Recipe #219: Avocado-Olive Dip with Fresh Basil & Sun-Dried Tomatoes

If you're looking for a quick & easy-to-make hors d'œuvre platter to bring to a holiday gathering, here's the perfect party dip to serve alongside cut-up, raw veggies (i.e., crudités). It's something a little bit out-of-the-ordinary, instead of just serving the usual ranch or blue cheese dressing-based dip. Plus, with a lot of crowd-pleasing ingredients, it's bound to be a surefire hit with the guests!

Avocado-Olive Dip with Fresh Basil & Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Ingredients:
1/2 c. avocado, smashed with a fork (about 1 small Haas avocado)
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese, shredded
1 Tbsp. fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley, finely minced
1 Tbsp. fresh basil, roughly torn & tightly packed
1 Tbsp. scallions (including greens) (about 1 small scallion)
2 Tbsp. Kalamata olives, pitted & diced
2 Tbsp. sun-dried tomatoes, diced into 1/4" squares
salt, to taste*
ground black pepper, to taste

Directions: Using a fork, thoroughly mash together avocado with lemon juice & Parmesan in a medium-sized bowl. Next add parsley, basil, & scallions & continue to mash until well-combined. Next, add olives & sun-dried tomatoes, season with salt & pepper (to taste), & once more mash everything together. Chill until ready to serve. Dip can be chilled overnight or for several hours if you'd like to make it in advance. Transfer to a small serving dish (i.e., ramekin, glass custard dish) and place into the center recess of a crudité party platter with dividers. Serve & enjoy!

Yield: About 1 c., or 1 ramekin-sized portion.

Chef's Notes: Be sure to add the lemon juice to the avocado mixture right after you scoop out the avocado, which will prevent oxidation, & hence discoloration of the avocado.

*There are already lots of salty ingredients in this dip -- the Parmesan, the olives, etc. -- so use the salt sparingly, or if preferred, simply omit it. I used just a pinch, or 1/16 tsp. to be precise, and found that to be the perfect amount.

Variations: To shake things up, you could also try substituting cracked green olives for the Kalamata olives or try using a mixture of different varieties.

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Title: Tiramisu Recipe

Recipe and instructions for the wonderful Italian dessert, Tiramisu (with zabaglione - no raw eggs).
Please note - I do not have an alcohol-free version of this recipe. The dish measures about 36cm x 22cm x 8cm (approx 14in x 8.5in x 3in).
People purporting to be Italian keep leaving comments that 'the original recipe' doesn't cook the eggs, or doesn't use Marsala, or doesn't use Kahlua. However I have been assured by many other Italians that they do. I've done my research and there does not seem to be any 'original recipe', or even any agreed-upon origin of the dessert. But whoever it was who first came up with this I am grateful to them for by any other name it would still taste as sweet ;-)

Title: Roti, Chapati (Flat Indian Bread) Recipe by Manjula

http://www.ManjulasKitchen.com
INGREDIENTS:
This recipe makes 4 Roti's:
1/2 Cup Whole wheat flour
Pinch of Salt
1/4 Cup and 1 tablespoon of luke warm water
1/4 teaspoon of Oil
1 teaspoon of Ghee or clear butter
Please send comments to: ManjulasKitchen@yahoo.com

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Nut Bars

Are you ready for some nutty deliciousness? That's what I thought. This recipe is from the shelf of my mother-in-law so I have high expectations to meet. Oops! I mean I am a single player and get lots of different fine ladies every night, bitch. The simplicity of this recipe is what makes it so great. There are no 'hints of lavender' or 'edible flowers' involved. Just nut. So get ready to bite off a piece of tasty goodness. Let's begin:

Start by making a pie crust. Omit the salt and use 2tbl of sugar. Push it into a 9x9 pyrex. This is much more difficult to accomplish than I anticipated. DO NOT form dough into an oblate spheroid as this will make it even harder. Ease the dough into the pyrex with your hands and make sure it is spread out evenly. You don't want it all lumpy like your freakishly shaped head. Bake it at 350 deg for 25 minutes.

