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Carmelita Bars

Mallory — Wed, 22 May 2013 14:46:56 +0000

Carmelita bars might be my absolute favorite dessert item. I say “might” because as my future husband knows, I tend to have a lot of “favorites”… about 5 “favorite” Led Zeppelin songs, 7 “favorite” colors, 3 “favorite” types of tacos, 30 “favorite” nail polish colors, etc. etc. But seriously, there is something so magical about carmelita bars… ever since I tried my first one from the Whole Foods bakery on 24th Street in Manhattan, I was sold. The magic lies in the incredible oat-y shortbread crust. Or maybe it’s the layers of chocolate chips and pecans? Or no, it must be with the delectable homemade salted caramel sauce. Yeah. All of those things. Making your own caramel sauce from scratch might seem like a daunting task, but I promise you it’s easy peasy. You just need a nice, deep, heavy-bottomed pot and a little bit of time to make your own amazing sauce that you can use on anything from ice cream to cake and of course, these bars. Plus, you get to avoid all the nasty chemicals from store-bought sauce in a jar, at a fraction of the cost! Honestly, the hardest part about making these bars was waiting the hours necessary to let it cool in the fridge!

Carmelita Bars

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Total time: 50 mins

Ingredients

For the Salted Caramel:

1 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup water
¾ cup heavy cream, at room temperature
3½ tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tsp kosher salt

For the Bars:

2 cups plus 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1¾ cups quick-cooking oats
1¼ cups packed light brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1¼ cups (2½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup pecans, chopped coarsely
salted caramel sauce (from above, you should have about 1⅓ cups)

Instructions

Let’s start by making the salted caramel: In a large pot (something you’d boil pasta in, with tall sides), add the sugar and water and set to medium heat. Swirl the pan to combine the sugar and water, then bring the mixture to a boil. At this point, do not stir. Put a lid on the pan and continue boiling for 2-3 minutes (this allows the steam to clean any crystals off the sides of the pan). Take off the lid and continue cooking the mixture (still without stirring) until it’s a beautiful deep amber color. Take the pan off the heat and add the heavy cream (be careful, it’ll bubble up, which is why you want a nice big pot). Add the butter and salt and whisk until combined into caramel. Set aside while you make the bars.
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray, or line with parchment paper.
Add 2 cups of the flour, the oats, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Mix briefly on low just to combine. Add the butter and beat on low speed until the butter is broken into small bits and the mixture is crumbly. Transfer about two-thirds of the mixture to the prepared pan and press into an even layer over the bottom to form the crust. Bake for 10 minutes then remove the pan and transfer to a wire rack.
Sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the surface of the crust, then add the pecans. Stir the remaining 2 tbsp of flour into the salted caramel sauce until incorporated, then pour the caramel over the chocolate chips in an even layer. Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture over the chocolate and caramel. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the topping is lightly browned. Remove the pan to a wire rack and allow the bars to cool completely then refrigerate for at least 2 hours (this will be the absolute hardest part!). Cut into squares and serve.

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Adapted from Tracey’s Culinary Adventures‘ awesome recipe, via Cooking Channel. Go ahead and enjoy these bars over the holiday weekend… you won’t be disappointed! Happy eating mally

Scrambled Eggs with Avocado

Mallory — Tue, 07 May 2013 10:53:10 +0000

Eggs for breakfast are one of my favorite treats. I usually have a pretty hard time deciding between salty or sweet if I’m going out for brunch, but there really is nothing quite like an omelet, or a fried egg on toast, or eggs benedict to start off your day.

One of my preferred ways to prepare eggs for breakfast is just to simply scramble them. This might sound weird, but I really just love doing the scrambling in the pan as the egg starts to cook through- the way the texture changes before my very eyes as I keep stirring is a little mesmerizing. Plus, scrambling is pretty much fool proof- you’re not going for the perfect, beautiful soft roundness of a poached egg, or the flawless flipping of an omelet- you’re just getting right in there and making a delicious mess on purpose!

