Happy Mother's Day

Hi again. I have been a terrible blogger. I give to you the typical excuses: life has been busy and I've had no time to blog. I know, I know, lame excuses. But good news, I am back! Today, I felt was an important day to blog. I mean after all it is Mother's Day, right?! Usually, I write about my great dining experiences or my yummy baked goods, but today I am writing about an amazing woman, my Mom, Jenell Mall. For those of you that don't know, over the past two years she has made positive changes to her life. She is simply inspiring.

 Borderline diabetic. Hypertensive. Arthritis. Obese.  All these words were once a concern of my mom's. NOT ANYMORE!!! Today, she is a whopping 100+lbs down, over 3 feet less around her waist, a workout maniac, and a healthy eater. She has the energy and confidence like never before; in fact, my Dad and I call her the energizer bunny! I think she is in better shape then me! She has completed 4 half marathons, with a PR of 2:19. Can I just say, she rocks!

I am so proud of you, Mom. Every time I see you, I am in awe of your dedication and perseverance. You are truly an inspiration to all of us. I hope that when I am your age, I look half as good as you do! You are  such a great role model, I would be lost without you. Dad, Tyler, Greg and I are so grateful for you, Mom. You are the most loving, caring and devoted mother anyone could ask for. We love you very much. 

I hope you have a wonderful Mother's Day! You deserve the BEST!

Muffin Tops to Cake Pops

To challenge myself?.... or not to challenge? This is what I was asking myself on Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent. I decided to take on the challenge: No "sweets" for 40 days. What was I thinking?! No Skittles. No Mambas. No Starburst. I'm crazy. Even now, 20 days later, every time I am in the check out line at the grocery store and see the "deal": buy 2 for 1.00... I am tempted to reach for the ENTIRE box! I know, I have problems. At least I am half way to Easter!

On a good note, when I decided to give up sweets, the term 'sweets' did NOT include baked goods... at least in my mind, anyway. Greg and my coworkers may beg to differ. Before I get to my baking, let's take a minute to talk about holidays. Everyone has a favorite holiday. Agree? Some like Thanksgiving for the great food, some like Christmas for the plethora of presents, while others like Fourth of July for fireworks and an excuse to party.

Well, I love Easter. 2 reasons.
1. It's a special day to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ
2. I get to hunt for Easter Eggs and my Mom's Easter baskets

Goodies from last year's basket.  

I know, I know. I am 27 years old. Grow up, right? NO! I hope to get a basket when I am 50! I have always been a candy lover. If I could live off candy alone, I would. As far back as I can remember I have always received massive baskets filled with an endless amount of goodies on Easter. Mornings consisted of an Easter egg hunt, collecting candy and money filled eggs and then it was the hunt for the basket. (Once my brother was old enough to 'hunt,' it was on... I had to get the golden egg first. I found it first last year....booya... 5.00 bucks in my pocket!) To sum it up, my mom's baskets are amazing. I like to compare it to winning the lotto...Winning! Winning- Charlie Sheen style. Okay, I guess on a lower scale, but still, they are pretty awesome.

The golden egg winner: Lisa

Now that I have your stomach growling for sweets, let's talk about your muffin top. Ok, maybe not your muffin top.  These are spongy, moist and full of deliciousness. In preparation and excitement for Easter, less then 4 weeks away, I baked...(drum roll please)...CAKE POPPERS.

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup milk
• Gel or liquid food colors (neon pink, neon purple, neon orange, neon green, classic blue)

**Can also use a Betty Crocker Cake box- Follow the directions on the back of the box.

Frosting:

• 1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
• Gel or liquid food colors (neon pink, neon purple, neon orange, neon green, classic blue)

**Can also use a homemade buttercream frosting.

Steps:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two mini muffin sheets. 

2. In a medium bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine flour and baking powder, add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Finally stir in the milk until batter is smooth.

3. Divide batter among 5 small bowls, about 1/2 cup each. Make 5 different colors of batter by adding 1/4 teaspoon food color to each bowl; blend well.

4. Fill each muffin cup with 1 level measuring tablespoon batter, making 10 cupcakes of each color.

5. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pan. Cool completely, about 10 minutes.

