Curried Vegetable Samosas with Cilantro-Mint Chutney

Spice and I have a slight love affair with Indian food. We order from a nearby restaurant frequently. Their delivery special is out of this world. We always get: chicken tikki masala (mmmm), vegetable samosas, basmati rice and a dessert. Call me crazy but its usually the best dinner of the week.

Much to my surprise then, yesterday I came home to Spice bent over the stove with our latest issue of Cooking Light open to Vegetable Samosas. In reading through the recipe, I couldn't believe how easy they were! Spice quickly saved me some time by telling me all she did was mix the filling together, roll it in a wonton wrapper and stick it in a skillet.

The samosas were different from how we are used to having them. They had a great curry flavor and the wanton wrapper was a delicate and welcomed swap from the fried dough that usually surrounds our samosas.

Give it a whirl:

Vegetable Samosas with Cinantro-Mint Chutney from Cooking Light April 2010

Chutney:

½ cup fresh cilantro leaves

½ cup fresh mint leaves

¼ cup red onion

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon water

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon sugar

1 serrano chile, coarsely chopped

1 (1/2-inch) piece peeled fresh ginger

 

Samosas:

1 ¼ cups mashed cooked peeled baking potatoes

¼ cup cooked yellow lentils

1 tablespoon minces fresh mint

1 teaspoon Madras curry powder

1 teaspoon butter, softened

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

½ cup frozen petite green peas, thawed

10 egg roll wrappers

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Cooking spray

To prepare chutney, combine first 9 ingredients in a blender. Process until smooth. Set aside.

To prepare samosas, combine potatoes, lentils, mint, curry powder, 1 teaspoon butter, ¼ teaspoon salt and cumin. Gently fold in peas.

Working with 1 egg roll wrapper at a time, cut down middle to form 2 long rectangles. Moisten edges of wrapper with egg. Spoon 1 tablespoon potato mixture near bottom edge of wrapper. Fold up from 1 corner to the opposite outer edge of the wrapper, making a triangle. Fold over to opposite side again as if folding up a flag. Repeat fold to opposite side to form a triangle. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Lightly coat samosas with cooking spray. Add samosas to pan, and cook 1 minute on each side. Drain on paper towles. Serve with chutney. Yields 4 servings.

Buttermilk Pound Cake

It was my birthday on Saturday and it just so happened that I went to Texas for the weekend to visit some family. The first time I ever went to visit them, my Aunt Gina made this poundcake and I could have sworn it was the best cake I had ever tasted! I always forget how good it is and then my Aunt sends me one every year for my birthday and I am taken back by how good it is again and again.

This year, as we ate this cake I found out the story about where it came from. Apparently, my Uncle John's secretary a looooong time ago made this cake and brought it to the office. My Uncle was sitting on one of those plastic chairs and as he was eating it, it broke in half and he fell on his bum! Not that this has anything to do with how awesome this cake is, but it's a funny story, nonetheless.

This year, I got the recipe from my cousin. Such an easy recipe and I promise you, this cake is so soft and the crust on it is just a dream come true. I am so glad I have this recipe in my repitoir now. My life is complete. Carry on.



Buttermilk Pound Cake from my Uncle John's Secretary

3 cups sugar

1 cup shortening

6 eggs

3 cups flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 cups buttermilk

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

Grease a large bundt pan and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Cream the sugar and shortening together until creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and blending well after each addition. Add the vanilla.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour and salt.

In a small bowl, dissolve the baking soda in the buttermilk.

Add the flour, alternating with the buttermilk mixture, until completely combined.

Pour dough into pan and bake at 325 degrees for 85 minutes until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Strawberry-Sour Cream Ice Cream (with chocolate chips)

After a year of ice cream making and countless flavors, Spice informs me as I'm making this Strawberry Ice Cream that Strawberry is her FAVORITE ice cream flavor!

Uh...what?! Where the heck have I been?

I asked her why she hadn't made it before if it was her favorite and she said she thought it was too hard. Bwah. Lazy bones! This was so super easy! And tasted great! I even used half and half and fat free sour cream it although it was icy, it was still delicious.

