Fresh Guacamole

If you don't already know, I won't bother telling you what I do for a living.

It's not a popular profession and you probably won't like me anymore.  It gets a reaction that's similar to that of "I'm a cop."

Not that I have anything against cops, but for whatever reason its one of those things that people usually react negatively to?

Like one time, in a Spanish class I took with my work partner and very good friend Joe Vittles, we were learning how to say different professions.  We had to go around the room and say what we do for a living, and the teacher would translate it into Spanish.

Joe V went first, and lied about our job.  I went next and, feeling bold, I told the teacher what I really do.

The entire class booed me. 

And... I shall leave it at that.

However, I will say that I usually spend more time out of the office than in it...which is good since, as I already mentioned to you, my cubicle at our new office is practically inside the Men's Restroom.

I will also say that I have seen more of the state of New Jersey in the past 3 years than I have my entire life.

And, with that much time on the road, I have also seen more idiotic driving than I have my entire life.

But one good thing about driving all over the place is that we get to see fun destinations that are far from home without wasting our free time or gas.  And we can even make a stop here & there.

On our lunch break, of course.

For instance, the closest Rosa Mexicano is almost an hour and a half away from where I live.  But since Joe V and I were not 5 minutes from there for work, we were able to stop there for lunch. 

Now if you've never eaten at Rosa Mexicano, they are famous for making guacamole fresh right next to your table.

They literally peel the avocado and add all the chopped up ingredients, mixing everything in an authentic molcajete.

And let me tell you - it is heavenly.

Joe V and I were talking about how, even though they were making it right in front of our very eyes, we could probably never make it as good.

Which I figured was probably true... but that didn't stop me from trying.

I did a Google search to see if I could find the recipe anywhere and, lo and behold, I found it on none other than the Rosa Mexicano website!

I guess since they make it right in front of you, they figure there's no use in keeping it under lock & key?  Especially since they have a whole cookbook now of their recipes they are selling.

So I did give it a try, and while I don't have a molcajete and it probably will never be as good anyway (maybe it's just the fact that someone is preparing it for you?) its one of the best home-made guacamole recipes I've ever tried.

Let me know if you agree!

Fresh Guacamole 

Chile Paste Ingredients

• 1 T finely chopped white onion
• 1 firmly packed T. chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 t. finely chopped jalapeño, or more to taste
• 1 t. salt, or as needed

Additional Ingredients

• 3 medium, ripe but firm, Hass avocados (about 8 ounces each)
• 3 T. diced tomato
• 2 firmly packed T. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 T. finely chopped white onion

Make the chile paste: Grind the onion, cilantro, jalapeño, and salt together in a molcajete until all the ingredients are very finely ground.  Alternatively, use the back of a spoon to mash all the ingredients to a paste in a wide hardwood bowl.

Cut each avocado in half, working the knife blade around the pit. Twist the halves to separate them and flick out the pit with the tip of the knife. Fold a kitchen towel in quarters and hold it in the palm of your “non-knife” hand. Rest an avocado half cut side up in your palm and make 3 or 4 evenly spaced lengthwise cuts through the avocado flesh down to the skin, without cutting through it. Make 4 crosswise cuts in the same way. Scoop the diced avocado flesh into the molcajete. Repeat with the remaining avocado halves.

Using a spatula, gently fold all ingredients together and season with additional salt if necessary.  Serve with fresh tortillas or tortilla chips.


Recipe from Rosa Mexicano

Warm Potato Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette

When I started this blog, I knew I would have fun trying the recipes and writing about them.

But I couldn't help but wonder- would anyone bother to read it?

Or, perhaps more importantly- would anyone like it?

And after writing for over 2 months now, I can proudly say 'yes' to both of those questions.

So thank YOU for reading my blog.

And if you are one of the ones that also likes it, thank you for that too :)  I could not be more flattered than when people tell me they are enjoying the blog.

But one pleasant surprise to me was that friends and family members started requesting that I post their favorite recipes I've made for them in the past.

Or, equally as exciting & fun, people have started offering their own favorite recipes for me to make and write about (such as the rice recipe from Aunt Michelle Vittles).

This is also one of those recipes :)

A friend of mine, Kristen Vittles, was reading V&B and noticed that (much like her own husband) Mr. V loves anything with bacon.  So she passed on this recipe, originally from Food Network.

Which was actually even more appropriate for Mr. V than she probably intended, because for as much as he loves bacon he HATES mayonnaise - typically a main ingredient in potato salad.

So I was excited to try this recipe out as an alternative to mayonnaise-based potato salad - and we both enjoyed it!

