In my book, chocolate is one of the best ways to luv somebody.
I mean, as my friend Angela Roberts of Spinach Tiger blog recently said, “Chocolate is my favorite food group.” Agreed, whole heartedly, my friend.
And readers, have I told you lately? I LOVE YOU! So, here is my virtual love gift: chocolate cake.
This week’s recipe from The Nashville Cookbook is one of my favorite chocolate cakes I’ve made. If the title of the recipe wasn’t enough- I mean, who can resist “Wacky Cake?”- it involves ONE BOWL. One mixing bowl! Can you imagine? The chocolate cakes I’ve tried in the past involved layered steps of beating in liquids, egg shells, mayonnaise, chocolate batter all over my hands, flour in the crevices of my counter tops, and needless to mention, icing in my hair.
All this recipe requires is a quick sift of the dry ingredients; adding them to the wet ones in a mixer bowl; and a good beating for two minutes. Bake in oven. Viola! This recipe is simple, straightforward, reliable, and good.
***We interrupt this post for a historical fact. Gettin’ you educated!****
The reason why this cake is called “Wacky Cake” is because the traditional version allows you to sift, mix, and bake ingredients in the same pan. I like the mixer method this one uses because I am always concerned with cakes sticking to my pan, thus my love of greasing with shortening. This cake is also called “Three Hole” cake because you can potentially put the dry ingredients in your pan, make three holes, then fill those holes with your liquid mixture. Kids would LOVE this recipe too because it’s so easy and they get to dig in cake mix and make holes. You’re welcome.
Oh, and the recipe has ties to the Depression era because of it’s lack of butter and eggs (due to rationing). Our ancestors were so smart.
****Historical Fact Time Ended. You know, just loving you with some conversation starters this week.***
Also, in the spirit of all things fun and Luv Cooks, this cake is presented to you in honor of Valentine’s Day (it’s topped with cute pink chocolate balls for goodness sake). I know it will make anyone in your life who loves chocolate, eats cake, and loves you happy. And for those of you who are vanilla or strawberry people on Valentine’s Day, I apologize. This blog will probably not ever go in that direction. But we luv you anyway!!
Ok y’all- so saddle up those kids, your significant other, your dog- whoever you love on Valentine’s Day, have a BLAST, and make a wacky cake. Silly string not included.
Wacky Cake with Cocoa Fudge Frosting
This cake could not be easier. All you need is a mixing bowl, a few minutes of prep work, and you will be baking a light, chocolatey cake in no time.
What You Will Need:
For the cake:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup water
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
For the Frosting:
1/2 pound powdered sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1/4 cup softened butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons water (plus more if needed)
1/4 cup (plus 1 tablespoon if needed) corn syrup
What You Will Do:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9-inch square baking pan.
Sift the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt together in a mixer bowl. Add your wet ingredients (oil, water, vinegar, and vanilla) and mix on medium speed for two minutes.
Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. The cake should also spring back when you touch it.
Allow to cool in the pan before you ice this beauty!
Now, make the icing:
Combine the sugar, cocoa, butter and vanilla in a mixing bowl until no lumps remain and things are looking smooth.
Pour the water and corn syrup in a small saucepan, and heat the mixture to simmering but don’t boil it (you want gentle bubbles to start forming, then take it immediately off the heat). Pour your warmed syrup mixture into the mixing bowl.
Beat the icing at a low speed until smooth and glossy. My icing wasn’t smooth and glossy at this point, it got a bit too thick. So I added one more tablespoon warm water and 1 more tablespoon corn syrup. If your icing is still thick, continue adding warm water and corn syrup until it loosens.
Now, frost the cake! You want to do this while the icing is warm, or it becomes hard to smooth.
There are a host of reasons I feel this way. It’s a fresh start to the year, my schedule seems to become slow enough to give time for some goal setting- but most of all, it’s this:
Jake strums on his guitar next to me. My desk is leans against a large window; I turn my head to the right and look out at the city where I’ve always dreamed of living. Cars rush past outside and their rhythm beats sweetly alongside the guitar riffs. This is the start of Nashville for me.
And the beginning of 2016 has been a sweet one. The start of life in a new space; living in a tiny one (#loftlivin’); and new friendships forming that I feel will be lifelong. Up until this moment, I have yet to experience feeling so at peace, so in that “right where I am supposed to be” position. Life is good.
And it’s funny how I feel already that I owe something to Nashville. The smiling faces, the creativity, and the overwhelming support to people pursuing their dreams; there’s something here that I want to jump into, be a part of, bless people with. And, fortunately for me, my sister gave me just the way to do it.
Cue video intro here!
The Nashville Cookbook: Recipes of the Cumberland Region is where this year begins. This book is a treasure trove of history, Southern tradition, recipes yet to be explored, all from a city I long to know more about. Written by the Nashville Area Home Economics Association in 1976, one of my favorite quotes in the book’s forward is “Food is essential for the nourishment of the body, and books are essential for the nourishment of the mind and the imagination. A good cookbook can meet both these essentials, and that is what the Nashville home economists have provided here.” It is a collection of the history of places- there are beautiful prints and historical pieces on the Maxwell House Hotel, the Parthenon, Fort Nashborough and places in the Cumberland Region. It is my introduction to Nashville as a city, as a food culture, from the point of it’s history and its fascinating, “zany”, carefully crafted recipes. As the opening pages state, “We wish the book to be a joy to read, to use, to savor, and to treasure!”