Strawberry-Sour Cream Ice Cream with chocolate chips from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

1 lb fresh strawberries, rinsed and hulled
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vodka or kirsch
1 cup sour cream
1 cup half and half or heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Slice the strawberries and toss them in a bowl with the sugar and vodka or kirsh, stirring until the sugar begins to dissolve. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour, stirring every so often.

Pulse the strawberries and their liquid with the sour cream, heavy cream and lemon juice in a blender or food processor until almost smooth but slightly chunky.

Refrigerate for 1 hour, then freeze in your ice cram maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Add the chocolate chips about 10 minutes before finished.

Chewy Chocolate Raspberry Cookies

I have nothing against the vegans of the world. I have nothing against the raw foodies or the vegetarians. In fact, I have a lot of respect for those who follow a specific diet. (I'm trying REEEEEEEEEEAAALLY hard not to offend anyone here!)

I, however, am not one of them. My body does best when I eat what I crave in moderation. If I want a cookie,  I eat a cookie. That's why, until now I have not made anything vegan. I have a friend who does a lot of vegan baking and comes up with the most original recipes! It blows my mind! I, however, stick to butter and eggs because I am not vegan and want my real cookie.

Until now.

I was craving something with raspberry and chocolate together, because it is simply such a divine combination. I came across a recipe that just so happened to be vegan. After scratching my head and staring at my computer screen long enough, I decided it was time to take the leap into vegan-ness.

I was completely blown away by these cookies. They were moist and soft and chewy and amazing. I have to mention again how moist they were because I thought they would be pretty dry since there wasn't any butter or eggs. Not so. This is definitely a recipe I will come back and make again. I also added chocolate chips just for kicks.



Chocolate Raspberry Cookies (vegan) from Koko's Kitchen

1/2 cup raspberry preserves

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup canola oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp almond extract

1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (sifted if clumpy)

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, lightly grease cookie sheet.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together raspberry preserves, canola oil, sugar, vanilla and almond extracts.

In a seperate mixing bowl, sift together the other ingredients. Add the dry to the wet in 3 batches, mixing well with a fork after each addition. When you get to the last batch you may need to use your hands to work the batter into a soft and pliable dough. Add the chocolate chip and mix until incorporated.

Roll the dough into walnut size balls and then flatten them with your hands into 2 1/2 inch diameter discs. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.

Pad Thai

My obsession with pad thai started out innocently enough. My friend India and I wanted to go get sushi one night. So we went to Lili's on 57th, which they call "Asian Cuisine and Sushi Bar". If you like Asian food I highly recommend going here if you are in the city. It is super fresh and the variety of food on the menu is overwhelming.

Anywhoo, India and I are ravenous and checking out the menu for which rolls we want (which is silly because we always get spicy tuna of some kind) and we decide we want some noodles to go with it. So we order some pad thai. I took one bite and decided it was my new favorite food. And from that day on, India and I would go to Lili's at least once a week and order spicy tuna rolls and pad thai. And lived happily ever after. The end.

Just kidding!

I finally mustered up some courage to try my hand at pad thai one drizzly night. I couldn't find rice noodles in my grocery store (which was poor planning because there are several other grocery stores I could have tried at), so I used whole wheat linguini noodles. I also didn't include shrimp, because, saddly, I am allergic. Actually, not that sad, shrimp is too fishy for me. And I added some broccoli because its delicious. And please don't forget/leave out the lime juice. It really gives the dish the final kick it needs! And we all want a final kick, right?

This was a very basic pad thai recipe, but sure did the trick for me. Even with the whole wheat noodles, which definitely made it a bit heavier, the asian flavors definitely shined through! Which was exactly what I was looking for. I was slightly nervous to use fish sauce because it just sounds gross, but I persevered and it was worth it!

Pad Thai from Family Fun

1/2 pound dried rice noodles, linguine width (or whole wheat linguini)

1/4 cup Asian fish sauce

3 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon water

1/2 teaspoon dried red chili flakes (optional)

1 egg, lightly beaten

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken, cut into bite-size pieces

1 cup shredded carrot

2 cups fresh bean sprouts

1/2 cup chopped scallions

1 cup cut broccoli

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add the noodles and turn off the heat. Let them stand for 10 minutes, using tongs or two forks to separate the strands as they soften and turn from translucent ivory to white. Drain the noodles, rinse them well in cold water, and drain again. Set them aside. If using linguini noodles, cook as directed on package until slightly underdone.

