Love

 

This is one of those tiny things that I know will carry me through any obstacle I face in life. What a sweet surprise to wake up to! 

No food in the house....

Ahhh…the salary of a graduate student does not favor a foodie lifestyle, to say the least.  Semester after semester I have to pass on the truffles, the cheese section of the grocery store, skip the lamb and ahi tuna and so on. Someday maybe I will be able to afford all of my food dreams!  But for last night I was stuck with what looked like an empty fridge.  I did have some chicken but the thought of plain roasted chicken was not appetizing, and I only found one little zucchini in the way of vegetables. However,  I did have onions, garlic, lemons and olive oil! I also just bought a lemon basil plant at the farmers market on Saturday, so I had a fresh herb to play with. So I still ended up with roasted chicken—but it was tasty and lemony and made me happy. Funny how a special meal was the result of a pity party about all the food I “didn’t” have.

Chicken breast, split

3 large cloves garlic

Lemon basil leaves

Salt and pepper

Olive oil

Lemon

Zucchini

Onion

Mash the garlic and lemon basil with some salt, oil, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Cut the skin of the chicken breast away from the meat, but don’t cut it off—just make a little pocket. Put the chicken breasts in a roasting pan (make sure they are snugly in there) and stuff the garlic/basil mix under the skin. Cut the zucchini however you want and the onion too. I always cut onions through the root end and then slice them because I think they look pretty that way but it really doesn’t matter. Toss the zucchini and onion with more olive oil and lemon juice, and arrange them around the chicken. I usually pour a little more oil and salt over everything before putting it in the oven. Bake at 375° for about 30 minutes? But you will have to check the cooking time for yourself.  All done! I had the chicken alone but I think it would be good with brown rice too.

Moriah

Is it a cookie? Or is it a cake?

Sunday was a good day. It was coolish and rainy, a perfect day for baking! I’ve had some Frenchie desserts on my mind lately—madelines specifically. You can imagine my dismay when I went to Target and there were no tins! So off I went to Williams-Sonoma, only to discover a $32 madeline tin which was definitely out of my league price-wise. I was just about ready to give up my tasty cake cookie ideas, but then made a stop at my Dad’s house where I found a madeline tin that definitely needed some love. I took it home and whipped up a batch using David Lebovitz’s recipe. I included the baking soda and lemon icing (and mine turned out “humpy” ooh la la!). I didn’t bother with chilling the batter, but I did stick the tin, buttered and floured, into the freezer while I prepared the batter. Baking time can make or break these little guys, so be very careful to watch and not overcook them. 

The best part was that I got to bring them to a party to share with friends!

Moriah

In anticipation of spring.....

Springtime in Wisconsin is defined by anticipation—of walks in the woods, camping, tender spring vegetables, and bright blossoms and buds. Everything is electric green and is charged with a tangible promise of a fresh start. 


Spring is also a very happy time for food! The bright colors of spring are inspirational for making vivid and tasty cakes, cookies, and frozen desserts. I was recently fortunate enough to bake two cakes for a good friend’s birthday party—one chocolate, and one bumble bee. Chocolate cake is self-explanatory, but bumble bee cake is a delightful mix of cinnamon, crushed pineapple, bananas, and pecans. Lighter than carrot cake, it is very tasty with a nice cream cheese frosting. My favorite part about these cakes was the decorations! The birthday party had a garden theme, and what better for a spring-time garden than meringue mushrooms and a spun-sugar nest with marzipan eggs? It was my first time with both, and I had a truly spectacular time making a giant mess in the kitchen. My best friend came and helped me, and we drank beer and listened to 90’s hip-hop and danced the whole time.  


In the end, the cakes were very good and pretty. I baked each in a bundt pan, cut the finished cake in half, and assembled them into caterpillars. I set them on a bed of green coconut, frosted them, and drizzled white chocolate in different colors over them to make stripes. I assembled the mushrooms using dark chocolate as glue and used white chocolate to make the spots on the caps. I tried to make the marzipan eggs look like duck eggs by dusting them with cocoa, and I also dusted the mushroom caps to make them look dirty. I nestled my meringue toadstools around the caterpillars and voila! Birthday cake complete.  I forgot to take pictures of the actual cake—because I was having so much fun at the party! And I think that is a good thing. 


Moriah