Under the Tuscan Sun

Well, Natalie, Melissa, and I decided to go to a cooking class. Miami Dade Kendall Campus offers great classes (ie. sushi, italian cooking, cooking on a dime, etc). I highly recommend going! We went to the Tuscan Cooking class. We arrived, and were definitely the youngest cookers there by a long shot, so everyone told us what to do, but overall it was a fun time! Go out and take a cooking class! (or host one yourself!)

The first thing we made was VEAL SCALLOPINI. This was a fun adventure. It might be easier to cook them in some sort of muffin cup, because the melted cheese made it fall apart a bit.

Veal Scallopini Recipe:

First Layer --> Egg Plant

You will need 2 medium eggplants. Remove the stem from the eggplant and discard. Cut the eggplant horizontally into 1/4 inch slices. Sprinkle liberally with sea salt to remove the bitterness in the eggplant (do this on both sides!) Let the eggplant stand for 30 minutes, then rinse off the salt, dry the slices. Brush both sides with butter or olive oil, and broil for 1 minute on each side.

Second Layer --> Veal Cutlets

You will need 12 4-5 oz cutlets for this recipe. Melt 4 tbsp. butter and add 4 tbsp. olive oil. While this is heating, pound the veal to be very thin. Dredge veal in sifted flour with salt and pepper (could be delicious to add some italian seasoning, orgeano, parsley, etc to this flour dredge), and sautee for 1 minute on each side.

Third Layer --> Mozzarella cheese

You will need 12 1/4" slices for this recipe

Fourth Layer --> Proscuitto Ham

You will need 12 thinly sliced pieces of this meat. Sautee lightly for 30 seconds on each side, just until crispy

Fifth Layer --> Mushroom Caps

We cut designs into the caps, but when we cooked this, the mushrooms were not cooked. We recommend sauteeing the caps first, so they are cooked, and then top the scallopini.

Sixth Layer --> Sauce

Melt 6 tbsp. butter in a skillet, and add 2/3 c minced shallots. Sautee for 3-5 minutes. Pour in 2/3 c dry white wine, 2/3 c beef stock, 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tbsp minced parcley, and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Stir and simmer for 5 minutes. Sprinkle 1 1/2 tbsp sifted flour over sauce and stir sauce until sauce thickens slightly.

Structure --> Assemble all the ingredients in the order provided. Pour sauce over top of the structures, and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

This was delicious, but a little salty, so do not add salt to anything. The proscuitto will add enough salt flavor for the entire dish!

We also made a great PESTO SAUCE that we put on top of toasted italian bread. Everyone was grabbing spoons, and eating this out of the food processor. It would be amazing to make and freeze and just use when you needed something fast!

Pesto Recipe:

6 cloves garlic, chopped

3/4 c roasted pine nuts

1 c grated parmigiano cheese

3 c sweet basil leaves, chopped

1 c oregano leaves, chopped

1 tbsp. rosemary leaves

2 c flat leaf parsley

1 c olive oil

1 tsp. pepper

Blend all ingredients in a food processor while slowly adding the olive oil in as you process. So yummy! We put this on pasta too, to go with the entree.

Lastly, we made a fruit salad. This went so fast that we didn't get a picture of it, but it was sooooooo good! I dare you to try it!

Macedonia Di Frutta

1 canteloupe

1 honeydue

3 apples

4 bananas

1 pineapple

1 pint of strawberries

1 cup sugar

1 1/3 c orange juice

2 tbsp. lemon juice

1 c Kirsch Liquor

Cut everything relatively the same size. Let marinate for about an hour, so everything tastes yummy!

Playing with Pumpkin

So Ashley's Pumpkin Pie inspired me, so I made whoopee pies!! I didn't have one, because everyone at work ate them all, so I assume they were delicious!

Pumpkin Whoopee Pies

Pies:

3 c all purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

2 tbsp. cinnamon

1 tbsp. ground ginger

1 tbsp. ground cloves

1 c veggie oil

2 c packed brown sugar

2 large eggs

3 c chilled pumpkin puree

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. In a seporate bowl, whisk the brown sugar and oil together. Add pumpkin until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla until smooth. Add flour mix to wet mix, and whisk until smooth. Drop scoops of mix on the cookie sheet. These do not spread too much, so they don't have to be seporated too much. Cook for 10-12 minutes.

Cream Cheese Filling:

3 c confectioner's sugar

1/2 c butter (room temp)

8 oz cream cheese (room temp)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Cream all ingredients together. Once the pies are completely cool, spread about a tablespoon of cream filling and top with another pie. Sooo good!

punkin pie ;)

MMM....pumpkin pie! its that time of year!






















