This time of the year I never really know what to drink.  It is still pretty hot here in Texas but you can feel Fall on the edge of each breeze, so it is time to start switching out my pantry to fall finds.  I know, I know it is still early and I’m not in the mood just yet for cider infused drinks and if I look at another margarita I will puke.  Sooooo, what do you drink?  I usually just stick to red wine during this transition of the seasons but sometimes I want a cocktail.  The basil I’m growing in my back yard has turned into a tree and I have been cutting off limbs to give to people because I have so much of it.  I love Basil anytime of the year and felt that maybe a cocktail that was a little more savory than sweet might be perfect for the cold front we are experiencing.  (when I say cold front I mean 92 degrees)  So I dashed out to my back yard to experiment with the absorbent amount of basil I have in my garden.  This is what I came up with!

Makes 1 drink:

3 basil leaves

juice of half a lemon

1/4 cup of crushed watermelon

1 oz vodka

2 oz tonic water

crushed ice

In a tumbler muddle together the lemon, crushed up watermelon, and basil.  Muddling helps to release the basil flavor with out getting tiny pieces of basil in your drinks.  I like to muddle the lemon with the basil to blend their flavors really well.  Add the vodka and tonic water to the tumbler with a few cubes of ice.  Shake the drink well and then strain over crushed iced ice in a glass.  Garnish with a small basil leaf.

Most of my family gathered a few weekends ago to say goodbye to my brother before he went back to college.  I had been itching to try this recipe and thought a night with family might be a good excuse for chocolate cake…not that chocolate cakes needs an excuse.

I called my mom to chat before we drove over to my parents’ house.  I was all, “what are you up to, mom?”  And she said, “baking a cake for tonight.”  Doh.  “Really….what kind?”  “Chocolate!”  Yep, we both made chocolate cakes on the same day for the same 8 people to eat.  I knew right away that I was in trouble.  My mom has never been known for healthy cooking, so if she was making a chocolate cake it was gonna be damn good!  Who would want to eat my psuedo healthy cake when they could have a slab of hers?  Plus, when we got there I noticed she had covered the chocolate cake in a layer of “Little Fudge.”  This stuff is legendary in my house.  My mom will not tell us how to make it, and we used to beg her for it as kids (and adults).  Anything covered in Little Fudge is going to be the bomb!

After dinner we all took a sliver of each cake and dove in to dessert.  Imagine my surprise when everyone told me how much they enjoyed my cake.  Oh, and my family is not one of those “let’s all be nice” kinda families.  We are sarcastic and honest.  If the cake wasn’t good, they would have let me know!  I couldn’t get over how moist and flavorful the cake was.  It did look lonely since it wasn’t topped with little fudge, so I think next time I’ll serve it with whipped cream, but I was impressed with the cake on its own.  I will definitely be making this one again.

Chocolate Espresso Spelt Cake
Adapted from Gourment, October 2005

1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened, plus additional for pan
3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder plus additional for dusting pan and cake
1 cup boiling-hot water
1 1/2 tablespoons instant-espresso powder
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups Medjool dates (10 to 12), pitted and coarsely chopped
2 cups spelt flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup amber agave nectar
2 large eggs

Place oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Using cooking spray or butter, coat a springform pan, then lightly dust with cocoa powder, knocking out excess.

In a medium bowl, stir together boiling water, espresso powder, vanilla, and baking soda.  Add dates and mash lightly with a fork.  Steep until liquid cools to room temperature, about 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk together spelt flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.  Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and agave nectar together until smooth, 3-5 minutes.  Add eggs in one at a time, and continue mixing on medium-speed until just combined.  Add in date mixture and reduce speed to low.  Add flour mixture and continue mixing until just combined.

