Years ago my father and I sat down at an Indian restaurant in London. I was not new to Indian cuisine, as I had basically grew up on samosas, learned to obsess over naan bread and swoon over the smokey smells of toasting spices. I ordered what I always ordered- chicken tikka and piles of pillowy naan. My dinner came on a sizzling platter, chicken a fiery redish orange on a bed of onions and peppers, but my 9 year old self had a problem- there was no ketchup. I had a bit of an addiction as a kid to ketchup (perhaps still do…), putting it nearly on everything, and even receiving ketchup as birthday gifts.

Minor problem: there was no ketchup on the table.

I, a nine year old ketchup addict, begin to worry. My father asks the waiter if they have any ketchup, in which the waiter seems puzzled. My father repeats the question, this time replacing the word ‘ketchup’ with ‘tomato sauce’. This seems to spark some sort of understanding, in which the waiter tells another employee to get a bottle of ketchup.

The employee walks out the front door, only to be seen 10 minutes later with a grocery bag and one lone bottle of ketchup. Such dedication to customer service.

Thousands of memories surround my trips to England. When I was much younger my brother and I went around and collected eggs from the hens, but unlike my brother I was much too afraid to go into their little coups in fear that they’d peck me to death. My father would bustle us around the city, catching cabs, the tube, and trains. We’d walk everywhere, to the point where I remember quite clearly the walk to the train into London from my grandmother’s apartment- the open air store with fruit and vegetables piled high in baskets, the blue and green overpass that housed pigeons that cooed and watched you from above. There was a sharp right turn, a barber shop, and a steep incline to reach the trains. I went from hunting the markets for beanie babies to searching out the latest fashion trends as I got older. Too many times have I nearly seen my dad get hit by a car because of his thrill seeking need to j-walk. The more I went to England the more I loved being a tourist, taking pictures of Big Ben, secretly hoping every visit that my Dad would walk us past the horse fountain by Piccadilly Circus, going to Hamleys, eating at pubs. For my 16th birthday I accompanied my Dad in visiting my grandmother and went to Paris for the weekend, where I had the most amazing dinner in a tiny restaurant dimly lit. As we packed our car and left for the airport, my grandmother poked her head out from behind her window curtain and waved to us as we drove off. I snapped a picture. That was the last time I was in Europe.

My grandmother wasn’t your ordinary, cookie-cutter grandmother. She wasn’t much of a hugger, and kept to herself often, trusting few. The cliche that your grandmother’s cooking is always the best didn’t apply here, I remember dreading eating at my grandmother’s apartment, as we often had cold cuts of ham and cucumbers, perhaps potatoes, for dinner. Sometimes she would accidentally call my brother and I the names of our cousins, and I wouldn’t be surprised if my grandmother had a harder time with our american accents than she let on.

However, like me, my grandmother shared a love for chocolate. She would always bring up the weather in conversations with me, but seemed to catch onto my passion for animals and would tell me about the dogs she had seen, or the cats that played in the courtyard. She cared deeply and selflessly about our well being and always tried to make us feel at home.

A few weeks into school my father came to visit me, as I had been having a hard time adjusting back into college. We were eating ice cream at an old fashioned parlor when my mother called, and I excitedly answered the phone. However my mother’s voice was solemn, as she told me my grandmother had passed away and instructed me to put my father on the phone. Shock poured through me, followed by overwhelming guilt- I hadn’t talked to my grandmother in over a year. I let college become one of my many excuses of why I was too busy to call, and I will always regret this.

Wherever we end up when we pass, I like to think that she’s watching us, even seeing America for the first time. I hope my grandmother knows that I truly cherished every moment I was blessed to spend with her. Most of all, I hope she forgives me.

I made this carrot cake for my father’s birthday, a few days before he had to leave for my grandmother’s funeral. Instead of putting ginger in the cake, I decided to use cardamom, an aromatic Middle Eastern spice commonly found in Indian cuisine. A little goes a long way- the cardamom makes this cake truly special, it acts as the secret ingredient that will keep people guessing, and grabbing for another slice. This recipe has seriously converted me into a carrot cake lover. It was moist, had great texture, and the maple frosting really rounded it off. Hands down this recipe has earned a spot into my box of to-make-again recipes.

Cardamom Carrot Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
Adapted from RasaMalaysia

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon cardamom
1 cup granulated/castor sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup canola oil
8-ounces plain applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs, room temperature
3 cups/650 grams grated peeled carrots (from about 5-6 large carrots)
1 cups pecans (or any nut/optional)
1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Method:

Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C/

For cupcakes: Line 24 cupcake molds (2 12-standard muffin tins) with liners, or butter and flour them.
For layered cakes: Butter two 9-inch-diameter or three 8-inch-diameter cake pans. Line bottom of pans with parchment, butter and flour paper; tap out excess flour.

Whisk flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom in medium bowl to blend. Set aside.

In a separate large bowl, whisk sugars, applesauce and oil until well blended. Whisk in eggs, one at a time. Add in the flour mixture and stir until blended. Stir in the vanilla and carrots. Add in the pecans (or other nut) and raisins, if using them.