In a small bowl, stir together the Asian fish sauce, sugar, soy sauce, water, and chili flakes if desired, until the sugar dissolves and everything is well mixed. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add the egg and scramble it as it cooks just until it is no longer runny, about 30 seconds. Transfer the egg to a plate.

Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan and swirl it around. Add the garlic and toss well. Add the chicken and cook it until the edges have mostly changed color, about 1 minute. Toss it well and continue cooking to brown it, about 30 seconds, then push it to the sides.  Add the carrot and broccoli and cook everything about 1 minute. Scoop the chicken, broccoli, and carrot into a bowl, leaving as much oil as possible in the pan.

Swirl the last tablespoon of oil in the pan. When it's hot, add the noodles, spreading them to the edges. Cook for 1 minute, until the oil sizzles. Scoop up the noodles and turn them over in a big mass. Cook them another minute, then turn them again.

Pour the sauce mixture around the sides of the pan. When it sizzles, place the cooked chicken, carrot and broccoli on the noodles, along with the bean sprouts, scallions, and cooked egg. Gently scoop the noodles from the bottom and turn them over. Continue tossing them to mix in the chicken, carrot, broccoli and egg. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the lime juice and toss the noodles well. Serve the Pad Thai hot or warm. Serves 4.

Cherry Coke Cupcakes

We threw a bachelorette party for my dear friend Rebecca (who's wedding I am in and making these cookies for) this past weekend. We started at our apartment, opening gifts, eating food and hanging out. We were headed to the Awesome 80's Prom downtown so our theme for the night, other than the bride to be, was 80s.

Now, 80s attire was easy. Spice and I got out the lace, the converse and the bangles, and had no problem crimping our hair. Slightly more difficult was the menu. What kind of food, praytell, is considered 80s?? We settled for ordering Dominos, Spice made a layer dip and I made these Cherry Coke Cupcakes. Of course, no one except us really cared that we stuck to the theme, but we sure did!



Neither of us could get over how good the cupcakes were. They were very soft and moist and the cherry flavor was perfect with the chocolate. The whipped cream and cherry on top were simply perfect as well. Although I'm not a soda person, I could barely tell there was any coke in these. I doubled the recipe and made mostly extra large cupcakes with just a few regular sized ones.

We all had an awesome time at the 80's prom and wouldn't you believe it, Screech from Saved By The Bell happened to be there. He must've wanted to celebrate Rebecca being single for a little while longer!



Cherry Coke Cupcakes from Annie's Eats

3 cups all-purpose flour
6 tbsp. cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cup sugar
16 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cup Coca-Cola
1/2 tsp. maraschino cherry juice
4 tsp. vanilla extract
Maraschino cherries, stemless

For the glaze (optional):
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tbsp. Coca-Cola

For topping:
2/3 cup heavy cream
3-4 tbsp. powdered sugar
Maraschino cherries

Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Line  a muffin pan with foil or paper liners.  In a medium bowl combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.  Stir together and set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the sugar and butter.  Mix on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.   Mix in the egg until incorporated.   In a bowl or large measuring cup, combine the buttermilk, Coke, maraschino cherry juice, and vanilla extract; stir to combine.  (This mixture may look disgusting and/or curdled – it’s okay!)

Mix the dry ingredients into the butter-sugar mixture on low speed, alternately with the liquid ingredients, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients and mixing just until incorporated.  Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners.  Drop 4 or 5 stemless maraschino cherries into each cupcake well and push them down into the batter.  Bake for about 18 minutes (or about 24 for extra large cupcakes), or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool in the pan 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the optional glaze, combine the confectioners’ sugar and Coke in a small bowl and whisk until smooth.  Spoon or drizzle a small amount of the top of each cupcake.  Allow to set.

To make the whipped cream topping, add the heavy cream to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.  Begin whipping on medium speed, slowly adding the confectioners’ sugar and gradually increasing the speed to high as the cream holds soft peaks.  Whip until the cream holds stiff peaks, being careful not to overbeat.  Spoon or pipe the whipped cream on top of the cupcakes and top each with a maraschino cherry.

