Goat Cheese and Fig Appetizer

Friends!  I present to you my new favorite "in a pinch" appetizer!

Let's say you're having an impromptu get together with a friend after work and need to grab something in a hurry, head to Trader Joe's and buy this stuff.  If there is no TJ's close to you, I've given you some alternate options!

I present to you, the lineup of goodies:

Image from here

Get some Rosemary Raisin Crisps ($3.99).  If you've never had these before, these crackers are Trader Joe's answer to the ridiculously expensive but ridiculously amazing Raincoast Crisps which are a little over $7/box.  They are delicious crackers, don't get me wrong, but I can't justify spending $7 on crackers.   

Then get some goat cheese (any kind, I went with a 5 oz log from TJ's).  If you want to be fancy, get some of the delicious goat cheese from the local favorite Firefly Farms. 

Image from here

Then get some Fig Butter ($2.29), which is AMAZING and you will always remember and love me for telling you about this.  You could also be fancy about this purchase as well and get some Ficoco - a fig and CHOCOLATE spread (I've found Ficoco at Giant and Wegman's).

Now, get your cutest little platter and top each cracker with a bit of goat cheese and then a small dollop of fig butter, and you're ready to start pleasing people!  Sorry for not having a picture of the finished product, but I assume you are all a very imaginative bunch and can figure out what it would look like.

Let me know if you try it - it's my new favorite (and takes the place of this appetizer as being my go-to).

And nope, I was in no way compensated by Trader Joe's for this post (wouldn't that be glorious, though! hahaha), these are just my own ramblings. 

High Expectations

Every year I start the holiday season full of ideas. Decorating ideas, DIY ideas, food ideas, gift ideas etc etc. And every year I disappoint myself and do none of them.

This year, especially with the introduction of Pinterest to my life (feel free to follow me: Nakiya Schurman), I found myself overwhelmed with projects. So I bought pre-made cards (THE HORROR!) instead of making these:

(Idea from here)

And instead of making new decorations, like this gorgeous wreath below, I decided to stick with the decorations I already owned.

(From here)

However, I DID keep my idea of making homemade edible gifts on my list. Specifically: marshmallows. A comment on my Facebook page stirred this interest within me, and then a recent conversation with a friend solidified it. I am going to make marshmallows.

(Found here)

As well as marshmallows, I am thinking about making some Chai Tea Mix, some Bark, and some yummy cookies as well.

I'll let you know what I end up making (and hopefully I won't end up saying "nothing!")

What about you? Any homemade gifts, edible or non-edible, to make soon?

FREE Martha Stewart's 2011 Thanksgiving Cookbook

Just like last year, Martha Stewart and Sirius have teamed up to offer Martha's entire 2011 Thanksgiving Cookbook for free!

Here are some of the recipes I would love to show up at my Thanksgiving:

Soups and Starters

• Pumpkin Soup

Turkey/Entrees

• Leg of Lamb in a Clementine Crust
• Riesling Roast Turkey with Fig and Root Vegetable Dressing

 Sides and Salads

• Caramelized Chestnuts and Brussel Sprouts

Desserts

• Pear and Hazelnut Cake

RECIPE: Homemade Almond Butter

I wrote about my pre-run dinners, so what about my pre-run breakfasts at 5am?  What do I eat when I am cold, disoriented and angry that I have to submit my body to this wonderful torture?

I eat almond butter.  

Almond butter with half a bagel and a banana.  Or almond butter with a thick slice of my homemade bread and a banana.  Either way, almond butter was always part of my meal, so I decided to make my own!  And it was the easiest thing I have ever made (my chocolate syrup comes in as a close second)!!!

WARNING: Almond butter can be a bit tricky, since I've made it twice now and I had to make it differently both times.

The First Time
I roasted 1 cup of raw, whole almonds, dumped them on parchment paper to cool off, dumped them in the food processor and let it go for about 12 minutes until it became liquidy and creamy.  That is the butter I have taken pictures of in this post.

The Second Time
I used 2 cups of raw, whole almonds, roasted the nuts a bit too long (some were definitely bordering on burnt) and then, after cooling them, dumped them in the food processor.  However, this time around, a butter did not form, just dried crumbles of almonds.  So I added approximately 2 teaspoons of honey and 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil and kept processing until it formed the consistency I wanted.

 

At the end of the day, both versions were simple and delicious, so there really isn't a perfect science to it! 

Possible Variations

- Don't roast the almonds and just make raw almond butter

- Add some chocolate syrup to make chocolate almond butter (I am doing this with my next batch!!!)

