Cheesecake Nanaimo Bars

Posted on February 6, 2013 by kaprise

I first read about nanaimo bars on Closet Cooking’s website a few years back… They looked great, but I didn’t think about them again until recently. I’m not sure where I stumbled across another picture of these bars, but then I was obsessed with the idea of making them. I read a bunch of recipes before settling on Seven Spoons and Closet Cooking for my models.

Instead of making them in a 9×9 pan, I made mine in a cupcake pan so I wouldn’t have to worry about cutting the bars. I also tweaked the recipes just a little bit to accomodate the ingredients I had on hand and I scaled back the sugar since I like my cheesecake a bit tart.

I’m a huge fan of cheesecake, so next time I would double the cheesecake and 1/2 the chocolate cookie crust. However, these little bites were truly delicious and I’m glad I made them!! (Even if I feel mildly ill from eating 3 of them in a row).

Cheesecake Nanaimo Bars (adapted from Seven Spoons and Closet Cooking)

Crust:

1 1/2 cups of sugar cookies, blitzed through a food processor (or smashed in a plastic bag with a rolling pin)
1/4 cup of chocolate cocoa
1/4 cup of granulated sugar
1/2 cup of shredded, unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup of almonds, blitzed through a food processor
8 tablespoons of melted unsalted butter

Preheat the oven to 350F
Mix the dry ingredients together, then drizzle the butter into the bowl until the ingredients come together
Press into the bottoms of cupcake liners. I used these adorable monkey ones from Reynolds. (Also… I have quite a bit extra cookie mixture leftover, so don’t be concerned if you also have left over)
Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until just browned.
While the cookie cups bake, start on the cheesecake filling

Cheesecake filling:

8 ounces of cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup of sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Whip the cream cheese with sugar until smooth
Add the egg and vanilla extract and continue whipping until smooth
Once the cookie cups have finished cookie, top each with about two tablespoons of cheesecake batter each
Tap on a flat surface to evenly distribute the batter in the cups
Bake for another 10 minutes, or until the cheesecake has set.

Chocolate ganache topping

7 ounces of dark chocolate
1/2 cup of heavy cream

As the cheesecake and cookie layers cool, make the ganache topping
In a double boiler (or a mixing bowl over boiling water), heat the chocolate and heavy cream. Once the chocolate has melted, whisk the mixture until smooth and glossy.
Put 1 to 2 tablespoons of ganache on top of each cheesecake/cookie cup, smooth the tops with a knife.

Put the whole pan in the fridge and let it set. These should keep for up to a week in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!!!

I used these Guittard chips for my chocolate ganache and I am impressed. They were deliciously dark and not overly sweet. Definitely a re-buy!

A New Find

Posted on February 6, 2013 by kaprise

Boys, avert your eyes. Girls, perk up ASAP.

I recently ran across this amazing website… Le Parcel. Have you all seen it before? I believe it is run by the very friendly Amanda, who responds to questions and other inquiries. I might be wrong though.

Anyway… I thought it was a brilliant little website, especially for the overly busy career girl. I would (if I had an office job) this little box delivered to my job so I never run out of “that time of the month” products and chocolate!

Check it out!! http://www.leparcel.com/

How to Peel Pomegranate Redux

Posted on February 6, 2013 by kaprise

A while back I posted “How to Peel Pomegranate” complete with pictures and detailed information on how I peel my fruits. You can see that post HERE.

Though pomegranate season is nearing the end, I thought I would share this new video that I saw. This gentleman explains and demonstrates how to extra pomegranate seeds efficiently with a knife and wooden spoon. I have yet to try this technique, but from what I see, it looks like an efficient alternative to sitting and gently peeling the fruit. He gives great explanation, so you can watch the demo below.

In case you can’t watch the video… the basics:

Score the pomegranate around the entire circumference of the fruit… the equator. Equidistant from the flowering end and other end
With your fingers, gently “stretch” the edges of the fruit to dislodge some of the seeds.
Over a bowl, flip the pomegranate into your palm (cut side on your hand) and spank the skin of the pomegranate with a wooden spoon until all of the seeds have been dislodged
Remove the larger chunks of pith from the bowl
DONE!

