Rosé Wishes and Lavender Dreams

A few weeks ago, I ventured to the LA County Museuem of Art to check out the acclaimed Rain Room exhibit (which was awesome, by the way!). Since I didn't have a ticket to the exhibit I had to be put on stand by for a ticket holder to not show up. In the meantime, I trekked the other exhibits at the museum, but still had time so I decided to get a drink at the cute little restaurant on site, Ray and Stark's Bar.

Now, I'm not necessarily into really fruity drinks, I tend to go for the drinks with bourbon, but one item on the cocktail menu immediately caught my eye...the Rosé Wishes and Lavender Dreams! I love lavender and rosé and thought it would be an interesting combination together, and quite honestly, how could anyone not love the name of the drink? I bet even Robin Leach would love to try this. The drink consisted of sparkling rosé wine, lavender syrup, vodka, and lemon.

I've been to a lot of bars in LA and have had some really great drinks, and I can honestly say that this drink at Ray and Stark's Bar is one of my top 5 favorite cocktails in LA! It has a hefty amount of vodka in it as well, but with the flavors of the rosé, lavender, and a splash of lemon, you can barely taste it. It feels like you're drinking a fancy soda. Fair warning: the drink really creeps up on you...you can barely taste the vodka, but trust me, it's there!

I don't live super close to LACMA and I can't be going there every time I feel like having this drink so I attempted to make it at home, and it actually came out quite successfully! If you can't make it to LA and want to try this drink, I'm bringing it to you with this quick recipe. Make adjustments where you wish (i.e. the amount of vodka), but either way, you are sure to love it! I, personally, couldn't find sparkling rosé, which the bar used, so I just used a Love Noir non sparkling rosé wine.

Rosé Wishes and Lavender Dreams
Serves 2

Ingredients:

• Lavender syrup (1 cup sugar, 1 cup water, 3 tablespoons lavender leaves)
• The juice of 1 medium sized lemon
• 1.5 cups Rosé wine (sparkling or non sparkling)
• 3 shots vodka
• Cocktail shaker
• Jigger 

Directions:

1. Start by making the lavender syrup. Boil 1 cup of water with 3 tablespoons of lavender leaves. Once it has boiled, add 1 cup of sugar until it dissolves in the water. Strain the lavender leaves from the mixture and let cool. 

      2. In a cocktail shaker filled halfway with ice, add 1.5 cups of Rosé wine. **Note: if you're using             sparkling wine, don't shake it in the shaker! Shake the other ingredients first then add the                     sparkling wine after.  

      3. Using a jigger, add 3 shots of vodka to the wine. 

      4. Pour 1 shot of the lavender syrup into the mixture in the shaker. 

      5. Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon into the mixture. 

      6. Seal the shaker and shake the ingredients all together. 

      

      7. Pour the drink into a martini glass and garnish with some lavender leaves. 

      8. Enjoy!  

Cheers! 

Red Velvet Hot Chocolate.

With winter here, the cold weather, and the holidays in the air, hot chocolate is the perfect comfort drink for the season. I was craving a rich cup of hot chocolate last night so I decided to make one and add a little fun spin to it...by making it a red velvet hot chocolate!

So red velvet cake is basically a cake flavored with cocoa powder for a chocolate-y taste and vinegar to make the cake rich and fluffy. Red food coloring started being added to this cake batter years after its creation to enhance the red color. I basically added these same concepts (minus the vinegar) to typical hot chocolate ingredients. It turns out so rich and, well...velvety! You'll definitely want to share these with friends and family. 

These are the ingredients I used...

I started by simmering skim 1% milk in a pot. Most people use whole milk, which makes the drink creamier, but I personally can't take the taste of all the fat in whole milk. 

After simmering the milk, I added cocoa powder and semisweet chocolate until the chocolate melted and the cocoa was incorporated. To the mixture, I added vanilla and some red food coloring to enhance the chocolate flavors and intensify the red color. And voila! 

I topped it all off with mini marshmallows which nicely melt into the hot chocolate. I'm dreaming of this hot chocolate as I type this, it was that good! (Recipe at end of post) 

I enjoyed my yummy red velvet hot chocolate by the fireplace surrounded by Christmas decor. 

