tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-793464483166391282024-03-05T16:00:49.975-08:00californiarollinPo', vegetarian and snarkyahalyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587865374865192242noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79346448316639128.post-20250262474708765222009-09-08T19:19:00.000-07:002009-09-08T19:23:09.659-07:00Instant TurdInteresting factoid: You can, technically, make chocolate cake in a coffee mug.<br /><br />Another factoid: You shouldn't.<br /><br />I found this recipe on <a href="http://baconconcentrate.blogspot.com/">http://baconconcentrate.blogspot.com/</a> via the serious eats photograzing site (highly recommended). I decided to try it out, but didn't take picture, because, honestly, it sucked. I could barely taste any chocolate at all, and it was freakishly dense. It was like eating a brick-sponge hybrid. That didn't taste like chocolate. Here's the recipe anyway! You love it.<br /><br />4 tablespoons flour<br />4 tablespoons sugar<br />2 tablespoons cocoa<br />1 egg<br />3 tablespoons milk<br />3 tablespoons oil<br />A small splash of vanilla extract<br />1 large coffee mug<br /><br />Mix dry ingredients in the coffee mug, then add milk, oil, egg and vanilla. Mix together and microwave for 2.5 minutes. Take what you will from this experience.ahalyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587865374865192242noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79346448316639128.post-80864182654498048542009-08-24T13:52:00.001-07:002009-08-24T14:04:01.183-07:00My Very Favorite Sandwich<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi41efXjbtEq_TTy-21H1W02H5EG2Z8-dI5bbu_-12IkBaFS_v9faT8CLYwkXvUS3Mfue9amq2PWvsQP9tt5kVH9HnhGWR8RL-g3IDI3FV-pRANvxPCwMUvjkLP8i49txPwz8ufJngLDP8/s1600-h/sammitch.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373636447011624002" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 303px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi41efXjbtEq_TTy-21H1W02H5EG2Z8-dI5bbu_-12IkBaFS_v9faT8CLYwkXvUS3Mfue9amq2PWvsQP9tt5kVH9HnhGWR8RL-g3IDI3FV-pRANvxPCwMUvjkLP8i49txPwz8ufJngLDP8/s400/sammitch.jpg" border="0" /></a> The world of the vegetarian sandwich is a cold, desolate one. It seems to me that practcally every sandwich out there involves some sort of meat, and those that don't are composed mostly of lettuce. This is my effort to absolve this travesty of the sandwich universe. This isn't really a recipe, so I'm just going to give it to you straight.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAx0cMV0XSuZ9Dw8ehLbcG_mB_SFoTS5CVFmgzuT4mItZJkUHbtaqQl-R2Dlp6gt-y43hA_Ql_gSyhl6XpWi7Ju1qWWKyzxMVKjVJyy1A7wVx-JOH9s5Fk9vHMxBZuA8CVatRfGxmilNE/s1600-h/mushies.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373636343414274882" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 378px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAx0cMV0XSuZ9Dw8ehLbcG_mB_SFoTS5CVFmgzuT4mItZJkUHbtaqQl-R2Dlp6gt-y43hA_Ql_gSyhl6XpWi7Ju1qWWKyzxMVKjVJyy1A7wVx-JOH9s5Fk9vHMxBZuA8CVatRfGxmilNE/s400/mushies.jpg" border="0" /></a> Fill a pan with a little bit of olive oil or Canola oil. Oh, and make sure your stove is nice and dirty and your camera is broken, or this sandwich will be ruined. JUST KIDDING, ha ha, I'm not bitter. Slice up an onion by first cutting it in half to remove the outer papery layer, then resting it on its flat side and cutting down its length. Throw as much onion as you want into the pot; for one sandwich, a quarter of an onion will more than suffice, usually. Let the onion sizzle for a few minutes, depending on how soft you like your sauteed onions. I like mine nice and soft and brown and caramelized, which is why I put them in a good three or four minutes before the mushrooms.</div><div> </div><div>While the onions are cooking, slice up your mushrooms. I like to use baby bellas. I lop of the tough stems and just give them a nice chop into three or four pieces each. Throw these in the pan with the onions. Toss this around a little in the pan and douse generously with salt and pepper. I also like to use garlic powder. Why? Because it is cheaper than whole garlic and a little goes a long way. Also I am lazy.