{ Summer Treats } Ice Cream Drumsticks

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Summer is here! At least, if you’re living in Southern California. It may not be official, but the weather is hot, the veggies are changing, and the beach is calling. Memorial Day weekend is ripe for summer picnics and BBQs – bring along an old classic to celebrate the sweltering heat!

Ice Cream Drumsticks, inspired by TheKitchn
makes 6

6 waffle cones
ice cream – I used french vanilla but the options are endless!
1 cup chopped peanuts
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
1 tbsp vegetable oil
tall glasses to keep cones in
pastry brush

This “recipe” is super simple… the important part is not to rush. Melt your chocolate and vegetable oil in a double boiler or microwave-safe bowl. Fill the bottom of each cone with a splash of melted chocolate and store in a tall glass in the freezer for an hour.

Take the ice cream out of the freezer a few minutes before you plan to scoop, to soften. Fill the cones with ice cream, and top with a rounded scoop. Put the cone back into the tall glass and place immediately in the freezer. Wait about an hour, so the ice cream can harden.

After an hour, re-melt your chocolate and assemble your tools: a pastry brush and the chopped peanuts. This is the only slightly tricky part of the whole endeavor. You have to brush the melted chocolate over the ice cream and sprinkle with chopped nuts. I suggest doing one section at a time, so the melted chocolate doesn’t harden. If the ice cream starts to melt and get messy, pop it back in the freezer again! It just takes patience.

Dulce De Leche Cinnamon Cupcakes

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Churro cupcakes, you guys. Churro cupcakes. That’s all I could think about as Cinco de Mayo approached. Let’s be honest – a tiny part of me wanted to celebrate the holiday just so I could make these cupcakes and have a reason to share them.

I don’t mean to brag, but these cupcakes are good. I mean damn good. If you have even the slightest handle on baking, you can make these. The dulce de leche sauce is a tad time-consuming, but the process turned out to be surprisingly simple…

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{ Friday Faves } Cinco de Mayo Round Up

cincotable4 When it comes to planning parties, I am a little bit of a mess. Sure, they usually turn out alright in the end, but I have a tendency to go overboard with food and no matter how much prep work I do beforehand, I am always running late! For last weekend’s Cinco de Mayo potluck I hosted with Jamie, I made restaurant-style red salsa, queso fundido, mango salsa, chicken salsa verde, blood orange margaritas, and dulce de leche stuffed cinnamon cupcakes, and despite an entire day of cooking the day before, I was still unshowered and scrambling to frost cupcakes by the time Jamie came over to set up her lovely decorations. Luckily, this was a team effort, and everything came together for a fantastic Cinco de Mayo Sunday… Here’s what we made!

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Blood Orange Infused Tequila

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For the most part, I don’t drink tequila anymore. Let me amend that statement: I don’t do tequila shots anymore. Tequila shots remind me of those hazy, study abroad days where I wasn’t yet embarrassed to be stumbling around and tripping over myself. (Alright, I still trip over myself – but usually stone cold sober.)

It’s been years since I’ve sipped on tequila – mostly out of appreciation for my liver – but when I found this blood orange infused tequila recipe, I knew it would be absolutely perfect for Cinco de Mayo!

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Mango Chipotle Fish Tacos

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Earlier this week I posted enchiladas and was almost immediately called out by a friend for my use of flour tacos instead of corn. Obviously this depends on preference, and in the case of my Crock Pot Chicken Enchiladas, I happened to have flour tacos on hand from these mango chipotle shrimp tacos. Also, I might add, you have to fry each corn tortilla individually for enchiladas, and I’m lazy! (If you’re looking for a non crock pot enchilada recipe, check out my Enchiladas Verdes and Enchiladas Rojas, two vintage recipes from when Pop & Sizzle was Culinary Therapy!)

Back to the matter at hand. Tacos. Fish Tacos. It doesn’t get much more Cinco de Mayo or Californian than fish tacos, and these tacos are made by this mango chipotle salsa. I’ve used a variation on this salsa before for a friendly Top Chef competition with shrimp tacos, but I think I’ve finally perfected it.

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Crock Pot Chicken Enchiladas

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If there’s one thing I love, it’s a good theme party. My birthdays over the past few years have ranged from a glittery glam rock bash, a mandatory masquerade, and a Roaring Twenties 22nd – complete with bathtub (cooler) gin (& tonic). But of course, the themes don’t stop at birthdays. New Years Motown night? Check. Ultra-American, Red-White-And-Blue Fourth of July shindigs? Check. If there’s an excuse to dress up, cook in theme, and designate a signature cocktail, I’m there – and what better holiday to celebrate with margaritas, tacos and guacamole than Cinco de Mayo?

