Easter is probably my favorite holiday with Thanksgiving being a close second. Imagine that, two holidays that really stand out with food and sweets! Growing up, I was very lucky that my mother held tightly onto traditions. She built these traditions into our family and I’ve now passed on those traditions to my girls. Easter dresses, chocolates, grilling, and cascarones (confetti eggs)!

The Goods

--Egg shells

--confetti

--food coloring/dye + white vinegar…to color eggs

--1/4 c flour + water…natural glue

--tissue/crepe paper (squares large enough to cover the egg)

The Process

To make your own you will need egg shells. This requires some planning—saving of shells or some epic baking. I decided to start saving our shells for the past month. This means you save the shell and the egg carton. You rinse off the inside of the shell, and let them dry until you are ready for use. My family eats a lot of eggs. Plus, I made some homemade goodies, so we had 11 dozen shells to decorate and fill.

Step One – Prepare Work Area

Have a decent sized work space and be sure to cover with newspaper, plastic wrap, etc. Also, have on hand, spoons, paper towels, refreshments (because this is gonna take some time), and some music. Also, wear some work clothes!

Step Two – Color Eggs

Lay out your eggs, boil your water, and measure out vinegar/food coloring for dyeing eggs. Need help with that? Check out these gals.

Note: Brown eggs DO NOT color as great as white eggs.

Step 3 – Fill Eggs with Confetti

When your eggs have dried, place them back in the carton and fill the shells with confetti! If you are NOT like me, you already have your confetti and have had it for a while. If you are like me, then you have to take your trusty Marta Stewart Fringe scissors and make some confetti! (see, now you know the REAL reason why it takes so long!) You give up making confetti and you dive into your decorative stash of flakey glitter and fill your eggs because your smallest one has gotten into the glue and decided to paint herself and the dog. Much excitement, for sure!

Step 4 – Cover Eggs

So you can use regular glue, but I like to get messy! Here is where I take my flour, add a bit of water until it is just the right amount of creamy. You don’t want it runny, but a thick creamy like regular glue. Dip your finger into the glue and line the top of your egg shell. Then cover with the paper and run a layer around the top edge again to secure. Gently put aside to dry. Go to the next egg. It took my eldest about half an hour to get through a dozen. In that same time, my smallest one successfully completed one egg. And managed to get glue on herself, the dog, and all over the workplace. It was fun times watching them and just giggling. Be prepared for much laughter and complaining.

Step 5 – Let Dry

Once you have covered all of the eggs, let them dry at least over night. They are so pretty! You did a great job, you deserve a glass of wine. But you can’t have one because you have to chisel off the homemade glue from yourself, your little ones, and your dog. By the time you are done, you will just want a long bath and a nap.

Step 6 – Crack on Heads

Now the hard part is over. Go out and have some fun. Chase each other cracking the eggs on top of the heads for good luck. When it is all over, witness the aftermath on the floor. A nice storm will help wash it all away. You can also sweep it up.

Hope y’all had a wonderful Easter!

Recipe Monday: Tom Kha Soup

Goods:

1 clove garlic (sliced)
1 can heavy creamy coconut milk (I use the kind from Trader Joe's. It's perfect for this.)
2 cups of veggie broth (I use my leftover whey from this recipe and add a tablespoon of better than bouillon veggie-chicken flavor)
Bunch of cilantro (chopped)
1 bag of cremini mushrooms (some recipes use straw mushrooms, but I don't like the canned ones and dried are hard to find. I like the earthiness of cremini and they are more available)
1 tablespoon lemongrass (I use the dried kind. Fresh adds a great flavor, but a PAIN to eat/dig out)
1/2 tablespoon herbs de provence
1 lime
a bit of ginger (I don't usually have fresh ginger and inadvertently forget this step almost always)
2 tablespoons butter (unsalted)
pinch of salt
pinch of red pepper flakes (only if you want some heat. my girls don't like that kind of heat so I will skip it but add to my soup)

