Spork or Foon?

Recipe Inbox

It's been a while and I've got some good ones this week:

I just discovered this site and I am glad I did.  My Cooking Hut has a fantabulous (it is a word in my book) Cherry Tomato and Zucchini Tart.  Slather some goat cheese on that bad boy and I'm dancing in the streets.

I actually think that I'm going to move into this hut and wash down this tart with a little Blueberry and Pistachio Tiramisu.  Word.

Let us talk about the brilliance that is Cannelle et Vanille and her Pate Feuilletee that she turns into Raspberry Palmiers.  Lets then discuss my inabilaty to pronounce the word feuilletee (I'd sound like the Friends Episode where Pheobe tries to teach Joey French).  

Let's do a little food magic shall we? No Recipes has an amazing (recipe) for Pastilla.  Is it savory? Is it sweet? For something that "activates your sweet taste receptors" and the finishes with an "umami burst of flavour (with a "u")." Yeah, I'm in. 

Don't judge, but I don't think Milk Chocolate is that bad. Ok, judge. But then throw some truffles in that bad boy? Are you still judging? Check out Sophistimom for her Milk Chocolate Truffle Ice Cream and take those judgey-pants off.

I know it is not a recipe, but I think I'll have to include new blog discoveries as well. There are so many great bloggers out there, and I have been very into food photography lately, so these sites really tickle all of my fancies.  

So what did I add to my Google Reader this week?

Milk + Honey Cafe - A Canadian who moved to America who moved to Korea who moved back to America who moved back to Canada.  And she is only 23.  And an awesome food photographer. 

Bitchen Camero - Love the name. Love the photography. Love the site. 

Recipe Inbox

That picture is starting to freak me out.  Let's get to the goodies - all sweet things this time, my friends. The heart wants what it wants.

If you've never been to Lemonpi, please check it out.  If you've never made Mini Banana Streudels with Chocolate Sauce and Peanuts, please make me some and send them FedEx.

Wait, I'm sorry, I lost track of thought.  I was too busy salivating over Eat Me Delicious's Roast Banana Breakfast Pumpkin Bread. Carry on.

Along the lines of breakfast breads that will make me fat and happy, The Wednesday Chef has posted Donna Dean's Pecan Brown Butter Bread.  Pecans. Browned Butter.  Loads of calories. Loads of fat. Loads of smiles.

Can someone please help me find a Mary Ann Pan to make Baking Obsession's Lemon Cake with Lemon Mascarpone Dressing and Summer Berries? Please? With summer berries on top?

Let's segue into more brown butter goodness (like what I did there? I took you from Bananas to Browned Butter, all in a few simple key strokes), lets take a lick - I mean look - at Travelers Lunch Box Browned Butter Ice Cream, shall well, hmmmmmmmmmmmmm?

Joy the Baker brings a little joy to my life with Peanut Butter Fudge treats.  Mention the combination of peanut butter and chocolate to me, and I go weak in the knees and loosen a notch in my belt.

How about these Chocolate Shortbread Cookies with Truffled Chocolate Filling from Lisa is Cooking?  I'll give you a minute to wipe the drool off of your chin.

9 layers of almond and citrus and jam and vanilla. This Neopolitan Cake from Smitten Kitchen doesn't have a Napoleon complex, that's for sure.  Sigh.  Bad joke. I'm all out of steam.

Recipe Inbox

Let's get straight to the good stuff.

Check out Zoe Bakes for this unbelievable, plate-lickingly good chocolate cake.  It looked so good that I licked my screen.  It did not taste like the cake.

In more chocolate cake news, Inn Cuisine has the most glorious Dark Chocolate Cake.  Dark as night. Black as coal. I wanna see it, see it, see it, painted Dark Chocolate.  I hope Mick Jagger doesn't get mad at me for changing the lyrics to his song. If he had a piece of this cake, I'm sure he wouldn't mind. 

Cookbook Chronicles has made it rain... ricotta nutella donuts that is. And I make it rain drool.

Cookin' Canuck has made an awesome grilled shrimp pizza. I've never had grilled pizza, but these look like circles of deliciousness that belong in my belly.  GET IN MAH BELLEH (throwin it back to Austin Powers).

I want you to take a look at these 'Nilla Wafer S'mores over at the Hungry Housewife and tell me you don't want one right now. I wish I had kids so I had an excuse to make them and steal these from them watch them enjoy them.

I'd climb the Rockies for a piece of this Grilled Elk with Quinoa Salad and Fiddleheads over at Healthy. Delicious.  Because it is healthy. And delicious. Good blog name. 

