Culinary Goddess

I did it!

2012-05-21T14:41:00.001-07:00

Well it's official. I finished graduate school and now have my masters degree! The past two years were full of reading, working, and stress but it was all worth it. I got to study what I'm interested in and experience one of the greatest cities in the world. I feel like a lucky lucky girl.

I'm currently in the middle of packing up the apartment as we're headed back to San Francisco in two weeks. Before leaving, I plan on soaking up everything this city has to offer and fully savor my last days as a New Yorker.

Here are some pictures from this past week. Enjoy!

{Graduation @ the Cathedral of St. John the Divine}

{Convocation}

{Graduation dinner @ Colicchio & Sons}

{Convocation}

This Week

2012-02-20T12:13:00.000-08:00

{Homemade Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese, Chelsea Market, Starbucks, Ice Sculpting in Central Park, Chocolate Covered Strawberries, Central Park, Salad from Chop't, Artichoke Pizza, Valentines Day M&Ms}

New Reviews on East West Eats:

Nanoosh

Absolute Bagels

Favorites

Video Lasagna

2012-01-31T20:36:00.000-08:00

Drumroll please.....dun dun dun duhhh....May I present you with the new Culinary Goddess video series! And by series, I mean video because this is the first one. Now by no means am I a moviemaker or professional chef. Against all odds (my 6'x4' city kitchen, no sunlight, and cooking/videoing at the same time), I decided to make a recipe video and this is the result. Let me know if you like it!

Culinary Goddess Presents Lasagna from Claire Hill on Vimeo.

Happy 2012!

Also, check out some new recent posts over at East West Eats:

Dos Toros

Cafe Lalo

Maison Laduree

Gluten Free Pumpkin Mac & Cheese

2011-11-25T07:59:00.000-08:00

This was my first attempt at making a regular recipe into a gluten free recipe. I feel like it was a success and wanted to share it with you all since I have been really lacking in that area lately.

I made this for Thanksgiving by doubling the recipe but I feel like it would be good all throughout the Fall. It's a total comfort food that would transform any weeknight dinner into a relaxing 'let me enjoy the small things in life' meal.

GF Pumpkin Mac & Cheese

Ingredients:
16 oz brown rice pasta (I used shells and macaroni)
3 tbsp non-salted butter
3 tbsp gluten free all purpose flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)
*1/4 cup cornstarch (I used this because I didn't have any guar or xanthan gum to add to the gf flour)
4 cups of milk
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar
2 cups shredded monterey jack
1 cup cubed gruyere
1 cup pumpkin puree
1.5 tsp fresh rosemary, minced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 tbsp paprika
Sprinkle of nutmeg

1. Cook pasta according to directions on package. Make sure to salt the water as it will flavor the pasta for the dish. Drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
3. Melt the butter and 1 cup of milk in a saucepan. Add flour and stir as it thickens. Add rosemary and another 2 cups of milk. Continue to stir until smooth.
(If it is not thickening up, add cornstarch. It all depends on the flour you use and the ingredients it has. The milk/flour mixture should get thick so add accordingly)
4. Add all of the cheese to the mixture and stir. Your arm will likely get tired.
5. Add the salt, pepper, pumpkin, cayenne, paprika, and the final cup of milk. Stir, stir, stir to mix it all in.
6. Once it is all smooth, add the pasta and stir it in so it's all covered in the sauce.
7. Place into baking dish and sprinkle with nutmeg. Bake for about 20 minutes.

This can be made ahead and reheated but like any reheated pasta dish, the noodles won't be as firm as the day before. Still tastes just as good though! Enjoy :)

Oh and Happy Thanksgiving!

These past few months...

2011-11-13T10:35:00.000-08:00

Wow, time sure is flying by. I realize that I haven't posted in a while, mainly because I haven't been cooking. So what have I been up to? My life has mainly been revolving around grad school. Like it's actually pretty sad. Like 'homework study party on Halloween' sad. Major nerd alert!

{These make for a CRAZY Saturday night!}

While I have had my nose in my books, I have managed to escape for some breaks to keep my sanity. I guess these pictures below summarize the past few months. Can't wait till the spring when I'm only taking my 2 final classes!

