Did I just eat that?...and Like it?

I'm not vegetarian, vegan, or even what I would consider "health conscious" but with the recent health concerns of my son occupying most of my thoughts lately, I am trying to make some baby steps in the right direction.  No need to check if I'm feverish, I'm not about to give up butter or meat, or even the occasional take out.  What I am trying to do is be more quality conscious.  Meaning, that I'm trying to make sure what I buy is the healthiest version, and that I try to pack as much healthy stuff into something we already eat and enjoy.  This is where my latest and most shocking addiction comes in.  Green Smoothies...that's right Green.  As in, a smoothie that's green with vegetables, not Sour Apple Schnapps.  If you've never heard of green smoothies, it's probably because like me, you are not a part of the Raw Food Movement, you do not wear Birkenstocks, or dread your Caucasian hair, and you don't think ground up vegetables formed into patties can be called "burgers."  My homeopathic pediatrician (maybe I should get some of those charming sandals) told me about a machine called a Vitamix, which is basically just a VERY high powered blender, and after doing some research online, I was sold.  This is not a sales pitch for this pricey machine, so I'm not going to go into detail about it, but when I started looking into it, almost everything wrote about it included a recipe for green smoothies.  I love smoothies, and I knew my kids would drink them, so this was one of the first things I tested out when I got the Vitamix.  I've made all kinds of fruit smoothies, and they were all very good, but the green smoothies are definitely my favorite.  They are basically just a way to get more raw leafy greens into your diet.  I'm going to share my recipe, because it really was that good, and you can feel a little better about that Jar of Nutella you ate for dinner the night before. (What?...just me?)
I'm sure you can do these in a regular blender, but you may just have to blend a little longer to get it really smooth, and I suggest that you blend the greens first to ensure that they're properly "hidden."

Green Smoothie

1 banana
1/4 of a small to medium pineapple
1/4 of an apple
1/2-1 cup of frozen mango (you can find at Trader Joes)
1 Kiwi
1-2 big handfuls of baby spinach or a few leave of kale
1/2 cup orange juice
1 cup ice cubes.

If you have a Vitamix, you can just chuck it all in and use the tamper to push it into the blades until it's blended and let it go on high until it's still very cold, but not frozen.  If you're using a regular blender, peel and core the apple, and blend until it's smooth.

This recipe really is kid and husband friendly, and I promise if you like fruit smoothies you will love it.  The nice thing is that you can substitute any fruit you want, just be aware that if you put anything red or purple in there it will come out brown, which may bother some people.  You can also use any greens you like, but keep in mind that some of the more bitter or stronger tasting greens will break through the flavor of the fruit, and God forbid we should taste your vegetables, right?! (I really do love vegetables, but I'm not sure I'd love tasting them blended with bananas and kiwi.)

So give it a try, and let me know if you like it as much as I do...pretty soon we'll all be nixing the deodorant, and growing out our leg hair!

Roy's Hawaiian Fusion

When the rare opportunity to leave the house without anyone who calls me "Mommy" arises, we like to head somewhere we know will not disappoint.  As much as I love to try new restaurants, when it's been months since said event has occurred, I'm really not in the mood to play Russian roulette with my taste buds.  This is why we usually end up at Roy's.  They are one of the rare national chains that really are good.  The food is always consistently delicious and they change the menu to compliment the season.  I had the Lobster Dim Sum to start.  They were steamed dumplings filled with lobster and topped with white truffle foam.  The dumpling flavor was so delicate, and I always thought foams were just a trendy garnish, but it really gave it a shot of that earthy intense mushroom taste that I happen to love.  My husband had the spare ribs that are always finger lickin'.  For entree I had the prosciutto wrapped Ono with curried potato dumplings.  The fish was flaky and slightly sweet, with crispy prosciutto on the outside.  Little potato dumplings that reminded me of  large gnocchi were arranged around the plate.  They were flavored with curry, but it wasn't so much to overpower the fish.  Of course we finished the meal with the chocolate souffle with raspberry coulis....do I really need to elaborate?

If you haven't been to Roy's, please go there immediately.  You won't be sorry.

Easy Chocolate Espresso Cake

This cake is embarrassingly easy to make.  I mean it.  If it wasn't so delicious, I wouldn't post it, because it makes me feel like such a cheater to make it.  The base is a box cake, and I hate that only because Sandra Lee makes me want to gnaw my own arm off just so I have something to throw at her.  It's not the business of semi-homemade, it's personal.  I can't stand that lady and her coordinated to the point of vomit inducing "Table Scapes."

