Tuesday, 02 November 2010

  • National Sandwich Day

    Today is National Sandwich Day!

    I couldn't be more excited and you bet I'm going to celebrate! I absolutely love sandwiches and I can make a pretty darn good one if I do say so myself.

    There are so many different types of sandwiches, I'm not sure which route to take today. Deli meat, veggie, chicken salad, tuna, a wrap? I do think my favorite type of sandwich is a simple deli mean sandwich with cheese, lettuce, mustard, a little bit of mayonnaise on a bulkie roll. I honestly think the roll and the lettuce is what makes a good sandwich, great.

    I also like to keep my sandwiches simple. Adding too many ingredients make it too complicated and it doesn't allow each individual flavor to shine through. I also prefer my bread un-toasted. There are many people out there who do not like cold sandwiches at all and others who absolutely have to have their bread toasted. I am not one of those people, I actually prefer a cold sandwich with cold bread. I like the softness and the chewiness of the roll or bread.

    One of the BEST sandwiches I've ever had was actually a bagel sandwich. It had Bacon, Cream Cheese, and Avocado on a Bagel from a place called La Bagel Delight in Brooklyn. I can't believe I haven't recreated it! Ohhh how I swoon over that sandwich!

    What about you? What is a must have on your sandwich? Do you prefer your sandwich with toasted bread?

Thursday, 28 October 2010

  • Baked Mac & Cheese

    This is one of the best recipes for macaroni and cheese I have yet to try. I love the texture and the flavor is spectacularly cheesy and sharp. I have a weird relationship with breadcrumbs on my macaroni and cheese. I always think or pretend that I like them on there, but once I start eating the dish, I always find myself wishing that it was just plain without them at all. I like the texture though, the slight crunchiness is great, but for some reason I always question them. I will be making this again very soon, maybe even without the breadcrumbs. 

    From Alton Brown at FoodNetwork

    Ingredients

    • 1/2 pound elbow macaroni
    • 3 tablespoons butter
    • 3 tablespoons flour
    • 1 tablespoon powdered mustard
    • 3 cups milk
    • 1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
    • 1 bay leaf
    • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
    • 1 large egg
    • 12 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
    • Fresh black pepper

    Topping:

    • 3 tablespoons butter
    • 1 cup panko bread crumbs

    Directions

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

    In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente.

    While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it's free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.

    Temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quartcasserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.

    Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.

    Remember to save leftovers for fried Macaroni and Cheese.

    Do you like breadcrumbs on your macaroni and cheese?

Thursday, 14 October 2010

  • Have You Been to Eataly Yet?

    An awesome way to describe Eataly: " It'll be a slice of Italy in New York." said by Joe Bastianich, who is half of the brain behind this operation. He and Mario Batali have put together this gigantic warehouse consisting of 7 restaurants, a marketplace with everything you could ever need and to top it off, a Brewpub on the roof featuring beer from Dogfishhead and Russian River Brewery

    More Here...

Sunday, 12 September 2010

  • Honey Bee Cake for Nat'l Honey Month

    I found this really cute cake from Nigella Lawson on the food network site. The recipe got fantastic reviews and it seems like it's worth the extra bit of work to make those really cute bumblebees!

    Enjoy!

    Ingredients

    Cake

    • 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, broken into pieces
    • 1 1/3 cups soft light brown sugar
    • 2 sticks soft butter
    • 1/2 cup honey
    • 2 eggs
    • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 teaspoon bicarbonate soda (baking soda)
    • 1 tablespoon cocoa
    • 1 cup boiling water

    Sticky Honey Glaze:

    • 1/4 cup water
    • 1/2 cup honey
    • 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
    • 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

    Bees:

    • 1 ounce yellow marzipan
    • 12 flaked almonds
    • Special equipment: 9-inch springform tin

    Directions

    Take whatever you need out of the refrigerator so that all ingredients can come to room temperature, and while that's happening, melt the chocolate from the cake part of the ingredients list in a good-sized bowl, either in the microwave or suspended over a pan of simmering water. Set aside to cool slightly.

     

    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and butter and line a 9-inch springform tin.

     

    Beat together the sugar and soft butter until airy and creamy, and then add the honey.

    Add 1 of the eggs, beating it in with a tablespoon of the flour, and then the other egg with another tablespoon of flour. Fold in the melted chocolate, and then the rest of the flour and baking soda. Add the cocoa pushed through a tea strainer to ensure you have no lumps, and last of all, beat in the boiling water. Mix everything well to make a smooth batter and pour into the prepared tin. Cook for up to 1 1/2 hours, though check the cake after 45 minutes and if it is getting too dark, cover the top lightly with aluminium foil and keep checking every 15 minutes.

     

    Let the cake cool completely in the tin on a rack.

     

    To make the glaze, bring the water and honey to a boil in a saucepan, then turn off the heat and add the finely chopped chocolate, swirling it around to melt in the hot liquid. Leave it for a few minutes, then whisk together. Add the sugar through a sieve and whisk again until smooth.

     

    Choose your plate or stand, and cut out 4 strips of baking paper and form a square outline on the plate. This is so that when you sit the cake on and ice it, the icing will not run out all over the plate. Unclip the tin and set the thoroughly cooled cake on the prepared plate. Pour the glaze over the cold honey bee cake; it might dribble a bit down the edges, but don't worry too much about that. The glaze stays tacky for ages (this is what gives it its lovely melting gooiness) so ice in time for the glaze to harden a little, say at least an hour before you want to serve it. Keep the pan of glaze, (don't wash it up), as you will need it to make the stripes on the bees.

     

    Divide the marzipan into 6 even pieces and shape them into fat, sausage-like bees' bodies, slightly tapered at the ends.

     

    Using a wooden skewer, paint stripes with the sticky honey glaze left in the pan from icing the cake. About 3 stripes look best, and then very carefully attach the flaked almonds at an angle to make the bees' wings, 2 on each one. They might snap as you dig them into the marzipan bodies, so have some spare. I'm afraid to admit, I also like to give them eyes by dipping the point of the skewer in the glaze and thence on the bees: they look more loveable with an expression, which is somehow what the eyes give them, but then this is where the Disney effect comes in. If a more imperial dignity is required, forgo the dotting of the eyes and present this as your Napoleonic Chocolate Cake.

Wednesday, 01 September 2010

  • Save The Endangered Honey Bear!

    September 1st kicks off National Honey Month! If you don't already know, there are hundreds of National food holidays throughout the year and they can definitely be fun to celebrate. I will be be mentioning lots more holidays throughout the month, so keep an eye out for one you may want to celebrate!

    As part of National Honey Month, I will also be posting various recipes and news about honey throughout the month.

    So, what's 'Save The Endangered Honey Bear' all about? More Here...

Stephanie

  • Visit Stephanie's IReallyLikeFood Site
    • Name: Stephanie
    • Gender: Female
    • Member Since: 12/24/2009

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