recipe: a cucumber cocktail

my new favorite bar/restaurant here in austin is called contigo and they have the. best. cocktails. my ultimate favorite is the el pepino, an incredible combination of cucumber, mint, lime and tequila. i like it so much that i decided to give it a go here at home and i think mine came out pretty darn good. sure, it was a lot of work but totally worth it for a fancy, refreshing cocktail at home.

how to (warning, this recipe is totally ambiguous...): peel and blend a cucumber, turning it into a slushy pulp. drain and reserve the tasty part - the cucumber water - with a fine strainer and toss the leftover pulp. juice a few limes into a glass, throw in a spoonful of sugar and a few leaves of mint and muddle together. add ice, tequila and a bit of bubbly water and top off with the cucumber water. garnish with a sprig of mint and a slice of cucumber.

recipe: time to make the bagels

most of you know that i'm born-and-bred new yorker - meaning that i take my bagels quite seriously. one of the hardest things to give up when coming down to texas was the confidence that i could walk into any mom and pop bakery and get a kick ass bagel. after countless duds and our refusal to go to einsteins, we have been lucky enough to find local Wholy Bagel, run by a couple from new jersey who moved down a few years ago, got sick of eating bad bagels, quit their 9-5s and opened up a bagel shop. hands down the best bagels in town, they convinced me to give it my own shot at home.

dough:

• 1 1.2 c warm water (110-115 degrees)
• 1 tbsp dry active yeast
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tsp malt syrup (which i couldn't find, so i used molasses instead...ok substitute but i recommend you try to find the real thing)
• 2 tsp salt
• 4 1/2 cups unbleached flour

kettle water

• 6 quarts water
• 2 tbsp malt syrup
• 1 tsp salt
• and i added a little bit of baking soda - i heard it helps make the outside crunchy while the inside stays chewy

instructions:
in a large mixing bowl, stir together water, yeast, and sugar. lstand for 5 minutes. with a wooden spoon, stir in oil, malt and one cup of the flour. add salt, then enough of remaining flour to make a stiff dough. on a lightly floured surface, knead for 10 to 12 minutes. cover with a floured dish towel and allow dough to rest on a board for about 15 minutes. divide dough into 8 sections and form each section into 10-inch long strips. roll the ends together to seal and make a ring. place on a lightly floured surface, cover, and let bagels rest 15 to 20 minutes, rising about halfway and becoming slightly puffy.

meanwhile, fill a large cooking pot or dutch oven three quarters full with water. add the malt syrup and salt. bring water to a boil. preheat oven to 450 F. line two large baking sheets with baking parchment and, if desired, sprinkle generously with corn meal. set aside. line two other baking sheets with a kitchen towel, set near your stove. reduce boiling water to a simmer and cook 2 bagels at a time (do not crowd the pot). simmer bagels for about 45 seconds on one side, then turn and cook other side for another 45 seconds and then drain bagels on the towel-lined baking sheet.
carefully place bagels on the parchment-lined baking sheets. bake bagels plain or sprinkle with a topping of your choice. place in the hot oven, immediately reduce heat to 425 F, and bake about 17 to 25 minutes. when almost baked, turn bagels over (a pair of tongs do the job easily).


would i quite my 9-5 and open a bagel shop? definitely not. would i eat these over einsteins? 100%.

recipes: cinnamon buns

my work friend amber makes a mean dessert. i mean, any dessert. i decided to take one from her book (literally) and borrow her bread baker's apprentice cookbook, and make cinnamon buns.

i spent a few hours on sunday making this recipe, and although the dough took me two tries (i forgot an ingredient, wtf), i'd say they were a huge success. in fact, i'm eating one as i type and i'd go so far as to say they kick pillsbury's ass.

6 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
5 1/2 tbsp shortening or unsalted butter or margarine, at room temperature
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1 tsp lemon extract or grated zest
3 1/2 cups unbleached bread or all-purpose flour
2 tsp instant yeast
1 1/8 to 1 1/4 cups whole milk or buttermilk, at room temperature
1/2 cup cinnamon sugar (6 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar plus 1 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon)

1. cream together the sugar, salt and shortening on medium-high speed in an electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a larger metal spoon and mixing bowl and do it by hand). whip in the egg and lemon extract until smooth. then add the flour, yeast, and milk. mix on low speed (or stir by hand) until the dough forms a ball. switch to the dough hook and increase the speed to medium, mixing for approximately ten minutes (or knead by hand for 12 to 15 minutes), or until the dough is silky and supply, tacky but not sticky. you may have to add a little flour or water while mixing to achieve this texture. lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

2. ferment at room temperature for approximately two hours, or until the dough doubles in size.

