A few years ago I went to a wine tasting thing at Whole Foods. It was a good deal. For something like $5, I got a glass, tastes of 5 different wines, 5 bites of complementing foods, and booklet listing the wines and recipes. It was fun to try new things with relatively low risk – and of course anything I liked I could purchase while in the store. My favorite thing was a delicious carrot salad, which I’ve thought about many times over the years.

In fact, I mentioned this carrot salad two years ago when I made pici pasta. When I attempted it then, the carrot salad came out too soupy, I found the recipe unclear, and the amazing flavor I had remembered didn’t come through in the final product. Even so, I never forgot that carrot salad and I’ve thought of it from time to time when too many carrots lingered in the fridge.

Then recently, Pinterest showed me some beautiful pictures of carrot salads and I decided it was time to try again. I did a bunch of research, I made a list of the ingredients I’d like to include, and I started to create my own salad. Two years ago when I tried this I was put off by the idea that this was like coleslaw. I find coleslaw kind of unappetizing because it’s usually swimming in mayonnaise, and I’m not a great fan of things smothered in mayo. But, coleslaw doesn’t have to be in mayo! People, I looked it up.

Seriously, the English major in me went to the dictionary and here it is: coleslaw is usually made of shredded cabbage, but something also carrots and other vegetables, and those vegetables are dressed with mayonnaise OR vinaigrette. So yes, technically this is coleslaw because it is dressed with vinaigrette.

But this is so much better than your regular coleslaw. It’s got lots of ferocious crunch, a hint of sweetness, bright citrus and cilantro flavors, and just a bit of moisture from the dressing. Ryan and I had it as a side with some roast chicken, I had it as a late night snack, perfect to bring to lunch and add something healthy to your work day, and it would be great to bring to a picnic. And finally, as I said when I made roasted broccoli – I’m always looking for new and delicious ways to make vegetables and this will definitely do it.

Messy level: Fairly easy clean up. The messiest part is grating the carrots, but if you buy them already shredded then that’s one less tool to clean. Otherwise, it’s basically all chopping, measuring, and mixing. Once you add the vinaigrette the carrots will get a bit damp and some liquid will collect at the bottom of the bowl, but this is unlikely to create much of a spill or mess.

Raw Carrot Salad

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Total time

10 mins

 

Serves: 2.5 cups

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• juice from half a lemon
• 2 teaspoons agave or honey
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon salt
• pinch of pepper
• pinch of cinnamon
• 2 cups grated carrots (about 2-3 medium to large carrots)
• ¼ cup raisins
• ¼ cup chopped pecans
• ¼ cup pumpkin seeds
• 2 tablespoons roughly chopped cilantro

Instructions

1. In a small jar with a lid, or in a bowl, add the olive oil, white wine vinegar, lemon juice, agave, cumin, salt, pepper, and cinnamon. If using the jar cover with the lid and shake until well mixed. If using a bowl, whisk all the ingredient together until well mixed. Set aside
2. In a medium bowl add the grated carrots, raisins, pecans and pumpkin seeds. Mix until everything is mixed and all the ingredients are spread through out.
3. Pour the vinaigrette over the grated carrot mixture. Stir so that everything is coated.
4. Add in the cilantro and mix gently.
5. Sprinkle a little extra cilantro on top if desired. Serve!

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I’m planning a trip to go to Dorset next weekend with my friend Sarah. Dorset his her hometown and I’m really excited to get out of London, see a new area, and learn about where she grew up. But, thinking about her hometown made me a nostalgic for my hometown. I grew up in Maryland, just outside of Baltimore. I haven’t lived in Maryland since 2008, but I still feel a strong pull to my home state.

Maryland might be a small state, but it’s got a lot going on. Maryland has lots of waterside vacation spots from the Chesapeake Bay, Deep Creek Lake, and Ocean City. Sure, Ocean City isn’t the fanciest or classiest beach, but it’s a beach and that’s awesome. Maryland is the home of the Star Spangled Banner, major sports teams, the Wire, and Hairspray. Yeah, the Wire makes Baltimore seem a  little scary, but that show was amazing.  If you haven’t seen it go out and watch it immediately. Maryland has busy cities like Baltimore and picturesque ones like Annapolis. And finally, Maryland has a sweet flag, an awesome accent, one-eyed Natty Boh, and most importantly for me delicious food. See, I told you Maryland has a lot going on.

But most famously, Maryland is known for crabs. Steamed crabs, crab cakes, crab bisque, and crab dip…yum. All of it delicious. And then I got the idea for crab grilled cheese – which might possibly my perfect dream food. This sandwich has lots of cheese, Old Bay, crabs, and buttery bread. I’ve never put anything in grilled cheese besides cheese before – and now I’m not sure I can go back to plain grilled cheese.

This item is the kind of thing that I’d find on a menu of a fancy-ish, trendy-ish, dinner. It would cost like $12, and I’d think, “that’s a lot for a sandwich at a dinner,” but then I’d do it because I had to know. Then I’d order it, and maybe it wouldn’t be as cheesy, gooey, or as full of crab as I wanted. I’d scarf it down anyway, still enjoying it, and then wish I had more and feel sad.

