Liqueur Crush

I have been stalking and have a crush on these two unique liqueurs.

Rhubarb liqueur
I'm obsessed with rhubarb. Watch this cute video on Rhuby, a craft liquor by Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction.

via Philly.com

Violet Liqueur
My other obsession this spring are violets. I love the smell, and if you recall, I also posted about my cute spring vignette in 2011, and 2012.

I've found three similar products: 

Creme Yvette, which seems to be the most strongly branded, and reminds me of Chambord for some reason (perhaps the french accent, and elegant website?). Seeminly only available for purchase in Manhattan.

Creme de violette, by Monin, a slightly less expensive option and probably best for my future baking. I've spotted this at my local liquor store.

Violet Liqueur, by The Bitter Truth.



Would you try these craft cocktails with me? Or do you prefer the classics?

How to peel a mango

Recently, I discovered my love for mangoes, and the way I get an allergic reaction on my lip when I eat them. I live on the wild side.

I also have a certain distaste for one-trick utensils in the kitchen. I know I'm not alone in this feeling.

I enjoy mangoes so much that I've flirted with the idea of buying a mango splitter, but it would break  my rule against one-trick utensils.

Then, I discovered a great "tutorial" on how to properly cut a mango with just a knife. I'm sure I found it in one of my Google Reader blogs.

No need for a special implement! I was very excited to find this and wanted to share it. Now you don't have to waste a lot of the fruit by throwing it out, or gnawing on the flesh-covered seed like a small woodland creature.

First-time jelly roll-er

I have been fascinated by jelly rolls for a long time. For their vintage appeal. For the word jelly in the name. For the confusion they create because the pan in which you bake them looks exactly like a cookie sheet.

 In my ongoing quest to test all of the magazine recipe rip-outs that are bulging from my "baking folder," I pulled this beauty back in October. It is a pumpkin jelly roll recipe from Libby, makers of the famous pumpkin puree. After reading the recipe, I realized a jelly roll is just a twist on a basic cake recipe. Same ingredients, just a few different techniques to make it look fancy.

After mixing the batter, you spread it into a jelly roll pan, fitted with parchment (I used my trusty Silpat instead). After baking for a short amount of time, you prep a kitchen towel by sprinkling it with powered sugar (read: make a mess). Then you masterfully flip it out of the pan, onto the kitchen towel, and roll it up tightly and evenly (more difficult than you might think, especially if you are the type of person who has trouble cutting in a straight line) and let it cool.

After you make the filling (basically just cream cheese frosting), unroll the cake.


 

 Then you spread out the filling evenly, leaving an inch border. The tricky, hold-your-breath part comes next.

Roll it up tight and evenly, and quickly wrap it in plastic wrap and throw it in the fridge to let it set. It will firm up and be easier to cut.

In the end, it tasted nice, but wasn't anything special. I fear I'm becoming a bit of a snob because I wouldn't make this recipe again. I could just as easily make pumpkin muffins, cake, or cookies with this flavor profile.  I think I can safely file this with my completed challenges.

SOBE wine and food fest

Ever since my sister moved to Miami Beach a couple of years ago, I knew I would one day want to attend the SOBE (southbeach) Wine and Food Fest. They set up grand white tents on the equally white beach sand, and feature culinary demonstrations and tasting events, many taught by Food Network personalities.

This year N and I were able to plan a trip down in late February, and purchased tickets along with my sister to the event. The tickets were pretty pricey but we decided that it was probably a once in a lifetime event to attend.

Here, we've already entered the event, and are able to visit the tasting village.
Did I mention that I almost passed out? My excuses are heat and dehydration.

The event hosted several well known chefs.
We stopped and watched Andrew Zimmern cook some octopus.

I was disappointed to see that they changed the demonstration agenda, and Giada was not on the Saturday lineup!

Overall, it was an interesting experience. We got to sample cheese, chocolate, sliders, beer, liquor, all while trying to walk among a pack of wolves who had never seen food before. Seriously. These people paid $200+ per ticket and were acting like it was a free buffet. We quickly channeled are our inner calm, and vowed that we wouldn't need to return to this event!

Check back this week for more adventures from our trip to Miami.

Favorite salad

Several years ago, I realized that the trick to get me interested in eating salads regularly was to stay away from the regular old iceberg/tomato/cucumber/italian dressing combo.

Let me introduce you to my new favorite salad.

Romaine, baby spinach, cherry tomatoes, red onion, gorgonzola, kalamata olives, and light balsamic dressing.

To-die-for.

What are your favorite salad toppings?

Good Cookbook

The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Cookbook.

