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Jackie Dodd-Mallory
Senior Editor

Jackie Dodd-Mallory

Sriracha Caramel Corn

 

Sriracha-Caramel-Corn

Sriracha Caramel Corn.

For real.

And it’s everything that you want it to be. It’s so good, in fact, that I made it twice in one day. The second batch was under the guise of recipe testing and getting the heat level right, but really it was because this recipe was designated for the Leftovers Club and the first batch yielded no leftovers. Making it a very disappointing submission, thus another batch was in order. I couldn’t exactly ship Chung-Ah an empty box, so I made a second batch. And ate half of that, too.

It’s that good.

The first batch I used 2 teaspoons Sriracha, and while the heat level was deliciously high, so was that fermented garlic flavor we have all come to know and love in the savory dishes that use the Cock Sauce. On the second batch I lowered the amount to 1/2 teaspoon and added a pinch of cayenne for a kick of heat without the garlicly aftertaste that we don’t really need on our desert plates. This was perfect, the heat was there on the back-end but not overpowering, and the garlic was so subtle, it was hardly noticeable. If you want to Sriracha the hell out of it, be my guest, but I wouldn’t add more than 1 teaspoon.

If you want leftovers, or plan on sharing, make a double batch. Or maybe a triple.

Sriracha Caramel Corn3

If you love Sriracha as much as I do, immediately go buy The Sriracha Cookbook and The Veggie Lovers Sriracha Cookbook.

Sriracha Caramel Corn

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup corn kernels (7 cups popped)
  • 1 brown paper lunch bag
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 4 tbs unsalted butter
  • ¼ cup light corn syrup
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ½ to 1 tsp sriracha
  • pinch cayenne

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 250.
  2. Place the corn kernels in a brown paper bag. Fold the top over. Place in the microwave (long side down), microwave on high for 4 minutes. When the popping starts to slow to about one pop per one second, remove from microwave. Measure out 7 cups of popcorn (if there is less than 7 cups, pop additional kernels in the same manner, if there are more than 7 cups, reserve the remaining popped corn for another use)
  3. Spray a large baking pan with butter flavored cooking spray.
  4. Add the corn kernels to the baking sheet in an even layer, place in the oven until the caramel sauce is ready.
  5. Add the brown sugar, butter, light corn syrup and salt to a saucepan over high heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, stop stirring. Allow to boil for 5 minutes, without stirring, or until a dark amber color is reached. Remove from heat, immediately stir in the sriracha and cayenne (use ½ tsp sriracha for a lower heat level and 1 tsp for a higher heat level).
  6. Spray a silicon spatula with cooking spray (except the handle).
  7. Gently pour the caramel sauce over the corn, stirring to coat.
  8. Bake for 20 minutes at 250, stir, and bake for an additional 20 minutes.
  9. Remove from oven and spread evenly onto a sheet of wax paper. Allow to cool, break apart, store in an air-tight container.

Sriracha Caramel Corn2

Beerscotti: Chocolate Beer Biscotti, Made with Beer for Beer

Beerscotti: Chocolate Beer Biscotti, Made with Beer for Beer

 Something about this just isn’t right, it’s a cookie made to dunk in your beer. Who does that? Maybe I’m trying to start a beer cookie revolution that ends with crumbs at the bottom of your pint glass. Maybe I just liked the alliteration, or maybe this just ends up working. You’ll have to judge for yourself.

Beerscotti: Chocolate Beer Biscotti, Made with Beer for Beer

For this I wanted a big beer, with lots of roasted chocolate malt. Drakes Drakonic Imperial Stout works great, it’s a malty beast, as they say, and has those dry cocoa notes that work with the cocoa nibs and hazelnuts in the Beerscotti. It’s a sippin' stout, made for lingering and conversation, it’s not a beer that wants to be ignored.

But who can ignore the guy dunking a cookie in his beer? Not me.

Beerscotti: Chocolate Beer Biscotti, Made with Beer for Beer

Chocolate Beer Biscotti

Ingredients
  

  • ¾ cup white sugar
  • 4 tbs butter
  • 2 large eggs plus 1 yolk
  • ¼ cup stout beer
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp almond extract
  • 2 ¼ cup all purpose flour
  • ½ cup cocoa powder
  • 1 ½ tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp cornstarch
  • 1 tsp espresso powder
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ½ cup hazelnuts
  • 1/3 cup coca nibs

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the sugar and butter. Beat on medium high speed until well creamed.
  • Add the eggs and yolk, mix until mixture is pale and fluffy.
  • Add the stout, vanilla and almond, mix until well combined.
  • In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, corn starch, espresso powder and salt.
  • Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the butter mixture, mix on low until just incorporated. Stir in the hazelnuts and cocoa nibs.
  • Scoop half of the dough onto a baking sheet that has been covered with a Silpat or parchment paper that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
  • Shape into a log that is about 8 inches long and 2 inches wide. Repeat with the other half of the dough.
  • Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until slightly firm to the touch. Cool for about 5 minutes. Cut diagonally into ¾ inch slices. Return to the baking sheet, cut side up.
  • Bake until slightly crispy, about ten minutes.
  • Cool on a wire rack.
  • Biscotti can be made up to three days ahead of time and taste the best 24 hours after baking. Store in an air tight container.

Beerscotti: Chocolate Beer Biscotti, Made with Beer for Beer

Hawaiian IPA Pineapple Pulled Pork Sliders

 Hawaiian IPA Pineapple Pulled Pork Sliders, made in a slow cooker

 I finally made friends with my slow cooker again. It took awhile, we haven’t been on speaking terms since that guy ruined several attempts at vegetarian chili earlier in the year. But he likes meat, that slow cooker, and so do I. I think this is the common ground that we’ll share. Slow and low is the best way to cook pork shoulder, making it a perfect slow cooker job. Although I loved the way this turned out, I do still vastly prefer my Le Creuset Dutch Oven, although that guy is much higher maintenance, he can’t be left alone like Slow Cooker can.

Speaking of IPA’s, I’ve been on the hunt for Schlafly’s American IPA, out of Missouri. I’m incredibly fortunate to live on the West Coat of these United States, a hot bed of fantastic IPA’s. I really don’t ever need to wander far to find incredible beer, but sometimes I just want to see what the rest of the USA has to offer. I’ve heard great things about this special release IPA and I want to get one in my pint glasses. If you can sneak me one, let me know, I’ll be forever grateful.

