La Kocinera

Kiwi-Marinated Fajitas

noreply@blogger.com (Koci) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 21:48:00 +0000

Aren’t kiwi’s just groovy?

Months and months ago I had heard that they can be used in marinades as tenderizers and I’ve been obsessed with the idea ever since. Rather than the acidic tenderizing method of citrus fruits, kiwis—along with other tropical fruits like papaya—tenderize meats via enzymes. While you do have to be careful not to let them sit in the marinade too long, for fear of irreversibly mushy steaks, kiwi concoctions such as this one do a great job at quickly breaking down a tough cut of meat.

While there are countless yummy recipes for fajitas—a.k.a. deliciously addictive strips of grilled flank steak—I’m really pleased with how this one turned out. Combining plenty of sliced kiwi with a squirt of lime juice really brightens up the steak and is just enough to wake up your taste buds without actually having a strong fruity flavor. Cilantro, garlic, habaneros, and cumin also jump in the bowl to help give the fajitas a bit more of a Southwestern kick.

While most of the fajitas I have consumed in the past have been cut against the grain of the meat into somewhat thick strips, I found that these fajitas lent themselves surprisingly well to simply being pulled apart, much like pulled pork. Bundle ‘em up in a warm flour tortilla and they’re even better.

Not to toot my own horn, but they’re really delicious with a few spoonfuls of my pico de gallo salad as well.

Please avert your eyes from my early days of food photography, though. That was before I entered into the self-taught course of “Never Shoot Under Fluorescent Kitchen Lights 101.”

Even though it’s February and I’m sure that many of you are still huddled up in blankets with an outdoor grill covered in snow, I couldn’t help but share this recipe. It’s my theory that the food blogging world is made up of a bunch of adults that turn into geeky school kids at the mention of anything yummy, so something tells me that you won’t mind this slightly early addition to the spring and summer menu.

Kiwi-Marinated Fajitas

A La Kocinera Original Recipe

Printable Recipe

2 flank steaks

4 kiwis, peeled and sliced

1 lime, juiced

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped

2 habanero peppers, sliced

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

3/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon agave nectar or honey

2 tablespoons olive oil

Rinse the steaks and pat them dry with a paper towel. Place them in a plastic bag or glass bowl.

Pour the olive oil, lime juice, and agave nectar over the steaks and turn to coat. Sprinkle the steaks with kosher salt, pepper, and cumin.

Add to the bowl the kiwi slices, garlic, cilantro, and habaneros, layering them over and in between the steaks. Cover and allow to sit in the refrigerator for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Don’t let the steaks stay in the marinade too long or the kiwi, rather than tenderize them, will cause them to become too mushy.

Preheat a grill to medium-high. Remove the steaks from the marinade and place on the grill, cooking for about 7-10 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the steaks.

Once cooked, slice the steaks along the grain of the meat or pull apart into shredded pieces. Serve wrapped in warm tortillas with whatever salsas and sides you like.

Kitchen Disaster: Blueberry Coffee Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Koci) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 01:27:00 +0000

Oh, what is that?

I see sugar on top of it, so it must be something promising.

Let’s take it out of that bundt pan.

Why, it’s a cake!

It’s a cake with blueberries inside!

Let’s grab a slice!

So far so good…

Well that’s odd.

Why did all the blueberries sink to the bottom?

And cause the cake to fall apart?

I better go back and look at the recipe.

Would you look at that. It says that if you use really fresh blueberries, you should decrease the amount of blueberries and buttermilk, so they won’t sink to the bottom.

Humph.

I didn’t think that I would actually need the Critical Thinking class I’m taking this semester.

But, at least the cake still tastes good, especially with a dollop of butter.

What kitchen disasters have you experienced lately?

Gimbap (김밥)

noreply@blogger.com (Koci) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 06:30:00 +0000

Once in a long while, among the dozens of sweet treats and savory concoctions that I chat about on this blog, there comes a dish that I feel extra-super-duper excited to talk about.

Gimbap is one of those dishes.

The quickest and easiest way to explain Gimbap (pronounced “gheem-bahp”) to the uninitiated is to call it the Korean version of sushi. Dried seaweed, topped with steamed, short-grain rice, and plenty of yummy fillings are all wrapped up into a tight roll. Following these basic guidelines, you can tailor Gimbap into whatever sort of dish you want. Typically, Gimbap is filled with julienned carrot, sautéed spinach, and pickled daikon radish. After these basic cornerstones, anything goes! Add meats, cheeses, other veggies, kimchi—whatever sounds good. Gimbap falls into that glorious realm of recipes that allow you to completely clean out your fridge as well as experiment with a lot creativity.

What follows is my personal version of Gimbap, so I encourage you to use it as merely an example and a guideline as you find you own way down this yellow brick road of deliciousness.

First, seaweed on plastic wrap on a sushi mat.

Plastic wrap alone will definitely suffice if you don’t have a sushi mat.

Sticky, yummy sushi rice.

Thin slices of Pepper Jack cheese, for a tiny bit of jalapeño spice.

Thin strips of Spam.

Yes, Spam.

Do not fear the Spam.

It is delicious.

Thin strips of a simple, slightly sweet omelet.

Julienned carrots.

Also known as matchsticks, but I’m snooty so I say “julienne.”

Super flavorful spinach sautéed with a bit of garlic and sesame oil.

Enter the Kewpie mayonnaise!

This mayonnaise from Japan makes everything just a little more fun. With a taste similar to a mixture of regular mayo and Miracle Whip, you can substitute either one and your Gimbap will still taste amazing.

But Kewpie mayonnaise comes in a squirt bottle, which in my eyes makes it somewhat superior to the jarred stuff.

Dot the filling with Sriracha sauce (again—substitute whatever favorite sauces and spicy things you like).

Moving from the side closest to you, begin to roll the mat and seaweed away from you…

…adjusting the placement of the mat as you go until all the filling has been rolled up.

Dip a knife blade in water and use a gentle sawing motion to cut the Gimbap, so as to not tear the seaweed.

Line it up for a photo of the fillings before nomming away.

And enjoy!!

Gimbap (김밥)

Recipe adapted from The Kimchi Chronicles and Serious Eats

Printable Recipe

Gimbap

4 sheets dried seaweed (gim or nori)

2 cups warm cooked short-grain rice (sometimes labeled as “sushi rice”)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar

4 teaspoons rice vinegar

2 thin egg omelets (see instructions below)

1/2 cup sautéed spinach (see instructions below)

1 large carrot, cut into matchsticks

4 thin slices Pepper Jack cheese (or any other deli cheese you prefer)

4 slices Spam, cut into thin strips

Kewpie mayonnaise (can substitute regular mayonnaise or Miracle Whip), to taste

Sriracha hot sauce, to taste

Thin Egg Omelet

2 eggs

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Sautéed Spinach

1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

6 cups baby spinach, chopped

1/4 teaspoon salt

To prepare Thin Egg Omelet: In a medium skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Whisk the eggs with the salt and sugar until well combined. Once the skillet is hot, add half of the egg mixture to pan, quickly swirling the egg to coat the bottom of the pan, much like a crepe. Once the egg is opaque, flip once and allow to cook for another minute or so. Repeat with the rest of the egg mixture. Once cooled, cut omelets into thin slices. Set aside.

To prepare Sautéed Spinach: In a medium pot, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté for about a minute, until fragrant but not browned. Add the spinach, sesame oil, and salt, stirring well to combine. Allow to cook for a few minutes, until the spinach is wilted and tender. Remove from heat and set aside.

To prepare Gimbap: Lay one piece of seaweed on a piece of plastic wrap and place on a sushi mat (you can also do this without a sushi mat). Mix the warm rice with the salt, sugar, and vinegar, stirring well to combine. Spread one fourth of that mixture on the piece of seaweed, leaving a 1/2-inch border of seaweed on all sides. About one third down the seaweed, arrange one fourth of the cheese, Spam, omelet, sautéed spinach, and carrot in an overlapping line across the width of the seaweed. Squirt a thin line of Kewpie mayonnaise across the width of the line of fillings or spread with regular mayonnaise, to taste. Dot the top of the filling with Sriracha sauce, again according to taste.

Slowly start rolling the seaweed from the side closest to you, using the sushi mat to help pack the fillings into a tight roll. Remove the Gimbap from the sushi mat and unwrap from the plastic wrap. Repeat this whole process with the remaining three pieces of seaweed and remaining ingredients.