Well, perhaps me more so than Mr. Vittles, though.  While he conceded that this was better than ones with mayo, he was a bit of a pain in the patootie about the vinegar.

He hates that, too.

Ugh. I guess I can't win with the potato salads.

Although I found one from America's Test Kitchen recently that has a ranch dressing-type coating, which is another favorite of his ... so maybe I won't give up on them just yet?

I mean, we're going in the right direction.  He liked this one more than ones I've made in the past. 

Baby steps, people.

Warm Potato Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette

• 2 1/2 pounds red new potatoes
• 1/2 pound slab bacon, cut into lardons and cooked until golden brown and crisp, 2 tablespoons drippings reserved
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 2 cloves chopped garlic
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons roughly chopped basil leaves
• 2 tablespoons roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley

Put the potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with cold water and season with 1 tablespoon kosher salt. Bring to a boil and cook until tender when pierced with a knife. Drain, let cool for a few minutes and quarter.

While the potatoes are cooking, whisk together the drippings, vinegar, mustard, honey, garlic, salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in the olive oil, and then stir in the chopped basil and parsley.

Add the warm potatoes and the bacon to the vinaigrette and gently fold to combine.


Recipe from Food Network, by Bobby Flay

Marinated Bulgogi-Style Chicken

My husband is a very humble man.

Let me give you an example of his humility.

We sat down for dinner to try this chicken and, after each taking a bite, noted how awesome it came out.

Then Mr. Vittles said to me, "You better tell your blog readers that I'm the one that grilled that chicken."

I responded that I would, and said that I should have taken a picture of him at the grill as proof.

"Oh no," he protested, "there doesn't need to be photographic evidence.  I just want to make sure you spread the word that The V Man dominated the grill."

So there you have it, folks.  "The V Man" dominated the grill, and "the word" is officially spread.

But grill domination is only half the battle. The making of the marinade was all me.  

This recipe from Food and Wine caught my eye because this past winter three of my best girls and I ate a fabulous dinner out at a Korean restaurant in Manhattan.  We were able to cook our own meat on a charcoal grill in the middle of the table (like the picture below from their website) which was pretty fun:

Copyright 2004 - Wonjo Korean Restaurant

But I will admit, I was a little hesitant going there. I literally had to drag myself onto the train that Saturday, not yet fully recuperated from a serious hangover due to overconsumption of Absinthe (given to me by Mr. V a couple birthdays ago) the night before.

PS- Absinthe, even in it's legalized watered-down form, is not a drink for the faint of heart.  In my drinking heyday (which, I assure you, is long over) I got some nasty hangovers, but too much of this drink catapulted me from sober to drunk to severely ill in a matter of about an hour.

So in my condition, I was not even sure I'd be able to eat - and Korean food was never high on my list of favorites anyway.

BUT the freezing walk from the train station to the restaurant helped my head a little, and my girlfriend Janine Vittles assured us all how amazing the bulgogi beef was.

So we ordered that, as well as some chicken, and when it was done grilling we wrapped the meat in big lettuce leaves with rice and vegetables and all sorts of other goodies.

As promised, it was delicious.  Instant hangover cure.

And I have to say, this marinade (not to mention my husband's expert grilling of the meat) came commendably close to capturing the flavors of that night.  

It probably would have been great wrapped in lettuce leaves with rice, but a) I didn't have any big lettuce leaves and b) I wouldn't even know where to begin with all the fun trimmings that accompanied our meal at the Korean restaurant.  So, we just ate this with some leftover chili lime basmati rice I had made earlier in the week. 

Maybe you know more about Korean food than I (which wouldn't be hard to do) and will think of some better side dishes or ways to serve this.  But either way, I'm sure you will enjoy this as much as we did.

Just make sure you or someone you know is prepared to Dominate the Grill.

Marinated Bulgogi-Style Chicken

• 1/3 C. soy sauce
• 2 T. sesame oil
• 1 T. honey
• 1 T. seasoned rice vinegar
• 1 t. freshly ground pepper
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/8 t. ground ginger*
• 1 T. sesame seeds
• 1 1/2 lbs. thin-sliced chicken breast cutlets (or regular breasts pounded 1/3 inch thick)
• Vegetable oil, for brushing

In a resealable plastic bag, combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, vinegar, pepper, scallions, garlic, ginger and sesame seeds. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Seal the bag, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or for up to 4 hours.

