looking for spice...in brown sugar cupcakes with brown sugar peanut butter icing

Sooo, I know this blog was made (with love) for the sole purpose of (a) entertaining me, (b) entertaining you, and (c) learning to cook with different spices and ingredients. HOWEVER, I don't think you'll be complaining when you see these creamy, soft, flavorful, yummmmy brown sugar cupcakes. And I know if I'm looking for spice in these cupcakes, I certainly won't find it. I will, however, find the nearest gym ASAP.

So, let's talk cupcakes. I made these cupcakes on a bit of a whim because I was in the mood for something sweet, but not tooth-ache sweet and these were the ingredients I had on hand. I'm not big on dessert, at least not making my own dessert. I'm more of a buy it and tell everyone you made it but when they realize the crust to your "homemade" pie looks totally store bought...deny, deny, deny. Especially because, well, like I've said before - I'm a mess in the kitchen. And flour/confectioners sugar? Ends up ALL over me - I'm talking head to toe. WITH THAT BEING SAID I'm glad I made these because they were the bomb (dotblogspotdotcom.) 

For the cupcakes (12 of them):

1 Cup loosely packed brown sugar

1 egg

1 Tbs. vanilla extract

3/4 Cup milk

1/2 Cup unsalted butter, melted & cooled

1 1/2 Cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 Tsp. baking soda

1/4 Tsp. salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and in the meantime combine flour, baking soda and salt in a mixing bowl. Set aside, and line cupcake tin with cupcake liners. 

In a large bowl, whisk brown sugar and egg until smooth. 

Add in vanilla extract and milk and whisk until once again smooth. Slowly whisk in the melted butter. Make sure the butter is cooled, as hot butter will cause the batter to thicken quickly and become difficult to work with. Add in the flour, baking soda and salt and mix with a spoon until smooth.

Using a 1/4 Cup measure, add batter to the liners. 

Bake for 16-19 minutes, until tops looks puffy, brown and delicious.

For the peanut butter brown sugar frosting

6 ounces softened cream cheese

1/2 Cup creamy peanut butter

1 Cup loosely packed brown sugar

1 Cup powdered sugar (confectioners sugar)

2 Tbs. milk

2 Tsp. vanilla extract

In a bowl, whisk cream cheese until smooth and then add peanut butter and vanilla extract. Add in brown and powdered sugar gradually, whisking the entire time. Add in milk and continue to whisk. 

You can frost your cupcakes by using a spoon/knife/spreading spatula OR if you want to put on your fancy pants, you can use frosting bags. Since I lost my fancy pants in the recession, I opted to use a ziplock bag. Fill the ziplock bag with frosting and cut one of the corners of the bag to use for piping. Let the frosting begin!

Cute, huh?

The cupcakes came out AMAZING! They were a bit dense, but not too sweet. The first time I made these (ok, so we went through the first batch within minutes) the frosting came out way, way different than the second time around. I clearly have no patience and decided instead of waiting for the cream cheese to soften on its own; I'd just zap it in the microwave for a minute. Bad idea. The frosting turned into a strange, gooey consistency and wasn't at all creamy or pretty. Can I get a fail mary? However, the second time around I was smart enough to let the cream cheese naturally soften and it came out perfect. The frosting is pretty sweet, so it compliments the cupcake nicely. I hope you enjoy them!

Until my next adventure...

xx,

ronit

looking for spice...in baked parmesan spaghetti

You know those depression commercials - where they ask you questions and you find yourself answering "yes" to everything? And then you're walking around convinced you're depressed and need medication. You're calling your friends and breaking plans because you're too sad to get off the couch. Well, do you enjoy comfort food? Do you like cheese? Do you love garlic and crushed tomatoes? If you've answered yes to any/all of these, you're not depressed - you just like to eat. Allow me to introduce to you my newest food baby; baked parmesan spaghetti.

It's hot, gooey, cheesy, saucey, yummy....and everything else that ends in a 'y'. It's the perfect comfort food to get you through the hump of your week. You'll be sitting at work dreaming about this meal days after. THAT'S how delicious it is.

I've always hated basil..I found it overpowering and unappealing. However, they say with age comes wisdom and I've been wise enough to let my taste buds go on an exploration of the herbs. My roommate, Brandon, decided to start a hydroponic garden. I know, what? For the longest time I really did think he was growing other "herbs" in his room, but no - he really is growing a non-mary-jane herb garden. He is one of the main reasons I've decided to take this journey into the food blogging world, and will also be my herb dealer during this adventure. He even went as far as buying me cooking lessons, but I have yet to go because I kind of suck at making plans lately. Which makes me wonder if I'd answer yes to all of those questions in the "are you depressed?" commercial....

I digress...

