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The Tart Marg and Erin's Bruschetta

To finish the recap of the Richmond Trip, let's end on a great note.  And by great note I mean margaritas and bruschetta.

Pretty great, huh? Can't go wrong.

I'm going to keep it short and sweet with this post and just highlight some final pictures of the trip.  I'm currently taking a "break" from a busy test weekend and can't spend too long on the blog.  I'll be back next weekend though with some great photos of a delicious barbecue.

This bruschetta is my sister's recipe.  We tried to recreate the bruschetta we had one afternoon at an amazing cafe in Richmond.  Turned out pretty great, if you ask us.  You should try it too.

  (The bruschetta we snacked on at the cafe... we just had to recreate it)

The Tart Marg (recipe here!)

*Makes single servings

Ingredients

1 1/2 oz Tequila

3/4 oz  Triple Sec or Cointreau

3/4 oz  freshly sqeezed lime juice

1 Tbsp. simple syrup

Directions

Shake, strain, and serve over ice in a margarita glass. You can also blend the mixture with ice for a frozen margarita! (Garnish with salt and/or lime slices on the rim)

Erin's Bruschetta

*The following pesto recipe is extremely variable... add or take away ingredients with your taste preference!

Ingredients

Pesto Sauce

French baguette, sliced with 1-inch thickness

Sun- dried Tomatoes (fresh is also fine), sliced small enough to place on bread pieces

Fresh mozzarella (or any cheese of your choice)

Balsamic Vinaigrette

Directions

For the pesto sauce:

Mix together a handful of fresh basil leaves, 2 Tbsp. olive oil, a handful of pine nuts, and 2-3 Tbsp. of parmesan cheese in a food processor (Sorry for the lack of exactness with the recipe... it's extremely variable)! Pulse until blended and mixed.  I usually just test the pesto after mixing and see what ingredient I need to add more of.  You can play with it in a number of ways.

Placed sliced bread on a baking sheet and drizzle each slice with olive oil. Add a tomato slice to each piece and top with a slice of the mozzarella.  Drizzle the pesto sauce on top of the cheese. Bake the bread at 350 degrees until the cheese is melted and the bread is toasted, about 10-15 minutes.  Take the bread out of the oven and drizzle with the vinaigrette. Serve and enjoy!

* You can opt out of the baking if you'd like... fresh mozzarella is great unbaked (first picture)!

Paella

Oh, how I hate not blogging! It's been almost a MONTH since I've posted. That is just not acceptable. Medical school has once again sucked the life out of me.  The brief hiatus from it this weekend has recharged my batteries and got me back to the blog.

Last time, I discussed my fabulous trip to Richmond.  Remember when I took that little trip to visit my oh-so-fabulous sister and future brother in law? Remember when we made that lemon cornmeal breakfast cake? Well, we also made paella.

For those of you that don't know what paella is, it's a spanish rice dish that's usually chalk full of seafood and chorizo. The key to the dish is saffron.  Yummy, right? It is most delicious. When I studied abroad in Spain, my "señora" would make this for us. Authentic paella! Can't beat it! I'm not a seafood person but clams, octopus, and crawfish mixed with rice and saffron (and a host of other spices) is pretty delectable. It also didn't hurt that I was eating it in Spain.

What I wouldn't do to be there again right now...

Our version wasn't quite as great as the authentic Spanish version but it was still pretty delicious. We just added the chicken and chorizo to ours (the recipe included amounts for various seafood, so feel free to add the seafood to yours, if desired).  Adding chicken seems to just dumb it down, doesn't it? Compared to paella with octopus, clams, and crawfish, chicken just doesn't seem to do it justice.

One of our biggest issues with this dish was the amount of it.  Halfway through the cooking process, we realized our pan wasn't big enough. We had to transfer half of it to a dutch oven. Transferring rice in the middle of its cooking basically dooms it from the start. We got a mushy pile of saffron rice... a very LARGE mushy pile of saffron rice. 

Overall, it was a pretty great dinner for what it was... A watered down, Americanized version of an incredible Spanish dish.  I will definitely halve the recipe next time though...and maybe lose the chicken.

I might even add octopus and clams if I'm feeling feisty...

(Because we were feeling multi-cultural, we decided to end the meal with wine and french macaroons... Not too shabby, I'd say.)