Light a grill (or preheat a grill pan) and oil the grates. Remove the chicken from the marinade and brush lightly with oil.  Grill over moderate heat, turning once, until lightly charred and cooked through, 5 minutes. Sprinkle with more sesame seeds if desired and serve.  (If using regular pounded chicken breasts, first slice thinly and then serve).

*Note: The original recipe calls for 1 T. freshly grated ginger, which does give a different taste than ground ginger.  I just didn't have any fresh ginger, so I used a (somewhat poor) substitute.  If you have it already, or want to be more authentic, feel free to use fresh.


Recipe Adapted from Food and Wine (by Nick Fauchald)

Chocolate Oatmeal Fudge Bars

Much unlike me, Mr. Vittles could take or leave desserts.  He usually eats sweets more as a snack than a dessert, and for the most part, seems strangely indifferent to their sugary goodness.

But on the rare occasion he latches on to something, he doesn't let go.

Like... the ricotta cookies, and now these.

I made these chocolate oatmeal fudge bars for the first time a few weeks ago, as a dessert to bring to a friend's birthday dinner party.  Mr V. was supposed to accompany me to said party, but at the last minute he couldn't go because there was a fire at the golf course where he manages.

!!

Which would be a really insane excuse not to go a dinner party (I'm sure people have used it) but I did see pictures and can confirm their storage shed really did get reduced to rubble.

Anyhoo... since he was not going to be able to try this new recipe at the party (AND I was having a very small gathering of my own a couple nights later) I saved about a third of the batch to keep at home.  Which is actually a lot, because these are very rich and I cut them into small pieces.

But apparently...that was not enough.

Between the night after the birthday party and the next day, I could not pry these things from his grubby little paws.

In fact, I had to explicitly tell him NOT to touch any more of the oatmeal cookie bars until after our party.  Which I thought would be fine since a) he's not a big sweets guy and b) there were still some cookies and cupcakes left over from Momma Vittles' brunch.

But alas, this was not the case.  I was told that the oatmeal bars were "dominant" and that he could see no other desserts in their presence.

Then yesterday, I was told it was "time to make more of those oatmeal things", and he again used the term "dominant" to describe them.

Kind of a strange choice of words... must be a powerful attraction.

So even though its currently 81 degrees in our home (our AC is not so great so we don't even bother unless its super hot), I fired up the oven and made the Dominant Oatmeal Bars.

Which are, by the way, a layer of oatmeal cookie, topped with a soft, chocolately fudge, and then more droplets of oatmeal cookie.

Yes.  What a good wifey I am.

And after they had cooled and I went to go cut them into squares ... I found that a little mouse had already taken a sample:

 

 A 6'4" mouse that knows how to use a knife.

Chocolate Oatmeal Fudge Bars

For the oatmeal layer:

• 2½ C all-purpose flour
• 1 t. baking soda
• 1 t. salt
• ¼ t. ground cinnamon
• 1 C. (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
• 2 C. light brown sugar, packed
• 2 large eggs
• 2 t. vanilla extract
• 3 C. old-fashioned oats

For the chocolate layer:

• 1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 C. semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 T. butter
• ¼ t. salt
• 1 t. vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Line the a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with foil (preferably nonstick) that overlaps the edges, and grease with nonstick cooking spray.

Make the oatmeal cookie layer:  Combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl and whisk to blend.  Set aside.  In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter on medium-high speed until it is soft and creamy, about 1 minute.  Add the brown sugar and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.  Blend in the vanilla.  With the mixer on low speed, mix in the dry ingredients you set aside just until incorporated.  Mix in the oats on low or with a rubber spatula until evenly combined.

Reserve 1½ cups of the mixture.  Place the remaining dough in the prepared pan and press over the bottom of the pan in an even layer.

Make the chocolate layer: combine the condensed milk, chocolate chips, butter and salt in a microwave safe bowl. Heat in 15 second increments, stirring after each, until mixture is smooth.  Stir in the vanilla.

Pour the warm chocolate mixture over the oatmeal cookie layer and spread evenly with an offset spatula.  (Tip: Spray one side of spatula with nonstick cooking spray to spread more easily, if desired)  Crumble the remaining oatmeal cookie mixture and scatter evenly over the top of the chocolate.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the chocolate layer is starting to pull away from the sides of the pan.  Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely.  Lift foil out of pan, and cut into bars as desired. (I would recommend cutting them fairly small, as they are pretty rich).

Recipe Adapted from Annie's Eats

Coconut Strawberry Banana Smoothie

So, it's Memorial Day Weekend and, at least where I live, that can only mean one thing...

...the official start of summer.

Which is something I used to get really excited for.  Warm weather, lots of time at the beach and in the sun, barbecues and corn on the cob, getting crazy with your friends, etc etc.

