Food Lush

Melt Aways: My Favorite Cookie

Editor's note: For our last week at Food Lush, I've asked the writers to share both a favorite post by another writer, from over the last three years, and a favorite post of their own. You'll see these posts linked to at the top of their new post for the week. Enjoy a stroll down Lush memory lane!

by Elsha

There are SO many posts I refer to regularly, but I especially love this cauliflower pizza crust from Carrie (even my kids like it!) From my own posts, I'll have to link to this one about cleaning your stovetop, because everyone should know this.

***

For my last post here at Food Lush I've decided to leave you with the recipe for my very favorite cookies: melt aways. I've posted many cookie recipes in my time here, but I've held out on posting this one because my mom is a little more protective of this recipe than the others. But I just can't leave you without it, because these cookies are seriously the best.

(Sorry, my only picture is from our Christmas baking extravaganza. They're the ones with the green frosting.)

Melt Aways:

Beat until well mixed:

1/2 lb butter (don't substitute)

3/4 cups cornstarch

Add:

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 cup flour

Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

For the frosting beat 3 oz cream cheese, 1 tsp vanilla, and 1 cup powdered sugar.

These are simple to make and they literally melt in your mouth (hence the name.) Don't leave the frosting off though, or you won't get the whole effect. The only tricky part is making sure you don't over-soften your butter. The dough should border on being crumbly. If it's really gooey or sticky you can refrigerate it to firm it up some. The recipe makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies and if I'm not careful I can eat them all by myself.

Now, who wants to come over so I can make these for you?

I Made Cacao-Infused Vodka. Now What Do I Do?

Editor's note: For our last week at Food Lush, I've asked the writers to share both a favorite post by another writer, from over the last three years, and a favorite post of their own. You'll see these posts linked to at the top of their new post for the week. Enjoy a stroll down Lush memory lane!

By Tara C.

Choosing a favorite Food Lush post is tough. I was a reader before I started writing here and I have enjoyed so many posts over the last couple years. And I can't tell you how much fun I have had writing here. Erica H. never fails to make me laugh. Her Summer Party: Sundae Bar post is one of my favorites. This party looks on par with a visit to Willy Wonka's factory. In terms of my own posts, the Harry Potter and Downton Abbey cookbook reviews/giveaways were insanely fun to write. 

***

When pondering what to write for my last post at Food Lush, it did not take me long to realize that I must hijack this opportunity for my own nefarious purposes. That's right, I'm not leaving without asking for advice one last time. How could I not take advantage of this access to you fine, food and drink-loving readers?

Anyway, I made cacao-infused vodka. Essentially, this involves adding a bunch of cacao nibs to a bottle of vodka, and shaking it daily for about a month to allow the nibs to release their chocolately-goodness into the vodka.

It seemed like a good idea at the time. Now I'm wondering what I should do with cacao-infused vodka. Is this something that people drink straight? Do you have suggestions for a fabulous cocktail or mix that would work well with chocolate-flavored vodka?

I heard just the other day that cocktails only came into fashion in the 1920s as a way to cover the off-putting taste of homemade spirits during Prohibition in the U.S. There was even a joke on a recently episode of Downton Abbey in which the Dowager Countess scoffed at the new-fangled cocktails. So maybe a cocktail is not entirely necessary, but it might be tasty.

Also, since I've never infused anything in anything else, I'm not entirely sure what to do at the end. Right now, the little cacao-nibs are all swollen and bloated with vodka and appear to be taking up a lot of space in the bottle. Before using, I assume I need to strain the nibs out and then pour the vodka back into the bottle? I'm curious to see how much liquid is left since it looks like the cacao nibs have soaked up a lot.

So, please tell me--if you had cacao-infused vodka, what would you do with it? I'd be ever so grateful to know. Thank you for reading. I'm blowing you kisses across the Internet.

(photo from: me)

Mardi Gras Party Ideas

Editor's note: For our last week at Food Lush, I've asked the writers to share both a favorite post by another writer, from over the last three years, and a favorite post of their own. You'll see these posts linked to at the top of their new post for the week. Enjoy a stroll down Lush memory lane!

By Ariel

I'm sad to be saying goodbye for awhile, but thankful to the Lush editors for letting me in on this wonderful website. I learned a lot about food around here (like not everyone is ACTUALLY a gourmet chef in their spare time. Everyone loves a shortcut!) The first post that came to mind when I was asked to throwback a favorite was Carrie's cauliflower pizza crust!  I had never heard of such a thing before but the genius is astounding. I've used it several times and actually find myself craving it more often than regular pizza, go figure. My own favorite of mine is one of the first ones I wrote here at Food Lush, and continues to be my most-requested party food, my Bacon and Cheese Tartlets.  I make these for every. Single. Group. Gathering. And still people need confirmation that yes, I am bringing them, don't worry.

