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< all recipes Wedding Cake Workshop Deciding to make my own wedding cake was quite simple really. I had the necessary knowledge and skills to make a delicious cake and I knew that the week leading up to the wedding would be stress free with my Mom at the helm. As cheesy as it sounds, the kitchen is really my sanctuary and there was nothing I would rather do during that week than make cake. What I did not fully account for, however, was that I would be making cake for 200 people. By myself. Thankfully for me (and my wedding guests), my best friend from culinary school, Emma (who happens to be in med school) offered to come help while she had time off to study for the boards. What could have been a complete disaster turned into an incredibly fun and rewarding week in the kitchen. The week before starting, I made sure to have all the necessary tools, pans, and specialty ingredients. Monday: I made the lemon curd filling and the white chocolate for the decorative flowers. Once the chocolate set, I started on the roses - the cones are the base and each ball will be flattened into a petal. Tuesday & Wednesday: Emma and I spent two days just baking off the cakes - 17 10" cakes total. Thursday: We split the cakes, filled them with lemon curd and did a preliminary coat of frosting. The photo above is the rental fridge filled with cakes on the back porch - thanks to my cousin Lindsay for that suggestion!! Friday: Final coat of buttercream and decorating. The tiered cake was mostly for presentation but also provided a wonderful late-night snack. I have given the cake recipe below. I have never been a plain vanilla cake fan but this one might have converted me. It is perfectly moist and tender, especially fresh out of the oven, it really doesn't need anything else. But what makes it unique is that it holds up remarkably well, staying moist and fluffy, for several days. I used a simple decorator's buttercream for the frosting but this cake would pair nicely with anything. Wedding Cake Workshop Serves: 2 8in cakes Ingredients 8 oz unsalted butter, at room temp 2 cups sugar 5 eggs 1¼ cups buttermilk 2 tsp vanilla extract 2½ cups cake flour 1 tsp kosher salt 1 tbl baking powder DECORATOR’S BUTTERCREAM Yield: 2½ quarts 1 lb unsalted butter, at room temp 8oz vegetable shortening 1½ tsp pure vanilla extract 3 lb confectioners sugar 4½ fl oz whole milk 3 tbl meringue powder 2 tsp kosher salt Print Preparation Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 2 8in cake pans and line with parchment paper. Cream the butter with the paddle attachment of an electric mixer, on medium speed for 3 minutes. In those 3 minutes, whisk together the cake flour, salt, and baking powder and mix the vanilla into the buttermilk. Set both of these aside. With the mixer on medium speed, slowly add the sugar and beat for another 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and return speed to medium. Add the eggs, one at a time, allowing each to fully incorporate before adding the next (about 1 minute in between each egg). Scrape down the sides. With the mixer on low, alternate the flour and buttermilk in 3-4 additions and mixing until just incorporated in between each. Pour batter into prepared cake pans. To release air pockets, lift each cake a few inches off the counter then allow it to drop (making sure it hits evenly and with a loud bang), repeat 3-4 times. Bake for 45-60 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through, the cakes are done when a toothpick inserted into the center of a cake comes out clean. Make the Buttercream: Cream shortening and butter with the paddle of an electric mixer until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes). Add vanilla and salt. With mixer on low, gradually add the sugar. Add meringue powder (The mixture will appear dry). Add milk and beat until light and slightly shiny (approximately 5 to 8 minutes). Keep the bowl covered with a damp cloth or plastic wrap. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 5-7 days or in the freezer for 3-5 months. Previous Next hungry for more?

< all recipes Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup What I really love about this soup is that it is two soups in one. Eat it cold as gazpacho, garnished with some grilled corn, or heat it up on a stormy summer night for some creamy tomato soup with grilled cheese. Both are equally delicious (and nutritious!). Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup Serves: ​ Ingredients 6 red bell peppers 2 28oz cans crushed tomatoes 1 yellow onion, med dice 1 head garlic 1 tsp pimentón (smoky spanish paprika) 8-10 cups water or stock 12 oz (1 ½ cups) non-fat greek yogurt salt and pepper *if you like spice add some hot paprika to the mix! Print Preparation Heat the oven to 400˚F. Cut off the top part of the head of garlic, place in foil, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Wrap the foil around the garlic and roast about 40 minutes, until soft. Char the red peppers over a burner (or under the broiler), place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the peppers sit for 15-20 minutes, allowing the steam to loosen the charred skin, then scrape with a knife or rub with a paper towel. This is extremely messy so just embrace it! Once you have removed most of the skin, cut in half and remove the stem and seeds. In a large pot, sauté the onion until translucent, then add the paprika. If using an emersion blender: add the peppers, tomatoes, garlic, and water/stock, to the pot and blend until smooth. Bring to a boil and let simmer 15-20 minutes. Turn off the heat and mix in the yogurt. Taste for seasoning. If using a food processor: put the onions into the food processor and, working in batches, puree with the tomatoes, peppers, garlic and water. Bring to a boil and let simmer 15-20 minutes. Turn off the heat and mix in the yogurt. Taste for seasoning. Previous Next hungry for more?

