Burnt is Better

Posted on January 26, 2013 by kaprise

Remember a while back I mentioned stuff on how to roast vegetables MY way? Well, I wanted to revisit how to roast vegetables because it is SO easy and really an amazing way to get tons of vegetables into your diet. Winter vegetables can get old REALLY fast. I mean… how much kale and squash can you possible consume before you lose it and resort to stuffing your face with chocolate and cheeseburgers (maybe not together though…).

Anyway… I like my vegetables to get this unbelievably golden (almost burnt) salty crust on them before gobbling them up with some protein (sausage, egg, steak… anything). My favorites these days have been cabbage, brussel sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, and sweet potato. You can really roast any type of vegetable like this… acorn squash, butternut squash, radishes, beets… anything.

My oven and I have come to the understanding that 400 F is the right temperature because it is low enough to get the vegetables soft and chewy, but hot enough to get the edges crispy. I use a good helping of good olive oil (between 1/4 to 1/2 cup of olive oil for every sheet of vegetables). Good salt. And about 60 minutes to 120 minutes depending on how chunky your vegetables are and how “burnt” you like them. I make plenty of roasted vegetables at a time and store them for up to 1 week in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator. It’s an excellent way to prepare for healthy meals for the entire week.

Obviously… just salt and oil can get a little boring, so there are some add ins to toss with the salt and oil:

Herbs de Provence (oregano, lavender, and some other yummies)
Chopped garlic and parsley thrown in for the last ten minutes of the roast
Chunky slices of onions with root vegetables
Honey glazed – add a few tablespoons of good honey with the salt and honey, and toss to coat the vegetables before roasting
A generous sprinkle of black pepper and pink peppercorns for a zingy punch
Cayenne and red pepper flakes for spicy vegetables

Here are some pictures of the vegetables I’ve roasted recently.

What about you guys? How do you like your vegetables? Crispy crispy? Or less?

Chocolate Study Break

Posted on January 26, 2013 by kaprise

I was rolling around in bed thinking about studying, but then decided to take a drive to get gas and get some chocolate. I had originally only intended to purchase my NEW favorite Salazon Chocolate Co. bar – the dark chocolate with natural sea salt… but then I saw that the store had two other kinds of Salazon bars, so I bought those too! And two other new kinds of chocolate that I haven’t tried yet either. Anyway – I thought I’d run through the chocolates and what I thought of them for you guys! (long study break!)

First bar!

The Nirvana Organic Belgian Chocolate Bar. I chose the dark chocolate with sea salt and caramel bar. It’s pretty, isn’t it? Unfortunately, I wasn’t in love with the flavor. I expected the bar to be flecked with caramel and have a delicious saltiness… but when I bit into it the chocolate was simply a smooth chocolate bar. No flecks of caramel, no melty flakes of salt, nothing. So, I flipped the bar over, and AH HAH! There is no ingredient for caramel… but caramel “flavor.” What does that mean? While I am not in love with the flavor, I am positive it will be delicious baked into some almond scones. This was 3.5 ounces for $4.99. ($1.43/oz)

Next bar…. Chuao Chocolatier! I picked the honeycomb bar out of the bunch. The packaging is really pretty. It’s a thick plastic bag with the chocolate bar in it, unlike all the others that are paper and foil wrappings. Anyway, there is a whimsical drawing of honey comb and a little bee… totally sold me. The chocolate itself is filled with plenty of crispy pieces of honey flavored “candy.” This bar? Hit it out of the park. The chocolate is dark and has great depth. The flavor is spot on. It tastes perfectly of honey, and the crisp little bits taste just like what I imagine crystalized honeycomb should taste like. Added plus? The cheesy little blurb on the back of the bar from the founder of the company. Definitely on the “buy again” list… and I’ll be interested to check out the other kinds. I will note, this was the most expensive out of the bunch. Weighing in at 2.8 ounces, it cost $5.49. ($1.96/oz). (I did get $1 off, so on sale? Totally a good deal for something this delicious).

