Attempting the French Macaron in Texas

I woke up this morning and got the idea in my head that its been too long since I made some macarons. Zac has also been bugging me about making them for a few weeks now so I decided that making some today would be a good idea (especially since he just took a test this morning).

I LOVE the the macaron recipe that I got from the Orson Gygi class we took back in April, but since it was adapted for high altitudes I made my own adjustments for this recipe in hot, humid, flat Texas. As luck would have it has been raining ALL day. So I was really scared the humidity would severely interfere with the texture and critical step of forming a skin on the macarons. And it did. Instead of my usual 15-20 rest period to wait for the skins to form before baking, I waited about 3 hours and got desperate so used my hair dryer to dry them out...and it worked! I spent about 30 seconds on each macaron and the end result...skins!!

Despite the success of the skins, somehow the macaron deities were not on my side today and they cracked. Of the thirty shells that I piped, only 1 stayed relatively smooth on top and began to show the beginnings of feet. So sad. Thankfully they tasted pretty close, and my very understanding and non-picky husband was kind enough to still be very happy that he came home to macarons even if they were the unsightly sort.

On a brighter note, the raspberry cream that I used to fill them with was divine and Zac admitted his favorite part of the macaron was the filling anyway...This was a little disheartening to me because the raspberry buttercream did ot take nearly as much effort as the macarons but as long as he's happy, I am too.

I guess I am back to square one and will be working on a macaron recipe that will be successful in humid weather.

Cooling and cracked

The lone macaron that had the beginnings of feet

Highlights from Mediterranean Cruise....Four Months Later

Somehow my energy level went from about a ten to a two in the last few weeks (which may have something to do with carrying around a 16 inch baby all day) and so I am finally getting this post up. There is just SO much to write about that I spent oodles of time thinking about how I wanted to go about sharing all of it and eventually decided I couldn't just choose to blog about my favorite dishes. It just wouldn't do justice to the many eating and tasting experiences we had. So I decided to briefly share the things I learned and loved from all the places we visited. I usually have too much to say about things food related so in case my definition of brief doesn't match yours, just look take a look at the pictures. I think they pretty much deliver the message that the food was awesome and we had a blast eating all of it. 

Sorento and Pompeii, Italy

Somehow I missed the "please do not touch sign" but how could anyone resist! 

My cheese and tomato pizza that was literally made in minutes

•  Never in my life had I seen a city and people that loved all things lemon as Sorento. The lemons were literally the size of cantaloupes and baskets and baskets of lemons lined the busy streets.
• Their lemon covered almonds were so creamy and delicious. I was in heaven. 
• Pizzas do not come with all the toppings we are used to in America. My choices were literally tomato, cheese, or tomato and garlic. However, as I had hoped for and expected, they used the freshest ingredients and everything tasted amazing. 

Mykonos, Greece

• I think all cities in the states need to grow more produce locally and have vegetable and fruit stands like the ones in Mykonos.
• Really good olive oil made everything on our plates taste even better.
• I had the grilled calamari that our waiter had caught fresh that morning from the beach we spent most of the day lounging at. 
• I am so sad I didn't get a picture of it but the grilled haloumi cheese with tomatoes was so good. It was my first time trying haloumi cheese and it was very crisp on the outside but then a bit gooey on the inside. Definitely a sharp cheese a lot like the texture of feta.
• The Souvlaki (on the left) that Zac ordered was doused in an oregano marinade that truly made it a "joy from the mountain."
• My first time having french fries cut flat a smart alternative, I think, from the matchstick cuts. 
• Zac and his dad also scarfed down a bowl of mussels that I regret to have not taken a picture of quickly enough! They were so sweet, and fresh. The tarragon and white wine combo for the sauce is one that I will not forget!