3. mist the counter with spray oil and transfer the dough to the counter. roll out the dough with a rolling pin, lightly dusting the top of the dough with flour to keep it from sticking to the pin. roll it into a rectangle about 2/3 inch thick and 14 x 12. don't roll out the dough too thin, or the finished buns will be tough and chewy rather than soft and plump.

4. sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the surface of the dough and roll the dough up into a cigar-shaped log, creating a cinnamon-sugar spiral as you roll. with the seam side down, cut the dough into 8-12 even pieces about 1 3/4 inch thick.

5. place the buns about 1/2 inch apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment. proof at room temperature for 75 to 90 minutes, or until the pieces have grown into one another and have nearly doubled in size.

6. preheat the oven to 350 degrees with the oven rack in the middle shelf.

7. bake the cinnamon buns for 20-30 minutes, or until lightly golden. cool the buns for about 10 minutes before covering with icing (recipe below).

now, being the pillsbury officionado that i am, i decided to google a recipe for the icing just like the one that comes in the little plastic cup with the pop-cardboard-cinnamon-bun things, and here's the secret behind the magic:

2 cups confectioners sugar
2-3 tbsp heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

mix together (adding heavy cream or confectioners sugar appropriately to get the consistency you want) and spoon over warm buns.

uh-may-zing. thank you, bread baker's apprentice.

recipes: aunt linda's penne a la vodka

it has been WAY too long since i made this recipe. sourced from my lovely aunt linda back home on long island, this penne a la vodka will bring all the neighbors knocking on the door. it's super easy and super delicious - and it makes a lot so you can feed a few people and have plenty of leftovers. nick and i actually split the sauce into two parts and freeze one for a quick, delicious meal when we don't have time to cook.

below: onions, scallions and garlic in butter and olive oil (the recipe calls for four shallots but i usually do half onions, half shallots instead)

below: after adding the tomato

below: instead of getting the ginormous bottle of local dripping springs vodka down from the top shelf of the pantry, i used this nip that was randomly on one of the lower shelves. exactly the amount i needed. i'm wearing opi's opi on collins ave on my nails.

below: all of the ingredients together for a quick simmer

below: ready to serve. love! we also had these on the side.

i meant to pick up some fresh basil or spinach while at the grocery store and completely forgot. instead, we whipped up some gulf shrimp to add more lean protein to our meal. i'll eat more veggies for lunch tomorrow to make up for the missing food group (i'm guessing parsley doesn't count).

recipes: chicken enchilades verdes

my latest recipe escapade was a batch of homemade chicken enchilades verdes. i combined a couple of recipes to create my ultimate in green chile goodness. any excuse to eat beans and my mexican rice is my idea of a dream come true.

verde sauce:

• 1 lb tomatillos (about 15), husked and cut into quarters
• 1 1/4 cup chicken broth
• a pinch of salt
• 1 jalepeno pepper, seeded and chopped

combine all ingredients, bring to a boil and reduce heat, letting the combo simmer for about 15 minutes (or until the tomatillos are soft). use an immersion blender (or a food processer or real blender, whatever) to puree the mixture. bring it back to a simmer for just a few minutes to let it reduce a little bit more.

filling:

• 4 shredded chicken breasts (shred after boiling in water for 20 minutes with half of a white onion and two cloves of garlic)
• 1/2 up queso fresco
• 1 cup shredded cheddar
  
• 1/3 cup fresh minced cilantro
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• salt and pepper
  

combine all ingredients and fill tortillas (i prefer flour), rolling and placing in baking dish side-by-side. make sure you'd spread some of the salsa verde in the bottom of the baking dish first. sprinkle with more cheese and top with plenty of salsa verde. cook for 10 minutes at 400 degrees and serve after the salsa verde starts to bubble and the tortillas get a tiny bit brown.

recipe: alton brown's shepherds pie

my hangover on sunday left me craving chinese food and comfort food. since i was too lazy to leave the house (it's cold!) in the evening to get pork fried rice i decided to whip up a version of alton brown's shepherds pie. it gave me an excuse to make my ultimate mashed potatoes recipe and use my kitchen aid mixer so i didn't mind the work. it was delicious.

