More Cupcake Jewelery

Juicy Couture and RueLaLa have yet again played a mastermind part in my cupcake obsession.

A few weeks ago Juicy Couture was featured on RueLaLa with, as always, awesome clothes, handbags, shoes, and accessories at sample sale prices. Last time they were on the site, I scored this cupcake bracelet. Well, sure enough, they had more cupcake fun to tease me with.

This time it was a cupcake charm which can go on their famed charm bracelets or necklaces, or be used on something else. I actually got a variation of their charm bracelet for Christmas in 2008 with a cute martini charm, so I used this as my excuse to add to my collection.

So my collection of cupcake paraphernalia is growing, and slowly taking over my dresser, and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight!

My first attempt at overnight oats

There are a few things that the blogs I read and people I follow on Twitter seem to always be talking about. Aside from running and food in general, specific to healthy living and eating, there is always talk about green monsters, overnight oats, breakfast cookies, and general health foods that have been made yummy, even for the most skeptical.

After seeing lots of posts about overnight oats, I decided to give them a try. You can really make them however you want – the base ingredients are rolled oats, some type of milk, a bonding agent (say yogurt for example) and then whatever flavors you’d like. Since Wednesday was the first full official day of fall and having stocked up on cans of Libby’s Pure Pumpkin, I decided to make pumpkin overnight oats. After seeing the general recipe from the likes of Healthy Tipping Point, Oh She Glows, Kath Eats, and others, I got crackin’.

My favorite part about making this is that it literally takes you two minutes, and then you can just throw it in the fridge till morning. Then, when it’s all thick and creamy, you can either eat it cold, or pop it in the microwave for a minute or two! While it doesn’t look the most appetizing, it is in fact delicious. I have some nectarines lying around, I’m thinking about throwing them in next. This is definitely going to be a fall and winter breakfast staple for me!

Pumpkin Overnight Oats

Ingredients:
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup vanilla almond milk
1/4 cup low fat vanilla yogurt
1/3 cup pure pumpkin
1 tsp all spice
2 tsp nutmeg
4 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in bowl, cover with plastic wrap or foil, allow to sit in fridge overnight
Enjoy hot or cold!

Anoter Meatless Monday: Balsamic Roasted Veggies with Cous Cous

This particular recipe I saw on Cate’s World Kitchen, and knew it’d be a great beginning of fall dish. My fiancé and I are both big fans of balsamic vinegar, to the point where sometimes we use just that as our salad dressing. I wound up omitting the mushrooms because he isn’t a big fan, and instead of Japanese eggplant, I just used regular. Of course I threw some spices on it as well to warm it up a bit!

I’ve been spending more time in the kitchen the past week and a half thanks to my latest and greatest running injury. I somehow managed to out-do myself, and have had trouble walking since last Thursday (the 9th). While running in our Vibram Five Fingers, at about mile 5 I felt pain in my achilies and ankles, so I stopped. Walking helped a lot, and I didn’t feel too awful on the drive home. However, as soon as I got out of the car, I could barely walk – that 20 minute drive gave my muscles and tendons the perfect amount of time to tighten up, and swell. The next day I could barely walk; I shuffled myself through the office awkwardly. I’ve been icing it daily, and my canckles are slowly going down. I’m anxious to get back to running, but realize I need to wait until I have absolutely no pain when walking before doing so. I had a little breakdown on Saturday night from sheer frustration and discomfort, as I have a 5k race in just 3 weeks that I was hoping to PR at. I’m hoping to get in a mile or two today, as I’m slowly feeling better. But we’ll see.

But back to the food! The recipe was straightforward and easy; it was nice to chop up the veggies, coat them in the balsamic vinegar, throw them in the oven, and leave them for a bit to do homework. I always appreciate meals that don’t require constant attention. I decided to use a package of cous cous that my parents actually gave me over the weekend. I have no idea why they even have cous cous in the house, because my dad loathes it. Cous cous and ginger are on his hate list, which I think is so weird, because other than that, he loves pretty much everything. Oh, and he hates chocolate and mint combined, but so do I so I’m okay with it! It was a pine nut cous cous, which was a nice change of pace from our regular whole weat cous cous. I’d recommend getting some flavored cous cous every so often just to jazz it up.

