Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Chocolate Raspberry Ganache Pie

Chocolate Raspberry Ganache Pie
I'm a mean old lady...
It's taken me over a month to share this recipe with you. And that's not cool, guys.
Chocolate Raspberry Ganache Pie
This pie was Michael's birthday dessert this year and it could not have been a better choice. First: it represents 2 of Michael's favorite flavors, dark chocolate and raspberry. Second: THIS PIE IS SO EASY IT'S INSANE! Oh hey, can you use a microwave and do you have a refrigerator? Yes? Fab. You can make this pie.
Chocolate Raspberry Ganache Pie
Now, I mean...I can never really make anything too easy for myself. So I made my own crust (although honestly, that's pretty simple too....although I did make my own cookies to make my own crust....#ihaveaproblem). But you can totes just buy one. No judging here. This is a safe space. But yeah, anyway, throw some stuff in a microwave, stir it, pour it in your crust, refrigerate, and you have yourself an amazing pie!
Chocolate Raspberry Ganache Pie
A pie that, I might add, prompted my friend Molly to call me a "goddess". So yeah. It's impressive.

And OF COURSE the birthday boy loooved it! He told me so, repeatedly. The ganache gives you the most amazing, silky, texture and then there's a beautiful raspberry glaze on top to give an extra punch of fruity flavor. And there's nothing more delicious (ok that's prob. a big statement but....it's up there) than a cookie crust!

You're gonna love this one.

Monday, October 28, 2013

Over EASY Eggs

Over EASY Eggs
Over EASY eggs...get it? Because...they're over easy eggs but they're EASY over easy eggs...get it...yeah?

Ok. Good. I thought it was funny. Maybe just me. Whatevs.
Over EASY Eggs
Fun story: before I could cook, I could make eggs. That I was able to do. And I learned to make over easy eggs by watching my mom and dad. You see, every Saturday morning was pancakes, and every Sunday morning was over easy eggs or "dippy eggs" as they were called in my household (because we dipped toast in the yolks...get it?) I've heard of people flipping eggs to make them over easy or whatever, but that's risky. I was taught this method because it is easy, virtually foolproof, and awesome.

Now, I can't eat eggs anymore (used to love em, now they make me sick. I have no clue what is wrong with me) but Michael isn't crazy like me, so I can still flex my egg-making skills for him. And now you'll be able to say you can make eggs as well as a 10 year old Kayle. Oh yeah.

Saturday, October 26, 2013

Something Saturdays (10/26/13)

Other Supernatural fans: ever wonder about Adam? He was a d-bag so I don't even care. Humph.

Speaking of Supernatural...OMG (Michael saw this as a solicitation to sell at the comic store/company he works for and I WANT THEM!)

Oh and Guess what? Divine Chocolate has launched a “World of Divine” photo competition--and we can all enter!

Just submit a photo with a short caption describing where you can find/buy or enjoy Divine and your photo will be entered into the World of Divine photo competition. Grand Prize winner receives a new iPod Touch and runners-up will receive a gift basket of Divine chocolate favorites.

There are four different ways to enter your photo (and you can enter as many times as you want!):
1) Enter via the World of Divine Facebook App here: http://on.fb.me/15Dd9oG 
2) Or, enter via Divine’s website here: http://bit.ly/166SfN6
3) Or, enter via Twitter mentioning @DivineChocUSA and including the hash tag #WorldofDivine
4) Or, enter via Instagram tagging @DivineChocolateUSA and including the hash tag #WorldofDivine

Super fun, right??! Good luck all!!


Posts from this week

Movies/TV Talk (assume there'll be spoilers)
This is the End-this is that movie starring a bunch of comedic actors playing themselves during the end of the world...and it was pretty hilarious. I especially enjoyed that The Backstreet Boys were singing in heaven....sounds about right :P

Once Upon A Time-Here's what I like about Peter Pan being the pied piper: he's playing a pan flute...get it?? I'm curious to find out more about his and Rumple's history. It completely blows, though, that Neal had Henry and then lost him again...ugh. And THEN he became looost and could hear the music. Gah!

How I Met Your Mother-Yeahhh, I like Robin & Barney's story too. Even more so...I like seeing it with Marshall and Lily pretending to be them...hehehe.

Supernatural-Whoa. Castiel got laid. Craziness. Annndd what the eff is up with Ezekiel?? I'm so just like....unsure of what's going on. And super sad poor Cas is getting kicked out :(

Criminal Minds-aaaand this ep. made me cry. And not even cuz of the Hotch stuff, but because of the criminal father/daughter final scene. I just....I can't.

