recipe Archives - Page 10 of 15 - The Sarcastic Blonde

:: crack of the week : positano pesto ::

October 6, 2015

:: crack of the week : positano pesto ::

when we were in Italy, we ate more delicious and heavenly food than I could list.

but don’t worry I’ll attempt to list all of it in the future 🙂

when we were in Positano, we had some of the most amazing pesto dishes…..in particular, one at Tre Sorelle and another at Buca di Bacco. both are right along the water on the main little beachfront strip in Positano.

we sat right there (where the man in the red shirt is standing) and had a gorgeous view of the water and people watching while we ate.

the downstairs has their casual bar and pizza place

Buca di Bacco also has hosts cooking classes and although we didn’t take one, we saw that they had their pesto recipe posted on a little board when we were leaving dinner. While I can’t promise it will taste as good as it does there it definitely will be delicious! (I do not understand how the most simple ingredients taste like the most incredible bites of heaven over there!) Also, I know that a pesto recipe would have come in far more handy during summertime when everyone has 90 pounds of basil, butttttt I didn’t have it then so deal with it.

:: Buca di Bacco Pesto ::

images

:: Ingredients ::

30 – 40 basil leaves, with the stems removed

the smaller the leaf, the sweeter the pesto

1 clove of garlic for every 30 basically leaves

30 grams pine nuts (a little more than 1 ounce)

40 grams freshly grated parmesean cheese(a little more than 1.5 ounces)

30 grams grated pecorino cheese

150 ml olive oil (5 ounces)

salt for seasoning

1 small boiled potato, peeled (this makes the pesto creamy and prevents it from turning brown)

:: Directions ::

1. Gently wash the basil leaves, being careful not to crush them. Lay them on a paper towel to try naturally. Do not press or pat the leaves.

2. Peel and roughly chop garlic.

3. Add the pine nuts to the blender or food processor. The reason we process them first is they require more time and a high speed to break up properly. We do not want to add the basil at this stage otherwise it will be over blended and the heat generated by the friction of the blender will alter the color and fragrance of the basil.

4. Once you have blended the pine nuts, add the basil leaves and garlic.

5. Start blending at a low speed. At the same time, gradually pour in the olive oil. Add a small amount of salt to season.

6. Add the pecorino and parmesan cheeses. Add the small potato.

7. Blend until smooth.

thanks to google I found this picture of their pesto, and the fried zucchini flowers stuffed with mozzarella were amazing!

PS to me the name of the restaurant sound exactly like the Family Guy where he speaks italian and is just like BAKADEBUPI. BOOBA DE BEECI.

Lifestyle, recipe

:: crack of the week : 4th of July Edition ::

June 30, 2015

I seriously cannot believe the 4th of July is this weekend,

and not just in a regular “I can’t believe it!” but because I have been still wearing jeans and sweaters at night here in Chicago.

Mama needs to break out all of her dress wardrobe at some point, and I have been patiently waiting for about 11 months now! Good Lord! AH! Profanities Galore!

My skin is practically translucent and there isn’t enough self tanner in the world to help me at this point.

anyways……..

So you may remember I posted about my friends Watermelon Feta Salad that she made for her Memorial Day BBQ. It was so adorable and also so tasty and refreshing.

I found another version that looks equally delicious, but possibly more because it has more cheese – and mainly : mozzarella. I love caprese salad and mozzarella, so I’ll be making this version for a different twist for our 4th of July BBQ.

:: watermelon caprese with balsamic glaze ::

recipe via skinnytaste

Servings: 8 • Size: 1 salad • Old Pts: 3 pts • Weight Watcher Points+: 3 pt

Calories: 119 • Fat: 7.5 g • Carb: 7 g • Fiber: .4 g • Protein: 5.5 g • Sugar: 6.5 g

Sodium: 90 mg • Cholesterol: 20 mg

Ingredients:

1/2 red seedless watermelon, sliced 1/2 inch thick (calculated with 16 oz)
8 thin slices fresh mozzarella (1 oz each)
1 loose cup baby arugula
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt
2 tbsp balsamic glaze

Directions:

Use a 4-inch star-shaped cookie cutter (or any shape) and cut 16 stars out of the watermelon (about 1 oz each). Save the excess watermelon for another use.

