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Cook and Tell: Sour Cream Blini

09 Apr

Have I mentioned that I am a big fan of anything that includes carbs? Well, I do. Pasta, breads, waffles, baked goods, anything in the pancake family. Like these blini that I decided to spoil myself and the hubby with.

Sour Cream Blini

I learned how to make blini from my Mom. She showed me how to turn leftover sour milk, kefir or sour cream into delicious blini. The great thing is that they are so easy and quick to make, and they magically fill my carb cravings. This time around I decided to make blini using sour cream as the base.

Sour Cream Blini
Ingredients:
16oz Low-Fat Sour Cream
2 large Eggs
1 cup All Purpose Flour
1 tbsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Vanilla Powder
Vegetable Oil, for frying

Mix all the ingredients, except for vegetable oil, together. Heat vegetable oil in a large frying pan on medium heat. Using a tablespoon (I used a regular soup spoon), scoop spoon fulls of blini mixture and place on the frying pan. Cook blini until golden brown on each side. The number of blinis will depend on how much mixture you use for each one.

Enjoy the blini warm or cold. I prefer my blini with raspberry or strawberry preserves.

Sour Cream Blini

How do you like your blini?

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Restaurant Review: B Restaurant San Francisco

05 Apr

There is nothing better than to be able to have some quality couple time. Hubby and I decided to do just that this past weekend. We decided that a bit of relaxation and just a little bit of one-on-one adult time is a must. We took a few hours for ourselves and relaxed with a massage, a walk, and brunch.

I decided to take advantage of being able to get out on the town (so to speak), and picked a new place for brunch. The quality of the restaurant could have made or broken our lovely afternoon. I’d like to report that our brunch, from the location to the food, was a pleasant experience.

I am sure at this point you’re dying to know what this fabulous restaurant is. Well, I won’t hold you in suspense any longer. B Restaurant & Bar in San Francisco offers brunch on both Saturdays and Sundays from 10:30 am to 3:00 pm. With inside and outside seating. There was an “in the shade” or “in the sun” option.

My favorite brunch dish is Salmon Benedict. In fact, I tend to pick brunch restaurants based on whether they serve Eggs Benedict as part of their brunch menu. Hence, you see why I originally picked B Restaurant & Bar, hoping it wouldn’t disappoint.

Disappoint it did not. The salmon was fresh, the eggs were perfectly poached (not over or under cooked). Both hubby any I ordered the same dish. I know, not very original, but we truly like Eggs Benedict and salmon, so when we have the rare opportunity to get out for brunch, that’s our dish of choice. I know what you will say,…just make it at home. To that I say…it probably wouldn’t be the same.

Since we were trying out a new place, we couldn’t leave without trying their dessert. There were only two options, one a bread pudding, the other a chocolate torte with chocolate ganache and caramel. We all know that hubby is a huge chocolate fan, so chocolate it was.

Chocolate Torte with Chocolate Ganache and Caramel The chocolate torte with a crispy crust and nice gooey caramel filling. The torte was sprinkled with a bit of sea salt. Which gave it a very balanced taste of sweet with a hint of salt, but the salt didn’t overpower the sweetness.

Overall, I had a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon, which was capped off by a delicious brunch. I will now leave you with yet another view of Salmon Benedict (can you tell that I like it?)

salmon benedict

What is your favorite brunch dish?

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Posted in Food Photography, Restaurant Reviews

Cook and Tell: Bailey’s Chocolate Chip Cup…Cakes

02 Apr

Those of you who are parents know that the time to enjoy cooking and baking becomes very limited when kids are thrown in the mix. I would usually feel ashamed to even mention this, forget about actually doing this. However, I was inspired by Irine from Confessions of a Tart. Irine really sold me on this cake. It was easy and fast to make, and it looked so delicious that I overlooked the fact that a cake mix was included in the recipe. I just couldn’t resist. I buckled, and how could I not? Just look at this chocolaty delight.

Bailey's Cake

There isn’t really a need to restate the recipe. However, here are the differences from the recipe provided on Confessions of a Tart. Instead of a bundt cake, I made one 9-inch cake and 12 cupcakes. Instead of Kahlua, I used Bailey’s Irish Cream and instead of bittersweet chocolate chips, I used semi-sweet chocolate chips. Otherwise, I followed the recipe.

Bailey's Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

I don’t regret this decision for a moment. Hubby, I and the family thoroughly enjoyed these tasty sweets!

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Cook and Tell: Matzo Babka

29 Mar

I know that Passover isn’t for a couple of weeks. But why wait for a holiday to use matzo?