*** 

For my last post around these parts for awhile I thought it would be appropriate to send off with some Mardi Gras party ideas. Fat Tuesday is coming up February 12th, and while I'm a little too far north for the real party, my people and I never like to pass up an excuse to eat and drink in the name of a theme!

First and most important, the drinks:

[Photo credit Chicago Tribune]

The Mardi Gras Hurricane!  Rum, rum, and some other stuff, this is a staple and a favorite of mine.  Whenever I find these on vacation I'll usually down enough so that I won't notice a hurricane going on around me, but what a delicious drink!

Or, if you want to get everyone involved in some fun, how about a Virgin Hurricane?

[ Photo credit Taste of Home]

To spice up your appetizers with some theme fun, how cute are these claw picks?
 

 
[Picture from nolaimports.com] 

My husband and I are going to the beach for a week with a few other couples, I'm thinking I need a beach-themed party before we go and these little claw picks are just so cute I can't stand it.

Of course, you also need some Mardi Gras COOKIES!  You can pick up a set of your own Mardi Gras cookie cutters at Mardigrasoutlet.com for only $12 or browse all their cookie cutter shapes here.
 

For snacks, how about Mardi Gras Pretzels, King Cake Bars, or these Apple Beignets (which I am DROOLING OVER)

[Image from Babble.com]

For the main attraction (ah, who am I kidding, the booze up top is the main attraction!) how about this amazing looking citrus marinated shrimp dish from Southern Living?



[Photo credit Southern living]

And one of my absolute favorite things to eat in the entire world, the Shrimp Po' Boy:

 

[Image from cooking channel tv]

I recently discovered  restaurant nearby that made the most excellent shrimp po' boy I've ever found in this part of the country.  I'm so excited to go back I can't even tell you.

Hopefully I've put everyone in a party mood.  Rather than a Hurricane I'll probably be tipping back a few champane cocktails this weekend (today's my birthday!).  Thanks for two great years, you guys!  We truly couldn't ask for a better crowd around here.

A champagne toast with a twist

Editor's note: For our last week at Food Lush, I've asked the writers to share both a favorite post by another writer, from over the last three years, and a favorite post of their own. You'll see these posts linked to at the top of their new post for the week. Enjoy a stroll down Lush memory lane!

by Katie

I was hard-pressed to choose a favorite post, but this granola from Elissa has become a staple in our house, and from me I'll link to these perfect cupcakes, because they are so delicious and I think everyone should have an easy, reliable cupcake recipe in their repertoire.

***

Oh, it is a poignant thing, this writing of my last FoodLush post. I feel so fortunate to have been part of this great group, and so grateful to Jennie for putting it together and nurturing it for the past two years. So I figured it was only fitting to make my last post a toast – with champagne, of course. (Could it be anything else, with Jennie involved?)

I am a big fan of champagne cocktails. Festive, a little different, fun for a DIY bar at a party. I love a good kir royale, and my affection for a French 75 is well-known. For a FoodLush sendoff, I wanted to do a classic with a twist. And so, I give you a riff on a French 75 featuring one of my favorite liqueurs: St. Germain. Floral and subtle and with a gorgeous bottle that looks great on a bar, St. Germain is definitely worth having around. It plays particularly nicely with gin and citrus, making a French 75 a natural choice.

(Photo: cooking4theweek.blogspot.com)

St. Germain 75

• 1 oz gin
• ½ oz st germain
• ½ oz fresh lemon juice
• 3 oz champagne
• lemon twist

Combine gin, St. Germain, and lemon in a glass with ice and shake well. Strain into a glass; top with champagne and garnish with a lemon peel. Raise a glass to 2 great years.

Pepperoni Dip

Editor's note: For our last week at Food Lush, I've asked the writers to share both a favorite post by another writer, from over the last three years, and a favorite post of their own. You'll see these posts linked to at the top of their new post for the week. Enjoy a stroll down Lush memory lane!

by Tara

I think it would be impossible to pick a favorite post. I've been a fan of the Lush sites since long before I wrote for Food Lush. Since before Food Lush was around and I still got recipes from Style Lush! I think of myself as an adventurous cook, and that means that the Recipe Round-ups were probably the most-used of the posts over the years. My favorite post I wrote was my first: World's Best Chocolate Chip Cookies. I was so honored to become a part of the Lush team, and I shared the best recipe I had. I hope you enjoy those cookies as much as I always do! I might make some tomorrow! 

***

With Super Bowl Sunday fast approaching, I know what we're all thinking about: food, commercials and what Beyonce's going to wear! (Wait. You mean some people watch the football game? Weird.) Anyway! Here's a crowd-pleasing recipe for an appetizer dip. Easy and delicious!

