Recently I watched Jamie Oliver’s 2010 TED Talk, and I got fired up. Fired up in a good way. Jamie Oliver was talking about getting kids to eat healthy, especially at lunch time. He also spoke about how cooking, which used to be something everyone knew how to do, has started to become a lost art. He dumped out a wheelbarrow full of sugar to demonstrate the amount of sugar that gets eaten in a day. He showed photos of families struggling with morbid obesity. And he talked about how ketchup and french fries are classified as vegetables. It was upsetting and saddening, and generally I felt this is not ok. I got fired up. And I wanted to do something to hopefully make our food world just a tiny bit better. His talk combined a few things I love: cooking, teaching, and working with children. And in it, he reminded me of some of the reasons why I started my blog and wanted to learn to cook.

In my mid 20’s I knew how to cook about four things, which generally suited me fine. But when I started to think about my future, I realized if I ever had a family there was nothing I knew how to cook that could be a family favorite. Nothing that people would love and ask for. So I decided I’d teach myself how to cook, and that way I could feed myself, make healthy food, and make good tasting dishes that my future family would enjoy.

As my cooking skill has improved I’ve started to cook more difficult and random dishes, but Jamie Oliver’s talk reminded me of what I originally set out to do. I’d like to try and get back to that a little bit. There are two specific things that Jamie said that really stuck with me and here they are:

1. If one person teaches three people, then those people teach three more, then eventually everyone will know how to cook.
2. We need to set our children up with the tools to be successful.

So I’d like this blog to help out more with those two points. I want to recommit myself to make easy and beginner friendly recipes. Also, hopefully the recipes will be kid friendly too. I don’t have kids so that is harder for me to promise. In short, I am going to post at least two healthy beginner friendly recipes every month. That’s my promise. If it goes well, I hope to amp is up to one beginner recipe a week. The rest of the recipes will still be the crazy randomness inspired by life, travel, and what’s in my fridge.

I hope through those beginner recipe posts it will help people learn to cook new dishes that they can share with others and pass on. And I hope they will be tasty so that kids can be healthy and hit their day full and happy. My professional passion is to inspire kids to learn and see the world differently through experiences in museums. I figure, what can’t I transfer some of that passion and ambition to what I do with the blog? It’s a big dream for just a few recipe posts, but why not?!  It’s the least I can do. And besides, I think cooking is fun. 

Today’s recipe is good for lunch, for a snack, or even serve as an appetizer when you’re hosting a party. It’s inspired by those green juices I often buy at the store. You know the ones, that sort of look like green sludge but are made up of apples, mint, spinach, and other healthy stuff. I love those drinks and I wanted to see about packing those flavors into one meal. Although there are some scary ingredients in there for kids (almonds and spinach) I thought the inoffensive flavor of the cucumber paired with the sweetness of apples and honey would make it more palatable for kids. Plus, it’s boat shaped and that’s pretty awesome. The other difficult ingredient is curry powder. It’s not going to be spicy at all, but the curry does give it a little heat which nicely balances the sweetness. If kids don’t like it, you can easily leave it out or just save the dressing for the adults. If you don’t want to buy curry powder, don’t do it. You can substitute more pepper, or garlic, or chili powder to give it some kick in a different way.

Adapted from Martha Stewart

Messy level: Since most of this recipe calls for raw ingredients, there’s very little you have to do besides chop and mix. Warning though, eating this is a whole different story. When you take a bite of the cucumber some quinoa salad will fall out. Be sure you have a fork nearby to scoop up any fallen goodness.

Quinoa Salad in Cucumber Boats

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

35 mins

 

Serves: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• 4-6 cucumbers (depending on size)

Quinoa salad

• ½ cup white quinoa
• 1 cup water
• ¼ cup chopped raw whole almonds
• ¼ chopped mint
• ¼ cup chopped spinach
• 1 medium (or large) green apple, cored and chopped into bite size chunks

Dressing

• 1 teaspoon honey
• juice from 1 lemon
• ½ teaspoon curry powder
• ¼ teaspoon coarse salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. In a medium pot, combine the quinoa and water. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low. Let simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until the quiona is tender and the water is mostly absorbed.[Alternatively, you could follow the package instructions]
2. Drain any excess water from the quinoa
3. Once quinoa is cooked put it in a medium bowl and let cool while you prepare everything else.
4. If you haven't yet chopped the almonds, mint, spinach, and apple do it now while the quinoa cools.
5. Take 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and sprinkle it over the apples. This will help keep the apples from browning.
6. Mix the almonds, mint, spinach and apple into the quinoa.
7. Now for the dressing! In a small bowl mix together the honey, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, and curry powder.
8. Pour the dressing over the quiona salad. Alternatively, leave the dressing to the side so people can pour it on as they like.
9. For the cucumber boats, cut the cucumbers in half lengthwise. Using a spoon scoop out the seeds and discard them. Cut the cucumbers into about 3" long pieces. This makes them easier to hold, eat, and pack into a lunch box.
10. Spoon quinoa salad into the cavity of the cucumber boats. Fill as generously or as lightly as fits your taste.
11. Optional: If you want to make a cucumber mast, set aside ½ of a cucumber. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the cucumber lengthwise to make sails. Make as many sails as you have cucumber boats. Using the tip of a sharp knife, make one small horizontal cut on both of the short ends of your cucumber sail. These are just small slits that will allow the mast to stick through. With the remaining cucumber, cut fat matchsticks. These need to be sturdy enough that if you hold them with your thumb and forefinger at the base, the rest will stand up fairly straight and not bend over. Bend a cucumber sail into a "U" and push the mast through the slits you cut. The finished product should look something like the letter "D." Now, in the bottom of your cucumber boats use a knife or a chop stick to stab a hole through the boat. The hole should be big enough to fit the mast you just made. Stick the base of your cucumber mast into the hole in the bottom of your boat. Now you have a cucumber boat! Fill with quinoa!