Athens, Greece

  

•  A gyro done right. The meat (chicken I believe) was so tender, moist, and well flavored. 
• The greek salad's of ordered before were nothing like this. The vegetables were so fresh and I am not usually an olive fan but these were so salty and briny that I loved them. The best part of this salad was the feta. I thought it was so genius that they placed a giant slice of it on top of the salad so that you could just cut away at it and include a piece of salty, creamy, tangy goodness with every bite. SO good.
• Athens reminded me a lot of New York City with its shopping centers, underground trains, tall buildings and small food vendors parked on street corners. It was super busy too and was a huge metropolis in comparison to the smaller towns we had visited in Greece.

Princess Cruise Ship Dinner

• While we frequented the the buffets in between meals and during lunches we usually opted for the sit-down meals for dinner. They cuisine usually highlighted ingredients that were local to the places we had visited for the day so it was always a nice continuation of our daytime food adventures. 
• We Also quickly learned that while we loved the exotic foods nothing hit home quite well as having chocolate milkshakes, New York thin crust style pepperoni pizza, cheeseburgers, and chocolate chip cookies. We found the open bars on the ship that had all of these goodies and visited almost every day. 
• Our waiter seemed to really like feeding us and often brought extra entrees for Zac and his Dad and we were able to try almost everything on the menus each day. In this case, small portions were great and made it totally enjoyable to continue eating. 
• The menu's changed everyday but the dessert menu usually stayed the same with exception of a few that were only available on some days. The souffles which cam in passion fruit, orange and vanilla, were by far our collective favorite. They were so good that I've been wanting to make some at home ever since the trip!

Dubrovnik, Croatia

 

 

• We quickly learned that ice, and drink refills were not customary at the places we were visiting. Their soft drink bottles were also smaller, and tasted a little different from what we were used to. I loved the Fanta orange sodas though. They tasted like freshly squeezed valencia oranges mixed with agave-sweetened carbonated water, heavenly with the mussels.
•  At the center of the walled city was a farmers market. Fresh fruit, especially strawberries, were lined in clear baskets on long tables. It was beautiful! They weren't the strawberries on steroids we often see in grocery stores in the states too. I had a taste of a few and they were so sweet and juicy.

Perhaps the quintessential Italian treat, the gelato--though these were from the Dubrovnik

Venice, Italy

 

Cute little piggie shaped salamis

 

• I was told the best pizza would be in Naples, but my favorite pizza was from a small shop in Venice. The crust appeared to be thick but it was so airy and light and crisp on the bottom. 
• Venice was full of clothing and leather shops but I spent my time in all of the spice shops and found great deals on vanilla beans, red chili flakes, and a spaghetti spice blend.
• On our last night in Venice we had dinner at a hotel restaurant where I was determined to eat  spaghetti in a Bolognese sauce. It wasn't on the menu but I wanted it so I asked the waiter for it and he first looked at me very confused. I guess in Italy meat sauces do not go with spaghetti but rather with pastas like a ziti or rigatoni since Italians match their sauce with the type of pasta that can best hold up to it. He reluctantly complied with my request and brought me what I ordered. The meat was extremely lean and gamey, which was quite different from what I am used to but whenever I make pasta now I think about that night and try make my pasta match my sauce --like the Italians do. I guess spaghetti in meat sauce is a very American thing and almost unheard of in authentic italian cuisine.
• Pepperoni in Italy is 100 times better than any packaged Hormel or whatever other brands of pepperoni we usually find in the grocery store. This stuff was the perfect balance of spicy, sweet, cured pork. It was also thickly cut. We ordered a second pizza after having our first just for the pepperoni. 

Santorini, Greece

•  These banana chocolate crepes were so yummy. We went pie crazy and also had a spinach pie, a traditional milk pie that looked like it was enveloped in a golden haystack, and a tomato and feta pie. All of these were wrapped in filo dough.
• I saw bags and bags of dried herbs, garlic chips, onion skins, peppers, and dehydrated mushrooms, and pastas. All spice sections in American grocery stores need to offer a selection like this! I think it was change all of our lives for the better. An impulse cook's dream come true for sure.