Ingredients: 

2 cups milk of your choice 

2 tablespoons cocoa powder 

1/2 cup of semi sweet chocolate (chopped or chocolate chips) 

1 teaspoon vanilla 

1 teaspoon red food coloring 

Directions: 

1. Put the milk into a pot and heat on medium until it simmers. 

2. Once the milk has simmered, add the cocoa powder and semi sweet chocolate and whisk until melted and incorporated into the milk. 

3. Add the vanilla and food coloring. Whisk until incorporated. 

4. Ladle the hot chocolate into a mug and too with marshmallows. 

Thanksgiving Leftover Monster Sandwich.

I'm hoping all my followers had a great Thanksgiving and enjoyed the leftovers as much as I did! This year I poked up all my leftovers and made a colossal turkey day sandwich that makes you wish Thanksgiving was every day. 

When I say this sandwich is a colossal monster, I'm not kidding. I made this a triple decker sandwich so I could fit all my favorite side dishes into it. 

I used oat nut bread and toasted it a bit. You can use your favorite kind of bread, but I find grainy breads like wheat bread go better with the flavors in the rest of the sandwich. 

I like warm sandwiches so I heated everything up, including the turkey. To the sandwich, I added stuffing, mashed potatoes, and cranberry mayo, which I made by mixing leftover cranberry sauce with some mayonnaise. All the recipes for these sides can be found on my post on last year's Thanksgiving: http://www.taltalsays.com/2014/11/thanksgiving.html?m=1. 

Here's how I assembled my sandwich...

1. Mix 1/4 cup of mayonnaise with 1 tablespoon of cranberry sauce. 

2. Toast 3 pieces of desired bread. Spread the cranberry mayonnaise on each slice. 

3. Warm the turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes. 

4. Start assembling! To the first slice of bread, spread first the stuffing, then the mashed potatoes, and then some turkey. 

5. Top this with the second slice of bread and repeat step 4. Top that with the last slice of bread. 

Voila! 

Sweet Cherry Pie.

This past weekend, I was invited to one of my girlfriend's homes for afternoon coffee. I was super excited about getting together with my friends and I wanted to bring some homemade treats with me for us to share, but I was really in a time crunch and didn't have time to make a dessert from scratch.

Thank goodness I had some pie dough I made a few weeks ago stored away in my freezer and ready to go! I cut one corner and bought a canned cherry pie filling to go into my dough for the sake of time, but despite it not being homemade, it was still delicious.

I still wanted to put my own spin on the pie so instead of making one giant pie, I made mini individual sized pies! They were so cute and easy to distribute to whoever wants them without cutting into a whole pie and making a mess. I also made a lattice crust to give it that extra aesthetic to make it look like a miniature pie. It's super easy!...

After making the pie crust (recipe at end of post), use a cookie cutter or a cup to cut circles from the dough that are 4 inches circles. Place the circles into buttered muffin/cupcake tins and fill them with the cherry filling, 1/4 of a cup.

Photo courtesy of tablespoon.com. 

Then get to work on the lattice crust! Use a pizza cutter to cut small even strips of dough and use basic weaving over and under techniques to create a rustic look with the lattice. With this size of a pie, I used 6 dough strips in total: 3 horizontally and 3 vertically. Brush the top of the pie with an egg wash (a beaten egg) to give it that golden finish in the oven.

I baked these babies at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until the crust is golden and the cherry filling is oozing and voila!

These could have come out a little prettier, as my lattice crust needs a little work, but these pies tasted like perfection. Little personal cherry pies with sweet, juicy cherries wrapped in a soft, buttery crust. These are sure to appeal to your guests tastebuds as well as their eyes!




Pie Crust Dough

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all purpose flour (sifted)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup butter (cold)
• 5-7 tablespoons cold water 

Directions:

1. Put flour into a mixing bowl with the butter.
2. Using a pastry cutter or dough hook, cut the butter into the flour.
3. Add the salt and water. 
4. Mix until dough is formed.
5. Cut the dough in half and wrap both separately in saran wrap.
6. One can be used for freezing. The other should be put in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to cool before rolling it out to use. 

