Archives for November 2012

Orange Cranberry Sauce

November 13, 2012

Post from 11/13/12, Pictures updated 11/8/16

When I was younger, I wasn’t a huge fan of the cranberry side at Thanksgiving.

My mom loved the classic canned jellied cranberry sauce. She loved the ridges on it and how it would pop out of the can. I love that this is a staple on our table for her. I just didn’t really love the texture of it. Plus, cranberries were so tart to me back then.

I think things all changed when I was working in the South End of Boston by a place called Charlie’s Sandwich Shoppe. You see, Charlie’s would sell oatmeal with a cranberry compote that I would get if I as a treat for suffering through retail on the weekends. I loved the warm oatmeal in the winter and the compote really added a lot of flavor to an otherwise pretty plan breakfast.

And then I met this amazing guy who just loved homemade cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving. So now when we’ve gone back to my mom’s to celebrate Thanksgiving there have been 2 kinds of cranberry sauce on the table. It’s great to have cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving but really I believe you can have it at any point in the fall. It works hot with oatmeal or cold with yogurt if you can’t get enough of it and want to enjoy it for breakfast as well.

No matter if you call this a sauce, chutney, salsa, compote, or a relish, you will call this a new family favorite. I love the orange and cranberry combination so much. It helps highlight the natural flavors of the cranberry while adding some sweetness at the same time. I often throw a vanilla bean that I’ve been using in my homemade vanilla extract to add a bit more flavor. I just give it an extra scrape and throw it into the pot. You can add a bit of vanilla extract instead or even substitute the sugar for vanilla sugar, or skip it all together. If you feel you might light a scrape of nutmeg or to throw a star anise in there then give it a try as this is all about finding the right flavors so this will be a family favorite.

Orange Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients

2- 12oz bags of fresh cranberries
2 cups of sugar
1 cup of water
1 cup of orange juice
zest from 1 orange
vanilla bean, optional

Process

Rinse the cranberries and pick through to remove bruised berries and to remove any stray stems on the berries.
Mix and combine all of the ingredients in a medium size pot and cook on medium low until you have a slow simmer. The berries will be popping during this process, stir often. Turn down to low to allow the sauce to continue cooking until the desired amount of berries have opened up.
Can be served warm or cold. Store in an air tight container.

Brownie Pie

November 12, 2012

I love to get mail. I used to have pen pals when I was younger. One was from Finland and she used to write the date D-M-Y. I loved it for some random reason. Well now without pen pals I just get bills, magazines, and some packages. I love the arrival of my monthly Studio Calico kit. I just get so giddy with anticipation and once it gets here I love that the package holds so many creative possibilities Well, I was just as giddy for the arrival of Tate’s Bake Shop: Baking For Friends. As soon as I finished interviewing Kathleen King I bought her new book. I could not wait for it to come that I upgraded my prime and got it the next day. I just could not resist waiting to get my hands on that book.

Once I was able to browse the book I got myself into some trouble picking out what to make first. I was drawn to so many different recipes because of their ease. I love baking but I love to find simple recipes because I am so busy I just can’t spend so much time of something that I don’t eat. I’m glad Kathleen focuses on keeping her recipes simple but delicious. The book has over 120 recipes of muffins, scones, quick breads, pies, cupcakes, and cookies. Out of all of that I was really struggling to decide on Rocky Road Muffins (pg 31), Apple- Italian Plum Deep Dish Pie (pg 69), Brownie Pie (pg 71), and Pecan Squares (pg 138). I finally decided on the brownie pie and I think I made a great choice.

The Brownie Pie is a really simple, really rich dessert. Just a few ingredients and a few minutes of manning the mixer and you’re on our way to a chocolaty delight. This really works for any number of people as it’s great for sweets addicts to chocoholics and people who keep to a gluten free diet. It covers all bases and does so perfectly. The recipe calls for even more chocolate stating that a slice is to be served with a smear of nutella and whipped cream. I served this with some whipped cream and fresh raspberries and blackberries since I just wanted it to be a tad bit lighter when serving it as the pie is so rich. Grab yourself a glass of milk and a slice and enjoy!