Don’t worry, I’ve solved that hypothetical problem. Now I can make this perfect sandwich at home. When Ryan and I scarf down the first round too quickly, I can just make a second round and stack the ingredients higher. Ryan and I ate two sandwiches and afterwards he asked if there was more crab in the fridge. Yes, yes there was. So there will be more sandwiches this week. Are you jealous yet? If you’re still not sold, Ryan said this was the best thing I’ve ever made. Yes, he’s my husband and has to say nice things, but c’mon. That’s high praise.

A few notes on method. I used sour dough bread which I loved. The bread absorbs the butter and get perfectly golden and really crispy – which is delicious and good for the structural integrity of the sandwich. (Or more specifically, it won’t flop about as you hold it or bite it) However, if you have regular old sandwich bread in the house, use that – it’s what I’d use for an ordinary grilled cheese.

Second, how do you butter your grilled cheese? My friend might not remember this, and I don’t know why I do, but years ago when we lived together, I was talking with my friend Shadur about grilled cheese and she said she buttered the bread, and I said I buttered the pan. We both looked at each other shocked, both of us thinking “why on earth do you do that?” I don’t think it ever occurred to us that there was another way to butter the bread for grilled cheese. I think buttering the bread is most efficient and makes the pan less dirty. However, I still butter the pan because then I can go crazy with the butter, reapply butter easily if I need to, and because sometimes buttering bread rips it up. Do what feels right to you, it’s no biggie.

Messy level: Because of all the stuff you’re adding, this is messier than a regular grilled cheese. You’ll need a bowl to prep your sandwich insides and a skillet. There’s lot of opportunity for the sandwich to ooze out – which leads to a bigger mess – but in this case I also think it makes the food more delicious.

Crab Grilled Cheese

 

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Author: Cooking is Messy

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• ½ cup crab meat
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1½ teaspoons Old Bay
• pepper, pepper to taste
• 1 heaping teaspoon mince green onions
• ¼ cup shredded Gruyere, plus more for sprinkling
• ¼ cup shredded Cheddar, plus more for sprinkling
• 2-3 tablespoons butter
• 4 slices sourdough bread

Instructions

1. In a small bowl (the one you use for cereal is fine), mix together the crab meat, mayonnaise, mustard, Old Bay, a bit of pepper, and the green onions. Mix it well, then taste, and adjust as you see fit. (Most prepared crab meat is cooked so you can taste it)
2. Mix the Gruyere and Cheddar to the crab mixture. Mix until everything is coated.
3. Now take your bread. On two slices, sprinkle a little extra Gruyere. (The cheese is your glue to hold it all together)
4. Top each of those two slices with half of the crab mixture.
5. Top the crab mixture with a little extra Cheddar.
6. Place the second piece of bread on top. Press gently to squish it all together.
7. In a large skillet on medium to medium-high heat, melt 1-1½ tablespoons of butter.
8. Once the skillet is nice and hot, add the sandwich. Cook until the bread is golden brown. This will take a few minutes, and it's ok to lift it up and check it.
9. Lift the sandwich out of the skillet and melt the rest of the butter. Flip the sandwich and put it back into the skillet with the untoasted side down (golden brown, cooked side up).
10. Cook until the cheese is melted and the second side is golden brown. Adjust the heat as you go if you feel the bread is getting dark too quickly.
11. Remove from heat, cut in half, and serve.

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It’s Wednesday, which means by this time in the week you might already be looking forward to the weekend. But, I bet hardly anyone looks forward to Sunday evening. Sunday evening means the weekend is drawing to a close, it’s time to make sensible decisions, and go to bed early to be ready for work Monday morning. However, this Sunday (at least in the US) there’s something to celebrate – the mid-season premiere of The Walking Dead.

I love The Walking Dead, which is odd considering I’m afraid of zombies. I’ve been known to have zombie nightmares and my zombie apocalypse plan is to give up and get bitten. But still, I love The Walking Dead. I tend to watch mindless sitcoms, and for me this show is my jolt of drama, fear, and thrills. It’s not just the action I love, I really enjoy the characters. I like watching them evolve and deal with who they used to be and who they want to be, and have to be, now.

Also, I think the show is great because it’s pretty unpredictable. I wholeheartedly believe that any character could go at any moment. In most shows, you feel pretty confident that fan favorites and main characters are here to stay – but with this show I’m not so sure. Every week I just keep rooting for Daryl. On Mondays, I used to dissect every little thing with my coworker Erica. I miss that because it was always so fun to speculate. [Spoiler alert] Recently, a lot of the story lines have led to epic gun battles between groups of people – but then in the mid-season finale Beth’s scene was so quiet and intimate – yet so dramatic. The show always keeps me on my toes.

So to celebrate the show, I decided to make a cauliflower brain. I was inspired to make this by my friend Jubi who sent me a message asking if I had any recipes themed for TV shows. I didn’t, but I was into the idea because I adore themey stuff. I decorate for every holiday, I made Ryan a baseball cap shaped cake when the Nationals were in the playoffs, and I have Abraham Lincoln socks for Presidents Day. So why shouldn’t I also have foods perfectly matched for a TV viewing party?

I went with cauliflower because a whole roasted cauliflower looks sort of like a brain. And obviously, there’s nothing more Walking Dead appropriate than a brain.  Stab it with a big knife and you will have a bad-ass zombie killer center piece. Slice the cauliflower like a cake and serve to your guests. As we know for the show, we are all carriers for the disease so what’s the harm in eating a little zombie brains? Overall, this recipe is a little morbid, a bit spicy, and also pretty healthy.

