Take Me Away

The weather the past two weeks has been dark and dreary leaving me dreaming of warmth and sunshine. With summer approaching and it being my first year without a summer vacation (thanks to having entered the real world) I have found myself day dreaming of a fabulous vacation. Whether it be travels through Europe or an island getaway I have a serious case of the travel bug right now.  

Chocolaty Heaven

If you’re a Pinterest addict like me you have probably seen these Twix Bar Cookies. They sounded too good to be true so I had to make them and I’m sure glad I did! The cookies themselves are a bit crunchy around the edges and chewy in the middle, just the way I like them. The caramel and biscuit added a nice little addition to an already tasty cookie. I followed the recipe for my first batch but my second batch I added chocolate chips which I highly recommend as they are the perfect finishing touch.  

Twix Bar Cookies
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
12 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm
1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped Twix Bars
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Grease cookie sheet or line with wax paper.

2. Chop your Twix bar into small chunks. 

3. In a bowl combine flour, soda and salt and set aside. 
4. In a medium bowl combine butter and sugars. Mix on low speed until combined. 
5. Beat in egg, egg yolk and vanilla. 
6. Add in dry ingredients and beat until just combined. 
7. Fold in Twix Bar chunks and chocolate chips.  Bake for 13-16 minutes until light golden brown and edges start to harden but center is soft. 

*Because of the caramel in the Twix they may stick a bit to the cookie sheet so use a spatula to remove.

MET Gala

The MET Costume Institute Gala is one of my favorite events of the year, and is certainly my favorite Red Carpet. Although the Oscars are a close runner up, the MET Gala features a mix of models, designers, actors, socialites and beyond. This event encourages risk taking when it comes to dressing and this perfect storm of all stars creates a sea of amazing ensembles every time. This year’s Costume Institute exhibition is Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations. Here are some of my favorite looks from the evening but for me, Diane Kruger takes the cake in her gorgeous purple Prada number.

Jessica Paré in L'Wren Scott, Jessica Alba in Michael Kors, Bianca Brandolini D'Adda, custom-made Dolce & Gabbana, Karolina Kurkova, custom-made Rachel Zoe Collection



Heidi Klum in Escada, Kate Bosworth in Prada, Jessica Stam, Christian Dior Haute Couture, Camilla Belle in Ralph Lauren Collection, Dianna Agron in Carolina Herrera, Diane Kruger in Prada, Amber Heard custom-made Zac Posen, Dakota Fanning in Louis Vuitton



Gisele Bundchen, Givenchy Haute Couture gown by Riccardo Tisci, Renee Zellweger in Emilio Pucci, Claire Danes In J. Mendel, Amy Adams in Giambattista Valli

The Pie of My Eye

Mason Jar Banana Cream Pies

Here we go again with yet another banana post, I just can’t help myself! I have seen mason jar desserts all over the place lately and those cute little jars filled with yummy sweets were calling my name. With my love of jam I have empty Bonne Maman jars all over my apartment and they were the perfect size for these banana cream pies. The pies themselves are a recipe my grandmother would always make for us and I just rearranged a few things to make the pies miniature. Not only are these adorable but the fact that they have a top means you can close them and bring them anywhere (like to the movies or on a road trip or just anywhere) and they are also the perfect single serving size (although you will probably want to eat two).

Ingredients:

½ cup Graham cracker crumbs

2 tablespoons of butter, melted

1 (4 serving size) package vanilla pudding mix, prepared

2 small bananas, sliced

Whipping cream

2 tablespoons of sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Nilla Wafers

2 mason jars (I used empty Bonne Maman Jars)

Preparation:

Make the Vanilla pudding as directed and place in refrigerator.

To make the Whipped Cream:

Pour 1 cup of whipping cream into a deep bowl and mix on high speed until it begins to thicken. Add sugar and vanilla and continue to mix until stiff peaks form, about 4 minutes.

1. Mix the melted butter and graham cracker crumbs together. Using a tablespoon, spoon in graham cracker butter mixer. Pat down on the bottom of the jar forming a thin layer of crust.

