I found a no-bake granola bar on Epicurious, but it had a lot of added sugar and reviews mentioned that they were dry and crumbly. Because they already had honey, I eliminated any other added sugar but added some coconut oil to keep them moist. I also threw some flaxseed meal in there for an extra boost of fiber and healthy fats.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Nutty No Bake Energy Bars
I found a no-bake granola bar on Epicurious, but it had a lot of added sugar and reviews mentioned that they were dry and crumbly. Because they already had honey, I eliminated any other added sugar but added some coconut oil to keep them moist. I also threw some flaxseed meal in there for an extra boost of fiber and healthy fats.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Taco Chili
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Buttermilk Clover Rolls
Are you a KitchenAid owner?
from the Whole Foods recipe app
Ingredients:
-3 1/4 cups flour
-1 tsp salt
-1 package active dry yeast
-1 cup low-fat buttermilk
-1 tbsp honey
-5 tbsp butter, melted and divided
-1 egg
Directions:
1. Whisk together 1 1/2 cups of flour with the salt and yeast. Set aside.
2. In a small saucepan, heat buttermilk just until warm to the touch (about 115F). Remove pot from heat and whisk in honey, 3 tbsp of melted butter, and the egg.
3. Pour buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture and mix (I used the dough hook on my stand mixer but you could also mix by hand) until a thick batter is formed. Mix in remaining 1 3/4 cups flour.
4. Knead dough by hand or in the stand mixer until smooth and no longer sticky.
5. Divide dough into 36 equally sized balls (about 1 inch). Arrange 3 balls of dough in each cup of a greased 12-muffin tin. Loosely cover and allow to rise in a warm spot for 1 hour.
6. Preheat over to 375F. Brush rolls with remaining 2 tbsp melted butter and bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Layered Asian Dip
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Finding Time in 2013: Rooster Cafe
I mentioned that the purpose of my 2013 Challenge, dubbed "Finding Time in 2013", was to eliminate any rules, unlike what I've done for my past three challenges. Nothing against rules...I'm a rule-follower to be sure, but our lives are so packed and structured and scheduled that I didn't want to have to abide by any additional structure here on the blog. At the end of the day, my 2013 challenge is to slow down a little bit and make time for things I've been meaning to make or eat, but haven't gotten around to.
We "mmm-ed" our way through our brunch, commenting on the perfectly light crepe batter and the brilliance of the ingredient combinations. I would've had serious entree envy for Ryan's, which was amazing, had mine not been so fantastic itself. I'm dying to make some cherry chutney and slather it on anything and everything!
Of course, we couldn't help but finish the meal off with a sweet crepe: nutella, strawberries, and a scoop of Bailey's ice cream. It was the perfect ending and Renatta had to show restraint not to lick the plate.
Ironically enough, our service was incredibly slow. Fitting, considering that's kind of the whole point of this, huh? In true dedication to the challenge, I didn't even let me stress me out. I had a paper to write at home and a house to clean and blog posts to write, but I forced myself to forget. Instead I focused on two of my favorite people, laughing and telling stories and shamelessly staring at the man who devoured his breakfast sandwich, oblivious to the fact that juices from it were creating a mess all over the table and himself. It is always, always worth it to slow down and savor...and I'm more than willing to do it at Rooster!
One Year Ago: Dark Chocolate Cranberry Almond Quinoa Cookies
Two Years Ago: Baked Vegetable Egg Rolls
Three Years Ago: Puppy Chow
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Odds & Ends
1. A few weeks ago I mentioned my visit to Girl & The Goat in Chicago. My friend Maggie passed along the link to this Hulu "A Day in the Life" special on Stephanie Izard, the chef at Girl and the Goat. If you have a free twenty-five minutes, I highly recommend watching it...even if you don't know Stephanie and have never been to her restaurant. Not only it is interesting to see what a chef's day to day life is like, but I found her particularly interesting--I love how committed she is to being in the kitchen and actually doing some of the cooking rather than just overseeing what's happening.
2. I started and finished Defending Jacob in two days. I could not put this book down and I'm still thinking about it a few weeks later. It deals with some sensitive subject matter (murder of a teenager), but is so incredibly well-written. I guarantee you'll have a hard time doing anything else until you get to the last page!
3. Are you watching the Super Bowl next weekend? We're obviously sad that our beloved Packers won't be playing, but will still be watching...if for nothing else than for the food and the commercials! Wondering what to make? Stop right there. Start with these hot ham and cheese sandwiches (that you can make ahead of time!) or slow cooker tequila turkey chili paired with this winter salad featuring cashews, pear, and craisins and finish with butterscotch blondie bars with peanut pretzel caramel. You can't go wrong! (for a bunch of other ideas, check out my Superbowl party idea post from last year with appetizers, desserts, and more!)
