Frozen Lemon Souffle

I am a mushroom. That's right; I am a pale Washingtonian mushroom that does not fair well with heat. Anything above 75 degrees and I start to get uncomfortable. Once it reaches 90 and above, I am a shriveled little pile of...well...dehydrated mushroom. So considering that our weather is already reaching 80 degrees and it's only the month of May, I'm pretty sure I am doomed to be a big pile of "nope" come August.

But I have a secret weapon.

On those hot summer days when I am marinating in the inescapable heat, sweat tickling down my limbs as I feel my energy evaporating from my body, I turn to my secret weapon. It's my sweet, refreshing chill of hope that gives me just enough of a boost to survive the heat a little bit longer. I am talking about none other than the delicious savior of summer: frozen lemon souffle.

 Now, if you've never made a souffle before and are feeling completely intimidated at the very mention of one, don't worry. This isn't a traditional souffle. Although it may sound fancy, this dessert is quite easy to make. Top it off with some fresh berries and you'll have yourself a hit dessert at your next BBQ!

So if you feel like you are melting in the rising temperature, melt into this dessert and see if it doesn't give you reason to survive the heat.

Frozen Lemon Souffle

Ingredients:
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest plus 3/4 cup lemon juice (from about 3 lemons)
8 large eggs, whites and yolks separated
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup cold heavy cream
berries for topping (optional)

Wrap the outside of a 3 1/2 cup souffle mold or four 6oz ramekins with parchment, extending 2 to 3 inches above the rim (it should fit snugly). Secure with tape, set aside.

In a medium saucepan, whisk together granulated sugar, lemon zest and juice, egg yolks, and salt over medium-high heat. Cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and small bubbles form around the edge of the pan, about 5 minutes (do NOT boil). Immediately remove from the heat while continuing to whisk. Pour into a heatproof bowl.

Place plastic wrap directly against the surface of the curd and refrigerate until cool, about 30 minutes (or overnight).

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat egg whites on high until stiff peaks form. Gently fold egg whites into cooled lemon curd. In the same large bowl, beat cream on high until stiff peaks form. Gently fold whipped cream into lemon curd mixture. Pour into the prepared mold and freeze until firm, 6 hours (or over night). To serve, remove parchment and top with berries.

Grilled Chicken Gyros

When I first heard of tzatziki sauce, I was horribly confused. A yogurt sauce that had dill in it?...You mean, like a pickle? I thought yogurt was supposed to be sweet. My mom laughed at me. "It's for putting on gyros." she explained.

"...g..gyro?...What the heck is that?"

"It's sorta like a sandwich made with pita bread."

Pita bread? It was all Greek to me. [insert laugh track here] Little did I know what amazingly fresh flavors awaited. After my first bite of a chicken gyro, my love affair with Greek food began. For a summer in high school, I practically lived off of gyros and Greek fries, hitting up the little hole-in-the-wall Greek restaurant that sat right across the way from the movie theater. I was the epitome of summer laziness: lounging around in the summer sun, tzatziki sauce smudged in the corner of my mouth as I devoured a plump gyro, a plate full of Greek fries in my lap, and an Italian soda to wash it all down.

....man, I miss summer break!

Anyway, as we creep closer to the summer season, I can't help but find myself gravitating towards gyros and all the sloppy, juicy, savory, refreshing deliciousness they have to offer. So after years of indulging in store-bought gyros, I finally decided to learn how to make them myself. The result was dangerous. Why? Because it was ridiculously easy to make and so delicious; now I have the ability to make gyros whenever my heart desires! 

Good bye dear waistline! Mama's gonna get fat on gyros this summer! ;)

Pita Bread

Ingredients:

1 cup water

2 tsp dry active yeast
3 cups all-purpose flour
2½ tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil
drizzle of olive oil

In a small bowl, warm the water to about 100 degrees Fahrenheit (just above body temperature). Add the yeast to the water and let sit for about 5 minutes.

Pour the yeast and water into the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attached. Slowly add the flour, salt, and olive oil while kneading the dough. The dough should be tacky, so you may not need 3 full cups of flour. It's better to have too little flour than too much (you can always add more later). Knead the dough in the mixer until it is smooth, about 5 minutes. Brush a little olive oil over the dough, cover with plastic wrap and a clean kitchen towel. Let rise for an hour or until it has doubled in size.