The Originals-what is up with all the people after Haley? Is it her were-family?? And what's the deal with Cami's brother who like murdered all those seminary students? And how is Elijah up and about...that feels very continuity error-esque....but I like Klaus' paternal side, and I like how nice he is to Cami. So that's all good.

Law & Order:SVU-well this episode was obvious in what it was referencing in the real world. I liked learning more about Barba though, he might be my fave ADA that they've had.

Modern Family-hehee I love the new "Manny!"

Once Upon a Time in Wonderland-I loved learning Will's origin story! And I KNEW his "Anastasia" was the red queen!...well...I mean I knew it during the course of this episode anyway. And, lastly, poor Grendel.

Parenthood-Max has it tough. And awwwww Ryan!

The Vampire Diaries-WHAT IS THAT DOCTOR'S DEAL??! And yay Tyler's back (although it doesn't seem permanent?) and the Bonnie funeral blah blah blah ELENA YOU ARE SUCH AN IDIOT FOR BREAKING UP WITH STEFAN HE LOVES YOU EVEN WITHOUT HIS MEMORY AGHHHHH! That one almost kiss they had was more exciting than like anything she has with Damon ever. I love ya Damon but not for Elenaaaa.

Reign-I'm still a little unsure, but so far I'm liking the show. I want a happy ending for Mary (and Francis) so badly, though, and it stinks because I know it ends up going.

Friday, October 25, 2013

STAR Fine Foods Review

Look at all these goodies STAR Fine Foods sent me...
I haven't even begun to try all of these beauties yet, but I'll give you a little rundown about each:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil with Omega-3 DHA: Derived from a sustainable and vegetarian source of DHA, 2 servings provides 25% of the daily recommended value (200mg) of DHA Omega 3. This can be used any way you'd use EVOO, but with an added health boost. Woot!
Family Reserve Olive Oil with Fresh Rosemary: I'm really excited to try this one-I can think of so many ways to use rosemary infused olive oil (I'm thinking chicken....pizza....oh yeah.)
Usage Pairing Olive Oils: Like wine, these olive oils are particularly well suited for particular types of dishes. They have one for vegetables, one for poultry/fish, and one for beef/lamb-each specially complementing their dish.
Creamy Balsamic Glazes: We were given the raspberry and apple varieties, and Michael has been loving them on his salads!
Grapeseed Oil: This was briefly discussed on Wednesday-essentially it is the only oil I want to use in any kind of frying from now on (with a smoke point of 485 degrees, grapeseed oil has a lower risk of burning and splattering). It's an extremely versatile oil, with very minimal flavor or aroma-and can be substituted for canola or vegetable oil in most recipes. PLUS it's low saturated fat level means it doesn't solidify when refrigerated so it's great for salad dressings, sauces, and marinades (and you can use it in baking as well)! (Added bonus-it's actually a byproduct of grapes after wine production, so environmentally friendly!) And the health benefits--
  • Carbohydrate and sodium free
  • Cholesterol free
  • No Trans Fat
  • Low in saturated fats
  • No added preservatives, flavorings or colorings
  • High in oleic acid and essential fatty acids
  • High in polyunsaturated fat, with about 72% linoleic acid (Omega 6) that has the greatest affect on increasing the level of HDL (good cholesterol) and reducing the level of LDL (bad cholesterol)
  • High in naturally occurring antioxidants
  • Contains vitamin E and A
Butter Flavored Olive Oil: And this one I mentioned on Monday. Butter flavored olive oil gives you the delicious flavor of butter with all the health benefits of olive oil-a small way to cut back on saturated fats, sodium, and cholesterol. I've tried olive oil in baked goods before and I couldn't get around the taste-I'm a butter girl, what can I say? So this is PERFECT for me-you can use the butter flavored olive oil in baked goods (duh), pasta, potatoes, popcorn, seafood, rice, corn, toast...etc etc. Just make sure to use this handy conversion chart:


Moral of the story-STAR has the coolest stuff (they have more products that aren't even listed on this post!). And I am a lucky lady to get to have so much to use!