I cheated big time on this one...i just followed the directions on the can of pumpkin...i know one person that enjoyed it!! :) and it looks pretty

New Brinner Bowling Tradition

So NEOUCOM has a wonderful tradition of Tuesday night bowling. I got recruited to bowl on a team with my roommie and our two buddies Ryan and Kyle. The first night of bowling, Ryan had us all over for some eggs, bacon and pancakes. MMM....so I thought it was only fair to return the favor. This past week we made little egg cups and pancakes. Delicious!!

The egg cups I think I saw one day on the food network, and said how hard can that be!

Line a muffin cup with turkey (i think any thinly sliced meat will do though)

Brown some hashbrowns and I threw in some spinach at the last minute.

let the hashbrowns cool so that they can be put into the muffin tins.

top with some grated cheese (cheddar)

crack an egg on top of the muffin tins (on per cup)

Top with some bacon, becuase nothing could be bad with bacon!

Bake for like 20 minutes, until the eggs are cooked to your liking.

Curry, Squash, and Girl Talk

Thursday night Jess, Jess, and I had big plans to make extravagant food. When we finally met up, we were all sleepy from the day, and very hungry! So we decided to make quick food, so we had more time to relax and chat! The dinner menu became acorn squash with chile lime sauce, yam curry with bananas, bruschetta, and OREOS! Mike hung out with us too, he can't pass up good food.

The acorn squash recipe was taken from the smitten kitchen site. Thanks Deb!

2 acorn squash

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt

6 tbsp olive oil

1 garlic clove (Jessica used more because she is afraid of vampires ;) haha)

1 1/2 tbsp fresh lime juice

2 tsp finely chopped fresh hot red chile, include seeds (we all inhaled this and had to go outside to recover)

2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

Put oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees. Halve the squash lengthwise, then cut off and discard stem ends. Scoop out seeds, and cut squash lengthwise into 3/4 inch wedges. Toss squash with black pepper, 3/4 tsp salt, 2 tbsp olive oil in a bowl. Then arrange in 2 large shallow baking pans, with the cut sides down. Roast squash, switching position of pans halfway through roasting, until squash is tender and undersides are golden brown (25-35 minutes).

While the squash roasts, mince the garlic, and mash into a paste using the rest of the salt. Transfre paste into a small bowl and whisk with lime juice, chile, cilantro, and 1/4 c olive oil. Drizzle over roasted squash.

The sweet and savory of this dish was to die for!

You will have to talk to Mrs. Silver for the curry recipe, because she was fully in charge of this delicious creation!

Careful, the curry jumps on people, and stains shirts!

The bruschetta was just 4 tomatoes, 2 cloves of garlic, basil, salt, pepper. Needed onions we thought, but we didnt have any. We then rubbed bread with garlic, toasted the bread, and enjoyed!
We were too tired for dessert, so we went to the store looking for the halloween oreos, but they didn't have any. So we disappointingly settled for the plain ones. :)

the raspberry cupcake contest

Ok, sorry this took so long to post, but I had to hunt down the pics!

I made these for Sydnee's birthday, and they were a hit. Kales and her mom were going around the house trying to find things to dip in the frosting, because it was soo delicious!

The Recipe:

CUPCAKES:

9 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 c cake flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1 stick unsalted butter, room temp

1 1/2 c sugar

2 eggs

1/2 c strong coffee

1/2 c milk

Preheat oven to 350. Sift together cocoa powder, cake flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a bowl. In another bowl, beat butter and sugar until smooth. Add eggs one at a time until smooth. Mix milk and coffee together. Stir in 1/2 dry ingredients, add coffee/milk mixture, add other 1/2 dry ingredients. Pour in muffin cups and bake for 20 minutes. Cool completely before frosting

FROSTING:

1 c unsalted butter

5 cups powdered sugar

1/2 c seedless raspberry jam

Place butter and jam into mixing bowl and cream until well incorportated. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time until desired consistency.

Frost and roll edge in chocolate sprinkles and top with a raspberry!

I win!

Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes WAR!!!
Amy is in Miami with Kaleigh, and Ashley is in Kent Ohio. Amy is making Sydnee cupcakes for her birthday and Ashley decided to make chocolate raspberry cupcakes for Regan, my new roommate. They were delicious!

1/3 cups plain flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup cocoa powder
3 1/4 tbsp butter, softened
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk
frozen raspberries

Preheat oven to 350 F and line muffin tins with cases.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition. Stir in the vanilla.
Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk and beat well.
Fill the muffin tins 3/4 full. In each individual cup, place a frozen raspberry and push down a little way into the batter. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.Leave to cool in tins for at least 10 minutes, then frost when completely cool.
For frosting, take about 1/4 cup of the remaining frozen raspberries and mash them. Mix them with chocolate frosting. Spread on cupcakes.