Miniature Cherry Pies

Ingredients:

• Pie crust (recipe above)
• 4 cups of pie filling (the filling can be altered at your choice i.e. apple, blueberry, peach, etc.)
• 1 egg, whisked

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 12 muffin tins with butter or cooking spray.
2. Roll out a single pie crust on a flat surface. Use a large cookie cutter or a cup to cut out circles that are 4 inches. Press each circle into the bottom of the muffin tin so that a tiny rim of dough sticks out at the top. Repeat with the other 12 tins.
3. Fill each cup with 1/4 cup pie filling, or until the filling nearly fills the cups. 
4. Use the remaining dough to cover the tops of the pies. To make a lattice crust, use a pizza cutter to cut out thin strips of dough, then lace together to form a lattice. To make a standard crust, cut out a circle of dough large enough to cover the top of the crust. Use your fingers to gently press the top crust to the bottom crust until they stick together and no gaps remain. 
5. Use a pastry brush to brush the tops of each pie with the whisked egg.
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the filling begins to bubble.
7. Remove and let cool for at least 15 minutes. Then carefully use a knife to loosen the edges of each pie and gently lift each pie out. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate. 

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes.

Last year, I ate at a cute little bunch spot in Santa Barbara called Scarlett Begonia and had the best lemon ricotta pancakes. Since then, I've been trying these pancakes from other brunch spots and I have yet to find one that was as good. Obviously, I can't be going to Santa Barbara every weekend for brunch so I decided to try to make these pancakes on my own. My lemon ricotta pancake recipe was so delicious and I'm very excited to share it with you all!

These are the ingredients I used. I like using Kodiak Cakes pancake mix because it has a hint of honey in it, which just adds a little extra flavor to pancakes. I also like using fresh blueberries rather than frozen, I think it makes the pancakes taste fresher. Most recipes suggest using whole milk ricotta cheese, but let's face it...summer is coming and even though I'm eating pancakes, a girl's gotta cut calories somewhere, so I used low fat ricotta cheese.

When adding the ricotta cheese, the batter will look a little curdled. Do not panic, this is normal! The cheese makes it a little lumpy. It's important to not mix the batter too much to make it smoother.

A griddle is the best way to get the perfect pancake.

Short stack of delicious lemon ricotta pancakes!

Ingredients:

Makes 6 pancakes

• 1 cup of Kodiak Cakes pancake mix
• 1 cup of water
• 1/2 cup of low fat ricotta cheese
• 1 tablespoon of lemon zest 
• 2/3 cup of blueberries

Directions:

1. Mix 1 cup of pancake mix with 1 cup of water.
2. Then, mix in 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese. Do not over mix it. The consistency should be a little lumpy.
3. Wash and fold in the blueberries.
4. Heat a griddle to 325 degrees and butter the griddle. I like using cooking spray instead, but either one works. 
5. Ladle a spoon of the batter onto the griddle. Let it cook until bubbles start forming at the top (about 1 minute).
6. Flip the pancake and let the other side cook for about another 30 seconds. 

Voila!!

Fancy Ass Hot Chocolate.

Isn't it supposed to be getting warmer here in LA? I'm spoiled with the weather here, so I'm still trying to cope with it. One of the ways I do this is through comfort foods and drinks...and what's more comforting in this cold than hot chocolate?! The powdered stuff is okay, but nothing comes close to the way I make my "fancy ass" hot chocolate. I use milk and diced dark chocolate to make this magic happen.

Ingredients. 

So yummy!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of milk (I use skim milk, but whole milk makes it more decadent)
• 1 stick of cinnamon 
• 1 tablespoon of white granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 3 ounces chopped dark chocolate
• 1 pinch of Ancho chile powder (optional)
• 1 pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Heat the cinnamon stick in the milk  mixed with sugar and vanilla in a medium saucepan under low heat.
2. Heat until the milk mixture gently simmers then take off the heat. Let it steep for 10-15 minutes.
3. Remove the cinnamon stick and discard. 
4. Chop the dark chocolate into small pieces and place in a microwave safe bowl. Heat the chocolate in the microwave 30 seconds at a time, mix after every 30 seconds until it is completely melted.
5. Place the steeped milk over medium low heat and add the melted chocolate to it. Whisk until completely incorporated and mixture is hot. 
6. Add a pinch of salt and Ancho chile powder.
7. Divide between mugs and top with marshmallows.