6. In a large bowl, beat marshmallow creme and butter with electric mixer on medium speed until blended. Beat in powdered sugar until fluffy. Divide frosting among 5 food colors, lightly tint frosting in each bowl to match the cupcake colors.

7. Assemble each popper using 2 mini cupcakes. Cut 'muffin tops' off each cupcake horizontally (save bottoms for another use). 

Scraps anyone?

8. Spread or pipe about 1 tablespoon frosting on cut side of 1 cupcake top. Form a sandwich by placing cut side of second cupcake top on frosting; press lightly. Repeat with remaining cupcake tops. Store loosely covered. 

Be prepared for a messing kitchen, lots of dishes, and stained fingers! While these colorful, bite size, and spongy cake sandwiches are tasty they are also time consuming and messy.  If you have a free afternoon and a large work space, these will be worth your while. They would be great for parties, kids or just to eat on the go. Can't beat it. Cake on the go...no cutting necessary!  I would definitely bake these again, however, I would slightly alter the frosting to a more traditional buttercream frosting (Not a huge fan of marshmallow in my frosting). Other than that, they are delicious as is. These poppers will be the talk of the party!

Happy Baking!

Brazil: Meat Lovin'

"The only time to eat diet food is while you're waiting for the steak to cook."- Julia Child

We did it! We completed "B," with Brazil. And guess what!? We even did it correctly; we picked a COUNTRY (Not much room for error... there are no continents starting with B). We just won't go there.

When was the last time you were served a juicy, hunk of meat, off a long skewer, table-side at a restaurant? Probably never or not very often. Before I explain why I am asking, let's find out a little more about Brazil.

A few fun facts about Brazil:

• Slightly smaller than the U.S.
• Fifth largest country by geographical area
• Capital is Brasilia
• Population of 190 million-largest population in Latin America
• Language is Portuguese
• Roman Catholic is their primary religion
• Approx.  90.3% of adult population have an education
• Climate is mostly tropical
• Government type- Federative republic

Food Facts:

• Cuisine varies greatly by region and the natural crop available
• Root vegetables, yams, peanuts and fruits are local ingredients used in cooking
• Rice and beans are an extremely common dish, as are fish, beef and pork
• Brazilian pine nuts called pinhao, are a popular national snack
• Know for their popular liquor Cachaca
• Typical dishes include: Caruru, consisting of okra, onion dried shrimp, and toasted nuts. Feijoada, a simmered bean and meat dish. Moqueca capixaba, consisting of slow-cooked fish, tomato, onion and garlic topped with cilantro. Milled tapioca, a popular dessert

Feed me! Feed me!

So, let's go back to that big hunk of meat I was talking about. This last weekend, my adventurous friends and I enjoyed a filling but satisfying lunch at Ipanema, a Brazilian Grill, located in downtown Seattle. 

It was set up like a rodizio, a common Brazilian style of service, where one pays a fixed price and servers circulate with food. How did it work? Several times throughout the meal, servers came to the table with a knife or skewer, on which were speared various kinds of meat. The meat was then freshly sliced at the table. The most common cuts of meat were beef, pork and chicken. The sign above let the servers know we wanted MORE- green side up. Here is a list of what we had... and yes, we were stuffed.

Still Mooing?!

• Filet mignon chunks wrapped in bacon
• Sirloin steak
• Pork ribs
• Beef ribs
• Chorizo
• Prime rib
• Peppercorn steak
• Parmesan pork
• Tri tip
• Rib eye
• Lamb
• Chicken

                                                         Anyone missing a rib?

Bacon Hug

Weiners. Get your wieners.

Oh, but wait....it did not end with all this amazing and juicy meat. Crazy right? We also had unlimited visits to Ipanema's "Mesa de Frios"(Cold table). The cold table was set up buffet style. It included an array of cold cuts, cheeses, fruits, vegetables. It also had great salads, bread, collard greens, black beans and rice. Everything was fresh, colorful and had a great aroma. There were so many great options, it was hard to try them all! I take that back. All but one dish, the baby squids were a sign to stay away. One random thing to add, the butter for the bread was amazing. I am pretty sure I had 5 pieces loaded with this butter! The group would agree.