{Empire State Building on 10th Anniversary of 9/11}

{Amazing play @ Lincoln Center}

{Early Fall Thunderstorm}

{Epic hotdog from Crif Dogs}

{Latte's duck Halloween costume}

{Vino in Central Park}

{Chilly NY day}

{Unusual snow storm in October}

{Madison Square Garden}

{Rangers game}

That's all for now! I hope to bake some goods up for Thanksgiving so stay tuned :)

Bainbridge Island Blueberry Pie

2011-08-30T15:22:00.000-07:00

Fun fact: I've never ever made a pie. My mom and I went blueberry picking last week and needed a way to use up the huge bucket of blubes we brought home. Talk about fresh! These berries went from plant to table in only a couple hours (it could've been sooner but I took a nap). Below is the final result.

Blueberry Pie

Ingredients
- Pie crust (Recipe)
- 6 cups of fresh blueberries
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 and 1/4 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- egg wash (1 egg yolk and 1 tablespoon cream)

1. Make pie crust according to recipe. Place 3/4 in pie dish and mold to sides.
2. Place in refrigerator and chill for 20 minutes.
3. While the crust is chilling, mix blueberries, flour, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, cinnamon, and nutmeg in bowl. Add to pie dish.

4. Cover pie with the rest of pie dough. Place in refrigerator and chill for 20 minutes.

5. Bake according to pie crust recipe.
6. Let rest until cooled and then serve...with ice cream!

{This is my second slice if you couldn't tell because I ate the first one

so fast & forgot to take a picture, how embarrassing}

*Tip: place on baking sheet while baking incase of spillage

Island Living

2011-08-21T18:13:00.000-07:00

I'm finally back on the West Coast after living in NYC for a year and boy does it feel great! I have started to remember how enjoyable living is when I'm not fighting my way through the crowded city on the sidewalk/subway.

I have spent the past few days cooking, ziplining, ferry riding, and relaxing. Here are a few instagram pics from my trip so far. Enjoy!

{Bainbridge Island-Seattle Ferry}

{Tonight's Dinner, Homemade Bruschetta}

{Dinner on the porch watching the golfers}

{Baby Chicks at the feed place}

{Ziplining in British Columbia}

{Blueberry picking today with my mama, stay tuned for a recipe!}

Baked Meatballs

2011-08-13T13:35:00.000-07:00

I am officially on summer vacation. I finished my last final on Wednesday and have three full weeks off! I finally have time to get back into the kitchen. I made the following recipe for my dad as a belated birthday present. Not a very elaborate present but let's hear it for being a grad student on a budget! The meatballs could be used to make meatball subs or added to any pasta dish. These are seriously the easiest meatballs to make. Ever.

Baked Portobello & Beef Meatballs

1 lb lean ground meat (I used a mixture of beef, pork, and lamb but anything would work)

1 1/2 cups of diced portobello mushroom (chop up the caps, remove the gills)

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

1 egg white

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon diced fresh thyme

2 cloves of minced garlic (more or less depending on how much you like garlic)

salt and pepper

tomato sauce

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl, mix meat, mushrooms, and bread crumbs together.

3. Add egg white, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, and garlic. Combine until well mixed.

4. Sprinkle with some salt and pepper.

5. Roll into small balls and place in mini cupcake/muffin tin.

6. Bake for 20 minutes.

7. Remove from tin and let rest on paper towel to remove excess fat.

8. Cover with tomato sauce and serve.

I ended up making Smitten Kitchen's crispy potato roast as well {recipe}.

Also, don't forget to visit me @ East West Eats :)

Happy August!

2011-08-01T10:46:00.000-07:00

{taken in sunny Chicago this past weekend, see related posts here}

Is it me or is summer going by way too fast? I only have 4 more classes left before my summer vacation officially starts. No class = cooking time! Check back soon for some way belated recipe posts. Hope you're all having a good summer!

