Burger Envy

Although I'm a big fan of most food (clearly) burgers have a special place in my heart.  So it's no wonder I was easily swayed in their direction.  With All About Eve, I wanted to make something with apples.  Apple Crumble, Apple Pie, Apple Strudel...but I decided to go a little crazy.  I found a recipe for Portobello Burgers with Apple-Celery Slaw and then decided to finish it off with fabulous baked Sweet Potato Fries.  Jealous?

Apple Slaw and Envious Burgers (with Sensational Sweet Potato Fries)
(Adapted from Epicurious.com)

You'll Need:

For burgers:
1 medium onion, chopped
10 ounces portobello mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 pound ground beef
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
4 hamburger buns, toasted

For slaw:
2 celery ribs
1/2 Granny Smith apple, cored (left unpeeled)
1 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon whole-grain mustard
Rounded 1/4 teaspoon sugar

Sides:  Sweet Potatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper.

 Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

1. Slice the sweet potato into french fry like strips.  Drizzle with oil and top with salt and pepper.
2. Bake for about a half hour, until cooked through and crispy.  Remove from head and 
3. Meanwhile, finely chop mushrooms and onion, or pulse in a food processor.  
4. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Add mushroom and onion mixture, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to brown and liquid has evaporated, 8 to 10 minutes. 
5. Transfer to a bowl and cool to warm, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.




Cut celery and apple into 2-inch-long thin julienne strips.
Whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, oil, mustard, sugar, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl. Add celery and apple, tossing to coat. Let stand 15 minutes to develop flavors.
Mix ground beef into cooled mushroom mixture with your hands until well combined. Add in 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese.  Form into 4 (4-inch) patties.
Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Cook burgers, turning once, about 8 minutes total for medium-rare.  Add the remained cheese to top of burgers, if desired.
Serve burgers, topped with slaw, on buns with a side of fries.  Enjoy!

These burgers were incredible---but a little mushy.  The moisture from the mushrooms made the patties difficult to form, and hard to cook, with the end result that the burgers tasted more like meatballs than burgers.  Even the brand new fabulous burger press we used didn't help!

Adjustable Nonstick Burger Press

But the slaw was fantastic, with the apple giving a great sweetness and crunch.  And if you've read my blog you know how I feel about homemade french fries.  All in all I'd probably skip the mushrooms and do regular burgers---but keep the slaw and definitely the fries!

Hamlety Pizza

Hamlet and pork products?  I know, it's corny.  But it works!  And I think I cheated a little bit...I used my favorite version of ham: prosciutto and pancetta.  And to be even more Italian I decided to make pizza.  I've actually never made my own pizza, except for one effort that went seriously awry.  This time I used baby steps; I purchased the pizza dough from a local Italian grocery store.  I then tried three different pizza recipes all on the recommendation of my favorite food blog, SmittenKitchen.  And she didn't disappoint.  Below are my attempts at fresh ricotta and red onion pizza, bacon, onions, and cream pizza, and shaved asparagus pizza.  With a few tweaks.

"Oh that this too...would melt" Asparagus Pizza
 You'll Need:
1 medium sized ball of fresh pizza dough, uncooked
1/2 pound uncooked asparagus
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1-1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella
2 tbsps olive oil
1 scallion
salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
2. Take the asparagus and starting from the base, peel upwards in strips (like with a cucumber).  No need to snap the ends off.  Get as many peelings as you can, and press firmly for thick slices.  Toss peelings when complete with 1 tbsp olive oil and salt and pepper to season.  Set aside in a bowl.
3. Roll out and stretch dough until correct size with ends slightly higher for crust.  Cover the dough with remaining olive oil and a tsp salt.  Cover baking sheet with tin foil and then place pizza on a square of parchment paper.
4. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese, then mozzarella, over the dough.  Top with asparagus.  Bake in the oven 10-15 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and asparagus slightly browned.  Immediately top with sliced scallion and set aside to cool.