For cupcakes: Divide batter among cupcake molds, filling 3/4 of each. Bake cupcakes 14 to 18 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center of one comes out clean. Let cool in pans for about 5 minutes. Transfer cakes to a cooling rack. Let cool completely before icing them.

For layered cakes: Divide the batter equally between the prepared pans, and bake the layers for about 30 minutes each for 8-inch cakes or about 40 minutes each for 9-inch cakes; or until a tester inserted into center comes out clean. Cool cakes in pans for about 15 minutes. Turn out onto cooling racks. Peel off parchment; cool cakes completely before icing.

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Yields about 2 cups, sufficient for any of the combination of this cake recipe

Ingredients:

2 (8-ounce/226-gram) packages cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1 stick/4 ounces/113 grams unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups/230 grams confectioners’/icing sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup pure maple syrup

Method:

In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat all the ingredients on medium speed until fluffy. Chill the frosting for about 20 to 30 minutes or until it has set up enough to spread smoothly and hold its shape.

For cupcakes: Place the maple cream cheese frosting into a piping bag fitted with your tip of choice and pipe onto cooled cupcakes accordingly.

For layered cakes: To assemble a layered cake, with an offset spatula, frost the top of one cake and place the other cake on top. Repeat for a three-layered cake. Frost the sides and top with a thin layer of frosting, chill the cake for about 30-45 minutes. Frost the cake completely to cover. Chill cake for at least 30 minutes or till frosting is set. Bring to room temperature before serving.

The people of Texas have this weird tendency to not believe signs. It’s almost as if they think the people who set up the signs put it there as a joke. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve seen signs reading “Left lane ends” or “Lane ends: Merge right”, and the person driving doesn’t merge over until the very last second. I don’t know if they’re all blind or think maybe the giant orange cones are going to leap out of the way, but if I get cut off one more time because some fool thinks that maybe the construction workers put them there as a joke, I may go insane.

Tailgating here is also unbelievably bad. If you’re tailgating me while I’m already going over the speed limit, I will slow down. And laugh as I watch you freak out in my rear view mirror. And then when you finally decide to try and pass me, I’ll speed back up and go on my merry way.

I think the driving here in Texas is going to make me a very aggressive person.

Anyways.

For two days I was trapped in my kitchen (oh, the horror…) while we got new floors put into our house. I decided that during those two days I wanted to make crab cakes. And I did just that.

During all the commotion of our new floors being put in, I mixed, molded, refrigerated, got frustrated over and devoured these little cakes. Little did I realize how hard it is to make crab cakes! My first test subject fell apart and burned before my very eyes. So I decided to refrigerate them. The second one fell apart, but this time didn’t become a black blob in 30 seconds. So I mixed in panko into my crab mixture. Each small batch of crab cakes came out better than the previous, which had me in a much better mood than when I burned the first one. I shared them with my Aunt for lunch and saved some for my father, who later ended up eating two of my leftover raw ones… but that’s a different story.

Despite their difficultness to make, they’re actually quite tasty! Paired with this garlic aioli, the pair make a great weekday lunch.

The floors in my house look amazing, such a huge change from the off-white carpet that covered the majority of the house. It makes it look so much bigger and cleaner, I can’t tell you how annoying it is to pick off black dog hair from a white carpet. Most importantly though, my Mom loves it. And that’s all that really matters!

New Floors!

Crab Cakes with Garlic Aioli

Crab Cakes
Adapted from Bon Appetit
(warning: if you follow the recipe completely, they turn out rather soupy and hard to work with. I’ve adapted the recipe to what I did to make it not so soupy)

Ingredients
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 large egg
2 tablespoons sour cream
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
4 teaspoons plus 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives, divided
1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
Large pinch of cayenne pepper
6-8 ounces fresh lump crabmeat, picked over, patted dry, coarsely shredded
1 1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pans

Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese in medium bowl until smooth. Add 1/4 cup Parmesan and egg; beat to blend. Beat in sour cream, lemon peels, 4 teaspoons chopped chives, coarse salt, and cayenne pepper. Fold in crabmeat and 1/2 cup of panko. This can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

Toss remaining panko, 1/2 cup Parmesan, and 2 tablespoons chopped chives in small bowl. Drizzle 1/4 cup melted butter over, tossing with fork until evenly moistened. Roll 1 rounded tablespoon portions of of the chilled crab mixture in the panko-Parmesan mixture, and pan-fry the crab cakes in a skillet of melted butter set over medium-high heat.

Garlic Aioli
Adapted from Food Network’s Tyler Florence
This aioli is amazing. I can only imagine the endless possibilities of what you can spread this on. It makes quite a bit, so feel free to half accordingly.

Ingredients
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons freshly chopped chives (optional)

Mince garlic and make into paste using the side of your knife. Hint: to make this go faster add a bit of salt to the garlic and continue mashing with the side of your knife.

Place the paste a large bowl and add: the sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and oil. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Fold in the chives. Give it a final taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.