4. Food for thought: Reflections on a 35 Year Marriage...loved this!
One Year Ago: Hot Ham and Cheese Sandwiches
Two Years Ago: Scotch Oatmeal Soup (yup--oats in soup!)
Three Years Ago: Mexican Pot Pie
Friday, January 25, 2013
Peanut Butter and Fudge Brownies with Salted Peanuts
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Steak Fajita Lettuce Wraps
I decided to put a spin on the more traditional (Asian) lettuce wraps and instead took the ingredients for steak fajitas and stuck them in lettuce instead of tortillas. If you're anything like me you'd rather fill up on tortilla chips than tortillas, and by swapping in lettuce that saves more room for salty chips!
These are a little messy to eat, as I think all lettuce wraps are. Ryan abandoned the "wrap" idea and instead kind of piles his together on his plate and ate it with a fork and knife. I'm a little less civilized and just dug in, keeping plenty of napkins on hand for the salsa juices that dripped out the sides.
You can obviously switch these up for whatever random ingredients you have on hand. Chicken or ground turkey instead of steak, throw some zucchini in there (I had some shredded carrots that I added), top them with guacamole. These would be a fun party idea too--put out all the fixins and let people customize the to their liking!
Three Years Ago: Greek Salad Pita Sandwiches
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Lemon Buttermilk Bundt Cake
I have a jar of lemon curd in the pantry so I'm thinking that'll be used next! Any recipe ideas?
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
South Indian Lentil Cakes with Raita
I consider myself very fortunate that I'm married to such a non-picky eater. Ryan honestly has no idea what he'll be eating on a day to day basis. Occasionally I'll ask him if he has any dinner ideas for the upcoming week, but for the most part, I choose our meals for the week and he comes to dinner ready to eat whatever I put in front of him.
Monday, January 21, 2013
Salty Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Don't skip out on the sea salt--it makes the cookie!
Two Years Ago: Mini Turtle Cheesecakes
Three Years Ago: Popovers
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Your Help Needed: Alexia Recipe Inspiration
1. Check out Alexia's products on their website (any are fair game--doesn't have to be the sweet potato rolls pictured above!).
2. Brainstorm a recipe that includes at least one of their products.
3. Leave a comment on this post, or head on over to my Facebook page and leave your idea there.
4. Next Saturday I'll choose my favorite of the suggestions and attempt it, then highlight it in a post the week of 27 January.
If I pick YOUR suggestion, you'll be sent a prize package from Alexia featuring a bunch of kitchen goodies and some coupons for free products. I'm looking for creative (but appetizing!) recipe ideas. Will you incorporate Alexia's French Rolls? Maybe their Italian Saute? I can't wait to see!
And finally, don't forget that you, too, can become an Alexia Tastemaker. Check out the graphic below for some details and then head on over to their Facebook page to get started!
One Year Ago: Tijuana Trash Snack Mix
Two Years Ago: Cauliflower and Chickpea Stew with Couscous
Three Years Ago: Curried Butternut Squash Soup
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Odds & Ends
2. Remember how I was in L.A. for work, and excited about the warm temperatures? My excitement was pointless--I literally went outdoors in daylight twice: when I arrived and when I left. SAD. Despite insanely long and tiring days, we did have the chance to leave the basement of the hotel in the evenings to be wined and dined. I have to give high marks to Boa (favorite: the beets, the marinated mushrooms, and the mashed potatoes!!!), C&O Trattoria (favorite: garlic knots!), and Cafe del Rey (favorite: ahi tuna and truffle pizza!).
image courtesy of Tyler Scott Photography
3. I've mentioned my (soon-to-be) rockstar cousin Ben before and he deserves a special mention today. The guy set out to raise $5,500 via Kickstarter in the month of January to record an album. Basically Ben had 30 days on the Kickstarter funding platform to get enough "backers" to support him....the guy SMASHED his goal, raising the money in four days. FOUR. That's a lot of money and a short amount of time...and he still has a few days left to reach his new stretch goal of $7,500 (info on that here). I'm proud to back Ben, proud to call him my cousin, and SO excited to be a part of his new album. My desire to be artistic and musical is well-documented here and if the best I can do is pay for others to do it, I'm happy to help!
4. While I was gone, Ryan made this slow cooker sweet potato black bean chili, except this time he added chicken to it. There were still some leftovers by the time I got home and I was once again reminded that this is one of my favorite slow cooker meals! It's awesome with or without the chicken, but either way, make it soon!
One Year Ago: Cranberry Poppyseed Bundt Cake
Two Years Ago: Southwestern Potato Nachos (one of my favorites!)
Three Years Ago: Chocolate Chip Bailey's Torte
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