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Share the Love…and Pass a Plate

Lauren — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 23:30:20 +0000

I like Valentine’s Day. I know it’s a somewhat controversial holiday (which ones aren’t, these days?) but I personally appreciate it, for about the same base reason that I like Halloween: you just can’t go wrong with a holiday where a major focus is candy.

The second best part of V-Day is the silly cards you can swap with your friends. You know, the “I choo-choo-choose you” train-shaped cards like Ralph gave to Lisa on the Simpsons? Those are awesome and fun. Any cute little paper card that references a cartoon I grew up watching is a winner. Unless it’s Captain Planet themed. Then I just feel guilty.

Anyhow, the candy is really what’s important here. My mom always makes sure we have some sort of Valentine’s treat—cookies or candy hearts or those little sampler boxes of Whitman’s chocolates. And then come’s the inevitable Forrest Gump reference about life being like a box of chocolates. Ha. I wish. If life really was like a box of chocolates, I would be deliriously eating my way through the fabric of space. Om nom nom.

Where was I going with this? I don’t remember.

The important thing is that whether you’re celebrating the Big V…alentine…with a significant other or friends or that random guy who always sits next to you on the bus no matter how many other seats are available, I’ve got some awesome meals and treats that will make your day delicious.

Delightful, Delicious, Delovely Dinners

Almond and broccoli soup–A lovely starter, to keep you revved up and light on your feet…or off your feet, as the case may be

Wine-braised short ribs–With arugula and white bean salad. Contains an entire bottle of wine. That’s all I have to say.

Pomegranate-ancho-chocolate-short ribs–Dinner AND dessert. It’s food efficiency at its best.

Gratin de poireaux and steak with creamy mushroom sauce–dinner dressed to impress

Coconut beef–a slightly more exotic, casual meal

Lasagna–cuddly comfort food

Garlic mushroom chicken–for when you hate the person you’re with, or at least, really really don’t want to kiss them after dinner

Grilled chicken with pomegranate cream sauce–light, sexy and it says, “I care about your antioxidant levels.”

Asopao de pollo–spicy, creamy, full of flavor. Like me.

Apricot chicken–sweet and spicy. Also like me.

Lemon pepper garlic porkchops–seems pretty self explanatory

Drunken goat cheese quiche–how are drunken goats not the main Valentine’s Day mascot?

Pasta with mushroom ragout–animal friendly. that’s love

Chocolate-mint-mojito slushies–It might be winter outside but it’s summer in my tummy

Strawberry agua fresca–light, refreshing and non-alcoholic.

Share Some Sweets

Meyer lemon curd–sweet, sassy and full of sunshine. Wow. There’s a lot of food that resembles me.

Chocolate marshmallow mousse–silky, chocolaty and perfect for sharing.

Apricot cinnamon bars–a different but delicious combination

Chocolate pomegranate sundae–a surprisingly perfect pairing, served all chic like in a wine glass

Petits pains au chocolat–little bites of awesome

Chocolate oreo semifreddo–looks really pretty awesome. Tastes even better.

Gianduja bars–because sometimes you feel like a nut and oddly, that’s not a euphemism

Homemade turtles--take-to-work and reap in the valentines

Friday Foodie Finds: Jan 14

Lauren — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 18:26:08 +0000

It’s been awhile since I’ve done a links post, but I’ve been finding so much interesting stuff lately that I figured I should revive the tradition. Have a cookie and read on for some of the fascinating things the intarwebs have to pique your gastronomical interest.

A map of all 50 states with the foods they are “best known for.” I know you Michigan peeps are wondering was was listed for the Great Mitten. It was pasties. I know, seriously, pasties. I realize they’re popular but I think it’s more of an Upper Peninsula thing. I personally have never have a pasty in my entire life, although I’m probably a bad example because I have also never had a paczki despite their abundant presence in southeast Michigan. Still I personally would’ve selected the all-mighty coney dog, or at least cherries, to represent the big M. Your thoughts?
Food is art–a beautiful tumbler blog full of what can only really be referred to as food porn.
How to Make Chocolate Vodka. Now let’s get something straight. I’m not showing you this link because I suspect you’re an alcoholic. Don’t worry; everyone sways back and forth like that…at 9am in the morning…at a bar. Nor am I sending you this link because I’m secretly hoping to get you smashed in order to take some hilarious video footage of you doing the hokey pokey with a miniature goat so that I can post it on YouTube and make you web-famous. No, no, the reason I’m sending you this link is because you’re obsessed with chocolate. Just like me. By the way, that link also contains a video, in case you’re too drunk tired to read properly.
You’re attracted to me because of my spicy personality. But alas, I’m taken. We can never be. Console yourself with this spicy sriracha cookbook instead.
An infographic for no-knead ciabatta, bread thanks to Redditor zclip (original thread).

