I'm Such a BrownieBabe!

I have to say...events are fun...especially when I've made something already and I can just post it! I wanted to find a way to use up all the leftover Easter candy we had, and brownies were a perfect way!

This event is hosted by Myriam at Once Upon a Tart, and because I LOVE chocolate, I couldn't pass it up!

I used the bakers unsweetened chocolate recipe from the back of the box, modifying it a little by subbing some of the sugar for Splenda and adding some whole wheat flour. I also put in some vanilla centered Hershey kisses and chopped chunks of a Cadbury dark chocolate bar (see previous Easter candy post).

Triple Chocolate Brownies with a Hint of Vanilla

4 squares Unsweetened Baking Chocolate
3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter or margarine
2 cups sugar (Or 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1/2 cup baking sugar substitute-I used Splenda)
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup AP flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
About 3 oz coarsely chopped semi-sweet chocolate
1 to 1 1/2 cup of vanilla centered Hersheys kisses

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Line 13x9-inch baking pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan. Grease foil.
MICROWAVE chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2 min. or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in sugar. Blend in eggs and vanilla. Add flour; mix well. Mix in kisses and chopped semi sweet chocolate. Spread into prepared pan making sure chocolate additions are spread evenly around pan.
BAKE 30 to 35 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with fudgey crumbs. (Do not over bake.) Cool in pan on wire rack. Remove brownies from pan, using foil handles. Cut into squares. Store in tightly covered container at room temperature.

NOTE: Because I used whole wheat flour, I got a few small grainy pieces in the brownies, but once I realized what it was it didn't affect the taste, and there wasn't that much of it. Also, you can add whatever "stir ins" you want but I don't like nuts in my brownies, just a bunch of chocolate! The fudgey-er and richer, the better! These weren't as rich as I'd like (they would be perfect who likes an average density brownie), but I loved the dark chocolate chips and the hidden surprise of vanilla in every few bites. Let's just say they were so good I had to give most of them away because my fiance and I started inhaling them!

Waiter there's something in my...BREAD!

This is my first blog event ever...hooray for me!
I made my first ever rising bread with yeast, and I am pretty happy with the results. Andrew over at Spitton Extra announced the theme for this round as bread, and because I hadn't made REAL bread before, the task loomed before me. I found a couple recipes (one to follow) that would use this Healthy Cinnamon Raisin Bread, and got to work!



Mostly Whole Wheat Raisin Bread
(adapted from BakingBites formerly Bakingsheet)

1 Tblspn active dry yeast (1 package)
1/4 cup warm water
1 1/4 cup buttermilk, room temp. (I had none so I added a tspn of lemon juice to regular milk)
1/4 cup of honey (I used a bit less)
2 tspn salt
2 1/2 tspn cinnamon
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups AP flour
2/3 cup raisins
1 tspn sugar

Up to 1/2 cup AP flour while mixing/kneading

Directions:
1) In a large bowl combine yeast and warm water. Let stand 5-10 min until foamy.
2) Mix in buttermilk, honey, salt, cinnamon, sugar, and whole wheat flour. Stir well.
3) Gradually mix in AP flour by hand (or with a wooden spoon) until dough pulls away from sides of bowl.
4) Put out on a lightly floured surface, adding flour as needed to prevent it from sticking, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5-7 more min. (Original recipe note: It wont get quite as smooth as breads made with other flours, but it will still be a bit stretchy.)
5) Place in a lightly greased bowl and cover with first plastic wrap, then hand towel. Let stand in a warm area for 1 1/2- 2 hours, or until doubled in size.
6) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
7) Turn bread out onto a lightly floured surface and gently beat to deflate. Shape into a rectangle, than form a "log" by folding short ends into the center and pull long ends up and pinching them together. (Or just mold dough to desired loaf pan shape.)
8) Place dough seam side down into a greased 8 x 4 in. loaf pan. Let ride for about an hour until volume has nearly doubled again.
9) Bake at 375F for 35-40 minutes until outside is golden brown and crispy.
10) Remove from pan and cool completely before slicing.

Makes one loaf

Note: My bread came out a little dense at the bottom but I think that was because I didn't let it completely cool before cutting into it; I was too excited to taste! I find that turning on the dryer and placing the bowl with the unrisen dough near the area that gets the warmest from the dryer's heat, helps my dough to rise quicker. Also you don't have to use your hands to do the mixing, but since you'll be kneading with your hands anyway, I find it best and faster than using a spoon. Also I get to feel like some Medieval peasant.



And of course I couldn't just enjoy the bread by itself, I HAD to make something with it. Not only did I use it for the Apple-Cinnamon Raisin stuffing in some pork chops last week, but I also made a French Toast Strata for breakfast!