Javaholic (love that name) has a watermelon and chorizo spanish tostada.  Sausage makes everything tastes better. Even summer fruits. 

Let's talk Chicken Scallopini with Saffron Cream Sauce, shall we?  Go ahead, I'll just be over at Little Bears Kitchen, staring at this amazing dish. 

Recipe Inbox

I haven't cooked much this week - hence the lack of posting. I'll be back in top shape this weekend. But for now, lets drool together, shall we?

Jen over at My Kitchen Addiction has created the most colorful, beautiful Tex-Mex Lettuce Wraps.  Carb-less, filled with delicious meat, and makes you want to do the cha-cha-cha (and pretend that the cha-cha is actually a Mexican dance rather than Cuban.)

For the Love of Food has the most gorgeous guava pastries I have ever seen in the flakiest crust .  I have been obsessed with guava ever since my trip to Puerto Rico where they had the cutest little guava pancakes, that were more like a pastry shaped like a bundt cake rather than a pancake. But I still slathered them with syrup and ate them for breakfast. But back to these pastries. Guava. Yum. I don't know where I'd find guava paste, but when I do, my diet is in trouble.

Jill's Blog has a recipe for Homemade Coffee and Vanilla Liquer.  For all of us bakers and cooks that take pride in making everything from scratch, you can now make your own liquer.  Now that's impressive.  Hand me a glass.

David Lebovitz is a pastry king.  And I am a mere peasant who begs for a slice of his German Chocolate Cake.

Lisa over at Lisa is Cooking has made the most delicious Zucchini and White Bean Puree. And guess what - I actually made it!  And it was goooooooooood.  A hit, if I say so myself.  I didn't have truffle oil on hand (I am such a pauper), but I took down the garlic and topped it with sauteed mushrooms. Because I'm a cook like that.  But Lisa is a GREAT cook like that for coming up with this one. 

Rhubarb used to scare me.  I didn't understand it.  To me, it looked like a discolored celery stalk.  And who wants to eat celery in desserts? Well, now I do.  And Maria over at Two Peas and a Pod has a slew of rhubarb recipes, thanks to rhubarb growing on her property (lucky!). My personal favorite? Strawberry and Rhubarb Crumb Cake.  Don't worry, there is no celery in this recipe.

If you want to check out the funniest food blogger in all the land, check out Cathy over at The Tortefeasor. If you want to check out the funniest food blogger in all the land making Ina Garten's Outrageous Brownies, check out Cathy over at The Tortefeasor. Now, I know a lot of people on the internet have posted these. But do they make you laugh when you post them?  Because, you see, laughing burns calories.  So these are actually brownies without the guilt.

If you're from NYC, you know those people that sell Churros on the QNRW Platform at the 59th Street Subway Station sometimes.  If you are not from NYC, there are some people that sell Churros on the QNRW Platform at 59th Street sometimes.  Well, now you can make them at home - and they look better than any churros you can buy at any fair or subway platform.  Eliana over at A Chica Bakes cooks up some gorgeous Churros. I'll take 5 for the ride.

Cooking for Comfort has the most gorgeous, ooey, gooey Smores Bars I have ever seen.  And really, when you get a S'Mores, you're looking for the ooey gooey.  I am not kidding when I say I can actually taste them when I look at the picture.  They're really good.

Wendy at Pink Stripes has done the unthinkable.  She has combined two Bread Bakers Apprentice Challenges into one. She has made Greek Celebration Bagels.  And I did a little Teanna Celebration Dance when I saw it.  

Here's a little morself of creamy deliciousness that just popped up today - Jenn at Bread Plus Butter has made a creamy AVOCADO pesto. AVOCADO.  My one true love. Then, to taunt me even more, she has spread that avocado pesto atop Mozzarella Tomato Sandwiches that are sandwiched with a cooked pizza dough. Droooooool.

How about something a bit more impressive? Like Caramelized Scallops with a Smoked Chili Cream over at RecipeGirl.  I know. I know.  You can wipe that tear away.  They really are that beautiful.

Megan over at My Baking Adventures has another site called the brownie project.  It was almost as if she started this project to answer my prayers for a site dedicated solely to fudgey, delicious brownies. Then she dug a little further into my prayers and made oreo brownies.  Just for me.

And for more proof that Paula Deen is trying to kill us:  Heart Attack Burgers.

Recipe Inbox

Every day, I email myself recipes that I want to make.  Sometimes, I email myself up to 15 recipes a day. I then look at my inbox a week later and I have 100+ emails of recipes alone. I sigh to myself, realizing that I do not have the time nor the metabolism to make such things.  