Over the weekend, I tried something totally different for me with my scrambled eggs- I added some diced avocado! At first I was worried it would do something funky with the texture, but it actually complemented the eggs perfectly. I love how avocado adds that unique creamy texture to anything it’s added to, and it really takes some normal humdrum eggs over the top.

I’ve been meaning to say thank you to OXO for sending me some pretty egg-scellent kitchen tools last month, including an egg beater, an omelet turner, and a 3-in-1 Egg Separator. This is pretty crazy, but I’ve never actually owned an egg beater in my life, and never really felt the need to have one- until I got this one! I always thought egg beaters were hard to clean, but the OXO Egg Beater has easily removable whisks and comes apart to put in the dishwasher when I’m done. It makes cooking omelets a breeze and was very useful in mixing the eggs for this breakfast super fluffy.

I’m also obsessed with their Flip & Fold Omelet Turner they sent me- and I have to admit, I’ve been using it for more than just omelets. The flat turner part bends easily to get under anything in the pan, but is structurally sound enough to help you make the flip cleanly and without breaking anything. Plus, it’s basically covered in rubber which is good for my klutzy self who is constantly dropping things (sorry about that flower vase, PJ…)

Anyways, this breakfast. It’s pretty awesome. Check out the recipe here:

Scrambled Eggs with Avocado

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 5 mins

Total time: 10 mins

Serves: 1

Ingredients

1 tbsp canola oil or butter
½ onion, chopped
2 eggs
salt and pepper
pinch crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
½ avocado, diced
⅓ cup shredded cheddar cheese
fresh cilantro, chopped (for garnish)

Instructions

In a pan over medium heat, heat up the oil or butter until it coats the pan. Add the onion and cook until translucent and starting to soften, about 2 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, cheese and salt and pepper. I also added the crushed red pepper flakes because I like a kick in the pants in the morning.
Once the onions are looking nice and starting to soften, add the egg and cheese to the pan. Using a rubber spatula or turner and a light touch, start pushing the eggs around till they start to scramble. The idea here isn’t to cook the eggs so much that they get hard and rubbery, but rather to keep them fluffy and soft, so no pressing down on the eggs to cook them through. You should only need a minute or two to cook the eggs.
Once the eggs are completely opaque, remove the pan from the heat, add the avocado and toss. Garnish with cilantro and serve!

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Adapted from Epicurious.

You know I couldn’t have these without a healthy dollop of Frank’s Red Hot (I put that $%!@ on everything!) and a little extra cheese on top… YUM!

Check out some other egg-straordinary breakfast recipes:

Breakfast Tacos:

Stuffing Frittata:

Quickie Quiche:

Happy eating
mally

PS. My thanks to OXO for providing me with these tools! As always, all opinions are my own and I was not compensated in any other way for this post.

Red Bean Dip

Mallory — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 14:22:48 +0000

Hmm. How to describe the humble red kidney bean? Well, it’s red, and shaped like a kidney. It kind of has a earthy taste, and all in all, is well, just sorta bland on it’s own.

In my mind though, it’s the perfect jumping off point to make a complex, flavorful, and almost butter-like dip perfect for crackers, chips, or even spreading on a sandwich.

This dip might look on the surface like nothing special, but it’s got such a fun array of ingredients and is so simple to make. Not to mention, it’s delicious. Perfect for parties, a picnic, or just some alone time with a box of crackers on the couch, you gotta try this red bean dip

Red Bean Dip

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 25 mins

Ingredients

3 tablespoons canola
1 large onion, finely diced
3 fat cloves garlic, minced or grated
1 15.5 oz can of red kidney beans, reserving the liquid in the can
1 tablespoon tomato paste
½ tsp ground cumin
¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped (plus more for garnish if desired)
dash of cinnamon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp lime juice

Instructions

In a pan over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the onion and garlic and saute until the onions start to turn golden. Add the red beans and their liquid, the tomato paste, and the spices (cumin, cilantro, cinnamon, salt and pepper). Stir everything up and allow to cook through. Add the lime juice, stir again, and remove the pan from the heat. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
Carefully transfer the bean mixture to a mini-chopper or food processor, and pulse a few times to blend everything up but still leave some texture. Pour into a dip bowl, and serve, garnished with additional cilantro if desired. Enjoy!

