Happy Tuesday, everyone.
I'm going to have to start off this post with something tragic, and very sad. As many of you know, I attend the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. We as a community are currently grieving the loss of a student, Jennifer Houle. Houle went missing from Dinkytown last Thursday night, and a search to find her quickly ensued. Yesterday, the Minneapolis Police Department confirmed that Houle had entered the Mississippi River from the 10th Ave Bridge (about 200-300 yards from where I live). It is unclear whether she jumped or fell, but the search for her remains has now gone to the river. There will be a vigil held in her memory tonight, which I will be sure to attend. No, I did not know her personally, but I have friends who do. This is an action of solidarity for a lost Gopher. The Houle family is asking for privacy during this time, but unfortunately the 24-hour news cycle is taking its toll. My thoughts are with Houle's family, friends, and sorority sisters during this time of tragedy. My heart hurts for someone I've never known. But let's get back to some normalcy. Of course, I'll share some links today. I'm currently digging... Trevor Noah to succeed Jon Stewart -- I know there have now been some controversial tweets that people are talking about, but Noah is a, smart choice, and I think he could bring a lot to the Daily Show. Fraggle Rock -- I can't wait to see JGL tackle this. False Cognates -- You guys know I speak Spanish, right? Street Tacos -- I'm not usually in love with tacos, but it's Taco Tuesday, and these babies look wonderful. Classic Carbonara -- So pretty, so simple, and I so want to shove it in my face. Our Most Shameful Kitchen Confessions -- I'm always so happy to see that accomplished cooks don't always do it properly either. The Best Cities To Live in Without a Car -- I'm twenty and I don't have my driver's license. I'm waiting for the day that Minneapolis is on this list. Or you know... I'll just move. Let's Talk (Frankly) About Sex -- I'm all about that comprehensive sex education. Sweet Lemon Biscuits -- These look bonkers awesome. One Bowl Tiramisu -- Yes please. Chocolate Peanut Butter Sprinkle Cake -- I was inspired and made something like this yesterday for my friend, Blake's birthday. My friend Rose drew a penis on it. So yeah. It's not on the blog. Yet. Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cake -- Apparently I'm craving chocolate and peanut butter. Feminist Ben & Jerry's flavors -- They should hire me to make these a reality. And for many more pun laden ice creams. If the SOTU were written by a sophomore in high school -- DYING. DYING I TELLING YOU. Goat Cheese and Caramelized Onion Pizza -- all about dat pizza. Stand Up for Your Cats -- I love my cat. I'm not a spinster. I think. Vintage Cake -- I dunno what makes this vintage, but I want to eat it. That's it for this week. To any Gopher who might be reading this; if you're grieving that is ok. Please take care of yourself and seek out help if you need it. University Counseling and Consulting Services (UCCS) and Boynton Mental Health can be a great resource. You're not alone.
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I believe that some of my best ideas occur when I'm painfully upset. It's how I ended up with a pixie cut, it's how I ended up at the University of Minnesota, it's why I have Bingley. Now it's why I have these donuts in my life. It's been a very long day. I am very tired, very hurt, and ultimately scared. When I'm hurting, I do things in my house to make me feel better, because leaving the house alone doesn't seem like a very good option. Luckily, to make these donuts, I didn't need to leave the house for anything. I knew I wanted caramel today. I knew I had one singular banana in my freezer, waiting to be used (I don't eat bananas unless they're baked into something. They freak me out, so of course there was only one banana in my freezer). As a non-banana fan, I assumed caramel and banana would be a good idea. What could go wrong? Long story short: nothing. Nothing could go wrong. Brown Butter Baked Banana Donuts with Caramel Glaze (makes 6-8 donuts) For the donuts:
- Grease a donut baking pan, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Set aside. -Whisk together dry ingredients in a bowl, set aside -In a separate bowl, whisk together banana, egg, buttermilk, browned butter, and vanilla. -Forming an indent in the dry ingredients, then pour in wet mixture and whisk until incorporated. -Spread batter evenly in donut pans. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Caramel glaze:
-In a microwave safe bowl, melt the caramel candies and cream together in 10 second increments until smooth and pourable. -Dunk donuts in glaze to coat evenly, and gently shake/roll off any excess. Here's to hoping tomorrow will be a better day. At least, for now, I have donuts.
