calories never count on birthdays

Becca, here.

To celebrate the beginning of another year in my life/my first and only year of being 21, my sweet friends made sure every moment was full of goodness.  And by that, I mean food goodness.

Here's what went into our bellies on the day I turned 21....

 Natalie & Meredith woke up at 6:30am (seriously, so blessed to have them!) to give me a waffle maker, and make me waffles! Complete with berry sauce! (This is important because I prefer all foods with anything extra they can take...syrup, ketchup, cheese, marinara, hot sauce, icing, Cane's sauce...). 

Berry Sauce

1 cup blackberries

1 cup raspberries

1/2 cup water

1/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1. Combine all ingredients (minus cornstarch) in saucepan over medium heat
2. When sugar is dissolved add cornstarch
3.  Enjoy on...anything

When my birthday comes along, I specialize in eating ample amounts of cake.  And then purging our apartment of all cake the following month.  Or two.  But for that day, and several days to follow, I enjoy every bite.

Perks of small classes is that we know everyone.  And know when birthday's are...

Erica brought this beautiful cake to our morning class.  It was just as delicious as it was gorgeous!
Check out her cakes!


It's true.  My favorite food is pizza.  And preferably, make your own.  So my sweet friends made a night with pizza...and more cake...for my birthday.  It's my favorite thing: sitting around the dinner table eating good food with friends, laughing, and celebrating.

(Feta cheese is the best pizza topping. Hands down.)

Meredith made my delectable birthday cake for the night! Chocolate, of course. With a nod to some coffee added into batter.  (Berry Sauce over it goes pretty well for the leftovers..)
Props to good old Martha Stewart for this "Ultimate Chocolate Cake".  And props to Meredith for baking it with a whole lotta love!

Birthday's are wonderful.  My favorite time to celebrate friends, make their day something to remember, and enjoy life that we are overwhelmingly blessed to have.  Whatever we do for birthdays though, you better believe it includes food.  I'll keep you updated in the coming months!  Thanks sweet friends for all you did to make my day that much more beautiful. And! Thanks to my blogger pal, Meagan I can be a "real" food blogger with my new apron!! I have a feeling it will force me to get more messy as I throw things around the kitchen.  I'll let you all know.

better than green eggs (& ham)

In an effort to try new things, I was surprised to find that someone had only ever eaten an egg scrambled. This had to be remedied. And fast.
Instead of hitting up Louie's (the best diner EVER) for all things wonderful, we decided to go ahead and make them ourselves. While quite the entertainment, I think next time I'll just go and order my scrambled egg with spinach and swiss cheese.
There's something about eating eggs in deliciously greasy and wonderfully packed diners at random hours of the day that just sounds good to me.

Here's our very own eggventure...
(props Eric for the pun)

You've got your basic: Fried Egg













Heat pan to Medium
When hot, add 1/2 tablespoon of unsalted butter.
As soon as butter is melted, crack your egg.
Watch the magic happen.
Leave yolk for bread soaking if you wish.
Sprinkle S&P


(There's just something about butter...)




Then there's your Scrambled Egg.

(Scrambled eggs go better with cheese I think)

Crack 2 eggs in a bowl, add 1 tablespoon milk.
Lightly wisk.
Add cheddar cheese...parmesan cheese...swiss cheese...whatever you like cheese..
Wisk together adding S&P. Pour in pan.
Keep stirring til cooked how you like them.

Easy.

Of course you've got your Omelette.

Crack 3 eggs in a bowl.
Add 2 tablespoons sour cream
(I like sour cream...but milk works too)
Get creative!
We added tomatoes, portabello mushrooms, orange bell pepper, green onion, potato, spinach, atlantique cheese.
Add S&P
Pour into a pan that is large enough to accommodate the entire mixture.
Let sit until it's ready to fold.
(Roughly 5 minutes for ours)

It should be noted that yes, we know. We consumed a lot of protein. Along with the chocolate milk & peppered bacon, we're probably set for life...

However, we still had more more egg adventure to go on.

French Toast, my friend. French Toast.














My favorite bargain at Whole Foods is the .99 cent French Boule (we asked the bread guy, it's pronounced Boo-lei). Get them to slice it & it's instant goodness.

Crack an egg in a bowl.
Add vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg.
Wisk with fork.
Cover your bread.Grill in pan on medium heat.