< all recipes Fresh Mint Meringues At the risk of jinxing the decent weather we have been having this week, I am officially putting away the winter coat and snow boots. More importantly though, I am making Fresh Mint Meringues for a crowd! (or for a few as these little morsels are dangerously pop-into-your-mouth-able). I must admit I was getting a little caught up in my culinary spring delight, having way too much fun dolloping and swirling, not to mention covering myself in lime green sugar. Oh and treating the neighbors to my very own rendition of the entire Pitch Perfect sound track. I blame the sugar. Its always good at times like this to have those people who will bring you back to reality, telling you you probably won’t be the next Whitney Houston, and who will ask the tough questions like “cauliflower again? really?”. But lets just say I was less than thrilled when Chris’ reaction to my adorable little meringues was “that’s it? where’s the rest of the dessert?”. Ugh. Ok so I may or may not have forgotten the rest. While I think these would be perfect with some chocolate ice cream, or whipped cream and fresh fruit, I had actually envisioned them as cake decoration! I just hadn’t gotten around to making the cake. Minor oversight. My point in all this rambling is that these meringues are delicious and versatile and totally deserving of their own post. And that I am making the accompanying Mint Chocolate Chip Cake as we speak so stay tuned!!! Fresh Mint Meringues Serves: 50-60 hershey-kiss sized meringues Ingredients 4 eggs whites 1½ cups sugar 1 bunch fresh mint green food coloring (optional - gel color is best) Print Preparation Preheat oven to 225˚F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine egg whites and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and set over a pot of simmering water (make sure the bowl it not touching the water). Add the fresh mint - keep mint as a bunch so it is easier to fish out later. Heat whites and sugar, whisking constantly, until sugar has dissolved and the mixture is warm to the touch - 2-3mins - or until it reaches 150˚F on a candy thermometer. Remove mint. Beat in mixer with the whisk attachment on high speed until you have stiff glossy peaks (about 3min). Stir in color if using. Fill piping bag and dollop away! Bake for 1-1½ hours, until dry to the touch. Meringues will keep in an airtight container at room temp for a week. Previous Next hungry for more?

< all recipes Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake Coffee cake is one of my favorite tasty treats…in theory – i am more often than not disappointed by the dry dense cake weighed down by a somewhat flavorless and stale crumb topping. This cake is so ridiculously moist and the crackly cinnamon-sugar top reminds me of the cinnamon toast my mom made growing up. yumm. Of course the apples are a delicious addition that also makes this toooootally healthy (its Christmas so I am going to stick with this theory). You can make it a day or two early so it is perfect for a Christmas morning post-present rampage breakfast! That’s my plan anyway!! MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!! Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake Serves: 1 10" cake Ingredients 1 cup granulated sugar ½ cup brown sugar 12 oz unsalted butter (3 sticks) 3 eggs 2½ cups all purpose flour 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp kosher salt 1 cup sour cream fillings and toppings: 1 apple, cored and sliced (and each slice halved) ½ cup heavy cream ½ cup sugar 1 tbl cinnamon Print Preparation Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Grease a 10in cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping the sides of the bowl once or twice. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. With the mixer on low alternate adding the dry ingredients and the sour cream - about ⅓ of each at a time. Mix just until combined. Mix the 1 tablespoon of cinnamon into the ½ cup sugar. Spread half of the batter in your prepared cake pan, getting it all the way to the edges. Sprinkle about 2 table of the cinnamon-sugar mixture over the batter then place a single layer of apples on top of this - pressing the gently into the batter. Spread the rest of the batter over top - if you are making this ahead of time, stop here and continue to the next step just before baking. Pour the ½ cup of heavy cream over the top of the cake then sprinkle the remaining cinnamon-sugar evenly over this. Bake at 350˚F for 45 minutes, until the center is set. Previous Next hungry for more?