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Friends, it’s my birthday on Sunday. It’s not just any birthday it’s a big one. It’s my thirtieth! So in celebration of my birthday this week’s two recipes will highlight some of my favorite flavors with one sweet and one savory recipe. Today we’re starting with the sweet – a recipe for strawberry lemon tarts.

Lemon tarts are my absolute favorite dessert and I’m still searching for my perfect tart. I love the combination of sweet and tart and I like that it feels light but is still sort of silky and decadent. Although I’m sometimes swayed by intense chocolate concoctions, when I go out I try to order lemon tarts because I find it so satisfying for my sweet tooth. And since I don’t have the perfect recipe for lemon tarts or a go-to bakery where I can buy some, I never get tired of eating them. Constantly seeking the epitome of deliciousness has its benefits. 

But lemon tarts alone aren’t enough to be my birthday celebration food – I had to add strawberries. Strawberries are my absolute favorite fruit and I could eat a whole bowl full in one sitting. In fact, I have eaten a whole bowl by myself but often times I feel guilty for not sharing. I love strawberries because they are a symbol of summer and hot sunny weather (and my birthday is the first day of summer so it feels in perfect alignment). Sure, you can get strawberries throughout the year but off-peak strawberries are all looks and no substance. Summer time strawberries on the other hand are sweet, juicy, and bursting with flavor.

So, when you make this recipe make sure you have some extra strawberries for snacking. You know you’re going to want to eat a few.

Adapted from Macaroni and Cheesecake

Messy level: I find the preparation for this fairly messy because there’s a lot of cutting, juicing, blending and food processing that you have to do. But, when it comes to assembly it’s straightforward and mess-free.

Strawberry Lemon Tarts

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

40 mins

Total time

55 mins

 

Ingredients

Crust:

• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup/113 grams unsalted butter, softened
• 1½ cups all purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Filling:

• ½ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 3-4 lemons)
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
• 1½ cup strawberries
• 1½ cups granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• ¼ cup all purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Confectioner’s sugar for dusting

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C degrees.
2. Line a 9 x 13 pan with aluminum foil. Grease the foil with butter or cooking spray.
3. Start with the crust. In a large bowl using an electric mixer cream together the butter and sugar.
4. Add the flour and salt to the butter mixture. Mix until it looks like crumbs.
5. Press the crumbly mixture into the prepared pan.
6. Bake for about 15-18 minutes, or until lightly golden on the edges.
7. Remove from the oven and set aside.
8. Now for the filling. Put the strawberries and lemon juice in a blender. Blend until smooth (or as smooth as your blender can get it)
9. Either in the blender, or in a bowl with an electric mixer, add the lemon zest, sugar, an eggs to the strawberry puree. Blend until smooth.
10. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt to the strawberry mix. Mix until completely smooth.
11. Pour the filling over top of the crust once.
12. Bake for approximately 25 minutes, or until the filling is set with just a bit of a jiggle.
13. Remove from oven and let cool completely.
14. Dust lightly with confectioner’s sugar.
15. Cut and serve. Store extra in the refrigerator.

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I’m going to say something that will hurt my credibility with children everywhere. Here it is: I like broccoli. In fact, it’s my favorite vegetable. My go-to preparation for broccoli is to season it with Old Bay or garlic powder and then to steam it. But, if I’m honest that gets a bit boring sometimes so I have to find new ways to eat my vegetables. And that’s the thing, I like vegetables and I know I have to eat my vegetables, but I don’t always know how to do it in an exciting way that will make me want to eat my vegetables. That’s why I’m always doing green smoothies or baking it in to something. 

I know people do all kinds of cool things with vegetables, and make them the centerpiece of their meal, and thereby they eat less meat, and as a result those people are friendlier to the environment. I want to be that kind of person all the time, but I’m not that person all the time. Sometimes I don’t have much in the fridge or cupboards and I’ve had a long day at work and I’ve been dreaming of a heaping bowl of pasta and so when I get out of the tube and pop over to the Sainsbury local I buy pasta, sauce, and a single veggie as an afterthought.

So how do you make that afterthought become something glorious that shines on its own? By roasting it. I think all vegetables taste better roasted, and roasted broccoli is no exception. This recipe is adapted from the Amateur Gourmet‘s recipe “the best broccoli of your life.” The first time I made it I didn’t tell Ryan that it was supposed to be mind blowingly good because I wanted to see what he would say. And he tried it, and then said that it was incredibly good.

Roasted broccoli is delicious because the florets get a little soft and the flavor gets rich and caramelized. Even better, some little bits get crispy and dark and that crunch is so tasty. And finally, you can season your broccoli and really let that flavor settle in, in a way that’s not possible when you sprinkle a bit of salt after cooking.

Here is the best endorsement I can give this recipe: I find this broccoli so good, I eat it like popcorn. Meaning, if the broccoli finished first while I’m making dinner, I’ll pick up a piece with my hands, pop it in my mouth, and eat it while I finish cooking. If there’s some leftover and I’m doing dishes and haven’t cleared everything, I’ll snack on it some more. I’ll eat this broccoli alone, without an accompanying main dish. Broccoli that you snack on and can’t get enough is an amazing thing.