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Adapted from Nigella Lawson for Food Network.

You might think that the cinnamon is a weird ingredient for a savory dip- I felt the same way. But it adds a very slightly sweet warmth that really makes this dip special. I definitely recommend adding it!

Happy dipping
mally

Taste for Life Benefit Dinner for the Brain Tumor Foundation

Mallory — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 13:53:08 +0000

There’s not a whole lot more fulfilling than helping out a truly honorable and important cause. And there’s not a whole lot more filling than a five-course meal prepared by celebrity chefs in a gorgeous venue tucked underneath the 59th Street Bridge in Midtown Manhattan. Combined, you’re pretty much describing my dream evening.

I was honored to be asked by the Brain Tumor Foundation last week if I would like to invite members of my Meetup Group, Food Bloggers in NYC, to a black-tie-optional benefit dinner for their foundation held this past Wednesday on April 24, 2013. Never one to turn down a meal, they sweetened the pot by mentioning that a host of celebrity chefs and restaurateurs would be present, including Floyd Cardoz, Jacques Torres, Dale Talde, Kerry Heffernan, Yuhi Fujinaga and Chris Jaeckle. Needless to say, I jumped at the opportunity, and members of the Meetup group did too!

And what an evening it was.

From the start, the venue was a total knockout. Guastavino’s is an absolutely stunning locale for any event. Gorgeous high, sloped ceilings, a lovely swooping curved staircase, and beautiful decor greeted us as we walked in and assembled during cocktail hour. Some delicious passed hors d’oeuvres (chicken liver mousse, tuna tartare, salmon crostini and pea soup) later, we were prepped and excited for what was to come.

Next up, I was so excited to have members of my Meetup group join me for this awesome event. Sitting at our private table were:

Jennifer Shtutman from Diet Starts Twomorrow
Jeannie Chan from Foodies NYC
Matt Bruck from Joios
Ruthy Kirwan from Omeletta
Erika Diamond from Tabelog
Saychay Thor from Chopsticks or a Fork
Brianna Plaza
Louise Yang from Ancestral Chef

As for the main event, let’s get to the food! (Apologies for the bad lighting- we were literally holding up our phones’ camera flashes for each other to help alleviate the purple/red lights in the dining room!)

First up, duck confit with spicy eggplant relish and toasted mandarin roll with white sauce, from Chef Dale Talde:

Believe it or not, this was my first time trying duck. Like, ever. And I’m so glad I did, because this was SO DAMN GOOD. Cilantro is one of my favorites of course, and the pickled cabbage combined with the eggplant relish made for an amazing mix of flavors.

For the second course, English pea flan with morels, ramps, and tarragon, from Chef Kerry Heffernan:

Yes, English pea flan. The word “flan” might make you think of a syrupy, oversweet egg custard, but this instead had a beautifully delicate soft texture balanced with the crunchy morel, ramps and tarragon mixture and salty ham on top. Yum!

Next, olive oil poached king salmon in a spring herb veloute with clams and breakfast radish, from Chef Yuhi Fujinaga:

Salmon is one of my favorite things to eat, period, so I was delighted by this dish. I have heard of veloute, but never actually tried it before, so that was a nice surprise. The breakfast radishes were crisp, the salmon was velvety and delicious, and overall I loved this course!

For the main course, pan roasted strip loin with crispy potatoes, parmesan fonduta, and what I think were collard greens, from Chef Chris Jaeckle (a brain tumor survivor):

Listen, I’m Argentinian, so yeah, I’m gonna love the steak course. The steak was perfectly seasoned (you can see those giant flakes of salt in the picture!) and the potatoes were a standout accoutrement.

Lastly, for dessert, the most ridiculously insanely delicious ice cream sandwich from none other than Chef Jacques Torres:

What can I say. This was phenomenal. The cookie had so many delicious chunks of chocolate in them, and they more than held their own against the yummy ice cream. The perfect ending to an amazing meal!