So this is where Luv Cooks lands. I will cook from these recipes, aiming to make them as authentically as I can. I will include local product, produce, meat, cheese- when I can and where I can- and hope that through this process I have the pleasure of meeting the people who are bringing these fantastic foods to our table.
I will also most likely offer my variations on the tried-and-true. This week’s recipe- such a warm, comforting start to a below freezing week in Nashville- already involves some tweaks, based off of cooking methods I have learned in styling. But I hope that each of these changes will bring something new, and helpful, to your table.
So, saddle up this year for a fantastic, fun, wild ride through a cookbook, written in 1976, full of Southern flair, ingredients, spice, and the joy of life that is wonderfully unique to Tennessee. Let’s eat!
This week’s purveyors:
Meat: Delicious, lean stew meat by KLD Farm (Their beef is 100% chemical free; grass fed and grain finished; contains no antibiotics or growth hormones; and is dry-aged for 14-18 days . In other words, deliciousness.)
Weekly tip: Quality Stew Meat + Relax with Some Soup
Gourmet Stew from The Nashville Cookbook
This beef stew is perfect for a cold winter night, and so simple to make. The hardest part is probably waiting for the meat to tenderize, which for me took a about 2 1/2 hours. The recipe in total takes about 3 1/2 hours, but I made mine on a lazy Sunday afternoon, and it was perfect.
What You Will Need:
2 lbs lean boneless stewing meat, cubed, and patted dry
10 ounces fresh green beans (the original recipe calls for 10 oz frozen, but I like fresh)
4 medium size tomatoes, diced (1 lb.) (recipe calls for 1 16 oz can as an option, but I went with fresh)
What You Will Do:
1. Heat a large dutch oven with 3 tablespoons butter on medium to medium-high heat (higher heat works better for browning).
2. Toss meat pieces with 1 tablespoon flour, and top with a few grinds per side of salt and pepper, to evenly coat all four sides of the beef.
3. Once the butter is bubbling, toss in the stew meat and brown on all sides.
4. Once the meat is sufficiently browned and crisp, add 3 1/2 cups water and 2 bay leaves.
5. Simmer on low to medium-low heat for 2-3 hours, or until your meat is tender. (I went for about 2 hours and 15 minutes before I started adding the veggies and spices).
6. Add 1 more cup hot water and the rest of your ingredients (hot sauce, salt, cloves, allspice, basil, potatoes, carrots, onions, green beans, and tomatoes).
7. Bring the stew to a new boil (I turned my heat up to medium-high) then reduce to a simmer on low to medium-low.
7. Continue to simmer the soup until all the vegetables are tender, about another 50-60 minutes.
8. Now, put on your stretchy pants, warm socks, and cozy up with a bowl of stew to an episode of Nashville. Enjoy.
Y’all, it’s Thanksgiving week, and I don’t know about you, but I have work/life/blog details piling up in my mind like stacks of leftover turkey sandwiches.
How are you guys feeling? How is life this week for you? I hope it’s been smooth as pumpkin butterscotch trifle.
I think that this year, we should make recipe planning a bit easier for everyone. This week’s Thanksgiving-themed dessert is easy-peasey- and takes a total of max 10 minutes cook time. Also, due to my lack of energy brain cells, I could not figure out what to title this post. Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Bark? PSPS Bark? Yes, the bark is topped with pumpkin seeds, but the pumpkin seeds are pumpkin-spice flavored, which makes them even more delicious. There are also golden raisins involved, and Lord help trying to get all of that to fit in a name. But here we are, and trust me, this chocolate bark is going to be Thanksgiving hit.
This year, in my Southern family, I am in charge of desserts. And as much as I love to bake, I was eager to find a solution for the people, like me, who see a whole roasted turkey, sweet potato casserole with sugary pecans, buttered rolls and potato gratin and think- YES I WILL EAT ALL OF THOSE. And come back for seconds.
Have any of y’all taken this “Which TV Family Should You Eat Thanksgiving With?” quiz? You need to, find it here!: #gilmoregirls
So, by the time I get to dessert I am stuffed. To the brim. And despite my sister and I’s argument that yes, there is indeed such a thing as a completely separate dessert stomach, sometimes you need a breather. Or, maybe you want to space out your eating- and need something sweet to keep your energy up while you are baking your booty off for your loved ones.
I picked this recipe up from Food Networks’ awesome ratio for DIY chocolate bark. All you need is a pound of chocolate, a cup or so of toppings, and you are ready to sprinkle! Get creative, do what you feel, and I am pretty sure you will end up with a version of your own chocolate bark that will knock your guests’ socks off.
And, you only need about 45 minutes of chill time for the chocolate to set and be ready to eat (I highly recommend taking that opportunity to have someone else do your baking dishes).
