Fatty Salad, or "There is nothing sexier than cutting into a poached egg."

It's finals week, so I'm doing three things:
1. procrastinating from studying
2. making myself a nice dinner every night to procrastinate from studying
3. blogging about my nice dinner to procrastinate from studying.

Since it's finals my diet has not been superb (read: One day this week I ate a whole bag of potato chips and drank 3 red bulls). Because of this, I've been trying to make my dinners filling and semi-healthy. Last night I made grilled chicken breast and green bean casserole. Tonight, after being inspired by Antonia in the salad challenge on last night's Top Chef, I made a fatty salad with poached egg on top! mmmm, I can't begin to describe how much i love poached egg salads. I'm very picky about my poached eggs - yolks MUST be runny, then you don't even need salad dressing. This is a problem because I can't poach an egg to save my life. But tonight I wanted it so badly I bit the bullet and...lo and behold it came out in one piece!
Here's the construction of the fatty salad:






Step 1: lettuce. Something a fatty salad needs to make it at least a little bit healthy.







Step 2: bacon. mmm.





Step 3: Caramelized onions, corn, a shaving of gruyere cheese (this was all leftover from the Cornell Gourmet Club potluck on the weekend).






Step 4: poached egg! Seasoned with a little paprika, pepper, and salt. Yum!

Eggs in one piece? check. Runny yolks? check. A salad so dense I could survive in it for a week? check.

In case anyone else is a foodie who can't poach a proper egg (it's ok, you don't have to admit it, it'll be our secret) here's a great resource that don't demean you:
http://food.sidkhullar.com/posts/how-to-poach-an-egg.html

I hope this brain food pays off in my final tomorrow...

Banana Bread!

My mom makes the best chocolate chip banana bread in the world.
So I stole her recipe and now I make the best chocolate chip banana bread in the world. It's golden and moist and chocolatey and not too bitter and it's perfect with a cup of tea in the afternoon. Or for breakfast. Or for dessert. Or for a midnight snack. Any time really. It's so simple yet so delicious!

Here's our secret recipe:

2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips (it used to be 1/2 cup but the more the merrier)

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan.
Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Place sugar and butter in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 1 minute). Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add banana, yogurt, and vanilla; beat until blended. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until moist. Add chocolate chips. Spoon batter into loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack. Eat a lot.

yum!

-Sacha

A Spectactular Slope Day Brunch

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Slope Day, it is an end of semester celebration, where students start the day brunching and bbq-ing (among other things...) and end with a concert on Libe Slope, in the middle of campus. Michelle and I thought what better way to start out the day than with a festive, delicious brunch? We decided on a menu of fruit salad, a variety of pancakes (banana, chocolate chip, and blueberry), scrambled eggs with sauteed onions and grated cheese, and cinnamon coffee cake.

To my surprise, the coffee cake ended up being one of the favorites. The recipe was so simple, and the cake was moist and sweet as can be. I added a streusel crumb topping to the top, which was a lovely addition. Here is the recipe (adapted from epicurious.com):

Cinnamon Coffee Cake

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons double-acting baking powder
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

In a bowl whisk together the flour, the baking powder, and a pinch of salt and in another bowl stir together the sour cream and the baking soda. In a large bowl cream together the butter and 1 cup of the granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, and beat in the vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture alternately with the sour cream mixture and stir the batter until it is combined well. Pour the batter into a buttered 10-inch round cake pan. In a small bowl stir together the remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar, the brown sugar, and the cinnamon and swirl the sugar mixture into the batter. (** Add about half of this mixture to the batter. For the other half, soften about 1 1/2-2 T of butter and mix into the sugar. Sprinkle on top for a streusel topping.) Bake the cake in the middle of a preheated 350°F. oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean, transfer it to a rack, and let it cool.

This coffee cake is sure to make your next brunch a success. Happy baking!

--Mackie

A Gourmet Lunch in Your Kitchen

Inspired by a portabella sandwich I got during my layover in O'Hare Airport and the Michigan Hollow from CTB, I decided to try and play around with portabellos in my apartment. Portobello mushrooms pack so much flavor and automatically transform any dish into a gourmet delight. So here was my attempt at a Spinach Portabella Sandwich. So easy, healthy, and yummy!


Spinach Portabella Sandwich

1 portobello mushroom, sliced
2 slices of Italian Bread (can use any roll or even buns)
1 or 2 slices of Provolone (or any cheese you prefer)
1 cup spinach leaves
2 or 3 slices of tomato
mayonaise (optional)
salt
pepper

Heat up a pan on medium-low heat. Coat pan with olive oil and add the portobello mushroom slices. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 4 minutes, or until soft.

Drizzle some olive oil on both sides of each slice of bread. Put the bread on a separate pan, lay the portabella slices on one of the slices bread, and place a slice of cheese on top. Toast on low heat for 2 minutes, or until lightly browned and the cheese has melted into the mushrooms.

Take the slices of bread off the heat. Stack the spinach and tomatoes on top of the cheese. Spread some mayonnaise on the slice of bread without the mushrooms and cheese. Place this slice of bread on top of the stack. Secure sandwich with toothpick.

