Mom's Grilled Cheese: A Mother's Day Recipe

Since it's Mother's Day and I'm thinking fondly of my mother, I thought it might be a good time to share the recipe for the best thing I know how to make, courtesy of, you guessed it, my mom.

I've been making this since I was 7 or 8.  I was an extremely picky eater and I think that sometimes it was easier for my parents to just give in to my stubbornness than slowly watch me starve myself if I didn't get my way. You can say it, it's OK. I was a brat.

My mom traditionally has made her grilled cheese with Mayo, an ingredient that I will hate forever, no matter how it is disguised. (Aioli, huh?) However, due to my constant pestering and refusal to eat the sandwich her way, she would give in and make it with butter instead.

The result? Perfection. Since that day, I have yet to eat a grilled cheese sandwich that I like more than her  butter method. It's simple, but it's perfect.

I recently got a free voucher for Sargento's Ultra Thin cheese through the Influenster program. Kristen and I have both been participants for about 4 years (maybe more in her case) and it's a pretty cool way to test out new products. This go around, Sargento sent me an adorable lunch bag and the voucher for free cheese. Pretty much as soon as they asked me to test out the cheese, I knew what I was going to make to test it out:

Mom's Grilled Cheese. 

Maybe I shouldn't be this passionate about melted cheese on bread but whatever. I do what I want. 

You'd think something so simple wouldn't need a recipe but you'd be surprised at how many people mess up this classic. So, here you go:

1. Turn on the over to low heat. Wait patiently until the pan is hot enough to make butter melt, but not brown. 

2. Please the cheese on one piece of bread and, before you stick on the top, butter the top of the bread. This is where things can get dicy. Too much butter and you're looking at a greesy, soggy sandwich. Too little, and you don't get that delicious, even brown color.

For my sandwich this go around, I used 3 slices of the ultra thin sharp cheddar. 

3. Put the sandwich in the pan, butter side down. If you hear a loud sizzle, it's too hot. Don't do that to yourself. That's just asking for a burnt, half-melted sandwich that isn't any good. 

4. While side one is cooking, butter the top of the sandwich. By the time you are done, you should flip. Allow the other side a similar amount of cooking time. 

Even, delicious browness. 

5. The end step is simple: Continue flipping the sandwich until you achieve optimal golden brown on both sides. If you notice that you've got white bits, it means you were slacking on your butter step. 

Do you see the poorly applied butter evidence?! I'm a disgrace.

6. Enjoy with a Lilikoi Lemon Drop. (Because they're delicious and also because life is short.) 

Ok, so maybe I didn't actually have this drink with my grilled cheese.
I just wanted to show off my mom's lemon squeezing abilities. 

So there you have it. Grilled cheese, my favorite beloved sandwich from my favorite beloved mother.
Hooray!

Thar' she blows!

Oh, and for those that think grilled cheese is the ultimate high-calorie food, it isn't! In total, it's less than 400 calories (using 4 of the Sargento thin slices like I did), including all that luscious butter.

Happy Mother's Day to my own mom and all the other mom's out there!

Spam Musubi

Pan fried in gluten free terriyaki sauce of deliciousness.

 So, I might have a problem. I think SPAM is awesome. Granted, I've only ever had it one way, but it's basically the greatest thing ever. Spam musubi. Oh yeah. Terriyaki SPAM with white rice, all wrapped up in a nice nori package. Daaaaaaamn.

 When I went to Hawai'i in January with Ariana, I wouldn't shut up about how excited I was to eat some SPAM musubi. I was able to get my craving satisfied by a vendor at the Hilo Farmer's Market. It was delicious.

Everything is ready...bring on the questionable meat!

Fast forward to this past weekend. My little sister graduated from high school and we had luau to celebrate. Aside from mangoes and pineapples galore, I made sure to make some SPAM musubi. It was my first attempt at making it myself, but as it quickly disappeared, I figured I did something right. This was re-enforced by my little sister's request for more the next night.

Rollin', rollin', rollin', YEAH.

