44 posts tagged “blogging events”
I have been a pretty horrible blogger lately, so the tardiness of this post should come as no surprise. I should have started posting the submissions as I received them, of course, but I am a huge procrastinator. Plus, I have been a little busy transferring my site (I know, I feel like I talk about this *all* the time but I finally have my posts all moved so look for a move soon!). Sorry I haevn't been around and commented as much as I normally do, but I am hoping to get back to business here soon!
At any rate, this edition of Eat to the Beat is, like the ones before it, full of delicious eats and great beats. I'm always happy to see these posts as they come in. Everyone is so creative. So, I'll quit the babbling already and get to the round up. As a reminder, if you would like to participate in the next Eat to the Beat, just check out what you need to do. The deadline is the end of the year, so you have plenty of time.
I really love the creativity that comes out during this event, and Kelsey at Apple a Day kicks off EttB with a great song/dish connection. Kelsey makes this seriously gorgeous lemon crostada with fresh figs and goat cheese. I think those are 3 of my favorite ingredients on the planet. But, it's been seven years since Kelsey could find herself some fresh figs so when she finally found them, she had a euphopric moment--choosing the "Hallelujah" Chorus from Handel's Messiah as her Eat to the Beat music.
Perpetually creative participator Erika over at Bean's Bistro shares a cherry coca-cola jello salad for Eat to the Beat. Her cooking-with-coke was inspired by a song by Shiny Toy Guns song called "Jackie will Save Me" that goes "I think you're slipping/American coca cola/Sugar sweetness." So Erika slipped some coke into this cherry jello. For the record, I adore cherry and coke together. Whenever I buy a slurpee, it's half cherry, half coke. Just so you know.
My friend Cara, who runs Cara's Cravings, made some magic rice for this event. The magic? That's not actually rice you see--it's cauliflower! Cara used a food processor to make rice-sized pieces of cauliflower and then steamed it. Not surprisingly, Pilot's "Magic" was running through her head as she looked at the faux rice. Oh, oh, oh it's magic, you know! Never believe it's not so...
Mmm, I love cornbread and this cornbread salad made by Kayla at Central Cooking is such a fun, new way to use cornbread (besides just inhale it, which is what I typically do). Kayla used the song "Cornbread" by Dave Matthews Band as her backing track for this great side dish and also talk about how she and her husband connected through music - I alway love reading stories like that :)
Just the title of this cake is enough to make me drool. Dell, who runs Cooking and the City, brings to EttB a brown sugar chocolate cinnamon cake. You want a piece, don't you? I sure do! This cake was inspired by none other than the classic Rolling Stones song "Brown Sugar" which is a favorite of mine. This cake started as a mistake because the top of it was cracked and Dell smartly covered it in chocolate to hide its imperfections. You can never go wrong covering anything in chocolate. That's a fact.
SilverMoon at Dragon Musings cooks with her kids on Cookie Day and makes these melt in your mouth (literally) vanilla meltaways. These cookies are based on Melting Moments (which I don't think I have ever tried!) and Shonen Knife's song "Cookie Day" (which I enjoy).
Stina at Eat Something is cracking me up with her entry of a "heffa-ed up" buttermilk pie. When you heffa something up, you create something nice and fatty (and delicious, of course). Stina's heffalicious version of this pie ties into her song choice of "Girls Love Pie" by Nasty.
Psychgrad, one half of the food duo behind Equal Opportunity Kitchen is feeling a lot like I have been with blogging lately--by the time I finally make a post, the food is already gone and becomes a little more difficult to recall. That's why Psychgrad chose the song "Yesterday" by Boyz II Men as she was remembering this ridiculously good looking peanut butter cup cake. I'm pretty sure I would remember that cake any day!
New EttB participant Joan, who runs FOODalogue uses the song always playing at everyone's local Italian eatery (or, at least mine!) "Mambo Italiano" as inspiration for this Spanish take on a classic Italian dish - pizza! This Spanish Tapas Rolled Pizza. The fact that this pizza has one of my favorite ingredients in it--chorizo--definitely has me singing!
Maria, a first generation Greek like myself who heads Kali Orexi, makes a really great spin on the classic avgolemono (egg lemon) soup by making asparagus and dill avgolemon soup. I love avgolemono, and I love asparagus, so this soup will definitely be made in my house sometime soon. Maria uses the song "Lemon" by U2 as inspiration for this lemony soup (and causes me to to be nostalgic and listen to U2 for a week straight). :)
Another fellow Greek (represent!) Peter at Kalofagas was probably doing some headbanging when you made this entry to tie AC/DC's "Back in Black" to his dish of Charred and Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Black Trumpet Emulsion. That's right, I said black trumpet mushrooms. And pork tenderloin. I said emulsion, too, in case you are keeping track. Ok but anyway, this is one of those recipes that I instantly starred in my reader to try. It just looks way to good not to.