...Add some sliced fruit in the pan as you're grilling the bread
for something that isn't carb or egg (:

So. I'm pretty egged out now, but I'd say it was worth it.

Tell me something,
How do you like your eggs?

cake for you. cake for me.

Ally, here.

The 4th of July just passed. This is a holiday that requires overindulging in copious amounts of food. Preferably meat, cooked outside on the grill. And dessert. Lot's of red, white, and blue dessert. And what's more American than cheesecake?


Okay, there are a ton of more American desserts, but I really wanted to make cheesecake. Unfortunately, I don't have a springform pan. So I decided to make mini cheesecakes in a muffin pan. It took a little bit of creativity, as I was working with a recipe for the real deal. But it worked wonderfully! And I topped them with raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries to make them a bit more patriotic.

Here's what you need:

crust:
-15 crushed graham crackers
-1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
-9 tablespoons butter, melted

filling:
-2 1/2 pounds cream cheese, room temperature
-1 1/2 cups sugar
-5 whole eggs
-2 egg yolks
-1/4 cup sour cream
-1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla


Here's what to do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.

3. Combine crushed graham crackers, sugar, and melted butter.

4. Use a little more than one spoonful of crust in each muffin cup. Press into cup until it forms a thick crust, filling the bottom of the cup.

5. Bake for 6 minutes and cool.

6. Raise oven temperature to 450 degrees F.

7. Mix the cream cheese and sugar with an electric mixer until well-blended. Mix in the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla until creamy. I recommend putting the mixture in a cup with a spout for easy pouring.

8. Pour evenly into muffin cups, filling almost to the top.

9. Bake for 7 minutes. Lower oven temperature to 225 degrees and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the cakes appear to be set in the middle.

10. Open the oven door and let the cakes sit for 20 minutes. Remove cupcakes from oven and let them sit at room temperature until cooled. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

11. Top with assorted fruits.


It sounds kind of complicated, but trust me, it's worth the time spent changing oven temperatures and moving the cupcakes from place to place. Plus, with individual sized portions, this is the perfect dessert for parties. You're going to love it.

pizza. fruit. does it get any better?

Ally, here.

For the past 21 years, I've hated cream cheese. I don't know why, but I have refused to eat anything involving the substance. Cheesecake, cream cheese frosting, you name it.

I have changed my ways. And it has been so good.

The fiancé (a cream cheese lover his entire life) is thrilled. I crave cheesecake on a regular basis. But lately, with all of this summer fruit floating around, I've been in the mood for fruit pizza.

Fruit pizza may be one of the best desserts ever. Or breakfasts (if you are my mom). The fruit makes it seem healthy, so you won't feel guilty for indulging in an extra slice.


Here's what you'll need:

-2 rolls refrigerated sugar cookie dough
-1 1/2 packages cream cheese
-3/4 cup sugar
-the fruits of your choice (I used pineapple, strawberries, kiwi, blueberries, and raspberries)

Here's what to do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spread 3/4 of the cookie dough on a round pizza pan. Use the remaining dough for individual cookies (to make into little pizzas).
3. Bake as directed on package.
4. While the cookie cools, mix cream cheese and sugar until well blended. Prepare the fruits of your choosing.
5. After cookie cools, frost with cream cheese and sugar mixture. Top with assorted fruits.

You can get really creative with your decorating, so go wild! If you are making this for a party, I'd recommend making individual sized fruit pizzas by baking a few dozen cookies, rather than one giant pizza.

Try it. You're going to love it.

holy guacamole!

Ally, here.

Confession: I love tortilla chips. I can resist every other type of chip, but put a bag of Tostitos in my hands and we're all in trouble. Make them lime, and I may love you forever.

This passion for tortilla chips also leads to a love for salsa and other tortilla appropriate dips. We're talking guacamole, here.

My love for guacamole began in Costa Rica about three years ago. I was on a mission trip, and some kind soul placed a bowl of freshly made guacamole in front of a few very hungry teenagers. It was magical.

Years later, I get guacamole a few times a year, only when with the fiance's family. They make incredible guacamole, the future brother-in-law in particular.


After doing a little guacamole research, I ventured out on my own and made what I'd consider a pretty darn good success. You should try it.