Using a sharp knife, dip the blade in water so the Gimbap won’t stick. Gently slice each roll into 1/2-inch rounds, moving the knife in a slight sawing motion so as to not shift the seaweed, continuing to dip the knife blade in water occasionally to prevent sticking.

Gimbap can be served any way that you would enjoy sushi, with any number of condiments, from dipping in soy sauce to topping with kimchi, to anything else that sounds good to you.

Serves 4.

Grilled Asparagus with Orange Vinaigrette and Crisp Pancetta

noreply@blogger.com (Koci) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 01:09:00 +0000

Happy New Year guys! I hope you had a great time celebrating it, hopefully with no major headaches or hangovers the next day. Personally, I spent it with my family drinking champagne out of a martini glass. Partaaay!

But I have to admit, it was fun see all the random, questionably legal fireworks going off in nearby neighborhoods and tease my little sister about taking it easy on that glass of Sprite she was drinking.

Even though we’re only three days into 2012, I’m sure that many of you are already well on your way to completing any number of New Year’s resolutions. In all honesty, even I have jumped on the resolutions train this time around, mapping out goals ranging from prepping for the GRE exam to not watching Korean dramas before doing my homework.

Something tells me that one of those goals will be more attainable than the other.

Whatever your resolution(s) may be, I’d like to contribute my own piece of advice—take baby steps. I think one of the main reasons why so many people are unable to follow through on their big, lifestyle-changing goals is due to biting off more than they can chew. Healthy eating, for instance. In January, cutting all carbohydrates, fats, and processed foods from your diet sounds like a grand idea. In March, as you begrudgingly eat celery sticks while your coworkers are munching buttered blueberry muffins, it starts wears thin. By May, you’re frolicking through the grocery store with a basket full of chips and cookies a mile high.

So, rather than aiming for a complete overhaul of your entire diet and exercise lifestyle, I’d recommend picking one thing to change. For me, it’s no snacking after 11pm, because I get a serious case of late-night munchies. Once you’ve mastered that one, small lifestyle change, you can add in another step, like keeping a food journal or walking on the treadmill. That way, it’s not some jarring change, but rather a manageable series of attainable improvements.

This recipe is one that I think falls well into that “baby steps” category of healthy eating. You’ve got tender, grilled asparagus for a delightful dose of vitamins and nutrients. However, you’ve also got a plentiful serving of plain ol’ yum with crisp pancetta sprinkled on top of all the beneficial stuff. The asparagus and pancetta both blend beautifully with a few spoonfuls of a subtle orange vinaigrette that helps to add another punch of flavor as well as lighten up the dish with a touch of citrus. All together, they make a delicious side dish that’s good for you without sacrificing even a pinch of yumminess.

Aside of “Eat more asparagus tossed in tasty dressings and topped with pancetta,” what resolutions have you come up with this year?

Grilled Asparagus with Orange Vinaigrette and Crisp Pancetta

A La Kocinera Original Recipe

Printable Recipe

1 bunch asparagus, woody stems removed

5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

1 orange, juice and zest

6 thin slices pancetta, chopped (about 1/2 cup)

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper, divided

1 teaspoon dark brown sugar

pinch cayenne pepper

In a dry skillet, heat the pancetta over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until crisp and slightly browned. Set a paper towel on a plate and allow the pancetta to drain while you prepare the other ingredients.

In a medium bowl, combine 1 tablespoon orange juice, 1/2 to 1 teaspoon orange zest (depending on how orange-y you want the vinaigrette), 1 teaspoon chopped garlic, Dijon mustard, balsamic vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, dark brown sugar, and cayenne pepper. Gradually whisk in 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil until the vinaigrette is well combined. Set aside, either at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

In a medium bowl, toss the asparagus with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, as well as 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Heat the grill or a grill pan to medium-high and arrange the asparagus on the grill to cook. Cook the asparagus for about 12-15 minutes, turning once halfway through, until the asparagus is tender, but still al dente.

To serve, toss the cooked asparagus with several spoonfuls of vinaigrette (you may not need the entire batch) and sprinkle with the crisp pancetta.

Serves 4 as a side dish.

Merry Christmas!

noreply@blogger.com (Koci) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 03:20:00 +0000

Hello everyone! I wanted to make sure to pop by and wish you all a very, very Merry Christmas. I hope it has been a day filled with love, yummy food, and plenty of fun presents. Now, with my greetings properly conveyed, I’ll let us both get back to munching the leftover cookies for Santa.

Merry Christmas!!

Peppermint Semifreddo

noreply@blogger.com (Koci) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 06:26:00 +0000

Are you guys aware that I am obsessed with peppermint? If you had any way of perusing the bookmarks on my web browser, you would see definite evidence of it, thanks to the endless barrage of pepperminty holiday recipes that are cluttering my hard drive. White chocolate peppermint mochas have been my go-to Starbucks drink for the past month, most often accompanied by a peppermint brownie cake pop. After I finish consuming those, I pop peppermint Altoids like there's no tomorrow. And then I go home and make peppermint semifreddo, because that's a totally normal thing to do.

Maaaaybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but there's no doubt that peppermint is my favorite flavor of the Christmas-y season this year. I went through an odd pumpkin streak last year, and a gingerbread one before that, but I think peppermint is going to be a perennial favorite. Which gives me the perfect opportunity to chat with you about peppermint semifreddo and all it's creamy wonders.

For a quick rundown on the whole "semifreddo" business, it's very simple. Semifreddo is an Italian dessert consisting of heavy cream, egg yolks, egg whites, sugar, and various flavors. Thanks to the whipped egg whites and whipped cream, this treat--although frozen--maintains a consistently soft and semi-frozen texture.

Semi-frozen...semifreddo...see where I'm going?

While I've seen many a semifreddo dealing with chocolate, coffee, and the like, this peppermint version really intrigued me. Plus, it's a great holiday dessert to share with you guys, since it's (a) yum yum yummy and (b) it can be made ahead of time, leaving plenty of time to spend with friends and family, rather than hovering over a double boiler while everyone's opening presents.

Chilly, light, and creamy, peppermint semifreddo is a really delicious way to take a break from the heavier desserts that populate the holiday season. It's got a subtle, minty kick that wakes up your taste buds and keeps you coming back for more, preferably as a midnight snack silently stolen from the freezer. Whatever sort of holiday desserts you've already got planned, this peppermint semifreddo makes for a fantastic and unexpected addition to the Christmas menu.

Because it was the website that sparked my holiday foodie bookmarking spree, again, you can find this recipe at Martha Stewart.

Gingerbread Waffles

noreply@blogger.com (Koci) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 07:43:00 +0000

Have you ever had trouble getting into the Christmas spirit? Like when you’re stuck in line at the mall and you hear “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” playing over the intercom one too many times. The teenagers standing in front of you seem physically incapable of lowering their voices below 130 decibels and the toddler behind you keeps coughing its powerful kiddie germs all over your coat. Your forehead starts to perspire, and maybe you get a bit of an eye twitch. All of a sudden, holiday cheer seems like a distant memory of brighter, happier days.

Before I continue on with my story I have to say the aforementioned scenario did not actually happen to me. Well, it hasn’t happened to me all at once, thank the little Christmas angels. But I do hate “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” with a fiery passion.

However, I did find myself a little slow out the gate with holiday spirit this year. Probably due to the fact that finals—which I’m almost done with (!!!)—severely cut into my Christmas-y cooking/baking/eating time. But, I have the cure for a lack of holiday cheer and I’m going to share it with you today. Ready?

(1) Go look at all the pictures of gorgeous holiday dishes at FoodGawker. You’ll immediately want to bake everything in the shape of a Christmas tree.

(2) Search “Christmas Decorations” on Pinterest. Bookmark at least 50 crafty projects that you have no real intention of completing.

(3) Watch Christmas movies. A lot of them. Bonus points for unattractive sweatpants.

(4) Buy more chunky knit scarves than you know what to do with. Wear them around the house because they’re comfy and you’re weird.

(5) Repeat as needed.

I guarantee that the above tips will surely put you in tip-top holiday shape. But honestly, do you know what the best thing about all of those ideas is? You can do every single one of them while eating gingerbread pancakes. While most of the time we tend to focus on impressive meals or yummy desserts, that’s no reason to forget about breakfast. These tasty waffles, with just a hint of gingerbread spice, make for a great winter breakfast. They’re quick to put together and make an everyday breakfast just a little more special.