Paella (you can find the recipe here!)

1 (3 pound) frying chicken, cut into 10 pieces
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Spanish chorizo sausages, cut into thick slices
Salt and ground pepper
1 Spanish onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 bunch of flat leaf parsley, chopped (reserve some for garnish)
1 (15 oz) can whole tomatoes, drained, hand crushed
4 cups short-grain Spanish rice
6 cups water, warm
Generous pinch of saffron threads

Spice mix for the chicken:
1 Tbsp. sweet paprika
2 tsp. dried oregano
Salt and ground pepper

-Mix together the chicken spice mix and rub it over the chicken. Marinate for one hour in the refrigerator.
-Heat oil in a (very) large pan over medium- high heat.
-Saute the chorizo until brown. Remove from heat and set aside.
-Add the chicken, browning it on all sides. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and set aside.
-In pan, saute onions, garlic, and parsley. Cook for 2-3 minutes over medium heat.
-Add the tomatoes, mixing until the mixture caramelizes and the flavors meld.
-Add in the rice and stir fry, coating the rice.
-Pour in the water and simmer for 10 minutes.
-Add chicken, chorizo, and saffron.
-Let the paella simmer, without stirring, until rice is al dente, about 15 minutes.
-When the paella is cooked and the rice look fluffy and moist, turn the heat up on high for about 40 seconds, or until you smell the rice toast on the bottom.
-Remove from heat, rest for 5 minutes, then serve.

Lemon Cornmeal Breakfast Cake

Have I told you all about my sister? My lovely sister, Erin? Well, I love my sister. She's smart, she's beautiful, she's funny, and she's a great sister. I love her. And her fiancé. And her apartment in Richmond. Did I mention I visited them in Richmond? Well, I did.  And we made this Lemon Cornmeal Breakfast Cake.

This cake was incredible. The entire breakfast was incredible.  And the fact that it was my sister and I, well, that just made it divine.

Now, in order to really start this breakfast out right, we had to make some mimosas.  What's a breakfast without mimosas? 

Mimosas + sisters = one heck of a time.

This cake also made it one heck of a time.  It was delicious, easy, and perfect with a side of eggs benedict.

I would totally include the recipe for the eggs benedict but we sort of flew by the seat of our pants... aka, we didn't have ham so we used bacon and we didn't know how to make hollandaise sauce so we made it from a packet. Don't judge. It was delicious. 

Okay, you can judge a little bit.

Please make this breakfast cake soon.  Make it for your friends.  Make it for your family. Make it for yourself. And if you have a sister, well, make this together.  It will come with many laughs and even more memories.

Lemon Cornmeal Breakfast Cake (recipe here)

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 Tbsp lemon zest
1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted until brown then cooled slightly

Lemon Glaze:
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
3-4 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Directions
-Place rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°
-In a 9 or 10 inch cast iron skillet, melt butter until browned.
-Coat the skillet with butter by tilting the pan and then remove the excess butter from the skillet to cool.
-Whisk the dry ingredients (flour to salt) together in a large bowl.
-In a small bowl, whisk the buttermilk, eggs, lemon zest, and butter.
-Fold the wet ingredients until few lumps remain.
-Pour the batter into the skillet and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
-While the cake is baking, whisk the powdered sugar and lemon zest together for the icing.
-Let cake cool for 10 minutes.
-Using a toothpick or fork, poke holes in the cake.
-Pour the glaze over the cake and let sit for 30 minutes
-Serve and enjoy!

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

Let me start off by saying that I'm a little behind the times.  This post is about an attempt to bring dessert to an oh-so-fabulous surprise bash.  However, this oh-so-fabulous surprise bash happened two weeks ago. Like I said, a little behind the times.  I took a trip to Richmond, VA during these past two weeks and will be adding numerous posts about it in the future.  However, I thought I'd start back with this blog (sorry for the two week hiatus) with a lovely pink cupcake recipe.  Who doesn't love pink? More importantly, who doesn't love pink cupcakes? It's almost Spring time, so pink lemonade cupcakes are definitely in order.

Now, if you didn't catch the important word above, let me repeat myself.  This post is about an attempt to bring dessert to an oh-so-fabulous surprise bash.  Attempt.  