- Add some spices (cinnamon, nutmeg etc) and honey for a Fall taste

- Add some pumpkin puree for an even bigger Fall taste

RECIPE: Homemade Chocolate "Apology" Syrup

It's been a while....I know.  What can I say?  I AM SO SO SO SORRY.  I've been really busy and really just focused on my marathon training.  I am sorry that my blog had to take a back seat :(

In order to make it up to you, I'm going to tell you about one of the best things I've ever made - homemade chocolate syrup.  MAKE IT NOW AND KEEP SOME ALWAYS IN YOUR FRIDGE.

SERIOUSLY.

Ditch that bottle of gross Hershey's syrup in the trash and just whip up some of this.  Use it on ice cream, OR if you are a runner and need a recovery aid - use this to make your Chocolate Milk!

Chocolate Syrup

Taken from Shop.Cook.Make

½ cup Cocoa Powder

1 cup Water

1 cup Sugar

⅛ teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

-Mix all ingredients, except vanilla, and cook for 8-10 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly.

-Remove from the heat and add vanilla. Stir well. 

-Let it come to room temperature before putting it in the fridge. It'll thicken as it cools. 

While it's still hot, you can pour it over ice cream or cake. To make Chocolate Milk, mix 2 tbsp of the syrup with 8 ounces of milk. 

SO GOOD

SO GLORIOUS.

RECIPE: NO-BAKE Strawberry Icebox Cake

Any dessert that has strawberries + cream is always going to be a winner in my book (check out my Eton Mess) and so I had no doubts that I would love this dessert.  I was right!  

Not only was it delicious (very important!), but it was fun to make, required NO baking, and it looks really impressive!  If you think the graham crackers are an odd ingredient – stop!  After four hours in the fridge, they soften up to an almost thin cake-like consistency.  

 

I think this could be a great dessert for this July 4th weekend – get creative with blueberries and strawberries and you could have a flag cake!

No-Bake Strawberry Icebox Cake
adapted from here

1.5 pounds fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced thin
2 cups whipping cream
4 tbsp confectioners sugar (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
14.5oz box of ORIGINAL graham crackers (there will be leftovers)

Directions:

- With a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer, whip cream until it just holds stiff peaks. Add the confectioners sugar and vanilla and whip to combine.
- Spread a small spoonful of whipped cream on the bottom of your serving platter. This will serve as the “glue” for your graham crackers! 
- Lay down your graham crackers in whatever pattern you like.   (I lined 3 full crackers vertically, then one above it horizontally, using an extra piece to fill in the edge).
- Lightly cover the top of the graham crackers with more whipped cream, and then a single layer of strawberries. Repeat three times, until you have four layers of graham crackers.
- Spread the last of the whipped cream over the top and then decorate with a few more strawberries.
- Refrigerate for at least four hours, or until the crackers have softened completely.

RECIPE: Mushroom Toasts

This is a great appetizer recipe!  If you are a mushroom + garlic lover, this is for you!  It's simple, packed with flavor, and a nice change from the usual tomato bruschetta. 


Mushroom Toasts
Adapted from here

2 tbsp butter
10oz mushrooms of your choice, sliced or cut as you please
1 clove of garlic, crushed
2 tbsp white wine or water
1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped plus extra for garnish
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and Pepper
1 French bread, cut into rounds - I didn't use the full loaf, you will need more mushrooms if so, or just use less topping to stretch it out
Aioli (see recipe below) - make this first so the flavors have a chance to come together

•    In a large frying pan heat butter until melted.
•    Add the mushrooms and cook until golden, or until wilted and brown - it really depends how you like them!
•    Add the garlic and cook for another minute then add the wine, half the parsley and seasoning.
•    Cook gently for a few more minutes until the mushrooms are tender and the wine has been soaked up (if you need to, cover the pan with a lid for the last few minutes).
•    While the mushrooms are cooking, brush the oil over the baguette slices and lightly toast them until they are golden.
•    Just before serving add the remaining parsley to the mushrooms and check the seasoning.
•    To serve, put a spoonful of the aioli on the toast and then top with the mushroom mixture and a little extra parsley, if you like.

Easy Aioli

¼ cup mayonnaise
1 fat clove of garlic, crushed
Squeeze of lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper

Mix all of the ingredients into a small bowl and use as needed. Keep any leftovers in the fridge.

RECIPE: Eton Mess

 Picture from here

As mentioned, this has now become my favorite dessert for the strawberry season.  I think it would be delicious with other berries as well, especially raspberries!!!!!!!!!  YUM! LOVE this. 

