May 16, 2011

Where you can find me…

A quick THANK YOU to all of you that came to my class at Macy’s this weekend! I hope you enjoyed the food & the photography demo! I can’t wait to do more classes in the future. I’ll be posting the Strawberry Bruschetta this week and here are the links for the Artichoke Basil Bruschetta & the Tuna & White Bean Bruschetta we worked on together! Thanks again for the support! It was seriously FUN!

Here’s a little peak at us grilling the crostini…..

Here’s my station! You know what was awesome? Being able to pull items off the shelf at Macy’s for the demo! Need a grill pan? Just go find one on the floor! Want an awesome serving platter? Pick one from the dishware section! I also found a new love—Martha Stewart’s bar towels. They are AWESOME. I need to stock up on a bunch! They’re super absorbent and really really lovely, fluffy and soft.

Oh! A few more things!

My friend Danielle of Sometimes Sweet is working on a really cool series- 8 Weeks to a Better Me! I’m so honored that she wanted me to be apart of it! Yesterday I posted a few tips on Healthy Eating & 3 Essential Rules I follow to keep my weight/health in check. You should check it out! Thanks Danielle!

Speaking of health, I also posted a recipe for my yummy Fruit Dippers over at Modern Kiddo. My mom made this tasty lime yogurt dip when I was a kid and it’s become Cooper’s new favorite thing!

recipes, Uncategorized

May 15, 2011

Coconut Waffles with Maple Cream

Dear Joy,

I could send you a text but I’m much better at typing on a keyboard. You might already know this from my never-ending typos. I have big thumbs. We both have big hands. I’m telling the world this. It’s true. Anyways HELLO! I took your advice. I didn’t tell Casey that your Toasted Coconut Waffles were Gluten Free! He had no idea! He devoured one and then he proceeded to climb back into bed to sleep it off. You apparently invented amazing waffles that require slumber! Way to go! Honestly, I think he just wanted to dodge cleaning up my mess in the kitchen…and it worked. I’ll have to try that when he makes me something to eat…which will be never. Wait. He does make rice… in the rice maker. I’m gonna collapse on our bed like one of those fainting goats when he makes his next batch. Watch me.

Coconut flour. You’re right. It’s pretty awesome. I mean…I know how much we looooove our coconut oil, but FLOUR?!! I think I might have tried a few tablespoons of it on its own. It’s sweet, savory and not boring like regular flour. I’m thinking it could be a good substitute for the whole wheat flour in the Coconut Shrimp I made. Do you think that would work? Have you used it for that application yet? It was cool to see how it expanded in the batter. I was worried for 2.5 seconds and then BAM the batter was all pudding like. You know your stuff. I bet you have made many many MANY gluten-free people jump for JOY with this recipe. Do you get sick of that pun?

I was going to make my own apricot compote for the waffles, but I couldn’t find my dried apricots! I think I used them all up in that late night batch of Apricot Pistachio Granola last week. I stood in front of my pantry for 10 minutes willing a bag of apricots to appear. It didn’t work. Have you ever willed food to appear? Did it work? So I didn’t have any apricots BUT I did have a banana and some dark chocolate. I sprinkled those both on top. YIKES. It was like dessert for breakfast! It required a glass of water but that didn’t stop me from cleaning my plate.

Anyways, I like you & your taste buds. I also like that I can text you at 7:50am on a Sunday morning with a picture of my steaming waffle maker because I know you’re already awake. Thanks for being a person who doesn’t like to waste a Sunday morning.

Your bud,

Tracy

Photography, Uncategorized

May 14, 2011

365- Week 18

A food related photo everyday until 2012. Here’s week 18:

134/365 Parmesan Chicken Sandwich…and some dude smiling at a computer.

recipes, Uncategorized

May 13, 2011

Pimm’s Cup

Are you a fan of herbal cocktails? Then you must like Pimm’s No.1 liqueur. Haven’t tried it? You should! It’s a gin based liquor from England that’s infused with citrus, herbs & spices. It’s the latest addition to my libation rotation! Thanks for getting me into it, Michael!

I like that I don’t need a bunch of ingredients to get my buzz on.

Ginger ale? Check. Ice? Check. Lemon? Check. Pimm’s No.1? Check. Cucumber? Oh that’s right. I ate it.

I followed the recipe off the back of the bottle so here it is for you. You should put a cucumber slice in yours, make it fancy and legit. I’ve seen recipes that include mint, orange slices & strawberries. That’s extra fancy, but it just means fruit is gonna be banging you in the mouth. If you’re drunk enough that could be fun…
CONTINUE READING

around the home, Uncategorized

May 12, 2011

What’s on my coffee table?!

Right now I have a firetruck, a green crayon, a ridiculous amount of wooden blocks & a sippy cup on my coffee table but last week I had this nice stack of books! It makes me feel powerful knowing that I have all this knowledge & inspiration at my fingertips. I must say that I SAVOR every second of reading time I get when Cooper’s asleep. Reading at night is the best part of my day.

So here’s another round of What’s on my coffee table?!
CONTINUE READING

recipes, Uncategorized

May 11, 2011

Artichoke & Basil Bruschetta

Friends! I’m teaching a cooking class with Digital Media Playground at Macy’s (in Union Square) this Saturday. You should totally come! I’ll be doing a little demo on one of my favorite summer foods, bruschetta! My friend Denise will also be teaching a lesson on food photography & how to take awesome shots indoors with tricky lighting. It’s gonna be fun!

I’ve been testing bruschetta recipes this week and yesterday I came up with this scrumptious Artichoke & Basil Bruschetta for the class. On top of a grilled/garlic rubbed crostini you’ll find creamy ricotta, basil, marinated artichoke hearts, a slice of Parmesan cheese with a squeeze of lemon. It’s so good I made it for both lunch AND dinner yesterday. You are going to LOVE it! One bruschetta down, three more to go!
CONTINUE READING

recipes

May 10, 2011

Strawberry Clafouti

My mom made a cherry clafouti for company when I was a little, and I’ve been smitten with the word *clafouti* ever since. Clafouti. CLAH- FOO-TEE. It’s a fun word to say. Go ahead, try it. See what I mean? I wish I could tell you that I was an immediate fan of clafouti, but unfortunately I can’t. When I was a kid, I wasn’t keen on anything that tasted like egg. There was an incident at a Mexican restaurant involving FLAN that totally scarred me. Flan is not the dessert you want to eat on your 9th birthday while you’re wearing an obligatory sombrero, trust me. So when I tried a hunk of clafouti expecting it to be like cake, I was truly disappointed! Through the maturing process I have learned the beauty of an eggy custard-like cake batter. Isn’t growing up fun?

Those gorgeous strawberries I brought back from Driscoll’s found a home in this simple Strawberry Clafouti recipe! The batter required a quick whirl in the blender, much like the Chocolate Dutch Baby I recently made and the strawberries get all roasted and gooey delicious like those dreamy Roasted Strawberries I posted. There’s also no shortage of buttered crispy edges. I love crispy edges! And can we just take a moment for that beautiful spongy middle mixed with a crazy amount of sweet roasted strawberries? I’ve never made anything like it. Sprinkle powdered sugar on a hunk and you can call it breakfast. Or position a scoop of vanilla bean gelato on top and you can call it dessert! Clafouti. Keep saying it. CLA-FOU-TI!
CONTINUE READING