Process:

Medium to medium high heat, melt your butter in a pan. Add your diced garlic. If you like extra garlic, go for it. Add your pinch of salt and the mushrooms. Get those nice and coated. Saute it up until they are slightly soft. Squeeze your lime juice onto the mushrooms, then add your ginger, herbs, and lemongrass. Mix them up together and give them a good saute. Add your cilantro. Give it another saute dance. You just want the greens to be lightly cooked, not full on wilted. Now add the veggie broth. Spoon out the creamy coconut milk and stir/agitate until it mixes with the rest of the liquid. Cook until bubbling.

Serve up!

*You can add fish sauce, chicken, tofu, and/or chili paste to add different elements and flavors. When I use fresh coconut, I like to get a young coconut and cut the meaty flesh into strips and add to my soup for added texture. When my girls get older, I may use fresh lemongrass more, but for now, to prevent excessive chewing, whining, and yes, even minor choking, I use the dried kind. It doesn't add the flavor in the same way as the fresh kind, but it works well enough. If you can use fresh ingredients, it'll definitely make a difference in the way it tastes. You may not always have access to fresh, though, so in a pinch, this recipe will work to hold you over until you can get to your favorite Thai spot!

Recipe Monday: Osso Buco Bianca Style

Osso buco is translated from Italian as “bone with a hole.” (Thanks Wikipedia!) I call it delicious! I first had this dish when I was in New York and saw it on the menu. It sounded tasty and whoooo doggies it was! It wasn’t cheap, but it also wasn’t a small dish. My plate could’ve been enough for two people. Most osso buco are cooked with white wine and served with gremolata. Mine is made with marsala and tomatoes, no marsala. Also, mine doesn’t have any seasoning, ok, bay leaves. Sorry, I lied. Yes, bay leaves, but that’s it. Everything else is the natural flavors of the foods. And who doesn’t love natural? (Why yes, that’s my Texas Tech snuggie taking a peek. Yes, this is 10:30 at night and I’m watching a recorded Downton Abbey under my snuggie in the living room. Yes, this was 2nd dinner. )

GOODS

1/3 cup flour (we used gluten free all-purpose flour)

salt ( a few tablespoons)

3 T unsalted butter

1 cup celery (finely chopped)

1 cup onion (finely chopped)

1 cup carrot (finely chopped)

3 or 4 cloves of garlic (sliced)

1/2 can of San Marzano tomatoes (I like that Cento brand)

1/2 tablespoon of Better than Bouillon (chicken or beef base, both are really good)

1 cup or so Marsala (yeah, I didn’t measure—you’ve never cooked with Marsala? That’s ok, it is a wine that you find near the Port wines. I don’t know if I’d drink it, but you could if you were desperate enough, I’m sure. It adds some great flavor, though. I use the Sperone Marsala brand that’s like $8 for a liter bottle)

Water (like a large glass or so, depends on how you like the sauce)