Announcement

2011-07-16T17:18:00.000-07:00

Hi loves! I created a new blog today East West Eats to document my food adventures. I will hopefully post way more often there since no cooking will be involved! Hope to see you over there :)

Quick Lunch

2011-07-12T12:16:00.000-07:00

Summer is the time for simple food. My favorite lunch right now is this open-faced peppered turkey and light swiss cheese sandwich with mustard and sliced avocado. It was especially perfect today in this 98 degree heat with a tall glass of ice water!

Happy Fourth of July!

2011-07-05T11:12:00.000-07:00

I'm not a fan of fireworks. I know, who am I? Well, correction...I used to not be a fan. My friends, I saw the most amazing fireworks last night. They were EPIC. A couple of friends and I watched them from the 53rd floor of Silver Towers on 42nd Street. We turned the NBC broadcast on during the show so we could listen to the music and naturally have a dance party. I'm pretty sure Katy Perry's Firework is the perfect 4th of July song.

Before the show, I spent the day whipping up some yummy food. I won't post all of the pictures because this post would be even longer than it already is (if that's possible). But here are a few things we enjoyed:

Chocolate-covered Strawberries (the recipe for the festive ones can be found here)

Prosciutto, Goat Cheese, and Fig Crostinis (I made these a year ago but with ricotta, the recipe can be found here. Although this post was when I was using a different hosting service so there is no picture, sorry!)

5-Layer Dip (A Healthier 7-Layer Dip)

Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups of red kidney beans
- 1 cup of low fat shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 pound of lean ground meat (I used beef)
- 1/2 reduced sodium taco seasoning packet (I know! I cheated...way better to make your own but I was feeling super lazy)
- 1/3 cup of water
- 1/3 cup of diced onion
- 1 1/2 cup of 0% Fage Greek Yogurt
- 2 large tomatoes, diced
- 3 avocados, mashed up
(chips for eating)

1. Brown the meat. Drain fat. Add beans, onion, seasoning, and water. Stir and simmer for 5 minutes.
2. Spread on the bottom of dish. This is layer 1.
3. Add cheese on top of meat. This is layer 2.
4. Add yogurt. This is layer 3.
5. Add avocados. This is layer 4.
6. Add tomatoes. This is layer 5.
7. Dig in and try to exercise self-control. (speaking from personal experience, you won't be able to...we polished the entire dish off)

Happy Fourth of July! I hope you all had a great holiday weekend.

KWIN-wah

2011-06-20T09:32:00.000-07:00

This recipe probably sounds hippy-dippy but just trust me on this one. Mama Goddess made this yesterday and I kept going back for more. Now, quinoa isn't an American diet staple. Although, it probably should be. It's originally from South America and is very healthy. It's a grain-like crop that is very high in protein (12-18%). It has a lot of fiber, is gluten-free, and easily digestible. (Shout out to Wikipedia for all of this info!)

Anyways, Mama Goddess found this recipe at our family's mecca. Enter Costco. Quinoa 365 is an amazing cookbook that has a ton of recipes using this healthy 'grain'. Just looking through it makes me want to try everything.

Fresh Cucumber and Toasted Almond Salad with Dill

From Quinoa 365

Ingredients:
1/2 cup sliced raw almonds
1 cup quinoa
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
3 tablespoons EV olive oil
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar or white rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups chopped English cucumber
1/2 cup sliced green onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spread the almonds evenly on baking sheet and bake on the center rack for 5 to 7 minutes, until the almonds are fragrant and lightly toasted. Remove from the oven and set aside.
3. Place the quinoa in a large saucepan over medium heat. Toast for 3 to 5 minutes until it is fragrant but not browned. Shake the saucepan from side to side occasionally to turn the quinoa and toast it evenly. (Note: if you use a saucepan with a larger bottom, it will toast faster)
4. Add the stock to the saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cover. Simmer for 10 minutes, then turn the heat off and leave the covered pan on the burner for an additional 4 minutes.
5. Remove the lid and fluff the quinoa with a fork and transfer to a large bowl to cool completely.
6. Whisk together the oil, vinegar, and salt in a small bowl.
7. Add to the quinoa and mix thoroughly. Add the cucumber, green onion, and dill, tossing well.
8. Just before serving, sprinkle with the toasted almonds/

Best if enjoyed immediately but can be refrigerated in a sealed container for up to 3 days

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-19T14:03:00.000-07:00

Today was a day of indulgence and fun. Knowing that my dad loves donuts, Graham and I headed down to Donut Plant in Chelsea to pick up some father's day treats. It's located next to the lobby of Hotel Chelsea, right off the 23rd Street 1/2 subway stop. It has a slight futuristic feel inside the shop which was our first tip that these were not going to be your average donuts.