< all recipes Cinnamon Sugar Breakfast Buns A few months ago I had one of the best pastries of my life. It was a cinnamon sugar breakfast bun kind of thing but one unlike any I had ever had before. While those with goopy filling and confectioners sugar glazes are quite tasty, this one was so much more refined while also having more of a real cinnamon-sugar flavor. What I discovered was that this life-changing pastry is technically called a morning bun and is simply croissant dough rolled up with cinnamon and sugar. Sounds easy enough right? Unless you are a master of making croissant dough at home, the answer is no. It is nearly impossible to find croissant dough at the grocery store or even online except in wholesale quantities. So instead of ordering 20 pounds of dough (which seemed slightly excessive even for me), I decided to do a test with what I could find at the store. The first method would be with puff pastry, the second with pre-made croissants which in my case meant Pillsbury crescent rolls (that i unrolled into flat pieces). Puff pastry and croissant dough are both are laminated doughs, meaning they are made up of layers upon layers of butter and dough, but croissant dough has yeast which allows it to rise more and adds that chewiness we love in a great croissant. Because the Pillsbury dough contained neither butter nor yeast, it is not really croissant dough (what kind of dough it actually is, I have no idea). This may have influenced my preference for the puff pastry version but I think it made a lighter and flakier bun that was still slightly gooey at the center. I used Pepperidge Farm puff pastry but any brand will give you the same results. These will definitely be on my table Christmas morning - prepped the day before and ready to pop in the oven in the morning. Feel free to do your own test, especially if you can find real croissant dough (the ingredients should include: flour, butter, yeast, water/milk, salt). Cinnamon Sugar Breakfast Buns Serves: 8 buns Ingredients 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed in the refrigerator (about 1 hour) 4 tbl butter, melted 1 cup sugar 1 tbl cinnamon flour for rolling Print Preparation Preheat oven to 400˚F. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Prepare muffin pan by brushing with melted butter and sprinkling with cinnamon-sugar. Set aside. On a clean countertop sprinkle some flour and an even coating of the cinnamon sugar mixture, place puff pastry in the center, and sprinkle with a little more flour. Roll puff pastry out, extending each edge about 1 inch. Brush pastry with melted butter and coat evenly with cinnamon sugar. Use the rolling pin to roll the cinnamon-sugar into the dough. Roll the pastry up – if the seam does not close, brush with melted butter and press gently to close. Cut the log into 8 pieces (I usually start by cutting in half, then each half in half, etc). Place each roll on its side into the prepared muffin pan.* Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until lightly golden and the center is firm to the touch. *if baking later, cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge at this point. when ready to bake, remove plastic and proceed to next step. Previous Next hungry for more?

< all recipes Mac & Cheese This is the most decadently delicious mac and cheese recipe you will ever make. I try not to have such things become common practice in my kitchen but this is just so good it is impossible to resist. I made it last weekend and since I have been sick and stuck in bed all week, the leftovers have been life-saving. I am feeling a million times better today but apparently in my feverish, tylenol pm induced sleep last night I was discussing some spring break surprise before walking into the coat closet – I am assuming I thought it would be a nice cosy place to sleep or I was just looking for some more mac and cheese…yeah thats the more likely reason. Wishing I had some right now. Mac & Cheese Serves: 8-10 servings Ingredients 1 lb pasta (cavatappi are my fave but elbows work too!) 4 oz (1 stick) unsalted butter 1 cup flour 4 cups whole milk 8 oz comté or gruyere, grated (2 cups) 8 oz manchego, grated (2 cups) 8 oz parmesan, grated (2 cups) 8 oz mascarpone lots of black pepper 1½ cups panko bread crumbs Print Preparation Cook the pasta according to packaging instructions and grease a large casserole dish (about 13x9). Preheat the oven to 450˚F - you can put off the cooking for up to a day after getting everything into the casserole dish, so only preheat the oven 30 minutes before you are ready to cook. Make the béchamel: Warm the milk in a pot or microwave and set aside while you melt butter in a small pot over low/med heat. Once it has melted stir in the flour and let cook a minute or two, stirring constantly. Pour in the milk, still stirring and cook until the mixture has thickened enough to coat the back of your spoon. Turn off the heat. Add all but 1-2 cups of the grated cheese to the béchamel (i usually set the Parmesan aside, it is my fave for a crispy cheesy crust). Stir in the mascarpone and black pepper, then throw in the pasta and toss to coat evenly and pour into your prepared casserole dish. Combine the panko bread crumbs with the reserved cheese and add a dash of salt and pepper. Spread this mixture evenly over the top of the noodles and if you are cooking immediately, put the dish into the oven for 20-30 minutes until golden brown and bubbling at the edges. If you are putting off the cooking, place the dish into the fridge for up to 24 hours and bake when ready! Previous Next hungry for more?