Circle of vegetable love. 

Endless buffet: Fat kids love it here.

Hungry? It's soft and chewy and will swim into your mouth. 

We also had fried bananas for dessert.  I'm, not a fan. Too gushy. Too greasy. I like my bananas firm. Haha! I know, you are wondering how we possibly walked out, fitting through the front door. Well, we all turned sideways. Only kidding. I won't mention any names, but some of our group went to get donuts at Pike Place afterwards! Crazy huh. I guess pregnancy has that effect.

I'd like some banana with that grease! 

Speaking on behalf of the group, our Brazil experience totally surpassed expectations. The food was fantastic! The meats were fresh, tender and full of flavor and definitely worth the price. It's not every day you get a variety of high end cuts of meat all in one sitting! I think what made this experience so fun was the uniqueness of it all. I mean really, multiple, 20 pound meats brought to your table and sliced right in front of you... how cool is that? Would we go back? YES! YES! YES! If you like to eat meat and try new things, GO. All you have to do is drive in to the city and spend a little over 20 bucks for lunch. Do it! Take your friends and family, you won't be disappointed!

Best friends doing it Brazilian style. (Get your head out of the gutter)

One last look at some great meat!

Happy Eating!

Stuffed. Time to 'roll' out

San Francisco: My Weekend Getaway

San Francisco. Home to cable cars, Chinatown, Lombard St., Alcatraz, Union Square and the Giants. Lucky for me, these are only a few great attractions to see when visiting San Fran. Why am I lucky? I was able to take a day off of work to spend an extended weekend in the heart of Union Square with my hubbers. I gotta say, we were spoiled. It was a perfect weekend with nothing but blue skies.

Union Square: Shopping Central

We packed our days full of eating, drinking, shopping, touring, visiting with great college friends and from over doing it (or just getting old), a midday nap. Due to the fact that we do not have the greatest weather in Washington State, Greg and I wanted to soak up as much of the California sun possible. 

We spent our first two days walking everywhere. I am pretty sure we walked 4-5 miles per day! That seems like a lot for a city that is only 7 miles long and 7 miles wide!  We spent some time at the Fisherman Wharf, the Ferry Terminal Building and Ghirardelli Square. We even went to the aquarium and San Francisco Academy of Sciences, to find big-ass sharks, 30-foot snakes and the largest spiders I've ever seen! To top it off, we went to the biggest candy store on Pier 39... I did not know what to do with myself!   

Kiss me before I push you off!

Chocolate Madness! Com'on it's good for you!

Candy Heaven!! I could eat this stuff FOREVER!

Hands down, my favorite part of the trip was the abundant shopping, but more importantly the diverse food. It was awesome! From our hotel we were able to walk one block in any direction to indulge on Mexican, Japanese, Vietnamese, American and Chinese. Can you guess what I had on my first night? Mexican, Duh! Because we all love food and I did not have a chance to bake this week, I wanted to share some of the great foods we had.

Getting my Strawberry Crepe on!

Breakfast of Champs: Banana-Nutella Crepe

Lunch at Fisherman's Wharf
Bowl of Clam Chowder accompanied by a fresh crab sandwich

Sushi Madness! Melted in my mouth like butta! Get in my belly!

Not sure what we ordered. Chewy, gelatin-dessert of some sort. Ice cream on the side?

Chinatown Experience: Kung Pao Chicken- all good, minus the mushrooms. 

In addition to all this fantastic food, I also had some delicious drinks! Strong and sweet... just how I like it!

Blackberry Fizz. You only need a couple.... trust me!

Blackberry Margarita... like me some Tequila!

Great shopping. Great food. Great weather. Great friends. Great Vacation. What more do I need to say... we had a GREAT time!

Cheers!

High rollers right here, check it. Reserved for the Poffs!
 Pre dinner drinks. 

PS: I think bacon is the big fad in San Francisco!! I should live there. (If you don't know what I am talking about, read my last posting, "Bacon or Bust."

Get your Bacon on! Gummy bacon, bacon gumballs, bacon beans! 