Wait for crust to cool slightly. Mix 1 1/2c brown sugar, 1c walnuts, 2tbl flour, 1tsp vanilla, and 2 eggs in a large bowl (I saw you reaching for a plate). Pour over crust and spread it out. Make sure it is even dumbass. Bake at 325 deg for 35 minutes or something like that. My recipe says 25 minutes but that was definitely not the case for me so fuck that.

Here is the finished product generations in the making. "What the hell is that compression mark in the center. That sure ruined your nuts." Hey! That mark, idiot, is where I stuck the knife in to see if it was done. I typically do not have to use this rudimentary technique but since the timing was off on the recipe I had to just to make sure I was right, and I was. Suck it.

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Title: Date Nut Bars

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Recipe #131: Star-Spangled Strawberry Mousse Tartlets Decorated with Fresh Seasonal Berries

As promised, here's another recipe to celebrate the Fourth of July. This one's a unique creation that you're unlikely to find anywhere else. :) Enjoy!

Star-Spangled Strawberry Mousse Tartlets Decorated with Fresh Seasonal Berries

Crust Ingredients:
2 c. hazelnuts, crushed
2 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. orange juice
2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground clove
1/2 tsp. salt
unbleached, all-purpose flour (for dusting)

Mousse Ingredients:
1 c. cold water
2 packets unflavored (i.e., Knox) gelatin
2. frozen strawberries
1 c. nonfat plain yoghurt
4 Tbsp. honey

Decorative Ingredients:
40 fresh blueberries, or 10 blueberries per tart
20 fresh red raspberries, or 5 red raspberries per tart

Kitchen Equipment & Supplies:
food processor
blender
non-stick rolling pin
nylon/silicone spatula (the kind used for spreading & scraping ingredients)
large pancake turner (also sometimes called a spatula as well)
5" star-shaped cookie cutter mold(s)
1-2 metal baking tray(s)
aluminium foil
wax paper

Directions: To make crust: Pour hazelnuts into a food processor & pulse until finely ground into almost a flour-like consistency (or as close to it as possible!). Add remaining crust ingredients (except for flour!) and continue to pulse until thoroughly combined. Dough should be thick and stick together; do not over-mix or crust will be too hard when baked.

Remove dough, scraping out remaining bits with a spatula. Form a dough ball & then place it upon a clean even surface that's been uniformly floured. (You might want to first cover your countertop with wax paper to make clean-up easier & faster.) Flour a non-stick rolling pin & and roll out the dough ball until it's about 1/4" thick, always starting from the center outward, to form a oblong shape, long & wide enough to cut out 4 star-shapes. Flour inside walls of star-shaped cookie cutter mold(s) & cut out 4 stars. (If you've only got one mold, you'll obviously have to repeat the cookie-cutting process four-times.) You might need to use a knife or your fingers to cut away the excess dough. If you'd like a thicker crust, take the excess dough & press it into the cookie cutter mold(s) until it's uniformly spread across the inside of the mold(s). (Or, alternatively, reserve dough for another recipe or use to make additional star-shaped crusts for more mousse tartlets.)

When you've finished making the shapes, carefully remove the dough from the cookie cutter(s). You may need to press the cookie cutter(s) down as you lift up the mold to extract the dough. Use a large pancake turner to transfer crusts to a large, aluminium foil covered metal baking sheet. (You may need to use 2 baking sheets if the crusts won't fit onto one sheet.) Place baking sheet(s) into an oven preheated to 350°F and bake crusts for about 15-20 minutes, or until golden-brown.

Please note: The tart dough can be made ahead & refrigerated until you're ready to bake the crust.