I tend to have random urges to cook (or more like realizations that something needs to be made for dinner), so I look for dishes that use ingredients that I can easily find at home. One of these dishes is a Matzo Babka. It’s easy to make, and it is one of those dishes that can last for a couple of days. The other positive is that this dish can be made to be savory or sweet, and you can get creative with the ingredients. My Mom makes this dish all the time around Passover time with different ingredients. Sometimes she makes it with chicken and dill, sometimes with raisins.

I usually try to make a sweet matzo babka (it’s not bad with maple syrup). However, this time around I decided to make a savory version. To make it my own, I decided to include some dried dill weed and some garlic powder.

Passover Matzo Babka

Matzo Babka

Ingredients:
3 sheets of regular egg matzo (this would make a thin babka, add more matzo for a thicker version)
1 egg
Dried dill weed (to taste)
Garlic powder (to taste)
Salt and Pepper (to taste)
Pam cooking spray

Preparation:
Place matzo sheets in a large bowl and fill with water until matzo is covered. Let the matzo soak in the water. Drain the water once matzos are completely soft. In the same bowl, break up the matzo sheets with a wooden spoon. Mix in the egg, dried dill weed, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

Coat a medium frying pan with cooking spray. Spread the matzo mixture in the frying pan to fill the pan completely, so that the matzo mixture takes on the shape of the pan. Cook in the pan until babka is golden and is lose in the pan. Gently remove the babka from the pan onto a cutting board, cooked side down. Flip the cutting board on to the pan, so that the uncooked side is on the bottom. Cook until the uncooked side is golden and is lose in the pan.

Cut babka into slices. Serve warm or cold.

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Posted in Food Photography

Food News: New Flavors from Skinny Cow

25 Mar

I don’t know about you but I am constantly battling my love for food with the desire to stay trim. I was never a big believer in any diets that required cutting out certain food groups. At the end of the day, these diets are just not sustainable. I am a believer of “everything in moderation” diet.

I may not have a big sweet tooth, but I wouldn’t say no to some good ice cream. So when I came across a tasty ice cream that was also low-fat, I was ecstatic. Skinny Cow ice creams have always been tasty and never tasted like cardboard, even though they are low-fat. I recently came across a new flavor offered by Skinny Cow ice cream, Dulce de Leche. My, was it absolutely delicious!

Skinny Cow Dolce de Leche

This little beauty is packed with taste and low in calories. This little container is only 150 calories per serving (a serving is 5.8 oz). But this isn’t all of the good news. Skinny Cow has more new flavors like, Chocolate Fudge Brownie, Cookies ‘N Cream, Strawberry Cheesecake and Caramel Cone.

So indulge your guilty pleasure, since you won’t have to feel guilty afterward.

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Food News: A Wiki Project

22 Mar

Hubby and I like to take advantage of traveling abroad whenever we can, which unfortunately doesn’t happen as often as we would like. When we do get the opportunity to travel we always make it a point to taste the local cuisine. While on our honeymoon in Spain, we absolutely could not leave Madrid without paying a visit to Chocolateria San Gines, and trying the best churros in town with hot chocolate. The hot chocolate was so thick, it was more like chocolate dipping sauce than what we know as hot chocolate.

Churros at Chocolateria San Gines

Since I am definitely a planner, I looked up this information ahead of time. Most of the time it requires researching multiple sources to gather all the necessary information regarding the local restaurants and cuisine for our trips. It would be much easier, if at least the information of where to eat and what to order in the city you’re visiting could be found in one place.

With that said, I was recently contacted by someone at MyCityCuisine asking me to let all of you foodies know that they are looking for contributors to their great wiki project. The goal of this project is to create a free, up-to-date guide for delicious local dishes in different parts of the world. The goal of the project is not to gather local recipes but to create a guide of local dishes and basic descriptions of them, so that travelers could make decisions on whether or not they would be interested in trying them. The guide could be searched by cities or countries. I think this is a great idea, and I am glad I could help spread the word and possibly add what I’ve learned during my travels.

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Posted in Food News, Food Photography

Cook and Tell: Chicken and Ricotta Stuffed Shells

21 Mar

This is another one of those, “what to do with leftover _____?”, fill in the blank. This time it was left over baked chicken thighs.

I thought long and hard (not too long, didn’t want the chicken to go bad), and decided that I could use it to make stuffed shells that I’ve been contemplating on making for a while. I had a partially started package of ricotta, some marinara sauce and a little of tomato and basil pasta sauce. I am sure at this point you realize that this will not be one of those posts that gives you exact proportions and measurements of ingredients. So I’ll tell you what I used and how I used it, but you can adjust the ingredients as you like.

