Waffle Saturday

Before I get to the main point of this post, I would just like to declare Saturday as "Waffle Saturday." I just want some sort of food project for Saturdays. This way, I can feel almost as if I'm baking.

Just so everyone knows, I realize it's Sunday. I didn't get to go to breakfast yesterday, so Waffle Saturday became Waffle Sunday. This will happen whenever I miss breakfast on Saturdays or if I just happen to forget (unlikely.)

So you know how you can be somewhere, doing something, and the second you leave you come up with this great idea that you could've used just thirty minutes before but then it's too late? Yeah, that happened to me at breakfast today.

I went to the dining hall today, ready to try out my friend's peanut butter banana waffle idea, but then decided it'd be too dry for my liking. Instead, I went to the topping bar to check out what was available. I spooned blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, and the juices they were sitting in all over my big, fluffy waffle. Whilst looking at my magnificent triple berry waffle, I felt there was something missing. I glanced back at the topping bar. I saw a lovely, white, fluffy substance staring back at me. Bingo! I scooped a spoonful of whipped cream on top of my berries and practically pranced to my friend's table.

This is when some serious innovation took over. I mixed the berries and whipped cream together to make an entirely new substance. I'll call it whipped cream with berries. Well anyway, I frosted my waffle with my new creation, making sure every crevice was thoroughly covered and moistened by the mixture. I then devoured my delicious waffle.

It wasn't until I had walked through the dining hall doors (point of no return) that my fabulous idea hit me. Prior to leaving the dining hall, I grabbed a banana to stash in my room for some other occasion. While leaving, I thought, "Darn! I probably should've grabbed a peanut butter packet. That would've been great with my banana." THE BANANA. MY WAFFLE. Nooooooooooo! (Proper pronunciation - low, in slow motion, like the movies.) My idea? Strawberry banana cream waffles. Now that would have been absolutely magical. I could've even used fresh strawberries with it! (healthier) I'm just going to have to wait for brunch on Saturday to give strawberry banana waffles a try. Then, on my way out of the dining hall, I'll come up with some other great waffle idea that I'll have to wait to try until the following Saturday. It'll be a vicious cycle. At least, I'll get some awesome waffles out of it.

On another note, I watched "Being John Malkovich" last night. It was one of the weirdest movies I've ever seen, but it was pretty good.

College Food

So, I'll admit it. I'm terrible at keeping up with this blog. I am happy to say though that for the past (almost) month, I've had a very good excuse. College. I am now in my freshman year and I do not have a kitchen at my disposal. This is very sad. I actually went to my boyfriend's  house and baked cupcakes last week. This was slightly unexpected and I still had a lot of homework to finish, so that explains why I did not update my blog.

On my way back from the dining hall today, I had an idea of what I could write on here. Although I cannot bake or cook, I can eat! And eat, I do. I have heard so many complaints about the dining halls here. Usually the complaint has something to do with there always being the same things brought out at each meal. This is not entirely true. The dining hall closest to my dorm has a sandwich station (YES. A sandwich station! This may not sound amazing, but someone makes the sandwich for you. All you have to do is say "I want blah blah blah," and presto! there it is.) At this station, you have the option between wraps and bread. The combined totals of options there equal about fifteen to twenty. You can get ciabatta bread, pita bread, white panini, wheat panini, italian... You name it, they probably have it. Then the meat options - roast beef, corned beef, bacon, turkey, ham...and more. You can choose between the vegetables, cheese,  and condiments that are usually available at Subway. To top it all off, you have the option of having your sandwich/wrap put into a panini press! I feel like I've been rambling on about the food at the dining hall forever and I've only covered the sandwich station. Can you believe people complain about this place?

Next is the salad bar. There isn't much variety to really be had in a salad bar, but the one here is (in my personal opinion) pretty awesome. The options for "leafy greens" include lettuce, spinach, and a spring mix. They have tomatoes, red peppers, carrots, cucumbers...the usual. That's only one half of the bar, though. The other half is frequently changed. Yesterday, they offered pitas and hummus in addition to hard boiled eggs, tuna salad, and a few other items I didn't stop to read up on. On top of this fantastic salad bar are options for dressings and croutons. Dressings tally in at at least ten a day - and those are changed too! So, let me see...so far I have covered the sandwich station and salad bar. Still not done.