Coconut Cream, my fave!

{Source}

They had racks and racks of fresh donuts of all different flavors. We settled with creme brulee, coconut cream, lavender flower, valrhona chocolate, peanut butter and blackberry jelly, tres leches, and a giant cinnamon roll. These were some damn good donuts. I can't even do them justice. They were doughy, flavorful, and the size of my hand. My favorite was the coconut cream. If and when in NYC and you want to cheat on your diet, don't walk....run to this place. (There is one on the Lower East Side too)

{Source}

Next up, we hit the Frying Pan. It's on the water, right near Chelsea Piers. It has a similar feel to the Boat Basin at 79th Street but you're actually ON the water. It's usually packed with people ordering buckets of beers and food. We naturally ordered a pitcher and enjoyed the warm breeze.

Ok so let's recap...we already had donuts and beer. What could possibly be next you ask? More beer. We walked on over to the new part of the Highline and had another cool beverage at the beer garden. It had a really cool ambiance and wasn't too crowded. Definitely unusual in this city. Gourmet food trucks lines the walls and the food looked delicious.

{Source}

Finally, we headed back to a homemade lunch of cabbage salad, pistachio-crusted chicken, quinoa salad, and huge beefsteak tomatoes. I'd say this was a pretty successful Father's Day. Only thing missing was my sister! (see you in a month Char!)

Anyways, now that you all know that I ate donuts and drank a few beers today....it's time to get my butt to the gym. Happy Father's Day to all of the fathers out there!

Fruit Pie

2011-06-10T19:13:00.000-07:00

Summer is here in full swing which means I find myself devouring fresh fruit like it's nobody's business. Usually watermelon is my summer fruit of choice but today was different. Today, strawberries won my heart.

Growing up, my mom made these mini desserts with sugar cookies, strawberries, and vanilla pudding. She used mini muffin or cupcake tins to create these bite-sized treats. Anyways, I have a one-track mind (thanks Mom!) so I naturally had to make something that resembled them. Enter fruit pie. I totally cheated and used pre-made ingredients, not very 'goddess' like of me I know! As a result, I have included 2 options for the crust and filling. It's up to you which one to use.

Strawberry Vanilla Cookie Pie

Pre-made Ingredients:
- Pillsbury refridgerated sugar cookie dough
- Jello instant vanilla pudding (regular or sugar-free)
- 1 3/4 milk

'From Scratch' Ingredients:
Crust:
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 egg
-1 1/4 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Filling:
- 2 cups milk
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon butter

And, most importantly, strawberries for decoration

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. If making own crust, cream butter and sugar. Add egg and mix. Combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Add to butter mix and stir all ingredients together. Press into ungreased baking pan. Bake for 8-10 minutes. If you are using pre-made ingredients, slide dough into discs. Grease baking pan and arrange in pan. Press dough together so that it resembles pie crust. Bake for 16 minutes.
2. If making your own pudding, heat milk over medium heat in saucepan. Combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt in separate bowl. When bubbles form in milk, add sugar mixture a little at a time until it dissolves. Cook until it is thick but do not boil. Once thick, remove from heat and add vanilla and butter. Pour on crust. If using pre-made pudding, follow the directions on the box. If using instant jello vanilla pudding mix, add 1 3/4 cup of milk to mix and stir until dissolved. Pour on crust.
3. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
4. Cut strawberries and arrange as desired. (Note: you can glaze using 1/4 cup of apricot preserves and 1 tablespoon water. Melt and then brush fruit.)

Favorite Things

2011-06-07T20:28:00.000-07:00

Get ready for a totally lame post. I'm going to preface this by saying that I'm drowning in work this week so I haven't seen the inside of the kitchen (thank god for seamlessweb.com!). Anyways, here are a few of my recent favorite things. Enjoy!

