Guilt-free Baked Goods..Even for the Vegan at Heart

So i saw a special on this bakery in New York called Babycakes. Like me, Erin Mckenna discovered she had a sensitivity to wheat,dairy,etc (although i am still stubborn and eat it). So she's created all these baked goods using everything from garbanzo bean flour and all natural sweeteners like agave nectar

She also put out a cookbook so you know what i am heading to the nearest Barnes for....

or click here to purchase So perphaps this holiday season you can feel a little less guilt, have a lot less allergies (thannnk God!!!) and make that Vegan in your life a little more happy. And if you wantt o know more about the ingredients that are used click here. Most of these can be found at your local Whole Foods or natural foods grocery store. Happy baking!

This Year's Thanksgiving Turkey

so honestly...i hate turkey...ok well i don't completely hate it but now that my father has passed it has never been the same to have a HUGE Thanksgiving feast for just me and me mum. Last year's Thanksgiving was me making Ina Garten's (the Barefoot Contessa's) fabulous version of turkey. It was just a boneless turkey breast with fabulous herbs and white wine.

this herb roasted turkey breast turned out soooooooooooooo delicious. This year though i knew Ina would come up with yet another fantastic way to make turkey interesting and this year i am attempting to make her Turkey Roulade....and of course i won't leave out the cognac gravy. Best thing is if there is just two of you it's the perfect size so you don't end up with a huge bird carcass in your fridge for the next few weeks.






COGNAC GRAVY
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter


1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion (2 onions)

1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Defatted turkey drippings plus chicken stock to make 2 cups, heated

1 tablespoon Cognac or brandy

1 tablespoon white wine, optional

1 tablespoon heavy cream, optional

Directions

In a large (10 to 12-inch) saute pan, cook the butter and onions over medium-low heat for 12 to 15 minutes, until the onions are lightly browned. Don't rush this step; it makes all the difference when the onions are well-cooked.
Sprinkle the flour into the pan, whisk in, then add the salt and pepper. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the hot chicken stock mixture and Cognac, and cook uncovered for 4 to 5 minutes until thickened. Add the wine and cream, if desired. Season, to taste, and serve.

Chocohotpots

The weather is starting to get chilly and there's nothing like staying in at night with a delicious flick and a wondrously comforting and warm Chocohotopot. I learned to make these from watching Nigella and they are soooooo easy. You have a nice chocolate cake texture surrounding this steaming molten hot goo of deep dark chocolate and nothing else tops it better then som fresh whip cream. The recipe makes 4 and i like to let the ramekins cool off after i fill them and put each one into a sandwhich sized Ziploc bag and put them in the fridge so all i have to do is pull one out, let the oven heat up and then pop one in and within 20 minutes i have something hot and decadent to spoil myself with. I usually keep them up to two weeks in the fridge....but i usually end up eating them way before then. :)

1 stick plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter


4 ounces semisweet chocolate, with 60 percent cocoa solids

2 eggs

3/4 cup superfine sugar

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour



Special equipment: 4 (2/3 to 1-cup capacity) ramekins

Directions

Place a baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.
Butter the ramekins with 1 tablespoon butter.
Either in a microwave or in a bowl suspended over a pan over simmering water, melt the dark chocolate and 1 stick butter, then set aside to cool a little.In another bowl, mix the eggs with the sugar and flour with a hand whisk and beat in the cooled butter and chocolate mixture. Divide the mixture between the 4 buttered ramekins. Bake for about 20 minutes, by which time the tops will be cooked and cracked and the chocolate gooey underneath.
Place each ramekin on a small plate with a teaspoon and serve. Make sure to warn people that these desserts will be HOT!

Espresso Worth the $350

Ok so for those of you who genuinely know me..i mean REALLY know me (i'm still working on opening up to most people) you know that i LOVE me a cappuccino. So on my last trip to see the Laker's in Phoenix i had to do my usual rounds at my usual stores...Crate and Barrell being a must everytime (i'm partial tot he one in Kierland Commons). So they had a friendly gal sampling some espresso from a Nespresso Machine. I agreed to try some and immediately i was tripped out at the crema it had on top.

