Smoked Salmon Crisps

Can you tell I really like the Kitchen Table Bakers Parmesan Crisps? When I first heard of the crisps, I wanted to make an appetizer with smoked salmon, creme fraiche, and dill. The rosemary crisps are perfect for me to make Smoked Salmon Crisps!
Smoked Salmon Crisps
Ingredients:
1 package Kitchen Table Bakers Rosemary Parmesan Crisps
3 tablespoons creme fraiche
1 tablespoon chopped dill, plus more for garnish
1 teaspoon capers
Smoked salmon
Lemon zest

Mix the creme fraiche, chopped dill,and capers.
Add a teaspoon of the mixture to each crisp.
Top with a rolled piece of the smoked salmon.
Add a sprig of dill for garnish.
Zest a lemon over each piece.
That’s it!
Dill, salmon and lemon are just made for each other.
The capers add a slight tanginess to this which is a happy surprise.
If you can’t find creme fraiche, use sour cream. However, the lightness of the creme fraiche is really worth seeking out for this appetizer.

Strawberry Banana Stuffed French Toast

It’s spring! And spring means (among other things) that strawberries are back in season. So what better way to use them than for a delicious weekend brunch? This Strawberry Banana Stuffed French Toast uses strawberries three ways: fresh, in a strawberry sauce, and for an extra touch of strawberry goodness, in a strawberry jam. And because I love bananas, I threw in a couple slices of that as well. I found the strawberry sauce recipe here and my French toast recipe is based off of this post.
Ingredients:
4 challah rolls
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup vanilla almond milk (unsweeted)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 cup sliced strawberries, divided
3 tablespoons honey
the juice and zest of one lemon
4 ounces low fat cream cheese
1 tablespoon strawberry jam
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 banana, sliced
1 tablespoon butter

Begin by slicing the challah rolls in half. In a large bowl, add the eggs, almond milk and 2 tablespoons sugar.
Add the roll halves and mix to coat.
Cover and refrigerate for one hour.
one hour later
Add 1 cup sliced strawberries, 3 tablespoons honey, and the lemon juice and zest to a bowl and mix to combine.
Allow to stand for 1 hour. (I actually ended up leaving both for over an hour. Whoops.)
one hour later
Combine the cream cheese, vanilla extract and strawberry jam.
Slice the rest of your strawberries and your banana.
Heat a saute pan over medium high heat and add 1 teaspoon butter. Add  1 set of challah rolls to the saute pan and cook for three minutes.
Flip and cook for three more minutes.
While waiting for the side to cook, add 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture to one piece of roll.
Add slices of strawberry and banana.
When the bread is done cooking, assemble the pieces of bread. Add one to two tablespoons of the strawberry sauce and a few more slices of banana.
Repeat with remaining rolls. How good does that look?
The challah rolls were crispy while the cream cheese mixture was nice and creamy.
The strawberry sauce was tangy, just enough to complement the sweetness of the rest of the French toast.
And as usual, I am a big fan of the already portioned serving. It gives me a better chance of not being a piggy. 🙂
I loved this! I wish I could eat this every spring day. Except I think people would begin to judge me…

Grilled Striped Bass with Bacon Vinaigrette Red Smashed Potatoes and Sauteed Butter Thyme Mushrooms

Grilled Striped Bass with Bacon Vinaigrette Red Smashed Potatoes and Sauteed Butter Thyme Mushrooms. Whew. By the time you say the title of this post you could have cooked most of this meal. Fish is a perfect weekday choice because it is so darn quick to cook up. I managed to make all parts of this meal in 40 minutes which was awesome! If you wanted to cut the time for this meal even more, you could doctor up some of those refrigerator mashed potatoes from the supermarket, but I really like home made mashed potatoes so I went for it.  No one is surprised to hear that this menu comes from my trusty Cooking Light.
Ingredients:

