Taste test

Ok bees and bears,

I brought my tagine inspired chickpea "soup" or should I say "stoup" to work for lunch and I gave a few samples to my co-workers to try. One co-worker looked confused by the taste of cloves and cinnamon in it. My other co-worker liked it but said to add more garlic and tomatoes.
Honestly the only thing I would add would be a pinch or chile powder for some heat..and maybe some more garlic. The chickpeas are the star and I think more tomatoes would steel there thunder. The only reason I held off on the spice was because I'm planning on serving it to my mom and she can't take the heat. I would definitely make this again :)

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bon appetit

Hey bees and bears,

I did some food shopping saturday. I bought some things for my crockpot red lentil and chickpea tagine. I was first introduced to tagine when I worked in a restaurant owned by a pair of morrocan brothers. Tagine is typically north african style of cooking. A tagine is a type of pot. Tagine can include a variety of ingredients.it can be vegetarian but typically I think it includes chicken or lamb. Since I don't have a traditional tagine, I'm using a crockpot. I love the crockpot and highly suggest to anyone who likes to make big batches and freeze for later. I usually make soups in mine. But I've made beef stew for my mom and she like it a whole bunch. I made a whole chicken for micheal once and he really liked it. As far as I'm concerned, I'll stick to veggies.
It was my intention for the ingredients in my crockpot to take the shape of some veggie stew with my inspiration coming from morocco. I'm not exactly sure what happened. But it tasted a bit flat and when I stirred it, it just looked like vegetable soup. It wasn't thick. It was a veggie mish mosh. Very disapponting. I took my cinnamon stick and bay leaf out and pureed half the soup and then returned it back to the slowcooker. I added a bit more salt and pepper, and it actually tasted really good as a soup. Throwing half in the blender gave it a little body. The cloves also gave it a nice perfumey flavor. I've never been into cloves. I've been experimenting with them recently and I'm kinda diggin' them. So here is my recipe for my tagine inspired mish-mosh soup.

1 large onion diced small
5 small mixed peppers(red,yellow, orange
1/4 cup canola oil
4 cloves garlic (minced)
2 cans chick peas rinsed well
1 cup red lentils
1 large can diced tomatoes
4 cups water(or veggie stock-your choice)
1tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
8 cloves
A pinch of whole cardomon seeds
2 bay leaves

saute your onions, peppers and garlin in oil until tender. put int the slowcooker with the rest of the ingredients. Cook it on low overnight. Puree half in the blender. And return to the crockpot and re-season to your taste.
Hope you enjoy this happy little mistake lol
Off for now boys and girls!

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pancake time!

Ok bees and bears,

I'm attempting to live a gluten free vegan lifestyle, however I decided to say fuck-it and have an eggs and pancake brunch this morning. Not gluten free pancakes. Real ones. Because I make the best pancakes. Plus, I have never made them gluten free, and I wasn't in the mood for a science experiment today. So I'll suffer with the bellyache in the name of pancakes.
I asked a friend today if he knew how to make pancakes and he said he just mixes water with the powdered stuff. I was on the phone so he couldn't see me clutching my chest and throat in disgust. I think there are a few things everyone should know how to make. Great scrambled eggs, pancakes, frenchtoast, a good peice of salmon. Basic things. You never know when your going to have to cook for someone. It's also very economical. Why pay for a mix when most likely you can make them for 50cents with things you already have on hand. Actually there are a few basic things everyone should have in their kitchen, even the guys. Flour, butter, eggs. The basics.
You never know when you might have to make a spur of the moment brunch..and pancakes are perfect. I make the best ones and will tell you everything you need to know. You see there are thousands of pancake recipes out there. Its not so much the recipe as it is the technique. I'm going to give you my recipe for fluffy pancakes and give you all the tips you need to know to make them perfect. This recipe doubles easily, you may want to do that if you have more than one guest. I promise these go quickly.

Fluffy pancake recipe
3/4 cup milk
2 tbs white vinegar
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tbs white sugar
1 tsp baking pwder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
2tbs melted butter (or canola oil)
Cooking spray

Here is everything you need to know in order to make awesome pancakes.