Palmiers/Elephant Ears

When I was a youngin and my mom would take me to the mall, she would always get me what I called an elephant ear from a bakery in the food court. She would hold me up so I could see all of them and decide the specific one I wanted. It would come in a small paper bag and everytime we went into a store, my mom would tell me that I had to put it away. And I'm sure I would wander around whatever store we were in with a ring of sugar around my mouth from nibbling my elephant ear.

When I heard how easy elephant ears are to make, I just had to try. I used store bought pastry dough this time and made some with cinnamon and sugar and some with just sugar. They turned out so yummy and the only caution I have is to really watch them baking because the bottoms burn very easily.



Palmiers/Elephant Ears from Ina Garten

• 2 cups granulated sugar


• 3 tablespoons cinnamon (if desired)


• 2 sheets puff pastry, defrosted (I used Pepperidge Farm)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Combine the sugar and cinnamon (if using).

Pour 1 cup of the sugar mixture on a flat surface such as wooden board or marble. Unfold each sheet of puff pastry onto the sugar and pour 1/2 cup of the sugar mixture on top, spreading it evenly on the puff pastry. This is not about sprinkling, it's about an even covering of sugar. With a rolling pin, roll the dough until it's 13 by 13-inches square and the sugar is pressed into the puff pastry on top and bottom. Fold the sides of the square towards the center so they go halfway to the middle. Fold them again so the two folds meet exactly at the middle of the dough. Then fold 1 half over the other half as though closing a book. You will have 6 layers. Slice the dough into 3/8-inch slices and place the slices, cut side up, on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Place the second sheet of pastry on the sugared board, sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar mixture, and continue as above. (There will be quite a bit of sugar left over on the board.) Slice and arrange on baking sheets lined with parchment.

Bake the cookies for 6 minutes until caramelized and brown on the bottom. Ms. Garten says to flip the cookies, but I found that I liked them better when I didn't. Your call!

Oreo Balls

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I officially dub today "The Day O' Drunken Debauchery".

Before noon today, I had seen enough stupidity here in the city to last me all week. Of course, this stupidity is fun for me because I just get to sit there and laugh. On way way to dance this morning, I was walking behind two guys. One seemed fairly sober and the other was downright hilariously drunk. Mind you, this was at about 9:30 am. The drunk dude was bouncing on the balls of his feet and kept falling off the sidewalk. He was also talking a mile a minute. His friend was obviously getting pretty annoyed with him and a few blocks after I was behind them, he tripped the drunk dude, who immediately fell into the street, and proceeded to run off down the street laughing his butt off. Everyone around started laughing as well while the poor drunk dude sat there with a huge grin on his face looking around at all the people laughing at him.

Ridiculous!

So these little balls of wonder are filled with oreos and cream cheese and coated in green-dyed white chocolate. Doesn't get much easier than that! Happy St. Patrick's Day!



Oreo Truffles from Bakerella

1 pkg. Double Stuf Oreos (I used regular oreos, but Bakerella used Mint!)
• use 22 cookies with cream centers included
• use 10 cookies with cream centers discarded
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, room temperature
White chocolate bark or candy coating*

Finely crush the cookies in a food processor or a ziploc bag with a rolling pin.

Stir in softened cream cheese. Use the back of a large spoon to help mash the two together completely.

Roll the mixture into 1″ balls and place on wax paper covered cookie sheet.

Place covered in freezer or refrigerator for a few minutes to help retain shape when dipping in melted chocolate.

Melt chocolate as directed on the package and then dip balls into chocolate, tap off extra and set aside on wax paper covered cookie sheet to dry.

Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken Enchiladas! Well, sort of. I made this into more of a Chicken Enchilada Stew. Whoo! Yummy! Who wouldn't like a little cheesy goodness for St. Patty's Day?

I really messed around with this recipe from Eating, Etc. because 1) I was hungry 2) It was already late and I wanted to eat 3) I was hungry and 4) When I'm hungry I'm irritable and cranky.

So, if your looking for an easy, quick Mexican/enchilada recipe, it don't get much easier than this. And really...cheese and sour cream? Sign me up!