A few notes on ingredients… it seems like a lot of olive oil and it kind of is. But you want the broccoli to be nice and coated otherwise it will come out too dark and burnt and will taste like charcoal (and that’s not what you want). Second, I highly recommend using coarse sea salt instead of regular table salt. I think the granulated sea salt gives a nice crunch and a fresh flavor to the broccoli. If you can’t be bothered, just use a little less table salt and it should be fine. And finally, sometimes I like to sprinkle a little Parmesan at the end – it’s nice but I think it’s valuable to learn to love vegetables without cheese, which is why I didn’t include it in the recipe below. Is that blasphemous to say? If so, I’m sorry.

Adapted from Amateur Gourmet.

Messy level: Very easy to make and without a lot of dishes or clean up. I love this because you basically prep it and put it in the oven and forget about it until it’s done. It’s exactly the kind of easy, mess-free side you need for weekday dinners.

Roasted Broccoli

 

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Ingredients

• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus a little more if needed
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon chili flakes
• lemon wedge
• lemon zest, optional

Instructions

1. Heat your oven to 425°F/220°C.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. [Note: a rimmed baking sheet is nice in case you go crazy with the olive oil, but it's not necessary]
3. In a medium bowl stir together the broccoli, olive oil, garlic, salt, and chili flakes. Stir so that everything is well coated.
4. Spread the broccoli mix on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with more olive oil if you're feeling so inclined.
5. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes, or until the edges are browned and everything is fork tender.
6. Remove from the oven and squeeze the wedge of lemon so juice gets all over everything. Optional: sprinkle a little lemon zest over the broccoli if you want a little more lemony flavor.
7. Serve warm and devour.

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Guys, it’s been a big week for me. At work I’ve been training to do a show called Flash! Bang! Wallop! It’s a show where I do experiments, light things on fire, and teach about explosions. Training has been really fun, but learning it all and then gearing up to perform for children has been pretty tiring. And then this weekend, Ryan and I are off to Paris which is awesome, and exciting and keeping me busy. But possibly the biggest thing going on is Star Wars day on Monday. Yeah, May the Fourth be with you. 

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love Star Wars. I became to Star Wars dork in my mid-twenties and all because of Ryan. He had gotten a Christmas bonus from work and he decided to buy me the video game Lego Star Wars for my Wii. I was skeptical I would like it, but then I played and I was hooked. I rented all the movies and now my flat is filled with Star Wars trinkets. I have two aprons, an R2D2 spatula, Legos, and my friends even threw me a Star Wars themed bridal shower. Should I go on? I could, because obviously I’m super cool. But I won’t do that to you.

However, the truth is that as much as I love Star Wars, I’ve never made anything for May the Forth and I thought it was about time I changed that. So, I searched for ideas about what I could make and Pinterest had loads of ideas. Wookie cookies and Obi Wan canapés sounded cool but I didn’t want just a name. The idea I liked best was for green tea shortbread cookies with matcha. I liked it because I’d get that amazing green Yoda color but without food dye. I have decided it’s the grown up way to celebrate May the fourth. Generally you can make these cookies in any shape but if you’re interested in the cookie cutters they came from Williams-Sonoma. Unfortunately they no longer sell them but Amazon does and also so does Lakeland. Also you can find tutorials on Pinterest for how to make Yoda using a spider cookie cutter. 

But back to the recipe. If you’re not familiar with matcha it’s a really finely ground green tea from special tea leaves. And the leaves are de-stemmed and de-veined and so when they are ground it becomes an extra fine powder.

Matcha can be a little bit hard to find, and also sort of expensive. I saw some prices between £16-30! I went to three different stores before I gave up and bought it on Amazon for £10. The search and the cost was worth it because matcha has a really nice flavor.  I decided to add just a bit of lemon zest to brighten it up a bit. And tea and lemon is totally a thing, so why not turn that into a shortbread cookie? Once baked, these Green Tea and Lemon shortbread cookies have a delicate yet somehow creamy, bright and distinct flavor. I brought them to work to share with my coworkers and celebrate my last day of Flash! Bang! Wallop! training and they seemed to be quite a hit. Although, everyone’s favorite bit might have been the cute Yoda shapes.

Messy level: The method is very straightforward and sort of the same thing you’d do for sugar cookies. Mix the flour, mix the butter and sugar, roll them out on the counter, bake them. However the green color makes it a wild card. Once you get green on your hand, everything else you touch will have green fingerprints. Be careful and may the force be with you. 

Adapted from Serious Eats.

Green Tea and Lemon Shortbread Cookies

 

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Prep time

1 hour 15 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

1 hour 30 mins

 

Serves: 24

Ingredients

• ¾ cup powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon matcha powder
• 140g/1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3 egg yolks
• 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
• zest from ½ lemon
• Pinch salt

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the sugar and matcha.
2. Add the butter to the sugar mixture. Using a hand mixer, stand mixer, or your arm and a spoon beat in the butter until all smooth and very green.
3. Add the egg yolks to the butter-sugar mixture. Mix until smooth.
4. In a different medium bowl, mix together the flour, salt and lemon zest.
5. Slowly add the flour to the butter-sugar mixture. Mix the flour in bit by bit until you have a smooth dough. You may need to get in their with your hands or a spoon so you can get any dry bits incorporated into the sticky dough.
6. Gather the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and put in the fridge for 1 hour or up to overnight.
7. When you're ready to bake preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.
8. Lightly flour your work surface. Then roll out the dough until it is about ¼" thick. Use your favorite cookie cutters to make the shape.
9. Put the shapes about ½-1" apart. Bake in the oven until just lightly brown on the edges, about 10-15 minutes.