Hawaiian IPA Pineapple Pulled Pork Sliders, made in a slow cooker

Hawaiian IPA Pulled Pork Sliders

Ingredients
  

  • 4 cloves of garlic rough chopped
  • ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 cup tomato paste
  • 2 tsp sriracha
  • 2 tbs brown sugar
  • 2 cup chopped pineapple
  • 3.5 lb pork shoulder
  • salt and pepper
  • 12 ounces IPA
  • 24 Hawaiian rolls split

Yield: 24 sliders

    Instructions
     

    • In a food processor or blender add the garlic, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, sriracha, brown sugar and pineapple. Process until well combined.
    • Place the pork shoulder inside a slow cooker, salt and pepper all sides liberally.
    • Pour the pineapple mixture and the IPA beer over the pork.
    • Cook on low for 8 hours.
    • Using two forks, shred while still in the slow cooker, discarding any large pieces of fat.
    • Allow to marinate in the juices for about ten minutes, drain well. Serve inside split Hawaiian rolls.

    Hawaiian IPA Pineapple Pulled Pork Sliders, made in a slow cooker

    BLT Eggs Benedict with Avocado Hollandaise


    BLT Eggs Benedict wtih Avocado Hollindaise_

    I’m a breakfast girl. I’m also an avocado girl. So when California Avocado Commission asked me something along the lines of: "Hey Jackie, wanna come to a fancy schmany Beverly Hills restaurant and have a schmancy chef make you Breakfast For Dinner? Oh and you get to make cocktails with avocados," My answer didn’t require much debate.

    Schamncy Chef Neal did an outstanding job feeding Los Angeles bloggers an array of Avocado Breakfast foods. They even sent us home with a goodie bag that included a bag of avocados and a cutting board. AND if that doesn’t sound great to you, you’re probably not a food blogger. We seem to have an unreasonable affinity for bags of produce and cutting boards.

    I also have a great love of the Eggs Benedict (I’m probably an old man, given the love I also have for stout beer and cable knits) but after waitressing my way through college, working the early shift at a breakfast joint, I’ll never be able to eat hollandaise at a restaurant (if you read this book, you’ll also know why). Because of these two things, I tend to make it myself about once a month. Add the creaminess of an avocado and I’ll lick it right out of the blender and don’t you try and stop me.

    BLT Eggs Benedict with Avocado Hollandaise

    Ingredients

    • 1 large ripe California avocado, diced
    • 2 egg yolks
    • 3 tbs butter
    • 2 tbs lemon juice
    • pinch each of salt, pepper and cayenne
    • 4 English muffins, split and toasted
    • 8 slices tomatoes
    • ½ cup baby arugula
    • 8 strips bacon, cooked
    • 8 eggs, poached
    • Yield 8 (4 to 8 servings depending on serving preference)

    Instructions

    1. Add the diced avocado to a blender or food processor, process until smooth.
    2. Add the egg yolks and process until well combined.
    3. Heat the butter in a microwave safe bowl until very hot.
    4. While the food processor is running, slowly add the melted butter until well combined. Add the lemon juice, salt, pepper and cayenne, process to combine.
    5. Add the English muffins to a plate, cut sides up. Top each half with a slice of tomato, a few leaves of arugula, bacon, and a poached egg.
    6. Spoon avocado hollandaise over eggs. Serve immediately.

    BLT Eggs Benedict wtih Avocado Hollindaise 2

    Avocado Risotto with Beer Butter Shrimp

    Avocado Risotto with Beer Butter Shrimp5

     Avocado season in California is pretty fantastic, avocados are so easy to come by. Of course, they’re great for you. Lots of minerals, antioxidants, healthy fat, but to be honest this is a food I’d eat even if it was bad for me. It’s flavor, texture and even gorgeous color has me hooked. It’s also my go-to when I want to add creaminess to a vegan meal.

    I’ve told you before that Risotto is one of my favorite meals and adding one of my favorite members of the produce family just makes it better. Top it with some beer butter shrimp and you have yourself a dinnertime winner.

    For this I used Allagash White, one of my staples of my beer cellar (I wish I had an actual beer cellar, until I figure out how to make that happen my beer selection takes up residence in the bottom shelf of my fridge). Allagash White is clean, bright, and has great spice and citrus flavor. It does not have the typical strong banana notes that most Witbiers have, which puts it over the top in my book, I hate bananas. It has an accessible complexity that makes it great beer to use when introducing people to craft beer.  It’s a great example of the genera, and of craft beer in general.

    Allagash White

    Avocado Risotto with Beer Butter Shrimp

    Ingredients
      

    For The Risotto:

    • 4 cups chicken broth
    • ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
    • 3 tbs heavy cream
    • 1 large avocado chopped (skin and seed discarded)
    • 6 tbsp unsalted butter
    • 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
    • 2 tbs chopped shallots
    • 3 cloves of garlic minced
    • 1 1/2 cups arborio rice
    • 1 cup Wheat Beer plus 2 tbs, divided
    • ½ tsp black pepper
    • ½ tsp salt
    • 2 tbs chopped chives

    For The Shrimp:

    • 1 cup wheat beer
    • 3 tbs butter
    • ½ tsp chili powder
    • ¼ tsp smoked paprika
    • ½ tsp garlic powder
    • ½ tsp salt
    • ½ tsp pepper
    • 1 lb raw shrimp peeled and deveined

    Instructions
     

    • Place the chicken broth in a saucepan and bring to a mild simmer, keeping to warm, but not boiling.
    • In a food processor or blender add the cream, parmesan and avocado, process until smooth, set aside.
    • In a separate pot, add the butter and allow to melt over medium heat. Add the shallots and oil, cook until transparent, but don’t allow to brown. Add the garlic and cook until you can smell it, about 20 seconds
    • Stir in the rice, cooking until the rice is completely coated with butter and it smells slightly nutty, don’t allow to brown. About 2 minutes.
    • Add 1 cup of the beer and cook until the pan begins to dry, stirring frequently. About 6 minutes.
    • Add about ½ cup of broth into the rice. Stir frequently until the rice is almost dry, and then add another ½ cup and repeat. This process should take about 20 minutes. Don’t leave the risotto while it’s cooking, the rice on the bottom of the pan burns easily. (if you run out of broth, just use hot water the same way you would broth)
    • Once your risotto is cooked through (taste it to verify that the rice is cooked and not crunchy), turn heat to low and add the avocado mixture, 2 tbs beer and salt and pepper to taste. Risotto should be soft and wet, not dry like typical rice. It should be firm enough to be served as a side on a plate, but soft enough to jiggle when the plate is shaken.
    • To make the shrimp, add 1 cup beer to a sauce pan over medium high heat, reduce by about half, add the butter and stir until melted. Whisk in the chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Add the shrimp and cook until shrimp have turned opaque in the center, about 3 to 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove shrimp from the cooking liquid.
    • Plate risotto, top with shrimp and sprinkle with chopped chives.