2 (8-ounce) striped bass fillets
salt, divided
freshly ground black pepper, divided
4 slices center-cut bacon
2 large shallots, finely chopped and divided
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon sugar
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound red potatoes
2 garlic cloves, halved
1/4 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
2 tablespoons butter, divided
2 (8-ounce) packages presliced baby bella mushrooms
1/3 cup dry white wine
4 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

Begin with making the mashed potatoes. The original recipe has you peel and cube the potatoes. I really like the skins of potatoes so I altered the recipe to be smashed instead of mashed. Feel free to check out the original recipe here if you’re not into the skins. Add the potatoes and the halved garlic cloves to a large pasta pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil.
While waiting for the water to come to a boil, prepare your other ingredients. Chop the shallots and fresh thyme. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1/4 cup of the chopped shallots to the pan. Cook for about 1 minute.

 

By now your water will hopefully be boiling. Reduce heat for the pasta pot and simmer for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.

Go back to the saute pan. Add a 1/2 teaspoon salt and the mushrooms to the pan, stirring occasionally. Cook for 13 minutes or until the mushrooms are brown and the liquid has evaporated.

While waiting for the two to cook (and if you have room on your stove), add another saute pan over medium high heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp. Remove from heat and add to a paper towel. Reserve 1.5 tablespoons of the drippings in the pan. Crumble the bacon.

Add the crumbled bacon and 2 tablespoons shallots back to the pan, cooking over medium heat for 1 minute stirring frequently.

Remove from heat and stir in the vinegar, Dijon mustard, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon sugar.

Back to the mushrooms. Add the wine to the pan and cook for 2 minutes or until the liquid almost evaporates.

Stir in the thyme and cook for 30 seconds and remove from heat.

 

Drain  the pasta pot and return the potatoes and garlic to the pot. Mash using a potato masher or a large fork. Add the milk, 1 tablespoon butter, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and mix to combine.
We haven’t abandoned the Vinaigrette! Take the mixture and slowly add the olive oil to the vinegar mixture, stirring constantly to get an emulsion.

 

Last but not least, we have the bass. Heat a grill pan over medium high heat and spray with cooking spray. Sprinkle the fish with salt and pepper and add to the grill pan skin side up. Cook for 4 minutes. (You can set your table during this time).

 

Flip the fish and cook for another 4 minutes.

Serve drizzled with the bacon vinaigrette.

 

Multi tasking at its finest! I hope my directions made sense. It’s not nearly as confusing as it sounds. You kind of bounce around between things based on when you have the opportunity to do so.
So whoever thought of the idea of bacon vinaigrette is one awesome person.  It was smoky and slightly tangy. I actually put some on my mashed potatoes as well (which I highly suggest).
This was my first time having bass and I really enjoyed it. Despite doing a whole lot of nothing to cook it, the fish was flavorful and had almost a buttery taste to it.
The mushrooms were awesome as well! I added a bit more fresh thyme once it was on my plate for a little more flavor and some color.
Sorry my photos are so crummy. First, it’s not exactly the most colorful meal I’ve ever made. Second, the smell of bacon made my antsy. I needed to eat this ASAP 🙂
I hope you’ll forgive my lack of photography skills due to the calling of bacon.

 

White Bean Hummus

Have you ever had a craving for something that you just can’t shake? Even after eating? I desperately wanted hummus. And even after filling up on delicious pizza I still wanted that hummus. But I don’t have any chickpeas in my place right now. (Note to self: stock up on cans of chickpeas so that I am never in this terrible situation again) So I went in search of a recipe for hummus that I could use something, anything else I happened to have on hand. White bean hummus to the rescue! (I found this recipe in Southern Living)
Ingredients:
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 (15.5-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
the juice and zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons tahini
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoonpaprika, plus more for garnish
1/4 cup olive oil

