Happy Halloweenie!!!!

These had white cake mixed with cream cheese frosting inside, and I used orange melt-aways with black sprinkles (from Shauna!) for the decorating.

I hope everyone has a spooky Halloween!!! :)

Vanilla Cupcakes with Mango Frosting

For these cupcakes I made a standard vanilla cupcake, and for the frosting I decided to make a simple Mango Buttercream.  I had a mango that we didn't eat, so I pureed that in a food processor.  Meanwhile I beat together 1 stick of butter with a dash of salt, then added about a teaspoon of vanilla, powdered sugar and spoonfuls of the mango puree until the right taste and consistency was reached. 

The Best Cup of Coffee in LA

I love coffee!  I cannot start my morning without it.  I normally make my own at home using a French Press, resulting in a strong, muddy, rich cup o' Joe.  BUT, there are times when I run out of coffee or half 'n half and need to buy my daily cup.  When we lived in West Hollywood, I would always go to Kings Road Cafe to get my fix.  It was right down the street from us and on my route to work.  Since we've moved I am unable to stop there on my way to work, but I still go there on the weekends sometimes either just for the coffee or to have breakfast.  The coffee is hands down the best that I have had in LA - great flavor, really strong, and leaves a pile of mud at the bottom of the cup (which I believe is indicative of REAL GOOD coffee).  If you live in LA in the West Hollywood area and you like GOOD coffee, please go buy a cup at Kings Road.  If you don't like it, then you don't know what you're talking about! ;)

 

Roasted flounder with potatoes, lemons & kalamata olives

This recipe can be made with any white flaky fish (bass, flounder, branzino, sole, snapper etc.)
Lemon, olives, paprika... can't go wrong! Enjoy! 

hands-on time: 10 minutes - total time: 45 minutes 

serves 4 

1 pound baby potatoes (about 12), halved 

1 lemon, thinly sliced 

8 sprigs fresh thyme 

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil 

salt & pepper 

1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives 

4 6-ounce skinless flaky white fish fillets 

1/2 teaspoon paprika 

Heat oven to 400F. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the potatoes, lemon, thyme, 2 TBSP of the oil, and 1/4 tsp each salt & pepper; arrange in a single layer. Roast, tossing once, until the potatoes begin to soften, about 20 minutes...

Toss the olives with the potato mixture, then nestle the fish in. Drizzle the fish with the remaining tsp of olive oil and season with the paprika and 1/4 tsp each salt & pepper. Continue to roast until the potatoes are golden brown and crisp and the fish is opaque throughout, 12 to 15 minutes more. 

Oktoberfest!

A couple weeks ago, Jimmy and I had a little mini Oktoberfest at home. I made one of my favorite things that I learned how to make when I lived in Austria, which I used to make all the time but hadn't made in way too long... Käse Knödel! Knödel are traditional dumplings found in German and Austrian food; there are many different kinds: Käse Knödel, made with cheese; Speck Knödel, made with Tyrolian cured ham, Spinach Knödel, Liver Knödel, and more. Sometimes they are served in a soup, sometimes with meats and gravies. I love them so much! But my favorites are definitely the cheesy ones. We had them with our favorite tiny bratwursts from TJ's, and some yummy sauteed kale, and a good German beer.

Knödel are easy to make, and a good thing to do when you have bread that is a couple days old and has dried out (or you can just toast some in the oven). Cut the bread up into small cubes, then brown some butter and add that to the bread. Whisk 2 eggs with some milk and add to bread; add salt and pepper. Chop up a little onion and garlic, and some chopped fresh parsley, (and optional, a little bit of lemon zest and a pinch of nutmeg) add to mixture. Finally, add your cheese, chopped into small cubes, (cheese should be one that melts easily - I've always used Austrian or Swiss cheeses with a nice nutty flavor) and some flour to thicken it all up. The dough must be moist but not too sticky; adjust with flour and milk. Wet hands with cold water and roll the dough into round balls, about the size of a baseball. Drop into hot salted water (not boiling or they'll fall apart) and cook until done, 10-15 minutes.

I also made an Apple Strudel with chocolate sauce for dessert. It was tasty, but I don't think I'll make it again. It was pretty difficult to put together, and I'm not convinced it turned out right. However I did really enjoy making the filling:

Simmering star anise, cinnamon stick and vanilla bean in apple juice, then adding the apples and dried cherries... the smell really got me in the mood for yummy fall desserts!!! More to come!

Grub

I had to share this picture because I love it!  Carlinhos and I had breakfast at Grub one morning and this is what they bring to your table for a pre-meal snack...FRUIT LOOPS (with a few Coco Puffs mixed in)!!!  Fruit Loops are by far my favorite sugar cereal.  And we never got to have them as kids, so they are even more special to me.  So I absolutely love that Grub gives them to people for free. :)

p.s. The food is pretty good there too!