Greek number 3 (what can I say? we run in circles, and apparently alphabetically), Ivy at Kopiaste, has managed to find a hilarious (and sort of trippy--go to her site to see the video) song called "The Biscuit Song." She decided to make biscuit cookies with some lovely homemade fig jam (my favorite). These cookies are so cute! The hole where the fig jam shows is fashioned from an ouzo bottle top. Gotta love that :)
When tomatoes are fresh and ripe in their peak season, there are few things better than them in my opinion. And, as you've also heard me say on this blog before, I'm a big fan of pesto--of many varieties, and on pretty much anything. So you know when Val of More Than Burnt Toast sent me her entry - an heirloom tomato salad with pesto vinaigrette - I was drooling up a storm. Those lovely tomatoes tie in perfectly with Val's song of choice, "Homegrown Tomatoes," by John Denver.
Lindsey, who runs Noodle Nights and Muffin Mornings (and has very similar tastebuds to me, I have noticed over the last few months!) takes one of my favorite TV shows as a kid, The Monkees, and makes some monkee cake, loaded with bananas (of course) and raisins. I'm sure you remember the band The Monkees. Personally, I was always a Micky fan. You?
My friend Kate over at Paved with Good Intentions definitely went old school with this challenge, picking one of my favorite bands from middle school. Yeesh, I can't believe it's been that long. At any rate, I'm sure you all know the Gin Blossoms. Man, 90s rock and pop was SO good. And Kate has made a tribute to the band (and their love of drinking)with her Gin Blossom drink (made with rose flower water).
Newcomer Leslie from Pixiepine Palace shows us several ways she connects music and food in her kitchen. She says "music sets a mood and can even make food more delicious." Leslie talks about how she likes listening to internet radio for international dishes, to get a more authentic feel and making her own music compilations to listen to as she cooks.
Mollie at Reading, 'Riting, and Recipes takes a "Slow and Low" approach a la the Beastie Boys to grill some chicken leg quarters (my favorite!). Chicken seasoned with a dry rub and some great bbq sauce, cooked for a while over low heat are what make these incredibly moist and delicious.
Nuria, who always gives us lovely Spanish Recipes, cracks me up this time with her song reference. She chose Paul Anka's "Put Your Head on my Shoulder" because of the way this ocotopus head is resting on potatoes. Hehe. I don't even like octopus but this octopus in stew looks so good!
Anyone around my age remembers Adam Sandler's SNL skits and CDs where he would sing hilarious songs. Remember "Lunch Lady?" If you do, there's no doubt the first part that comes to your mind is the "sloppy joe, slop, sloppy joe, hey!" part. At least for me! Steph over at Steph's Kitchen uses that song as inspiration to make some homemade sloppy joes that look more extra fabulous than they do "extra sloppy."
Bridget runs The Way the Cookie Crumbles and her husband, like mine, likes writing songs. So, the song Bridget chose for this event was one written by her own husband in grad school called "Bustle." One of the lines from that song is "dripping red" which instantly made Bridget think of something bloody, and what is bloodier than red wine sauce dripping down dead animal? This pan seared steak with red wine sauce has me drooling up a storm.
Ben at What's Cooking? put boring ol' scrambled eggs aside, turned up his mariachi music, and created these gorgeous huevos a la mexicana for Mexican Independence Day. Just looking at those eggs with the beans and tortillas makes me want to whip up some huevos of my own right this minute.
This time around, I went with the Tori Amos song "Raspberry Swirl" and made some light vanilla raspberry swirl bread (after a few complications with other entries, of course). Oh sure, this is not kind of raspberry swirl Tori was talking about, but hey, it will still make you feel good. ;)
Honestly, why is it that I am always compelled to make things for blog events that look like ass? I feel like I am always sticking a disclaimer on my entries that says, "Sorry this doesn't photograph well, but I promise it tastes good!"
OK, so, to be a broken record, this is precisely the case with this recipe. There are so many food blogging events that I've been wanting to participate in lately but have been so busy I haven't had the chance. I made it a point, though, to participate in Savory Pies, an event hosted by my friend Ivy at Kopiaste.