Disclaimer: I was provided with product from STAR Fine Foods to try, but I was under no obligation to review if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review in return for the free product. My opinions, as always, are all my own.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Pan Fried Zucchini with STAR Fine Foods

Pan Fried Zucchini
Now, I'm gonna be honest...I do not understand the concept of frying vegetables (not counting potatoes because...well...obviously). As someone who is not a veggie fan, I figure the whole point is for them to be healthy, right? Well...apparently there are humans out there who just enjoy the flavor of vegetables-such as my boyfriend, the Michael. I don't know if I'd ever even heard of fried zucchini until I heard him salivating at the idea of it on a menu (at some early point in our relationship). I just didn't understand. But hey, to each their own.
Pan Fried Zucchini
Well, a couple years into us being a couple, I started this blog. And now I'm like supposed to try to make him happy by cooking him stuff he likes. And I'm gonna be real-I like it-I get this weird proud feeling when I whip up something he loves. Like, "Yeah....I'm awesome...go me." So, when I found myself with some leftover zucchini I said, "I'm gonna make up a recipe for fried zucchini for Michael. How hard could it be?"

You're probably expecting me to fall on my face after thinking that, huh? *phew* Thankfully, I got lucky! The recipe turned out perfectly, so it is worthy to be shared with all of you! Michael was really excited and def. a big fan of them (unsure of whether or not they're as good his mom's....I'll settle for that they're both good in different ways...) He raved a little, which of course made me glow in pride :).
Pan Fried Zucchini
Added bonus to these? I pan fried them in STAR's Grapeseed oil. I HIGHLY recommend using grapeseed oil because 1. it's a bit healthier 2. it's pretty much flavorless 3. (most importantly) it was the most painless frying experience I've ever had. It didn't smoke, it didn't spit at me, I escaped this whole experience unburned and without making a huge mess! WIN.

'Tis the season for parties, and I suggest you impress with some fried zucch's. You'll be glad you did.
(so will your guests)

Monday, October 21, 2013

Belgian Cookie Dough Waffles with Chocolate Whipped Cream-with STAR Fine Foods

Belgian Cookie Dough Waffles with Chocolate Whipped Cream
Ok, let's just address the elephant in the room (OMG I WISH THERE WAS AN ELEPHANT IN MY ROOM!...sorry...I love elephants...off topic...): I know. That whipped cream on top of those waffles...*sigh of embarassment* looks like a poop. UGH! I'm sorry! I just...I didn't mean for this to happen, but it did. This teaches me the lesson that I need to get myself a piping tip. Ugh. Ok, anyway, now that we've talked about it, let's just try to forget about it and move on, ok? Ok, great. Thanks for being so mature about this.
Belgian Cookie Dough Waffles with Chocolate Whipped Cream
Anyway, I've been lusting after The Cookie Dough Lover's Cookbook for quite some time now. And, thanks to the AMAZINGESS of one of my newer bloggy buds Zainab (AKA Blahnik Baker) I now am in possession of my very own copy! EEE! One of the very first things I made from my beautiful new cookbook was these cookie dough waffles. But um...even though they are clearly not a healthy brekky, I still attempted to make them a little less inappropriate for morning times. Essentially I used some whole wheat flour and subbed in STAR'S new Butter Flavored Olive Oil (more on that in Friday's post) in for the butter in the waffles. Super easy swaps and I still ended up with amazing waffles that were chewy and deliciouuus!

Now...these waffles were yummy. Don't get me wrong. But....the cookie dough was sort of barely present, I assume since the dough got all cooked in the waffle iron. Plus this makes A LOT of waffles. So, unless you have a small army (or ya know...a family) to feed, maybe decrease the recipe. But I gotta say, this is a DEFINITE show stopper. Nothing like tellin' people "Oh hey, I made cookie dough waffles topped with some chocolate whipped cream..." Yeah...I can practically see the drool already.

Saturday, October 19, 2013

Something Saturdays (10/19/13)

Mmmmmm......soooo....it's Saturday morning...I'm sleepy....aaaand....I've got no interesting things to say....

....let's just continue on, shall we?

Posts from this week

Recipes from the blog that I made this week
Butter Cream Chicken (made using Epicurean's Scampi Butter)

Recent links bookmarked (visit my Pinterest for more)
Ultimate Fudge Brownies with Toasted Pecans (Baker Bettie)
Ughhh these look so insane!!! YUM!
Cheesy Chicken and Potato Chowder (Comfort of Cooking)
So comforting and yummmyy!

Movies/TV Talk (assume there'll be spoilers)
Once Upon A Time-I like how the show used Tinkerbell. I'm glad Mulan has given up on Philip, nothin' like a baby to do that. Hooray for Neal being in Wonderland. I hope Charming is gonna be ok :( REGINA'S SOULMATE IS ROBIN HOOD??!