"Goodnight, sweet prince" Prosciutto Ricotta Pizza

 You'll Need:

1 medium sized ball of fresh pizza dough, uncooked

1 cup ricotta cheese

1 1/2 tbsps golden brown sugar

2 tbsps olive oil

2 tbsps balsamic vinegar

1 large red onion, thinly sliced

1/4 pound prosciutto

1 tsp fresh sage

salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
2. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in medium saucepan.  Cook onions with brown sugar until dark brown and tender, about 15 minutes.  Mix in vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.  Cook until thickened, about 2 minutes more.  Turn off heat.
3. Roll out and stretch dough until correct size with ends slightly higher for crust.  Cover the dough with remaining olive oil and a tsp salt.  Cover baking sheet with tin foil and then place pizza on a square of parchment paper.
4. Spread the onion mixture over the center of the dough within a 1/4 inch of the edge.  Top with ricotta and then place prosciutto over the top.  Sprinkle with sage.
5. Bake in oven for about 12 minutes, or until bread is brown and crusty.

"To die: To sleep" Pancetta and Cream Pizza

 You'll Need:

1 medium sized ball of fresh pizza dough, uncooked

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tbsp all purpose flour

1 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1/4 pound pancetta, cubed

salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Cook pancetta with 1 tsp olive oil until slightly browned.  Then remove pancetta and set aside.  Add onions to the pan and cook until slightly softened, about 10 minutes.  Turn off heat.
3. Roll out and stretch dough until correct size with ends slightly higher for crust.  Cover the dough with remaining olive oil and a tsp salt.  Cover baking sheet with tin foil and then place pizza on a square of parchment paper.
4. Whisk together ricotta, sour cream, and flour.  Add salt and pepper to season.
5. Spread the cheese mixture over the center of the dough within a 1/4 inch of the edge.  Top with onions and pancetta.
6. Bake in oven for about 12 minutes, or until bread is golden brown.

Different in their own ways, but incredibly yummy.  Pizza was a success!  SmittenKitchen never leads me wrong.  I keep changing my mind about my favorite, but the asparagus was very good.  Well then... until next time?  For now...I'll enjoy the melted cheese...

Pity-Me-Pita-Chips

While I know pita and hummus are not Jewish foods, I can't explain why I have always associated this particular snack with Judaism.  It's actually much more Middle Eastern than anything else.  Pita is a an Arabic flat bread popular in the Middle East and areas of the Mediterranean.  And lately it has become one of my favorite snacks.  So I thought I'd pick this food for this film, because honestly it seems like my food associations with these films have become tenuous at best.

The following is a simple, easy, and exceedingly yummy way to make homemade pita chips.






Pity-Me-For-Eating-Too-Many-Pita-Chips

You'll Need:
Kosher Sea Salt
Garlic Salt
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
Olive Oil Spray
At least two loaves of Pita Bread (I prefer Joseph's Whole Wheat)

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Slice the bread in half and then into small triangles, much as you would a pizza.
3. Line a baking sheet with tine foil and then arrange the triangles of pita across the sheet.
4. Lightly spray the olive oil over the pita bread so that it is evenly coated, and then drizzle the remaining oil over the bread.  Try to make sure each slice has a little oil on it, but not too much is needed.
5. Liberally sprinkle the chips with garlic salt and kosher salt.  Yes, this is a lot a salt.  But that's what makes it great!  The amount is entirely to taste.
6. Bake the chips for about 7-10 minutes, or until golden and slightly brown around the edges.  If the entire chip is browned, it will taste burned.  Feel free to rotate the pan to make sure the chips bake evenly.
7. Take the chips out of the oven and enjoy!

These chips can be eaten alone, but are also great with hummus and other dips.  They're also not horrible for you, if you get the whole wheat bread and are stingy with the oil.  I've yet to try this with cinnamon and sugar or perhaps Parmesan cheese, but I will!  Of course, every time I think about making changes, I end up going for the recipe.  It's hard to mess with perfection.

