Food Lush

Recipe Round-Up: The fruits of summer

By Nicole

[Photo of Bake at 350's Caramel Banana Shortbread]

Please enjoy a selection of some of the notably delicious recipes that have popped up on food blogs this week!

Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes (scroll down for the English recipe) by Call Me Cupcake

Cranberry and Oatmeal Breakfast Custards by The English Kitchen

Strawberry Vodka by David Lebovitz

Polenta Steaks with Asparagus Pesto, Cherry Tomatoes and Burrata by Serious Eats

Caramel Banana Shortcakes by Bake at 350

Blueberry Creme Fraiche Loaf by Vanilla Sugar

Reader Help: I Need A New Food Processor

By Jessica

Internet, I have had the same totally cheap white Hamilton Beach food processor forever. I'm pretty sure Sprog was still in diapers when I bought it, which means that it had to be DIRT CHEAP as back then I was DIRT POOR and couldn't afford to just be tossing money away on fancy things. A little bit ago, I went to make something with it (I use it a ton) and suddenly my food processor decided to have an Aliens style death with things coming out of its center region and lots of horrible noises. I'm a little bummed but not really, that thing was a CRAZY GOOD BARGAIN and nothing makes me happier than a crazy good bargain, save for random all caps shouting in my posts (allegedly).

Costco has a deal on a Kitchenaid Food Processor model which is similar to this:

It has two different bowl sizes (7 and 3 cup) and also comes in silver. It seems to get good reviews online; so I think I probably will pick it up. Before I do, however, I wanted to get y'alls feedback and see if anyone has any experience with Kitchenaid food processors?

Chopped

By Elisabeth

I am a HUGE fan of competitive cooking shows. I tend to find them everywhere these days and I tend to get hooked instantly. Funny enough, most of the cooking shows I watch are not on the Food Network. Top Chef, Top Chef Masters, Desserts and Master Chef to name a few.

However, Food Network has made me a fan when they began airing their show Chopped. I mean, come on, Ted Allen from Queer Eye For The Straight Guy? What's not to love?

Actually, what really does it for me is the amount I learn about cooking while watching the show. No, I never find myself wondering how to cook eel and gummi bears, BUT I do find myself learning different ways how to cook.

The chemistry of cooking, if you will.

Trying to obtain the perfect marriage of acidity, sweetness, using just the right amount of salt and pepper.

It IS a science, I tell ya.

And while I do love all my other shows, this one really shows you first hand how to get that balance that each dish needs to, you know, taste RIGHT.

Besides learning you can cook an appetizer in less than 20 minutes and an entree or dessert in less than 30, it's entertaining and "biting your nails" exciting hoping each chef gets the food on their plate in the time allotted. DOWN TO THE WIRE.

Just riveting!

{photo credit: foodnetwork.com}

Reader Help: Arizona Road Trip Eats

By Dani

The Hubs and I love to Road Trip. I mean, we LOVE to Road Trip. For the illustrious three-day weekend coming up, we're planning to Road Trip it out to Arizona for a little kayaking, a little sunburning, a little Grand Canyon-staring. It's going to be fabulous, but I have a problem. If it gets over 90 degrees, I only want to eat popsicles, but it's going to be WAY over 90 and I need to pack us some sensible hiking/outdoorsy food that won't make me gag (I'm looking at you, Clif Bars) or get nasty after a couple of days in an ice chest or the hull of my beloved kayak.

Doesn't sound hard at all, which is why for the last two days I've had a blank sheet of paper on my fridge, mocking me with the title: "Fourth of July Grocery List" at the top. Oh the shame!

Also, if you have any recs for yummy places to stop that AREN'T a gas station, I'd love that too.

Last summer we stopped at a great coffee shop in Crested Butte, Colorado that obviously changed my life. So help me change again! (Yes, I know that the atrocious polo/pink pants/greasy hair look needs to change. I'm talking food here, people.)

What do I need to try while in Arizona and what should I pack to get there? Help me, kind readers!

¡Fiestaaa! Watermelon Pico de Gallo.

by Caitlin

Well! Hello dear readers! Welcome back! Yes, it is I, your favorite northerner here again to regale you with such controversial topics as A) delicious regional specialties and B) delicious regional specialties and C) cute parents and D) the hidden politics of geography!

So last week sure was fun, wasn't it? I DO DECLARE.

(AH DO DECLAYUH.)