You can find the recipe I used over at Martha Stewart.

My First Cooking Video

noreply@blogger.com (Koci) — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 23:18:00 +0000

Ah, the things I will do for a chance at a year’s supply of kimchi.

Like the title says, dear readers, this is my very first cooking video. Featuring a delicious recipe for Bulgogi Tacos, this video is an entry into the Kimchi Chronicles video contest, which is offering up prizes dealing with some of my most favorite things—dramas and food. After reading that this contest offered the chance for a year’s premium subscription to DramaFever, as well as a host of Korean food-related prizes, I knew that I had to give this video a try.

The rules simply stated that to enter all you had to do was create a video of yourself making one of the many yummy recipes from the Kimchi Chronicles cookbook. Seeing as my love for Korean food is growing bigger and bigger day by day, I leapt at the opportunity to participate in this contest. The recipe I chose—Bulgogi Tacos—is especially unique in that it combines all the amazingness that is Korean food and marries it with some excellent Mexican flavors as well. Seeing as I’m already a Mexican food fanatic, I thought that this recipe would be a great way to show a bit of who I am and what I love for my video entry.

After a year and a half of anonymous blogging, I hope you guys will enjoy finally having a face to place with the food pictures and geeking out over cheese. So, without further ado, here’s my first cooking video!

Thanksgiving Snippets

noreply@blogger.com (Koci) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 06:36:00 +0000

Since it has now been several days since Thanksgiving, I thought it might finally be time to chat a little bit about what went on at my own celebration. I didn’t want to start blogging pictures the night of because all of you who celebrated the holiday as well were probably just as stuffed as I was. With all the food and commotion, I believe that Thanksgiving is one of those major holidays that we need some time to process. So, since everyone has had plenty of time to digest and eat as many leftovers as possible, let’s treat this series of snippets as a kind of Thanksgiving victory lap.

Obviously, to start off with one of the most important dishes of Thanksgiving, I present you with our turkey. Rather than go the traditional route, this year I opted to try an Adobo Turkey with Red Chile Gravy from Gourmet. Thanks to a deep, savory blend of ancho and guajillo chiles in both the marinade and the gravy, this turkey really amped up the warm, comforting vibe of Thanksgiving. Not to mention the fact that my family practically inhaled it within the immediate 24 hours surrounding that day.

I don’t know what it was about this year’s Thanksgiving, but I became hopelessly, deliriously addicted to green bean casserole this time around. While I’ve always loved this, my sister’s contribution to the holiday, I would usually stop after my initial serving, maybe with a taste of leftover the next day. They say your taste buds change as you age, so maybe there was something about my newly 21-year-old taste buds that decided to interpret the flavor of green bean casserole as omgthegreatesttastingfoodofalltime and fire off a volley of synapses that compelled me to eat it at every possible opportunity. Whatever it was, this was the year of the green bean casserole.

Before I move on to dessert, I want to quickly fill you in on the other side dishes we ate, seeing as I was too busy stuffing my face with them to bother taking a photo.

What? Don’t act like you’d have that kind of self control.

First and foremost, there was my mom’s yearly batch of Crawfish Cornbread Dressing. A combination of Louisiana crawfish (buying any other variety is sacrilege in my house); vegetables; sweet, homemade cornbread; as well as secret helping of other Cajun-y ingredients, I cannot (nor do I want to) remember a time in my life that this dish was not a part of Thanksgiving.

Besides the dressing, I made a pineapple cranberry sauce with chilies and we also had way too many rolls, thoroughly drenched with butter. It is a day of indulgence, after all.

Now, as we have completed the journey through mains and sides, we arrive at what is quite possibly a miracle tart. This Mexican Chocolate Tart with Cinnamon Pecans from Bon Appetit single-handedly restored my faith in Mexican chocolate. In the past, even though Mexican food in all shapes and forms was a constant favorite of mine, I just could not find the love for Mexican chocolate. The complex, cinnamon notes simply did not jive with me. However—I think it was partially in thanks to the mixture of Mexican chocolate and regular bittersweet chocolate—this tart hit is just right.

Don’t even get me started on the chocolate cookie crust.

With the aforementioned yum-tastic dessert, we can now conclude the tour of my Thanksgiving. For a word of sentiment in this season of thanks, I want to make sure say how thankful I am for each and every one of you, my readers—for visiting my blog, leaving comments, and being all-around awesome people. I hope you guys had a delightful Thanksgiving as well as continue to enjoy the holiday season surrounded by love, laughs, and more delicious food than you know what to do with.

By the way, what was your favorite Thanksgiving dish this year??

Risotto-Stuffed Sweet Dumpling Squash

noreply@blogger.com (Koci) — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 04:15:00 +0000

You know how Superman's only weakness is kryptonite? While I'm not well-versed in superhero lore, I know enough to be pretty sure that there's nothing Superman can do to overcome that substance's power. Whenever the bad guy whips out the kryptonite, you know things are going to get bad. There's no escaping it--kryptonite trumps Superman.

Risotto is my sister's kryptonite.

It was one of the first things that I made back when I really became interested in cooking. Due to its exposure to my little sister's psyche at a relatively young age, she can't get enough of it. At least that’s my theory. It's a perennially requested birthday dish for her and whenever there's a pot of rich, creamy risotto bubbling away on the stove, she can smell it for miles.

I really should've warned the poor kid before making this, though. Rather than stirring together a batch of regular, basic risotto, this time I added portobello mushrooms, asparagus, pancetta, heavy cream, and extra Parmesan. And then stuffed it all in some of the most delicious squash I've ever tasted.

The dangerously cute container of this special risotto is Sweet Dumpling squash. After happening upon it in the grocery store last week, I immediately grabbed some and planned some sort of cheesy, carb-o-licious stuffing. As the earthy filling came together, was topped with panko breadcrumbs, and gently browned inside the squash in the oven, I knew that this was (a) something that would be insanely delicious, and (b) something that you guys would love to know about before Thanksgiving.

Whether you're looking for an interesting side dish, or planning a full-out vegetarian (omitting the pancetta, obviously) main course, this recipe fits so beautifully into any fall menu.

At first I wrote "autumnal menu," but I thought it sounded too snooty coming from someone who stuffs her face with Cheetos while watching Netflix in a Snuggie.

Enjoy!

Risotto-Stuffed Sweet Dumpling Squash

A La Kocinera Original Recipe

Printable Recipe

4 Sweet Dumpling squashes (you could substitute other kinds of small squash if Sweet Dumpling is unavailable)

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

1/4 cup chopped pancetta

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1/2 Portobello mushroom, chopped (about 1 cup)

1/2 bunch asparagus, woody stems removed and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 1/2 cups prepared basic risotto

1/4 teaspoon brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

pinch cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon heavy cream

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided

1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking dish with aluminum foil and coat with nonstick spray.

Cut the tops off the squashes and, using a spoon, scoop out all of the seeds (you may need to remove a bit of the flesh at the top to reach them all). Place the squash, bottoms and tops, in the baking dish and brush with 2 tablespoons olive oil, inside and out, sprinkling with 1 teaspoon salt. Place the squashes in the oven and bake for 35 minutes, until fork tender, but not mushy. Set aside.

In a shallow, heavy-bottomed pot, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add the pancetta, garlic, and onion, sautéing until softened and fragrant. Add the mushroom and asparagus, cooking until tender. Finally, add the prepared risotto, brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, heavy cream, and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, stirring to combine. Taste and adjust the seasonings to taste.

Divide the risotto mixture evenly between the four squashes, packing it inside the hollowed-out centers. In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese with the panko breadcrumbs. Top each squash with the breadcrumb mixture and dot with pieces of the remaining tablespoon of butter.

Place the filled squashes in the oven again and bake for 10-12 minutes, until the everything is warmed up and the topping is golden brown. Serve warm and enjoy!

Homemade Peanut Butter Cups

noreply@blogger.com (Koci) — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 19:37:00 +0000

And this is why I love fall.