Balsamic Vegetables with Cous Cous
 (adapted from Veggie Belly)

Balsamic Dressing
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic minced
salt and pepper

Roasted Vegetables
1 medium Japanese eggplant, cut into 1″ cubes
1 medium zucchini, cut into 1″ cubes
1 small red onion, cut into wedges
3/4 cup cherry tomatoes
10 button mushrooms, halved

Salad
1 3/4 cups water
1 cup couscous
1/4 cup basil leaves, cut chiffonade

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 475 F.
2. Whisk the dressing ingredients together.
3. Toss all the vegetables in a large bowl, and add half the dressing. Mix so that all the vegetables are coated, then spread onto a rimmed sheet pan and roast for 25-30 minutes, or until everything is tender.
4. While the vegetables are roasting, bring the water to a boil in a medium covered saucepan. When it boils, turn off the heat and stir in the couscous. Let stand, covered, for about ten minutes. Transfer the couscous to a large bowl and fluff with a fork.
5. Add the roasted vegetables, remaining dressing, and basil, and mix well before serving.

Louis’ Lunch: The birthplace of the hamburger

This guest post comes from my wonderful fiancé from AndyGapin.com. I was unable to attend this delicious excursion, due to errands including an oil change and trip to Whole Foods, and homework. However, his return from the trip, he just kept talking about how great the food was, so I figured it’d be a perfect opportunity for him to guest post, something I’ve been asking him to do for awhile. So enjoy!

Over the weekend, a few friends and I took a two state drive up to Louis’ Lunch in Connecticut. Louis’ Lunch is famous for being the birthplace of the burger so it was a perfect destination for our monthly food adventures. The story goes that in 1900, a man rushed into the joint in a hurry and asked Louis Lassen for something he could eat on the run. Louis slapped his own blend of ground steak trimmings between two slices of toast and sent the gentleman on this way. This, my friends, is how a staple of American cuisine was invented.

Over 100 years later, Louis’ Lunch still serves up burgers on sliced white bread instead of buns. The proprietary blend of five meat varieties is not only cooked to order, but it’s cooked in the original cast iron grills which date back to 1898. One of them has even been repaired using a butter knife to replace the handle.

Besides the burgers, Louis’ Lunch doesn’t serve much else. You can get chips, soda, pie, and potato salad. That’s it. The burgers can come with cheese, tomato, and/or onions. That’s it. You can remove any of those options, but you can’t add anything else. As they say, it’s not Burger King. Don’t even think about asking for ketchup. I think this kind of thing at fooderies is a bit snobby and gimmicky. They’re not the only place that does it, many hot dog places do the same. I just think it’s silly. Why tell people they can’t enjoy your food how the like it? I can support restaurants refusing to make additions to the food the serve, but to deny customers ketchup for them to apply themselves is simply snobbery.

Louis’ Lunch has a few tables, but it’s not a sit-down joint. You order at the counter and then wait. When I say wait, I mean it. You might be waiting a little while. We had to wait about 20 minutes for our burgers. Being that it was a nice day out, I have no complaints at all, but the joint is small inside so if the weather isn’t being friendly, your experience may not be as pleasant.

I ordered a “cheese works” which is the cheeseburger with tomato and onions. It was delicious. The burger was cooked perfectly. No char, nice and juicy with lots of flavor. It reminded me a lot of the steamed burgers that I make at home–incidentally, I got this idea from another burger place in Connecticut. I was afraid that the bread wouldn’t handle the burger properly and it would soak through, but this didn’t happen at all. It was perfectly toasted and held it’s own.

It’s a simple burger, but it’s one of the best I’ve ever had. I would most definitely drive two and a half hours for another.

Curried rice: where the spice is nice

This week’s trend can simply be labeled, “fire in the hole,” fondly relating to the feeling my poor little mouth has had all week. Believe me, this isn’t a complaint, rather a way I wish I could spend (almost) every day!