New Mexican Chicken Enchiladas adapted from Eating, Etc.

1T olive oil

1lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, chopped in bite-sized pieces

1/4tsp salt

1/4tsp black pepper

1/4tsp cayenne pepper

1T olive oil

1 chopped onion, coarsely chopped

3 green onions, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

1 7oz can chopped green chiles

1 clove fresh minced garlic

1/2tsp salt

1/2tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp oregano

1/4tsp cayenne pepper

1 c sour cream

2-1/2c grated colby cheddar-jack cheese

white corn tortillas

In medium skillet, over medium heat, sauté chicken in olive oil, with salt, black & cayenne peppers.

In a large skillet, over medium heat, sauté onion, green onions, green pepper, green chiles, garlic, salt, black pepper, oregano, & cayenne pepper.

Reduce heat to low and stir in sour cream & the cheese until cheese is melted & well-mixed.

Add chicken and mix well.

In medium skillet coated with olive oil, over medium low heat, warm tortillas on both sides until softened.

Place tortilla in a bowl and top with chicken and cheese mixture.

Green Cupcakes

What better way to celebrate St. Patrick's day than dying your food green? I'm not talking about dying mashed potatoes or corn green. That would be gross. But cupcakes? Sure, dye 'em whatever color you want! I'll still eat um!

Big surprise there.

This will be my third St. Patrick's day in the city and I can tell you now its not my favorite holiday here. It becomes yet another excuse for cra-zay people to go a little crazier. Fun times. Just count me out this time. I'm going to go eat a cupcake! =)

These were very light cupcakes and the frosting was good, without being too sweet! I goofed around decorating with the icing and figured out some new techniques. And I have to say...green sprinkles always make everything a little bit better!



White Cupcakes from Martha Stewart's Cupcake Book
1 3/4 cups sifted all purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup plus 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar
5 large egg whites, room temperature
Green food color

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Sift together cake flour, baking powder and salt. Stir vanilla into milk.

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and smooth. Gradually add sugar, beating until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixutre in three batches, alternating with two additions of milk and beating until just combined after each.

In another bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold one third of the egg whites into batter to lighten. Gently fold in remaining whites in two batches. Carefully stir in green food coloring.

Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Firmly tap the tins once on countertop to release any air bubbles. Bake until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, 18-20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool 10 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely.

Fluffy Vanilla Frosting from Martha Stewart's Cupcake Book
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter
1 pound (4 cups) confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

With an electric miser, beat butter on medium-high speed until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes.

Reduce speed to medium. Add the confectioners' sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Frosting should be pale and fluffy. Add vanilla and beat frosting until smooth.

Wedding Sugar Cookies

I helped Spice with these guys all week. We made them for her friend's wedding shower this weekend. 40 of each kind: a ring, wedding cake and wedding dress.

So purty =)

Cookie and Royal Icing Recipe

Chili-Spiced Chicken Soup with Avocado Relish

One of the great things about living in New York is having a lot of young professionals for friends. So many of my friends here in the city are working for great companies, on the road to their dream jobs. I am so proud of all of them, and although they tend to relate their lives to The Devil Wears Prada sometimes, they know they are just paying their dues and slowly making their was to the top of the food chain.

I am so proud of all of them sitting in their offices working their butts off in high heels while I put on my sweatpants and go to dance class.

My friend Lisa works for a major corporation and has quickly made her way up in the office rankings. Of course, I always knew this would happen. She is probably the most dedicated and focused person I know.

One perk of Lisa's job is that she (read: I) get a lot of free stuff. This includes but is not limited to: makeup, magazines, cd's and clothing. Jealous yet?

It gets better. I got an entire subscription to Cooking Light about 6 months ago viciously discounted. So I get to perruse my Cooking Light each month almost free. I've been swimming in delight for months now.

The only point I have is that my recipe today is from the Cooking Light magazine. I just loved this soup. It has a pretty good kick to it and is just perfect to sit on the couch with after a long, tiring day. Lots of vegetables make it a pretty hearty soup.