While the food was stunningly scrumptious from beginning to end, I have to bring up the great work coming from the cause behind the event: The Brain Tumor Foundation.

The tribute dinner commemorated the success of the pilot program, Road to Early Detection, which brought a mobile MRI Unit to provide free brain scans to under-served communities throughout the five boroughs of New York. They now would like to expand this program across the country to allow people to detect brain tumors before they become something fatal or inoperable.

Overall this was an absolutely incredible opportunity, and I am extremely grateful for the invitation to come and enjoy the evening. Consider checking out the Brian Tumor Foundation and donating to this amazing cause, who’s tagline is, appropriately: “Bringing Tomorrows of Hope.”

Check out more photos from the evening here in my Flickr set, and if you’re in NYC, check out the Food Bloggers in NYC meetup! We’d love to have you!

Happy Eating
mally

Springtime Kebabs

Mallory — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 13:09:36 +0000

SPRING IS FINALLY HERE!

Dust off those barbecues people… it is time to get outside and grill!

Shish kebabs are one of my favorite meals to eat and make when the weather warms up.

They’re basically the spring and summer equivalent of a one-pot dinner- with minimal preparation and cleanup, and a super easy cooking process, these guys are a cinch to make with pantry ingredients for the marinade and delicious fresh vegetables and chicken. You can substitute any protein for the chicken… steak would be fantastic here!

I recommend marinating and grilling the vegetables and meat separately, for two reasons: You can use any leftover marinade for the vegetables for brushing on the kebabs during grilling, and you can remove the vegetable kebabs earlier than the chicken ones so that they don’t burn, since the vegetables will cook through much quicker than the chicken.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Springtime Kebabs

Prep time: 1 hour 15 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Total time: 1 hour 30 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

For the marinade:

2 tbsp grainy dijon mustard
½ cup white wine
¼ cup lemon juice
1 tsp red pepper flakes
¼ cup white worcestershire sauce (optional, add more white wine if you don’t have)
⅓ cup olive oil

For the kebabs:

4 boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-2 inch chunks
1 green pepper, cut into 1 inch square pieces
1 red pepper, cut into 1 inch square pieces
2 zucchinis, sliced into ½ inch discs
1 red onion, cut into 6 pieces

For garnish:

1 lemon, cut in half
kosher salt and pepper

Instructions

Soak about 6-8 wooden skewers in water before starting. Soaking the sticks reduces the risk of them burning while grilling.
In a bowl, combine the mustard, white wine, lemon juice, red pepper flakes and white worcestershire sauce. Whisk in the olive oil to make a thick dressing that will act as our marinade.
In a large freezer bag, add all the vegetables and half of the marinade. In another large freezer bag, add the chicken. Let marinate in the refrigerator for an hour, more if possible, turning the bags frequently.
When ready to grill, turn on the grill to medium high heat. Using your soaked skewers, make skewers with all vegetables and separate skewers with all meat. This allows you to be able to remove the vegetable skewers earlier than the meat ones if needed, to prevent burning.
Add the skewers to the grill and cook, turning every few minutes or so to prevent burning. You’ll want to cook the vegetables for about 5-7 minutes until crispy and charred on the edges but not burnt, and the chicken for about 10-15 minutes until cooked through.
Remove meat and vegetable skewers to a platter, and immediately squeeze a half a lemon over everything. Dust with kosher salt and any herbs if desired. Let sit for a few minutes, remove everything from the skewers, serve and enjoy!

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These kebabs have so much flavor, and there’s nothing like a great char to make a meal truly special. I love grilling outdoors, and I am so excited barbecue season has officially begun!

Want some other great grilling ideas? Check out the following recipes from my Grilling section:

Grilled Corn Salad

Grilled Zucchini Salad

Herb-Crusted Steaks with Cherry Tomatoes and Olives

Happy grilling
mally

Brown Butter, Peanut Butter, and Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies

Mallory — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 15:06:19 +0000

So um, in the interest of not burying the lede or anything, but these are some seriously BOMB cookies that are about to rock your world. Let’s talk about all the amazing things going on here: peanut butter, sea salt, chocolate chips, and BROWN BUTTER.