Turn the dough out onto a floured working surface. Cut the dough into 6-8 pieces. Using a rolling pin, flatten each piece into a circle about ¼ inch thick. Add more flour if the dough is too sticky.
Heat a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Drizzle a little olive oil into the skillet before adding the disks of dough. Cook the pita for about 30 seconds or until bubbles start to form. Flip the dough over and cook for about a minute, until lightly browned. Flip the dough back over and cook for another minute, until the pita puffs up. Remove from heat and cover with a clean dish towel. Repeat with remaining pieces of dough.

Tzatziki Sauce

Ingredients:
1/2 cucumber, peeled and diced
2 cups plain Greek yogurt

4 teaspoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons dried dill

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1 1/2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl, cover, and refrigerated until ready to use.

Grilled Chicken Gyros

pita bread

tzatziki sauce

red bell pepper, sliced

purple onion

cucumber, sliced

lettuce, shredded

seasoned grilled chicken

fresh tomato, sliced

feta cheese

Smear a layer of tzatziki sauce on the pita bread. Layer all other ingredients into the pita, using as much as you would like. Top off with an extra drizzle of tzatziki, fold over, and serve. Enjoy!

Japanese-Style Drumsticks

I am feeling rather lazy tonight. So this recipe comes with no story, cute anecdote, or convincing persuasion on why you should give this recipe a try. The beginning and end of it is: this chicken is damn delicious so you should make it. Simple as that.

Japanese-Style Drumsticks

Ingredients:
4 chicken drumsticks, skin on
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 1/2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 garlic clove, peeled and bruised
2 teaspoons Sriracha sauce
1 tablespoon green onion, diced

Place water, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, and Sriracha sauce in a deep skillet. Briefly whisk together before adding garlic and chicken to the pan. Bring contents to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, spooning off surface scum as needed, for about 20 minutes.

Increase the heat, turning the drumsticks frequently, and cook until the liquid has reduced to a sticky glaze, about 10 minutes longer. Be sure to scrape the skillet with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon as you go so as not to burn any of the glaze.

Arrange chicken on a serving platter, remove the garlic clove from the liquid, then spoon the remaining glaze over the chicken. Sprinkle on green onion and serve immediately.

Okonomiyaki (Japanese-style pizza)

Okonomiyaki might be hard to say, but it is far from hard to make. It's basically like making a large pancake out of coleslaw. Confused yet? Well keep reading! The process of making okonomiyaki is very similar to making pancakes. You make a batter, pour some on a hot oiled pan, cook it, flip it, and viola! It's done!

So if it's like a pancake, why is it called a "Japanese-style pizza"? That's because the fun of okonomiyaki comes with its ability to be completely customized like a pizza. You can add whatever toppings and sauce you desire to make a dish that is unique and tailored to your own personal flavor profile. Personally I think bacon is a must to toss onto your okonomiyaki. And when served with a mix of chipotle aioli and okonomiyaki sauce, topped with fresh avocado, it is amazing!

The other reason I like this dish is because it is a great way for me to sneak more vegetables into my kids' dinner without them even knowing it! They gobble this stuff up every time and, little do they know how many veggies I just crammed in their full little bellies. It's a new family favorite in my household and I hope it will soon be in yours!

Okonomiyaki

Ingredients:
1/2 pound cabbage, shredded
2 medium/large carrots, shredded
1/2 green onion, diced
2 tablespoons milk
3/4 cup dashi (about 1 teaspoon dashi granules in 3/4 cup hot water)
1 cup flour
2 eggs
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Okonomiyaki sauce or Worcestershire sauce
3 strips of bacon, diced
*Extra mayo for seasoning
*Additional "toppings" such as: leeks, mushrooms, bell pepper, avocado, etc.
*Other sauces such as: ketchup, chipotle aioli, Sriracha, etc.

*optional

Cut the cabbage and carrots into thin strips (or use a food processor if you want to speed things up). Combine dashi, flour, eggs, milk, baking powder, mayonnaise, butter, and vegetables in a large bowl. Stir well.

Heat vegetable oil in a pan on medium-high heat and add in about a 1/2 cup (or more depending on how big you want to make it) of the vegetable batter mix. Sprinkle a few uncooked bacon pieces on the top side of the "pizza". Now is also the time you would add any other additional toppings you want (except for any fresh toppings you may want such as tomato or avocado). When the "pizza" looks slightly firm around the edges, flip the "pizza" over to cook the bacon side.--Cook it as if you're making a large pancake.

When both sides are thoroughly cooked, remove the "pizza" from the pan and drizzle with Okonomiyaki sauce (or Worcestershire sauce) and serve. You can also make any variations you would like such as adding chipotle aioli sauce and fresh avocado, Sriracha and a fried egg, or a Japanese classic: mayonnaise!