Chili-Spices Chicken Soup with Avocado Relish adapted from Cooking Light 

Spice Blend:

2 ½ teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 ½ teaspoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon cracked black pepper

½ teaspoon kosher salt

Soup:

1 tablespoon canola oil, divided

1 ¼ pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into ½-inch wide strips

2 cups chopped sweet onion

1 chopped red pepper

1 chopped yellow pepper

1 chopped orange pepper

1 cup chopped carrot

1 cup chopped celery

1 tablespoon minced garlic

½ teaspoon salt

1 32-oz carton less-sodium chicken broth

1 28-oz can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes, undrained

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Relish:

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/3 cup chopped green onions

1 teaspoon grated lime rind

1 diced, peeled avocado

Cilantro sprigs

To prepare spice blend, combine first 6 ingredients in a small bowl.

 To prepare soup, heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat. Add chicken; sprinkle 1 ½ tablespoons spice blend over chicken. Sauté 8 minutes or until done; cool. Chop chicken; set aside.

 Heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil in pan over medium-high heat; add onion, bell peppers, garlic and ½ teaspoon salt. Sprinkle vegetable mixture with remaining spice blend; sauté 8 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in chicken, broth and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 15 minutes. Add lime juice.

 To prepare relish, combine chopped cilantro and next 4 ingredients (through avocado).

 Ladle 1 ¼ cups soup into bowls; top with ¼ cup relish. Garnish with cilantro if desired.

Molasses Spice Cookies

Everyone's different tastes for things astound me. These cookies are super soft and almost break apart if you hold one up. I was a little dejected because I like cookies a bit sturdier and chewier. Bananie told me yesterday, however, that they were the best cookies I've made.

"Um. Really?? Are you sure you aren't thinking of that chocolate chip cupcake I made yesterday? Those were pretty good...but the cookies? Meh."

But that's just how Bananie likes her cookies. As soft as they can be! Ok, I'll go with that.

I got in an argument with Spice this weekend about what color her fleece was. I thought it was cherry red and she said it was magenta. Call one of us colorblind.

To each their own, I suppose. I'm not gonna fight about cookies or fleeces. I'll save my fights for who has to unload the dishwasher =)

Molasses Spice Cookies from Cook's Illustrated The New Best Recipe

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus 1/3 cup for rolling cookies

1 large egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup unsulphered molasses

Preheat oven to 375°F. Mix together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice and pepper together in a bowl and set aside.

Use an electric mixer and beat the butter for 2 minutes. Add the brown sugar, and granulated sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes with mixer set at medium speed. Add egg yolk, vanilla extract, and molasses. Beat until combined, about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula.

Add dry ingredients and beat at low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds.

Place remaining 1/3 cup of granulated sugar in a shallow bowl. Working with 2 Tbsp of dough each time, roll dough into 1 3/4 inch balls. Roll balls in sugar and place on ungreased cookie sheets, spacing them 1 1/2 to 2 inches apart.

Bake until the outer edges of the cookies begin to set and centers are soft and puffy, about 11 to 13 minutes. Cookies will look raw between the cracks and seem underdone. Cool cookies on sheets for 2 to 3 minutes before transferring them to cooling racks .

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

Spice, Bananie and I went to Pennsylvania this weekend to ski and snowboard. I will have to post about it tomorrow because it was Spice's first time on a snowboard. I also have to post this picture because it cracks me up. We had to share a bed at the house we stayed at.



Spice is on the left. I'm on the right. Note that Spice is reading a Sookie Stackhouse book and I am reading a trashy chick book. Don't you feel better about yourself now? ;)

And of course, immediately upon our return, Spice started making cinnamon rolls and I made these Chocolate Chip Cupcakes. Good thing we have a big kitchen...

I am very critical of cupcakes. I really like the cake to be dense and love the frosting to work with the cake and not overtake it.

Although I LOVED both the cake and frosting, I think the frosting overshadowed the cake. It was so decadent and chocolatey! I think it is my new favorite frosting! But I do think it needs to go with a chocolate cupcake. I liked the cupcake too! I think it would be better with a vanilla buttercream.



