Made:: Almond Milk

Something that I've been making on the regular (two times a week) for the past month is Almond Milk. Before making it, I really thought it would be a daunting process. To my pleasant surprise, it's one of the easiest and tastiest things in the world to make. Seriously, if you make your own milk, it will be hard to go back to store bought. There are many recipes online or you can try the one I use. This recipe is from the beautiful and yummy Huckleberry cookbook by Zoe Nathan. The milk is so creamy, fresh, and tasty. And because there's no preservatives or added junk, you can feel good about what you're putting into your body.

Vanilla Almond Milk

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3/4c of raw almonds

4 dates, pits removed

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 

cold water

Soak almonds and pitted dates in 1 cup of water overnight in the refrigerator. Drain water from the almonds and dates. In a blender place the almonds, dates, salt, vanilla, and 3.5 cups of cold water and blend for a minute or two. Strain the mixture using cheesecloth or fine mesh sieve. Bottle and refrigerate. Milk will keep for 4 days. Enjoy!

notes: Vanilla bean can be used instead of extract. Split bean lengthwise and scrape seeds into the blender. Add the vanilla bean pod to the bottled milk. The milk will separate so just shake bottle to mix. Also, I read somewhere that you could use the strained almond mixture for almond meal once it's dried out. I haven't tried this so if you try it, let me know how it works.

xo, jen

Cooking this Week

This week I've had the time to cook everyday and have enjoyed it. My husband has really been loving it, not once did he call and ask "what are we doing for dinner?"Starting next week though my schedule is back to normal so not as much cooking will be happening. Here's a a few more dishes I made this week:

Sesame Turkey Meatballs and Smashed Chickpea salad:
This meal was amazing. The meatballs are incredibly easy and quick to make as was the salad. Both recipes are from Smitten Kitchen. I highly recommend trying these. Next time I'll make extra meatballs and freeze them.

Individual chocolate cakes with dulce de leche and fleur de sel
This was my first time making chocolate cake. Honestly, I don't even know why I did since I don't even like chocolate cake. I was taken in by the beautiful pictures in the cookbook, it was something new to try, and I wanted to share them with the neighbors and a good friend that loves chocolate cake.

Healthy chicken salad sandwiches
Yesterday was really hot and I did not want to turn on my oven/ stove top again so we had sandwiches. These sandwiches are super easy, healthy, and yummy. The original recipe is from a magazine so this was made based on my memory.

Healthy Chicken Salad

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1 c. or so chopped chicken (we buy whole cooked chicken at the grocery store, cut some up for our protein snack packs and the rest was used to make this chicken salad) the chicken breast is best and skin removed.

1/2 c. or so Greek yogurt, plain, low fat or nonfat

Seedless Grapes- a handful sliced in half

1/2 c. walnuts or almonds chopped

4 slices of bread of your choice. Wheat, squaw, whole wheat sandwich thins, etc. are great choices

a sprinkle of flaxseed or chia (optional)

Mix the chopped chicken with the yogurt. Next add the grapes and nuts. Mix. Spread half of the mixture on one slice of bread and then top the sandwich. Do the same with the other two slices of bread. 

This recipe is very flexible, adjust it to your liking. I used a little less yogurt because I don't like chicken salad that is too creamy and added mixed greens to my sandwich. Enjoy.

Have a great weekend.

xo, jen

p.s. Unique LA is this weekend

Made :: Almond Cakes and Green Beans with Snail Butter

Okay, I'm slowly recovering from my "missed meeting David Lebovitz opportunity." Cooking from his new cookbook, My Paris Kitchen, is helping, plus it's a lot of fun. So far I've made Green Beans with Snail Butter (no snails are involved,) Almond cakes with browned butter, Croque-Monsieur, and tonight Individual chocolate cakes with dulce de leche and fleur de sel. gotta share these with the neighbors though, too many sweets in my house is no bueno.
Everything has been delicious. My husband can't stop eating the mini almond cakes. I think I may have browned the butter a little too long, but they really are the perfect little tea or coffee cake.

The green beans though are my favorite... so far. The recipe is simple and can easily be adapted to your liking.

Green Beans with Snail Butter (adapted from My Paris Kitchen by David Lebovitz)

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1/2 lb. or so of green beans, tips removed

2 Tbsp of unsalted butter

1/2 cup of fresh flat leaf parsley

3 cloves of minced garlic

1 tsp of kosher salt

ground pepper (fresh if you have it)
any other seasoning you might like, just try not to over season

Put a steamer basket that fits into a saucepan. Add enough water so that it reaches the bottom of the steamer basket. Cover and heat until the water is at a low boil. add beans and steam until tender, 8 to 10 minutes.

Remove the beans from the basket and allow them to drain on a kitchen or paper towels.