Serve hot.

Fish Sticks with Lemon Ginger Dipping Sauce

If you are a Whovian, you might consider making these "fish fingers" to serve up with a side of custard.

If you are a South Park fan, you might be giggling to yourself thinking of what the South Park kids deemed as the best joke ever: "do you like fish dicks [said like fish sticks]? What are you, a gay fish?"

Or if you are like 99% of American children out there, it's likely you have dined on the classic freezer dinner of fish sticks and french fries (our own version of fish and chips).

Whatever the reason is that you have gravitated to this recipe, you will not be disappointed. I was surprised at how easy this recipe really is to execute (although watch out for popping grease because it will get ya!) and the best part is, you can totally make this on a day you have some free time and freeze it for later consumption. That's right; you can make your own freezer meal ahead of time without all the added filler and other unknown crap other companies might put in your food. Sure it takes more effort than just going to the store and buying pre-made fish sticks. But if you make them yourself, it's not only healthier, you totally get bragging rights that come with making it yourself.

Feel free to snap a selfie with you and your homemade fish sticks followed with a hashtag of #imadethisshit

The other great thing about this recipe is the dipping sauce. You really should try it with the lemon ginger dipping sauce! I didn't think something deep-fried could taste so light and refreshing, however; with the light flakiness of the white fish (I used turbo) and the zesty refreshing taste of the lemon ginger dipping sauce, I was pleasantly surprised with the fresh summer taste this dish had to offer.

In summary: go make some fish sticks!

Fish Sticks

Ingredients:
7 oz white fish (halibut, turbo, or cod for example) cut into 1/2-inch strips
Sea salt & pepper to taste
3 1/2 oz cornstarch
1 egg, lightly beaten
5 oz panko breadcrumbs
2 1/2 cups canola oil

Season the fish pieces with salt and pepper. Put the cornstarch, beaten egg, and panko in three separate bowls. Dip the fish pieces into the cornstarch first, then the egg, and then coat in the panko breadcrumbs.

Place a wok over med-high heat and add the canola oil. Heat the oil to about 350 degrees F, or until a piece of panko dropped in turns golden brown in about 15 seconds and floats to the surface. Fry the breaded fish pieces in the oil for 3-4 minutes, making sure to flip them about halfway through, until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

Lemon Ginger Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:
1 tbsp of peeled and grated fresh ginger
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp rice wine
7 tbsps cold vegetable stock
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 1/2 tbs water

Heat a small saucepan over medium head and add 1 tbsp canola oil. Add the ginger and fry for a few seconds, then add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Cook for 1 minute or until the sauce has thickened slightly. Remove from head and serve warm.

Miso Soup

For about six months now my family has been primarily on a Japanese cuisine diet. After growing up on sugary breakfast cereals and snacks such as Cheetos, switching to a Japanese style diet has been a unique but amazing experience. Now I eat vegetables with my breakfast and season everything with a mixture of soy sauce, mirin, and sake. Ginger and garlic have become staples in my cooking. And a meal isn't a meal without a bowl full of rice.

One dish that has now become a regular to serve in my home is miso soup. When served with breakfast, it is a warm side dish that can start your day with a burst of energy. With lunch, miso soup can help fill you up for the rest of the afternoon. And with dinner, this delicious soup can round out the day with each hot spoonful. Loaded with tofu and wakame (seaweed), it is packed with protein and nutritional goodness that will keep your body feeling in balance and healthy.

I usually find the ingredients needed for this recipe at our local Asian food market: Uwajimaya. So if you have an Asian food market near your neighborhood, consider giving this recipe a try. It's simple, nutritious, and its unique worldly flavors will have you going back for seconds.

Miso Soup

Ingredients:
4 cups water
3 Tablespoons miso paste (I use aka miso paste)
1 Tablespoon bonito flakes
1/2 cup tofu, cubed
2 Tablespoons dried wakame
2 Tablespoons green onion, chopped

Bring water to a boil. Add in miso paste and bonito flakes. Whisk until the miso and bonito flakes have dissolved. Add in tofu, wakame, and green onion. Mix until all the wakame has re-hydrated. Serve hot.

Low-Carb Loaded Baked "Potato" Salad

Alright, alright! Fine! I'll do a post about it!...If I have to....[grumble]...

...I guess I can't really call myself a cook if I don't take into consideration all dietary needs....