My Aunt taught me how to tie my shoes at my Grandmother’s house- in the middle bedroom of her ranch home to be exact. The house was always packed with pizzelle cookies and chocolate covered marshmallows, and often smelled like horseradish, due to the absurd amounts of horseradish growing behind the swimming pool fence. You learned to stay out of the kitchen on the days horseradish sauce was being made, unless you enjoyed crying. My brother and I would help pick tomatoes off of my grandparent’s tomato plants, but we’d always scrunch up our faces if asked to eat one. I remember the horrible squeamish feeling I’d get if I picked an overly ripe tomato and it squished in my fingers.

To this very day I hate touching squishy tomatoes.

We’d spend our summers swimming in the pool, pretending there were sharks in the depths of the 8 foot deep, play ring around the rosie on the awning poles, then just act like crazy monkeys when we got older. I’d eat ants on a log and learned to put salt on cucumbers (because I didn’t like eating salt and radishes like everyone else in my family). My brother and I would catch fireflies at night and dance with sparklers on the fourth of July.

I don’t really know where I’m going with this. I just started to think of my Grandmother’s old house (my Uncle bought it from her and now lives there) and all these memories came flooding in of summers at my grandparents. I’m finding it so strange how much I can remember being 8 years old just by thinking of my grandparents, or their house, or even just the neighborhood (Handel’s ice cream, oh how I miss it!). I remember going out for Italian food with my Grandmother, because if there’s one thing her and I have in common, it’s our love for all things pasta.

And it’s true, we both love pasta. I think a bowl of spaghetti could easily put a smile on either of our faces.

And then add some garlic?
Bring it on.
Shrimp?
Now we’re talking.

This Shrimp Scampi dish is so easy to make, it’s basically fool proof! Just don’t let the noodles sit and clump together like I did though before you put them in the pan, oops… almost fool proof. But get this- the leftovers may be even better than eating it the first day! So if you’re like me and cooked wayyy too much for only two people, don’t fret- it will still taste great tomorrow for lunch.

The original recipe called for white wine, but since no one drinks it in my family, I omitted it and instead just added more butter. I also added a ton of garlic, because I’m a garlic fanatic, in fact next time I may even add more… but then I’m pretty sure my tastebuds will officially die.

And because I posted on my last entry that I was in consideration for an internship at a veterinary hospital, I just wanted to update and say that I ended up getting it, and I start Monday morning! I’m so incredibly excited! But I do have a confession, I’ve never picked up a cat before… and for some reason the fact that I have never done such is kind of making me nervous. I mean, what kind of person wants to go into veterinary medicine and has never picked up a cat?! I guess my excuse could be that when I volunteer all I ever do is work with the dogs… but at the moment it’s sounding like a pretty poor excuse. But that’s the point of an internship… right? To learn? Crossing my fingers I don’t get scratched to death…

Adapted from The Food Addicts

Succulent Shrimp Scampi
Serves 4

Ingredients

3/4 lb. angel hair pasta
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 lb. peeled and deveined large shrimp
4-6 large garlic cloves, minced, or forced through the garlic press
1/2 tsp dried hot red-pepper flakes
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
7 tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup diced tomatoes
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Cook angel hair pasta just until al dente.
2. Heat olive oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet and sauté shrimp, about 2 minutes on each side. Then transfer with a slotted spoon to a large bowl and set aside.
3. In the same skillet, add garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper and cook over high heat, about 1 minute.
4. Add butter to the pan and stir until melted.
5. Add in diced tomatoes, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
6. Toss in angel hair pasta and shrimp and evenly coat with the butter sauce.
7. Turn off the heat and add chopped basil and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
8. Serve immediately.
Tip: Reserve about 1 cup of cooked pasta water and add it to the sauce to keep the pasta moist, if necessary.

I’ve lived in the same house for 19 years. I can close my eyes and picture every exact detail of my house, from the pale red brick and maroon shutters, to the giant rock surrounded by several tall trees, the tiny rosebush against our garage, the exact spot on the hardwood floor in the family room where if you step on it just right, it will creak. My house is so much more than a home to me, it’s the place I yearn for when I’ve had a bad day or I’m on vacation for too long, the comforting feeling I get when I’m laying on the couch with my dog in the basement, or sitting on the deck in the summer, as the house shades us from the sun and the cool breeze rustles the leaves softly above us. The house I’ve spent my entire life in is such a huge part of me.

So it’s been really killing me lately that at the end of the month, I will no longer be able to use the word “home” and my house in Michigan, in the same sentence.

To be honest, I’m terrified of forgetting all the memories that have been built around this home. It’s almost as if with the house leaving, my past is disappearing, too. I don’t want to forget the first day we brought home my dog and she jumped over the pen we had her in so she could join us for dinner, or how my parents would carry me up the stairs because my casts were too heavy for a young child to lug up 12 sets of stairs. Summers running through the sprinklers and playing spud with my neighbors- my amazing neighbors. Actually, my entire neighborhood is brilliant, it’s like we’re one big family. When the power and water went out for several days, instead of hiding in the basement or hoarding their generator’s power, we all got together and cooked the food in our refrigerators, having a mini neighborhood party and hanging out. It was great… minus the heat.