    Avocado Risotto with Beer Butter Shrimp

    Cheap Eats: Roasted Chicken, Green Beans and Potatoes Feeds 4 for $10

     

     

    Cheap Eats: Roast Chicken, Potatoes, Green Beans feed 4 for $10 (with leftovers!)

     

    I’ve made a decision. I am going to redefine the word "rich".

    When I was a kid, we didn’t have a lot of money, on our best months we lived pay check to pay check. I vividly remember standing in line at a Stater Brothers Market as my mother rapidly added the groceries in her head, factoring in coupons, putting back items and trying to feed ten mouths for the month with a thin envelope of cash. I remember thinking I would be rich if I could go to the grocery store and buy anything I wanted.

    As I got older I though this was funny, how small my definition of rich was. But why not? Why is rich defined by excess, yachts and handbags that cost 10 grand? I’m going back to my 10 year old definition. We are rich. We have a refidgerator full of groceries, warm beds, we can turn on the heat and air on a whim, and our kids have several pairs of shoes. In many, many, parts of the world, that is rich. Who cares about billon dollar Hampton Hideaways, Rolls Royce and Hermes bags, we have well fed families!

    So, in honor of our new found wealth, I have decided to start a Cheap Eats category as a way to expand the limited resource that is our grocery dollars. I’m in the process of making the switch from Director at my previous company, to freelance stay at home mom and I’ve had to adjust the budget, but I still want to eat great food. I don’t want to add two jars and some meat to a crock pot, I want to eat well, but I want it well priced.

    Cheap Eats will be food that’ll be fancy enough for company, cheap enough for a budget, and include real-life ingredients with minimally processed foods. I hope you love these Rich People Dishes as much as I do, and never forget to be grateful for all that we have. Check us out, we 're rich!

    Cheap Eats: Roast Chicken, Potatoes, Green Beans feed 4 for $10 (with leftovers!)

     

    Roasted Chicken, Green Beans and Potatoes Feeds 4 for $10

    Ingredients

    For The Chicken:

    • 1 4.5 lb whole chicken
    • 3 tbs softened butter
    • 1 lemon, juiced
    • 1 tsp pepper
    • 1 tsp salt

    For The Potatoes:

    • 1 lbs red potatoes (cut into quarters)
    • 2 tbs olive oil
    • ½ tsp salt
    • ½ tsp pepper

    For The Green Beans:

    • 1 lb Green Beans, trimmed and cut in half
    • 1 tbs oil
    • 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
    • ½ tsp pepper

    Instructions

    1. Preheat the oven to 425.
    2. In a small bowl mix together the lemon juice, butter, salt and pepper.
    3. Rinse the chicken and pat it dry.
    4. Rub the chicken all over with the butter (under the skin as well as over).
    5. Place chicken in a roasting rack inside a roasting pan.
    6. Roast in a 425 oven for about 1 ½ or until the internal temperature reaches 165.
    7. About 10 minutes before the chicken is finished, start the potatoes.
    8. Add 2 tbs olive oil to cast iron skillet over medium high heat until hot but not smoking.
    9. Add the potatoes, one of the cut sides down.
    10. Cook until browned, about 3 minutes.
    11. Push each piece of potato over, toggling it onto its un-browned cut side.
    12. Cook for about one minute, remove from heat.
    13. Once the chicken is cooked, remove from oven and allow to rest.
    14. Transfer the potatoes to the oven, reduce heat to 375, allow to cook until fork tender, about 10 minutes.
    15. For the Green beans, heat a skillet over high heat with 1 tbs olive oil until hot but not smoking. Add the green beans, toss until starting to blister. Add the balsamic and cook until the balsamic has reduced and the green beans have softened, add the pepper.
    16. Once the chicken has rested (about 10 minutes) transfer to a cutting board and carve.

    Note about the chicken: If you have never roasted a chicken, you should start. It’s fairly easy to buy a whole roasting chicken for about $1 to $2 a pound. They are cheap, healthy and easy. For a step by step on how to roast a chicken, check out my How To Roast A Chicken post.

    Beer Candied Pecans

    last September I was able to visit Bear Republic. I was able to jump behind the bar, chat with brewers and sample everything from the Peter Brown Tribute to the Grand Am, right from the source.  Solid beers that are becoming easier to find across the US as their distribution expands.

    Bear Republic2

    Maybe it was the gorgeous Northern California setting, or the charming bar managers, or the fantastically solid beer, but I became a fan of what this growing team is doing up North. And then they go and make a Black IPA, one of my favorite new styles.

    Black IPA’s are becoming more common, a great trend that craft breweries are embracing all over the US. Maybe as a way to satisfy people like me, stout lovers who also adore an IPA. A hoppy beer, with a roasted malt that adds a smooth, balanced, nearly stout like flavor. The Black Racer IPA is a great example of this growing beer phenomenon.

    Black Racer IPA

    Black Racer is just as hoppy as you want an IPA to be, but with a smoother, rounded malty finish. It has a leaning towards a traditional IPA, with high notes like citrus and pine as well as a fairly high carbonation, but with some dark beer flavors of malt and coffee.

    Black IPA’s are both a great example of how the creativity of brewers are blurring the lines of beer styles, as well as another great, endless craft beer debate we all love to partake in from time to time. How do you differentiate between a hoppy stout and a dark IPA? Brewers discretion?

    When it’s this good, they can call it what they want and the brewers will always have my full support.

    Beer Candied Pecans3

    Beer Candied Pecans

    Ingredients
      

    • 1/2 cup black IPA
    • 1 cup golden brown sugar packed
    • ½ tsp salt
    • 1 tbs butter
    • 2 cups pecan halves

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 250.
    • In a pot over high heat add the beer and brown sugar. Stir until the sugar has dissolved.
    • Clip a candy thermometer on the side of the pan. Bring liquid to 235 degrees, remove from heat.
    • Add the butter, stir until combined.
    • Add salt and pecans; stir until the pecans have all been coated.
    • Pour pecans on to a baking sheet that has been covered with a silicon baking mat (or parchment paper that has been sprayed with cooking spray).
    • Spread pecans evenly over the sheet.
    • Bake at 250 for 15 minutes, stir and bake for an additional 15 minutes (if the pecans look foamy, stir until the bubbles have dissolved).
    • Allow to cool to room temperature, break apart.

