Desserts for Breakfast

Posted on October 24, 2010 by Anita!
When we signed up for adoption a few weeks ago, we weren’t expecting to be snatched up so quickly.  As it turns out, we were chosen by an established writer/photographer/cook who herself was mentored by the owner of AdoptABlogger.

photo by Toni Gauthier

Stephanie is a graduate student of linguistics in California, but she ducks into and emerges from her telephone booth to become the author of Desserts for Breakfast.   I first stumbled upon her blog in the summer, when I saw this Black Forest Gateau (something I hope to try soon). She makes ridiculously beautiful and original desserts, but what really gets us are the complex flavor combinations she uses.  Here a few of our favorite examples:
Blackberry, Lemon, and Meringue
Brown Butter and Ginger
Earl Grey, Orange, and Chocolate…be still my heart
Lemon, Oregano, and Blueberries
Mango Lassi, Strawberry, Honey, and Yogurt
Rose, Basil, and Dark Chocolate
Stephanie has agreed to give us much-needed advice re: our blog as we continue to write over the next few years.  But we’re just happy to have a cool new buddy.  Hey new buddy…mind sharing a few of the mild winters you get in California?
As med students, we probably can’t promote having cupcakes and meringue  in the morning every day (sigh…leftover pie is the best part of waking up).  But please feel free to become addicted to Desserts for Breakfast.

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Posted in Dessert, Non Recipe | 3 Comments

Hummus (In Pursuit of Sabra)

Posted on October 20, 2010 by Anita!
No, this isn’t anything super new.  If you own a food processor, hummus may be of the first things you learned to make in it.  But my perspective was completely ruined about a year ago, the day a friend brought Sabra brand Supremely Spicy Hummus to an FCM potluck.  I’d grown up on great-tasting hummus, but no human had ever produced texture as smooth as what came out of that container.

So smooth, I wasn’t sure whether to eat it or moisturize with it.  From that moment on, I had a choice — pay for the mysteriously silky Sabra hummus in the evil red tub that mocks me when I pass it in the grocery store, or attempt to perfect a homemade version.  There have been many attempts, with spotty throughput.  This latest batch, I rehydrated dried chickpeas in my crock pot and used The Toby Show’s method of creaming the tahini and lemon juice.  Tasty, but still not smooth enough.  Here are things I might need to try:
  • cooking the chickpeas for a longer time
  • removing the skins from each individual chickpea (hey, what are roommates for?)
  • adding more olive oil or tahini
  • straining through a fine mesh strainer
I’m posting this in hope that some helpful reader will tell me how to achieve pretty much the only thing I want from chickpeas and can’t get.

Ingredients

  • 1 can chickpeas (or 1.5 cups of rehydrated chickpeas)
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • 1/4 cup tahini
  • 4-5 cloves garlic, minced fine
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil (or more to your liking)
  • 2 tsp cumin (or more)
  • 1 Tbsp red pepper flakes
  • 2 tsp salt
  • pepper
  • sesame oil
Combine the tahini and the lemon juice in the food processor and attempt to emulsify completely.  You might have to add the olive oil and even some water at this point to make sure it looks like it’s being whipped.  Add the garlic, whip it up.  Then add the chickpeas 1/3 of the total amount at a time, blending until as smooth as you can get it (maybe a minute each and a few minutes after the last batch).  Add more olive oil or water until you achieve the consistency you desire.  Add the spices, and season with salt as desired.  Garnish with sesame oil (my mom’s touch) and more red pepper flakes.  Serve with pita, vegetables, roasted chicken, and my eternal gratitude if you can help me out on this one.
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Posted in Dip, Snacks, Vegetarian | 8 Comments

Dad’s Whole Wheat Pancakes

Posted on October 17, 2010 by Ari
pyramid of pancakes!!!!
I think it is safe to say that my family is a family of habit…especially when it comes to what we eat. Growing up, my siblings and I ate turkey sandwiches almost every day for lunch from the age of 7 to 14. Every Saturday night was pizza night. Every Sunday morning was pancake time. We would have a salad with dinner every week night, and there would be at least one night of the week when we ate penne with marinara sauce. Now that I no longer have the luxury of living at home, I find myself craving these things. Nothing tastes quite as good for dinner on Saturday nights as pizza. My lunches are never quite as satisfying as they were when I was 10. It’s possible that I really just miss having someone there to make food for me…but I’m going to stick with the idea that I’m really just missing the food.
In honor of these family habits, I’ve decided to post the recipe for my dad’s whole wheat pancakes. Before moving any further, I need to warn you that these are MAGIC pancakes. They have the power to make you forget that buttermilk pancakes even exist! To this day, I’m convinced that the only reasons my friends wanted to sleep over on Saturday nights was so they could have my dad’s pancakes on Sunday morning. Like many of the recipes my family swears by, these are delicious and nutritious, but I do realize that whole wheat isn’t for everyone. That being said, let’s move on to the recipe!

What you need:

  • 2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 4 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tbs sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup water
  • 4 tbs melted butter
  • 2 eggs
  • Whatever fruit you’ve got lying around (I love blue berries or raspberries) – one reasonably ripe banana, 2 cups of blueberries, etc…
  • Real maple syrup (provided by my mom)

I really need to invest in an electric griddle. Dad's pancakes always come out the perfect honey brown...mine come out more of a brown mess...

What you need to do:

  1. Combine the dry and wet ingredients in separate bowls.
  2. Stir the wet mix into the dry ingredients little by little (doing it slowly helps to prevent lumps in the batter).
  3. Add whatever fruit you want (chocolate chips are also an options).
  4. Heat a skillet on the stove top (med-low heat), melt a little butter on top, and add about 1/3 cup of batter.
  5. Cook for about 3-4 minutes per side.
  6. Top with real maple syrup and enjoy!

Who knows what we're gonna do when it's too cold to take pictures outside.

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Posted in Breakfast | 2 Comments

We’re getting adopted!

Posted on October 15, 2010 by Anita!
Like two puppies at the APL, we’ve been personality-typed, deloused and potty trained for adoption by a veteran blogger.  Check out adoptablogger.net, we’re the featured food site today!
If you’re reading this, potential adopter, we’re excited to meet you!

UPDATE:

I guess all the tail-wagging and puppy grins have paid off because we’ve been adopted by the one and only Desserts for Breakfast! This is going to be legend-…wait for it…and I hope you’re not lactose intolerant because the second half of the word is DAIRY!

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Posted in Non Recipe | 10 Comments