Potato Torte

This {Potato Torte} is a very special dish to me since I only eat it once a year, on Easter Sunday. This tradition started when I was going to college in Seattle and was always made by my dear friend Debbie. Now that I'm in SF, I've decided that it's time for me to find the recipe and start making it myself every year on Easter. 

This dish is quite delicious and VERY filling. I recommend this recipe for potlucks, dinner parties, or anything that requires feeding lots of people, and not just on Easter! Just note that it does take about 2 hours to cook, so plan accordingly. 

Once you've made this once, I'm willing to bet anything that your friends and family will BEG you to make it again!! 

{All ready to go in the oven for 2 hours}

{Looks yummy!!! Must wait till it cools down...}

{Ready for my first bite!}

** I wish I could take credit for this recipe, but it was scanned and sent to me. I also wish I could give credit to it's rightful owner but I don't know where my friend got it from either! But here is the exact recipe, enjoy!

Ingredients:

4 large baking potatoes

1 pound Gruyere cheese 

1 pound baked ham 

l large sweet red pepper 

l egg plus 2 egg yolks 

4 cups heavy cream

l teaspoon salt 

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach 

1 medium onion, minced 

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Directions:

1. Peel potatoes; slice thin and set aside in a large bowl of cool

water, Grate the Gruyere and set aside. Slice ham and red pepper 

into thin strips. 

2. Combine the whole egg, yolks, cream, and salt and pepper in a

large bowl, Drain the potatoes and add to the cream mixture. 

3. Thaw and drain spinach well. ln a small bowl, combine spinach

with onion and mustard.

4. Preheat oven to 325°. 

5. Place a thin layer of potatoes and cheese over the bottom of a 

buttered 9 X 13-inch casserole. Drizzle a small amount of the 

cream mixture over the potatoes and cheese. Top with ham 

strips. 

6. Make a second layer of potatoes, cheese and cream. Top this with 

the spinach mixture. 

7. Spread remaining potatoes, cheese and cream over spinach 

mixture. Top with strips of red pepper. 

8. Bake the torte in a 325° oven for Z hours. Do not cover. The top 

should be well browned.

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Walnuts

This may seem surprising when I tell you that I've never made made chocolate chip cookies from scratch. It's true, I wouldn't even know where to begin. So when a friend asked me to make them with walnuts as it was his favorite cookie ever, I ended up spending an entire afternoon sifting through recipes before I able to put together something that may just work with gluten free flours.

I'll go out on a limb here when I say that I think the first batch was amazing! I ended up eating 3 cookies as they came out of the oven... whoops probably should have saved some for the person that requested it....

There may be a few things I may substitute or change later on but for now I think this is a solid chocolate chip walnut cookie recipe that everyone should try!

{First batch!}

{I didn't used parchment paper the first round, but did the second time around. NOTE: USE PARCHMENT PAPER. Results will be much better.}

{Chocolate Chip Cookies with Walnuts}

Ingredients:

- 1 stick of unsalted butter, soften

- 1/2 cup of sugar

- 1/2 cup of brown sugar

- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

- 1 1/2 cup of gluten free all purpose baking flour

- 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum

- 1 egg

- 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda (dissolved in a teaspoon of hot water)

- 1 cup of chocolate chips

- 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts

- pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth.

3. Beat in egg and vanilla.

4. Add dissolved baking soda. 

5. Stir in flour and xanthan gum

6. Mix in chocolate chips and walnuts.

7. Bake for 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Chocolate Pomegranate Petit Four

I've always been a big fan of "bite sized" desserts.

Well before specialty cupcake shops started popping up in every neighborhood displaying their "mini" cupcakes ... I can proudly say that I had been making them before their rise in popularity!

With that said I have decided to "retire" from baking mini cupcakes and master other bite sized treats. This weekend I decided to take on Petit Fours (French word for "small oven")! They are not as complex as their French name sounds, but come prepared with patience and a few hours to spend on these tasty little treats!