< all recipes Belgian Waffles with Caramelized Apples & Maple Yogurt Ok so I know I said I am not that into Valentine’s Day but seeing as my valentine has been requesting waffles about once a week since we met, I thought making them required a special occasion. My reason for holding off so long was the simple fact that we do not own a waffle maker – and I refused to buy one because where the heck do we fit it in our tiny apartment. The struggle for kitchen cabinet space is real. But I happened to find an old one in my parents’ basement and figured it was a sign. These belgian waffles are ridiculously good – they are fluffy and light with an outer crust that actually stays crunchy long after being soaked in maple syrup. The apples were added because well, thats what I had around and I don’t consider breakfast complete without fruit, or yogurt for that matter. So feel free to mix up the toppings to suit your own weird breakfast requirements or whatever is in season. I am pretending like I didn’t lick the plate clean but we all know that happened 30sec after the photo below was taken. Belgian Waffles with Caramelized Apples & Maple Yogurt Serves: 6-8 waffles Ingredients 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour ½ cup (105g) brown sugar 3 tsp (12g) baking powder 1 tsp (6g) baking soda ½ tsp (4g) kosher salt 1 cup (240g) buttermilk ½ cup (60g) cream 8oz (227g) unsalted butter, melted 2 egg yolks (30g) 3 egg whites (105g) for the toppings: 2 apples (I like honeycrisp) ¼ cup maple syrup 1 tsp cinnamon 8oz plain greek yogurt maple syrup (for the table) Print Preparation Make the Caramelized Apples first: Slice apples into roughly ¼ inch slices and set in a pot over low/medium heat with the maple syrup and cinnamon. Cook, stirring occasionally until tender - how tender is a matter of preference, personally I like the apples to still have a bit of crunch. Mix the juice at the bottom of the apple pot into the yogurt, adding more maple syrup if it is not sweet enough for your liking. Make the Waffle batter: Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the buttermilk, cream, melted butter, and yolks. Pour this into the dry ingredients and whisk just until combined (but still a little lumpy). Using a stand or hand-held mixer with a whisk attachment, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the whites into the rest of the batter. Let this sit 10-15 minutes while you heat up the waffle maker. Cook waffles (according to your waffle-maker instructions) until golden brown. Serve with apples and a dollop of yogurt and warm maple syrup. *freeze the cooked waffles for a tasty breakfast any time! defrost in the toaster for single servings or in a 350 oven for a crowd (about 10 minutes). Previous Next hungry for more?

< all recipes Warm Winter Salad w/ Tahini & Za’atar I decided to make this winter salad on a whim yesterday, mostly because I needed to get up from my computer before I threw it out the window. Some of you might have noticed an issue with the site earlier this week – and by issue I mean complete meltdown implosion disaster. Caused by yours truly! Its amazing how easy it is to wreak havoc (like innocently trying to add a snazzy font) and how not easy it is to fix things (oh only 6 hours). And that was just the first shutdown. Yeah it happened again about 12 hours later. And lets be clear on what my skill set is here…NOT coding or anything computer related thats for sure. I just like to cook. So I am sorry for any errors you have found – I am still working on getting the “kitchen guides” section organized so stand by on that. Please feel free to let me know if some problem keeps coming and I will try my best not to kill the site again. Deal? Ok cool. Glad we had this chat, I needed to vent a little. Happy Weekend!! Warm Winter Salad w/ Tahini & Za’atar Serves: 4-6 servings Ingredients 2-3 lb sweet potatoes (or use a mixture of potatoes for contrast) 2-3 tbl olive oil ¼ cup tahini paste juice of 1 lemon 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 tsp za'atar* a few handfuls of salad greens (I like arugula and mustard greens for their peppery kick) salt and pepper Print Preparation Preheat the oven to 425˚F. Cut the sweet potatoes into bite-sized pieces, toss in olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread the potatoes out onto a sheet pan and bake for about 20 minutes, or until easily pierced with a knife. While he potatoes cook, whisk tahini paste, lemon juice, minced garlic and za'atar together - if it seems too thick you can add a dash of water. Season generously with salt and pepper. When potatoes are done toss with greens and just enough dressing to lightly coat everything. Serve immediately with an extra drizzle of dressing on top. Previous Next hungry for more?