Pour batter into greased springform pan and smooth top.  Bake for 50 minutes to one hour, or until a wooden pick or skewer inserted into center comes out clean.  Cool cake in pan on a rack for 5 minutes, then remove side of pan and cool cake on a rack.  Serve cake warm or at room temperature.  Cake slices may be topped with whipped cream or a dusting of powdered sugar for a little sweetness.  Serves 8-12.

 Michael and I started a new workout video last night that is supposed to be totally awesome and life changing.  So when I got home I put on my new cute workout outfit to get ready for the life changing workout.  You all know what I’m talking about here because you totally do it too.  Before I start a new workout routine I have to go out and buy a new workout outfit or shoes or a sports bottle.  Just something pretty that is going to make me feel skinny and give me a renewed sense of wanting to sweat.  I usually put on this said outfit about an hour before I actually start to work out just to pump myself up about how awesome I look and that I don’t even need to work out because I look so hot in my cute new outfit holding my super cute new sports bottle.  Sometimes this goes on so long that I decide it is too late to work out and I’m totally starving and can’t work out while I’m starving but I also can’t work out when I’m full so I need to just eat dinner and I will just start tomorrow.  You have totally done this – I see through you!

This feeling of “look at how cute I am in my new little “outfit” lasted for a whole 3 minutes because by the 4th minute of my video my heart nearly exploded out of my chest.  I know I haven’t been working out a lot lately, or you know, at all but seriously I thought I was going to throw up about 4 minutes into this video.  The jumping and the running and the jumping and the push ups and the jumping had my head spinning.  When this torture was finally over  (a whole 30 minutes later)  I was on my back huffing and puffing trying not to black out.  The sad thing is that I actually only did 15 minutes of working out because with this video you do one thing for a solid minute and then you rest for a solid minute.  People – I only worked out for 15 minutes….  How is it that I feel like I might die.  Only 3 short months ago I ran a half marathon and didn’t stop running the whole time.  How did this happen?!!  I’m starting to think that chocolate chip/peanut butter cookie I had for an afternoon snack was so not worth it.  I’m pretty sure I didn’t even burn it off….

I promise I have a point with all of this and the point is food!  I have decided (for like the 20th time in my life) that I’m going to get back to cooking healthy.  I’m making a serious effort to cook with really good ingredients and I’m going to actually pay attention to my portion sizes.  So be prepared for my next few posts to be on the healthier side of things.  Let’s see how long I can keep this up!!  I also plan to invent new food labels that I’m going to force the government to add to products from now on.  These labels are going to have workouts instead of calories on the back.  If that stupid cookie had said run: 3.5 miles per serving instead of calories: 375 per serving I would never eat a cookie again.  Hello!  Genius!

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat couscous

3 chicken breasts

the juice of one whole lemon

pepper to taste

1 tbs olive oil

1 cucumber cut into small cubes

1 cup Arugula

2 cups of your favorite lettuce

2 roma tomatoes

1/4 cup feta cheese

Dressing

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/8 tsp paprika

6 tbs olive oil

juice of 1 large lemon

2 tsp minced garlic

1/3 cup chopped basil

1/3 cup diced red onion

1/3 cup white wine

Clean and marinate the chicken in the juice of one lemon and some pepper.  The chicken only needs to sit for about 30 minutes so make sure you start marinating the chicken first.  By the time your are done prepping everything else the chicken should be ready to go.  Heat 1 tbs of olive oil in a large skillet and cook the chicken thoroughly.  Allow the chicken to cool to the touch and then chop into bite sized pieces and place them in a large bowl.  Chop the tomatoes, and the cucumber, shred the arugula and mixed greens and add them to the same bowl.  Add the feta cheese and then begin to cook the couscous.  Follow the package directions for 1 cup of couscous.  I always use chicken stock instead of water because it helps with the flavor but this is up to you.  When the couscous is finished cooking allow it to cool fully before adding it to the bowl.  If you add it to quickly it will wilt the lettuce.

Dressing:

Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk well. Pour the dressing over the salad and mix to combine.

