Chocolate Chip Muffins

What do you give at engagement parties? While most cases I'd fall to a bottle of wine, in this case, the couple didn't drink often. So what to do?

The future bride mentioned a penchant for chocolate chips. The party was happening at brunch - so what better than homemade muffins?

I followed the recipe on Food.com which got really good reviews, and actually argued the recipe called for too MANY chocolate chips! Like. And it was fast. I would totally make them again.

Nigella Lawson's Granola Bars

I hate mornings. I loathe getting up, forcing myself away from the comforts of my soft bed, and stabbing myself in the eye with a mascara wand due to fatigue. I can understand "seize the day" and "the early bird gets the worm" but I'd rather work past midnight than be at the office at 8 am. Its just so painful for me!

The very negative side effect of hating mornings is that I tend to skip breakfast. Often. In my haste to be on time and make that conference call, I completely forget to put any food in my stomach. Or worse, I'll just eat a cookie instead of something healthy.

Which leads me to this post about granola bars. Why buy a box of rock hard oat bars with nasty raisins, when I can make mine custom to what I like to eat, and just a smidge of sweetness? Why settle for processed food when I can enjoy a little homemade TLC? I sifted through many recipes before I settled on Nigella Lawson's Breakfast Bars - too many recipes called for a ton of butter, things like flax seeds, or maple syrup - none of which I really wanted in my breakfast or in my tiny kitchen.

I substituted sliced almonds instead of peanuts and used a mix of salted pumpkin seeds and sesame. I really liked the taste and texture of the mix. I found the recipe was a bit too sweet - even though it doesn't call for extra sugar, the condensed milk and sweetened coconut was a little much. The bars also had a duplicitous texture - the top was quite dry and the bottom was very moist. Baking it at a low temperature seemed only to allow the condensed milk to sink to the bottom rather than incorporate everything together. As I removed the bars from the pan, they tended to crumble a little, and I had to break out some sushi rolling skills to make sure they stayed in little bars.

I do really like how they taste and it was super easy to make. Supposedly they store well (and actually get better over time) so we'll see how the bars in my desk vs my freezer fare over the next week and if the texture improves. If I make this again, I would probably soak the oats in some water first, drain them, and then use 2/3rds of the condensed milk. Additional cons are the lack of health benefits in condensed milk (I'm estimating the calorie count for this bar at around 170 but with a hefty amount of saturated fat) and the cost - a Nature Valley bar retails at 59 cents a bar but the ingredients for my bar cost 50 cents each - what about labor?

But the important thing is - will I like them enough to make sure I always eat breakfast?

Baked Egg in Tomato Stew

I made my hearty tomato stew last week and I really really enjoyed it. When the weekend rolled around though, I didn't feel like making anything new. Lucky for me, my leftover turned out to be the base for a perfect baked egg!

Baked Egg in Tomato Stew
Serves 1

1/3 cup Tomato Stew
1 egg
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Turn the oven on to 350 degrees.
2. In a ramekin or small oven safe casserole dish, spoon most of the tomato stew and reserve a two spoons.
3. Press an indent in the middle of the stew and crack the egg in. Season egg with salt and pepper.
4. Spoon the remaining stew over the top to cover the exposed egg whites.
5. Bake uncovered for 12-15 minutes until whites are cooked through.
6. Optional: Top with a mozzarella stick. Serve with toast or potatoes.

Clean dish! <3

Tomato Stew

Tomato Stew with Shrimp
Serves 4

3 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
16 oz can pureed tomatoes
1 cup collard greens, sliced in ribbons
1 red and 1 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 tsp red chili flakes
1 tsp basil
1.5 tsp oregano
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
5 frozen pre-cooked shrimp per person
Cilantro, fresh basil, parmesan, or mozzarella to top

1. Prep onion and garlic as directed.
2. Heat a pot over medium heat with the olive oil. When hot, add onion and garlic. Sautee until onion is translucent.
3. Pour in tomatoes and reduce heat to medium low. Then prep other ingredients while tomato puree begins to reduce.
4. Add all other vegetables and seasonings. Cover and simmer for 20 min. (In the meantime, you can make some pasta or rice to serve your stew with).
5. Add the shrimp and stir into stew. Cook for an additional 5 minutes.
6. Serve immediately.

Tips:

• Shrimp does not need to cook long. Shrimp should be added for the portion meant too be eaten today and not saved for tomorrow!
• Cut acidity by adding more sugar or olive oil.
• Would be great with a spicy sausage rather than shrimp, which should be cooked at the beginning with the onion.

Hiyayakko! Cold Tofu with Scallions

Quick, cool, and fresh! Hiyayakko is a cold Japanese tofu appetizer which literally takes only a minute or two to make. Ideally, its made with fresh tofu - I'm just going with the soft kind in the plastic box from Chinatown :) Feel free to mix up the seasonings and experiment!

Hiyayakko - Cold Tofu Salad
Serves one as a small entree or two as an appetizer

1/4th of a tofu block, soft or silken preferred (makes 6 2x2 inch slices)
1.5 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp grated ginger
dash of sriracha or paprika
1 scallion/green onion, white only, thinly sliced
sesame seeds

1. Drain and slice tofu and scallions.
2. Mix the soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, and sriracha in a small dish. Spoon over the tofu.
3. Top with scallions and sesame seeds. TADA!

Breakfast Egg Burger

Weekend mornings are always such a treat. You get to wake up late, see the sun, and enjoy a leisurely breakfast rather than scarf down the fastest thing available. Today's recipe uses my old breakfast standbys - egg, spinach, mushroom, and bacon - and develops it into a new portable food that is sure to please.

Breakfast Egg Burger
Serves 1

1/2 strip (1 tablespoon) of diced bacon
One handful frozen chopped spinach
3 mushrooms, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 egg, beaten
1 bagel thin, or 2 slices thick toast

Optional condiments: Guacamole, sriracha, mayo, hollandaise, ketchup

1. Prep ingredients as directed.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a nonstick pan. Saute garlic until fragrant, then the bacon.
3. When bacon has rendered fat and is mostly cooked, add spinach and mushroom. 
4. When spinach and mushroom have released most of their water and is fully cooked, heap into a patty sized pile in the pan. If you have one, take a metallic round cookie cutter or mold and place around the patty. Lower the heat to medium low.
5. Pour about 1/3rd of the scrambled egg into the mold, or in the middle of the vegetable heap. Scrape any escaping egg back into the heap. Repeat and add another 1/3rd of the egg.
6. When the egg is mostly solid, take a spatula and flip the whole thing over. Poke a hole in the middle of the heap and add the last of the egg. When set, flip one more time until egg is fully cooked.
7. Toast the bagel, top with condiments, lettuce, tomato, whatever, and consume.

Caprese Salad

Caprese Salad is a tomato, mozzarella, and basil salad, drizzled usually with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. The only thing that makes this salad amazing is the quality of your ingredients. Today's is extra special because most of my items were free! My friend/coworker grows tomatoes (and everyone knows New Jersey tomatoes are the BEST), the basil was fresh from the plant I just bought, and the greens and olive oil were from a free sample Barilla is marketing for in NYC.