Dwan-Jjang Gook (Soybean Soup)

Posted on February 5, 2013 by kaprise

It’s really unclear how to spell Korean words in English. Sometimes I think they sound one way, but then the conventional spelling that most people online is completely different. Anyway – I think it should be spelled “dwan-jjang” but I have seen “doenjang” and “ddanjjang” and some others. Regardless of the English spelling, dwan-jjang is fermented soybean paste. It’s made in a variety of ways, but One Fork, One Spoon wrote a little bit about it, so hop on over to read up if you are interested.

Personally, I find the word “fermented” to be a bit off putting, which is why I excluded it from the title of my post. Anyway – this is a quick way to make dwan-jjang gook, or fermented soybean soup. From start to finish it takes less than 30 minutes. I start my rice first, and then start on the soup. I usually make my rice in a cast iron pot or a stoneware pot… Let me know if you want me to do a more in depth post on making rice without a rice cooker.

A quick note before I do get started, for people with gluten intolerance or sensitivity to wheat, this is NOT the soup for you. Many of the commercially manufactured dwan-jjang pastes include some form of wheat… if you are set on eating the soup, you will have to do significantly more research into what types of commercially produced paste do not contain gluten.

Dwan-Jjang Gook (the way my mother makes it)

1/2 cup of dried anchovies, or “mael-chi”
4 cups of water
3 tablespoons of dwan-jjang paste (I suggest started at 1 tablespoon and working your way up as your paste may differ in flavor and saltiness than mine.
Scallions (optional)
1-3 teaspoons of soy sauce (also, for gluten sensitive folks, almost all commercially manufactured soy sauce contains wheat so watch out for this also)

Boil4 cups of water with the anchovies for about 20 minutes
Remove the anchovies from the water and discard
Muddle the gwan-jjang paste 1 tablespoon at a time into the anchovy stock, and bring to a simmer
Add soy sauce to taste
You can add any variety of vegetable at this point. My favorite is spinach.
Pour the soup over rice and enjoy!!

Easy right?!

Little anchovies in water

Washed spinach leaves

Skimming the anchovies out of the soup

Dwan-jjang paste

Adding the paste to the soup

White rice and spinach leaves (I usually just pour the hot soup over the leaves so my spinach is “just” wilted, but feel free to add them to your soup as it simmers.

Soup, rice, and spinach

Crispy Quinoa Cakes (burger substitute)

Posted on February 4, 2013 by kaprise

The other day I was trying to convince myself that I did NOT need to eat my 3rd burger of the week… I was losing this self-argument, but in a lightbulb of genius I decided to make quinoa patties. I had been thinking about quinoa and black bean vegetarian patties for a few days, so I thought it only natural to use what I had in the house already. I pulled inspiration for these “cakes” or “patties” from here and here. Have you read Yummy Supper before? Excellent pictures, excellent inspiration, and the name is so adorable!! The other blog is a new find, and I’m excited to read more from it!

Crispy Quinoa Cakes (Inspired from Yummy Supper and EYS)

1 cup of uncooked quinoa
2 carrots
2 stalks of celery
1 small onion
1 small bunch of parsley
1 cup of cooked brussel sprouts
1 cup of shredded cheese (I used some random raspberry beer cheddar I had languishing in the fridge, but I imagine anything would be good in this! I’m going to try feta next time)
3 eggs whisked
Salt/Pepper to taste
1/2 cup of flour (optional)
1 cup of olive oil (maybe a little less)

