Cake Cake Cake

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Ok I am not literally going to sing Rihanna’s birthday cake song, well at least not till NEXT WEEK!! That’s right kids…THE BIG DAY is arriving shortly…

Jess & Sonia’s BIRTHDAY!!!
Funny thing is, I don’t even need to say it should be a national holiday, because it is!! I mean sure, its because its also Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, but a holiday nonetheless. Plus I mean Drew Brees, QB of the Saints, also has that birthday amongst many others. Bottom line, January 15th equals best day of the year. Birthday or not, you should eat cake on the best day of the year. So here is a cake for all foodies, no funfetti here my pets. This is some grown up ish that is just as easy to whip up! ha that’s funny because the “frosting” is actually whipped cream 🙂
nom nom nom here we go:

  • 1 package of store bought yellow cake mix (I mean if you are like Jess and got a new FANCY Kitchen aid stand mixer for Christmas, feel free to cheat on the short cut and do the whole whipping of butter, sugar, eggs, flour, baking soda gig. However, if you are like the rest of us peasants, just go the “easy” way out).
  • 1 can of cherry pie filling (15 oz.)
  • 1.5 tsp. Almond extract
  • 1 tsp. Vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup of sliced toasted almonds (listen I did a 1/2 cup like the recipe says, but it was WAY too nutty (even for a nutjob like me). It got in the way of the cake part, but whatever to each his own).
  • 2  eggs
  • a tub of light cool whip

No oil needed, just mix the above & pour. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 min (also base the time on what you are baking in. i.e. size of dish, you goobers-check back of cake box to confirm). Let it cool and slather with some whipped cream and maraschino cherries to make it look all gorgina, just like your pretty faces.

Happy Eating, Happy Birthday, XO.

Avocado “Cream” Sauce

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So this is more than just your average dipping sauce. Yes, I suggest that you accompany it with the empanadas, but how yum would these be with the crab cakes too? Anyway, you be the judge of how you want to use this lil nugget of culinary creativity and comment below! Oh and word is, you can sprinkle with a bit of chopped cilantro to look really authentic and fancy. What’s the saying : fake it till you make it?! haha enjoy.

  • 1 large ripe avocado
  • 1/2 cup reduced-fat Greek yogurt (less fat than sour cream and full of the flavor, genius I know!).
  • 1 jalapeno (finely chopped, remove seeds to lower the heat level).
  • Juice of 1 lime (try fresh, I abhor the bottled stuff. oh and don’t even think lemon will do what the lime does).
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Slice the avocado in half and remove the pit. Scoop the flesh into a blender or food processor and add the yogurt, the jalapeno, lime juice and a big pinch of salt and pepper. (If you don’t have a jalapeno or the store is out of it just do a quick squirt of sriracha or your favorite hot sauce to replace the heat you would’ve gotten with the jalapeno). Blend until smooth. One good thing to note is this sauce stays well because the lime keeps the avocado color from turning. Although I doubt you will have leftovers because I may or may not have cut my tongue licking the inside of the blender that’s how freaking good this sauce is!

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Happy Eating, XO.

Empanadas

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Ok so I am in a Latin state of mind. Not to brag, but I am going to Panama in February. So I am totes all about exotic food right now in anticipation of my travels. I mean don’t be jealous, you can get a taste of those countries at home with this muy rica comida! (translates to “very tasty food”, you silly goose). Anyway, I digress. Host a tapas night, or serve as a game time snack, or even pack some for lunch one day with a side salad. This is one delish dish that is worth the extra time. Oh and for those of you that don’t know what an empanada is: its a meat-filled pie. Portable, popular street food and just plain old yummy!

 

1 box Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts (any puff pastry or pie dough would work this isn’t a shameless Pillsbury plug, Pepperidge Farm can get a holla too. Anyway, I made these two ways once with pie crusts and once with crescent roll dough to see which I liked better. Listen don’t judge Philly had a snowstorm and I had cabin fever & decided to keep busy by finding you guys the yummiest way to make these. No clear winner though: the crescent dough is harder to work with, but more fluffy. The pie crust was easier and flakier. So you decide whatever you like best. Ya, I have double the empanadas. So in reality I AM THE WINNER) & 1 egg, beaten

Chicken and Cheese Filling-

  • 2 tbsp butter & 2-3 tbsp. flour (a roux)
  • 1 medium Spanish onion chopped small
  • ½ cup white wine (feel free to leave out if you don’t have any on hand).
  • 2 chicken** pieces, skin removed & shredded/chopped. (I used a store bought rotisserie & kept the remaining for a chicken salad, obvi)
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup Mexican blend, shredded cheese (maybe even less)
  • Salt and pepper to taste (garlic powder also because I am a freak)

**(Another option is to brown some ground turkey or ground beef with some taco seasoning and use that in place of the chicken. Get creative folks! Use what you have lying around…don’t be running to the store more than once a week if you don’t have to).