2-4 osso buco shanks

PROCESS

1. In a bowl, combine your flour and salt, then dredge your shanks through the breading. Make sure all sides are generously coated.
• Tip: I like to add a bit of salt to the shanks directly before dredging through. Set aside.
2. On medium to low heat, add your  3 T of butter to a Dutch oven (or oven safe skillet). Once the butter is melted, add your shanks and lightly brown on all sides. Use some tongs for this. Once browned, remove from your dish and set aside on a plate. Now add the onion, carrot, and celery to the delicious brown butter and fat currently residing at the bottom of your Dutch oven. Let the veggies get soft. I could be about 5-8 minutes. Now add your garlic, your better than bouillon, tomatoes, and Marsala.
• Tip: Feel free to take a generous swig of wine while cooking, maybe not your Marsala, but something else.
3. Stir it up. Gently break apart the tomatoes with your spoon to give it a saucy feel. he he he…saucy-sauce RAWR!
4. Mmmm…smells, good, huh? I let it cook for about 5-8 more minutes. You should have the beginning of a delicious looking & smelling sauce.
5. Add your osso buco to the mixture. I like to place it in, then cover it generously with sauce. Now add your 3 bay leaves to the top. Go ahead, make it a fancy triangle, I won’t judge. It’s fun!
6. Cover with your lid (or foil if you don’t have a lid for your pan) and let it bake for an hour and a half to two hours (check it at an hour and twenty minutes, because some ovens are speedy!).
• Tip: Pour a generous glass of your wine you’ve been drinking and watch an episode of Downton Abbey or do a yoga for wine lovers workout.
7. When your alarm goes off, check the awesomeness! If it is cooked (meat falling off the bone, braised goodness), then remove from the oven.
8. Here is where some recipes will have you remove the meat, then reduce the sauce and blend it finely. Not me. I like the sauce to be chunky and feel like a veggie side dish with my meat.
9. Let cool.
10. Place meat with a generous amount of sauce in a large bowl and serve.
11. Enjoy! (maybe with the rest of your wine!) Cheers!

Gluten Free Bread Machine Bread

DRY GOODS

2 cups almond flour

1 cup all purpose gluten free flour

2 tsp xanthan gum

4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

4 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 tablespoons active dry yeast (I used Fleischmann’s dry active yeast for breadmachines)

WET GOODS

1 1/2 cups  warm  milk*

2 teaspoons vinegar

1/4 cup  olive oil

2 extra large eggs, room temperature

extra olive oil and tapioca flour for the pan

PROCESS

1. Take your extra virgin olive oil and tapioca flour and oil and flour your bread machine pan.
2. Whisk together all of the dry ingredients in a bowl, then carefully pour into your breadmachine.
   *I realized I didn’t have regular milk in the house. We seldom do these days because both girls seem to have a negative reaction to drinking cows milk. If I have some, it is because I know I’ll be baking or making paneer. I just happened to make paneer that morning, thus using all of my milk. Oops, so anyway I took 3/4 of heavy cream and 1/2 cup of water to make “milk”
3. Pour (or crack) all of your wet ingredients on top of the dry mix directly into the machine.
4. Close the lid and set your machine to process for regular white sandwich bread. This will take about an hour and a half or so, depending on your machine and altitude.
5. When done, take out immediately from the machine so it doesn’t stick to the sides.
6. Enjoy!

I adapted my recipe from this one here found at the Art of Gluten Free Baking. I also referred to Gluten Free Goddess’ tips for bread machines.

Notes: Xantham gum is expensive. I was lucky to find it in the bulk goods section. I knew I only needed 2 teaspoons, so I took the smallest container and filled it only halfway. This was quite a bit of savings. Also, my all purpose gluten free flour comes from Trader Joe’s. Don has enjoyed everything that I’ve made with it so far, so it seems to be a quality substitute. He prefers it over the Bob’s Red Mill Gluten free. Speaking of Bob’s Red Mill, that is who I used for the almond flour. Going forward, I will use 1 cup of almond flour and 2 cups of the all-purpose flour. This bread tasted nuttier and earthier than I wanted, but it was still good!

Mushrooms are Not Only a Funghi, but a Vegetable #Fall4Mushrooms

Ahhh mushrooms! When you look at this photo, you either salivate or you shudder at the thought. Me, I’m someone who salivates. I love mushrooms! They bring all sorts of flavor to any dish, they are packed with Vitamin D, and they work with any meal of the day. From fancy chanterelles, to plain white all the way to oyster, portobello, shiitake, and cremini, larger trumpet and one of my favorites morels, all of them make me smile. September is National Mushroom month and there are sure to be many varieties in the store for you to consume!

To get you started, I will share with you one of the first dishes I’d learned to make on my own. This dish not only made me fall even deeper in love with mushrooms, but also started my love for cooking! Thanks to my Tia Vickie for showing me how she prepared them back when I was 7.

