So, In Teri’s internet world, THIS video has been circulating. On twitter, and on facebook non stop. Its weird. Its a two headed cat. I dunno. I dunno what else to say. Other than this Grown-Up Lemonade we have is awesome. Its easy, and yummy, and best of all its adult. That just makes everything better. So I hope you have lots of fun this weekend and sauce it up with this pink lemonade. Yay.
♥ Teri
Grown Up Pink Lemonade
Makes 1 quart
Ingredients:
2 ½ cups good quality vodka
1 (quart size) packet pink lemonade Crystal Light
2 (12 ounce) cans diet cherry 7UP
1 (12 ounce) can light beer
lots of ice
garnish
lemon wedges (from 3 lemons)
1. Pour the vodka and Crystal light into a large pitcher.
2. Fill the pitcher ½ way with ice.
3. Pour the remaining ingredients into the pitcher and stir.
4. Serve cold with lemon wedges.
September 30, 2011 · Happy Hour · 36 comments · PRINT
Fried chick peas. This is something that I didn’t even realize existed till I had them recently. It was totally a surprise. Like when I learned young Disney stars were not that innocent. Only this was a good unexpected surprise. They are basically delicious little fried morsels (I hate that word, couldn’t think of a better one). The good thing is, they are beans, which is kinda healthy right? I also heard somewhere ( I think it was Perez Hilton’s fit site (BIG JK)) that curry prevents joint swelling. So there you go. Kinda healthy fried thing. Boom.
♥ Teri
Curry Fried Chick Peas
Makes 2 ½ cups
Ingredients:
2 15 ounce cans garbanzo beans, drained
¼ cup cornstarch
3 tablespoons curry powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 ½ teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
2 quarts of peanut oil for frying
Directions:
1. Preheat oil to 375°F.
2. Place the garbanzo beans onto a sheet pan lined with paper towels and cover with paper towels to dry.
3. Once as much liquid is removed from the beans, toss them in the cornstarch and set aside. Allow them to sit for about 10 minutes.
4. Place the remaining ingredients into a mixing bowl and toss together until fully combined.
5. Once the oil is hot drop about a third of the garbanzo beans into the oil and stir around to ensure they don’t stick to one another.
6. Fry the beans for 5 to 8 minutes or until light and crisp.
7. Drain onto paper towels for a minute before tossing them in the curry mixture.
8. Shake off the access curry mixture and set the coated beans onto a clean sheet pan. Season with salt and pepper.
9. Repeat with the remaining beans (in two more batches) and season with salt and pepper. Serve warm.
** If you don’t feel like fried foods a good alternative is to roast them:(omit the cornstarch) Preheat your oven to 375°F. Pour the dried chick peas into a large mixing bowl and toss together with 2 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and the spice mixture. Spread the mixture onto a sheet pan, in a single layer and roast for 20-30 minutes, stirring around every 10 minutes, or until desired texture is achieved (you’re looking for a crisp outside with a creamy inside).
September 28, 2011 · Everyday Recipes · 23 comments · PRINT
If french fries and onion rings ever got married and had a baby, I think it would be something like this…a potato ring. You have a light and crispy outer coating with a soft potato and caramelized onion center…why? Because we can I guess, who knows…but it’s kind of fun, right?! My boyfriend and his friends have this thing where every super bowl they have a “Deep-Fry Fest” where, well they deep fry everything; so if you’re anything like my boyfriend you now have another “Deep Fry Fest” recipe to use! Two things I can’t stress enough is: 1) the importance of having the potatoes completely coated; no holes please, or the mashed potatoes will pour out of the holes once they hit the oil. 2) the importance of the rings being frozen solid before entering the oil…it just helps with the frying, that’s all. Finally, since ranch is pretty much good with anything it only seemed natural to pair these savory, fried treats with a quick and easy homemade ranch sauce. Enjoy!
xx Jenny
Potato Rings with Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dipping Sauce
Makes 32-40
Ingredients:
3 large russet potatoes, cleaned peeled and chopped into large pieces
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
¼ cup unsalted butter (½ stick), softened
½ cup caramelized yellow onions, chopped
3 tablespoons chives, thinly sliced
2/3 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup rice flour
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
2 eggs, lightly beaten
salt and pepper to taste
2 quarts vegetable oil
buttermilk ranch sauce:
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
¼ cup low-fat buttermilk
1 ½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, minced
1 tablespoon chives, thinly sliced
1 teaspoons dill, minced
½ teaspoon dry mustard
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Place the potatoes in a large pot and fill with water.
2. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat and cook until the potatoes are fork tender, a20-25 minutes.
3. Drain the potatoes into a colander and pour back into the pot.
4. Pour the cream and butter over the potatoes and mash with a potato masher until smooth (Add more cream 1 tablespoon at a time, if needed).
5. Fold in the caramelized onions and chives until fully incorporated. Season with salt and pepper and stir.
6. Spread the mixture onto a sheet pan, about ½ inch thick and place in the refrigerator until the mixture has cooled down and hardened, 4-6 hours.
7. While the potato mixture cools place both flours, garlic powder, onion powder and smoked paprika into a shallow dish and stir together until fully combined. Set aside.
8. When the potato mixture has cooled, remove from the refrigerator and using 1-1 ½ inch circle cutters, cut out as many circles as possible (usually makes about 32-40).
9. Using a ½ inch circle cutter, cut out a ½ inch circle from every 1-1½ circle, creating a small donut shape.
10. Dip the potato rings into the flour mixture followed by the egg mixture and finally again in the flour mixture (make sure the rings are completely coated).
11. Place the coated rings onto a clean sheet pan, lined with parchment paper and place in the freezer and allow the rings to freeze completely, 4-6 hours.
12. Once the potato rings are frozen, preheat the oil, in a large pot, to 375°F.
13. While the oil heats up, place the ingredients for the dipping sauce into a mixing bowl and whisk together. Season with salt and pepper.
14. When the oil is hot, carefully drop a few of the rings into the oil and fry for 4-6 minutes or until golden brown.
15. Drain onto a large plate lined with paper towels and season with salt with pepper.
16. Repeat with the remaining potato rings and serve immediately with the dipping sauce.
September 26, 2011 · Party Food · 209 comments · PRINT
Remember how we made blackberry jam about a month ago? Well I still have a ton of it. I love making jam and eating it, but I always find that I always make more than I know what to do with. These super “semi-homemadeish” pastries are a great way to use up all the homemade jam you might have laying around from the summer. If you’re feeling ambitious you can make your own cinnamon rolls from scratch. I wasn’t feeling so ambitious so I bought some; I’m usually not a fan of the canned cinnamon roll dough, but I kind of like them with sweet berry jam swirled in them. I’m not going to lie, the cinnamon rolls can get a bit messy when unrolling, stuffing, and re-rolling, but it’s so easy it’s worth it. You can totally skip the homemade icing and use the stuff that comes with the cans, but I just prefer to make my own because it takes two minutes and tastes much better, me thinks. Enjoy and have a great weekend!
xx Jenny
Jam Straws
Makes 16
Ingredients:
2 sheets puff pastry, thawed
1/2 cup homemade blackberry jam
1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Place one of the sheets of puff pastry onto a cutting board.
3. Spread a thin layer of jam over the entire surface and top with the remaining sheet of puff pastry.
4. Gently press down on the surface to seal the sheets together.
5. Using a pizza cutter or large knife cut 16 strips.
6. Twist each puff pastry strip and place it onto a baking sheet lined with parchment.
7. Line the baking sheet, leaving about 1/2 inch – 1 inch gap between each strip.
8. Bake for about 15-17 minutes or until the strips puff up and begin to brown.
Blackberry Jam Stuffed Cinnamon Rolls
Makes 16
Ingredients:
2 cans refrigerated cinnamon roll dough
½ cup homemade blackberry jam
vanilla icing:
2 cups powder sugar, sifted
¼ to ½ cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Open a can of cinnamon rolls and unroll the entire sheet.
3, Spread ¼ cup of jam onto the surface and gently roll the cinnamon rolls back up.