Since we procured a pretty large bag of dried red chilies at the Asian market this past weekend, I figured I would put them to use with a curry dish I had found earlier last week. Plus, since I was planning to make it on Meatless Monday, it worked out perfectly. The recipe actually called for shrimp, but I left them out. After my last experience with shrimp, I didn’t really feel like dealing with them.

I’ve come to feel like I sautée onions and peppers on an almost daily basis. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t an complaint but rather a mere observation. I could have sauteed onions and pepers on everything; pasta, pizza, rice, in burritos, mixed with eggs, you get the drift. So naturally when this recipe suggested carrots but also left wiggle room for replacement veggies, I immediately swapped the carrot for red bell pepper. Aside from that swap and the shrimp omission, I stayed true to the recipe, and it was delicious.

The smell of curry cooking is one of those smells that I think are aquired, and I love it. Throw in a little heat and mix it up with some brown rice and sauteed veggies and you’re good to go! I also really enjoyed the fresh basil leaves; it reminded me of some of my favorite Thai dishes, so of course adding a ton of dried red chilies was necessary.We were definitely feeling the burn, but in a good way; it wasn’t unbarable, kind of like the stuffed hot peppers were. I think I’ll need to lay off the heat next week to give my insides time to recover!

Curried Rice (with or without Shrimp)
Adapted from Real Simple

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 cup long-grain white rice
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 1/2 pounds peeled and deveined large shrimp
1/2 cup fresh basil

Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 6 to 8 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and curry and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 2 minutes.
Add the rice, 2 ½ cups water, and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.
3. Season the shrimp with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper and nestle them in the partially cooked rice. Cover and cook until the shrimp are opaque throughout, 4 to 5 minutes. Fold in the basil.

Homemade Sriracha

I think after Sunday’s hot pepper excursion, I realized my fiancé and I have a problem: we’re obsessed with anything and everything spicy… extremely spicy.

A mutual friend of ours sent us a link to this homemade Sriracha (rooster) sauce, knowing how much we like the hot sauce store-bought Sriracha, and anything super spicy for that matter. In order to make this recipe, we needed palm sugar, which we of course didn’t have, or know where to get. So, we took a trip to one of the local Asian markets, where I was in heaven. They have everything; Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indian, Indonesian, the list goes on. Granted I had to try and find any English whatsoever on most of the packages, we did manage to find palm sugar. We also grabbed chili paste, dried red chiles, garam masala (so I can make this again), and cumin. I had to use a lot of self restraint to get out of there with just that – but I’ll definitely be back!

Even though we had success with the sugar, we of course had to fail somewhere in the recipe, otherwise it just wouldn’t have been a Danielle experience. So, when we got to Wegmans, we didn’t find any red Fresno chiles. Instead, we decided to use jalapenos, dried red chiles, and a habanero to try and combine the same amount of heat. So, instead of red Sriracha, it’s an orange green-ish color (you know, like baby food). But it isn’t always about looks; taste is what counts.

Once all of the peppers and the garlic was chopped, and the vinegar and salt was added, we waited. We didn’t realize it at the time, but it needed to sit overnight. We were a bit disappointed, but figured it’d be for the best in the end. So, after making it on Sunday night and letting it sit, after work on Monday we threw everything in the blender (man I wish we had a food processor), and combined it with the remaining ingredients.

It honestly doesn’t taste anything like Sriracha, and I don’t think we have anyone to blame but the peppers. Yes, that’s right, I’m blaming the Fresno peppers themselves for not existing at the Wegmans in Woodbridge, New Jersey. However, we succeeded in making what I’d like to call a Mexican Sriracha sauce. The jalapeno and habanero give it a distinctive Mexican/Spanish flavor, in a deliciously awesome way. So even though it isn’t exactly a replica of store bought Sriracha, it’s a new way we can torture and simultaneously please our taste buds. Now we have another hot sauce to add to our ever growing arsenal, that I plan on smothering my meals with until it’s all gone!