A Thug Kitchen recipe inspired me to use Siracha, and I thought it would be perfect because you need a little spice and heat to survive among the Walkers and the hot sauce is a good stand in for blood. So, the sauce is adapted from Thug Kitchen and the rest is all Cooking is Messy, baby!

Messy level: Almost a one spoon recipe. Prepping the cauliflower is the most difficult part because I flung small pieces on the floor. Other than that, it’s simple seasoning, roasting, and smothering with sauce.

Walking Dead Inspired: Siracha Roasted Cauliflower Brain

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

45 mins

Total time

55 mins

 

Ingredients

• 1 whole cauliflower head
• 1 clove garlic
• 4 teaspoon olive oil, divided
• cayenne pepper, to taste
• salt, to taste
• ½ cup Siracha sauce
• ⅓ cup rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 450°F/230°.
2. Remove any leaves from the cauliflower and cut off any extra stem, so that the cauliflower will lay flat in a pan.
3. Cut the garlic clove in half and rub it all over the cauliflower.
4. In a small bowl or cup, mix 2 teaspoons of the olive oil with a sprinkling of cayenne pepper and salt. Taste and adjust the seasonings to your liking.
5. Brush this olive oil mixture all over the cauliflower.
6. Put the cauliflower on a rimmed baking sheet or small casserole dish. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, in a small bowl or jar mix together the Siracha, rice vinegar, remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil, and sauce sauce. Stir or mix until well combined.
8. After the cauliflower has been in the oven for 30 minutes, remove from the oven and brush half of the Siracha mixture over the cauliflower. If it's a little more than half it's ok, just leave some. Return to the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes more. The cauliflower is done when a knife can be easily stuck through it.
9. Remove from the oven, and pour the remaining Siracha sauce over it.
10. To serve, stab with a knife and then artfully squeeze some Siracha, straight from the container, around the knife to look like dripping blood.
11. When ready to eat, cut into slices and serve with your favorite creamy dressing.

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When I first met Ryan, even before we were dating, I learned two fun facts about him. One, he’s a twin. And two, he’s from Hershey, PA. Then he immediately dispelled all myths about those two things. No, he can’t feel his twin’s pain. No, he can’t read his mind. No, it doesn’t always smell like chocolate in Hershey. No, he wasn’t given loads of chocolate when he graduated. (Side note: I didn’t ask those questions aloud, but Ryan’s always been able to read my mind so he must have known my thoughts even then.)

But, Ryan did have some special chocolate knowledge and he introduced me to Hershey’s Extra Dark Chocolate with Cranberries, Blueberries, and Almonds. I really like that chocolate bar, but I can’t always find it easily (and definitely can’t find it here in the UK). That bar is delicious, and this recipe for dark chocolate bark reminds me of that bar (but this is cheap and you can feel superior for DIY-ing it). For me, this is a wonderful treat because of the combination of flavors and textures. It’s sweet and bitter from the dark chocolate. It’s juicy and tart from the pomegranates. And it’s crunchy from the almonds.

It’s also a great recipe because during the Christmas season there are a lot of opportunities to make sweets – ya know for parties, gifts, and general snacking. This recipe is super easy. It has three ingredients and requires minimal cooking tools or ability. And the best part of it is, this recipe makes nice chocolate, even more amazing. But, please store it in the fridge! Too much handling and it will get a little melty and you’ll have chocolate on your hands. I know, what a burden, you might have to lick chocolate off of your hand. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

If you’re not into dark chocolate or the toppings I used, you can adapt the bark to your tasted. You could add dried fruits, pretzels, other nuts, cornflakes. Seriously, I think whatever you want to pair with chocolate you can throw into bark. The only “special” equipment you need is a heat-proof bowl that you can put over a saucepan. I used a glass bowl.

This recipe was inspired by Give Recipe.

Messy level: Just two spoons! You only have three ingredients. And the method is just heating, mixing, and cooling. So easy, neat, and easy to impressive. The messiest part is breaking the chocolate because some of the toppings fall out

Pomegranate and Almond Dark Chocolate Bark

 

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Ingredients

• 240g/8oz dark chocolate (about 1.5 bars from the baking section)
• ½ cup pomegranate seeds
• ¼ cup almonds

Instructions

1. Line a packing sheet with parchment paper.
2. Roughly chop the almonds, set aside.
3. Roughly chop the chocolate. Don't get too worried about this. You just want the chocolate in small-ish pieces so they will melt quickly and evenly. Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl.
4. Put about 1" of water in a small saucepan. Place the heatproof bowl over the saucepan. Is the bottom of the bowl touching the water? If so, remove some water. Set the bowl aside.
5. Heat the water until simmering, then put the bowl back on top of the saucepan. The water as it simmers and boils will melt the chocolate!
6. Stir the chocolate to help along the melting.
7. Once it's completely melted, turn off the heat and remove the bowl from the saucepan.
8. Let the chocolate come to room temperature. Then, once it's cooled to room temperature, mix in half of the pomegranate seeds.
9. Pour the chocolate and pomegranates over the prepared baking sheet. Use a knife or spatula to spread the chocolate out to your desired thickness.
10. Sprinkle the remaining pomegranates and chopped almonds over the top of the chocolate. Poke the toppings in at different angles to give a nice look.
11. Put the baking sheet in the fridge and cool for 2 hours, or until hard enough to break into random sharp pieces.