This is in stark contrast to my previous cranky cookbook post.

Another library lend, this book is fantastic! They are artsy, hipster, without being forced. Almost all recipes fit on one page (all the more easier to photcopy or scan), and they have lovely, vivid photography of their farm and farmhouse in upstate new york. What's not to love?

They even have a recipe for Utica green. Be still my heart.

Highly recommend checking out this cookbook for its beautiful photography and down-to-earth instructions and approach. They even have adorable little rooster and crow illustrations. AND they leave a placeholder open for "notes" for each of the recipes. Done.

Kitchenaid Mixer review

I was recently asked my opinion of my Kitchenaid mixer. As I wrote the email and pushed "send" I realized it was quite well written. And hey, who doesn't love to recycle content (she says as if she were at work)?

So, if you're in the market for a stand mixer, read on!

I own the 325 watt, 5 Qt model, (KSM150) Kitchenaid mixer in basic white. It works great and does just what I need; I've never had a dough that it couldn't handle. I do love it, and there really aren't any drawbacks that I've experienced. I've had it for 2 or 3 years now, and probably use it 1-2x/month without any problems.

I know Kitchenaid has some other "professional" models, but I'm rarely one to buy the "top of the line" for my hobbies just to say I have "top of the line" when their basic models are perfect for what I need. There's other brands of course, like Cuisinart and maybe even Breville--but I think that is sacrilegious. KitchenAid is the one and only way to go in my book.

Accessories: my model came with: regular beater, whisk beater, and dough hook; the stainless steel 5qt bowl. The other accessories that are handy for me: the plastic pouring shield (a luxury, not a necessity), and a smaller stainless bowl (again, a luxury, and nice for making frosting and not having to wash the batter bowl immediately!). I also have a fabric cover so that it doesn't get dusty/dirty when not in use (I love its practicality, but it seems like such a grandmotherly thing to have!)

Attachments: I don't have any now, but I've been stalking their pasta-maker attachment. I think they also have a meat grinder, ice cream maker and fruit juicer attachments.

I hope you at least get a chuckle and find this mildly useful.

Zucchini pancakes

I found a wonderful recipe from Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa. My mom gave me a huge homegrown zucchini from my Uncle Butch's garden in upstate new york.

These buggers were a bit tricky. First of all, zucchini is really wet. Next time, I need to sweat it out ahead of time. I added a lot more onion than the recipe called for, too, to add some extra zip.

I found out that I need to get the pan really really really hot, to get a nice char crisp on them. I had to throw a few away because they were too mushy, with too much butter/oil.
Who knew you could add too much ?

I ended up eating them with salt, pepper, sour cream, and a side of applesauce. It just felt like the Slavic thing to do. Those eastern europeans know what they're talking about!Do you have any tricks on how to make really crispy pancakes, or how to sweat produce like zucchini or even eggplant?

Mixology

With the summer days winding down, I've been exploring the world of mixology. My tried and true vodka tonic still holds a place in my heart, but I've been ripping out more and more cocktail recipes from magazines.

With my recent fascination with rhubarb, I was exited to find a rhubarb margarita recipe. Unfortunately, I don't have access to shaved ice, so I figured I'd just make it on the rocks (over ice, instead of frozen.)

The key to this recipe is making a batch of rhubarb simple syrup; equal parts sugar, water, and some chopped up rhubarb. Simmer this for about 10 minutes and you're left with a sweet simple syrup. Strain to remove the leftover pulp. Making the rest of the margarita is easy.

Take your friendly cocktail shaker, add some tequila, triple sec, and rhubarb simple syrup and a couple of ice cubes. Shake until a frost appears on the outside of the shaker, and strain into your glass. Add ice cubes and rim with salt if preferred. Top with a dash of club soda or sparkling water, and you're all set.
This little picture kind of makes me sad because it looks plain (and because I forgot to rim with salt). So I need your help in brainstorming a good garnish for this. I like the idea of adding rhubarb, but those stalks are not the most appealing to look at. Perhaps a slice of orange?

Baking class x2

The weekend directly after Chicago, I went with Miss Bibliophile to two places well known to foodies: Stonewall Kitchen in Maine, and King Arthur Flour in Vermont. We planned it as a weekend extravaganza.

On Saturday at Stonewall, we participated in a demo class with Joanne Chang of Flour fame in Boston.
I received her cookbook for my birthday and was eager to learn how to make her homemade pop-tarts and oreo cookies!

After that we had a short drive over to Vermont to King Arthur Flour.

On Sunday we took a hands-on class called Bread 101. Neither Miss Bibliophile nor I had ever attempted bread, so this was our inauguration into the world of yeast.