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Think what you might about London weather, but this past week has been beautiful. And the coming week is supposed to be wonderful as well. It’s been sunny and warm, people have been wearing sandals, and I wore a dress without tights. Even better, the sun is up when I wake up and it’s still up when I come home from work. It’s been glorious.

It’s the kind of weather where it’s easy to be in love with London and all there is to see and do. This weather makes me want to run to the nearest park lie on a blanket, put my bare feet in the grass and have a picnic. A minor digression, but did you know that here you can buy a tray (about the size of a lasagna) that is a portable and disposable grill? And you can take it with you camping? And Ryan has seen people do this?! It’s amazing. 

So now I have dreams of a picnic with grilled burgers and sausages (Ryan says I won’t find hot dogs) some fruit and lemonade. Warm weather is the perfect weather for lemonade. I love lemonade because it reminds me of being a kid and making it myself from the Country Time container. It reminds me of the beach, the state fair, and baseball games.

I decided to try to jazz up lemonade after listening to a recent episode of the Sporkful podcast. Each week the host, Dan Pashman, has a food theme and explores it – talks about types of food, how to eat it, preferences. It might sound silly, but it’s funny, and interesting and everyone has at least one strong food conviction that it’s easy to relate to. Anyway, recently he had donuts and he had a bourbon blueberry basil flavored one – and I was intrigued by the blueberry basil combination.

I like mint lemonade so why not basil? And after a little internet research, I found blueberry and basil isn’t such an usual combination. I found it in a savory goat cheese pie and in a sweet lemon cake compote. Also, I think basil is very summery. It reminds me of fresh summer tomatoes on a caprese salad. And it reminds me of one summer in New York where my friend Emily and I planted basil in our windowsill herb gardens.

This blueberry basil lemonade is ridiculously easy to make, but feels like one of those fancy drinks you’d get at the farmer’s market or at a posh salad restaurant. The flavor is great because it’s simultaneously sweet and tart, with just a hint of fresh basil herb notes. It’s lovely! Make this, go outside, put on your sunglasses, kick you feet up, and enjoy.

Messy level: For a beverage, this is a little messy. You have to squeeze the lemons – which is one appliance and has the potential to spray everywhere. Then you need the blender. Then you need a strainer. Not at all difficult or labor intensive, but you will have to clean three pieces of equipment.

Blueberry Basil Lemonade

 

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Prep time

2 mins

Cook time

5 mins

Total time

7 mins

 

Serves: 5

Ingredients

• ¾ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 4-5 lemons)
• 1½ cup fresh blueberries
• 6-8 basil leaves
• 3 cups cold water
• ¼ agave or honey (or more to taste)
• wedges of lemon and blueberries (for garnish)

Instructions

1. Put the lemon juice, blueberries, basil, water, and agave in a blender. Blend on high until the blueberries and basil leaves are cut up into tiny little shreds.
2. Taste and adjust as fits your palate. (You know, add more blueberries or basil or agave as you see fit)
3. Let it sit for 30 minutes so all the flavors can blend and strengthen.
4. Sift out the solids from the lemonade. Do this by putting a fine mesh sieve over a pitcher then pouring what is in the blender through the sieve. You can leave a few bits, but I recommend taking it out because it's a lot and otherwise there will be separation (as you can see in the photo below).
5. If desired, add any extra wedges of lemon or blueberries to the pitcher.
6. Serve in glasses over ice and enjoy the weather

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My childhood memories of Easter holidays include fancy flower dresses that I was so excited to wear even though it was always still a bit cold, baskets filled with chocolates hidden among green plastic grass, and brunch with my family. When I was a little kid my family and I used to go to a hotel in downtown Baltimore to eat. In my memory, the place was huge with people and buffet lines on multiple floors. I remember it feeling like such a party and it was so exciting that I could eat all kinds of different foods at the same time.

From one of those occasions there’s a picture of me and my brother Eric standing next to the Easter Bunny giving him the side eye. We’re looking at him with a mixture of fear (because he’s a stranger and a giant rabbit) and respect (because earlier he had brought us a basket of candy). It’s a hilarious picture and one day if I find it I’ll post it here to show you. Anyway, I liked going to brunch with my family. And I like that brunch is a part of my Easter celebration memories. Most holidays are all about big roasted dinners and I like that breakfast gets its chance to be fancy.

One of the brunch foods I love is Eggs Benedict. Well, not Eggs Benedict because I don’t eat ham, but Eggs Royale. Eggs Royale substitutes smoked salmon for the ham and it is delicious. But, regardless of the meat there is just something about the presentation of fluffy poached eggs smothered in hollandaise sauce that feels special. It’s one of those dishes that  gives me a thrill when I can see a server coming over with my order and it’s a dish that I can’t wait to eat.

My mind was set on making standard Eggs Royale for Easter brunch – that is, until inspiration struck. Last last week Ryan and I went to a new place in our neighborhood called the Barn and I had an awesome breakfast. I had scrambled eggs and smoked salmon with avocado and crushed red peppers. It was creamy with a little spice at the same time. It was an interesting combination of flavors, but using really familiar and easy to access ingredients. I decided I should turn this dish into our Easter Brunch. So here it is, a new twist on a recipe, Eggs Royale with avocado.

Part of what defines Eggs Royale (or Eggs Benedict) is the hollandaise sauce on top. Hollandaise is is an emulsion of butter and egg yolks. You can definitely buy hollandaise sauce from the super market, but it will be sweeter and tarter than if you make it on your own. Even so, I was feeling intimidated about making it by hand. And Julia Child even said I should learn to make it the traditional way. But, then I also found her recipe for making it quickly in a blender and I was less nervous. She literally says an 8 year-old could do it. Also, in a blind taste test Ryan preferred the homemade version over the store bought. So try making it for yourself because people will notice.