Rinse and drain your cannellini beans.
Add all the ingredients except for the olive oil to a food processor and blend. You may need to stop the food processor one or two times to scrape the sides to make sure everything is evenly blended.
While the food processor is running, add an even stream of the olive oil until well blended. Add to a bowl and sprinkle with some paprika. Serve with pita chips, cucumber, or green peppers.
Due to my craving, I had none of these on hand. Junk. But I did have some of the Kitchen Table Bakers Rosemary Parmesan Crisps that went perfectly with the hummus!
Oh so satisfying.
Cannellini beans make one fantastic hummus, who knew?
The hummus was nice and creamy. And I loved the fresh rosemary!
I’d suggest adding some extra fresh chopped rosemary on top for added flavor. You can store this overnight or for a few days beforehand. I like to bring it with me as a snack at work.

Creamy Spring Pasta

I was talking to my mom on the phone earlier this week and she mentioned she was making a creamy pasta with peas (her favorite) for dinner. Naturally, I had some taste bud jealousy and decided that I needed to have that as well this week. Cooking Light’s most recent issue had this Creamy Spring Pasta which sounded fantastic so I was able to!
Ingredients:
3 quarts water
2 ounces French bread baguette, torn into pieces
1 tablespoon butter
3 garlic cloves, minced and divided
1 batch of asparagus, cut diagonally into two inch pieces
1 cup frozen peas and carrots mixture
6 ounces fresh spinach fettuccine
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/3 cup finely chopped sweet onion
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
1 cup 1% low-fat milk
3 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated (about 1/4 cup packed)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon

Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Add the torn bread to a food processor (I just used my Magic Bullet) and process until it becomes coarse crumbs.
Melt the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add one minced garlic clove to the pan and cook for 1 minute.  Add the breadcrumbs and cook for 3 minutes, sitting frequently. Remove from pan and set aside. Wipe the pan down so that you can use it again.
Your pot should now be boiling. Add the asparagus and peas and carrots to the boiling water and cook for 3 minutes.
Use a slotted spoon to remove from the water (you need the water to cook the pasta). Add the vegetables to a colander and rinse with cold water.
Add the olive oil to the saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic cloves and cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. While the onion and garlic are cooking, add the flour to a small bowl and gradually whisk in the chicken broth. Add this to the saute pan. Also stir in the milk, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook for 1 minute.
Add the pasta to the boiling water. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Drain and reserve.
Remove the milk mixture from heat. Add the Parmesan cheese, cream cheese, salt and pepper, stirring until the cheeses melt.
Add the pasta and reserved vegetables and toss to coat.
Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and tarragon and serve.
Doesn’t it just look like spring?
The sauce does a really great impression of a cream sauce. I honestly don’t think I’d be able to tell the difference between this sauce and one made with heavy cream.
I wish I had added some of the tarragon to the sauce as well to get more of that flavor, but it was still nice as little bites of tarragon flavor.
Asparagus this time of year is just perfect. It was still crisp and bright so it stood out through the cream sauce.
And the toasted bread crumbs were awesome. An extra crunch to top off the dish!

Shrimp Ceviche on Jalapeno Parmesan Crisps

I’m really on a canape/appetizer kick. I used these Jalapeno Parmesan crisps to make canapes with Black Bean Mango Salsa on top, but really wanted to make something with shrimp incorporated in it. I found this Cooking Light recipe for Ceviche de Camaron and used it as a base for this recipe for Shrimp Ceviche on Jalapeno Parmesan Crisps. Traditional ceviche is usually fresh raw fish marinated in lemon or lime juice. I actually steamed the shrimp before marinating them in the lime, so it is not an actual ceviche, but the general idea of it is still present.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup chopped red onion
6 cups water
3/4 cup fresh lime juice, divided
1 pound medium shrimp
1 cup chopped peeled cucumber
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup mild taco sauce
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon sriracha or other hot sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
Jalapeno Parmesan Crisps (Kitchen Table Bakers)

