Best Luna Bar Yet!

This is by far my favorite flavor of Luna Bar. I have tried just about every flavor over the past few years and after trying this one I immediately bought another, and... another:) This Chocolate Dipped Coconut Luna Bar tastes like a yummy Girl Scout cookie! 

~L~

Sun-dried tomato rolls (not as good as they sound)

Larissa and I were so busy with shopping, talking, hiking, coloring hair, and doing makeup that by the time we realized we needed to cook it was already getting very late. We decided to make these sun-dried tomato rolls that were good, but not worth the 4 hours of effort! Maybe we are not cut out yet (nor have the patience for) for the joys of yeast baking quite yet. And yes, there were a few minor slip-ups here and there (like forgetting to "brush with milk) therefore I may try these again someday when I have many countless hours to spend in the kitchen.

Recipe: 1/2 cup butter, melted, cooled slightly, plus extra for greasing

1 1/2 cups strong white bread flour plus extra for dusting

1/2 tsp salt

1 envelope active dry yeast

3 tbsp lukewarm milk

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 3/4 oz. sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and finely chopped

milk for brushing

1. Lightly grease a cookie sheet with a little butter

2. Strain the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the dry yeast then pour in the melted butter, milk, and eggs. Bring together to form a dough.

3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and knead for about 5 minutes, until smooth. Alternatively, use an electric mixer with a dough hook.

4. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for 1-1 1/2 hours, or until the dough has doubled in size.

5. Punch down the dough for 2-3 minutes. Knead the sun-dried tomatoes into the dough, sprinkling the counter with extra flour, because the tomatoes are oily.

6. Divide the dough into 8 even-size balls and place them on the prepared cookie sheet. Cover and let rise for about 30 minutes, or until the rolls have doubled in size.

7. Brush the rolls with milk and bake in a preheated oven, 450 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until they are brown.

8. Transfer the tomato rolls to a wire rack to let cool slightly before serving.

Alright, I have officially decided I am making these again. As I typed the recipe up, I realized there were several minor mistakes made. I will make them again tonight and tell you how they turn out!

~~A~~

Coconut Flapjacks (better tasting than they sound!)

Horray, Larissa came to visit me! We knew it wouldn't be right for the two Cuties to spend 3 days together and not get in the kitchen...SO, we made a few things. One of them was Coconut Flapjacks and as you can see by the blog title, they are much better tasting than they sound.

Recipe:

1 cup butter, plus extra for greasing

1 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp light corn syrup

3.5 cups rolled oats

1 cup dry unsweetened coconut (we used sweetened and they turned out really good)

1 bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Lightly grease a 12X9 inch pan with butter.

2. Heat the butter, brown sugar, and light corn syrup in a large pan over low heat until just melted.

3. Stir in the oats and shredded coconut and mis well until evenly combined.

4. Place the mixutre on the prepared pan. Spread evenly across the cookie sheet and level the surface by pressing with a spatula.

5. Bake the flapjack in a preheated oven at 325 degrees for about 30 minutes or until golden.

6. Meanwhile in a double boiler melt the chocolate chips, stirring constantly. When the flapjacks are done, pour the melted chocolate on top and spread evenly. (Or if you don't have a double boiler, you can improvise like me with a small skillet balancing on top of a saucepan, be careful!)

7. Let it fully cool for about 1-2 hours (you can cover it and put it in the refrigerator)

The best thing about these is that they are FAST! Besides the cooling part, they can be done and in the oven in a matter of seconds so they are good if you need a quick sweet treat, like I need a lot!

In my opinion these are much better than oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and beware, you will need milk when you eat these!

~~A~~

Prayers to Japan & Italian Bread Pudding

I LOVE bread pudding but I (unlike most people) do not like it with raisens in it (which is very rare to find). For my last birthday my mom made me some bread pudding without raisens just especially for me and it was wonderful. That's why this recipe appealed to me so much. I made this recipe as I send hope, prayers and my heart to all the victims in Japan. I am thankful that I have the ability to make this when so many others can not afford this luxury.

Recipe: 

butter for greasing

2 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into rings (you may need more depending on the size of your baking dish)

generous 1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 tbsp white wine

3 1/2 oz. bread, sliced with crusts removed (slightly stale French baguette is ideal)

1 1/4 cups light cream

2 eggs, beaten

pared rind of 1 orange, cut into thin sticks

1. Grease a 5 cup ovenproof dish (I just used the good ol' 16 inch baking pan that I use for everything)

2. Arrange the apple rings across the base of the dish, overlapping them, then sprinkle half of the sugar over the apples. 

3. Pour the wine over the apples. Add the bread slices, pushing them down with your hands to flatten them slightly. 

4. Mix the cream with the eggs, the remaining sugar, and the orange rind and pour the mixture over the bread. Set aside to soak for 30 minutes.

5. Bake the bread pudding in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes, until golden brown and set. Remove and serve warm. 