Messy level: This recipe is really all about the prep. There’s some amount of chopping, toasting, blending, and egg cracking – all of which leads to dishes or using some appliances. It’s not terrible and you shouldn’t have a horrible mess, but be warned you should be organized to keep your kitchen neat.

Inspiration from the Barn, hollandaise sauce recipe from Mastering the Art of French Cooking Volume 1, and the poached egg method is from an earlier Cooking is Messy post.

Eggs Royale

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

A recipe for poached eggs, hollandaise, with avocado and an English muffin. This recipe is written to serve two people two eggs. However the recipe can easily be increased to serve more people. Additionally, the hollandaise recipewritten as is will serve more than two people.

Ingredients

Hollandaise Sauce

• 3 egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon water
• ½ teaspoon salt
• pinch of pepper
• 4 oz butter

Poached Eggs

• water
• 4 eggs
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoon vinegar

Other Sandwich Materials

• 2 English Muffins
• 8 slices smoked salmon (or to taste)
• 16 slices of avocado (or to taste)
• red pepper flakes

Instructions

1. Start with the hollandaise sauce. Place the egg yolks, lemon juice, water, salt, and pepper into a blender.
2. Cut the butter into small pieces and place into a small saucepan. Heat on medium until the butter is hot and foaming. Remove from heat.
3. Turn the blender on high and blend for two seconds.
4. While the blender is still on, open the top (if you don't have a small opening on your blender, use a towel to cover the top a little bit) and pour the hot butter into the egg mixture drop by drop. [Note: I wasn't coordinated enough to pour drop by drop but I could pour a tiny stream at a time. This made the sauce a bit runnier, but it was still tasty.]
5. Taste the sauce and blend in more seasoning if needed. Set aside.
6. Put about 2 inches of water in a medium saucepan. Bring the water to a boil.
7. Add the salt and vinegar to the water, then lower the heat so the water is just simmering.
8. Crack 2 eggs into a bowl. Bring the edge of the bowl to the top of the water and gently slide the eggs in. Cook for 3-5 minutes. The longer you cook the more solid the yolk.
9. Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon. Bring the water back to a low simmer then repeat the above step with the last two eggs.
10. While the eggs are cooking, cut the English muffins in half and toast them to your liking.
11. Take two plates and put both sides of one English muffin on each plate.
12. Put 2 slices of smoked salmon on top of each English muffin half.
13. Put 4 slices of avocado on top of the salmon.
14. Place one poached egg on top of the avocado.
15. Using a spoon, drizzle hollandaise sauce on top of the egg.
16. Sprinkle a generous pinch of red pepper flakes on top of the hollandaise.
17. Serve immediately so the eggs will still be warm.

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On Sunday it’s Easter. But later in the day Mad Men returns with the final episodes of the series. Woot woot! I’m excited to see where the show will go with these final episodes. I can easily see it ending simply with Don Draper sitting in a chair smoking (like in the opening credits) or I can see it going down totally dramatically with big reveals, deaths, and jail. Who knows! Anyway, today’s recipe celebrates the drama, the style, and the boozing of this wonderful show with a twist on Don Draper’s favorite cocktail, the Old Fashioned. 

I think Don Draper is an incredible character. He is charismatic, mysterious, and suave. He’s sexy, smart, and he does whatever the hell he wants. But at the same time, he is such a jerk. He’s sometimes selfish, a drunk, a cheater, and he’s tormented by his past. With all of those traits put together, I’m mesmerized by him. I like him, I hate him, I root for him, and I just can’t stop watching him. I need to know what happens next.

However, before getting to the recipe, I have to say Mad Men is not all about Don. The show is full of memorable moments and the cast has some incredible characters – and the women especially are the best. Betty, while not always likable, is one of my fashion favorites. I love her fit and flare dresses and pearl earrings. I aspire to her style. I especially love that she dressed like a sweet, ladylike housewife when in reality she can be cold and ruthless. Peggy’s transformation over the course of the show has been amazing. She starts off all bright eyed with her bouncy ponytail and now she owns a building, has clawed her way up the corporate ladder, and she doesn’t let anything stand in her way. But my favorite bad ass is Joan. She has curves for days, clear opinions on everything, and doesn’t stand for people’s nonsense. All of them smart and awesome in their own way. I want to be a little bit like all of them and I can’t wait to see what happens to them in the final episodes.

Photo from the Gloss

Anyway, you can’t talk about Mad Men without talking about cocktails. There has been all kinds of noteworthy drinks throughout Mad Men, but Don Draper’s favorite cocktail is an Old Fashioned. This is where liquor aficionados are going to disagree with me, but here’s what I know about an Old Fashioned: it has bourbon or whiskey, bitters, a bit of sugar, an orange slice, a maraschino cherry, and a lemon peel or slice. I decided to take those flavors and turn them into a boozy dark chocolate Old Fashioned Cocktail truffle. For me, this is the perfect way to channel my inner Don Draper while enjoying the show.

In preparing this recipe, I did some research about the differences between bourbon and whiskey – and then which one would most be used in an Old Fashioned, and then on top of that what brand would Don Draper drink. I came up with no conclusive results. I found out Don Draper’s favorite whiskey is Canadian Club – but that it’s not necessarily in an Old Fashioned. I found people saying to use Jim Beam, Jack Daniel’s, and Maker’s Mark – but then I also found people arguing against each of these liquors. So I asked myself, what would Don Draper do? The answer: whatever he wanted. So I like Jack Daniel’s (because Ryan and I once went to the distillery), so I bought Jack Daniel’s. I’m sorry if that makes you gasp with horror. When you make these, use the type of whiskey or bourbon that you like best.