In a large skillet melt butter over medium to high heat. Add garlic and cook until it begins to brown, 2-3 minutes. Stir in parsley, salt, and pepper. Add green beans and stir until the beans are cooked to your liking (I like mine a little crunchy still, so this part was very quick) and coated with the garlicky butter. Serve and enjoy.

xo, jen
note: according to david the snail butter simply refers to the garlicky butter that is often used when baking snails.

As Promised...Margarita Recipe

Here's the recipe I promised to share, regardless of the results, a week or so ago:

1/2 cup of tequila
1/2 cup of grand marnier
1/2 cup of simple syrup
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 jalapeno, cut in half and seeds removed
a few slices of cucumber

Mix everything together and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours or longer. Shake and pour over ice. This drink has a really nice kick to it... not for the faint of heart :)
Okay, the results were good, but here's what I would do differently:
Next time I would cut down the simple syrup to maybe a 1/4 cup or so, the drink was a little too sweet. I didn't actually use cucumbers because I accidentally bought a squash instead of a cucumber (crazy.) I do imagine that the margarita would have been very refreshing with the cucumbers. next time.
I haven't made the Lavender Margarita yet because I just picked up some lavender at the farmers market. I'll infuse the lavender in a simple syrup and use it when making a classic margarita. This weekend is supposed to be warm and this might be a perfect treat.

xo, jen

Happy National Margarita Day!!!

That's right this Saturday, February 22 is National Margarita Day. it's really a day. And guess what y'all? My favorite adult beverage is a well made Cadillac Margarita on the rocks.
In order to celebrate I thought it might be fun to make two types of margaritas. The first will be a Jalapeno Margarita and the other a Lavender. I've never done this before so I won't post a recipe yet since I'll be making it up as I go. Now if I'm successful, I'll post the recipe here on the blog. Hmmm... what the heck, I'll post it regardless then that way you'll know what not to do.

Have a great weekend! xo 

Homemade with Love : the best granola.

 A couple of weeks ago there was an e-mail in my inbox from the library that a book I had requested was available and waiting for me. My initial reaction was "oh no, what did I request and forget to cancel?" As I scrolled down the e-mail, I saw that it was the book Homemade with Love by Jennie Perillo. boy was I relieved and picked it up the next day.
Usually when trying out a new cookbook, I'll try my hand at one of the simplest recipes. The recipe of choice: DIY Granola. Super easy and I had all the ingredients in the kitchen (bonus.) Not only was this recipe easy, it was really, really good. There are a lot of granola recipes out there and it's nice that they're simple enough to adapt and make your own. Here's how I made mine:

DIY Granola adapted from Homemade with Love

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3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1Tbsp. flax seeds
1 Tbsp. sesame seeds

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. sea salt

1/4 tsp. ginger
1/8 tsp. cardamon

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1 cup various nuts: I used sunflower seeds, pepitas, and cashews (all raw and unsalted) and only a little more than 1/2 cup total of nuts.

Dried fruit: I used apricots and cranberries

I also added a little (dried & unsweetened) coconut flakes

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Combine the dry ingredients (except for the dried fruit) together in a large bowl. Combine and whisk together the olive oil and maple syrup in a small bowl. Pour over the dry ingredients and make sure that it's all well coated. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 15min., stir the granola, and bake for another 15minutes. Add dried fruits. Allow granola to cool completely.  Granola will last for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container. Enjoy.

I also added a sprinkle of chocolate sea salt with cayenne after baking. I've made the granola twice so far and will make another batch before returning the book along with a couple of other recipes. Jennie (the author) has an amazing story and a great blog you may want to check out.

xo, jen

Made :: Panna Cotta

Happy Friday everybody! Here's a light, slightly tangy, sweet, but not too sweet Italian treat for you to try this weekend or in the future.

Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta

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1 1/4c  heavy cream

7tbsp   sugar

1/2 vanilla bean (seeds will be scraped)

1 1/2tsp gelatin

1 3/4 c  buttermilk

Mix 1 1/2tsp of gelatin and 1tbsp of cold water. set aside and allow gelatin form. Heat sugar, heavy cream, and the scraped vanilla bean seeds (along with the bean pod)  in a saucepan. medium heat and long enough so that the sugar dissolves in the cream. pour the hot mixture into the bowl with the gelatin. next pour in the buttermilk and mix. strain the mixture into another bowl. Divide the custard into small ramekins or jars. refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Enjoy with a topping. * i thought i would enjoy this even more with a fruit compote, but actually i enjoyed it more plain.

This was my first time making and tasting panna cotta and I'm in love with it. It's so simple and has a light decadence to it. The possible variations to this dessert are endless.

Have a great weekend!

xo, jen