Brownie Pie

serves 8 to 10

Ingredients

12 ounces of semi sweet chocolate chips
1 stick of salted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 eggs plus 4 egg yolks, at room temperature
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

Process

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Prepare a 9-inch glass pie plate by lightly buttering it.
In a microwave safe bowl combine the chocolate chips and pieces of the butter. Microwave on 50% power for 2 minutes, stir the chocolate every 30 seconds.
In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the eggs on high until thickened and light in color, about 3 minutes. Add the brown sugar the mixture is light and fluffy. Incorporate the melted chocolate. Pour into the prepared pie plate.
Bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center is clean upon its removal. Let cool on a wire rack.
Serve with whipped cream, berries, caramel sauce, or nutella.

Chubby Tates and a chat with Kathleen King of Tate’s Bakeshop

November 9, 2012

Last week when I received an email asking if I would like to chat Kathleen King of Tate’s Bake Shop I nearly fell out of my chair. Really me?!?! Really, Kathleen King?!?! Well, it was not a joke as I chatted with Kathleen last week as she was on her way up to some book signings for her most recent book, Tate’s Bake Shop: Baking For Friends.

Kathleen King started baking and selling cookies on her father’s farm at the age of 11. This all started as she needed extra money for the clothes that she wanted. From an early age Kathleen has been a go-getter, a problem solver. Well her simple selling cookies = clothes money has evolved to a bakeshop when she was 21 and then to a mail order company. In addition to all that she has just whipped out 3 cookbooks.

What I loved most about taking to Kathleen was her attitude. She is a very smart, deliberate woman but most importantly one that has an effervescence about her. The 20 minutes flew by as we talked about recipes, life attitudes, and ‘kids these days’. Kathleen realizes that most things have already been created at this point but it is her goal to develop the best. Also, things shouldn’t be too complex or a headache for it to be good, like a fresh blueberry muffin. Work at creating the best and don’t stress out about the proess, you just learn from it. Sometimes you will have succcesses and other times you will have huge failures but keep on going. Thankfully, Kathleen had great success in her gluten-free chocolate chip cookie when she was developing that and it right away became a best seller.

Kathleen and I discussed the upcoming holidays and she was saying that she hosts and the most important thing about pulling off a successful meal is to enjoy it. She can create a game plan for having friends over to hosting Thanksgiving to writing a cookbook, it’s important to manage, prioritize, and delegate as needed. And don’t sweat it if you have a kitchen disaster… “don’t stress, it’s just cookies”… or turkey or anything… just roll with the flow, and remember there always is take out!

I made Tate’s Bakeshop classic cookie called the Chubby Tate in honor of my conversation with Kathleen King. I had to see what all the fuss was about. Well, I got it since I ate… well I’m not telling how many!!! My coworkers also enjoyed the cookies. We have long work tables in our large corridor in front of our workstations so everyone knows that any baked goods left out are from me. So people would grab a cookie on their way into the kitchen or printer and while on their way back I’d hear ‘Nic’ and get a thumbs up or a comment about how good they were. They are best our of the oven but they last up to 3 days, if you don’t eat them all before hand.

Next week I”m back with some more yummy Tate’s Bake Shop goodness with another recipe from Kathleen’s new book. Just wait 🙂

Chubby Tates

Makes approximate 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 1/2 sticks of salted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups (12oz) semisweet chocolate chips

Process

Position the oven racks in the top third and center of the oven and preheat your oven to 325. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment or silicone baking mats.
Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
Beat together the brown sugar, butter, granulated sugar, and corn syrup with an electric mixer or in a stand mixer on high until combined, about 1 minute. Add in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract to combine. In batches, add the flour mixture on low until just combined. Add in the chocolate chips.
Portion out 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie on the lined baking sheets. Cookies are to be arranged 3″apart.
Bake, rotating the sheets top to bottom and front to back half way through baking. Bake for about 18 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned. Let cool on the baking sheets 5 minutes prior to cooling completely on wire racks.

