Red Velvet Cupcakes

Cupcakes.. ah, the little treat that makes everyone in the office smile!

This past weekend was a co-workers birthday and so I was inspired to bring in some Red Velvet Cupcakes to work yesterday! Deliciously sinful with cream cheese frosting, who could resist Red Velvet?!

Recipe follows (thanks Ina Garten):

-------------------------------------------------------------

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, such as Pernigotti
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup buttermilk, shaken
• 1 tablespoon liquid red food coloring
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 
  
• For the frosting:
• • 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 3 1/2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (3/4 pound)

  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tins with paper liners.

  In a small bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large measuring cup, combine the buttermilk, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla.

  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed for 1 minute, until light. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until combined. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients alternately in 3 parts, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, and mix until combined. Stir with a rubber spatula to be sure the batter is mixed.

  Scoop the batter into the muffin cups with a 2 1/4-inch ice cream scoop or large spoon. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean. Cool completely in the pans and frost the cupcakes with Red Velvet Frosting.

  
  

  Frosting Instructions:

  
  

  Place the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, and mix on medium speed just until combined. Don't whip! Add the sugar and mix until smooth.

-------------------------------------------------------------

So first off, who knew that Red Velvet cupcakes were really just chocolate cupcakes with a lot of red food coloring? Surprising huh? Fortunately (or I guess, unfortunately) I ran out of red food coloring and was only able to add about a 1/2 tsp. Oops. So my cupcakes didn't really turn out red - but hey it was still delicious!

Moist and chocolate-ly, Ina Garten hits it out of the ball park again with her recipe. Pretty simple and quick to make, this was a hit in the office and people claimed that it was 'out of this world!'

Taste: A

Time: 1 hour

Difficulty: Easy

Traditional Osso Bucco

Recently, I've been trying out new recipes on allrecipes.com. I was getting a bit bored with Food Network and thought I could learn a lesson or two from some every-day cooks, rather than those celebrity chefs.

I found a great and simple recipe on Traditional Osso Bucco and have made it twice within the month! Now who doesn't like Osso Bucco?!

Recipe follows:

--------------------------------------------------------------

• 2 pounds veal shanks, cut into short lengths
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup Butter
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 large carrot, chopped
• 2/3 cup dry white wine
• 2/3 cup beef stock
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

1. Dust the veal shanks lightly with flour. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add the veal, and cook until browned on the outside. Remove to a bowl, and keep warm. Add two cloves of crushed garlic and onion to the skillet; cook and stir until onion is tender. Return the veal to the pan and mix in the carrot and wine. Simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Pour in the tomatoes and beef stock, and season with salt and pepper. Cover, and simmer over low heat for 1 1/2 hours, basting the veal every 15 minutes or so. The meat should be tender, but not falling off the bone.
3. In a small bowl, mix together the parsley, 1 clove of garlic and lemon zest. Mix into the veal just before serving.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Voila. Simple eh?

Alright, so this recipe does take quite some time to make, but believe me, it is all worth it at the end. The rich, fatty sauce with the tender veal meat is to die for (and sure beats the $40 price tag at the restaurant). Besides, who knew osso bucco was this easy to make?!

The recipe instructed us to not have the meat 'falling off the bone' but after a few warm-ups in the pot (contrary to popular belief, i can't eat 2 lbs of meat in one sitting) the tender meat just fell right off!

Packed full of flavor, this is a great recipe if you want to impress the boyfriend (or girlfriend)! Your house will also be filled with the delicious aroma! The first time I served it with some mushroom orzo but then opted for some plain rice the second go around.

Yes, i did spend around $10-$12 a pound for the meat, but it sure beats buying the entree in a restaurant!

Give it a try, you'll be impressed (and full), promise.

Difficulty: Medium

Time: 2 hours

Taste: A

Wow, did I really just make this?

This week is getting to be a drag....

After seeing Eric this weekend for one short night, this week has become so unbearably long! All I want to do is have some more fun and go on my Asia trip already! (Yes! I am going to Asia in a week and a half!)

As my trip is soon approaching, I have been trying my best to use up all the food I have in my apartment (not to mention, save some money and not buy any more food). I have been staring at my white truffle oil for a while and have been getting very upset with myself since I haven't been using it as frequently as I would have liked to. Well I changed that this week!!

After being upset that Eric and I couldn't go to Le Bernardin over the weekend for some delicious creations by Chef Eric Ripert, I decided to create my own Eric Ripert dish in my own home! Portobello 'Fries' with Truffle Aioli- Eric Ripert is a genius!

The recipe follows:

-----------------------------------------------------------

THE FRIES

8 Portobello mushrooms

3 eggs, lightly beaten

3 cups fine bread crumbs

1 cups grated Pecorino Romano

1 tsp dried thyme

1.5 tsp salt

2 tsp ground fresh pepper

Canola oil for frying

THE AIOLI

2 egg yolks

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 tsp minced garlic

1 cup canola oil

1/2 cup olive oil

2 tbl white truffle oil

fine sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Combine the yolks, lemon juice and garlic in a blender. With the blender on medium speed, drizzle the canola oil and olive oil into the yolk mixture in a slow steady stream until the aïoli is emulsified and well blended. Season with the truffle oil, salt and pepper. Transfer the aïoli to a small bowl and set aside.

