Thursday, March 17, 2011

i have the best friends in the world!

So, I have the best friends in the whole wide world =)  The other day for my birthday they surprised me by taking me to the Cheesecake Factory, it was so much fun!!  Not only did they do that....they also got me the Cupcakes cookbook that I have been wanting for so long!!  I was so excited!!  They got it at my favorite store (Williams-Sonoma of course!) and even had it giftwrapped with the special Williams-Sonoma paper =)

And Heather made me carrot cake cupcakes!!  With lemon frosting!!  They were the BEST carrot cake cupcakes I have ever had!!  Carrot cake is my absolute favorite...yum!!  And she made me the cutest apron on the face of the earth...I wish I could put a picture up...but its not working....oh technology...

Friday, March 11, 2011

Italian Chocolate Truffles!

Today for my birthday my mom gave me a cook book all about chocolate!  Being that chocolate is my favorite thing, it was definitely an exciting gift...I want to make everything!!  These truffles looked delicious...and they were!!

First...you need to have a double boiler...which can be made by taking a bowl and placing it over a saucepan with simmering water...but a real double boiler looks like this...
As the chocolate is melting add orange liqueur...or you can use amaretto (move quickly because the liqeur will burn if you let it sit in the pan)...then add powdered sugar, butter, and crushed almonds...
Set the mixture aside in a bowl to set...
After the mixture is set (but not completely cool) begin to roll it into balls...
After the balls are formed allow them to set in the fridge...then you can sprinkle them with powdered sugar...

 They were so rich!  And fantastic!!

Italian Cheesecake =)

Ever since I was little I remember eating this special cheesecake that my Great Grandma used to make, who then passed it down to my Nana, who passed it down to my mom, who passed it down to my sister and I.  It is not the typical cheesecake, you have to try it to understand...its amazing!!

The first step is to make the dough, I find it easiest to mix the ingredients in my kitchenaid mixer...continue to mix until the dough forms a ball...
After the ball is formed spread the dough in a buttered cake pan, make sure that you push it up on the sides to form the crust...
Next, you will spread a layer of pineapple on the crust...
After the pineapple layer is formed...sprinkle with cinnamon...
Then you will make the filling...again using your kitchenaid mixer...for those who know me you know this creamy texture is hard for me to handle! haha...but soon it will be a yummy cheesecake...
Then you simply pour the mixture into the crust and sprinkle with cinnamon!  Yum!!

Thursday, March 10, 2011

last minute kind of dinner...

So tonight I needed to make a last minute kind of dinner...so I looked around for what we had...my mom had pulled steak out and a sweet potato, so I needed to get creative.  I decided to make a sweet potato quinoa salad, just throwing in a little bit of this and a little bit of that.  If you never had quinoa before you should definitely give it a try, its great!!  Its similar to a rice but much more grainy...you cook it like rice though...it looks like this before its cooked...
After all of the water is dissolved it gets pretty fluffy, and looks like this...
Quinoa is pretty boring on its own, so I boiled a white sweet potato (the white ones are a little sweeter than the orange ones) and I toasted some walnuts...just throw them on a pan at 350 and watch them, they will start to look "toasted" but make sure you don't over toast them or the oils will become rancid...yuck
After the potato is boiled and the walnuts are toasted throw them in with the quinoa...for a little color I added some dried cranberries (it added a little sweetness too!).  If you have fresh basil that is best, but all I had on hand tonight was dried, so I threw that in there.  Its always good to make a dressing for quinoa since it is kinda dry...I just emulsified olive oil and balsamic vinegar and then added a little agave nectar for sweetness.  For the steak I just did it on my George Forman grill, it was really easy especially on days like today where its a monsoon out there!!  To make it quick I just rubbed them with some Smokehouse Rub from Williams-Sonoma of course! =)  And for another quick veggie I just chopped up some cucumber and added dried basil, olive oil, and apple cider vinegar.
And the finished product looks like this...
You can do this in under an hour!  Super quick!!





 

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

the lemon kick...with a side of good news

Lately, I have been on this lemon kick...I have always loved lemon squares, and recently I needed to do a speech for my public speaking class - I decided to do it on how to make lemon squares.  Now, living in a dorm I have limited resources as far as kitchens go...I do have access to a kitchen every now and then but I thought it would be cool to try to make them in a toaster oven!  To my surprise they actually turned out!!  I re-created them again at home in my own oven and honestly, I think they may have turned out better in the toaster oven!  Sometimes its fun to add raspberry jelly on top of the crust and under the filling for a fun layer!
And for the good news...we had a corporate visit at Williams-Sonoma today and some exciting things are in my future!!  More info to come later =)

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Williams-Sonoma

Okay, so most everyone that knows me knows that I am in love with Williams-Sonoma...and in love is an understatement!  Williams-Sonoma was founded in 1956 by Chuck Williams - originating in Sonoma California it has grown to mass numbers with stores all over the country.  This wonderful store sells high end kitchen tools as well as gourmet mixes and food.  Each store is equipped with a viking range cook-top stove and oven to provide demonstrations of products as well as samples for the customers.  I have wanted to work at this store ever since I was little - I literally get paid to cook and talk about what I love...it couldn't get better than that!

very first post!!

Well...this is my very first post so I guess I should write about a very popular "holiday" here in Lancaster...Fastnacht Day also known as "Fat Tuesday".  Although it is not my favorite of the Pennsylvania Dutch holidays, it is still a holiday about food so I guess I am inclined to talk about it.  Today is a day where we honor the Fastnacht, a very heavy deep fried donut originally made by the Amish.  If you never had one, you should...its definitely an experience!  haha