Trust me when I tell you that MANY recipes were considered before I found this particular recipe. I would like to thank A Spicy Perspective as this was their recipe! Well minus the cake part... I cheated again and used a gluten free chocolate cake mix. The cake mix was helpful for me as I needed a GF option and I was trying to save time. {I was baking for these for a baby shower and knew that I wouldn't have time to make a gluten free cake from scratch - plus this particular box mix is super tasty!}

First things first - bake the cake! Since I used a cake mix, it was easy to quickly mix the ingredients and throw it in the oven for 22 minutes {Disregard the time suggestion on the box - if you use a 13 by 9 rectangular baking pan, 22 minutes is more than enough} Also make sure to line the cake pan with parchment paper for easy removal :)

As the cake is baking, prepare the POMEGRANATE WHIPPED CREAM. Mix together GF flour and pomegranate juice in a medium saucepan on medium heat until a paste is formed. Once the paste is formed, place the saucepan in the fridge to cool. The paste should look similar to the picture below. 

{ Pomegranate Juice and Flour Paste}

After the paste has cooled in the fridge for about 10 minutes, scrape into mixing bowl with the creamed butter and sugar and beat until well mixed.

{Pomegranate Whipped Cream}

Remove cake batter from freezer and spread the Pomegranate Whipped Cream evenly over the cake, return back to freezer.

{Adding the Pomegranate Whip to the cake}

As the first two layers are setting up in the freezer, get the Chocolate Whipped Cream together. Mix milk, cocoa, and gf flour together in a saucepan on medium heat until the paste is formed. Place chocolate paste into fridge to cool for 10 minutes. Then scrape it into 2nd batch of butter cream mixture (please note that the measurements between the pomegranate butter cream is different than the chocolate butter cream). Beat until the chocolate paste is blended.

{Whipped Chocolate Cream}

 Spread over Pomegranate layer and place back into the freezer until all three layers are COMPLETELY frozen.

 {All three layers will take about 2 hours to completely freeze}

Once all three layers are frozen. Trim the outer edges and cut into 1 inch squares. Please back into freezer

{My perfect little squares.}

Prepare Pomegranate Fondant. If you have not made Poured Fondant before, please watch this VIDEO. "A Spicy Perspective" suggested it on their webpage and it was very helpful for me!

{Pomegranate Fondant}

Now it's time to "Dip and Decorate"!!

I used a small marshmallow like skewer to dip the Petit Four pieces in the Fondant. Then I placed it on a wired cooling rack to set. After all of the Petit Fours were "dipped and decorated" I transferred them onto paper cupcake holders and then to a serving platter. In my case I placed it back into the freezer until it was time to head out to the baby shower that I made them for. 

{All ready to take to the baby shower!}

{Yay, all my hard work and patience paid off, this looks great!}

CHOCOLATE POMEGRANATE PETIT FOUR

Ingredients:

- 1 Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Mix 

For the Pomegranate Whipped Cream:

- 2 sticks of unsalted butter, soften

- 1 cup of sugar

- 1 cup of pomegranate juice

- 1/4 cup of gf flour (I used GF All Purpose)

For the Chocolate Whipped Cream:

- 1 stick of unsalted butter, soften

-1/2 cup of sugar

-1/2 cup of milk

- 2 tablespoons of gf flour 

-1 tablespoon of cocoa powder

- teaspoon of vanilla extract

- 1/4 cup of dark chocolate, melted and at room temp.

For the Pomegranate Poured Fondant:

- 1 cup of plain shortening (I used vegetable)

- 6-8 cups of powdered sugar (I ended up using 8 cups total)

- 1 cup of pomegranate juice.