Now... not so much.

While I do still like all these things, (although at this point, 'getting crazy' means making it past 11PM and maybe throwing in a glass of wine) summer has become somewhat of a hassle.

For one, it seems like there's always a party or barbecue or wedding or some other type of shindig to go to.  Which is fun in the beginning, but usually gets pretty old by August.

Also, its awfully hot.  I can't spend all day in the sun anymore without getting cranky.  Plus within the past few years, I discovered this thing called sunscreen - which is great for preventing skin cancer, but very unhelpful when you are trying to get a tan.

I guess that means it's working.

Worst of all, there are tons of tourists & day-trippers around, which also means lots & lots of TRAFFIC.

(In case you don't know, I live a couple miles from the beach at the Jersey Shore - except, unlike good old Snookie and JWowwwwww, I acually grew up here.) 

After so many years of living at the beach (I went to college in a touristy area of Florida as well), I guess maybe all the hubbub is starting to get to me?  I mean, it's only Day 2 and I'm already complaining!  

I know, I know.  Most people would kill to live a couple miles from the beach. 

Maybe I just woke up on the wrong side of the bed or something today.

But what did make me feel better was this smoothie that I made for breakfast.

All the best parts of summer without the any of the hassle :)

Coconut Strawberry Banana Smoothie

• 1/2 C. coconut milk (unsweetened)
• 1/2 C. regular milk (skim, lowfat, whole- whatever you have is fine)
• 5 large strawberries, hulled*
• 1/2 banana
• 2-3 T. sugar (depending on how sweet you like it)

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until liquefied.  Makes one smoothie.

*Tip: You can use frozen strawberries instead, if you like your smoothies to be icy.

Original Recipe

Spicy Tomato Sauce

Italian-Americans do not mess around when it comes to tomato sauce.

Or food in general, really.

My family is no different.  So before we get to the "vittles," here's a "bit" for you.

Shortly before our wedding, my grandmother Yaya Vittles had an unfortunate accident where she broke her hip... and within a matter of days, her body went into complete shut-down mode.

Things were looking pretty grim, so all her close family members were called to say their goodbyes.  Mr. V and I drove the three hours to see her in the hospital, and I was beside myself to see her slipping in and out of consciousness. 

However, while my dad and stepmom were visiting, she managed to bring some comic relief to an otherwise dreadful situation.

She was having a 'dream' where she was apparently home in her kitchen, making Sunday supper, and she barked out orders to my grandfather in her sleep.

"Pop, get the tomatoes!" she exclaimed.

Then, "I'm making the meatballs!" as she massaged the air with her hands, mixing the imaginary beef and bread crumbs.

Now that's what I like to call dedication.

Thankfully, she was right when she told me that "they can't kill an old horse."  Over eight months later, she is still going strong.  And... still pumping out the meatballs and sauce. 

But despite following her "recipe," mine never comes out as good as hers :( 

So I took the best elements from her sauce, as well as the best from another one of my favorites (Pappy V's) and merged them into my own glorious creation.

My dad makes a quick, spicy sauce where my grandmother makes a slow, mild sauce.

I ... make a slow, spicy sauce.

And not to toot my own horn or anything....

But it's awesome.

Mr. Vittles, who does not even really like pasta and sauce, also happens to think it's awesome.

Toot toot.

Let's hope you agree.

Spicy Tomato Sauce

• 3 T. olive oil
• 3-4 cloves chopped garlic
• 1 t. crushed red pepper*
• 6 oz. can tomato paste
• 1/2 C. red wine
• 1 C. water
• 2 T. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 28-oz. cans crushed tomatoes
• 2 T. dried parsley
• 1 T. dried basil
• 2 heaping t. black pepper
• 1 heaping t. salt
• 1/2 t. onion powder
• 1/4 t. garlic powder

In a large pot, heat the olive oil on medium-low.  Add garlic and crushed red pepper.  Oil should be hot enough for garlic to sizzle a bit, but not too hot that it burns.  Brown garlic slightly until fragrant, 1-2 minutes.

Add water, wine, Worcestershire sauce, and tomato paste and stir until heated thoroughly.  Add parsley, basil, salt, pepper, garlic & onion powders, and crushed tomatoes. Stir to combine.  Bring sauce to a boil, then reduce heat to low.

Simmer on low for about an hour, stirring occasionally.  Serve with pasta, or use in place of jarred sauce in your favorite recipes.  Makes about 2 quarts.