Yummy and soo pretty :)

Key West in Cincinnati

We made some yummy crab cakes and a Murphy house classic with a key twist ;).



The crab cakes turned out great!!

1/3 cups minced green onion

1/4 cup mayo

2 large eggs

1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh tarragon

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1 tablespoon lemon juice

black pepper

1 pound crabmeat

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

oil for frying

Whisk all ingredients into a large bowl and once combined, add crab meat and breadcrumbs. Form into 3 inch molds and keep in fridge for at least 1 hour. Fry in a skillet until golden brown. mmmmmmmm enjoy on top of a salad.

Key Lime Delight

2 cups flour

2 sticks butter

2 cups confectioners sugar

2 packages cream cheese

2 cups whipped toping

key lime pie filling

Mix flour and butter together and put in a pyrex pan and bake for 15 minutes. Let cool completely.

Mix sugar, cream cheese, and whipped toping and set aside.

Layer the cream cheese mixture the the key lime pie filling and top with the rest of the cool whip.

Dad's Lemon Drink

Triple Sec

Limonchello
Sour mix

Shake with Ice

MMMMM...even better when served by dad!!

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

When i need to destress, I love to cook. I found this recipe for Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes, and had to try them!

It took a while to make them, multiple step recipe, but they are totally worth it!

2 1/4 c all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

2 tsp lemon zest

12 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temp

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

3/4 cups milk

2 cups fresh strawberries, chopped

To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 325. Line muffin pans with paper liners (Do This! The strawberries in the batter will make the cupcake fall apart if you do not have a liner). In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest. Stir together with a fork and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until it is light and fluffy. Add the sugar and beat until well combined. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add half of the flour mixture to the bowl and beat on low speed until just incorporated. Add in the milk and mix until smooth. Add in the remaining flour mixture and mix on low speed until just blended. Fold in the fresh strawberris with a spatula.

For the Lemonade Syrup:

1 c lemonade concentrate, thawed

3/4 c confectioners' sugar

For the Frosting:

1 c fresh strawberries, pureed

12 oz. cream cheese, at room temp

18 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temp

2 2/3 c confectioners' sugar, sifted

3 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla extract

Divide the batter evenly between the paper liners, filling tehm about 3/4 full. Bake about 20 to 25 or until a toothpick inserted in the center coms out clean. Allow to cool in the pan 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool competely.

Once the cupcakes hav cooled, whisk together the lemonade concentrate and confectioners' suar in a small bowl to make the lemonade syrup. Poke several holes into the top of each cupcake with a skewer and pour the syrup over the cupcakes, allowing it to soak in. (Place wax paper underneath your cooling rack so you dont make a mess!)

To make the frosting, puree the strawberries in a food processor or bleder. Beat the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and very fluffy. Add powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Add hte lemon juice and vanilla extract and mix until incorporated. Mix in strawberry puree, a tablespoon at a time until to your liking. Frost and garnish with strawberries and lemons.

"Two Eggs" in Louisville

Visiting Erin in Louisville KY, we wanted to go get some great breakfast. She took us to this tiny building across the street from a gas station/convenience shop, so we were skeptical. The place was called "Two Eggs" and we gave it 10 stars! Below is a collection of pictures from what was served.

Ashley and I got hot chocolate, the menu said it was just milk and Hershey's chocolate sauce with marshmallows. Home-made = delicious!


Ashley got a breakfast burrito, including chorizo, cheese, rice, and other things that I wasn't paying attention to because I was too busy delving into my yummy huevos rancheros pictured later. Served with great breakfast potatoes and spicy black beans.


This is a quick shot of Jorge's breakfast. If you look in the background of the picture, there is an empty plate. This was french toast, but it was inhaled by Jorge before I could get the camera out for picture time. So I had to quickly snap a shot of his main course before it disappeared in a blink of an eye. The muffin was inspired by an "everything" bagel. Very neat concept with poppy seeds, sesame seeds, onions, and garlic. He ordered Eggs Benadict that came with salsa served over green chili corn cakes --> very tasty! For his side, he chose the grits of the day (with cheese, bacon and...yes I'll take that haha)



Below was the best meal at the table, my Huevos Rancheros. Green chili pulled pork over a soft flour tortilla topped with sour cream, avacado and pico de gallo. These were out of this world! I also had the spicy black beans and breakfast potatoes for a side. Super meal!

This is Erin's strawberry waffle. Super simple, but deliciously sweet.