Cesme, Turkey

• Zac ordered the chicken pot with peppers and tomatoes. It was quite possibly one of my very favorite things I tried throughout the trip. The smoked paprika was so comforting and warm.
• Eating here has made me want to serve all my meals on wooden boards and mini wok like pans.
• The addition of blanched slivered almonds to rice was also an idea I took from this meal.

By the end of our trip, I think it was safe to say I had enough food adventures to inspire meals and meals to last us forever! The food in the Mediterranean was as fresh, local, and full of flavor. Unfortunately, by the time we got back to Utah I was beginning to experience some early pregnancy symptoms that put some of my ideas to rest for a time, but now (four months and a move to Texas later) I am finally feeling settled and familiar with markets in our town so I will be using some of those ideas in our future meals.

Happy Thursday!

New Look and my Horchata Recipe

So one of my big projects before Baby Z gets here is get this blog updated and looking a little more interesting. I have a ways to go before I will get it where I want it to be but I am excited to get the editing and designing process going :) Everything will probably look half done or unfinished for the next little while but hopefully things will be looking new and shnazzy in a few weeks.

Unfortunately our AC went out this week so it's been warmer than usual in our apartment. Thank goodness the summer is winding down and fall is on the way! Having a warmer apartment also means I am trying my best not to turn the oven on or keep the stove on past 15 minutes, which means we have been eating a lot of sandwiches, microwave friendly meals, and lots of horchata. I started getting addicted to horchata when Zac made it clear that he needed it along side any mexican themed meal. After combining a few recipes, adding my own twists this is the recipe we have fallen in love with. It is a little time intensive, but the reward at the end is well worth the patience.

Recipe

Ingredients
3/4 cup of long grain white rice
1/4 cup rice flour
2 cups of water (boiling)
2 cinnamon sticks

2 cups cold water
1 14oz. can evaporated milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla (mexican would be nice)
Ice

Equipment
Whisk
Blender
Sieve or Cheesecloth

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Remove off the heat, and whisk in 1/4 cup of rice flour. Add the cinnamon sticks and let it rest for 30 minutes. Transfer mixture to a blender. Add the 3/4 of rice. Cover and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours/overnight.

After the resting period, (remove the cinnamon sticks if you want a smoother drink), add to the blender the cold water, evaporated milk, sugar, and vanilla.

Blend until smooth. This will probably take 3-4 minutes.

Strain the horchata through a sieve or cheesecloth. You can strain it multiple times if you want a smoother drink.

Serve over ice.

Family Bread and Really Good Barbecue Pulled Chicken

I'm not much of a baker...which is very obvious once you try some of the baking recipes I've tried to make "my own." Measuring just doesn't sit very well with me. Which is why I love this bread recipe. My aunts in Houston make this bread all the time and use a live sweet sourdough bread yeast starter that they shared with my mom who in turn shared some with me. I gave it a try this Sunday and eyeballed most of the measurements and they came out soooooo good. Of the six mini loaves I made there is only one left! Zac got me these mini loaf pans for an anniversary gift so I have been itching to use them. They were awesome. I honestly think the breads cooked so evenly because of the mini-loaf design. Somehow his gifts never disappoint :)

After rising for what felt like ages ( 2 sets of 8 hours)

 Fresh out of the oven...There are three plain and three cinnamon swirl which were absolutely divine with a spread of cream cheese frosting

Sliced and getting ready to be toasted (stove top) with some butter for my pulled bbq chicken which was also definitely a keeper. Zac doesn't normally really like how my bread attempts turn out but he was very pleased which made me very happy. 

These are so deceivingly yummy. They are so small and the bread so soft that you go through about half a dozen sandwiches before realizing you ate three times then you should have.

The bread starter will be fed in another 5 days so I will make some bread again and experiment with adding some rye flour then. It could be a disaster or genius so I'm hoping it's the latter.