First things first. Let's talk batter. A lot of pancake problems start long before they ever hit the pan. Resist. Resist I say. Resist the urge to overmix your batter. Be gentle. The batter never did anything to you. When you mix your wet ingredients into your dry (never do dry into wet. No reason. Just don't. Its bad form lol), just mix gently until incorporated. If it looks like there are tiny lumps. That's good..leave it. After its gently mixed put your batter into the fridge to rest for 15 minutes. Your batter will thank you. Flour has gluten, and gluten is a protein. When overmixed it will get tough. Hence, tough pancakes. So resist the urge to overmix and let the batter rest for a while. When you take your batter out of the fridge you will see bubbles in your batter. Again...DO NOT stir them out. Bubbles are good. Just take a large spoon, something you would use to stir a large caldron of soup and start spooning your batter(approximately 1/3 cup of batter makes an ideal size pancake that's easy to flip.
One more thing. Don't be a hero. Use a nonstick pan. Dont try to use anything else. You'll have nothing but pancake problems if you do.
Start of by spraying your pan with cooking spray. Add 1 tbs of canola oil and make sure your pan is well oiled. If you tilt your pan and you see the oil swim to the other side of the pan, you have too much in. You want to cook your pancakes. Not fry them. Your pan must be hot. When you spoon your batter into the pan, let bubbles form across the surface. Then and only then is your pancake suitable for flipping. Oh, and don't forget to get your spatula completely under the pancake and turn it over gently and let that side cook until it's GBD (golden brown and delicious). Keep your cooking spray handy, you will definately need to re-spray in between pancakes. I like to cook 2 at a time. 3 tops. I'm not superwoman.
I suggest splurging for real maple syrup. Not that mrs butter-watever crap. I mean how often do you make pancakes. They deserve good syrup. And its something that's good to have in your pantry during this season. Maple = yummy flavor.
So that's all I got on pancakes. Hope you're inspired to nake pancakes next weekend and let me know how they turn out :)
Off for now my lovelies!

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blintzes and latkes and kugel oh my

Hey boys and girls!

Next week is Rosh Hashana and yet another excuse to cook some good eats. Typically a lot of sweet things are eaten on Rosh Hashonah. I'm using this day as as excuse to have the ever so yummy potato latke make an appearance on my plate this year. I'm going to alter the original recipe and make them gluten free. Typically a side dish, I'm pairing it up with beans and a grilled portobello mushrooms to make it a meal. Of course instead of white potatoes I'm making this batch with sweet potatoes. I'm going to make them early this year and freeze them. Then when I need them I'll just have to pop them in the oven and warm them up.
My mother asked me what I wanted her to make. I really wanted to say nothing. Its not that I don't like her cooking, but I really do like making my own food.
I just saw the Rachel Rae show, and she was making a steakhouse dinner with a swiss chard gratin. It looked really good. Its made with a rouix so I'm going to have to think about this recipe, since I'm trying to stay away from the flour. I'm not sure if you can make a roux with gluten free flour. Hmm..I think I have some investigating to do. I will definately keep you posted on the roux situation. For now I'm just going to share my potatoe latke recipe with you. I decided to make them curried. I think curry goes so well with sweet potatoes, however if your not a curry person you can omit it.

Curried Sweet Potato Latkes
(Makes about 15)

1 pound sweet potatoes
1/2 cup gluten free flour
2 tsps sugar
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp salt
A sprinkle of black pepper
2 eggs
1/3 cup milk or soy milk
Canola oil

Peel and grate the potatoes on the course side of a grater. In another bowl mix together flour, sugars, baking powder, curry, salt and pepper. Add in eggs in and combine. Stir in the milk until well mixed. Add in the grated sweet potatoes and mix until combined.
Heat 1/8 to 1/4 inch oil in a heavy over medium heat.
When the oil is hot place heaping tbsps of the mixture into the pan and then press down slightly to form a patty. Keep in mind if you're oil is not hot it will just take longer to cook and the latkes will be greasy. Fry 2-3 minutes until crispy then flip and fry the other side. Remove and drain on a paper towel lined plate.