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Warning: This post is a little sappy.

This recipe for cinnamon glazed sweet potatoes, simply called “yams” in my family, is one of my Mom’s signature holiday recipes. For Thanksgiving and Christmas, you can always count on my mom to make an apple pie and this recipe. Sure, she can makes other things too, but those are staples. It’s a really nice dish. It’s sweet, and a lovely hybrid between baked and mashed potatoes. But, to be honest, it’s not my favorite Thanksgiving food, but it is my brother’s favorite. Eric’s Thanksgiving plate is usually 50% baked ham and 50% yams. He loves this stuff. And so today’s post is dedicated to him.

I’ve been thinking about Eric a bunch recently. It started at work the other day. I was playing on a piano thing with a little boy and his mom. All of a sudden, this slightly taller little girl (who turned out to be his sister) ran up to him, semi-violently grabbed his face, kissed him on the cheek, then ran away. Mom was very touched. I thought it was hilarious. And the boy was completely unfazed. It was that somewhat violent and tender moment that made me think of Eric.

See, he doesn’t mind if I squash him

It made me think of Eric because although he has been bigger and stronger than me for over ten years, he still lets me be the big dog. He lets me poke him, tickle him, squash him, tease him, and put my cold hands on his neck – and he is unbothered by all of it. Like that little boy, Eric accepts all my pestering and understands that it is meant to show affection. I’m lucky that Eric and I get along so well. We have a really similar sense of humor, sometimes he says exactly what I’m thinking, and of course he lets me pretend I’m the dominant sibling.

I’m excited about Thanksgiving in London, but I’ll miss my family and Eric most of all (sorry guys). So, even though this recipe isn’t my favorite it will be part of our Thanksgiving meal so my brother can be with me in spirit.

Messy level: Two spoons. This is really straightforward in terms of prep – peel and cut sweet potatoes, make some glaze, pour on potatoes, bake. Easy and not messy.

Cinnamon Glazed Sweet Potatoes

 

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Cook time

2 hours 30 mins

Total time

2 hours 30 mins

 

Author: My Mom

Ingredients

• 6-8 medium sweet potatoes
• 4 oz butter
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 375°F/190°C.
2. Peel sweet potatoes and cut into circles that are 1.5-2" thick.
3. Place prepared sweet potatoes in a large tray - like a 9x13" pan with sides would be good.
4. In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.
5. Once the butter is melted, add in the water, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
6. Stir until sugar is dissolved, everything is well mixed. Heat until just about boiling.
7. Taste. Add more cinnamon or nutmeg if you like.
8. Pour the glaze over your prepared sweet potatoes.
9. Cover with aluminium foil and bake in the oven for 2 hours, or until soft and can be easily pierced with a fork. Every 45-60 minutes, gently turn the potatoes and spoon sauce over them. Don't be too aggressive here or you'll turn this into mashed sweet potatoes.
10. Once the potatoes are soft remove the aluminium foil. Place back in the oven for 30-45 minutes more. It is ready when the liquid has begun to thicken and evaporate, and the potatoes are nicely coated.
11. Serve and spoon a little glaze from the pan over it before eating!

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These cookies are lovely because they taste and smell like all the best part of the holidays. Making these, and baking these, made me feel like I was walking through a Christmas market drinking cider. They evoke a sense memory that is soothing and makes me feel like I’m snuggled in a blanket. But in all honesty, they don’t taste too strongly of pumpkin. It’s no matter though because in addition to pumpkin there are chocolate chips, dried cranberries, pumpkin pie spice, and molasses (which is called dark treacle here). See, it has all the yummy flavors of autumn.

The cookie batter is  little weird because it is soft and sticky. It is less easy to manage than a regular chocolate chip cookie batter. It also calls for melted butter, and I’m not sure why because I didn’t create this recipe, it’s from Sally’s Baking Addiction. The thing about the melted butter is, when I melted it and it cooled it the cookies came out thicker and more cakey. When I melted the butter, but mixed it hot, the cookies came out thinner and softer. I don’t really know the science of why this works, but this is my observation. I just started my job at the Science Museum, so I feel a little bad not knowing the science and just asking us all to accept some sort of baking mystery. But, I did do some research and it seems like other bakers have had the same experience. What I remember from making gluten-free cookies is that melted butter helps wet what could be a dry mixture and help activate the protein structures. How that makes the cookies spread, I don’t know. I’ll look into it and get back to you.

If you try it, let me know how it goes for you. But, do with this information what you will, the main effect is on texture. The delicious flavor is there regardless. Also, for those visual learners among you, check out the difference in texture in the photos below.

What’s most important thought, is that you make these cookies. You should definitely make them if you’re having people over! Your home will smell amazing and everyone will be happy because there will be cookies.

Messy level: Ordinarily I would give basic drop cookies 1 spoon, since they are easy to mix in a bowl or two. These cookies are two spoons because the batter is sticky and so it gets all over your hands as you put the cookies on the sheet to bake. Also, molasses is a pain to measure and pour. A good tip is to spray your measuring spoon with some cooking spray, then pour in the molasses. The molasses will slip right out and won’t be stuck in the spoon! 