mashed potatoes ingredients:

• 1 bag of red potatoes
• two heaping spoonfuls of cream cheese
• 3 tbsp butter
• about 1/2 cup milk
• three heaping spoonfuls of sour cream
• a few dashes of garlic salt
  

meat ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons canola oil (i used olive oil)
  
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced small
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons tomato paste
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons freshly chopped rosemary leaves
• 1 teaspoon freshly chopped thyme leaves
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen english peas

directions:

preheat oven to 400 degrees.

boil a big pot of water and drop in cleaned potatoes. drain once a fork slides in easily, about 20 minutes. place into mixing bowl with all ingredients and "mash" with the mixer until smooth. tip: if you want them to boil faster, chop potatoes into chunks before boiling.

while the potatoes are cooking, prepare the filling. place the canola oil into a 12-inch saute pan and set over medium high heat. once the oil shimmers, add the onion and carrots and saute just until they begin to take on color, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. add the garlic and stir to combine. add the ground beef, salt and pepper and cook until browned and cooked through, approximately 3 minutes. sprinkle the meat with the flour and toss to coat, continuing to cook for another minute. add the tomato paste, chicken broth, worcestershire, rosemary, thyme, and stir to combine. bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer slowly 10 to 12 minutes or until the sauce is thickened slightly.

add the corn and peas to the beef mixture and spread evenly into an 11 by 7-inch glass baking dish. top with the mashed potatoes, starting around the edges to create a seal to prevent the mixture from bubbling up and smooth with a rubber spatula. place on a parchment lined half sheet pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 25 minutes or just until the potatoes begin to brown. remove to a cooling rack for at least 15 minutes before serving.

recipe: mexican rice

one of my new favorite recipes is actually a side dish - mexican rice. i love making it alongside enchiladas or fajitas.

ingredients:
1 cup long grain white rice
i tbsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 fresh jalepeno pepper, finely chopped
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
1 cube chicken boullion
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped


instructions:
cook rice in a medium saucepan in the vegetable oil for about three minutes, stirring regularly. pour in chicken broth and bring to a boil. stir in the remaining ingredients and bring back to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and let cook for 20 minutes. Fluff with fork and it's ready to go!

haagen dazs doesn't have to be fattening

we had dinner at a friend's home a few months ago where i was introduced to haagen dazs' line of irresistable sorbets. literally so delicious that when i glanced at the side of the carton and saw a big fat zero next to the fat line i almost went back for thirds. not only that, but the colors are simply beautiful. scoop up the raspberry and the mango during your next grocery store visit; you and your guests won't be disappointed.

recipe: turkey meatballs

meatballs were probably the first "real" meal i knew how to cook - and it remains one of our staples now that i'm [technically but not really] grown up. nick and i had turkey meatballs for dinner last night and i'm looking forward to the leftovers tonight.

what you'll need:
1 lb ground turkey
1 clove garlic
1/2 medium onion
1 egg
1-2 cups breadcrumbs
dash of oregano
salt and pepper

mince or dice the garlic and onion. stir together with remaining ingredients and form 1-inch balls using hands. i like to bake mine on a cooling rack tucked into a cookie sheet so they bake evenly. bake for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees. when they're done, place into a pot of sauce (i use classico four cheese) and put on your pot of water at the same time. let the balls-o-meat simmer in the sauce while your noodles cook. dunzo!

ps - i was so hungry that i forgot to take a plated shot. oops.

recipe: a beautiful plate of chicken

ok, so this one isn't really a recipe. it's more just a "ooooh look how pretty this is" combination of grilled chicken and grilled veggies. all we did was marinate the chicken in my favorite cilantro lime dressing, skewer the tomatoes and asparagus, and grill them all to perfection. having a grill has changed my life...i can't believe we lived in an apartment sans grill for almost eight years.

recipes: summer kebabs

nick and i found this stonewall kitchen cilantro lime dressing at whole foods at the beginning of the summer and it's been a grilling staple ever since. my favorite is chicken or shrimp kebabs (or both) with red onion, peppers and tomaters. again, not much of a recipe - just marinate the chicken/shrimp for about 20-30 minutes, then skewer with the veggies and grill. i like to serve with rice or salad. i also love having a grill...and a man to cook my food on it.

step 1: marinate chicken or shrimp in dressing for 20-30 minutes.

