Almond Macaroons with Chocolate Ganache

A few weeks ago I was in Boston and my friend's mom made almond macaroons with a chocolate ganache for a dinner party. Not having had a macaroon before, I didn't know what to expect. Well what I had was by far my most favorite cookie yet. This macaroon was the perfect combination of crunchy and chewy. It was more of a cookie sandwich: 2 macaroons with chocolate ganache in-between. I am pretty sure I could have eaten all 20+ that she made.......good thing I wasn't left alone. :)
Anyways, I of course had to come home and figure out how to make them myself, and how to make fewer. After a few tries, success! Did I mention I made dairy free ganache?? Yes ma'am! 

Almond Macaroon Sandwiches with Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients: 

• 1/2cup +2tbs blanched almonds(see below if you would like to know how to blanch almonds)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 egg whites
• pinch sea salt

Chef's Note: Almost all recipes call for almond extract. (I don't enjoy the taste, but if you do, add 3/4 tsp)

Almond Macaroons:

Preheat oven to 350 and line cookie sheet with silpat or parchment paper. 
In food processor, pulse almonds and sugar into fine powder. In separate bowl, whip egg whites and salt until they form a soft peak. Slowly fold the almond "flour" in with the egg whites. Continue to fold until all is combined. Your batter will be thick and sticky. Allow batter to sit for 15-20 minutes. Using a teaspoon, drop walnut sized batter on pan....leaving space between each. The cookie will spread. I only made 6 at a time if that gives you an idea. Bake @350 for 16 minutes. Remove from oven and cool. 

Chocolate Ganache:

Ingredients:

• 4 oz bittersweet chocolate
• 1/2 cup coconut milk(use cream if you prefer)

In small sauce pan, heat milk over medium heat. You want bubbles to form but you don't want it to boil. Place chocolate chips in heat proof bowl and pour heated milk over top. Stir until all chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Let cool at least 1 hour in fridge.(until ganache is thick and spreadable)

Once cookies have cooled and ganache is set, spread about 1tbs of ganache on flat side of one cookie. Top with second cookie. You can store the cookies for up to 3 days in air tight container. 
Makes 10 cookie sandwiches! 

Blanched Almonds:

Place almonds in heat proof bowl or pyrex. Bring 1-2 cups of water to a boil. Pour boiling water over almonds...enough to cover almonds. Let sit for 1-2 minutes. Drain almonds and rinse with cold water. This is cool: the almonds will pop out of their skins! Remove skins from all almonds and you now have yourself blanched almonds! Ta-da!

Em's Decadent Burger

So any of you out there that know me, you know that I LOVE a good burger. I tend to always order one when eating out, because making a burger for 1 person at home isn't the easiest. Last night I managed to make 1 burger!(thanks to Whole Foods for making this possible) My inspiration for this burger was Michael Symon, esteemed Iron Chef and winner of SOBE burger competition. Not to brag, but my take on his burger was divine. I didn't even need a side dish, but you could easily pair it with my homemade fries.
Chef's Note:
If you are a novice cook: this should not be your first attempt at cooking. Stick with my easy stir fry. :) 

Ingredients: 

• 5-6 oz ground beef(I used 85/15, you want some fat in your meat when making a burger)
• 2 small onions
• 1 tbs butter
• gruyere and horseradish bechamel(see below for recipe)
• 1 tbs flour
• 1 tbs corn starch
• EVOO
• 1 kaiser or potato roll(Whole Foods actually allows you to purchase 1 bun.....THANK YOU!)
• 2 slices of bacon-cooked

Bechamel Ingredients:

• 1 tbs butter
• 1 tbs flour
• 1/2 cup milk(I used coconut milk, but use whatever you want)
• 1/4 cup grated gruyere
• 1 tsp freshly grated horseradish(first time using this and wow was it amazing) 

Order In Which I Made Everything:

• caramelized onions
• bacon
• béchamel
• burger/fried onions
• toasted bun

Caramelized Onions:

In small skillet, melt 1 tbs butter and 1 tbs olive oil over medium heat. Add 1 small onion thinly sliced. Reduce heat to medium/low and cook onion for 20-30 minutes until caramel in color. Once cooked, turn off heat and remove from pan. Set aside.

Bacon:

In same small skillet, cook bacon until crispy. Remove to paper towel to drain.

Béchamel:

In small saucepan over medium heat, melt 1 tbs butter. Add flour and whisk together. Add milk and continue to whisk until thick sauce forms. Last stir in cheese and horseradish. I also added some pepper.....your call! Keep on low/simmer until ready to use. 