    Notes

    To increase the beer flavor, reduce 1 cup of beer down to 1/2 cup needed for this recipe.

    Beer Candied Pecans4

     

    Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars

     

    Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars

    Now that I’m home with my (soon to be) 3 year-old on most days, I’ve realized that there are a few things that no one tells you about Stay At Home Mom-hood. Maybe because we don’t want to scare the fertility out of others since we like company in this brave new world of parenthood. For instance:

    You will start to dissect the relationships between cartoon characters, "Are Mickey and Minnie Mouse dating? or are they brother and sister?" You may or may not Google it.

    You’ll be standing in the backyard in your bathrobe trying to hose out a potty chair that is too gross to clean by way of any other method, and it will feel strangely normal.

    You’ll say things like, "Don’t drink the bathwater, it’s been on your butt."

     Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars4

    You’ll stop noticing how messy your house is until someone unexpectedly drops by and then all of the messiness will sort of magically appear. I swear it wasn’t this gross two minutes ago.

    You’ll quote your toddler like she’s a Will Ferrel movie, but only to your spouse. Because no one else would understand why you call cheddar "turtle cheese" or ask them to move by saying "step PUH side!"

    At some point you will have the urge to photograph poop, either to show the pediatrician, "Is this color normal or does she have scurvy?" or to show your husband, "She took a poop today the size of Scuba Steve!" But you won’t, deciding instead to just describe it (the doctor and your husband are grateful for this).

    You will start to refer to yourself in the third person, as in "Mommy needs a time out," as well as collectively, as in, "We don’t rub cheese on the window,"

    You won’t even think it’s that strange when she refuses to even take one bite of the peanut butter and jelly bars you just made because they "look yucky," but then she immediately tries to eat the orange crayon, because apparently those look delicious.

    Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars2

     

    Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars

    Ingredients

    For the Crust:

    • 1 ½ cups flour
    • ½ tsp baking powder
    • ¾ cup golden brown sugar
    • ¾ cup smooth peanut butter
    • ½ cup butter, softened
    • 1 egg
    • 1 tsp vanilla

    For the Jam Filling:

    • 2 cups strawberries (thawed if frozen)
    • 2/3 cup powdered sugar
    • Yield: 9 to 12

    Instructions

    1. In a small bowl combine the flour and baking powder.
    2. Add the peanut butter, butter and sugar to a stand mixer, mix on medium high until well combined. Add the egg and vanilla, mix until well combined.
    3. Sprinkle with flour mixture, stir until just combined.
    4. Line and 8×8 inch baking dish with parchment paper, making sure the paper goes up and over the edges. Add half of the peanut butter dough to the pan, press into one even layer. Add the remaining dough to the freezer, put the 8×8 pan to the fridge to chill until ready to use.
    5. Preheat oven to 350.
    6. In a saucepan over high heat, add the strawberries and powdered sugar. Cook, stirring frequently, until thick and syrupy and the strawberries have broken down, about 10 to 15 minutes. While the strawberries are cooking, use a potato masher or spatula to smash and break up strawberries.
    7. Pour strawberries over crust. Retrieve the remaining crust from the freezer, break into pea-sized pieces, and sprinkle over strawberries. Use as much as desired, you may have leftover peanut butter dough.
    8. Bake at 350 until the top crust starts to turn golden brown, about 30 minutes. Allow to cool, remove from pan by grabbing the edges of the parchment paper and lifting out. Cut into squares.

      Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars3

     

    Chocolate Stout Muffin Bread

     

    Chocolate Stout Muffin Bread7

    Let’s talk about chocolate stouts for a minute.

    If you aren’t aquatinted with these Dark Knights, you might be under the impression that your beer will be like a tall glass of malty chocolate milk. For the most part, that isn’t the case. While I was at Hanger 24, those awesome guys let me taste some of the grains they use in their Chocolate Porter.

     

    Hanger 24-2

    (By the way, neither of those hands are mine, I’m taking the photo)

    It tastes, even pre-brew, more along the lines of unadulterated raw cocoa rather than a giant slice of cake. For me, this is great news. The flavors of cocoa (before the butter, cream and sugar are added) are dry and even bitter, making a great addition to the flavors of a stout. If you’re afraid of a beer flavored Yoo-Hoo, you’re in luck. For the most part, chocolate stouts grab those great dry flavors of that cocoa bean without that cloying sweetness of a dessert that you don’t really need in your pint glass.

    Here are some of my favorite chocolate stouts and porters, please let me know if you have a favorite of your one:

    Bison Chocolate Stout

    Rogue Chocolate Stout

    Hanger 24 Chocolate Porter

    Ken Schmidt / Iron Fist / Stone Chocolate Mint Stout

    Souther Tier Choklat (I have yet to get my hands on this on the West Coast, but it’s on my Must Drink list)

    Chocolate Stout Muffin Bread

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 cups all purpose flour
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 2/3 cup coca powder
    • 1 cup white sugar
    • 1 tbs baking powder
    • 1 tbs cornstarch
    • 2/3 cup chocolate chips
    • 10 ounces stout
    • 2 tbs vegetable oil
    • ¼ cup melted butter divided in half

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 350.
    • Add the flour, salt, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, cornstarch, and chocolate chips stir to combine.
    • Pour in the stout, oil and 2 tbs of the melted butter, stir until just combined, some lumps are expected.
    • Pour into a loaf pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Pour the remaining butter over the top.
    • Bake at 350 for 40 to 45 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs on it. Allow to cool before slicing.

    Chocolate Stout Muffin Bread8

     

    Passover Dessert: Toasted Coconut Pavlova with Cocoa Pudding and Caramel Sauce

    Coconut Pavlova with Cocoa Pudding and Caramel Sauce parve_

    Do you ever watch Chopped on the Food Network? It’s a food competition that involves a "mystery basket" of food.  The contestants are required to use every item in the basket to come up with the best dish they can. I love Chopped, and always try to think up a dish I would make, if I was in that position with those Mystery Items (think of a dish with: gummy bears, avocados and dried beans!). Culinary challenges to me, are like Scrabble to other people. I love trying to figure out what I can come up with.

