Raspberry Coconut Macaroons

Last week, I shared the roasted eggplant with tomatoes and basil that I made for the holidays.  Well, today I wanted to switch it up and share the beautiful dessert I made!

Normally, I like to have more than a few desserts when company comes over, but this time I chose to make just one.  Usually, most people are stuffed at the end of the meal, and guests unexpectedly bring desserts anyways!

Let me just say first that these macaroons are AMAZING!  I made these a few years ago and because I loved them so much, it was the first recipe I added to the holiday menu.  I'll remind you that I set out to make this an all Smitten Kitchen recipe holiday, and for a good reason.  Deb did her homework on the macaroons, which you can see if you take a peek at her original recipe.  Read on for A+ macaroons!


Raspberry Coconut Macaroons
From Smitten Kitchen


14 oz. (400 g) sweetened, flaked coconut
2/3 cup (130 g) granulated sugar
3 large egg whites
1/4 tsp. table salt OR heaped 1/4 tsp. flaked sea salt
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/2 pint (6 oz., 170 g or 1 1/4 cups) fresh raspberries (patted VERY dry; see note at end)

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.

2. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
  *I used a nonstick baking sheet, which worked okay.  Just a couple of the macaroons stuck a little.  No biggie!

3. In a food processor, blend the coconut for a minute.

4. Add sugar and blend for one minute.

5. Add the egg whites, salt and almond extract and blend for another minute.
  * I used the 1/4 tsp. of regular salt.

6. Add the raspberries and pulse in short bursts until the raspberries are broken down, but still with some visible flecks.

DON'T use frozen raspberries, like I show here!  See note at bottom of the post.

Note:   Leave the white and the pink parts of the batter separate, so you can swirl them later!

8. With a size #70 cookie scoop or a Tablespoon, scoop a little of the pink batter then a little of white batter.

Note: The cookies can be spaced close together since they will not spread.

9. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until slightly browned on top.

10. When finished, leave the macaroons to cool on the tray for at least 10 minutes.  They will firm up and be easier to transfer.

11. Enjoy!

By the way, you may have noticed that I showed frozen raspberries in my step-by-step pictures.  I decided to make a double batch, and made the silly mistake of doubling every ingredient EXCEPT the raspberries on my list!  The first batch with fresh raspberries ended up perfect.  I didn't want to run back to the store, so I baked the second batch with the frozen kind.

DO NOT use frozen raspberries!  The water content is super high, and they end up looking like this on the baking sheet.

And this when baked!

The extra juiciness made it too moist and completely pink!  However, they tasted fine once I removed the burned edges.  Still, not the most beautiful macaroons I've ever made.

I love these little beauties, and I can't wait to make them again!

What is your favorite unexpected flavor combination?  Mine is obviously raspberry and coconut!

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Favorite Salad "Recipe"

Unfortunately, I am feeling a bit under the weather today.  :(

Maybe it's a culmination of my travel, eating out so much this last week, or staying out in the sun too long for Mother's Day.  In any case, I had to skip the gym today, which is always a bit worrying.  It's so easy to put off the next workout for tomorrow, or the day after, and so on...

Well, at least I can eat right!

I put together one of my favorite salads ever, which I eat every day, as long as I've been a good grocery shopper and food prep-er.  Yes, I think I just made up a word.

It helps to have a tasty salad ready to go, especially when your fruit drawer looks like this...

Hmmm...  One of these things is not like the other!

Diane's Favorite Salad!
Recipe from My Guy's mom  :)

Ingredients
4 cups Romaine, chopped
1 cup Red Cabbage, chopped
1/2 cup Carrots, chopped
2 Tbsp. blue cheese

2 Tbsp. dried cranberries

1 Tbsp. French fried onions
Olive oil, to taste (optional)

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients together.

2. Enjoy!

Really, I have to explain why I love this salad so much.

- It's colorful!  You know that I love eating all of the colors of the rainbow.  :)

- The ingredients comprise a range of tastes makes the salad interesting to eat, instead of just bland and boring lettuce greens.  The saltiness of the blue cheese and french fried onions is contrasted with the sweet carrots and dried cranberries.  The crunchiness of the french fried onions is also contrasted to the crisp lettuce and cabbage and the chewy cranberries.  Each bite is a different experience!