Of all the recipes I’ve saved over the last month, this is the one, the one where I looked at the picture and thought, “Oh my god. I would kill everyone in this room to have that right now.” Just kidding of course. I’m the only person in this room and that would be counterproductive. Roasted pepper and tomato ragu.

Fooducate, an iPhone app that helps you make healthy eating choices in the grocery store. Scan the barcode of a grocery product, see the truth about it’s nutritional value and find better options.

Happy Friday!

Friday Foodie Finds: the Ypsilanti edition

Lauren — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 13:46:54 +0000

So normally on Fridays, I post links to interesting things I’ve found throughout the week. This Friday, though, I decided to post a slightly different set of links. Inspired by conversation in the comments section of an article by Nicole, of simmer down! fame, about a day spent hanging out and performing in Ann Arbor, I decided that this Friday I would post links to my Five Favorite Ypsi Establishments. If you’re in the area, you need to check these places out.

Beezy’s Cafe: Uh, I don’t know what to start with. The awesome laid back environment? The fun and fabulous staff? The ohmygodimightdiejustreadingthemenu special french toasts every Saturday? (We’re talking about special—like pb&J french toast or peaches and vanilla french toast–like ohmigod). The awesome soups that get exchanged out two or three times a day? The best breakfast bagel sandwich anywhere? The fact that I live within three blocks walking distance? There is nothing to not like about this place. (Downtown Ypsi)
Aubree’s Pizzeria and Tavern: I love this place. They have just really delicious pizza. Good other food too, nice relaxed bar atmosphere, great sidewalk seating in the summer but just…really fantastic pizza. Mm. Pizza. (Depot Town, other locations)
Cafe Luwak: When I was young, I used to go to Cafe Luwak with friends to get ice cream. Now that I’m old, I go to Cafe Luwak with friends to get ice cream. It’s a nice place to be. But wait, there’s more! They also have soups, sandwiches, weekend breakfast buffet, baked goods…and by the way, their chili offerings for this year’s Chili Cookoff were amazing.
Bill’s Hot Dog Stand: I won’t go on for too long about Bill’s because I have already waxed poetically about this place and how much I love it. We’ll just go with the basics: friendly fast service. Fantastic chili dogs. Best root beer ever tasted. No options and no competition.
Gabriel’s Hoagies: Ok, I’m just going to say right here and right now that if you live in Ypsi and have never been to Gabriel’s, get out now. Just get out. You don’t have to leave the city but you do have to get in your car, on your bike or on the nearest bus and get there right now. Like don’t even finish reading this post. Just go and get yourself one of the most delicious (possibly greasiest) concoctions ever known to man. When I was a kid, Gabriel’s was a frequent stop…and not just for my 6’3″, 230 pound dad. My nanny–a woman who weighed maybe 100 pounds wet and was all of 5’2″ tall–could and would scarf down one of these cheesesteak hoagies within minutes. It is that fantastic.

So there you go. The next time you’re in town, downtown, anywhere near town, stop in Ypsilanti and try out one of these places. Happy Friday!

Eat At Bill's

Friday Foodie Finds: the Brownie Edition

Lauren — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 12:59:23 +0000

The weather in Michigan has once again turned against me. Rain, 40 degrees, cloudy. Spring is definitely here. It’s enough to make a girl reach for a giant stack of chocolate. It’s a good thing for me that I have entire shelf in my pantry devoted to chocolate. Really, I do. Milk chocolate, semisweet, dark chocolate. Chips, cocoa powder, bars. Chocolate sugar. I really like chocolate. Maybe too much….ha. Just kidding. You can never like chocolate too much.

So to soothe your soul until the warm weather comes back (which will hopefully be tomorrow), today’s Foodie Finds are brownie-centric:

Sea Salt Caramel Brownies from doughmesstic
Chocolate Caramel Tarte from Taste…not exactly a brownie…but close enough
Brownie pops...because everything is better on a stick
Chocolate Valentino from Sugarlaws is actually a flourless chocolate cake…but isn’t that just a really fudgy brownie?
a Chocolate Microwave Mug cake/brownie…which I want to try…but can’t…seeing as how I lack a microwave now. So someone try it and tell me how it is. I can taste it vicariously.
And just in case you feel a bit guilty for making these delicious, delectable treats…here’s a link on why home-made cakes are healthier (if not actually healthy…definitely not actually healthy) than boxed mixes! Don’t you feel better?

Happy Friday!