I didn’t read the recipe correctly before buying my ingredients, so I actually asked the seafood place to peel and devein the shrimp. Well, the original recipe required boiling the shrimp and then peeling them, so I had to change it up a bit. Click the link above for the original recipe if you’d like.
Bring 6 cups of water with 1/4 cup fresh lime juice to a boil in a large pot. When boiling, add the shrimp to a steam basket and place on top. Cover and cook for 3 minutes.
Remove the shrimp and combine with 1/2 cup juice, plus the zest from the limes, in a large bowl.
Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
While waiting for the hour to pass, chop your onion, cucumber, and cilantro. Take the chopped onion and rinse with cold water in a colander.
Add the onion to a medium bowl. Stir in the cucumber, ketchup, taco sauce, cilantro, hot sauce, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce and salt.
Refrigerate until the hour has passed for the shrimp. When the hour is finished, stir in the shrimp and lime juice.
Top each Parmesan crisp with one shrimp and a teaspoon of the onion cucumber mixture.
Aren’t these fun?
So I realized after taking these photos that the shrimp still had their tails. I wouldn’t suggest serving the shrimp on the crisps with the tails on.
However, if you serve the ceviche in a bowl or wine glass with the crisps on the side, keep the tails on for presentation.
The shrimp managed to maintain a really nice citrus flavor despite being pre-cooked.
The cocktail sauce on the shrimp had a nice spice but didn’t deliver much heat (the Parmesan crisps were spicy enough for me) so if you like it really spicy, add a bit more hot sauce.
I did think corn kernels would go great with this as well. Next time I make it, I think I’d throw in some frozen thawed corn kernels for extra texture.

Individual Tiramisu

I love tiramisu. Honestly, what’s not to like? I’ve never tried to make a traditional tiramisu, but it might be a terrible idea. I’d probably eat the entire thing in one sitting. So to save me from that embarrassing end, I decided to try a recipe from the Walkers Shortbread website for Individual Tiramisu. The recipe makes two servings of tiramisu so that I can’t be a complete piggy. I came across it while trying to find a recipe to photograph (I made their raspberry creme brulee instead) and knew I’d have to make it. Luckily, I still had some Walkers Shortbread leftover!
1 tablespoon coffee flavored liqueur
1 tablespoon hazelnut flavored liqueur
2 ounces boiled water
1 heaping teaspoon espresso granules
8 shortbread cookies (I used Walkers Pure Butter Shortbread)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 container (8 oz.) mascarpone cheese
1 tablespoon mini semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder

So before I go into the recipe, I just wanted to talk about one of the small businesses near me, Wedge + Fig in Philadelphia. They are an amazing cheese shop, brunch location, and also serve some of the best and most creative paninis in the city. When I had a hankering for this tiramisu recipe, I was excited to find that I had all of the ingredients on hand. Except the mascarpone cheese. Blast.
I thought I’d take a gamble and went to two corner stores near me. No mascarpone. So I went over to Wedge + Fig, assuming they wouldn’t have it either, but thought they might know where to get some. I asked, expecting a no, and was ready to leave. They told me they did not sell it, but they had some on hand because they used it in some recipes and would be willing to sell me some. How awesome! So thank you SO much to Wedge + Fig for saving the day. My tummy thanks you!
On to the recipe: Begin by combining the espresso granules with the boiling water. Stir to combine.
Take 1 tablespoon of the espresso and combine it with the coffee and hazelnut liqueurs.
Take 6 of the shortbread cookies and brush them with the coffee mixture on both sides.
Cut each cookie in half. (Note: I decided later that I kind of preferred them crumbled so after allowing them to soak, I just chopped them up a bit. The halves didn’t fit in my glasses nicely.)
In a medium bowl, beat the heavy cream with 2 tablespoons sugar until stiff peaks form.
In another bowl, beat the mascarpone cheese and 1/4 cup sugar.
Fold in the whipped cream. (I could just eat this mixture allll day. Mmm.)
 Take two wine goblets or Irish coffee glasses and place three cookie halves in the bottom. (I just put two teaspoons of the crumbs in the bottom of mine.) Spoon 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture over the cookies and repeat the layers.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours so that the cookies/crumbs can soften.
Add the chocolate mini chips to a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high, stirring until melted. Use a fork to drizzle the melted chocolate over the 2 remaining cookies. (Place the cookies on wax paper before drizzling).
Just before serving, lightly sprinkle the tiramisu with cocoa using a fine sieve. Add a chocolate-drizzled cookie to each glass.
How easy was that?
I love how fancy this dessert seems to be with minimal effort.
The whipped cream and mascarpone is so fluffy and flavorful.
The shortbread really soaked up all that coffee-hazelnut flavor, but maintained just enough crunch to keep it satisfying.
 The presentation of this dessert is really nice too. The chocolate drizzled cookie is great to dip into the tiramisu to get some of the mascarpone mixture.
I’m aware I should share the second one of these. But um. I think I like it too much! We will see…