Directions: {Copied from original recipe - why change something that isn't broken?!}

1. For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of a 9X13 pan with parchment paper and thoroughly grease the sides. Sift (or whisk) all dry ingredients in a bowl.
2. Beat together the eggs, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. Slowly mix in the dry ingredients, and whisk for two minutes. Once well combined pour in the hot water and mix well. Pour into the cake pan and tap the pan on the counter a few times to remove any large bubbles.
3. Bake for 20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
4. Allow the cakes to cool for 15 minutes, then flip out on a plastic board. Remove the parchment paper. If the cake looks even, place in the freezer. If the top is rounded, Carefully flip the cake over (using another cookie sheet) and trim the top with a serrated knife, then freeze.
5. For the Whipped Pomegranate Cream: Add the Pom Juice and flour to a small sauce pan. Whisk until there are no lumps. Then heat over medium, whisking constantly until the mixture comes to a boil. Whisk and cook a few more minutes until it thickens into a paste. Remove from heat and place pan in the fridge to cool. Beat the butter and sugar in a clean mixing bowl, for 5-7 minutes, until fluffy and glossy.
6. Once cooled, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat until light and fluffy 5 minutes.
7. Spread the pomegranate cream evenly over the cake and return to the freezer.
8. For the Whipped Chocolate Cream: Add the milk, flour, and cocoa powder to a small sauce pan. Whisk until there are no lumps. Then heat over medium, whisking constantly until the mixture comes to a boil. Whisk and cook a few more minutes until it thickens into a paste. Remove from heat and place pan in the fridge to cool. Beat the butter and sugar in a clean mixing bowl, for 5-7 minutes, until fluffy and glossy. Once cooled, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Pour in the vanilla and the cooled melted chocolate and beat until light and fluffy 5 minutes.
9. Spread evenly over the top of the pomegranate cream. Return to the freezer.
10. Once frozen, trim the edges of the cake until very smooth. The cake will be about 8X12 inches after trimming. Then carefully cut the cake into 1 inch squares, 96 total. You may want to use a clean ruler to mark the top of the chocolate cream to make the pieces even. Return the cake squares to the freezer.
11. For the Pomegranate Poured Fondant: Place the shortening and half the pomegranate juice in a large bowl. Microwave until the shortening has melted. Add 5 cups of powdered sugar to the mix and whisk until smooth. Add a little more juice and another cup of powdered sugar, whisk. The fondant should be smooth and glossy, thin enough to pour but thick enough to coat well, a little thicker than school glue. If you see shortening dots on the top, add more powdered sugar. It may take all the juice and as much as 8 cups of powdered sugar to even out–but not always. Rewarm and whisk before dipping the petit fours. The fondant needs to stay warm.
12. Before dipping, dust the bottoms of each petit four, so that crumbs don’t fall in the poured fondant.
13. Place a petit four on a fork over the fondant bowl. Using a large spoon, scoop fondant over the top covering completely on all sides, then use another fork to carefully transfer to a drying rack. Repeat with all, rewarm the fondant if needed.

Potato Salmon Hash Topped with Poached Eggs

This meal came about because we had so much leftovers from the last few days. I'll admit that this isn't my most creative idea ever, but it is one of best dishes I've created with leftovers by far! We had some roasted potatoes and salmon leftover from my "fan favorite" dinner and it had been untouched in the fridge for two days so I knew that something had to be done and I was STARVING as I skipped breakfast that morning. So I skimmed the fridge to see if I could find a few extra ingredients to tie a meal together ..... I saw eggs, bacon, and onions and immediately knew I had the makings of a really good brunch for one!

At first I thought about doing a scramble that included everything but that just didn't sound all that exciting. Then I realized that I wanted something that was "sauce-like" and knew the answer was to poach some eggs. The richness of the runny yolk is a great addition to the potato salmon hash!

What makes this dish so great is that the salmon was already marinated and cooked and the potatoes were roasted with great seasonings from the previous day. So both ingredients had great flavor to begin with. The bacon and egg yolk take it to a whole new level though! Try your own variation the next time you have some leftovers and have a hunger for a great meal!

Ready to eat.

Had to cut into the poached egg to show you what a perfectly poached egg should look like ;)

I topped it with a little bit of siracha sauce for a spicy kick. 