Pumpkin Spice Pumpkin Seed Chocolate Bark
(Recipe adapted from this awesome post on mix-and-match chocolate bark from Food Network)
16 ounces chocolate (I used a mix of milk, white, and dark; feel free to one type of chocolate, or mix types and flavors as you see fit!)
1. Chop chocolate into 1/2 inch pieces and set one cup of chopped chocolate aside.
2. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil, shiny side facing up.
2. Put chopped chocolate (aside from one cup) into a large glass bowl. Microwave chocolate for 30 seconds, then stir with fork or rubber spatula. Microwave for another 3o seconds and stir again with fork or rubber spatula (it will be chunky and that is totally ok).
3. Now that the chocolate is slightly melted, microwave for one more minute. Remove from heat and stir quickly, attempting to dissolve any remaining chocolate pieces. Now, pour about 1/3 cup of chopped chocolate and stir to combine. Repeat with the rest of the chocolate, and stir quickly until the chocolate is completely melted and the surface is smooth and glossy.
4. Pour chocolate into foil-lined baking pan, spreading with rubber spatula until about 1/4 inch thick.
5. Sprinkle evenly with golden raisins, then seeds, then coarsely grated sea salt.
6. Put baking pan into fridge to cool for about 45 minutes. Or, if your room is cool, and you aren’t in a hurry to get your chocolate on, you can let it cool at room temperature. Break the chocolate into large pieces (it is the season of sharing after all) and enjoy!
There are few things that bring me greater happiness than icing, cake, and sprinkles (in that order).
And even better than the cake, are the friendships that surround them. In my mind, cake=girlfriends. And, y’all, the hilarity that goes along with those moments! Cue the flashbacks….***
I think of the huge slices of cookie cake my best friend Anna Kat and I sought out in 2002 at the Bama Mall, buzzing around department stores high on sugar and Dr. Pepper. I think about Peggy’s DIVINE chocolate peanut butter cake in Montgomery, about the moment I officially knew I was in love with my mother-in-law, when she ordered me AN ENTIRE, ganache-laden one for my birthday. It’s the way my grandmother’s kitchen smelled like warm butter and cocoa as she cooked hot chocolate frosting on the stove, slowly poured over velvety, freshly baked chocolate cake. (And YES I consider grandmothers as girlfriends!)
Cake is my happy place, and it was the perfect ending to a sweet, four post series with my great friend Mattye of The Loving Kind. For those of you who have kept up with our posts, you know that she and I have been guest posting on each others’ blogs for the past year, sharing our must-have tools for the kitchen (me) and tips for connecting over the dinner table (Mattye). Mattye is my relational inspiration- she is such a great connector of people, but remembers logistics (like meeting times, birthdays, Setting goals!). Her friendship has been one of the sweetest I’ve had in Alabama- not only for the love she shows, but for the sweet treats we have experienced together (#krispykreme). She is, in so many ways, the friend I hope to be. And she is also the wonderful woman who realized what our final “kitchen tool” to highlight would be in this post: a celebratory heart.
And speaking of celebration, this year is also the one where Mattye and I both turn 30. I know. I thought the day would never come, but hoped it always would. Mattye has already passed that threshold (with flying colors might I add- and one of the most FABULOUS birthday parties I’ve ever attended). I am about a month away. So, we thought it would be kind of awesome to post a Top 10 list about the JOYS of turning 30- of all we are looking forward to, want to happen, and think is pretty darn awesome.
Three candles=thirty years
Everybody, everybody get your JOY on with our Top 10 Reasons Why Turning 30 Is Awesome:
See if you can guess which ones are Mattye’s and which ones are mine!
1. CONFIDENCE- Your thirties bring a new confidence in who you are, what you want, and the comfort to go out and get it.
2. FUN- I don’t know about y’all, but I am so ready to enter into one of the most fun seasons of my life. I am finally at the point where the things that used to stress me in my 20’s (ahem, frizz, breakouts, exams, breakups, setting dish towels on fire while cooking blue box macaroni and cheese) have finally loosened their grip and I am ready to go full-throttle into a life of joy, laughter, and FUN. Taylor Swift albums? Latest YouTube video about an owl and a cat who are BFF? Late night crafting with girlfriends? Listened. Watched. Sewed. You know why? B/c life is amazing and oh so fun.
3. GIVING BACK- At thirty you feel more grounded in your life experiences and like you have more to give back to others.
Does more cake count as a “30” reason?
4. SELF ACCEPTANCE- This point is similar to the FUN one, except a bit deeper. Alright foodies, go with me on this: I think as we grow up, we realize, and own the fact, that how we are made is uniquely wonderful. For years, I’ve struggled with feeling like too much and not enough at the same time. Finally, I am making peace with that feeling. I am who I am, and pray that I grow daily into the woman I am supposed to be. Can I get an amen everybody?!
5. SOPHISTICATION- Thirty is a sophisticated age. Just try saying, “Hello, I’m thirty.” and you’ll understand what we mean.
6. PURPOSE- I am SUCH a believer that everyone has a greater purpose in this life. Whether it’s baking for your neighbors down the street, saving lives, encouraging your friends- everything we do for other people matters. And I’m realizing that my purpose in life is much too important to let fear of failure and fear of other people’s opinions run the show. It’s time to rise on up, put your big girl pants on, and live out the way you were made to bless this earth.