</div><div> </div><div>While the veggies are sauteeing, throw a couple of pieces of bread in the toaster, BUT FIRST, put a slice of cheese on one piece of bread. (I just do the toaster bit so the bread will hold up the sandwich better, and so the cheese will melt.) When the bread comes out of the toaster, butter the slice that doesn't have cheese on it. Why? Because you know you want to.<br /><br />By now the onions and mushrooms should be ready. They will have cooked down quite a lot: The onions will be brown and translucent, and the mushrooms will be a deep sienna.<br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxqrGgrPQSnyp70v6zjfV-t0DZ5Mvs5p5ySJm4jJX3mbFVKCC_yFNpDwJjYsR34mQ77XwWTx_zHbfiH-NdG7x-cNhjSpn78znS1p4J85CyWhnHbiBhvnC34x4ayOWKUM55fC_oPKEyBM8/s1600-h/sammie.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373636232410247506" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 283px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxqrGgrPQSnyp70v6zjfV-t0DZ5Mvs5p5ySJm4jJX3mbFVKCC_yFNpDwJjYsR34mQ77XwWTx_zHbfiH-NdG7x-cNhjSpn78znS1p4J85CyWhnHbiBhvnC34x4ayOWKUM55fC_oPKEyBM8/s400/sammie.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Dump as much oniony, mushroomy goodness as you possibly can onto your bread and close up thy sammich. That's about it. Toodle-oo.<br /><br />p.s. It tastes better if you cut it diagonally. TELL ME I'M WRONG.<br /><div></div></div>ahalyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587865374865192242noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79346448316639128.post-60189257031341088122009-08-17T18:09:00.001-07:002009-08-17T19:23:41.469-07:00Let me make something perfectly clear.A couple of weeks ago, my dear friend Anna and I were out getting a quick lunch together. We both ordered the same thing: a spinach and feta wrap from our favorite gyro place. As she adorned her wrap with the contents of the ranch dressing packet that accompanied her wrap, I ignored mine completely and began eating.<br /><br />"What, you're not going to put any ranch on your wrap?"<br />"No."<br />"Why not? It must be kinda bland without it."<br />"Condiments are the spawn of Lucifer."<br /><br />She slowly lowered her wrap from her incredulous face, gaping at me as though I had just told her that Leonard Nimoy is the second coming.<br /><br />"...Are.. you... insane."<br /><br />But let me tell you something right now. I am not insane. Why not? Because CONDIMENTS ARE FROM THE FIERY, SULFUROUS UNDERWORLD. I hate condiments. All of them. Ketchup? Gag me. Mayonnaise? I would rather eat Madonna's pussy. Mustard? Only in very small quantities hidden in my egg salad. Condiments are disgusting. They mar the beauteous quality of any food they come into contact with. I hate condiments. WHO'S WITH ME.<br /><br />In a similar vein, I am a bit of a purist when it comes to some foods. (By "purist" some might say I mean "insufferable snob", but hey, that's on them.) Take, for instance, the raspberry.<br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371106418271425442" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 298px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdJOjgPFC9p9tzbNdQYTFQw2CNxFZDGNsJ7i1klLY3nRMrMhpdl7IEdGKuNQlx6l4ctlok7HLmkH_f7d3Uwi7z-GfoStueADXMf-z7BIKFSrLbHUqD_rsXcsirfdugijUvYDbUDemmUWc/s400/raspberries.jpg" border="0" />Would you just look at that? Some people would look at this gem of nature and think: "Jam! Cookies! Cobbler!"</p><p>Not me. Friends, this is how I have always and will always eat a raspberry:</p><p>1. Rinse thoroughly to remove any unwanted guests of the insect variety that may be cuddling inside my raspberry's luscious interior.</p><p>2. Pick up berry. DO NOT POP IN MOUTH. Instead, hold up for just a moment in the sunlight. Admire the way the water droplets shimmer enticingly on the rotund crimson bubbles of the raspberry's exterior. Feast your eyes upon the tiny iridescent hairs that sprout innocently from the cracks in the berry's flesh.