4. Separate each roll and place into a muffin tin, lightly sprayed with cooking spray.
5. Repeat with the remaining can until all the cinnamon rolls have been used (you’ll need a second muffin tin).
6. Place the cinnamon rolls in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.
7. While the cinnamon rolls bake, place the ingredients for the icing into a bowl and stir with a fork (whisking will cause air bubbles), until completely combined.
8. Remove the cinnamon rolls from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
9. Drizzle the icing over each cinnamon roll and serve.
September 23, 2011 · Everyday Recipes · 20 comments · PRINT
All I can think of is THIS song. Awwwwwwww yea. Anyway, flavored ice cubes. These are great little things for your delicious sparkling water, ginger ale, or regular water. They are obviously super easy to make, and beautiful. Perfect for summer patio drinks. Its a great way to use up some berries before they might go bad.
♥ Teri
Flavored Ice Cubes
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients:
blackberry flavored:
1 cup sugar
2 cups water
1 cup blackberries
kiwi-strawberry:
2 kiwis, peeled and diced
6 strawberries, cleaned, hulled and diced
¼ cup blueberries
1 ½ cups kiwi-strawberry sparkling water
Directions:
1. For the blackberry ice cubes: Pour the sugar and water into a small pot, stir and simmer over medium heat until the sugar dissolves.
2. Remove from heat, add blackberries and muddle together.
3. Allow the mixture to cool completely.
4. Pour the mixture into an ice tray and freeze for at least 4 hours before serving.
5. For the kiwi-strawberry ice cubes:
6. Toss the kiwi, strawberries and blueberries in a small bowl until well combined.
7. Place a small spoonful of mixed fruit into each ice cube hole.
8. Fill the fruit filled ice cube trays with the flavored sparkling water and place in the freezer.
9. Freeze for at least 4 hours before serving.
September 21, 2011 · Happy Hour · 41 comments · PRINT
So remember how I’ve told you guys before that I don’t have much of a sweet tooth? Well, it’s true. I’ll choose scrambled eggs and bacon over a pastry or muffin any day, I’d rather indulge on a cheese plate than a sweet treat after dinner, and it would never cross my mind to grab something like a handful of cookies when I want to refuel …..just a handful of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and I’m good, thankyouverymuch! Jordan (my boyfriend) on the other hand is the exact opposite. If we’re at home, by the time our dinner dishes land in the sink his head is in the freezer to see if we have ice cream or he has car keys in hand, ready for a fro-yo date….him and the frozen yogurt, that is. While he’s a lover of all sweets, his favorite is definitely ice cream……with whipped cream……and caramel sauce….with maybe an Oreo or two crumbled on top…yea, he takes dessert time pretty seriously.
I like to think that this ice cream is the perfect dessert for a couple trying to satisfy both a sweet and a salt tooth. Salted caramel is something I’m actually kind of into and in ice cream form it’s kind of amazing. Why candied bacon?….why not?…right?! Sweet and salty combos are awesome and this one in particular is like died and gone to heaven awesome :) I stuck it in between graham crackers for the photo above, but it’s just as good on it’s own….or sandwiched between Ritz crackers…no really, it is! Try it!
xx Jenny
Salted Caramel and Candied Bacon Ice Cream
Makes 1 quart
Ingredients:
candied bacon:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 lb bacon, cooked and roughly crumbled/chopped
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
ice cream base:
2 1/3 cups heavy cream
1¼ cups whole milk
5 egg yolks
¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups sugar
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
¾ cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons sea salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 recipe ice cream base
Directions:
1. Place the butter in a medium sauté pan, over medium heat and melt.
2. Add the bacon and stir.
3. Sprinkle both sugars over the bacon and continuously stir until the sugar melts, about 5 to 7 minutes.
4. In a single layer, pour the bacon onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and set aside to cool.
5. For the ice cream base: Pour cream and milk into a saucepan and bring up to a scale (medium heat).
6. Place the egg yolks and sugar into a stand mixer and whip until light yellow and fluffy.
7. Pour ½ cup of the scaling cream mixture into the yolk mixture and whisk to prevent scrambling.
8. Pour the yolk mixture into the saucepan with the remaining cream and milk, whisking to prevent scrambling.
9. Turn the heat down to medium-low and stir continuously until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, 8 to 10 minutes.