Chocolate Chip Cupcakes from Martha Stewart's Cupcake Book

3 1/4 cups sifted cake flour (not self-rising)

1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

7 ounces (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 3/4 cups sugar

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

5 large egg whites, room temperature

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cream butter and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy. Combine milk and vanilla together. Add to sugar mixture and beat until combined. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture in 3 additions, alternating with wet ingredients and ending with dry. Scrape sides of bowl.

Beat egg whites to stiff peaks, and fold into batter. Fold in chocolate chips. Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full. Bake cupcakes about 22 minutes. Frost and serve immediately.

Dark Chocolate Frosting from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes Book

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon boiling water

3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted

Pinch of salt

1 pound best-quality semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled

Combine cocoa and the boiling water, stirring until cocoa has dissolved. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter, confectioners' sugar, and salt until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Add melted and cooled chocolate, beating until combined and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in the cocoa mixture. If not using immediately, frosting can be refrigerated up to 5 days, or frozen up to 1 month, in an airtight container. Before using, bring to room temperature, and beat on low speed until smooth again.

Snickerdoodle Bundt Cake

"I like big bundts and I cannot lie, you other brothers can't deny..."

I won't continue with the song because I have a lot to discuss with you, blog. Sing it to yourself if you must!

I made this cake for my friend, Kali's birthday. So a shoutout to the birthday girl! I heart you!

Now, on to the bundt. Before I made this cake I was a bundt virgin. It probably had to do with the fact that I didn't have a bundt pan. A quick trip to Bed, Bath and Beyond solved that problem! Whew! I was getting worried...

Everytime I mentioned that I was making a bundt this week, I kept referring to the scene in My Big Fat Greek Wedding where the Miller family brings a bundt cake and the greek family can't pronounce it. They keep saying "bonk, bonk ceke."  If you have NO earthly idea what I am talking about and think I have gone bananas (which I probably have as well), please watch this real quick. It'll make you laugh so hard you'll cry. And who doesn't want a good cry at the end of the week?

I digress: This cake was most excellent. The cinnamon and sugar were perfect for a snickerdoodle cookie lover and the cake itselt was very moist. All in all, one super delicious birthday cake! I ended up drizzling a white chocolate glaze over the top to make it more birthday-like. But it was also perfect the way it was before too! And the crust! Whooo! Divoon!



Snickerdoodle "Bonk" Cake from My Baking Addition

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup white sugar

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup white sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
3 eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup full-fat sour cream, at room temperature

In a small bowl, combine 1 cup of sugar and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon. Mix together really well and Preheat oven to 325F. Here’s the exact way Julie made the crust: Using a spray product like Pam with Flour, generously spray a 9 inch Bundt pan, being careful to cover all the nooks and crannies, as well as the center tube. (Note: If you don’t want to use Pam with Flour, you can just grease the pan with shortening.) Gently dust the entire inside of the pan with the sugar and cinnamon mixture. You should only need about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of sugar, but you want to try and evenly coat the inside surface of the pan, including the tube. Save the remaining sugar and cinnamon mixture and set everything aside.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Beat just the butter on medium speed for one full minute. Add the white sugar and mix for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl and blade and add the brown sugar.

Mix for 2 minutes until the mixture looks light brown and uniform in color. Add the eggs one at a time, beating each for 1 full minute. Stir in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternately with the sour cream; beat well.

Spread half of the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup of the cinnamon sugar mixture over top the cake. Spread the rest of the batter into the pan and sprinkle any remaining sugar mixture over the top. (If you run out of cinnamon sugar, you can mix just 1/4 cup of sugar + 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon together for the top of the cake. It should be more than enough.)

Bake in the preheated oven for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely. aside.

And a picture of my favorite birthday girl enjoying a morning cake slice:

Peanut Butter, Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip Cookies

Peanut butter...good!

Oatmeal...good!

Chocolate chips...goooood!

Then you put them all together and you turn yourself around, that's what its all about!

We have a cookie jar at our apartment that I just love to keep full. Lately, however, I have been getting in trouble for keeping it full of delicious things. Go figure. So I have been trying to keep it full of things the roomies won't like. Namely, peanut butter cookies, because both Bananie and Spice could care less! Yay for me because I adore peanut butter cookies! And so do most people who visit...

