From Scratch

Flavor of the week: Cookies n' Cream

I believe cookies must be accompanied by milk. They are soul mates. Don't stand in the way of destiny.

I believe off-brand Oreos are a sin. (I received no money from Nabisco to say that.)

I believe everything is better with a pug around.

I believe crying during fantasy movies (like Harry Potter, Narnia, etc.) is not only ok, but cool.

I believe in supporting local businesses, artists, farmers (et al).

I believe in a thing called love. (Original words. Definitely not stolen from a song.)

I believe coffee is better than tea. I will fist fight you over this.

I believe vintage is better, greener, and more fun than new.

I believe eating cupcakes every day would be awesome. Although my waist line disagrees;)

This is a declaration of beliefs. If Thomas Jefferson had put pictures of cupcakes through out his Declaration of Independence I really think more folks would have listened.

Jefferson. What a chump.

Favorites: Something other than baked goods.

Hello, if you're new here today, well...welcome. Also I should warn you that this blog is pretty much dedicated to food. Mostly homemade. Usually delicious.

All food, all the time.

But, despite it all, I actually do other things with my time too. Other than cook and eat, that is.

I love to work. Yes, you read that right. I have a killer job, I'm lucky (and thankful).

I love to hang out with my family. I LOVE to read. And I love movies (and some television shows:).

Who doesn't?

So I thought today (instead of baking) I could share a few of my favorite shows/movies. You're welcome.

I've said it before, I'll say it again (it's my blog people) I LOVED Pushing Daisies . Let me break it down for you, quirky + set in a pie bakery + cute dresses + adorable leading man = awesome show. I was so sad when it got canceled. I own the dvds, and I love watching them over and over again!

It's not old enough to be a classic yet, but I truly adore Fantastic Mr. Fox . I love pretty much all Wes Anderson movies, but for some reason this one just really grabs me. Maybe it's the foxes. Maybe it's George Clooney's voice. Let's not over analyze things, let's just enjoy the good.

I will admit that Harold and Maude is not for everyone. It's a dark comedy that deals with strange characters who probably shouldn't fall in love. But it's a gem in my opinion. And the whole sound track is Cat Stevens. That's too much Cat Stevens, you say.

No my friends, it's not enough.

First off, you should know I love Emma Thompson. And no, not just because she has an awesome name. Although she does;) But aside from my love for Emma Thompson, Stranger Than Fiction has it all. Nerdy guy falls for cool girl who owns a bakery, it deals with literature and the super natural (as well as explores the idea that we all cannot escape our destiny that maybe has already been written for us).

Ok, so two of my four favorites take place in a bakery...

...um, would you believe this was a coincidence?

What are your favorite movies or shows?

P.S. the bubble tea photo is mine, but all other images were found via amazon and google image search.

Steak Night at the Vegetarian's House

Yes, I made steaks. Maybe you are new to this blog so I should back up a little, I have been a vegetarian since 2006. I have only enjoyed cooking for the last year or so.

Math is hard so I'll just tell you-there's no overlap there.

But this weekend I found out that I had the great opportunity to advance in a food blogging contest, and the next challenge was to create a classic dish from another culture. And of course making a Thai dish came to my mind, because I LOVE Thai cuisine! Or I thought I might do something from South America, because that's where my mother is from originally. But then I thought about what a "culture" is and how it is defined in our modern age. There are all sorts of groups that can define an individual that are not necessarily a nationality. So then I thought maybe I should do the most challenging other-culture-cuisine I could think of: meat.

I headed to a local health food store in search of locally raised, ethically treated steaks. I dug through the frozen steaks they had, which felt weird like the twilight zone. I looked for marbling in the meat, which I learned about from a meat cooking expert. I did not freak out about THE BLOOD THAT SEEPED FROM WITHIN during the defrosting process.

Actually I did. I said to my dad, "Is it suppose to have that much blood? Maybe it's gone bad."

He just laughed. In a supportive way. And then he showed me how to use the grill. Again, I was out of my element for sure.

1. The blood is normal. Don't wig out like a baby. I didn't....um....

2. Generously sprinkle salt and pepper all over those previously living pieces of meat.

3. Get your dad to show you how to use his grill, since I don't own one.

4. Once that grill is nice and hot, turn the heat down a bit and put your steaks on there. After 6-8 minutes (I was shooting for fairly well done as that's how my family likes it) flip the steaks and cook some more.

Very technical. Ok, not really. It was my first time guys. I barely remembered to take pictures, I needed some serious help, I felt proud, I fainted, and then when I woke up they were done.

Ok, I didn't really faint:) But I was SO out of my element, really from start to finish I acted like a total newbie.

But I did it. And that felt a little good.

And even though I felt like I conquered the meat culture's classic: steak. I still decided to try my hand at a South American sauce to go with my meaty success.

I put together a super flavorful Chimichurri Sauce. (Click on the link to get the recipe I used.)I had heard tell of the tale of chimichurri sauce, so I had been wanting to make it for awhile, but I had heard it paired best with steak or chicken. I never would have imagined that I would have the chance to try it that way. Life's full of surprises.

I will be making this sauce again for pasta or as a sandwich spread! Try it, you'll love it. The legend is true.

Or if you are part of the culture that says, "Beef, it's what's for dinner." then you can use this sauce on your steak. I did. And it was SO delicious, said the vegetarian.