Potato Salmon Hash Topped with Poached Eggs

Ingredients:

- 4 ounces of cooked salmon, cut into smaller pieces

- 1/4 cup of onion, chopped

- 2 slices of cooked bacon, chopped

- 1 cup of diced up roasted potatoes

- 2 eggs

- siracha (if you like a little spice)

Directions:

1. Fry up two slices of bacon that have been cut up into smaller pieces. After they have reached a crispy  state, remove from pan with a slotted spoon to a paper towel liked plate. Set aside.

2. Bring a medium pot of water with a splash of lemon or vinegar to a boil.

3. Remove most of the bacon grease from pan and add the chopped onion and saute until browned. Should only take about 5 minutes on medium and then add the diced roasted potatoes and saute until warm. 

4. Crack both eggs carefully into a cup without breaking the yolk.

5. Return to boiling pot of water, turn down to medium after it reaches a boil. Use a whisk and create a whirl pool effect and add one egg at a time to pot of water and cook for 7 minutes. Use a slotted spoon and remove poached eggs once it is cooked. 

6. Add cut up pieces of salmon and bacon into pan with potatoes and onions. Continue to cook on medium until both eggs are ready. 

7. Remove hash from pan to a serving plate. Top with both of the poached eggs. Salt and pepper to taste and drizzle siracha sauce if you like a little spice! Enjoy!

If the directions are a little confusing, let me know and I will find a better way to explain it!! Thanks! 

Honey Herbed Pork Loin

Anyone out there looking for a fun new recipe for pork chops that doesn't traditionally include apples?!?! Well this is one that you will fall in love with after the first bite! It's perfectly juicy with a sweet buttery glaze that you will can't help but scrape every last bit off the plate because it's THAT good. 

It may look like there is a lot of butter on top of the pork loin but most of it will melt off and you'll be left with a slightly crispy sweet herby (is that even a word) crust on top of your pork loin. 

Herb butter topped evenly on the pork loin .... ready to go whenever the guests arrive. (only takes 15 minutes under the broiler)

Done. Let rest for a few minutes before eating. 

Honey Herbed Pork Loin 

Ingredients:

- 4 (1/2 inch to 1 inch in thickness) pork loin

- 1 teaspoon of salt

- 1/2 teaspoon of pepper

- 1/4 cup of soften butter

- 1/4 cup of chopped fresh parsley

- 2 tablespoons of honey mustard (I just use 1 tablespoon of dijon mustard and 1 tablespoon of honey)

Directions:
1. Mix together soften butter, parsley, and 2 tablespoons of honey mustard in a small bowl until blended. 
2. Line rack with foil. Place pork loin on rack and season with salt and pepper. Top each pork loin with about 1 tablespoon of butter herb mixture.
3. Place rack about 5 inches away from heat. Broil on high for about 12-15 minutes depending on the size of the pork loin. Insert a meat thermometer after 12 minutes in the thickest portion to see if it registers 155°. If not, please cook until the pork loin registers to 155-165. Set on serving platter to rest for about 5 minutes before serving. 

Everyday Lemon Bars

The gluttonous side of me came out this week as I made these lemon bars TWICE this week. In my defense we had friends over for dinner so I only had a piece from the first batch. One square just isn't enough, therefore I had to make another batch the next day, and well I had more of that batch myself.... 

You'll find that the crust is SUPER easy to make, just add all the dry crust ingredients into a food processor (we have a mini food processor and that worked just fine) pulse until blended, then add the butter and two tablespoons of water, pulse some more and viola you're done! It's THAT easy.

After the crust has chilled in the fridge and then baked for 40 minutes you can combine the filling and pour on top of the crust and bake for 12 minutes. Done.

This will soon be a favorite for gluten and non-gluten people everywhere!

*Make sure to use parchment paper as this will help with getting the lemon bars out nicely. 

** Use GF flour that you like, I tend to use tapioca flour and sorghum sweet because I have that on hand, but I will soon be testing out almond flour more. 