Simple Sauteed Mushrooms

1 package of white mushrooms (pre-sliced or whole, but if whole, you will slice them)

2 tablespoons of unsalted butter

3 pinches of sea salt

In a sauce pan, over medium to low heat, add the butter to the pan and a pinch of sea salt. When the butter has melted, add the entire package of mushrooms. Swirl around the mushrooms until they are sufficiently coated with the butter. Now add your second pinch of salt. Toss the mushrooms in the pan around and let cook until each one has turned from white to brown. Scoop out onto a plate, not trying to add the excess butter. If you like, you can add your final pinch of salt. Serve and enjoy!

 

What are some of your favorite ways to use mushrooms?

**I was selected to participate in this campaign by the one2one network and my be eligible for prizes because of my participation. The statements are my own.**

Recipe Monday: Baked Avocado with an Egg

I swear, you guys must think I’ve been having a love affair with avocado. I do love avocado! YUM! The other day, we were out with friends when the topic of eggs and avocados came up. Well, I went off and gleefully goaded my Beloved to describe his process for baking an egg inside of an avocado. I first saw the idea in my Everyday Foods magazine. (Still upset that I don’t get it monthly! stomping foot)

Our one friend grimaced at the thought. Blech, eggs (or was it avocados) gave her the heebie jeebies. Our other friend intrigued, asking, “How you get it all to fit in there?”  (insert inappropriate THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID)

Baked Avocado with Egg

• 1 egg
• 1 avocado
• 1 oven
• 1 pan
• 1 slice of muenster cheese
• 1 drizzle of olive oil
• 1 pinch of sea salt

 

Before…Preheat oven to 425

Action…Slice avocado 2/3 from the top, remove the pit. Drizzle a bit of oil onto your pan. Place the 2/3rds avocado in your pan/cast iron skillet. (set the other 1/3 aside for now) Crack your egg and fill the space once occupied by the pit. If the pit is smaller, then you can scoop out a bit to make room for your egg. Sprinkle a bit of Sea Salt on top.

Process…Place in oven and cook until your egg is cooked to your choice. I like mine runny, extra runny, so they are cooked for about 7-10 minutes. After removing from the oven, I immediately add my slice of muenster cheese on top. Because, melted Muenster is the way to go. If you’ve never had it melted, then you’ve been doing it wrong. For added *zing* pop a couple of drops of Valentina or Sriracha. Delish!

Enjoy...Slice up the top third of your avocado and prepare like before. Enjoy it alongside your delicious treat! YUM!

Recipe Monday: Pancakes!

Don’t you be rollin’ your eyes at me. I’m not gonna talk about pancakes from Bisquick. There’s nothing wrong with those pancakes, I suppose. I’m just going to tell you how I like to eat ‘em. Remember a couple of Monday’s ago when I mentioned the Homemade Paneer? Well, after the curds, you have leftover whey. This is one of the ways I use that whey. Not to mention, this recipe is easy enough for my girls to help me prepare. They really enjoy making the foods we eat. Orale whey!

Leftover Whey Pancakes

• 1 cup of plain flour
• 1 egg
• 1 cup of whey
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1-2 tbsp butter

Before…Preheat your frying pan to a nice medium heat. This is important! If you are like me, your first pancake is a throwaway pancake anyway, but it is also my most delicious!

Action…Whisk all of your ingredients in a bowl. I usually start with the flour, then add the egg, whisk. Add the baking soda/powder, whisk. Then add the whey. The consistency should be smooth, not thick. If it is too runny, you may want to add a bit more flour. Add only a quarter cup at a time until the batter is consistent.

Note: If you used a half gallon of milk to make the paneer, you will have waaay more than just 1 cup of whey to use. Don’t over use the whey just because you don’t want to waste it! You can find other uses! Maybe I’ll post my veggie soup recipe that I make with the whey. Are you interested?