Makes 2 cups of hot chocolate. 

Voila!

Fancy Ass Mac and Cheese.

Who doesn't love mac and cheese, honestly? I had some leftover ingredients that I didn't want to expire so I mixed them up and created my "Fancy Ass Mac and Cheese". What I mean by fancy is that I added some ingredients that made the mac and cheese more decadent, including sage, nutmeg, Gruyere cheese, and panko breading crust. These all come together to create a really special spin on a classic comfort food. It's so good!

Yummy, cheesy, and crunchy goodness. 

Here's how I made it...

Ingredients:

• Vegetable or olive oil
• 1/2 pound pasta like elbow macaroni or cavatappi
• 2 cups milk
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 
• 2 tablespoons sage
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 2 cups grated Gruyere cheese
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Drizzle oil into a large pot of salted boiling water. Add the macaroni and cook for 6-8 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat the milk in a saucepan, but don't boil it. 
4. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a large pot. Add the sage and flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. 
5. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more until thickened and smooth. 
6. Off the heat, add the Gruyere and Parmesan cheese, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, nutmeg. 
7. Add the cooked macaroni and stir well. Pour mixture into a baking dish. 
8. Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter and combine it with the panko breadcrumbs and sprinkle on the top. 
9. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top. 

Voila!

Risotto Done Twice.

Risotto is one of most delicious Italian dishes out there. The first time I had risotto was at Trattoria Neapolis in Pasadena and it was to die for. So I decided to try making it myself and take a crack at being an Italian chef for a day. Risotto, although delicious, is known to be one of the hardest Italian meals to make, but this is a misconception. It's more so that it is time consuming and requires constant attention to make sure its perfect and comes out with a good consistency.

There are many different ways to prepare risotto. You can make it with a tomato sauce, add chicken or shrimp, and different types of veggies. I decided to make my risotto creamy with some mushrooms and peas.

Toasting the rice before adding wine & broth.

The finished product. 

Here's how I made it:

Ingredients:

• 6 cups of low sodium chicken broth (I used 4 cups of chicken broth and 2 cups of hot water, you can mix and match or use only water to your taste)
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1.5 cups chopped onions
• 10 ounces of cremini mushrooms chopped
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1.5 cups Arborio rice
• 2/3 cup dry white wine
• 3/4 cup frozen peas thawed
• 2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Bring the pot to a simmer in a saucepan. Keep the broth warm over very low heat.
2. Melt the butter over medium heat then add the olive oil. 
3. Add the onions and saute until tender, about 10 minutes.
4. Add the mushrooms and garlic. Saute mushrooms until tender, about 5 minutes. 
5. Stir in rice and let it toast for a few minutes.
6. Add the wine and cook until the liquid is absorbed by the rice stirring often, about 2 minutes. 
7. Add 1 cup of hot broth, simmer over medium low heat until the liquid is absorbed stirring often, about 3 minutes. It is so important to stir often so the rice doesn't stick to the pot. Repeat this step until all the broth it used and the rice absorbs all the liquid. This will take about 30 minutes. 
8. Add the peas and Parmesan cheese.
9. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

This turned out so delicious, but it came out with A LOT of risotto. After eating it for a couple days, I got a little tired of it so I found an easy Round 2 recipe that reuses the risotto to make a new dish. Risotto cakes! They're little patties of risotto fried up in a crispy panko breading. 

After dredging and coating in panko, ready to be fried.

Beautifully crispy.

Crispy outside and warm, creamy inside. 

Here's how I made it them...

Ingredients:

• Leftover risotto
• 1 cup all purpose flour for dredging
• Eggs, beaten
• Panko breadcrumbs
• Vegetable oil for frying

Directions:

1. With cooled risotto, form the mixture into a burger sized patty about 1 inch thick. 
2. Set up a dredging station with flour in one dish, beaten eggs in another, and panko breadcrumbs in another.
3. Dip the rice patties into the flour then into the eggs and finally coat them with panko breadcrumbs.
4. In a large skillet, heat 1/2 inch of vegetable oil over medium heat until a panko crumb sizzles in it. 
5. Working in batches of 2-3, fry the risotto cakes until they are golden brown, 2-3 minutes per side. 
6. Transfer to a wire rack to dredge excess oil and to help them stay crispy. 