Everyday Lemon Bars

Ingredients:
(Crust)
- 1/2 cup of sorghum sweet flour (you can use white rice flour or almond flour or any flour really)
- 1/4 cup of tapioca flour
- 1/4 cup of corn starch
- 1/3 cup of powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon of xantham gum (not needed if you use GF all purpose flour)
- 1 stick of cold butter (cut up into smaller pieces)
(lemon goodness filling)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon of lemon zest
- 2 large eggs (I like to have them at room temp)
- 2 tablespoons of gf flour (I used tapioca flour, but you can use all purpose or almond or rice)
- 1/4 cup of lemon juice (1lemon)
- powdered sugar for decorative dusting.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line a 9inch baking pan with parchment paper. You'll need two pieces that hang over about an inch or two. Place them criss cross in the pan for easy removal.
1. Mix all the flour, powered sugar, corn starch, and xantham gum in the food processor. After it is blended well, add cut up cold pieces of butter. Pulse until there are no longer any large pieces of butter.
2. Add two tablespoons of water and pulse for another minute until the dough starts to form.
3. Take dough out of the food processor and roll into a ball. Place in pan and use fingers to push the dough as evenly as possible to the sides.
4. Place in refrigerator for 15 minutes.
5. After the 15 minutes, place in oven and bake for 40 minutes.
6. While the crust is baking. Add the 3/4 granulated sugar with the 1 tablespoon of lemon zest and mix together in a bowl. Set aside.
7. After the crust is done baking, remove from oven, and set aside to cool as you combine the filling.
8. Whisk eggs, lemon juice, and the 2 tablespoons of flour into the bowl that contains the sugar and lemon zest.
9. Whisk until completely smooth. Pour over crust.
10. Bake for another 14 minutes, gently shake the pan to make sure the filling does not jiggle anymore.
11. Set aside to cool. Then chill for 2 hours.
12. Dust with powdered sugar and ENJOY!!!

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Shrimp Curry with Quinoa

Until last summer I have never cooked anything with "curry" before because I always thought it was the type of meal that you needed all day to cook and didn't think I had enough special spices to make such a dish. Boy was I wrong!! This is one of the easiest and satisfying curry dishes ever! I've been known to add all sorts of different veggies to this dish, it really just depends on what we have in the fridge that week. So this time it was just shrimp, carrots, and orange bell peppers (which you can't see). 

* Potatoes are a great addition to this meal. (but we didn't have any or it would have made its way in)

** You can use brown or white rice for this dish as well, I'm just on a qunioa kick so we have been eating that with most of our meals. 

*** Try this with chicken if you're not a fan of shell fish.

For those that are using this recipe as a base and adding or substitute their own favorite ingredients, let me know how it goes as I am always up for trying a new variation! 

Shrimp Curry with Quinoa


Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon of canola oil
- 1/2 cup of chopped onion
- 1/2 cup of carrots
- 1/2 cup of chopped red or orange bell pepper
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons of cumin
- 1 tablespoon of curry powder
- 1 can of coconut milk (light if you have it, but any will do)
- 1 teaspoon of sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes (more or less depending on the level of spice you like)
- 1 lb of shrimp, peeled and deveined (we just defrosted some frozen ones from costco)
- 1-2 tablespoon of water
- salt and pepper to taste.
- cilantro to garnish (if you have any on hand, if not don't worry about it)


Directions:
1. Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add onion, red or orange pepper, carrots, and garlic. Saute until they soften for about 3 minutes.
2. Season with curry powder, cumin, red chili flakes. Cook for another minute.
3. Stir in can of coconut milk and 1 tablespoon of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for a few minutes.
4. Add shrimp and increase heat to medium. Cook until shrimp is cooked through, about 5 minutes. 
5. Use a clean spoon and do a taste test, salt and pepper as needed! Top with cilantro and enjoy!!

Brussels Spout Slaw with Walnuts

I'm determine to incorporate brussels sprouts into my weekly menu! Why? The answer is simple, I read somewhere that brussels sprouts help with cancer prevention. While I'm not the type of person to be SUPER careful about what I eat and don't always eat healthy foods, I will try my best to keep my meals nice and balanced. 


