Food Polls and Cupcakes

Did I mention that this blog was not going to be incredibly consistent? I know, I know, it's been since February since I last posted. There's been a lot of activity going on that has prevented the execution of all the blog ideas that have been floating around in my brain, but that's about to change.

Here's what to expect in the next few weeks... cupcakes!!! John and Heather got married on April 30th (one of the very best weddings I've ever been to). With most wedding comes cake ... with John and Heather's wedding there were mini cupcakes! 30 dozen if you're counting (believe me, I was). As soon as I get some great pictures I'm going to share everything, so be prepared, I'm certain it will be lengthy (possibly even entertaining!)

In the meantime, I'm asking for help. One of my plans over the summer, when it's too hot to mow my lawn, is to go out to restaurants and try to deconstruct and reconstruct menu items. Here's where I need the help. Think of your favorite restaurant, think of the dish there that you would most like to make at home. This is what I want you to share with me. At this point, if you're in the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill/Graham area, it's more likely that I will get to that particular restaurant (although, there is a chance that the Richmond, VA and Burlington/Montpelier, VT restaurants might get their shot too).

Any takers?? This is a project I'm looking forward to starting, and I would love the input.

And just because I feel like it's not a post without a picture ... I have added a picture of the cutting cake that I prepared for John and Heather's wedding!!

Comments

Feta Pesto

Lately I’ve been craving pesto. I don’t even really like pesto, but I’ve been craving it. Normally pesto is just too much basil for me, so I tend to steer clear. In this time of craving however, I dug up the recipe I created for feta pesto. For me, it’s a really good balance of basil, and feta. I LOVE feta… it also has a slight nuttiness from the toasted walnuts. I imagine that I was simply out of pine nuts, and that’s why I used walnuts (plus, it’s also cheaper). Feta Pesto: 1 cup fresh basil ½ cup walnuts (toasted) 1 garlic clove 6 oz reduced fat feta cheese 2 Tbsp. olive oil 1/3-1/2 cup water Place walnuts, basil, and garlic clove into a food processor and pulse, until combined. Add the feta and olive oil and process the mixture until it resembles paste (yum, right?). To the paste, add 1/3 cup of water, and process until creamy. If you want a thick pesto, you can stop here. If you want a more sauce like pesto, continue to add small amounts of water and process until...

The Sugar Cookie Promise

Somehow around the office I’ve become known for my baked goods. Pre-culinary school, I was hard pressed to even get a boxed cake right. I hated measuring, which is why I always liked to cook, it’s very forgiving when measurements are off. Baking, not so much. So being known as a baking guru, I was asked by a coworker/friend if I could make cupcakes for his band’s CD release party. Talking it through with him, we came up with the plan of doing cookies instead. This posed two challenges for me. 1) I had the genius idea that the cookies I made should be very specific to his band, i.e. I wanted to custom make a cookie cutter. 2) I had to make sugar cookies. I’m not a fan of making sugar cookies, or any rolled cookies for that matter, I blame this on the one square foot of usable counter space I have in my kitchen. Challenge 1: The design of the cutter wasn’t the challenge. Easy, an N and an E connecting (Band name: North Elementary) with half a person popping out of the top...

Summer!

I did mention that I wouldn't be a regular blog poster, right? I'm finally coming up for breaths from my months of working one and a half jobs. It's amazing how much time 60 hours a week of working sucks from you. One of my summer resolutions is to ramp up blog posts (let's see if that works out). I've been a little obsessed lately with Pinterest ( www.pinterest.com if you are totally out of the loop). I've been 'pinning' lots of recipes that I want to try, and have vowed that even in the 90 + degree heat of the North Carolina summer, I will do so. The other inspiration I've had lately is that the Durham Farmers' Market ( http://www.durhamfarmersmarket.com/ ).is in full swing, and I've already managed to make it there twice this season. Being surrounded by that much fresh produce, homegrown meat, hand made cheeses ... yeah it's hard NOT to be inspired. This weekend I plan on whipping up some baked goods with freshly picked...

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