I do, however, bookmark these sites with the hopes of making the dishes for someone that I love.  I'll think, "Oh, Jack would love this" or "This is exactly the kind of recipe my dad would want" or "OK, I totally need a dining room table so I can have my friends over for a dinner party."

So instead, I have decided to share some of my recipe inbox with you.  Because I love you, too.

You'll thank me later.  

Amy over at Sing for Your Supper has made a Coconut Cake.  She makes the bold assertion that it is the best cake ever.  By the looks of it, I'll have to agree. Come on! Look at it! 

In more great cakes, Irene at Baking, Baseball and Books has made a delicious Banana Cream Cake with Brown Sugar Frosting.  I don't know if I can express to you the speed in which the drool was flying out of my mouth for this one.  My family would flip over this one.

Also, in tropical news, Dawn at Vanilla Sugar has made a White Chocolate, Macadamia Nut, Pineapple, and Coconut Bark.  My mom would flip for this. I will make it for her.  She will be happy and I will be Golden Child.

In a more traditional, I'm going to eat my computer screen to try to get a bite of this one sense, Jaime over at Sophistimom made some gorgeous S'mores Cupcakes. GO LOOK AT THEM.

Want something fun for the kids this summer? The Cooking of Joy has a Apple Pie Apple.  Apple on a stick. Rolled in white chocolate. Then rolled in caramel.  Then rolled in cinnamon brown sugar. Then rolled on my face. 

Never had a melting moment? Me, neither.  Let's melt together over the Quadruple (yes) Chocolate Melting Moments cookie sandwiches over at Chocolate Fool.  My coworkers would love me forever. 

For something a bit more savory, go check out the Sausage Cheese Rolls over at My Daily Delicious. Sausage. Wrapped in cheese.  Blanketed by a warm, delicious, hand-kneaded roll.  Think of it as a Pig-In-A-Blanket for GIANTS.  My friend, John, would love this. Minus the cheese.

Want to Throwdown with Bobby Flay?  Then get a restaurant. Want to pretend like you are on a Throwdown with Bobby Flay?  Then make this Shrimp and Salt Cod Ravioli with Yellow Pepper Romesco Sauce. He beat hometown favorite, Durso's of Queens, NY, with this delicious dish.  I licked my screen. And not because Bobby Flay is a sexy man (although, he kind of is).

Natasha over at Five Star Foodie takes you on some amazing adventures in food. I need to make this Okonomiyaki.  It takes me about 5 minutes to pronounce the name of this Japanese pancake filled with shrimp, scallions, salmon and topped with a Japanese mayo, which is about 4 more minutes than it would take for me to eat it. 

If you like to be enlightened in your quest for delicious food, head over to Tangled Noodle and read a bit about Indo-Chinese foods, then grab a mango and make this OUTRAGEOUS Cajuu Manga-Chicken Salad sandwich.  For all of you mango haters, please give mango a chance. It is the best fruit out there.

And last, but not least (definitely not least),  taking it back to my true love - baked goods - I present to you the Loveliest Carrot Cake You Ever Did See.  Before I eat it.

Happy World Nutella Day!

I think you all know how much I love Nutella. Well, today, for me, is a federal holiday in the United States of Teanna.  I owe great thanks to the geniuses behind World Nutella Day .

Here is a bit of history behind the greatest food ever invented:  

Nutella is a chocolate-hazelnut based spread invented by the Italian company Ferrero (the makers of the also-famous Rocher chocolates) in the 1940s (HA! We DID come up with it! For many years, people attempted to claim that this treat was from Switzerland! Well, take that, Swiss, with all of your banks and neutrality and your delicious fish of the Swedish kind! Forza Italia!)  Gianduja is a type of chocolate containing about 50% almond and hazelnut paste that was developed in Piedmont after excessive taxes on cocoa beans hindered the diffusion of conventional chocolate. Pietro Ferrero, founder of Ferrero, decided to sell this in block form and called it Supercrema. His son later decided to turn Supercrema into a spread, calling it Nutella. 

And for this, I am forever grateful.

In honor of this day, I am going to post links to some of my favorite Nutella recipes. Please do try them. And please don't count calories. You seriously don't even want to know how many calories is in this stuff.

But they don't count today because it's a holiday. 

Nutella Cheesecake Bars - These rich, creamy bites of Nutella and cheesecake goodness are not to be ignored. 

Self Frosted Nutella Cupcakes- you may have seen these on the Baking Bites website. Well, I made these for my Superbowl party, and they disappeared in about 5 minutes. Cupcakes and Nutella, combined for my eating pleasure? Yes, please. 