Pepperoni Dip

Ingredients:
-1 can cream of celery soup
-2 8-oz bricks of cream cheese
-1 package of pepperoni
-crackers and/or bread torn into dippable chunks

Directions:
1. Add soup and cream cheese to smallish slow cooker.*
2. Cut pepperonis in half and add to cooker.
3. Let warm, stirring occasionally, until creamy and easy to dip stuff into.

*I'm positive this can be made in a regular pot on the stove, or even in the microwave, but in a slow cooker is easiest because then you can keep it warm after it's done (and also just dump everything in and then leave it while you do other things).

'Kay, So...Let's Talk Cheese

Editor's note: For our last week at Food Lush, I've asked the writers to share both a favorite post by another writer, from over the last two years, and a favorite post of their own. You'll see these posts linked to at the top of their new post for the week. Enjoy a stroll down Lush memory lane!

By Erica H.

(Post from the archives that I most wish I had written myself: Tara C.'s funny and informative write-up of Soul Cakes. Post from the archives that I am most pleased to have written: Granny's Lemon Pound Cake.)

***

As you know by now, this is a series wrap for me here at Food Lush, which has engendered a certain sense of urgency that I impart the absolute most crucial food-related information to you while I have the chance. Down to the hungry depths of my soul have I searched! And what did I discover there (underneath the layers of garlic and yea, even eggs) but a vast pool of spicy liquid cheese: my molten core of queso.

 

In the interest of making sure that you all can fend for yourselves in my absence, I now present a very important recipe round-up.

Quick and dirty queso for when you only have ten minutes: the classic RoTel/Velveeta combo.

Oh, you have fifteen minutes? Q&D version, slightly enhanced.

Killer, real-deal queso for when you are feeling fancy enough to make a bechamel sauce.

Or just come visit me in Austin, where you can't throw a stick without it ending up in a bowl of the stuff. Seriously, come see me. I already miss you.

Not The Prettiest, But Easily My Favorite Lentil Stew

Editor's note: For our last week at Style Lush, I've asked the writers to share both a favorite post by another writer, from over the last three years, and a favorite post of their own. You'll see these posts linked to at the top of their new post for the week. Enjoy a stroll down Lush memory lane!

By Jessica

(Post I've selected from the archives from another writer: The Old Flame by Katie--it has a picture of setting lemon oils on fire, plus cocktail! Post of mine from the archives: Writer(s) Helping Writer: Vegetarian Meals--I often refer back to this post as an easy repository of some fave veggie meals)

***

Tonight, I cooked my favorite lenti stew for dinner and as it was bubbling rather furiously away on the stove an odd thought occured to me "This looks like the bog of eternal stench". Now, I've made this particular recipe many times over, I love it and am always excited to eat it and NEVER has that thought occured to me until tonight. I'm not sure if that thought has ever occured to me while I've cooked anything I am happily willing to consume over and over again and yet, here we are. My son asked me why I was trying to force him to eat mud. 

This all sounds like such a rousing endorsement of a my favorite lentil stew, doesn't it? But, I do love it. The main flavor profile is supplied by carmelized leeks and the addition of the honey créme frâiche (or maple sour cream in our house) is just, oh, it's so very very good.

(photo of carmelizing leeks, not so "bog of eternal stench-like")

I find that I don't tweak this recipe as much as I do most recipes I try, although I use frozen leeks from Trader Joes and I add quite a bit more than the pinch of cayenne pepper that the recipe calls for, plus tonight I added a hint of smoked paprika as well and it just rounded out all the flavors nicely. The only other change I've made swapping maple syrup for the honey as it's what I had on hand the first time I made it and I liked it so much, it just stuck.

I hope you'll try it and enjoy it as much as I do. It feels right to send you off with something warm and comforting in your tummies. 

Homemade Shrimp Cocktail

Editor's note: For our last week at Food Lush, I've asked the writers to share both a favorite post by another writer, from over the last two years, and a favorite post of their own. You'll see these posts linked to at the top of their new post for the week. Enjoy a stroll down Lush memory lane!

by Maura

I'm so sad that Food Lush and Style Lush are shutting their internet doors, but I'm so proud to have been a part of these sites. My favorite posts are very hard to choose, but the ones I chose are:

My post on my Favorite Wines from Marlborough, New Zealand. If you are yearning for summer, pick up one of these wines. Their crisp citrus flavors will bring a little sunshine to your dark winter evenings.

There are so many posts from my colleagues and friends that I love, but as I was perusing the site tonight, I stopped on one and said to myself, HOW haven't I made this yet? I'm definitely going to be eating this delicious Chicken Tortilla Soup from Sarah this week!

***

For my parting post, I made shrimp cocktail. As my journey on Whole 30 comes to a close, I was struggling to find tasty alternatives to beef and veggies. I don't know what made me think of shrimp cocktail, but once the idea got in my head, I just couldn't get it out. Unfortunately, most shrimp cocktail sauce is loaded with sugar, so I had to make my own.