</p><p>3. Now, place in mouth. Slowly. Close eyes, if not driving heavy machinery. Focus on nothing more than the burst of sweet, summery juice inside one's mouth (ooer) and heave a great sigh of content.</p><p>4. Repeat.</p><p>In case you hadn't noticed, I fucking love raspberries. They're awesome, and I scorn anyone who maintains that a few cups of sugar and a 350 degree oven will improve their inborn awesomeness. Class dismissed.</p><p>p.s. By the way, this blog is hereby officially rated R. R for recipe-tastic! Oh and I also swear a lot.<br /></p>ahalyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587865374865192242noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79346448316639128.post-22075226542613830942009-08-11T06:33:00.000-07:002009-08-18T17:39:29.524-07:00Bailey's Irish Cream Mint Chocolate Cupcakes<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj81LjpSEqrnHtxTzkwxxNE6sHdB3Qp59Syd065iwalOpkPzodd9uHQ8Z0AVMxRUasbpjhV5qP7xfROWJEdPc1OG2CZ7s2l2UKpYoaZL0z6W8YHvTk5OpRnOqu8GLjSlMkYSx9rjO_8GNo/s1600-h/bailey's.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368699302737407810" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 355px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj81LjpSEqrnHtxTzkwxxNE6sHdB3Qp59Syd065iwalOpkPzodd9uHQ8Z0AVMxRUasbpjhV5qP7xfROWJEdPc1OG2CZ7s2l2UKpYoaZL0z6W8YHvTk5OpRnOqu8GLjSlMkYSx9rjO_8GNo/s400/bailey's.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>You heard me. </div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />My boyfriend likes to make houseguests think I am an alcoholic by buying large quantities of girly liqueurs and not drinking them, ever. So I stole his Mint Chocolate Bailey's Irish Cream and made cupcakes with it. Oh yes. And so should you.<br /><br /><br /><br />I adapted the recipe from <a href="http://www.bakingbites.com/">http://www.bakingbites.com/</a>.<br /><br /><br /><br />Bailey's Mint Chocolate Irish Cream Cupcakes with Bailey's Frosting<br /><br /><br /><br />1 1/3 cups all purpose flour<br /><br />1/2 tsp baking powder<br /><br />1/4 tsp baking soda<br /><br />1/4 tsp salt<br /><br />1/3 cup butter, softened<br /><br />3/4 cup sugar<br /><br />2 large eggs<br /><br />1 tsp vanilla extract<br /><br />1/2 cup Chocolate Mint Bailey’s Irish Cream (or regular Bailey’s + 1/2 tsp peppermint extract)1/4 cup milk<br /><br />1/2 cup Hershey's Cocoa<br /><br /><br /><br />Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (the flour, baking powder and soda, salt, sugar, and cocoa). In another bowl, beat together the softened butter, eggs, vanilla, milk, and the Bailey's. Or you can be lazy like me and do it all on one bowl, wet ingredients first. Pour the batter ino muffin tins lines with cupcake wrappers and bake for 12-14 minutes.<br /><br /><br /><br />While the cupcakes are baking, you can make your frosting. Nicole from Baking Bites goes the homemade route. Here's her frosting recipe:<br /><br /><br /><br />4 tbsp butter, softened<br /><br />2 cups confectioners’ sugar<br /><br />2 tbsp milk or cream<br /><br />1 tsp peppermint extract<br /><br /><br />But I'll be honest with you: I took a container of store-bought white frosting and mixed in Bailey's and cocoa. How much cocoa? Until it looked chocolatey. How much Bailey's? Until it looked dangerously thin. God, I'm such a cheat. It's almost too easy.<br /><br /><br /><br />My one complaint with these cupcakes was that they were a little dense; I was hoping for a lighter, fluffier cupcake. Does anyone have any tips?ahalyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587865374865192242noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79346448316639128.post-57227899049053972962009-07-22T09:59:00.000-07:002009-07-22T10:31:44.865-07:00The Method Behind the MadnessYou know it's been a hectic week when I whip out my secret weapon.<br /><br />Which is this:<br /><br />I go through and make a list of every major ingredient we have in the house. This means things like bisquick, tomatoes, marmalade, etc. This does not include things like salt, breadcrumbs, and other piffling little details. I then take a long, hard look at my life - er, the list, and match things up to form recipes. This is how I wring out the last semblance of a meal from unlikely ingredients. I hate to have extra food sitting around that I know I will never use. For instance, here is this week's list:<br /><br />-Baking ingredients: flour, bisquick, sugar, vanilla, heavy cream - only 2 eggs though!