    When Tori asked me to contribute to her Passover Potluck, it felt a bit like Chopped in reverse, an entire basket of things you can’t use. I was excited for the challenge, and to be back again this year on Tori’s Passover Potluck (to be honest, I was hoping she would ask), but it took me a while, and a few texts to Tori, to get all the Passover Cooking rules down. You can’t use flour, or most grains, no corn, rice or peanuts. You also can’t mix meat and dairy, so if you have meat at dinner, you can’t eat dairy for dessert. I wanted to come up with a dairy free dessert so that anyone could eat it during Passover, I love an inclusive meal. I also wanted it to be great, something that didn’t feel like it would have been better with flour or milk, but something that was great without feeling like it had been created with limitations.

    I love Pavlovas, so elegant and pretty, but really simple to make. It also tastes like a gigantic Girl Scout Samoa cookie. It’s gluten free, dairy free and I hope you love it as much as I do.

    Get the recipe on Tori’s Site, The Shiksa In The Kitchen!

    Happy Passover!

     

    Click for the recipe:

    Parve Passover Dessert: Toasted Coconut Pavlova with Cocoa Pudding and Caramel Sauce

    Coconut Pavlova with Cocoa Pudding and Caramel Sauce parve 2

    IPA Lemon Bars

    Before I get to the lemon bars that were more than a year in the making, I need to talk about these beer glasses.

    These glasses are more than just vessels of craft beer glory, they are a indicator of the thread of craft beer weaving itself through the mainstream.

    Crate and Barrel, a mecca for the upwardly mobile, midwestern tract homeowners, and suburban housewives is carrying an entire line of glassware devoted to the service of well-made beer. (I need to stop to note that none of the previous descriptors were meant to be derogatory, merely  an illustration of the mainstreamness of the giant housewares retail store.)

    This is proof that craft beer is moving forward, growing in respect and popularity in the minds of Americans and capitalist marketers. I couldn’t be happier. I pillaged the entire line, necessitating a new shelf just for beer glasses.

     Eagle Rock Populist with Beer Mug

    The lemon bars I made for you have been in the works for over a year. There have been other recipes in the past that haven’t lives up to my expectations. The filling wasn’t creamy enough, or the crust and filling weren’t distinct layers, or other assorted issues. This recipe finally gave me the results I wanted.

    IPA Lemon Bars

    A great crust with a slight flakey crispness, not too sweet, and lemony with the right touch of beer flavor.

    The beer I used is from Eagle Rock Brewery, a brewery that is just down the road from me, a little over a mile in fact. It would be walking distance if it wasn’t for the hill I live on and the nasty walk home that would create.

    IPA Lemon Bars3 Eagle Rock Populist Bottle_

    Populist is what I think of as a gateway IPA. It’s an accessible beer with more malt that an IPA usually gives you, and a balanced hop flavor. This isn’t the palate wrecking, massively hopped flavor that most American IPA’s give you, it’s more subtle.

    I love a high hoped beer, and I also love a malty balanced pale ale, the amazing thing about this mainstream-craft-beer-glass-world we live in is that there is room for both types of IPA’s. If you aren’t an IPA fan, this might convert you, it shows you hops without punching you in the mouth with them. It might even lead you to further IPA exploration.

    Or maybe just some lemon flavored baked goods.

    IPA Lemon Bars2

    IPA Lemon Bars

    Ingredients
      

    Crust:

    • 1 cup flour
    • 1/3 cup powdered sugar
    • 6 tbs unsalted butter
    • pinch salt

    Filling:

    • 3 large eggs
    • 1 ½ cups sugar
    • ¼ cup flour
    • 2 tbs corn starch
    • 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
    • ¼ cup IPA beer
    • Powdered sugar for dusting
    • Yield: 10 to 12 cookies

    Instructions
     

    • In a food processor add the flour, powdered sugar, butter and salt. Process until well combined.
    • Press into the bottom of a greased 8X8 pan (for a 9x13 pan, double the entire recipe).Chill for 15 minutes.
    • Preheat oven to 350.
    • Bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool to about room temperature, about 15 minutes (this will help the crust and the filling to stay in two distinct layers.)
    • In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, sugar, flour and corn starch. Add in the lemon juice and beer, stir until combined. Pour the filling over the cooled crust. Bake until the center has set, about 20 to 25 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before refrigerating. Chill for 2 to 3 hours before cutting. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

    Crust adapted from Shockingly Delicious

    Mexican Galette with Roasted Red Pepper, Black Beans and Avocados

     

    Mexican Galette with Roasted Red Pepper, Black Beans and Avocados. And the best and easiest tart crust. With a vegan option.

     

    I met a lady at the grocery store yesterday who was 92. She was fabulously healthy and spry, you would never have known she was born in the 1920’s.

    We started to chat about my daughter. After a few minutes she said, "You’re a good woman. I can tell. And you’re a good mom." I wanted to stop and tell her about the Cheerios on the floor of car, and how some days she stays in pajamas until noon and how since I work from home, there are so many times I have to say, "Mommy’s busy," when she wants me to sit on the couch and watch Mickey’s Clubhouse but I haven’t photographed the tart yet and it’s withering.

    Why is it so hard for us to accept a mom-compliments? Why is it so hard to see that we are doing well, see that not being perfect doesn’t mean that you still aren’t doing great?

    When someone tells me that they love my recipes, I’m thrilled. If someone tells me I’m a great mom, I want to protest.

    Maybe we all need to hear it more often. Maybe you need to hear it as much as I do. You and I aren’t that different, but I hope you find a way to believe this, even if I haven’t:

    You’re doing great. Cheerios on the floor means you thought that your kid might want a snack on the way to the park, and cared more about that, than the floor of your SVU.

    Taking a moment to yourself means you give so much all day, you need to recharge so that you can give some more.

    Your kid in pajamas at noon just means you saw that they were having a good time, and didn’t want to interrupt with something as silly as a wardrobe change.

    Putting your kids in front of the TV so you can sit down to talk to your spouse is a great way to show your kids how much you care about that relationship, showing them that their parents love each other.

    When you go to bed at night, reliving the days events and focusing on the failures, remember that your kids aren’t. They remember the park, the macaroni and the bed time story. They think you’re doing great, and so do I.