< all recipes Honeymoon in France What could be better than a trip to France? As the map shows, we started in the South of France - flying into Nice, spending the first few days just south of Cannes, a day in Saint Tropez, a week of biking through Provence, three days in Beaune, and two days in Paris. Perfection. PLACES TO STAY: Tiara Yaktsa - Cannes Hotel La Panche - St Tropez Couvent des Minimes - Provence Le Coquillade - Provence La Mirande - Avignon La Terre d'Or - Beaune (B&B overlooking the city) Le Burgundy - Paris PLACES TO EAT: Cannes / St Tropez: La Colombe d'OR Club 55 Bonnieux: La Table de Sylvie Un P'tit Coin de Cuisine Beaune: Ma Cuisine La Tavola Calda (next door to Ma Cuisine, brick oven pizzas and the best Speculoos Tiramisu you will ever eat!!) Paris: Passage 53 L'Arpege Eric Kayser Poilane (THE place for true French bread) 134rdt Frenchie To-Go Telescope (great coffee) Honeymoon in France Serves: ​ Ingredients Print Preparation Previous Next hungry for more?

< Back How To Scale A Recipe To Fit Your Cake Pan Knowing how to scale a recipe is an extremely handy thing when it comes to baking. It is something I am asked about constantly so I have put together a visual guide on scaling a recipe based on pan size – I mean how often do you have your heart set on making a cake only to realize you need the one pan size you don’t own!? Given my teeny-tiny nyc apt, that happens to me all the time. The infographic below will guide you through each recipe scaling step – the area calculations are based on the standard baking pan height of 2″. Previous Next

< all recipes Chewy Chocolate Cookies As you will come to see, I am a huge fan of any foods from or relating to Mexican, Southwestern, or Tex-Mex cooking and as a result Lisa Fain’s blog (and cookbook) The Homesick Texan is one of my favorite places to visit. When I saw this recipe I thought it was just too good to be true – how could cookies that have no butter and no flour be good!!? Oh they can be more than good, they can be chewy, gooey, and still have a perfect crunch to their outer layer. Dang. My mouth is watering just thinking about them! The chili powder can easily be excluded but I highly recommend it, as it adds a subtle heat at the end that perfectly compliments the sweetness of the chocolate. I also recommend having a glass of ice cold milk on hand for when they come out of the oven. Chewy Chocolate Cookies Serves: 1 dozen cookies Ingredients 2 ½ cups confectioners sugar ½ cup coco powder (unsweetened) ½ tsp salt 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp vanilla ¼ tsp chili powder 2 cups pecans (toasted) 3 egg whites 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips 1 cup milk chocolate chips Print Preparation Preheat oven to 350˚F. Once it has heated up, toast the pecans until fragrant, 5-10 minutes, and set aside to cool. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the confectioners sugar, coco powder, salt, and cinnamon. With a spoon or small spatula, stir in egg whites and vanilla until everything is moist. Mix in the chocolate chips and pecans. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, spoon out dollops about the size of a ping pong ball. Bake for 12 minutes, or until the cookies look crackled on the surface. Previous Next hungry for more?

< all recipes Buttermilk Pancakes Pancakes, like all things breakfast, are serious business in my house. We definitely apply the "go big or go home" rule here - even our stove has a commercial size griddle just for pancakes (see below for proof). Most of us don't have such a perfect pancake-cooking setup, so we have to make do with griddle pans or sauté pans. This makes making pancakes for a crowd a little more difficult, only one or two at a time, but still totally worth it. Just preheat the oven to 300˚F and keep pancakes warm until you've made enough for everyone. The key to making these is not over mixing the batter. The batter should not be completely smooth, just mix until most of the flour has been moistened but leave the lumps. This will make the pancakes incredibly light and fluffy, perfect for absorbing lots of maple syrup. Our favorite types include blueberry and banana-walnut, even fresh corn in the summer, but feel free to improvise or go the purist route and stick with plain. You really can't go wrong. Buttermilk Pancakes Serves: 10ish pancakes (totally depends on size) Ingredients 2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup whole wheat flour 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda ½ tsp salt 3 tbl sugar 2 large eggs, lightly beaten 3 cups buttermilk 4 tbl unsalted butter, melted FIXINS, ETC maple syrup, warmed flavor additions: blueberries (fresh or frozen) bananas, sliced walnuts Print Preparation Whisk together flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, and melted butter. Pour wet ingredients into the flour mixture and whisk just until combined – lumps are ok, don't over beat this. Heat griddle or sauté pan and grease lightly with butter or oil. Add about ½ - 1 cup of batter to preheated pan – add any desired flavorings here. The pancake is ready to flip when there are bubbles on top and the edges look slightly dry, about 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook another minute or two. Keep warm in the oven and repeat with remaining batter. Serve warm with lots of maple syrup. Previous Next hungry for more?