Bake-a-palooza!

Today is a big day - my last day at work (I start a new job next week) and it's also my boyfriend's mom's birthday. I want to go out with a bang, so I went over to Michael's and picked up some adorable colorful Chinese takeout-style boxes, and decided to bake cookies to give to my co-workers.

For my boyfriend's mom, I wanted to create a cake reminiscent of the famous Italian cookie, the rainbow cookie. To do this, I made three separate cake tiers, two vanilla layers and one almond-flavored layer, and colored one layer green and the other red. I sandwiched them with vanilla buttercream in between the layers, and then frosted the whole thing with more vanilla buttercream, and dusted the top with rainbow sprinkles. It's a departure from traditional rainbow cookies to use vanilla frosting (chocolate frosting is normally used) and the rainbow sprinkles were my addition as well (as a play on the name of the cookie).

Finally, the third baked good I made were gluten-free and HCG diet-friendly coconut macaroons. I had never made coconut macaroons before, and I wasn't really a fan of them to begin with, but this 3-ingredient recipe was surprisingly delicious! I will definitely be making them again - they are so easy to make.

Vanilla cake, batter recipe from Annie's Eats!

The dyed cake layers, stacked with vanilla buttercream, recipe also from Annie's Eats!

 

 Cake inspiration: Italian Rainbow Cookies!

Completely frosted and decorated!

Chocolate cookies with white chocolate chips and walnuts, recipe from All Recipes!

Coconut macaroons, from HCG Diet Recipes!

The finished product!

Baby Quiche Bundts!

I LOVE quiche. I love quiche with or without crust, and in miniature pans or one large pie dish. I have made quiche enough times that it has become one of the few recipes I feel fairly confident 'whipping up' while glancing at a recipe list very briefly. My favorite crustless quiche recipe comes from All Recipes, (and I have previously made it here and here).

I always loosely adapt my quiche recipe depending on the ingredients in my fridge. Since I am going away for a 5-day weekend (Washington D.C., Gainesville, and Orlando), I wanted to use up some ingredients already in my kitchen. For today's mini quiches, I sauteed some shallots and garlic together and then added fresh spinach. I whisked together eggs, salt, pepper, and various cheeses, including Muenster, Boursin (herb & cheese), Ricotta, Mozzarella, and Cheddar, and added the veggie mix. I recently purchased a mini bundt pan so I thought, why not bake the quiches in it? They came out very cute!

Spring Veggie Quinoa & Biscuits!

I love lazy Sunday afternoons, especially in our Floridian summer, where there is always a hint of a thunderstorm outside. Is there anything better then dancing around the kitchen, wooden spoon in hand, with clouds and rain outside?

For today's late lunch, I loosely adapted a recipe from Annie's Eats, Veggie Quinoa. I really liked quinoa the first time I cooked it, which was in the form of Quinoa Cakes, so I was eager to cook with it again. First I started by roasting four different vegetables, halved cherry tomatoes, sliced white mushrooms, and diced rounds of yellow squash and zucchini. I poured copious amounts of EVOO, salt, and pepper over them and let them roast for 40 minutes.

LOVE the pop of colors here!

Cooked quinoa...

Everything put together!

Served with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of shaved Parmesan cheese.

Later on I had a craving for a buttery biscuit, so I whipped up a quick batch of cheddar garlic biscuits (a play on the ones served at Red Lobster). I used a recipe from Gimme Some Oven.

Variations: I added 2 tbsp more melted butter (oops!), used a mix of shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheeses, and topped with parsley instead of oregano. Yum!

White Chocolate Mousse!

Last night I was in the mood for something sweet (of the non-cupcake variety), so I found the recipe for Annie's Eats' White Chocolate Mousse in my recipe book, and boom! Fluffy egg whites, whipped cream and melted white chocolate, and a few surprises of my own as well. I put a thin layer of melted bittersweet chocolate (mixed with some white sugar) in between layers of the white chocolate mousse, and topped with dark chocolate-covered raspberries. I served them in these gorgeous glasses from Crate & Barrel which made the mousse look pretty snazzy!

Ricotta Tarts!