In small skillet(I used the same one for caramelized onions, bacon and fried onions) heat about 1/4 cup EVOO over medium heat. Thinly slice 2nd small onion and toss in 1tbs flour and 1tbs corn starch. "Fry" onion in EVOO on one side for 2-3 minutes then flip cooking another 2-3 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towel. You are more then welcome to properly fry onion rings, but I made more of an onion "cake" and it turned out and tasted just fine. 

In another skillet heat 1-2 tbs EVOO over medium heat. Form beef into patty(want it the size of your bun) then liberally salt both sides. I added nothing to the beef, just salted the outside. Cook burger in skillet for 2-3 minutes each side. This will give you a perfect medium rare burger. 

• If I had my grill, I obviously would cook my burger outside. If you have a grill.....USE IT!! :) 

Putting your burger together. On bottom of bun, put a little béchamel then slices of bacon and fried onion. Next comes your burger topped with caramelized onions, béchamel and top of bun. 

Guys I cannot tell you how decadent this burger is.....you don't need any sides for this and as I type I already have another idea in mind........ 

Filet Mignon topped with caramelized onions served with gruyere horseradish mashed potatoes.(for you non loving burger ppl out there)

Hope someone out there will try this! It is worth every step...I promise! Please forgive my pictures, iPhone pics do not do this meal justice. 

Breakfast Smoothie

I recently discovered my love of a smoothie. They are a quick, easy, nutritious on the go breakfast. Over the past year I would make them with greek yogurt and fruit. Well, the past couple of months I have gone semi dairy free. I have switched to coconut milk and creamer for my coffee. No worries, this girl still eats as much REAL cheese as she pleases. :) Anyways, switching out greek yogurt for coconut milk was fine, only it left me feeling hungry within an hour of having my smoothie.(no protein in coconut milk) 
Problem solved! Protein powder. Ingenius invention and one breakfast smoothie can tide me over for 4-5 hours. Did I mention it is easy?


Em's Breakfast Smoothie:

Ingredients:(makes one smoothie)

• 1/2 cup frozen berries(I rotate between mixed berries and just strawberries)
• 1 frozen banana- take ripe bananas, peel, and place in a freezer bag. Freezing all fruit prevents you from needing ice. 
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder(I use Whole Foods brand, but use whatever brand you find in your store)

In blender place milk, powder, berries, and banana. Blend until smooth. Done! 

Forgot to take a picture, but will post as soon as I take one. 

Taking leftovers over the top!

This "recipe" is a leftover meal from my italian sausage and pasta dish. The past month I have been trying to successfully make an over easy egg.(my new favorite way to eat an egg. There is something creamy and delicious about a runny yolk). Anyways, probably close to a dozen eggs have been harmed in the quest to make the perfect egg. I googled my heart out for tips and tricks and tonight I finally mastered! Here is how I made an over easy egg:

Ingredients:
1 egg
salt/pepper
butter or oil, your call(used less then a tbs of butter)
small skillet

I cracked my egg into a small bowl first, to ensure no broken yolk. Sprinkled the egg with s&p. Heated my skillet over medium/low heat. You don't want your pan too hot. Melt your butter coating entire skillet. Slowly pour egg into pan, making sure to off center the egg. Allow to cook 2-3 min or until the white has set. With thin spatula, carefully scoop egg and flip....CAREFUL not to break yolk. No rush, go slow. Once flipped, cook another minute. No more. Now, are you ready to find out what I did with my first over easy egg?!

Reheat your amazing italian sausage pasta dish from last night. Place your egg on top and a sprinkle of parmesan. Oh my goodness guys. This makes ordinary leftovers OVER THE TOP. So good, you have to try it yourself to find out. Cannot tell you how good it is. The yolk breaks over the pasta creating a creamy sauce. It is decadent. Try it. I promise you will not be disappointed.

Italian Sausage and Kale Pasta

Next kale recipe will be an entree. Once again, I saw a recipe today and made it my own. Bad habit. This recipe is super fast, easy, and 5 ingredients(i don't count olive oil and garlic). How about that?! I will tell you exactly what I did tonight so that you can benefit 100%. 

Sausage and Kale pasta:

• 1 cup dry short cut pasta(I used penne, but would recommend a seashell or something smaller)
• 1 bunch of kale(I used curly): devained, washed, and chopped
• sweet italian sausage(I bought a package with 5 links)
• 4-5 garlic cloves
• red pepper flake
• EVOO
• parmesan cheese

Bring pot of water to a boil, add a generous amount of salt and pasta. Cook according to package directions. Drain, reserving your pasta water.