To make the mousse filling: While crusts are baking, pour 1 c. cold water into a small sauce pot. Add 2 packets of unflavored gelatin & let stand for 1-2 minutes. Heat on medium-high for 2 minutes, until dissolved. Let cool until gelatin is warm but not piping hot, about 2-3 minutes. While gelatin is cooling, add frozen strawberries, yoghurt, (4 Tbsp.) & honey to a blender. Then add gelatin mixture, using a spatula to scrape out residual gelatin from the bottom & sides of the pot. Pulse until smooth & frothy. Pour into a Pyrex glass or metal 9"x13" pan & refrigerate until gelatin mousse has fully set, about 20-30 minutes.

To assemble the desserts: When crusts have finished baking, remove them from oven & let them cool. Set aside. When crusts have cooled enough to touch them, peel them off of foil & using a large pancake turner, transfer to plates.

Remove mousse from fridge and use cookie cutter to cut out 4 star-shapes. After you've pressed down to cut out the shapes, you might need to wiggle the mold back & forth a bit to create a delineated negative space, so that a spatula can fit underneath. :)

Using a spatula, carefully lift each star shape, one at a time, & transfer to corresponding star crusts. Try to line up each star shape so that it lays directly on top of crust. Using a knife scrape away any excess gelatin from sides.

Gently wash berries and thoroughly pat dry. It's very important that the berries be completely dry before you transfer them to the mousse, or else they'll slip right off.  Trust me, this knowledge was gained through previous experience. :) Decorate each tart with berries as shown in above photo, or feel free to create your own design.  Serve immediately.

Yield: Serves 4. (Makes 4 individual portions/tartlets.)

Chef's Notes: Don't worry if you're unable to cut out exactly 4 shapes from the mousse. I could only cut out 3 complete shapes without overlapping the cookie-cutter cut-outs. Just take the remaining mousse, purée once more in the blender, & then allow the mixture to set for another 20-30 minutes.

The other alternative is to use slightly smaller star-shaped cookie cutter molds to cut out the crusts & mousse. Of course, you won't need to use as many berries. Also, please be aware that this will probably make it slightly more challenging when it comes time to decorate them with fruit. :)

Any excess mousse &/or crust dough can be either used to make additional tartlets or reserved for other dessert ideas. The strawberry mousse tastes really good served on its own or with a dollop of light whipped cream on top.

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Title: Chicken Marsala Recipe

Chicken recipes are extremely popular in the home kitchen. Today we're making chicken marsala, one of the most popular Italian recipes made with wine.

This simple chicken marsala recipe calls for marsala wine, sherry wine and fresh mushrooms. When choosing fresh mushrooms for your chicken marsala recipes, look for tightly closed caps that don't show any gills.

When cooking with wine, don't spend a lot of money on your cooking wines. But on the flip side, don't buy something that you wouldn't drink straight.

This is what you'll need to prepare this easy recipe for chicken marsala:

Chicken Marsala

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, pounded to about 1/4-inch thickness between two sheets of plastic wrap
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
8-12 mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 stick butter
1/2 cup marsala wine
1/4 cup sherry wine

First, pound the thawed chicken breast to about 1/4 inch thickness between two sheets of plastic wrap.

Next, in a 13x9 casserole dish, mix together the flour, salt, pepper and oregano and mix well.

Coat chicken breasts on both sides in flour mixture. Next, heat 1/4 cup olive oil and 1/2 stick butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When butter is melted, add the chicken and fry each side until browned, about 3 minutes on each side.

For the chicken marsala sauce, add sliced mushrooms to skillet and pour the wines over the top. Simmer 10-15 minutes, covered, until chicken is cooked through. Serve the chicken and sauce over cooked brown rice and top with grilled asparagus, if desired.

We hope you find this the best chicken marsala you've tried!

