yum in your tum

Madge joins AARP

2008-08-16T17:58:00.000-07:00

Today is Madonna's birthday...her 50th to be exact. Since I was a tiny one I have looooved her music and defended her honor to anyone who had something negative to spout. They're just jealous you know? I still remember being about 5 or 6 and listening to my mom jam out to Borderline. Hilarious. I didn't meet anyone who loved her as much as myself until I arrived at Radford. That's where I met my Rice Cake and got adopted as an Asian.

Anyway, so being that it's Madge's birthday, and a really important one at that, Lan and I felt that we must do something. I mean, we were invited to the bday bash but simply could not make it. She had a social to attend, and I am way too busy working with Giada and her new show. However, we found time to make a little something in Madonna's honor. Lan made a delish chocolate tart (please see her blog weblink on my page!) and I made a drink and have named it The Madge. I should have baked, but really, I was wanting a drink some kind of bad and threw together a couple of things that I had in the cabinet.

I took equal parts of Starbucks Cream Liqueur and Godiva Liqueur, a splash of 1/2 and 1/2 and shook it well in my martini shaker thinger. Pour into a martini glass and top with chocolate shavings. Now, word of advice....it's fairly sweet so I used a very very dark chocolate to balance it out. Good idea, me. It's not something you want to drink ALL night due to the sweetness, but it's an excellent dessert beverage.

One sip of the The Madge and you'll be touched for the very first time. Cheers!

Camping Treat without the camping....

2008-06-21T04:27:00.000-07:00

Matt has been talking about s'mores for probably the length of our relationship....4 years. FINALLY we made them. I let him in on the fact that I've never had a s'more. I know. I hear the whispers now of how bad my parents were and what I've been deprived of. Whatevs. I was much too worried about the cake and brownie batter bowls even as a little girl.

Easy as pie. You guys know how to do it I"m sure. Graham cracker, chocolate, marshmellow, graham cracker. We had the grill going so we assembled our treats, wrapped them in foil, and threw them on the hot rack (no snickering at hot rack). A few minutes later you have fireside yum yums. All that was missing was the mosquitos.

My review after my first s'more? They were good. Messy, but good. I don't think it's something I"d want all the time though. Maybe one and then roast marshmellows on a stick afterwards. Now that's delish.

A good deed....

2008-06-15T15:21:00.000-07:00

While browsing the Food Network store one afternoon (when I was wasting time at work really) I came across Nigella Lawson's items. Love her! I'm browsing...ooh-ing and awww-ing. Then I see her measuring cups she uses. I've always admired them on the show, but on the website you have a choice of colors....I chose the lavender. ADORABLE! I decide I'm going to splurge. True, they were like $25 but I'd just landed a new job and figured I could treat myself. The next day when I go to purchase them I notice a little write up about the lavender shade. The money raised from the purchase goes to an organization that helps young women with cancer. So not only do I score the cutest measuring cups ever, but I'm helping out some sistas.
Nigella's Measuring Cups
Please note that only the lavender cups help the organization, but they do offer black, cream, and light blue.

A suggestion from a fellow Doorknob....

2008-05-26T05:50:00.000-07:00

I normally do not dabble with pie crusts. However, when Lan sent me a link for a Strawberry Galette I knew I wanted to give it a whirl. I think I REALLY wanted to do it b/c of the basil cream that tops this luscious pastry. I adore basil. I usually grow it during the summer months and try to incorporate it into my dishes throughout the week. Anyway I got all of my ingredients together and started. Luckily I do have a food processor and that made it ten times easier to make the dough. Blending cold butter in flour with a pastry cutter is kind of annoying. My lack of dough rolling was obvious but after a little practice I was able to get a circle cut out. Sort of. My strawberries were perfectly ripe. However, when I arranged mine on the dough it didn't look quite as fancy as the picture. I used every bit of the berry instead of just using parts of it like the recipe calls for. No point in wasting you know?!?

Making the basil infused cream was very easy. The scent heavenly. I already had my chilled cream in a bowl and didn't want to dirty up more dishes to whip it so I did it by hand. I figured if Tyler Florence can do it so can I. Ok. It didn't take too long, but dang, my arm was tired from whisking so fast. Anyway, it turned out just fine. The verdict? 10 out of 10 stars. Matt loved it. We both had two slices which is why I'm going to work out this morning. The only change I might make for a switch....using mint instead of basil. The basil cream is delicious, but just for a different taste one might try mint and even use it on something else. I thought I would have enough to take to work in the morning but by the looks of things, Matt and I will easily take care of this berrylicious treat.

Strawberry Galette

Surprise!

2008-05-18T08:22:00.000-07:00

Last week I got word that our plant manager never celebrates his birthday. GASP! Illegal in my world! I figured that I would whip up a little something and bring it into work. I logged onto Hershey's website for a couple of recipes for cakes and frosting. Don't tell Hershey, but I did use Ghiradelli cocoa for baking.

The recipe called for 1 cup of water. I used 1 cup of dark rum instead. Seriously, I can hear Angry Asian whispering lush right now. Me, I gave it 3 out of 5 stars. However, the boss man says he really enjoyed the intense rum flavor. I'm wondering if the rum dried it out a bit?? I am pretty critical of my own things, but seriously, who wants a cake that isn't moist? He dug it though and I guess at the end of the day that's all that mattered. As you can see, I garnished the top with fresh raspberries. It amused me that some people didnt know what they were. Clearly they do not visit their local farmer's market.

A tart makes a tart.

