Sweet Life Kitchen

Great balls of....OAT BALLS!

2012-02-01T16:31:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine made these not too long ago and I'd been dying to try em ever since!
Now I've made them twice and added my own tweaks to the recipe. These are easy, delicious and a total must-have in the fridge at all times!! Especially if you have kiddos around, I wish I'd been making and stocking up on these when we first brought Logan home....they are a good eat-with-one-hand food!

I also make a LARGE batch so feel free to half this if you want to just give it a try~

2 cups rolled oats
1 cup crunchy peanut butter* (see note on PB if you want my two cents...)
2/3 cup honey
1 1/2 cup flaked coconut
3/4 cup ground flaxseed
1 cup dried fruit (I favor cherries or blueberries so far- if you're using anything larger chop it up first)
(optional): 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Put it all in a large bowl- mix with sturdy wooden spoon until well combined- refrigerate 1 hour (or more)
Roll into balls
Store in sealed container in fridge for up to 2 weeks

*note on peanut butter- there should only be TWO ingredients in peanut butter:
Peanuts and salt
or just peanuts
It's worth the time and effort to "stir" and refrigerate the good stuff- an easy way to nix some preservatives and such from your food!!

Green Smoothie 2

2012-01-31T00:03:00.000-08:00

As mentioned in the last post I'm on a mission to get more fruit & veg into our lives via green smoothies for breakfast! YAY!
In the interest of, well, keeping it interesting, I switched it up a little this week! (ok, I know it looks the same as the last one...but promise there's new stuff!!)
Here's what's in this weeks smoothies:

1 banana, chopped
1 handful frozen chopped mango
1 cup chopped pineapple (this time I used frozen pineapple from Trader Joes so there was nothing canned involved- like that much better!)
1 handful blueberries
1 handful chopped kale (center stem/spine removed)
1 handful chopped baby spinach
1 cup non-fat greek yogurt, plain
1 cup cold, filtered water

Also, to save even more time I made ziploc baggies with the chopped banana and other fruits- then all I had to do was add the greens, water & yogurt- blend & serve!
(I layer in this order, not sure if it makes a difference or not...- frozen fruit, broken up, yogurt, greens, water- lid- blend)

Not only did this save time but the smoothies were frostier and we both liked the taste/texture even more :D
We're gonna stick with this recipe for the whole week, next week I'll be adding zucchini & switchin it up again- stay tuned...

Going Green for 2012

2012-01-26T17:06:00.000-08:00

I've always cared about the environment, I like playing outside!! This post, however is about making smoothies...GREEN ones...
As mentioned in my last post, I am loving all the interesting, amazing stuff you can find on PINTEREST. In 2012 I'm going to be getting lots "pinned" and updating you guys on what I find that I actually make & love!
I'll do my best to keep it interesting & add my own recipes too, as I have in the past (can you believe this blog will be FIVE years old this year?!? I can't)
So I figure, what's the use of all my pretty pinboards if I'm not actually MAKING the stuff?? This seemed like a good place to start;
A smoothie.
With spinach! Easy enough to make in less than 15 minutes (a must with a very energetic 4mo old over here) and its goooood for ya! Nice.
My dear friend Naomi always rocked the green smoothies so I knew it be good tasting too.

Via pinterest here's the recipe:
2 bananas, peeled & cut into pieces
1c. Pineapple*
1c. Nonfat plain Greek yogurt
1c. Filtered water
2 big handfuls of baby leaf spinach
Blend & serve- makes TWO 8oz smoothies

I like this because I can make them the night before each blender full makes breakfast for me and for Nate that's just waiting for us in te frige the next morning!

The second week I made em I added a handful of blueberries!
Got a new recipe to try for next week, with a super easy time saving tip that make it possible to whip these up in less than FIVE minutes! Stay tuned & follow my findings on pinterest

Good Stuff- Easy Chicken Noodle Soup & Pintrest!

2011-12-01T10:04:00.000-08:00

Well, our little dude is officially THREE MONTHS OLD! How did that happen? Everyone tells you how fast it will all go- and once you get into it, it's more than true- time = ZOOM.
Of course it's also the armpit of cold & flu season which is EXTRA magical when you have a newborn. We're staying well and relentlessly washing hands over here, but the other night my husband was a little congested and using stuff I had on hand I made us chicken noodle soup for dinner - it was so freakin quick, easy and good that I had to post it!
You can use rotisserie chicken from the grocery store OR any leftover turkey you may have on hand after a holiday meal!