Title: Gucci Mane- The Recipe

Gucci Mane- The Recipe

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weekend simplicity

i don't know who invented weekends. but it was a marvelous, marvelous idea. maybe a leisurely breakfast, some outings, a get together or two. catching up on some household projects. an art fair perhaps. enjoy xo, g

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Title: Holly Payne ('94) reads from her book Kingdom of Simplicity

Journalism alumna Holly Payne, 94, reads from her latest book, Kingdom of Simplicity, in the Jepson Alumni Centers Bottomley House living room as part of the University of Richmond's Homecoming Weekend celebration.

Title: Simplicity performing live for fox5

News

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Title: The 1987 Simplicity SunRunner rear-wheel-turn lawn tractor

We cleaned up this little Simplicity this weekend and put on a new fuel pump and got it going again after sitting for a few years. With it's rear-wheel steering and built in dumping cart, it's a very unique tractor indeed. A bit hard to get used to driving though!

Title: Holly Payne ('94) reads from her book Kingdom of Simplicity

Journalism alumna Holly Payne, 94, reads from her latest book, Kingdom of Simplicity, in the Jepson Alumni Centers Bottomley House living room as part of the University of Richmond's Homecoming Weekend celebration.

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Spiced Pear Coffee Cake with Brown Sugar & Oat Streusel Recipe

We finally picked the rest of the pears off of our prolific Charlie Brown pear tree. Its little branches have finally sprung back up to their pre-fruit bearing days and it seemed to breathe an audible sigh of relief as we picked the last pear.  After indulging in my Pear, Blueberry and Ginger Cobbler recipe, eating many pears down to the core, and making plans to cook some apple and pear butter, I figured our pears could make one last incarnation before the season was over. What fruit doesn't love being spiced up with some cloves and nutmeg, sweetened with some streusel, and baked in a moist, tender cake? That's a rhetorical question. Coffee cake is perfect as part of Sunday brunch, with an early morning cup of coffee or tea, or as an afternoon treat.

Making the streusel:

In a medium bowl, combine 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar,


3/4 cup rolled oats,


and 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves.


Cut 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) chilled butter into 1/2-inch pieces and cut into the brown sugar mixture with a pastry cutter or your fingers. I always start off using a pastry cutter, with some misplaced good intention of keeping my hands clean. It usually takes me about 10 seconds to realize that using my fingers is so much more fun.


When the mixture resembles coarse meal, set it aside.


Making the cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine 3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg.



Combine 3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter and 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar in a large bowl, and blend with a mixer until fluffy.


Add 3 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.


Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.


Fold in the flour mixture alternately with 1 1/2 cups plain yogurt (I used 2%, but whole milk yogurt would work well, too), beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Do not overmix.



Coat a 12-cup bundt pan thoroughly with cooking spray (or grease with butter or shortening). Cut one pear into 1/2-inch pieces. Spoon in 1/3 of the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly. Top with 1/2 of the streusel mixture and 1/2 of the pear pieces.


Spoon in half of the remaining batter and top with the remaining streusel and pear pieces. Spoon in the rest of the batter and spread evenly over the streusel. Don't be alarmed - the batter is rather thick. I had to double-check my ingredients list the first time I made this to make sure I hadn't missed some sort of liquid.

Bake until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45-50 minutes. Cool on a rack.


Invert the cake onto a serving plate. Using a sieve, sprinkle over about 1/4 cup powdered sugar. You don't have to do this step, but it really looks pretty. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Other pear cakes:

Chocolate & Zucchini's Grandmother's Pear Cake

Zoe Bakes' Caramel Apple & Pear Cake

Baking & Books' Upside Down Cardamom Pear Cake

Spiced Pear Coffee Cake with Brown Sugar & Oat Streusel
Adapted from an epicurious.com recipe

Streusel:
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 tsp ground cloves
6 tbsp (3/4 stick) chilled butter

Cake:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
1 Bartlett pear, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Making the streusel:
In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar, rolled oats, and ground cloves.  Whisk together.  Cut 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) chilled butter into 1/2-inch pieces and cut into the brown sugar mixture with a pastry cutter or your fingers.  When the mixture resembles coarse meal, set it aside.