I am in the middle of reading Tamar Adler's An Everlasting Meal, which I first heard of from Joy the Baker. I really love it; it's a combination between a cookbook and a novel about food, it's incredibly refreshing and makes for a fun read. After reading chapter after chapter about vegetables and the proper ways to treat them, I was anxious to try my hand at roasting some. There are quite a few recipes in the book, and the first one that really caught my attention were savory tarts made with ricotta cheese and roasted veggies. The recipe for the crust was good, it made the crust seem more like a cracker versus the type of crust you would find on a quiche. The dough was a little hard to work with initially, but it came through in the end. The ricotta filling tasted like an olive oil cream - it was so yummy!

Roasting zucchini and yellow squash rounds...

Rolling out the dough...

Ricotta filling ....

Topping with roasted veggies...

The final product! More of a rustic-looking tart.

They tasted even better the next morning with my latte ;)

Juice Day 8!

Today's juice contained half a peeled cucumber, 6-8 large pieces of watermelon, and 2 kiwis. It was very refreshing but needed a little sweetness so I added some from my coworker's juice (red grapes, watermelon, blueberries) to make it taste better. In the future, I would just add more watermelon to this juice, or maybe even honey, since it is such a great natural sweetener.

Juice Day 7 & Macarons!

Inspired by my work ladies who make far more superior juices/smoothies then I, I packed my grocery cart with feel-good fruits and veggies after work today. I made an easy one to sip on before dinner, using 1/2 pint of blueberries, 2 bananas, and 1/3 cup of vanilla almond milk.

My dad came back from a business trip to Manhattan today and brought me back macarons from my favorite NYC bakery, Maison Laduree! There are two coffee, two chocolate, and one pistachio. The coffee is my favorite.

Savory Cupcakes, Part Une!

Last night I made my first attempt at a savory cupcake. I had seen a great corn muffin recipe (I would add more salt) on Smitten Kitchen the other day, but I wanted to jazz it up a little. Being a cupcake-lover, it's hard for me to make muffins because they look so naked on top! I bought some Boursin (creamy herb/garlic cheese spread), so I thought that would make the perfect 'frosting' for my cornbread 'cupcakes'. I garnished them with some corn 'sprinkles' and voilà!

Afterwards the man and I went out for dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, J. Alexander's, and had some lovely wine, interestingly named "The Prisoner"! It has spices and a hint of blackberries - I love the complex flavor and smell! It was the perfect wine for cozying up in a dark restaurant with a rainstorm outside :)

Buona Festa Della Mamma!

Happy Mother's Day! I am so lucky to have such a wonderful, supportive, and loving mommy. This pic was taken in Portugal (more specifically, at Bom Jesus do Monte) back in February.

I finalized my mother's day brunch menu a week ago so I was anxious to get to the kitchen bright and early this morning!

First I made peach sangria. I had peach sangria at Carraba's a few weeks ago, and knew I wanted to re-create it at home. I loosely adapted a recipe from Epicurious. I used 3 peaches (sliced into wedges), half an orange (sliced into wedges), peach schnapps, a bottle of Chardonnay (of the Cupcake variety, of course), a split (about 1/4 of a regular bottle) of Martini Asti (Italian champagne), white sugar, and a can of pineapple juice. I mixed it all together and let it chill in the fridge, and then served with peach wedges on the rim of the wine glass.

And my new chalkboard makes it's blog debut :)

Next, I made individual baked french toast (served in ramekins), a recipe I adapted from the lovely Annie's Eats. The only additions I made were to add orange zest and a bit of orange liqueur!

Topped with diced strawberries, blueberries, powdered sugar, and a drizzle of maple syrup!

The final part of brunch were omelets with shredded cheese, cherry tomatoes and avocado! This was my first attempt at omelet making so they didn't turn out perfectly but they did taste delicious!

The complete meal....

For our late lunch I decided to keep it healthy and simple, and made oven-roasted salmon filets with roasted broccoli florets and asparagus spears. The fish, I roasted simply in olive oil, lemon juice, lemon slices, salt, and pepper. I then made a sauce to go along with the salmon, which I got from Test My Recipes. I loved the lemon creaminess of the sauce, it is very rich since it contains mayo, sour cream, and heavy cream (which I substituted for milk). I don't care for dill, so I used fresh parsley instead, which helped cut down on the richness of the sauce.

This was a simple yet refreshing, light yet hearty lunch - perfect for any lazy Sunday afternoon! I highly recommend it. 