I hope you are inspired to try this dish. They aren't just holidays..anyone can make these. I will admit its a bit of work to grate the potatoes but I think its worth it! Hope you're inspired like I was :)

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i luuuv eggs from my head down tooo...

Its a boring Wednesday morning, and I'm drinking my coffee from starbucks. (Ohh how I love starbucks..its my biggest vice). This is what I do every morning. Drink my coffee, ponder the days events, take care of any errands that may have to get done and think about the recipe of the day.
For those of you that follow my blog, you know that I've been shopping at the union square market on occasion. I love it when I find a little something I've never had before. Two of the things that I bought recently was tagliatelle pasta,black truffle pecorino and white truffle salt
UCH I can't live!
Oh how I love all things truffle. Black ones..white ones. So for anyone that reads this..if you don't know what to get someone (that would mean me!) For the holidays..anything truffle related. I have yet to actually buy a real black truffle. They are like 500 for one little one. I've bought the less expensive truffle items..which are super yummy. I recommend them. You don't have to buy a 500 dollar mushroom to experience the same flavor.
This is really a struggle for me, as I strive on and o
ff to lead a vegan free lifestyle. You see three things that I love are eggs and cheese and potatoes. Two of which are far from vegan. Oh, and throw in trying to live gluten free. Its not easy
Todays recipe is not vegan. But is gluten free. Today is all about the frittata. The frittata is great because its so versatile. Its pretty much a fancy omelette. So here is my frittata.

6 eggs (or you can use less yolks like I did if you're watching cholesterol. I opted for 1 whole egg and 5 whites)
4 small white potatoes (boiled)
1 whole onion chopped
2 scallions chopped
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes(chopped)
Smoked paprika 1/2 ysp
White truffle salt..a big pinch

The first thing I did was saute my chopped onion. You can use olive oil. I chose to use my tuscan herb olive oil to impart another layer of flavor. I sauteed the onions until the were clear and then added my tomatoes. After a few minutes I added the scallions. While this was all going on I had my potatoes working on the other side of the stove. I boiled then until the were slightly tender. When they were done I drained them and sliced then. (You can cube them if you want).
I added the sliced potatoes to the onions and tomatoes. I took my eggs, added the paprika and two big pinches of the truffle salt. Then beat them until fluffy with a hand mixer. You can mix them with whisk but I was going to take pictures so I wanted the final result to be nice and fluffy. I poured the eggs over the potatoes and onions and covered it on a low flame until set. When it was set I took a large plate, and used it to flip the eggs on to the other side. It was completely done after another two minutes.you can garnish with a little sour cream or creme fresh
Hope you enjoy this dish..eat it for breakfast, brunch, dinner...or whenever you're in the mood.
Hope you're inspired to make this or change it up and add some other things
Off for now bees and bears!

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comfort food for a cold and rainy day :)

Hello bees and bears. J

Thanks for tuning in today. Its a very damp and drizzly day. I wasn't sure what recipe I was going to blog about today. My stomach is a little unsettled and when things are rumblin' in there its hard for me to think about cooking.
I bought a magazine in Target last night and sat down to read it today while drinking my morning starbucks fix. I came across an easy recipe that's perfect for a chilly day. It caught my eye because I love swiss chard, and I love polenta. This recipe screams comfort food. I changed the presentation a little to suit my taste, by adding a few steps to the polenta you can plate it differently and use it for another recipe. The recipe in the magazine calls for the polenta to be poured in a 9x13 casserole dish and wait until it sets and is layered with swiss chard, onions and asiago cheese.
I like to make dishes that can be turned into something else and polenta is perfect for that.

Swiss Chard and white bean casserole

Polenta/ onions
4 cups fat free milk (to veganize this substitute with plain soymilk).
1 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 cups instant polent
3/4 cup shaved asiago cheese (feel free to veganize as you wish or substitute pecorino or parmesan for the asiago)
1/2 cup basil, shredded
1tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 onions peeled and sliced

Chard and Beans
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 bunches swiss chard trimmed and cut into 1 inch peices
4 cloves garlic, coursly chopped
1/2 tsp dried italian seasoning
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 cans (15 ounces each) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 cup shaved asiago (or vegan cheese of your choice).