Chicken and Ricotta Stuffed Shells

Ingredients:
Diced Chicken thighs (I used 2)
Jumbo Shells pasta (I used as many as would fit in a 9-Inch Deep Dish Pie Plate)
Ricotta Cheese
Shredded Cheddar and Monterey cheese blend
Dry Parsley
Dry Basil
Garlic Powder
Marinara Sauce
Tomato and Basil Sauce
Salt and Pepper

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Bring water with salt and pepper to boil. Add pasta shells and cook until pasta is al dente. While pasta is cooking, mix ricotta with chicken, shredded cheese, parsley, basil and garlic powder. Once pasta shells are cooked, place them in 9-Inch Deep Dish Pie Plate. Fill each shell with ricotta mixture. Cover shells with marinara and tomato and basil sauces. Bake for 25 minutes. Serve while hot.

Chicken Ricotta Stuffed Shells

Hubby enjoyed my creation, so the experiment was a success. If you decide to try this out, leave a comment and let me know how you like it.

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Cook and Tell: Grilled Cheese Sandwich

16 Mar

These days it seems that grilled cheese sandwiches are dominating the food scene. They seems to be everywhere. Just last night on the premiere of “America’s Next Great Restaurant”, the winner of the first challenge was a grilled cheese sandwich restaurant concept (Meltworks). The other day I read an article on Slashfood.com regarding a grilled cheese and wine pairing seminar hosted by the author of two books about grilled cheese sandwiches. Yes, you read it correctly, two books about grilled cheese sandwiches.

I can’t say that I blame those that became so addicted to the grilled cheese sandwich. The thought of the warm crispy bread with the gooey cheese on the inside, makes me feel all warm inside. All this talk about grilled cheese sandwiches inspired me to make my own. I whipped up a melt-in-your-mouth grilled cheese sandwich with pepper roasted turkey and tomatoes. Some would call it a regular sandwich, but it’s a grilled cheese to me. It’s grilled, and it has two slices of cheese, as opposed to one, that would go in my regular sandwich.

Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Roasted Turkey and Tomato
Ingredients
2 slices Oroweat Healthfull bread
2 slices Havarti cheese
2 slices Peppered Roasted Turkey
2 slices Tomato
Butter (softened)

Directions
Butter one side of a bread slice, and turn it over. Layer the non-buttered side with a slice of cheese, two slices of turkey, two slices of tomato, and the second slice of cheese. Butter the second slice of bread, and top the sandwich, buttered side up. Cook sandwich on frying pan until golden, on one side. Flip and cook until golden on the other side, and cheese melts.

Grilled Cheese Sandwich

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Cook and Tell: Chocolate Chip Zucchini French Toast

15 Mar

Have you ever made more bread than you knew what to do with? Well, I did. A few days ago, I shared a Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread that I baked. I followed the recipe, so I ended up with two loaves. You have to admit, after a little while, you get bored eating the same old bread. I decided to switch things up just a little bit.

I was browsing through a few blogs that I follow and came upon a great idea from Brian @ A Thought for Food. He baked banana bread and than turned it into Banana Bread French Toast. I thought it was a fabulous idea. Here I was with left over Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread and this was the perfect way to switch things up.

I decided to incorporate Brian’s idea with certain changes. First, of course, was the fact that I had Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread and not Banana Bread. Second, I didn’t fry the french toast slices, but baked them. I also didn’t use butter.

Chocolate Chip French Toast

Ingredients:
1/2 Loaf Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread (That’s all I had left)
1 egg
Splash of milk
Splash of vanilla extract
Pam cooking spray
Confectioners’ sugar (optional)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. I greased a cookie sheet with Pam cooking spray. Beat egg, add milk and vanilla extract, and beat until well combined. Slice Chocolate Chip Zucchini bread. Coat each slice in the egg mixture and place on the cookie sheet. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes or until egg is fully cooked. Serve with a bit of confectioner’s sugar.

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Cook and Tell: Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread with Walnuts

12 Mar

A while ago I found a recipe for zucchini bread with walnuts. The recipe looked intriguing and I decided to try it out. Everything went well, until I realized that I put too much dough mixture into the loaf pan. The result was a minor disaster, it consisted of an oven filled with overflowing dough, which rose outside the borders of the loaf pan. I was thoroughly disappointed that I made such a rookie mistake. Thankfully, what was left in the loaf pan was still salvageable, and surprisingly was pretty tasty.

Recently I decided to try the bread again. However, I couldn’t find the original recipe (hence, I am currently working on organizing all of my recipes). Therefore, I had to start my search from scratch.

In my new search, I came upon a different zucchini bread recipe. This one was from Paula Deen, her Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread recipe.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread I followed the recipe as is. Except, (there it is again), I used mostly walnuts as opposed to pecans. Not sure why, but I am more favorable to walnuts over pecans. The bread turned out fantastically. Although it took about an hour for it to bake through, as opposed to 50 minutes (at least in my oven). Hubby really enjoyed it.