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{ Friday Faves } What I’m Eating

Even as someone who works from home, sometimes life just gets in the way. Settling in to experiment with a new recipe takes energy and dedication – energy and dedication that I just can’t manage on a daily basis. I’ve been looking at the blog, trying to figure out exactly what I’d like to do with it and bring to an audience, and I realized I was trying to document every single thing I cooked. Going forward, I realized I’d much rather develop and nurture a recipe that I really wanted to share with the world-wide internet, even if that means I’m not posting as often as some bloggers.

With that in mind, here are some dishes I’ve made in the past few weeks, either whipped together or inspired by others.

Chicken Cashew Stir-Fry

stirfry600x600 Chicken, asparagus and cashews stir-fried in a soy sauce and ginger stir fry, topped with sesame seeds. I love making stir-fry when I can’t figure out what to make. You can serve this on white rice, brown rice… even cous cous.

Teriyaki Halibut w. Stir-Fry Bok Choy & Mushrooms
halibut600x400 You might notice that I used crimini mushrooms instead of shiitake – laziness at its best! I used a go-to Teriyaki recipe to glaze some leftover halibut from fish tacos I made (a recipe that definitely falls into that share-on-the-blog category). This fish was so, so good. Thanks again, Whole Foods!

Spring Minestrone minestrone600x600 This is a recipe by How Sweet It Is, and I basically just followed it to the letter. I made way too much for myself in the end, so I would recommend halving the recipe if you, like me, don’t have a husband or kids to feed. I’d also most likely take out the spinach next time – it seemed to permeate the taste of the entire dish.

Beet & Burrata Salad beets600x600 Beets. Burrata. Battlestar Galactica. This is so simple and so good. I mean, come on – burrata makes everything better. The cheese literally means “buttered.” That means buttered, creamy mozzarella. I threw this together with roasted beets, spring mix, and candied pecans. Whatever you do, do not skip the candied pecans. They make this dish. I drizzled the whole thing with olive oil and balsamic, sprinkled with sea salt and cracked garlic pepper, and it was good to go.

Next week I’ll be celebrating Cinco de Mayo on the blog, with fish tacos, chicken enchiladas, and churro cupcakes. What’s your favorite Mexican-inspired party dish?

 

Baked Chicken Parmesan & Sautéed Brussels Sprouts

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My dad loathes two of my favorite vegetables: beets and Brussels sprouts. No matter how many times I try to convince him that no one calls him Billy anymore; he’s not a kid, he doesn’t have to hide his vegetables behind the toaster, and those two dishes that haunted his childhood can be prepared in ways that he may actually like! Of course, my dad is also not a big fan of admitting he’s wrong, so he never lets me try to dissuade him. At this point I’ve decided, that’s fine. More for me!

Roasted Brussels sprouts are all well and good, but I wanted to try something new. Shaved and sautéed, this side dish would have also paired well with some sautéed leeks or turkey bacon. For the main course, I was inspired by SkinnyTaste’s Chicken Parmesan. I used her recipe as a guide to bake instead of fry, limit the butter, and use whole wheat bread crumbs and pasta.

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Ginger Salmon w. Asian Broccoli Salad

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Let’s talk about Whole Foods for a minute. Whole Foods is a tarty mistress, an expensive grocery store piled high with quinoa and farro, organic kale, a juice bar, and everything gluten-free. In fact, I rarely ever think about Whole Foods because she’s such an expensive date… that is, until I’m actually IN a Whole Foods.

Let’s gloss over the ramifications of following that metaphor and focus on the facts. What does Whole Foods have that so tempts my fancy every time I walk through its golden doors? For one thing, they have an entire section of the store sectioned off for cheese and charcuterie. You can’t throw a stone in a Whole Foods without stumbling upon a Habanero cheddar or truffle brie. Need some Italian meats to go with that cheese? They’ve got salami, prosciutto, and sopresatta – cured or uncured.

Organic fruits and vegetables are also a huge draw, but Whole Foods’ best bragging rights for me stem from their fish selection. Since I no longer live on the West side of LA, I’m a little further away from the sea and fish markets that would give me optimal seafood options. Whole Foods is a perfect middle ground. No more fishy fish for me, Ralph’s. I can’t fall for your cheap tricks any longer.

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