Fall is the only time of the entire year that is practically solely devoted to food, starting with Halloween. It’s like the inaugural sugar rush to set you up for Thanksgiving and Christmas’s treats to come. A quick holiday to stretch your tummy muscles for occupying the absolute feasting of the next two months. Whoever decided to create a holiday that completely centers itself on the consumption of candy was really onto something.

An incentive such as Halloween seems like the perfect excuse for making homemade peanut butter cups. Smooth little tidbits of chocolate filled with creamy, sugary peanut butter encapsulate all of my favorite candylicous flavors. Not to mention how simple they are to make. Requiring only a handful of everyday staples, these peanut butter cups are great for throwing together when you want a quick munchie ~~and have already eaten all the packaged Halloween candy in your house.~~

Can we just take a moment to drool over this chocolate?

I got a few bars of Scharffen Berger on sale at the grocery store and they have been beyond amazing—so creamy and so smooth!

But, chocolate geekery aside, homemade peanut butter cups are pretty darn awesome. No doubt your house is currently filled to the brim with all shapes and sizes of candy, waiting for oodles of trick or treaters to come bang their candy-coated hands on your front door (unless you live in a neighborhood of octogenarians like I do). What I’m saying is, take a couple minutes to make a batch of these goodies just for yourself. Nothing looks worse than a grown adult wrestling the last Snickers from the hands of a tiny Batman.

Head over to the fabulous Brown-Eyed Baker for the recipe.

Belated

noreply@blogger.com (Koci) — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 04:25:00 +0000

I turned 21 a few days ago and forgot to come over here and say anything about it.

I don’t know how that’s possible.

I’m wishing myself a Happy Belated Birthday.

However, the fun thing is now I can feature tons of yummy drink recipes on this blog as well. Things like Cake Batter Martinis, Raspberry-Orange Sunrises, and Sparkling Sangrias. Having only been 21 for a few days, I can’t give a complete review of any of these recipes just yet, but I can tell you that those Raspberry-Orange Sunrises are ah-maze-ing.

As a new member of the drinking set, I’d love to know about any other drinks I should try, so make sure to pop by the comments and tell me your favorite!

That’s a picture of a Godiva chocolate cheesecake, by the way.

Layers of cheesecake, flourless chocolate cake, and chocolate mousse.

With chocolate ganache and cocoa powder on top.

Soooooo delicious.

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Black Bean Hummus

noreply@blogger.com (Koci) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 04:37:00 +0000

Do you know what I find terrifying?

Like Halloween-level super scary?

More frightening than accidentally watching one of those ghosty shows on the History Channel?

One thing.

A world without beans.

Black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, cannellini beans—I love them all.

Do you know what else is fabulous?

Hummus.

Because it contains beans.

This black bean hummus goes so far beyond merely substituting black beans for chickpeas. Between the cilantro, lime, cumin, garlic, and jalapeño, this is one of those things that goes from tasty to addictive within a single bite. You can get all healthy with it and pair the hummus with carrot and celery sticks. There’s toasted pita, or perhaps spreading it in a tortilla to help give a normal burrito a flavorful kick. It’s great with chips, if a simple bean dip vibe is what sounds yummy, and that’s really just the beginning of all the marvelous ways you can enjoy this gorgeous stuff.

It’s also insanely delicious licked straight off the spoon at two in the morning.

Um…or so I’ve been told.

Grab the recipe at Cooking Light.

Shrimp and Coconut Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Koci) — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 06:35:00 +0000

Hiya kiddos!

Remember me? The person who writes this blog?

You know those times when you plan to do something in an hour, but you look up and it’s a week later? That’s what has been happening to me lately in the realm of yummy blog posts. I’ll cook something on the weekend, take tons of photos, and all of a sudden it’s Monday and I have to do responsible things like get an education, have a job, be a functioning member of society, blah, blah, blah. So then it happens that my hard drive gets full of cute pictures and tasty recipes that take forever to see the light of day, which is no way to run a blog.

So, even though I’m surrounded by “important” things like homework and tests, I wanted to leave you with a delicious recipe to tide you over for a few days until I can put together a real post.

Fun fact: I just spelled “important” as “importante” because I finished taking a Spanish for Business test about two minutes ago. We’ve been learning about la estructura de empresas, la gerencia, la Administración por Objetivos, y los diferentes estilos de gerencia entre los paises hispanohablantes y norteamericanos.

I’m only showing off because I think I did well on the test.

Watch me end up getting a 60%.

Anyway, this soup/noodly business is so full of yum that I can’t hardly stand it. There’s coconut milk, which is undoubtedly one of the top ten greatest ingredients ever. There’s pretty pops of orange carrots and green onions. There’s noodles. There’s curry powder. There’s shrimp.

Sound good? Give it a try. My family inhaled this in about five minutes flat.

Shrimp and Coconut Soup

Recipe adapted from “Coconut Shrimp Soup” from Great Food Fast

Printable Recipe

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 teaspoon grated, peeled fresh ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

6-8 medium carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced

salt, to taste

1 teaspoon curry powder, to taste

1 13.5-ounce can coconut milk

3 cups plus 2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon cornstarch

4 ounces angel hair pasta

1 1/2 pounds shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails removed

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

4 green onions, white and green parts, thinly sliced

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the ginger, garlic, and pepper flakes. Cook, stirring until fragrant, but not browned, about 1 minute. Add the carrots, curry powder, coconut milk, 3 cups water, stirring to combine.

In a small bowl, combine the 2 tablespoons water with the cornstarch, stirring until smooth. Add to the soup and bring to a boil.

Break the pasta in half and add to the pot. Return to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer until the pasta is al dente and the carrots are tender, about 4 minutes.

Add the shrimp, cooking until opaque, about 1-2 minutes. Remove the pot from heat and stir in lime juice, green onions, as well as salt, to taste. Check seasonings and adjust pepper flakes and curry powder, to taste (for instance, I like oodles of both). Serve warm.

Asparagus, Peas, and Basil

noreply@blogger.com (Koci) — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 04:37:00 +0000

Are you an overachiever?

If so, this dish is for you.

Oh, and ignore that piece of olive-y, lemon-y fish in that photo. Really, just avert your eyes.

Full of green things like asparagus, peas, green onions, and basil, this yummy side dish is an incredible combination of healthy and delicious. While we have come to expect different foods or preparation methods to be healthy, we don’t tend to view them as particularly tasty. Plenty of tempting munchies surround us on a daily basis, but they’re usually fried, iced, or basted in butter.

Makes for happy tummies, but not happy arteries.

So, when I come along and announce that a dish can be both delicious and healthy, I can see how it might seem too good to be true. Believe me, though, it is. True, I mean. Like any overachiever, I simply couldn’t be satisfied with just one or the other. Yum-osity and health-osity are two things that can go hand in hand.

Let me break it down…

Asparagus. Healthy? Check. Yummy? Check.

Basil. Oh-ehm-gee, all kinds of good.

Green onions. Yes.

Peas. Like little green pearls of nom.

Here’s where the buttery stuff (and a bit of olive oil) does come in. If there was absolutely none of it, this simply wouldn’t work. I don’t want to scare you guys, after all.

There’s also a sprinkle of cheese. Yummy yummy Romano cheese, which does all kinds of awesome stuff with these veggies.

You see? We’ve put so many healthy, good ingredients in that pan, paired with moderate amounts of indulgent yummies, that it really creates a perfect side dish. Serve it with any sort of entrée and you’ve got a great meal. Not to mention that it’s a cinch to put together.

Let’s review (because that’s what nerds like to do): Healthy. Delicious. Easy. Quick.

Major, major overachievement. Give it a try!

Asparagus, Peas, and Basil

Recipe adapted from Gourmet, April 2008

Printable Recipe

2 green onions, ends removed, finely chopped (can substitute 2 shallots)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 bunch asparagus, ends removed, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 10-ounce package frozen peas, thawed

1/2 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2-3 tablespoons grated Romano cheese (can substitute Parmesan, if desired)

about 1/2 cup roughly chopped basil leaves

In a large pan, heat the butter and olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the green onions and cook until softened.

Stir in the asparagus, peas, salt, and pepper. Cover the pan and cook the vegetables for about 8 minutes, until tender but slightly al dente. Stir in basil and additional salt, to taste.

Serve warm.

Brown Butter Banana Bread

noreply@blogger.com (Koci) — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 05:12:00 +0000

Ah, the alliteration!