Arrange the watermelon on a platter, then layer with cheese, arugula, 1/4 tsp olive oil and a pinch of salt on each. Top with a final star, drizzle each with balsamic glaze and serve.

a simpler option, for a little less work or lack of a star shaped cookie cutter,

just cube the feta and watermelon and display in the shape of the flag with a side of blueberries

{blueberry watermelon + feta flag}

some of my other favorite summer sides can be found under the recipe tab above..
a few years ago I made my Layered Mexican Salad for a big party we had for the 4th and it was a hit.
I also love this cold Greek Tortellini Salad. Any pasta salad is a must in my book for a BBQ.

My sister is coming in town to stay with us for the weekend!
It will be the first time she’s been to our new place so I’ll be cleaning and prepping for her arrival Thursday and for a fun weekend of festivities.
lets just say she still talks about how gross my first post-college apartment was with my girlfriends…. and she’s not exactly wrong, it was like a frat house…. but in our defense we were having way too much fun and going out way too much to care about housework…. so there is extra pressure to make sure it’s “grown up married lady pretending I’m an adult clean”.

Lifestyle, recipe

crack of the week :: ina’s spaghetti & spicy turkey meatballs

April 7, 2015

y’all when I say this is the greatest spaghetti and meatballs, I am telling no lies.

pasta is my favorite food ever. (well….. its a tie between pasta and cheeseburger & fries…. but seriously other than french fries it is the pasta).

I am 10x more of a salty/carby person than a sweets person.

unfortunately, my husband could care less about pasta of any kind (I’ve told you all before he must have been abudcted by aliens because basically no food excites him, he just sees everything as equal food. makes. me. crazy.)

I was home almost once a month while we were engaged last year – I’d fly home from work Thursday night to spend the whole weekend; it was a great excuse to combine wedding planning with seeing my nephew and also to escape the miserable Chicago winter.

almost every time, my sister would make this recipe for Ina’s Spaghetti and Meatballs.

they are SO GOOD. it is such comfort food it is crazy. if you love spaghetti and meatballs, this will become your go to recipe I promise.

my mom and I made them for Easter dinner, but they didn’t taste as good as when my sister makes them.

(food always tastes so much better when someone else makes it for you. and, of course, she just makes a mean meatball)

they are technically called turkey meatballs, but that makes them sound all healthy and bland and basic.

you know ina wouldn’t do that to you. or jeffrey. ina’s not basic.

there is turkey, a whole lot of spicy sausage, and also proscuitto in these bad boys.

RESPECT.

two things :

one : you MUST use Rao’s pasta sauce. Ina says it and I say it. Their pasta sauce is the greatest thing in the world. when you see that the recipe calls for 3 jars of Rao’s sauce you’ll be thinking “ok crazy pants lay off the sauce” but we actually ended up using almost all of it…… don’t judge, ina said to.

two : this makes a LOT of meatballs, so you will have leftovers, or it is perfect for feeding a big group. our batch made about 38 but it will vary of course depending on how consist you are with rolling them.

Ina’s Spicy Turkey Meatballs

recipe and image via food network/ina garden

Ingredients
3 cups (1-inch diced) bread cubes from a round rustic bread, crusts removed (we used breadcrumbs to make it a little faster)
2/3 cup whole milk
2 pounds ground turkey (85-percent to 92-percent lean)
1/2 pound sweet Italian pork sausage, casings removed
4 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, finely chopped (use the mini food processor to make it so easy and fast)
1 cup freshly grated aged Asiago cheese
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons good olive oil, plus extra for brushing the meatballs
2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
3 (24-ounce) jars good marinara sauce, such as Rao’s (a lot, but get it all and re-jar whatever you don’t use)
2 pounds dried spaghetti, such as De Cecco
Freshly grated Parmesan (or Asiago) cheese, for serving

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.

Place the bread in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process until the bread is in medium crumbs. Transfer the crumbs to a small bowl and add the milk. Set aside for 5 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the turkey, sausage, prosciutto, bread mixture, Asiago, parsley, oregano, red pepper flakes, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper. Lightly combine the ingredients with your hands. Add the 3 tablespoons of olive oil and the eggs, and stir lightly with a fork to combine.