Next: Salazon. As I’ve said before, the original dark chocolate with sea salt is my favorite… Salazon makes 4 bars. The sea salt, sea salt and coffee, sea salt and turbinado sugar, and the black pepper. The store didn’t have the black pepper once, but I’m dying to know what it tastes like!! I will make a note that Salazon uses 54% dark chocolate, which is quite a bit less dark than I normally like, but the quality of the chocolate and the mouth-feel is amazing. These bars cost $3.99 for 3 ounces. ($1.33/ounce).

So. The Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt and Crushed Organic Coffee. It’s made with Fair Trade Certified Coffee, which I think is a good thing to know. The coffee is earthy and quite good… but the bar is actually pretty light on coffee. You can see the crushed coffee sprinkled over the bar, and it’s quite well crushed so not too crunchy or chunky. Overall, I think it’s great because the coffee doesn’t overwhelm the chocolate and the salt is just perfect as well. It’s a mild chocolate bar. Definitely a re-buy.

Finally, the Salazon Organic Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt and Organic Turbinado Cane Sugar. I read online that this bar was created for people who wanted something a little sweeter than the original (that I love best). I’ll be honest, I bought two of these, and I’m regretting buying the second. It’s a good bar, but I found the turbinado sugar just a bit too crunchy and the bar over all just a bit too sweet. It’s still good, but I will stick to the original.

What about you guys? What are the chocolates you have tried? What are your favorites?

Spicy Cinnamon Honey Tea

Posted on January 21, 2013 by kaprise

Did you know that cinnamon is useful for something other than the cinnamon challenge?

My mother bought a giant container of cinnamon at Costco a week or so ago, and today she was puttering around the kitchen and pouring a spoonful of cinnamon. So I laughed and asked her if she was doing the cinnamon challenge… I had to show her a video of it before she got what I was saying. And then told me that it wasn’t funny (oh… mama, but it is!!). She also told me, before giving me a dirty look about finding people choking on cinnamon funny, that cinnamon has tons of health benefits and she was taking a little teaspoon of it every day before it helps with inflammation and gastrointestinal issues. Who knew?! (Health benefit-y stuff here)

Anyway – I haven’t been feeling so hot since that flu shot so I’ve been wandering around the house whining about feeling like “sheeeeet.” So my mom handed me a mug and pointed at the kettle before disappearing to do work. In light of our conversation about cinnamon, I dropped a teaspoon of cinnamon and some honey into the cup and poured some boiling water over it.

Guess what? The tea itself looks like mud, but it is delicious! It’s a little spicy, a little sweet, and it tastes yum!

It’s not a recipe people…. but here you go

1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp good honey, 1 cup of boiling water. Stir. Drink. Feel better.

(This is not my picture. I found it on google images. It’s pretty. I picked it. Done)

What do you guys do with cinnamon? Please say cinnamon rolls. I love cinnamon rolls…

A Little Secret

Posted on January 21, 2013 by kaprise

I’m going to let you in on a little secret… I am terrible at making scrambled eggs. The worst. Mine are normally dry or burnt or gooey or a combination of those three. If I do manage to make a good batch, I’m so thrilled I forget to eat them because I’m busy telling people “I MADE SCRAMBLED EGGS.”

Anyway – other than the normal scrambling of eggs like a normal person, I have discovered that a little sprinkle of feta cheese goes a long way to making those eggs more palatable. Seriously. It’ll change your life. Feta and eggs. Throw some spinach in there for good measure too!

Hi! I’m a Nut Bar

Posted on January 18, 2013 by kaprise

No seriously. I am. It’s midnight and I suddenly had the urge to make… nut bars? haha… No seriously, I made scones. My sister introduced me to this recipe by Nom Nom Paleo. Do you know her? She’s cool, her kids are cute, and her recipes are pretty spot on.

Anyway – her recipe uses almond flour. I decided to try hazelnut. I’m still waiting for everything to cool to get the full effect of the little tweaks I made.

Okay. I’ll post more.

Your homework? Read NomNomPaleo.

SSANNNKS.