Fresh Sriracha
 – Serves 1 1/2 cups –

Ingredients:
1/2 pound red fresno chiles, coarsely chopped
4 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup distilled white vinegar
2 tablespoons palm sugar

Directions:
1. Place all the ingredients except the sugar in a jar and let sit overnight to mellow the heat of the peppers. I guess one could consider this a brine.
2. Place the mixture and sugar in small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool to room temperature.
3. Transfer to a blender and puree for about 5 minutes, until a smooth, orange-red mixture forms. Run through a strainer and smush out as much juice as possible.
Once refrigerated, the sauce should have the same consistency and texture as the ‘Rooster’, but less salty and a whole lot fresher tasting!

*adapted from edamame2003 on Food52.

Stuffed Hot Peppers

Since I haven’t made anything super spicy in a few weeks, I decided to up the anté and stuff hot peppers. Yes, that’s right; jalapenos, poblano peppers, and Anaheim peppers were stuffed and baked.

I got the idea last year when I spent the weekend at my friend’s shore house, and her uncle made a delicious appetizer spread with stuffed grilled peppers; they were stuffed with different cheeses, crab meat, and all kinds of deliciousness. I aired on the side of simple, and went with a cream cheese, a Mexican cheese blend, and panko bread crumb mixture. I tried my best to remove the flesh from the peppers while still leaving enough noticeable heat. I think I accomplished that, because both myself and my fiancé had burning mouths, and I of course had burning hands for hours afterwards.

These definitely aren’t for the spice wary, but the mixture could definitely go in more tame peppers. They’d also be great just as appetizers, but my fiancé and I paired them with some homemade oven fried onion rings and were stuffed. So next time you’re in the mood for some spicy deliciousness, make these bad boys!

Cheese Stuffed Hot Peppers

Ingredients:
3 Poblano peppers
2 Anaheim chiles
4 Jalapenos
8 oz. light cream cheese
1 cup of Mexican blend cheese
3/4 cup of panko bread crumbs

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
2. Slice half of the peppers long ways, removing the stems and flesh. Leave seeds for extra heat, remove for less. Slice only the hops and stems off the other half of peppers
3. Combine cream cheese, cheese blend, and bread crumbs until completely mixed.
4. Stuff peppers with cheese mixture (don’t worry about over stuffing, the mixture won’t ooze/bubble out).
5. Spray a baking sheet, and bake for 15 minutes, until peppers are slightly wilted and cheese has a light crust.

Homemade Oven Fried Onion Rings

As soon as I saw this recipe on Baking Serendipity, I sent it over to my fiancé and we knew it needed to be recreated as soon as possible. I figured enjoying them with some Shipyard Pumpkin Head and watching the VMA’s on Sunday would be perfect. I got my fiancé in the kitchen to not only take pictures but also help me which was a nice treat!

The recipe calls for kettle cooked chips, so I grabbed a bag of Wegman’s jalapeno flavored chips for some extra kick, since you know, it’s never enough. Aside from having to crush up the saltines and chips, the recipe was pretty easy. I even somehow managed to get through slicing an entire yellow onion without crying!

They were super crunchy and actually really filling. While they aren’t the best for you, baking them in the oven in some olive oil is much better than deep frying them, and a nice homemade alternative! So make these next time you’re craving some bar food but would prefer to sip some beer in your sweatpants on your couch!

Oven Fried Onion Rings
 recipe adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

Ingredients:
1 yellow onion
1/2 cup all purpose flour, divided
1/2 cup milk, room temperature
1 egg, room temperature
dash chili powder
hearty pinch of ground black pepper
30 saltine crackers, crushed
3 cups kettle-cooked potato chips, crushed
extra virgin olive oil

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Crush saltine crackers and kettle-cooked potato chips. Mix in a shallow bowl.
3. In a separate, shallow bowl. Combine egg and milk. Whisk in 1/4 cup flour and chili powder and black pepper. Place remaining 1/4 cup flour in a third shallow bowl.
4. Slice onion into 1/2″ slices. Separate the rings and discard any of the very small pieces.
5. At this point your oven should be preheated. Drizzle two baking sheets liberally with extra virgin olive oil and bake for about 8 minutes, or until just before the oil is smoking.
6. While the baking sheets are in the oven, dip onion in flour, then liquid, coating it well, and finally the crushed chips and crackers. Set aside. Repeat with each piece of onion.
7. Remove baking sheets from the oven and tip to coat evenly with oil. Place onions on baking sheets and bake for 15 minutes at 450 degrees, flipping halfway. Serve immediately.

