College Cuisine

Strawberries and cream with lady fingers… I made this...

Thu, 22 Apr 2010 02:27:00 -0700

lady fingers...

...then strawberries...

...add fresh whipped cream, and repeat!

top with strawberries, and there you go.

Strawberries and cream with lady fingers…

I made this trifle/parfait creation for the newsroom’s potluck last night. All ingredients were purchased at Kiva, an organic food store located downtown near the library. Nice selection of products, but I prefer Capella Market for their wide variety, lower prices and emphasis on local businesses. Interestingly, the people shopping in Kiva came from all different walks of life: busy college kid, aging hippie, new parent, etc. It’s nice that such differing people can coexist in our little town. :)

Here’s the recipe I used to make the whipped cream. At first, I dreaded the thought of whisking/whipping the cream by hand - I could already feel my forearm cramping up - but soon remembered that I had a powerful hand mixer that whipped the cream up in less than five minutes.

It’s just as easy to assemble the rest of this dish. You can layer however you like, but I thought it’d be good if the ladyfingers could soak up some strawberry flavor. I’d imagine that this would taste best after chilling in the fridge so that all the flavors could marry, but I didn’t wait before eating mine, so I wouldn’t know. :)

the amount of things I can shove in my backpack never ceases to amaze me. tonight: 23 orange &...

Wed, 14 Apr 2010 00:19:05 -0700

the amount of things I can shove in my backpack never ceases to amaze me. tonight: 23 orange & chocolate cupcakes for @UOclimateleague’s mtg

transporting an orange and yogurt bundt cake to campus in my backpack right now. you can’t see...

Tue, 06 Apr 2010 20:09:06 -0700

transporting an orange and yogurt bundt cake to campus in my backpack right now. you can’t see it, but I bet you can smell it. lol.

spinach and mushroom pizza with homemade alfredo sauce: ridiculously easy, cheap and delicious....

Sat, 03 Apr 2010 17:20:54 -0700

spinach and mushroom pizza with homemade alfredo sauce: ridiculously easy, cheap and delicious. http://yfrog.com/12wc1sj

day 3 of vegetarianism. all week I’ve had tofu for lunch - today it was pad kee mao at sweet...

Wed, 31 Mar 2010 16:36:30 -0700

day 3 of vegetarianism. all week I’ve had tofu for lunch - today it was pad kee mao at sweet basil in #eugene. http://yfrog.com/69wn4j

challah bread pudding

Sun, 21 Mar 2010 18:31:03 -0700

Jewish people are awesome. They’re friendly, funny, and stereotypically stingy, not unlike most Asians. Of course, they have great food. I love kugel and latkes, but mostly I love challah.

This sweet, soft bread is great for sandwiches and french toast, but it’s also amazing in bread pudding. I got this loaf from Barry’s Espresso & Bakery, a local campus eatery, and it was enough for two batches of bread pudding.

Normally you’d add raisins in the bread pudding, but because I don’t like them I decided to add dried cranberries instead. You could probably throw in any kind of dried fruit that you’d like, but I thought the cranberries and white chocolate went well together. Next time I make this, I think I’ll try white chocolate and raspberries together. :)

Here’s the recipe I used, which I found off of foodgawker. I love that site!

Crockpot Challah Bread Pudding with Cranberries and White Chocolate

4 cups challah bread, cut into 1” cubes

1/3 cup white chocolate chips

1/3 cup dried cranberries

2 1/4 cups milk (I used whole milk at first, but used fat-free milk the second time I made this and it was fine. You can use cream, too.)

2 eggs

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

dash of nutmeg, ginger or cloves (I used quite a bit of nutmeg because I don’t have ginger or cloves)

Coat inside of crockpot with non-stick spray. Cut up challah into 1” slices, then into 1” cubes. Put cubes, along with some of the cranberries and white chocolate chips, into the crockpot. Put aside a small amount of the cranberries and white chocolate chips.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and milk together. Next, add the brown sugar, salt, vanilla and nutmeg/ginger/cloves and mix together.

Add mixture to the crockpot. Squish down bread pieces so they are submerged in the liquid. Top with the remaining cranberries and white chocolate chips.

Cook in crockpot for 5-6 hours, or until the pudding is firm. Can be served immediately with ice cream, or reheated later.

* I also tried baking this in the oven. Combine the ingredients as directed above, but let sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Bake in a nonstick dish at 300 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until the pudding is set. I kind of liked it better this way because the pudding was a lot denser. YUM.

chicken and dumplings. it took forever to make, but was SO worth the effort. http://yfrog.com/izikrj

Sun, 21 Mar 2010 18:24:56 -0700

chicken and dumplings. it took forever to make, but was SO worth the effort. http://yfrog.com/izikrj

10 Foods for Healthy Hair | Healthy Eats

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 10:29:05 -0700

10 Foods for Healthy Hair | Healthy Eats:

I like how all the suggested foods are good for you in so many other ways, too. It helps to have virtually no reason not to eat healthily!

monster cookies that'd make Lady Gaga proud

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 10:00:00 -0700

“He ate my heart and then he ate my brain…” - Lady Gaga, “Monster”

Let’s face it: we’ve all had a bad romance…. maybe even a monstrous affair. These Lady Gaga-inspired cookies were for my friend Alvin’s (extremely belated) birthday. Because Alvin can appreciate both Gaga and delicious cookies, they seemed an appropriate present.