This was so good, like a bread pudding for breakfast. Because it was made with Splenda, it wasn't too sweet, but it got an extra kick of sugary goodness from the fresh sliced apples. There were also bits of cream cheese, a hint of rum, and a bunch of sprinkled cinnamon on top! The tasty recipe can be found here at the Splenda website.

Its my birthday and I'll eat if I want to....

Yep....my birthday has arrive, well actually it was yesterday...and I turned the big 22! I had to go to school and work but I had an interesting time eating wise.

For breakfast my fiance and I invented these apple cider pancakes that included shredded apple and pear topped with apple butter....SO GOOOd-and healthy.

For lunch we went to Ruby Tuesday (Okay, so now I'm so over that place and probably wont go again). I had a coupon for their tall cake (with ice cream) if we bought an entree so Randy got the triple prime burger (you know the one they keep advertising in commercials) but it didn't taste too special to me. In fact the burger at Nicos Pier 38 is so much better! I had the salad bar, which went alright at first but I discovered a sharp and hard piece of plastic in the cottage cheese. That turned me off, maybe forever, and I'm glad they didn't make us pay for the salad bar. Now we took the tall cake home, and I was disappointed to find that it was an average chocolate cake with average chocolate butter cream filling, with average chocolate and caramel sauce, and average vanilla ice cream. Do not be fooled by chain restaurant desserts that look amazing, because chances are that they're not.

I came home to discover some Papa Beard cream puffs that my dad had been given, Randy and I had one each and froze the rest. For dinner I attempted my favorite dinner that my mom used to cook for me when I was little. Pork Chops with Tomato Rice Casserole. I substituted and added a few things and it came out just as good, if not better! I also made a broccoli casserole thing that was similar to a broccoli cheese bake we have around thanksgiving. We had special wine I had bought and my 2 person cake from cold stone for dessert, but I was tired and didn't want to waste the special-ness, so we will have it on Saturday. I instead had another cream puff...and was proved yet again that everything is better (or just as good in a different way) frozen!

THE WHOLE REASON FOR THIS POST IS TO BRAG! I get to go to Chef Mavro tonight (named one of the 10 best restaurants in the world by frommers, or fodors, can't remember which)!!!!!! I will be having their 11 course tasting menu where everything is small portioned and paired with wine. It will be quite an event!

One other great meal I'm looking forward to is the champagne brunch I will have on Sunday morning....but I'll tell more about these later! Have a good weekend folks!

Good Morning Star-Shine...

The Earth Says Hello!

50 monopoly dollars to anyone who can tell me where the above quote comes from! This post is all about breakfasts...that get you out of bed and into the dining room.


The first breakfast on our list is something I made on Easter morning. It's called a Boca Sausage Skillet, made with soy protein boca sausages. This is really good and before you get all scared over using a meatless product, try it. In this skillet it tastes like real sausage because its mixed in with so many things. You can find the recipe here. It is supposed to serve 6 but it only served 4 people at my house because some of the guys HAD to have seconds. I made a few modifications to the recipe. Instead of using egg product, I used actual eggs, I added chopped plum tomatos, and I stupidly forgot to add the cheese at the end. This is almost like a breakfast pizza and it tasted really good with ketchup on it!


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The other breakfast food I made can also be eaten as part of a light spring/summery lunch. It is a chilled fruit soup that I saw Paula Deen making on the Food Network. The recipe is simple and the presentation is adorable, you can even add a little strawberry on top of the cour cream dollop for a bigger "cuteness factor".


Paula's Fruit Soup
Ingredients:
2 cups coarsely ground cantaloupe
2 1/2 cups fresh strawberries
1/4 cup seedless green grapes
3 cups coarsely chopped apple
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups water
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup orange juice S
our cream, for garnish
Orange rind strips, for garnish

Directions:
Combine cantaloupe, strawberries, grapes, apple, sugar, water, and lemon juice in a large Dutch oven; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Pour half of fruit mixture into blender. Blend until smooth. Repeat with the remaining mixture. Add orange juice to fruit mixture, stir and chill.
Spoon into bowls, garnish each serving with a dollop of sour cream.

Flavor/Taste Notes: It tastes almost like a smoothie but not as cold, and with a more complex flavor, considerably more texture, and less of a creamy/milky feel. It also reminds me of other cold soups I’ve had like vichyssoise, but a fruit version. I could taste and feel the apple’s texture, and the flavors of the strawberry and grape really came out. Randy’s comment was that “it tastes kinda like applesauce”. The lite sour cream gave a cool creaminess to whatever bite it seeped into.