*Note: Depending on how spicy you like it, you can use more or less red pepper.  The one teaspoon here gives it a pretty good kick, so I'd try that first before using more.  However, I would not recommend omitting it altogether unless you are adding meat to the sauce, which will give it some extra flavor. 

Original Recipe

Lemon Sablés

In case you couldn't tell by my last post, I needed a few days to recover from the excitement of the brunch.

After all the planning and baking and hosting of party guests and house guests alike, I needed a little time to unwind and get my thoughts (and my tiny house) back in order.

Not to mention, things are unusually chaotic at work because we are moving to a new office on Monday.  So we've been cleaning and packing and sorting through old paperwork, and we all ventured to the new office to scope out our new workspaces.

Which, for me only, will be not 15 feet from the men's toilet.

Yes, that's right - the actual porcelain fixture is only that far from my desk. I have not the protection of even a stall nor a cubicle wall to shield me from the smells and sounds I can only imagine will be emerging from that dreadful room.

Naturally, I asked if something could be done, but it seems my fate is sealed. 

So I will look on the bright side. 

My desk is not in the men's bathroom.

And ... I have another brunch dessert recipe to share with you that turned out fabulously.

I actually first heard of sablés (pronounced "sah-BLEHs") in Home Ec back in high school - in case you're not familiar, they are just French butter cookies. 

But in Home Ec, I seem to remember making both a chocolate and vanilla dough and forming them into checkerboards that looked something like this:

Copyright 2008 BakingObsession.com

I also remember them being very boring and waaaay more trouble than they were worth, thus vowing never to make a sablé again for the rest of my days. 

However, this recipe intrigued me and I decided to give them another shot.  I'm happy to report that, with the addition of lemon and coarse sugar, these are not boring at all.  And in comparison to crafting checkboards out of dough, this recipe was a breeze.  (Chilling the dough logs and rolling them in sugar is well worth the extra effort when you see how beautiful and buttery and delicious these will turn out.)

Which says a lot coming from me, because I'm usually not a fruity-dessert kinda gal.  Mr. V liked them too!

So... let's all just be happy that our desks are not in the men's bathroom, and indulge on some lemon sah-BLEHs.

Lemon Sablés

• 
  
  1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
• Zest of two lemons
• 1 t. fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 3 egg yolks
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• Sanding sugar or other coarse decorative sugar

Mix the sugars in a small bowl and add the lemon zest. Rub the zest into the sugar with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and fragrant with lemon with the bits of zest evenly distributed throughout the sugar. Set aside.

In a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium speed until it is soft and creamy-looking. Beat in the lemon sugar just until the mixture looks smooth again, being careful not to let it get fluffy.

Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and beat in just two of the egg yolks, mixing until well-blended.  Turn the mixer to low and stir in the flour until it is fully incorporated. The dough will be very soft and not quite clear the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and divide it in half.

Shape each dough half into a even log about nine inches long and wrap each log in a sheet of plastic wrap (the plastic wrap can also help the dough-shaping process along if your dough is especially soft and sticky). Refrigerate for at least three hours or up to a few days if making ahead.

When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Using a pastry brush, coat each log of dough with the remaining egg yolk, and coat liberally in decorative sugar.
 
Slice each log into 24 discs (most easily achieved by slicing the log in half, then each half in half, etc.) and place on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the edges turn golden brown and the cookies are mostly firm to the touch.  (Keep an eye on these from about 12 minutes on, as they can go from raw-looking to very crispy in a short period of time!)  Cool on the baking sheets for one minute then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
 
 

Recipe Adapted from Piece of Cake blog

Doctoring a Cake Mix and Cupcake Frostings

Sometimes... you have no choice but to take a baking shortcut.

In my opinion, single-handedly making five types of desserts for 45 people, over a span of 2 days, calls for a shortcut or two.

For my brunch in honor of Momma Vittles, I decided that I wanted to make mini vanilla cupcakes - but I didn't want to take the time to make the batter from scratch so I doctored up a cake mix.

Multiple people at the brunch asked me for the recipe because they were so "moist" and "wonderful".  I wasn't embarrassed to admit it was a mix that I just fixed up a bit, and they asked me to put the shortcut here on V&B.  (Which, by the way, made me so happy that people are reading it!)

So, here is my tip: Substitute 1 cup of buttermilk for the water in the recipe.  If you're using a white cake to make vanilla cupcakes, add a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract to boost the real vanilla flavor.  Follow the rest of the recipe as it is on the box.

But since this isn't technically a recipe and I don't want to cheat you all, I will also share a couple of recipes for a vanilla frosting and a chocolate sour cream frosting that you can use to pipe onto your cupcakes.  I just think that for cupcakes, it looks so much cuter when you can pipe the icing on rather than spread it on!

