July 23, 2009

Fleur De Sel Caramels

Did I mention to you that I am dieting? Yeah well I am. I made these the other night and my neighbor was like “Aren’t you on a diet? I can’t believe you made those.”

I really don’t know what came over me…. Jenny over at Frecklewonder posted a link to the recipe on Facebook and all of sudden I am putting HEAVY CREAM on my shopping list.

Let me start off by saying that these are TOTALLY worth cheating on your diet for. I also want to tell you that I have been soooooooo good and I’ve only had one. Aren’t you proud?! There’s a bunch of them sitting in my fridge now and I am not doing it. I AM NOT DOING IT. I am actually in a zone right now and have lost all the baby weight and then some- so I am not gonna let that caramel be my gateway drug…God knows I could seriously do some damage.

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way…..Let me just tell you that you should stash this recipe for the future when it’s the holidays and we all don’t give a crap because we are sooo smitten with baggy holiday sweaters & loose fitting clothes that we MUST MUST MUST make some caramel. Not only is it fun to do, but it’s a GREAT gift to give. I imagine wrapping them up all festive like….Maybe make them for Halloween? Hostess gift? A gift for your husband who had a rough day at work? A going away present for a friend? How about to celebrate the day your cat puked on your rug & your son had a blowout diaper that went up to his neck? (that would be today)

anywho…the salty sweet combo will make your knees weak….and the butter- OH MY GOD. crushworthy.

It is an Ina recipe after all…

look at that action!!!

Make sure you have a candy thermometer!!!!

And some parchment paper- because they looks so pretty all wrapped up!

These ones are for Jenny!!!

Btw- you can use other Salts. It’s best if they are thick crystals! That’s really the only requisite!

Sarah over at The Small Object made some awhile back! Look at how cute her loot was!

Fleur De Sel Caramels

(recipe Ina Garten)

-1 1/2 cup sugar
-1/4 cup light corn syrup
-1 cup heavy cream
-5 tablespoons unsalted butter (i really thought there would be more!)
-1 teaspoon fleur de sel, plus extra for sprinkling
-1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Line the bottom of an 8-inch square baking pan (or loaf pan) with parchment paper, then brush the paper lightly with oil (I sprayed it with PAM), allowing the paper to drape over 2 sides.

In a deep saucepan (6 inches diameter by 4 1/2 inches deep) combine the sugar, corn syrup, and 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Continue to boil until the caramel is a warm golden brown color. Don’t stir – just swirl the pan to mix. Watch carefully, as it will burn quickly at the end!

In the meantime, bring the cream, butter, and 1 teaspoon fleur de sel to a simmer in a small pan over medium heat. Remove from the heat, set aside and keep warm.

When the caramelized sugar is the right color, slowly add the cream mixture to the caramel – it will boil up violently. Stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon and cook over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until the mixture reaches 248 degrees F (firm ball) on a candy thermometer. Very carefully (it’s hot!) pour the caramel into the prepared pan and refrigerate until firm.

When the caramels are cool, use the parchment paper to pry the sheet from the pan onto a cutting board. Starting at 1 end, roll the caramel up tightly until you’ve rolled up half of the sheet. Cut the sheet across and then roll the second half tightly. You will have 2 (1 by 8-inch) logs. Sprinkle both logs lightly with fleur de sel, cut each log in 8 pieces. Cut parchment papers in 6 by 4 1/2-inch squares and wrap each caramel in a paper, twisting the ends. Store in the refrigerator or at room temperature.

(I skipped the whole rolling it up thing. I just cut logs and made little rectangles! It produced well over 20 pieces! Also the ingredient list above was taken off the directions of her show. Apparently there is a discrepancy between the recipe on the Food Network site & the one she used for her show. The show one works and that’s what I followed. The End. Did I mention MAKE THESE?!)

recipes, Uncategorized

July 20, 2009

Thai Watermelon Salad

I made this salad tonight for dinner! It is soooo the epitome of summer.

The salty sourness of the dressing is PERFECTLY balanced by the sweetness of the watermelon.

The crunch of the radishes and the peppery arugula add such a nice kick! The feta brings a nice bite & texture to the party and the rest is history.

I will make this at least a few more times before summer is over!

It’s health on a plate! Thanks to Jamie Oliver, I got a HUGE dose of fruits & veggies today. And it’s husband approved, so what could be better?

And look at all of those herbs! Your mouth will thank you. The aftertaste is overwhelmingly good. I am tempted NOT to have dessert tonight because I still have that minty-ness lingering… You think I can hold out? We’ll see……

Thai Watermelon Salad

(recipe Jamie Oliver’s Family Dinners)

Salad:
1/4 of a watermelon
2 handfuls of fresh cilantro leaves
2 handfuls of arugula
2 handfuls of fresh mint leaves
1 small bunch of radishes, finely sliced
a handful of peanuts or sunflower seeds (i used sunflower)
4oz feta cheese

Dressing:
a thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 red, 1 yellow and 1 green chilli, deseeded and finely sliced
1 tablespoons soy sauce
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
juice of 3 or 4 limes
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Remove the skin from the watermelon and cut the flesh into small cubes, removing as many seeds as you can.