Oven Crespella with Nutella Sauce - I love this recipe.  It is so easy to throw together (almost like making a sweet pancake batter, and it really puffs up in the oven) and my boyfriend always requests it. It comes together in about 10 minutes (not including baking time). The Nutella sauce is also great over ice cream. But I always omit the berries. I don't like berries messing with my chocolate.

Chocolate Pizzelle Nutella Cookies - I love Nutella. I love Nutella on Ice Cream. I love Pizzelle with Nutella and Ice Cream. And if I can't get pizzelle, I love Nutella with Ice Cream on a Belgian Waffle. I love this recipe. That is all. (The picture alone will make you drool).

Chocolate Pizza - Giada has found a way straight to my heart. She has somehow combined pizza, Nutella, and every kind of chocolate imaginable and made a meal out of it. This recipe is a college student's dream (is it bad that it is my dream, as well, if I graduated from college almost 6 years ago?)

Marshmallow Fluff and Nutella French Toast Sandwich - And that's all I have to say about that. 

Click here for an arsenal of Nutella recipes. Not for the faint of heart. 

Crazy Pumpkin Pizza with Leeks, Chorizo, Pine Nuts, Feta...

Now, I know what you are thinking. This pizza sounds crazy. But let me tell you this. This is an unbelievably delicious, completely satisfying, and unique pizza.  I saw this on Tastespotting maybe two weeks ago and have been itching to try it ever since. 

If I open a restaurant or find myself on Top Chef one day (because I could make scallops and gremolata and be a part of this cast. Even though this is "Top Chef, not Top Scallop!"), this is the type of thing I would make that would really make you go "hmm".  And if you are making this for the non-adventurous eater ("Meat and potat"uh"s", as my father says), this would be one of those dishes where you tell them the ingredients after they try it (and fall in love with it).

I made some changes to the recipe, but you really have to give credit to Mike at Mike's Table for coming up with this amazingly crazy recipe.The creamy pumpkin "sauce" along with the feta and chorizo and roasted squash was like nothing I have ever tasted before. The flavors were spicy and sweet, with a hint of pumpkin and warm flavors, and were complimented by the perfectly crunchy dough.  I will be sure to make this again and again.

Recipe adapted from Mike's Table

Dough (good for 2 pizzas, or one thick crust)

3 cups flour

1 cup warm water

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1.75 tsp active dry yeast

1.5 tsp honey

1 tsp salt

Pumpkin Sauce

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 shallot, minced

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree

1 cup vegetable broth

1 tablespoon thyme

1 1/2 tablespoon sage, roughly chopped

1 dried chile (I used a California chile)

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or use your own combination of cloves, cinnamon, ginger or all spice to taste)
salt and pepper to taste


Toppings

20-25 kalmata olives, sliced

1 leek

1 cup butternut squash, diced and roasted

6-8 oz feta cheese

1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

3/4 cup chorizo


Directions


Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.


Dough

First, prepare the pizza dough as that needs time to rest.

In a small bowl, pour warm water (as in pretty warm, but not piping hot) and yeast. Let sit for 5 minutes until the water is cloudy or foamy. Mix remaining dough ingredients together. A food processor with a dough hook is definitely easier, but you’re welcome to use a hand mixer, too. Once the yeast is ready, add to remaining ingredients and mix well. The dough should naturally come together into a ball, being neither goopy nor overly tacky. If it is, add small amounts of water or flour to get the right consistency. Punch and knead the dough until it is smooth.


Very lightly oil a bowl and place the dough in a bowl, covering the top with a towel. Let sit in a warm place for about an hour. 


After the dough has risen for an hour, cut it in two and form a ball out of each half and place these two on a lightly floured surface. Cover with a towel and place this back in your warm place again. Let the dough rise for an additional 45 minutes (the dough should roughly double in size).


Toppings

If using a pizza stone that requires heating, place it in the oven to heat. While heating the stone, rub a halved acorn squash with olive oil, salt, pepper, and let it roast in the oven. When fork tender (anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour), skin it, cube it, and set it aside.


In a dry pan, toast the pine nuts for 2 minutes or so. Set aside.


Remove chorizo meat from casing and brown for 7 minutes. Drain grease and set aside.


Rinse the leek well and chop finely.

Sauté the leek for 7 minutes or until tender. Set aside.


Slice olives and set aside.