<br />-Main dish potentials: pasta and sauce, fake hamburger, box mashed potatoes, spanish rice<br />-Condiments: mayonnaise, mustard, soy sauce, hot sauce<br />-Produce: 1/4 tomato, 2 green peppers, some v. old apples/oranges<br />-Canned: refried beans, peaches, chickpeas<br />-Snacks: pickles, granola, individually wrapped cheese<br />-Junk food: popsicles, chocolate lollipops<br /><br />No, I didn't forget to write down bread or milk. We just don't have them. The Good Lord help us.<br /><br />I have many intriguing photos to share, but sadly, I need to use up the film in my camera before I can do so. Toodle-oo.<br /><br />p.s. Just walked out into the kitchen and found an empty pot of frosting with a spoon atop it. Has my man really sunk that low? Tune in next week to find out.ahalyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587865374865192242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79346448316639128.post-59735838590503838252009-07-21T17:33:00.000-07:002009-07-21T18:09:10.200-07:00Homemade PastaOK, so I tried an experiment today, but no pics. I stole a recipe for homemade pasta from The Pioneer Woman, a.k.a. Ree Drummond, a.k.a. the most hilarious woman in the world. She used two eggs per cup of flour. So I kneaded the dough until it was smooth, then cut it into thin strips with a knife. The recipe said to boil the noodles for no longer than two minutes, but I found that they were still far too hard until about eight minutes in.<br /><br />I didn't take any pictures, mostly because the noodles were freakin' ugly, man, but also because I was hungry. They were pretty good, but I'll be perfectly honest - they weren't much better than regular old dried, boxed pasta. I think their texture was a little more pleasing to the mouth, but that's about it.<br /><br />THIS JUST IN: I have bought measuring cups, I repeat, IN POSSESSION OF MEASURING CUPS. Life is good.ahalyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587865374865192242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79346448316639128.post-17881633585632757602009-07-18T10:08:00.000-07:002009-07-22T10:28:49.662-07:00<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLMNZ6xY6YY">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLMNZ6xY6YY</a><br /><br />This WILL make you pee laughing. Embrace it.<br /><br />p.s. Has anyone ever heard of this canned frosting on saltines thing? Apparently it's a popular snack... as in more than one person has tried it. And liked it. Let me clear something up right now: These people are deranged. I had some frosting left over from making cupcakes (more on those later) so I tried it... it was every bit as unpleasant as I had anticipated. Good day.ahalyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587865374865192242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79346448316639128.post-32638295737629814452009-07-16T10:49:00.000-07:002009-07-22T10:28:34.744-07:00A ThoughtUpdate on my weird life - Half an hour ago I ate:<br />-giant taco with fake meat, slice of cheese, salsa, fried egg, green peppers<br />-granola bar<br />-second granola bar<br /><br />and my stomach is ROARING. Inexplicably.ahalyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587865374865192242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79346448316639128.post-89829162797463245712009-07-15T20:51:00.000-07:002009-08-18T17:39:16.582-07:00Biscuits for College Students<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibZF0dw2ob7xXB-8Sgs9AvKXZlG_s8th-1fd-Xos5RjKOeKM0yd_2d871AzNn9_wtn_kAWVhIgsePPXfraPEUn17GDyG7df7b_ji8JWa1jyqrE74opxwc_5d1TQfvcip-Zlb8Ipt0xUH8/s1600-h/biscuits3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358901785224231618" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 265px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibZF0dw2ob7xXB-8Sgs9AvKXZlG_s8th-1fd-Xos5RjKOeKM0yd_2d871AzNn9_wtn_kAWVhIgsePPXfraPEUn17GDyG7df7b_ji8JWa1jyqrE74opxwc_5d1TQfvcip-Zlb8Ipt0xUH8/s400/biscuits3.