Wash the quinoa and drain well (I find that unless you give the grains a good scrub you end up with a little sandiness so I’m sure to wash them really well and drain in a mesh sieve).
In a saucepan, bring the quinoa to a boil in 2 cups of water. Once the water boils, lower to a simmer and put a lid on it (bahaha… put a lid on it). And let it cook until fluffy (about 20 minutes).
While your quinoa is cooking, get started on the vegetables.
Dice the celery and onion. Put into a large mixing bowl.
Slice the brussel sprouts. I used pre-roasted brussel sprouts, but you could use frozen ones or whatever other green vegetable you have on hand. Add to the mixing bowl.
Chiffonade the parsley and add to the bowl
Grate the carrots, using the large holes on your grater, into the mixing bowl with the other vegetables.
Once your quinoa is done, add to the bowl and stir until evenly incorporated.
Add in the whisked eggs, shredded cheese, and salt/pepper.
Shape the mixture into patties. I used about 1/3 cup of the mixture for each cake (this makes about 16 cakes)
(OPTIONAL: You can dust the patties lightly in flour before frying them, it helps a little with cohesiveness, but I fried with and without flour… so it’s really up to you.)
In a frying pan (I used a non-stick one), heat the olive oil until a little bit of batter sizzles.
Taste the little sample batter and adjust your seasonings accordingly.
Fry the cakes in small batches, allowing them to brown before flipping them. I cooked mine for about 4 minutes on each side.
I let them drain on a cookie cooling rack.

I ate my quinoa cakes with seared scallops and packed the rest of the cakes in a large container with pieces of parchment paper in between layers. To reheat, I simply put them in a frying pan and reheated for a few minutes with a teaspoon of olive oil. These keep well in the fridge for up to a week, but I doubt they will last that long.

Let me know if you have any other questions! I think my recipe might be a little garbled, but I made these in a frantic and starved state (and I’m writing it in the middle of the night)!!

Sunday Seven

Posted on February 4, 2013 by kaprise

I’m a day late, but I still named my post “Sunday Seven” because it is actually a combination of the things I liked from last week. I’m running a bit behind because I had family visiting from Korea. I love having guests, but unfortunately this time I wasn’t nearly as fun since I am still studying for my bar exam (slowly… very slowly). Anyway – on to the list and pictures!!

FIRST:

Hearts of Palm – I always forget how much I enjoy eating these, but my sister and mother recently picked up a few jars and I demolished them… and then went and bought more. I love them cold out of the fridge. I didn’t take a picture, but you should watch this awesome video about how hearts of palm are harvested… the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5Xck6FjmV4

SECOND:

The ice and snow in the woods… and capturing these stunning icicles!

THIRD:

Remembering to take my camera while walking my dog, so I can capture moments like these:

FOURTH:

Quinoa Cakes – a new recipe I came up with using leftovers in the fridge and turned out AMAZING. I’ll post the recipe in the next couple of days

FIFTH:

These gorgeous macaroons that my cousins brought over for dessert. Seriously delicious and beautifully colored!

SIXTH:

Chapstick. The original boring one! I was out and forgot a lip product and felt that my lips were too dry… so I went back to my high school standby and I fell in love with it all over again!

SEVENTH:

And… my readers!! I’m so thankful that you visit and read and give me motivation to keep up my little blog!

_______

What were your “favorites” from this week??

Tips for Cold Weather Running

Posted on February 2, 2013 by kaprise

Like most runners, I hate carrying things with me. I hate extra layers, water bottles, watches… anything extra that i have to carry is a huge nuisance and commitment because I am stuck carrying it until the end. I want to be free when I run.

Conventional wisdom tells you to layer your clothing, but they don’t take in to account freezing fingers, numb ears and achy nose from cold wind.

I’ve been keeping pretty good track of what I wear at different degrees and I have found that if my core, my head, hands, and feet are warm that I can handle cold runs even if wear less layers. Here are some more essentials to battling out cold weather runs:

1. A hat – not only does the hat keep your hair out of your face but it keeps your head warm. On really cold days, I’ll put a really thin nylon beanie under my baseball cap to cover my ears, but this only happens when temps drop into the teens.

2. Gloves – I used to hate gloves because they made me feel numb and too covered up, but I do wear gloves once the temperature goes below 30 degrees. I noticed that once my hands get chilled, it’s hard to focus on running because I’m flexing my fingers to make sure they aren’t falling off my body. I have thin running gloves from Champion. I don’t see a dupe online but any gloves should do the trick. You should look for fitted gloves, I find that the fitted gloves bother me less and they tend to be warmer since you aren’t getting cold wind stuck in the fingertips or what not like you do with larger gloves.