Slicing Cheese

Posted on January 8, 2013 by kaprise

Since cheese has been on my mind for the last couple of weeks (along with decorated sugar cookies, bar exams, and lacy dresses), I thought I would also point out of few things about slicing cheese.

Until I spent the summer in France (almost 10 years ago now), I was like most American kids born in the 80’s. My cheese came in flat, plasticky squares, and melted over hot macaroni in a cheesy mess. Anything else came in rubbery cubes on a tray filled with dusty grapes. Then, I went to France. I was 16. And from the moment I landed, I was told by my host lady that “Parson’s nosing” cheese was very “American” of me and then she launched into a lecture on cheese in rapid French. I caught… 1%.

Anyway, the concept of cutting cheese was so ingrained in me by my host AND my French language teacher (who gave an entire 2 hour lecture on the proper way to purchase, present, slice, and eat cheese). So here I am, ten years later, thinking about how I should explain this to other people too, since I did just post about cheese.

We can get all crazy and discuss types of knives, types of cheese boards, presentation skills, the order cheeses should be presented, and other details that I was very firmly told to do. But, I think that food should be enjoyed, and fretting over small details that make very little difference in taste is not always best.

However, the French DO know cheese, and typically French etiquette on slicing cheese properly also preserves flavor, integrity and enjoyment of cheese. Which is why I find it important to know proper slicing.

Typically, you should keep 4 things in mind.

Serve cheese at room temperature and uncut, as cut pieces of cheese dry and lose flavor quickly
Serve cheeses in order of pungency from least to most
Use a separate knife for each type of cheese
Slice cheese according to type and shape*

*While slicing cheese in a specific manner is etiquette, it does preserve the integrity of the cheese and the flavors. By slicing in the specified manner, cheese is consumed in even quantities of rind and cheese… textures and flavors in cheese are different from rind to center, hence the reason to slice in specific ways so that each consumer gets to sample the center and outer portions of cheese in a serving.

Cutting Cheeses for Dummies had a good explanation… I’ve posted it below with the chart.

Small wheels, discs, pyramids, or squares: Positioning the knife in the center of the cheese, cut into even, wedge-like slices (image A).
Wedges of soft to semi-soft cheeses: Cut these cheeses into thin slices, starting at the point of the cheese (Image B).
Wedges of semi-firm to hard cheeses: Cut the wedge in half lengthwise and then cut each slice into portions crosswise (Image C).
Logs: Slice into even cross-sections (Image D).
Blue cheeses: Slice the wedge from the center of the thin edge to equally spaced points along the thick edge (Image E).
Cheeses that come in a box (such as Epoisses): Cut a “lid” in the top of the cheese, and set this piece aside. Then scoop out the contents with a spoon (Image F).

More information and specifics on cheeses can be found at this blog: A French Education. Clickity click!!

The Thing About Crackers…

Posted on January 8, 2013 by kaprise

The thing about crackers… is that you need tons of good cheese.

A week or so ago, my friend came over (and gave me her stupid cold) and we had some cheese and wine. She’s big on fancy cheese… fancy and stinky cheese. Me? I like cheese, but not the same way she does. I like my brie, camembert, cheddar, gouda, and other basically non-offensive cheeses. I have a bit of a sensitive nose and I’m constantly plagued with the question “What is THAT smell?!”

Part of my Sunday Seven this week included a picture of cheeses. I realize the picture isn’t clear enough (iphone pictures, you know…) so I thought I’d clarify and give my opinions on the cheeses on the platter, plus my two favorites (not pictured).

From left to right: 3 year Aged Cheddar, Port Salut, Premoo, St. Andre, Humboldt Fog

My two favorites (not pictured): Boucheron and Midnight Moon

First of all… my favorite of all is the Boucheron. It’s a soft goat cheese. It’s got a gooey outside and a slightly firmer inner core. It is SO good. A guy I dated a while back introduced me to this cheese (and a particularly pungent bleu that made me gag) and this one stuck with me. In fact, even though I was furious at him I got back in touch with him because I NEEDED to know the name of the cheese again. Yup. I’m motivated by my stomach.