I may be trading my large, open backyard for a small fenced in one, green grass and canopies of trees for droughts and palms, but I’m happy. Even though it’s weird not being able to drive down the road and see my friends anytime I want or eat Buddy’s pizza, my summer in Texas has been amazing. My aunt and uncle live down the road and always welcome me over to swim or play with their adorable dogs, my Dad let’s me cook whatever my heart desires and often takes me out to lunch to little hole-in-the-wall restaurants we find, much to my Mother’s scolding. I was just interviewed today for an internship at a magnificent veterinary office, that works with small, large, and exotic animals. Knock on wood and crossing my fingers, but I really hope I get it.

Even though it will strange to not be able to take my dog on long walks through the neighborhood, then lay on the soft green grass in my front yard with her afterwards, and I may forever continue to open the wrong drawers to finally find my offset spatula, I think I’ll survive. Sure I’ll miss that house with all my heart, but I just have to remind myself- a home isn’t really where you reside and live and mow the lawn, it’s with the people (and furry family members) you love and care about, no matter where that is.

I knew that I wanted to make one last thing in my kitchen before I left for Texas permanently. My entire family was visiting for my brother’s graduation party, and I flew up to Michigan to see them all one last time, at least for a while. My brother’s school colors were red and white, so naturally red velvet cupcakes came straight to mind.

I’ll be honest, the cake is nothing special. They’re good, don’t get me wrong, but there’s nothing super memorable about them. The frosting however is amazing. It’s all I’ve been thinking about for a while. Not too sugary, not too sweet, extremely smooth and creamy. It’s perfect for cupcakes, cakes, even eating it straight out of the bowl!

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Adapted from Gimme Some Oven

Ingredients:

Cupcake Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour (not all-purpose flour)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 oz. gel food coloring (I used the whole tube)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda

Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients:

1 lb (2 blocks) cream cheese (not softened)
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, at room temperature
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
Method:

To Make Cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 muffin tins with cupcake papers.

Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside.

In a large bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then beat in vanilla, scraping down the bowl with a spatula as you go. Add cocoa powder, then beat in the red food coloring gel, allow to mix well. Add one third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beat well, then beat in half of the buttermilk. Beat in another third of flour mixture, then second half of buttermilk. End with the last third of the flour mixture, beat until well combined, making sure to scrape down the bowl with a spatula.

In a small bowl, mix vinegar and baking soda. (Yes, it will fizz!) Add vinegar mixture to the cake batter and stir well to combine. Fill cupcake cups with cake batter until they are about 3/4 full. Bake for approximately 20-22 minutes, rotating pans halfway through. Cupcakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Check early and don’t overbake!

Cool the cupcakes in their tins on a wire rack for 10 minutes then remove and allow to cool completely before frosting.

To Make Frosting:

To make the frosting, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or any standard beaters if you’re like me and have an older mixer) beat the cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed until well combined and smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Mix in the vanilla extract. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar until totally incorporated, increase the speed and then beat until smooth. Frost cooled cupcakes as desired.

There is no wrong time for cake. It can be 3pm on a Thursday in June, and it’s still the right time for cake. It’s too bad that we always associate eating cake with birthdays, Easter, or other holidays, because I am convinced that we all need more cake in our diets. What’s that you say, that’s a calorie bomb? Nonsense.

Ever since I started working at a restaurant in Galveston, I’ve come to the conclusion that eating a piece of cake only on holidays is a sin. Once a week I get a piece of cake from our bakery case, perhaps a slightly ugly one that the frosting has melted off, or the layers have broken. I dwell in its deliciousness and wonder, why don’t I eat cake more often? What on earth has had me eating cake only on my birthday for nineteen years?!

I have vowed to now eat cake more often. Even if this means I have to run a few more miles than I’d prefer. Because after running in the scorching 104 degree Texas heat, crawling to my front door gasping for water, I’ll reach the fridge and jerk it open only to find a beautiful strawberry and cream cake. I’ll hear the singing of angels and no longer will it matter that yet another pickup truck nearly ran me over today. Three in the afternoon on a Thursday I’ll cut myself a slice, but first I’ll probably take a nap on my laminate floor.

I love strawberries- in fact, for a long time it was the only fruit I would eat. So when I went to the grocery store and found two pounds of beautiful, red strawberries, I couldn’t help but imagine putting them into a cake. Even better, a cake covered in cool, homemade whipped cream for the hot summer month.

The problem? I was having a hard time making time between my work schedule to bake, so my strawberries sat in the fridge for a few days. Freaking out was a bit of an understatement. I’ve had horrible experience with strawberries going bad several days after purchasing them, so if I wasn’t checking the fridge every two hours, I was either calling my mother, asking a friend, or googling the life expectancy of strawberries or how to make them last just a few days more. Thankfully, every single berry was just fine.