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXZ8Z7RyPbZn1m5L4lh8308VlrDJDbkxN3GnrzjCItGeBYO_qmcl6BitjfcBowT6MqekLYC4QG03t1iDUULSrneM9F0m4yHdCRyhlcVQ3VMHPpwe2tjOo4G1enEHfrKyYP6GjpEUZ6foE/s1600-h/biscuits1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358901471046174754" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 297px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXZ8Z7RyPbZn1m5L4lh8308VlrDJDbkxN3GnrzjCItGeBYO_qmcl6BitjfcBowT6MqekLYC4QG03t1iDUULSrneM9F0m4yHdCRyhlcVQ3VMHPpwe2tjOo4G1enEHfrKyYP6GjpEUZ6foE/s400/biscuits1.jpg" border="0" /></a> Me: "Did you KNOW that you can make biscuits using nothing but Bisquick and milk? Isn't that CRAZY?!"</div><div></div><div>Sean: "...That's why they call it Bisquick."</div><div></div><div>Me: "...I can honestly say I never put that together."</div><div></div><div>So apparently, Bisquick is intended for biscuits, not pancakes. I never knew. Shockingly, they're, like, good, even. I swear to God Amighty that sentence is punctuated correctly.<br /><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUFj7lkv2LKnDl-WdEnl4gsVofN6C6-vosJ06XqWJrNfc-hKuiNNCQJKVuOUNJzx1TC0xN0qEnX09TBf2WyMAkSYUAXkWVzXLa-dxIazml1CqIpvauGLcBx2IJ6pApjJlTLxAqKyT_jLk/s1600-h/biscuits5.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358900907610409362" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUFj7lkv2LKnDl-WdEnl4gsVofN6C6-vosJ06XqWJrNfc-hKuiNNCQJKVuOUNJzx1TC0xN0qEnX09TBf2WyMAkSYUAXkWVzXLa-dxIazml1CqIpvauGLcBx2IJ6pApjJlTLxAqKyT_jLk/s400/biscuits5.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />So obviously you could just look on the side of the Bisquick box, but just for shits and giggles, here's the recipe: 1.5 cups Bisquick for every .5 cup milk. Preferably buttermilk. Pronounced "buttahmilk". (Makes it taste bettah.)</div><div></div><div>Tales from the Ghetto: I don't own a baking pan. I baked these in a muffin tin. I also ran out of color film and didn't have money for more, so enjoy these black and white photos of my biscuits and pretend they're all golden with crinkly brown edges.<br /><div><br /></div><br /><br /><div></div></div>ahalyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587865374865192242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79346448316639128.post-91837972776666935312009-07-10T08:11:00.000-07:002009-08-18T17:38:48.303-07:00Farmer's Market Goodness!Just a couple of humble photographs from my local Allentown farmer's market. Look! Jam! Lots of it! I buy honey from this stand, usually - the thick, rich, brown variety. Then I use it when I get desperate. (See below.)<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo3I_UkayYDE7sr-I864JGiXxmSnHjXNWuDjCGM2e-wlcWabYtlavcXLP-o8-wBTZPayXdnELATIP499Vw6IpKZqnmSdtffEmfnLcg5gF-Jd0RQad1D6KrZ4CkLf_3-17l9SH8vEQ_GXY/s1600-h/inajam.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356851079558024066" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 318px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo3I_UkayYDE7sr-I864JGiXxmSnHjXNWuDjCGM2e-wlcWabYtlavcXLP-o8-wBTZPayXdnELATIP499Vw6IpKZqnmSdtffEmfnLcg5gF-Jd0RQad1D6KrZ4CkLf_3-17l9SH8vEQ_GXY/s400/inajam.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><div><br /><div>And look! Big, juicy red tomatoes! I bought these. (Not all of them. Though I should have.)<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356849865499280786" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 260px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb9Rxo48hxJ5tY3a8WdNc_WuLWMLDQv_EaGdbXiLTIEyyHreOdnEVDyPSr3JElc_gNGeH3kLX6ocUG2JR4tTc8yJpSiySWTNew2ZwP4RxJoL14EgM-zfc4fIaIYWtUbxQxDzt5lagvcTM/s400/tomatoes.jpg" border="0" /><br /></div><div></div><br /><div><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div></div></div></div>ahalyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587865374865192242noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79346448316639128.post-69726176274116631772009-07-08T06:35:00.000-07:002009-08-18T17:39:03.461-07:00Chocolate Banana Muffins<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSTaCVFrMa1EU_waZez0rpqsIi3_sCIYdF3a3Xu-AR2n-OiK8WLLnLwX3MJb3LqC2bylyst_iKUYmWBh-hkw4wL42WESEay2yi3B5mbW9NuXSbOal1RjDQAsY7JhIsq4ThCjG1HghWt0k/s1600-h/muffins.