Besides having hot flashes and almost passing out, and staring at my bench-neighbors disgustingly flaky and cracked man-toenails, it was a successful class.

And the best part of it meant that we were able to take home our goodies--scones and bread!
Our resident squirrels also enjoyed the baked treats, and requested that I try making a pumpernickel loaf next time.

Independence Day

On the eve of Independence day, I made us a fresh and light dinner after a sticky and hot day. I realized that this dish has a cute "red white and blue" theme to it.

This was my attempt at a twist on a caprese dish. Call it whatever you want--eggplant napoleon, caprese salad--- it was tasty! And fancy, too, if you don't mind me saying so.

Ingredients

• eggplant, sauteed with olive oil, salt and pepper until tender
• fresh mozzerella
• tomatoes
• chopped garlic
• sun dried tomato pesto
• basil
• balsamic vinegar

Are you impressed with my food styling skills?

Fancy melted sandwich

A few weeks back, I bought some gruyere to fancy up a meal or two. When the cupboards were a bit empty one night, I decided to scrounge up some dinner, and make a grilled sandwich.

This masterpiece is made with whole wheat bread, Boars Head turkey, bacon, granny smith, and gruyere. Melted on a handy one burner vintage nonstick grill pan from my grandma. This is one of those sandwiches that I would order out at a cafe, and think "hey, I could make this at home" and then forget. This time, inspiration hit! The crisp granny smith added some nice textural crunch, and the bacon added a layer of saltiness that was missing from the turkey. Melted gruyere tied the whole sandwich together. Delicious!

P.S. I do not recommend snacking on cold, non-melted gruyere. It is pungent and nutty and kind of acrid tasting. When melted, it really transforms itself and accents the other flavors in the dish. I definitely learned my beginners lesson!

Whoopie Pies

Honestly, as much as I love cupcakes, I think they've reached their pinnacle. Whoopie pies are the next up-and-coming baked treat. Pennsylvania and Maine both take credit for inventing these pillowed sugary treats.

I've tried baking two different types over the past few months: pumpkin and red velvet. I tested out a homemade recipe to bring to a pumpkin beer tasting event that my friends host each fall.

These babies tasted amazing, but do not represent a real whoopie pie! The cake pillows were not nearly as fluffy as they should've been, and the filling was a bit too thin and runny. They tasted closer to a Little Debbie creme sandwich.

Then for Christmas, N's mom got us a Stonewall Kitchen red velvet whoopie pie mix with the Wilton mold pan. I decided to make them for Valentines day since they are red!
Verdict: the molded pan really helped with forming the doughy, fluffy cakes. The mix for the cream filling was again too sweet and runny. They were moist enough, and the mild sweetness of the red velvet balanced the filling nicely.

Overall, I'm still searching for "the perfect whoopie pie" recipe. I'll have to tackle one from this book that we got for Christmas. What do you think is the next big baked-good craze?

San Francisco

I flew directly from Vancouver to San Francisco. This time, I had a 3 day weekend reprieve for touristy-fun! N met me out there on Friday night, and we had until Tuesday morning to squeeze in as much fun as possible. I had previously been to SF twice before when my sister lived there, but N had never been.

Saturday, it rained cats and dogs, and we walked around the whole day in it. Only a few blocks in, my sneakers were so soaked that we hopped into a Payless shoes store, and found children's rain boots for $20! A small price to pay for dry feet for the rest of the day! The green camouflage size 5's where tres chic. We checked into our hotel, and walked down Market St to the Ferry Building. The Ferry Building has a farmers market and craft fair each Saturday. We browsed through the market stands, and then got ready for a true California burger and fries at Gotts. Delicious! We ordered garlic fries, burger, and diet coke. We sat at the counter and watched our burgers being prepared. What a treat!

After that, we ventured through Chinatown. An amazing spectacle unto itself, it was also the day of the Chinese New Year Parade. So it was jam packed full of street vendors, musicians, and people people people. N got his first taste of Chinatown and the amazing wonders that are sold there. Dried mushrooms? Check. Dried crayfish? Check. Porcelain dishes painted with erotic scenes? Check. Check. We cut through a short alley that I recalled from my previous trips, and stopped into CityLights bookstore, home of the beatnick authors in the 50s. After that we headed back to the hotel, took a short nap, and found a swanky pizza bistro for dinner called ZeroZero.