Baby Boomers and Ducks with Additude

In honor of watching a film about a generation of people who are about to give birth to one of the biggest population booms in our history "Baby Boomers" I decided to showcase my latent cupcake talents.  Also I had to go to a baby shower.

I have recently come into possession of some books on cupcakes, called Hello, Cupcake and What's New, Cupcake and have finally decided to use some of their recipes.  I always thought these cupcakes beautiful but was concerned that there was no way I could even make them, despite what the clever cookbook said.  But upon investigating the website I saw one of the creators, Karen Tack, blithely making adorable ducks.  And I thought, she makes it look so simple.  I could totally do that!

As you may have noticed on this blog, when I say "I could totally do that!"  trouble inevitably follows.  I am far too stubborn for my own good, and have a never say die attitude when it comes to baking.  I made duck and flower cupcakes.  The flowers I would definitely make again.  The ducks...not so much.

Cute Ducks from the Devil
You'll need:
10 vanilla cupcakes in yellow wrappers
2-3 cans of vanilla frosting (yes, cans.  Only the synthetic stuff has the write consistency, much to my chagrin)
yellow food coloring
5 large marshmallows
10 plain doughnut holes
10 orange fruit chews (or gross orange peanut candies)
20 brown M&Ms

1. Mix together about two cans of frosting with enough food coloring to get that bright yellow ducky color in a microwavable measuring cup.  Set aside.
2. Cover all the cupcakes with a light layer of the white frosting.
3. Use a scissors to divide the marshmallows in half, and attach both the marshmallows and the doughnut holes to the cupcake.  The doughnuts are the heads, the marshmallows, the tails.  Use the white frosting in a frosting piping bag (or ziplock with the tip snipped off) to help secure both ends.  Think of the frosting like glue.  Place all the cupcakes in the freezer for 15 minutes or until a little frozen.
4. Microwave the yellow frosting, stopping to stir frequently, until the frosting has a liquid consistency.
5. Remove each cupcake one by one from the freezer, and then dip upside down in the yellow frosting, coating the cupcake all over and allowing the excess frosting to drip back into the measuring cup.  Set aside and let cupcakes dry.
6. For the beaks, use the scissors to snip the candies, and attach to the doughnuts.  Use the white frosting in the piping bag to attach the M&Ms as eyes.
7. Drink a large glass of wine, because man was that a bitch.

Yup, you can tell from my many sarcastic comments that these ducks were not easy, nor as perfect as I would have liked.  Damn you, Karen.  Luckily I did not make that many of these.  Also luckily, the flower cupcakes were much MUCH easier.  And very pretty.  Does anyone know why my ducks are so creepy?

Chrysanthemums from Marshmallows

You'll Need:
24 chocolate cupcakes with paper liners
1-2 cans of vanilla frosting
1 bag of mini marshmallows
Various colored decorating sugars
Left over yellow frosting from ducks, or appropriate yellow candy for center

1. Separate each different color sugar into individual bowls.
2. Using sharp scissors, cut the mini marshmallows in half and place them sticky side down in the sugars.
3. Toss the marshmallows to coat, the sticky side should be completely covered in colored sugars.
4. Frost each cupcake individually, placing the marshmallows in concentric circles.  See my pictures below.  DO NOT frost all the cupcakes and then stick the marshmallows on.  The frosting will harden, making it more difficult for the marshmallows to stick.
5. Leave a small space in the center and fill with yellow candy or yellow frosting.
6. If you want to go crazy (like Karen) use green licorice as stems on your plate.

These were great.  It was an easy project to do in front of the television, didn't take very long, and the results were gorgeous and impressive.  They were also much easier to transport than the ducks, which were pretty top heavy.  These are great for Mother's Day, Baby Showers, or just a Birthday!

