I know I know, it’s been a while since my last post. I have been incredibly busy! I started a very exciting new job, which includes a 2 hour commute from subway to train to cab, and 2 states away. Actually that sounds much worse than just saying I’m commuting from New York to Philadelphia. Regardless, I feel like I’m constantly playing catch up with my posts!
We’re currently going through a heat wave in New York. It’s been pretty ridiculously hot lately. So cooking has been around things that do not involve the oven. Baking is completely not an option. The second I turn on the stove, my tiny New York apartment goes up 10 degrees. Okay that might be an exaggeration but it sure does feel like it. Lately, I’ve been relying on the rice cooker, salads, and good ol Menu Pages!
I updated a previous fennel salad with some different flavors and a slight kick. I love fennel as a salad, it’s so refreshing and flavorful. I added some red bell peppers for added sweetness and color. And for some kick, I added sliced jalapeño! Hope you like it!
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Posted by: Maggie Ha
Category: food, mmmm, recipes, salads
Tags: cooking, food, recipe, recipes, salad, Summer, vegan, vegetarian
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However much I like to complain about rainy days, it’s actually nice to have a stormy weekend in every once in a while. It means I have time to finally read a book, clean the house and cook some food. Boy did I take advantage of it! I’ve been meaning to make a coffee cake ever since I saw a sour cream recipe in some magazine on a flight. Can’t remember the magazine, can’t even remember the flight. But I remember craving coffee cake!
So since I had the time, I played around with some recipes. I was mostly curious about the sour cream and then added blueberries for… antioxidants. The sour cream gave it this amazing texture and kept the cake nice and moist. The best part is that this is SO easy to make! Unfortunately I didn’t have any vanilla ice cream to go with it but some berry sorbet was a different but tasty substitute. Hope you like it!
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Posted by: Maggie Ha
Category: baking, food, mmmm, recipes
Tags: baking, blueberries, cooking, desserts, food, fruit, recipe, recipes, snacks, sweets
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I know, I know… I’ve been a missing in action. I have been meaning to post but Winter sure does have a way of making me lazy! New York City makes me want to order delivery for every meal - delicious food at my beckoning call! It’s no excuse but I gotta say, it sure is convenient!
So it’s been warming up a bit… this weekend we had 50 degree weather. Spring is in the air and I am determined to blog more. This dreary cold has got me day dreaming of my days in sunny Sydney. One of my favorite snacks at the gazillion coffee shops I go to is banana bread, toasted with a little bit of butter. But of course I added chocolate chips to my version. YUM! I bought bananas specifically to wait until they are ripe to make banana bread. It’s definitely one of those things that you have to plan for.
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Posted by: Maggie Ha
Category: baking, food, mmmm, recipes
Tags: baking, banana, bread, chocolate, cooking, desserts, food, loaf, recipe, recipes, sweets
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First off, I apologize for the recent lack of posts. Between the holidays creeping in and starting a new job, I feel like I barely have enough time to make tea! Luckily, this new job has a longstanding tradition of employees hosting a breakfast every Friday. This Friday is my turn!
I decided to make something simple yet jam packed with flavor. I would have liked to make one of my fritittas but it would be a little difficult transporting my cast iron to work! So I bring you, breakfast in one bite! Savory scones as a wholesome breakfast sandwich alternative. Well I can’t take credit for it, I got the idea from this little coffee shop I used to go to every morning in Sydney. I have been craving this for months but I finally have a good excuse to make a few batches.
You can really experiment with the ingredients but my all time favorite is tomato, basil and feta. Spinach and Swiss is a close second. I decided to make the tomato, basil, feta and a bacon, cheddar and green onion for the meat eaters. I’m much more of a savory person so this is my perfect breakfast all in one little scone. I hope the people at work like them as much as I do!
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Posted by: Maggie Ha
Category: baking, food, mmmm, recipes
Tags: baking, breakfast, cheese, cooking, food, recipe, recipes, snacks
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Yes it’s holiday season again. I feel like it hit really early this year. I heard Christmas music at Bloomies before Halloween! This year I’m so happy to be surrounded by all the amazing holiday paraphernalia. Pumpkins all over the place! Turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, hams, you can’t miss it at any grocery store. Everyone gets into it. Starbucks with their special drinks, Dunkin Donuts with special holiday flavors so I figured it’s time for me to experiment with some pumpkin goodness.
We all love pumpkin pie. Those spices mixed with that rich pumpkin puree, mmmm mmm just reminds me of Fall. After 3 batches, I finally perfected the recipe for these scrumptious spiced pumpkin cookies. They’re more like muffin tops. Cakey and spongey like a moist muffin with a delicious maple icing on top. Perfect to fill the cookie jar for this holiday season!