This cake is delicious, perfect after spending an afternoon in the sun. Not super dense, but springy and moist, covered in pillows of whipped cream and sweet strawberries. The gelatin keeps the cream from separating, which keeps your cake beautiful for several days. Not that there’s anything wrong with ugly cakes, because in the end, they always taste great. (And healthy for you, I mean, it has strawberries! And strawberries = fruit! And fruit = healthy!) So Happy Thursday, and go on and grab another slice.

Adapted from The Sweet Life

For the Cake

Unsalted butter, for greasing
All-purpose flour, for dusting
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup + 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs plus 2 large egg yolks
½ cup whole milk

Preheat oven to 350° F. Using a small pastry brush, butter bottom and sides of a 8-inch round cake tin. Line bottom of tin with non-stick baking paper; butter paper and then flour bottom and sides of tin.
Using a fine mesh sieve, sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a medium-sized bowl. Whisk to well combine, set aside.
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar and vanilla on high speed until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs and yolks, one-at-a-time, beating well after each addition.
Reduce the stand mixer speed to low, add the flour mixture in thirds, alternating with the milk in 2 additions, beginning with the flour and ending with the flour; beat until just combined (do not over-mix).
Pour batter into prepared cake tin. Using a small offset spatula spread the batter evenly.
Bake, rotating tin halfway through baking, until a cake tester inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes.
Transfer to a wire rack; let cool in tin for 10 minutes. Remove cake from tin and return to wire rack to cool completely.

Strawberry Cream Topping

1¼ pounds or 20 ounces fresh strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced
½ cup sugar, divided
1½ cups heavy cream, 35%, cold
1 teaspoon unflavoured gelatin

In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the strawberries and ¼-cup sugar; set aside.
Place two tablespoons cold water into a small-sized saucepan and sprinkle with gelatin; let soften 5 minutes. Place saucepan over low heat, and stir until the gelatin is dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool.
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, whisk the heavy cream and the remaining ¼-cup sugar until very soft peaks form.
Continue to whisk, and gradually add the gelatin mixture; beat until soft peaks form.

Assembling the Cake

Using a serrated knife, cut cake in half horizontally.
Place bottom half, cut side up, on a cake stand or plate.
Drizzle the juice from the berries onto the cake.
Evenly arrange half of the strawberries over the bottom cake layer. Refrigerate the remaining berries.
Top the strawberry layer with half of the whipped cream, leaving a 1-inch border.
Place the top half of the cake, cut side down, onto the layer of strawberries and cream.
Top the cake with the remaining whipped cream, leaving a 1-inch border.
Refrigerate the cake, at least 1 hour (preferably up to 1 day).
Just before serving top the cake with the remaining chilled strawberries.
Enjoy!

I have a problem. An addiction, actually. When I moved down to Texas I found gold in the form of biscuits smothered in thick, creamy, white sausage gravy. Next thing I knew I was waking up early in the morning to walk over to the cafeteria, sleepy and still in my pajamas. I’d grab a worn down plate, place my biscuits and gravy carefully as to get the perfect ratio of bread to sauce, and sit in hard, brightly colored booths alone. Happily, would eat my gold slowly, perhaps studying for an exam or just people watching. Near the end of the year I did this nearly every day.

Perhaps the reason I gained some of my freshman 15.

I think I became known for my addiction, my excitement was always extremely noticeable whenever there were biscuits and gravy served. I would not be surprised if my sadness was also noted when there was, in fact, no biscuits and gravy. A friend of mine even put in a request to the cafeteria to serve more biscuits for breakfast. My little college life became a routine, and needless to say breakfast was on the beginning of this list.

A few weeks after my freshman year of college let out, I found myself really missing the alone time I had early in the mornings. I missed watching the corps march around, the studiers, the early risers. I missed watching the people who were clearly uncomfortable with sitting alone (something I think people should all try, it’s actually pretty relaxing), and seeing friends walk in on occasion. But obviously, most of all, I missed biscuits and gravy. I craved it, it was all I could think about at times. I’d spend time searching up recipes, whether or not to add sausage to my gravy, how to get the fluffiest and prettiest biscuits. Should I use regular whole milk, or go out on a limb and use buttermilk. These sadly, are the thoughts that ran through my head.

I wasn’t lying, I’m addicted. Madly, utterly addicted.

I finally got around to making my own gold before work one morning. I played music in the kitchen as I baked up my buttermilk biscuits and stirred up my roux for the gravy. Plated up my food, took some pictures, and ate. And I was happy. My biscuits were a bit flat due to the fact that I eyeball measured everything, because at the time I had no measuring cups or spoons. So today I bought some pretty, deep red measuring spoons at Target. I get excited over cooking supplies. And biscuits. This is sad, I need help.

My addiction has been quieted for now, but I give myself two weeks until I start craving it again.

Also, just as a note for the recipe, the biscuit dough is very wet, I’d strongly suggest using floured hands, make a ball out of the dough then plop it into a shallow dish with flour. Cover the dough ball with flour, then take it in your hands and pat off the extra. Place in the baking dish and repeat until full/dough is used up.