Brown butter, huh? The same stuff I used to make my butternut squash risotto extra special? You betcha. Brown butter is the stuff of gods, I tell you- with a nutty, luscious flavor and gorgeous dark amber color, this little addition truly transformed what were already incredible cookies into something outside of this planetary system!

I mean just look at that OOZING GOODNESS!

Here’s how to make them:

5.0 from 1 reviews

Brown Butter, Peanut Butter, and Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 9 mins

Total time: 19 mins

Ingredients

1¼ cup all purpose flour
¾ tsp baking soda
¾ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup creamy peanut butter at room temperature
¾ cup dark brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1½ cups chocolate chips
sea salt for sprinkling

Instructions

Start out by making the brown butter. In a small pan, heat the butter over medium heat until melted. Stirring often, keep cooking until the butter takes on a nice deep brown color, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a mixing bowl (or stand mixer bowl) and allow to cool slightly.
To the mixing bowl, add the peanut butter and mix until incorporated well with the brown butter. Add both the sugars and mix again. Add the egg and vanilla, and continue to mix until smooth.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed. Increase the speed to medium, mixing until everything just comes together. Add the chocolate chips and stir in. Chill cookie dough for a half hour.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Using a cookie scoop, two spoons, or your hands, make balls of dough about 2 tbsp big and place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silpat. Sprinkle the top of each cookie with a pinch of sea salt. Bake for 9 minutes, remove from the oven, and let sit on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack and let cool.

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I adapted this recipe I found over at my pal Kayle’s blog, Cooking Actress, via the original recipe over at Ambitious Kitchen.

(Yes, I might have just posted a recipe from Kayle last week. Yes, maybe she and I are culinary soulmates.)

These were gone in 2 days. Like, 2.5 dozen of them. I am not ashamed!

Happy baking
mally

Sunday Morning Biscuits

Mallory — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 15:32:58 +0000

Sunday mornings… there’s a reason so many lovely songs have been written about them.

The time just seems to move slower, ya know? The sun rises slowly, the bed seems more comfortable, and there’s no rush at all to get where you’re going.

I love getting baking done on Sunday mornings… this morning I’ve already made lemon bars (using this recipe from Averie Cooks) for Easter dinner, and when I saw all the butter and flour out, I knew I wanted to throw together some biscuits as a surprise breakfast treat for me and my sweetie.

My pal Kayle from Cooking Actress has a great recipe for simple biscuits on her blog- no fancy ingredients or crazy methods, just good simple home cooking. I’m sharing it with minor changes to preparations (my dough was too wet to use biscuit cutters successfully).

These biscuits are a delight to put together- just a few simple ingredients, a little elbow grease, and some time in the oven, and you’re left with delicious, buttery and flaky biscuits that are the perfect way to savor my favorite time of the week (with a little butter and jam, of course).

5.0 from 1 reviews

Sunday Morning Biscuits

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 20 mins

Ingredients

2¼ cup all-purpose flour
¾ tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
5 tbsp. very cold butter, cut into smaller pieces (keep in the freezer until ready to use)
1 cup very cold milk

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. In a food processor, pulse together the dry ingredients until combined (If you don’t have a food processor, you can also do this in a mixing bowl with a whisk).
Add the cold butter to the food processor and pulse. If you’re not using the food processor, use a pastry cutter to get the butter incorporated. You are looking for pea-sized butter pieces.
If you’re using a food processor, transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl. Add the milk and stir until just combined.
Use a cookie scoop or two spoons to place ⅓ cup lumps of dough onto the prepared cookie sheet. Use your fingers to flatten the dough to about ½” thickness.
Bake for 8-12 minutes, until golden brown on top. Enjoy with butter and jam!

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What fun treats are on your menu today?