Fair warning, these truffles are fruitier than an Old Fashioned would be. They taste largely of dark chocolate and orange, with just a hint of cherry flavor, and a finishing kick from the liquor. I used minimal lemon zest in the actual recipe. I just sprinkled a bit in the mix and then put some on my fingers before I rolled the chocolate into balls. This gave it a little bit of a lemony hint without being too much lemon. If you like more lemon then substitute it for some of the orange zest. Like regular cocktails, you can alter this a bit to suit your taste.

So, on Sunday, comb your hair back, put on your 1960’s best, and enjoy the final episodes of Mad Men with this chocolaty treat.

Messy level: Surprisingly messy recipe. Mostly this is easy and straightforward, but when you make the chocolate balls, the chocolate melts in your hand and you will be absolutely covered. There are worse problems than having chocolate covered hands, but it does make it hard to turn on the sink when you want to wash up.

Old Fashioned Cocktail Truffles

 

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Prep time

8 hours 30 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

8 hours 45 mins

 

A boozy dark chocolate truffle inspired by the Old Fashioned Cocktail

Serves: 24

Ingredients

• 4oz/100g dark chocolate, broken into small chunks
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• ¼ cup/50 g butter, cut into cubes
• 2 teaspoons cherry juice (I used juice from the maraschino cherry jar)
• ½ teaspoon orange zest
• sprinkle lemon zest
• 2-3 tablespoons bourbon or whiskey of your choice
• cocoa powder

Instructions

1. In a small saucepan bring about 2 inches of water to a simmer.
2. Place the chocolate and heavy cream into a heat proof bowl. Pop the bowl on top of the pan with simmering water. Make sure the water isn't touching the bottom of the bowl.
3. Heat the chocolate until melted. Mix until everything is smooth and melted.
4. Remove the bowl from the heat and add in the butter. Stir until it is smooth, shiny, and the butter is melted.
5. Now whisk in the orange zest, cherry juice, liquor and lemon zest. Don't worry about a ton of lemon zest, just grate the lemon a few times over the bowl. Whisk until everything is combined.
6. Transfer the chocolate mixture to a food storage container with a lid. Pop that into the fridge and chill overnight.
7. Once chilled, line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
8. Remove the chocolate from the fridge. Using a teaspoon, scoop out bits of chocolate. Use your hands to roll the chocolate into balls. (If you want more lemon flavor, zest some more lemons and rub your hands in it before rolling the chocolate. The lemon oils will get on your hands then onto the chocolate)
9. Place the chocolate balls on the lined baking sheet. Put the baking sheet in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
10. Sift a bit of cocoa powder into a bowl. Sifting is important to remove big clumps. Roll the chocolate balls into the cocoa.
11. Serve on a plate with napkins in front of the television. Eat - but not too much or you'll be tipsy

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You know how there are food trends? Like kale, which no matter how hard I try, I just can’t get into. Or coconut oil, which is one I’m thinking about trying out. Well, there are big food trends, and there are small family food trends. In the Cooking is Messy household, we currently have two. Ryan is in to bulgur and is requesting it over the usual rice or quinoa. If you haven’t had bulgur before, you should try it because it’s lovely. It’s got nice texture, a sort of funny rough shape, and a nice grainy flavor. And for me, I’m into pomegranates. I want them on everything – sweet or savory. So, I made up this salad that combined the two foods Ryan and I are craving.

If I’m honest, this salad was inspired by one that I buy at work from Benugo’s (the company that caters all the cafes in the Science Museum). That salad has a ton going on and includes falafel, peas, arugula (rocket), hummus, cheese, and way more. I decided to pare down to the essential while allowing this dish to be a multi-food group power house.

This dish is truly inspired by my work, because in addition to working at the Science Museum I still help work on some curriculum for Live It Learn It. I’m currently brainstorming a lesson on nutrition and I’ve been thinking a lot about healthy meals and balanced diets – which has inspired me to turn my research and writing into a reality. I’m really proud of this dish because it includes four out of five food group. To break it down, the bulgur is your grains, the pomegranate is fruit, the arugula is your veg, and the chickpeas and almonds are protein. Sprinkle on a little cheese and you’d have all five food groups.

I think this salad is pretty good plain with just a little pepper or salt sprinkled on it – but it’s even better with a little dressing. It gives the salad a little moisture, a little more pep, and a little Mediterranean feel. This dressing recipe comes from Chubby Soul, a blog that is written by another American expat in London.

Any food trends you think are worth checking out? Any that you think are totally dumb? I’m always looking for recipe inspiration so please let me know what you think in the comments.

Messy level: The bulgur is the only thing you have to cook, which means only one pot. After that, all you are doing is measuring and mixing. So easy, so quick, and clean too.

Bulgur Pomegranate Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

Nice healthy salad. Feel free to mix up the ingredient to the proportions you like.

Ingredients

Salad

• 1 cup bulgur
• 2 cups water
• 1 14oz can chickpeas
• ½ cup arugula
• ⅓ cup pomegranate
• ¼ cup sliced almonds
• salt and pepper, to taste

Dressing

• ½ cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• juice of ½ lemon
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Following the package instructions for how to cook the bulgur or...In a medium saucepan, bring the 2 cups of water to boil. Once boiling add the bulgur. Lower the heat, cover, and let simmer for 10-12 minutes. It's ready when the bulgur is tender and the water is absorbed. If it's not all absorbed, then drain the excess water.
2. Once cooked, fluff the bulger and let it cool slightly. Meanwhile, rinse and drain the canned chickpeas.
3. Transfer the bulgur to a large bowl. Stir in the chickpeas.
4. Next, stir in the arugula. pomegranate, and almonds.
5. Season with salt and pepper if you like.
6. Now for the dressing. In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. Mix until smooth. Taste and adjust as you see fit.
7. Serve the salad in individual bowls and pour dressing over the top.