Anyway, back to the cooking part: heat the butter/flour (roux) & add the onions saute over medium heat until translucent, around 4 minutes. Add the white wine and allow to evaporate until ½ of the liquid is left and to deglaze the pan. Add the chicken & the milk, a little at a time until well incorporated and the sauce is thick.  Mix constantly, lastly you can add in the salt and pepper to taste (I also added garlic powder).

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Remove pie crusts from pouches; place flat on work surface. With 3 1/4-inch round cutter, cut 8 rounds from each pie crust. I don’t have a cutter so I used a martini glass, because I am hood like that. Spoon filling evenly onto half of each dough round. Sprinkle shredded cheese over the filling. A pinch of cheese people, don’t over stuff the empanada. Brush edge of crust rounds with beaten egg. Fold crust rounds in half; press edges with fork to seal. Place on foiled cookie sheet. Brush tops with egg. Bake 14-17 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool & serve immediately.
While the empanadas bake, you can whip up this easy, beyond delish dipping sauce. Any person can serve it with store bought salsa, a real foodie, makes even the accompaniments fresh! Check out the avocado cream recipe under Sauce Boss.
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Happy Eating, XO.

Sweet Potato Fries

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My husband is a big fan of fries and he’s not giving them up any time soon. So, I decided to make him a slightly healthier version – baked sweet potato fries. They only took about 5 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook, and they were well worth it. We paired them with this salmon recipe and it was a perfectly easy dinner to throw together. And who doesn’t like perfectly easy?

  • 2-3 sweet potatoes
  • 2 tbsp olive oil (enough to give them a very light covering)
  • 1/2 – 1 tsp each salt, pepper, and paprika
  • Agave nectar (or honey)

Heat the oven to 450. Clean, peel, and cut (long ways) the potatoes. In a bowl, combine the olive oil, salt, pepper, and paprika and toss in the potatoes. Once they have a light covering, move them to a baking sheet and lightly drizzle the agave nectar. (Feel free to leave this out if you don’t want them too sweet. But as I’m sure you’ve learned by now, my sweet tooth is insatiable so bring on the agave!)

Bake them for about 20 minutes. Some of the small fries will be done before the big ones so keep an eye on them closer to the end.

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Happy Eating, XO.

Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Cookies

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Sorry guys, but I have to throw you a curve ball on this one. I know we’re trying  to do the whole “clean eating in the new year!” thing, but I love baking (and eating) sweets too much to give them up. And I just couldn’t keep this recipe a secret: The chocolate chip cream cheese cookies – try saying that five times fast!

I don’t know about you, but I never seem to be able to use the whole bar of cream cheese when I buy it. I use half, and then find it in the back of my fridge way later than its expiration date. (Yikes!) So, this time I decided to attempt to use what I had left over in a classic chocolate chip cookie recipe. It really brought out the best in the cookie – chewy middle and crunchy edges. Mind you, I made them small so I didn’t feel completely guilty for popping one after eating a wholesome salad or smoothie!

  • 2 cups brown sugar
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup unsalted, melted butter
  • 4 oz cream cheese (you can use less if you don’t have the 4 oz)
  • Dash of vanilla extract
  • 2 dashes of salt and baking powder
  • 2 cups of flour
  • 1 cup chocolate chip cookies

Heat your oven to 325. Begin mixing the sugars, butter, cream cheese and vanilla until combined. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, salt and baking soda, then slowly add to the sugary mix. When it starts to look like dough, mix in the chocolate chip cookies. Lightly grease your cookie sheets and move on to the fun part – playing with the dough!

Scoop about a tablespoon full of dough, roll it, and lightly flatten on the cookie sheet. Bake for about 18-20 minutes. Mine were pretty thick so I left them in a little longer. And don’t forget, you should definitely “taste test” them while they’re hot!

chocolate chip cream cheese cookie

Happy Eating, XO