Black Bean Mango Salsa on Jalapeno Parmesan Crisps

You can never have too many quick appetizers on hand. I am loving the Kitchen Table Makers Crisps. I already did one post on the Rosemary Parmesan Crisps, so it was time to get a little spicy. I used Kitchen Table Makers Jalapeno Parmesan Crisps and topped it with a yummy Black Bean Mango Salsa. The original recipe had jalapenos within the salsa, but after tasting the Crisps, I decided they had enough heat that the additional jalapeno might be too much. If you’re a huge spice fan, feel free to add a bit of chopped jalapeno to the salsa.
Ingredients:
  • 1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 firm, ripe mango, diced
  • 1  tomato cored and chopped
  • 1 orange bell pepper, diced
  • 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
  • 1/4 of an onion, diced
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
  • the juice of 2 limes plus zest
  • Salt, to taste
  • Jalapeno Crisps

Continue reading Black Bean Mango Salsa on Jalapeno Parmesan Crisps

Garlicky Meatball Pasta with Avocado-Butter Lettuce Salad

Despite having an Italian mother, I have never made meatballs before. I’m almost embarrassed to admit it. Whelp, at the age of 26, I believe it is time to finally get my hands dirty and make some meatballs. One of Cooking Light’s 40 Fast Menus in Under 40 Minutes had a recipe for meatballs, so I used it as my base for this recipe.
For the Pasta:
9 ounces refrigerated fettuccine
12 ounces ground sirloin
2 sausages, removed from their casings
1/2 cup panko
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 3/4 cups lower-sodium marinara sauce
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated
For the Salad:
1 cup chopped  red onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 cups torn butter lettuce
1 cup sliced avocado

Because this is a very simple sauce, I’d suggest going for a premium high-quality marinara sauce.
Bring a pot of water to a boil. While waiting for the water to boil, combine the beef, sausage meat, panko, basil, garlic, salt, pepper, and egg in a medium sized bowl. The original recipe did not have the sausage included, but I thought it would add some extra flavor (I used these awesome sausages from Martin‘s in Reading Terminal- Mozzarella and Basil Sausages, amazing right?)
Shape the mixture into small meatballs. The recipe says to make 16. I ended up with 10. I wasn’t very good at the whole eyeballing-the-right-size-thing.
By now the water should be boiling. Cook the pasta according to directions. Drain over a bowl to reserve 1/3 cup pasta water.
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and cook until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. (stir to flip the meatballs so they brown evenly)
Reduce the heat to medium low and add the sauce and 1/3 cup pasta water.
Cover and cook for 11 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through.
While waiting for the sauce to cook, combine the red onion, olive oil, lime juice, salt and pepper in a bowl. Let stand for 10 minutes.
Add lettuce and avocado; toss gently.
When the sauce is finished cooking, mix in the pasta and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes.
Serve the pasta topped with some Parmesan cheese and the salad on the side.
I love how simple this recipe is but still packs a bunch of flavor! My normal tomato sauce takes forever to make, so I’m pretty excited to have a quick sauce when I need it.
Oh. And the meatballs? Fan-tastic. I could eat these all day.
The salad was really delicious as well! There was a bit too many onions for my liking, so I might limit the amount next time I make this.
I seem to forget how yummy simple recipes can be, something I need to remember as vegetables and fruits come back in season.