    Mexican Galette

    Ingredients

    For The Crust:

    • 2 cups flour
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 1 tsp sugar
    • 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) of butter (for vegan use shortening)
    • 1/3 cup ice cold water
    • 1 tbs melted butter (for vegan substitute with water or Earth Balance)

    For the Filling:

    • 1/4 cup tomato paste
    • 2 tsp minced chipotle pepper
    • 2 tbs oil
    • 2 tbs warm water
    • 1 roma tomato, thinly sliced
    • 2 jalapeno, sliced, stem and seeds removed
    • 1 roasted red pepper, sliced
    • ½ cup cooked black beans, drained and rinsed
    • ¼ cup corn kernels (thawed if frozen)
    • 1 large avocado, diced
    • ¼ cup Mexican Crema (can substitute sour cream) (for vegan use cashew cream)
    • ½ cup cilantro

    Instructions

    1. In a food processor add 1 1/3 cup flour, salt, sugar and butter, process until well combined. Add the remaining flour and process again until combined.
    2. Transfer to a bowl and mix in the water until just combined (don’t add the water while the dough is in the food processor or your dough will be brittle and cracker-like).
    3. The dough should be soft. Form dough into a disk, wrap with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Can be made three days ahead of time.
    4. Preheat oven to 375
    5. In a small bowl, add the tomato paste, chipotle, water and oil, stir until combined.
    6. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 16 inch rustic circle. Transfer dough to a baking sheet that has been covered with parchment paper.
    7. Spread the center with the tomato chipotle mixture, leaving about 2 inches of the edges bare.
    8. Add the roasted red pepper, jalapenos, black beans, and corn. Fold the edges up over the filling, leaving a portion of the center still exposed. Brush the edges with melted butter.
    9. Bake at 375 for 30 to 35 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
    10. Remove from the oven, top with avocado, crema and cilantro.

    Mexican Galette with Roasted Red Pepper, Black Beans and Avocados. And the best and easiest tart crust. With a vegan option.

    Current Obsessions

    Sugar Skull necklace, Moon Raven Designs:

    My husband bought this for me for Christmas and I wear it embarrassingly often. In my mind it goes with everything, it’s like the bacon version of accessories. Plus, people are oddly drawn to it (which can be uncomfortable, since it hangs between my little lady lumps) so it’s a conversation starter. Or conversation stopper, since this has happened on more than a few occasions:

    Other person: “So, I was telling you about that thing….WAIT! What is that?!” as they grab at my chest.   (Thinking this over, I seem to like near strangers hastily groping me, I may have a problem)

     Skull Necklace

     

    10 Cane Rum:

    My husband is slightly convinced that rum is the new craft beer. I’m not as easily swayed from my devotion to craft beer, but I will be one of the last to know if beer is no longer “cool,” like those 1980’s Hair Metal hold-outs that were still rockin' the zebra spandex and Aqua Net when everyone else had move on to flannel shirts tie around the waist of their distressed levis. This will be me with my beer, even if everyone else has move on to rum. I’m rambling, back to the rum. This is craft rum, it has incredible depth and flavors that did remind me of the difference between Coors Light and Russian River’s Pliny (Cliff’s Notes for non beer drinkers: Coors=boring, Pliny=awesome).  I also learned from this Cocktail King, that the real, original, daiquiri was just sugar, lime juice, and some rum (he recommended trying it with brown sugar). That sounds amazing and completely unlike the bastardized spring break strawberry Slurpee version of a daiquiri that I’m used to.

    10 cane rum

     

    Marble Pastry Board, Sur La Table:

    I have hideous countertops. But I live with my horrid kitchen because one wall of my kitchen is floor to celling windows. When the sight of my grotesquely mismatched kitchen starts to get me down, I just look out the windows, and I feel better. It helps, momentarily. Other than periodic bouts with tile related depression, the awful counters pose two, more practical problems: dough rolling and photography. I can’t bring myself to ever post a picture with that horrid tile as a backdrop, (I would hear a collective, “MY EYES, MY EYES!!” for everyone who had to suffer the sight of said tile) nor is dough rolling an option on that surface. Answer: Marble Pastry Board for Sur La Table. First, it almost convinces me that I have marble counters when I look at the process photos, like these ones, but it also makes a fantastic dough-rolling surface, and the BEST part is it’s only $39! The same one at William Sonoma is about $130 (which, to be honest seems a fair price for that much marble. The Sur La Table version is shockingly inexpensive). I also have the matching marble rolling pin, which was only about $24 and I love it. Such a great set, and a great gift if you have a dough rolling fool in your life.

    Sur La Table Pastry Board

     

    Drink Specific Glassware:

    Crate and Barrel has a great set of specialty beer glass, which of course, I love. I also love these Old Fashion Rocks Glasses from Sur La Table and the bee glasses from World Market. We have three floating shelves of specialty glassware on the wall in our dining room, if there is an earthquake, we’re screwed.

     

    Eagle Rock Populist with Beer Mug

    Quinoa Crab Salad with Jalapeno Vinaigrette

    Quinoa Crab Salad with Jalapeno vinaigrette

    I could eat this salad every day.

    I realize that quinoa has become a food trend that will inevitably run it’s course, I don’t care. I’ll love it and I’ll eat it long after it’s no longer cool.

    The first time I made it, I cooked it the same way I cook rice and the results were pretty sad and mushy. I did some digging and figure out a few quinoa tricks and started to cook it this way. It has more flavor and better texture and it isn’t mushy at all, now I’m hooked.

    Quinoa Crab Salad with Jalapeno vinaigrette4

    After I made the jalapenos dressing I wandered around my kitchen looking for more things to eat it with, it’s amazing. I’m so glad I started making my own dressing, it takes about 30 seconds. It’s great to be able to through a bunch of ingredients in a blender and those little ingredients come out as a delicious sauce.

    Quinoa Crab Salad with Jalapeno Vinaigrette

    Ingredients

    For the Salad:

    • ½ cup dry quinoa
    • ¾ cup water
    • 2 cup baby arugula, washed
    • 6 ounces lump crab meat, drained
    • 1 heirloom tomato, chopped
    • Yield: 4 side dish portions

    For The Jalapeno Vinaigrette:

    • 1 large jalapeno, stem and seeds removed, chopped
    • 1 clove garlic, rough chopped
    • 1 small shallot, rough chopped
    • 1 tbs lemon juice
    • 2 tbs aple cider vinegar
    • ¼ cup olive oil
    • pinch salt and pepper

    Instructions

    1. Add the quinoa to a dry pan, toast until you can smell it cooking, about 3 minutes. Add the water, bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add the lid at a vent. Cook for 16 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and allow to steam for 10 minutes. Let the quinoa cool to room temperature.
    2. Add quinoa, arugula, crab meat, and tomatoes to a bowl , toss to combine.
    3. In a blender add the jalapeno, garlic, shallots, lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Blend until well combined. Drizzle desire amount of vinaigrette to the salad (this recipe makes more dressing than this salad needs, save the extra for future salads).