I had to get that off my chest. Despite my love of bookish matters, I promise not to spend an entire post acting like the literary devices fangirl that I am. Some of you like-minded readers would undoubtedly think it was the greatest grouping of words the English language has ever seen, but some of you would immediately groan and exit the page, causing you to miss out on the glorious beauty that is Brown Butter Banana Bread. Therefore, today I shall set my obsessions aside for chocolate chips and the greater good.

This batch of soft, yummy banana bread was born out of a truly frightening experience that befell me this past weekend…I had no butter. For two and a half days this recipe lingered in my mind, filling my head with thoughts of nutty, brown butter, gently sweet bananas, and pops of chocolate chips.

I was taunted by the bunch of perfectly overripe bananas sitting on my kitchen counter, knowing that for each day I let them linger, they were cultivating countless hidden bruises to spite me. When the day finally arrived that butter once again entered my house, I peeled them with more than a little trepidation. As someone who had never tried to make banana bread with darkly speckled, super ripe bananas before, I mentally prepared myself for the inevitable hideous surprise awaiting me.

But there was no hideous surprise awaiting me. Underneath the mottled peels of those bananas there was nothing but soft, smushy, blemish-free fruit. In an instant, they were mashed into pureed perfection.

I was more flabbergasted than when I passed Chemistry class.

As of this moment, I am officially a believer in the ripe banana method. I will distribute flyers and wear a badge. I will create a school club for it and hand out banana bread samples at freshman orientation. Where I used to scoff at the idea and wrinkle my nose at the unattractive banana peels, I now understand what so many people have been talking about. It really does make the whole process delightfully easy.

And like I said before, there’s brown butter and chocolate chips.

Grab the recipe over at Joy the Baker. All I did differently was swap the strawberries for chocolate chips. If my strawberries hadn’t gone bad, I wouldn’t have changed a thing, because this business is yumsville all around.

Grilled Vegetable Tostadas

noreply@blogger.com (Koci) — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 00:25:00 +0000

That photo of a veggie tostada makes me so happy. Perhaps it’s the festive colors, perhaps it’s the underlying knowledge that it’s incredibly healthy, perhaps it’s just a projection of my contented mood, but there’s something so lovely about a fresh, beautiful vegetable tostada.

Looking at that delicious blend of hearty, grilled vegetables and light punches of salsa and feta really reflects how I feel about this fall semester. Yes, I’m assigning emotions to to a pile of grilled veggies. Food blogger, remember?

If you’re a regular reader, you will know from my last post that I was getting a bit overwhelmed and more than a bit busy with all the recent changes in my schedule. I’m happy to say that now, almost two weeks into the school year, I’m really getting into the groove of things. There’s still a boatload of responsibilities between college, work, blogging, and the like, but I now suddenly find myself enjoying this level of activity. Rather than lazy days of summer, where the biggest obstacle of the day was doing some laundry and convincing myself that running is a fun form of exercise, having deadlines and due dates and projects has helped me reestablish a pleasant sense of structure to my days.

Now, before I sound too enthusiastic, I have to admit that this weird, peppy, “yay-more-homework!,” sort of concept does not always fit with my regular personality. Over the past two weeks, one of the hardest things that I’ve had to learn—something that I’ve struggled with throughout my years of schooling—is the art of balance. I’m sure there’s more than a few of you out there who agree with me on this, but I’m the sort of person who loves nothing more than having every chore finished, every assignment turned in, every project complete and ready to go. It is then that I feel like I can finally relax and do things that I enjoy.

While this technically sounds like a wonderful version of reality, it’s also one that I’ve had to accept does not normally exist. Whether it’s with school or work, there is always going to be a stream of things that need to be done and there will always be another task that you feel like you should be doing. In the past, I had tried different methods to remedy this predicament, from blazing through hours of homework only to find myself exhausted and burnt out, to completing a tidbit of work and then returning to the cozy comfort of my Netflix queue. As you can imagine, neither method works well. As it turns out, balance is best and compartmentalization is key.

See that college-level vocab? Two weeks in and I’m smarter already.

Vegetable tostadas figure into this idea of balance as well. If you just ate grilled veggies, the dish would feel heavy and flat. If you chose to subsist on salsa and feta cheese, well, that would be delicious, but surely such a concentration of cheesy sodium and lime acids would be ill-advised. You’d get all bloated and need to use ultra-sensitive toothpaste to deal with the enamel erosion. My point is, this dish, much like practically everything else in the world, is best when there’s a balance.

When you’ve got your priorities in order and there’s an equal amount of work and play, good things come along with it. You’re able to go with the flow and enjoy periods of productivity and relaxation. You’re able to find a bunch of Zumba videos on YouTube that make exercise more fun and you get to eat more chocolate chip cupcakes as well. You’re able to combine the healthy nutrition of portobello mushrooms, zucchini, and green onions with the equally healthy mixture of fresh tomato salsa and pungent cubes of cheese. You feel good, you look good, and you’re taking care of business. It really doesn’t get better than that.

Grilled Vegetable Tostadas
Recipe adapted from “Everyday Food: Great Food Fast”
Printable Recipe

Vegetable Tostadas
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for grilling
3 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices on the diagonal
4 portobello mushrooms, stemmed
1 bunch green onions, ends trimmed
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 flour tortillas
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

Fresh Tomato Salsa
8 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeño, finely chopped (seeds and ribs removed if you want less heat)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
juice of 1 lime
kosher salt, to taste

Salsa: In a medium bowl, combine the chopped tomatoes, red onion, jalapeño, garlic and lime juice. Stir well and season with kosher salt. Allow to sit in the refrigerator until serving to develop flavor.

Tostadas: Heat a grill or grill pan to medium high and lightly oil the grates. Place the mushrooms, zucchini, and green onions on a large baking sheet and drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil to coat and seasoning with salt and pepper. Working in batches, place groups of vegetables on the grill and cook until browned and tender, turning once. Cut the cooked mushrooms into 1/2-inch strips. Cut the green onions into 1-inch pieces. Set aside.
Brush the tortillas with the remaining olive oil and grill until browned and crispy, turning frequently.
To serve, place a tortilla on each plate. Top with slices of mushrooms, zucchini, and green onions. Spoon some salsa on top and sprinkle with feta cheese. Serve with lime wedges and more salsa.

Daring Bakers’ Challenge: Truffles and Candies

noreply@blogger.com (Koci) — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 05:49:00 +0000

The above photo of strawberry paté de fruits looks entirely normal and would lead you to believe that this challenge went off without a hitch.

This is not the truth.

Much like my first Daring Bakers’ Challenge a year ago today, this challenge was a hot mess.

Before we go into details, let me tell you a little bit about this challenge. The August 2011 Daring Bakers’ Challenge was hosted by Lisa of Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drives and Mandy of What the Fruitcake?!. These two sugar mavens challenged us to make sinfully delicious candies. This was a special challenge for the Daring Bakers because the good folks at http://www.chocoley.com offered an amazing prize for the winner of the most creative and delicious candy.

For my take on this challenge, I chose to make strawberry paté de fruits, wasabi dark chocolate truffles, and Kahlua coffee truffles. In the beginning, all of these candies were shaping up to be delicious, wonderful renditions of a fun challenge. In the end, all of these candies left me blinking in disbelief at where it all went wrong.

To be fair, though, it’s not really the fault of these candies and the minor mishaps that occurred in their preparation that made this challenge feel so topsy-turvy. For this past week, I have been alternating between periods of intense productivity and utter ditzyness, between excited energy and dogged determination. My brain has been firing a mile a minute, I’ve been busier than ever, and my schedule has exploded with activity.

The fall semester has started.

Five classes are now a part of my life. Two of History, two of Spanish, and one cute little elective of Music Appreciation. Fun and interesting they are, but an unexpected amount of work they are as well.

And I started a new job this week, too.

Ya see? Busy.

Probably due to all the new information entering my brain this week, I’ve been embarrassingly spacing out when it comes to organizing other areas of my life, like Daring Bakers’ challenges and normal bedtimes.

Paté de fruits were formed from a delicious recipe provided in the Daring Bakers info packet, but proved ten times too sticky to cut out into cute star shapes. Wasabi dark chocolate truffles had a cool taste to them, but were summarily ruined by poorly-tempered chocolate. Kahlua coffee truffles were insanely yummy, but also fell victim to my irresponsible tempering.

