Sprizee :: A simple girl replete with complications

Broccoli Salad Algebra

Yesterday I made a salad that called for 4 slices of bacon. But I was juggling a bunch of other things at the time like keeping Hen from totally losing it just because I stepped into the kitchen for one millisecond to make sure the bacon wasn't burning. And then I burned the bacon.

So I cooked 4 more slices because I wasn't about to put burnt bacon in a salad I had just spent 20 minutes prepping. But then as I was waiting for the new slices of bacon to cook, I ate the burnt bacon, because, you know, it may have been burnt but it was still bacon.

When the new bacon was done I tossed that in the finished salad bowl and devoured the whole thing for dinner. Did I mention that it was 9 o'clock by then? And that is how I found myself at the end of a very long day having eaten 8 slices of bacon. Oops. 

Salad:
1 head broccoli cut up
4 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
1/2 cup raisins

Dressing:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 tbsp cider vinegar (or whatever you have on hand)
1 tbsp honey
1/4 cup salted and roasted sunflower seeds

Mix up the dressing and toss in the rest of the ingredients. Don't burn the bacon or you'll end up eating twice as much. 

Good Day for a Picnic

I'm in a cookbook club. DId I mention that? It's awesome. We pick a book and get together every couple of months. It's basically a giant potluck guaranteed to happen 6 times a year. And we always end up with tons of leftovers.

It's great to know so many smart, creative people who enjoy food just as much as me.

Anyways, I'm blowing the dust off this space to share this recipe from our most recent meetup. Since I made it for our picnic a few weeks back I've already made it several more times. Quick, satisifying and great on a hot summer day.

Sesame Noodle Salad adapted from A Good Day for a Picnic

8 oz. asian wheat noodles (or thin spagetti)
1 Tablespoon raw sesame seeds (or just skip since most of these end up at the bottom of the bowl)
1/4 cup toasted sesame oil (when I doubled this recipe I cut the oil down to 1/2 cup)
1 Tablespoon minced fresh ginger (mincing is for folks w/too much time, I just micro-grated mine)
3 Tablespoons teriyaki sauce
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 Tablespoons lime juice (or if you're like me the juice of a single lime w/out measuring)
2 teaspoons chill-garlic sauce
1 small cucumber peeled and seeded and cut into half circles
Salt to taste

Boil the noodles according to directions. Rinse and drain w/cold water to prevent from sticking together.

Toast the sesame seeds over a medium low heat until they have just started to brown. 5-10 minutes. Reserve the seeds.

In the same skillet, heat the sesame oli over medium heat. When the oil is hot add the ginger and garlic and saute for 15 seconds. Then add all the liquid ingredicents. Bring to simmer and simmer for 1 minute.

Toss the noodles w/the sauce. Add seeds and top with cucumbers.

Can be served at room temp or cold.

Keeps for 2 days.

P.S. We don't always get it right. Once we cooked from Cookin' with Coolio. Things happen.

If I knew you were coming, I'd have baked a cake.

Almond Butter Cake!, originally uploaded by sprizee.

I baked this Almond Bundt Cake for a friend's art studio open house in Georgetown last Saturday night. Then on Sunday I came to the conclusion, for various reasons*, I should try living without sugar and flour in my diet for a while. Let's say a week**

But looking at this photo makes me want to run into the kitchen and swear off my plans to eat healthier. MUST. RESIST. There's still half a cake left. I think I'll bring it to the office tomorrow. Yep, that's the kind of a coworker I am. One that fattens up her fellow office pals to save herself. 

At any rate, figuring out what to eat that doesn't involve flour or sugar has been sort of challenging. This is what I've come up with so far. If you have additional suggestions, I'm all ears. Actually eyes, mostly, and a drooling mouth that dreams about carbs.

• Kale sauteed in oil olive with lemon, salt and pepper
• Pasta sauce (no pasta) 
• Roasted Broccoli (425 for 20 minutes in the oven! So easy!)
• Brussel sprouts roasted with bacon
• Salad with steak
• Salad with tuna
• Salad with chicken
• [The password is salad]
• Cheese
• Chili with avocado
• Fajitas (no rice, no tortillas, no chips)

*Allergies. Itchiness. Did I mention allergies?
**I was going to do it for longer but hello? THANKSGIVING.

