Lazy Sunday Morning February 12, 2012
Posted by cirellih in Breakfast, Craving, Family, Food.Tags: Berries, Pancakes, Poached Egg
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I really enjoy family traditions. It’s probably one of the many reasons that I love the Christmas season. I love setting out decorations in the same spots every year. Baking the same cookies, making cranberry relish, singing the same carols, and wearing cracker hats.
There are other traditions that my family has throughout the year. One of the best is the Sunday morning tradition of pancakes. Now, Chris and I don’t often have pancakes or waffles, but today we decided to go for a big breakfast/brunch.
I don’t always want maple syrup, so today I opted for a berry mash to top my pancakes. I try to keep frozen berries in the freezer, specifically for days like this! They definitely come in handy, you can pull out as many as you want, and they are quick to thaw.
Today, I also attempted to make a poached egg. They are one of my favorite ways to eat an egg, but I still have not mastered the process.
It came out pretty well today, with minimal shredding of the egg white into the boiling water. Usually when I try to drop the egg into the boiling water, it explodes into ribbons and makes a huge mess in the pot. This was a distinct improvement!
Twisted Cheese February 10, 2012
Posted by cirellih in Craving, Dinner.add a comment
Improvisation seems to be the name of the game in the kitchen.
Tonight, I was rummaging around in the cupboard and could not find the macaroni. Truly sad when you are attempting to make macaroni and cheese.
Trying to go with the flow, I pulled out the rotini we had left, and supplemented it with rigatoni. There really shouldn’t be much of a difference in the casserole when changing out the pasta… so long as you measure out enough, which I failed to do. Oopsie!
The sauce to pasta ratio was a little off, but certainly delicious! A heaping helping of broccoli on the side.
Not shown is the copious amounts of hot sauce that I like on the side. I’m not sure what it is about the combination, but nothing goes better with broccoli than cheese, and nothing goes better with macaroni and cheese than hot sauce.
Don’t knock it before you try it!
Chicken Done Two Ways February 8, 2012
Posted by cirellih in Craving, Dinner, Food.Tags: Chicken Wings, Paprika, Vegetables, Wing Night
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Tonight was a belated wing night. So to make up for the lateness, we decided to make two different types of wings! Both were wildly different, and both delicious.
For the first, we made Paprika Wings. A nice and smoky spice rub with paprika, cayenne pepper, and brown sugar. A great choice if you like a sweet and spicy combination. This wasn’t Chris’ favorite, but I really enjoyed them… especially in combination with our other choice of wings.
For our second recipe, we made “Super Simple Fan Feeders”. Sweet and sour, a little sticky, nice and crunchy. These wings marinated in lemon juice, soy sauce, sugar, garlic powder and onion powder. They were supposed to be grilled, which I do think would have added quite a bit to the wing flavor. We cooked them on a roasting pan, which did give them a nice, crunchy texture.
These two were great together. The dry rub wing juxtaposed nicely with the sticky sweetness of the other. Add a few crunchy veggies on the side, and you have a very tasty meal!
In an Upstate New York State of Mind February 7, 2012
Posted by cirellih in Craving, Food, Lunch.Tags: Alfalfa Sprouts, Bagel, Bagel Grove, Cream Cheese, Cucumber, Tomato, Upstate NY
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There are some things that I miss particularly about my home state:
-A rainbow of colors in the fall
-Water, ie: lakes, rivers, streams
-Cloudy days where the light is bright and cozy
-Home style Italian food… chicken riggies and Utica greens
and
-Bagel Grove bagels
In a vain attempt to recreate my favorite sandwich from Bagel Grove, I set about making a veggie delight.
First, I toasted a poppy seed bagel and covered it in cream cheese. Adding on the first layer of veggies: cucumber.
Next, I added on thick, juicy slices of tomato.
Lastly, I covered the sandwich in alfalfa sprouts for a little extra crunch.
Certainly delicious, but could never compare with the real deal!
Channeling My Inner Domestic Goddess February 5, 2012
Posted by cirellih in Baking, Craving, Dessert, Food.Tags: Baguettes, Baking, Cupcakes, Giants, Snowday, Superbowl
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Friday was a snowday! A much needed day off from work, indeed. Boulder was covered in a cozy blanket of the purest snow I have ever seen in Colorado. Twenty-four inches in all!
What to do with a day off?
1. Take Oliver on numerous walks… well I struggle to call them walks. More like slogs, or expeditions. Oliver enjoyed himself greatly, bounding through the drifts of snow and munching on every flake that came his way.
2. Channel my inner domestic goddess. I opened up The Joy of Cooking, and perused the recipes until I came upon one for baguettes. I had all of the ingredients: yeast, flour, salt, and water. It is not a recipe for the faint of heart, or the short on time. Only to be used if you are in it for the long haul!
3. While the bread is rising (the first and second times) start baking cupcakes for the Superbowl! Again, I looked to The Joy of Cooking for inspiration. In it I found a recipe for four egg yellow cake, which I decided would be perfect for a non-chocolate loving nephew. I don’t usually make cakes from scratch, but this was relatively easy, didn’t have that many ingredients, and above all I had time.
An incredibly fluffy, moist cake with a sweet butter cream frosting. Of course, they had to be decorated to support the team… Go Giants!
I made the butter cream swirls and Chris added on the blue lettering. A big hit for the big game. Of course, they tasted all the sweeter when our team won!
Healthy Heath 