I started with a basic idea of the ingredients of shrimp cocktail, and modified the sauce by taste.You may have to adjust your seasonings for your particular tastes!

18 oz tomato sauce
4-5 T. horseradish
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 t. Dijon Mustard
2-3 dashes of Worcestershire Sauce
2-3 dashes of hot sauce
salt and pepper to taste

The only drawback to this cocktail sauce is that it is not thick. It was tasty, though, and creamy because of the mustard.

For the shrimp, I looked at a bunch of shrimp boil recipes and put my own together with what I had on hand and without the beer that is usually in a shrimp boil. Before you start, prepare an ice bath for the shrimp.

2-3 T. Barbecue shrimp seasonings (or Old Bay)
1/2 lemon
1 t. garlic, minced
1 t. salt
1/2 t. chili powder
~24 frozen shrimp, defrosted, tails on

I put all the ingredients in a pot and brought it up to a boil. When it was at a rolling boil, I added the shrimp. Once the shrimp started to boil, I let it cook for 1 minute, then strained and dumped into an ice bath. Serve with cocktail sauce and enjoy!

A Hard Goodbye

By Jennie

Food Lush was created over two years ago, as a spin-off to Style Lush. We thought food deserved its own space and we sure filled this space with some delicious dishes, didn't we? What I have always loved most about Food Lush is that the food feels real. It's not too fancy, and it's made up of recipes, snacks, products, etc., that an actual person can incorporate into their life and kitchen. 

We launched in October of 2010 and I wondered how turning one site into two would go, but Food Lush is the little website that could. It's grown and grown and made me so proud. It far surpassed my expectations and while it's part of a family, it has its own success story.

Turns out people really like food. My kind of people, that is.

See, without you reading, there would be no reason for this site to have kept on going. So, I can't possibly thank you enough for visiting, for pinning, for making our dishes and reporting back to us how they turned out. Every time someone mentioned they found a recipe on Food Lush, I would smile. I really would. It made me beside myself with happiness and gratitude.

It's with that gratitude that I must share the sad news that Food Lush is closing its metaphorical doors for the indefinite future. Our last day of new posts will be February 1st (next Friday) and while our archives will live for the foreseeable future (please visit and search often; it will bring us a lot of comfort to know we might continue to serve your kitchens in some small way), our days of bringing you new (and delicious) posts are ending.

Unfortunately, managing both sites has become something I can no longer do. It's hard when your desire doesn't match your resources, when the ideas flow freely but the time falls short. My offline life has been calling me to give it more attention, and it's a good life. It deserves to be heard.

I've been part of the blogging community for almost six years and the gifts it has given me are countless and deep and beautiful. Nothing more so than this site (and Style Lush), and the sites' writers and readers. Thank you for reading, commenting, and supporting us over the years. It feels so small, so tiny, in comparison to how I feel, but thank you all the same. Thank you.

I ask that you continue to support the writers, as they start new online adventures. They are gifted and talented and funny and worthy of getting to know better, if you don't know them already. You can find them here: Jess, Nora, Katie, Elissa, Jen, Slynnro, Elsha, Julie, Ariel, Dani, Caitlin, Tara, Tara, Erica, Maura, Jess, and Sarah Anne.

Again, there will be new posts next week (and a few of those posts will be a fun look back at the past two years) so please stop in during our last full week.

After that, please accept our most heartfelt and grateful goodbye.

(If you know me aside from the Lush sites, I have written another goodye on my personal blog.)

Healthy But Still Decadent Pumpkin Bread

By Julie

So, it's winter. Fall is over, Christmas is over, New Year's is over, and we all feel that tug to kick off this young year being virtuous and healthy. Blurgh. I still want tasty, comforting treats and I don't want to feel guilty about that.

I need something sweet and cakey that has something - anything - good going for it. This pumpkin bread fits the bill. It's a recipe I've tweaked over the years, making healthful substitutions wherever I could, and I'm always looking for new ways to bump up the nutritional value. Plus, it's pretty yummy. I hope you like it.

Pumpkin Bread

1 1/2 cup pumpkin

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 egg whites

1/4 cup applesauce

1/3 cup plain yogurt (or vanilla yogurt – whatever you have on hand)

1 tsp. vanilla (use 1/2 tsp. if you are using flavored yogurt)

3/4 cup flour

3/4 cup wheat flour

1/4 cup ground flax seed

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup golden raisins (optional)

1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Combine sugar and egg whites completely. Add pumpkin, applesauce, yogurt, and vanilla and mix to combine. Add remaining ingredients and mix into batter.

Pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes until it can pass the toothpick test.

{Photo Credit: me}