[sigh]...I can't ignore the ever growing trend of the low-carb diet. My parents are on it. I know friends who have tried it. And yes, even I have tried it. So today, as my last post for the Easter brunch countdown, I will post a low-carb recipe. For inquiring minds that want to know, I am no longer on a low-carb diet, not because it wasn't effective in aiding weight loss, but because my own personal dietary needs and preferences have changed. But for those of you who are on low-carb diets, for whatever reason, this recipe is for you.

When I was on a low-carb diet, I have to admit, I hated how much cauliflower was used as a substitute for everything. Rice, potatoes, bread, you name it! Cauliflower, that colorless vegetable that smells like fart, is used in loads of low-carb recipes. True, it is quite impressive how versatile this stinky little cluster can be, however; near the end of my low-carb days, I was all cauliflowered out. Except for one recipe....

Low-carb loaded baked "potato" salad is one recipe I really quite enjoyed. So much so that, even though I am no longer on a low-carb diet, I would still make this recipe again even though its primary ingredient is that one vegetable I came to loath. This recipe is, in fact, one that my mother came up with, so kudos to her for finding a way to make cauliflower taste so amazing!

Since baked potato salad is a classic side dish for many family gatherings (BBQs, parties, etc.) why not add it to your brunch menu? And if you, or any one of your guest is on a low-carb diet (or even if no one is!), this dish is sure to surprise everyone once you confess its main ingredient: cauliflower.

Obviously this isn't a picture of the dish. But we ate all of it before I even thought to take a picture. I guess that goes to show you just how good it was! ;)

Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower

1 Tbs olive oil

2 Tbs bacon fat, melted (http://thetastyspoon-gingerales-kitchen.blogspot.com/2011/05/fat-can.html)

garlic salt & pepper

3-5 slices of bacon

1-2 green onions

1 cup (plus more for garnish) cheddar cheese, shredded

3-4 Tbs mayonnaise (add more or less as needed)

3-4 Tbs sour cream (add more or less as needed)

Red Hot

Salt & pepper

2 Tbs chopped chives, for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Break up a head of cauliflower and drizzle olive oil and bacon fat over the cauliflower. Sprinkle cauliflower with garlic salt and pepper to taste.

Roast at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes or until edges are browned.

While the cauliflower is roasting, fry up bacon until crisp and chop up 1-2 green onions. When cauliflower has cooled, mix in bacon and onion with shredded cheddar.

Blend in (1 Tbs at a time) equal parts mayonnaise and sour cream. Add a few dashes of red hot. Salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish with chopped chives and cheese.

Let sit for at least 1 hour in the fridge before serving. 

Italian Easter Bread

The count down to Easter brunch continues this week with a visually stunning treat: Italian Easter bread. This dish does take a good amount of time to prepare but it is well worth it. In the past, I made it as a take-home treat for our Easter brunch guest. However, you can certainly serve these beautiful bread baskets as part of your main meal. The bread itself is mildly sweet and very fluffy, only to be topped off with an Easter classic: the egg.

You can choose to do as I did and make the Italian Easter bread using stark white eggs and pearl sprinkles to create a gorgeous contrast of shining white against a golden brown bread. Or you can make it a feast for the eyes using dyed eggs and rainbow sprinkles to celebrate the great spectrum of color that the Spring season has to offer. Either way, this recipe is sure to impress your family and friends.

Italian Easter Bread

Ingredients:

1 package rapid rise yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)

1 1/4 cups milk

pinch of salt

1/3 cup butter

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup sugar

3 1/2 cups flour (approximate)

1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon of water--to use as egg wash

6 eggs (dyed if you want a little color pzazz)

sprinkles

**The eggs do not need to be hard boiled. They cook when the bread bakes. Simply dye the eggs raw without hard-boiling them.

In a small sauce pan, warm the milk and butter together, just until the butter melts. In a large mixing bowl, combine yeast, salt, 2 eggs, and sugar. Add the warm (not hot--it will kill the yeast) milk and butter. Add about half the flour and beat until smooth with dough hook. Slowly add the remaining flour to form a stiff dough. Don't worry about how much flour it ends up being, just keep adding until the dough is not sticky anymore. Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size--about an hour.

Punch dough down, divide into 12 pieces. Roll each piece to form a 1 inch thick rope about 14 inches long and, taking two pieces, twist to form a "braid", pinching the ends and loop into a circle. When you are done, you will have 6 braided dough rings.

Place the dough "rings" on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Cover and let rise until doubled in size--about an hour. Brush each bread ring with beaten egg wash. Add on sprinkles. In the middle of each bread ring, gently place an Easter egg.