Eton Mess
adapted from here

1.5 lbs of strawberries, hulled and sliced into thick chunks
2 tsp of pomegranate juice
A few tablespoons of sugar
1 pint whipping cream
17 (or more – up to you!) Trader Joe's Vanilla Meringues, or any other smallish (2") meringues

Directions:
-    Toss the strawberries in the sugar and pomegranate juice and set them aside to macerate for at least one hour, up to eight hours.
-    Using your Kitchen Aid mixer (if you have one), whip the cream until it starts to thicken. You don't want to whip it until it is stiff (because then it will be butter!)--it should hold soft peaks when the whisk is lifted from the bowl.
-    Crush the meringues into a bowl (I crushed them in a freezer bag with a rolling pin), making sure to have some chunks and some fine powder.
-    Right before serving, fold the berries (with all their delicious juice) and meringue gently into the whipped cream with a few light strokes. You don't want to deflate the cream.
-    If you want to be fancy, you can serve it in bowls or pretty stemmed glasses, garnishing the top with a couple of reserved berries.  I just served it in one big bowl without any garnish – it looks messy and delicious!

Happy St. David's Day!

Today is St. David's Day - the patron saint of Wales!

I went to Wales when I was much younger but sadly I hardly remember it :(  I would love to go again - it's soooo beautiful! 

I also, unfortunately, drank a cup of Scottish tea this morning instead of the Prince of Wales tea I recently bought.  Oh well - one day I'll get better about creating themes to my day :)

Picture from BBC Food

Instead, I leave you with a recipe for Welsh Cakes from BBC Food (a GREAT place for recipes, p.s.), which apparently you need to serve with "lashings of butter and jam."  I wish someone would make these for me IMMEDIATELY.

Friday Morning Haiku

Is there anything

More epic than Thundersnow

My new favorite word

THUNDERSNOW
I love that word so much, and I have to admit, Thundersnow itself is pretty awesome.

Thanks to the snow, I had a couple of days off, which were a nice treat.  Of course I watched some Masterpiece Theatre and had a bit of fun in the kitchen.  I made some peppermint bark with my remaining candy canes and I also made this delicious Moroccan Turkey Meatloaf dish that has now made Dan into a meatloaf lover (he HATED meatloaf before - how is that even possible???). 

What kind of delicious things did you make?

RECIPE: Braised Chicken with Dates and Moroccan Spices

Every once in a while I make a recipe that literally blows my socks off.  This is such a recipe.  I found it thanks to Emily over at Cooking Inside the Lines and she experienced the same amount of love as I did, so you know it's good :)

So let me tell you about this dish.  It's interesting, sweet and elegant .  This is the dish you will want to make for guests and hope that you have leftovers for the next day, because it gets even better. Get some good fresh medjool dates (I got mine from Wegman's, if you have any leftovers you can always make this recipe!), as they are a main star of this dish.

This is how I made it below, and with my own suggestions.  Feel free to ignore me completely and follow the actual recipe from Bon Appetit.  I won't feel bad :) I bought the chicken from Wegman's and took out the skin, which meant I didn't have any fat to cook the onions in, so I just added a couple of tablespoons of oil.  Do whatever your preference is - it was fine without the skin.

Braised Chicken with Dates and Moroccan Spices
Adapted from here

Ingredients
     3 1/2 pounds chicken breast halves, thighs, and drumsticks
     1 tablespoon all purpose flour
     1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
     2 pounds shallots, peeled and chopped into quarters or smaller if you don't want them as pronounced in your dish
     1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
     1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
     1 teaspoon ground cumin
     1/2 teaspoon turmeric
     3 cups low-salt chicken broth
     5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
     12 dates, pitted, halved

Directions
- Sprinkle chicken pieces with salt, pepper, and flour.
- Heat olive oil in heavy large pot (I used my beautiful dutch oven) over medium-high heat. Add half of chicken pieces to pot and cook until browned on all sides, turning occasionally, about 15 minutes.
- Transfer chicken to platter; repeat with remaining chicken.
- If you have fat in your pot, keep 2 tbl, if not, add some olive oi.
- Reduce heat to medium. Add shallots to pot; sauté until golden (NOT caramelized), about 6 minutes.
- Add cinnamon, ginger, cumin, turmeric, and cayenne. Stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Increase heat to high; add broth and 3 tablespoons lemon juice. Bring to boil; reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until shallots begin to soften, about 18 minutes.
- Place chicken pieces atop shallots in pot. Bring to boil over medium heat.
- Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until juices run clear when thickest part of drumstick is pierced with knife, about 25 minutes.
- Transfer chicken and shallots to platter; tent with foil.
- Boil juices in pot until slightly thickened.
- Stir in dates and remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice.
- Reduce heat and simmer gently until dates are heated through, about 2 minutes.
- Pour sauce and dates over chicken.