We've been eating a lot of asparagus lately so switching it up with brussels sprouts was a change I was ready to embrace. This slaw was surprisingly tasty for a cold dish. My brussels sprouts are usually sauteed or roasted so I didn't know what to expect. I think many of you will be surprised as well with this tasty version that I found in Bon Appetit. I changed it up a little and used walnuts instead of pecans and I sliced it thinly as I didn't have a food processor to slice the sprouts for me. 


This is also another dish you can make ahead of time to take to a dinner party or when you're hosting one at home as the longer it sits in the dressing, the better it tastes!! So go to the store and pick some up and start fighting cancer!!

Brussels sprout slaw with walnuts

Ingredients:

- 1 cup of walnuts

- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup

- 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus additional for seasoning

- 1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper

- 1/4 cup whole grain dijon mustard (regular dijon mustard was just fine)

- 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar

- 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

- 1 tablespoon of sugar

- 1/4 cup of vegetable oil

- 1.5 lbs of brussels sprouts, trimmed

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325. 

2. Whisk maple syrup, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Add walnuts, toss and coat well.

3. Spread in a single layer on a piece of parchment paper (or foil) lined baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes, stir. Continue to make for another 6 minutes until the glaze is bubbly. Take the nuts out of the oven and let cook completely. This can be done ahead of time. 

4. Whisk mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, and sugar in a small bowl. Whisk in oil. Season with salt and pepper. 

5. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a generous about of salt. Add brussels sprouts. Cook until they are crisp but tender (about 5 minutes). Drain. Rinse with cold water. Cool on paper towels.

6. Slice into 1/4 inch disks and transfer to a large serving bowl. Cover and let chill in refrigerator. 

7. An hour before you are about read to serve, toss brussels sprouts with enough dressing to coat (not all is needed). Let marinate for 30-60 minutes. Mix in nuts. Enjoy!!

Quinoa with Corn and Green Onions

For those that don't know what PINTEREST is you should consider yourself a lucky fool. Lucky cause you aren't wasting hours on end like the rest of us pinning things to boards (you'll get what I mean soon). Or a fool because it's a great site to get ideas and inspiration. As I stole the corn and green onion quinoa salad recipe right from someones food board.

The combination of the corn, green onion, and the lemon butter dressing totally brings it all together. We've been eating a lot of quinoa lately and I have to say this is by far my favorite combination for a side dish. This will now be my "go to" salad when people come over as it's easy to make and you can make it ahead of time!

Quinoa with Corn and Green Onion


Ingredients:
- 4 ears of corn, shucked
- 1 tablespoon of grated fresh lemon zest
- 2 table of fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup of melted unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon of honey
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
- 2 cups of uncooked quinoa
- 4 green onions, chopped


Directions:
1. Cook quinoa. 2 cups of uncooked quinoa to 4 cups of water. (Rinse before hand). Place into large pot and bring to a boil. After it reaches a boil, cover, and bring temp to a simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let it sit for 5 more minutes.
2. Place corn in a glass microwaveable safe dish and cover with saran wrap and cook for 3:33 minutes.
3. Once the corn is cool, cut the kernels off the cob.
4. Cut up green onions
5. Prepare the dressing. Whisk together lemon zest, lemon juice, melted butter, honey, salt and pepper in large bowl.
6. Toss quinoa, corn, green onion, and dressing together and serve. Enjoy!

Loving Cup SF

I could hardly believe that it was 65 and sunny outside today... perfect February day if you ask me!

Couldn't let this day go to waste so Lucy and I grabbed the to do list and walked towards town to pick up a few ingredients for the GF Valentines day treats that we will be making this coming week :) 

Well knowing that we would make a stop at Loving Cup SF, an all natural rice pudding and frozen yogurt shop. Almost everything they serve is gluten free and super yummy! Before going to Loving Cup for the first time I couldn't ever imagine eating rice in a dessert form. Now I can proudly claim that I'm a rice pudding fan! But since Lucy had been asking for "ice cream" for days now, we HAD to order the vanilla yogurt with coconut, english toffee, and nutella. 