Sunday, we awoke to sunny blue skies and cool, fresh air. We had 11am reservations to take a Segway Tour at Golden Gate Park. I was familiar with the park since my sister, R, had lived just on the outskirts of the park in the Inner Sunset district. It is a beautiful wonderful park, and is huge! I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that it rivals Central Park. We were excited to try Segways for the first time, too. It was a thorough tour with an friendly tour guide, but I just never quite felt 100% confidant on the stinkin Segway! I think I sweat off a couple of pounds, even though I never fell off! Afterwards, we also hit up the California Academy of Sciences museum and experienced the rainforest, and some beautiful aquarium sea creatures. Oh, and a baby giraffe!

After that, we walked back to our hotel, which was quite a hike. With my blood sugar getting low, we hopped into another joint that N had found rave reviews about:, Saigon Sandwich, and bahn mi, or Vietnamese sandwiches. I got the Chicken bahn mi with spicy pickled vegetables, moist chicken, and tasty sauce. Oh, this was the best new food that I've tried in a looong time. I'm very excited to find a few places near us in Boston's Chinatown.

Monday, we walked down to The Mission district to check out some hipster vintage and curiosity shops. We also found a decent burrito place, a pizza place, and an overrated Tartine Bakery. This chocolate eclair pastry had no flavor! I was so excited to try it, but it didn't live up to the hype. I'm sure their bread is wonderful since that is what they are known for.
Tuesday, our final day of sightseeing sent us back up to the Italian North Beach area to Mama's for brunch, Coit Tower and a spontaneous nose-bleed, overrated-touristy Fisherman's Wharf, The Cannery, and Boudin sourdough bakery. I bought an adorable, mini turtle made out of sourdough! Cute!The rest of the week kept me busy at my conference. The more I visit that city, the more there is to see and experience. I can't wait to go back and visit, even though I was happy to fly Jet Blue home on Saturday morning after 10 days of being away!

Mini Me

I love miniature items. If its small, I like it; and the smaller the better. I loved that Little People Big World Show on TLC, I like small baby shoes (especially Timberlands), and even 1lb bags of flour.

Along my travels for work,in hotels and restaurants, I've come across quite an array of single serving items. I "stole" a small Tabasco bottle that was no larger than my pinky finger, and in Jackson, Mississippi the hotel restaurant was kind enough to "let me borrow" these adorable, and real glass condiment ketchup and mustard set! CUTE!

I've now fully disclosed to my coworker, S, my wierd obesession with miniature items. We're headed to Vancouver and San Francisco later this month, so be on the lookout for future posts where I will share more loot from my trips!

Chicken and Couscous

I'm not very creative in the kitchen, which kind of explains why I love baking. I've heard that cooking is improv, and baking is a science; you have to follow the directions and proportions so that your dessert mixes, rises, bakes, and cools to perfection.

I do feel like I have a single cooking triumph in my repertoire: my chicken and couscous dish.
I cook up 2 boxes of Parmesan coucous, saute a couple of marinated chicken breasts, toss in chopped cucumbers, red onion, grape tomatoes, dried cranberries, and feta....and you're done!

This is one of my favorite summertime dishes...it reheats well, and is equally delicious cold. It also makes a lot, so there's a bunch of leftovers.

Illy and my love affair with the latte

I love coffee, espresso, you name it. During the winter, it warms you up and gives you an extra boost in the morning, or helps you concentrate through the last couple of hours at work.

It's hard to believe that I was first introduced to latte's in college, 11 years ago! I've enjoyed Starbucks latte's for so long, that I decided to include an espresso machine on my wedding registry last year. I excitedly received the gift at my wedding shower from our family friend Mrs. Panels.

As much as I love Starbucks, and still "splurge" on a fancy drink every now-and-then, I no longer have to go to Starbucks to get the drink! I can make one in the morning before work and use a travel mug, or leisurely enjoy a cup on the weekend. We lovingly refer to this as "fancy coffee" whenever I make it.

Upon setting up the machine on my kitchen counter, I decided I wanted to conduct an experiment. I purchased a can of Illy medium roast espresso, and set out to keep track of how many drinks I could make with one can of espresso. A simple cost comparison with Starbucks, my guilty pleasure.

7 months later, here are the deets (cross your fingers that I did the math correctly):

Casa Cameronowski
1 can Illy medium roast espresso (8.80z)
$13.00
41 latte's
average cost of espresso per cup $0.32 (excluding milk)
average cost of latte per cup $0.63 (including milk)

Starbucks
1 grande skim latte (espresso & milk)
$3.65

By making my fancy drinks at home, I'm saving around $3 per drink! I love Starbucks, don't get me wrong, but I also love seeing how much you can save by preparing food or drink for yourself. I promise I will not turn into America's Most Frugal Family on The Today Show.