Yes, that is the face I make when I eat cake.
7. CONTENTMENT- You no longer feel like you “should be out doing something fun” instead of what you really want to be doing, which is spending a Friday night in with pizza, ice cream and Netflix.
8. ADVENTURE- Travel has been on my bucket list for years, and it’s about time I start the journey. To be honest, life as a freelancer and blogger is not the most lucrative of careers, BUT this wanderlust has made me rethink how I spend my income. I think that’s part of turning 30 too; clarifying financial needs/wants. Because as much as I want that pumpkin spice latte every morning, is it really worth my eventual trip to Paris? Umm, no. Cafe and croissants here we come, amis!
9. BUILDING- After stepping out of the whirlwind that can often be your twenties, your thirties are a time where you get to really build upon the things that are important to you, whether that is your career, a family, creative outlets, a home, or a new adventure!
10. FRIENDSHIPS- And speaking of amis (French word for friends, I learned that this morning), it took me 29 years to realize just how important friends are. I want my 30th year to be one of renewed commitment to the ones I love; the ones who have stood by me, and the ones I couldn’t imagine my life without. They have become my family, and I want to not only treat them just as fabulously as they have treated me, but figure out small ways to show them I’m grateful for their kindness, prayers, love and bouts of unrestricted belly laughter.
Now, to the recipe!
Pink Swirl Cake
This cake is easy to assemble, can totally be prepared ahead of time, and gives you that awesome wow factor of the pops of pink in the batter. Plus, the King Arthur flour really makes the cake moist and fluffy. Bon appetite!
For the cake (Recipe taken and adapted a bit from King Arthur Flour):
What You Will Need:
2 3/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached Cake Flour Blend
1) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare two 8″ x 2″ or 9″ x 2″ round pans; by greasing and flouring; or lining with parchment, then greasing the parchment. Note: Make sure your 8″ round pans are at least 2″ deep.
2) Mix all of the dry ingredients on slow speed to blend. Add the soft butter and mix until evenly crumbly, like fine damp sand. It may form a paste, depending on the temperature of the butter, how much it’s mixed, and granulation of the sugar used.
3) Add the egg whites one at a time, then the whole egg, beating well after each addition to begin building the structure of the cake. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl after each addition. Make sure and scrape here!
4) In a small bowl, whisk the almond milk with the vanilla and almond extracts. Add this mixture, 1/3 at a time, to the batter. Beat 1 to 2 minutes after each addition, until fluffy. Be sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Keep on scraping!
5) Pour the first half of the vanilla batter evenly into each cake pan. With the remaining batter, add a few drops of food coloring, and beat in the mixer until you reach your desired level of pinkness.
6) Now, using a spoon, drop dollops of the pink batter on top of the vanilla batter, in a circular pattern, using the same amount of large dollops (about two tablespoons) in each pan. Then, using a toothpick or wooden skewer, swirl the pink batter into the vanilla batter until it is well distributed (it took me about thirty seconds of swirling). So pretty!
7.) Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes for 8″ or 9″ rounds. A toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center will come out clean when done. Remove from the oven, remove from the pan, (careful, the pans are hot!), cool on a rack, and frost.
For the frosting, I adapted this recipe a bit from All Recipes:
What You Will Need:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups confectioner’s sugar
2 tablespoons almond milk
a few drops neon pink food coloring (depending on your level of pinkness here too)
What you Will Do:
Cream room temperature butter with the the paddle attachment of a stand mixer until smooth and fluffy. Gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar until fully incorporated.
Pour in almond milk and beat for an additional 3-4 minutes. Add food coloring, and beat for thirty seconds until smooth or until desired color is reached.
And finally, for those of you who made it to the bottom of this post, I reward you with this:
Mattye, as always, looks amazing. I look insane. #30’s
Even the way they feel-warm, with a thin, cherry red skin ready to burst- brings me back to a fruit stand near Opp, Alabama; my Uncle Honey’s garden behind his house in Jackson; my mom’s tangled green fruits on a vine by our driveway, baking in the scorching summer sun.
But somehow, some way- tomatoes survive. The temperatures rise- and the crop rises with it. Things get wet- they get juicy. Stomachs are hungry- and we toast bread, smear it in mayonnaise, and cut them thick, grind out some salt and pepper, and call it lunch. Tomatoes are a hallmark of summer, survival, even; and a reward for untangling their vines, setting them straight, and diligently watering until they bloom.
Saturday was a banner day for the thriving tomato. My friend Deborah Stone of Stone Hollow Farmstead in Harpersville hosted The Alabama Tomato Festival, a day to celebrate all that was, and is, tomatoes in the South. A fantastic list of the best of local food vendors (Revelator, Birmingham Bread Works, The Pantry, Good People Brewing Company, Chef U, Day Spring Dairy and a plethora of amazing farmers) arrived, served, sweated, and braved a stray afternoon thunderstorm to share their love of nature’s fruit in all of its creative implications. One of my favorites- the tomato lemonade– was an aperitif for a slew of soups, ratatouille, and sheep’s cheese (see the image of Day Spring Dairy’s black pepper fresca atop some of the South’s finest).