Here's what you need:

-3 avocados, cut in half, peeled, with the seeds removed
-juice of 1 lime
-1/2 teaspoon sea salt
-1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
-1/2 onion, diced
-1 tomato, diced
-2 cloves garlic

Let me give you a little tip when it comes to the avocados. Get some that are kind of soft when squeezed. This means they are ripe (and significantly easier to mush). My recommendation for slicing is to cut the avocado in half, lengthwise. You won't be able to cut through the seed, so pull the two sides apart and then slice around the seed. Then you can peel the avocado halves.

Here's what to do:

1. Place avocados in a bowl and drizzle with the lime juice.
2. Use a potato masher to mash the avocados to your liking.
3. Add the salt and cumin and mash.
4. Mix in the onion, tomatoes, and garlic.
5. Enjoy with the tortilla chips of your choice (I recommend chips with a hint of lime).

Try it for yourself. You're going to love it.

mulberry experiment #1

Ally, here.

I've made several treats with the fresh mulberries over the past few weeks, but I've forgotten to take pictures of all of them. So I'll share what I do have.

Mulberry-blueberry coffee cake. Yum.

I should tell you from the beginning that there are very few things I love more than coffee cake. In fact, Becca and I first became friends because of our passion for this perfect dessert/breakfast/meal. Goodness, I'm drooling a bit just thinking about it.


Anywho, here's how to make the version I tried with my mulberries.

Here's what you'll need for the coffee cake:
-1/2 cup butter
-1 cup sugar
-2 eggs
-2 cups flour (I always use whole wheat flower in an attempt to make baked goods healthier)
-2 teaspoons baking powder
-dash of salt
-2/3 cup milk
-2 teaspoons vanilla extract
-3 cups of blueberries/mulberries/any berry you'd like

And what you'll need for the streusel topping:
-1/2 cup butter
-1/2 cup sugar
-1/2 cup light brown sugar
-1/2 cup flour
-2 teaspoons cinnamon
-1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

What to do:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Make your streusel topping.

2. Beat the butter, sugar, and eggs together.

3. Add other ingredients (except berries) and beat until well combined.

4. Stir in berries.

5. Sprinkle with streusel topping.

6. Pour into 9-inch square pan.

7. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until the cake is set in the center.

It's a great time to make this because berries are plentiful this time of year. So try it. And let me know what you think. You're going to love it.

all around the mulberry bush...

Ally, here.

I've lived in the same house for 18 years. In all of these years, we cannot remember the bush next to our house ever producing berries. After wondering what was going on with our tree for the past week or so, we finally discovered that it is full of mulberries. What's a mulberry? I really had no idea.

I did a little wikipedia-ing, and discovered that they are, indeed, edible berries. This got me super excited.

I spent the next 30 minutes picking mulberries from the bush, channeling my inner farm girl and picking berries from the highest branches I could reach from my oh-so-shaky ladder. (I am sure my mom is thrilled, as I can now pick the berries before they cover the sidewalk in big, purple splats.)


So now I have a bowl full of berries. I prefer to think of this as a bowl full of possibilities. I'm thinking smoothies, coffee cake, pie...

You'll just have to wait and see.

a picnic good enough to eat

Have you ever notices that for some reason, eating is so much better out of doors.
And that you're much happier on a picnic than rushing to eat lunch?
I got a kick out of what is defined as a picnic:

picnic: pleasure excursion at which a meal is eaten outdoors (al fresco or en plein air) , ideally taking place in a beautifu landscape

Here's what we took in our (not so basket-y) picnic basket...

Corn and Black Bean Salad

1 can of black beans (rinsed and drained)
2 ears of corn
3 springs of green onion
1 red bell pepper
1/2 cup of chopped cilantro
1 jalapeno
salt
cumin
balsamic vinegar (although we used EVOO)
garlic powder














Combine all above ingredients by:
Cutting corn off of ears (I just microwaved it for one minute and it was soft & sweet enough)
Chop green onions finely
Chop bell pepper
Chop jalapeno finely
Chop cilantro finely
Drizzle b. vinegar or EVOO (really, which ever you have)
Add seasoning to taste.

This is one of the things that get's better day after day. So leftovers are real good.



BLT (the Turkey Bacon/Spinach/Tomato kind)

1 loaf of rustic-type bread (the .99 cent Whole Foods kind is my favorite)
1 small tomato (for 2 sandwiches)
6 slices of turkey bacon
1 cup of spinach
Parmesan cheese

note: when you buy a loaf from Whole Foods, have them slice it for you!