Note: Cookies can be prepared and frozen in advance of baking. Freeze individually on a lined baking sheet before transferring to a storage container or zip lock bag. Cookies can be frozen for up to 1 month. Do not thaw prior to baking, increase baking time to 20 minutes.

Thirsty Thursday: Pumpkin Pie Breakfast Smoothie

November 8, 2012

As I write this I’m super cozy under a crocheted blanket while wearing sweats and super thick socks. Pretty exciting things going on over here. Well, there is a Nor’easter whirling around outside so anything goes. The walk from my office to the train station, which is only a few hundred feet, was so gross. Crazy wind and harsh rain. I am soo not ready for winter. I try to give myself a pep talk every year but the cold and wind make me walk like I am an 80 year old lady since I automatically freak out and ball up. I’m sure it’s a great sight to behold. Ugh.

While I hate the cold months of the year I do love the heartier foods associated with the season and holidays. I love the transition from summery berries, to late summer stone fruit to apples and then pumpkin. Ahhh this week’s theme…. pumpkin!! We tried to grow some pumpkins this year but didn’t have good luck so thank goodness all we have to do is pop open a can to have some great pumpkin puree to use in our recipes.

Start your day with my pumpkin pie breakfast smoothie and then from there have one of Amanda’s Pumpkin Pie Milkshake. Ahhh, love this week’s addition of Thirsty Thursday- just so perfect for fall!!

Pumpkin Pie Breakfast Smoothie

Makes 1 smoothie

Ingredients

1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup oats
6 oz of milk
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Process

Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend until the oats have been processed and all ingredients are combined completely.

IIDA Boston Fashion Show 2012 Recap

November 6, 2012

So did you get sick of me mentioning the lack of sleep and craziness related to the IIDA Boston Fashion Show Gala and Benefit?!?! Well, anyway, we busted our butts to get everything ready for that Thursday night and it really was all worth it. It’s a crazy amount of work for a 3 minute walk but it really is fun, even with all the drama and ~~late~~ super late nights.

This year’s theme was “audaCITY” and we interpreted that into audacious things that were related to the cities. We rattled around many different ideas, including doing Gotham (a la Batman & friends) but we decided on designing around the idea of a ‘FAST FOOD MAFIA’. We created 4 costumes featuring Ronald McDonald, Wendy, Colonel Sanders, & Burger King. They were all a biut hardcore, dramatic, and darker than their real counterparts.

My coworker Megan (Ronald) wrote this up for a firmwide posting about the show:

“Rules of the game required portions of the entries to be created from industry materials, and since we partnered with Tandus this year – hefty amounts of carpet backing, carpet fiber, and woven carpet were involved. The rest of the outfits included drinking straws & straw wrappers, ketchup packets, mustard packets, drinking cups and lids, paper bags, happy meal boxes, french fry containers and acutal french fries.

Models were Laura Brodersen, Stephen Muse, Danielle Meeker, and Megan Dobstaff (all from Gensler Boston) and the manpower behind the outfits included Genslerites – Olena Ivanina, Nicole Spasiano, Alexa Anderson, Samantha Darcy, Laura Duenas, and Katie Kaiser.”

So here is a recap of the big day!

Ronald’s wig I made | last minute work

Is it wrong that I would want my make up to look like this daily? Incredible!

We then moved our operation over to the Westin hotel as it is connected to the Boston Convention Center, where the show was being held for the first time this year to accommodate the long runway and huge crowds.

obviously it’s wine time | no big, Olena is hot gluing mustard packets onto some pants

Make up Time for ‘The Burger King’

From the hotel room we then had to move the models and all the stuffs to the work room where the judging would take place.