Pecan Crusted Halibut with Roasted Asparagus and Potatoes

I have a confession. Despite cooking most nights a week (and making leaps and bounds over the past year and a half as to what I am able to cook) I still struggle to pull an entire meal together at one time, i.e. a protein and two sides. Unless it is a one-pot kind of meal, I tend to just make the protein and be done with it, or I make a huge batch of the side and have that as my dinner. So with Cooking Lightt’s April issue including 40 Meals Under 40 Minutes, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to tackle making an entire meal. I used their Hazelnut-Crusted Halibut with Roasted Asparagus and Roasted Red Potatoes as a base for this meal – Pecan Crusted Halibut with Roasted Asparagus and Potatoes.
Ingredients:
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 2 (6-ounce) halibut fillets, skin still on
  • 1 egg white, lightly beaten
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
  • 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1 pound asparagus, trimmed
  • Cooking spray
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
  • 2 lemon wedges
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 2 shallots, thinly sliced
  • 2 handfuls of small potatoes (I used red, fingerling, and purple) – Very scientific, I know

Continue reading Pecan Crusted Halibut with Roasted Asparagus and Potatoes

Bunny Carrot Cake

Every Easter, we have this adorable little bunny cake that shows up for dessert. I honestly don’t know what bakery we get it from, but it always makes me smile. So I thought I’d try to recreate it. Obviously, a bunny would be filled with carrots, so I decided to make a Bunny Carrot Cake with cream cheese frosting, covered in coconut.
I used a recipe from David Lebovitz for the cake and frosting, and used Betty Crocker‘s instructions on how to make it into a bunny.

Ingredients:

Carrot Cake:
  • ¾ cup butter, melted and browned
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon cloves
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 large eggs, at room temperature
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 cups loosely packed grated carrots (about 5 carrots)
  • 1/2 cup golden raisins
Frosting:
  • 2 (8oz packages) cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Additional ingredients:

  • 1 bag of coconut flakes
  • green food dye
  • jelly beans

Tools needed (paid links):

Continue reading Bunny Carrot Cake

Rose Water Cardamom Lassi

I still had some plain yogurt leftover from making a batch of Mango Lassi over the weekend. I wanted to try to make my own combination and realized I still had rose water on hand. I love love rose water, which is a common ingredient in this sweet yogurt drink. I also picked up some ground cardamom when I was picking up all of the Indian spices. Cardamom is used to flavor a lot of desserts so I thought it would work great in the lassi as well. So I ended up with a Rose Water Cardamom Lassi!

 
Ingredients:
1 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon rose water
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
2 tablespoons sugar, or to taste
2 tablespoons coconut milk
Ice cubes
1 tablespoon pistachios, chopped

Add all ingredients except the ice cubes and pistachios to a blender. Puree until well combined.
Pour into a glass over ice. Top with chopped pistachios.
Um. Yum.
The rosewater is oh so nice in this drink.
The pistachios add a nice crunch to the drink which I really liked.
Lassi is supposed to be super sweet, but if you’re sensitive to sweetness, you can limit the amount of sugar, or you can substitute vanilla yogurt for the plain yogurt and omit the sugar entirely.
I love how easy these are to whip up!
Lassi is traditionally served with lunch, but I honestly love it as a dessert drink.