Gianduja Brownies, click for recipe

Friday Foodie Finds: the Who Thought of That? Edition

Lauren — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 11:03:31 +0000

This week’s fun finds from the internet:

You can now get gluten free, vegan apple pie…from Etsy. For pretty cheap, too. I don’t know how you make pie without gluten or some sort of animal fat, but apparently somebody does. Know what else you can get from Etsy? Marshmallows.
Chocolate goat’s milk ice cream. Because even a bridge troll has fat days.
Marijuana ice cream. Soothe your pain and quell your munchies all in one convenient little dish.
Chocolate-Zucchini homemade Larabars. Go green? In other words, there’s an entire site named “Chocolate and Zucchini.”

And my favorite, just for the hell of it:

cooking with Vincent Price. No, really.

Happy Friday!

Friday Foodie Finds: the great one

Lauren — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 12:00:41 +0000

I’m going to be doing a lot of cooking this weekend, so I need to prepare myself. I need to get into the “Cooking is Awesome!” frame of mind. How do that I do that? I eat some bon-bons and I watch Julie Child make an omelette:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWmvfUKwBrg

Friday Foodie Finds: the Asian edition

Lauren — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 12:00:35 +0000

My favorite finds from the internet this week seem to have a predominantly Asian-centric theme.

Just Bento’s archive–I don’t know what it is about bento boxes that appeal to me, but they’re fantastic. I have one of my own; I’ll probably make a post about it soon. I love planning out my lunches! It’s fun and delicious.
Korean BBQ tacos by Inuyaki. Korean. BBQ. Tacos. Those three words, when separated, are full of win. Put them together? Korean BBQ Tacos. Well if that’s not just the winningest thing I’ve heard today!
Char Siu, or Cantonese Roast Pork, a fantastic Recipe…and then you can use the leftovers to make BBQ pork buns!
Japanese Sponge Cake from Just Hungry. A dessert so dangerous that if you cook it wrong, it will kill you. Wait, no, that’s blowfish. This looks tasty, if complicated.
Fresh spring rolls and dipping sauce. I heart rolls of all kinds—eggrolls, summer rolls, spring rolls. But given the time of year, I think these ones are just perfect to make on a warm, sunny evening.
and finally, 10 Weird Japanese Foods. Don’t read while eating. And no, it doesn’t disappoint.

Happy Friday!

nice buns you got there

Friday Foodie Finds: The Movie

Lauren — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:18:08 +0000

There’s only one link this week…a recipe movie posted by author Karin Slaughter, which was just full of good old-timey WIN. As a film major and a foodie, I got a kick out of it.

Cathy’s Coke Roast

Friday Foodie Finds: Here’s a Tip

Lauren — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 07:30:31 +0000

This week’s good finds:

I found this slideshow from Cooking Light on 25 common cooking mistakes pretty interesting and I’m willing to admit that I commit numbers 2, 9, 10 and 17 on a regular basis and that I’ve done numbers 5 and 23 a couple of times when in a hurry. But darnit, I want my meat and I want it now! I’m working on that.
I really enjoyed the random food tips from How to Cook Like Your Grandmother, such as, “If you’re in a hurry and buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount.” Quite a few I’d never heard before.
Being an avid believer that the spice must flow (bonus points for you, dear reader, if you get that reference), I also highly recommend this article from The Kitchn on buying, storing and using spices.
And finally a tip from me….do yourself a favor and try out a recipe for something you may have never thought to eat before, from Joy the Baker.

Image of the Week: Cinnamon

That’s it for this week. Cook early, cook often, spade and neuter your pets, etc, etc, etc.

Friday Foodie Finds: What Can Chocolate Do For You?

Lauren — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:30:59 +0000

So here are some good links I’ve stumbled upon recently:

This article by Tamara Wilson details the Science Behind the Love of Chocolate. Now that is a research topic I can get behind. One part in particular I think you will all enjoy, and commit to memory, is this:

- “Many people may be surprised to learn chocolate, when taken in small amounts and with higher levels of cocoa, can actually help you lose weight. If the antidepressant amino acids and stimulant theobromine can improve the way a person feels, they may be less likely to overeat. Chocolate can also act as an appetite suppressant which can speed up your metabolism.”

A wiki article from Tip the Planet on efficiency tips for cooking appliances. Save the planet and some money.
A Chow.com article on growing herbs indoors; having just moved from an apartment, and being stuck in the barren wasteland that is winter in Michigan, this topic is very close to my heart.
And on that topic, for those of you who want to grow things indoors, herbs or otherwise, but who usually end up with plants so dead they could be fossilized, here’s an article on the Top 10 Hard to Kill House Plants.
I love love Indian food, so I found this article on the Must Haves from the Indian Food Map informative…and delicious. And now I’m hungry again.
And finally, a great post from a great blog, Food in Jars, on homemade crackers. I don’t know why, but something about crackers in a jar just…well, cracks me up. har har.

More next week. Enjoy!