10. Stir in the vanilla extract and strain through a fine sieve.
11. Pour the mixture into a bowl and place over an ice bath and set side until fully chilled.
12. Once the ice cream base has completely chilled, make the salted caramel.
13. For the salted caramel: Place the sugar, water and karo syrup into a saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Do not stir.
14. Once the sugar melts and becomes an amber color, 10-15 minutes, remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the cream (be careful, the mixture will bubble up).
15. Stir the sea salt and vanilla into the caramel and stir until smooth.
16. Pour the mixture into a bowl and place over a water bath until completely chilled.
17. Stir the chilled ice cream base and salted caramel together, into a large bowl until completely combined.
18. Set up the ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions and freeze the ice cream.
19. 10 minutes before the ice cream is ready, pour the candied bacon into the churning ice cream.
20. Once the ice cream has reached the desired consistency serve or place into an airtight container until ready to use.
September 19, 2011 · Everyday Recipes · 30 comments · PRINT
This is a recipe where figs, goat cheese, and caramelized onions totally fall in love with each other while tucked into a flaky puff pastry shell. Yea. So I like to imagine eating this love tart while starting into my significant others eyes on the couch while watching Star Wars. But, thats just me. For you, (and me), your significant other could be a computer, or a cat, or a real life human being. Maybe you’re watching Dateline NBC, or a 6 hour black and white silent documentary. Either way, this tart is still awesome sauce.
♥ Teri
Fig Tart with Caramelized Red Onions
Makes 1 tart
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ red onion, thinly sliced
1 ½ teaspoons light brown sugar
4 ounces goat cheese, softened
1 orange, zested
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed and cut into a 9”x 6” rectangle
5-6 figs, stems removed and sliced
2 teaspoons thyme, minced
salt and pepper to taste
1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Melt butter in a medium sauté pan, over medium heat.
3. Add the sliced onions to the pan and sauté for about 5 minutes.
4. Stir the sugar into the onions and bring the heat down to medium-low. Season with salt and pepper and stir.
5. Allow the onions to slowly caramelize in the pan for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. While the onions caramelize, fold the goat cheese and orange zest together in a small bowl until fully combined.
7. Spread an even layer of the goat cheese mixture over the puff pastry, leaving a ½ inch border.
8. Layer the sliced figs and caramelized onions over the goat cheese mixture and top with thyme. Lightly season with salt and pepper.
9. Carefully transfer the puff pastry onto a baking sheet lined with parchment.
10. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the edges of the tart are golden brown.
11. Allow the tart to cool, about 5 minutes. Cut into pieces and serve.
September 16, 2011 · Seasonal Market Recipes · 37 comments · PRINT
Figs are one of my favorite foods ever. I think I like them so much because fig season is incredibly short and they’re nearly impossible to find fresh out of season. So when they are in season I go a little crazy and eat them almost everyday! One of my favorite things to do with figs (besides just standing in front of the fridge, stuffing my face with them) is the recipe above. It’s super easy and so freakin’ good! Some people aren’t fans of bleu cheese….that’s okay, I forgive you…if that’s the case I recommend switching it out for a White Stilton (specifically the lemon peel flavored one…so good!). Another thing you might be thinking is, “NOOOO! Jenny, how dare you chop up precious Marconas!” I know, I know, shame on me. I like chopping them in this instance because I like the little bits of crunch you get here and there while eating these lovely little bundles of sweet, sweet love….See? I totally get a little insane when it comes to figs. Still not buying my chopping up the Marcona almonds?No problem! After the figs come out of the oven, instead of chopping them, just keep them whole and stuff them right into the figs, just like the cheese 
Enjoy!
xx Jenny
Bleu Cheese Stuffed Figs
Makes 16
Ingredients:
16 black missing figs, cleaned and stems removed
4 ounces bleu cheese
2 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced and gently torn into 16 strips
¼ cup marcona almonds, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons honey
white pepper to taste
1. Preheat the broiler on low.
2. Using a small knife, score the tops of each fig with an “X”, about ½ inch deep.
3. Stuff each fig with a small chunk of bleu cheese.
4. Neatly wrap each fig with a piece of prosciutto. Season with white pepper.
5. Place the dressed figs onto an ovenproof plate or shallow baking dish and broil for about 3-5 minutes, just until the bleu cheese begins to melt and the prosciutto starts to crisp up.