OMG! It’s judging time! Gotta explain our interpretation of the show’s theme and how we created out costumes using industry materials (our sponsor was a carpet manufacturer) as well as fast food materials.

Wendy is so trampy. You would not want to mess with her.

We were all then hurried, hurried, hurried to get the models together and in line to be able to have the show begin!

I was gross with hot glue on my shirt so Olena blocked me while I changed my shirt in the workroom, then I threw on some make up and got my hair up in a big ass bun. Good to go!

It’s show time!

my thoughts… ooo this first entry is weird. Those guys are awesome at flips and back hand springs. Wow. What’s up with these girls? Wait? What?!?! Oh their shoulders! Come on! You have to be kidding me! Great this starts the show, first entry!?!? how can anyone… whoa! That cloth just dropped! And now they are turning around with them up there. Damn

Are you for real? They then spun around to show the audience the back of the graffiti covered clothes. Show offs.

some audacious ladies throughout history

drama

The 3 photos above are of the overall show winners. Honestly, I didn’t think they were all that impressive. Big whoop, black clothes and some painted fabric. Wow you have a tall guy. Special. Well, they (Dyer Brown Architects) actually were sponsored by Benjamin Moore and what was not understood from my distance from the stage is that they made ‘fabric’ using paint. From what I unserstand they poured paint in layers onto non stick surfaces to create a material they could then wear. Pretty kick ass.

I loved this! The girl in front was the Guggenheim in NYC!

One of 3 Dr Suess inspired themes

Then it was our turn!

one of my fav pictures of the night

I missed most of the rest of the show as I was backstage with the team taking pictures and having a little moment freaking out that sound guy played the wrong song during the walk. During prior years the teams were not permitted to pick songs so we were REALLY EXCITED to be able to pick a song this year so it was a huge disappointment that wrong some played. Esp since the song we got was a remix of Gotye’s ‘Somebody That I Used To Know’ which is soooo different than what we picked:

After all the entries walk they do 1 last parade down the runway together. And then the different winning categories are announced…

We took home the award for “MOST ORIGINAL”!!!

Woohoo!!!!!!

Everyone loves Wendy’s 10′ long braids!! I love how they turned out!

Price and I made the brads using 4 sections of 3′ long 1 1/2″ dia pipe insulation that we then wrapped with carpet backing and then 2 shades of carpet fiber. Each strand was 12′ long and then they shortened up a bit when they were braided. Danielle’s (Wendy) husband then spray painted them black at the ends and Olena and I added the black capert fibers and ribbons at the ends.

The award!! (I put it down and lost it. I’m horrible)

smile ladies

-the crew-

After we got the models undressed we then partied!!! It was so much fun taking pictures against a green screen, throwing back bourbon, and dancing around. A few of us in our office stayed until they shut it all down. Such an awesome night!!

A ~~huge~~ ~~massive~~ tremendous thank you to our team, the signifigant others that were roped in and helped out, and our amazing Tandus rep Kerry!!

Can’t wait for next year!!!!

Monday Munchies: Boloco

November 5, 2012

As part of my Monday Munchies series, I will feature a different eatery for a review on the first and third Monday of every month. Hope you enjoy!

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If you are in the Boston area you know of Boloco for their ‘inspired burritos’. But if you are not from the Beantown area and that name sounds familiar it might be because you might have read about them in the news recently when Nutella issued a cease and desist order from using their name in Boloco’s Nutella Milkshake. What?!? That’s right, Nutella doesn’t want you using their rich chocolate hazelnut spread in frozen beverages. Anyway, so Boloco is figuring out what to do next but in the mean time they will continue to serve up some great burritos, like they have been doing for the last 14 years.