‘Tis the season… for pumpkin flavored drinks

While we’re slowly but surely coming down from our 90+ degree summer days, it’s clear that everyone has fall on their minds. I can’t begin to tell you how many blog posts I’ve read within the last two weeks boasting delicious pumpkin recipes and fun foods including the oh so yummy fall flavor. Even though it’s only the third week in September, cool crisp weather and warm flavors are definitely on their way.

For me, fall usually means beautiful colored leaves (that need to be raked, boo), the perfect clothing weather (not too many layers, but just the right amount), perfectly ripe apples, and of course, pumpkin! To be honest, I wasn’t always a huge pumpkin fan. Matter of fact, for a large part of my life I completely avoided it. Yup, that’s right – I turned down pumpkin pie (gasp!). However, last year, my taste buds seemed to change, and I hopped right on the pumpkin loving bandwagon. It started innocently with a Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks, and continued from there – pumpkin bread, pumpkin brownies, pumpkin french toast, pumpkin beer… you get the point.

So on Sunday, I started my pumpkin fix of the season off right – the first stop was to get a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks! I can’t wait to get myself more of these badboys.

From there, my fiancé and I headed to a local wine store that has a pretty decent beer selection as well, and picked ourselves up TWO types of pumpkin beer! First, we grabbed a six pack of Shipyard’s Pumpkin Head, which we both had for the first time last year and loved. We also grabbed a four pack of Weyerbacher’s Imperial Pumpkin Ale, which neither of us had tried before. The store actually had a few other options (such as Dogfish Head’s Punkin Ale), so we’re looking forward to heading back after we finish these two.

Even though both of the beers are pumpkin flavored, they  are definitely distinctive in their own rights. The Shipyard has a strong cinnamon flavor making it sweet, while the Weyerbacher has a more nutmeg flavor, making it a little more savory. I really enjoyed them both, and even though it’s Monday morning, I could definitely go for another one right about now!

Aside from drinking pumpkin, I have a ton of recipes up my sleeve courtesy of fellow bloggers that I need to try. Everything from pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin macaroni and cheese, pumpkin overnight oats, to pumpkin smoothies. It seems like pumpkin puree with some spices can really be added to almost anything, and I’m more than okay with that.

Happy pumpkin season!

 

Pyrex Goodies!

Since I’m a featured publisher on Foodbuzz, I get lots of fun e-mails about contests, giveaways, and things of that nature. Naturally, I enter any and all that I can because let’s be honest, who doesn’t like free stuff?!

A few weeks ago I entered a Pyrex giveaway, which I won thanks to being recently engaged/married. I’m kind of in the middle of both of those actually, as we just passed our -1 year anniversary Friday! That’s right, 9.10.11 is less than a year away now – I can’t believe it!

I was able to pick three products from a list of about 8 that I thought would be best used in our kitchen. So, I went with measuring cups, a pie dish, and a new spatula/scraper. While we do already have each of those three things, they are definitely on their way out. When I moved in with my fiancé, he already had most things needed in a kitchen, since he had already been living in the apartment for a few years. However, as with most things, time hasn’t been the kindest. We actually have a set of measuring spoons that has the tablespoon literally hanging on by a thread (of plastic). I have no idea how it hasn’t snapped with all the baking and measuring I do, but it’s still hanging on. So as you can imagine, slowly replacing most kitchenware is on our to-do list – good thing we can add it all to our registry!

I’m really looking forward to putting these new kitchen tools to use, as I’ve always been a big Pyrex fan. I’ll probably be using the measuring cups and spatula/scraper first. I’ll let you know how it goes!