Honey-Rosemary Blue Cheese Canapes

I received two packages of Kitchen Table Bakers‘ Parmesan Crisps in the mail recently, and my mind immediately went to making fun little hors d’oeuvres with them. The crisps, made entirely from Parmesan cheese, are like a thin chip packed with a bunch of delicious cheesy flavor. So why not add a little more cheese on top?
Ingredients:
Kitchen Table Bakers Rosemary Parmesan Crisps
Blue Cheese
Honey
Fresh Rosemary
Continue reading Honey-Rosemary Blue Cheese Canapes

Bacon Bloody Mary

What could possibly make a traditional Bloody Mary even better? Bacon of course! The smoky taste of bacon is a perfect upgrade to everyone’s favorite brunch accompaniment.  I used Bakon Vodka to make this Bacon Bloody Mary, but you can also make your own homemade version if you so choose.
Ingredients (makes one drink):
1 1/2 oz Bakon Vodka
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
Juice of 1/2 a lime
1 teaspoon Worcestershire
4 drops tabasco, or more if you want it spicy
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay, plus more to rim the glass
Tomato Juice
1 piece of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 celery stalk
Ice

Continue reading Bacon Bloody Mary

Learning How To Cook Indian Food in Haneeda’s Kitchen

I had the best Saturday. A huge part of making it such an amazing day was the opportunity to take an Indian Cooking Class taught by Haneeda Riaz, of Haneeda’s Kitchen. Every Saturday, Haneeda hosts two hour hands-on classes to groups of 8 students or less. The classes, posted here, lay out what dishes will be taught, although Haneeda also (I believe) has private classes that can be customized.
Me and Haneeda

My mom and I headed to Glen Mills, PA to learn how to cook 5 different Indian dishes: Chicken Tikka Masala, Aloo Tikki, Cucumber Raita,Vegetable Pulao, and Mango Lassi. Our class of 7 immediately got started. The Chicken Tikka Masala needs some time to marinate so we began there, making the marinade and letting it soak for 30 minutes. We then made the sauce, broiled the chicken, and added it to the sauce.
Cucumber Raita, a cucumber yogurt-based salad, also needs time for the flavors to meld, was made next and popped in the fridge.
Next came the fun part, we got to get a little messy 🙂 To make the Aloo Tikki, a potato croquette, we had to form the potato mixture into little discs. These get sauteed up until golden and are served with chutney.
Learning how to make the vegetable pulao, a rice dish, changed my life. Hehe. We made the whole thing, vegetables and all, in a rice cooker! Needless to say, I am now the proud owner of a rice cooker.
Last but certainly not least, we whipped up the Mango Lassi, an absolutely delicious mango yogurt drink.
We then got to sit and taste our fine handiwork. Yum!
Aloo Tikki
Cucumber Raita
Vegetable Pulao
Mango Lassi
SO GOOD!
See? I wasn’t joking.
Haneeda is a fantastic teacher. Not only does she guide you through the whole cooking process, but gives every person in the class a chance to do the actual cooking. Haneeda is also full of knowledge; she took the time to show and discuss each and every spice we’d be using. She can also direct you to where to find the ingredient you used in the area. (I went on Sunday, and I fell in love with the Indian grocery store, it smells SO good in there!)
Not only do you get to sit down and enjoy the wonderful meal you just made, Haneeda sends each person home with the recipes!
So I had to show off my newly developed Indian cooking skills for my boyfriend. I made everything but the Aloo Tikki, because I forgot to pick up potatoes (whoops). So how did it turn out?
Not. Too. Shabby. If I say so myself 🙂  It was delicious! I made a whole Indian meal on my own!

 

I would strongly suggest checking out Haneeda’s (or honestly, any other hands-on cooking classes) to learn a new cuisine, or even something like a knife cutting class, to further develop your skills. It’s a bunch of fun, and really informative!
Many thanks tor Haneeda for the opportunity to attend her class, I can’t even begin to describe how great it was!
For more information about Haneeda’s Kitchen, head over to her website: https://www.haneedaskitchen.com/ There was also a wonderful write up about Haneeda and her classes last year, which can be found here.
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