365- Week 37
A food related photo everyday until 2012. Here's Week 36:
256/365 A hibiscus fizz & a fancy lemonade with Hula & Leslie at Luka's.
Three Cheese & Herb Tomato Tart
Let's pretend we are neighbors for a second. Wouldn't that be awesome? We'd have coffee together in the mornings with an occasional cinnamon roll or maybe a slice of coffee cake. I'd call you up last minute to see if you wanna hop in the car for a late night Target run and you'd totally be down. In fact, you suggest we hit up IKEA on the way there. Good call! Sometimes I'd borrow a few eggs or a cup of sugar and I'd always repay you with delicious treats.
One day you'd drop off a box of tomatoes from your garden and within hours I'd show up at your door with this Three Cheese & Herb Tomato Tart. You'd invite me in, offer me a slice (even though I already ate two before I arrived at your door) and we'd sit on your back porch eating together. We'd talk about what was going on in the neighborhood (why does that dog ALWAYS bark?!). I'd pull up some hilarious videos on You Tube from my phone and then you'd show me a sewing project you're working on. Eventually we'd have some fancy boozy beverage and no doubt we'd drink too much. I love how we never have to worry about driving home!
When I ask you what you liked about this tart, you'd say "Duh! There's puff pastry involved!" Then you'd marvel at how perfect your homegrown tomatoes taste paired with a blend of three different cheeses, garlic and herbs. I'm so glad we're neighbors, aren't you? Now can I please borrow your hedge trimmers? My front yard is getting unruly.
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Maple Cashew Oatmeal Squares
I absolutely LOVE oatmeal raisin cookie dough. It's the only cookie dough that I'll actually eat. Other doughs just don't compare. There's something about the texture of the oats mixed with brown sugar and a hint of salt that makes me swoon. Yesterday I was sitting on my couch flipping through this Raw Energy Cookbook I picked up at the library and the teaser on this recipe said that it tastes just like chilled oatmeal raisin cookie dough. SOLD! I immediately sprung into the kitchen to test it out.
After quickly blending a few ingredients in the food processor I was blown away; it totally DOES taste like oatmeal raisin cookie dough! You won't find eggs, butter, flour or refined sugar in this mixture YET it totally tastes like dough. Weird. Crazy. Amazing! One of these Maple Cashew Oatmeal Squares pairs perfectly with a glass of milk/soymilk. I bet they'd also be great with a scoop of ice cream on top. The trick is to keep the squares in the freezer so they remain chewy. At room temperature they tend to be super gooey; they're raw! With that said, I have a strong feeling these might not last very long in my freezer this week.
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365- Week 36
A food related photo everyday until 2012. Here's Week 35:
249/365 My husband's new obsession- Ice. Exhibit A:
Bacon & Egg Breakfast Pizza
For the past year I've been really enjoying the whole "Put an Egg on It" trend and pizza is no exception! The first pizza we ordered with egg on top was at A16 for our anniversary dinner. To our dismay, we had to send it back because the pizza was undercooked while the egg was sheer perfection. They made it right on the second attempt but there was something burned into my brain that day: Egg on pizza tastes awesome, but cooking egg on pizza is a challenge. At least that's what I thought.
I checked out a few tasty looking recipes online for Breakfast Pizzas and was confused at the cooking times and how it would fair with my trusted no-knead pizza dough. I also didn't really know at what point to put the egg on top. So I decided to bite the bullet and put the eggs on after 8 minutes of cooking the crust and it worked! I can't believe it worked! I totally thought I was going to overcook the eggs.
When I have the rare chance to eat pizza for breakfast (we never ever have leftovers), it's usually cold and I'm standing up against my kitchen counter staring off into space in my pajamas. Now there's a way for me to eat legitimate pizza for breakfast. It's got bacon & eggs on it! That's totally breakfasty, right? Top it off with a little bit of lemon dressed arugula to cut the fat and you're ready to start the day right. Pizza for breakfast is a real thing!
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Caramelized Mushroom & Shallot Bruschetta
Did you know that September is National Mushroom Month in the U.S.? Happy National Mushroom Month to you! I was contacted by The Mushroom Channel to help represent Team USA with an original mushroom recipe for Tastespotting's 2011 Mushroom Masters Competition. I'm competing against Australia & Canada with this Caramelized Mushroom & Shallot Bruschetta. This tasty bruschetta combines toasty garlic crostini with caramelized mushrooms, shallots, thyme, creamy goat cheese and aged balsamic vinegar. It will turn any non-mushroom eater into a mushroom eater. Seriously! My husband isn't a mushroom eater but ate half of this recipe. Good sign!
You can get the recipe here
And please vote for my bruschetta while you're at it!
In the spirit of full disclosure, I was compensated for my photos & original recipe.
Coconut Butter
If you've been around here for awhile, you might already know how obsessed I am with coconut oil. I love it on toast and in my waffles. I also make granola with it, drizzle it on popcorn, use it as a moisturizer, a hair mask and even as a hand exfoliator. I love the subtle coconut flavor of coconut oil but sometimes it's just not enough. Sometimes I just want the coconut taste to be BOLD. I want texture. I want more!
Cue the coconut butter! It's 100% coconut. That's all it is. Mix it in a food processor and it liquefies after a good 8-10 minutes. You're left with a thick, creamy coconut butter that's both savory & sweet. It's great on just about anything. If you're like me you might find that it tastes best eaten directly from a spoon!
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365- Week 35
A food related photo everyday until 2012. Here's Week 34:
242/365 Coconut butter, banana & toast = Breakfast