step 2: skewer with your favorite grilling vegetables. pictured: red onion, yellow and red peppers, chicken.

step 3: grill

step 4: serve and enjoy!

recipes: sausage and peppers

this one of the easiest and simplest things in my dinner repertoire. i don't even think (similar to a lot of the others in my repertoire) i can call it a recipe...it's that simple. all you need is a package of italian sausages, a green pepper, a jar of sauce and a box of pasta.

step 1: put a pot of water on to boil.
step 2: remove sausage from their casings and rip into small, bite sized pieces. wash and cut the green pepper into bite sized pieces. heat together on medium-low, stirring often.

step 3: at this point, the water should be boiling. add the pasta to cook while you complete step 4.
step 4: once the sausage is cooked through and the peppers are soft, drain excess oil and place back on low heat. add jar of sauce, stir and cover. stir regularly while pasta is cooking.

step 5: drain the pasta and serve with the sausage, peppers and sauce. top with fresh parsley and parmesan cheese. enjoy!

recipes: an organic margarita

i'm not one to stick to an all-organic diet, but i do appreciate easy ways to incorporate more organic foods into my diet...errr...liquid diet. a friend of mine recently introduced me to modmix, a line of organic cocktail mixers.

i remembered to take a photo of a margarita (rocks with salt...mmm) i made with the last of the bottle in my fridge so i could share with you before enjoying every last drop, and i plan to drink plenty more during this week's vacation in charleston. the flavor is so fresh and way better than regular old margarita mix made with godknowswhat. be sure to make your margarita with a good tequila so as not to ruin the flavor of the modmix. not a drinker? it's also awesome with club soda for a fresh, fizzy virgin version.


shown: citrus margarita. also available in wasabi bloody mary, lavender lemon drop, pomegranate cosmopolitan, mojito and french martini. average about $10 per bottle. available at stores like whole foods, food emporium, d'agostino and costco or their website's online store.

recipe: italian toasts

i admit it...i stole this recipe from nick. he made it up the very first time he made me dinner and it's been a staple complement to help jazz up a boring pasta dinner ever since.

step 1: slice a baguette into half-inch rounds, buttering as you like and drizzling with a bit of olive oil. sprinkle with a dash of garlic salt and oregano.

step 2: place in toaster or conventional oven and bake until browned. baking gives them a better crisp than simply toasting.

step 3: remove from oven and cover with provolone cheese.

step 4: place back into oven and watch carefully as the cheese melts quickly.

step 5: serve immediately with your favorite pasta dish. as you can tell, i like my cheese ravioli covered with parmesan with a side of italian toast covered in provolone. there's no such thing as too much cheese on one plate. don't worry, i had my vegetables at lunch.

recipe: summer strawberry shortcake

one of the best things about summer is that it's strawberry season, and if i could only eat one dessert for the rest of my life it'd definitely be strawberry shortcake. my old standby recipe is from betty crocker and it couldn't be easier or more delicious...and YES, i used bisquick. like i've said before, i'm one classy broad (meanwhile, my chef friend andrea is screaming at me in horror through the computer...i should be ashamed).

shortcake ingredients

• 2 pints strawberries (4 cups), sliced
• 2 1/3 cup original bisquick mix
• 1/2 cup milk
  
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 3 tbsp butter or margarine, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (i added this to the recipe for a little extra sweetness)
  

whipped cream ingredients

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tbsp granulated or powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
  

instructions

step 1: preheat oven to 425 degrees. clean and slice strawberries into bite-sized pieces. put in the fridge to keep chilled.



step 2: in medium bowl, mix bisquick, milk, sugar, butter and vanilla until soft dough forms. drop dough by six spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.


step 3: bake 10-12 minutes until just browned on the tops. don't overbake or the shortcake will be extra crumbly.



step 4: in a chilled medium bowl, beat the whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form. always start with cream right from the fridge, and chill your bowl and beaters in the freezer or fridge for 10-20 minutes or until cold to the touch. if you don't have time to chill the bowl and beaters, the cream will still whip but it may take longer.

step 5: split the shortcakes, add whipped cream and a layer of strawberries to bottom half. place the top of the shortcake back on, add whipped cream and another layer of strawberries. no need to be neat about it. i say the messier the better.

oh, it's even better with a couple of blueberries thrown on top too. any fruit will do, really!

so. good.

what's your favorite dessert?