1. Peanut Butter & Co's Dark Chocolate Dreams. PB&Co actually has a restaurant in NYC that I have been wanting to try. PB and Chocolate are the best of friends so naturally this stuff tastes amazing. It's good on bananas, strawberries, oatmeal, etc. Try it and you won't be sorry! 2. Kinder's Happy Hippo Biscuits. These bad boys get me through 5 straight hours of lecture Tuesdays and Thursdays this summer session. Nothing goes better with genetics and developmental psychology like happy hippos! 3. POM's Pomegranate Blueberry Juice. Disclaimer: I like pomegranate juice but I always feels like it's missing something. Little did I know that missing element was blueberry! It is really refreshing and it also helps that I'm a sucker for cool packaging. 4. Rita's Italian Ice. Summer is here in full swing. Our A/C is about to be on full blast and sweating will happen as soon as I step out of the shower. Oh humidity. Ice cream is always nice on hot days but I don't really like its richness. Solution? Italian ice. It's cold, sugary, and d-elicious. Not exactly the healthiest thing in the world but it is well worth the calories when its 95 degrees out.

BOCC Cookies

2011-05-31T16:14:00.000-07:00

On Friday, I went to a hidden gem near Times Square/Hells Kitchen. It's a year-round indoor farmers market that sells high quality fruits and vegetables at a super super cheap price. People, I mean CHEAP. I went there with my mom and we both filled 2 huge baskets. Guess what the price was....$28! (If you're in the area, go here). Anyways, I got some delicious bananas so I decided to try this recipe. Enjoy!

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
*Adapted from here

{Excuse the quality, it was snapped with my iphone}

Ingredients:
- 1 1/4 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 2 medium-size ripe bananas, mashed up
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- parchment paper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine all ingredients in bowl. Mix well. (It will form into cookie dough, just make sure you mix in those mashed bananas really well!)
3. On baking tray lined with parchment paper, place scoops of dough that are about 2 tablespoons each.
4. Bake for 12 minutes. Let cool on wire rack.

Salmon Burgers

2011-05-25T17:52:00.000-07:00

It has finally started to heat up in NYC this week so I figured a healthy summer dinner would be appropriate. I've never made or eaten salmon burgers but have always wanted to try them. Here is my first attempt and they were pretty darn good if I do say so myself!

Salmon Burgers with Dill Sauce

Makes about 6-7 burgers
*Burger recipe is adapted from Cooking Light, the dill sauce was made by throwing a bunch of ingredients together and hoping for the best :)

Ingredients:
Burgers
- 2 lbs. fresh salmon, chopped into small pieces
- 2 eggs
- 2 1/2 tablespoons of dried basil (or 1/2 cup of fresh basil)
- 2 tablespoon hot sauce (I used Tapatio because I am obsessed with it)
- 1 red onion, diced
- Focacciabread
- salt and pepper, to taste

Sauce
- 16 oz of greek yogurt (I used Fage 2%)
- 3-4 tablespoons of fresh dill, chopped
- 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
- 1-2 tablespoons of dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons diced pickles
- 1/2 teaspoon horseradish

1. Chop onion and salmon.

2. Combine onion, salmon, basil, salt, and pepper in one bowl.

3. In separate bowl, mix hot sauce and 2 egg whites/1 egg yolk together. Add to salmon mixture.

4. Mix all together. Form patties.

5. Heat pan over medium heat. Coat with cooking spray.
6. Add burgers to pan and cook until cooked through (about 3-4 minutes on each side).

7. Serve on focaccia bread with dill sauce (for the sauce, just combine it all in a bowl).

Spinach Pie

2011-05-23T10:13:00.000-07:00

Being part Greek, I am biased towards Greek food. I LOVE it. I could probably eat it for every meal and be happy. I've been trying to teach myself how to make certain dishes with the hopes of stumbling upon amazing recipes to eventually master. I have tried many recipes for spanakopita (spinach pie) but this one is by far my favorite.