Cake Talk

 

 Oh man I was so proud of my sister and I

Here are the pictures from the Martha Stewart cake I made (sorry for the repost) but doesn't it look delicious!?!?!?!  

I have to say the icing was really great, but the cake was much too dry.  I have a good friend that loves baking and she told me no matter how many times she's made her own cake from scratch, it's never been as good as one from a baking mix.  So she usually makes the cake from a baking mix and then makes the icing from scratch.  That sounds like something I could actually manage.

 We ate cake while we did puzzles!

Another friend of mine commented on my previous post letting me know that an easier chocolate cake recipe would be the Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake.  The recipe DOES look much easier than Martha Stewart's.

4 different kinds of  Ravens-themed cupcakes, and then an extra 4 cupcakes for fun

Or I could just continue to get cupcakes from Icedgems Bakery and continue to be satisfied.  I mean, seriously, look at those cupcakes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Trust me when I say they taste as good as they look.

RECIPE: Simple Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

(Why yes, that IS a Ravens lunch bag in the background hahaha)

I love banana bread.  I love that it's easy-peasy and allows me to use up fruit that I would have otherwise thrown away.  I love that it's called bread even though it's a cake.  I love that I can then also take said bread and add chocolate chips and STILL not call it a cake. 

What I also love is this recipe - it's simple (IT ONLY NEEDS ONE BOWL) and makes the house smell divine!

Yes, yes, I realize you are all trying to be good for the New Year - but it's BREAD, remember!  :)

Simple One-Bowl Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Adapted from here

Ingredients
    3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
    1/3 cup oil
    3/4 cup sugar
    1 egg, beaten
    1 teaspoon vanilla
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    Pinch of salt
    1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
    2 handfuls chocolate chips

Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F
- Mash bananas in a large mixing bowl.
- Mix in the oil, sugar, egg, and vanilla.
- Toss in the baking soda and salt and mix.
- Add the flour, mix.
- Add desired amount of chocolate chips, mix.  You will probably add more.
- Pour mixture into a greased 4x8 inch loaf pan. Bake for an hour, or whenever your knife comes out clean.
- Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and CONSUME

Friday Morning Haiku AND HOT CHOCOLATE RECIPE!

All I want to do

Is sit and watch the snow fall

With some hot cocoa

I mean, seriously, does anyone want to do anything else?

This year I decided that I wanted to learn how to make the best hot chocolate at home.  Last year, my quest was to find which restaurant/cafe made the best hot chocolate (see here), but anytime it snowed I stayed inside my house, which was a bit problematic for my quest.

 I decided to first try the recipe on the box of my Hershey's cocoa powder, and I really like it, though I did tweak it a bit for my taste.  My ideal hot chocolate is made with milk and isn't too sweet. 

Hershey's Hot Cocoa

Adapted from here

Ingredients:

1 tbl sugar

2 tbl of cocoa powder

dash salt

1 cup milk

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

mini marshmallows (optional)

Directions:

Add cocoa powder, salt and sugar to your mug.  In another container, heat milk in the microwave (I do it for about 2 mins).  Add a little bit of the hot milk to your cocoa concoction to form a smooth liquid and get out all the lumps, then add the rest of the milk and give it a good stir.  Add the vanilla extract.  At this point, if you have a milk frother, these are fun to use for some added creaminess/foaminess!  Add a handful of mini marshmallows on top and start sipping away!

Clementine Cake = Fail

I love baking.  I love the way the house smells when something's in the oven.  I love mixing the bowl.  I love using my spatula (I LOOOOVE spatulas!).  

I hate when things I bake and spend SO much time on = bitter and GROSS and inedible!

And that's what happened with Nigella Lawson's (Gluten-free) Clementine Cake.  I had sooo many clementines left over, so I was excited to use them all.  Literally.  The entire clementine goes into the cake, pith and all.  Unfortunately, the clementines I used were overripe to say the leaset and so my cake turned out extremely bitter.  It just goes to show, you get what you put into something.

Oh well, perhaps I'll make it another time with better clementines.

Has anyone ever made this cake?  It seems to be pretty popular on the blogosphere.  Do you have any awful baking FAIL stories?  Please make me feel better! :)



Image by Kasey Albano

Yay!