How I Met Your Mother-Barney and Robin...oh man...you guys....lol

Law & Order: SVU-I cannot believe Munch is gone :(

Criminal Minds-I don't know what the deal is between their new Section Chief and JJ, I think/hope it's not an affair thing and is just related to the work she did when she was in DC. I also thought the 2 victims' relationship with each other was adorable. And I've seen the dude who played the bad guy a bunch of times before, and he always plays kind of a dick. Heroes, The Vampire Diaries, Once Upon A Time--all ultimately goodish guys, but initially (and still...overall) kinda a dick.

The Big Bang Theory-Poor Amy (and poor Bernadette, too, for that matter).

The Vampire Diaries-Love meeting Ketsiya, love learning the Silas backstory, love learning that the doppelgangers originate from Silas & Amara and are destined to always fall in love (even though I hate that we're ignoring the story Elijah told where he and Klaus fell in love with a doppelganger...whatever). I HATE that Stefan has lost his memory...anyone who knows me knows I despise memories being tampered with. Ugh.

Once Upon A Time in Wonderland-I'm a romantic and the Alice/Cyrus love story is just like...adorable. I love it. I love this show. I also love that it's only a 1 season arc so after this season it will all be finished, with a nice definitive ending. :)

Parenthood-Aw yay Adam's being a nice hubby now :) I really want things to be ok for Amber and Ryan, and for Sarah to just like...not be all up in their grill so much with the worrying.

Reign-I don't know how to feel about this show yet. I think I like it?

Instagram Lately (a few highlights from this week on Instagram)

Friday, October 18, 2013

3 Cheese White Pizza with Truffle Oil-daRosario Review

3 Cheese White Pizza with Truffle Oil
Some things about me, just don't make sense. Like...I hate mushrooms. Always have. But...gosh darn it I am OBSESSED with all things truffle (although I don't think I could just straight up eat a whole truffle mushroom...) My first taste of the friggin' indescribable goodness of truffle was back when I was a cater waiter, I tried a truffle oil french fry. And I died. BECAUSE OMG. And since then my love has only grown. But, I had never had my own truffle oil to use. Because...well....it's pricey. The foodie heavens all aligned, though, and led to me meeting a delightful man while I was working one of my day jobs, and this man happens to work with daRosario. And when he heard about my blog, he offered me some of their truffle oil to try. And guys...let's dish.
3 Cheese White Pizza with Truffle Oil
Turns out, all other brands of truffle flavored anything are synthetic. daRosario Organics is the only company that makes 100% USDA Organic truffle and porcini oils, and guarantee all of their ingredients are real (which means real truffles, no artificial flavors, no "aroma" no "essence" and no "extracts".) Their products include (in addition to the truffle oils) white and black truffle mayonnaise, white truffle honey, and white and black truffle butters (all of which are organic and real). The flavor speaks for itself-seriously, it's the only brand I'll use from now on.
3 Cheese White Pizza with Truffle Oil
When I got my truffle oil, so many thoughts of ways I could play with it zoomed through my mind. But I could not stop thinking about some ricotta pizzas with truffle oil I've had-so I decided to make my own version! Using the Neapolitan style pizza crust I'd learned to make (but you could def. make this pizza using any pizza crust you prefer), and a combination of ricotta, mozzarella, and parmigiana romano cheeses...just...OH MY GAWD. I am IN LOVE with this pizza. I've made it twice already. Even Michael liked it! Seriously, just the perfect combination of flavors. You're gonna feel like a gourmet chef when you make this, and like a goddess (or god...I'm fairly certain some of you readers are dudes also) when you take your first bite. TRUFFLE PIZZA NIRVANA.

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Guest Post at The Messy Baker-Nutella Molten Lava Cake

I know, everything is topsy turvy this week!! I'm currently extremely busy (oh hey dealing with going to Ohio for 2 weddings that were 2 weeks apart, and tons of work, and starting filming a short film tomorrow....*deep breath*), so please stay with me this week with only two posts (today's and Friday's). I know it'll be hard, but I believe we can work through this. :P
Nutella Molten Lava Cake
Anyway, today I am guest posting over at one of my bestest friends in bloggingdom: Jennie from The Messy Baker! Her and her hubby are having a vacation, so I, of course, leaped at the chance to help out. You guys should know by now how much I adore her. She's funny, and sweet, and fun, and seriously bakes up some AMAZING stuff, you guys! You should def. browse around her blog for awhile, there is so much yumminess to find!
Nutella Molten Lava Cake
For the guest post I am sharing a recipe for Nutella Molten Lava Cake. Oh yeah, I went there. And even better-I used homemade nutella. Seriously, such a delicious hazelnut/chocolate flavor and so warm and ooey and gooey and perfect (and you should also know how I feel about lava cakes)!!!