Spanakopita
Adapted from here

Ingredients:
- 4 big bunches of fresh baby spinach, washed and dried
- 8 oz of lowfat ricotta cheese
- 8 oz of lowfat feta cheese, crumbled
- 1/4 cup of parmigiano reggiano
- 2 eggs
- 5 tablespoons of fresh dill, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon of oregano
- 1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg
- 5 scallions, chopped (including green parts)
- melted butter
- frozen phyllo dough

1. Thaw phyllo dough so that it is room temperature. (This is important! Otherwise it won't be possible to pull the sheets apart because they will break)
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Blanch spinach in hot water and dry. Set aside.
4. Mix ricotta, feta, and parmigiano reggiano together in a bowl. Add eggs, dill, oregano, nutmeg, and scallions.

5. Chop up spinach and add to mixture. Mix until well combined.

6. Spray or butter circular cooking dish. Set aside.

7. Roll out phyllo dough on clear work surface.
8. Place one sheet on clear surface. Brush with melted butter.
9. Place another sheet on top. Repeat step 8 until 6 sheets are layered.
10. Spoon mixture on length-wise on lower part of dough. (You can play around with how much mixture to add. I like a lot a larger ratio of spinach/cheese to dough so I made my coils bigger. However, you can add less to make smaller coils). Brush butter on end to act as glue.

11. Roll dough like a sushi roll.
12. Coil and place in baking dish. Start in the middle and work your way out.

13. Repeat until baking dish is full. Brush coil with melted butter.
14. Cook for 45 minutes. Enjoy!

(Note: You can also make this in a square or rectangular baking dish by just playing the layered dough straight in the dish, spreading out the mixture, and topping it with more dough. Both ways are good but I like the looks of the coiled one better)

B.E.L.T. Sandwich

2011-05-20T13:45:00.000-07:00

Confession, I love eggs. A lot. So when I saw this recipe here, I knew I had to make it. Um hello, adding eggs to a BLT? Genius. It's based off of the sandwich at Milk Bar in Chelsea Market (NY's version of the SF Ferry Building).

So here you go...Excuse the photography. My tiny kitchen/the rainy weather is not liking this whole food blogging thing.

B.E.L.T Sandwich (Bacon, Egg, Lettuce, and Tomato)

*Inspired and adapted from here

Ingredients:
- sliced sourdough bread
- low-sodium bacon
- maple syrup (the real kind, sorry Aunt Jemima)
- heirloom tomatoes
- Romaine lettuce leaves
- eggs
- unsalted butter
- garlic aioli (2 tablespoons mayo, 3 minced garlic cloves, splash of lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon of dijon mustard, pinch of thyme, oregano, and basil)
- salt and pepper, to taste
- water

1. Make garlic aioli by combining mayo, garlic, lemon juice, and dijon in a small bowl. Add herbs. Mix until well combined. Leave in refrigerator until ready construct sandwiches.

2. Cook the bacon in a fry pan over medium low heat. Once it's crisp, drain the grease and pat bacon dry on plate with paper towels. Brush with maple syrup and sprinkle with pepper. Set aside.
3. Slice and toast bread. Set aside.

4. In separate fry pan, heat 1/2 teaspoon of butter over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add egg and 1 teaspoon of water. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook (3 minutes for soft/6 minutes for firmer).
5. Slice tomato.
6. Brush bread with aioli and place tomato, lettuce, and bacon on bread. Add egg.

7. Slice and enjoy. Be careful though, it's messy!

Recipe Pictures (posts from old platform)

2011-05-19T11:15:00.000-07:00

Over a year ago, I switched platforms. My older posts are still up but the pictures are not. I figured that I should probably put them up again. Sorry for the delay! (If you click on the name, it'll take you to the recipe)

Make Your Own Sushi

Open-faced Sandwich

Portobello Sandwich

Asiago Cheddar Drop Biscuits

Sesame Noodles and Cucumber Salad

Apple Empanadas

May

2011-05-18T14:36:00.000-07:00

Summertime and the living is ~~easy~~ easier. Since I start summer courses tomorrow, I figured that means that summer officially starts tomorrow. Yes, it's 60 and raining but that's ok. I'd take that over 90 degrees and humidity any day!

So here we go again. I'm going to try and start blogging again. About food I make and all of the culinary treasures this city has to offer.

So hello again. Let's get started.