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The post Bulgur Pomegranate Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing appeared first on Cooking is Messy.

It’s November, which means I’m already thinking about what Ryan and I will be making for Thanksgiving dinner. Weeks ago while at the pub with our Italian friends, Alessia and Raffaello, we invited them over to have Thanksgiving with us. I’m totally excited to have them over, introduce them to new foods and share our traditions with them. And I think they’re excited too. But the truth is I’m nervous. Making Thanksgiving dinner can be a little nerve-racking anyway because I want it to go well, but the pressure is increased because I want to impress our guests who have never had this meal before.

So I decided to practice. I’ve made a turkey twice before. The first time in 2011 under the tutelage of my Uncle Willie. I did most of the work, but he was telling me what to do as we went. The second turkey was in 2012. I did all the prep myself but my mother-in-law Susan was there during the cooking to add her experience and moral support. This time it is all me. I went to the grocery store to get my practice turkey, and they didn’t have any. Sigh.

As a stand in, I bought a whole chicken. I know it’s not totally the same, but it’s not totally different. Also I’ve only roasted a chicken once so I figured this is an important skill to cultivate. [Side note: In the US, I never roasted a whole chicken because I always bought whole chicken parts. That packaging doesn’t seem to be a thing here. I can buy all the various parts separately, but I can’t buy a package that has breasts, thighs, wings etc all in one.]

Stocked up with herbs, butter, vegetables, and a chicken, I was ready to roast. I found the preparation process really fun because everything smelled so good. This recipe is adapted from one I found on the Pioneer Woman Cooks‘ website. I used sage, rosemary, and thyme for the herbs. It all smells so good! I love that rosemary makes me think of Christmas and that thyme smells herbal and a bit floral. I’ve never used sage before, but I liked the thicker texture and its subtle pine smell. I ended up making more herb butter than I needed, but it’s a learning process right?

Basically, I chopped up a bunch of herbs and mixed them with butter. I then used my hands to slather the chicken with herb butter. I put a ton all over the outside. For extra flavor, I even got in between the skin and the meat and added more herb butter. There’s a picture below. It’s not beautiful, but I wanted you to know that you should just go crazy with the seasoning. I also stuffed the chicken with some garlic, veggies, and a lemon to add flavor.

In the end, this chicken came out so flipping good. I mean SO GOOD. I started making it and then while it was in the oven Ryan left to go to the Arsenal match. The apartment started to smell really good and the chicken started to brown. Some of the herbs turned crunchy and too dark, but I just scraped them off at the end. Once the chicken was done I took it out and photographed it for the blog. And then I dug in. I dug in hard. The first bite was a moist explosion of delicious chicken flavor, followed by herbal hints, and finished with a salty crunchy bite of skin. I was alone, but I thought, “damn this is good.” It was so good I ate half the chicken myself (and I may or may not have been standing up over the counter eating directly from the roasting pan).

When Ryan got home he pulled out the chicken from the fridge and ate a bite. He turned around and gave me an “oh yeah this is delicious,” face. He also explicitly said the same thing. And then he ate the other half of the chicken. That should be a ringing endorsement. This chicken is so good that two people can eat a whole chicken in one sitting without any need for sides, plates, drinks, or normal meal-time behavior.

Messy level: Not so messy dish-wise, but very messy on your hands. Slathering your hands with butter then massaging a chicken isn’t clean. Still, I’ll give it two spoons.

Herb Roasted Chicken

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

60 mins

Total time

1 hour 20 mins

 

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken
• 3 sprigs rosemary
• 5 sprigs thyme
• 2 sprigs sage
• 2 tsp salt
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp pepper
• 4 tbsp butter
• ½ lemon
• ½ onion
• 1 celery stalk
• 1 large carrot
• 4 garlic cloves

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450/230°.
2. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel and place it into a roasting pan.
3. Remove the herbs from their stems. Chop the herbs finely and mix them up.
4. Measure out about 2 tbsp of chopped herbs. (If you have more you can use more). Put the herbs in a small bowl. Add in the salt, garlic powder, and pepper.
5. Add the butter to the herbs and spices. Use your hands to mix everything all together so that you create an herb butter. Set aside for now.
6. Roughly chop up the onion, celery, and carrots. These are just for smell and flavor, so if you're not going to eat them they don't have to look beautiful.
7. Crush the garlic cloves. To do this, put the flat of your knife over the clove, then press down with the palm of your hand until you feel the garlic break and flatten.
8. Squeeze the juice of the ½ lemon into the cavity of the chicken. Stuff the chicken with the onion, garlic, carrot, celery, and onion. Again, doesn't have to be pretty and it may not all fit.
9. Using your hands, rubs the herb butter all over the chicken. Be generous but you don't have to worry about how it looks. You may not need all the butter.
10. For added flavor and moisture, gently butter in between the skin and the meat. (You can get in there at the top of the cavity)
11. Cook in the oven for 1 hour, or until an inserted thermometer reaches 160/71°.
12. Let it sit on the counter for 10 minutes. If you cut it too soon all the juices fall out! Be patient!
13. For the sake of presentation, flick off any herbs that have gotten too dark and crispy.
14. Carve it and serve.