Making the cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg.  

Combine 3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter and 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar in a separate large bowl, and blend with a mixer until fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Mix in vanilla extract.

Fold in the flour mixture alternately with plain yogurt, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Do not overmix.

Coat a 12-cup bundt pan thoroughly with cooking spray (or grease with butter or shortening). Spoon in 1/3 of the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly. Top with 1/2 of the streusel mixture and 1/2 of the pear pieces.  Spoon in half of the remaining batter and top with the remaining streusel and pear pieces. Spoon in the rest of the batter and spread evenly over the streusel.

Bake until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45-50 minutes. Cool on a rack.  Invert the cake onto a serving plate. Using a sieve, sprinkle over about 1/4 cup powdered sugar.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Printable recipe

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Title: Hendrik Beune of AHA MEDIA tries AHA MEDIA's Spiced Pear Pie in Vancouver DTES.mp4

In this video, Hendrik Beune of AHA MEDIA tries AHA MEDIA's Spiced Pear Pie in Vancouver Downtown Eastside
(DTES)

AHA MEDIA is learning how to bake sweet treats while in their new space in Vancouver Downtown Eastside (DTES)

This video was filmed by April Smith of AHA MEDIA on a New Media camera - Panasonic DMC-ZS3. AHA MEDIA is about exploring mobile media production through New Media cameras. For a better quality version of this video, please DM April Smith @AprilFilms on Twitter or Facebook.com/AprilFilms

AHA MEDIA is at http://www.AHAMEDIA.CA

Please follow April Smith on Twitter and Facebook
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Title: HUGE Candles By Victoria Review

(On my nails is Sally Hansen Hi Def)

www.candlesbyvictoria.com

See all the tart melters in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=An-4QGcglQ4

www.twitter.com/xbrookecorex

All scents I got, for reference:
Smores Galore
Fluffernutter Create a Candle
Caramelized Pralines
Reeses Peanut Butter Delight
Rose
Raspberry Rainbow
Apricot Crumb Cake
Strawberry Kiwi
Breakfast in Vermont
Chocolate Orange
Passion Fruit
Fudge Brownie
Viva La Juicy
Crackling Birch
Morning in Madrid
DKNY Delicious
Hawaiian Splash
Mango Peach Salsa
Texas Summer
Elvis
Best Friends
Storm Watch
Bahama Mama
Spiced Pear
Apple Jack and Peel
Banana

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Trailer Park Pasta Salad IV - Pacific Northwest Edition

I had some smoked salmon leftover from a larger pack and I needed something for dinner. I scrounged my fridge and I realized I could make some Trailer Park Pasta Salad. Hell fucking yeah. Let's begin:

First make a 1lb box of your favorite pasta. I use farfalle because it is the best. Next, dice up half a red pepper, half a green pepper, half a yellow pepper and mince half a jalapeno and a few cloves of garlic. You don't have to use the same pepper combination, stupid. This is just what I had. Saute them for about two minutes. You want to barely soften the peppers but the garlic needs to be fragrant. It is a thin line.

Toss some smoked salmon (not cold smoked, genius), haf a diced red onion, 1/2c sour cream, and 1 1/2c pepper jack cheese. Normally I would use more sour cream and less cheese but I didn't want to find out what would happen if I used all my woman's sour cream. Pour the pepper mixture straight from the pan into the salmon bowl. Mix. Add the pasta gradually. You may not want to use the whole box. Toss until combined.
There you have it. A meal fit for a trailer park riverside potluck hosted by a three legged dog named Lucky. Eat it.

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Title: hilarious trailer park boys scenes

trailer park boys. Very funny fragments, from various episodes.

Title: Trailer Park Boys - The Best of Bubbles

Trailer Park Boys - The Best of Bubbles

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