Over 30 varieties of heirloom tomatoes, including the Green Zebra, one of my favorites and a Thomas Wagner Seeds original- spread like a symphony of color and flavor at the festival, beckoning visitors to sample a bite. Each’s own notes were a backdrop to the live music and speakers who shared similar passions, namely Chris Bennett, a forager, writer, chef- who has combed the open fields of Alabama for edibles he gifts to Birmingham’s best and brightest chefs.
I think the point with all of this, though- is just what The Tomato Festival preaches- that life in the South is good, y’all. Even when it is 115 degrees outside, and the storm winds are blowing, and we run to the barn for cover. There’s something special here, a knowing, a kindness, a comraderie. That just like the tomato, we will all make it through July and thrive- ripely ready for what comes next.
Grilled Tomato Salsa
This salsa is fantastic, and works best with fresh, ripe tomatoes. Heirloom varieties work really well here, so if you don’t have access to a local farmer, ask your grocery store what they offer. You might be surprised by what you find!
What You Will Need:
Three large tomatoes, cut into thick slices (I got about three to four slices per tomato)
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil (plus more for drizzling)
pinch or two of salt
1/2 avocado, cut into cubes (generous 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup packed cilantro leaves
1/4 cup red onion, diced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ancho chili powder
3/4 tsp cumin
Juice of one half lime
What You Will Do:
1. Drizzle 1 teaspoon olive oil and a pinch or two of salt over the tomato slices. Sir to coat and let sit in large bowl for about ten minutes.
2. Heat grill pan to medium heat, and drizzle the pan lightly with olive oil. Grill tomato slices for about two minutes per side, or until grill marks appear and tomatoes are softened.
3. Transfer tomatoes to a food processor, and pulse until chunky (about 10 pulses).
4. Pour the tomato mixure back into your large bowl. Put avocado, cilantro, red onion, salt, chili powder, and cumin in a food processor and pulse until combined and no large leaves remain.
5. Add avocado mixture to tomato mixture. Squeeze half of lime over salsa and stir until all ingredients are combined. Ole!
Sometimes, there are moments in life that seem too good to be true. The ones where you stand back and go, “Wait, what just happened?”
I’ve had several of those lately. The first came this February at the Food Media South conference. I was there trying to learn how to be better at- well- everything that has to do with food. I learned a ton. Breakfast and lunch were delicious. But the coffee? Spectacular.
Growing up in Alabama, I am a huge fan of Royal Cup . Their passion for excellence and high-quality roasts make for a great coffee experience. My all-time favorite Royal Cup blend is Fancy Gourmet, a perfect, medium roast with full body and a divine richness. Once I realized they were in charge of keeping us fueled at the conference, and nearly assaulting the Royal Cup staff with my enthusiasm for their roasts, I was introduced to Mike Powell, Regional Manager at Royal Cup. After sharing with him my love for their product and a bit about Luv Cooks, he promised to send some Fancy Gourmet my way. And just like Royal Cup always does, they went above and beyond and sent a beauty of a package, overflowing with bags of Fancy Gourmet, Royal Cup mugs, lip balm- and a beautifully hand-bound book full of quotes on excellence (marked by their H.C. Valentine brand). Luv.
I also knew that to those much had been given much was expected. I knew I wanted to give Royal Cup a great recipe on the blog. And I knew in order to be great it had to come from my heart.
*Flashback Alert*
One of my favorite things to do with my dad is drink coffee. He is now a decaf guy (the regular version makes his hands shake before surgery), but we both share a love for a great, dark-roasted cup. He takes his black with honey; mine comes with cream, sugar, and more cream. Our perfect recipe? Coffee ice cream. With honey.
My second moment came last Saturday with my friend Heather Brown. She and I were given the awesome opportunity to style a “How to Be the Hostess with the Mostest” ice cream and cookies party for The Shops of Grand River. The ice cream bowls from the Le Creuset store in this shoot are adorable and I wish I owned them all! The platter is pretty too.
Heather teaching me a thing or two while we set up for the party with the beautiful Le Creuset bowls and platter!
Heather has been featured on Luv Cooks before, and for those of you who keep up with the blog, you know that she is incredibly talented and vivacious and wonderful. But this shoot was special. Heather is pregnant (due this fall) and she was glowing. That type of glow where your face lights up and your whole demeanor changes. Not only was she a natural on camera (See our Cookies & Ice Cream party video below) she radiated with a type of happiness that was contagious. Not to mention, her cookies were so dang tasty that I took at least four. Maybe six. Total. Just click here for her delicious dark chocolate oatmeal cookies, and check out our video below for some excellent ice cream and cookie party hosting tips.