Process…Add half of your tablespoon of butter to your pan. Let it get all bubbly and spread that melted goodness all over your pan. Now, ladle your batter into the pan. More batter will make a larger pancake. My girls like silver dollar sized pancakes, so I make a mixture of them. This will immediately start to bubble around the edges. Here is when I add blueberries to the batter. I like adding them in this step instead of the batter so I don’t accidentally mush them. Plus, the Sugarbean doesn’t like blueberries like the Sugarbaby and I do, so this just saves me a step from having to make separate batters. Once your pancake has enough bubbles (airpockets) in it, take your spatula and flip it. You will notice a nice brown look. That’s the goodness right there. The butter gives it a bit of a crispy flavor, but the inside is cake-y! YUM!

Enjoy…We might add a bit of Agave nectar as the syrup and don’t add any additional butter. This is our typical Saturday morning breakfast while we watch “cartoons” (more like a movie).

Thank you for reading!

Recipe Monday: Avocado Snack

Say whaaaaaa??? You mean to tell me you are going to give me a recipe for an avocado? Hello Bianca, that's like the easiest thing ever. That's like saying, here's a recipe for a slice of store bought bread. Um...sure.

I like a quick snack that packs a nutritious punch. This is my go-to happy snack/appetizer. Used to when I would eat avocados, I would get a tickle in my throat and I thought I was mildy allergic to them. But this way, I don't get that tickle. It is pure deliciousness! MMMmm

Avocado Snack

1 avocado
1 lime (will only use half of the lime)
pinch of salt

1. Cut your avocado in half, lengthwise.







2. Slice it up and lay it on your plate. Cut your lime in half and squeeze the juice from half the lime onto your slices.





3. Add a pinch of kosher salt across the slices, then devour!

Do your best to not want to drink a margarita because the lime and salt will definitely have you wanting one. :) 

Happy Monday!

Recipe Monday: Homemade Paneer

I’m gonna try something new here. I’ve had some friends recently ask me for some recipes. I spouted off some nonsense, but in reality, very seldom do I actually use a bonafide recipe. When I meal plan, I have an idea of what to make by looking through my Everyday Food, but then I don’t revisit the recipe. I just use it as a base for ingredients. In any case, there are things that I make repeatedly because they are good and I figured, eh, I’ll share here. First one, homemade paneer.

Hello Bianca, I don’t really know what paneer is. Can you help?

Sure! Paneer is a South Asian type of cheese rich in milk protein. I find the texture amazing. There isn’t much flavor, per se, but it totally soaks up flavor in whatever dish you prepare, which makes it all the more delicious! You can buy it at the store, BUT if you don’t live near any Asian/Indian/Indo-Pak/Pakistani markets, then you wouldn’t find this stuff. Here’s how you can make your own paneer:

 

Homemade Paneer

1/2 gallon whole milk (remember Moo Mondays at Central Market, half off milk!)

1 to 3 tablespoons of white vinegar (you can use any type of acid like lemon juice)

cheesecloth over a strainer

container (like a pyrex dish) to mold your paneer

1. Bring the milk temperature to just below boiling and turn off your heat. This is when those tiny bubbles start to form. It’s a short time from when that happens and when it is rolling to a boil. I usually add a pinch of salt. You can stir it as it cooks. You can also enlist the help of your 5 year old to stir and pretend you are witches over a boiling cauldron. This is great until your almost 2 year old wants to help and stir too, and then they will both start to fight over who gets to stir more, which will eventually lead them to bickering. In which case, you try to settle with an alternative food snack since you are in the kitchen, after all, and all is well until you maybe burn your milk a little bit. 

   

2. Add your vinegar to the milk one tablespoon at a time, stirring after each time.  (This is where it gets all fun and science-y!) The curds will separate from the whey. (Those bits of brown in my pot are b/c I was multi-tasking and burnt my milk, but hey, bonus flavor! Remember from earlier??)

   Wait a bit to pour over because you could get quite a bit of steam and I don’t want you to burn yourself! In my case, my smallest one had to potty and big sister took her, so I raced off to make sure all was well with them. Once we had all of that done, enough time had passed for me to be able to strain it.