Sauce

Begin by dry toasting the pepper in a pan for a minute or two. Sauté the minced shallot in a bit of olive oil over medium heat for 6 minutes and then add the minced garlic for 1 minute more. Add the pumpkin purée to the pan along with the vegetable broth, herbs, and seasoning. Simmer for 5 minutes and puree in a food processor or blender. Return the sauce to the pan and continue to simmer for 10-15 minutes further until you reach your desired texture. Set aside.

Finally, working quickly, toss your dough to the size appropriate for your pizza stone. Throw a generous sprinkle of cornmeal (to prevent sticking) or spray with vegetable spray, lay on the dough, ladle on the sauce, and toss on the toppings (if you have more handy than you can fit on your pizza, don’t overcrowd it–just hang onto it and eat them later). Bake this in the oven for roughly 20 minutes or until crust is golden.

Nothing Says Thanksgiving Like Butter and Batter

And maybe a clogged artery or two.

Serious Eats has pulled off some of Paula Deen's Thanksgiving recipes from her website. 

Now, I love Paula Deen because I think she is hysterical and adorable, but seriously, she really is trying to kill us all.

Source 

• "Deep-Fried Stuffing on a Stick: Because everything is better deep-fried on a stick.
• Deep-Fried Cranberry Sauce Fritters: You know, this sounds like it could be good. Semi-molten cranberry sauce in a crispy crust, anyone?
• Roasted Turkey with Fried Pecan-Bourbon Glaze: This is what your turkey has been missing all these years: fried pecan-bourbon glaze.
• Piggy Pudding: Great name for this combination of cornbread, apples, and sausage.
• Fried Pumpkin Layer Cake with Cream Cheese and Orange Frosting : Anything that involves two layers of battered and deep-fried pumpkin cake has to be good."  

Spice Crusted Salmon with Cinnamon Sugar Sweet Potatoes and Sauteed Asparagus

You want a quick, filling and healthy dinner? Try this recipe out. It is so simple and fast, yet the variety of spices will really get your tastebuds working. I like to make this with sauteed asparagus and cinnamon-sugar sweet potatos, but you can make this with whatever side you prefer.

Serves 2

8 ounces salmon fillet
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion powder

Asparagus

1 bunch asparagus
Sea salt and kosher salt to taste (or just kosher salt)
Water
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Sweet potato

2 sweet potatoes
Vegetable Oil
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon coarse sugar

Directions

Sweet Potato

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit. Coat a shallow baking dish with cooking spray.

Combine brown sugar, coarse sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Slice sweet potato into 1/4" rounds. Place in a shallow baking dish and drizzle with vegetable oil. Sprinkle sugars evenly over potato slices, place in oven. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until sweet potatoes are tender.

Salmon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit. Spray a shallow baking dish with cooking spray.

Combine first six ingredients in a bowl. Rub mixture over salmon fillets. Bake salmon for 20-25 minutes (or until salmon flakes).

Asparagus

Heat olive oil in a saute` pan over medium heat. Add asparagus and a pinch of kosher salt. Saute` for three minutes. Lower heat to medium low and add enough water to just cover the bottom of the pan. Cover and cook for additional 5 minutes or until tender. Drain water, drizzle with olive oil and add coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Butternut Squash Rigatoni with Prawns

This is one of my favorite recipes ever. And healthy (zing!). You see, the creaminess of the butternut squash tricks your mind into thinking you are eating something laden with cream and cheese, but you're really not. Genius. The sweet addition of basil and the sharp bite of the parmesan cheese really amps this dish up and creates such complex flavors. Best of all, no softening this squash up in the oven for an hour. By dicing the squash and cooking it in the vegetable broth, the squash is softened in about 15 minutes.

Oh, and don't substitute any other broth for the vegetable broth. The flavor is nowhere near the same. Trust.

Recipe Courtesy of Giada DeLaurentiis

3 tablespoons olive oil, plus 3 tablespoons
1 pound butternut squash, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt, plus 1 teaspoon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus 1/2 teaspoon
1 cup vegetable stock
1 pound rigatoni
1 pound prawns, peeled and deveined
3/4 to 1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Directions
Warm 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the butternut squash, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Saute until the squash is golden and tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the vegetable stock, bring to a simmer, cover and cook until the squash is very soft, another 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the squash mixture to a blender or food processor and puree.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta.

Meanwhile, warm the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the prawns with the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. Add the prawns to the pan and cook until just pink, about 3 minutes.

In a large pot over low heat combine the cooked pasta, pureed squash mixture, and 3/4 cup milk. Stir to combine. Add the remaining 1/4 cup milk if the sauce needs to be moistened. Add the cooked prawns, basil, and cheese. Stir until warm and serve.