I had picked up some delectable French pastries over at Bakery of France and they became our post-lunch time dessert.

Baby Cinnamon Pies!

I got this recipe from Gimme Some Oven and immediately liked it because 1) it's a miniature, individual dessert and 2) there is plenty of sugary goodness involved (without being overly sweet). These baked little 'pie pockets' are basically cinnamon roll flavored, as they have two delicious flaky pie crusts filled with a creamy mixture of brown sugar, tangy cream cheese, and spicy cinnamon. They are topped with a gooey drizzle made from heavy cream and powdered sugar which both looks and tastes lovely!

Warm and gooey ... definitely best served with a tall glass of milk!

Beef Tostadas!

Even though I am a little late on the Mexican food bandwagon (considering Cinco de Mayo was 3 days ago!), last night I decided to make tostadas inspired by a post I saw on Gimme Some Oven. She made hers with chicken, but I choose to use ground beef marinated in enchilada sauce (I cheated - from a can!) instead. First I brushed the corn tortillas with olive oil and crisped them up in a super hot oven. Then I spread a layer of refried beans (also from a can - but a good recipe for homemade beans can be found at Annie's Eats) and topped with shredded cheese (Mexican blend). I baked them again for a few minutes to heat up the beans and melt the cheese, then took them out and topped with shredded lettuce, avocado slices, and a heaping dollop of sour cream.  This was a big hit at home, my bf and dad definitely ate their way through this one. This dish is so pleasing because there are layers of flavors as well as so many great textures. In fact, I made it tonight too!

Italian Chicken with Asparagus!

Since I made my Pomegranate Balsamic Chicken last week, I have been thinking of other marinades I could make for chicken breasts (as well as fish, and other meats). I remember last year my friend made chicken marinated in Italian dressing and wanted to try it. Normally I am wary against anything that comes in a bottle or box, especially salad dressings and vinaigrettes, simply because its often easier (and 100x healthier) to make it yourself at home. Even the simplest dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper is delicious, healthy, and super easy to whip up at home.

However I was pressed for time on Saturday, having baked Margarita Cupcakes in the morning (after first going out to buy a bottle of tequila and telling the dumbfounded cashier it was for baking), and then went to Miami to go on a booze cruise with friends, so I needed to make a quick and substantial lunch to keep me going through the aforementioned cruise. I marinated the chicken breasts in a whole bottle of Italian dressing in the morning and then when it was time to put it in the oven, I added diced shallots, garlic, and white wine. The trick is to let it cook for a long time in the oven, the longer it roasts in the heat, the more tender it becomes as well as the more it absorbs all the flavoring liquid it is basting in. (This chicken tasted even better the next day when I served leftovers!) To accompany the chicken, I roasted asparagus on a baking sheet with olive oil, salt, pepper, and lemon. The combination made for a simple lunch!

Margarita Cupcakes!

Feliz Cinco de Mayo! I had first seen a recipe for margarita cupcakes on both Annie's Eats and Brown Eyed Baker and they both adapted the recipe from it's original source at Confections of a Foodie Bride. The recipe was perfect, with plenty of fresh lime juice and zest and some Jose Cuervo, as well as a fluffy tequila buttercream with lime zest grated on top. I was surprised at how light and fluffy the cupcake was itself, it was really perfect. I had fun with the garnishes, using maraschino cherries on cocktail picks, little cocktail umbrellas, lime slices, and freshly grated lime zest. The tequila flavor was a bit understated, but for me (very much a non-tequila-lover), they were lovely and oh so festive!

Macarons Galore!

My one true culinary love will always be the cupcake, but running a close second is definitely the delicate and intricate beauty that is a macaron. The embarrassing part of this story is that I traveled to Paris twice in my life before becoming infatuated with these fancy French cookie treats, but c'est la vie! I did however visit Maison Laduree in Manhattan last November, and it made for a glorious birthday breakfast moment!

I think macaron-making has to be one of the biggest challenges for an amateur baker. I have attempted them twice, first with Strawberry Macarons and later with Choc Espresso Macarons.

But I digress. There is a lovely 'culinary boutique' in Miami called Mr. Ganache. Last night my friends and I went out to dinner to celebrate the end of the spring semester (we are all in various stages of post-bachelor's studies) and my friends gave a wonderful box of mixed flavors of macarons that were almost too pretty to eat! Almost...