I have a confession to make.  I hate eggs.  Don’t get me wrong, I love them in say a chocolate cake, but cooked alone or in some sort of casserole, they make my stomach turn.  I’ve never been able to eat them and I really don’t know why.  I’m not sure if it’s the smell or the texture or what, but I just can’t do it.  It’s actually annoying because breakfast and brunch foods are all about the eggs.  So when we make a big breakfast at home or hit a cafe in the morning I’m all about the pancakes! 

I love making pancakes from scratch.  You will never find a box mix in my house.  Wow, I guess that makes me a pancake snob.  That’s pretty dorky, but whatever…my pancakes rock!  I sometimes fill them with blueberries, pecans or oatmeal, but lately I’ve been looking for a whole grain-based pancake.  These definitely fit the bill.  How they can feel hearty and light at the same time is pretty mind-blowing.  Plus, they are filled with flaxseed which is good for your heart, lowers cholesterol, and is chocked full of fiber.  And as Emily has dubbed me, I am the fiber girl!  

   

Maple, Hazelnut & Flaxseed Pancakes
Adapted from Bon Apetit, January 2004

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup flaxseed meal (ground flaxseeds)
1/4 cup finely ground hazelnuts
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup raw maple syrup
1 large egg

In a medium bowl, whisk flour, flaxseed meal, hazelnuts, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  In another bowl, whisk milk, yogurt, maple syrup, and egg together.  Add milk mixture to dry ingredients and whisk until incorporated.

Brush or spray a large nonstick skillet lightly with vegetable oil and heat over medium heat. Working in batches, add batter to skillet in 1/4 cup amounts.  When bubbles appear on surface of pancakes (after about 2 minutes) turn pancakes over and cook until golden brown.  Brush skillet lightly with vegetable oil as needed before cooking each batch.  Serve with additional maple syrup.  Yields 8-10.

If you missed the first two posts please click here and here for the decoration portion of this post.

So the party was a huge hit!  Everyone really seemed to have a good time and the last guest left around 3 am!  Crazy fun and totally worth all of the effort.  The food was tasty, the drinks were cold, and the guests were amazing!  This type of party is why I love to plan and cook and decorate the whole thing.  It just feels so good when it all comes together so well.  I will cut to the chase with this post because we just have too much to cover.

Green Chile Polenta with Mushrooms

I have made the polenta a million times and you can find the recipe here as well as the green chile sauce which you can find here.  I took the green chile sauce and the toasted almonds from the chicken and poured a small dollop on top of the polenta.   Natalie placed the almonds on top perfectly so these little guys looked super impressive.  This recipe is great because the green chile sauce and almonds can be made 2 days before and the polenta can be made the night before.  I would wait to make the mushrooms until the day of.

“Grown up Nachos”  or Tilapia Nachos

I added these the night before because I felt like I wasn’t going to have enough food and I’m really glad I did.  They were the favorite of the night.  Sugar and I ate them the whole next week.  These suckers are good!

4 Tilapia fillets

juice of 2 limes

40 – 50 large tortilla chips

2 cans black beans

3 tsp crushed garlic

3 tbs cilantro

1 tsp salt

3 shallots

olive oil for frying

flour for coating the shallots

Queso Fresco

raspberry poblano sauce (or any spicy sweet sauce you can find, Central Market has a ton of them)

I bought frozen Tilapia fillets and just followed the package direction for baking them.  Squeeze the lime juice over the thawed fillets before you bake them.  When they are finished allow them to cool to the touch and then shred them.  Set them aside.

Slice your shallots very finely and coat them in the flour.  Heat your olive oil to medium high heat.  Fry the shallots to crispy brown and set them aside.

Cook your can beans on the stove until they are hot and then transfer them to your blender.  Add in the garlic cilantro and salt and puree until nice and smooth.  Taste your beans to make sure they have enough salt.  Feel free to add more if they taste a bit bland, keeping in mind hat you are putting them on salty chips!