In a big stock pot melt 1-2 T butter.
Add 1/2 a white or yellow onion (chopped), 2-3 stalks of celery (chopped), 2 carrots (chopped).
Saute until the onions are opaque- like 5 minutes.
Add 32oz low-sodium chicken broth, 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp basil (aprox measurements- just shake some in!) a pinch of chili flakes, salt & pepper.... and cook, stirring occasionaly on med-high heat for about 10 minutes- until it boils....meanwhile- boil water in a medium sauce pot and add 2 cups uncooked corkscrew pasta to boiling water to par-boil. Only let it boil for about 6 minutes- so you can finish cooking it in the soup and it can absorb the chicken broth goodness.
Drain the pasta and add it and 2 cooked grocery-store rotisserie chicken breasts (shredded)- to the boiling soup pot, let boil about 4 minutes- until pasta is tender.
Ladle into bowls to cool, serve with some yummy crusty bread and feel better SOON!!

As my updates are a little few and far between these days, you can also find me on PINTEREST now for daily ideas and inspiration! (It's easier to do that with one hand while nursing a bebe!) I'll add this little reminder to my updates through December so you can click the link below to find me and follow along! If you are not on Pinterest but would like to be feel free to email me your email and I will send you an invite!

Sweet Life Kitchen (Beth Griffin/ Our Sweet Life) on Pintrest

HAPPY THANKSGIVING- Butternut Squash & Potato Goodness

2011-11-24T21:49:00.000-08:00

We are thankful for SO much this year- especially THIS:

Our son Logan will be 3 months old in a few weeks and has been keeping me VERY busy. We've still been cooking though, thank goodness Nate is amazing in the kitchen and also a diaper changing wiz!

Here is a fabulous Fall/Thanksgiving side dish that is easy, inexpensive and incredibly delicious!!!

Combine 2lbs fingerling potatoes (we used the tri-color, but had eaten all the purple ones before I snapped a pic!), 1 peeled, seeded, diced butternut squash, 2 chopped bulbs of fennel, 4-6 chopped cloves of garlic, 1 small chopped shallot & a small bunch of green onion chopped on a baking sheet covered in foil. Drizzle with olive oil and add a 2 T of butter diced up into little bits.
Bake at 400 for 30-40 minutes until potatoes & squash are cooked through.

Hope you had a FABULOUS Thanksgiving!!

We sure did....

Cold Cous Cous Salad

2011-08-31T08:12:00.000-07:00

So clearly being in the final 4 weeks of my first pregnancy has made me a little obsessed with making cold side dishes...and eating Popsicles.
I'd wanted to try some sort of cous cous, veggie, feta combo for a while and this actually came out exactly as I was hoping!
Just like the White Bean Salad, this was very, very easy to make- and also like the white bean salad this made enough to make it a great "take-to-BBQ" or general entertaining recipe. It'd be really yummy alongside grilled salmon.

2 boxes cous cous, prep according to package directions (they have it next to the Rice-A-Roni & such...or if you have a large dry goods container of it make enough for 8 servings- very easy...)
Let cooked cous cous cool.

In a large bowl combine;
1 cucumber, chopped
1/2 a red onion, chopped
1 small-med red bell pepper, chopped
1 small yellow bell pepper, chopped
12-15 pitted kalamata olives, sliced
add a few handfuls (probably about 3/4 of a cup) crumbled fat-free feta cheese
Drizzle with olive oil
Squeeze the juice of 1/2 a lemon
Toss in the cous cous, add salt & pepper to taste

Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours to overnight, serve cold.

Any guesses as to when the little guy is coming? Yours is as good as mine.....
:o)

Summer-y White Bean Salad

2011-08-30T20:11:00.000-07:00

It's HOT!!! ....and our baby is due in 4 days....I didn't realize how antsy I'd be in this "home stretch". My pregnancy has been AWESOME, time flew, I didn't even notice the weeks screamin' by! Now, I'm so excited to meet our son, it's hard not to count the minutes. Also, I'm startin' to FEEL it, can't tie a shoe, sleep is laughable, and it takes me a million years to do stuff!
However, the best thing for me has been to keep busy, so I gotta keep that up right up till go-time (which is SOON, I hope...)
We made some fun plans to eat with friends last Friday night. They've been amazing and keep inviting us over for dinner, which has been such a blessing for us- I still always want to bring something, but with the temps sizzlin and the extra lbs I'm hauling around these days, baking is out of the question for a bit.