Enjoy!
-Michelle

Trader Joes to the Rescue

Every time I get a serious craving for some pumpkin muffins, I head down to Trader Joe's and pick up a package of their Pumpkin Bread mix. If you have never been to a Trader Joe's, it is an affordable gourmet grocery store--sounds like an oxymoron, doesn't it? That is the beauty of Trader Joe's, with its 2-buck Chuck (Charles Shaw wines, which sell for $2.99 a bottle) and its fabulous frozen dinners (such as tilapia with pesto and asparagus, yum yum).

One of my favorite items is, of course, their pumpkin bread mix. I make it in muffin form, and the muffins always come out perfectly--bursting with sweet, slightly spicy pumpkin flavor and moist as can be. And they are sooo easy to make--just add the mix, a couple of eggs, a cup of oil, and some water (these are approximations. follow the recipe on the box.) I also like to add in a handful of cranberries, or chocolate chips. Then bake them for about 20 minutes, and ta-dah!

My friends always ask me for the recipe for these muffins, and I always tell them it's my secret. Well, the secret is out. Who knew muffins from a mix could be so delicious? Once again another success for Trader Joe's.


--Mackie

Tired of the same old pasta and Prego?

...Then spice it up with a delicious and easy Pasta Carbonara Florentine. The key is to get all your ingredients chopped and prepared because cooking only takes about 10 minutes. Perfect for a dinner with friends or put the leftovers in a tupperware and you have dinner for the next couple of days!


Pasta Carbonara Florentine
(modified from Rachel Ray's The Only Recipe You Need: Carbonara)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 pound rigatoni ( I used penne instead)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 pound pancetta, chopped (can substitute with bacon)
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
5 or 6 cloves garlic, chopped
Half a large onion, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 large egg yolks (I used 3)
2 cups baby spinach
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese (can substitute with parmesan)
A handfull of finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish (optional)

Put a large pot of water on to boil. Add a liberal amount of salt and rigatoni; cook to al dente, about 8 minutes

Meanwhile heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add extra virgin olive oil and pancetta. Brown pancetta 2 minutes. Add red pepper flakes and garlic. Then add onion and mushrooms and cook 3 to 4 minutes more. Add wine and stir up all the pan drippings.

Beat yolks, then add 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water. This tempers the eggs and keeps them from scramling when added to the pasta.

Drain pasta well. Add the spinach and pasta directly to the skillet with pancetta and oil. Pour the egg mixture over the pasta. Toss rapidly to coat the pasta without cooking the egg. Remove pan from heat and add a big handful of cheese and lots of pepper and a little salt. Continue to toss and turn the pasta until it soaks up egg mixture and thickens, 1 to 2 minutes. Garnish with parsley, if desired, and extra cheese.

Serves 4.

Yum-O!
-Michelle

Home SWEET Home

While I didn't get to go to an exotic island for spring break, I did get to go home to San Fran and help my parents move into our newly remodeled house (with a new kitchen!). Needless to say, I spent much of my week playing in our new kitchen. I had been craving madeleines all semester, so I decided to bake some orange madeleines to break in the new Thermador oven. The orange zest is a refreshing take on the classic madeleine.

These madeleines give a hint of orange. If you want a more overwhelming orange flavor, you can add more zest and juice.

A Hint of Orange Madeleines Recipe (modified from www.joyofbaking.com)

Ingredients

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup (140 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup (150grams) granulated white sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoon minced orange zest
1 teaspoon fresh orange juice
Note: If you make miniature madeleines, reduce the baking time to about 7-9 minutes.

First, melt the butter and allow it to cool while you make the batter.

In a small bowl place the flour, baking powder and salt and whisk until well blended.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat the eggs and sugar at medium-high speed until the mixture has tripled in volume and forms a thick ribbon when the beaters are lifted (about 5 minutes). Add the vanilla extract, orange zest, and orange juice and beat to combine.

Sift a small amount of flour over the egg mixture and, using a large rubber spatula, fold the flour mixture into the beaten eggs to lighten it. Sift the rest of the flour over the egg mixture and fold in being sure not to overmix or the batter will deflate.

Whisk a small amount of the egg mixture into the melted butter to lighten it. Then fold in the cooled melted butter in three additions. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or several hours, until slightly firm.

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Generously butter two 12-mold madeleine pans. Dust the molds with flour and tap out the excess. (Could spray pans with Bakers Joy instead.) (Make sure the pans are well greased or the madeleines will stick and be hard to remove.)

Drop a generous tablespoonful of the batter into the center of each prepared mold, leaving the batter mounded in the center. (This will result in the classic "humped" appearance of the madeleines.)

Bake the madeleines for 11 to 13 minutes or (8 to 10 minutes in a convection oven), until the edges are golden brown and the centers spring back when lightly touched. Do not overbake these cookies or they will be dry.

Remove the pans from the oven and rap each pan sharply against a countertop to release the madeleines. Transfer the madeleines, smooth sides down, to wire racks to cool. The madeleines are best served the same day but can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 to 3 days or frozen, well wrapped, for up to 1 month.

When serving dust with confectioners sugar.


Enjoy!

-Michelle