So in case you weren't paying attention...flowers=good.  Ducks=sent from the Devil.  I'm also waiting for the point when one of my friends sees this post and asks me why I have so much time on my hands.  Hush.  These are awesome.  And you said I'd never make anything from these books!

I would also like to mention that Martha Steward makes an amazing cupcake carrying case.  One side is a flat tray for cookies, but if you flip it upside down it has little holes to hold cupcakes.  There are two interlocking tiers that fit inside the case.  It's totally worth it.  Look!

PS-All recipes are from the delightful books above.  I can't take credit for any of it!

Eat Morrocan...Eat with your hands?

I wanted to make a kind of Moroccan salad: light, refreshing, and easy to share.  Crazy is it is to imagine now, the first time I made this recipe it was 95 degrees and humid.  The last thing I wanted was anything to make me feel hotter.  This salad is perfect, and lasted us for over a week.  We ate it with hummus in a pita pocket, as a wrap, as a salad itself, or just as a side dish.  It's easy to make, and utterly delicious. 

Moroccan Chickpea Salad

You'll need:

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 small green bell pepper, diced
1 cup cucumber, diced
1 large tomato, diced
1 medium red onion, diced
1/2 cup feta cheese
1 tbsp fresh mint, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp tsp ground cumin
Salt & pepper, to taste
Pita Bread
Hummus

1. Toss all ingredients together, added more or less of each to taste.
2. Serve with pita bread and hummus.  Enjoy!

As mentioned before, this salad lasts a long time.  So keep the remainder in Tupperware and bring to lunch!  My favorite way to eat this salad is in a pita picket with red pepper hummus, chicken strips, and tabouli.  Mmmmm...

Back on track!  Stay tuned for future Oscar films.  Pay attention too--I may decide to switch things up soon.  In the interest of keeping up my commentary, I may expand my posts to any film I happen to take in during the coming months.  This doesn't mean I'm abandoning my quest, but I just thought to include my thoughts on other films as well.  We'll see...

Welsh Rarebit (Actually doesn't involve any rabbits...)

Welsh Rarebit is the only Welsh recipe I'd ever heard of.  Unfortunately, I had no idea what it was.  After extensive Googling, I was able to determine that Welsh Rarebit is a dish made with a sauce of melted cheese and served hot over toasted bread.  So for dinner one night I prepared the best version I found, from Simple Bites.  Here it is!




Welsh Rarebit
You'll need:
1/2 stick (4 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg yolk
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup pilsner beer, or other light beer
1/4 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 ounces extra-sharp cheddar, coarsely grated (about 1-1/2 cups)

1. Lightly beat yolk in a medium heatproof bowl.

2. Melt remaining 2 Tablespoons butter in a small heavy saucepan over moderately low heat.
3. Add flour and cook, whisking, for 1 minute.

4. Add beer and milk, whisking constantly, then whisk in mustard and pepper. Bring to a simmer, whisking, and cook, whisking frequently, until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes.
5. Gradually add cheese and cook, whisking, until smooth, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk into beaten yolk until combined.

6. Serve hot, with bread and/or vegetables.

Now, the traditional way to eat Welsh Rarebit is with bread.  The recipe I found says to pour it over vegetables instead (asparagus and mushrooms).  Rarebit is actually very similar to fondue in this way; you can eat it with pretty much anything.  Melted cheese is always good.  I made a pot of it and decided to put it by the dinner table.  We ate it with bread, vegetables, even chicken!  Delicious.
Keep in mind the one thing that gives this recipe its flavor: the beer.  Because I didn't have a wide variety of beers available, I used Magic Hat.  That beer has a distinct, smoky flavor, and therefore so did the rarebit.  Be very conscious of which beer you select because that will ultimately determine the flavor.  Other than that, this cheesy goodness is easy to make with ingredients that I already had in my kitchen.

Try it on a cool evening with just about anything!