These cookies were not only tasty, but therapeutic to make. Here are the other ones I made for Alvin:

“promise I’ll be kind, but I won’t stop until that boy is mine…” - Lady Gaga, “Paparazzi”

“sweet surprise I could get used to…” - Britney Spears, “Unusual You” (Alvin’s also a HUGE Britney fan, and the lyric just came to mind…)

I lost the links to the recipes I used for the cookies and frosting, but you can look up recipes for basic sugar cookies and powdered sugar icing and I’m sure they’d work fine. I would suggest, though, to just buy pre-made icing instead of making your own. I made mine with food coloring, and it took FOREVER to mix and pipe onto the cookies… just ridiculous.

pulled pork sandwiches on homemade focaccia

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 22:42:00 -0700

There really isn’t an interesting story behind this creation. I bought two pork roasts at the store because they were on a BOGO sale one day. One was made into pulled pork sandwiches and chili ‘n cornbread pie. I froze the other for later use.

Pulled pork is the easiest thing to make when you have a slow cooker - it literally does all the work for you! I just threw the roast into the pot with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, Slap Ya Mama cajun seasoning, and a little dried parsley. Garlic and onion powders are easier to use than their fresh counterparts, which require peeling and chopping. After cooking on low for eight to nine hours, the roast literally fell apart. YUM.

The focaccia recipe I used came from foodgawker. I’ve been meaning to try it for some time, but I was scared to mess it up somehow. Even through the whole process I doubted myself, but the focaccia turned out surprisingly well. It kind of tasted like french bread… I don’t know if that’s how it’s supposed to taste, but that’s alright with me.

If you’ve ever considered baking your own bread but were scared to try, I highly recommend trying this recipe. The original post shows how easily it can be made, with the author adding that, once you try it, you won’t be able to stop! I agree: already I’m planning my next sandwich creations… :)

Rosemary Focaccia

1 pkg (about 2 ¼ teaspoons) active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
salt
sea salt
warm water
1 tsp dried rosemary
2 tbsp olive oil, plus more for greasing

Dissolve the yeast and sugar in ½ cup of water about the temperature of a hot jacuzzi. Let stand until foamy, about 5-10 minutes.

In a large bowl, mix the flour and ½ tsp salt. Add the yeast mixture and stir to combine. Gradually add water, a tablespoon at a time, until dough is moistened enough to pull together and form a ball. In the same bowl, knead dough for about one minute, until smooth.

Remove dough, and oil the same bowl with some olive oil. Put the ball of dough back into the bowl, turn to coat, and then cover with a damp cloth. Let rise in a warm place until doubled, about ½ hour.

Preheat oven to 245 degrees C or 470 F.

Punch down the dough and knead briefly. Press into an 8 x 12” baking pan (no need to grease it). Keep in mind that the focaccia won’t rise much, so don’t press it much thinner than you want the final product to be. Let it rise for 5 minutes or so until it is about the height you want.

Mix the rosemary with the olive oil and brush it over the top of the bread. Sprinkle with sea salt. Bake for about 10 minutes (it should sound hollow when you tap the top), or a little longer if you want it to be a bit crustier. Cut into squares and serve.

homemade focaccia, to be used for cajun pulled pork sandwiches in the near future. first time making...

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 20:39:19 -0700

homemade focaccia, to be used for cajun pulled pork sandwiches in the near future. first time making bread! http://yfrog.com/jvekij

Whole Wheat Muffin, the Remix | The Minimalist

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 10:15:00 -0700

Whole Wheat Muffin, the Remix | The Minimalist:

Speaking of make-ahead breakfast ideas, I found a great article about whole wheat muffins from Mark Bittman’s Minimalist column in the New York Times. I love this column because it shows how simple ingredients can combine to make a fantastic meal.

I made some whole wheat banana walnut muffins a while ago - those were good, but they could’ve been better. I’m thinking about trying to make them again for a grab ‘n go breakfast. This article has a lot of great tips that’ll help to ensure better muffins the second time around.

Make-Ahead Breakfast Recipes | Busy Cooks at About.com

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 10:00:00 -0700

Make-Ahead Breakfast Recipes | Busy Cooks at About.com:

One of the biggest problems with my eating habits is that I don’t make time for breakfast in the morning. I don’t feel hungry while I’m getting ready for work, but by the time I get to campus I’m starving. Usually I’ll buy a bagel and cream cheese, but that’s neither filling nor healthy (although I get whole-wheat bagels, so those are kind of good).