Trim the stems from the mushrooms, scrape out the gills, and gently wipe the mushroom caps with a damp cloth. Cut the mushroom caps into 1/2-inch-wide strips.

Combine the bread crumbs, cheese, pepper, salt and thyme in a shallow dish. Place the flour and eggs in separate shallow dishes. Toss the mushroom strips in the flour to coat evenly, then dip them into the eggs and roll them in the bread crumb mixture.

Heat about 1 inch of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, place the breaded mushroom strips in the hot oil and cook on all sides until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a tray lined with paper towels. Serve hot with the aïoli.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Delicious.

So I cut down this recipe a bit as I couldn't really eat 8 portobello mushrooms in a sitting, but boy, that would have been GREAT if I could! (Try doing one mushroom per serving/person)

The portobello fries were absolutely delicious- the crunchy exterior with the soft interior was perfect and the truffle aioli was insanely addicting!

I was at first a bit worried about the fact that I was frying these mushrooms and that they would turn out oily and greasy, but in fact it was just the opposite! Very light and airy, it was the perfect appetizer to the rest of my meal (ok I lie, I couldn't stop eating them and it turned out to be my main course). One thing I would suggest you look out for is the temperature of the oil (I lost some good pieces of 'fries' thanks to my oil being too hot/cold).

Nevertheless, I was the most excited about my aioli- I have never made aioli before and was very excited to be able to try this recipe out and make my own sauce! I definitely had some left over and plan to use them as a compliment to other appetizers (yum, I can't wait).

After making this recipe, I was pleasantly surprised to find out how easy this was and was even more impressed with myself! I remember thinking 'wow, did i really just make this?'. What a great recipe (and it's vegetarian friendly too!)

Thanks Chef Eric Ripert- I can't wait to try out Le Bernardin in the near future! If you can make something this simple taste this good, I can only imagine how amazing your dishes at Le Bernardin are!

Looking to impress yourself?- this is a must try!

Taste: 9.8

Difficulty: Moderate

Time: 30 minutes

Brown Rice Pilaf with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Proscuitto

So, naturally, I love rice. Maybe it's because I'm asian but there really is nothing out there that can take the place of rice. Yeah, quinoa's great and all but honestly.... it doesn't hold a candle to good ol' rice.

My family, trying to eat healthier, has been a on brown rice kick. We obviously can't kick the rice habit, so why not eat something a little healthier!

I, of course, decide to make the healthy brown rice into a not-so-healthy brown rice pilaf with sun-dried tomatoes and proscuitto, hehe....oops?




Recipe follows (courtesy of Whole Foods):

------------------------------------------------------------

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/4 pound thinly sliced prosciutto, roughly chopped

1 cup long-grain brown rice

2 cups water or broth

2 tablespoons tomato paste

Salt and ground black pepper to taste

1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, thinly sliced

1/4 cup basil leaves, torn

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts (optional)

In a medium saucepot, sauté garlic and prosciutto in warmed oil over medium-high heat, stirring often, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in rice, water or broth, tomato paste, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until liquid is completely absorbed, about 45 minutes. Remove covered pot from heat and let sit 10 minutes; uncover and fluff with fork. Transfer to a large bowl, add sun-dried tomatoes, basil and pine nuts (optional) and toss to combine.

------------------------------------------------------------

So simple and so delicious. I decided to include the pine nuts as I had some leftover when I was making some homemade pesto and I omitted the basil because my basil plant died and I refuse to buy another one :(

The pine nuts is a must add-in. The crunch of the toasted pine nuts is a great addition and I didn't miss the basil too much.

This recipe is great for a meal (all you need is some refreshing greens to start) or it can act as a side dish! Rich and hearty from the tomato paste, this is an adaptable dish that anyone would love!

Looking to kick up your meal a little and you're sick of plain old rice as a side dish? Try this recipe out! It's from Whole Foods- and you know they wouldn't steer you wrong ;)


Taste: A
Difficulty: Easy
Time: 60 minutes

Braised Chicken Thighs with Button Mushrooms

As I sit here and countdown to the Thanksgiving holiday, I can't help but to think about all the delicious food I will be having oh so soon! Since my family isn't a turkey fan, I suggested they try out the recipe I made last week- Braised Chicken Thights with Button Mushrooms! Thanks for another one, Emeril!

The recipe follows:

-------------------------------------------------------------------

1 tablespoon olive oil
6 chicken thighs
1 tablespoon Essence

1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
16 ounces button mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 cup sliced yellow onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups dark chicken stock
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
4 cups steamed white rice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Set a 10-inch, straight-sided saute pan over medium-high heat and add the oil. Season the chicken thighs with the Essence, salt and pepper. Place the chicken, skin side down in the pan and sear until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the chicken over and sear on the second side for another 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and add the butter and mushrooms. Saute the mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until browned and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the onions and garlic to the pan and saute for 3 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle the flour into the pan and cook, stirring often to make a light brown roux, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste, stock and rosemary to the pan, bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Return the chicken to the pan, skin side down and cook the chicken for 30 minutes. Turn the chicken over and cook until the meat is very tender, about 30 minutes. Serve the chicken over rice and garnish with the chopped parsley.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Thre is always something special about Emeril's recipes. Although they aren't the easiest and simplest recipes to follow, and they do take a good amount of time, the rich and hearty meal you get out of your labor is completely worth it.