Bake at 350 degrees F until golden--about 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

When done, you can eat the bread and then consume the egg just as you would with a hard-boiled egg. You can make these ahead of time but be sure to refrigerate them until ready to consume.

Sherbet Mimosas

Mimosas: a classic brunch beverage. They are sweet and refreshing and practically a requirement for brunch. But what if there was a simple way to elevate your mimosa with very little effort at all? How is this possible you ask? Well, for today's blog I am going to cheat and refer you to another fellow blogger: The Cookie Rookie. My husband and I have tried this recipe before and it was a huge hit at our previous brunches. So do yourself (and your guests) a favor and give this recipe a try!

You can find the recipe here: http://www.thecookierookie.com/sherbet-mimosas/

So the picture above was borrowed from The Cookie Rookie's website. Believe it or not, but as I am busy inhaling my food and drink, I don't always stop and think to take a picture. So here you go, a borrowed image just for you. ;)

Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus

Keeping with the brunch theme this month, today's recipe is one of my favorite brunch side dishes: prosciutto wrapped asparagus. It not only looks beautiful on a plate, but the combination of flavors is both refreshing and hearty. But don't let it fool you; this recipe may appear to look simple but it does take some time to prepare (what with all the wrapping of each asparagus and what-not). However, with that in mind, please don't let that scare you off from making it! Yes it takes some time to prep but the plus side is, you can make these the night before and refrigerate them until needed. Not to mention they are delicious and are sure to wow your guests.

So pull up a chair, crank up the music, and get to wrapping some asparagus!

Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus

Ingredients:
1 large bunch of asparagus, the hard ends cut off
1-2 packages of prosciutto, cut into 1 inch wide strips
1 bunch fresh whole chives

Start by getting a vegetable steamer ready to steam the asparagus. While that is heating up, fill a large bowl with ice water and set aside. When the steamer is ready, steam the asparagus but only for about 15 seconds!--If you steam it for too long, you are going to have sad limp asparagus.-- As soon as you remove the asparagus from the steamer, submerge the asparagus into the bowl of ice water. This will stop the asparagus from further cooking. You're not wanting to cook the asparagus until it's soft. You're just looking to blanch them. After about a minute in the ice water, remove the asparagus and place on a kitchen towel. Gently dry off the asparagus.

Next, take strips of prosciutto and start wrapping single strips around each asparagus.

Once all the asparagus is wrapped in prosciutto, take a "string" of chives and tie it around the prosciutto on each wrapped asparagus (see the picture above).

Serve cold with dipping sauce.

Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:
Balsamic vinaigrette
Olive Oil
Lemon juice
garlic, finely chopped
pepper
red pepper flakes (optional)

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl and serve cold.

*You'll notice I did not specify any measurements for the dipping sauce. I usually just mix it to taste. If you really need a starting point for measurements, I'd say roughly 3 Tbl olive oil, 2 Tbl balsamic, 1 Tbl lemon juice. Garlic, pepper, and red pepper flakes are all to your own liking.

Savory Pancakes

Here comes Peter Cottontail,

Hopping down the bunny trail,

Hip-pity Hop-pity Hip-pity Hop-pity,

Easter's on its way!

We have officially entered the month of March! Crazy right? This means two things: Spring is almost here and so is Easter. I don't know about you but when I think of springtime and Easter, I think of brunch. That glorious meal that combines all the sweet deliciousness of breakfast with the savory bounty of lunch. A meal that showcases a sampling of dishes to satisfy all cravings and a beautiful array of cocktails to cast everyone in a rosy glow. Whether you celebrate Easter or not, I say, either way, use the day as an excuse to make brunch!

This month, I will be posting some of my favorite brunch recipes in preparation for Easter. For those of you who might be looking for Easter brunch ideas, hopefully this will give you enough of a head start to plan your menu accordingly. Today I'll be posting one of my favorites: savory pancakes. As a lighter alternative to a classic oven roasted ham, savory pancakes can offer a great variety of flavors that you can easily customize to your own preferences and their presentation can be quite beautiful on a plate. Listed below are only a few options for toppings. But the possibilities are endless. Get creative and have fun with it!

Savory Pancakes

Ingredients:

pancake mix (either instant or homemade)

topping suggestions:

     -cream cheese, cold smoked salmon, and green onions

     -cream cheese, cold smoked salmon, and capers

     -goat cheese with strawberries, basil, and balsamic vinaigrette

     -apricot jelly, blue cheese, and  pecans

     -cream cheese, bacon, and green onions

Cook up pancakes according to directions. I made my pancakes into medallions (about the size of a sliver dollar) so that they were lighter and easier to snack on.