Four friends started a fast service restaurant in Boston centered around making traditional Mexican burritos as well as burritos using other unexpected, bold ingredients and fresh smoothies in 1997 by Berklee College. They became a hit and started to expand their menu and to other locations throughout Boston. I’ve been enjoying Boloco since I first visited Boston in ’03 when it was called ‘The Wrap’. Then in 2006 they changed the name to Boloco… BOston LOcal COmpany… Well, it was then that Improper Bostonian gave them one of their ‘Best of’ awards. Which award? “Stupidest Name Change” I had no problem with calling themselves The Wrap but I guess some people didn’t connect it to their the brand as they thought of cold deli sandwiches and not fresh made hot burritos. I don’t love the name but I do love what they serve, how they treat their employees, their mission to be green, and the charities they are envolved with.

So you won’t find you typical Chipotle style burritos here as they offer fun burritos like ‘Buffalo’, ‘Bangkok’, and ‘Tikka Marsala’ as well some kick you in the butt breakfast burritos. Plus they let you make up your own burrito combos using all the different ingredients they offer called ‘golocos’.

Boloco offers seasonal burritos as well. Since it’s the fall their current special is the ‘Late November Burrito’ which basically is your thanksgiving leftovers sandwich just wrapped up in a tortilla including house-roasted turkey, home-made stuffing, green beans, a tangy cranberry chutney, and served with a side of gravy. noms

My Teriyaki Burrito with Tofu, Cucumbers & Hot Sauce

While I enjoy lunch there my favorite time to go is in the morning for a smoothie or a breakfast burrito. It’s started to get too cold for me to enjoy my favorite Berry Blitz smoothie so I’ll occasionally treat myself to a burrito instead. My favorite is the Huevos Chorizo with its eggs, cheese, chorizo, and chipotle sour cream. Price’s favorite is the Truck Stop (eggs, cheese, bacon, and potatoes) with salsa.. Be sure to stop by before 11am to try one of their 5 options.

I do caution you to check out their nutrition facts as burritos can be sneaky caloric bombs. It’s just the way things are with burritos as flour tortillas are jerks with over 230 calories. I don’t even want to think about If you are watching your waist then I suggest sticking with the small burrito, which really isn’t too small, or a mini. Or you can just switch it up and go with a burrito bowl as you eliminate the tortilla.

Be sure to visit one of the 22 locations in Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and DC to enjoy a burrito and smoothie!

Check out this cool video about Boloco’s past 15 years. Awesome illustrations!

Apple Pie Stuffed French Toast { & a Giveaway!}

November 4, 2012

When I was in high school I used to live off of apple butter and bagels. Because school let out at various times depending on the rotating daily schedule I would sometimes get out pretty early by the time I was a junior and senior so I would just wait to eat lunch at my boyfriends. His mom always had bagels around so I’d toast one up at have it with apple butter. I loved just how flavorful the apple butter was. I would occasionally drive to the next town to visit a farm store where I could get their apple butter. It was a real addiction I tell you!

When Musselman’s contacted me about using their Apple Butter in a recipe and having a giveaway I knew I had to accept. While my apple butter package was on it’s way, I kept thinking about different recipes to use with the apple butter because possibilities are endless. I kept going back to their site for inspiration as well as go through old magazines. I was tempted to make Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie but when it came down to it I kept thinking about something for breakfast. I thought about their Monkey Bread but decided that I would adapt one of my favorite breakfast recipes instead. I had recently adapted the Strawberry Almond Stuffed French Toast I had previously made using canned pumpkin. It turned out so well that I decided to swap the pumpkin for the apple butter and wah-la!

This might look intimidating because you have to cut the bread to form pockets but it is super simple and by creating this lovely pocket you get to full the bread with this great apple butter filling. I loved how I didn’t need syrup for this french toast.The sweetness and flavor of the apple butter is perfect for this without getting covered in syrup. It is perfect for a leisurely breakfast or for one on the go. Since this recipe makes so many servings I freeze the cooked french toast slices on a baking sheet and then I wrap them up to enjoy later. I just take one out of the freezer the night before and defrost it in the fridge Then when I am getting ready in the morning I toss the wrapped french toast in the oven to warm it up. Good to go!