So y’all, in the spirit of our upcoming summer, and living in awe of life and those moments where we look back in complete gratitude and amazement- make some homemade (dairy-free!) ice cream, bake some cookies, and enjoy every bit of it with the ones you love. Because those are the memories that last longer than just ice cream (especially in the South:))
Royal Cup Coffee and Honey Ice Cream (recipe modified from the always inspiring Minimalist Baker)
This take on a classic coffee ice cream is rich and sweet, with a nice, subtle coffee flavor. Make the ice cream ahead of time; you will need to chill it for at least four hours in the freezer, with additional 30 minute increments in the mixer to soften it up.
What You Will Need:
14.5 ounces coconut cream (from two cans of chilled coconut milk*)
1/4 cup Royal Cup coffee
1/2 cup vanilla almond milk
2 tablespoons good quality honey (plus more for drizzling)
1/8 tsp salt
What You Will Do:
1. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
2. Pour coconut cream, coffee, almond milk, honey and salt into a large bowl. Using a hand mixer, mix on medium high for about one and a half minutes, until the mixture is creamy and smooth.
3. Pour the mixture into the parchment-lined loaf pan. Freeze for at least four hours.
4. Once the ice cream has been in the freezer for four hours, take it out and put it into the metal bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on low to medium for about a minute. This softens the cream mixture to about soft-serve consistency. If you would like more of an ice cream texture, put the softened mixture back into the loaf pan and re-freeze for 30 minutes.
5. Once left in the freezer for 30 minutes, put the hardened cream back into the stand mixer and mix once more (for a minute or so). Serve immediately, or continue the whipping process until you reach a desired consistency!
*The best way I have found to make coconut cream is to pour two cans of full-fat coconut milk in a glass bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and chill overnight in the fridge. Once you are ready, simply pour the milk over a metal strainer. The chunks that have hardened are the cream; the liquid you can save for other recipes that use coconut milk! #yum
I’ve been on a quest for the perfect Greek salad for some time.
For those of you who read my previous post on grilled Greek pizza, you know that authentic, homemade Greek dressing is the start to many an amazing dish. Little did I know the importance of nailing the dressing until I spent time with my friend Buffy from The Style Gathering and she introduced me to her version– the one she learned from her college roommate after celebrating Greek Easter with her family- and it’s fantastic. Also, I realized, this was the missing link to my authentic Greek salad conundrum.
Topping beautiful Greek salad with Tina Liollio’s dressing
As opposed to the iceberg-heavy, dressing-soaked red onion fest that is some restaurants’ version, taking matters into your own hands with this recipe allows for a level of ingredient control that is much needed to make your salad amazing.
One of my first memories of an American Greek salad is at Zoes Kitchen. This was years ago, in the heart of the South, and my middle school palette was immediately intrigued at the notion of a salad missing the title “Tossed.” Upon digging into the mammoth mound of sliced vegetables, light green lettuce, black olives and (gasp) squares of Feta cheese, my fork hit something soft: potatoes. There were potatoes at the bottom of my salad. A delicious, tiny mound of roasted red potato vinaigrette underneath the stack of sheared iceberg. It was a glorious, and odd, discovery. I wanted more.
After further research, I realized that in the States, everyone does their Greek salad a bit differently. In Detroit, for example, they like to add beets to their plates. Tampa Bay does it Zoe’s style by piling their ingredients onto potato salad.
But our version, I think we got it just right. For one, Buffy introduced me to French feta cheese. Ok, I thought I knew feta. I loved feta. But feta could get beta This feta, here, is rich, light and crumbly, and oh-so-addictive. A mandoline made my job of slicing the red onions less painful. And the absence of lettuce is for a reason. I think that the best, most authentic Greek salad is chunky; full of red, ripe tomatoes, lots of fresh cucumber and a mix of both green and black olives. Toss those together, drizzle dressing on top, and add a few sprigs of fresh basil. Perfection.
1 medium-to-large cucumber, sliced (If you want to get fancy, you can alternately peel strips of the skin off with a vegetable peeler to make them appear striped before you slice them.)
Greek dressing. The kind of dressing that carries you through college, graduation, work, marriage- with flavors that at the same time comfort and excite and brighten. The dressing that you use on everything that tastes great to make it taste even better. The dressing everyone asks for but it’s exact measurements are felt in your hands, measured by your palms, and known only after a finger dipped in the blender tells you where it stands.
Today I am honored and thrilled to share with you the dressing; the one that Buffy at The Style Gathering has known for years. Just click on those links and you will find her incredible recipe. And y‘all– I am part Greek (my grandfather’s name is Dionysus) and I can envision my great ancestors now, applauding and cheering Buffy and I on as we used this dressing to marinate, drizzle, and accent some amazing spring dishes that we are excited to share with you this week.
For those of you who may not know Buffy (above left), she is not only beautiful, she is talented. Her blog is a treasure of Southern style-beautiful clothes, food, travel, more yummy food, and entertaining ideas- and she is the resident expert on all things lovely. Her eye for beauty and design is refreshing to be around and I absolutely loved being in the kitchen with her.
Rolling out the pizza dough
Also, needless to say, her incredible photographer Jennifer Hagler did great work on making our food look as incredible as it does.
For this post, we landed on using her dressing to do two things- marinate a flank steak, and top a grilled pizza. Like the dressing, spring is upon us and with it comes awakening flavors and new vegetables. Which leads us of course to grilled Greek pizza, topped with her dressing and our beautiful pan grilled steak.