I passed my exam!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I am beyond excited, and inside I am jumping for joy!  In reality though, I really just want to sleep for a good two days and then catch up on my magazine reading.  Oh Thanksgiving break is going to be soooooo glorious :)

Oh yes, and I made my cornbread stuffing for this past weekend, but I never took a picture because I was in a HUGE RUSH.  This is the recipe I base it on, but as you can see, the directions aren't actually too helpful.  Last year, when I made this for Christmas, I made a box of Trader Joe's cornbread to use as the base and I ended up needing to triple the amount of liquid.
It.  Was. Amazing.
This time I went to the grocery store and bought pre-made corn muffins, but even then I needed to add more liquid.  Either way, I need to write down some sort of recipe to use, because I love the combination.  I think using cornbread vs. corn muffins is a good idea because it's a little less sweet.

As for my homemade cranberry sauce, I use this recipe, which is the easiest recipe of all time!  It might be a nice with a bit of orange zest in there?

Anyway, have a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving - and enjoy your day(s) off!

- Nakiya

Thanks, Martha!

Or, should I say Sirius?

Sirius and Martha Stewart are offering a FREE download of her 2010 Martha Living Thanksgiving Recipes.  It's a 63 page pdf with gorgeous photography and yummy recipes for your Thanksgiving meal!

Inside you will find recipes for:
Soups and Starters
Turkey/Entrees
Sides and Salads
Desserts
Cocktails

You should check it out!

Recipe: Homemade Clif Nectar Bar

Back when I used to think Clif Bars were delicious treats rather than exercise fuel, I loved the one and only Dark Chocolate and Walnut Nectar Bar. 

But then all of a sudden I couldn't find them ANYWHERE, so I became super sad :( Then one day I found a recipe for it and FINALLY made it!!!!!

Homemade Clif Nectar Bar
Adapted from here
20 dates (any kind), pitted
1/2 cup walnuts
2oz semi sweet chocolate chips
2.5tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions
1. Put walnuts in food processor and pulverize into small pieces.
2. Add the dates with the walnuts in the food processor, and combine until there are tiny pieces (remember, you don't want a paste, just crumbles)
3. Melt the chocolate in the microwave (or double boiler if you want to get fancy)
4. Add melted chocolate, cocoa and vanilla to the processor and blend
5. At this point, the mixture should be crumbly, but should stick together in a smooth ball
6. Put mixture into 8x8 brownie pan (no need to grease) and use your hands to press it down. 
7. Dust with cocoa powder to make it less sticky
8. Bake at 300 degrees for about 12 minutes
9.  Cool them in the pan and then cut them into pieces.

Very crumbly, and yes, it was very hard to take a pretty picture of this hahaha

Overall, it's reallllllllllllly yummy.  If you melted a Fruit and Nut Chocolate Bar and then crumbled it into pieces, it would taste like this. 

Debriefing:
I think they tasted much better the morning after, especially after working out. (Yes, that's right I am actually waking up early to work out, go me!) But this recipe definitely needs to be amended to avoid the crumbles.  I am assuming they would come out better if they were baked in a much smaller pan, so that it isn't such a thin layer.  Or perhaps they would be better if I rolled them into little balls?  Or perhaps the ingredients need to be adjusted.  The original recipe called for 20 dates, but all dates are not created equal - mine were especially small....so that could be another reason. 

Either way, these may not be pretty, but they are DARN tasty if you want a healthy (and super quick) treat, so I don't mind testing and re-testing :)  And even though this is somewhat of an imperfect recipe (the taste is great, the presentation not so much), I still wanted to share it because I thought maybe some of you expert Chefs out there can help me tweak it to achieve the perfect result!

We've Hit the Jackpot, Ladies and Gents

We now, collectively, have the recipe to Kaddo Borwani, or the Baked Pumpkin I loved so much when I went to The Helmand last month. 

Kaddo Borwani - the deliciousness in the foreground

Check out the recipe on Dining@Large!

Recipe: Overnight Oats (aka the best breakfast in the entire world and beyond)

(oats never look good in pictures, please don't judge!)

OK, I kept hearing about Overnight Oats on the blogosphere and so I decided to check them out and make them for breakfast.  Basically, you whip up some oatmeal in the evening and then in the morning you partake in some epically delicious cold oatmeal.  This weirded me out for a second, but seriously, I got over that fast. 

Here is how I make mine:

Ingredients:
1 banana
1 tsp of ground flax seed
1 heaped tsp of almond butter (or to taste)
1/3 cup rolled oats (NOT quick cooking kind)
2/3 cup milk

Directions:
Mash up the banana (I use my awesome immersion blender tool) but make sure there are some nice chunks in there.  Add the flax seed, almond butter, oats and milk.  Stir.  Put in fridge overnight.  In the morning take it out, mix it a bit and EAT. 

SOOOO GOOD OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG.  Also, it's totally healthy and keeps me full for a REALLY long time.

p.s. My bread + butter + jam breakfast still has a piece of my heart.