1. Cook turkey bacon in a skillet, microwave, whatever method you like!
2. Toast bread in skillet by drizzling EVOO in pan. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the bread.
3. Layer slices of bacon, sliced tomato, and spinach on top of bread. Drizzle with a little EVOO if you like.
4. Take it outside, and enjoy!

I like cake too.

Ally, here.

So here's something fun. Becca and I have shared the whole rainbow cake experience for years (see her previous post for details). I, too, have had several rainbow cake failures, but that hasn't kept me from loving the rainbow cake idea, which is why Becca and I we have been drooling over the i am baker rainbow cake for weeks. She made a version of it in her previous post, and I made my own a few days ago.

I should warn you that making this cake was quite time consuming. You'll need several round cake pans and lots of mixing bowls. I was limited on both of these, so I spent a lot of time washing dishes, which slowed me down quite a bit. But the cake was so delicious in the end that it was totally worth it.

I will also say that I'm going to start incorporating fruit in more of my baked goods. It gives the illusion of healthiness. And it's delicious. Look for much more fruit to come.

Here's what you'll need:

-2 boxes white cake mix
-all of the ingredients called for on the cake box
-1 cup pureed strawberries
-1 cup pureed kiwi
-1 cup pureed blueberries
-1 cup pureed purple grapes
-the zest of one orange, plus 1/2 cup squeezed orange juice from the same orange
-the zest of one lemon
-2 or 3 containers of vanilla frosting (depending on your love for icing)

Here's what to do:

1. Mix your cake ingredients together as directed on the box (using both boxes of cake mix).
2. Divide your cake mix evenly into 6 different bowls (it will probably be a little more than 1 cup in each bowl).
3. Mix each pureed fruit into the separate cake mixes. If you want the colors to really pop, add some food coloring. (I added food coloring to some of my layers, but adding it to all of them will give it a more uniform look.)
4. Bake cakes as directed on box.

Our favorite blogger, iambaker, really describes this next step best, so I'll just let her say it.

"I decided not to use frosting between the layers because this cake was already going to be so tall, so I just made a simple syrup and brushed that on between the layers.

For simple syrup:

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

Put into a pan and bring to a boil. Stir occasionally. Once boiling, remove from heat and let cool. This meant that the cake stayed nice and moist, and also brought out the wonderful natural flavors of the fruit." Thanks, iambaker.

And she's not kidding. This cake was seriously moist and flavorful.

I wasn't so good at keeping my layers even, so the colors don't look spectacular, but a little bit of planning will keep your cake from suffering the same fate. This cake also allows for some creativity in decorating. Use whatever fruit you want on top, and get crafty in your designs. This cake is a fruit-lover's dream. You're going to love it.

finals food: cake

Becca, here.

Let's talk cake. More specifically, Rainbow Cake.

First of all, let's take a moment and thank Ally for bringing this recipe to me one year ago, this month.

If you like cake. You will like this.
My roommates demand it.
And since this is finals week,we take the opportunity to eat good "study food"
...get ready for some more Finals-Week-Blogging coming your way.

For the sake of seeing the evolution of my rainbow cake...here is the Wall of Rainbow Cake Fame.

This Cake: It will blow you away at how easy it is.

But a fair warning: it WILL be gone within 24 hours. If it lasts that long.

This particular cake comes from the classic Rainbow Cake recipe, but also draws a whole lot of inspiration (once again) from iambaker.

Enjoy...


Fruit of the Rainbow Cake

2 boxes of white cake mix
3 cups of Sprite Zero
1 small container of white icing
1 small container of cool whip
1 mango
1/2 pint of strawberries
3 kiwi's
3 handfuls of blueberries
Food dye (yellow, red, green, blue)

1. Combine both cake mixes and Sprite Zero in mixing bowl
2. Beat with hand mixer for 2 minutes
3. Separate the batter into 4 different bowls
4. Cut up fruit and place in each bowls, separately.
(I put a few drops of matching colored dye into the bowls, just to make sure the fruit layers would be distinguishable)
5. With a hand mixer, blend in the dye and fruit into the bowls.


6. Grease two 9-inch cake pans. Begin with one color and put half in one pan, and half in the other. Scoop the next batter, and place directly on top (it will resemble a dart board when all layers are in place). Continue until all the colors have been placed.

7. Bake in 350degrees until a fork comes clean.

Enjoy rainbow cake # who knows...

& let me know how yours turns out!