The point is, although the idea of jazzing up a box cake makes me queasy, it really is good and worth the embarrassment.   So give it try, and don't tell anyone there's a box involved.

Easy Chocolate Espresso Cake
1 box Devil’s Food cake mix

1 box Cook and Serve chocolate pudding mix
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp instant espresso powder

Put all the ingredients in the bowl of your mixer and beat on medium-low speed until combined.  Pour batter into the cake pan of your choice and bake 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean...don’t over bake it! It’s wonderfully moist!

Challah...L'chiam!

Ok, so I'm definitely not Jewish, but that does not mean I don't drool over a fresh baked challah, or savor the salty bite of gefilte fish...ok, you got me. I can't think of too many other things I hate more, than gefilte fish, but I do ADORE challah.  It's bread enriched with eggs, oil, and a touch of sweetness, AND it makes the most amazing french toast (as described in the previous post.)

I made challah last night, and again this morning to test the difference between dough that rose 3 times in a warm place, and one that rose overnight in the fridge before braiding, and rising again.  The first loaf had a good flavor, but it was rather dense and a little dry, although I may have overcooked it a little.  I tried my hand at a 2 level braid, as the recipe instructed and it was pretty much an aesthetic disaster.  Not only did it look like my 2 year old did it, but one end was much bigger than the other.  If you stood it upright on the counter it bore an uncanny resemblance to my own disproportional shape.  This made for tricky baking, because I was worried about the generous end (that's what I call mine too) cooking through, while the smaller one was sure to dry out.  The loaf I made this morning, was better, but still a little flat.  Don't get me wrong, it tasted wonderful, but I was looking for those elastic strands I know and love, and it was more crumby than that.

So here's the recipe I got from Smitten Kitchen's blog.


Best Challah (Egg Bread)
Adapted from Joan Nathan
The secrets to good challah are simple: Use two coats of egg wash to get that laquer-like crust and don’t overbake it. Joan Nathan, who this recipe is adapted from, adds that three risings always makes for the tastiest loaves, even better if one of them is slowed down in the fridge.
Time: about 1 hour, plus 2 1/2 hours’ rising
Yield: 2 loaves
1 1/2 packages active dry yeast (1 1/2 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup olive or vegetable oil, plus more for greasing the bowl
5 large eggs
1 tablespoon salt
8 to 8 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup raisins per challah, if using, plumped in hot water and drained
Poppy or sesame seeds for sprinkling.
1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in 1 3/4 cups lukewarm water.
2. Whisk oil into yeast, then beat in 4 eggs, one at a time, with remaining sugar and salt. Gradually add flour. When dough holds together, it is ready for kneading. (You can also use a mixer with a dough hook for both mixing and kneading, but be careful if using a standard size KitchenAid–it’s a bit much for it, though it can be done.)
3. Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. Clean out bowl and grease it, then return dough to bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until almost doubled in size. Dough may also rise in an oven that has been warmed to 150 degrees then turned off. Punch down dough, cover and let rise again in a warm place for another half-hour.
4. At this point, you can knead the raisins into the challah, if you’re using them, before forming the loaves. To make a 6-braid challah, either straight or circular, take half the dough and form it into 6 balls. With your hands, roll each ball into a strand about 12 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide. Place the 6 in a row, parallel to one another. Pinch the tops of the strands together. Move the outside right strand over 2 strands. Then take the second strand from the left and move it to the far right. Take the outside left strand and move it over 2. Move second strand from the right over to the far left. Start over with the outside right strand. Continue this until all strands are braided. For a straight loaf, tuck ends underneath. For a circular loaf, twist into a circle, pinching ends together. Make a second loaf the same way. Place braided loaves on a greased cookie sheet with at least 2 inches in between.
5. Beat remaining egg and brush it on loaves. Either freeze breads or let rise another hour.
6. If baking immediately, preheat oven to 375 degrees and brush loaves again. Sprinkle bread with seeds, if using. If freezing, remove from freezer 5 hours before baking.
7. Bake in middle of oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden. (If you have an instant read thermometer, you can take it out when it hits an internal temperature of 190 degrees.) Cool loaves on a rack.
Note: Any of the three risings can be done in the fridge for a few hours, for more deeply-developed flavor. When you’re ready to work with it again, bring it back to room temperature before moving onto the next step.