Brick oven pizza. Need I say more? Today, I walked in and my jaw nearly hit the floor. Ten different types of pizzas were just sitting in front of me and more were coming straight out of the oven. It was a beautiful sight.

Now for the items that are "always the same." Healthy options, with the nutrition chart, are available everyday. These are grouped with the "hot meals" served in a buffet setup. I can't really go into detail about everything they offer, because it changes so much. This is how it works - two or three types of meat are available (sometimes they will be in the form of sweet and sour chicken, etc.) at least one cooked vegetable, usually two types of rice/grain, and they always have pasta with alfredo/marinara.

Next station! Soup. There are always two different types of soup available, complete with special soup spoons and bowls.

Drinks. Two types of Icees, three types of juices, plenty of soda, lemonade, iced black tea (sweetened and unsweetened) sweetened iced green tea, water, coffee, hot chocolate, cappuccino, hot water for tea are ALL just sitting there, waiting for you to drink them.

Desserts. The holy land. Chocolate, vanilla, and mixed frozen yogurt in your choice of a kid cone or sugar cone. Top it off with three different topping options. Sugar free desserts appear everyday along with four other types of desserts that range from cookies to brownies to cake to pie. And yes, those are different everyday, if not every meal.

I forgot to mention this - they have a massive jar of Nutella sitting in the dessert section, waiting for you to dig in.

Breakfast! I'll make this section quick because I have homework to do. The cereal bar includes varieties from Raisin Bran to Lucky Charms. Milk includes chocolate, skim, and 2%. The salad bar is turned into a fruit bar with fresh fruit, including strawberries, melon, and blueberries. Yogurt and granola are also available. The basics are always there too. Eggs, sausage, bagels, donuts, toast, english muffins, and BELGIAN WAFFLES can be eaten at will. The waffles even have their own topping station! It makes me drool just thinking about it. Mmmmm.....

Well, back to my main point. Can you believe people complain about this place? I've been going there all year, for nearly every meal and I haven't run out of options. There are at least six more places on campus to go eat, too. If they're not happy, they must be very picky.

I actually wanted to write this so I could follow it up with other posts about great options for college food. The great thing about all the options is that you can get creative when you want to! Today at breakfast, my friend made herself a waffle, then covered it in peanut butter, bananas, and peanuts. I was so envious. Now for homework! I'll try to write again within the next week!

Stuffed Mushrooms

Finally, I have made my way back to my blog after a very long break. Now that I don't have to worry about softball, graduation, or college orientation, I can get back to sharing my new recipes! I have frequently thought about this blog during my break, especially because my baking and cooking never took one. If anything, I've been in the kitchen more now than I was before I stopped updating the blog. My love for food lives on, even if my neglected blog does not show it.

I may have previously touched on the fact that I'm usually not a huge fan of mushrooms. I honestly can't eat them raw or cooked on their own. Okay, I can, I just really prefer not to. But, for some unknown reason, I crave things I don't necessarily like. Maybe it's because "stuffed" is in the title of the food. If something is stuffed, it can't be bad. It's an unwritten food rule that is rarely broken. It's like candy. Can candy be bad? Yes. Does it mess with your mind when it is? Yes. It's the reason candy corn has returned to us year after year for Halloween. Everyone sees it, thinks "Ooo, candy corn! That's a festive candy for Halloween, let's get it!" Then they eat three pieces and leave the rest to harden in a small serving bowl until Thanksgiving rolls around. Back to the point - This is when good things happen. I was planning on using certain ingredients for my stuffed mushrooms, so I started my search for recipes that included them. I wasn't very successful. Luckily, while unwrapping the mushrooms from their packaging, I found a recipe. It was located on the inside of the label. All of the ingredients were either on hand, interchangeable with what I wanted to use, or easily left out. Lucky me.

