Rustic Bagels

(photo by kelley)

I have been wanting to make something bread-like for a long time and just have never gotten around to it. This week we had an extra pack of cream cheese in the fridge so i decided to make bagels!

I thought i was going to whip up the dough early afternoon, let it rise and then back. Little did i know they are incredibly labor intensive. It took hours of letting it rise, mixing new ingredients, letting it rise some more, shaping it, letting it rise some more... Then the next morning I had to boil them and THEN bake them. In the end I'm glad we made them; I think it's impressive to say you made your own bagels. Took some effort and they look a little rustic, but I think they still taste pretty good. (although they were supposed to be cinnamon and you can't really taste it)

here's the recipe:
http://www.browneyedbaker.com/2009/06/01/bba-cinnamon-raisin-bagels/

Stoup

Part 1 of story: Now I'm not usually a soup person but I was reading a magazine and there was a recipe. The writer said "I just through in any veggies I have." That's my kind of cooking.
Part 2 of story: I'm addicted to the food network. Unfortunately we don't have cable, so on all breaks from school I go home and watch it nonstop (along with E). Well Rachel Ray makes what she calls stoups, not quite a stew but thicker than soup. While I was making my version of soup, I realized it was a stoup.
Conclusion: I created my random stoup.

I first sauteed onions, celery, peppers, and garlic. Then added paprika, red peppers flakes, salt, and pepper and let it hang out a bit. Then added garbanzo beans and tomato paste. Lastly I added water, chicken bullion (not sure how to spell that) cube, frozen corn, and rice. Let it all simmer away for like 20 min and thats it!

Pizzas of nights past

So i recently went through my camera and found some old pictures i forgot to post. So here they are.

I mentioned before Kelley has gotten pizza dough from work. Well instead of pizza I made calzones. Delicious! However, it took me a while to roll out the dough. I attempt the whole toss and stretch in the air thing. Didn't work too well. In the end iI got it and filled them with cheese, mine was veggie and Kelley's had salami. My favorite part was the crust. I rubbed the outside with olive oil and added salt and spices, tasted just like a calzone from a restaurant (in my opinion).

This was our pizzas at a local restaurant. Everyone else ordered salads (including the men) but we wanted some "real" food. Mine was peperoni, pesto, tomato and Kelley's was pesto sausage. Nothing really out of the ordinary really, it was just good but sometimes that's all you need

Weekend food

I've heard of a place nearby called "Pops" and their known for grilled cheese sandwiches and milkshakes. Now I've wanted to go for a long time and when my dad visited this weekend, it was the perfect opportunity. I had "The Alpine Melt." It really isn't very attractive and i wasn't impressed when I saw it but it was amazing. It was gruyere and swiss cheese with roasted garlic, rosemary dressing and grapes... yes grapes. That would never have been my first choice in a grilled cheese but it worked perfectly, it was fresh and tart and it complemented the rich, herb-y sandwich. Definitely going to try this at home!

For a Valentine's Day treat, I made lemon cupcakes. I cheated a little and used box lemon cake mix and added red food coloring, Then made lemon cream cheese frosting. Since they were mini, over 70 were made. Had to give a lot away and may have eaten a few more than I should have...

Saturday Night

My favorite ways to spend a night is 1. cooking and 2. dancing. Luckily this Saturday we got to do both of them, sometimes at the same time. Some day I'm going to host a cooking show and just like Paula Dean is known for butter, I will be known for dancing while I cook.
Anyways, last night some people came over to the apartment and we enjoyed some good food, yummy wine and in the end our own mini dance party. What more could we ask for?

To start we had bruschetta. We just toasted some slices of baguette and topped them with chopped tomatoes, oilive oil and salt.
Then for the main meal we had pasta with sauteed peppers and pesto. Best part of the dish? Halfway through cooking the meal I realized all the ingredients started with "P"

(So I did put leftover tomatoes on my pasta do the triple P thing didn't last long I guess)

And last but not least dessert. Gelato!
Our friend brought three types of gelato. Lemoncello, Cafe Mocha, and my favorite (and Kelley's too) Tiramisu.


So that was our Italian feast. A great night with great people.

Ice Cream Surprise

So I was off at a reading group when Kelley and Andrea (photographer for this post) made ice cream. When Andrea found out about our new ice cream maker she made a request. Oreos. So here they were fulfilling her wish. It came out delicious of course, can't really go wrong with cookies and cream.
Oh and as for the surprise part, I didn't even know they took pictures until a couple days later. There I was uploading pictures from my camera when I see a series of oreos and bowls fly by the screen. Apparently Andrea borrowed the camera...

Foodie Blasphemy

I am addicted to McDonalds.
I know, I know its not the best food for you or the best quality but I can't help it. Ever since I was invited to a birthday party at McDonalds my destiny has been intertwined with the golden arches.That may sound like a bit much, but anyone who knows me, knows that a car trip is REQUIRED to have a meal at McDonalds. As I grew up, Saturday was always french fry and McNugget day. Although, I admit I have never had a hamburger, those just don't look good to me (its something about the bun, the bread looks too soft...), but give me some fries and I'll be your friend forever.

McDonalds all the way baby ;)