Contradictory Egg Nog Challah French Toast

It just occurred to me as I was about to write this, that it's pretty funny that I made french toast this morning with Challah and Egg Nog.  Being someone that celebrates neither Christmas or Hanukkah, the delicious contradiction never crossed my mind while I was making it.  Nevertheless, it WAS delicious, and I wanted to share.  Hopefully, you can be as lax as I am, forget about the sacreligiousness of it all and just enjoy it!

Egg Nog Challah French Toast


1 loaf of challah (because why would you want to use any other type of bread!...except maybe panatone)
4 eggs
2 cups whole milk
1/2-3/4 cup egg nog (depending on how strong you want the flavor to be)
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Butter for greasing (and eating!)
Maple syrup (please, don't ruin it with Log Cabin like my kids do!)


If you have time, slice the bread a couple of hours before you plan to make it, so it dries out a little, or use slightly stale bread to begin with.  Combine all the ingredients but the bread in a 13x9 dish and wisk until frothy.  Soak the slices of bread while the griddle heats up and press down to make sure it gets good and wet.  Grease the griddle with butter and cook until brown on both sides.  Keep warm on a cookie sheet in your oven on the lowest setting while you finish the whole loaf.  Enjoy, This stuff is GOOD!

Woodberry Kitchen

Thursday, January 7th I am going to dinner with my three favorite fellow foodies.  We're going to Woodberry Kitchen, the hot, local / seasonal, probably overpriced, but famously yummy restaurant in Baltimore city.  My husband agreed to watch the kids (que the happy dance) as our usual babysitters are two of the three I'm dining with (Hi Moms!)  I have been dying to try this place since the time my husband and I went on a Wednesday night, which happened to be graduation day for Johns Hopkins University, and every seat in the house was taken by people with sailboats and seersucker, and sweaters tied around their waspy shoulders. The menu is always drool inducing (Seriously. Check it out here), and changes with what's available locally.  This is a very hot concept in cooking right now, and I'm all for it, but not because it's ecologically responsible.  I'm a fan of seasonal and local cooking because stuff just tastes better when it doesn't have to travel far to get on my plate and in ma' belly!   I will definitely take pictures report back.

As you can see, I just recently became a member of foodbuzz.com and I'm pretty excited about it. Hopefully it will increase the traffic to this blog, so that someone who's not blood related to me will read it (love you guys!), and they have a program where you can sign up to test food and food gadgets for free!...Free, people.  Free is my 2nd favorite word (don't ask about the 1st.)  They will also pay for you to go out to dinner once a year with other members in your area, in exchange for a post about your experience.  I am all over that.

As far as the Challah, I am going to attack it this Saturday.  We are supposed to get a snow day, and there is nothing I love more than cooking on a snow day...except maybe something free.

Pure and Utter Abandonment

That is all I can say about why it's been so long since I've written. It's not for lack of want, or even that I was SO busy (even though I have been pretty busy.) I can't even say it's for lack of inspiration. I've made lots of yummy things lately, and I posted very eloquently about them in my head. I think I just had a temporary lapse in confidence. Temporary. So, in short, I am back, and cheesily enough I was inspired because of watching a movie about a food blogger...yes that's right people, (get those cringing muscles warmed up) Julie and Julia. I FINALLY saw it today on this, the first real snow day of the season. I had fully intended on seeing it with my Mom in the theater, but the short people always seem to make that next to impossible, that is, unless we're going to see something in the computer animation genre. So my loving other half illegally downloaded it for me, and promptly left the room. I did really enjoy it, but I found myself feeling like the parts about Julie Powell were the commercials I had to suffer through to get to the good stuff. (sorry, Julie!)

I mean no disrespect to Julie, and am sincerely happy for her success, but as the movie progressed, I became more and more interested in Julia Child, and really just wanted more about her. I really hope someone makes another movie, solely about her and her life, and My Life in France is definitely my next read.

I am embarrassed to say I don't have, and have never even in person, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, but that will also be my next cookbook purchase. French cooking has never been my friend, with all it's complicated sauces, and expensive ingredients, but french FOOD, on the other hand...well, I'll put it to you this way - Fillet Bearnaise was my favorite food when I was in elementary school. That, and Chicken Fingers.

So the next recipe I have decided to test is Challah...Holla! (Sorry, I couldn't resist) I know, some may say, I've let brioche kick me in the proverbial arse, but it's not so. The truth is, I am still a little angry with brioche and until it calls to apologize, I am on strike.

So onto it's Jewish, and slightly more forgiving cousin...