I was perusing Cake Wrecks this afternoon, and found out about a contest that Threadless is running called “ThreadCakes.”  The subliminally creative shirt-makers are hosting a competition for fans to recreate one of their designs into cake-form.  While some are refreshingly amateurish, so many of these cakes are absolutely, ridiculously, phenomenally well-constructed.  Check out the site to see the corresponding T-shirts they go with (which are ingenious!).  Here are a few of my favorites:

A co-worker turned me on to this incredible foodie newsletter/website called Serious Eats.  It’s chock full of little news bites here and there, featuring new trends, old trends, new restaurants, old stand-bys, easy recipes, and just general musings on food.  I usually take a few minutes out of every lunch break to scan their forums and articles.  It’s sublimely entertaining, and written in a casual, conversational tone that really encourages reader feedback and interaction.

My “find of the day” on the site was this Oatmeal Brulee.  Simple, quick, and involves fire (which always intrigues me).

photo via seriouseats

Then, for laughs, they posted this video from Funny or Die that features the Blue Man Group (whose particular brand of entertainment I still can’t get behind… sorry, I seem to be the only person alive who really doesn’t have any interest in seeing a BMG performance…) in a “Before They Were Stars”-style video.  The Blue Man Group serves up the unsuspecting public some McBurgers… to some hilarious consequences.

All right, so perhaps it’s not the most summery of culinary exploits, but last night, I had a hankering for some creamy risotto.  In fact, I’ve been craving risotto for a while, ever since having an out-of-this-world risotto experience this past winter at L’Espalier in Boston.  It takes me a while to get around to some things.  Of course, I pick the muggiest/hottest week of the year to slave over a gas stove.

My camera battery is dead, so I wasn’t able to get a good shot of the dish.  I have to admit, it’s not exactly “pretty.”  But man, was it delicious!  Slightly sweet, perfectly savory, it’s a great switch from the traditional Pumpkin Risotto.

Sweet Potato Risotto

**Note: Ingredient measurements are approximations**

3/4 tbsp olive oil

2 pats butter, unsalted

1 cup arborio rice

2 cans chicken broth

1/2 cup frozen broccoli

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/2 can sweet potato puree

Salt and Pepper to taste

Grated pamesan cheese for serving

1)  In a frying pan, warm 2 pats of butter and olive oil over medium-high heat, add rice and saute for roughly 2 minutes (stirring every few seconds).  Add frozen broccoli one minute in.  Stir every few seconds.

2)  Add one can chicken broth, cinnamon, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.  Stir frequently, watching the rice as it soaks up the broth.  About five minutes in, start adding in second can of chicken broth in steps, until rice is tender.

3) Fold in sweet potato puree and heat through.  Serve with grated parmesan on top.

I just wanted to share the New York Times Magazine piece that Michael Pollan wrote, “Out of the Kitchen, Onto the Couch.”  It’s quite a lengthy piece, and has a lot of information to digest (in true Pollan-canon fashion), but is infinitely enlightening when it comes to talking about the cultural divorce we’ve all taken with cooking.

No one cooks anymore!  We like to watch cooking, we like to talk about cooking, but ultimately, we like the cooking already done for us.  Our appreciation for food has shifted from the process to the final product.  And it’s disturbing.  This is most scathingly evident on the Food Network where I can bet you 7 times out of 10, you’re more likely to find a cooking game show (like Chopped!) than an actual cooking show.  It’s horrendous!  And is primarily why I no longer watch that channel.  However, I am no saint when it comes to practicing what I advocate (which is cooking).

To be honest, unfortunately, I saw a lot of myself in the Pollan article.  I watch cooking programs because I enjoy the spectacle and the sensuality of cooking… but when it comes down to it, I’m more likely to pull out a bag of frozen vegetables, some pasta, and some sandwich meat than attempt the creme fraiche-and-cilantro-topped crab cakes I was just salivating over on the television.  I enjoy shows like “No Reservations” and “Man vs. Food” because they sensationalize the act of eating rather than the process of preparation.  You would think writing a food blog would make me more apt to cook, but honestly, there are some nights I get home and the task seems so daunting that I just don’t have the patience to figure out a recipe, cook it, photograph it, write about it, and then (finally) eat it.  Which is why my posts can be pretty scant/brief/improvisational/pathetic at times.  However, I’m sure you’re not interested in excuses.  The fact is, our societal view on cooking has changed, and to the detriment of our culture.  I am hoping that articles like this, and a bit more dedication from people such as myself, will encourage a cult-of-cooking revival.