1. Polenta and onions. Lightly coat a 13x9x2 inch baking dish
With nonstick cooking spray. I'm a large sauce pan combine milk, 1 cup water, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer over med-high heat. Gradually whish in polenta. Cook, whisking continuously until thick (about 2 minutes). If it becomes too thick add a lttle more hot water. Stir in basil and shredded cheese. Spread polenta in prepared baking dish and allow to set at room temperature.
2. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over med to high heat. Add onions and cook for 8-10 minutes,.until golden. Remove to a seperate plate.
3. Chard and beans.
Heat olive oil in same skillet over medium heat. Add chard(in batches) and garlic and cook until tender, stirring occasionally. Season with italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Stir in beans and heat through.
4. Heat oven to 350. Spoon chard and beans evenly over polenta. Sprinkle half a cup of asiago cheese over chard and beans. Scatter the onions and remaining cheese on top. (This was how the recipe called for it to be assembled)

Polenta is great. You can do so many things with it. You can fry it and make it parmesan or serve it warm and crispy with maple syrup and serve it for breakfast
I hope you're inspired to try this recipe or create your own and share it with me!
Off for now!
:)

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ok my faithful followers...as you might have noticed I'm havin some problems with the app. some of my labels are out of order and I wasnt able to put pics in the post I wrote. I had to post them in a separate post ...so annoying..hopefully Ill be able to figure this stuff out and whip this blog into shape..keep your fingers crossed for me :)

party pics

Here are the pics I promised

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Its monday peeps!

You know what that means...time to recap the weekends food adventures. This saturday was my 2nd cousin Alana's Batmitzvah. She did so well up there behind the podium.
My cousin threw one hell of a party for her daughter. You could tell that alot of work went into it. They used the club house at my uncles community in connecticut. The room was huge and had a big dance floor. Now on to the the food, after all I dont blog about umbrellas or dollhouses.
When we arrived to the clubhouse there was a small table set up with a variety of appetizers, Artichoke dip with crackers, bruschetta with crostini, and an assortment of antipasto. Mozzerella with tomato,rilled zuchini, olives, marinated mushrooms, pigs in a blanket, swedish meatballs and some kind of quiche. (still trying to figure out what it was. If I cant identify it, it doesnt get eaten)
As I put an assortment of finger foods together for myself, my cousins son Blake poked me in the back. Nearly scared the the living daylights out of me actually. I spun around and looked down at this wide-eyed little boy waving at me with one hand and in the other hand he had a paper plate with a slice of pizza on it.
I said "wow what a great idea, they got pizza for the kids", but secretly in my head I was saying "wow, wish I had a slice" lol. I turned back to the appetizer table and next to me I spied a woman with a green salad on a paper plate. I asked her where she got it and she pointed towards another door. I ventured off to find me some salad. On the way out, my moms cousin kenny says to me "did you see the pizza truck" and points in the same direction that I was going to search for salad.
I thought to myself, "victory is mine...pizza!"
when i walked outside I saw this massive antique green truck. the passengers side turned into a traveling wood burning brick oven. How frickin neat is that.
Big Green Truck is a catering service based in New Haven, Connecticut and they do pizza parties from the back of an antique truck, in essence a mobile pizzeria. What a great idea! They pull up to the party location, turn the wooden side panels of the truck into tables, heat up the wood fired pizza oven, and start bangin out pizzas.

They make pizzas with a wide variety of toppings, both traditional and gourmet, and take special requests also. They serve the pizzas and a traditional green salad with balsamic vinaigrette buffet style on tables. I had a chance to try pizza with fresh mozzerella, basil and tomato, a white pizza with broccoli on it, and one with carmelized onions, mushrooms and artichokes. That was my favorite. I saw many different varieties come out of that oven. One that seemed to be a big hit was a pizza with mashed potatoes and bacon. I'm a vegetarian so I passed on that one, but I thought it was hysterical to be serving a bacon pizza at a Batmitzvah..lol..
After all of the guests ate pizza and danced, a buffet style dinner was served. There were four choices. Chicken picata(um..yea..I passed on the whole bird thing), eggplant parmesan,pasta with chunky red sauce, and grilled haricot vert (thats fancy talk for string beans). Althouth alot of people enjoyed the eggplant, I felt  the breading was too thick. I dont even think
 they fried it. It seemed like it was baked off in the oven and as a result the breading was mushy and actually slid right off the eggplant. The flavors were there, but the texture was a bit off-putting. The pasta was really good. It had a nice spicy kick to it. The string beans were grilled. They needed salt as far as Im concerned. Anyone who knows me, knows Im a big fan of salt and pepper. dont be afraid of a little S and P people...use it! They are the two most important and easily accessable items in any kitchen. Dont be afraid to seaason your food people!