I honestly had no idea that saying DC(ish) is the south would be so controversial.

I should probably clarify that I live in Virginia. While the DC metro area where I live may not specifically be the South (DC is its own special, weird little world after all), there is certainly plenty of South to go around in Virginia, particularly as you get away from the District. And in case any of you still have any doubts, perhaps you should know that Robert E. Lee's birthplace and hometown is in Virginia just a few miles from DC, and Richmond was the capital of the confederacy during the Civil War.  So ... there's that. And also, there are Waffle Houses here which, as is common knowledge, officially makes it The South. 

I did love hearing everyone weigh in with their tales of Chicken Fried Steak, and their Real Maple Syrup deprived childhoods (and ... present lives). Isn't it amazing to see what "normal" is, based soley on geography? 

So! Now that we have all sufficiently rended our garments, let's move right along shall we?!

My birthday is next week. Last year, my husband threw me a birthday party. A Mexican Birthday Re-gifting party, to be precise. Everyone brought a gift they'd been given that was useless to them, and we did a yankee-swap style exchange. We also ate Mexican food, because it is delicious and we didn't want our guests to complain of false advertising in our evite.

Although speaking of false advertising, perhaps I should pre-emptively call it Mexican style, or Tex Mex, or MEXICAN FUSION, just in case it was NOT EXACTLY what they eat in Mexico. Now I'm nervous. 

ODDLY, everyone forgot to take their re-gifts home with them, so we ended up with a delectable selection of knock-off crystal bowls, weird board games, perfume, and uh, adult books. Regardless, this is a party game/theme that I highly recommend, as everyone had a blast and lots of laughs. (If you or your friends don't have anything to re-gift, then I suggest hitting up yard sales for weird things. Believe it or not, that's where my friend found the adult books.)

I also recommend the food. My husband cooked most of it, and there was quite the spread: guacamole, black beans, salsa from one of my favorite restaurants, chips, tortillas, marinated grilled steak and portobellos, grilled peppers, jalapenos, and onions, and all the trimmings. (And PS, you should really try grilling your jalapenos sometime. Magical.) A dear friend of mine also made the night complete with some amazing margarita cupcakes. I think her secret ingredient for those was magic, but I will double check on that and get back to you.

All my pictures of the food table were poorly executed, which is what happens when you're trying to take pictures 3-4 margaritas into the night. So instead here's a photo of the tub of beer we set out, along with my awesome parrot bottle opener. (Photo credit: my alter-ego, Margarita Cait.)

One of the items on the menu was a bit of an experiment that was an instant hit. Zach (Oh look! Husband DOES have a name!) and I had been perusing a variety of overpriced organic foods at our local Whole Foods one night a few weeks before and happened by one of their sample tables. The guy manning the table was serving a watermelon pico de gallo he'd made, and it was incredible. We talked to him about the recipe, and it sounded an awful lot like my husband's recipe for pico de gallo, except that there were no tomatoes in it. Instead, all the tomatoes had been replaced with watermelon.

You heard me. 

I understand that this may sound confusing. I understand that you might be thinking that the watermelon is mixed IN with the tomatoes. There must be SOME tomatoes in there, right? Nope. None. None at all. 

Don't be scared. Fruit salsa is really nothing new, is it? And the reward you get from risking this wild and inventive move is an ridiculously delicious, refreshing, perfect summer treat.

 

So, to make this:

1) Find your favorite pico de gallo recipe, or make one up on your own. (Pico is easy: You just mix together diced tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice, salt, jalapeno, and maybe a little onion if you wish, until it tastes right.) (If you don't know what it's supposed to taste like then circle back to option A and find a recipe.)

2) Replace all the tomatoes in the recipe with finely chopped watermelon. All of them! I know! It sounds crazy! But you will thank me. Once you've made the first batch, eat it all in amazement, then make another batch to share with your friends and live the wonder all over again.

This is a great dish for the long hot holiday weekend. I've only had it scooped up with tortilla chips, but I bet it would be great in a fajita or over fish. It's cool and refreshing, familiar and likable, yet new.  And it's a great conversation starter. ("But are you SURE there are NO tomatoes?) 

Also, your friend with the pesky tomato allergy will love you. 

I wish you and your family a very happy, fun, and safe Fourth of July. May it be filled with fireworks, fun, and a face-full of oozy smores crumbs. 

What are your plans for this weekend? Have you ever done something as wild and crazy as fully replacing all the tomatoes in a pico recipe with something else? 