Story time: for awhile I was dating a boy. Shocker, right? I would often bus out to his apartment along East Franklin on the weekends to spend time with him. One morning, on my way back to my home in Dinkytown, I noticed there was a bakery being put in along my way home. I saw that it was going to open on Valentine's Day. I was hoping to go to this bakery with that boy on Vday, but um... We broke up whatever it was we were the day before Valentine's Day, so I was screwed there. I have amazing luck, don't I? Once he and I broke it off, I didn't have much of a reason to ride the 2 along Franklin, so I had almost forgot about the bakery I had once longed to visit, until last Friday. This is how I began my spring break. Welcome to Mon Petite Cheri in the Seward neighborhood of Minneapolis. Upon walking in, you'll be in cutesy central. There are vintage cookbook recipes under the glass of each table, adorable decorations around the restaurant that remind me of my grandma's kitchen, but somehow everything is still a little bit modern and very intriguing. I hadn't yet eaten that day, so I ordered breakfast and a cafe miel, even though I had told myself I was just stopping by for bakery items. Essentially, I lied to myself. I'm really good at that. So there I sat with my favorite espresso drink, and my favorite breakfast combination. I"m not usually a huge jam on toast sort of girl, but the employees informed me their homemade raspberry jam was sort of a big fucking deal. So of course I tried it. Yes it was tasty. Yes I ate the whole container of it. Yes I surprised myself because I honestly don't think I've ever eaten jam or jelly in my life (I know. I don't even do PB&J. It's straight up PB for me always). Throughout my time at Mon Petite Cheri, I texted my mom. A lot. She was about to start a cleanse the next day, and I was trying to get her to have a sort of "Last Supper" with me here. If we're being honest, I just really wanted her to buy me one of every bakery item so I could try it. Yeah. That so didn't work. Even when I told her about the rooster decorations; and she's crazy about roosters. Ok I'm going to be honest: to me, this is the best way to spring break. I don't need a beach with a bunch of drunken twenty-somethings waiting for the next wet t-shirt contest. I need good coffee and good food. It was a welcoming environment. The fellow customers were friendly and chatty. The employees seem to still enjoy their jobs there (well duh, the bakery has only been open for a month... They better like it), and I felt very calm and relaxed in the hour that I spent there, away from the rest of the world... Besides my mother. Let's be honest. I kinda would stick with my mom if I could.
By the way. Even though she didn't come buy me a bakery item, I bought my own. A molasses creme cookie sandwich. It was totally worth it. I'm hoping you'll be too busy looking at the picture of the pretty flowers and you won't notice me telling you that I ate pretty much a pound of bacon by myself tonight. Oh shit, you were reading what I had to say? Then no. The bacon thing didn't happen. Just don't come to my apartment. You'll be so sad when you're definitely totally not smelling bacon. Mmmm. Bacon.
Well you know what this post is all about. Let's talk about what I'm digging this week, shall we? How To Be A Better Baker -- Because we always know there's room for improvement. "Indiana" by Moving Parts -- I WAS AT THAT SHOW WHERE THIS THING WAS FILMED. Anyways. I love my friend, Adam Paulus, and I love his band. You should listen to them. Really. For realz. Do it. Butterscotch Pot de Creme -- Not very often I see bloggers doing butterscotch as a flavor. They should do it more often because holy yum. Pomegranate Citrus Meringue Cake -- So pretty. And her thoughts are insightful. Classic Italian Beef Pot Roast -- All you need in life is kick ass pot roast. Toby Ziegler Yelling at People -- Toby 5ever. Slow Cooker Mushroom Farotto -- I'd eat this. Glitter IUD Earrings -- These are perfect. Marbled Espresso Poundcake -- I should really get in on this poundcake business. Red Velvet Mini Cakes -- I could eat one or twelve. That's where we're at this week, folks. See you next week. Or on the next blog post. Whatever. I'm still hung up on that almost pound of bacon I definitely didn't eat. K about a week ago I wanted quiche. Yes. I'm posting this a week late. Sue me. Plz don't. I don't have that kind of money. After I made this quiche, I ate it for every meal for two days. That's how broke I am.
This is kinda a no fuss, no muss recipe. I made my own crust from Joy's website, and the rest is history. Broccoli Cheddar Quiche:
-Whisk together ingredients for quiche. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. After 25 minutes, place aluminum foil over top of quiche, so it doesn't burn. You're in luck (or shit out of luck, depending on how you look at it), because I have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to all things floral. And it's pretty much spring. So that means there's going to be flowers everywhere. At least when you look at my blog, you won't sneeze from pollen. These are like virtual flowers. Oh yeah. So cool. Right? Ok. I'm shutting up about flowers now.