So these two frostings are both conducive to holding the shape of a decorator's tip.  The vanilla one is so light and fluffy, it almost tastes like whipped cream.  And the chocolate one is rich with just a hint of tang from the sour cream and cream cheese.

 

Vanilla Frosting

• 3 T flour
• 1/2 C. milk (whole milk is best, but you can use lower fat versions as well)
• 1/2 C. real butter (one stick)
• 1/2 C. granulated sugar  
• 1 t. vanilla extract

Whisk together the flour and the milk in a small saucepan on medium heat.  Continue whisking until mixture starts to thicken and it looks like smooth, shiny pudding (you should be able to see the bottom of the pan when you stir it).  Once it hits this point, promptly remove it from the stove and immediately empty it into a mesh strainer set over a bowl.  The mixture will be thick, but you can whisk within the strainer and also use the back of a spatula to push it through (you just don't want any residual flour lumps to go into the mixer.)

Let mixture cool to room temperature (you can chill in fridge to speed this up).  Just make sure it's cooled completely, otherwise it will melt the butter and you'll have runny frosting!

In an electric stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter and sugar for a minute or two until well-combined and fluffy.  Then while beating, add in thickened milk mixture and the vanilla.  Beat on the highest speed you can for 7-8 minutes.  It will start out looking like a mess but I promise after being mixed that long it will turn out smooth and fluffy.

Spread or pipe onto cupcakes using pastry bag fitted with decorating tip.  I was able to pipe a dollop onto about 60 mini cupcakes with some leftover (as shown in the above pictures) but depending on how much you use, you could frost anywhere from 12-24 regular sized cupcakes.

Recipe from Our Best Bites blog

~

Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting

• 7 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 4 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
• 4 T. butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 3 T. unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup sour cream

Melt the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl, heating at 15 second intervals and stirring after each heating.  Set aside to cool until just barely warm.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.  Gradually mix in the confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder, and salt.  Beat in the melted and cooled chocolate and then the sour cream.  Continue beating until the mixture is smooth and well blended.  Frost cupcakes immediately.

Recipe Adapted from Annie's Eats blog

Chili Lime Basmati Rice

Recently, Mr. Vittles' aunt Michelle Vittles was kind enough to share a recipe from one of her favorite cookbooks called "Lemon Spiked Basmati Rice."

This recipe sounded awesome, but I can't help but get a little nervous when I see "rice" in the title of a recipe.

Now here's a confession that's probably more embarrassing to me than being afraid of moths (which are vile creatures and I don't know why everyone isn't afraid of them?)

I can't cook rice.

I don't know what it is about the preparation of this silly grain that eludes me after all my time in the kitchen.  But somehow it either comes out too wet, or gets stuck to the bottom of the pan.

Or then there's my favorite scenario- where it comes out too wet ... and then I get impatient because it was timed perfectly with the rest of my meal which is now getting cold ... so I blast the heat to speed things up and end up burning it to the bottom of the pan.

Argh!!

I've tried rice all different ways, with all different cooking times and ratios of rice to water, yet somehow it comes out wrong 99% of the time. 

Nonetheless, I read on when I got this recipe and saw something miraculous - while the initial cooking is done on the stove, the rice itself is cooked in the oven.

This I had never tried.

So of course I had to give it a shot.  But I was making it to go with a Mexican dish, so I decided to switch things up a bit and use lime instead of lemon, chili powder instead of cayenne, and add some fresh cilantro.

I even cut the onions!

And let me tell you something.

I can do this.  It's amazing.  And it's delicious.

Chili Lime Basmati Rice

• 1 C. basmati rice, rinsed & well drained (uncooked)
• 3 T. butter
• 3/4 C. onion, diced to about 1/4"
• 1 1/2 t. minced garlic
• 1/2 t. chili powder
• 1 T. fresh lime juice
• 1 1 /2 t. minced lime zest
• 2 T. cream (or milk)
• 1 1/4 t. salt
• 1 T. chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 T. thinly sliced chives
  

Preheat oven 375 degrees.

Place well drained rice in a 1 1/2 quart baking dish.

Melt the butter in a nonstick or heavy saucepan.  Add onion & saute over medium heat until soft, about 2 minutes.  Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.

Add chili powder, lime juice, lime zest, cream, salt, and 1 1/2 C. water - bring to boil.

Stir entire mixture into the rice in baking dish.  Seal tightly with foil and bake for 20-25 minutes or until rice is tender & all liquid is absorbed.