I love all the tips and recipes included in this link, and look forward to trying them next term when I make my meal plans. Hopefully it’ll be easier to eat breakfast if I make these things in advance, so I can just grab them and go. The ones I want to try are the Southwest Crockpot Breakfast, Apple and Date Oatmeal and the Make-Ahead Muffin Mix.

.@dailyemerald’s readers’ choice 2010: espresso roma. RT @eugene360 Looking for the best...

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 11:11:25 -0800

.@dailyemerald’s readers’ choice 2010: espresso roma. RT @eugene360 Looking for the best coffee in #Eugene… I hear it’s out there.

Free printable meal planner & grocery list | The Project Girl

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 23:07:26 -0800

Free printable meal planner & grocery list | The Project Girl:

The other day, my Netvibes RSS feed for Cheap Healthy Good delivered me an interesting post about weekly meal planners and grocery lists.

I’ve been thinking lately about going vegetarian during spring term, but I know I’d have to plan my meals in advance to avoid straying from the meat-free path.

I like these downloadable forms that allow you to plan your meals while utilizing your ingredients. Not only are they simple and convenient to use, but, you know… they’re cute. :)

How to Salt Food | Serious Eats

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 21:25:27 -0800

How to Salt Food | Serious Eats:

Confession: I don’t know how to properly salt my food. Well, I know I’m supposed to season during every step of the cooking process, but I hardly ever do because I’m usually just throwing something together. I also have a serious fear of over-salting, but this article had some tips for that, too. Now to get some sea salt…

YUM! I gotta check this out :) RT @leahrosin http://twitpic.com/16st31 - Free cupcake today at...

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 13:20:58 -0800

YUM! I gotta check this out :) RT @leahrosin http://twitpic.com/16st31 - Free cupcake today at Divine Cupcake 1680 W. 11th #eugene

recipe request: loaded smashed potatoes

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 02:00:36 -0800

This one’s for you, Jeanne :)

I made these potatoes for Thanksgiving this year, but apparently I never blogged about them. It’s a shame, really, because they are AMAZING.

I prefer my mashed potatoes to be hearty, chunky and flavorful. This recipe is basically like a baked potato combined with its mashed cousin. Of course, this is easily customizable to your liking, so you can add as little or as much of each ingredient as you see necessary.

Here are my step-by-step instructions:

1. Boil baby red potatoes in water until fork-tender. Drain and set in large bowl.

2. Add salt, pepper, butter and milk, then mash with a fork or potato masher. Start out small, then add more to taste. More liquids = creamier texture, and vice versa. (If you want to be extra fancy, replace the milk with a couple splashes of buttermilk. YUM.)

At this point, you need to decide how chunky you want your potatoes. It’s kind of like those choose-your-adventure books: do you like them chunky? Then stop with the masher and stir in your remaining ingredients. If you like your potatoes on the smoother, creamier sider, then keep mashing.

3. The accoutrements: sour cream, bacon, chives. Again, add as much or as little as you like. I actually put the sour cream in at the same time as the butter, etc. I stirred some of the bacon and chives into the potatoes, then used a little leftover to garnish on top. That way, you get to taste everything in one bite. My mom had some shaved parmesan cheese on hand, so I put some of that in there. It was a good decision :)

Additional notes:

Bacon is kind of a serious thing to me, so I was glad Oscar Mayer’s center cut bacon was so tasty in this dish. Center cut basically means there’s less fat on the bacon, so it’s healthier and you still get the tasty, “good” part of the bacon.

I used fresh chives, but I bet dried would work just as well. I don’t really like to buy those little packages of fresh herbs they sell in grocery stores because they seem overpriced for little things like that, but fresh chives are SO good. I’m looking into growing some in the spring.

I made this weird-yet-killer Thanksgiving leftover sandwich the day after:

Essentially it’s a grilled cheese leftover sandwich, with turkey, mashed potatoes, bacon and american cheese on wheat bread. As the kids say these days, “DANK.”

picked up some organic pureed tomatoes from @marketofchoice to make chicken makhani aka...

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 19:52:46 -0800

picked up some organic pureed tomatoes from @marketofchoice to make chicken makhani aka ‘butter chicken’. clerk thought it sounded good :)

Cinnamon doughnut muffins: Noble Pig

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 08:44:56 -0800

Cinnamon doughnut muffins: Noble Pig:

My awesome friend and fellow foodie Chelsea passed on this delicious-looking recipe for cinnamon doughnut muffins. I’m currently looking for a good cupcake/muffin recipe to enter in Hartwick’s monthly baking contest, and these look like they could take first place.

I have until March 20 to come up with a winner, so if you have any foolproof recipes for cupcakes, please send them my way!