I won't bore you with the recipe. Google it. There are like 8000 pages all with the same recipe. Basically, you pan fry the SPAM with terriyaki sauce, then roll it up in some nori with white rice. BAM.

NOMS.

It's basically the greatest thing ever. I'm sure it's more sodium than I should eat in a week, but I don't really care. BRING ON THE HEART FAILURE!

Salad for those who don't eat salad.

How do you pass for 18? That's absolutely ridic...
*drool*
What were we talking about?

Hello friends and internet friends! I apologize for the lack of posting, but the end of the semester hit us pretty hard....but that's all over with and school is out for summer! Thank you, Glee for putting that song in my head. It's been there for a week now. It helps that Puck is singing it...rawr.

What was the point of this? It certainly wasn't  me fantasizing about a 30 year old pretending to be a college student....

Oh right. Salad.

So I hate salad. Like...really hate it. The problem is that I don't like salad dressing. I hate vinegar. I hate ranch. I hate 1000 islands and any other possible dressing you could come up with. The only dressing that I can possibly eat around is the ginger dressing at Asian restaurants, and after a couple pieces of lettuce, I'm done.

For me, salad is just a bowl of lettuce and that's lame as hell. If I am feeling particularly unhealthy, I might make a salad, but it will have fruit and nuts in it for some flavor and crunch. Truthfully though, I rarely eat salad. I'd just rather eat something with a lot of vegetables, like vegetable lasagna or vegetable curry.

Tonight though, I am eating salad for dinner. 

Skkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrt

What? I just said that I rarely eat salad. Either this is one of those rare occasions, or something big is happening. Just so you know, it's the later.

Kale Salad

Kale and bread crumbs...who knew?

a lemon

some kale (washed, of course!)

a clove or two of garlic

parmesan cheese

bread crumbs

Slice out the big stem that runs down the middle of the kale. That shit is good in stir fry, but not when you're eating it raw. Slice up about 4 leaves of kale per serving of salad that you want to make. Chop it up into small, bite size pieces and throw them in a bowl.

Slice open the lemon. I used about 1/3 of the lemon for my single serving of salad. Squeeze the lemon over the kale leaves. You can use a juicer if you are a wimp, otherwise, just do it by hand. Let this sit while you crush the shit out of a clove of garlic.

 I used about half a medium sized clove for my single serving and it's pretty strong on the garlic, which I like. When I say crush the garlic, I mean peel it and mince it, then crush it with the flat side of the knife you are using to mince it, then mince it again. You want those pieces nice and small.

Toss the garlic in with the kale, sprinkle on some bread crumbs and parmesan and VOILA! I used maybe 1.5 tablespoons of bread crumbs and 2 tablespoons of parmesan. It's all to taste.

Kale is EVERYWHERE!
Like...in my mouth.

If you want a little something extra with the salad, try dicing up some roasted chicken breast and throwing that on top. You could even do some breaded chicken if you were so inclined.

I might start eating salad a lot more often. Especially because kale is EVERYWHERE right now.

Recipe: Feta Couscous With Mushrooms And Red Peppers

Oh hey, so I heard this was this thing called summer coming. Apparently in this season, you have to do things like, oh, I don’t know. . .wear a swimsuit. 

In public. In the DAYLIGHT.  

Fuck that shit, man!

Anyway, I decided that since people are going to see a lot more of my exposed flesh than I’m really prepared for, I should probably change up my lifestyle or something. Mainly, I need to stop eating such crap and going out all the time. A girl can only consume so many lamb kebobs cooked in boiled 45-year-old virgin fat.

LOOK! I'm even providing nutrition facts
 for this recipe I made myself.
BOW TO ME. 

Anyway, this is a recipe post, so I’ll get on with the recipe part. Yay!

Feta Couscous With Mushrooms And Red Peppers

Makes 4 servings (or 3 if you’re me, and a glutton.)

·         3 servings israeli couscous (1/3 cup per serving)

·         1 1/2 tsps olive oil

·         1 oz feta (this is the equivalent to ¼ cup)

·         1 tiny piece of butter, like the thickness of a slightly obese quarter

·         1/2 oz dill (or basically as much as you want because it has almost no caloric value)

·         1 cup chopped mushrooms

·         1 cup chopped red pepper

In medium sauce pot, cook the couscous according to the packaging. Add salt and butter to the boiling water.