Queen Caren's Chicken Taco Salad

By Sarah

It is summer, which means no oven and (preferably) no stove cooking in this house. Lots of outdoor grilling and salads and pinot grigio is the name of the game here.

One of my very favorite salads to make is mom (that would be Queen Caren)'s chicken taco salad.

It's one of those salads you can modify to your own tastes, but there are few very specific ingredients that cannot be substituted. Let's discuss.

What you must have, because without these, it's not really different from any other salad: Lettuce (I mean, DUH), tomato, avocado, green onion, corn, black beans, and shredded cheese.

What you should also have, but might not, depending on your personal tastes: Kidney beans, cilantro (some people hate it. Hell, I used to hate it! Now I love it), and chicken.

What you can have if you want, but I personally don't use: Hominy (meh), bell peppers, jalapenos (those pickled jalapeno slices would actually be good), pinto beans, black olives, limes, salsa, or sour cream.

What you absolutely must have: Italian salad dressing (I KNOW, but just go with me here) and Nacho Cheese Doritos (again, I KNOW, but trust).

So, once you decide on what you would like to add, depending on your own tastes, and in addition to what I said you must have, just toss everything together in a large bowl* with your favorite Italian salad dressing. Last time I made this, I used Newman's Own organic Tuscan something-or-other that I picked up at Costco, but you can use whatever you fancy.

Then grab a handful of Nacho Cheese Doritos, crush 'em up, and mix those in at the last second (to avoid soggy Doritos) and that is it. It is delicious and tangy and filling. My favorite salad to make for summer, hands down.

*If you're making this for a large crowd, you can actually mix everything in a large garbage bag. Just dump everything in, hold the top closed, and move everything around from the outside. It really works to make sure everything is combined, without getting taco salad crap all over your kitchen. I learned this trick from the Queen herself. Moms are the best, aren't they?

{Photo credit: Me}

Beer Bread: Pick Your Beer Wisely

By Ariel

Riding high on my successful banana bread encounter, I knew I wanted to try something savory in the baking department.  Believe it or not, but I have only a teeny-tiny sweet tooth. It's the baby variety that doesn't make it to see adulthood. I like chocolate anything, but usually the sugar train ends there. 

I've made beer bread from mixes, just like banana bread, and I even attempted to make a loaf from scratch once before. I made it out of 100% whole grain flour and I'm willing to bet that small loaf weighed more than your average newborn. Well, you live and you learn, right?

I was given the very basic of basic beer bread recipe from a friend: four, salt, beer, baking powder. Seeing this little list, like the basics for banana bread, I felt a little less intimidated. I compared this base recipe with google'd base recipes online and it's pretty universal. From the base recipe I expanded on what I thought would make for the ultimate tasty bread.

3 pieces bacon, crumbled
2 cups extra sharp cheddar cheese, divided
3 cups flour
3 tsp. baking powder
12 oz. beer
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. garlic powder
3 tsp. parsley flakes

I used leftover bacon grease on the loaf pan (it made for a crispy crust and I HIGHLY recommend it!) and mixed all ingredients save the beer and a cup of cheese. After everything was mixed, I slowly added the beer, trying not to over-stir (which is apparently frowned upon). I poured the batter (or is it dough, as this is a bread recipe?) into the loaf pan and topped with cheese. Bake this bad boy at 400 degrees for about an hour. I'll confess, about 40 minutes into baking I was taking the pan out every five minutes and checking the process with half a dozen trusty toothpicks, but my oven did take an hour. I'm sure baking times may vary.

{Photo by me}

In my last post I promised to share the good, bad, or ugly about my adventures with beer bread. I have to say, I think this bread would have been better if I had used a different beer. I used Sierra Nevada's Bigfoot Ale. I think it was too much beer flavor (barley ale should have been my tip-off) for bread, and it kicked just a bit too much for what I wanted to use the bread for. I wanted to have an interesting sandwich bread that could also go with any casual dinner, or snack spread, and I think this bread might have been better suited for say, a fondue pot with mild cheese. I thought adding bacon would be amazing, but the bacon flavor was masked by the beer, and we can't be having that, can we?

So, my search for the perfect beer bread recipe continues and I could really use some input. Do you have any tips or tricks that will steer me into boozey-carby-bliss? What beer would you recommend for bread that you don't need to card guests before serving, but still has a hint of the bread's namesake? 