College Mogul is having a contest between five Babson College entrepreneurial start-ups.  Winner gets three months of free advertising on the College Mogul site, and we’re in the running!  Please vote for Recipe Key!

photo thanks to Spiked Punch

A while back, I challenged AJ Rathbun of Spiked Punch to create a basil-based drink that would satiate and entice my herbal-loving palette.  Initally, he suggested marrying some crushed basil with grappa.  To which I very maturely replied, “Ew.  Gross.”  Grappa and I just don’t get along.  Though my family breaks out a bottle most every special occasion, I’m convinced this traditional Italian drink is nothing but souped-up petrol oil.  I don’t know how my relatives manage to pull shots of the stuff, it stings my throat just thinking about it.  However, AJ assured me he could come up with something that would make me see grappa in a whole new light.  And now, a mere few weeks later, he’s done it: I present to you, Tareva’s Tipple.

The drink combines gin, grappa, basil, and simple syrup to create a delicious potion that is sure to make even the staunchest of grappa nay-sayers spellbound.  An interesting proposition, uniting English gin with Italian grappa.  Though I imagine the lovely juniper-scented liquor will offset the grappa nicely.  I will be ordering this while touring the North End, this weekend.  Salute and Cheers to everyone this gray Boston Friday!

Sometimes my best ideas come out of pure desperation.  Last week, I went out to a fabulous dinner at Orinoco in Brookline Village.  The restaurant serves delectable Venezuelan dishes that range from simple arepas and empanadas to slow-braised beef loin and an amazing heart of palms salad.  I ordered the Pollo Adobo, a chicken slow-roasted in spices and oregano oil served with gnocchi-like dumplings in a truffle cream sauce.  Absolutely incredible.  In an uncharacteristic bout of foresight, I decided to wrap half my dinner up to take home.

Lo and behold, Friday night I arrived home late from work, exhausted.  Completely lacking the energy to grocery shop, I found the to-go container full of chicken.  After a brief victory dance, I then plowed around in the fridge trying to figure out what to pair with it.  And this is what I came up with:

Chicken, Peach, and Romaine Salad in an Ahi Pepper Vinaigrette:

For the salad…

One roasted chicken breast (make your own Oregano Chicken)

One medium peach

2 cups romaine lettuce

1/2 bell pepper (I used 1/4 red and 1/4 orange)

1/2 cup grape tomatoes

1/2 cup white mushrooms

1/4 vidalia onion

Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

For the vinaigrette…

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3 tbsp red wine vinegar

1/2 tsp ahi pepper puree

1/4 tsp dijon mustard

Salt and pepper to taste

Shred the chicken and mix up the vinaigrette.  In a frying pan, add a little bit of olive oil and saute chopped onion and mushrooms.  Place on salad when caramelized.  Chop remaining veggies and peach, put the salad together and serve.  Add crumbled feta on top, if you so choose.  Serve with bread and cheese (like I did!) if you ultimately decide to leave out the feta.

very close replica of my own cookie-goodness by esthereggy via flickr

I can, at times, be a cookie snob.  I like my cookies just so: a little crunch on the outside with a nice gooey, chewy center.  Most recipes I’ve tried have turned out agreeable results, but never have I found a recipe that just oozes cookie-ness.  Until now.

Exploring the Not Without Salt website, I came across a recipe for what the blog’s writer, Ashley, touts as “The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie.”  Pretty lofty title for such a humble confection.  However, she could not possibly be more correct.  The dough tastes of a classic brown sugar cookie dough; it’s light but with some heft, so neither do you feel like you’re biting into a biscuit, nor does it cook into some wafer-thin cracker (two problems I’ve had with previous recipes).  The chocolate is, in one word, abundant.  And spread throughout the cookie so that every bite contains its melty bits.