In a separate pan, heat olive oil in pan. You should use a stainless steel pan so you don’t get cancer later in life. Swirl around mushrooms and peppers until mushrooms brown slightly. Add minced garlic and finely chopped dill near the end of cooking. If you add them too early, you’ll dull the flavor. You want things to have flavor, don’t you!?

Add contents of pan to couscous, along with feta. Stir on medium heat for 1 minute to combine ingredients. Serve and enjoy!

How did I feel about it?

It was pretty good. One serving is enough for a meal, so I was full enough that I didn’t start eyeing my neighbors. I’d make it again, for myself and maybe for Kristen. It’s not on the “I’ll make this meal for my hot date” list yet.

Next time I experiment with couscous, I’ll probably make it with curry, almonds and chicken. Oh, and I'll include a picture of the actual dish. Hopefully that picture won't be from my phone which makes even delicious things look practically inedible! 

Cinnamon Pumpkin Muffins

Pretty please with brown sugar and cinnamon on top?

Cinnamon Pumpkin Muffins
(makes 12)

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup flax seed
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon

1 15-oz can pumpkin pie filling (unsweetened)
2 large eggs
½ cup packed brown sugar
¾ cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

½ tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp brown sugar

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350F and grease muffin pan.

Stir together flour, flax seed, cinnamon and baking powder in a small bowl.

Mix together pumpkin, eggs, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl until smooth, then mix in flour mixture until just combined. Pour batter into greased muffin pan, filling each well about ¾ full.

Mix cinnamon and brown sugar together in the now empty flour bowl. Spinkle tops with cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Nom!

Bake until puffed and golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Let cool and then eat!

Chocolate Beer Cupcakes with Honey Spice Frosting and Cocoa Nibs

Recipe adapted from Dave Leiberman

This is a chocolate cake recipe that I have used for many years now. The originally recipe calls for sour cream....which I find completely and utterly disgusting. I also forgot that the recipe called for this, as it’s been a couple years since I last made it....so I didn’t have sour cream. Instead, I added an extra egg and was quite pleased with the result. Typically, this cake tends to be overly moist and crumbly. This was not so with my alteration and was a lot easier to work with.

Ingredients

• ¾  cup unsweetened cocoa, plus more for dusting finished cupcakes
• 1 ½  cups sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch fine salt
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp cinnamon

• 1 ½ cups of the beer of your choice
• 1 stick butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cocoa, sugar, flour, baking soda, and salt.

In another medium mixing bowl, combine the stout, melted butter, and vanilla.
Beat in eggs, 1 at time.
Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet mixture.

Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners. Place approximately ⅓ cup of batter into each tin. Bake for about 10 minutes and then rotate the pans. Bake another 10 to 11 minutes until risen, nicely domed, and set in the middle but still soft and tender. Cool before turning out.

Frosting
The beer that I chose to use didn’t have as much chocolate flavor as I wanted, but the honey and spice notes were there. I decided that I wanted to emphasis that with my frosting, so I chose to make a honey spice frosting.
1 stick softened butter
2 ½ to 3 cups powdered sugar
2 tbls honey (I used a pepper honey, which I picked up from The Bee Folks)
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp chili powder
Cocoa nibs for garnish


Cream the butter and powdered sugar together, ½ cup of sugar at a time. When you reach the desired consistency, add cinnamon and chili powder. Frost cupcakes when cool and sprinkle with cocoa nibs.

The honey made the frosting extremely sweet, which was a good match for the less sweet cupcakes. The cupcakes themselves were dark and chocolately with a hint of the beer flavor. Had I used a darker beer (like the guiness or stout the recipe is typically used with), I might have been able to taste the beer a bit more. The spice in the frosting is subtle, but the honey and chili went well together, as the honey I used already had notes of spice in it. The cocoa nibs on top tied it all together with their dark chocolate, totally unsweet crunch.