Balsamic Chicken and Caramel Cookies!

My parents just got back from a week long trip to California. They traveled to Napa Valley, Sonoma, Sausalito, and San Francisco (I know I'm jealous!). They visited gorgeous wineries and stores, specifically this incredible one called Olivier. They brought me back a lovely pomegranate balsamic vinegar and lemon olive oil (preserved lemons inside the bottle - so cool!). I wanted to use both the liquids in a dish and found the perfect recipe from my friend's blog Test My Recipes.

The pretty bottles....

I adapted her Balsamic Chicken recipe to incorporate the pomegranate and lemon flavors, and substituted dried thyme and oregano for fresh thyme and rosemary. I am not a mustard fan, so I swapped the Dijon for some Portuguese white wine (otherwise known as 'vinho verde'). I served the chicken breasts with a side of creamed spinach and it made for a very flavorful dinner!

For dessert, I made chocolate caramel sea salt cookies from Gimme Some Oven! I added some instant espresso to kick up the chocolate flavor. These cookies are a total game-changer! I have always been a total salt fiend in my savory foods, but never gave it a second thought with baking. I have thus been converted! A sprinkle of sea salt over anything chocolatey - sold! Love the idea.

Cooking Challenge!

"Foodie is an informal term for a particular class of aficionado of food and drink. The word was coined in 1981 by Paul Levy and Ann Barr, who used it in the title of their 1984 book The Official Foodie Handbook."

Source: wikipedia.org


I consider myself to be a total foodie. The TV in my bedroom is permanently set to shuffle between Cooking Channel and Food Network, cupcakes have permeated every aspect of my life, and I read blogs and books about food in my spare time. I am constantly thinking of what I want to cook and bake next, and prefer to spend my money either on going to several restaurants a week and/or fancy kitchen gadgets. I even have a foodie boyfriend, who is not only an amazing cook, but has been working in the restaurant industry for years.

Having said all that, I am not exactly fearless when it comes to eating or cooking. There are still some foods that I don't enjoy and purposely avoid. I thought it might be fun to challenge myself in this arena, and pick my top 'scary' food in categories like fruit, veggie, cheese, etc and dare myself to make one fabulous dish with each ingredient and see if I can't change my tastes and preferences. After careful consideration (or 5 minutes scribbling on a post-it at work), I've come up with the following:

1. Cheese - Feta. This was difficult to narrow down, because I am not exactly a cheese lover. In fact, there are very few cheeses I do like! My favorites are Brie, mozzarella di bufala, and queso blanco. I can name far more cheeses I won't go near: gorgonzola, blue cheese, goat cheese... etc! But I remember having feta on two separate trips to Greece when I was in college and really hated it.

2. Vegetable -Brussels sprouts. This one is a bit obvious, it's probably one of the most disliked veggies out there for kids and young adults, so it's no surprise here. I've seen plenty of recipes that combine Brussels sprouts with pancetta or bacon, and the idea of teeny cabbages with the texture of bacon is baffling!

3. Fruit - Rhubarb. To me, this is a redder, uglier version of celery and the fact that I see this in many pie recipes seems contradictory. Fruit-filled pies, in my opinion, should be delightfully soft and smushy or with a hint of a bite. Overall, the texture, tart flavor, and color is very unappetizing to me!

4. Meat - Lamb. This is probably the item on this list that I have the strongest memory of hating. I traveled to Turkey twice while I was in college, and quite frankly, I had 'bad' lamb too many times to ever want to give it another try, much less in a different country. The smell ... the taste .... all horrible!

5. Herb - Arugula. (Yes, it's classified as an herb, I Googled it!) I know, I know. Arugula is "the" herb-veggie-leafy thing of the moment. I know it is the hot item to use, perfect as a garnish, salads, pesto, etc. I can't stand it! It is bitter and very unsavory to me.

 Okay so there is my list! Since I am almost officially done with this semester, I will set this challenge for myself to be completed this summer. :)

Juice Day Six!

My favorite way to drink water since going to a fancy spa in DC last fall is with cucumber. It doesn't bring any huge flavor, more of a vague crispness and is generally refreshing, especially when South Florida temperatures are in the high 80's!

Next up I made juice with the following: red grapes, kiwis, yellow apple, red apple, lemon, baby carrots, strawberries, and cucumber!