Now, these peanut butter cookies are a bit different because I used Peanut Butter and Co.'s "Dark Chocolate Dreams" peanut butter. It made almost a chocolate peanut butter cookie! I was so excited I couldn't stop shoveling cookies in my mouth! It would be fun to see how some of the other peanut butter flavors affected the cookie.



Peanut Butter, Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip Cookies from The Brown Eyed Baker

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup creamy peanut butter
½ cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
½ cup rolled oats
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I used chocolate chunks)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

On medium speed, cream together the butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and beat to combine. On low speed, gradually add the flour until just combined. Stir in the oats, and then the chocolate chips.

Use a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoons) and drop dough onto prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly golden. Cool completely on the baking sheet and then store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Alice's Tea Cup

This weekend we had a bridal shower for Rebecca. She is getting married in April and this little shindig is getting so close! As bridesmaids, Spice and I are in on all the action! Yes! And I get to make cookies for the wedding favors. Can't WAIT to get started on that!



We had the shower at a place here in the city called Alice's Tea Cup. I just had to share with my blog because this place was so special! When you first walk in, you see their bakery, where they have all kinds of oversized cupcakes, giant cookies and teas. You can also purchase Alice related products like books and mugs. Everything was just so dainty!

We had the back party room all set up with balloons and favors at each place. After Rebecca arrived, they brought out about 8 different kinds of teas for the table. The tops of each teapot had these adorable little ceramic animals. I couldn't help marveling over them!



A bit later, they brought out tiered stands that had three layers of goodies! It blew my mind. And my stomach!

The top tier had scones including blueberry, pumpkin and I think cranberry, although I was too busy shoving the pumpkin scone in my mouth to notice the rest of them. Poor scones. I hope they didn't feel neglected.

The next tier had little sandwiches on them. SO many different kinds! There was a cucumber sandwich, hummus sandwhich, curried chicken, and so many more that I can't remember.

Probably because I zeroed in on the bottom tier which housed the desserts. There was an espresso chocolate chip cake, lots of butter cookies, chocolate mousse cups and lemon tarts.



We sat and talked and played games for several hours and this place was just so perfect to accomodate us! I can't wait to go back for brunch sometime! But until then, we've got a wedding to plan!

Olympic Ring Cookies

I'm not huge into the Olympics, especially the winter games. I have respect for it, don't get me wrong! Lots of respect! Anyone who straps on two pieces of wood and flies down a mountain at 90 miler per hour gets my respect. No questions asked. I get a bit more excited about the summer Olympics because I am a gymnastics nut. By that I mean I have the entire gymnastics events on tape from the past 3 summer Olympics.

Bananie, on the other hand, LOVES the winter Olympics. She even organized an Olympic event with the kids where she works. She asked for some Olmpic cookies and with a few disclaimers I made these for the little tykes.

Happy (or sad) end of the Olympics! Now Biggest Loser will return and the Today Show will again be broadcast from New York. All is right with the world. =)

I'm reposting the sugar cookie recipe and royal icing recipe below for your enjoyment.



Cut Out Sugar Cookies from The Hungry Housewife

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add the egg and extract and beat to incorporate.

In a separate bowl sift together to flour, baking powder and salt.

Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until combined. Divide the dough into 2 portions, wrap with wax paper and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.

Remove the dough, roll out to 3/8 inch thick in between sheets of parchment paper and cut into desired shapes.

Place cut cookie dough back into fridge for 10-15 minutes. Bake cookies on an un-greased cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 8-12 minutes. Cool on cookie sheets for 2 minutes before removing to a cooling rack. Cool completely before icing.

Royal Icing from Sweetopia

3/4 cup warm water
5 tablespoons meringue powder
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
2.25 lbs. powdered sugar

*If your meringue powder has no flavoring, add one teaspoon of clear vanilla. I've also used almond and lemon flavoring with good results.

In mixer bowl, pour in the warm water and meringue powder. Mix with whisk by hand until frothy and thickened, about 30 seconds.

Add the cream of tartar and mix 30 more seconds.

Pour in all the icing sugar at once and place the bowl on the mixer.

Using the paddle attachment on the lowest speed, mix slowly for 10 minutes. Icing will get thick and creamy.

Tint with desired food coloring.