- I can prep my salad ingredients for a few days at a time because all of the ingredients keep well, even after being pre-cut.  It's probably obvious that I like having quick, pre-prepared items in my fridge.  :)

What's your favorite salad?  I'm always on the lookout for new toppings and flavor combinations.  :)

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Shrimp with Zucchini, Tomatoes and Feta!

Hello all!

I am finally back to cooking!  I haven't washed a dish or pan in about 4 weeks, can you believe it?  Luckily, between all of the walking and hiking up towers, none of the pastries that I ate didn't pack on a single pound!  I came in right at the exact same weight, to a tenth of a pound.  That's crazy!

Still, I'm pretty sure that I'm a bit thicker in the middle and lost some of my arm muscle.  Ick.  So what does that mean?  Back to healthy recipes (and the gym)!

I actually made this recipe before I left for my trip, because it's so easy with most of the ingredients coming from my freezer, pantry, and garden.  No grocery shopping?  Yes!

Shrimp with Zucchini, Tomatoes and Feta

Adapted from here


Ingredients

Olive oil

1 medium zucchini, diced
1 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound frozen shrimp, thawed

1 Tbsp. fresh oregano, minced

1 Tbsp. fresh basil, minced
Salt & pepper, to taste
1/4 cup water
Feta, for sprinkling

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.

2. Add the tomatoes, zucchini, and garlic to the pan.  Cook about 3 minutes.

3. Add shrimp and sauté 1 to 2 minutes, until warmed through.

4. Add the oregano, basil, salt and pepper.  You may reserve some of the herbs for sprinkling over the finished dish, if you prefer fresh herbs.

5. Stir in the water and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the sauce has thickened.

6. Serve immediately and sprinkle with as much Feta as desired.  Enjoy!

What's your favorite go to pantry/freezer meal?

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Favorite Dessert: Ricotta & Fruit Bowls

My favorite desserts of all time would have to be either a tart or cheesecake loaded with ripe, delicious fruit.  I can't imagine baking every day, so this is something that I like to imagine as a deconstructed version of those desserts!

The way that I came to this recipe was when I was moving out of my last apartment and needed to start cleaning out my pantry.  I was working my way through my dried fruit stockpile, and decided to add dried blueberries to some leftover ricotta from a lasagna recipe.

Delicious!!!

Sometimes, I swear that it almost tastes like cheesecake if I concentrate hard enough.  :)  This is going to be a lot like last week's "recipe" of yogurt and fruit cups, and just like that recipe, I eat this almost every day for a quick, light dessert!

Ricotta & Fruit Bowls

Ingredients
Ricotta, whichever fat content you prefer
Sweetener of choice*
Fruit of choice*
"Crust" of choice*
Optional extras that you'd like to mix in (i.e. - Protein powder, Fiber powder, etc.)

*See below for what I like to use!

"Directions"
1. Mix the ricotta with any extras that you would like to use.

2. Mix in the amount of sweetener, to your taste.
* I like using agave nectar or honey.  Other good sweeteners to use are maple syrup, mashed persimmons, date sugar, etc.

 3. Top with your favorite fresh or dried fruit!
*I used fresh peaches, but this works well with strawberries, blueberries, mango, and everything in between.  Even dried fruit works, like my favorite, dried blueberries!

4. Top with your "crust."
*I use fiber cereal most of the time, but feel free to use other cereal, broken graham crackers, or anything to mimic a tart crust!

5. Enjoy!

This is light and simple dessert that satisfies my sweet tooth with a bit of fiber and nutrition thrown in.  It tastes good and it's good for me?  Yes!

I'll promise to stop sounding like an infomercial by next week's recipe.  :)

What is your favorite dessert to make at home?

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Tip: How to Hull Strawberries Without a Fancy Gadget

Disclaimer: I don't claim to be a chef, a food expert, or have extraordinary knife skills.  That means everyone will be able to find this a helpful tip!

When I first started to cook for myself after college, I loved buying and using every gadget that Bed, Bath, and Beyond had to offer.  However, when I was growing up, my mom always said "Real chefs don't use gadgets."  At first, I didn't understand what she was talking about, but then I was introduced to the wall of gadgets with an avocado slicer, the cherry pitter, and mango splitter.