It was the chocolate I used. Rather than activate my college brain and my critical thinking skills and buy a few quality bars of chocolate, I decided it would be just fine to use some semi-sweet chocolate chips I had in the pantry.

It was not just fine.

Basically, the problem lies in their structure. Regular ol’ chocolate chips are crafted with extra bits and pieces (a.k.a. chemicals, additives, etc.) to make them hold their shape while baking. While this makes for some lovely looking chocolate chip cookies, I’m sure you can see how chips specifically designed not to melt would not work for…er, melting. Tempering chocolate specifically requires melting chocolate until it reaches a certain temperature, cooling it down to another temperature, and then heating it up to another, melty, workable temperature again.

See what I meant about my brain not working?

Let’s not even talk about my wasabi decoration ideas.

While I generally feel like this is a challenge best forgotten for me, I do want to leave you with a few thoughts. First, paté de fruits is yummy and cool—like huge chunks of Fruit Roll-ups coated in crunchy granulated sugar. Second, wasabi is tasty when mixed with chocolate, but probably not something that you’d want a whole box of. Third, adding 1/2 teaspoon of instant coffee and 2 1/2 teaspoons of Kahlua to your basic chocolate truffle recipe is a thing of immeasurable beauty. Even when it’s poorly coated with semi-melted, cheapo chocolate it’s insanely delicious.

Now, I’ve still got more homework to do in order to restore a sense of equilibrium in my suddenly-busy-again life. If you’d like to learn more about this month’s challenge or try out one of the many, many other candy recipes provided, take a looksee at the information packet from the Daring Bakers.

Salsa de Piña Asada con Habanero: Roasted Pineapple Salsa with Habanero

noreply@blogger.com (Koci) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 03:16:00 +0000

Salsaholism [sahl-sah-hawl-ism]

- Noun.

1. A condition characterized by the excessive and compulsive consumption of salsa to the point that it interferes with a person’s health and ability to function in day-to-day life. Signs of this disorder include, but are not limited to, disappearance of tortilla chips, cilantro-induced separation anxiety, and unusually ferocious protection of pineapples, mangoes, tomatoes, and the like. Side-effects of salsaholism are generally manifested in one or more of the following conditions: panting; water-gulping; salty, tortilla chip lips; and an unreasonable amounts of happy-dancing. While it is possible to cure salsaholism through intense cognitive behavioral therapy involving a series of whistles, chili peppers, and short track speed skating, most sufferers of salsaholism, or salsaholics, are notoriously resistant to treatment and will regularly refuse to admit that they have a problem. Above all else, salsaholics should be kept away from any combination of the following ingredients:

Roasted pineapple, as the tempting amalgamation of sweet and spicy is simply too much for even non-salsaholics to bear.

Red onion, due to its festive purple color, which lures potential salsaholics into a false sense of security.

Habanero peppers, because it is their kryptonite.

Cilantro, for its fresh flavor and hypnotizing beauty.

When the aforementioned ingredients are mixed together, along with a squirt of fresh lime juice and a pinch of kosher salt, the tasty results are too much for even the most serious salsaholics to withstand. In order to avoid finding the salsaholic crouched in a corner, shoveling chip-fulls of pineapple-habanero glory into their greedy mouths, and fiercely hissing at passers-by, family members and loved ones are advised to keep salsaholics away from this blog post at all costs.

Oh…wait. You’re a salsaholic, aren’t you?

Okay, okay, okaaaay…you are not a salsaholic and you do not have a problem.

I agree, you can stop eating salsa any time you want.

But yeah, you’re totally right. Roasted pineapple salsa with habanero sounds like a great snack.

I’ll grab the bowl, you grab the chips?

Salsa de Piña Asada con Habanero: Roasted Pineapple Salsa with Habanero

Recipe adapted from “Salsa de Piña Asada con Habanero: Roasted Pineapple Salsa with Habanero” by Roberto Santibañez with JJ Goode, Epicurious.com, April 2011

Printable Recipe

4-6 round slices fresh pineapple (1/2-inch thick)

1/4 cup mild olive oil or vegetable oil

1/2 large red onion (1 cup), finely chopped

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 freshly-squeezed lime juice, or more to taste

2 fresh habanero peppers, minced, including the seeds

1 teaspoon kosher salt, to taste

Set the oven to broil, positioning the rack 8 inches from the heat source. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray or cover with nonstick aluminum foil.

Brush both sides of the pineapple slices with the oil and place on a baking sheet. Roast the pineapple in the oven for about 8 minutes, then turn and continue to roast for another 8 minutes. Let cool.

Dice the pineapple, removing the core. In a large bowl, stir together the pineapple, red onion, cilantro, lime juice, habaneros, and salt, seasoning to taste with additional lime juice and salt.

Keeps well in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Makes about 2 1/2 cups of salsa.

Daring Cooks’ Challenge: Appam and Chicken Kerala

noreply@blogger.com (Koci) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 19:27:00 +0000

Can you believe it?! I’m finally back into the groove with the Daring Cooks and Daring Bakers challenges. After hit-and-miss spring and nonexistent summer attempts, I’ve kicked things back in gear and I’m ready to get cooking.

This month’s challenge was hosted by Mary, a lovely blogger and longtime member of the Daring Kitchen challenges. Mary, who writes the delicious blog, Mary Mary Culinary was our August Daring Cooks’ host. Mary chose to show us how delicious South Indian cuisine is. She challenged us to make Appam and another South Indian/Sri Lankan dish to go with the warm flat bread.

When I saw that our entire challenge revolved around Indian food, I knew things were going to get fun. Despite my love of almost all foods and all cuisines, I’m especially fanatical about Indian food. Whether it’s the complex mixtures of aromatic spices, the satisfyingly hearty array of flat breads, or the incredible diversity of dishes and cultures spreading across the subcontinent, India and its food have always held a special place in my heart.

With this challenge, the Daring Cooks were assigned to make Appams, a type of South Indian flat bread consisting mostly of rice, yeast, and coconut milk. Along with that, we also had to make any type of South Indian or Sri Lankan dish to serve with the appams. For me, this dish was the delicious Chicken Kerala.

However, before I go off skipping through the fields, singing songs of curry-love, we first need to discuss the process of making appams. As much as I hate to generalize this tasty form of flat bread, I have to say that it actually tastes very similar to hot grits—except in thin, crepe-like form, made with rice instead of cornmeal. What definitely does make appams completely unique is the method of preparation, which proved to be both easy and daunting.

First, it’s a question of soaking about 1 1/2 cups of uncooked rice overnight. The next day, that rice gets drained and whirled through a blender or food processor until smooth. To that pureed rice, one adds a mixture of yeast, sugar, and water—giving it all another quick buzz through the blender/food processor/Magic Bullet until smooth. Yet again, this mixture sits overnight at room temperature, allowing the yeast to do its work and allowing the mixture to slightly ferment. The next day, this concoction is combined with coconut milk and salt, then cooked in a pan much in the way you’d cook crepes—pour, swirl, etc. After that, it’s simply a question of how many can you eat with how much Chicken Kerala before you’re too full to move.

Now, I can’t gloss over things and avoid telling you about the few mishaps I encountered on my way to appam-licious glory. At first, it was challenge enough to muster the patience to take the 48+ hours to bring this dish to fruition. In my previous skimming of the challenge recipe earlier in the month, I neglected to spot the second overnight resting/rising time for the dough—an unhappy surprise, but one that was overcome.

Also, I think I’ve led you to believe that it’s easy to perfect that whole “pour, swirl, cook” technique for cooking the appams. Truly, it took me almost the whole bowl of batter before I hit my stride with the process. Initially, I would pour a small ladle of batter into the pan and it would immediately solidify and stick, foiling all of my attempts at graceful batter-swirling. Buzzing it with an immersion blender solved that problem quite nicely, helping to further liquefy the rice bits. I also discovered that it worked better for me to cook them over medium-low heat, rather than over medium-high heat. As far as quick cooking goes, I don’t have those kind of reflexes.

If the task of making appams now suddenly sounds scary and insurmountable to you, please take heart. Eating a savory and subtly sweet appam with a bowl of spicy chicken and potato curry is more than enough reward. Seriously, this Chicken Kerala, with its familiar blend of ginger, garlic, and chili, along with the creaminess of coconut milk and the bright punch of fresh cilantro, was the perfect accompaniment for this challenge’s appams.