Baked Parmesan Spaghetti

3/4 Pound spaghetti (I chose thin spaghetti)
1/2 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Pound ground beef
1 Tsp salt
1 Tsp pepper
10-12 fresh large basil leaves, chopped
3 Cups of your favorite pasta sauce (i used four cheese and marinara)
2 Cups shredded mozzarella
2 Cups freshly grated parmesan

While you boil water to cook your pasta, set the oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta until it is al dente, and don't worry if it's not thoroughly cooked, as it's going into the oven.

Under medium heat, allow olive oil to warm up in a skillet. Add onions and a pinch of salt and pepper, and allow to saute until soft. Add garlic and stir for a minute. Meanwhile, season beef with salt and pepper and add to the skillet. Make sure to use a wooden spoon to break apart the beef and cook until brown on both sides.

Once the beef is browned, stir in one cup of pasta sauce and half of the chopped basil. 

Mix to combine, and then add the (drained) spaghetti to the mixture. Spray an oven safe dish with nonstick spray, and add half of the spaghetti mixture to the dish. Top with a cup of sauce and half of your parmesan/mozzarella cheese mix. Repeat the process, starting with another layer of the spaghetti mixture and then a cup of sauce and the rest of the cheese. Sprinkle the rest of the basil on top and place in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until the cheese is perfectly golden brown. 

The dish, in my opinion (and since it's my blog, I'm going to tell you my opinion) the dish came out really, really well. Like...really, really really well. Like three helpings well. We have enough to last us at least another lunch and dinner. I wouldn't change anything about the dish, except perhaps add maybe one more teaspoon of salt. No one else seemed to think it was lacking salt, so maybe like me - you can just add more salt to taste once you've plated. Mmm...so yummy. 

What kind of an evening would it be without dessert? I decided to buy an ice cream maker and tried to make some toasted marshmallow coconut ice cream. I had to wait for the bowl to freeze, but made the ice cream mix so that I'd be prepared once the bowl finally froze. The bowl froze overnight, and I found myself churning ice cream at 8am this morning. Not only did I feel insanely stupid, but it also came out absolutely disgusting. The ice cream went in the trash, and the evil ice cream maker went right back in the box. Once I realized I'd never be the ice cream maker I've always dreamed of, I opted for cupcakes instead. I made theeee most amazing brown sugar cupcakes with brown sugar peanut butter icing. And you better bet your sweet ass I'll be posting that recipe shortly.

Until my next adventure...

xx,

ronit

looking for spice...in beer risotto with mushroom garlic chicken

Some people like to have drinks socially. Some like to have a drink or two at dinner. Then, there's my friends..the, ya know, functioning alcoholics. I assure you they are all relatively normal, they just happen to like their alcohol plentiful. What better way to entice my friends to stay in on a Saturday night than offer them alcohol and alcohol IN THEIR MEAL. Even better, I bought a six pack of beer and really only needed about a bottle and a half so the rest was my "mommy's little helper." I'm starting to sound like an alcoholic myself, which means I should really get to the dish before you choose to end your food blog experience. 

I seriously cannot put into words how amazing this dish was. If I could, I would personally hand deliver and feed every single one of you this meal. Even if you don't like beer, I'm sure you'd like this. The taste of the beer itself is fairly mild (especially depending on the beer you choose.) The chicken is tender and juicy, and is so well complimented by the ever so tasty beer/mushroom/garlic sauce. Paired together with the fluffy, cheesy risotto and you've just gotten a small taste of heaven. And have I mentioned the aroma that will permeate your kitchen? I'm getting hungry again...

For the chicken:

4 chicken breasts

2 Tbs. canola oil

1 Tsp. salt

1 Tsp. pepper

3 large shallots, thinly sliced

2 cups sliced mushrooms

6 cloves garlic (minced)

2 Tbs. unsalted butter (cubed)

8 ounces of beer (of your choice)

Preheat the oven to 375F, and in the meantime heat a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat and add canola oil. Once the skillet is well heated, add the chicken breast-side down and sear until golden brown (about 2 minutes.) Flip and cook for another 2 minutes. Add in mushroom, shallots and garlic, then pour the beer. Top with cubed butter. Reduce heat to low and cook for about two minutes, then place in the oven for 30 minutes. 

Once you've got the chicken in the oven, you're ready to start on the risotto.