Kale, Soup, and Muffins!

This weekend my goal was to cook healthy, using plenty of fruits and veggies. I spent all of yesterday in the kitchen, dancing around to Cheryl Cole and Rihanna, since it was cloudy and raining outside. I was also studiously avoiding thinking about my upcoming Microeconomics final. Oops!

Kale Chips!
Salty, crispy, good-for-you, what's not to love?

Butternut Squash Crab Bisque!
This is a great soup for rainy weather, it's creamy and hearty and goes great with a kale chip and crouton garnish. I used shallots instead of onions for a sweeter taste.

Finally, for Sunday brunch, and using the blackberry jam I made last month, blackberry jam mini muffins (with walnuts)! I adapted a recipe from Cook Bake Nibble

Baby Peanut Butter Pretzel Brownie Cupcakes!

Awhile back, when I first discovered lovely Joy the Baker, I bookmarked a brownie recipe of hers - these heavenly-looking Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Brownies. The combination of sweet n' salty, always a winner in my book, grabbed my attention right away. I'm not a big brownie maker so I decided to convert this recipe to mini cupcakes. I also didn't feel the need to make the peanut butter into a sauce by adding sugar and vanilla extract, so I simply swirled creamy peanut butter onto the brownie cupcakes once cooled, and topped with a pretzel. I had to spray the mini cupcake liners to death with Pam, or else the brownie batter would've stuck like glue (and it still did, a teeny bit). The end effect is lovely, perfectly sized chocolatey, peanuty, pretzely (yes, these are all words) bites!

Note the adorable mini cupcake spatula, courtesy of Crate & Barrel!

My dinner consisted of an alarming amount of the above brownie cupcake minis, half a bottle of Merlot, and a plate of raspberries, cheese rounds, and olive crackers! :)

Avocado Pesto Pasta!

I was browsing through my new favorite blog, Gimme Some Oven, and found a recipe for Avocado Pesto Pasta that I knew I had to make soooon. Avocados, basil, whole wheat pasta, and toasty pine nuts? Sold. Throw in some creamy spinach and Parmesan shavings and Friday night dinner is looking pretty good.

All the pesto ingredients in the food processor: avocados, lemon juice, basil, pine nuts, walnuts, salt & pepper, garlic, and olive oil to be added.

Boiling pasta, sauteing spinach, toasting pine nuts ...

Gorgeous bright green pesto.... There is nothing as lovely as the color and smell of homemade pesto! I love the color of the avocados in this too. Topped with toasted pine nuts ... for that added crunch factor!

Summer 2020:

Brie Cups!

I went to my friend's wedding last weekend, and one of the appetizers served during cocktail hour were brie and jam filled phyllo cups. Bite-sized, colorful, and tasty - basically, they stole my heart. I knew I had to recreate them and a quick Googe search led me to straight to Gimme Some Oven, aka my new favorite food blog! So today I made Brie Phyllo Cups and filled half with seedless raspberry preserves and the others with apricot preserves. They are so easy to make, look elegant, and are incredibly versatile. I had some fresh berries with the idea to place them in the cups, but in the end I didn't want to cram them - they are delicate layers of dough as it is!

Golden, warm, toasted - lovely!

Cinnamon Sugar Bites!

I was in the mood for something sweet, but didn't want to go the whole 9 yards with cupcakes (even though I have some winners pending in my recipes binder!). I had seen AmyBites' recent posting on Cinnamon Sugar Doughnut Holes and thought it would be perfect! They are small, perfectly-sized doughy-cakey bites rolled in melted butter, sugar, and cinnamon. Delicious!

Fresh out of the oven donut bites, waiting to be rolled in buttery cinnamon sugar!

Breakfast for dinner?

Today I put together a hodge podge of a dinner, making cheesy quesadillas, potato egg cups, and creamy raspberry mousse.

First up: I brushed one side of corn tortillas with olive oil and placed them oil-side down on a hot pan. I filled half of it with a Mexican blend of cheeses and then turned it into a half moon to melt the cheeses through.

Next I made AmyBites Potato Egg Cups. I used tri-color fingerling potatoes (anything baby-sized and colorful immediately wins my favor!), diced them and mixed them with olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. I divided them between ramekins and baked until the potatoes were roasted. Then I cracked an egg into each one and cooked until the egg set.