Head on over to The Messy Baker for the recipe!

(and I'll see you all again on Friday! smooches!)

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Something Saturdays (10/12/13)

Ever heard of New York Comic Con? Well...I'm working it, one of the NAMCO booth girls. So I'm all busy n stuff (but hopefully also having fun)--if you are for some reason at the "Con", come and find me! Say hello! :)

P.S. I already met the super adorbs Kim from Treats & Trinkets all decked out in her homemade TARDIS costume! SO COOL!

Posts from this week

Recipes from the blog that I made this week
Linguine con aglio e olio d'oliva

Movies/TV Talk (assume there'll be spoilers)
Once Upon A Time-I don't want Emma to be an orphan :(

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.-I'm giving up on you. I'm sorry. You're just not my cup of tea. Love Whedon forever though <3

How I Met Your Mother-enouuuugh Ted. Give it up. Ughsies.

Supernatural-This season is looking VERY good. Oh man. So much stuff is happening.

Instagram Lately (a few highlights from this week on Instagram)

Friday, October 11, 2013

Crazy Couple Weeks Recap-in Photos

I have been a food blogger with just not nearly enough food for you guys lately, I know! But the insanity of going back and forth between Ohio and here is done for now. But, ya know, I'm still recovering. SO, here are some photos from my time over these crazy weeks:

Kevin, Michael's brother, and Emily's beautiful wedding, and posing with Michael and Kevin's mom (bottom left) and dad and Jeanne (bottom right).
 Me with Kate and Evie (our friends David and Edith's twin daughters)
 Michael and I with our favorite girls!
 The boy and I

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Roasted Skillet Potatoes

Roasted Skillet Potatoes
I love cast iron skillets. They're so awesome and versatile and also like super rustic.

They make me think of old timey people in wagons, sitting around a fire...which makes me think of the best game ever (AKA Oregon Trail)...

OMG how much fun was Oregon Trail?? I remember I always made myself a doctor (because then you were both rich and useful) and made my "family" coming out with my my preschool boyfriend and our imaginary children...so you can imagine the childhood trauma that resulted when, of course, someone would succumb to dysentery. Every darn time.
Roasted Skillet Potatoes
But...I'm off topic.

We're here to talk about my love for potatoes. Beautiful, browned, perfectly seasoned and roasted in a skillet potatoes. Which I'm pretty sure are delicious whether it's the 19th century or the 21st.

Monday, October 7, 2013

Epicurean Butter Review

Epicurean Butter Review
I love butter. It's no secret. And now, my butter love has expanded to a whole new category: Epicurean Butters! Epicurean butters are infused butters: made with grade AA butter combined with all natural ingredients, and they're intended to allow you to bring restaurant quality food to the home cook!

And there are SO many fun ways you can use these butters: I mean there are always the obvious choices of spreading on bread for toast, sandwiches, etc. or using in or on potatoes...
Black Truffle Butter on mashed potatoes...oh yeah.
Then we have Scampi butter: which you can obviously use to make shrimp scampi, but this garlic butter with a touch of lemon juice and fresh herbs is extremely versatile.You can have it on vegetables or as a finishing butter for chicken or seafood. Or you can melt it and use it for dipping crab legs, lobster, steamed mussels, or artichokes! The Tomato Chipotle can be used when preparing fajitas or any dish that needs some spiciness. Chili Lime is great with seafood, or rice and vegetables. The Roasted Garlic Herb is an amazing butter to finish grilled steak or other fish or meats.  It can also be delectable in pasta sauce. And then of course there are garlic bread, pizza, seafood, veggies, etc. I feel like I just wanna eat the Black truffle butter on everything. Ditto with the White Truffle. And then there are sweet flavors! The Orange Honey and Caramel Sea Salt are amazing for breakfasts-biscuits, pancakes, muffins, and so on! Really all, the possibilities for these butters are ENDLESS!
Photo source
Photo source
If you're now feeling like you need some Epicurean Butter in your life, check out this link to see what stores near you carry them!

And here are some recipes of mine that could be made extra scrumptious with the help of Epicurean Butters:

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I love it when you try & want to share recipes you found here! Please just rewrite in your own words, use your own photos, & always link back to me! Thanks!

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