After the guests had their fill of pizza and dinner the Big green Truck served a variety of gelatos and ice creams for dessert. The truck also has a cappuccino machine, which provided both regular and decaf espressos and cappuccinos towards the end of the party. I had a cappucino and it was really good. All in all in my un-professional professional opinion the pizza truck was the coolest thing at the party. I mean who doesnt love pizza, unfortunately  for us New Yorkers they do not do parties outside of connecticut. But feel free to check out the link Ive included because the Big Green Truck is so super cool and just may inspire you to go get some think crust pizza tonight. Ive included some pictures which will post in the entry after this one for you guys...hope you enjoy.
Off for now bees and bears!

i having trouble uploading pics :(

This app sux

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my 2nd cousins BatMitzvah

Hello boys and girls...
I'm anticipating this weekend to be a very big food weekend for me. Most family events are and its futile to even attempt some semblance of a healthy diet lol. I still haven't grasped the concept of the "healthy lifestyle".
It always feels like a diet even though I have developed some good habits. I still have the cheating mentality. I should think of it as "indulging". Who am I kidding its really over-indulging. Anyway, the bright side is I will definitely have a whole lot of things to blog about, even pictures.
While I love writing about my own recipes, I love it when I get to review other good eats. Anywhoooo...tonight's recipe is something that my coworker has been requesting for 2 weeks now. None other than the most delicious carrot cake to grace your palette. When I think of carrot cake, it brings me back to the diner where visions of thick layers of cream cheese frosting lay in between layers of yummy cake with the classic carrot made out of orange and green frosting on top. Ahh...good times lol. Although I have many fond memories of diner deserts...I have discovered the joy of hunting for those recipes and making them my own. In my search for carrot cake I came across a recipe for a tropical carrot cake. One that includes the addition of pineapple and coconut. It produces one of the moistest cakes you will ever have. That's of course if you like those flavors. I'm a pina colada girl so I knew that I was going to dig this flavor profile.

The moistest carrot cake ever

2cups all purpose flour
2tbs baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 cups white sugar
2 3/4 cups grated carrots
8 oz crushed pineapple
3/4 cups walnuts
1 cup of flaked coconut

Preheat your oven to 325degrees. Sift your flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. You must sift. I know it seems tedious but its worth it. In a separate bowl mix your sugar,oil,and eggs. Beat in the flour mixture alternating between we and dry. Stir in carrots, pineapple, coconut and walnuts. Pour batter into a greased 9x13 pan and bake for 35-40 minutes.

For those that feel the need for cream cheese frosting I'm including a recipe for a basic cream cheese frosting. I must emphasize that you can use any cream cheese frosting you like. Keep in mind this is a dense moist cake and good on its own. However, the technique you use is more important than anything else. Your butter must be room temperature and your cream cheese must be cold. If your cream cheese is warm and you over beat it the proteins will breakdown and it won't have the appropriate structure. In other words your going to have a cream cheese mess that will be too thin.

Cream cheese frosting
1 stick of room temp butter
2 bars of cream cheese
2 cups confectioners sugar
1 tsp good vanilla

Put your room temperature in a bowl and beat with a hand mixer until fluffy. Add your cream cheese in chunks. Add your vanilla and sugar. Beat until combined. Do not overwork the cream cheese.

Well bees and bears...I hope you try this out. I just know you will love it! I'm off for now.
Ta!

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practicing posting from my phone

Heehee

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just practicing posting pics

Hey bees and bears..just practing posting pics

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wicked excited!