    Quinoa Crab Salad with Jalapeno vinaigrette2

     

    Smoky Chocolate Porter Ice Cream with Beer Candied Bacon

    Smoky Porter Ice Cream with Beer Candied Bacon4

    Yesterday I was a guest on KCRW’s St. Patricks day episode of Good Food. The host was Evan Kleiman, a chef, author and Los Angeles food scene legend. She called my recipes, "smart," which if you are a home cook, sitting in front of an accomplished chef, is the best word you can hear.

    Smoky Porter Ice Cream with Beer Candied Bacon3

    We chatted about stouts, one of my favorite beer topics. Forget about pale lagers and green food dye, stouts are the life blood of St. Patrick’s day. In preparation for our stout conversation, I asked my Facebook readers what their favorite stouts are, and the response was amazing. My non-scientific poll concluded the most popular stouts among those who have clicked "like" on The Beeroness Facebook page are: Old Rasputin, Souther Tier Choklat, Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout and Founders Breakfast Stout. All of which would be amazing in this recipes, but I used Alaskan Brewing Smoked Porter. Just goes to show how many amazing dark craft beers there are in this nation. If you have a stout or porter that you love, let me know about it. I’m always up for a tall glass of dark beer.

    Whatever you use, don’t forget to make it a chocolate bacon beer float.

    Smoky Porter Ice Cream with Beer Candied Bacon5

    Beer Candied Bacon

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 cup brown sugar packed
    • 3 tbs stout
    • pinch cayenne
    • 12 thick cut strips of bacon

    Instructions
     

    • Combine the brown sugar, stout and cayenne until thick and syrupy.
    • Lay bacon on a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet.
    • Brush bacon with beer syrup on both sides.
    • Cook at 350 for ten minutes, flip and re-brush with beer syrup.
    • Cook for 8 to 10 more minutes or until the bacon is an amber color.
    • Remove from oven and allow to cool. Bacon will harden as it cools.

    Beer Candied Bacon

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 cup brown sugar packed
    • 3 tbs stout
    • pinch cayenne
    • 12 thick cut strips of bacon

    Instructions
     

    • Combine the brown sugar, stout and cayenne until thick and syrupy.
    • Lay bacon on a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet.
    • Brush bacon with beer syrup on both sides.
    • Cook at 350 for ten minutes, flip and re-brush with beer syrup.
    • Cook for 8 to 10 more minutes or until the bacon is an amber color.
    • Remove from oven and allow to cool. Bacon will harden as it cools.

    Beer Candied Bacon Adapted from Oskar Blues via Tide and Thyme.

     Smoky Porter Ice Cream with Beer Candied Bacon2

    Coconut Brioche

    Coconut Brioche2

    I was scared of bread making for years. I scoured the internet for non-yeast rolls, because I was so convinced that I could never make anything that required proofing or rising. A few years ago I decided that I needed to figure this out, I needed to learn. What’s the worse that could happen?

    Over the years I’ve had more than a few flat lumps of dough tossed in the trash, and I’ve even been so frustrated that I’ve actually cried (my poor husband). All the bread fails have lead me to a few yeast discoveries and bread making is now one of my favorite kitchen related activities.

    Coconut Brioche3

    Here are my tips, the ways to reduce the odds of curse words, tears and flat dough:

    First, salt can kill yeast, so don’t add it until one of the last steps. Salt is still important to brighten the flavors, so don’t skip it. Just don’t add it at the same time as the yeast.

    Second, rapid rise yeast and dry active yeast aren’t the same. Rapid rise yeast needs to activated with liquid between 120 and 130 degrees fahrenheit and dry active yeast needs liquid about 110 degrees, it will be killed at temperatures much higher than that.

    Third, check the expiration date! Once yeast expires, it’s actually dead and it won’t work.

    Forth, even though the recipe might say, "allow to rise at room temperature until double in size, about 60 minutes," it might actually take 2 hours, or even three. Especially if your house is cold.

    lastly, sometimes, every once in a while, it still just doesn’t work. This is pretty rare for me right now, but occasionally the completely unexplainable bread failure still happens. Even with that, it’s still absolutely worth it. Nothing beats  homemade bread.

    Coconut Brioche4

    Coconut Brioche

    Ingredients

    • 2 cup bread flour
    • ¼ cup bakers special dry milk (I use King Arthur Flour)
    • 1 packet ( 2 1/2 teaspoons) Rapid Rise yeast (I used Red Star Platinum)
    • 1 tbs sugar
    • 3/4 cup full fat coconut milk
    • 1 eggs, room temperature
    • 2 tbs vegetable oil
    • 1 tsp salt
    • ¼ cup butter, softened to room temperature
    • Egg wash (1 egg, 1 tbs water, whisked)
    • coarse sea salt
    • Yield: 1 loaf, 8 rolls

    Instructions

    1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, add the flour, dry milk, yeast and sugar. Stir to combine.
    2. Add the coconut milk to a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 20 seconds, test temperature and repeat until liquid is between 120 and 130 degrees.
    3. Add the coconut milk to the flour and mix on medium speed until incorporated, and shaggy lumps form.
    4. Add the egg , oil and salt, mix until well incorporated.
    5. Add the butter, mixing well.
    6. The dough will be very soft.
    7. Mix on medium/high speed until the dough gathers around the dough hook, about 8 minutes.
    8. Remove from the mixer and place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and allow to sit in a warm room until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
    9. Cut the dough into into 8 equal pieces.
    10. One at a time, flatten each dough piece into a 6-inch circle (resembling a small tortilla).
    11. Grab the edge of the circle and pull it into the center. Repeat until a tight ball is formed.
    12. Place the dough balls, smooth side up, into a loaf pan or 8X8 baking pan, in two parallel rows, 4 dough balls in each row.
    13. Cover and allow to rise until almost doubled in size, about 1 hour. (*Note: You can also do what is called a “Fridge Rise” if you want to make these a day ahead of time. The second rise will take about 12 hours in the fridge instead of 1 hour in a warm room. As soon as you placed the dough balls in the loaf pan, cover and refrigerate for 12 hours instead of allowing to rise at room temperature. Remove from the fridge the following day and allow to come to room temperature before baking)
    14. Preheat oven to 375. Brush the tops of each loaf with egg wash, sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake at 375 for 28-32 minutes or until a golden brown.