Chances are if the name of the gadget contains a specific food, it's a unitasker that Alton Brown would abhor and can easily be thrown out with the proper use of a knife.  I have since made my mom proud and brought my kitchen items down to the basics.


Last week during Valentine's Day, there were tons of dishes using strawberries and one of my pet peeves surfaced everywhere.

This!

Do you notice the little piece of stem and a lot of the tart, white part (the hull) on the prepped strawberries?  No one wants to eat that!

Check out the picture of someone slicing through the strawberry to remove the stem.

This person removed all of the stem, but a portion of delicious strawberry is removed as well!

Here's a diagram so you understand what I'm saying.

Credit: Foodie in Disguise

You can buy a strawberry huller of course, especially if you're making copious amounts of preserves or pies.

Credit: here

However, most people will only eat a few strawberries at a time.  Also, gadgets take up precious drawer space and cost money!

Here's how to hull a strawberry with a simple paring knife.

1) Insert the tip of your knife at the point where the red and white parts meet.

2) Keeping the knife steady, turn the strawberry slowly in a circle.  Voila!

Seriously, it's only two steps and worth knowing how to do.

Check out the lovely strawberries minus the tart hulls, and the green tops without any yummy strawberry goodness attached!

Bon appetit!

What is your most & least favorite kitchen gadget?

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New Beginnings!

My first post of the year and ever!  Very exciting stuff.  :)

Not having kept a blog before, I'm not sure what the first post really should convey.  However, I'm sure there will be many growing pains before I get the hang of it.

Having googled the phrase "what to include in a first blog post," I was inundated with all kinds of advice from format, to content, and advertisement advice.  I'm pretty sure that this blog will be read by just a few close friends, so I've nixed the idea of the "perfect blog post."


So who am I?

I'm a girl from sunny California who wants so desperately to be crafty and Martha Stewart-like, but usually ends up with a sloppy mess and thoughts of "Well next time, I'll know what NOT to do."  I  can spend hours in a craft store, much to the chagrin of my significant other.  I have wonderful friends who are creative and encouraging.  Hopefully, I can feature some of their projects later on!


What am I going to be blogging about?

First of all, I have a love of all things edible!  I began cooking for myself after college, but after about 6 months of eating pasta and canned soup, I started to slowly expand my horizons.  Now I'm considered the baking professional in the family!  However, I am somewhat of a health nut, so much of my cooking errs on the healthy side and most of the time I have a vegetarian diet (due to my aversion for handling raw meat).  I adore having culinary adventures around town, and I hope to share some of those fun times!

Secondly, I have always loved sewing, and wanted to learn early in life, but I didn't get a chance to until this last April.  I grew up with a grandmother who would make us pajamas, Halloween costumes, and other projects that my mom needed.  However, by the time I was ready to learn, she had stopped using her sewing machine.  I'm so happy to be continuing the tradition (although it skipped a generation), and I love looking over the things she's made and getting inspiration from them.  I'm most interested in garment making, but I'll be making other items because someone's always having a birthday, bridal shower, baby shower, etc. around here!

If you ask my friends and family what other career path I could have taken, the answer would be professional organizer.  I looooove when things are where they are supposed to be, and in a pretty, functional way!  Now, I'm not saying that I keep everything spotless 100% of the time, and that I have the perfect solution to under the bathroom sink, but I do love a good label!  I plan on moving some time in the near future, so I'm sure that I will have to implement so new organizational systems.  Yes!!!

Lastly, I will be blogging about my love affair with pretty, vintage items.  I'm sure it will be self-evident in my future posts, but I "ooh and aah" over all those old-fashioned details that may be tacky or costume-y to some, but precious to me.  If you have an aversion to lace, mint green decor, or sparkly earrings, you may feel like you've wandered into an Anthropologie-esque wonderland.  You have been warned!


P.S. - If you're a grammar hound, please ignore my constant run-on sentences.  I can tell the difference between you're/your and their/they're/there, so I should get points for getting those right!  I like to think that the run-ons signify an overabundance of thoughts on any one subject.  :)

P.P.S. - I welcome any comments and participation, especially when I am planning my projects.  The more, the merrier!

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