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The post Herb Roasted Chicken appeared first on Cooking is Messy.

I recently came by a recipe for Bloody Mary soup in a magazine and I was really excited about it. I love Bloody Marys, but it isn’t always appropriate to have one. Soup, though, I can have any time of day. But when I made the recipe it came out really thick. The recipe called for pureed beans and celery, which gave it a chunky and stringy texture. I was not a fan. So I decided to try my hand at making a soup recipe all my own. I’ve never made up a soup recipe before! I did a bunch of research, used a bunch of recipes as inspiration, tinkered a bit, and then I came up with something brand new that I really liked.

Let me warn you by saying I like Bloody Marys really spicy. I love this soup because the initial taste is sweet and full of tomato flavor, but then quickly the heat starts to tingle in the back of your throat and then rushes forward into your lips. It’s wonderful. Although, I didn’t give Ryan any warning when he tasted it and his eyes popped out a little bit. But I love spicy flavors in a soup. For me, they are a cure all. I think it will help clear your sinuses when you’re sick or can pep you up when it is cold and dreary outside. I also think Bloody Marys are a great hang over cure. I mean, not that I’ve ever been hungover. But if you were hungover, I think this would be both soothing and invigorating. If you were having a wild holiday party, make a batch the night before, then in the morning heat the soup, line cups with Old Bay, pop in a celery stick and you’ve got warming morning cocktails to serve your house guests.

Now if you’re not into spice, don’t worry! In the instructions below I’ll be sure to tell you how to adjust the seasoning to fit your palate. That’s the great thing about cocktails, right? You can fix them to suit your taste!

Since I’m from Maryland, I love Old Bay and will put it on everything. I put it in the soup in place of some salt, I sprinkled it on top for seasoning, and I lined the rim of the bowl. If you don’t have Old Bay, no worries. You can use some salt to season instead. Finally, if you want an added kick, consider adding horseradish cream. I like it because it adds spice from the horseradish and simultaneously eases the spice because of the cream. If you’re not interested in the cream, the soup is still excellent without it. Ok, now you’ll be ready for all your weekend partying. You’re welcome.

Soup recipe inspired by delicious magazine and Mark Bittman’s winter tomato soup. But I think it’s mostly mine and I’m really proud of that. Horseradish cream from BBC Good Food.

Messy level: I don’t have an immersion blender, so for me, this recipe is a three spoon mess. I used a tray to roast the tomatoes, a blender to puree the tomatoes, and a pot to simmer the soup. That makes a lot of things to clean and a lot of opportunity for spills. If you have an immersion blender, then you’ll have a little less clean up.

Bloody Mary Soup with Old Bay

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

1 hour

Total time

1 hour 15 mins

 

Serves: 4-6 bowls

Ingredients

• Soup:
• 5-10 garlic cloves (use less if you want less intensity)
• 800g/28oz canned, whole peeled tomatoes
• olive oil
• 1 tsp coarse salt
• ½ tsp celery salt
• 1 tsp Old Bay
• 1-2 tsp chili flakes (I used 2 tsp, use less if you want less heat)
• 2-4 cups chicken or vegetable stock (use more stock if you want to dilute the heat)
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• juice from ½ lemon
• Tabasco sauce (optional)
• celery stalks (optional garnish)
• vodka (optional)
• Horseradish Cream (optional):
• 1 tbsp horseradish
• 4 tbsp of crème fraîche
• salt and pepper
• juice of ½ a lemon

Instructions

1. Heat your oven to 350°/180°.
2. Pour some olive oil on a baking sheet.
3. Take the garlic cloves off of the bulb, and cut a little bit off of the top. Don't peel them. We'll pop them out of their skins easily after roasting. Put the prepared garlic on the baking sheet.
4. Drain the canned tomatoes. Reserve the liquid.
5. Cut the tomatoes in half.
6. Put the tomatoes on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle the tomatoes with more olive oil. Season the tomatoes with salt, celery salt, Old Bay, and chili flakes.
7. Roast in oven for 20-30 minutes. The tomatoes are ready when they have started to dry out and get a little bit dark and brown in spots.
8. Remove from the oven. Add the tomatoes to a blender (add to directly to a pot if you have an immersion blender).
9. Let the garlic cool a bit so you can touch it. Pinch the bottom of the garlic and it will shoot up through the top (where you cut before) and it will be easily free from its skin. Add the garlic to the blender.
10. If there are crunchy bits on the baking sheet pour a little stock on them. Use a spatula to scrape them off. Pour the crunchy bits and the stock into the blender. (The crunchy bits are yummy caramelized tomato juices)
11. Add the reserved tomato liquid to the blender. Blend until mostly smooth.
12. Heat the tomato puree in a saucepan over medium heat. Add in 2 cups of stock, the lemon juice, and the Worcestershire sauce.
13. Taste. Too spicy? Add more stock. Not spicy enough? Add Tabasco sauce ¼ tsp at a time.
14. Simmer for 20 minutes so all the flavors can mingle together.
15. While the soup is simmering, prepare the horseradish cream. In a small bowl mix the horseradish, crème fraîche, salt, pepper, and lemon juice.
16. Serve the soup in a bowl, top with a dollop of cream. Pour in a splash of vodka if you like. Garnish with a stalk of celery and a sprinkling of Old Bay.

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This post is part of Our Growing Edge, a monthly blogging event to encourage bloggers to try new food related things. Jules from The Kiwi Diaries is the host for this month’s event.

If you have a blog and you are eating or cooking something new this month, you can get more information here about how to join.

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