When you pick the cilantro leaves, remove the stringier part of the stalks but keep the finer ones, as they are nice to eat. Place in a bowl with the rocket, mint, watermelon and radishes. Put the ginger, chilli, soy sauce, olive oil and sesame oil into a smaller bowl and add just enough lime juice to cut through the oil–the number of limes you use will depend on how juicy they are. Season to taste and make sure the dressing is well balanced.

Place your peanuts or sunflower seeds in the oven or in a pan and warm through, then roughly pound them up in a pestle and mortar or in a metal bowl using the end of a rolling pin. Dress the salad really quickly. (You can use more dressing if you wish, but any left over is great to keep in the fridge to use the next day). Divide between the plates, sprinkle over the hot peanuts or sunflower seeds and crumble the feta cheese over the top.

out & about

July 20, 2009

i’m sleepy

cuzzzzzz we had a bizzy weekend!

Friday I went to Ikea and treated myself to a yogurt with kiwis & strawberries at Harmony in San Carlos

recipes, Uncategorized

July 17, 2009

Cherry Sherbet

You say SHER-BERT? I say SHER-BET! In this case, I say SURE-BET. Cuz it is one.

What makes it a SURE-BET?

-the tang
-the brightness
-the color
-the smooth texture
-the refreshing aftertaste
-that hint of milk
-the absence of guilt!!!!

We just enjoyed some out on our patio tonight. We sampled with putting a little Muscato (a white/sweet dessert wine) in our cups. OH BOY WAS THAT TASTY. I bet it would be killer with a lil Prosecco. NOM.

Perfect end to a day full of sun. Ahhhhh……..

Cherry Sherbet
(Sunset Magazine Recipe)

-2 cups frozen sweet cherries (juice included) or 3 cups very ripe pitted fresh sweet cherries
-1 cup sugar
-1 1/2 cups milk
– 2 tablespoons kirsch or other cherry liquor (I used grenadine)
-1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1. Put cherries in a small saucepan. Add 1/4 cup water and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower heat to medium and cook, stirring, until cherries have released their juice and pulp has softened.

2. Transfer cherry mixture to a blender and pulse 3 or 4 times to purée fruit pieces. Pour through a strainer into a medium heatproof bowl, using the back of a ladle to push any juice and purée through. Discard solids. Add sugar to hot liquid and stir until sugar has dissolved completely. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour.

3. Add milk, liquor (grenadine in my case), and lemon juice and stir to combine. Pour into an ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer’s directions. Transfer to an airtight, freezer-safe container and freeze at least 4 hours. It’s torture…so try to make it in the morning!

p.s. LOOK AT ALL THE CHERRIES in there!!!

around the home, Uncategorized

July 17, 2009

hand printing

Ever since Cooper was born I’ve wanted to do that cliche handprint thing…You know- putting his hand in clay so I can look at it one day and see how small his lil fingers were. I’ve been MEANING to get around to it- I even have a kit!

But life just gets in the way. I think of how much he moves his fingers and hands and cringe. Man, that would make such a mess. I’ll do it one day…

Then it dawned on me….. I already have his hand prints somewhere!! On our mirror!

Every morning we all hang out in bed and he climbs up to the mirror and slaps his lil (big) mitts on it. Every time I look at those prints my heart melts. I don’t need one of those hand print kits to make me happy. I just need to look at this picture and remember our current morning ritual. He stands up on our headboard, looks at himself in the mirror and then at us. The smiles begin. And he’s soo proud that it shows.

The old childless me would have immediately wiped the mirror clean every day. But now I leave those prints up for weeks….

It’s the little things that fill me up with soo much hope and love. I am so glad he is in our life.

recipes, Uncategorized

July 16, 2009

Quick Chicken Stir Fry

note to self: make this again

I am not sure all the steps that went into this…as I was trying to

1. feed bebe
2. clean up kitchen
3. unload dishwasher (ugggh dread!)
4. unpack bag from work

So here’s a short list of what’s involved:

Chicken:
Boneless thighs marniated in Trader Joe’s Soyaki overnight
(it’s their version of the Soy Vay Teriakyi sauce that’s super good)

I grilled it on the grill– about 5 mins per side.

My Stir Fry included:
-1 large red onion
-1/2 head cabbage
-2 green onions
-1 clove garlic chopped
-handful of green beans chopped
-handful of shredded carrots
-a few dashes of vegetable oil
-splash of soyaki
-splash of Sriracha (momma likes heat)
-2 beaten eggs scrambled in the mix

all topped on some brown rice.

mmmm burps soo good