Sauteed onions and mushrooms

Surprisingly enough, I didn't make any changes to Emeril's recipe- I followed it exactly and it turned out great!

The sauce, unthickened

There are a number of reasons why I love this recipe. First off, I am a huge dark meat fan and I cannot stand dry white meat. Chicken breast (although, yes, healthier) is my foe and I really just refuse to make a dish with it because I know I won't eat all of it. Second, this recipe, although seemingly difficult, was fairly simple- it just requires some time. Lastly, it is surprisingly delicious. The chicken thighs are soft while the thick sauce is a perfect pairing with the rice. There is nothing I love more than eating rice with some delicious sauce.

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving holiday- hey maybe if you're not in the mood for some turkey, this dish may be just for you!

Taste: A

Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Difficulty: Intermediate

Roasted Okra

Last week during my recovery, I couldn't help but torture myself and watch Top Chef all day on Bravo. It absolutely sucked.

Not only could I not readily access the delicious food they were making, even if I could, I wouldn't have been able to eat it thanks to my stitches! Boo!

As I watched one of the later episodes, Tiffany decided to cook an Okra dish, Michael hates okra due to it's sliminess. Personally, I think Michael is nuts.

Mmmmm Okra. How can anyone hate okra?! it's SO delicious!

Although I must agree that the slime might turn off people, the flavor and the texture of Okra is great and it is one of my most favorite vegetables!

A few months ago I made Emeril's Gumbo and the addition of Okra made it perfect- yummy slime! Last week, I thought I'd make a quick snack and roast some Okra and see what it did to the sliminess.. it did wonders.



Recipe follows:

--------------------------------------------------

1/2 lb okra

Olive Oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 325F. Slice the okra in half and place on a baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil and salt and pepper to taste, toss. Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes.

--------------------------------------------------

Yes. That's it. Maybe one of the shortest recipes I can give you. It's that simple.

If you're scared of the sliminiess of Okra, this is a great recipe as roasting it gets rid of some of it. Slightly crunchy with a smooth texture, it was a perfect snack during that long week of Top Chef episodes!

Want to try an easy Okra recipe out and you're not ready to jump into that Gumbo yet? Try this recipe out for a quick and unusual snack!

Taste: B+

Difficulty: Easy

Time: 20 minutes

Mac and Cheese

Ow. Let me tell you, getting your wisdom teeth out is not a fun experience. I've been sitting in my bed with Zeus for the past 5 days in complete misery!

What's the only good thing that came out of my wisdom teeth extraction? The yummy mushy food that I got to make. mmmMmm.

So as I dream about eating kobe short ribs, osso bucco and some seared duck breast, all I am stuck with is broth, pudding and jello. WooHoo?

As I begin to heal and the doctor told me I could start eating 'soft food', I jumped on the chance when he told me I could eat some Mac and Cheese! Yes!

As my dad rushed me off to the supermarket about to grab the classic blue box Kraft Mac and Cheese, I stopped him and decided to pick up some Gruyere and Cheddar cheese instead- we're going to make it from scratch, of course!!!

So, I did. And it was glorious.

Recipe follows:

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Kosher salt
Vegetable oil
1 pound elbow macaroni or cavatappi
1 quart milk
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
12 ounces Gruyere, grated (4 cups)
8 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (2 cups)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 pound fresh tomatoes (4 small)
1 1/2 cups fresh white bread crumbs (5 slices, crusts removed)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.
Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a large (4-quart) pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and stir well. Pour into a 3-quart baking dish.
Slice the tomatoes and arrange on top. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, combine them with the fresh bread crumbs, and sprinkle on the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.

---------------------------------------------------------

Ina Garten does it again. I do have to say, although she as a on her show is a bit snooty, her recipes are amazing! They never fail on me!

The most interesting part of this recipe is the nutmeg I would have to say. It at first was strange to think that nutmeg belonged in a mac and cheese recipe but it was such an amazing addition. The small amount of nutmeg added a rich flavor to the dish and wasn't too over powering. The dish came out smooth and creamy and was surprisingly easy to make!

Instead of using fresh breadcrumbs, I used the panko that I had and it worked out fine.

After putting it in the oven I would have to say it didn't come out liquidy and creamy as I had hoped, the cheese was more solid rather than creamy, but I guess it depends on your preference. Nevertheless, the flavor is delicious!

beautiful out of the oven

This recipe was incredibly easy and fast to make. A great plus. Craving for some grown up mac and cheese? Looking for something simple? Well look no further- try this recipe out, you'll love it I promise!

I guess some good things can come out of wisdom teeth removal...

Time: 30 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Taste: A-