I decided to make my version of this white bean salad to keep it cool, budget-friendly and SUPER EASY to make (standing in the kitchen with my puffy feet is no bueno, so I have to make stuff that has sitting breaks, or make stuff that I can bust out FAST, I prefer the latter)

In a large bowl combine
2 15oz cans white beans (drained, rinsed and patted dry)
1 15oz can sweet corn (drained & rinsed)
1/2 a red onion, chopped
1/2-3/4 of a cucumber chopped (you can peel it or not- totally up to you, I did not...)
a couple handfuls of arugula
Drizzle with olive oil and squeeze the juice o12/ to 3/4 of a lemon
Sprinkle w/ salt, add some cracked black pepper and stir up with a big spoon.

Cover and refrigerate for 4-6 hours, serve cold.

HAPPY SUMMER :o)

Since I'm not baking- go to (fonuts)!!

2011-08-27T19:38:00.000-07:00

With the baby due in just a week and the temps topping 90 degrees outside, I have no desire to turn on my oven these days.
Lucky for me a new sweet-stop opened just in the nick of time!
(fonuts) are steam-baked donuts, the delicious creation Waylynn Lucas, genius pastry chef. She and business partner Nancy Truman opened the shop last week on 3rd street in West Hollywood...right near Bar Method, so I knew I'd have to get over and try it before the baby came!
Following along on twitter I'd been reading the buzz and it sounded like it was going to be awesome, then the first day they sold out- FAST. So I made sure to get there on the second day as early as I could, which due to a doctor's appointment was about an hour and a half after they opened.

The space is inviting and beautiful- a little vintage stove sits to the side for a coffee fixin's station and there's plenty of room for the long lines they are sure to have going forward.
The ONLY downside to my visit was that they were already out of Hawaiian, P.B. & J, chorizo, Maple Bacon and Glazed- all flavors I'm very excited to try on my next trip there.
I got a strawberry, a lemon, a rosemary, a gluten free chocolate-hazelnut, a banana chocolate and a cinnamon-sugar. I'm on maternity leave but still taking class, so I took the box down to Bar Method to share with my fellow teachers so we could all have a fun taste-test and compare favorites. Also, so I wouldn't eat the whole box on my own after I took class.

I also got an iced decaf latte- they've got great coffee...one note- I'm so used to going to Coffee Bean or making it myself, I ordered just like that "iced, decaf, late." didn't make any milk indication and it was WHOLE milk- so I couldn't really drink it because that is INTENSE. Totally my bad though, I'll be sure to be specific next time.
The overall favorite was the lemon- it's super zingy, REAL lemon flavor and the glaze is delicious. I also loved the chocolate hazelnut- it was super moist and had a deep, rich chocolate yumminess.
The strawberry was the sleeper/surprise. I wasn't sure I'd like that one and wish I'd ordered three of them- again REAL strawberries, freshness, oh, so delicious.
We didn't meet a (fonut) we didn't like, so I am very excited to go back and try their other flavors.
I got a little flyer/menu to add to our "take-to-the-hospital" folder so I can send someone for coffee & (fonuts) next week (or the week after) when I'm snuggled up with my newborn son.

Wishing (fonuts) all the best and sold-out success for a long time to come! Welcome to the fabulous 3rd Street area, I'm thrilled you're there and glad I can always go burn it off with a Bar Method class.

(fonuts) is located at 8104 West 3rd Street Los Angeles, CA 90048
I believe their hours next week will be 7am-7pm
Follow along @fonuts on twitter for all the latest info!!

Bad Blog Mommy!!

2011-07-18T19:03:00.000-07:00

Oh, my sweet dear little blog, how I've forsaken you!!!
Apparently being pregnant and baking up sweets and teaching and enjoying every second of this gorgeous summer have left me little time to blog it up. Shame on me!!

The pregnancy has been going great, but with 6 1/2 weeks left until baby is due, I'm definitely feeling a little more tired & achy than usual. BUT, we're still in full-on fun-food mode and I should try to get here more often to share that with you guys!!

Lately, it's allllll about quick & easy. I pretty much get stuck on a simple snack that I make myself every day for a week or two, then move on to my new favorite.
These aren't "recipes" but more little inspiration posts that I'll try to get done more than every 3 months, lol, let's hope.
I know I'm gonna need some quick, easy, healthy ideas for when I've not slept at all but need to eat, right?

This is so easy it's crazy, it's delicious and really good for you!!

Piece of whole wheat toast, topped with low-fat or non-fat cottage cheese & a sliced avocado (1/2).
Add cracked black pepper or balsamic vinegar if you want to.

Chili Delayed

2011-05-03T11:44:00.000-07:00

I wrote this post over a month ago when the weather was crazy, now summer has settled into LA and the sun is shining bright!! Still, slow-cooked, full-of-flavor chili is a fabulous dish year-round....so if you're headin' to a bbq or cook-off anytime soon (or want a SUPER easy crock-pot dinner to save some time so you can make more out of a longer day).....ENJOY! (and enjoy reading my old post to take you back to a colder time or bookmark it for later in the year! LOL!)