In large skillet brown ALL 5 sausage links with garlic cloves and a tsp or so of red pepper flake.(how much red pepper you add depends on how much heat you like in a dish, I like a lot of heat. Even if you don't like spice, I highly recommend you add a little pepper flake. The flavor is necessary with the kale) I did not dice my garlic, just smashed whole cloves with my knife. Once brown, put all sausage and garlic in food processor and pulse until finely ground. If you don't have a food processor you can also use a potato smasher to make your sausage fine. Place ground sausage back in skillet and continue to cook. Here is my fun trick: scoop out about 1 cup of your cooked sausage. I put mine in a freezer ziploc bag and put it in the freezer. This is a great go to for a spaghetti sauce or pizza topping! To the remaining sausage in the skillet, add about 2 tbs EVOO to pan along with chopped kale. Stir to combine over medium heat until kale has wilted. Add cooked pasta and parmesan cheese. ( I did not tell you how much cheese because that is 100% up to you) Toss all together and serve! Feel free to top with more yummy cheese! 

Once again, if you have any questions just ask! 

Kale Salad

Oh my goodness it has been far too long! For those of you that don't know, I made a big move from Georgia to Jersey back in November. Big change. It has given me a new appreciation for hospitality, kindness, warm weather, and smiles. No matter what, I will forever be a southern girl. I obviously have still been cooking, just been quite the slacker in posting. So, here are 2 new recipes to start off 2013. I will post one here, and another in a new post. 
Both recipes tonight involve the ever popular "superfood" kale. For the past year I've been attempting to like this veggie that is supposed to be so good for you. On my own I failed. Well a couple of weeks ago, I went to a potluck with a friend and one of the girls brought kale salad. First thought, great, I am with a bunch of health nuts. If you know me, you know that while I eat well, I also like good food. And kale and good food have never been in the same sentence. Being a trouper, as my parents raised me to be, I fixed myself a plate. We;; turns out, it was: DELISH! Not the quickest salad to put together, but so worth it if you ask me. The best part for me is that you are making it from scratch, therefore you can control the ingredients and change them up however you like. Keeping with my blog's theme, this recipe will make 2 good servings. Leftover salad you think, yuck. Bonus of kale: it holds up til the next day, even with dressing on it! So I hope you try this and I also hope you love it as much as I do! 

Kale Salad:

• 1 bunch kale(I used curly kale)
• 1/2 orange
• 1/2 lemon
• 1 small shallot finely diced
• 1/2 apple diced(I used a pink lady....I would use something tart and crunchy)
• 1-2 tbs honey or agave nectar
• splash of balsamic vinegar
• about 1/4 cup EVOO
• pepper to taste
• salt( I prefer kosher salt or fine sea salt)
• 2-3 tbs toasted sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup feta
• 1/4 cup craisins

In small bowl combine juice of orange and lemon, honey,diced shallot,  olive oil, balsamic, and pepper. Whisk together to form dressing.

WASH(kale is dirty!) and devain kale. Devaining means cutting out the stem from top to bottom. Chop kale into bite sized pieces. In large bowl place kale with generous pinch of salt. Using your hands, massage the kale. Yes, I said massage. You will quickly notice the kale start to change color and almost look sautéed. Continue to massage kale for about 5 minutes. Add diced apple, sunflower seeds, craisins, and feta. Toss all with salad dressing. Great by itself or served as a side. 

Guys, this is so so good. Please try it. Especially you fellow "on the fence" kale lovers out there. This will make you hop the fence! ;)

Feel free to ask any questions! 

Tomato and Spinach Orzo Salad

Quick and easy orzo pasta salad perfect for those warm summer days!

Ingredients:

•  1 cup dry orzo 
• Handful of fresh baby spinach 
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta(or as much as you prefer) 
• Handful or more of grape tomatoes, left whole
•  2-3 tbs of Garlic Expressions salad dressing
•  Squeeze of 1/2 lemon 
• handful of pine nuts toasted                                                                                                        Cook orzo to package directions. Let cool. Once cooled: combine all ingredients in bowl. Best if made ahead and allowed to sit overnight. You can adjust your salad dressing once it sits overnight. :) Come on, how freaking easy is that?! And yummy!Serve as a side or a yummy lunch to take to work. Makes about 4 servings.