Ok peeps! I'm wicked excited. I just learned how to upload pics using this app on my phone! So now my blogs will look a little more interesting and you guys can be all impressed by me (polishing nails on my lapel:)

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first pic

First pic..testing testing

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hey bees and bears

I'm learning to use this android app...hopefully ill be able to start posting pics :)

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Hey bees and bears...its slowly approaching my favorite time of year. The fall season. Oh how i love fall. Its the prelude to winter. I just love the brisk weather, the colors of fall, and all of the delicious flavor profiles that come along with it. One thing you will see all over the place during the next few months will be panetone. I used to turn my nose up at these boxes of breads in disgust. (really..how can bread in a box be edible).
one day I was watching Giada on the food network where she featured a recipe for bread pudding made with Panetone. Im an open minded kind of girl. so i decided to give it a whirl, and I've been using this recipe ever since. I hope you're inspired to try it. I guarantee you will love love love it and definately include in in your holiday celebration. I know, seems a bit premature to  be thinking about holiday menues already, however as far as im concerned you can never start preparing early enough.

Bread Pudding
1 (1lb panetone) cut into cubes
8 large eggs
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 1/2 cups whole milk 1
1/4 cups of sugar


Butter a 9x13 baking dish. Put your cut up cubes of panetone in the baking dish.Combine your eggs, cream,milk and sugar together with a whisk. Pour over the cubes of bread and press down so the bread can absorb the custard mixture. Refridgerate for two hours. Press down every so often making sure the bread is soaked through.  Preheat your over at 350 degrees and bake this off for 35 to 45 minutes until golden brown and puffy.

Cinnamon syrup

1 cup water
1 cup dark brown sugar
2 tbs heavy cream
1/2 tsp cinnamon

combine sugar and water in a heavy medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce to about a cup. Bring syrup off the heat and stir in cream and cinnamon.

This recipe is so easy . I love it when i get a celebrity recipe thats easy to duplicate. Well I hope yyou have fun making this and please feel free to leave your comment and tell me what you think of it.

Off for now boys and girls!

The Chelsea Market

Hello boys and girls!

Its been a long weekend. A long emotional reflective weekend since its the 10 year anniversary of 9/11. Its been 9/11 related documentaries all weekend long. In between  flipping to the occasional "Chopped" episode, I didn't really do much but reflect and clean the house.  It just seems like it dragged on. My only solace was my venture into Manhattan to visit the Chelsea Market. It definitely is a close second to the Whole foods in Union Square. There's a little store that I have become quite fond of. Buon Italia. I'm almost positive there are other stores that sell cheese and oil/vinegar, however there is something about this store that just screams Italy. Could it be the man behind the deli counter slicing speck and screaming in Italian.
 Just sayin..lol
The cans of San Marzano tomatoes did happen to catch my eye. Many chefs regard these tomatoes to be the very best tomatoes for sauce, however I am very much a Red pack girl. So I did not buy any. I originally went there to buy some french lentils (makes for a very tasty lentil soup), but they were sold out. I was very disappointed.  Being the good little shopper that I am, I found some other things to spend my money on. I bought a small chunk of black truffle speckled pecorino romano cheese. Always looking for the opportunity to experience truffles, I simply couldn't resist. It was reasonable priced at 9.95 a pound.
I bought some beautiful sun dried tomatoes from Sicily and a half a pound of fresh tagliatelle pasta. I have never experienced fresh pasta before. Only the dried stuff in the box. after putting this in my shopping basket, it all started to fall into place. Pasta, sun dried tomatoes, pecorino. A yummy pasta dinner makes Allison a happy happy girl.
So this was last nights dinner. Fresh pasta,  red peppers and sun dried tomatoes sauteed together with a drizzle of black truffle extra virgin olive oil. Topped with 2 tablespoons of pecorino cheese. I charged myself  seven points for this dish. Naturally I only cooked up 2 ounces of pasta which came out to about a cup cooked. the sun dried tomatoes were kind of on the salty side so i only salted the water for the pasta. Then I just added some black pepper to the dish after it was put together.
If you have never tried fresh pasta, you really are doing yourself an injustice. This is really how pasta should be eaten. I have officially become a pasta snob and will probably never eat the dried stuff again.
(okay that was just a big fat lie..lol...)
Hope this inspires you to go out and get some fresh pasta and a really good chuck of cheese. If you go to Buon Italia inside the Chelsea Market you can find both there. It is definitely worth the trip.
Off for now Bees and Bears!