3. Warm socks – the shoes aren’t what keep your feet warm, it’s the socks. I’ve already posted at length about my socks, so I won’t say much more here.

4. Vests – to keep your core warm. I never really understood vests. Like… Where are the sleeves?!?! But I bought a neon colored vest to throw over clothes to increase visibility during my late night runs… And I discovered it really keeps you warm. I started putting the vest over my running tops and hoodies and discovered that one extra piece of fabric was better than extra layers of shirts. I like the vests because they keep your core warm, and your arms aren’t hassled by bunching shirtsleeves.

In addition to adjusting my running clothing to include these things for winter, I find adding some really good moisturizer to my exposed skin helps keep it hydrated and prevents wind burn. On really cold and dry days, I swipe a little Vaseline on a q-tip inside my nose and under my lips so I don’t get dried out. I also add some good lip balm to the surface of my lips to prevent chipping.

What about you guys? What do you do during the chillier months?

(I’m writing this on my iPhone, so it might be a little garbled, but I hope it helps!!)

Race Records and To Do’s

Posted on February 1, 2013 by kaprise

I promised a while back that I would share more about my running experiences, because I always find it helpful to read about other people’s races and how they felt. It’s a good way to determine which races you want to run, and just to see other people doing the same thing as you. When I started out signing up for races, I did it blind. I just googled random search terms and signed up for races as they popped up on my screen. Needless to say, I was pretty lucky because I lived in Baltimore and there are a ton of really good races in the area.

These are the races I have run:

Date	Name	Distance	Time	Pace
October 10, 2009	Baltimore Running Festival	5k	24:59	8:03

March 20, 2010	Carefirst BlueCross Blue Shield National Half Marathon	Half	2:05:47	9:36
June 19, 2010	Baltimore 10-miler	10 mi	injured
October 16, 2010	Baltimore Running Festival	Half	2:03:03	9:24
November 25, 2010	Turkey Trot	5 mi	sick	—–

January 9, 2011	2011 Walt Disney World Marathon/Half Marathon	Half	2:26:01	11:08
March 26, 2011	SunTrust National Marathon	Half	2:06:19	9:39
April 3, 2011	The Cherry Blossom 10miler	10 mi	1:32:05	9:13
May 15, 2011	The Maryland Half Marathon	Half	2:09:58	9:56
July 31, 2011	The San Francisco Marathon	Marathon	4:30:48	10:20

October 15, 2011	Baltimore Running Festival	Half	2:18:44	10:35
November 19, 2011	TCS: Annapolis Half Marathon	Half	2:17:33	10:30

April 1, 2012	Cherry Blossom 10miler	10 mi	1:41:58	10:12
April 14, 2012	St. Charles Running Festival	10 mi	1:43:42	10:22
April 29, 2012	Althea Columbia ½ Marathon	Half	1:59:47	9:09

As you can see, I was pretty ambitious in 2011 and ran 101.7 race miles, but at the end of the year I felt broken. My times had really been dropping off, and I was cranky at the end of my races (totally not like me). I gave myself a couple months to get my head back in the game, and signed up for races for April of 2012. I had thought that giving myself 4 months of race-free running would be a good way to come back stronger and faster than ever.

I started off with two 10 milers. Both were miserable. My times were horrible, my legs hurt, my stomach bothered me, and I dressed poorly for both. These two races really took it out of me. I was mentally and physically tired at the end of each, and I knew it was time to take a break. I had committed to a half with my friend Courtney, and this race was where things “clicked” again for me again. (I wrote about it here). I know it’s really easy to get THAT feeling back and then sign up for more races, and push yourself… but I decided, for the first time in nearly 3 years that it was time to take more than a couple months off.

So… It has been nearly a year since that race, and my next race is April 28. When I run, it’ll almost exactly a year to the day of my last race in 2012. I am feeling good about running again. I am back to a good place where I am running for fun and not fighting with my watch, my shoes, or my head.

What about you guys? What races have you run? Did you ever feel like you needed to take a whole year off to get back into the game?