Midterm Tomorrow

So this is how I spend the night before a midterm is due....avoiding it by talking about food. Hehehe. Anyways, just thought I'd make an amendment about my Jackie Chan's Kitchen post and say that I've found a BETTER batch of Sweet Potato fries at Ryan's Bar and Grill at Ward Center. The fries (though more expensive) are not too salty and have a special Jamaican Jerk Spice blend on them. These sweet potato fries also come with a dipping saucy that is creamy with a kick....an appetiser that goes perfectly with any fruity drink. My poison of choice...a combo of two of my favorite drinks, A Cosmo Bellini.

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I spent Saturday evening at a Caledonian Society event with my step mother tasting 5 different blends of Johnnie Walker Scotch Whisky. The price range was from $25 dollars a bottle (I think) for the Red Label to $200 dollars for the Blue label. I actually prefered the Gold Label ($50 a bottle) to the most expensive Blue Label. It was smoother and had less of a bite going down.

Here's a picture of one of the members pouring the Blue Label:

Homemade Pizza, Two Ways

I found a recipe for whole wheat pizza dough on a fellow foodie blog's site (can't think of whose at the moment-if it is you, please speak up), and proceeded to make two incredibly delicious (and healthy) pizzas over the last week and a half.


The first of them I stupidly deleted off my camera so I do not have the lovely pictures of, but I will give you the basic recipe gist. It was a tuna (yes-strange I know) pizza but it tasted like my mothers open-faced tuna melts, only on pizza dough. After rolling prepared pizza dough to desired size, take 2 small cans (10 oz) of tuna, 1/2 cup minced onion, 1/3 cup mayo (I used light), salt and pepper, sliced tomato, and 4-5 slices of American cheese. Mix the tuna, salt, pepper, onions, and mayo together, spread over crust. Arrange tomato slices in 3 rows leaving space between rows (for proper cooking I assume). Bake on 425 degrees F for 10-12 min. Cut American cheese into strips and place on pizza once done and let stand for 5 min so cheese can melt. We all loved this recipe!

Oooh...oooh....Randy took a crappy picture of it with his cell phone....its not that clear, but it's a picture nonetheless!:


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The other pizza was an improv. pizza that is supposed to be similar to a BBQ chicken salad. In fact I'm sure and improvement would be a drizzle of ranch dressing. I spread the pizza dough with BBQ sauce and topped it with canned chicken, a frozen southwestern veggie mix (broccoli, black beans, red bell pepper, corn), more corn, chopped tomato, and shredded cheddar cheese. This was SO GOOD, and my fiance couldn't keep his hands off it! I call it my Southwestern BBQ Chicken Pizza!

Eating on Saturdays

The last two Saturdays I have made visits to two new eateries, The Patisserie and Lox of Bagels (on Kathy's recommendation).

The Patisserie
This diner/bakery is located in Kahala mall and is a bakery by day, but by night they feature amazing, hard-to-find European dishes. Honestly, the atmosphere/location/inside isn't much at all, but who can blame them, they are mostly a bakery for the mall's day shoppers. It is fairly clean and well lit with a humble row of tables and chairs pushed to one side of the wall opposite a large display case of the daily bakery specials. On the evening we went there was a selection of cheesecake, chocolate "rum cake", bakalava, a few fruit tarts, sacher torte, and a couple other things. I had been searching for a place where I could try some German food without paying an arm and a leg at The Chef's Table at Hawaii Kai. I am so glad I came across this place that has not only German dinners and pasta, but Hungarian Gulash (something else I've wanted to try-I AM part hungarian, after all). The menu was small, but well priced with all entrees below $21 and all coming with a salad and fresh baked assorted rolls and butter. Another great thing was that though they did not serve alcohol, there wasn't a corkage fee and we grabbed a bottle of wine from the neaby Longs.

The bread was hot and fresh, and very good. One of them (I only had a bite) was almost like a sweetbread but I didn't get to investigate further because it was devoured right away by the other members of my party. The salad was average, no fancy ingredients, but the dressing tasted significantly of ginger and was very pleasant.



I was quick to be adventurous and ordered the "Chef's Specialty" (as quoted on the menu) of Hungarian Gulash. It came with fettucini noodles, tangy red cabbage, steamed vegetables, and a fanned pickle on top of the meat. I don't care too much for spicy/hot food, but this was an exception. The flavor of the meat behind the spice was so good, I couldn't stop eating it. The noodles helped to take the heat away from my tongue. I may just be a wuss, but all I know is that my nose was running by the time I switched plates after eating half of it. I also enjoyed the cabbage which had a nice flavor and I finished not only mine, but my fiance's as well. I would recommend this to anyone who likes spicy food.