Also, to be fair, I am no grilling expert. My relationship with the grill resembles very closely that of a small child rewarded with a bag of Skittles every three days. When it works- bliss! When it doesn’t, a time of sulking and an emotional low known only to my husband, takes its place. However, with this pizza- and this flank steak- I have tried to create the easiest-to-follow instructions possible to help even the flame-challenged among us achieve grilling success.*
Cue the grilling montage:
Oiled pizza goes on the grill…
The all important flip occurs…
The flipped side is put back on the grill…
Toppings are placed on the dough…
Buffy skillfully adds more toppings…
We check to make sure the pizza feels done…
And voila! Grilling success!
Also, if you want to do the pizza sans-dairy, Buffy and I thought that it would be amazing do do a grilled dough topped with dressing and veggies. Yummy. If you try this method, please bring us leftovers.
Alright everyone- bust out the shorts (stylish and blush, of course), turn on the grill, and start blending up a fabulous batch of dressing. It’s sure to put a spring in your step this week.
Marinated, Grilled Flank Steak (with tips on grilling from The Pioneer Woman)
What You Will Need:
2-3 lbs flank steak
1 cup (or more, depending on size of steak) homemade Greek dressing
olive oil (for drizzling)
salt and pepper to taste
grill pan
What You Will Do
1. Put your flank steak into a large plastic bag. Pour in dressing, and swirl around in the bag until it covers all of the meat. Let marinate in fridge for at least four hours.
2. Drizzle grill pan with enough olive oil to lightly coat the pan. Heat grill pan on high heat (for about two to three minutes).
3. Remove steak from marinade, and place on the grill pan horizontally. Grill for two minutes. If you want to get fancy, you can turn your steak at a 45 degree angle (I learned this from the Pioneer Woman) and grill for about a minute or two more, to get those fancy grill marks.
4. Turn the steak over and grill for three to four minutes more (or two minutes, plus 45 degree rotation time), or until the steak reaches 145 degrees (you can also do the finger test if you don’t want to bother with a meat thermometer. #juiceslost)
5. Let the steak rest for at least five minutes before you slice. This keeps it so juicy.
Grilled Greek Pizza with Homemade Dressing
What You Will Need:
1 lb Publix (or any other brand) pre-made pizza dough, standing at room temp for one hour
Flour, for dusting
Olive oil, at least 1 tablespoon (or more) for drizzling
Grilled flank steak
Veggies (for topping): red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, red onion, black olives, artichoke hearts, cherry tomatoes
Feta cheese, crumbled; mozzarella cheese (Cut into circles and/or shredded if you desire. I like the combination of both!)***
Greek dressing, for drizzling
What You Will Do
Preheat grill to about 300 degrees. Now, every grill is different. So, if your grill becomes too hot during this process, turn the heat down and open the lid. If it is too cool, turn the heat up and close the lid.**
Assemble your ingredients. It is key when grilling pizza that you have all of your ingredients in place because the grilling process happens very quickly! So, chop those veggies (if desired), put the cheese into bowls, and get the Greek dressing ready to drizzle. I like to put all of my ingredients onto a jelly roll pan to stay organized.
Lightly flour a wooden surface. Roll your dough into a large circle with your palms (you can also half this dough if you like to make two smaller pizzas), then flatten into a disc. Lightly dust surface of pizza disc with more flour, then, using a rolling pin, roll out into about a 12 to 13 inch circle. The dough should feel stretchy and at a similar thickness to what you see when those fancy Italian men throw the dough towards the ceiling.
Take your now assembled pizza dough and ingredients out to the grill.
Brush one side of the pizza dough with olive oil. Place that side directly onto the grill and cook for two to three minutes with the lid off. Check the underside of the dough as you grill. It should begin to firm and you should see grill marks forming.* Once those grill marks form and the dough is firm, flip with a large spatula.
Drizzle top with olive oil, then add meat, toppings and cheese. Go light on the toppings; too heavy and your pizza will sink a bit. Grill for an additional three minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the dough fills firm.
Let rest for one or two minutes, then add a drizzle of dressing, and slice! Enjoy your hard-earned Greek goodness.
To be noted:
*I once disintegrated a chicken on the grill. Literally, it’s legs burned beyond a crisp into charcoal dust. Yet it was still on fire. It’s demise may have had something to do with the fact that I set the grill to 500 then left it on for at least thirty minutes:)
**As I experienced, if grill marks are forming too quickly and your crust is burning, go ahead and flip the dough over (so it doesn’t burn) and top with ingredients. You can finish that one off in the oven. Turn down the heat on your grill, and try again. Like I said, every grill is different and takes a while to adjust to!
***Dairy-free option: If you want to go sans cheese on this, I suggest replacing the olive oil drizzle on the flipped pizza side with a good drizzle of Greek dressing. Add veggies, and cook until desired doneness:)
Y’all, our very first Luv Cooks video debuts today!! See the full recipe here:
As a kid, I hated carrots. There weren’t many things in life I wouldn’t eat (I’ve been a bottomless pit since I was three), but my memories of carrots were either of the raw variety, zip-locked into my school lunch bag in order to balance the Oreos, or boiled until mushy and piled onto a spoon at my church’s Wednesday night suppers.