I have bought many an espresso/cappuccino machine and they are such a pain to clean,to set-up and don't get me started on the milk-frother. Well when i found out this machine used a capsule instead of having to use grounds i didn't believe it. The espresso was so deep and rich that i could hardly believe it came from a capsule. Well kiss my grits. Not only that but it comes with a detachable milk frother. All you do is pour the milk in, put it back on the unit, push a damn button and within a minute it froths the milk...without a sound!!!!
Plus it has a separate attachment to just warm the milk and it can do cold froth too for iced lattes (i didn't even know that was possible).

So they have a huge variety of pods varying in strengths and flavors and this machine is remarkable that George Clooney endorses it and even does commercials for it in Europe. What the? So when she told me the price i though for sure i would flinch but when you taste the product you are amazed. With going to Mc Donald's every day i could pay this thing off within 7 months....not to mention the pods come out to 60 cents a cup. For a espresso/cappuccino lover like me??? It's welllll worth the $350. You can get just the espresso machine without the frother but why the hell would you do that! And it comes with a sample of each coffee when you buy it so you can test them out. Yes, you do have to order them online but i still dream about how easy and simple and tasty that machine was. You can get it online at Crate and Barrel or William and Sonoma. The shipping is free and it comes in various colors....and you can order your pods from Nespresso direct. And if something goes wrong with the machine the lady said they will send you a new one. hell I'm sold.Now if i can just convince Santa to go halfers with me.

That's "One Lucky Duck"

I saw this book a while back called Raw Food

 and was curious about. So i picked it up and was curious about all the ingredients and how they make food and nut cheese etc. Long story short, Sarma has gone off and continued to make it a habit of hers with One Lucky Duck.

She also owns Pure Food & Wine in New York.

 She also came out with a new book of her own recently , Living Raw,

with quicker and easier ways to try the raw food lifetsyle and though i must admit i will never go entirely raw i sure am going to try working it into my regimen for the rest of the year. One Lucky Duck is a compant she started where you can get pre-made cookies,

 facial care, ingredients appliances and tools and much more.

So be curious. Try squeezing some raw food into your life. I've replaced over half of my eating habits with it so far and i can seriously feel the difference. i am not sluggish in the afternoons anymore, my eyes don't feel all dry form allergies, and i sleep better. I can't wait to see more results. It IS a bit pricier here and there and i found that preparing and organzing ahead of tme makes it even easier so you should give it a try. If you think about it it's pretty much the way our bodies SHOULD be. whole fresh ingredients and lessof the white flour, sugar and over processed crap. Mind you i'll never give up the beer though. :) I'll be posting some recipes here and there as i experiment with them myself.

Craving Some Arizona?

As if i didn't need another reason to love Arizona (yeah yeah it's getting all this heat because it's governor is f%$#@ up. Don't p unish the whole state..geeez). The CRAVE fest is coming up soon near end of October so check out the link and buy your tickets now. Mind you it will be near the Fashion Square so you can get your shopping on at William and Sonoma as well.

Stop Wining Already!

I like wine..not as much as i like beer but i still enjoy a good red. Here are some tantilizing treats for the wine lover in your life.
Root of the Earth Wine Caddy for a decent $39

Or a Riddler's Wine Rack?

or my personal favorite, the Wine Barrel Chiller

or for a fabulous $12 you can be a dirty birdy with the Happy Guy Wine holder

For Fellow Cheese Lovers

If you love cheese like me, and boy do i love it....i stumbled across some fabulous ways to share and display the great gift from the dairy gods. (if you're lactose intollerant BOY do i feel for you right now :(

To educate and inform...the Slate Cheese Board Set. A brilliant idea for parties or if you own a restaraunt but an investment at $69

Or if you're the more eco friendly earthly type perphaps on a piece of nature for $59 with the Root of the Earth Board?

a tad bit more eccentric and creative and perphaps wantt o give your guest a challenge after they've drunk too much wine? How about the Puzzle Board for $59

May the Force Be With Your Lunch

Whether you have a little kid and want to spice up their lunch OR you're still the kid and want to be the envy of the office now you can. William and Sonoma has a Stars Wars Vintage tin filled with sandwich cutters to make that PB & J seem a little more appealing.

So for $29.95 you can have the force with you as well as something to carry it in.

Or perhaps some Storm Trooper shaped pancakes (Storm Troopers turn me on for some strange reason). I think the Yoda's are a bit scary.