Allow the pancakes to completely cook before topping them with whatever combination of toppings you desire. My favorite combination is cream cheese, cold smoked salmon and green onions or capers.

Hippo Sandwiches

Being sick sucks! Being a sick parent with kids who are also sick sucks even more! For the past week my poor boys have been battling a nasty head cold and, as of yesterday, my husband and I have caught it. Piles of used tissues are starting to pile up in our home, there is a hint of Mentholatum in the stale air, and the overall mood of our family has been quite gloomy. Yesterday, as I tucked my kids into bed for their nap, stroking their hair as I held a tissue up to my red and drippy nose, I began to think back on when my parents used to take care of me when I was sick. My mother was ever vigilant about keeping me pumped full of fluids as I laid under a mountain of blankets. I remember her stroking my hair and talking softly to me as she would give me my next dose of medicine. But in one particular memory, I remember my dad was coming home from a long and busy day (he was working two jobs at the time) when he decided to bring home some Taco Bell for dinner. Knowing that I was still feeling sick with very little appetite, he bought me a simple cup of re-fried beans with cheese on top. In that moment, it was the best tasting beans in the whole world. The warm cheesy beans were so kind to my sore throat as I ate, and it was the first "meal" I could really stomach all day. From that point on, any time I have gotten sick, I find myself wanting a nice cup of cheesy re-fried beans.

Comfort food can be powerful stuff. And I'm not just talking about the pint of ice cream you wolf down after a bad breakup, or the late-night bacon guacamole burger you make-out with at the end of a stressful work day. I mean the one dish that, no matter when you eat it, it awakens a memory deep within you that instantly brings a smile to your face. Even though I felt horribly sick, that silly little cup of re-fried beans my dad bought for me instantly turned my mood for the better. For some, it's a bowl full of chicken noodle soup. For others, it's a nice cup of lemon tea. Whatever it is that brings your tired and achy body just a little bit more comfort; I truly believe it can go a long ways towards helping you recover. As my mom used to say: where the mind goes, energy flows. To put it bluntly: happiness, even in the form of a meal, is powerful shit.

For myself, I often try to show my love to my family by providing good food. I like to go the extra mile to make healthy, delicious, fun food that can bring a smile to my family's face. As I sat there, watching my two boys sleep, their poor little stuffy noses and rattly breathing tugging at my heartstrings, I decided to make a dinner that night that would help lighten the mood for my family. So I set to work on making the most ridiculously cute and oh-so-tasty dinner they'd never forget: hippo sandwiches swimming in tomato soup. Yup, you read it correctly: hippo sandwiches. I was thrilled with how well they turned out and even more so at how happy and giggly it made my whole family (my husband included!). Those delicious little hippos did the job at comforting my family in a time of need, and I'm happy to say, after eating them, my family has quickly been on the mend. It's amazing what good food and a good mood can do for the body!

Perhaps some day, when my boys are adults and they come down with a head cold, they just might find themselves craving hippo sandwiches. I would love to see the look on their significant other's face when they say "Honey, can you make me a hippo for dinner tonight?"

Hippo Sandwiches

Ingredients for bread dough:
1 cup warm water
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg beaten
1/4 cup sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoon quick rise yeast (aka instant yeast)

Add all ingredients to a bread machine in the above order, and choose dough setting. Or, if you don't have a bread machine, mix all ingredients in a bowl until a soft dough is formed. For dough into a ball and turn into a oiled bowl. Over and let rise for about an hour.

Ingredients for hippos:
bread dough (follow recipe above)
3-4 cheese sticks cut in half
pesto
1 egg + water (for egg wash)
melted butter for brushing on buns after baking
black beans

To make the hippos, I found a great website that shows you step by step instructions on how to put them together. The only variation I did is to stuff the body of the hippo with cheese and pesto. Check back here after you see the instructions below.
 http://www.handmadecharlotte.com/healthy-hungry-hippo-soup-recipe/?pp=1

When it comes to forming the dough ball for the body, roll it out flat like a small pizza. Next, put a spoonful of pesto in the middle (don't worry about spreading it around) followed with half a cheese stick. Grab the edges of the dough and, creating a pocket around the pesto and cheese, pinch and roll the edges together. When the filling is completely encased inside the dough, flip the dough ball over (so the pinched side is underneath) and use that as the body of your hippo.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and lightly brush the paper with oil. Set baking sheet aside.