Thanks for reading. Have you made any challenging-for-you dishes over the weekend?

xo. Emma

P.S. If you enjoyed this post then feel free to vote for me here. No obligation, but it's much appreciated. And if you have a minute then be sure to check out some of the other contest entries-everyone is cooking up some impressive dishes over at Foodbuzz:)

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

I am still (and it seems may forever more be) testing cupcake recipes for the new Red Velvet store.

I am not complaining.

My family is not complaining. We all love to eat the sweets;)

This week I made Snickerdoodle cupcakes, a slightly adapted recipe from the one found in Martha Stewart's cupcake book.

What have you been baking or making this week?

xo. Emma

Spiced Syrup

Spiced syrup. Not to be confused with spiked syrup.

Get your mind out of the gutters, people:)

Also I should note that I used a very cute (in my opinion) vintage syrup dispenser to house my homemade syrup creation.

I guess I'm just bragging now. Sorry.

"Spiced Syrup" what does it really mean, you may be wondering? So glad you asked. Actually I was trying to create a breakfast syrup that tasted like autumn. Wouldn't it be great to bottle that cozy fall-time feeling and pour it over your pancakes in the morning?

No, I'm not out of my mind. You can too bottle a feeling. I'm sure of it...

Spiced Syrup. Makes 3-4 generous cups

Ingredients: 2 cups water, 3 1/2 cups brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/4 cup caramel

In a saucepan, bring to a low boil the water and sugar. Allow this to simmer for 15-20 minutes (you don't want a rolling boil because the sugar could get a bit bitter if it burns). Stir in the cinnamon and caramel and simmer for another 5-10 minutes to allow syrup to thicken just a bit more. Remove from heat and allow to cool before pouring into your glass container and storing in the refrigerator. (If the syrup is still hot when you refrigerate it you may get some crystallization in your syrup.)

The moment I realized...

This was the moment I realized...

...that I might be too old to keep subscribing to Teen Vogue.

Not that Justin Bieber isn't...um...awesome.

Blueberry and Lemon Syrup

Is it just me or are flavored syrups awesome? I mean, classic maple syrup is fantastic, and will always be the king of the breakfast syrup world, but I like a little variety in life.

Blueberry syrup, so dark and menacing looking, I want to eat you on my waffles and ice cream and toast with peanut butter. And I love a little lemon in fruit syrup, gives it that delicious high note flavor.

High note flavor. Yeah, as if I know what I'm talking about.

Homemade Blueberry and Lemon Syrup. Makes 3ish cups. (Yes, I'm very technical)

Ingredients: 8 oz of frozen (or fresh) blueberries, zest and juice of 1/2 a lemon, 1/3 cup sugar and 2-3 tablespoons water.

Allow frozen blueberries to thaw. In a saucepan combine all ingredients and cook over low to medium heat for 10-15 minutes. I find that the heat help the flavors and sugars dissolve together best. Then pour syrup into a blender or food processor and puree. Pour into a clean glass jar and keep in the refrigerator, use within the week.

You might be a baker if...

You might be a baker if...

-you have ever used a whole stick of butter as a bookmark. (in my defense, i was just waiting for it to soften. so there)

-you have post-it stickers peeking out all over your current cook book's pages. (guilty)

-you have dreams that seem to take place on the set of Katy Perry's latest music video.

-you feel the need to tweet, text or otherwise declare new flavor combinations as they come to you.

-your apron collection is starting to make your dress collection jealous.

xo. Emma

P.S. A week ago today I posted about why I blog and how it has changed my life. I entered that post in a food blogging contest via Foodbuzz. You can see my entry here and if you are so inclined you can click the *heart* next to "vote for this entry." You should check out some of the other entries while you are there too-there are some really amazing bloggers out there:)

(Big) Breakfast remix.

Sometimes, when I wake up in the morning I am super hungry.

What causes that anyway? It's not like I was doing a whole lot the last eight hours.

But when I wake up super hungry, I sometimes (when I have time) make a too huge breakfast. And then I can't eat it all. And then I feel bad.

Sometimes, to avoid feeling bad, I just eat it all anyway;)

I plan on doing this over the weekend. I sort of like it.

What are you all up to this weekend?

xo. Emma

Sweet Potato Cupcakes

Remember a couple of posts ago, when I was freaking out about the Great Pumpkin Shortage of 2010? I decided to do something positive about the situation. You see, I was planning to make some pumpkin cupcakes over the weekend and then my plans got ruined by wal-mart.

Isn't that always how it is?

Just kidding, I like wal-mart just fine.

Anyway, I decided to make sweet potato cupcakes instead. Behold good sir:

These were so yummy, and EXTREMELY moist! I even had a little batter left over so I made a little loaf of sweet potato bread.

In short, when life gives you lemons, wait, I mean when life doesn't give you lemons use limes instead.

Ok, I don't think that worked at all. But you get the point, right?

Also, if you get really desperate. Just complain to your family a lot:) Then the next thing you know your brother will call saying he found some pumpkin and you can say, "Get me twenty dollars worth!"

And then your mom will hear in the back ground and say, "Just tell him to buy it all."

"All of it? That's a little much, mom. (into the phone now) Doren, get mom some too, like five cans."

Mom holds up ten fingers emphatically.

"Never mind, get her ten cans of pumpkin."

My little brother is such a good sport. And that's the story of how my mom and I stock piled so much canned pumpkin that it looks like we are getting ready for Y2K all over again. :)