Rice Pudding!!

Create your own frozen yogurt!

Toppings Toppings Toppings

The final decision!

Fan favorite side dishes: TRUFFLE asparagus and quinoa salad

This week we had the honor of gathering around the dining table to celebrate a friend's 30th birthday. The guest of honor brought his mother as his date, whom most of us will be meeting for the first time. Which meant I would be making my FAN FAVORITE: maple dill salmon, garlic herbed roasted potatoes, and this time I would be adding TWO new sides.... TRUFFLE oil asparagus and spicy corn pepper quinoa salad.

As a nanny I spend most of my days running around after a 2 year old toddler which leaves me with a small window of time before she gets into trouble. So keeping recipes simple without sacrificing the taste is really important. The truffle oil asparagus and quinoa salad were perfect additions as it took no time at all to prepare and it tastes amazing! 

*The truffle oil is not necessary, olive oil is perfectly fine. You can also add some grated parmesan cheese halfway through the baking time as well. 

** We got our truffle oil at Costco for about 15 dollars, it can almost be double that in specialty stores so if you see a deal, get it! 

Truffle Oil Asparagus - 20 minutes

- 1 lb of asparagus

- 1-2 tablespoon of olive oil

- salt and pepper to taste

- 2 tablespoons of truffle oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

1. Wash and trim asparagus

2. Please on baking sheet, coat with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

3. Bake for 20 minutes, toss halfway through cooking time.

4. Place on serving platter and drizzle with truffle oil. 

Spicy Corn and Pepper Quinoa Salad

- 1 cup of uncooked quinoa

- 1 cup of fresh or canned corn

- 1 red pepper, diced

- 1 jalapeno, diced

- salt and pepper to taste

- 3 tablespoons of olive oil

- fresh lemon juice, 1/2 of a lemon

Directions:

1. Cook quinoa. Bring 1 cup of uncooked quinoa and 2 cups of water to a boil in a sauce pan. Cover let it simmer on low for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let it continue to cook for 5 more minutes. Fluff with a fork. (this can all be done ahead of time and served at room temp)

2. Place cooked quinoa in serving bowl. Add corn, peppers, and jalapeno. 

3. Drizzle with olive oil, lemon, and salt and pepper. Make sure to give it a good mix before serving.

Divine Chocolate Souffles

Last night I recreated my "fan favorite"dinner with two new sides (check back later for the recipes) and my DIVINE CHOCOLATE SOUFFLES! My taste tester has described the souffles as "heavenly" and she would know as I made her eat several (7 to be exact) variations of chocolate souffles before I settled on this recipe.


I've tested it out with more sugar, less sugar, three egg yolks, two egg yolks, one egg yolk, no egg yolk, lemon, no lemon, salt, no salt, you name it. I've altered this recipe many times but the answer was very clear.... NO egg yolk, more sugar,  and yes to the pinch of salt.

Divine Chocolate Souffles (4-6 servings)
- 3/4 cup of bittersweet chocolate, chopped (semi-sweet is okay too)
- 3 egg whites
- 4 tablespoons of butter at room temperature, additional for ramekin
- 1/2 cup of sugar, additional for ramekin molds
- pinch of salt
- pinch of cream of tartar


Directions:
Preheat oven at 375 degrees.
1. Prepare ramekins. Slightly coat the inside of the ramekin with butter and sprinkle with sugar.
2. Place chocolate and butter in a heat-safe bowl and place over a small pot of simmering water. Stir until everything is melted and smooth. Add the pinch of salt, remove from heat and set aside to cool.
3. Beat the 3 egg whites along with a pinch of cream of tartar until they become frothy. Add in sugar and beat till mixture has reached stiff peaks.
4. Gently fold chocolate into egg white mixture.
5. Spoon souffle mixture into ramekins. Place ramekins on a baking sheet and add water so it lightly covers the baking sheet.
6. Bake for 22-24 minutes. Serve immediately with whipped cream and berries!