Fluff with a fork, then fold in chives & cilantro before serving.

Recipe Adapted from Dishing with Kathy Casey

Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

This Sunday is Mother's Day.

Last year on Mother's Day, I went to a flea market with my mom, and we picked out plants for her garden and my deck.  Then we went back to my house and I cooked breakfast for her and my stepdad.

Now this is my first Mother's Day in 27 years without my mom, and all I have left of her are these memories.

  Me & Momma Vittles - Mother's Day 1986

I am thankful to have an amazing stepmother and mother-in-law to celebrate with, but I would do anything to celebrate with her too.

So if you have a mother (and/or mother-figure) in your life, I hope you let her know how special she is to you every single time you have the opportunity.

Don't wait for a special occasion. You never know what tomorrow might bring.

But Mother's Day is the prime time to show her that she means the world to you, so don't drop the ball on this one.

Tell her how proud you are to have her as your mother.

Tell her you're sorry for all the times you were god-awful to her (I don't care how awesome you are now - you were god-awful to your mother at some point in your life.)

Tell her how much you appreciate everything she's done for you, and all the sacrifices she's made for you.

Tell her how happy you are to have her in your life.  

Just tell her you love her.

And these cookies might help get your point across.

 

Strawberry Shortcake Cookie

• 12 ounces strawberries, hulled & cut into 1/4" dice (2 C.)
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 3 ounces (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 2/3 cup light cream
• Sanding sugar, for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 375 degrees & line baking sheets with parchment paper.  Combine strawberries, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar.

In a separate large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and remaining 7 tablespoons granulated sugar.  Cut in the cold butter with a pastry cutter, or rub in with your fingers, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Stir in cream until dough starts to come together, then stir in strawberry mixture.

Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop or a tablespoon, drop dough onto baking sheets spacing evenly apart & sprinkle with sanding sugar.

Bake until golden brown, 18-22 minutes. (Monitor carefully towards the end). Transfer to wire rack & let cool.

Cookies are best served immediately, but can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day.


Recipe Adapted from Martha Stewart Living, June 2009

Oven-Crisp Black Bean Flautas

So I think I already made it clear that I was a horribly picky eater as a kid.

And while I got a little better with each passing year, it wasn't until I went to college that I truly broadened my culinary horizons.

Part of the reason for that was the fact that my two best friends there were both vegetarians.  Nat and Flav Vittles taught me that tofu can actually be delicious (except when its in the form of a Thanksgiving "tofurky"...ick!) and that you don't have to have meat to have a meal.

Not that this was totally news to me, or that I was some kind of meat freak before.  However, it did make me think outside the box and adapt some of my go-to recipes to be more vegetarian friendly.

You know, eggplant parm instead of chicken parm... meatless chili... Italian wedding soup minus the mini meatballs, and with VEGETABLE broth instead of chicken broth (yes I made that mistake, unfortunately.)

But I have especially embraced vegetarian Mexican by replacing chicken and beef with black beans. 

Oh my.  Let's talk about black beans.

Not only are they super tasty, they are also full of good-for-you things like fiber and protein.  And usually my favorite foods are not very healthy, so this is a welcome change for me :)

Now thankfully Mr. Vittles enjoys black beans as much as I do...  Although I don't really enjoy the after-effects of black beans when it comes to Mr. V, if you catch my drift.

Sadly, I often catch a drift as well.  Eww.

But anyway, we eat a lot of Mexican around here and I get sick of making everything with chicken and beef.

Or... sometimes I'm just out of meat and I'm too lazy to go to the grocery store :)

Which was the case when I got inspired the other night to try my hand at making flautas.  So, I was on the hunt not only for a meatless recipe, but also one that could be baked instead of fried (as we have not eaten so great the past few days).

My search led me to vegetariantimes.com (which seems like a pretty cool website, by the way) where I found a recipe for Oven-Crisp Black Bean Flautas.

Bingo!  And just in time for Cinco de Mayo :)

But of course, I couldn't let the recipe be too healthy.  So I took out the corn (didn't have any of that either), added a little shredded cheese & salt, and lightly brushed the tops of the flautas with canola oil before baking.

Don't you dare try to burst my 'healthy' bubble, people.  At least I'm not frying them in 1/4 inch of oil!

Anyway, since it's just the two of us and I didn't think these would be great as leftovers, I halved the recipe.  It made 5 flautas for me, but I like to load in the filling so you could probably make 6 if you're frugal.