Once your hippos are stuffed and assembled, place them gently on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the hippos with egg wash and then bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes.

Remove hippos from oven and, while they are cooling down, brush each one with melted butter. Following the instructions for assembling the hippos from the website posted above, add the black beans for the eyes and nostrils.

When the hippos are complete, gently place the baked hippo sandwich into a bowl of your favorite hot soup. Serve hot.

Hot Buttered Rum

It was Christmas morning when I had my first true taste of hot buttered rum. I say "true taste" because for years my mom had been serving my brother and I hot buttered rum sans the rum; basically hot water mixed with hot buttered rum mix (ie: brown sugar, spices, and vanilla ice cream). We were too young to have the alcoholic version of the drink and, to be honest, I was still legally too young when I had my first alcoholic version of hot buttered rum. There was only half a shot of rum at best in the entire drink, but it still made me feel pretty cocky to be drinking alcohol like bad ass (what can I say: I was a middle-schooler). When the creamy sweet drink hit my tongue followed by the unfamiliar bite of rum, I could feel the warmth travel down into my chest as my face grew more and more rosy with each sip. That particular Christmas morning was filled with random giggles, sleepy firelight, and a goofy grin I just couldn't explain.

So why is it called hot buttered rum? The brown sugar mix that you buy in stores tastes nothing like butter. Is there even butter in it? Don't get me wrong, it's friggan delicious! But I couldn't understand why it was called hot buttered rum when butter seemingly had nothing to do with this particular concoction. In order to answer that question, one must rewind back to the 1650s when Colonial America first started distilling rum from molasses imports. When hot buttered rum was originally made, it had very few ingredients. Typically it contained nothing more than: rum, hot water, sugar, butter, and nutmeg (or other mulling spices). That's it. Hey, what do ya know! It contains hot butter and rum; now the name makes sense, right? Today's modernized version is way more sweet and rich than it's original predecessor, now comprised of heavy amounts of brown sugar, spices, and ice cream. As our modern "hot buttered rum" leans dangerously in the territory of being a melted milkshake with rum, the original festive beverage is nearly all but extinct.

This winter, I decided to forgo the modern version of hot buttered rum and give the ol' original recipe a try. Although this recipe tastes almost nothing like today's hot buttered rum, it isn't nearly as overly sweet, and it has an alcoholic kick that will certainly leave you feeling warm on a cold winter's night! Although Spring is quickly approaching, there are still plenty of cold days left to give this recipe a try. So if you are brave enough to ditch today's standards for hot buttered rum and mix up a cup of true history, give this recipe a try.

Hot Buttered Rum

Ingredients:

1 tsp. brown sugar

boiling water

1 jigger rum

1 pat unsalted butter (plus a little extra to butter the inside of the mug)

nutmeg

Butter the inside of a mug. Drop in sugar, fill not quite half full with boiling water, add the rum and pat of butter, and stir. Grate nutmeg over the top. This makes one portion.

Pesto Sauce

I was a junior in high school when I got my first job. I was a line cook at a little hole-in-the-wall pizzeria. The entire restaurant was no bigger than my current living room, I had to work 10 hour shifts in the summer standing next to a 475 degree industrial oven, the restaurant only had one door and no windows (which I'm pretty sure breaks a few fire code laws), and even on my days off I still couldn't get the smell of pizza out of my hair. But it paid me enough to have gas for my beater car, and I could have as much free pizza as I wanted during my shift. So, as a hungry freedom-seeking teenager, it was the best job in the world.

As part of my job as a line cook, it was my responsibility to make extra sauces and restock all the toppings in between the lunch and dinner rush. I made every pizza sauce known to man: classic marinara, spicy red sauce, garlic herb, creamy Alfredo, BBQ sauce, and of course pesto sauce. Out of all the sauces, I absolutely loved making pesto sauce the most. My hands would become saturated in the intoxicating aroma of fresh basil leaves, causing me to, rather awkwardly, sniff my hands throughout the day followed by a deep sigh of relaxation. (Whatever! I was a teenager. I already confused and scared people. Why not tack on "creepy hand-sniffer" to my title as weird teenager?) The best part about pesto was, not only did it make a unique pizza sauce, but it blended beautifully with our garlic cream sauce as well (great for pasta or pizza). It was amazing on toasted sub sandwiches, and it elevated something as simple as a grilled cheese sandwich. It could be baked on chicken or salmon, and, when mixed with mayonnaise, it was fantastic on cold sandwiches and wraps. You could also mix some pesto in with some ranch dressing to make for one epic salad. (Cobb salads are amazing with pesto ranch, just so you know. ^_^)

To this day, after harvesting basil from my garden, I can still be found sniffing my hands as I whip up a big batch of pesto. If you give this recipe a try, you should also know that pesto freezes really well. You can use freezer bags that have been vacuum sealed. Or, you can also pour the pesto into an ice cube tray, freeze the pesto until it sets, and then dump the pesto cubes into a larger freezer bag. That way, when you need some pesto for a recipe, you can simply thaw out a couple cubes at a time rather than having to defrost an entire bag.