Now, I was using a much larger casserole dish than what was called for so I ended up using an entire baguette, an extra egg, an extra 1/2 cup of cream, a little more sugar, and a little more wine; I also used less orange rind than was called for (just personal preference). Overall, it turned out very well. Different, non-traditional, unique, and almost tastes a little bit like Fruit Loops (strange I know~!) I served it with the rest of the white wine and it was a great late night dessert. God Bless Japan and all the victims and their families. ~~A~~

Coffee cake, not so good

Have you ever made something, following the recipe perfectly and it didn't turn out well? Part of the ups and downs of becoming a GOOD Cutie in the Kitchen is Trial and Error. Well that is what happened with the Coffee Streusel Cake from the Greatest Ever Baking cookbook. It sounded so delicious, my boyfriend was excited about it, and the pictures of it looked great.... Not to mention, all coffee cakes have always made me drool; from Entenmann's as a child from the grocery store to the Seinfeld episode about Drake's...I love coffee cake! I am a little sad that this recipe turned out so undesirable. Maybe someone else can try it out and see if they liked it.

Recipe:

1/2 cup butter, melted, cooled, plus extra for greasing

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1/3 cup superfine sugar (I used regular granulated, maybe that's where I went wrong)

2/3 cup milk

2 eggs

2 tbsp instant coffee mixed with 1 tbsp boiling water

1/3 cup chopped almonds

confectioners' sugar for dusting

TOPPING

1/2 cup self rising flour

1/3 cup raw brown sugar

2 tbsp butter, diced

1 tsp ground allspice

1 tbsp water

1. Grease a 9 inch round spring foam cake pan with butter and line w/ parchment paper. Strain the floura nd baking powder into a mixing bowl, then stir in superfine sugar. 

2. Whisk the milk, eggs, melted butter, and coffee mixture together and pour onto the dry ingredients. Add the chopped almonds and mix lightly together. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan. 

3. To make the topping, combine the flour and raw brown sugar in a bowl. 

4. Rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Sprinkle in the allspice and water and bring the mixture into loose crumbs. Sprinkle evenly over the cake batter. 

5. Bake the cake in a 375 degree oven for about 40-50 minutes. Cover loosely with foil if the topping starts to brown too quickly. Let the cake cool in the pain, then turn out, dust with confectioners' sugar, and serve. 

LOL, Okay so this is the worlds WORST picture of a half cut up cake covered in saran wrap, but I wasn't going to make it look all cute when I didn't like how it tasted!

Okay so first off, I didn't use "superfine sugar", "raw brown sugar" or a round 9" cake pan; this may be why it did not taste so great to me. You would think that using granulated sugar, regular light brown sugar, and a rectangle cake pan wouldn't make that much difference, but I tell you, this has led me to going on a new misson....A mission to find a great coffee cake recipe. I will find one that is great and let you all know where I find it! Until next time....I've got a large coffee cake on my hands to eat! ~~A~~

Late night snack...?

Okay, the truth is, I didn't get around to making dinner until 10:00pm and after all the cooking was completed it wasn't until midnight! So I call this a gourmet late night snack (sure, my Shugy bear was starving, but it all turned out great). (Oh, and in case you're wondering who the heck Shugy bear is, its my boyfriend, and its pronounced like "Sugar" only with an 'y' sound at the end). So here it is: Sweet Mashed Potatoes, Mini Cheese and Onion Tarts, soup (not homemade), and toast!

The Sweet Mashed Potatoes came from my mom's boyfriend's recipe. One night, back in Phoenix, he came over and made the most incredible sweet mashed potatoes I'd ever had. I typically don't like my sweet potatoes loaded with various sugars, marshmellows, etc., I generally just like salt. But these, are a perfect combination of sweet and salty flavors.

Recipe:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter; cut into 4 pieces

2 tablespoons heavy cream (I used half and half to save a few calories and they still taste great)

1/2 teaspoon table salt

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

2 large or 3 medium-small potatoes (I used 6 very small, skinny ones)

pinch of black pepper

1. Combine all ingredients (except pepper) into a medium to large sized saucepan; cook, covered, over low heat, stirring occasionally, until potatoes fall apart when poked with a fork, about 35-45 minutes. You may need to increase to medium if they are not breaking down.

2. Off heat, mash sweet potatoes with a potato masher. In my case, I just kept stirring and mashing as it cooked (with a whisk because I don't have an electric mixer) until it was smooth. Stir in pepper; serve immediately. 

In the meantime, while those were cooking, I started on the "Mini Cheese and Onion Tarts", also known as mini quiches! 

Dough: 

3/4 cup all purpose flour, plus extra for dusting

1/4 teaspoon salt

5 1/2 tablespoons butter, diced

2 tablespoons water

Filling:

1 egg, beaten

generous 1/3 cup of light cream (I used half and half)

1/2 cup grated jack or colby cheese (I used half monterey and half colby jack)

3 scallions, finely chopped

salt

cayenne pepper

1. To make the dough, put flour and butter into mixing bowl, add the butter and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Stir in the water, bring together to form a dough, and shape into a ball. Cover with plastic and chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

2. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured counter. Stamp out 12 circles from the dough using a 3-inch cookie cuter and use them to line a muffin pan. In my case, I pressed it out because I don't have a rolling pin, and I used a wine glass because I don't have a cookie cutter! Hey, you gotta improvise when you're a beginner! It's okay that they don't cover the whole cup.