Bacon or Bust

"Yes, I'll have a non-fat, decaf latte, please. Oh what the hell? Look, make it a full-fat mocha with extra whipped cream. What the hell, put a slice of bacon on it!"- Dr. Frasier Crane (A Quote from Frasier.)

What's not to like about bacon, with it's crispy, salty, and fatty deliciousness? It can be added to almost anything to enhance the flavor of an otherwise bland dish. It is actually referred to as "nature's candy." No matter how you slice it, it is always scrumptious. I mean com'on, what is better then the aroma of hot, sizzling bacon fresh off the skillet? Even vegetarians have trouble resisting this meaty treat when they smell it cooking.

www.icanhasinternets.com

The last month Greg and I have been on a huge bacon kick. Most weekends we have it for breakfast and during the week we add it to a variety of foods such as salads and sandwiches. It's getting bad... we just can't get enough of it (Maybe that's why my pants are feeling a little tighter).  In fact my craving is so great that today, when I was at Costco, I was tempted to buy bacon in bulk. My hand was on the handle, ready to pull open the refrigerator door. The bacon was staring at me, and I was staring at it, but somehow I managed to resist (As it is, I already get in trouble for spending too much on my Costco runs). My arteries, heart and weight will thank me later. So, I guess for now the 10lbs of bacon in the home refrigerator will do.
This brings me to the reason for this blog. Think of all the endless possibilities I can do with bacon. I can add it to salads, sandwiches, eggs, baked potatoes, hamburgers, hotdogs and soups. But can I do more? What about baked goods? Can something so rich and decadent like bacon be added to something that is intended to be sweet? I am here to tell you, yes! The real question is, will your tasty treat get the praise it deserves?

I would like to present to you my next baking extravaganza:

Smoky Bacon-Ginger Cookies

(Recipe taken from Martha Stewart)

I present to you: Bacon Ginger Cookies

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces thick-cut smoked bacon (about 6 slices), cut into 1/4-inch dice.
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 sorghum syrup or unsulfured molasses
• 1/2 cup saw sugar, such as turbinado
• smoked sea salt, for sprinkling

Directions:

1. Cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 14 minutes. Pour off fat and reserve (you should have 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons fat and 3/4 cup bacon); transfer bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate; let bacon and reserved fat cool. 

Cook me some bacon, bitch!

Grease, please!

2. Preheat over to 350 degrees. Whisk to combine flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl, beat butter and both sugars with an electric mixer on medium-high until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes Beat in reserved bacon fat. Add egg and mix until blended, scraping down side of bowl as necessary. Add sorghum syrup and mix until blended. Reduce speed to low; add flour mixture, mixing until blended. Mix in reserved bacon.

3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll balls in raw sugar to coat. Space 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Flatten balls using the palm of your hand or a spatula; sprinkle lightly with smoked sea salt. Bake 1 sheet at a time, rotating halfway through, until edges are set and tops are cracked but centers are still soft, about 8 minutes. Let cookies cool completely on wire racks. 

Firm, salty balls

Flat balls, ouch.

I have to say, when I took these cookies out of the oven, I was hesitant to try them. In fact, I asked Greg to try them out first. Funny thing is, he was a little unsure as well. Finally after the typical battle, "no, you try it," "no, you try it" we both sunk our teeth into them. After all that, we were pleasantly surprised! Every bite was so different. Some salty bites and some taste full of ginger. Overall,  I thought they had great texture, soft and chewy, with a great balance of sweet and salty.

Then there were my friends and family members. I got mixed reviews about these cookies. Some people hated them, so much that they threw them in the garbage after taking only a bite. But some loved them, grabbing handfuls. Some people wanted more bacon and some could not get past the idea of eating a 'meat cookie.'

Even though I thought they were great and a majority of my tasters enjoyed them, I am a little hesitant to make them again. For the time (1.5-2 hours) and effort I put into these cookies, I would have hoped that people liked them better. So while they sound good, look pretty and feel soft, they were not a total crowd pleaser. Hopefully, my next adventure will come with big smiles and happier tummies.

Eat me! I am salty and sweet.