Pesto
Ingredients:
3 cups basil leaves
4 cloves garlic, chopped
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups pine nuts or walnuts
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Process basil, garlic, and nuts together in a food processor fitted with a steel blade or in a blender until finely chopped. With machine running, pour in the oil in a thin, steady stream. Add the cheese and salt. Process briefly to combine. Remove to a bowl and cover until ready to use.

Refrigerate leftovers. Keeps for two weeks.

*Optional variation: substitute basil with fresh sage leaves.
**Sage pesto has a rich flavor that goes beautifully with poultry. Mix it in with scrambled eggs and Swiss cheese, or spread it on top of raw chicken breasts before baking in the oven.

My son was quite impressed with our basil harvest!

Granola

Nothing says nutritional breakfast like a big ol' bowl of granola. And nothing says sweet and crunchy lunch like a big ol' bowl of granola. And nothing says easy delicious dinner like a big ol' bowl of granola. And ya know what makes a really simple but filling snack? Yup! You guessed it: granola! 

Okay, so maybe not everybody loves granola as much as I do. During my collage years, when dorm life denied me constant access to a kitchen, I pretty much lived off of granola. With it coming in all different variations of flavors and mix-ins, I never grew bored of my breakfast heavy diet. (Not that I'm suggesting anyone should ever live solely off of cereal. EAT YOUR VEGGIES!!!) And since granola is typically protein packed, a little went a long way in satiating my hunger.

But what is better than eating ridiculous amounts of granola? Making ridiculous amounts of granola! Today, for the first time ever, I am going to share my all-time favorite recipe. A recipe I have kept locked away in my vault for safe keeping for over 10 years, helping me to create granola that has won over cereal lovers time and time again. The granola recipe I am posting here today is a great base recipe, but the variations you can create with it are endless. Depending on your own personal tastes, you can customize this recipe to create your own unique combo of flavors you can't find in a store. So please, please, please have fun with this recipe! And when you do, I would love to hear about the flavor fusions you have created, so please comment below on what delicious combinations you come up with.

After the basic recipe, I will also post a few suggestions for variations you can make that I have tried and loved! So here you go, my secret, favorite, most sacred recipe: granola!

Tasty Spoon's Homemade Granola

Ingredients:

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

5 cups oatmeal (old fashioned. NOT instant!)

1/2 cup dry instant milk

3 tablespoons ground flax seed

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Pinch of salt

*3/4 cup dried fruit & nuts

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Mix brown sugar, oil, and honey in a saucepan. Heat until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Combine dry ingredients in a large cake pan. Pour sugar mixture over dry mixture and stir to combine until almost all ingredients are moist (don't worry if it doesn't cover all the oats 100% yet. It will after it bakes in the oven). Mix in dried fruit.

Bake at 325 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Stir the granola and return to the oven. Bake for another 10-15 minutes. Repeat this process, stirring every 10-15 minutes, for 3-4 more times or until all the granola is golden brown.

Let the granola cool in the pan, stirring occasionally to avoid clumping as it cools. Store in an airtight container.

*Suggestions for dried fruit and nut combinations (these are ones I really enjoy): 

-raisins and walnuts

-blueberry and almonds

-walnuts and dried cranberries

-pistachios and broken up banana chips

-almond and dried coconut

-ginger and walnut (double the ground ginger in the recipe, plus add about 1/4 cup of chopped up candied ginger for a stronger flavor)

-almond and dark chocolate

A few other variations that I love are:

Peanut Butter Granola:

Add 1 cup of creamy peanut butter to the sugar mixture. Then add 1 cup of roasted peanuts in place of dried fruits. Continue recipe as described above.

Orange Cranberry Walnut Granola:

Add the juice of one large orange to the sugar mixture. Then add walnuts, dried cranberries, and 2 Tbl orange zest to the dry mixture. Continue recipe as described above.