Now, you know me. You know I eat pretty healthfully most of the time. Pies are not so healthy. I mean you could make them with phyllo, which is much better than typical crust, but then you have to use all that butter between the layers. And for whatever reason, I can't justify the cooking oil spraying between each layer instead of the butter or oil. I mean, I am healthy but first and foremost I am Greek! That's borderline blasphemous. :)
That said, the only thing I might change in this is to add a little more fat to the crust. I was trying to keep this relatively low-cal which is why there is only 2T of fat in it, but let's be honest, more fat = tastes better. Otherwise, this is a nice dinner version of everyone's favorite dip--the 7 layer one! I decided to make the crust with cornmeal - something I love in my plasto - because corn just goes so well with Mexican/Tex-Mex dishes. This looks like a long process but it's really not bad. You can make the beans while your crust bakes and your ground beef mixture right after. And, since everything is already cooked, the final baking of the pie is really only to melt the cheese. I went ahead and used the same pan for the beans and the meat and I already had the food processor out for the pie crust, so why not use it for the bean layer, too? This made for some easy cleanup on my part.
7-Layer Pie
Crust - Layer 1
3/4 cup corn meal
1/4 cup masa harina or regular flour
1 T cold butter
1 T canola oil
pinch of salt and a little ground pepper
cold water or milk
Preheat the oven to 375.
Combine the corn meal, flour, butter, oil, salt & pepper in a food processor and pulse to combine. Slowly add a little cold water or milk until the consistency is such that you can pinch some of the mixture with your fingers and it sticks together a bit.
Spray a deep dish pie pan with a little cooking oil and then press the mixture into the dish to form a crust. Prebake for about 12 minutes and then set aside.
Black Beans - Layer 2 (<--- Mmm, isn't that a pretty picture? LOL)
This is the same way I make beans as a side, but this time I pureed them for more of a refried bean-like consistency.
1-2 tsp. canola oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1/2 cup chicken broth
squeeze of fresh lime juice (optional)
Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the oil to a shimmer. Stir in the onions and cook until tender. Add garlic and tomato paste and saute an additional minute. Add the beans, chicken broth, bay leaf, cumin, chili powder and oregano. Simmer to combine flavors. Squeeze fresh lime juice in mixture if desired. Pulse the mixture in your food processor until it is a spreadable consistency. Of course you don't HAVE to do this, but I just felt this was more dip-like.
Ground Beef - Layer 3
1 lb. ground beef or sirloin
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1.5 tsp. cumin
1.5 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. oregano
1/3 cup beef broth
salt and pepper
Brown the beef and the onion together until the beef is cooked and the onion is translucent. Drain the fat. To the pan add the garlic, sauteing until fragrant. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer over low until thickened. Season to taste if necessary.
Cheese - Layer 4
1 cup shredded cheese
After you have layered the crust, beans, ground beef & cheese, bake the pie in the oven for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and everything is warmed through. Top with the remaining layers:
Sour cream - Layer 5
1/3 cup sour cream
Tomato - Layer 6
1 large tomato, seeded and diced
Olives - Layer 7
1/3 cup sliced olives
Okay, you got me. This piece doesn't have sour cream on it (yet) because it was a leftover piece. Nor is it reheated. Congealed cheese, anyone? And the pic above? The reason it's so close up is because I didn't want to store the remaining pie with the sour cream on top. Who wants to eat hot sour cream when reheated? Not me.
I've been so behind on my blogging lately, and even more behind on all the great blog events that have been happening. In fact, I was in bed the other day and when I should have been sleeping, I remembered that an Eat to the Beat deadline was approaching and I had no idea what to make. After just a minute or two, I remembered the song "Raspberry Swirl" by Tori Amos and decided that would definitely work. I love Tori Amos. I remember getting From the Choirgirl Hotel the day it came out and discussing it with one of my friends in high school. She liked "Raspberry Swirl" the best. I was hesitant. It was ok, but kind of...weird. But of course it grew on me, big time, and it's now one of my favorite songs on the album.
But anyway, back to Eat to the Beat. How had I not thought of this song before? I mean, it's not really about food (far from), but the title could easily be applied to food. It's definitely the easiest one I've thought of yet, and even easier to execute. Just think of something to stick a raspberry swirl in and be done with it. Right? Not so much.
See, my first idea was cheesecake bars which I ultimately should have just gone with. They would no doubt be tasty and the swirl would be striking against the white bars. But I had pretty much none of the ingredients for cheesecake bars, so I decided to make raspberry swirl blondies. In theory, these were a good idea (and tasty!) but in practice, not so much. First, as you know, blondies are golden in color. Second, I decided to mix some raspberry jam with a few tablespoons of batter which dulled the color way too much. And, while tasty, the blondies didn't look particularly pretty.