For the risotto:

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 Tbs. unsalted butter

2 cloves garlic (minced)

1 1/2 Cup arborio rice

12 ounces of beer

2 Cups chicken stock

1/4 Cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1/4 Tsp. pepper

1/4 Tsp. salt

Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add olive oil and butter and then add the garlic. Stir for about thirty seconds, and then add the rice. Mix the rice constantly until it has been completely coated, and opaque (about 3-4 minutes.) Add in the beer, and stir every minute or so until the beer has been absorbed by the rice. Once the beer has been absorbed, add the chicken stock and continue the same process. Once the chicken stock has been fully absorbed, the rice will look a bit sticky - but go ahead and taste test the rice to make sure it is nice and soft. If it isn't thoroughly cooked, continue to add (a bit) more chicken stock until it is at a consistency that you like. Once it's at a perfect consistency, add the cheese, salt and pepper.

Once the risotto is ready and the chicken has reached the thirty minute mark, it's time to plate! Serve with risotto on the bottom, chicken on the top and a large spoonful of the beer/mushroom/garlic sauce. I wouldn't change a damn thing about this dish. It truly was phenomenal and I'll get to work on that hand delivery gig I discussed earlier. 

Oh, word to the wise - once you've taken the chicken out of the oven and are ready to plate, don't be stupid like me and instinctively grab the handle of the fresh-out-of-the-oven skillet. I never realized how useful my left hand was until it was out of commission. Another word to the wise, don't drink as much as I did while cooking. The second "word to the wise" might prevent you from experiencing my first "word to the wise." Typing one-handed has sucked. 

Until my next adventure...

xx,

ronit

looking for spice...in spicy peanut sesame noodles with chicken

A year after my roommates and I moved into our place, one of my roommates decided it was time to pack up and move out to live the suburban dream. After months of making fun of our little suburbanite, we quickly realized we'd need a replacement ASAP! After weeks of searching, we interviewed a quirky optometrist with a killer smile. And by interview I mean meet up at a diner in Jersey and ask all sorts of inappropriate questions. Yes, it's important that I know just how many chicks my new roommate will be bringing home per week, and if he can change a lightbulb. For the record, I've been blessed with two incredible roommates who have become my best friends, supporters, sous chefs, cleaner-uppers and co-parents to my amazing dog. Any way, Brandon (the killer smile kid) is a pescetarian. What's that mean, you ask? Well, he's vegetarian with the exception of fish. Not only is he pescetarian, but he's also lactose intolerant (lactarded, as he puts it.) This new cooking venture of mine took a turn for the interesting, when I realized I wanted ALL of my friends to try out my dishes and Brandon couldn't try most. I began researching to find interesting dishes that we could all enjoy. What'd I come up with? Spicy peanut sesame noodles........with chicken on the side (for the carnivores. and by carnivores I mean me.)

Now let me just say this dish should really be a staple recipe in everyones kitchen. People will love it! Unless you're allergic to peanuts, in which case...sorry, bro. 

What you'll need:

1 box of linguine 

1 large boneless chicken breast (carnivores)

1 Tbs. sesame oil

2 Tsp. chili oil

1/4 cup tahini

1/4 cup peanut butter

2 Tbs. soy sauce

2 Tbs. red wine vinegar

1/4 cup peanut or canola oil

3 Tbs. water

2 Tbs. minced garlic

3 scallions, chopped (about a cup) 

If you're using chicken in this dish, bring it to a boil in a large pot of water over high heat. When the water boils and the chicken is fully cooked, let it sit for 10-15 minutes and then remove from the water. In another pot, bring a box of linguine to a boil. Once it's thoroughly cooked, drain and rinse the pasta in cold water until cool. Throw the pasta back in the pot and add 1 Tsp. of sesame oil. 

In the meantime, add all of the ingredients except for the scallions in a mixing bowl. If the sauce is too thick, feel free to add more water to create a consistency that's perfect for you. 

As you can see in the above picture, once I mixed the ingredients together and gave it a taste, I realized it could use some more heat so I added another Tsp. of chili oil. Yes, this is what I see when I'm cooking (no, not the smiley face in my bowl. although how awesome is that!? not done on purpose!) Lucy, my kind of useless sous chef. 

Once you've tasted your sauce (don't worry if it tastes too salty, it'll balance out with the pasta) and found it to be absolute yummy perfection, go ahead and put it into your pot of pasta. 

Going back to the chicken, shred it and mix it into the pasta. 

Once you've done that, throw in the scallions and garlic.

Toss to combine and plate this baby, garnishing it with sesame seeds. Brandon ended up loving the dish and I've already packed some away for him to take to work tomorrow. We're cute, I know. I actually ended up doubling the recipe for the sauce, as I thought it was too dry at first. Once I added more sauce to the pasta, it came out to the perfect creamy consistency and was so, so good! 

Lucy won with this dish too, as I had leftover shredded chicken and not much to do with it. Now, as I look over at my sleepy dog and full-tummied roommate; I have to worry about the exceptionally evil looking pile of dishes in the sink waiting for me. 

Until my next adventure...

xx,

ronit