Happy Easter, y’all
mally

Bacon Tasting at Tim Horton’s + My Favorite Way to Make Bacon

Mallory — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 15:39:32 +0000

Ahh, the perks of being a food blogger. Sure, I’ve received products to review, hosted giveaways, and met some amazing food blogger friends throughout my 2+ years blogging here, but I gotta say, being invited to a BACON TASTING PARTY has got to be up there in my top 10 food blogging experiences.

That’s right, a Bacon. Tasting. Party!!

Tim Horton’s (which holds a very fond place in my heart from my years spent in Canada) was generous enough to invite me and a few other food bloggers to their new location on Houston St. on the Lower East Side of Manhattan for an event celebrating their new, thick-cut, Hickory, double-smoked bacon. And let me tell you, get all your thoughts of sad little fast-food chain bacon strips out of your mind. This stuff is not only something I consider very much edible (and I do NOT eat at fast food chains often), but it’s actually delicious!

They had an awesome setup in the store- beautiful staging, with a gorgeous wooden table laden with flowers, fabrics and of course, bacon paraphernalia. Apologies in advance, but all I had on hand with me at the event was my iPhone, which hopefully explains away some of the picture quality issues here!

We got to sample a bunch of different items, including their breakfast sandwich with bacon, egg and cheese on maple bread, a grilled cheese with bacon and tomato, their delicious BLT, and the piece de resistance: a maple bacon donut! This is apparently a secret item on their menu- but if you go to the counter, you can ask them to make one special for you. Shhh… you didn’t hear it from me!

I will admit I was very skeptical of the whole bacon from a donut shop idea… but Karen Gold, Manager of Product Development for Breakfast and Lunch over at Tim Horton’s explained how the process to revamp their bacon line took eight months of sampling, trying new flavors, and working with suppliers. I repeat, eight months of trying bacon for the sake of your job. Rough life, huh?!

But just look at that bacon! It’s meaty, and chewy, it’s thick cut… and it’s flavorful. Another awesome thing they did for us was bring in a “sensory expert” who explained to us the three components of flavor: taste, aromatics, and chemical feeling factors. I did not expect a science lesson, but it was really interesting understanding how all of those aspects factor into our brain understanding the flavor of a particular food. In the case of bacon, it combines so many different tastes… salty, sweet, and umami- the fifth (and my favorite) taste!

Overall this was an awesome event, and I really appreciate the invite from the Tim Horton’s team. Wait, did I mention there were bacon-covered Timbits (donut holes)? Because there were. So many of them. So many delicious bacon-covered Timbits. These are NOT on the menu, secret or otherwise… but they were AWESOME!

Since I just showed you so much bacon awesomeness, I wanted to share with you my favorite way to prepare perfectly crispy, delicious bacon strips. I first saw Alex Guarnaschelli cook bacon this way on her show Alex’s Day Off, and it’s the only way I make my bacon now. Don’t get turned off by adding water to the bacon while it’s frying- it actually leads to exteremely crispy yet chewy strips.

5.0 from 1 reviews

My Favorite Way to Make Bacon

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 10 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

8 slices bacon
½ cup water

Instructions

In a medium skillet, lay out the bacon strips, then add the water.
Bring the water to a simmer and allow all of the water to reduce and cook until the bacon strips are nice and crispy.

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Thanks again to Tim Horton’s for the invite to this great event. Check out more photos on my Flickr page… and here’s hoping your weekend is filled with bacon

Happy Eating
mally

PS. I was not compensated in any way for attending this event or writing this post. I sincerely enjoyed the event and product and wanted to share with you all!

Smoothie Sundays: Tropical Spinach Smoothie

Mallory — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 15:55:34 +0000

So, by far the best perk about being engaged (okay, besides the whole marrying the love of your life thing) is that part where you get to put everything on your dream home wishlist into a public forum, and actually receive all (or most!) of those things with no damage done to you, your person, or your wallet!

That’s right, folks, I’m talking about the best thing ever: the wedding registry!

I am having so much fun adding things to our registries (yeah… we have three, whoops). Our collection of random home and kitchen items is currently an amalgamation from 3 different apartments, some things coming from previous tenants I never even met. Out will go all the cheap plastic plates, metal wire hangers, NY Rangers plastic cups, and random mismatch spoons.