Biscuits and Sausage Gravy
via Taste and Tell Blog

Buttermilk Biscuits

makes 12 biscuits
total time: about 25 minutes

• 2 C flour
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 C buttermilk
• Additional flour
• 2 Tbsp melted butter

Preheat oven to 500ºF. Spray a 9 in springform or cake pan with some nonstick spray.
Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt to a bowl and mix the ingredients together evenly. Using a fork or pastry blender, cut in the butter until the pieces are no bigger than a small pea. Fold in the buttermilk until everything is just blended, and there are no streaks of flour remain. Do not overmix, the mixture should still be lumpy.
Line a plate or tray with some flour and using a 1/4 C measuring cup or 1/4 C ice cream/cookie scoop, scoop out balls of the dough onto the tray of flour. Flour your hands and roll each ball around in the flour to evenly coat them in a layer of flour. The dough is very wet and very sticky. Place the dough balls into the prepared pan. Place 9 balls around in a ring and 3 balls in the center of the pan. Brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter.
Bake for 5 minutes at 500ºF (middle rack) and then lower the temperature to 450ºF and bake for another 15 minutes.

Sausage Gravy

total time: about 15 minutes

• 1 16 oz. tube of pork sausage
• Additional fat if needed: bacon grease or butter
• 4 Tbsp flour
• 3 C milk
• Salt and pepper to taste

Heat 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil to a cast iron skillet or large saucepan over medium high heat. Add the sausage and break it up into bite size chunks, but don’t break it up too much, you want nice cocoa puff sized chunks. Brown the sausage and get some fond on your pan.
Turn the heat down to medium. Remove the sausage and drain, reserving the fat. Return about 3 to 4 tablespoons of the rendered sausage fat into the pan. If you don’t have enough fat, add a little bacon grease or butter to bring it up. Add the flour and cook while whisking until the roux is golden brown. Keep stirring and slowly pour in your milk, making sure to whisk out all the lumps. If it looks too thin, don’t worry, it’ll thicken once it simmers. If you like your gravy super thick, use less milk (2 or 2 1/2 cups). Once you added all the milk, return the sausage back to the skillet, and season with salt and plenty of freshly ground pepper. Simmer the gravy until it’s thickened and serve it over your split biscuits.

Right now, at this very moment, would best describe my average day on campus. Sitting at my desk as the sun lowers into the ocean in hues of yellows and purples, piling textbooks on my right as my exams draw closer, bon appetit magazines mocking me on my left, as I sift through foodgawker dreaming of the days I will one day rid myself of horrible cafeteria food. Soft music pulses through the thin dorm walls as hallmates enter in and out of their dorms, anxiously chatting with one another about the events of their college lives.

The once-a-semester game of Humans vs Zombies has begun here, where kids with nerf guns run around marked with silk yellow ribbons around their arms shooting (or becoming) zombies- whom are other infected students. The Original Zombie, an unmarked player who just so happens to be a philosophy professor who is blessed with incredible speed, started the infection today. Nothing is more entertaining then watching people get chased around campus. It’s even better when the human running for their life drops all their books and sprints across campus.

Along with zombie hunting we have miles of beach, and whereas locals don’t think too highly of it, to me- it’s still very much a beach. The sandy shore seems to go on for eternity as the warm gulf waters crashes in a timely matter into the shore. The coast is dotted with both touristy restaurants and hole in the wall joints, group bikes are always being rented out on the weekend. It isn’t uncommon to see students dressed in their bathing suits, surfboard or fishing gear in tow, heading for a lazy day in the sun. If the constant pounding of lecture exams and lab practicals didn’t exist, every day here would be a vacation.

I love college. It may be cliche to say, but it really is an amazing difference with the freedom. I love meeting new people, the traditions, even the stress of tests and the relief you feel when you make an A. I can’t wait for the years to pass as I get deeper into my major and pick my classes towards what I’m interested in, not the generic have-to-takes that we are given in our first years. However I even find our basic biology, calculus, and history classes interesting to a degree, although I’m still craving future genetic courses, equine management and anything dealing with my hopeful future. It’s exciting, it’s terrifying, stressful and a whole lot of fun- that I don’t want it to end.

I made these little meringue cookies forever ago while I was on my winter vacation from school. I was absolutely terrified to make them, but as I whipped up the eggs and sugar and began piping them, I was relieved to realize just how easy they were to put together, even if you’re like me and used the wrong piping tip! The best part about these guys (other than the ganache, yum!) is the priceless look on peoples’ faces as they eat them. You’d never expect the small sandwiches to melt in your mouth with such a creamy, luxurious texture. And too be honest, you really can’t eat just one.

Coming home was like slipping back into an old routine. All the Christmas decorations were in their similar places, my brother still sitting in the brown recliner, the family room rug was still slightly crooked from the dog jumping on top of it, and said dog still followed me around the house. Several days went on and my brother still owned the remote and I still vacuumed dog hair.