What I Want Now: A Pastry Mat

by Elsha

I want to make sugar cookies. In fact, I need to make sugar cookies because I already have the frosting made. But I am reluctant to make them for one reason: my counters. Sugar cookies have to be rolled out, and that means I need some counter space. CLEAN counter space. Our kitchen is small, so the counters are always full of stuff. The mail, drying dishes, my purse, you know -- stuff. Also, I don't like to put food directly on the counter tops. It's one of my things.

Anyway, I've decided that I need one of these:

{photo credit: amazon.com}

A pastry mat. Of course, I'd have to actually clear enough counter space to lay it down, but I wouldn't have to worry about making a pie crust on the same surface where my son's dirty shoes had been sitting the day before. I grew up using one made by Tupperware, but it seems they don't make them anymore (at least, I couldn't find one on the tupperware website.)

So, can anyone recommend a good pastry mat?

Perfect Summertime Chai Tea

by Carrie

Although I do drink coffee, I've always, always, always preferred tea. I'm the sort that drinks it all day: caffeinated Earl Grey in the morning, green tea in the afternoon, herbal tea at night to settle the stomach and calm the mind. I'm actually weirdly particular about both the seasons and the times of day when certain teas should be consumed, because clearly it doesn't seem right to be sipping Sleepytime tea at 11 am or swilling mango iced tea during a winter storm (although hey, you know, to each his own).

image courtesy of birchbox.com

Enter my recently-discovered perfect summertime tea: Zhena's GypsyTea Coconut Chai. This is just as good hot with a splash of milk in the morning as it is loaded down with ice and lemon in the afternoon. The coconut flavor is subtle and makes it just a bit summery, but you can definitely taste the chai, too. And because it's a black tea with some caffeine (although not too much!) it's nice for an afternoon pick-me-up. I'm going to be enjoying this tea all day, all summer long (and maybe into the fall and winter too, if I can get past my hangup about tea-appropriateness).

Do you have a certain brand or blend of tea that you love? Let me know in the comments? I'm always looking for new teas to try.

Healthy (ish) fast food

by Katie

When my daughter was less than a week old, my husband came home from work with a 10 piece McNuggets, sweet and sour sauce, and fries. My mother, world's biggest health freak, was staying with us at the time, so John and I stood in the closet in our bedroom, furtively eating McNuggets, dipping fries in sauce, praying my mother didn't catch us.

People. I was treating McNuggets like drugs, or teenage sex- snuck in a closet, hoping not to get caught by disapproving parents.

I LOVE to cook. Love it. But I'm in my third week back at work with a three month old at home, and many days, quite frankly, it's all I can do to remember to put on deodorant in the morning. So it pains me to say this, but recently...we've been eating some fast food/takeout kind of stuff.

Not McDonalds (since the blissful McNugget episode), or Burger King, or KFC -- I've managed to steer us clear of the realllllly cheap and greasy spots.  After all, I also want to fit in my pants. So I'm on a quest for a few quick, takeout-friendly fast or fast-casual options for those days when a home cooked dinner just ain't going to happen.

My current favorite is Pei Wei.

I love that Pei Wei approximates the flavors of some of my favorite asian takeout, but in a slightly healthier way.  (I like the Vietnamese salad rolls, and the Ginger tofu.) The online ordering option is super easy and convenient, and it lets you select healthier options, like extra vegetables, or steamed protein (instead of stir-fried in oil). Pei Wei also has the magic Coke machines, which alone makes it worth the trip.

Image Credit: wikipedia

But man cannot live on Pei Wei alone.

Other options we've found that manage to satisfy both my "tasty and fast" and "not actively trying to kill us" requirements:

• Burrito bowls from Chipotle with no cheese or sour cream (though the sodium content at Chipotle is astonishing) (also, did you know that the tortilla at Chioptle has 330 calories and 9 grams of fat? JUST FOR THE TORTILLA. Burrito bowl for me, thanks!)
• Light signature salad from Cosi (I love grapes and pears on a salad. The flavors on this one are just excellent.)
• Georgia pizza with easy cheese on a whole wheat crust from Homemade Pizza Company (an awesome local chain)

aaaaand....that's about it. I am starting to cook more again now that we're getting back into the swing of things, but I also know there are going to be nights when it just ain't gonna happen.  There must be more options out there that won't make me feel awful and bloated and guilty immediately after eating. So please, help a mother out!