• Kielbasa "Hogs in a Sleeping Bag" for Pittsburgh
• Or, get some hot dog inspiration - who knew there were 31 Ways to top a Dog!?
• And score a touchdown with an out of the world, over the top dessert: S'more Brownies!

Good for a Laugh

Two weeks ago my sister sent me this link: http://whenparentstext.com/ - and if you have parents who do text, and have texted you even once, at first you might wonder, "how did someone with Tumblr account scan my phone?"  Then you're likely to break out into laughter that is so hard that you'll need to close the window and revisit this gem from home.

My parents text, but for better or worse they aren't this funny.  

If you're looking for some Friday laughs, please, enjoy!

			A1 for Waffles Mom: Do you want waffles or muffins for breakfast? Just text “A1” for waffles or “B1” for muffins. Me: Why did you go through all that trouble? Why can’t I just text “waffles” or “muffins”? Mom: We are texting in code! ;););) :) Me: Waffles Mom: A1 or B1? Me: WAFFLES Mom: Sooo…A1? Me: Mom. Yes. Mom: I think I would rather have muffins. I’m making muffins

Candied Pecans and Bleu Cheese Bites

This originally was featured on the DC Ladies Blog but the recipe was too easy and too good to not share!

Earlier I posted savory bleu cheese and pecan cookies, which were awesome and easy and fun to eat for breakfast, if that's your thing (which, evidently it is mine). Anyway, those cookies were the round 2 to this even easier, and also quite charming, appetizer.  Because the whole thing takes about 8 minutes to prepare and assemble this might be perfect for when you have surprise company or perhaps need reinforcements at a cocktail party.

Candied Pecans and Bleu Cheese Bites

Ingredients

French baguette

Candied Pecans, recipe here

Bleu Cheese crumbles

Honey

Your freshly made, or store bought pecans get a good chop and are set aside.

Cut a French baguette into thin slices and toast lightly.  (This isn't really necessary, but generally speaking there are few things better than warm bread).  With the back of a spoon “spread” the crumbled bleu cheese on top of the baguette slices. 

Sprinkle on top of the bleu cheese and the chopped candied pecans and a light drizzle of honey.

Each bite is like a divine sampling of a cheese platter at the most divine wine bar, and easy to do and made with ingredients that are probably in your pantry!

Happy Holidays – wishing you delicious entertaining!

Bleu Cheese and Candied Pecan Savory Cookies

I love cheese, like looooove it.  I love going to a restaurant and getting to order a cheese plate: with beautiful wedges of fragrant cheese, breads, honeys and perhaps some nuts.  The idea of this arrangement of flavors always seems so sophisticated but perhaps a little intimidating to try at home.

I tested this out last night (in two different way), and success!  These Savory Cookies are perfect for when you entertain, as an a pre-meal snack, or as a gift to a hostess packaged in a cute bag.

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup of Whole Wheat Flour

1/2 Stick of Butter (4 Tbsp), softened

1/3 Cup of Candied Pecans, grounded

1/4 Cup of Crumbled Bleu Cheese

Candied Pecans
1 1/4 cup of Pecans
1/2 tbsp of butter, unsalted
1 tbsp of brown sugar
1/2 tsp of cinnamon

In a non stick pan melt butter, add the pecans and sugar and cinnamon and stir with a silicon spatula over low-medium for 5-7 minutes until the pecans are covered with small flecks of caramel goodness.  Set aside to cool

In a food processor grind up the pecans to a small grind, but now a fine powder.  Set aside.

In a medium size bowl blend the softened butter and then add the bleu cheese, ground pecans and flour.  Side note, you could definitely use regular all-purpose flour, but I opted for whole wheat for its nuttier flavor and texture, and the potential for it to be a little more nutritious.

The dough will be crumbly, and look like a bunch of little tan colored peas.  Sprinkle a little extra flour on your work surface and begin to form the dough into a log.  This is completely visually unappealing.  I'm sorry - please, don't let it dissuade you from making this recipe...

Cut the dough into 1/3" slices and lay out on a non-stick cookie sheet or silpat and bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. (See those flecks of cheese?  They are going to bubble and melt into amazing deliciousness!)

Let these cool for about 10  minutes after baking and serve with your favorite wine and either a drizzle of honey on top or a small dollop of your favorite pear or apricot preserves (that helps add back the sweetness found on your favorite cheese plates).

 These are great, and they keep nicely, and well, if we're being honest I ate two for breakfast so they're all around perfect snack to bake and share.

Don't Forget the Center

When entertaining for the holidays, or really any time of the year, your table is never fully dressed without a centerpiece.  The Fall and Winter seasons provide plenty of inspiration for table decor that is special but also simple. 

I first turn to the master of all "good things", Ms. Martha Stewart, for inspiration:

For a simple everyday table setting how sweet is table with a collection of small sized baskets with seasonal fruits?  Let the fruit double as part of your dessert and you have a two for one special.

via Martha Stewart

 In a continuation of the fruit theme, I love the stately nature of the pillar candles and baskets filled with plump berries and grapes.  The colors sing fall while not being generic or too obviously themed.

via Martha Stewart

 For a crafty decor idea there is nothing easier than this for the mantle: take candle holders/vases that you already own and wrap with pretty paper and secure with a double stick tape.  An illuminated candle inside gives this idea an ever brighter glow.

via Martha Stewart

 I love, love, love this centerpiece.  It is a true centerpiece and worthy of a special dinner or even a fall wedding.  A bundle of wheat twisted and tied with a beautiful silk ribbon compliments the warmth and heart of the season.

via Martha Stewart

Here are some more great centerpiece ideas that I could not resist:

From pottery barn, this is a simple hurricane candle holder wrapped with dried maze and tied with twine.  It probably take no more than minutes to assemble but makes a very pretty visual impact.