Potatoes and eggs may seem like a classic breakfast combo (and of course it is) but it also pairs wonderfully with some spices for a simple meal made elegant by using some colorful ramekins!

The complete dinner meal (with a generous side of lime juice-infused sour cream to slather onto the quesadilla):

I had two boxes of raspberries languishing in the bottom of my refrigerator's fruit drawer, along with some mascarpone cheese I needed to use up asap. I whipped heavy whipping cream with vanilla paste and white sugar, and added the mascarpone along with some milk. I stirred in the raspberries and used martini glasses to serve (love them!).

Juice Day Five!

I went back to juice-making last night and whipped up a wholly citrusy-acidy yellow-orange concoction that would knock back any cold, for sure! It contains oranges, clementines, limes, lemons, and carrots.

Chicken Enchiladas

For once I was in a non-Italian mood and decided to try my hand at Mexican/Tex-Mex. I had an inkling to attempt enchiladas but couldn't find a cohesive recipe to follow, so I merged Rachel Ray's version with Tyler Florence's. I was a little apprehensive of the sauce flavor, and next time I will make it more flavorful and a little bit more spicy, but it worked! I caved and bought the bag of generic Mexican blend cheeses but I was glad I did - they were great!

Love the bubbly, crispy cheesiness! Enchiladas definitely require some broiling.

My boyfriend said he wasn't a fan after his first bite - and then cleaned the remaining half of the dish! (Most of the first half was gone thanks to my dad!) This wasn't my favorite dinner, but evidently it is a good one for the mens ;)

Juice Day Four!

One of my lovely co-workers made awesome juice for today using kiwis, granny smith apples (nice tartness), green grapes, and pineapple. Yummy!

Buona Pasqua!

I have a newfound love for Party City - together with Michael's, these two stores have some very cute and creative cupcake toppers, sprinkles, and colorful liners that I can't find anywhere else.

Using the same raspberry white chocolate cupcake batter from yesterday, I made some extra cupcakes and mini loaves to decorate with jelly bean egg nests from Wilton!

Buona Pasqua tutti! :)

And from my favorite local Italian bakery, Cosi Duci, some wonderful traditional Easter treats:

And Easter brunch with my boyfriend's family:

Primrose Bakery Cupcakes!

Two years ago, my best friend from high school gave me a gorgeous cupcake book for Christmas. The book comes from the famous, gorgeous Primrose Bakery in London.

For my friend's bachlorette party tonight, I decided to make Raspberry Cupcakes with White Chocolate buttercream.

The recipe calls for raspberry jam to be swirled into the cake batter after mixing all the ingredients together. I mashed the berries together with some honey and sugar and then swirled it into the batter.

Melted white chocolate mixed in with whipped butter, vanilla extract, confectioner's sugar, and milk to make gorgeous thick pale yellow buttercream.

I topped the bachlorette themed cupcakes (love those pink liners!) with sugared engagement rings from Party City.

I had fun playing with the different frosting tips to make cute star designs on the non-ring-adorned cupcakes.

Juice Day Three!

Okay, technically it's not my juice day three, but my co-worker made juice using kale, swiss chard, honeydew, cataloupe, and green apples, and even though it is a most robust shade of green, it tasted great, mostly like melon!

Chicken Chorizo Soup!

Yesterday I made Rachel Ray's Chicken Chorizo Soup. I used tricolor fingerling potatoes, shallots (instead of onions), black beans (instead of kidney beans), left out the red pepper and hot sauce, and topped with colorful tortilla strips. The soup is very flavorful, it has a kick from the chorizo and its chunky consistency makes it a very hearty dinner!

Made on 04/03/2012.

Feeling Salty?

I am a total salt fiend. In my spinning spice rack, you will find no less than four types of salt: kosher salt (best for cooking), table salt (to top any already cooked foods), sea salt (dessert topping, anyone? Don't knock it till you've tried it!), and seasoned salt (of the lemon & pepper variety, I use this sparsely, if ever). Salt makes the world go 'round (or at least my world!). In fact, I proudly consider myself to be a supertaster! (Or at least, reading that Yahoo article made me feel better about my salt lovin'.) My lovely chef-boyfriend rarely uses salt in his cooking, choosing instead to flavor his meats and veggies with olive oil, butter, and herbs. To each his own. I use all of those, but pay particular attention to salt. My friend (blog: Test My Recipes) wrote a great post on what types of salt are good for what types of dishes here.