And so the cooking began. It was glorious. I knew from the second I tasted the filling that I had created something yummy. I couldn't stuff enough into the little portobello caps and there was still plenty leftover. The cheese wasn't too overpowering and the mushrooms were cooked just right. I found myself craving more afterwards, but this time it was a craving for something I did like. Yum!


Stuffed Mushrooms
makes 6

Ingredients:
6 baby portobellos, stems removed and chopped
2 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup chopped onion
8oz. ground turkey
poultry seasoning
1/2 cup smoked gouda cheese, shredded
1/4 tsp garlic powder
dash cayenne

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F.

Place caps on a baking sheet, open side down, and drizzle with 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil. Roast for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the onions and mushroom stems in the remaining olive oil until tender. Remove and place in a bowl to cool. When mushroom caps are done, remove and flip over. Set aside. Cook turkey in the same frying pan. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning, to taste. Cook through. Add to the bowl of mushroom stems and onions. Add garlic powder, cayenne, and gouda. Mix well. Put mixture in caps (pile it high!) and sprinkle with more shredded gouda. Cook in oven for 15-20min.

Green Smoothie

I have seen these smoothies all over the place. Between food blogs, Pinterest, and Stumbleupon, I think I've probably seen at least fifty different recipes for them. Some recipes turn out to look more like puke than a green smoothie, though. If you care about what color your smoothie will be, pay attention to the fruits you decide to use! For example, if you want a bright green smoothie like the one shown above, only use green or yellow fruits. I made a smoothie with bananas and strawberries earlier this week and it ended up looking awful. Speckled and everything. I liked it, but the visual aspect of it was hard to get over.

Very occasionally, being in a rush can be beneficial for recipes. I stress the "very occasionally" part of the last sentence. I had to get out of the house quickly this morning and had a hard time deciding what to put in my smoothie. I grabbed the usual - baby spinach and water. Then, I had a hard time deciding which fruit combinations would lead to a smoothie with a good taste and appealing color. I peeled a banana and threw it in. All other fruits in the kitchen either had another purpous for a later date or were just too difficult to prepare in the short amount of time I had (I'm looking at you, pineapple). I threw in some crushed ice and began blending. The outcome was not too thick, not too thin, and just banana-y enough for me.


Green Smoothie
serves one


Ingredients:

two small handfuls of baby spinach
one banana
scant cup of water
about 1/3 cup of crushed ice


Directions
Put the spinach, water, banana, and ice into the blender. Put the spinach in first to make blending it easier. Blend until smooth and enjoy!

Green Velvet and Bailey's Irish Cream Cake Balls

I love having reasons to bake treats. I look for them constantly. The only problem is that even though I make half-recipes, (one time I quartered one) I still have way too much cake, cookies, etc, for me and my dad to eat. Well, we'd have absolutely no problem whatsoever finishing off everything, but we enjoy not gaining a ton of weight. So, I've taken to making half-recipes and taking half of the recipe I make into school. No one complains...much. I have one friend who barely ever misses school, until I bake something and bring it in. On those days, she always ends up being absent. Today, that happened again. I might just have to bake something everyday so she'll eventually get to try some of my creations. Oh, darn.

I baked these cake balls for St. Patrick's Day. I know, I know, St. Patrick's Day isn't until Saturday, but I don't have school on Friday. So, today was the last day to bring in my festive little treats. They went fast. That's the way food and school work. If someone has food, people flock to them. It doesn't matter if you know them well or not, they want your food. And they will get said food if they bug you enough. Some people take the sneaky approach to getting it. One girl waited until the inital hoard of people went away, then casually walked up to me and asked about a homework assignment. She then engaged in nice small talk. I don't think much more than a minute went by before she was asking for food. How do you say no to that? Even if I don't want to give someone something, I usually do it anyway because I feel too bad about saying no. The only way I'm able to refuse someone is if I'm saving whatever I have for a friend I haven't seen yet. Today, I actually did try saying no to a few boys in one of my classes because they told me I was going to give them a cake ball. Then, they begged. I gave in. It doesn't matter though - it helps me more than anything. I don't have to worry about eating the cake balls myself now!