2. Arrange pieces of sliced bananas on top of crust and cover with a tablespoon of pudding.  3. For the next layer arrange Nilla wafers on top of the pudding, cover with whipped cream.  4. Repeat the steps until the jar is filled, topping with a Nilla wafter.

5. You can arrange the layers however you choose.

6. Now you can enjoy your perfect little desert!

The finished product!



Your to go option!



To Assemble:

Cinco de Mayo Part 2

For my second installation of Cinco de Mayo recipes I have chosen to include my favorite shrimp taco recipe. I make these with fish or shrimp on a regular basis as they are a tasty, relatively healthy and filling meal. You can really throw anything into these tacos but this is my favorite combination.

Gambas al Ajillo Tacos

Ingredients:

Gambas al Ajillo (garlic shrimp) recipe below

Mexican Black Beans recipe below

Rice (I generally use Near East Spanish Style Rice Pilaf)

Chipotle Sour Cream recipe below

1 package corn tortillas

Toppings:

1 avocado, diced

1 tomato, diced

1 cup cabbage, chopped

¼ cup red onions, chopped

¼ cup cilantro

To Make the Gambas al Ajillo

1/2 – 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined

4 large cloves of garlic, finely minced

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2-3 oz of cognac or dry sherry

1/4 cup virgin olive oil

1 lime, juiced

Salt

Preparation:

1. In a frying pan, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper  flakes  and sauté for about one minute, careful not to burn the garlic.

2. Turning the heat to high add in the shrimp, lime juice, sherry/cognac, paprika and salt. Stir well, until the shrimp turn pink – about 3 minutes.

3. Remove from heat and set aside.

To Make the Mexican Black Beans

1 can black beans
2 Tablespoons cilantro, chopped

1 Tablespoon red onion, chopped

½ small jalapeño, minced

½ lime, juiced

Olive oil

Salt

Preparation:

1. Drain black beans leaving some juice. Over medium heat add onions, jalapeño and olive to a pot and cook for 1 minute.

2. Add in the black beans and cook on medium to low heat until beans are hot. Add cilantro and lime juice, stir to combine.

Set aside.

To Make the Chipotle Sour Cream:

1 cup low fat sour cream

1 teaspoon chipotles (canned in adobo sauce)

1. Combine sour cream and chipotles. Adjust amount of chipotles to desired level of spiciness.

Prepare to Eat!

Make rice as directed.

Wrap tacos in tin foil and warm them in the oven.

Add shrimp, beans, rice, sour cream and desired toppings to tacos. I top with avocado, tomatoes, cabbage, red onions and cilantro. Finally it’s time to devour!

Going Green

The start of May also means it is Cinco de Mayo, or Cinco de drinko as I like to call it. I am a lover of all thing Mexican, the beaches, the food, margaritas, sombreros…I could go on. So I generally like to celebrate Cinco de Mayo right and that means enjoying some yummy food and a good drink. Although I cannot wait until tomatoes are fresh and I can make a good salsa, this spicy tomatillo salsa will definitely hold me over until then!

Cinco de Mayo Part 1: Tomatillo Salsa

Ingredients:

1 Jalapeno pepper, seeded

1-½ Serrano pepper, seeded

1 Poblano pepper, seeded

1 pound fresh tomatillos, husks removed and fruit rinsed, and cut into quarters

1 - 2 limes, juiced

4 green onions, sliced, whites and light green parts only

1 clove of garlic, chopped

1 Tablespoon red onion, chopped

2 Tablespoons of cilantro, chopped

Salt

Preparation:

1. Husk tomatillos and wash them under warm water. They are sticky so they may need to be scrubbed a bit.



2. Place the tomatillos in a blender or food processor and blend until just mixed. Be careful not to over blend or it will get too soupy.
3. Dice peppers, garlic, onion and green onion until finely diced and place in small bowl.
4. Add in blended tomatillos. You may not need to use the whole mixture; I drained some of the liquid so it would be a bit thicker.

5. Stir in 2 tablespoons of lime juice and add salt to taste.

Enjoy with tortilla chips and a Corona!