It was also the perfect accompaniment for my lunch, snack, and dinner all in one day.

If you’d like to give the appam recipe a try or learn more about the challenge, take a peek at the info packet from the Daring Kitchen website.

If you’d like to make a tasty pot of Chicken Kerala, look no further…

Chicken Kerala

Recipe adapted from “Chicken Kerala” by Manju Malhi

Printable Recipe

3 tablespoons canola oil

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

2 serrano peppers, seeds removed from one; all finely chopped

1 teaspoon grated ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon hot chili powder

1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garam masala

pinch curry powder

1 pound, 2 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small cubes

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

2 large white potatoes, cut into small cubes

1 13.5-ounce can coconut milk, divided

1/4 to 1/3 cup water, as needed

1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

Heat the canola oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion and serrano peppers for three minutes. Toss in the ginger, garlic, chili powder, coriander, turmeric, salt, garam masala, and curry powder, stirring to combine.

Add the chicken cubes and cook for about 8 minutes, until browned. Add the tomatoes and potatoes, cooking for another 2 minutes.

Pour in 3 1/2 ounces of the coconut milk and simmer for 6 minutes. Add the remaining coconut milk and 1/4 cup water. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the chicken is cooked. Note: If the sauce looks too thick, add 1/3 cup water instead of 1/4 cup.

Check the seasonings, stir in the cilantro, and serve warm with rice or flatbread.

Shoes, Glorious Shoes: Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Koci) — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 04:38:00 +0000

Take a look at that.

Yes, I know it’s not a picture of cake like you were hoping, but take a look at that.

That is part of my closet.

Once upon a time—a.k.a. the photo on the left—my shoes looked like the Leaning Tower of Pisa caught in a tornado. It wasn’t pretty and I’m not proud of it, but you know how it goes. Your shoe section starts off clean, then after months and years of kicking your shoes on and off things get a little lax. It no longer bothers you not to have all the boxes stacked perfectly or that your beautiful shoe shelves has been pushed to the back of the closet, simply serving as a hidden storage area for the flip-flops you haven’t worn since you were twelve. New boxes of heels are creatively wedged into place, flats are tossed in all directions, and chaos ensues.

A few days ago, I had enough.

Like most of my cleaning sprees, the idea to reorganize and clean out my shoes hit me by surprise. Just one afternoon, while my house was feeling small and I was feeling a unique combination of boredom and claustrophobia, I cast my gaze toward that sinister corner of my blue-carpeted closet. I narrowed my eyes, grabbed the paper towels and cleaning spray, nabbed a couple trash bags, and set about righting this wrong.

As any of you dear readers know, super-duper overhaul cleaning is both a joy and a nightmare, which is why I chose to document the experience and invite you to share in my delight/misery. Plus we get to talk about shoes, and as much as I hate to sound stereotypically girly…I love shoes.

As you can see from the pictures above, it was merely a question of schlepping all the shoes out of my closet, vacuuming away all the errant dust bunnies that had accumulated over the years, cleaning off and repositioning my shoe shelves, weeding out the shoes that haven’t seen daylight since 2002, and putting it all back in place. Easy peasy, right?

While we’re here, I have to unburden myself.

Yes, my bedroom carpet is blue—it used to make sense. When I was somewhere around the age of nine, I got the chance to select my own color scheme for my old childhood bedroom. At first, fuchsia was my thing—thank goodness my parent’s nixed it—but I ended up choosing light blue walls with white, sponge-painted-by-my-mommy clouds. So you see? Ocean, sky, stuff like that. As of 2009, my walls are a refreshing, garden-like medium green, which still works, but I definitely think my blue phase has come to a end.

Phew! It felt good to get that off my chest. On to the shoe cleanout goodies!

Steve Madden floral flats.

It just doesn’t get better than floral.

Chunky brown heels.

They’re by Dr. Scholl’s, so they are pumped full of gel comfort whatnots.

If I may say so—fierce—red platform heels from Target.

I’m entering into a heels phase at the moment and I thought these would be a teetering, welcome addition.

Do any of you own GAP ballet flats?

Flexible, truly ballet-style bottoms, come with a cute carrying pouch, and are available in at least a dozen colors. Amazing.

No closet cleanout is complete with at least one embarrassing find. To my credit, I never actually wore these.

Let’s avert our eyes and move on…

Again with the platform-y heels, except in comfortable wedge form by Fergalicious.

Gold-toned metallics are my ultimate go-to when it comes to casual shoes. They take away the fear of a mismatched color scheme and simply act like another sparkly accessory.

The mini version, by Gianni Bini. Rain, shine, hot, cold—I wear these constantly.

Peep-toes, dontcha love ‘em?

Pops of color are so cute.

Are you ready to see the finished product? The new-and-improved, organized-to-the-max, pretty-fied closet??

Check it out!

A sight like that just makes my geektastic, borderline OCD heart flutter with joy.

Bonus—you now know what shoe size I wear.

Those K-Swiss’s are the comfiest shoes I own. Plus they have graduated pink Velcro straps for optimum laziness.

Can I just say thank you so much for indulging me in this overtly self-congratulatory post? Really, I appreciate it. Since chores like these are such a pain in the booty, I knew it would be good to share the pain together and make it something fun. When you guys clean out your hundred-year-old shoe collections, I am so ready to hear all about it.

You’re still giggling about my Crocs, aren’t you?

Quick Fruit Crostatas

noreply@blogger.com (Koci) — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 05:31:00 +0000

Hmm…what can I tell you about fruit crostatas?

I could go on for days about the perfection of this dessert, how beautifully it suits the multitude of delicious summer fruits that surround us this time of year. I could praise the tasty pastry that envelopes the aforementioned summer fruits, how its sweetness and substantial texture makes you want to bake it up and eat it like cookies. I could gush about the subtle, tangy punch that comes from a small sprinkling of citrus zest, how it wakes up your taste buds and makes you feel all zingy and refreshed. I could tell you about how often I munched portions of these crostatas while wandering around YouTube at two a.m, how its resulting sugar high played with my nonexistent summer sleep schedule.

But I won’t—because these are quick crostatas, not rambling crostatas.

Look at the pictures, take note, and make some for yourself.

Quick Fruit Crostatas

Recipe adapted from “Emergency Fruit Crostatas” from “The Pastry Queen” by Rebecca Rather

Printable Recipe

1 cup granulated sugar, divided

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

4-6 tablespoons ice water

1 cup fruit (I used peaches and blackberries)

1 teaspoon lemon or lime zest (optional)

juice of half a lemon or half a lime (optional)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, nonstick aluminum foil, or grease generously.

In a food processor, combine 1/2 cup of the sugar, the flour, and the salt. Add the butter cubes, pulsing several times, until the mixture is crumbly. Add the water, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together. Remove the dough, shape it into a thick disk, and wrap in plastic wrap, storing in the refrigerator for 1 hour, or the freezer for 20 minutes.

Divide the dough into 4 equal portions and roll each into a ball. Use a rolling pin or your hands to flatten the dough into 1/4-inch-thick rounds, with each round being about 6 inches in diameter.

Spoon 1/4 cup of the fruit in each round of dough, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border around all edges. If using lemon or lime zest, sprinkle the teaspoon of zest evenly over the fruits in the crostatas. Again, if using the lemon or lime zest, also give each fruit filling a quick squirt of lemon or lime juice. Feel free to increase the amount of zest or juice if you’d like a more pronounced lemon or lime flavor. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup sugar equally over the fruit in the crostatas. Fold the dough edges toward the center, firmly pinching together the seams between the folds.

Bake the crostatas for 12-14 minutes, until brown around the edges. Cool the crostatas briefly on the baking sheet before transferring them to another serving plate, as they will be difficult to remove from the baking sheet whole if left there too long. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Capellini with Shrimp and Creamy Tomato Sauce

noreply@blogger.com (Koci) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 00:11:00 +0000

There has been a shocking lack of pasta on this blog. Truly, truly shocking. Plus there hasn’t been much seafood making the rounds either. Again, a rather deplorable state of affairs, considering that pasta and seafood are two incredibly delicious, incredibly versatile things.

As far as the pasta situation goes, I have no excuse, just that I seem to have forgotten about its existence. Blame it on DramaFever—I’ve been busy. Seafood, too, has definitely been a major part of my life, except for shrimp. For the shrimpy business I do have a simple explanation—I used to hate it.