My fiance's dinner was the winner. I absolutely loved his order of Saurbraten and this is without a doubt what I will order when I come back someday. Now being ignorant, I always thought a "braten" was a sausage, but this was no bratwurst (which I haven't had either). There were 4-5 slices of beef flank that had been marinated in a red wine sauce with rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves, then stove-top braised (took this from the menu). It was served in the savory gravy created by its cooking and was accompanied by a dollop of sour cream, spaetzle (a wonderfully flavored Parmesan tasting noodle), veggies, and more of that cabbage. This meat not only tasted incredible-similar to the Osso Bucco I had at Ka Ikena, but the meat just fell apart in my mouth. It was so wonderful that my fiance didn't even want to give it up.

Now for the desserts! My fiance got the rum cake and I ordered the sacher torte. They were beautiful to look at, but unfortunately taste-wise they were hit and miss. The sacher was very good and the rich chocolate ganache layer on the outside and inside complemented the moist cake that was the body. Now I didn't know that Sacher is traditionally made with apricot preserves (so I may have tasted that) but the man behind the counter said it had raspberry, and I definitely didn't taste that. The mini rum cake didn't taste like rum whatsoever and the chocolate outer layer wasn't even a ganache as much as it was that tasteless outer layer of a Hostess HoHo. Inside was a thick paste that was hard to swallow that didn't even taste much like chocolate. It had the consistency and slight taste of azuki bean paste, only not as sweet and thicker. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture because the owner was rushing us out; it was the store's closing time. Something that I did get a taste of that I would like to try more of next time would be the Rahm Schnitzel, a veal sirloin in cream sauce; but I think I'll skip the desserts.


Lox of Bagels
I was excited to come to this bagel shop on Sand Island Access road because of the great review that Kathy (a Passion for Food) gave it when she was home for spring break. When we arrived there was a line (of 3 people) in front of us and the few tables and chairs inside were already taken. They have a WIDE selection of bagels from a Hawaiian inspired pineapple bagel, banana and walnut bagels, blueberry bagels, to a few different puffs (circular bagels with fillings). I decided that we needed to try unique things (not your average onion bagel) and proceeded to order a blueberry bagel danish, a peanut butter puff, a chocolate puff, a strawberry guava bagel (with guava cream cheese), and a cinnamon sugar bagel (with cinnamon walnut cream cheese). They were all out of the banana walnut which was my first choice, but eventually was glad I had picked the sweet cinnamon bagel. Another gripe I had was that they didn't even ask if we wanted ours toasted even though they were clearly toasting the bagels of the customers before us. We took our bagels to Ward Centers with a quart of milk, but we didn't even make it before we were tempted by the brown paper bags and had to pull out the blueberry danish bagel.


This was one of the better items, though it seemed a little strange to me. A deflated bagel ball (filled with cream cheese) was covered in cinnamon and sugar and had a good helping of blueberry danish filling in the deflated crater in the middle of the ball. This medley of flavors was a little too much for me I think. If it had been just the blueberry and cream cheese (maybe even the sugar-but NO cinnamon) I think I would have liked it better. But the flavor combination was somewhat more cacophonous and less harmonic. In the pastry's defense though, it was my fiance's favorite.

Next we tried the puffs. These are an ingenious idea and probably make bagel eating a lot easier (you don't have to deal with all the cutting and spreading). The first one I tried was the peanut butter puff that was plain bagel dough with a filling of cream cheese and melted peanut butter chips. This was really good, one of my two favorites in fact. Next time I have plain bagels I am definitely going for the peanut butter cream cheese combo. The two fillings hadn't mixed much, but they were softened and smooth when I took a bite. The peanut butter (I guess because of it being made with peanut butter chips) was slightly sweet and it almost tasted like something I would eat as a dessert. Being the chocolate lover I am, I was more than slightly chagrined in the chocolate puff. It seemed as if ordinary hot fudge or hershey's syrup was squirted in there with the cream cheese and I didn't care for this one much at all.


The bagels we had to save for lunch because we were so full on the first items. The strawberry guava bagel didn't taste like guava and the accompanying cream cheese wasn't much better. I thought that the pair would taste good together but the cream cheese didn't have much of a guava taste and it was barely sweet at all. I was disappointed in this and came to the realization that the philly commercial cream cheese with strawberry was tastier. The cinnamon sugar bagel turned out to be the right choice and other favorite of mine. The sweetness and flavor was that of cinnamon-sugar toast and the cinnamon walnut cream cheese went well with it (not being sweet in the least). I think that I probably wouldn't have enjoyed the banana walnut bagel with the cinnamon cream cheese because it wouldn't have been sweet enough.

Maybe my expectations were too high, or maybe I'm just used to more savory bagel options at home (onion bagels with plain cream cheese and lox), but I think it will be a while before I make a special trip out to this shop.