With your hands, lightly roll the mixture into 2-inch-round meatballs and place them on the prepared sheet pans. Brush the meatballs with olive oil. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the tops are browned and the centers are completely cooked.

Pour the marinara sauce in a large, low pot, add the meatballs, and bring to a simmer.

Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water according to the directions on the package. Drain and place the spaghetti in individual bowls, and top with 3 meatballs and lots of sauce. Serve with Parmesan cheese on the side.

I didn’t take a picture of my heaping bowl o’ pasta, #bloggerfail
but here we are rolling and prepping.

make this for your next dinner party and you will make your friends sick because they won’t be able to stop eating and then they will feel awful because their stomach hurts so bad but they will love you and tell you so while they unbutton their pants.

if you really want to kill ’em, follow it up with ina’s chocolate cake and they will have to roll themselves out of there and you can be like YOU’RE WELCOME.

Lifestyle, recipe

:: crack of the week ::

March 17, 2015

a few weeks ago when I needed a gluten free dessert to take to a friends (where someone was gluten free obviously) and I came across this chocolate ricotta ice box cake.

turns out it may be a perfect little treat for an easter brunch

THE jewel was as helpful as ever with not having chocolate wafers,

so the next best thing was auntie annie’s little bunny wafers.

this dessert is perfect for those of you that love chocolate but want something more savory than sweet.

another great part, it takes only 30 minutes to make and it’s meant to be made ahead. you can make it up to two days in advance. perfect for an easter brunch!

:: chocolate ricotta ice box cake ::

recipe from martha stewart

INGREDIENTS

- Nonstick cooking spray
- 14 ounces semisweet chocolate (do not use chips)
- 2 containers (15 ounces each) part-skim ricotta cheese, room temperature
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 package (9 ounces) chocolate wafers (about 44 cookies)*
- *or a box of aunt annie’s bunny wafers
- ** springform pan

DIRECTIONS

Prepare pan: Remove sides from a 9-inch round springform pan (see note, below). Place a sheet of waxed paper over bottom, leaving an overhang; lock sides onto bottom, firmly securing paper. Spray inside of pan with cooking spray; line sides with a strip of waxed paper 28 inches long and 4 inches wide.
Make chocolate-ricotta mixture: Break 12 ounces of chocolate into pieces. Place in a heatproof medium bowl set over, not in, a pan of simmering water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until chocolate has melted, 8 to 10 minutes.
In a food processor, blend ricotta until very smooth, about 1 minute, scraping down sides of bowl. Add warm chocolate; blend until smooth. In a large bowl, beat cream until stiff peaks form. With a rubber spatula, gently fold in chocolate-ricotta mixture.
Assemble cake: Arrange half the cookies in an overlapping pattern to cover bottom of pan. Spoon half the chocolate-ricotta mixture on top of cookies; smooth top. Cover with remaining cookies; top with remaining chocolate-ricotta mixture, and smooth top. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate at least 6 hours and up to 2 days.
Before serving, release sides of pan and remove waxed paper from sides. Using bottom piece of waxed paper, pull cake onto a platter; with a metal spatula, lift cake and remove waxed paper. Using a vegetable peeler, shave remaining 2 ounces chocolate over top of cake. With a knife dipped in hot water, cut cake into 10 slices (wipe off knife, and dip in hot water after each slice).

after refrigerating it turns into a deeper, redder brown.

Lifestyle, recipe

:: crack of the week ::

February 17, 2015

I’m sharing a couple crack worthy recipes this week!

For Valentine’s Day we made the following:

Better than Take Out Chicken Pad Thai

and

My Girl Ina’s Chocolate Cake with Whipped Mocha Frosting

and I decorated my food photography with sweet $1.00 decorations I found at THE jewel as chicagoans call it –aka- the worst grocery store in the world

where you get home and even though you picked through 9,000 pounds of produce to try to find something fresh you cut into your red onion and it is DISGUSTING what you see inside of it and you curse yourself for ever buying anything there in the first place.

but I digress………. we’re talking about yummy food here……

We absolutely loved both. The pad thai was easy to make and it was fun to recreate one of our favorite take out meals at home. The chocolate cake was hands down the BEST cake I ever made and one of the best cakes in general I’ve ever had. Kip likes his frosting a little bit thicker, so I’ll alter the frosting recipe for him next time (I like it light and fluffy and whipped so it was perfect the way it was to me and I wouldn’t change a thing) but the chocolate cake itself was so rich and moist and I could seriously go on and on. We made ourselves sick Saturday night AND Sunday night eating it and eventually had to toss the tiny bit that was left in the trash because we have no damn self control.

it was a full blown miranda on SATC dish soap/trashcan moment.