    

   

3. Now pour the mixture into the cheesecloth covered strainer. (I don’t have a photo b/c I forgot to snap one during this step because the house was eerily quiet and I was rushing to strain my curds from whey because things are too quiet!! All was well. The 5 year old covered the nearly 2 year old with some lotion on her hair because “she needed a style, mommy” ‘eh, extra conditioning and a nice smelling head never hurt anyone.)

   Note: When you do this, have it over a bowl so you can save all of that whey*.

4. Try to strain out as much of the whey from the curds as possible. Transfer the curds into your pyrex dish and spread to your mold. Set in the refrigerator overnight or up to a week from when you will use the curds. Again, the brown spots in mine were from where I burnt the milk. It’s ok, it won’t compromise the flavor, just the look. Mine isn’t in the cheesecloth just for the sake of the photo. I typically leave it wrapped and press it flatter with a pickle jar just to really get it into that rectangular shape.

You can eat the curds immediately. Collectively, it looks almost like ricotta. When it is warm, I’ve given it to my girls and they think it is a warm cheese treat. Also, they know when I pour the whey into mason jars we will be having pancakes and soup soon! whey pancake recipe coming soon!

*Whey is still highly nutritious and can be used in a variety of ways. Don’t waste your whey! My friend Dadthebaker taught me that!

Now go on out and make some paneer. You’ll feel like a scientist in the kitchen!

Recipe: Gluten Free Banana Bread

Remember the health post? Well, Don has done a great job in maintaining a gluten-free lifestyle. It hasn’t been as tough as I expected, but maybe that is because I’ve not really been cooking? ha! Seriously, the cold front blew in and I had some bananas I had to use. I went to bake and realized that the “regular” flour wouldn’t work for him. Immediately, I was crestfallen at the thought of him coming home to a house smelling like fresh banana bread and he wouldn’t be able to have any. Off I trekked to my local market and headed straight to the Gluten-free section. I’ll be damned if my man wouldn’t get to enjoy one of his favorite treats! I found Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour. It cost me $3.99 for this 22 oz bag. Yes it costs more than traditional flour, but he’d actually get to eat some of the same foods! Even better is that I wasn’t going to have to modify my original recipe since it was a 1:1 ratio conversion. Yes! Sold!
When I made the bread, the consistency wasn’t what I was used to, so I added more banana and walnuts because my Beloved likes ‘em. The added “wet” from the bananas gave it a more familiar consistency. He tasted it as soon as it cooled down and proclaimed it to be really good. He said the texture was softer than what he was used to, but still good. There you have it, I recommend the Gluten Free All Purpose Flour!

Gluten Free Banana Bread
1/3 cup butter (softened to room temp)
1/3 cup sugar
2 Eggs

1 3/4 Cups Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda

4 or 5 VERY RIPE bananas mashed

Add-ons/Extras: Parchment paper, walnuts, chocolate chips, cranberries

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. I like to sift mine 2 or 3 times just because it makes me feel fancy. Plus, it adds air to ‘em and well, my Home Ec. teacher told me to do it and I do. Set that aside. Dry ingredients are: Flour, Baking Powder, and Baking Soda.
In your mixer, add your butter. Turn on and add your sugar. While the two are creaming together, you can probably be sifting. That’s usually what I do. When your butter/sugar is nice and creamy, add your two eggs, one at a time. Make sure it is nice and creamy!  Here is where I might add a few drops of vanilla for fun or if I’m sassy. Yeah, I know I didn’t list it on the ingredients, but I’m just checking to see if you are reading.
Now add your dry ingredients in batches of 3, slowly. Make sure it is nice and mixed. Now, add your mashed bananas. See how it is smooth, but kinda lumpy with the bananas. Add your nuts at this point if you want.
Pour into a bread pan. I like to line mine with parchment paper. Bake for 50 minutes.

Devour!