My Barbecue Pulled Chicken For 2 people

Because I like the extra flavor you get from the bones of split chicken breasts they are my preferred cut of chicken in almost all cases.

1 split chicken breast, bone on and THAWED completely then patted dry*** super crucial.

2 Tablespoons light brown sugar

1 Tablespoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup chicken broth 

3 pats of butter

Combine dry ingredients and rub generously on chicken...do not miss any crevices! Add stock to crock pot. Place chicken in crock pot (we have a mini one that works wonders for two people crock pot meals...I am all about feeding the masses but sometimes dealing with tons of crock pot leftovers gets tiring and not to mention a pain to clean up). Top with butter. Allow to cook until meat is tender and easy to shred. This usually takes about two hours in my mini crock pot.

In a separate bowl combine 1/3 cup of your favorite Barbecue sauce (I just use Kraft Original) and 1 tablespoon GREY POUPON dijon mustard. No substitute here unless you want to deprive your self of a memorable experience. 

Shred chicken and discard the skin and bone. Allow juices to continue bubbling on high in crock pot so it can reduce while you prep the chicken. If you have a ton of juices keep the lid off to speed up reducing. 

Coat chicken in barbecue/mustard mixture. Dump it back into the crock pot and mix. Allow to simmer on high for another half hour. 

Eat with ample amounts of butter-toasted bread. (Rhodes rolls or potato rolls work really well too).

I can't have these without a cucumber and dill salad. But any favorite cold, coleslaw-y, and crunchy salad works really well with these.

Reunion Follow Up

I definitely learned that the secret to successful meals for large groups is SIMPLIFICATION. With just Zac and myself to feed on a regular basis I have the luxury to get a little complicated here and there because the portions are small and easier to handle. While I had big plans set for SPI meals I got so caught up in wanting to spend time with family and not being in a hot kitchen that most of my meal plans got simplified which really helped reduce the stress and pressure of cooking for my family. We also had to do some last minute menu changes so I only ended making dinner Saturday night, Sunday breakfast and some of lunch on Sunday and a few side dishes here and there throughout the week. Over all the food everyone made was amazing and we really enjoyed the local seafood and fresh red fishes my brother and dad caught on our last night.

Saturday - Thai Salad and Vietnamese Style Pork Chops
So thrilled that we found lemongrass for the pork chop marinade, but I just wish it had more time to marinade...and thank goodness my uncle was so kind to do the grilling for me because it was SO hot!
I really liked the salad too. It was adapted from Trisha Yearwoods's recipe

 

Sunday Lunch- My aunt made my grandma's traditional chinese Lumpia (fresh spring rolls) which takes hours on end to make and it was so good. Felt like Christmas. I just made pizzas for the kids 

Potato and Bacon with smoked Gouda and Rosemary and of course, Pepperoni.

This is the processional for my grandmother's Lumpia...lots of crushed peanuts & sugar, cilantro, fresh lettuce, sweet sauce, and the special mix of veggies, chicken, and shrimp.

Some friends of my grandmother from Corpus Christi dropped off some crabs and Snappers
We grilled the fish and cooked the crabs in garlic and butter and then a coconut and scallion sauce....So good.


 Taco salads with all the fixings

My moms ribs...they were fall off the bone delish

Just one of the two HUGE fish my brother and dad caught...they came just at the right time because we were actually out of food...if you can imagine my family ever out of food.

My moms everything cookies...really good, and "healthy"

Calamari on Joshua's Birthday night...he LOVES anything seafood...and expensive.

We had tons of other food (especially blue bell ice cream) throughout the vacation too and I wish I had taken pictures!!! By the time I came home I had gained 4 pounds...yikes! Which is why things have been pretty low key at home lately. 

25 weeks!! I can't imagine my belly getting any bigger...but the baby is supposed to grow still...by 400% how?!?! I have no more room!