I am a victim of Spring Fever. The snow has melted (probably temporarily) in Minnesota, and it's nothing but sunshine and blue skies when I step outside. I made myself stay inside for 20 minutes so I could do do this blog post today. THAT'S WHAT I CALL DEDICATION. I love you, readers. I'm staying away from UV rays for a couple of minutes. Just. For. You. Let's get on with it, so I can go on a run to the Stone Arch Bridge (yes. a run. don't mock me). I'm currently digging: J&A For MSA -- Joelle and Abeer are running for President and Vice President for the Minnesota Student Association at the University of Minnesota. Check out their website and their social media pages. They care about students, they care about this school, and they're badass bitches from hell. Someday they'll rule the world and I'll be completely happy with it. Seriously. lemon bars -- These just scream spring to me. I should probably make them this week. I have all sorts of lemons. Gloria Steinem wears a clit ring -- I want one. KanyeWestWing -- I discovered this last night and it's everything I want and more. You all know about my love for Kanye. Now let's start talking about my love for West Wing. Sweet and Sour Green Juice -- Not only does this recipe sound tasty, Joy pretty much wrote a blog post about my life. Minus the Dr. Martens. But the peanut butter, the Ani Difranco, and the cat lady lifestyle? Totally me. Pan-Grilled Marshmallow Toasts with Sea Salt -- You know how they say perfection is simple? Yeah I don't know if they actually say that, but this looks like it would fit. Wedding Dessert Ideas -- I'm doing cake for a wedding in June. I'm browsing ideas. Lego Women Justices -- I want these and I will show off the Ruth Bader Ginsburg Lego to everyone. Indian Women Celebrate Holi -- Beautiful. Big Salty Chocolate Chip Cookies with Caramel -- Well that's everything that makes me happy in my life. Spinach and Artichoke Mac and Cheese -- That looks bangdelish. 8 of History's Greatest Cat Ladies -- I always knew someday I could resemble Vivien Leigh. Well, fiddle dee dee. 39 Facts that Sound Made Up -- I really wish there were a province, Bob, in Canada. White Chocolate, Raspberry, and Pistachio Cookies -- I must be craving cookies. Hm. Okay, that's all I've got! I'm going to go outside and enjoy the weather. What are you going to enjoy this week? Since starting up this blog, I've been pleasantly surprised by my cooking abilities. I have always known I could bake, because I'm really good at following directions, but cooking always seemed like a completely different, more complicated world. Growing up, my dad controlled the kitchen. So I suppose I didn't have the chance to test out this world. And I by no means resent my dad for controlling his kitchen; he's a great cook. I'm just thrilled that at this point, he and I can share methods of cooking over the phone, and can discuss things while watching the Food Network. That's right... The best thing I can bond over with my dad is food. I feel no shame in this.
As I become more comfortable in this world, I'm sure I'll become more adventurous. At least, I hope so. Tonight I hadn't even planned on cooking. I had solidly planned on eating a bowl of cereal for dinner. But then I got an idea... So I ran to my kitchen that I just cleaned from top to bottom this morning, and started making a mess, as I often do. I made a mess, Then I shoved food in my face as quickly as I could. There's something about this dish that made it perfect. I love the combination of mushrooms and red wine- it's so rich (and if anyone asks there's absolutely no alcohol in that wine and I definitely don't have alcohol in my apartment. NO way). I used chicken thighs, because like my dad, I prefer dark meat over white. It's juicier, it's more flavorful, and yes. It has more fat. Which makes me happy. Oh. So. Happy. But anyways, let's get on with it. Garlic Stuffed Chicken with Mushrooms and Red Wine Sauce (serves 2)
-Season chicken with salt and pepper. Separate slices of garlic evenly, and stuff in between chicken and skin. - With a half a tablespoon of olive oil, heat a skillet at medium high heat. Cook chicken skin side down, until skin is brown and crispy, about six minutes. -Place chicken on cookie sheet, leaving skillet behind and hot. In a bowl, toss together onions, mushrooms, salt and pepper to taste. Pour on baking sheet around pieces of chicken. -Bake at 375 for about 25 minutes, or until a meat thermometer placed in the thickest part of the chicken is 160 degrees. -While the chicken is baking, add butter to skillet and melt. Add flour and mix and let simmer for one minute, creating a roux. -Add chicken broth and let simmer for 3 minutes. Add wine and sugar and let simmer until sauce reduces in half, about 10-15 minutes. -Ladle sauce onto plate and top with chicken and mushrooms. Shove into your face, and think about how you could die happy now. I mean it. |
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