Chocolate Dimension.

Flourless chocolate cake., originally uploaded by sprizee.

7 oz. bittersweet chocolate melted
7 oz. butter
4 eggs
1 cup sugar

Melt chocolate over indirect heat.  Add butter slowly and mix together.  Set aside.  Seperate the whites and yolks.  Mix the yokes with half the sugar.  Beat the whites until they're soft peak and slowly add the remaining sugar.  Mix chocolate with yokes.  Slowly fold in whites.  Bake at 350 for 40 minutes in a spring form pan prepared with butter.

The berry compote is super easy too, and fantastic on ice cream.   I didn't have any brandy so I substituted with Amaretto.  I also didn't have any corn starch so I just used flour instead (after doubling the amount).  Worked just as well.  Oh, and I wasn't about to run to the grocery store to pick up a fresh lemon so I left out the zest too.  Still good without it.  I'm telling you, this recipe is difficult to mess up.  Just make it already.

Best Mac N Cheese EVER.

This recipe is super awesome because you can either eat it straight out of the pot, all ooey gooey, or you can bake it in the oven for a delicious crunchy top.

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk (warm it up in the microwave 1 minute)
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded cheese (I use Beecher's Flagship!)
8 oz. pasta (I prefer penne or cavatappi)

Cook and drain pasta.  Melt butter over low heat, gradually add flour, whisking until smooth. Keep whisking and cook 1 minute. Increase heat to medium and gradually add milk. Cook until it's bubbly.  Keep whisking. Add salt (or use salted butter and save a step) and cheese.  Whisk until cheese melts.

At this point, you can add the pasta directly to the saucepan and eat it. If you have time, make it extra delicious by baking it. Put in a pan (I use a 8x8 but a 11x7 would work too) and cover with bread crumbs.  (I use Japanese panko...you can find them in the Asian section of the grocery store.)  Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.  Yum, yum, yummy!

JD Blondies

1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch salt
1 cup + 1 tablespoon flour
1/4 cup whiskey (or Amaretto)
3/4 cup walnuts chopped
1/2 cup butterscotch chips
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Mix in a bowl in order of ingredients.  Bake in a 8 x 8 greased pan for 20-25 minutes (or until middle sets) at 350.  Cool before cutting.

I should write lists more often.

Catch Dr. Strangelove at the SIFF Cinema.  Check.

Demo bathroom shower door. Ewww.  Check.

Plant plants. Check.

Stuff face with homemade mac n cheese.  Yummy!  Check.

Cherry Chocolate Oatmeal Toffee Yum!

I didn't watch the Superbowl this weekend. I had more important things to do.  Like bake cookies. And make Valentines.

Mama's little baby loves butter, flour.

Sunday night The Dude and I baked because it is the holidays and the holidays are all about daily activities to celebrate the season.  The recipe we selected was selected because we had all the ingredients.  And, also, the idea of leaving the house Sunday night didn't sound very appealing what with us being so lazy, shut-in and all.

Shortbread

1 1/4 C. flour
3 T. sugar
1/2 C. butter

We mixed it together, threw it in the oven at 325 and hoped for the best.  As it turns out the shortbread came out flaky delicious.  But, here's the thing.  The Dude hasn't touched the stuff.  Which means when I inhale the last of the shortbread later today I will have sucessfully consumed an entire stick of butter in the under a week all by myself.  Apparently, this is how I'm training for my 5k.

Spamosity

For those of you that use gmail on a regular basis, you know that text ads appear and sync up with whatever text is alreadly displaying on your screen.  So yesturday, I was in my SPAM folder deleting everything because that folder is always filled with crap when I noticed the following:

Spam Fajitas - Serves 8, add extra salsa if desired

Way to go Google.  Proof that taking things literally doesn't always work out for the best.  Don't tell me you would not have clicked the link.  It's impossible to resist the call of curiosity.