But I didn’t mind it at all. It was almost as if the past four months of being away in Texas never existed. Seeing family and friends. Always being asked the same question- “How’s college?”, but never getting sick of answering it. I loved being able to sit on the couch watching Food Network and not having to worry about the Chemistry exam on Wednesday or whether or not I would get over the third cold I’d caught in two months. I easily went back into the routine of taking care of my dog, driving in the snow, and complaining about the cold.

My comfort of being back home got me thinking of whether or not deciding to go to college in Texas was a good idea- if I should have stayed in Michigan all along.

It’s easy to begin missing things you took advantage of for years without a second thought. My Mom’s hugs being one of them, warm and comforting. Strangely I craved Coney Island, such simple food, but nearly non-existent in Texas. Actually, they don’t exist- at least not a good one. The ones in Texas are overly colorful, order at the counter service with strange characters who work there, serving crappy hot dogs that don’t deserve to be called coneys.

I began wondering if I had made the wrong choice to move to Texas. I missed my friends, and seeing my family on every holiday and birthday. I missed my dog keeping my feet warm. Dwelling on the idea made it worse, I began dreading the day I’d have to leave. But I soon then began to realize how nice it was to get away from the same people I had known most of my life, the new people I had met and the experiences one could never get outside of Texas. I began to think into the future of my major and the amazing classes offered at my school and I realized just how excited and happy I was to be at my dream school.

By no means do I want my vacation to go any quicker, but I no longer am completely bummed about going back. While I’m not looking forward to exams and stress, I’m still excited for the little things that occur in college that keep amazing me every day.

The first thing I made when I came home were these cookies. When I saw them I couldn’t get over how cute they were, the little kisses striped in the center just screamed Christmas. However, be warned, the cookie batter in this recipe is extremely thick. When I began mixing in the dry mixture, my very old electric mixture began to slow down in resistance. Urging it along, I began to scrape down the sides in hopes that my helping of mixing it while continuously turning the bowl. (my biggest pet peeve of the mixer, shouldn’t it be able to do that itself?!) I was so into the idea that my already old piece of machinery was slowing down that I accidentally let my spatula slip, only for it to get sucked into the churning beaters. My father just stared at me as I yelled at the electric mixer and watched as it tried to swallow my spatula. Somehow, my spatula survived and my batter mixed together perfectly, cookies came out beautifully and nothing burned.

A good first day back in the kitchen? I think so.

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies with Peppermint Kisses
adapted from Our Best Bites

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 c. flour, lightly spooned into measuring cups and leveled with a knife
1/4 c. + 2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips
48 Hershey’s Candy Cane Kisses, unwrapped

Preheat oven to 350.

Cream together softened butter, shortening, brown sugar, and white sugar for 1-2 minutes on medium-high speed or until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla. Meanwhile, combine the baking powder, baking soda, salt, flour, and cocoa powder. Add to the butter/sugar mixture and mix until combined. Mix in the chocolate chips.

Drop the dough by the tablespoonful onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the centers are set but still soft. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 1-2 minutes. Top each cookie with an unwrapped Candy Cane Kiss. Allow to cool completely, long enough for the Kiss to harden. If necessary, after the cookies have cooled, they can be placed in the refrigerator or freezer to re-solidify the Kiss.

There’s something about the smell of pumpkin that just screams autumn. The warm mix of spices and pale orange color seems to always bring me back to when I was younger and went to my grandmother’s house for Thanksgiving, passing around beets, mashed potatoes, kielbasa and my Aunt Carol’s pumpkin roll. We sat around three tables lined up, laughing and eating. Hearts warm and bellies full, a few adults would nod off one by one and us children would contemplate our Christmas lists for the upcoming month.

As I got older, I spent less time worrying about what I’d get for Christmas and more time enjoying the gifts the season brought me- warm doughnuts from the cider mill, bundling up in sweatshirts to go apple picking, bringing in firewood for the fireplace, and the brilliant colors of the leaves as they changed. I miss the golden yellows, rich oranges, and reds ranging from bright scarlet to crimson. I miss Michigan.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Texas. I love the people, I love their pride for Texas, and their unconditional love for it. I love their kindness, the hospitality. I love my college’s traditions, the sense of family I get every time I attend a football game. I can see myself living here for years to come. But deciding to attend college here has done a complete flip on what I’m use to. I doubt I can remember what a pine tree looks like, and I’m sure chipmunks are extinct. I’ve eaten more mexican and seafood this past month than I have in several months back home. Real cowboys exist, and the weather seems to remain a constant, comfortable temperature. However, being the oddball northerner I am, I wear shorts and a tank top on this “brisk” 78 degree day, whereas my fellow college students wear jeans and sweatshirts. I love Texas so much, but I can’t help but miss what I grew up on.