Then, I was home alone all weekend because Tom's friends were in town for a bachelor party. The weather was really awful and I was bored, so I decided to make something else raspberry swirled. A quickbread. This is ultimately what I will end up blogging below, but it wasn't really my first choice (err, at this point, even my second). Sort of for the same reasons as above--the swirl is not as striking. And, it's not terribly exciting or different from things I bake pretty much every Sunday--healthyish carbs to go with my eggs in my weekday breakfasts.
So then I thought, of course. Angel food cake. A relatively healthier dessert, a pretty white canvas to work with, and a flavor that raspberry would complement. So, I mashed some raspberries that I figured I would layer in the batter and went by Alton Brown's recipe. But, alas, I don't have a nice tube pan with a removeable bottom. What I have is a tube/bundt pan that doesn't have a tube that raises above the edges and also which apparently hates me. So, after all the whipping and the sifting and the slow dolloping into the pan (and even the use of a small ramekin to help prop my pan upside down to cool when it came out of the oven), I had the hardest time ever getting the damned cake out. It finally came out...but, well, not all of it. Part of it stuck in the pan, making a not very attractive angel food cake. And, I had some air pockets in the cake too. So, although it tasted good, it looked pretty awful. Sigh.
And that's when I decided that this Eat to the Beat was obviously not as easy as I had so naively imagined. And after my share of raspberry swirled items over the last few days, I decided to say screw it and post the quickbread. The funny thing is I always look at blog events to make something sort of sinful and that I wouldn't normally make, but here I am making a variation on something I tend to make all the time. But, oh well.
Light Vanilla Quickbread with Raspberry Swirl
3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
pinch of salt
1 egg
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup plain, fat free yogurt
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup canola oil
1/3 cup raspberry jam
Preheat the oven to 350 and spray a loaf pan with cooking spray.
Sift together the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, beat the egg with the sugar until pale and smooth. Add the yogurt, vanilla, and oil and beat until just incorporated.
Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture in 2-3 additions until just incorporated (don't overmix!).
Put about 1/2 of the mixture into the loaf pan, spreading evenly. Stir the jam vigorously to loosen it a little and then spoon it over the batter, but leave some space around all sides of the loaf. Spoon the remaining batter over the jam. Bake for about 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Nutritional Information Per Serving (1/12 of the loaf): Calories: 177 / Fat: 5g / Carbs: 30g / Protein: 3g
It's actually pretty rare for my grocery store to have tomatillos, which is why I appreciate the canned version I have been able to find at Whole Foods. Last time I went to WF, even they didn't have fresh tomatillos. I don't get it.
Last week, I was grocery shopping when I not only saw tomatillos, but saw them on sale. Now, I am a bit of a planner. I plan our meals out for the week--maybe not by the day, but I make a list of meals and ingredients and shop from that. I *try* not to stray from the list because I want to save money and not waste food. Clearly, though, these sale priced tomatillos were a sign from the food gods--who, incidentally, have NOT been giving me any clear signs as to how to use this southwestern pasta blend that has been sitting in my cupboard forever. So, I threw them in my cart, had Tom grab a poblano pepper for...something, and thought about what to do with them later.
Which, as you have probably guessed, is where the southwestern pasta came in. I never knew how to use this pasta because I was always afraid the sauce would overpower the noodles. I decided to make a relatively mild sauce that is similar to a salsa verde to complement the flavors in the pasta. I threw in some tequila-lime flank steak for protein and there you have it. This was pretty damn delicious and of course it would be great on regular ol' pasta. I am going to submit this over to the lovely Ruth who runs Presto Pasta Night.
On a semi-related note, what do you, dear reader, consider "light?" You see, I tag healthy things in this blog as "light" but I have a really hard time making a judgment call on some things. Like this dish for example. To me, it's pretty low cal for a meal that just needs a salad as a complement. But do you think 14g of fat is too much? Does the carb-o-rificness of this dish negate its healthfulness? I am torn. Please weigh in (no pun intended). But not just on this dish, in general. For now, I am leaving the light tag off this one.
Southwestern Pasta with Flank Steak and Tomatillo-Poblano Sauce
Serves 4
1 poblano pepper
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. tomatillos, cored and quartered
1/4 cup chicken broth
3/4 tsp. cumin
juice of 1/2 a lime
1/3 cup light sour cream
1/2 cup black beans
4 cups cooked southwestern blend or other pasta
Tequila-lime flank steak (recipe follows)
Cilantro (optional)
Shredded cheese (optional)
Directly over a gas burner or in the broiler, char the poblano on all sides until it blisters. Put it in a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap until it is cool enough to handle. Peel it and dice it.