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies with Chocolate Chips and Cranberries

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

Delicious cookies that have all the flavors of autumn

Author: Sally's Baking Addiction

Serves: 24

Ingredients

• 2 cups + 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 heaping tsp pumpkin pie spice
• ½ tsp salt
• 1½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 8 oz unsalted butter, melted
• ¼ cup dark molasses
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• ¾ cup pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• chocolate chips and dried cranberries - a combo up to a total of 1½ cups.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°/180°.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. If you'd like the cookies thicker, melt the butter now. If you want them thin, don't melt the butter yet.
4. In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Once well mixed, fold in the oats.
5. If you want your cookies thin, melt the butter now.
6. In a medium bowl, whisk the butter, molasses and both sugars.
7. Once combined, stir in the egg.
8. Now add the pumpkin and vanilla to the sugary-egg mixture.
9. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently mix.
10. Add in your chocolate chips and dried cranberries.
11. Scoop about 1-2 tbsp of dough onto the prepared sheets. Give the batter enough space to spread.
12. Bake the cookies for 13-15 minutes.
13. Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheets.

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When I made corn chowder, I told you that I liked to go to Zumba on Mondays. That means Monday dinner kind of gets short changed because I need something light and quick. This recipe fits the bill. Last Monday, I made this simple chicken dinner with broccoli and rice. As we were eating it I said to Ryan, “this is college Mariel dinner,” and he chuckled and nodded.

This was the meal I made all throughout college. It is the first real meal I ever knew how to make. It is probably the first meal I ever made for Ryan. In college I would’ve made this with defrosted frozen broccoli and a box of Near East rice pilaf, but over the years I’ve stepped up my game and now I can make everything from fresh ingredients.

I haven’t shared this recipe on the blog before because it didn’t seem very special. It seemed so straightforward, who would need this recipe? But the truth is my mom wrote this down for me when I was in college and didn’t know how to cook anything. She was writing down recipes for me in a spiral notebook and I felt like everything she was writing was too fancy (liked baked salmon filets). So I asked her, “how do I make just plain-ass chicken?” And this is it, plain-ass chicken.

This recipe is a great beginner recipe. It’s perfect for college students, busy people, people with few kitchen appliances, and people who want to learn to cook. Here are four other reasons why this meal is awesome.

1. It’s fast. The whole thing will take you 45 minutes. Yes, 45 minutes is longer than it takes to defrost a pizza, but it is faster than it takes to defrost a lasagna and can sometimes be faster than delivery.
2. It’s cheap. All the ingredients costs me less than £10. It serves two and you’ll still have rice and stock left for a future meal, so really cost per person is even lower.
3. It’s made of all whole, fresh, normal ingredients. So you can feel good about making a quick dinner with all ingredients you can pronounce.
4. It’s going to teach you three valuable basic cooking skills: how to make rice, how to steam vegetables, and how to cook chicken. Learn the basics and you have the foundation to make all kinds of more complicated stuff in the future.

Now a few notes on preparation. The only special equipment I recommend is a vegetable steamer. I like steaming vegetables because it is healthy and quick. Also, for beginner cooks you’ll be making everything on the stove which is good because it will be easy for you to keep your eye on everything. Also you can steam all kinds of veggies, green beans, asparagus, whatever you like. The vegetable steamer I use is pictured below. I like it because it’s easy to clean and store. It’s kind of floppy though so using the handles to remove the vegetables and steamer is a bit hard. If you aren’t going to steam your veggies, then I recommend roasting them. You can find my favorite roasted broccoli recipe at the Amateur Gourmet’s blog.

We’re going to be using boneless skinless chicken breasts. They don’t often get a lot of love because chicken with bones and skins have a bit more flavor. But boneless skinless is cheap to buy, easy to prepare, and quick to cook. You want to make sure that your chicken breast is uniform in thickness. The reason for this is that the thinner side can cook and dry out before the thicker side is even cooked. To even your chicken you can hammer it with a meat mallet. I don’t have that so I’ll sometimes use the bottom of a sturdy glass. You could also cut your chicken breast lengthwise, giving you pieces of even thickness. This is the method that I like, also because it also cuts down on cooking time.

Last note, for seasoning I used adobo and Old Bay, because that’s what I like. You should use what you would like. Don’t know what you like? Garlic powder, salt, and pepper are always a good choice.

Ok, now let me take you back in time to Mariel’s college days.

Messy level: This recipe is really easy and there isn’t much opportunity for spills or splatter. Still, you have to use three pots so that’s almost a full sink of dishes. Overall though, clean prep and easy clean up.