Last weekend I visited my father and decided to celebrate the month of October with pumpkin cupcakes. Ever since the end of September I’ve been so excited for all things autumn and Halloween- pumpkin pie being top on this list. However, without the changing colors of leaves or dropping of temperatures to remind me that it is, in fact, autumn, pumpkin cupcakes seemed like the perfect fix to my minor homesickness. And they really did satisfy. Subtly spicy and extremely moist cake, creamy frosting that isn’t overly sugary, they brought me back to every Thanksgiving spent with my family. Just what I need after spending my days in the dorms and library, studying for midterms.

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
From Brown Eyed Baker

I cut the recipe in half to make approx. 18 cupcakes, but this recipe is the full which makes around 32. And let me tell you, 32 would be plenty fine with me! They’re so delicious!

Ingredients

Cupcakes:
4 cups cake flour (not self-rising), sifted
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 Tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2½ cups packed light-brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1½ cups canned pumpkin (not pie filling)

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 pound (4 cups) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract

To Make the Cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices.

2. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and brown sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk, and beating until just combined. Add pumpkin; beat until just combined.

3. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool 10 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely. Cupcakes can be refrigerated up to 3 days in airtight containers.

4. To finish, use an offset spatula or a pastry bag fitted with a decorated tip to top the cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.

To Make the Frosting:

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and cream cheese until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add sugar, ½ cup at a time, and then vanilla, and mix until smooth and combined, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.

If not using immediately, frosting can be refrigerated up to 3 days in an airtight container; before using, bring to room temperature, and beat on low speed until smooth again.

I absolutely love the difference between foods in the north and south. When I visit my father, I’m able to dive into a breakfast of biscuits and sausage gravy, something that I have found the northerners just can’t make as well. In Michigan, I can go down the road for killer Chinese food, a place that I will really miss when I’m in college. Being down in Texas for college orientation has turned me into a huge seafood lover, something I completely avoided while up north. Cajun food down south is brilliant, and addicting- I find myself craving court-bouillon from time to time. And of course, Mexican food is made right.

Of course, I’ll miss the Coney Islands abundantly scattered across Michigan, and the really good little Italian restaurants. One thing I was told while down in Texas was that Italian food is nothing like it is up in Michigan. There just aren’t very many little places that cook authentic Italian, which means I’ll probably end up getting it somewhere that also serves tacos. (I mean, come on, even the Dairy Queens have the option of ordering a taco.)

After orientation at college, I had a few days left to spare with my Dad, Aunt, and Uncle. I wanted to cook dinner for them at least once, especially for my Dad, who lives off of frozen dinners. We ended up having to buy close to everything ingredient wise, since neither my father nor my Aunt really cook. My Aunt even resorted to stealing a sugar packet off of a restaurant table.

This recipe is one of my favorites for chicken parmesan. I don’t know if it’s the mounds of mozzarella cheese or the kalamata olives that add a spicy kick to the sauce and chicken that I enjoy more. It helps to prepare everything ahead of time before throwing it into a hot saute pan, because time does get away from you easily with this recipe. I forgot about that, and ended up sputtering around the kitchen trying to put things together. Although it took me a bit longer than usual, they were kind enough to let me take a few shots in the dining room. I walked back into the kitchen/living room space to put my camera away, and when we returned with plated food, I found my plate- the one I had previously photographed- chickenless. Turns out my Aunt’s dog decided he wanted a try and was tearing apart the piece of chicken half his size. At least I know the dog really enjoyed it!

Chicken Parmesan
From Tyler Florence of Tyler’s Ultimate on Food Network

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus 3 tablespoons
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted
• 1/2 bunch fresh basil leaves
• 2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, drained and hand-crushed
• Pinch sugar
• Pinch red pepper flakes
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 cup dried plain bread crumbs
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for sprinkling
• 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 (8-ounce) ball fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
• 1 pound spaghetti pasta, cooked al dente

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Coat a saute pan with olive oil and place over medium heat. When the oil gets hazy, add the onions, garlic, and bay leaves; cook and stir for 5 minutes until fragrant and soft. Add the olives and some hand-torn basil, reserve the rest of the basil for finishing the chicken. Carefully add the tomatoes (nothing splashes like tomatoes), cook and stir until the liquid is cooked down and the sauce is thick, about 15 minutes; season with sugar, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Lower the heat, cover, and keep warm.

Get the ingredients together for the chicken so you have a little assembly line. Put the flour in a shallow platter and season with a fair amount of salt and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly. In a wide bowl, combine the eggs and water, beat until frothy. Put the bread crumbs on a plate, add the 1 cup parmesan, chopped parsley, and garlic powder Season with salt and pepper and stir with a fork until thoroughly combined.

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high flame in a large oven-proof skillet. Lightly dredge both sides of the chicken cutlets in the seasoned flour, and then dip them in the egg wash to coat completely, letting the excess drip off, then dredge in the bread crumbs. When the oil is nice and hot, add the cutlets and fry for 4 minutes on each side until golden and crusty, turning once.

Ladle the tomato-olive sauce over the chicken and arrange the mozzarella on top. Sprinkle with Parmesan, and remaining basil. Bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly. Serve hot with spaghetti.

Beautiful ocean, one of many places to walk to from campus!