In a large sauce pan, heat the oil. Add the onions and cook until translucent, then add the garlic, poblano, tomatillos, cumin, salt and pepper. Saute for a minute and then stir in the chicken broth. Cover, turn the heat to low or medium-low and let simmer while your steak marinates (about 20 minutes). Take the pan off the heat and add the lime juice. Season to taste if necessary. Then, put the mixture into a food processor, along with the sour cream and pulse process until well combined. Put the sauce back in the pan and add the black beans, stirring to warm them through.
Toss the sauce with the pasta and the flank steak. And that evil cilantro, if you want ;)
Tequila-Lime Flank Steak
1/2 flank steak (about 10 oz.)
2 Tbsp. tequila
1/2 Tbsp. canola oil
juice of 1/2 a lime
cumin, oregano, salt and pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients and let marinate at room temperature for 20 minutes. Grill or broil the steak to your desired doneness. Let rest under a foil tent for a few minutes before slicing.
Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 453 / Fat: 14g / Saturated Fat: 4g / Carbs: 51g / Fiber: 5.6 / Protein: 24.5g
If you use whole wheat pasta (always encouraged!) you will up your fiber and protein.
I have seen this meme of sorts pop up on quite a few blogs lately, so I thought I would post my version. Andrew, who co-runs Very Good Taste, has made a list of 100 things he thinks every omnivore should eat at least once. It looks like I still have quite a bit of eating to do as I have tried less than half (43 or 44 if you count the ones I have half-eaten :) of the list. I am not opposed to at least trying pretty much anything on this list, but something about insects and roadkill doesn't sound all that appetizing to me. Imagine that. Plus, I am a foodie and all, but I wouldn't risk letting my hobby kill me so fugu is out.
Here's what to do:
1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:
1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare (but I have had carpaccio...)
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi (I really dislike cauliflower, but I would still try it)
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam Chowder in Soudough Bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar (hmm, I have had them both but not together)
37. Clotted Cream Tea
38. Vodka Jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects 43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth $120 or more46. Fugu (why risk it?)
47. Chicken tikka masala (I don't think I have but it's on my short-list to try and I know I will love it)
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian (this is a toughie...it's just so unappetizing)
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake (all of them, thankfully! :)
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost or brunost75. Roadkill 76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie (these were my favorite when I was young)
78. Snail
79. Lapsang Souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom Yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. 3 Michelin Star Tasting Menu
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake (another toughie, but I'd try it)
I bookmarked this Bobby Flay recipe quite a while back - which is why I'm submitting it to Ruth's Kitchen Experiments for her Bookmarked Recipes event. :) Originally when I came across this recipe, I wanted to roast the thighs to get a nice, crispy skin. As I mentioned earlier, there is no point in eating skin (at least to me) unless it's nice and crispy. But, after several days of eating poorly by going out and eating greasy food at Lollapalooza, I decided I should try to lighten this recipe up a little and - cue the tears - remove the skin from the thighs. Sadface.
So, that said, I am not really into baking any kind of chicken. Browning it on a pan and finishing it in the oven, sure. But I am not a fan of throwing a piece of chicken in the oven. It's just really not appealing to me. I decided to broil these chicken thighs because that way they'd get a little color and it would help to caramelize the glaze on top. Plus, they cook up insanely quickly and a broiler is essentially an upside down grill anyway, right?
The broiler turned out to be a great idea for these thighs. They ended up nice and juicy (as thighs generally do; I mean, they ARE the best part of the chicken you know). I did add some garlic and red pepper flakes to the glaze. I'm sort of surprised that this recipe doesn't have any sort of pepper in it, coming from Flay and all. Despite the amount of tangerine juice in this recipe, and the reduction to concentrate the flavor, it still wasn't quite as citrusy as I wanted. Next time I might marinate the thighs in the tangerine/thyme mixture (before reducing the liquid) so it can permeate a little more. Other than that, this was a simple, tasty recipe and with the modifications, very healthy, too.
Tangerine-Maple Glazed Chicken Thighs
Serves 2
Adapted from Bobby Flay
1 tsp. canola oil
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic. sliced or minced
1 cup tangerine juice
1 sprig thyme
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 tsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
1 tsp. tangerine or orange zest
4 thinless chicken thighs (bone in or boneless)
Heat up the oil in a small saucepan and then cook the onion until translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook another minute or so. Add the tangerine juice and the thyme. Bring the mixture to a boil and continue boiling it, stirring occasionally, until it has reduced down to about 1/4 cup or a little less.
Strain the tangerine mixture into a bowl and then whisk in the red pepper flakes, soy sauce, maple syrup and zest.