    Coconut Brioche

    Orecchiette Pasta with Pale Ale Parmesan Cream Sauce

    Orecchiette Pasta with Pale Ale Parmesan Cream Sauce

    I would venture a guess, that of all the industries in the world, the best people gravitate towards the world of craft beer. These are guys who are more than willing to take a pay cut to make sure the beer they make for you has the best ingredients. These are people who gladly work around the clock, if that’s what will make a better product. Craft brewers never start their journey with, "You know how I can get rich…" the conversation starts with, "I want to make some good beer, and I want to share it with people."

    Orecchiette Pasta with Pale Ale Parmesan Cream Sauce (Hanger 24 Brewery)

    Craft beer people want to do well by you, by their beer, and by their community. Most often, thoughts of their own prosperity rates a distant third. No one embodies this more than those guys at Hangar 24. This is a newer brewery out of Redlands, California, about an hours drive east of Los Angeles. Hangar 24 isn’t even 5 years old, and is producing beer that has a bit of an old soul quality. It’s not a brewery that plays lemming to the craft beer trends, or seeks to out beer-snob other breweries, these are brewers that just want to make great beer. Beer that stand the test of time and showcases the local ingredients.

    Orecchiette Pasta with Pale Ale Parmesan Cream Sauce (Hangar 24 Brewery)

    I was a guest on the Beerisode of the Table Set last week, the podcast beginning with a beer field trip to Hanger, complete with a tour and a tasting. Although I got rather excited about the bourbon barrel aged stout that is currently in the works for release in the fall, the beer I was able to work with today was the Amarillo Pale Ale. This is a great example of a pale ale, hop forward, but still very well-balanced and the Amarillo hops making a star appearance. Hangar 24 is brilliantly expanding, in a responsible and thoughtful way, making it easier for more and more people to enjoy these fantastic beer. If you find yourself somewhere west of Palm Springs, but still east of Los Angles, stop in for a pint, you won’t regret it.

    Orecchiette Pasta with Pale Ale Parmesan Cream Sauce (Hangar 24 brewery)

    After indulging in a sampling of every beer Hangar 24 has to offer, I went back to the Table Set Studios, and I got to give my two cents on their beer episode. If you get a chance, the podcast is free, give it a listen, we had a great time.

    Orecchiette Pasta with Pale Ale Parmesan Cream Sauce

    Orecchiette Pasta with Pale Ale Parmesan Cream Sauce

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 tbs butter
    • 2 cloves garlic minced
    • 1 cup pale ale
    • 1 cup cream
    • 1 tbs lemon juice
    • ½ cup parmesan
    • ½ tsp pepper
    • ½ salt
    • pinch cayenne
    • ½ cup English peas
    • 3 cups Orecchiette Pasta
    • 1 cup water

    Instructions
     

    • In a pot over medium high heat, melt the butter. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
    • Add the beer, cream and lemon juice; reduce heat to maintain a simmer. About a tablespoon at a time, add the Parmesan, stirring until melted before adding more.
    • Add the dry pasta, water and peas, simmer, stirring frequently, until pasta is al dente and the sauce has thickened, about 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

    Notes

    To make this recipe using fresh, not dried, pasta, omit the water.

    Orecchiette Pasta with Pale Ale Parmesan Cream Sauce

    Current Obsessions

    Lovely Things:

    • Naked 2 Palate.  I’ve had this since November, it was a birthday present from my awesome sister, and I haven’t strayed from it. It’s perfect. Unlike those other palates that have three great colors, two OK colors and about 5 what the heck where they thinking? colors, these are all winners (seriously, I’ve used everyone). It’s pricey but worth it.
    naked 2 eyeshadows
    • Iwatani Kitchen Torch. This thing will take your eyebrows off. It’s insanely powerful for something so small. I use to have this one, which cost more and had half the power. It also broke after just a year (there is a chance I’m really clumsy and that may have been that cause of said breakage). Unlike the other one, the Iwantani feels and acts like a pro tool, it means business. You do have to buy their propane canisters but those are fairly cheap. You also just attach the torch to the canister, which I massively prefer, rather than struggle to fill the torch with propane.

    Iwatani Kitchen Torch

    • Quick Defense. This stuff works. I’m like a canary in a coal mine, I’m always the first to drop. If something is going around, I always get it. For the past two winters, I’ve taken this stuff if I even hear of anyone (anywhere) getting a cold, and I’ve been sickness free for two years! I now buy this in bulk. (p.s. I totally should have told you about this before flu season, don’t hate me)

    Quick-Defense

    • This crazy indestructible GIR spatula. I got an email from the GIR PR representative asking if I wanted one. I almost always say no to these emails, but I was intrigued. I’ve had this thing for 4 months and I’ve made caramel, marinara, homemade ketchup and nothing has stained or stuck to my light blue version of this spatula. I’ve also accidently left it on a live burner, and it didn’t melt or even discolor (as mentioned before, I’m clumsy. I’m also really hard on all of my belongings, I break everything, I’m like a toddler). It still looks factory new. If they made wine glasses, I’d buy a case. Speaking of which, I broke another one last night (I suck).

    GIR Ultimate Spatula

    • Picture Porefect. More pores are huge. You could hide Ann Frank in my pores (gross). I’ve tried so many products to reduce the hideousness of my manholes (I mean pores) and nothing has made one bit of difference. I even bought this stuff in a small .3 ounce trial size because I was so skeptical about it’s magical powers (also, the name is ridiculous), but I am now fully convinced and have upgraded to the full sized version. After three weeks my pores look noticeably smaller, like actually normal people sized pores.

    porefect

    • Shishito Peppers! My favorite right now. If you can find these at at farmers market or a japanese market, grab them. Just toss them in a hot skillet with a few tbs sesame oil until they blister, put them on a plate and sprinkle them with some flakey sea salt. SO great. Perfect appetizer or afternoon snack. Even better than potato chips, and so much healthier.

    Shishito-Peppers-3