Needless to say, neither was appealing to my growing palette (which also preferred Nutter Butters over actual peanut butter, and a fruit roll-up to fruit).
But as my cooking progressed, I learned that you can’t always take a vegetable at face value. Sometimes a cooking method transforms the slight flavor of a raw orange stick to something ethereal- even addictive. Especially when swathed in The Oil and Vinegar Cellars’ Pecan Praline aged balsamic vinegar, roasted to a deep sweetness, then topped with chopped pecans. Delightful.
Carrots are also amazing for you. They have tons of antioxidants, and eating lots of carrots could help protect against unhealthy levels of cholesterol. Consumption of carrots can also help to ease stomach issues, and they are killer for your immune system!
So in the midst of this dreary, cold weather, pull out some carrots, roast those babies, hope for Spring, and enjoy a deliciously sweet vegetable surprise.
Pecan Praline Balsamic Roasted Carrots
This take on a traditional roasted carrot brings out the beautiful sweetness of carrots via aged pecan praline (or your favorite balsamic) vinegar by allowing the carrots to caramelize a bit in their juices. Crunchy pecans on top bring a rich texture into the mix.
Toss your baby carrots in a large bowl with olive oil. Add the balsamic vinegar, and stir together until the carrots are evenly coated.
Pour carrots and their balsamic glaze onto the roasting pan and make sure they are spread out evenly in a single layer.
Roast the carrots in the oven for about 15 minutes.
Remove the roasting pan from the oven. Toss carrots with chopped pecans, drizzle with another light layer of balsamic vinegar (about 1/2 tablespoon). Stir the carrots together once more, making sure the carrots and pecans are evenly covered with balsamic.
Add a light sprinkle of sea salt and black pepper to taste.
Put the carrots back into the oven to roast for five minutes. Once done, top with fennel fronds if you like. Let cool slightly, and enjoy!
*I love Taelor’s pecan praline vinegar, but any specialty or high-quality balsamic vinegar would be delicious.
For our family, popcorn bars were akin to the joy experienced by Christmas stockings and dibs on the front seat of the station wagon. In fact, my best memories with them bring me back to my mom. I remember cool Friday afternoons, when the weather smelled like roast leaves and I couldn’t help but be beckoned inside. A quick sprint from the school bus drop-off landed me exactly where I wanted to be- with my momma in the kitchen.
The original pop corn ball recipe we made came from my grandmother- she loved to make these- but her version was more of a hybrid kettle corn variety. Laden with butter and sugar, they were delicious, but probably also left my mom with kids hopped up on marshmallows (this effect, however, I don’t quite remember). An incredibly hard-working nurse, my mom was a trooper to say the least for letting us imbibe.
This barred version is my spin; a take on the traditionally sweet treat, but lightened a tad with honey and coconut oil instead of butter. The real star, though, is the ever delicious combo of salted almonds with popcorn. Almonds, I discovered, are naturally awesome- high in vitamins B and E, calcium, iron, and fatty acids. They can even balance your digestive system, aid the nervous system, and provide extra energy to boot! For someone like me, a long devoted peanut butter addict, this introduction to a nut butter topping that I dig (and can substitute for peanut in recipes if I choose) and provides a nutritional boost- my kind of bar.
Plus, these bars’ roasty, salty-sweet taste is dynamite delicious, easy to make, and an excellent road trip snack, as my husband and I tested out a few weeks ago. Just doing what we can for the recipes.
So pop some corn, buy some great quality almonds, come inside from the cold, and get ready for some fun memories in the kitchen.
Almond Cranberry Popcorn Bars with Almond Butter Drizzle
What You Will Need:
10 cups popped popcorn (I like the canola oil variety)
1.75 ounces chocolate of your choice (I used hazelnut milk chocolate for this recipe)
What You Will Do:
1. Grease an 8 by 8 inch square pan with cooking spray.
2. Combine popcorn, coarsely chopped almonds, and dried cranberries in a large bowl.
3. Bring honey and coconut oil to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once the edges are boiling, continue to boil for three minutes (it will foam up pretty well, and that’s ok!), stirring occasionally.
4. Once ready, take the honey syrup off of the heat and pour directly over the popcorn mixture (if you let it sit in the pan, it might burn). Use a large spatutal to evenly coat the popcorn, nuts and cranberries with the syrup, making sure to watch your hands (this mixture is hot), and scrape all of the syrup and nuts/cranberries that might have floated to the bottom of the bowl up and through the mixture.
5. Once combined, pour mixture into greased pan and press down with hands. It will look like a lot of popcorn, but just keep pressing until it is flat and even.
6. Heat chocolate in a glass bowl in the microwave on high for 45 seconds. Add two tablespoons almond butter, then heat in 15 second intervals, stirring after each interval with a fork, until chocolate is melted and evenly combined.
7. Use a spoon to lightly pour mixture in a criss cross pattern over the bars. Put in the refrigerator to cool for at least 15 minutes.