Although, it’s a little daunting because we don’t even know where we’re going to move to after we get married just yet, what our styles will be like in 5 years, or how much space we’ll eventually have. Right now I’m having people send their gifts to my parents’ house because we have no more room for fun things in our tiny, tiny kitchen:

(This is it: yup, that’s all the counter space we have. Count ‘em, TWO drawers, both about 8 inches wide. Oh yes, those are the George Foreman, the rice cooker, the dutch oven, and the roasting pan hanging out on top of our cabinets because they literally do not fit anywhere else. And some random fake ivy… I should probably throw that out… LOVE APARTMENT LIVING!)

But I digress. Registries! So fun!!!

At least one thing I won’t have to register for is a blender… got that taken care of! I am real excited to share this smoothie with you guys today- it’s one of my new favorites, and it’s helping me get in the mood for the spring-like weather that’s just around the corner.

Blend up some delicious tropical fruits and spinach with some carrot juice, and you have a real breakfast time fiesta on your hands:

5.0 from 2 reviews

Smoothie Sundays: Tropical Spinach Smoothie

Cook time: 2 mins

Total time: 2 mins

Serves: 1

Ingredients

1 cup carrot juice
1 cup frozen strawberries
½ cup frozen peaches OR ½ cup frozen mangoes
1 cup spinach
2 tbsp protein powder (optional)

Instructions

Blend all ingredients until smooth. Drink up!

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Before you all go, for all you married, engaged, or really any ladies and gents out there, can you help me out with a few things?

Did you make a wedding website? Necessary, not?
Did you register for china? Again, necessary, or not? (I’m kinda leaning towards not…)
What is your favorite thing you registered for and received?
What is your favorite thing you didn’t register for and received?
What’s one thing you wish you had registered for?

Thanks in advance! Have a great week, friends!

Happy Blending
mally

Five-Minute Fried Rice for One

Mallory — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 13:26:34 +0000

Looking for a super quick and easy lunch or dinner? Look no further- this recipe is not only great for cleaning out all the random vegetables in your fridge, but also is such a cinch to throw together you’ll be making it all the time when time is tight.

I’ve taken traditional fried rice, a greasy takeout staple, and tried to healthify it just a bit… using brown rice instead of white, overloading on the vegetables, using high quality coconut oil, and using low-sodium soy sauce. The result is a speedy meal you can feel good about, without any sticker shock or complicated recipes.

Five-Minute Fried Rice for One

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 5 mins

Total time: 10 mins

Serves: 1

Ingredients

1 tbsp canola oil, coconut oil, or other vegetable oil
½ cup kale leaves, chopped
5-6 cherry tomatoes, halved
2 stalks celery, sliced into C’s
¼ cup frozen corn
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup cooked rice (I used brown, but any will do)
1 egg, cracked into a small bowl and lightly whisked with a fork
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
scallions, sliced thinly on the bias (for garnish)

Instructions

Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan over medium high heat. When nice and hot, add the kale, tomatoes, celery, corn and garlic, and allow to cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring to keep the vegetables from burning.
Add the rice, and stir to coat in the oil and vegetables.
Using a wooden spoon or spatula, clear a circle in the bottom of the pan. Pour the whisked egg into the circle and allow to cook, untouched, for about 2 minutes or until the egg is opaque and cooked through.
Stir the egg into the rice mixture, making sure to break up the egg and getting everything incorporated.
Add soy sauce and sesame oil to the pan, and stir again. Remove pan from heat, serve in a bowl, and garnish with scallions. Enjoy!

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While this is by no means a traditional fried rice, I really love all the flavors. It’s also a great introduction to cooking with coconut oil if you never have before. Coconut oil can reduce cholesterol, boosts thyroid function (think a faster metabolism), is an antioxidant, and has a multitude of uses, from cooking, to baking, to homemade hair conditioner and skin moisturizer. Good stuff!

What’s your favorite fast-food “healthy renovation” you’ve made?

Happy Eating
mally