Or if you are into cookies well i'm sure Darth Vader is at this point too.

So may the force be with your lunch...and breakfast...and tea time, courtesy of William & Sonoma.

Some Stuff is Better in Brooklyn

Sometimes i don;t care if i have to get online to order something from out of state. It makes me feel special, curious,etc. How often can one say they ate a marshmallow from Brooklyn today? Anyone? So let me introduce you to Whimsy and Spice.

do you like biscotti?

brownies?

have you ever had a REAL handmade marshmallow?

you can order goodies online.

perphaps a deluxe sampler gift box (shown below) for $48

or homemade marshmallows made in six different flavors?

whatever tickles your sweet tooth perhaps you should spoil yourself with a lil bit of Brooklyn? dontcha think?

BENTO boxes

What is a Bento lunch you ask?

Well according to Wikipedia ....."  Bento (弁当, bentō?)[1] is a single-portion takeout or home-packed meal common in Japanese cuisine. A traditional bento consists of rice, fish or meat, and one or more pickled or cooked vegetables, usually in a box-shaped container. Containers range from disposable mass produced to hand crafted lacquerware. Although bento are readily available in many places throughout Japan, including convenience stores, bento shops (弁当屋, bentō-ya?), train stations, and department stores, it is still common for Japanese homemakers to spend time and energy for their spouse, child, or themselves producing a carefully prepared lunch box."

"Bento can be very elaborately arranged in a style called kyaraben or "character bento". Kyaraben is typically decorated to look like popular Japanese cartoon characters (anime), characters from comic books (manga), or video game characters. Another popular bento style is "oekakiben" or "picture bento", which is decorated to look like people, animals, buildings and monuments, or items such as flowers and plants. Contests are often held where bento arrangers compete for the most aesthetically pleasing arrangements."

So where can you get a Bento box? try http://bentosets.com/. Also there's or Laptop Lunches and  buyasian4life. You can even get a playset for your little one. I kinda think they're perfect because they are just the right amount of food. A little protein, a little starch.Here are  some more places to buy a bento set:

• http://www.jbox.com/TOPPROD/BN#BENTO138
• http://home.pronto.com/mpm/shop/boxes-bento/c-v1_4_49_266/psz-0/?adid=1201561759-6460469-0_gs&creativeid=3183823870&ref=boxes+bento&site=
• http://korin.com/s.nl
• http://www.plasticashop.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=P&Product_Code=BNTOBX&Category_Code=KF

It's so amazing how they REALLY get into this. Check out the Hello Kitty bento lunches below: ( not somehting i imagine you men taking to work...LOL)

How Do You Want Your Eggs?

So i was trying to make breakfast for my "boys" (collection of guy friends) and when i asked them how they took their eggs I Just expected to hear "scrambled" but i got "sunny side up", "fried hard", and "poached". Say wuh? I must admit i take pride in being a woman who knows and loves how to cook but i must say i don't know how to cook the full range of eggs. For anyone else out there who doesn't let me enlighten is. LOL
SUNNY SIDE UP: eggs are fried on one side only, with the yolk remaining runny.

FRIED HARD:(BELOW)eggs are fried on both sides with the yolks broken until set or hard...also called "over well" or "over hard".

OVER MEDIUM — cooked on both sides; the yolk is of medium consistency and the egg white is thoroughly cooked.

OVER EASY, also called OVER LIGHT RUNNY— cooked on both sides; the yolk is a thin liquid, while the egg white is partially cooked. "Over easy" fried eggs are also commonly referred to as dippy eggs or dip eggs by Marylanders and by Pennsylvania Dutch persons living in southern Pennsylvania, mainly due to the practice of dipping toast into the yolk while eating.

SCRAMBLED EGGS: when the yolks and whites are beaten together and then cooked.

POACHED EGGS (my dad's favorite)- an egg that has been cooked by poaching, that is, in water. No oil or fat is used in its preparation

they even have special pans to get them just right (see below)

There is also an art to making a perfect omellette. it's all in the timing. My friend Ruli, owner of Ruli's International Kitchen in downtown El Paso, has mastered the art of making the perfect omellette. So if there are anyother ways i have missed out on please comment below and share it. In the meantime my boys are quite happy now that i can accomodate making their various style of eggs. Spoiled brats. LOL