Voila!

Recipes courtesy of Giada DeLaurentiis and Ina Garten.

Nutella Cheesecake Bars.

The other night, I decided to have some friends over to watch movies and I wanted to have some really delicious treats for us to snack on. I had an extra large jar of Nutella and decided to use it to make a cheesecake. I cut up the cheesecake into small bar in order for it to be portable/hand held for everyone to easily eat.

Ingredients.

I used Oreos for the crust instead of graham crackers because...well, who can't get enough of chocolate? So I layered the cheesecake into 3 levels: the Oreo crust, plain cheesecake, and Nutella cheesecake.

3 layers of deliciousness: Oreo crust, plain cheesecake, and Nutella cheesecake.

Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of Oreo crumbs
• 1/4 cup melted, unsalted butter
• 16 ounces of cream cheese at room temperature (very important!)
• 2 eggs at room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup Nutella

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and butter an 8x8 baking dish and line with parchment paper making sure the parchment is well pressed in the corners.
2. In a food processor, pulse Oreos until they become crumbs. Add in melted butter and pulse until moistened. Press Oreo mixture evenly into the bottom of the baking dish and bake until the crust is set about 12 minutes. Set aside.
3. Mix cream cheese, eggs, sugar, 1/4 cup heavy cream, and vanilla until its smooth. Put 2/3 of the mixture in a bowl and set aside. Add Nutella  and a tablespoon of heavy cream to the remaining cream cheese mixture. Pulse until smooth.
4. To assemble, spread the plain cheesecake mixture over the cooled Oreo crust. Then pour the Nutella cheesecake layer on top of the plain cheesecake layer and spread evenly. 
5. Bake on the center rack of the oven for 35 minutes or until the center slightly jiggles.
6. Remove from the oven and cool completely on a cooling rack. Then refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
7. When ready to serve, lift the cheesecake out of the pan and cut into 16 squares and serve.

Voila!

Valentine Mocha Cupcakes.

Valentine's Day is one of my favorite holidays out of the year. Most people associate Valentine's Day with romantic relationships, boyfriends, girlfriends, but I like to associate it with a day to express love to people you love most...not solely restricted to a romantic interest or spouse. For that reason, I wanted to do something special for not only my boyfriend, but for a few loved ones, so I made some delicious Valentine's cupcakes!

I tried something new and added some coffee to my cakemix to create a mocha cupcake. I also took a crack at making chocolate buttercream frosting from scratch and it turned out great. Recipe follows...

It is imperative to sift all the dry ingredients to insure there are no lumps in the mix.

Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of instant espresso granules to 1 cup of brewed coffee to get a mocha flavor.

The finished cupcakes decorated with candy heart and chocolate chip X's and O's.

I bought some pretty pastry packaging from Michael's and gave a box each to my boyfriend, my best friend, Natalie, and my mom.

MOCHA CUPCAKES

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups of flour
• 2 cups of sugar
• 3/4 cups of cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons of baking soda
• 1 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 cup buttermilk, shaken
• 1/2 cup of vegetable oil
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup of freshly brewed coffee
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of instant espresso granules 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Sift the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a bowl and mix until combined with a spoon, a hand mixer, or electric mixer.
3. In another bowl, mix buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla.
4. With a mixer on low speed, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.
5. Add the 1 1/2 teaspoons of espresso granules to a cup of hot coffee and stir to combine. With the mixer still on low, add the coffee mixture to the batter and stir to combine.
6. Distribute the batter into prepared cupcake tins.
7. Bake for 18-22 minutes until cake tester comes out clean. Let cool for 15 minutes then remove from the tin and let cool completely on a cooling rack. 

*Note that the batter will be a bit runny, but this is perfectly fine.

CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Ingredients:

• 1/2 a pound of bittersweet chocolate
• 6 ounces of semisweet chocolate
• 2-3 egg whites, at room temperature 
• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 3/4 pound of unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of instant espresso powder dissolved in 1/2 teaspoon of water

Directions:

1. Chop the chocolates and place in a heat proof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature.
2. Place the bowl of egg whites over the pan of simmering water and heat until warm to the touch, about 5 minutes.
3. Mix the egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar, and salt in an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk on high speed for 5 minutes, until the mixture holds a stiff peak. 
4. Add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time, while beating on medium speed.
5. Scrape down the bowl and add the melted chocolate, vanilla, and espresso and mix for 1 minute until the chocolate in completely blended in. If the buttercream seems very soft, allow it to cool and beat again.

Voila!

Savory Palmiers.

So some of my followers have been asking me to post some recipes since I haven't posted them in a while so I thought I'd start the New Year with a couple of delicious things that everyone would love! For the New Year's party I went to this year, I made these adorable palmiers filled with pesto, sundried tomatoes, and goat cheese. They were a huge hit at the party! In fact...ladies, one person upon eating them asked me if my boyfriend had proposed to me yet. I guess it is true that the best way to a man's heart is through his stomach! But in the case of these palmiers, these are little tastes of heaven that everyone enjoys.

The ingredients you will need.

Sprinkle pesto, goat cheese, and sundried tomatoes on a puff pastry sheet.

Roll up the puff pastry and cut into slices.

Deliciousness in a fun shape.

Ingredients:

• 1 package frozen Pepperidge Farm puff pastry, defrosted
• 1/4 cup of pesto either store bought or homemade pesto.
• 1/2 cup of crumbled goat cheese
• 1/4 cup of finely chopped sundried tomatoes in oil, drained
• Salt

Directions:

1. Lightly flour a board and unfold 1 sheet of the puff pastry.
2. Roll the pastry lightly with a rolling pin until its 9.5 by 11.5 inches.
3. Spread the sheet of puff pastry with half the pesto.
4. Then sprinkle with half the goat cheese and half the sundried tomatoes.
5. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
6. Working from the short ends, fold each end halfway to the center. Then fold each side again towards the center until the folded edges almost touch. Fold one side over the other and press lightly.
7. Repeat the entire instructions with the second piece of puff pastry and the remaining ingredients.
8. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 45 minutes.
9. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
10. Cut the prepared rolls of puff pastry into 1/4 inch thick slices and place them face up 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
11. Bake for 14 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm. 

recipe courtesy of Ina Garten

Pesto Perfecto.

Hi everyone! I hope everyone had a great New Year and is getting an excellent start to the New Year. I thought I'd start off Taltalsays this year by posting my perfect pesto recipe. Pesto is such a fresh tasting sauce/condiment and it's not just for pasta anymore! I use it in a bunch of different recipes and I think its a perfect compliment to a dinner dish. Here is my recipe:

Ingredients needed:

• 1/4 cup walnuts
• 9 cloves of chopped garlic
• 5 cups of fresh basil leaves (packed)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups of olive oil
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Place walnuts and garlic in a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process for 30 seconds.
2. Add basil leaves salt and pepper.
3. With the food processor running, slowly pour the olive oil in using the feed tube and process until pesto is pureed.
4. Add the Parmesan cheese and puree for 1 minute.
5. Voila!

Breakfast in a Cup.

The other day, I was feeling inspired by some Pinterest pictures of breakfast foods and I came across an egg cup picture I thought was so adorable so I decided to attempt making it. What's better than bacon and eggs for breakfast all rolled into a cup sized treat? They turned out very good...both for the tastebuds and the eyes!

Ingredients:

• Unsalted butter
• Eggs
• Bacon
• White or wheat toast
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Cupcake or muffin tin

What to do:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Melt the butter on low heat and lightly butter a cupcake or muffin tin.
3. With your hands or a rolling pin, flatten the toast.
4. With a large cup or cookie cutter, cut out circles from the toast (about 4 inches in diameter).
5. Then cut the circles in half and press the halves into each cupcake pan overlapping slightly (1 circle per well). Fill any holes with leftover pieces of bread.
6. Brush bread with remaining melted butter.
7. In a large skillet, cook the bacon until almost crisp. 
8. Lay 1 bacon slice into each bread cup and crack an egg over each.
9. Season with salt and pepper.
10. Bake until egg whites are just set 15-20 minutes. 