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Posted by: Maggie Ha
Category: baking, food, mmmm, recipes
Tags: baking, cookies, cooking, desserts, food, holiday, recipe, recipes, sweets, thanksgiving
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I used to think Mexican rice was this completely magical and impossible dish. Every family has a slightly different recipe and I seem to keep mixing the wrong ingredients in all the different recipes I’ve collected over the years. I just couldn’t perfect it. Sometimes I put too much spice, sometimes it’s too much broth and sometimes it’s not enough water. Really it took me a while to get it right and I cook Mexican food a lot! More so than any other cuisine, even Chinese actually. So after years of experimenting, here is my version of Mexican rice. It’s incredibly simple and incredibly delicious.
I found out where I was going wrong all these years. I kept trying to make a mix of Mexican rice and Spanish rice… two totally different dishes. Mexican rice, as I have known it growing up, has always been a tomato based rice that is pretty mild in taste compared to Spanish rice. It’s buttery and flavorful alone, but the key is how well it pairs with beans and the rest of your Mexican meal. I generally cook enough Mexican food to feed the block so this rice recipe makes a whole pot. Hope you like it!
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Posted by: Maggie Ha
Category: food, mmmm, recipes
Tags: cooking, food, Mexican, recipe, recipes, rice, vegetarian
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People have been saying you can’t really find great Mexican food in New York. Actually, let me rephrase, you can’t find cheap good Mexican food. There are a few taco trucks around and some Chipotle’s here and there but that’s not the same. So I decided to make carne asada!
Carne asada is usually skirt or flank steak. I usually ask the butcher to trim off the fat and cut into 6 inch sections. It’s basically marinated and then grilled. For a good carne asada, it is ALL about the marinade. In LA you can find grocery stores with your skirt steak already marinading. A little tougher to find here. But I have a blend of flavors that are so delicious you’ll want to drink it! You’ll want to marinade the meat for at least 6 hours (best overnight!) to make sure the flavors are all in there. Grill it and there you have it, carne asada. Enjoy!
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Posted by: Maggie Ha
Category: food, mmmm, recipes
Tags: cooking, food, meat, Mexican, recipe, recipes
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Here it is, my first dish in my new kitchen! It wasn’t as bad as I thought, luckily I chose to make something that I had all the ingredients for. Whew! So a basquaise dish is traditionally a peppers and onions red wine reduction with lots of peppers, the key ingredient is piment d’Espelette - paprika, along with garlic and thyme. Usually the traditional French dish requires some ham or bacon for that rich salty flavor but I did a version that was vegetarian friendly and oh SO delicious. I served a vegetarian dish with roasted asparagus and a meatier fishy version with halibut.
You can make a basquaise out of other things as well… that’s just the chunky peppers and onion sauce. You can put chicken or fish on top of it and it will go perfectly. I opted for roasted asparagus for a vegetarian dish but grilled eggplant or zucchini would go nicely as well. I added grape tomatoes to my version for that added burst of flavor when you bite into one. A basquaise sounds difficult but it really is easy and it tastes amazing! Hope you enjoy it!
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Posted by: Maggie Ha
Category: food, mmmm, recipes
Tags: cooking, food, french, recipe, recipes, seafood, vegetarian
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Packing up and selling all my belongings has got me in a bad mood. I haven’t been able to cook dinners lately or bake things or just eat normally. I looked at what’s left in my pantry and what’s left of my cooking toys… I have just enough to make peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. YAY! Finally something that won’t stress me out and something delicious to post! Can’t think of a better way to cheer myself up, peanut butter + chocolate.
I’ve been meaning to make peanut butter chocolate cookies for a while now, I think that’s why I have 2 extra tubs of peanut butter in the pantry. Luckily no one has bought my cookie sheets or mixing bowls yet. So a little whisking here, a little taste testing there… and we have peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. Since I’m a sucker for ice cream sandwiches, I had to try these in ice cream sandwich form. I think they might better than my usual snickerdoodle option! It might be a while until my next cooking experiment post so I hope you enjoy it!
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Posted by: Maggie Ha
Category: baking, food, mmmm, recipes
Tags: american, baking, chocolate, cookies, cooking, food, recipe, recipes, snacks, sweets
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I love potatoes. I think I could eat potatoes at every meal. Hash browns, mashed, roasted, baked, fries, home style, soup, endless possibilities really. My favorite combination is garlic and potatoes, mashed or pan fried. Today I bring you, roasted! Roasted garlic with seasoned roasted potatoes, a perfect marriage of flavors. Roasted garlic doesn’t have that harsh don’t kiss me kick and actually adds a nice sweetness. So good just squeezed on top of a slice of crusty bread too!
You could really pair this as a side dish with any meal but I had it as my main dish for dinner. What can I say, I really love potatoes! And it’s technically Winter still, I’m allowed to have an entirely starchy dinner! I usually love a huge dollop of sour cream with potatoes, but this dish is so flavorful, you really won’t need anything else but a fork! Hope you like it!
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Posted by: Maggie Ha
Category: baking, food, mmmm, recipes
Tags: baking, cooking, food, potatoes, recipe, recipes, vegetables, vegetarian
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