Mushroom Bread Baskets

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In my 29 years on this odd and wonderful planet I have learned a lot of things about myself.

(And believe me, I am aware there is still a lot to learn!)

Lately, certain patterns have emerged and I have found a simple formula that can describe my overall aesthetic…

 

 

 

 


I like things really big...or really small.

Take flowers for instance, I like large simple flowers like daisies and lilies - or - small, super intricate little...um...little flowers :)

(To be honest I just buy whatever looks fresh and cheap from the deli guy on the corner and pray that they last for more than a day so my husband doesn’t realize how much money I waste on half dead flowers.)

 

 

 

 

And when it comes to food I gravitate toward things like massive, foot wide cinnamon rolls or tiny, individual...well...everything. For now, let's focus on the small stuff.

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Spinach + Artichoke Bites

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NYC can be a strange place.

 

Apartments are small, apartment kitchens are dicey, but bars and restaurants are plentiful.

So you find yourself headed to your local watering hole to meet up with your fellow winos without even considering the idea of having people over to your home. 

 

 

 

 

My apartments in NYC have slowly...very slowly...gotten bigger and bigger. In 13 years I have lived in 9 different places, all of varying sizes and with varying infestation problems...

 

 

 

 

My latest apartment has two highly coveted features...space for a dining room table and a window in the kitchen!

 

 A WINDOW!!!!!

 

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Appetizer Cups

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It was a simple idea...make a cup...fill it with stuff... 

But how? 

Well this is how... 

With a little help from the store and a mini muffin tin you can suddenly become an assembly line for one of a kind, irresistibly cute little appetizers.

RECIPE:

1 8oz can Crescent Roll Dough

Rolling Pin

Knife/Pizza Wheel

DIRECTIONS:

 Unroll crecent roll dough onto a lightly floured surface...

Pinch the seams with your fingers in order to create one seamless rectangle of dough.

Dough should be tacky enough to stick together easily.

Roll out dough till it is about 1/3 bigger than the original size.

Cut the rectangle into 24 even squares. Place squares into a greased mini muffin tin and press the dough to the sides of the cup.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until cups are golden brown.

Let cups cool and fill with things like cheese, salads or even mini meatballs. ENJOY!

 

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Spaghetti squash is definitely in my top five of favorite vegetables (please don’t tell the others, they get crazy jealous!).

 

But breaking into this hard gourd can be intimidating.

 

 

 

 

 

The key is to cut off the top (and bottom if it’s not flat) of the squash and cut straight through with a serrated knife.

 

Scoop out the insides and you are ready to bake.

 

 

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Browning your butter just makes it special. Think about a pine tree, it’s just a tree until you put some tinsel on it and suddenly it’s the most special tree of them all, a Christmas tree!! (It’s 90 degrees outside and apparently I’ve got Christmas on the mind).

Butter is the same way, its fine as is, but when you brown it, it becomes nutty, rich and something you will use in EVERYTHING.

 

 

 

 

So take a couple minutes and brown your butter before using it in sauces, casseroles or in my Brown Butter Nutella Cookies. It’s simple, easy and this video shows you exactly how it’s done…

 

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Watch my video to learn 3 different techniques on how to char your tortillas at home, no matter what stove/oven you are working with.

 

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1. Almost all rice is categorized as "long", "short", or "med";  which simply refers to their length.  Long grain rice is about 4 to 5 times long as they are wide, while short grain rice is almost round.  Let’s imagine rice as people. Let’s say long grain rice would be played by someone like Cindy Crawford;  while Mr.Short Grain would be played by Danny Devito.  How’s that for a visual?!

2. The shorter the grain the starchier the rice.

 

 

 

 

3. When making dishes like Risotto, high starch content is essential. The starch released from the rice is what gives risotto its signature creaminess.

4. In general, short grain rice can be used in place of any other short grain rice in recipes, and the same goes for long grains. So feel free to sub Jasmine for Basmatti and Arborio for Calasparra, everyone will get along just fine.

 

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People tell you all the time that things are easy.

 

I usually don't believe these people.

 

 

 

 

It's like when someone tells you to take a class at the gym and they reassure you that it's easy...

 

But when you can't walk like a normal human being for a week and sitting down makes you grunt a little, you learn to be skeptical.

 

 

 

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