Green Velvet Cake

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
1 cup oil
1 cup buttermilk
1 Tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 oz green food coloring

green sprinkles (optional)
white candy coating (I used the Kroger brand)


Directions
Heat the oven to 350F. Mix all of the dry ingredients together and set aside. Mix all of the wet ingredients together (except the food coloring) and set aside. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients gradually, while beating on low speed. When incorporated, add in the green food coloring. It will be very green. Pour into a baking dish (I used 9x9) and bake for 25-35min. Check the cake with a tester before removing from the oven.


Bailey's Irish Cream Buttercream

Ingredients:

2 sticks butter, at room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar
4 tablespoons Bailey's Irish Cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions
Combine all ingredients and mix until creamy. If the frosting is a little runny, don't worry about it - it's going to go into the cake anyway.


To Assemble:
Let the cake cool. Then crumble it in a big bowl. Add the buttercream until you get the right consistency. (The cake balls should be able to hold their shape.) Roll the cake into balls about the size of a golf ball. Set on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Place the cake balls in the freezer for 20-30 minutes, or until firm. At this point, you can continue on to dipping them or you can take them out and rid the balls of imperfections (bumps, creases, etc.) If you do the latter, refreeze the cake balls afterwards. Melt the candy coating. Place a cake ball in the candy and coat it. Don't roll the ball! You don't want to get green crumbs in the white candy coating. Pick up the cake ball using a fork and tap the fork on the side of the bowl. This will smooth the candy coating and get rid of excess coating. Place the cake ball back on the baking sheet lined with wax paper. Sprinkle with green sprinkles. Repeat with the rest of the cake balls, then place in the freezer or fridge to harden. 


Sources
Recipe Girl
Love From the Oven

Moroccan Chickpeas

If you don't like chickpeas, the least you can do is make this recipe for the smell. My kitchen smells heavenly. I have never had chickpeas before, but let me tell you, they are awesome. They get nice and crunchy when cooked. (Some didn't get crunchy, and they were very yummy too.) The spices work wonders for them. These chickpeas are good to eat by themselves or on salad. By themselves, they are a nice salty snack that's full of protein.


Moroccan Chickpeas
serves 3-4


Ingredients:

1 can (15 oz.) chickpeas
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoons allspice
1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (optional)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoons cayenne powder (or more if you like spicy food)
1/8 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon sea salt


Directions
Heat oven to 400°F
Drain the chickpeas. Coat with the olive oil and set aside. In a small bowl, mix all of the spices together. Sprinkle over the chickpeas and stir to coat evenly.

Spread the chickpeas in a single layer on a baking sheet and cook for thirty minutes, stirring them about half way through. Make sure they aren't soft when the thirty minutes is up. If they aren't, put them back in the oven. You only want the center to be a little bit soft. After cooling, the chickpeas will be crispier.  

Simple Hot Chocolate

I was in the mood for hot chocolate today, but I didn't want to have to go out and buy a big box of powdered mix. My first thought was to grab the cocoa powder out of the cupboard and the packets of splenda off of the table. I poured them haphazardly into my cow mug (complete with udders) filled with warm milk and stirred it together. I was fairly satisfied with what I created. This is a very quick and easy way to make hot chocolate. It is also much less expensive than buying mixes at the store. Using skim milk and splenda reduces the amount of calories, making this a lighter version of the creamy, chocolatey drink that everyone loves.

Simple Hot Chocolate
serves one


Ingredients:

1 1/2 milk (skim for a lighter version)
1 1/2 cocoa powder
2-3 packets of splenda

Directions
Heat milk in the microwave for 50 seconds. Mix in cocoa powder and splenda. (You may have to squish clumps of cocoa up against the side of the mug.) Heat in the microwave for another 30-45 seconds.