Preheat your oven to 350 and lay out as many chips as you can on a cookie sheet.  Smear a nice dollop of beans on the chips.  Do each chip individually so it is easy for your guests to pick each one up.  If you just make a giant pile of nachos it will look terrible and will be crazy messy.  Next place about a tablespoon of talapia on each chip topping them with all with the shredded queso fresco.  Bake them in the oven for about 8 minutes or until they are toasted.  While they are still hot top each one with the fried shallots and then sweep a little of the sauce on top.  These are soooo goood!

Endive and Spicy Potatoes

5-6 small red potatoes

2 tsp olive oil

2 shallots

1 tsp garlic

2 tsp chili flakes

1 tsp cumin

salt and pepper to taste

6 large endives

1 cup grated cotija cheese

Wash and dry the potatoes and chop them into small quarter inch pieces.  Heat a large pan with the olive oil.  When the oil is hot add the shallots.  Cook them until they are caramelized and then add the potatoes, chili flakes, cumin and some salt.  Cook for about 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through.  Make sure not to over cook them.  They should not be mushy!  While the potatoes are cooking wash the endive really well and separate the pieces.  Be sure to cut off the end or stem portion of the endive.  Fill the pieces with the potato mixture and grate the cojita cheese on top.  Serve at room temperature.  This recipe should make about 50 pieces.

White Bean Crostini

2 cans white beans (garbanzo beans) – drained

1 tbs garlic

3tbs cilantro

2 tsp chili powder

salt and pepper to taste

2 baguettes sliced about 1/2 thick

olive oil

1 bunch of arugula

1 cup grated cotija cheese

In a medium sauce pan combine the beans, garlic, cilantro and chili powder.  Cook the beans and then add the mixture to your mixer or blender.  Puree the mixture into a smooth paste.

Slice the baguette into 1/2″ thick pieces and lay them out on a pan.  Brush each piece with a little bit of olive oil.  Lightly toast them in the oven at 350 for about 8 minutes.  Pull out the toasted baguettes and spread the bean puree over each one.  Slice the arugula into thin strips and top each baguette.  Cover with the cotija and serve.

Chorizo Meatballs with Avocado Crema

3 lbs of good chorizo meat (Ask the butcher at your favorite grocery store what brand he recommends)

Roll the chorizo into bite sized balls and bake them in the oven at 350 for about 12-15 minutes.  Chorizo already had so many spices in it that you really don’t have to do anything else.  The avocado crema is a really great cool flavor with the spicy meat.

Click here for the Avocado Crema recipe.

I also made a giant 3 tier chocolate cake and every part of it was a disaster.  The recipe had me bake the cake portion for too long and it was over-cooked.  The icing never solidified and I ended up pouring it over the cake.  The icing was so runny that the top tier keep sliding off and landing on my counter top.  I had to take popsicle sticks and stick them through the cake tiers to make them stay.  I had icing on the ceiling ya’ll!  Sugar walked in the kitchen and all he could do was laugh because I was covered in chocolate icing.  The cake tasted pretty good but it was horribly unsuccessful!  I will not be posting the recipe.  I will admit that at 3 am when everyone was gone I took a giant fork to this cake straight from the cake stand.  It didn’t taste that bad but I’m still mad at it….

I made Trece Leches and it turned out really well.  I have made this recipe a million times so luckily it came out just as it was supposed to. )f course I didn’t get any photos of this either.  Whoops!  Click here for the recipe.

We also put together these great little take away gifts for everyone.  I ordered the tags from www.myownlabels.com and bought mini Hershey’s, Popsicle sticks, marshmallows and graham crackers.  S’mores are such a great summer time treat that I thought it would be cute to use them as take aways.  I stuck the marshmallows on the sticks to make sure the treats were ready to use.  My little tags say “here is to many S’MORE birthday’s to come”  get it, get it, hehe!