:: Barefoot Contessa Beatty’s Chocolate Cake and Frosting ::

my sweet husband frosted the cake and everything.

(insert tune of “that’s effin teamwoorrkkkkkk)

recipe via barefoot contessa

Cake Recipe

Butter for greasing the pans

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans

2 cups sugar

¾ cups good cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup buttermilk, shaken

½ cup vegetable oil

2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

Chocolate Frosting

6 ounces good semisweet chocolate such as Callebaut

½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 extra-large egg yolk, at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1¼ cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

1 tablespoon instant coffee powder

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Place one layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.

Chocolate Frosting

Chop the chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until just melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating for 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, gradually add the confectioners’ sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy. Dissolve the coffee powder in 2 teaspoons of the hottest tap water. On low speed, add the chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended. Don’t whip! Spread immediately on the cooled cake.

image

:: Better than Take Out Pad Thai ::

recipe via Rachel Shultz

8 ounces pad thai noodles*

2 eggs

1 batch of Pad Thai Sauce (Recipe Below)

3 cooked chicken breasts, sliced

1 cup bean sprouts

1 cup cilantro

3 green onion, sliced

1/2 cup chopped peanuts

*THE jewel options were limited, they had fettucine, so whatever, worked for me 🙂

Pad THai SAuce :

whisk the following together :
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sriracha
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons brown sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

Prepare noodles according to package instructions.

Meanwhile, scramble eggs for about 2 minutes and set aside.

In a large skillet, combine noodles, chicken, and sauce.

Top with bean sprouts, cilantro, green onion, and peanuts.

Lifestyle, recipe

food + love.

February 9, 2015

valentine’s day is right around the corner.

the way to a man’s heart
(and mine, and any person I want to hang out with)
is through their stomach.

we all know this to be true.

Getting/giving gifts for Valentine’s day is for some not for all, but everyone agrees that delicious treats are always perfect for your Valentine, wether it be your friends or your boyfriend.
and most important, it doesn’t have to be a couples only holiday.
(my favorite valentines dates are always the brunches and dinners with girlfriends. don’t tell)

Instead of a box of chocolates where you take a bite of everything, spit it out, and put the other half back in the box, get your loved one(s) something they will LOVE.

ship + dip, a company I love that specializes in the best of the best for condiments/sauces/dips/you name it

has a special “Could This Be Love” box for Valentine’s Day.

I got the box and lemme tell ya; YES it’s love.

The toffee has already disappeared in a span of 24 hours (shocker),
and needless to say my husband gives it his full approval.

The box ships for FREE, and if you order by Noon tomorrow, Tuesday February 10th for guaranteed Valentine’s Delivery.

The BANGIN’ box includes the following :

Sea Salt Caramel Sauce with White Chocolate by Izzybelle Chocolate Sauce – 10 oz.
Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Toffee Fondue Dessert Sauce by Tall Grass Toffee – 10 oz.
Raspberry Jalapeño Dip by KC Classic Gourmet – 12 oz.
Milk Chocolate Almond Toffee candy by Tall Grass Toffee – 6.5 oz.

once the toffee was demolished in 2 seconds flat,
I wanted to use something to spice up our usual weekend pancakes.
note to self: perhaps the mound of pancakes every weekend is the secret reason why the scale won’t budge
the izzybelle sea salt caramel sauce was the perfect addition for sweet + savory breakfast.

I crack myself up with my photo staging.

like, “oh, put your totally unrelated to anything homegoods topiary in the picture (WHAT?!) and suddenly it won’t be ugly. oh wait…. still ugly but now theres a green bush next to the pancakes.

I did a plate of larger pancakes since the tiny hearts wouldn’t be enough food for my man friend 🙂 #awfulfoodphotographyskills

go over to ship + dip’s website to check out the special Valentine’s Day box, as well as their other monthly subscription boxes and incredible foodie-lover-finds!!!