Let Them Eat Cake!

Ari and I made a cake for Tom's birthday. I baked the chocolate cake from a delicious Duncan Hines mix (cheating, I know) in two 8" cake pans. We then froze the layers for easy icing. I thought it would be cute to do a tuxedo cake: black-white-black, so we decorated with chocolate frosting which looked HOT on the white icing. Two layer cakes are clearly more effort but so worth it, because it kicks a sheet cake's tuschy.
The cake was yummy, and it was also beautifully displayed on my new cake pedestal AND the crazy cool writing courtesy of Cohen.

Fiesta Courtesy of Tom & Krystal

Tom and Krystal made the most delicious fiesta dinner, and I wish my loyal QCC readers were there to experience the greatness that was this dinner. They ordered these special chili peppers and made enchiladas and this spicy chicken dish, that I still can't get over. I was also very impressed with the homemade salsa, so tasty and spicy. AMAZING! Next time you are invited to Tom & Krystal's for a fiesta RUN, do not walk.

A Tale of Two Salmons

Two different dinners featuring salmon:

The first one was just a standard salmon fillet but I made homemade french fries that were AWESOME. I seasoned two idaho potatoes with kosher salt, pepper and chilli powder and then baked the fries in the oven--the catch though was that I used Olive Oil PAM to the baking sheet and then PAM'ed the fries as well, these fries are clearly a lot better for you because they are baked not fried and there is really no fatty oil being used, because the PAM does the trick. Delicious dinner.

For the second salmon dinner, I made pesto in the food processor (fresh basil, pine nuts, garlic cloves, salt, EVOO) and then spread the pesto on the salmon and baked in the oven for 20 minutes at 370. The salmon was so good with the pesto it just melted in your mouth. I also made a spinach salad with feta, hard boiled egg, cherry tomatoes, mushroom, red onion and a tiny bit of olive oil. YUM!!

Sliders

We made sliders for dinner a week or two ago and I never got around to posting. I purchased Wegman's pre-made sliders and Ari helped me make our own as well. The meal was inspired when I saw that Wegman's makes their own whole wheat slider rolls--whole wheat is crucial. It was a delicious meal--I love all things mini!

Repeat: Zuchinni & Spinach Stuffed Shells

In keeping with theme of repeat meals, I made the zucchini and spinach stuffed shells again because they were so good the first time and I was interested in perfecting them. This time, I doubled the amount of spinach used. I always forget how much spinach shrinks, so this time I used 12 oz of spinach. I sauteed that, then sauteed the thinly sliced zucchini, diced onion and garlic, mixed it in with part-skim ricotta and stuffed the shells. You can see the shells here before the sauce and mozzarella was added. I also added to the cooking time--40 minutes, with about 10 minutes without the foil. I love these because I can make them in the morning and then just stick them in the oven for dinner. It is a huge dish so there was plenty of leftovers for the next night and there are still some in the fridge, so come on over! Maybe next time I'll try part cottage cheese, part ricotta.

in honor of it being Tuesday...

Fish Tacos! Featured here is last week's fish taco dinner. Ari and I have this meal down to a science at this point...as it is our favorite. We just can't get enough. As you can see in the photo: tilapia fillets that we broil with EVOO and lemon juice, homemade guac and pico de gallo, blue corn tortilla chips, mini tortillas, etc. If you ever find yourself in Buffalo on a Tuesday we just might share the love.

Chicken Curry Reprise

My last chicken curry post did not give nearly enough credit to how amazingly delicious this recipe. As I said, I was given this recipe by Hannah and Barbara and now after the second time making it, I really just need to sing its praises again: so yummy! Sauteed red pepper and onion, then add chicken breast, after being cooked through, add a can of cream of mushroom soup; a tbsp mango chutney; a little bit of milk and curry powder. Served with Basmati rice and Naan bread...I could eat this every week. Clearly not Kosher, but super delicious. Also, the curry is even better cold the next day from the fridge.

Cupcake Survey

Please vote on which cupcakes my friends and I should attempt to make. The input of loyal QCC readers is greatly appreciated :)

Zuchinni & Spinach Stuffed Shells

This recipe was adapted from a recipe I found in a great cookbook called Cook Yourself Thin. The great thing about these shells is that you cut out so much fat by adding zuchinni which sort of acts as a filler so that you can cut down on the amount of cheese used. First I sauteed some fresh baby spinach, then drained and squeezed and set aside. Next I sauteed a zuchinni which I had sliced into thin pieces, and then added onion and garlic. Once everything was slightly browned and soft, I added the spinach and mixed in part-skim ricotta and stuffed the shells. With tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese on top and baking for a half hour at 350, these babies were delicious! Leftovers for dinner tonight.

Dishin' With Dalia!

My dearest friend from college, Dalia Miller has started her own cooking blog: Dishin' with Dalia.
Check out the yummy looking sushi she made. I can't wait to see all the delicious things she cooks up this summer. Check out previous QCC posts from last October during Dalia's visit to the Queen City here, here, and here!

S'more Memorial Day Baking

I constantly find recipes for delicious looking baked goods online but when I found a recipe for S'more Cookie Bars, I had to make them for a certain S'more-loving roommate of mine. I have to say that although I was excited about these the entire time I was baking, the final product was a bit dissapointing: the chocolate to marshmallow ratio is off--too much chocolate and not enough marshmallow. I added fluff to the top of the bars, which I think made them better (according to the S'more expert) but they are still very rich--too much chocolate! It was fun to branch out a bit with my baking even though it wasn't a complete success. In the top photo you will find all the ingredients used (brown sugar, regular sugar, white whole wheat flour, an egg, 1/2 cup butter, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/2 tsp salt, 2 hershey's chocolate bars, 8 graham crackers, and 1.5 cups fluff). The middle photo is the graham cracker dough in the mixer and then the bottom pictures features the layering and then the final product.