Tag: foodie

Avocado and Buffalo Chicken Salad

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I’ve recently been craving Buffalo Chicken and summertime means salads right? So i found the best of both worlds and it was as delicious as I’d hoped. The recipe was adapted from this recipe I found on Pinterest. I decided not to add quinoa (though it would have been good with it too!) and I didn’t use quite as much hot sauce, probably 1/2 cup instead of 3/4. And to top it all off I used Organic Ranch from Trader Joe’s!

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  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked & shredded
  • 1/2 cup franks red hot sauce
  • 2 oz. cream cheese, softened
  • 4 cups of chopped green leaf lettuce
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 2 avocados, sliced
  • 1/3 cup sliced red onion
  • 1/2 cup cooked corn
  • Drizzle ranch dressing
  • 1/4 cup diced fresh cilantro (optional)

Holiday Caramel Apple Trifle

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Without one tiny, minuscule doubt, if you make this dish for dessert you will be the hit of the party. It’s so easy and so tasty, and will make you want dessert even after you’ve filled yourself up on an overwhelming amount of turkey, ham, rolls, potatoes, etc, etc. I would certainly recommend making this for any holiday occasion, because its fun to make, pretty, and can serve a lot of people.

I found a recipe on Pinterest (here) and improvised by making a yellow cake mix from Fresh Market and also bought the most delectable caramel sauce from Fresh Market as well, which I recommend everyone buy and eat it on pretty much anything and everything. It’s seriously life changing.

Ingredients:

  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 4 cups chopped peeled granny smith apples (about 5 medium)
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts (I also added chopped hazelnuts)
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon apple pie spice, divided
  • 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
  • 1 jar (12-1/4 ounces) caramel ice cream topping, divided
  • 1 carton (12 ounces) cool whip, thawed, divided
  • 1 box of yellow cake mix baked according to the recipe (or pound cake or angel food cake)
  • Additional apple pie spice to sprinkle on top!

Directions:

  1. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in the apples, walnuts and hazelnuts, brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice. Cook and stir for 8-10 minutes or until apples are tender.
  2. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Beat in 1/2 cup caramel topping and 1/2 teaspoon of apple pie spice. Fold in 2 cups of the whipped topping.
  3. In a trifle bowl or glass serving bowl, layer a third of the cake cubes, cream cheese mixture and apple mixture. Repeat layers twice. Garnish with remaining whipped topping and drizzle with remaining caramel topping. Sprinkle with additional apple pie spice if desired. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
  4. Yield: 14 servings.

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Crema Catalana

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Inspired by the Spain Box from Try the World, I made the Crema Catalana recipe from their online magazine with my own twist to it.

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The original recipe is below:

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 egg yolks
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 2½ Tbsp. cornstarch
  • 2 cups plus 2 Tbsp. milk
  • Grated zest of ½ orange (or in my case honey!)
  • Pinch of salt
  • 4 Tbsp. P. Listo jam
  • 4 Tbsp. sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. In a small bowl using a hand held mixer, beat together the egg yolks and sugar until pale and creamy, about 5 minutes. In a separate, larger bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons milk until the cornstarch dissolves.

2. In a saucepan, combine the remaining 2 cups milk, orange zest, and salt. Heat over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until small bubbles form along the edge of the saucepan. Once the bubbles appear, lower the heat to keep warm.

3. Add the egg and sugar mixture to the cornstarch mixture and whisk until homogenous. Slowly pour in the warm milk, whisking constantly, until smooth and homogenous, then pour back into the saucepan. Heat the mixture over low heat, stirring constantly with a spoon, until it thickens, 10 to 12 minutes. Do not allow to boil.

4. Pour the mixture into 4 ramekins, then cover and chill in the refrigerator until firm, at least 3 hours.

6. Remove the ramekins from the fridge and spoon 1 tablespoon of the jam onto each custard. Sprinkle with the sugar, then broil until the tops are caramelized, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Note that instead of using orange zest, I added about a tablespoon of an organic lavender honey that I have newly acquired and which is absolutely delectable.