6. Remove the figs from the oven and allow to cool, about 5 minutes.
7. Drizzle honey over the figs and finish with a sprinkle of almonds. Serve.
September 14, 2011 · Seasonal Market Recipes · 18 comments · PRINT
You know how some people have signature dance celebratory moves? Mine is kinda of a jazz hands fish mouth type swaying movement. Hugh Grant’s is a hip thrust. Some peoples are first pumps in the air, and some people have a simple one finger wiggle dance. I bring this up because I totally did my dance when I ate this sandwich. Its that good. Whats better, is that its simple. Its a type of recipe to get your mind going with all the wonderful simple things you can do with figs. So get on it and make something and do a little dance.
♥ Teri
Open Faced Fig Sandwich
Makes 6
Ingredients:
honey mustard:
4 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
3 tablespoons light mayonnaise
2 tablespoons nonfat Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons honey
salt and pepper to taste
6 slices walnut-raisin bread or olive bread
9 ounces dry peppered salami, thinly sliced
6 ounces capicola, thinly sliced
6 ounces soppressata, thinly sliced
½ lb black mission figs, stems removed and sliced
honey for drizzling
1. Place all the ingredients for the honey mustard in a bowl and whisk together until fully combined. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Spread about 2 tablespoons of the honey mustard onto each slice of bread.
3. Layer 1 ½ ounces of salami onto each sandwich, followed by 1 ounce of capicola and soppressata.
4. Top each sandwich with some sliced figs and drizzle with honey. Serve.
September 12, 2011 · Seasonal Market Recipes · 18 comments · PRINT
Do all of you out there love dogs just as much as I do? Some people say I have a problematic obsession with my dog, Dexter, while I see no problem whatsoever, he’s just my special little baby pie and I love him so much (insert baby voice here). My boyfriend and I adopted our little darling last Labor Day while out enjoying a day off with some friends. We noticed a dog adoption going on in the distance so we walked over, saw Dexter, and that was that. Well for my boyfriend, at least. He was the one who fell instantly in love with this mild mannered mutt who chose to sit on his lap rather than run around and stretch out his legs like the other potential adoptees. Anyways, the rest is pretty much history and now we spend a good amount of our free time catering to our special little guy we love so very much. One of the extra special things I like to do for Dexter is make him healthy, homemade dog treats. I also cook him homemade meals…but that’s a whole other story! This particular recipe is a dog biscuit recipe made with real bacon and bacon fat. Although the amounts are small, I would still recommend limiting small dogs to 1 bacon stick a day and medium/large dogs to about 2-2 1/2. Dexter is a little picky when it comes to his snacks and is usually not a fan of dry biscuits, but he loves these and can’t seem to get enough….it’s the bacon, obvi! I hope your loved ones enjoy this as much as mine does! Doggies/pets are just the best….just the absolute best…love ‘em…okay sorry, I’m done!
xx Jenny
Bacon “Bark” Sticks
Makes 24
Ingredients:
1 egg
1 ¼ cups fat free milk
1 tablespoon honey
4 tablespoons bacon fat
¼ cup bacon, crumbled
3 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a large bowl whisk together the egg, milk, honey, bacon fat, and bacon.
3. Stir the flour in, ½ cup at a time until full incorporated.
4. Knead the dough until fully combined.
5. Roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface into a 4” by 12” rectangle.
6. Using a pizza cutter, cut out 4” by ½” sticks until all the dough has been used.
7. Line the sticks on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 30 to 35 minutes.
8. Cool completely before serving.
9. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
September 9, 2011 · Pet Treats · 43 comments · PRINT