Apple Pie Stuffed French Toast

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

1 loaf Italian Bread, 1 pound
6 oz cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups apple butter
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 eggs, 3 egg whites
1 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Process

Slice the bread into 1″ thick slices. Lay each piece down on a cutting board. While holding each piece down, create a pocket in the slices of bread by almost cutting it in half. (Placing your hand on top of the piece of bread will help keep the bread in place and help you monitor creating a pocket.)
Combine the cream cheese, apple butter, cinnamon, and vanilla extract until light and creamy. Transfer the cream mixture into a large piping bag.
Pipe out 2 generous tablespoons of the filling inside the pocket of each slice. Gently close each slice of bread to help the filling stay inside.
In a shallow bowl, like a casserole dish, beat the eggs, milk and almond extract together.
Over medium high heat, heat a non-stick skillet to prepare it for the french toast. Immediately prior to putting pieces on the skillet, spray the pan with non-stick cooking spray or put a pat of butter on it.
Once the pan is heated up, dip slices of bread in the egg mixture to coat both sides. Cook each side of the stuffed french toast is golden brown. Repeat this process until all slices are cooked.

And now the good stuff… the GIVEAWAY!

You can win

To Enter:

Leave a comment telling me how you would enjoy a jar of apple butter.

Extra Entries:

Spread the word- Tweet: “I want to win a @Musselmansapple’s Package that includes a jar of Apple Butter & a Spurtle from @iamahoneybee http://wp.me/pzEAP-2Li”. Come back here and leave me a comment telling me that you did.

Follow @Musselmanapple’s on twitter for updates and to stay connected. Come back here and leave me a comment telling me that you did.

Contest Ends Wednesday the 7th at Midnight EST. Good luck but if you don’t win be sure to go to your jam/jelly aisle at your local grocery store and pick up a jar of Musselman’s Apple Butter!

Thirsty Thursday: Cranberry Lime Cooler

November 1, 2012

So this little storm came through named Hurricane Sandy. Well, let me tell you Sandy it was a Bitch with a capital B. As anyone with a pulse knows, she has wrecked havoc on a whole hell of a lot of the country. Prior to the storm’s arrival I was glued to the TV watching weather channel like my life depended on it. Dear Jim Cantore, you had me at millibars. Since I’m a weather channel junkie I knew this was going to be bad but in no way did I anticipate just how bad it would be. My little town of Chelsea MA lost 15% of power, obviously including us- hence the blogging hiatus and crazy back log I have to catch up on. But loosing power is nothing compared to what the people in NY and NJ are dealing with. It is heartbreaking. Please consider helping if you can, I can’t make a big financial contribution but I am donating blood next week since, according to Red Cross “Hurricane Sandy has affected blood collections in the Northeast, forcing the cancellation of more than 240 American Red Cross blood drives, resulting in a shortfall of more than 8,000 donations thus far.” That’s huge! I just think that if help in anyway you should try.

Anywho, this week Amanda and I bring you drinks centered around the ‘cranberry’ theme. This is the season for cranberries so be sure to get ready for some cranberry sauce, cranberry jelly, dried cranberries in just about everything. It’s an awesome thing, esp in Massachusetts, where there are a crazy amount of bogs. My coworker’s family even has a bog and they are profiled on Ocean Spray bottles- she is in the back, on the right. Cranberries are great for you as they contain antioxidants, such as vitamin C, that will boost your immunity, which is great for the upcoming cold and flu season.

I made a Cranberry Lime Cooler that is really refreshing, so simple to make, and a great alternative to sugary soda. Amanda made a Frozen Cranberry Margarita that will just knock your socks off… there is a pretty cool ingredient in there!!