Easy Beginner Chicken Dinner

 

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Cook time

45 mins

Total time

45 mins

 

An easy recipe for a beginner's chicken dinner

Author: Cooking is Messy

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• ½ cup white rice
• 1 cup chicken stock (you can use water, but stock is more flavorful)
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• adobo (or your preferred seasoning for the chicken)
• 1 medium head of broccoli
• Old Bay (or your preferred seasoning for the broccoli)

Instructions

1. Start with the rice. Put the rice and stock in a medium sauce pan. Heat on high on a back burner (since you're going to set it and leave it). Bring to a boil. Once it boils, lower the heat to low. Cover the pan, let it simmer until all the liquid is absorbed. This takes usually 35-40 minutes, but check your packaging. [Beginner tip: to check for doneness, lift the lid, and use your spoon to push aside a bit of rice to see the bottom of the pan. Is there liquid? If so, not done]
2. Now prep the chicken to make the breasts even (see note above) Season generously with adobo/seasoning of your choice. Set aside.
3. 
4. Wash the broccoli. Cut into little florets.
5. 
6. In a medium saucepan put about ½ inch of water in the bottom. Put the steamer on top of it. Make sure the water doesn't come up over the steamer.
7. Put the vegetables on top of the steamer. Sprinkle with Old Bay or the seasoning of your choice.
8. 
9. Cover the broccoli. Cook on medium-high for about 10 minutes. [Beginner tip: At about 7 minutes, lift the lid and take out a piece of broccoli and test it to see if it tender enough for your liking. Turn off the heat when you feel it is cooked enough]
10. Put a little oil in a skillet. Heat the pan on medium-high.
11. Flick a little water into the pan. If it does nothing, your pan isn't hot enough. If it pops and sizzles aggressively then it is too hot. If it just jumps a little, you're ready.
12. Lower the heat to medium. Add the chicken. Cook on one side for about 3-5 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side for 3-5 minutes. Chicken should be done at about 8 minutes. [Beginner tip: Make a small cut into the chicken breast. Still pink? not done. Increase the heat if it's taking forever, lower the heat if you feel it is browning too quickly]
13. Turn off the heat and serve.

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I’m a strong proponent of breakfast. I eat breakfast everyday and without it I am a grump. During the week breakfast is my quiet time. I usually have a bowl of yogurt with granola and I look out the window and watch the people commuting to work and the construction workers making a lot of noise as they work. After breakfast I’m powered up for the day.

But I like breakfast the best on the weekends. On the weekends Ryan and I get to eat together and often we make something special – pancakes with bacon, egg sandwiches, or baked oatmeal, with orange juice and fruit on the side. Recently I made this recipe for breakfast which looks special and is actually simple to make. I was inspired to make this because I’ve been itching to try quail eggs ever since I first wandered through a London grocery store. I’d never seen quail eggs in person before I moved here. And aren’t the eggs charming? Small, speckled, and lovely to look at. That white on in the picture below had two yolks in one egg! I’d never seen that before and it was such a cool surprise.

However, it turns out I don’t like quail eggs. Sigh. They have a higher yolk to white ratio, so they are a bit creamier than chicken eggs. Ryan felt they tasted pretty similar to chicken eggs and liked them. I thought they were gamey and unpleasant. Luckily, this recipe is versatile so if you don’t like or can’t find quail eggs you can use regular eggs (which I did and looks just as cool).

A few notes before instructions. The recipe is written to make 2 servings. If you’d like to make more you need 1 ramekin, 2 potatoes, and 1 chicken egg or 3 quail eggs per person – use this as a guideline to make more. As written, the potatoes will get dark and crunchy on the edges but will be softer in the middle (because it’s a thicker layer). If you want crunchy potatoes all over make the middle thinner or cook for longer (but that could lead to even darker edges). Finally, quail eggs don’t crack and easily or cleanly as chicken eggs. The shell sometimes cracks like a spiderweb but doesn’t actually break enough for the insides to come out. I strongly recommend that you break quail eggs into a separate bowl before putting them in your potato nest. This recipe is from Jo Cooks.

Messy level: The messiest part of the recipe is shredding the potatoes. They get a little liquidy and starchy, which can get a little dirty, but it isn’t so bad. You’ll also need a few bowls for preparing the potatoes, but at the end you should be able to pop all your tools in the dishwasher for an easy clean.

Eggs in a Hash Brown Nest

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

40 mins

Total time

55 mins

 

Author: Jo Cooks

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 4 Yukon gold potatoes
• 1-2 tbsp Parmesan cheese (use more or less based on taste)
• 1 egg, beaten (this goes in the potatoes)
• 6 quail eggs or 2 chicken eggs (depends on preference)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4-5 sprig rosemary, optional

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°/180°.
2. Shred the potatoes using a box grater or food processor.
3. In a medium sized bowl, add the shredded potatoes, Parmesan, egg and mix.
4. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Divide the mixture between two ramekins. Press down in the middle so you make a nest. If your potatoes are large, or you want the final product crispier, you may not use all of the mixture.
6. Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until crisp and brown.
7. Remove the ramekins from the oven.
8. If you like the flavor of rosemary, break off a few small pieces from a sprig and scatter them on the potato.
9. Add the eggs to the top of the potato nests. If using quail eggs put 3 in each. If using a chicken egg use one in each.
10. Bake for 5-6 minutes for quail eggs, 6-7 for chicken eggs. (Or until it is done to your liking)
11. Remove from the oven.
12. Arrange the rosemary around the edge of the ramekin for garnish.

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I bought the corn when I made barley succotash and I’ve had the leftover bag ever since. When I need to add a vegetable for dinner, I often tell myself I’ll just heat up the corn, but I never do. I like corn on the cob, corn bread, and corn in things. But plain corn on the side isn’t very interesting to me and so the bag languished in the freezer. 