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356092869589616994" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 268px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSTaCVFrMa1EU_waZez0rpqsIi3_sCIYdF3a3Xu-AR2n-OiK8WLLnLwX3MJb3LqC2bylyst_iKUYmWBh-hkw4wL42WESEay2yi3B5mbW9NuXSbOal1RjDQAsY7JhIsq4ThCjG1HghWt0k/s400/muffins.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I figured muffins would be an appropriate first post, since they are my favorite food. (And I wonder why I am plagued by Ghetto Booty.) These beauties were adapted from a recipe I found at catcancook.com. FUN FACT: I was halfway through making them when I realized I had no sugar. I used an entire jar of honey instead. I honestly think it made them better. They were so fluffy I wanted to cuddle with them. But I would have gotten warm chocolate ganache all over me. Oh, the tragedy.<br /><br />Chocolate Banana Muffins:<br /><br />-3 large bananas, mashed<br />-1/2 cup white sugar (...or honey.)<br />-1 egg<br />-1/3 cup melted butter<br />-1 teaspoon baking soda<br />-1 teaspoon baking powder<br />-1/2 teaspoon salt<br />-1 & 1/2 cups flour<br /><br />Dark Chocolate Ganache:<br />-1 bag dark chocolate chips (preferably Ghirardelli. Go for the good stuff.)<br />-heavy cream<br /><br />In a large mixing bowl, mix the dry ingredients (sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, flour) and the banana until homogenous. Add in the melted butter and egg. Stir, but not too much! There should still be visible chunks of banana*. Pour into buttered** muffin tins and baked at 350 for 20 minutes.***<br /><br />While the muffins are baking, heat the chocolate over a double boiler. Every few minutes as you stir, add a dash of heavy cream. This will help the chocolate melt more easily. Keep stirring and adding cream until the mixture is the consistency of, say, elmer's glue. Or ganache. Then turn off the stove so that later, while you're lying in bed, you don't wake up realizing that you've left it on. Take the muffins out of the oven (presuming that they're done) and drizzle the ganache over them. Then hoarde them from your fiance, cackling with sticky, chocolate-covered glee.<br /><br />*Mmmm.<br />**Or Pam-ed, if that's your poison<br />***Or, if your oven is 321975321897 years old like mine, 25 minutes.</div>ahalyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587865374865192242noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79346448316639128.post-25555461206519715222009-06-02T11:37:00.001-07:002009-07-08T06:35:32.430-07:00And she emerges, squinting and blinking, into the blogosphere.I wanted to start a blog.<br /><br /><br /><br />I called it <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">california</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">rollin</span> because 1) I love California more than anywhere else on earth. 2) a "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">california</span> roll" is what happens when you don't feel like stopping at a stop sign so you kind of slow down to five through it. I do this. 3) California rolls are my favorite kind of "sushi" and I really like food.<br /><br /><br /><br />I wanted to document how a 19-year-old college student survives on a $21,000-a-year combined salary with her fiance. I am a vegetarian; he's a carnivore. I am very conscious of food miles, organic produce, and fair trade; he could care less, but he'll eat what I put in front of him. (And he'll cook whatever I buy at the farmer's market.) He's a better cook; I'm a better baker. Between the two of us, we somehow put food in our bellies, despite our lack of adequate kitchen materials and our laughable budget. So please try not to mock us too hard.ahalyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587865374865192242noreply@blogger.com0