Via Pottery Barn

Or you can always order a vibrant, beautiful bouquet of flowers for your table and for around your home:

via FTD

via 1800Flowers

Whatever you do keep it easy, make it reflect you and your home, and make it special with a little extra sparkle.

Happy Friday and have a beautiful weekend!

Going Bananas for Plantains

I love bananas for breakfast, it's what I ate for breakfast this morning.  Plantains on the other hand are not for breakfast, but equally (if not more delicious).  I am not a food scientist a la Alton Brown but I did a little research so I'll pass it on so we'll all know how bananas and plantains are different fruits.  

Plantains are in a green, thick skin, they can't be eaten raw and are starchy and used as a vegetable, whereas bananas, well you know, yellow, think skin, sweet, good in cereal!

When we had our Latin fiesta night in addition to the watermelon, salsa and Mexican inspired s'mores we also served tostones, or plantain fritters.

Tostones Ingredients:

3 Large Plantains (party of 8)

Vegetable Oil of some variety, we used Canola

Kosher Salt

Open the tostones, you'll probably need a knife as they don't break open as easily as a banana.  Cut slices that are about 1 inch long. 

Put oil in a large pan (about an 1/3 inch high) over heat over a medium/high flame.  When the oil is hot enough, not burning or bubbling, but hot enough to react if you flicked some water from your finger tips into the oil, place plantains in slice side down.

Cook plantains for about 2  minutes on each side. 

This is a sensitive time, you'll want to keep an eye out so you can get a nice rich caramel color on the fried side.  Too light and thetostones will be too starchy, too dark, they might taste like burned sugar.

Set up all of the fried tostones on layers of paper towel to absorb any of the oil that is being released, just like latkes, onion rings, or anything fried you'll want to mop up the extra oil so you can get right to the flavors of the food.  Stop!  Do not discard the extra oil!

Time to smash!  I suppose if you had kids, which I don't, this could be a fun thing for them to do with supervision. (This was also a great thing for Mark to do, that's him!)  Set up a cutting board and grab a can from the cupboard.  Smash!  Smashing the plantains to about a 1/2 inch will be perfect.

The smashed plantains go back in the oil for about 20-30 seconds on each side just to crisp up the sides, and then back on new paper towels.

This is delicious now, and ready to eat.  But to maximize that salty-sweet combination that is so hard to beat grab that Kosher salt and lightly sprinkle over the tostones, then just try not to eat all of them!

Classic, with a Kick

Earlier in the week I mentioned our Latin inspired fiesta, and our large menu.  I knew when planning the menu that as always we would have a lot of food, and I wanted to keep everything light, easy to prepare and fun.  So, while I love tres leches and flans, I knew they would work with the rest of our hand held menu, and goal for being outside.

And that was when Mexican S'mores were born.    

 

Of course I originally intended to make my own graham crackers, I even thought about making my own marshmallows, but as you might imagine those plans don't jive with "easy to prepare".  So what is more easy to prepare than a box of graham crackers, a bag of marshmallows and 2 packets of Lindt Dark Chocolate with a hint of chili?  I'll tell you what's easier, just about nothing!  

What I had envisioned was using our grill to gently toast the marshmallows to a lovely golden brown.  Instead it rained all day and the cooking and s'mores making moved inside.  

No fear, these are just as good when they are made in the oven.  

Steps to S'more Success:

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees

2. Put foil on top of a baking sheet

3. Put marshmallow on top of chocolate square on top of half of a graham cracker

4. Place in oven, with the light on and pace/dance/chat for about 90 seconds because then the marshmallows will be soft and browning.

5. Stack graham cracker half on top.

6.EAT!, and eat again and again.

I think other delicious flavors would include those Ghirardelli squares with a little mint, caramel or peanut butter filling - the options are endless and the results are deliciously fun!

Fresh Salsa, almost like Vacation

This past weekend we had friends over for linner, late lunch/early dinner.  Since we were prepping the food, and they were supplying the drinks, I got started on planning out a themed menu.  The weekend before I  reminisced about the amazing food we ate on our honeymoon to Mexico, and so the theme developed on it's own, we'd be doing a Latin inspired meal.

We served up salsa fresca, chunky guacamole, mango coconut fish and pulled pork tacos, roasted tomatillos, out of this world tostones, cilantro rice and garlicky black beans, watermelon and lemon, and Mexican s'mores.

The Salsa was a huge hit, and it turns out it is actually America's most popular condiment - who knew?!  

 

Ingredients:

3 cups of Cherry Tomatoes

1/2 cup of Red Onion

1/2 cup of White Onion

1/4 cup of Cilantro

1 Jalapeno, with seeds removed and sliced

The Juice of 1 Lime

A sprinkle of salt to taste

I think salsa is a dish where you sort of know what you like.  Want more onions? Throw in more onions.  Hate cilantro?  Skip it.  

One tip I practiced was something I learned from Chef Rick Bayless, which was to wash the onion in a bit of cold water to reduce their bite.  I guess if you wanted that onion-y bite you could skip that too.

Here is a trick that we created out of necessity, and it worked like a charm: we didn't want soupy salsa.  So as the tomatoes were being chopped they were dropped into a colander so that the extra tomato juice could drain out.  

Then all the ingredients go into one big bowl, and they get to know each other, they mingle, they dance and then they meet a chip and fall in love. No chips?  Yikes!  Also amazing with rice and beans, over grilled chicken or eggs.

If you have a bounty of summer tomatoes, this is a simple, low calorie way to use them up, and transport yourself to a beach vacation getaway.