Second favorite? The Midnight Moon. Also goat cheese, but hard. It can be grated like a parmesan, but the flavor is rounder and more mild. It’s delicious with slices of pear and other mild fruit.

After that? The Port Salut and Premoo (which is The Fresh Market speciality) were high on my list.

The others were unremarkable. However, I will make a note about the St. Andre. I found it to be a little bitter and sour tasting. I can’t describe the exact smell I got from it, but I was displeased and ate very little of this one.

🙂 I’ll keep you posted on the other cheeses I try!

xoxo ~ h

Give Me Some Sugar

Posted on January 7, 2013 by kaprise

I’m not really sure why I decided to make iced sugar cookies, but a couple weeks ago it suddenly occurred to me that I “HAD” to make iced sugar cookies.

I did some research and then settled on a recipe and icing instructions from Bake at 350. Do you know her? Her website is pretty awesome and her cookies are just stunning. So pretty!!!

I made these cookies several times and there are two notes that are important. 1.) Use COLD butter, and 2.) These cookies are better with White Lily flour. They tend to be harder when you use all-purpose. Which is fine, but I like the more delicate crumb that this flour provides.

Anyway ~ I’m going to direct you to Bake at 350 for the recipe and instruction on royal frosting… mostly because they are so detailed and well written. Here. That way I can just show you all the pictures of my snowflakes!!!

Paleo Cabbage Ribbons

Posted on December 29, 2012 by kaprise

Did I tell you my sister and my mother keep a paleo diet? Yeah. I don’t really… I eat cookies and brownies. I don’t eat much pasta or bread, but I am not paleo. I just don’t have the self control, plus the three months I tried it all I did was eat bacon and eggs. You know what happens when you eat bacon and eggs every day? You get fat.

Anyway – my sister brought home these two gorgeous cabbages from her co-op and then promptly flew the coop for the west coast for the holidays. I’ve been staring at the two cabbages thinking “how much coleslaw can someone eat???”

However, I decided I wanted something warm and yummy. It is snowing outside, after all. I read a couple recipes about roasted slices of cabbage, and as I sliced into my pretty cabbage, I realized the slices wouldn’t stay together, let alone roast in a single piece. However, I threw caution to the wind and roasted my pretty slices. I generously sprinkled some salt, pepper, and good olive oil over the slices. I baked at 400F for about 40 minutes. I had two pans. One, I kept as tidy as possible and let the slices roast. And the second? I pulled apart those slices into beautifully toasted ribbons. I tossed a little chopped garlic in at the last minute and baked for another 5 minutes. Glorious.

Paleo Cabbage Ribbons (an inspired recipe)

1 head of green cabbage, washed and the outer leaves removed
4 cloves of minced garlic
salt
pepper
about 1/4 cup of olive oil (plus some as needed)

Preheat the oven to 400F
Slice the cabbage into slices and remove the core in the middle sections
In two rimmed baking sheets, place the slices in the sheets, spaced apart well.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper
Evenly drizzle olive oil
Bake at 400F for 40 minutes
Break apart the slices into ribbons and toss with minced garlic
Return to the oven for 10 more minutes, or until caramelized

SONY DSC

Super Chocolate Brownies

Posted on December 29, 2012 by kaprise

You know. I just don’t like home-made brownies. The boxes just GET it right. It is the ONE boxed good that I will concede is better than something I can make in my kitchen.

However, sometimes you just don’t feel like leaving the house for brownie mix and the remnants of your last chocolate binge will make a pretty decent brownie, melted and stirred in with some butter.

Here is my recipe. It calls for an obscene 1 cup of butter and 1 cup of chocolate. I use whatever little pieces of chocolate I have left over from chocolate bars, cookie recipes, and what not.

Be sure NOT to over bake – since the brownie will continue to bake in the pan after you remove it from the oven, be sure to take it out a few minutes before it is set. “JUST” about to set is how I describe it.

Enjoy lovies!

I’m off to polish off the rest of that wine and go sledding. It snowed again!!!

xoxo

-H