(Also! If you have any questions about the races that I’ve run, please let me know! I’d love to give my impressions of the races for those who are interested!)

Osechi Ryori And Other New Years Traditions

Posted on January 31, 2013 by kaprise

I know… for most westerners, the New Year’s Day has already come and gone. However, for those people who follow the lunar calendar, it’s just approaching. This year lunar new year falls on February 10. We call it “Seul-Nal” (though, wikipedia tells me that it is spelled “Seoullal”). Regardless, Korean people celebrate Lunar New Year by spending time with family and eating dduk-gook… or rice cake soup. The Lunar New Year is also celebrated with folk games, dressing in traditional attire and paying our respects to our elders. Jjul (or bowing) is a ritual that is often performed by the younger family members to the elders. I always remember Lunar New Year as being a blend of tradition and fun. Growing up as one of the only ethnic families in my area, I was inundated with American culture, but I did find a fascination with this other part of me… the being Korean part. My mom would pull out these little boxes with Korean games, and I have this distinct memory of these chalky candies that a relative brought us once… and most of all? Staying up late to play games, eat good food, and laugh with my family. All good memories.

Last year, I spent the Gregorian calendar new year (January 1) with my uncle’s family. My aunt, who grew up in Japan, presented us with these beautiful little boxes filled with curious little nibbles. My aunt has an incredible eye for beauty and a great passion for food, so you can imagine exactly how beautiful and delicious these little bites were. I regrettably don’t have pictures. However, I was introduced to an entirely new world of New Year’s traditions… osechi ryori. Osechi ryori refer to special foods served on New Year’s Day in Japanese culture. Now, it turns out the Japanese follow the Gregorian calendar, so my little spiel about osechi ryori is a bit overdue. However, I did think it was a beautiful idea. Each of the foods served represent something for the New Year… the roe symbolizes fertility and the burdock symbolizes long roots and stability. There are many, many other meanings and beautiful symbolizations, but my take away? New Years traditions, no matter what culture or origin are beautiful.

The New Year means hope. To me, hope is the most beautiful of all human emotion because it holds such great strength. Hope carries all that is good in our lives and propels us forward. I think it may be the most universal of emotions, especially at the start of each New Year.

It may be a bit late for Gregorian calendar followers and a bit early for Lunar Calendar followers… but I wish you a Happy HAPPY New Year. I hope that your year is filled with hope, joy, new beginnings, and love.

Are you celebrating Lunar New Year? What are you New Year’s tradition, Gregorian or Lunar calendar?

And for those scholars and curious individuals, some reading:

It does NOT feel like Winter

Posted on January 30, 2013 by kaprise

Two days ago, I woke up to snowflakes gently floating down and coating everything. I was thrilled. I love snow!!! Anyway, I bolted out the door with my dog and camera so that I could take some pictures… I was outside for 30 minutes before the snow turned into hard, little bullets of rain. Booooooo.

Yesterday was unusually mild here, I’m told it was in the 60’s in Baltimore/D.C. but here in the NY Metro area it was a balmy 48 degrees. Unheard of during the winter months, let alone 24 hours after a beautiful snowfall. The snow had all but melted away when I was out the door and driving off for a run.

I went to a park that I normally don’t go to… only to realize that the path was closed for the winter. Being the naughty person I am, I parked my car down the street and jogged into the park. Once I got to the path, I realized exactly why the path was closed. Between the hurricane late last year, the torrential rain, crazy winds, and all elements of weather the path had been eroded quite a bit. The first few minutes of my run were littered with huge rocks that had cascaded down the hillside and falled trees. At one point, there was a mangled bench lying across the path. It was totally unreal… but utterly fun.

It was obstacle running… I climbed over rocks, trees, and skirted huge holes filled with icy water. Most of my runs are on asphalt, and I don’t have to pay too much attention. I just have to get going and get into the zone. This was an all together different kind of running. I loved it! I’m definitely going to make an effort to run more trails and paths that are more challenging.

For those of you who are curious: I ran 4 miles in 47:39 (about 11:54/mile).

And some pictures of the snow from Monday!