Seriously. Williams and Sonoma. What are you doing to me? In times of an economic recession, I still can't resist your bakeware. A Chocolate Bar Brownie Pan? WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY???
« December 2008 | Main | February 2009 »
Seriously. Williams and Sonoma. What are you doing to me? In times of an economic recession, I still can't resist your bakeware. A Chocolate Bar Brownie Pan? WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY???
Posted at 11:52 AM in Products | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBack (0)
We all know that Hershey's purchased the beloved Scharffen Berger (I always have to Google how to spell that and it drives me crazy every time) back in 2005, pledging to maintain the quality of brand.
Posted at 10:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBack (0)
Posted at 08:45 AM in Appetizers | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
During the cold winter months, I rarely want to leave my warm and cozy apartment to venture out into the frigid and icy tundra to go food shopping. Some nights, I opt to eat stale cheerios straight from the box rather than leave the comforts of my own home. So I crank up the heat to 85 degrees (my boyfriend hates it) and cuddle up on the couch, stomach rumbling and vision slightly blurry from the hunger.
Well, I will be hungry no more! Thanks to Recipekey.com, my life will no longer be dictated by the weather! Recipekey.com is an “innovative recipe searching technology”. The user first enters all of the items into “My Pantry” that can be found in his or her pantry (the items are pre-sorted and the interface is extremely user friendly. Just drag and drop!). Then, with the click of a mouse, the website finds recipes that match what is currently in the pantry!
Can it get any better than this?
YES.
There is an ingredient match feature that automatically removes recipes by dietary requirements, meal types, cooking methods, prep time, difficulty and cuisine. But that isn’t the best part (because, frankly, there are a million website that do this. Sorry Recipe Match!) You can create a digital shopping list and the website will filter by category so that your shopping experience is a pleasant one!
You know who I feel like when I write these posts about websites I love? The ShamWow guy. You know him?
Shamwow!
I should totally get paid for these endorsements.
Visit Recipekey.com to check it out!
Posted at 04:01 PM in Random | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBack (0)
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.
Posted at 10:28 AM in Appetizers, Bread, Meats, Recipes | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBack (0)
When I saw that Heather of Sherry Trifle chose Fresh Ginger and Chocolate Gingerbread, I immediately thought of one of the greatest episodes of South Park of all time.
Posted at 12:48 AM in Tuesdays with Dorie | Permalink | Comments (35) | TrackBack (0)
David Leibovitz, you are my hero. Now, we all know that I have undergone some crazy adjustments to my diet to knock off the holiday weight (which worked like a charm and I've lost the 7 pounds I gained over the holidays plus 4 more! And these changes don't make me want to eat my arm off anymore! Score!), but I have reintroduced coffee and alcohol because I couldn't take it anymore (and I reintroduced both of them by having an Irish Coffee. Two birds. One stone. Happy Teanna) and now I will introduce these amazing cookies.
Please click here for Dave's recipe and the story on how he came to create these amazing cookies!
Posted at 02:59 PM in Cookies | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBack (0)
Haha oh man, Kraft Foods. What are you doing? A "Cheesy Football" for the superbowl? Cheesy is the word I would use to describe this, but not in the way that they are thinking!
Is it bad that I secretly almost want to make this, though?
Yes, yes it is.
Posted at 10:50 AM in Random | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBack (0)
KA-CHING! Click here for the best website this side of Spork or Foon (HA! I keed, I keed!). Foodzie a fantastic site where you can purchase food from small artisan producers and growers. From chocolates to cheeses to exotic olive oils (blood orange olive oil!!!), this is the go-to place to get those unique items that you can't find in your local grocery store.
Posted at 10:45 AM in Products | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
Hi Everyone! I'll post my Berry Surprise Cake tonight. For now, I'm at the INAUGURATION! DC was a madhouse this weekend, and I definitely was a happy frequenter of all of the fine establishments over the past few days. With the influx of people, I felt like I was back at home in NYC again - with secret service, thousands of police officers, celebrities, bomb sniffing dogs, an enlarged police force, and humvees added. I've played the part of the "direction giver", "bar suggester" and "metro guide" to many-a-tourist this weekend, but mainly, I've been "celebrator". And my body is paying for it today. With my head aching, stomach turning, and knee swelling (I fell! Poor me!), I'll be freezing my a** off while listening to the fine words of President Obama.
Posted at 07:10 AM in Tuesdays with Dorie | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBack (0)