Meanwhile, preheat the broiler and spray your broiling pan with some cooking spray. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Broil them for about 5 minutes per side for boneless and about 7 minutes per side for bone-in. Brush one side of the thighs with the glaze and put back in the broiler for about a minute. Repeat with the other side.
Nutrition Information (2 thighs and half the glaze): Calories: 271 / Fat: 7.9g / Saturated Fat: 1.6g / Carbs: 20g / Sugars: 18g / Protein: 28g
We had more great entries for this round's Eat to the Beat! If you didn't get a chance to participate this time around, be sure to check out the guidelines and submit your entry for the next round-up in September. Many thanks to those who participated, and I hope to see entries from you and others for the next edition! If I missed your submission or you see any other problems, please let me know.
Now without further ado, I bring you the June round-up.
Val, who is definitely serving up More than Burnt Toast here, brings this gorgeous and no doubt incredibly delicious chocolate budino with ice cream to EttB. *drool* Val's inspiration was one of my favorite songstresses, Sarah McLachlan, and her song "Ice Cream." This pudding cake is made all the better with a big ol' scoop of cool, creamy goodness.
Núria takes some of my favorite ingredients and makes this irresistible Spanish tapas of quail egg on sobrassada toast. This may be tapas, but I would be content eating a couple of these for dinner. Núria also shares the story of when she was in Mallorca (eating lots of sobrassada sausage!) with her then-boyfriend, who ended up falling in love and marrying someone else. Like the Hermes House Band says, "Life is life!" But of course, for Núria, it ended well and that was a great experience for her, since she ended up later meeting her husband. And of course because she got to eat all the yummy sobrassada ;)
Ivy of Kopiaste takes the Fool's Garden song "Lemon Tree" to a whole new level with this tasty lemon marmalade. I have yet to make marmalade myself, but I think I may start with Ivy's recipe, as I love anything lemon flavored. With all those rinds and juice it has got to be really flavorful...and perfect on a scone :)
Although Albert Hammond claims "It Never Rains in Southern California," rain is exactly what prompted Susan, a favorite FoodBlogga of mine, to make this fresh cherry and peach upside-down cake. I have to agree that there is something great about baking a cake when it's raining outside. And I can take some thunderstorms if it means a piece of that!
"The first cut[let] is the deepest" kind of sounds like a Weird Al version of the famous song, doesn't it? Hehe. But, in this case, Mollie's mind just instantly went to that Cat Stevens (or possibly Sheryl Crow?) song when she started preparing these chicken cutlets for her delicious looking chicken parmesan. Mmm, this dish looks crispy and moist and cheesy and yum.
Peter, the Greek gourmand over at Kalofagas, definitely made me laugh with his entry. Though his dish ties in with Elton John's "Rocket Man" the song posted on his blog is a spoken word version by none other than William Shatner. I admit, I do have some Shatner in my music collection, vis-a-vis the Ben Fold's collaboration "Fear of Pop." But I digress; this rocket (or arugula) pesto on spaghetti looks so delicious. I love, love, love arugula. And you know already how I love pestos!
Rachel, the Crispy Cook, was "tempted by the fruit of another" much like the popular '80s band, Squeeze when she created this entry. "Tempted" is definitely one of my favorite '80s songs and mango is one of my favorite fruits, so I, too, would be tempted by this beautiful grilled cardamon-glazed mango! Grilled fruits are one of my favorite new things!
Erika from Bean's Bistro is definitely one of those ubercreative types. You can just tell by her EttB entries. This time, she makes "When Doves Cry" Cornish Hens with Port Sauce and Grapes. We all remember Prince's "When Doves Cry" (and, we will no doubt now have it in our heads for days) and this is a perfect tribute to the song, and to purple man himself. Cornish hens are kinda-sorta like doves and the stuffing is bold (like Prince's father?). And of course grapes are signature Prince-purple. NICE.
Stefany is not only joining EttB for a second time, but she is giving us 2 dishes yet again! And if that wasn't good enough, Stefany is channeling a good old fashioned 1980s hair band, Poison. Surely you remember the song "Every Rose Has its Thorn." Stefany picked up a couple bottles of rose nectar and was on her way to EttB goodness. And, since "every night has its dawn," Stefany gives us these buttery bites of goodness--Morning Rose Madeleines. Plus, she makes these great rose cupcakes. I'm not sure which one I'd rather have, so you can just ship one of each to me, Stefany. Thanks!
One of the reasons I love blogging events is that you learn all about new blogs, and Ben's was one of those blogs (though not from this event). His blog is full of amazing looking stuff, and this arroz moro is certainly no exception, considering my mouth dropped when I first viewed the picture. Ben enjoys salsa music and especially likes Cuban singer Cecelia Cruz. And of course Cuban music goes perfectly with that delicious Cuban dish!