I had never cooked with ramekins before, so I bought mine from Crate & Barrel (only $2.95 per dish!)  on the way home from work one day and am so excited to have them as a new addition to my kitchen!

I’m disappointed because I didn’t have a torch to really get the sugar bubbled and crispy, instead I broiled mine in the oven for a few minutes. They were still sweet and delicious though!

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Enjoy ❤

Review: An Evening at Fleurie, a Romantic French Restaurant in Charlottesville, Virginia

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As I have mentioned already in a previous post, Charlottesville, Virginia has some of the best food in the world. It is less than two hours from Washington, DC and offers a break from the hustle of the capital city. And last night, my friend, Carrie, and her boyfriend, John, spent their two-year anniversary sharing fine wine and delicious food at a downtown French restaurant, Fleurie.

Since it was their anniversary, Fleurie made special menus recognizing their special occasion and even had a bottle of sparking wine from the Loire Valley in France waiting for them on their candlelit table.

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At the beginning of our friendship, Carrie and I majorly bonded over our deep affection for anything related to France, and this restaurant seems to epitomize everything about Paris given its romantic tone and thoughtful ingredients and menu. This restaurant seems like the perfect pick for a special celebration.

Carrie said the ambiance were positively enchanting. The restaurant has exposed brick walls and was playing classical Parisian music softly in the background (think “La Vie en Rose”). Although I haven’t been there myself, Carrie said the food was mouthwatering and delightful. She sent me the following pictures with descriptions and it all sounds so incredible!

They were given a beet amuse-bouche and for appetizer they had soft-shell crab which was on special for the evening.

For the main entree Carrie had butter poached lobster, coral spätzle, and fava beans served with a ginger Sauternes sauce.

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John ordered the meadows pride lamb and braised lamb ravioli with fond de braisage. (This one looks soooo delicious!)

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And of course no celebration goes without dessert. Carrie and John split the chocolate souffle with vanilla bean ice cream and dark chocolate cream sauce…Yum!

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And lastly, Carrie and John were given complimentary petit fours after the meal!

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Fleurie is now at the top of my must-try restaurant list! Also, you can follow Carrie on her travel blog – https://musichanainkibera.wordpress.com/

Banana Pudding Pie with Caramel Drizzle

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Happy Monday! The warm June weather and humidity have started to settle in, and I have had the biggest craving for banana pudding. I looked up various Pinterest recipes and found one that I wanted to try! I varied it slightly to cut back on all the Cool Whip and decided to add a homemade caramel sauce to the recipe as well. If you’re craving the sweet comfort of a homemade banana pudding recipe, look no further!

Ingredients:

  • 1 9 pinch pie crust, prepped, baked and cooled (I was lame and just used a store bought graham cracker crust)
  • 2 cup chopped vanilla wafers
  • 2 bananas
  • 1/2 8oz tub Cool Whip
  • 1½ cups of milk
  • 1 5.1oz box instant vanilla pudding
  • juice from one lemon
  • Homemade caramel sauce for drizzling (recipe below)
  • Optional: chopped walnuts for topping

Directions for the Banana Pudding Pie:

  1. Cut the bananas into thin slices and then toss with the lemon juice. The lemon juice will prevent them from turning brown as fast as they normally would.
  2. Whisk together the milk and pudding mix. Mix in the cool whip. Mix in 1 cup of the crushed vanilla wafers and finally the bananas.
  3. Scrape into the cooled crust. Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes or until set.
  4. Top with any additional or leftover Cool Whip as you please. I just spread some around the edging of the pie. Sprinkle with the remaining vanilla wafers and then drizzle with the caramel sauce and if so desired, walnuts.

Directions for Homemade Caramel Sauce (taken from my Caramel Toffee Cheesecake Recipe)

  • 1/2 cups sugar
  • 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream

In a medium sauce pan, combine the sugar and syrup. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally with a rubber spatula. Once it is caramel colored, add the butter and stir until the butter is melted. Add the cream and stir until it’s all combined. Bring it back to the heat if you get clumps and stir it until they’re dissolved. Store in the refrigerator if not using right away. Makes about 3/4 cup.

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