2008-04-21T10:46:00.000-07:00

Ok, it's not REALLY a tart, b/c it's in a pie shell, but whatevs. My blog manager, Lan, sent me Giada's pear tart recipe a couple of weeks ago. Had to try it. Very easy and very delish. The flavors of the gorgonzola cheese are very strong, however, I love the stuff. While having some for lunch today it occurred to me that pineapple would be a great substitute for the pear. You have the sweetness of the fruit, the tang from the cheese, and the saltiness of the prosciutto. I think that next time I will caramelize whatever fruit I choose a little more than what Giada calls for, but that is only b/c I prefer a sweeter taste than someone else might. Make some mimosas and you have the perfect brunch at your fingertips.

Pear Gorgonzola Tart

Simple and Savory

2008-04-19T04:50:00.000-07:00

usually i just share baking recipes, but the other night i made a dish that was kind of pretty. super easy to make. i made a few shrimp kabobs and also sauteed another small amount of shrimp in garlic and butter. i don't know if it's my stove top grill or maybe the oil, but the grilled shrimp didn't taste grilled to me. it had a chicken taste to it. however, matt was digging it so he devoured those.

to compliment, i made a batch of coucous with small bits of ripe tomato, lemon zest, and lemon juice. it does sound basic, but lemon and tomato are one of my favorite blends. added some s&p and i was ready to eat.

Vanilla Orange Delight

2008-04-14T10:13:00.000-07:00

it was a lazy sunday afternoon so i decided to use up a few things in the kitchen and make cupcakes. usually when i make cupcakes i use a box mix. (when i make cakes i go the homemade route) this particular one was just a basic white but it was made with splenda. i hate splenda so i don't even know why i bought it. however, there it sat in my pantry begging to be baked.

i added the zest and juice of one orange to the batter for a little pizzazz. the house smelled so sweet while they baked! i didn't have frosting, but i did have white chocolate chips. i made a ganache and added grand marnier to the mixture. delish! i'd never really iced with ganache before so it was a learning experience as well. obviously a ganache is going to be pretty warm so it's best to let it cool down quite a bit before spreading. it sort of drips down the side of the cupcake due to being warm. it still looks pretty, but if you're going for a more perfect look then let it cool.

someone could use any flavors really if they don't want a plain white cupcake. stores now have a nice variety of extracts such as rootbeer, strawberry, lemon, etc. or you could just add your favorite liqueur or jam.

White Chocolate Ganache:

1 bag of white chocolate chips

1/3 cup heavy cream

1-2 tbsp grand marnier (optional)

heat the chips and cream in a double broiler until the chips are completely melted. stir constantly! you don't have to use a double broiler, but i do suggest it especially if using regular chocolate. it burns so easily. after the ganache has cooled you can whip it for extra fluffiness. i did whip mine, but i don't think it was cool enough. however, the end result was a sweet taste of vanilla and orange.

Matt's Birthday

2008-04-08T06:23:00.000-07:00

Last Friday was Matt's birthday. He requested to have a different dessert made rather than the traditional birthday cake. After thinking about it for nearly 2 weeks he told me strawberry shortcake. I know that a lot of people use the mini angel food cakes, but we thought pound cake would be more delish. I used a store bought poundcake (no time for serious baking that day, plus i trust sara lee!), a pint of strawberries, some whipping cream, sugar, and grand marnier. The berries were sliced and i let them macerate in about 1/3 cup of sugar and splashed the grand marnier all over. the liquor really added that special something to the taste without overpowering the taste of the berries.

i sliced the pound cake into three parts. i then layered the whipped cream (homemade of course, no cool whip in this house!) and berries on the different layers. it was extremely easy, but it made a pretty dessert. plus, the birthday boy was very pleased and that's what counted. this would make a great summertime dessert and using angel food cake would make it very light.

Easter Goodness

2008-03-24T17:11:00.000-07:00

Most families have their traditional Easter meal. Ham, taters, biscuits. Whatever. For the past few years I've been making a rum cake. Sounds ordinary, but tastes extraordinary! What makes it special? It's all about the Captain my friends. Good ol' Captain Morgan always makes my holiday scrumptious. No, I will not share the recipe. I know. Mean of me, but whatevs! All I will say is that it involves raspberry, chocolate, Captain, and little bit of butter!

I entered this cake into a contest and won first place in the desserts category. True, there were only 8 others, but who cares! They were glaring at me as I strutted to the stage for my blue ribbon! Now, if only Food Network would call me!

It may look plain, but looks can be deceiving!

A wee bit o' tradition

2008-03-17T06:04:00.000-07:00

After quite a bit of research last week I thought I should go more traditional and bake Irish Soda Bread. The first recipe I found looked very good. However, when I came across another website from an actual Irish woman, she informed me of the do's and dont's of real Irish bread. They do not include sweeteners, fruits, etc. The result was, well, ok. It doesn't look very pretty, but it tasted pretty good especially with the beef stew that I crock potted all day long. To compliment the bread I bought real Irish butter. Expensive, yes, but oh so delish! This will be something that I will try many more times until I get it perfect. After all, it only contains four ingredients! Because Lan is my blog mom and says I should share, I'll include the link to where you can find the recipe and also a few others. I may rename this Liz's Irish Bread in memory of my grandmother who was a true Irish gal! LizsIrishBread

St. Pat's Baking

2008-03-17T05:53:00.000-07:00

I was invited to a St. Patrick's Day party this past weekend. I always contribute and it's almost always a dessert b/c that's just my cup of tea. However, realizing there would be drinking involved I didn't want to make anything big and heavy. I chose to do a mini-me version of a cheesecake thanks to Giada's recipe. Needless to say, they were a hit and I didn't bring any home!

Giada's Mini Cheesecakes