Tag Archives: recipes

So… now what?

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Peanuts
(via Peanuts)

I think Snoopy’s predicament above accurately represents how I feel the day after a big holiday. Planning, preparation, anticipation… and then it’s over, just like that.  I made some yummy cranberry sauce muffins this morning to help fill the void.  Now I need a new project…

In the meantime, it’s time for this week’s No Frown Friday:

  1. Your punny pet names for the week reveal that I still haven’t accepted the fact that Thanksgiving is over: Myles Foodish and William Labford.  (For my fellow pun lovers, you simply must read last Sunday’s Pearls Before Swine. Can you figure it out?)
  2. Want to see something amazingly adorable? Check out these photos of dogs dressed as turkeys.  All will seem right with the world after you do.
  3. Don’t eat too many leftovers… or else this might be your fate.  (Not sure what to do with all of those leftovers?  Serious Eats has some ideas.)
  4. Did you cook a turkey yesterday? I hope that you weren’t the one that asked these stupid questions of the Butterball hotline.

Speaking of turkey, this puppy would really appreciate it if you could send some her way:



(For more videos of dogs who want turkey, go here.)

Anyway, I’m finally going to see the new Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows tomorrow.  I know… after my recent Potter-themed post, I bet you thought I’d be first in line on opening day.  Unfortunately, things have just been too busy.  In honor of my pending movie trip, I made my own butterbeer to go with dessert last  night – it was a hit (and unlike Universal Studios, I offered an alcoholic version as well). 

As I write this post, the peace talks between Roscoe and Bella have reached a new level – they’re both sleeping on the couch at the same time (dreaming of turkey, no doubt).  Expect some photos and a recap after Bella’s hostessing duties are done.

Hope you had a wonderful holiday!

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A cosmo with the gals

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So, I checked out Sex and the City 2 this weekend with the gals… honestly, given some of the reviews I had read, I was expecting the worst.  (However, a review I read after I’d already seen the movie is probably my favorite.  The thesis?  Sex and the City is our Star Wars.)

It had some funny moments, but it was definitely a far cry from what made the series so great.  (Full disclosure – I’m a super fan and own all 6 seasons on DVD.)  In the past, it’s been said that NYC is the fifth character… I’d have to agree.  While I have to admit I loved the guest appearance by Liza with a Z (not Lisa with an S, ’cause Lisa with an S goes ssss not zzzz), I never quite got into the part of the movie set in Abu Dhabi.  It’s not quite Sex and the City without the City, really.  In addition, the characters seem to have less depth than ever before… at times I felt like I was watching a broad parody of the series, rather than a continuation of it.  (There was one scene with Miranda and Charlotte that I really loved, but I won’t spoil it for anyone.)  Where were the smart and funny ladies I enjoyed watching on TV?  I miss them.

In any event… although I didn’t love it, it was still a nice chance to get together with the gals.  So in honor of girls’ nights everywhere (of which I’m sure SATC2 inspired many), I thought I’d share the recipe for White Cosmos that some friends and I enjoyed during a recent girls’ night in.  We tweaked a recipe that I found on the Hostess with the Mostess blog, and the results were delicious!

Orange Overload White Cosmos
(adapted from HTWM)

1/2 oz Cointreau orange liqueur
1/2 oz lime juice
1 oz orange Stoli or other orange vodka (or 2 oz for a stronger cocktail)
2 oz white cranberry-peach juice

Pour all ingredients in an ice-filled cocktail shaker, shake well and strain into chilled martini glass. Garnish with an orange spiral.

Enjoy!

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Brunch for a bunch

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I hosted a brunch for some girlfriends this weekend.  I made way too much food (as usual) – and that was even after I scrapped two or three of the items on my original menu.  In any event, although I found myself with more leftovers than I’d originally planned, I think everything turned out quite well.  Here’s a shot of the partially completed table (I got busy and forgot to take a shot of the whole spread… bad blogger!):

 

The picture above showcases the cake pops that I made (with assistance from my sister).  I was inspired by Bakerella.  Her treats are definitely more ornate than mine, but I figured that the first time I made them I should probably keep it simple.  Once decorated in yellow and pink, the cake pops (plus some mums) gave the whole table a nice springtime vibe.  For this batch, I used Funfetti cake mix and rainbow chip icing.  They were a bit rich – next time I may try to make red velvet or chocolate.  Yum.

I love planning menus… it’s always fun to come up with a theme, find some new recipes to try, and pull a party together.  I have never hosted a brunch before, so I brainstormed with a colleague at work and used my Google-fu to find some ideas.  I’m pretty proud of this menu, if I do say so myself – I think it was a hit!  If you’re interested, here’s the menu (recipes linked where available):

To sum up, I love brunch.  That is all.

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He can fix anything. He could fix a computer with a hairpin and a piece of duct tape.

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The lovely K-Squared invited us over last night – I offered to bring dessert. I often volunteer to bring dessert, thinking I’ll have time to whip up something delicious.  Inevitably, I then get busy doing other things, run out of time, and end up buying something at the grocery store.

Not this time, I vowed. Saturday afternoon, I decided to bake a cake. I have quite the backlog of recipes I want to try, so this time I decided on this yellow cake recipe. If you’re interested in trying out a new cake recipe, I urge you to check this one out.

I hadn’t planned to make this in advance, and was out of a few things.  However, a few quick substitutions took care of the problem. I never have buttermilk on hand, for example – but it’s easy to make your own.  To make 2 cups of buttermilk, just pour 2 tablespoons of lemon juice or distilled white vinegar into a measuring cup. Pour in enough milk to equal 2 cups of liquid, and let it sit for 5 minutes. It’s that easy. Another ingredient I never have on hand – cake flour.  This recipe called for 2 1/4 cups of cake flour, so I took 2 cups of all purpose flour and sifted it with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch.  It seems like there’s a substitution for almost everything… so when cooking/baking, don’t be afraid to consult your inner MacGyver (or MacGruber) and see what you can come up with.

I had to consult my own inner MacGyver today when making the frosting for this cake.  I wanted to make chocolate sour cream frosting (see the link above), for something a bit different. However, I realized that I didn’t have all of the ingredients – worst of all, I used the last of my trusty vanilla extract when making the cake.  The horror!  I don’t think I’ve ever run out of vanilla extract before. Time to restock.

Anyway, I ended up playing with the ingredients a bit, and was pleased with the result.  Next time, I think I’ll try to make a dark chocolate version instead.  The finished result:

 
Here’s the frosting recipe if you’re interested (though I warn you – it’s a bit unusual, so it may not be for everyone):

MacGyver Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen 

12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips (next time I may try 16 oz.)
1/8 to 1/4 cup coffee (leftovers from the morning caffeine binge)
2 cups sour cream (room temperature – very important)
1/4 plus 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
3/4 tablespoon Jameson Irish Whiskey
2 tablespoons cocoa

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler.  (If you don’t have a heatproof boiler, you can melt it in a heatproof bowl over simmering water, or melt in the microwave following the directions on the package of chips.)  Remove from heat, and let cool until tepid.

Whisk together the sour cream, 1/8 cup coffee, 1/4 cup corn syrup, Jameson, and cocoa until combined.  Add the tepid chocolate and stir quickly until the mixture is uniform. Bust out your handy tasting spoon – add 1 tablespoon of corn syrup if you want the frosting to be a bit sweeter.  Add more coffee if you want as well.

Let cool in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes, until the frosting is spreadable. If it sets up too much, just let it sit at room temperature until it is the right consistency.

Enjoy, and say hi to your puppy for me.

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