A long weekend

Hey everyone,

I'm back after a long labor day weekend. I got a chance to serve my banana cake and my tres leches coconut cake.  I was worried about them surviving hurricane Irene.  I put them in the freezer and took them out 2 days before i needed to serve them. I was very surprised because I put a layer of butter cream frosting (Ree Drummonds recipe) in between the two layers before I froze it. i waited until i defrosted it before i put the cream cheese frosting on the outside. When we cut into it you couldn't tell there were two layers because the frosting in between disappeared into the cake. everyone seemed to really like the tres leches coconut cake. I felt it was very sweet. I lked the banana cake better. The cake was not too sweet, and I'm a sucker for cream cheese frosting big time. I mean, i could just eat it right out of the bowl lol. 
Everyone raved about the coconut tres leches cake. I cannot take all of the credit for a cake that starts out with a box mix. I normally don't serve box mix cakes It went over very well. I got a chance to take a piece of both to my mom and she liked them both. I think she definitely liked the banana cake more. I will post the recipe I used.  since it's super easy, its perfect for those that are not into baking a scratch cake.

Coconut Tres Leches cake

Any make ahead yellow cake mix

Milk syrup
1 can (15 ounces) cream of coconut
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

combine all of the ingredients over a medium heat and warm through. Reserve one cup of this syrup and put it on the side.

Go ahead and make your cake following the directions on the box and let it cool completely. Take a skewer or a fork and poke holes all over the cake. Don't be shy. The more holes the more the syrup will get soaked up through out the cake. Take your milk syrup and start spooning it over the cake. Don't worry if it looks like the syrup is not being absorbed, it will as the cake sits in the refrigerator. Ideally you should let the cake soak overnight. when you're done spooning all of the syrup over the cake take the reserved cup of syrup and heat it up on the stove. Put 20 unwrapped caramels in the syrup and melt them together over a low to medium heat. When all of the caramels are melted spoon this new mixture over your cake as well.
You can garnish your cake a few different ways. I just sprinkled sweetened coconut flakes over the cake and served it like that. If you really want to go over the top you can put sliced bananas over the top right before you're about to serve it with a slightly sweetened whipped cream. again this is a very dense sweet cake if dont make your whipped cream too sweet.
I swear, no one will know this starts out with a box mix, and everyone will think you are wonderful :)

Ok honey bees and bears...gotta get my day started here,
Bye for now

The hunt for pumpkin puree

Hey everyone,

I didn't have the opportunity to check in last night. It wasn't a very exciting food day, I honestly didn't feel like blogging about smart beat cheese sandwiched and yellow mustard, so I decided to take a break. I was actually a little disappointed when I went into Food Emporium and couldn't find the pumpkin puree that I need to make the lentil soup that I last blogged about. I'm going to check out another supermarket tonight. If I cant find it, I guess my soup will just have to wait.

So last week I put my the cakes that I made in the freezer to save them for this week. I'm a bit anxious because I don't know if they will be mushy when they are defrosted. Only time will tell....
I was looking through some old recipes and came across these breakfast squares that are a good thing to keep around if you're really busy in the mornings. you can make a whole batch and just grab them and go.
Hope these save you time in your busy morning.

Fruit and Oat Squares

3 cups of oatmeal

2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs or 3 egg whites
4 mashed ripe bananas (about 2 cups)
3/4 cup of splenda
1/2 cup applesauce
Optional: 1 pint strawberries or blueberries or both

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Mix all of the ingredients and pour into a 10x13 glass pan that's been sprayed with fat free cooking spray. sprinkle a little extra cinnamon on top. Bake 30-45 minutes until edges have browned and pull away from the sides of the pan. Cut into 2" squares

Ok honey bees and bears, Have to get my work day started....if I come across any interesting recipes you know I will definitely check back in later!

Off for now!