Dear readers, I seriously cannot tell you how much I love key lime pie (okay, anything with lime). In fact, I'm sad to say I've never made my own, but after getting Erin's entry to this event, I definitely need to give this recipe a try. Erin's key lime pie goes hand in hand with a Kenny Chesney song of the same title. Like Erin, this makes me wish I were relaxing on the beach (eating at least 2 pieces of key lime pie).
Lindsey channeled the Beatles "Strawberry Fields Forever" when she made these gorgeous, juicy strawberry anise scones. These yogurt scones have actually been on my (mile-long) "to try" list for a while and I think the addition of the anise sounds wonderful. And even better, though you wouldn't know it by looking at them, these scones are healthy, to boot.
Whenever Michelle at Big Black Dog sits on her porch sipping lemonade in the warm weather, the song "Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka-Dot Bikini" pops into her head. By the way, is that even the title? I don't know. What I DO know is that this lemonade looks fabulous. I'm not sure which I like better in this pink lemonade--the cranberry juice or the lime. I am a sucker for -ades of all sorts and this one looks so good and refreshing!
Kate at Paved with Good Intentions used inspiration from the Eagles to make this really schmany dessert of champagne ice cream. You remember in Hotel California where there are mirrors on the ceiling and the champagne's on ice? Kate used Cava in place of champagne but, hey, I am all for adding any type of booze into my food, thanks. I can just see this with some chocolate covered strawberries (and, I'm not going to lie, I kept hearing this as "cham-PAHN-ya!" a la Christopher Walken in SNL).
Kelsey at Apple a Day ditches the apples for some berries and makes this gorgeous All-American Berry Bundt Cake. It's stuff like this that really makes me want specialty cake pans. Mmm. This cake sounds so good (I love ANY form of fruit dessert), and it fits in perfectly with the song Kelsey chose, which is "All American Girl" by Carrie Underwood. The red and blue berries and white cake are totally festive.
And here's my dish--chocolate milk cupcakes, inspired by Rufus Wainwright's "Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk." I have never really been one for moderation, so anything that's "a little bit sweeter, a little bit fatter, and a little bit harmful for me" is right up my alley.
Do you ever take a bite out of a really sweet, really chocolatey, really decadent dessert and then only eat a few bites because it's "too rich?" I don't.
Those two words do not go together in my vocabulary. Desserts can never, ever be too rich for me. Sometimes when I'm eating the same thing as a person who proclaims it "too rich" I agree with him or her...you know, just so I don't look like a cow. But secretly I am thinking that I could easily polish it off. That maybe I could even finish my portion and the portion of the person who has proclaimed this "too rich."
So, due to my propensity for loving sweets and things that aren't terribly good for me a little too much, for this installment of Eat to the Beat I decided to go with Rufus Wainwright's "Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk" which is really all about wanting things that are bad for you...and maybe overindulging in them, too. I absolutely love Rufus Wainwright and in fact, almost picked this song for EttB #1, but saved it for this time around. If you want to participate in Eat to the Beat, the event that pairs music and food, please check out the details here. The deadline is June 30.
You can listen to "Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk" below, but here is a snippet of the lyrics.
Cigarettes and chocolate milk
These are just a couple of my cravings
Everything it seems I like's a little bit stronger, a little bit thicker, a little bit harmful for me
If I should buy jellybeans
I have to eat them all in just one sitting
Everything it seems I like's a little bit sweeter, a little bit fatter, a little bit harmful for me
You will be happy to know that these cupcakes do not contain nicotine or ashes. But, given the mention of chocolate milk, I decided to make a milk cake with chocolate milk instead of regular milk. Talk about a little bit sweeter and fatter. And then I used chocolate milk in the chocolate frosting. And THEN, I topped these with sugary jelly beans. Too rich? No, no, no. You should have your cupcakes and your chocolate milk, too!
I could have handled the same amount of sugar the original cake recipe called for, despite the swap of chocolate milk for regular. But for the sake of "normal" people, I reduced the amount of sugar in the cupcakes (and use less sugar than I normally would in the frosting).
And while we are on the subject of rock and food, everyone should check out Cooking with Rockstars, which features videos by some great singers making/talking about some great food. Rufus is actually included, too.
Chocolate Milk Cupcakes (hold the cigarettes)
Makes 12 cupcakes
adapted from Nigella Lawson
1-1/4 cup flour
3 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
2/3 cup chocolate milk
1 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
3 eggs
2/3 cup superfine sugar (just pulse granulated a few times in your food processor if you don't have superfine)
Preheat the oven to 325 and grease a muffin tin.