Aka, these didn't make the cut.  While some loved them, some didn't, and I'd much rather wow a crowd with a recipe than have a "so-so" review.  The problem with this recipe was the buttercream frosting.  The frosting recipe was completely wackadoo, so I found another pink lemonade buttercream recipe for a fluffier, more delicious topping. 

The cupcakes themselves were pretty great... they had a unique taste, and a lovely pink color.  If you adore pink lemonade like I do, definitely try this recipe. I will be making these again with the upgraded frosting... maybe then I'll have another oh-so-fabulous surprise bash to attend and Wilson won't have to eat so many pink lemonade cupcakes... Yes, Wilson found these cupcakes and ate them.  Another reason they were a party dessert attempt. 

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes (recipe adapted from here)

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 egg whites
1/3 cup thawed frozen pink lemonade concentrate
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 or more drops of red food coloring

Directions
-Preheat oven to 350° and line muffin pan with liners.
-In a small bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
-In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, oil, egg whites, and lemonade.
-Add the flour mixture and buttermilk, alternately, to the large bowl, beginning and ending with flour. Beat until the batter is smooth.
-Add the food coloring until the batter is a light shade of pink.
-Add the batter to the pan, filling the cups about 3/4 of the way full.
-Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the tops spring back when lightly touched.
-Cool in pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a rack to cool completely before frosting.

Buttercream Frosting (recipe adapted from here)
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. whole milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. lemon juice
red food coloring

-Cream the butter and salt together with an electric mixer for 30 seconds.
-Add the milk and half of the powdered sugar, beating until combined.
-Scrape down the bowl then add the remaining sugar, vanilla extract, and lemon juice. Beat until combined.
-Scrape down the bowl again then beat on high for 2 minutes, or until the frosting is fluffy.
-Add the red food coloring until the frosting is a light shade of pink. Continue beating on hight for 3 minutes.
-Spread or pipe frosting on the cooled cupcakes.

Fried Round Steak

Let me just start off by saying that this is not a typical meal I like to cook.  It's fried. It's greasy. It's steak.  If you're a health nut, the next few pictures will not look appealing to you.  Just a little heads up.

So, this Valentine's Day, Tad wanted a meal instead of a gift.  He wanted his favorite meal, to be exact.  His favorite meal? Chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, and green beans.

I have an awesome sauteed green bean recipe. check. I have an oh-so-delicious garlic mashed potatoes recipe. check.

Fried steak?  Not so much.  I've always been a little turned off by recipes that require frying.  Since I don't have a fryer, I picture grease fires and flying oil droplets all over my arms.  Both have occurred during past attempts at frying, so I was a little hesitant to start this endeavor. All for the love of Valentine's Day, right? right??

Now, who better to go to for a fried steak recipe than The Pioneer Woman? She even has a section on her blog dedicated specifically to Cowboy food. If I was going to conquer the frying endeavor, I knew it would be with The Pioneer Woman.

Did I conquer it? Not entirely. Tad loved them, but I think I cooked them a little too much.  Cube steak is round steak that's been tenderized (from my understanding... correct me if I'm wrong).  It had the same consistency and look as hamburger meat, so I overcooked the steaks a bit, thinking there couldn't be any pink in the middle.  I still am not sure how thoroughly round steak needs to be cooked, so all advice is welcome.  Steak is not my forte.  Frying is even less so.

In the end, it was a pretty fantastic Valentine's Day meal.  Not too cheesy, not too corny, not too sappy...just right.  Doesn't get much more romantic than fried steak!

You can find the recipe here!

Fried Round Steak

Ingredients:
3 lbs cube steak (round steak that's been tenderized)
1 cup flour
1 tsp seasoned salt
3 tsp ground black pepper, more for seasoning meat
Salt, for seasoning the meat
1/2 cup canola oil
2 Tbsp butter

Directions:
-Mix flour, seasoned salt, and black pepper together in a bowl for dipping. Set aside.
-Heat oil in a skillet on medium heat.
-Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of each steak, then dip steak in flour mixture. Make sure to coat every part of steak with flour.
-When you're ready to start frying, place butter in the oil.  Oil is hot enough when the butter sizzles.
-Once butter is melted, place steak in oil.  Cook until side is golden brown, then flip and cook for about another minute.
-Place steak on paper towel lined plate.  Serve and enjoy!