I’ve adapted Ashley’s recipe for my own time and budget, cutting out the Turbinado sugar (and just using granulated sugar) and using Trader Joe’s milk chocolate chips (which I ran, semi-successfully, through a food processor to chop up a bit) instead of fancy chocolate.  Also, I forgot to sprinkle on the sea salt, which was probably to my detriment, because I can only imagine how amazing these must be with a little crunch of saltiness on top.  Regardless, despite my ommissions and additions, these were by far the best cookies I’ve ever made.  Enjoy!

The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie by Ashley at notwithoutsalt.com

2 sticks butter

1/4 cup white sugar

1/4 cup Turbinado sugar

1 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

2  eggs

2 tsp vanilla

3 1/2 cup All Purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp Baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

1 lb. chocolate (use the best quality chocolate you can afford. With a serrated knife cut chocolate chunks roughly 1/2 inch)

Cream the butter and the sugars until light. Scrape down the side of the bowl. Continue mixing while adding the eggs one at time. Make sure each egg is incorporated before adding the next. Add the vanilla. Scrape down the bowl with a spatula. Combine the flour, soda and salt in another bowl. With a whisk, stir to combine. With the machine on low, slowly add the flour. Mix until just combined, taking care not to over mix. With a spatula fold in the chocolate.

If you so choose, and I do recommend that you do, sprinkle a very fine dusting of good quality sea salt. Fleur de Sel or Murray River Pink Salt are my recommendations.

Bake at 360* for 12 minutes. They should be lightly golden on the outside but still look gooey on the inside.

photo by ashley at notwithoutsalt.com

In more recent years, I’ve become a salt fiend.  I don’t know why the sudden change, and didn’t realize it until every margarita order was specified with, “Please make it heavy on the salt.”  I used to chastise my father for adding salt to everything, making sour/grossed-out faces every time he added his favorite seasoning to a dish.  Salt, to me, was something that tasted “icky.”  What can I say, I had (and have) a perpetual sweet tooth in my youth.

However, my love of salt has become recently apparent, and I am always searching out savory-sweet recipes that incorporate a little sel in their making.  A recent recipe hunt caused me to stumble upon Not Without Salt, a blog by a pastry chef named Ashley, which celebrates all things salt-ified.  Her photography (which is always what draws me into any blog) is exquisite, and her recipes, inspiring.  A recent post about Bacon Caramels made its rounds through my office, where co-workers and I equally drooled and marveled at the combination.  Knowing how much I love Salted Caramels, I just might have to give these a shot…

photo via the al dente blog

I was searching the blogosphere to find a tantalizing drink recipe, when I found this post by Braiden Rex-Johnson (who has one of the best names ever!) on Amazon’s Al Dente blog, which I’ve talked about before.  And lo and behold, the recipe is by my favorite drink author/expert AJ Rathbun!  I can’t get away from this guy if I tried… then again, why would I even try in the first place?  Besides being a fabulous person, AJ is by far the supreme knower-of-all-things-alcoholic, and the pages of his books are more dog-earred than my copy of Eliot’s The Wasteland from junior year of college.  I still swear by his recipe for sangria from Good Spirits as the best I have ever tasted.

The drink featured on Al Dente is called the Rosé Squirt.  The name makes me giggle each time… perfect for a light-hearted summer evening.  What I like most about the recipe is the anticipation of the maraschino liqueur, which undoubtedly will offset the dryness of the white wine.  Wine cocktails are making a comeback, people!  Guaranteed.

Rosé Squirt
Serves 2

Ingredients:
Ice cubes
2 ounces maraschino liqueur
6 ounces dry rosé
Chilled club soda
2 maraschino cherries, for garnish

Directions:
1. Take two glasses (highball) and fill with ice cubes until 3/4 full.  To each, add one ounce maraschino liqueur and three ounces rosé.  Stir

2. Top with club soda. Give it a swirl, top with a cherry, and sip away!