Sift together the flour, cocoa powder and baking soda. Warm the milk and butter in a saucepan over low heat or in the microwave, just until the butter melts. Stir in the vanilla.
In another bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar until light and fluffy and then beat in the milk mixture. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture with a spatula. Pour the batter into your muffin cups and bake about 14 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Chocolate Frosting
I didn't really measure ingredients for this, so this is my best guess. the thing about frosting is that you can always add things to it as you are mixing to make it taste better, give it a different consistency, etc. I actually ended up using too much milk in this so it was a little runny, but I already had a little too much frosting so I didn't feel like wasting more sugar. :)
6 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1.5 cups powdered sugar
chocolate milk (probably around 1/4 cup, but maybe less)
Stir the cocoa powder into the melted butter and then add the vanilla. Alternately add the powdered sugar and a tablespoon or so of the milk at a time until you reach your desired consistency.
::tap tap tap:: Is this thing on?
Yikes, it's been a while since I've updated. Between the extreme heat, going out of town, eating already-blogged things, going out to dinner and...well, you get the point, poor little vox has been neglected. And, so have the blogs I read because at last check, my google reader had well over 300 new items. Oops!
So with all that said, I knew it was time for an update, and not just an update but a healthy update because of all the bad-for-you food I've been eating lately. I decided to make some healthy chicken burgers. The're good for you, and totally hit the spot. These burgers are reminiscent of chicken shawarma, which is one of my favorite meals on the planet (as the staff at the nearby Lebanese knows all too well).
And, because this burger is some good eats, I am submitting this over to Ivy and Ben who are hosting Fat Chefs or Skinny Gourmets. This meal is packed with protein and lots of nutrition but is low in fat and calories. Like Ivy says, eating healthy doesn't have to be boring or difficult. In fact, that's one of the reasons I made this blog and post nutritional information for the majority of my recipes. I promise you, Tom and I don't eat boring food day in and day out. :)
Lebanese-Inspired Chicken Burgers
Makes 4 burgers
1 lb. ground chicken
1/4 cup bread crumbs
2 heaping Tbsp. fat free plain yogurt
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 heaping tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. ground sumac
salt and pepper
4 mini whole wheat pitas, split and warmed
Tahini Yogurt Sauce
1/4 cup plain fat free yogurt (Greek is best because you don't sacrafice creaminess)
1 Tbsp. tahini
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed or finely minced/pressed
salt and a just a little pepper
Make the sauce by combining all the ingredients. Allow the sauce to sit as you prepare and cook the burgers, so the flavors can marry.
To make the burgers, combine all ingredients and mix--but don't overmix. Form into 4 patties. Spray your grill or grill pan with some olive oil and grill the burgers for about 5 minutes per side, or until done.
Place the cooked patties in the pita pocket, along with any garnishes you'd like and top with the tahini-yogurt sauce.
Nutritional Information Per Burger (using a combo of white and dark meat will increase the calories by about 100 and the fat by about 10g): Calories: 240 / Fat: 3.3g / Carbs: 23g / Protein: 31g
There are dozens of great flavor combinations that I just love to use over and over, either because they complement one another so nicely or they are ingredients I always have around (or both)! One of my favorite combinations is garlic and ginger. I think these two flavors marry exceptionally well together and they taste so, so good. Am I right or am I right?
With that in mind, I set out to make an Asian-spiced pork burger. Ginger and garlic can be used in many dishes and in different cuisines, but my favorite application of the two ingredients is in Asian cooking. I topped these with a really simple warm slaw of sorts. We don't eat burgers a lot (and I have no idea why), so this was a nice change of pace. Plus, did you know that May is National Hamburger Month? I couldn't let that go by without celebrating!
And if all those reasons weren't already enough to tempt me into making burgers, while I am marrying ginger and garlic, my friend Joelen is marrying her real-life cooking group with her online cooking followers. If you haven't already seen Joelen's blog, you should definitely check out all the great things she does! Be sure to visit her blog on June 30 for the roundup of burgers, both from the burger cooking class she is holding on June 29 and the submissions she gets from blogs.
Asian Pork Burgers
1 lb. ground pork
1.5 Tbsp. low sodium soy sauce
2 scallions (whites and greens), sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 knob ginger, peeled and minced or grated
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
salt (not a lot since you have the soy sauce) and pepper to taste
Mix all ingredients together (being careful not to overmix) and form into patties. Grill until done, about 6 minutes per side.
For the slaw, I don't have a real recipe. All I did was stir fry some veggies (shredded cabbage and carrots, bean sprouts, and mushrooms) and then stirred in a little soy sauce and fish sauce at the end).