Also, just a general FYI for you - I often substitute onion powder for minced onions because onions do very bad things to my eyes and sinuses!  I know it's not uncommon to get teary when cutting onions, but trust me when I say I am more sensitive to the little devils than most.  I'm surprised I haven't lost a finger yet.

Well, let's not lie, that's partially due to my klutziness :(  But seriously, my eyeballs & onions are just not friends.

So ... I generally try to avoid them, unless they are one of the main features of the recipe (ie Fresh Pico de Gallo Salsa).

But if you prefer fresh (or if you have these sweet onion cutting goggles & can chop away unaffected!) then you can mince half a medium onion instead of using the powder, and cook it along with the garlic.

Oven-Crisp Black Bean Flautas

• 1 t. olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed & drained
• 1/2 t. onion powder
  
• 1 t. chili powder
• 1 T. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 10 oz. can mild Rotel diced tomatoes & chiles, drained
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1/2 C. Monterey Jack cheese (or whatever type you prefer)
• 5 10" flour tortillas
• canola oil, for brushing

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat.  Add garlic and cook about 1 minute until fragrant.

Add 1/2 C. water along with beans, onion powder, chili powder and cilantro.  Reduce heat to medium low and simmer about 10 minutes until most of water is evaporated.

Remove pan from heat and smash beans with back of spoon or immersion blender until mixture is thickened but still chunky, with some whole beans left.  Stir in salt & Rotel, and allow mixture to cool.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Coat baking sheet with cooking spray, or line with nonstick foil.

Microwave tortillas in 10 second intervals until soft & pliable.  Spoon a heaping 1/3 C. mixture in a line down center of each tortilla and sprinkle cheese on top.

Fold in sides on either end of the line, and then roll tortilla tightly around filling.  Secure end with a toothpick and set on baking sheet with seam side down.

Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the tops of the flautas with oil and place baking sheet in oven until crisp, about 10 minutes.  Serve with guacamole, sour cream, and/or salsa.  (I would also recommend cutting them in half to let them cool... the filling stays really hot in the enclosed tortilla!)

Recipe Adapted from Vegetarian Times

Ricotta Cookies

This post is dedicated to my husband's uncle, Carl Vittles.

When I first started this blog a little over a month ago, he was not only very supportive but very excited.  And when I saw him yesterday at a 50th birthday party for another uncle, he informed me that he was anxiously awaiting a post about his favorite cookies - ricotta cookies.

Which was very convenient, since I had made just them for this very celebration!  They are a very simple & soft white cookie that everyone seems to enjoy.

Now let me just explain that no one in Mr. Vittles' family is Italian.  So when I first brought these cookies to a family function, they got some strange looks.

If you're not Italian, you may not be familiar with dessert items made from ricotta cheese...  it's not just for lasagne & baked ziti, people!

I also think I had to repeat the name of these cookies about 20 times that night.  My family says ricotta something like "re-GOA-ta" (not totally it, but close enough) where pretty much everyone else pronounces it like it's spelled.

I don't know why, it's just a thing with Italians. You know, like "mozzarella" verses "MOOTZ-a-rell."  Especially when you're referring to the fresh variety.

If I ever said 'fresh mozzarella' I think I'd be disowned.

Anyway, it seems the deliciousness of the ricotta cookies broke the 'language barrier', and they've become a new family favorite.  Which says a lot, because there are a lot of talented bakers with wonderful recipes in this family!

But Mr. Vittles and my stepdad could both single-handedly mow through a batch in a matter of days.  And at the party last night, the only thing left on the platter was some crumbs and a few rogue sprinkles.

So this one's for you, Carl V - enjoy :)

Ricotta Cookies

• 2 C. sugar
• 1 C. butter, softened
• 2 C. ricotta cheese
• 2 t. vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 4 C. flour
• 2 T. baking powder
• 1 t. salt
• 1 1/2 C. powdered sugar
• 3 T. milk
• 1 t. vanilla extract

Preheat oven 350.  On low, beat butter & sugar until blended.  Then increase speed to high and beat until light & fluffy (about 5 more minutes).

On medium, beat in ricotta, vanilla & eggs until combined.

Reduce speed to low & add flour, baking powder & salt.  Beat until dough forms. 

One tablespoon at a time, either drop cookies onto greased sheet or form them into balls.  (Balls are a little easier to ice later because they don't have pointy edges).

Bake 12-15 minutes until lightly golden.  Cookies will be soft.

Cool completely on rack.

Prepare icing by combining powdered sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth.  Food coloring can be added to glaze if you prefer colored icing.

Glaze cookies, and decorate with sprinkles if desired.  Put back on rack to dry.

Recipe Origin Unknown