{Tomato Salad From Greek Dinner Night}

Clams with Chorizo, Tomato, and Garlic

2010-06-09T22:43:00.000-07:00

Ever since my first experience with clams at the Crab Pot in Seattle, I have been eager to learn how to make them at home. I'm a huge expiration date/food spoiling freak and am always scared that I some how will manage to give myself food poisoning. So, I asked my mom to help me cook up my first batch.

I searched online for linguine with clams recipes but stopped when I found a recipe for clams in a tomato broth. I had recently eaten a similar dish in San Francisco and immediately started salivating while having the flashback.

Being that we were in Seattle, which gives Boston a run for its money for Seafood capital, I figured it was "safe" to attempt my first clam dish. We drove up to Central Market in Poulsbo (an EXCELLENT market if you are ever in the area) and gathered up 4 pounds of fresh clams.

This recipe is perfect for a cold, rainy day. The tomato broth is just begging to be soaked up with warm crusty rustic bread. The chorizo manages to eliminate any fishy taste without being overpowering. Go ahead, you know you want to try it.....

Clams with Chorizo, Tomato, and Garlic

(Adapted from Gourmet Magazine, 2002)

Ingredients:

- 2 garlic cloves, minced

- 3/4 cup of dry white wine

- 1/4 lb Spanish chorizo, diced into small pieces (about 3/4 cup)

- 2 tablespoons olive oil

- 2 14-oz cans stewed tomatoes

- 4 lb clams (2 inches in diameter), scrubbed

- crusty bread

1. Cook garlic and chorizo in oil in a large heavy pot (I used a stock pot) over moderate heat, stirring occasionally until the garlic is golden (about 1 to 2 minutes).

2. Add tomatoes and bring to a simmer, breaking up any large pieces.

3. Add wine and let simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally until the sauce is thickened (about 15 minutes).

4. Stir in clams and cook over moderately high heat, stirring once, until clams open, about 9 to 12 minutes. IMPORTANT: Discard any that have no opened after 12 minutes. Serve immediately.

*Can refrigerate the leftovers (if there are any!) and eat reheat the next day

(Please excuse the picture quality, I was using the camera on my phone)

Greek Yogurt Pancakes

2010-06-01T13:47:00.000-07:00

Greek Yogurt Pancakes

*Adapted from Pioneer Woman's Sour Cream Pancakes but I found the recipe here

(excuse the picture quality, it was taken with my phone)

Ingredients:

- 7 tablespoons All Purpose flour

- 1 tablespoon sugar

- 1 teaspoon baking soda

- 1/2 teaspoon salt

- 8 oz greek yogurt (I used 6 oz plain and 2 oz vanilla)

- 2 large eggs

- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

- cooking spray

1. Stir flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Add yogurt and mix together.

2. Whisk eggs and vanilla in separate bowl. Add to yogurt mixture but be careful not to over mix.

3. Heat a pan up over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray. Add 1/4 cup of batter at a time. Cook for about 2 minutes on one side (until bubbles appear) and then flip. Cook for about a minute on the other side. Repeat with the rest of the batter.

You can serve these bad boys with syrup, fresh fruit, whipped cream, nutella, honey....truly anything would taste good on my new favorite pancakes!

Family Favorite

2010-05-24T20:11:00.000-07:00

Cold Sesame Spinach

When ever we are in New York City, my family manages to make a stop at Sammy's Noodle Shop. It is amazing. This was from dinner on Friday night, sorry for the bad phone camera quality!

Culinary Goddess

I did it!

This Week

*Video* Lasagna

Gluten Free Pumpkin Mac & Cheese

These past few months...

Bainbridge Island Blueberry Pie

Island Living

Baked Meatballs

Happy August!

Announcement

Quick Lunch

Happy Fourth of July!

KWIN-wah

Happy Father's Day!

Fruit Pie

Favorite Things

BOCC Cookies

Salmon Burgers

Spinach Pie

B.E.L.T. Sandwich

Recipe Pictures (posts from old platform)

May

Clams with Chorizo, Tomato, and Garlic

Greek Yogurt Pancakes

Family Favorite

Video Lasagna