Why are you hyperventilating?!

Breathe! Breathe!

I know that shrimp is a delightful food. Disliking it was merely a phase in my life over the past year or so. That sort of stuff happens when you get a mouthful of overcooked, rubbery shrimp from a poorly-crafted chain restaurant—it leaves you scarred. My point is this: I have begun to overcome my recent aversion to this tiny wonder of the sea and have started to rediscover its many merits.

Actually, there are a lot of things that I’m rediscovering lately. Due to some stint of temporary hysteria, I didn’t like Nutella.

This is your current expression, right?

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I know, I know. I’m pretty ashamed of it myself. Last night—mainly because my face wanted food—I ventured to grab a spoonful of Nutella and I was instantly reinstituated into the Nutella fan club. How did I ever think that a luscious, creamy spread of hazelnuts and chocolate could be boring?

Speaking of which, if any of you guys have a favorite Nutella-filled recipe, I’d love it if you’d let me know about it in the comments.

So you see, this weekend has been quite the rollercoaster ride of emotions. However, before I continue on to ramble about my geeky hot sauce tastings (Cholula, sriracha, and gochujang—how to pick a favorite?), let’s steer things back to the conversation at hand. This pasta—a combination of thin, sleek angel hair noodles, pan-seared shrimp, and a creamy tomato sauce—is pretty amazing stuff.

Besides the speed and ease of preparation, what really shines about this dish is its freshness and its classic flavors. Cooked for only a brief amount of time, the shrimp retains a lovely bit of softness and creaminess that blends beautifully with the rich tomato sauce. In my case, since I only had crushed tomatoes instead of diced, the sauce was even smoother and there was more of a focus solely on the shrimp. However, even though it was abundantly yummy this way, I can see how it would be even better with diced tomatoes dotting the plate.

Shrimp and tomatoes aside, there’s also the bright zing of lemon and the sweetness of white wine (which I used instead of vermouth). If herb-y complexity is the name of your game, you can also toss in some dried oregano or chopped fresh basil, either of which would only serve to amp up the aromatics and make this rustic dish all the tastier.

Any way you look at it, this simple plate of pasta is a great go-to for a special, delicious, everyday dinner.

Grab the recipe over at Gourmet.

My New Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Koci) — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 19:42:00 +0000

Forget diamonds—cookies are a girl’s best friend.

Diamonds cost a ton of money—cookies are deliciously cheap. Diamonds just sit there and sparkle—cookies melt in your mouth and relieve hunger. Diamonds smell like nothing—cookies fill your house with yummy, comforting flavor. Diamonds gets lost and you freak out—cookies get lost and you just make/buy/steal more…after you freak out.

See? Cookies are way better than diamonds.

Did you know that cookies are a guy’s best friend, too? Cookies are an equal opportunity sort of dessert.

Guys should really learn how to make at least one good batch of cookies. Give a girl diamonds, it shows that you know how to drive a car to a store and get suckered into spending too much money on—literally—a piece of rock. Give a girl cookies, though, and it shows that you care enough to create something especially made for her. Much, much better than a diamond.

If the girl you like thinks homemade cookies are a lame replacement for diamonds—you probably shouldn’t be dating her in the first place. Unless you think cookies are a lame replacement for diamonds as well, in which case you’re both missing out. But whatever, birds of a feather yada yada yada.

Now that that’s out of the way, let me tell you just what is so great about this particular bunch of cookies that would make them my new favorites. Firstly, although I’m a major proponent of soft, fluffy cookies, I’ve also discovered the joys of the substantial, chewy cookie. When baked in the chocolate chip variety, the chewy style cookie is a really wonderful thing. Whether you’re hungry or your face simply wants food—you know what I mean—these chewy cookies make for the satisfying snack you need.

Everyone gets a dollar for each time I said the word “chewy” in the previous paragraph.

These cookies have oatmeal in them. Yes. Oatmeal. Yum. It makes them even chewier and even more irresistible.

So, which sounds better? A huge, fresh-from-the-oven cookie, sparking with chunks of chocolate chips and flecks of oatmeal, or a small piece of stone?

For me, cookies win the best friend battle every time.

My New Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe adapted from “Favorite CCC” by Lindsey Yeo

Printable Recipe

360 grams all-purpose flour (in this case, weighing is best, but this is about 2 1/2 cups)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed light brown sugar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 cups chocolate chips (milk, dark, semisweet, or a mixture of the three)

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats

Melt butter and add to the bowl of a stand mixer. Add granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract, mixing well until fluffy and smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the chocolate chips and oats. Place in the fridge overnight or in the freezer for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a small ice cream scoop or just using your hands, drop portions of cookie dough onto the baking sheets, spacing them evenly with room to spread. Baked for 12-15 minutes, or until light brown around the edges.

Sweet Lemon Chicken

noreply@blogger.com (Koci) — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 05:42:00 +0000

Sometimes my brain doesn’t work. Where clever synapses should be firing, there are just tumbleweeds and dry air. Brain cells decide to take an extra long coffee break and neglect to tell me. Thoughts go half-processed, ideas go unfinished, and plans fly out the window when my brain decides to go on vacation. However, the worst of it all is this: I am never informed that any of this happening.

When all rational, intelligent thought processes desert me, I continue to stroll through my day none the wiser. Take this afternoon for instance. As I was about to start taking pictures of this elegant, lemon-laden chicken dish, I commented to whoever was near enough to hear that I was very grateful to be using my dad’s 1.4 50mm lens from the horse-and-buggy-days (a.k.a. the 1970s) because it allows me to shoot with a very wide aperture (such as 1.4, 2.0, 2.8) on a slightly rainy sort of day. Declaring it “de-light-ful,” I paused to listen for the appreciative chuckles of my family members upon hearing my clever photography pun.

Nothing.

“Isn’t it de-LIGHT-ful?!”

Nada.

“Get it guys? Light? Aperture lets in light?”

Crickets.

Then there are the times when I get sick. Earlier this spring I came down with a flu-like virus. For the previous several days, the only commercials that were being shown during my Korean dramas on Hulu were for meningitis awareness. Even though I knew that I had been vaccinated for meningitis, I think you kids can guess what my self-diagnosis was.

I had it narrowed down between meningitis and one of those incurable autoimmune diseases that they profile on Mystery Diagnosis.

When my brain deserts me, I am obsessively fascinated by herb-containing creations such as this beauty below. As someone who can rarely be bothered to carefully store herbs in a shallow container of water in the fridge, I was thrilled to see that someone else has done it for me! Vibrant, green sprigs of rosemary perfectly housed in what is technically a smoothie cup. But no matter—to me, it’s brilliant.

The point of all my ditzy stories is this: Sweet Lemon Chicken is an ideal recipe for when your brain flies out the window. Perhaps it’s because your schedule is packed. Perhaps it’s because you’re yanking your hair out from registering for classes for the fall semester (me!). Perhaps it’s because your kid just told you about their summer reading project. Whatever the reason behind your lack of brain power, this recipe is the solution. With simple, beautiful ingredients such as lemon, honey, butter, and fresh rosemary, how can you go wrong?

Plus it involves hitting things with a kitchen mallet, which is always good.

Fight back against your stresses, your anxieties, and your horrible sense of humor and give this little gem a try!

Sweet Lemon Chicken

Recipe adapted from “Honey-and-Lemon Baked Chicken” from allyou magazine

Printable Recipe

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons honey

salt and pepper, to taste

2 large lemons, scrubbed clean, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place a chicken breast half between two sheet of wax paper or plastic wrap. Using a kitchen mallet, rolling pin, or small skillet, gently pound chicken until evenly flattened, about 1/2-inch thick. Repeat with remaining chicken.

Melt butter and honey in a small skillet over medium-low heat, stirring until smooth and blended.

Line a baking dish with nonstick aluminum foil or coat with nonstick cooking spray. Place chicken pieces in a baking dish large enough to hold them all in a single layer. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Pour warm honey-butter mixture over the chicken and arrange lemon slices on top.

Cover baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and increase oven temperature to 400 degrees. Allow chicken to cook for an additional 10-15 minutes.

Spoon juices from the pan over the chicken and lemon several times. Serve warm, sprinkled with chopped rosemary.

Makes 4 servings.