But did you know that many of America's beloved and popular restaurants are throwing everyone's daily sodium intakes out of whack? Many dishes at places like Macaroni Grill, Olive Garden, P.F. Chang's, and TGIF's feature a variety of entrees that can double, or even triple, your DAILY sodium intake! The U.S. Dept of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Information Center maintains a diligent and up-to-date website that lets you know what your daily intake should be for various vitamins and minerals, specified to gender, age, and weight type. A typical female between the ages of 19 and 30 (aka my category) should be taking in no more than 1500 mg of sodium per day (source). This may sound like too much already, but consider this: the average pasta and sauce dish at your local Italian eatery is bound to contain that much alone!

*Update* This article points out a more generalized sodium intake for typically healthy adults, saying one should have no more than 1500-2400 mg of sodium daily.

This article demonstrates some of the worst offenders in America's food industry. There are even some sneaky ones, like Macaroni Grill's whole wheat fettuccini entree - sneaky because the name alone implies healthiness and when paired with broccoli and chicken - takes on a seemingly innocuous nutritious appearance. WRONG! There are a whopping 1630 mg of sodium in this dish, along with 1060 calories.

The more I get into cooking, baking, and blogging, the more I learn about food and nutrition. It's fascinating, and sometimes even scary. It's also easier than you think to make so many things at home, versus buying super processed versions in your local supermarket (i.e. jams, marinades, salad dressings, etc). The more I go grocery shopping, or bakeware/cookware/cupcake liner shopping on Amazon, (and the less often I go online to Forever21.com or Nordstrom.com), the more I learn and love food and cooking in all their glory. But I am still learning and nowhere near uber-healthy; I still don't really exercise, and eat a healthy amount of dessert on a weekly basis - but I believe it's all about having the knowledge. Knowledge is power!

Quinoa Cakes!

Today I made Joy the Baker's Quinoa Cakes! Made using cooked quinoa, parsley, lemon, garlic, Parmesan, and bread crumbs, these small and tasty veggie patties are delicious and nutritious.

Variations: I boiled the quinoa in chicken broth (instead of salted water) for more flavor, and left out the onion, olive and zucchini completely. Instead I added more Parmesan, minced garlic, lemon zest, and dried parsley, making flavorful cakes.

As always, I pair my dinner plates with a healthy serving of full-bodied red wine, in this case a lovely Tuscan red.

Chili, Scones, and Blackberry Jam!

I live in a lovely place called Boca Raton, Florida.

 
It is beautiful and land of perpetual sunshine. In true 'Floridian' fashion, I go to the beach about once a year, and today happened to be that day. I spent my morning walking around the beach with my boyfriend, picking up colorful seashells and alternately tanning and sweating in 85 degree weather. Then I went home and made chili. True story.

My favorite chili recipe is made using turkey and comes from lovely Amy from AmyBites. I work it a little differently; I saute an onion and several garlic cloves in olive oil and then brown a pound of turkey. I then add tomato paste, tomato sauce, pureed stewed tomatoes (with chili spices already added), and kidney beans. I stew it all together on low heat for an hour and a half, and add a little paprika and cayenne to top it off.

I like to serve my chili with a side of shredded cheddar cheese and a scoop of sour cream.

Next I made simple cream scones from Joy of Baking! I decided not to roll out the dough, cut out rounds, and bake on silicone sheet-lined baking sheets; instead I rolled the dough into little balls and placed them in Pam-sprayed muffin tins, and brushed the tops with heavy cream. They came out perfect!

Then I made blackberry jam from Yes I Want Cake - I couldn't believe how easy it was! I may make my own berry jams from now on. The list of ingredients was extremely simple, as there were only 3!

Heat the berries, 1 tbsp honey, and juice from half a lemon over medium heat. Smush up with a fork as the berries get softer. Cool after 10 minutes of heating and squishing.

Cute jars from The Container Store make for a professional look :)

Fresh out-of-the-oven scones slathered with homemade blackberry jam translates to a lazy Sunday afternoon, lounging around, and watching old Marilyn Monroe movies (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, anyone?).

Yummy, pretty, messy - it's a good time.

 Hm these scones would be perfect for mini strawberry shortcakes! Add it to the list....