Barley Salad.

The other day I came home from work and I was starving. Trying to keep a healthy diet, I didn't want to order out so I looked around my pantry for ingredients to quickly make something. I found a bag of barley and also a few different vegetables in my refrigerator so I decided to make a salad. For a makeshift recipe that I just put together, it turned out really good!

Ingredients:

• A handful of cherry red tomatoes
• A handful of small yellow heirloom tomatoes
• 1 cucumber
• 1/2 an avocado 
• 3/4 can of kidney beans
• 1 cup of barley
• crumbled feta
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon honey
• salt
• 2-3 tablespoons olive oil

1. Cook the barley according to packaged directions. Usually, boil 1.5 cups of water to every cup of barley and add the barley when boiling. Put heat on low and let absorb for 30 minutes.

2. While the barley is cooking, wash and cut all the vegetables and strain and wash the kidney beans. Keep in mind, you can use any number of vegetables in the salad, these are just the ones I had in the fridge. 

3. When the barley has cooked, drain and let it cool.

4. To make the dressing, whisk the honey and vinegars. Add in olive oil and salt and whisk.

5. Mix the barley, vegetables, and kidney beans.

6. Top with crumbled feta.

Peanut Butter Cupcakes

The other day, I was feeling like I hadn't baked anything in a long time so I decided to make my favorite dessert...cupcakes! Now, like many others, I am guilty of taking the shortcut at times and using boxed cake mix. However, I thought some aspects of the cupcakes should have my own twist to them so I added some mini Reese's cups to the bottom of the cupcake and I made my own peanut butter frosting.

Peanut Butter Frosting:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup confectioner's sugar
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 5 tablespoons of unsalted butter at room temperature
• 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup heavy cream

1. Mix confectioner's sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt on medium low speed until creamy.

2. Add the cream and mix on high speed until mixture is light and smooth.

(recipe courtesy of Ina Garten)

Easter and Such

Lacking some serious void from my artsy side, I decided to put a little creative spin on Easter dinner this year. Armenians usually have a prix fixe Easter dinner menu of salty fish and a sort of spinach frittata, so I took a different route...

I took my dad's retro 90's ties and used them to paint our Easter eggs! (instructions at end of post)

Our dinner table, decked out with springtime accessories

And to finish, mini cheesecake bites for dessert (recipe at end of post)

"Tie"-dyed Easter Eggs:

What you will need:

• Old silk ties or other old silk clothing (make sure they are silk, otherwise the eggs won't hold the colors!)
• An old white t-shirt or cotton fabric
• Eggs
• Rubber bands
• Water
• White vinegar

1. Cut the silk fabric into 3inch x 3inch squares

2. Then cut the white cotton fabric into 3inch x 3inch squares

3. Wrap the eggs first in the silk fabric, then the white cotton fabric. Secure with rubber bands. You can wrap raw eggs, but I boiled mine before wrapping

4. In a pot on medium heat, add 3 tablespoons of white vinegar to water (enough water to submerge the eggs entirely)

5. Let the eggs heat on medium for 25-30 minutes

6. Remove the eggs from the boiling water and let sit until dried. Then remove the rubber bands and fabric.

VOILA!

Mini Cheesecake Bites:

Ingredients:

• 2 8 ounce packages of low fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature (this is imperative!)
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1tbsp lemon juice
• Dash of lemon zest
• Mini Nilla wafers (make sure they are the regular kind, not the low fat ones otherwise it will float to the top of the cheesecake)
• Fruit or fruit compote of your choice to garnish

1. Make sure the cream cheese is softened to room temperature, otherwise the cakes will come out clumpy! You can microwave the cheese for 10 seconds if you are in a hurry

2. Mix together cream cheese, sugar, eggs, vanilla, lemon juice and lemon zest until smooth

3. Line up mini baking cups and place a mini Nilla Wager face up inside each one

4. Scoop mixture into wafer, filling cup 3/4 full

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes

6. Refrigerate. Once chilled, garnish fruit atop each mini cheesecake. Chill again