Then I saw a fairly recent post from Amateur Gourmet for corn chowder. I thought this would be perfect, but then he said it wasn’t worth doing with frozen corn. Sigh. It’s the end of the summer and corn season is over so I moved on.

Until it was Monday. On Monday nights I like to go to Zumba. I like to eat before Zumba so I don’t feel faint and famished but I can’t eat too much or I’ll feel sick. But, I also need to make something hearty enough so Ryan has a real dinner and not rabbit food. So I thought back to corn chowder, and advice be dammed, I was going to try it with frozen corn!

I’m so glad I did because this soup is freaking delicious! The soup is wonderfully flavorful. This is one of the best soups I have ever had. The corn gives it sweetness and the cayenne pepper (which is my personal addition) gives just the whisper of heat. And the cream makes it feel so rich, but with only one cup in the whole pot you don’t have to feel too guilty. It is hearty but not heavy (seriously, I went to Zumba and felt fine and thought about the soup the whole time). Ryan gave it a 9 out of 10. I kept loudly saying, “this soup is so good!” I was mad when I had to leave for class and couldn’t have a second bowl. Try it, this is a wonderful soup.

Adapted from Amateur Gourmet who adapted it from Jasper White.

Messy level: There is a lot of cutting prep work for this recipe, that’s the only reason I will give it a 2 spoon rating. Otherwise, it’s just dump it all in the pot and wait for it to get delicious.

Amazing Corn Chowder

 

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Ingredients

• 3-4 cups of frozen corn
• 4 oz of slab bacon, cut into ⅓" dice
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 5 sprigs thyme, leaves removed and chopped
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ⅛ tsp turmeric
• ¼ tsp ground cayenne pepper
• 1 lb Yukon gold potatoes peeled, and cut into ½" cubes
• about 5-6 cups of chicken stock (enough to cover everything)
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 tbsp cold water
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tbsp minced chives

Instructions

1. In a large heavy pot, cook the bacon over medium heat. Cook until the bacon is crisp. Spoon out all but a tablespoon of the bacon fat.
2. Add the butter, onion, bell pepper, thyme, cumin, cayenne pepper, and turmeric. Look at the pretty spices! They will make the soup pretty too. Add a pinch of salt. Cook for 8 minutes, stirring every so often.
3. Add the corn, potatoes, and stock. Turn the heat to high and bring to a vigorous boil. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
4. Using a wood spoon, smash some of the corn and potatoes against the side of the pot. This will help thicken the chowder. Reduce the heat to medium and taste for salt and pepper.
5. Stir in the corn starch mixture.
6. Bring the soup back to a boil and stir until the chowder has thickened to your liking.
7. Turn off the heat and add the cream. Adjust for salt if you need to.
8. Serve and top with chopped chives.

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On Saturday night Aaron and Katy (Ryan’s twin brother and his wife) emailed they were going to the hospital. I was jumping up and down in the street with excitement. Then Sunday Ryan and I woke up with an email and a photo of their son Boden! It’s their first kid, and our first nephew. We are an uncle and aunt for the first time!

We were so excited we went straight to the grocery store to buy ingredients to make Boden a celebration birthday cake. I’ve been sort of obsessed with Boden (and spoiling him) since last November. Around Thanksgiving last year we were all getting together and I had a dream that Aaron and Katy were going to announce they were pregnant and that they were going to have a boy named Jeremy. In January, we got a phone call that Katy was pregnant (and I did some jumping up and down in the street). A few months later, we found out the baby was a boy (more jumping). He isn’t named Jeremy, but I can’t win them all.

Ryan came up with the idea of getting the “0” candle. I thought it was so clever!

Anyway, I knew I wanted to make Boden a special cake. A cake that will be Boden’s cake. A cake that in the future, when Boden comes to visit, he will look forward to it and ask for it.  As I told some of my friends, I want to be fun aunt Mariel who always has cake. I’ve been wanting to make ancake with a design on the inside and this seemed like the perfect occasion. After spending a lot of time on the internet searching for a perfect yellow cake recipe (with ingredients I could find in a UK grocery store) I decided to stick with a Victoria Sandwich cake because it is a tasty and versatile.

A Victoria Sandwich is named for Queen Victoria. It’s two layers of yellow sponge cake with raspberry or strawberry jam in the middle. Sometimes there’s cream too, but I’m told that is a 20th century addition. The Victoria Sandwich is often served with tea, but when I went to tea a few weeks ago it wasn’t on the menu. I still haven’t had it outside my own kitchen. I’ll need to get on that. But I made it for myself because I learned about it on my favorite show, the Great British Bake Off, and I’m always eager to try new cakes.

I’m using Mary Berry‘s recipe for Victoria Sandwich. It calls for caster sugar, which in the US is called superfine sugar. In my experience, it isn’t always easy to find super fine sugar in the US. I have read that granulated sugar is finer in the US than in the UK, so if you’re in the US and can’t find superfine sugar then granulated should work just fine. I’m going to post the traditional recipe first and then the checkerboard recipe second. I’ll make it clear when to switch between the two. The frosting recipe in Version #2 comes from BBC Good Food. Enjoy and happy birthday Boden!