3. To make filling, whisk the beaten egg, cream, grated cheese, and scallions together. Season to taste with salt and cayenne pepper. 

4. Scoop just enough filling to fill each tart shell (about an 1/8 cup each) and bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes, or until the filling is just set. Serve hot, or let cool on wire rack. 

 Yes, it was undoubtedly a random late night snack, but with a bowl of soup it went together just great! I highly recommend both. The potatoes came from Max Bessler who got it from "Cook's Illustrated", and the mini tarts came from my "Greatest Ever Baking" cookbook. ~~A~~

The Sissy came to Visit!

My sister Amanda (whom I refer to as Sissy) came to visit me. She was my first visitor since I moved to Los Angeles! We did many fun things including going to Mad Bull's Tavern, PF Changs and Cafe 50's in Sherman Oaks, Mozza in Hollywood, Jinky's Cafe in Santa Monica, Starbucks and a Country market in Malibu, 2 movies at 2 different Arc Light theaters (The King's Speech and Hall Pass), a brief and chilly visit to the beach, a tour of the National Historic Landmark "The Gamble House" in Pasadena (and a stop at my all time favorite Rubios and the discovery of an AWESOME store called Swain's)!!! I bought a coffee mug for my grandpa and a few books for my darling niece Annabelle. Amanda bought several souvenirs including a decorative (and expensive) vase, a necklace for me, a few books, and some art supplies.

At Mad Bull's

At the Santa Monica pier (very cold!)

 Amanda in front of the Gamble House

We were trying to capture the gorgeous pink flowers behind us that looked like roses (but weren't). They were sooo pretty. (Also at the Gamble House). I was very appreciative and thankful that my Sissy came to visit me and I love her very much. Thanks for the necklace!

~~A~~

Shrimp Stir-Fry

Looking for a fast, healthy and easy dinner? Well this is a favorite of mine. 

...and some plum wine :)

~L~

Weekend Breakfast

Trader Joes Mini Croissants and Chocolate Croissants are tasty and easy. 

They are tiny when you take them out of the package the night before.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and place croissants a few inches apart from each other. 

Its crazy to see how much they rise over night! Bake them for about 20 minutes and enjoy:)

~L~

Rigatoni Arrabiata

This arrabiata pasta sauce from Trader Joe's is a little spicy and adds a kick to your pasta marinara. Its a quick dinner to make when returning from a late night of work or class. Changing up the type of pasta you use can spruce up a simple sauce, this time I tried rigatoni. 

Ohh Steven, open your eyes;D

~L~

Sake Bomber Saturday

I thought these pics were funny:P

~L~

Coffee Coffee Coffee

The Keurig single cup coffee machine is fast, easy, and it taste just right every time! My favorite k-cups (so far) are Emeril's Big Easy bold, Green Mountain Dark Magic extra bold and Diedrich French Roast.

I love it!

~L~

Chicken Enchiladas (semi low fat)

I have been wanting to make these "low fat" chicken enchiladas (that my sister recommends) for practically months now and have finally gotten the chance. Besides the shredding of the chicken taking forever, messing up on the order of the layers, and having to go to the grocery store half way through the preperation, they turned out GREAT!!!

2 cans of 98% fat free cream of chicken soup

1 16 oz. container of lite sour cream

1 cup of chicken broth (I accidentally put in a whole can)

8 cups sharp cheddar cheese

2 small cans chopped green onion

3-4 chicken breasts

corn tortialls (yellow or white)

1 small onion

salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste

[I prepared my chicken in a taco seasoning packet to add extra flavor]

Cook and shred chicken. Put all liquid ingredients (including sour cream), chiles, and onion into a pot and simmer on low so its warm when you prepare the dish. Grease a pan (casserole dish) (I forgot to do this step)....As you will start to notice, I mess up a lot when I cook, but it always turns out good anyways! Scoop a small layer of liquid into bottom of pan, then layer tortillas, then chicken, then cheese, and repeat (sauce, tortillas, chicken, and ending with cheese on top).



I forgot a layer of tortillas in the middle which got me very distressed temporarily! Put in a 350 degree oven until cheese is melted on top. Approximatley 30 minutes. Typically I end up with extra sauce that tastes delicious and I have no idea what to do with. And don't forget a little creative inspiration!

And Voila! Amazing Enchiladas!

~~A~~

Perfect Weather

The weather these past few days has been just wonderful. 

March is the perfect time to start hiking! 

This pic was taken last March, hiking behind Andrea house. 

~L~

Bowl of Soup

Trader Joe's, Organic Tomato & Roasted Red Pepper Soup is one of my favorite pre-made soups. 

Its more exciting then a bowl of plain tomato soup!

  I like to sprinkle some parmesan cheese and fresh ground pepper on top.  

(I prefer the original over the low sodium option, for its richer flavor)

 I also, toasted up a few sliced almonds for my salad.

...and used the (over ripe) blueberries in my fridge to make a dessert smoothie:)

~L~