Jitlada Thai

I have been wanting to go to Jitlada Thai Restaurant for some time now.  It is always on everyone's list for best Thai in LA.  So I finally went and it was very good!  Carlinhos and I ordered the Pad Thai, the Massman Curry and Thai Iced Tea.  This was a last minute, starved brain, indecisive decision, after staring at their gigantic menu; and after I ordered, I wanted to trade the Pad Thai out for another dish, but it was too late.  That was not because I didn't want the Pad Thai, but because I felt I should've ordered something a little more exciting.  And it was also because after we ordered I noticed that there was a dish that was featured on Food Network's The Best Thing I Ever Ate: Hot & Spicy. (I will have to try that next time).
Nevertheless, the food was very good, unwanted Pad Thai and all!  The Massaman Curry was REALLY good!  If you have never had Massaman Curry, you must order it next time you eat Thai food.  It is a Muslim dish from the South of Thailand.  The flavors are so interesting and are like a party in your mouth - such strong and distinct flavors working perfectly together.  It is usually a mix of coconut milk, peanuts, potatoes, cardamom, cinnamon, star anise, chili, sugar and tamarind.  So it's spicy and sweet, and beautifully aromatic.  I will definitely be trying to make it myself at some point.

Banana Cupcakes with Honey-Cinnamon Frosting

Everyone loves a cupcake for dessert!  But what about a cupcake for breakfast?!?!  Hell yeah!!!!  This banana cupcake with honey cinnamon frosting recipe could totally be eaten for breakfast.  It's basically just banana bread (which people eat for breakfast all the time!), and then some butter, honey and cinnamon on top...(with a little sugar).  Yum! Yum! and Yum!

Tortilla Soup

What better way to ring in the fall than with a hearty soup, and what better soup than Tortilla Soup!  I love this stuff but have never made it.  I found a recipe on Food Network that sounded good, and boy was it!  There was nothing to it and it came out really good!  The soup base was quite tasty, but then once you add the cheese, lime, avocado and tortilla strips, it sends it right over the edge!  To the sky's edge in fact! ;)

This soup is so hearty and filling with all that chicken and the black beans and avocado!  I used 3 chicken breasts as the recipe says, but I think even 2 would be plenty - just depends on how chickeny you want it.  And just so you know, I am a professional over-eater, and I was really full after just one bowl! 

Note: I've decided not only am I on a search for the best flan recipe, but now I am also searching for the best tortilla soup recipe!  This was quite a start!  Stay tuned...

Lentil and Tuna Salad

Here is another healthy snack that is super easy to make, and one that could be varied in many ways.

 To make this salad, I used one package of steamed lentils from Trader Joes, one can of tuna (I will only use the gold can of Bumblebee tuna), a bunch of cherry tomatoes cut in half, a little thinly sliced onion, some chopped parsley, olive oil, lemon juice and S&P.  Just mix it all together in a bowl and season it to your liking.  It is very fresh, filling and healthy!
Next time I might try a similar salad but with cannellini beans, sliced celery, and parsley, dressing it the same way I did here. 

Best. Flan. Ever.

I spoke about this particular flan in a previous post I did about a flan I made.  I love flan! And this week I have had the pleasure of eating it 2 times!  It is Dine LA this week, so Fogo de Chao is cheaper than it normally is, and that is where this amazingly delicious flan resides.  This restaurant is a chain folks, so there could be one in your neighborhood too!  Go there!  Eat the meat, eat from the gorgeous salad bar, and whatever you do, eat the flan!

Baby Shower Cake Pops

Gayle had her baby shower this weekend and so I made cake pops as favors for all the guests.  She is having a girl so of course the theme was pink!  Here is a recipe for basic cake pops.  The decorating is all you and there are so many different things you can do with these!

Mini Frittatas

I wanted to make something for a snack during the week that involved some protein so I thought of these little fellers: mini frittatas.  They're so easy to make and so cute!

Here goes the recipe I used:

Whisk together 4 eggs, a little milk,  S&P, 3 slices of prosciutto (sauteed and chopped), a little chopped parsley, and some grated Grana Padano.  Grease a muffin pan then spoon egg mixture in.  Bake at 325 for 8-10 minutes or until the eggs have puffed up and are cooked through.

Of course you can use any ingredients with this...ham, cheddar, scallions, tomatoes...the possibilities are endless!  But they are perfect for an elevensies snack, or of course for breakfast.  Hell! I would eat these at any point during the day!

Holy Mango!

These mangoes are being sold at Trader Joes right now and they are sooooooooo good!  So sweet and perfect!  This type of mango stays green even when ripe so don't be fooled!  I just ate it when it was a little soft and smelling sweet.  Carlinhos and I were bent over the kitchen sink eating it because it was so juicy!  Better go buy some before they're gone!!!