Traditional Victoria Sandwich: Version #1

Ingredients:

225g/2 sticks/1 cup butter, softened

225g/1 cup/8 oz caster sugar (superfine sugar), plus extra for sprinkling

225g/2 cups/8 oz self-rising flour

2 tsp baking powder

4 large eggs, room temperature

About 4+ tbsp strawberry or raspberry jam

Directions:

1. One hour before you want to start baking take your butter and eggs out of the fridge. This is important because it helps everything mix together better.

2. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.

3. Grease two 8″/20cm cake pans. Line the bottom of the pan with circles of parchment paper. Grease the circles.

4. Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Then add the caster sugar, flour, baking powder, and eggs.

5. Using the electric mixer on low, beat for 2 minutes until smooth. The mixture will be soft and fall off the beaters easily. Don’t over beat it! You want the cake to be light and fluffy.

6. Divide the mixtures equally between the prepared tins. Use a knife to smooth out the surface. You can eyeball evenness, but for the checkerboard cake it is best if you can weigh the batter so the cake heights will be even. You can see in Step 8 that I didn’t measure. (If you’re doing the checkerboard cake move below to Version #2)

7. Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes. It took me 25 minutes. The cakes are ready when they are risen and golden.

8. Cool on a wire rack. Make sure you rest the cakes on their flat sides, because you don’t want the ridges to show in your finished product.

9. Put one cake on a plate, rounded side down. Spread the jam over the flat side of that cake.

10. Then place the other layer on top (flat side down, rounded side up). Sprinkle the top with caster sugar.

11. Cut and serve.

Messy level: This is really quite a clean cake recipe! I think it is because it is so straightforward to make. You put all the ingredients in at once, you bake, then spread the jam. The only messy part is sprinkling the caster sugar at the end. Easy peasy.

Boden’s Birthday Cake – Version #2

Ingredients:

Cake:

Same as above

1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

2 different colors of gel or liquid food coloring

Frosting:

10 oz dark chocolate (I used 2 chocolate bars, and this would work with milk chocolate too)

10 oz heavy cream

(If you need more frosting, just use equal parts chocolate and heavy cream)

Directions:

1. Follow Steps 1-6 above. If using, add in the vanilla extract with the rest of the ingredients.

2. Your batter is now divided into two cake pans. Add one food coloring to each pan. I did one blue and one green. Mix gently! If you over mix your cake will be dense. Add food coloring until you have your desired color (I used a lot).

3. Bake for 20-30 minutes. It took me 25 minutes. The cakes are ready when they are risen and golden.

4. Cool on a wire rack until they are easy to handle. Then put them in the fridge to chill for at least 20 minutes. Having them chill makes them easier to cut for the checkerboard pattern.

5. Meanwhile, start on the frosting. Cut the chocolate into small pieces.

6. In a medium saucepan heat the heavy cream on low-medium heat. You are heating this until small bubbles start to form along the edge of the cream. Alternatively you can check it by sticking your finger in. If you can hold it there for 3-4 seconds, but longer feels like too much, then it is ready. You just want the cream hot enough to melt your chocolate.

7. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Stir until it is shiny, gorgeous, and well combined.

8. Cool the frosting. You can do this on the counter, but is much faster in the fridge. If you cool for 20 minutes, it will still be a little drippy but you can use this for the inside of the cake. For frosting the outside of the cake let it cool for at least an hour! By then it will be thick and like frosting you buy from the store. Also thick frosting is better for patching up any mistakes you make (and I’ll tell you about mine in a second).

9. Once the cakes are cool put them on the counter. Find two circles that are smaller than the cake. If you have cake cutters that’s great, but I didn’t. I used a small bowl and a cup. What you are going to do is cut out two smaller circles out of your larger cake.

10. Place your larger cake cutter (or bowl) over the center of the cake. I measured, but you can eyeball it. If you’re using a bowl take a knife and cut straight down into the cake (try not to cut diagonal). Then repeat with the smaller cutter (or cup). Now you have six rings of cake. I cracked the large green layer. If this happens to you, don’t worry. Frosting will cure it.

11. Now take one large ring (let’s say blue). Frost the inside edge. Put a medium ring inside (green). Frost the inside edge. Put the small circle inside (blue). The frosting holds the layers together. Don’t worry if it isn’t neat. So you’ve made one layer that looks like a bulls eye.

12. Frost the top of the bulls eye layer.

13. Put the other large ring on top of the first layer. Then repeat step eleven. So you’ll have bulls eye layer (blue, green, blue), then a frosting layer, then the second bulls eye later (green, blue, green).

14. Frost the exterior of the cake. Use the frosting to mend cracks and hide any unevenness in the layers.Frosting will make it all look smooth and beautiful. I recommend frosting the cake on a cutting board or parchment paper, because if you’re like you’ll get frosting all over. Then when the cake is ready you can remove it to a clean plate and it will look best.

15. Decorate as desired (excuse my frosting penmanship).

16. Sing happy birthday! Cut and eat! Look at that sweet checkerboard.

Messy level: This turned out to be an epic mess. I got cake crumbs all over when I was cutting the circles. But the messiest part was the frosting! My hands melted the chocolate as I was cutting it. Then before it cools, the chocolate is so drippy! I got chocolate everywhere when I was making the bulls eye. The counter was 70% covered in chocolate. Ryan came over and looked at the counter and chuckled. I told him that the blog is called cooking is messy for a reason.

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