Oh Boy, there was some RAIN on Sunday, big, torrential rain. We had to cancel dinner in OC because the 405 had zero visibility, insane wind and every crazy nut driver you've ever seen- after 5 minutes on the freeway and almost getting sideswiped twice- we pulled right off the exit, turned around and went HOME.
Sooooo, what do you do when the weather gets crazy and cold and not fit for hangin' about outdoors? Bust out the crock pot and make some spicy chili OF COURSE!

I love this recipe for trips to Mammoth too- it's super quick and easy to prep- like get the coffee pot percolatin' mix up the chili, throw it in the crock pot and head for the lift lines while dinner gets itself ready for ya! Then, after an exhaustingly fabulous day of braving the cold out on the slopes, you come back to a hot delicious dinner- perfect to serve in individual bread bowls if you can find em- or over a baked potato, or alongside some corn bread and a giant salad!

Here's how to make it happen....lots of notes below because we like it with some HEAT, so if you prefer a more mild chili- read on, it's all there.

1 lb ground beef, browned & drained (if you are in a mad rush you can skip the browning- ONLY if you use EXTRA LEAN beef or turkey- not to exceed 5% fat), the browning & draining is mostly to cook the fat off the meat so your chili's not swimmin in it.
1 pkg/ about 1lb Beef for Stew, steak already cut into 1-2 inch cubes
1 can of pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 of a finely chopped red onion
1/2 tsp cyanne pepper (you can do 1/4 for a little less spice)
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp oregano
2 tsp cumin
1/4 cup chili powder
1 finely chopped jalapeño pepper
(I don't know about your market, but ours has GIANT jalapeños these days- so weird!- so I use about 3/4 of one of the gigant-O jalapeno peppers- and leave some of the membrane in there for heat- be sure to get all the membrane and seeds OUTTA there if you don't want that kick....I chop the other 1/4 to garnish the chili later!)
1 15oz tomato sauce
1 1lb 12oz can diced tomatoes, not drained
salt & pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl & stir with wooden spoon until well combined.
Pour into crock pot.
Cook on low for 7 1/2 to 8 hours.

See above for a few various serving suggestions & try to stay warm as we welcome the first week of SPRING!!!!!

HAPPY EASTER

2011-04-24T13:32:00.000-07:00

HAPPY EASTER!!!
As you may have seen earlier last week on Facebook, I have been counting down the minutes to making Kitchen Runway's easy and amazing Peanut Butter Egg Brownies.
Nate and I had fun making these together last night and we anticipate even more fun eating them after our ravioli feast this evening!!
Hope you all have a Happy Easter an a beautiful Sunday!!

Sweet Giveaway!!!!

2011-04-19T08:34:00.000-07:00

Hi Sweet Life readers!! I know, I owe you some recipes- and I'll get to that, I promise...growing this little baby and keeping the virtual bakery boomin has been keepin this mama-to-be pretty busy!

Today, I'm comin atcha with a GIVEAWAY!!!! Yup- FREE SWEETS!!!!!

It's just requires a few simple clicks and you'll have a chance to WIN 24 of our signature Brownie Bites that are ooey-gooey-irresistible!

Our friends the Villa Family are in a tough spot! Dad just lost his job and they need to move in just a few weeks to a whole new state!!! I don't know about you, but I've been driving as little as possible these days with gas prices climbing every second. They have a chance to win a $500 gas card that would REALLY help them get through this big road trip!

Help the Villa's with their big move by going HERE:

Brads Deals Photo Contest Photo

Click that link above and LIKE Angela's adorable photo!! Then add the comment "Sweet Life Kitchen" under the photo.

That's all you've got to do!! Once you've "liked" the photo & posted the comment you are entered to win the Brownie Bites!!!

Please share this with anyone and everyone, the contest runs through April 20th at 11am so GET CLICKIN!!!! We'll announce the winner on Friday the 22nd but you have to LIKE and COMMENT before 11am on the 20th to qualify.

For the Villa's to win you must LIKE the photo in the link above, on the Brads Deal's FB page, not anywhere else!! Post comments here with any questions!!!

THANK YOU!!!! XOXO

Light n' Yummy Summer Potato Salad

2011-03-11T09:42:00.000-08:00

Recently my fabulous friend Candy (of pepperoncini crock pot beef fame) recently sent me a link to a really cool website that I want to share with you guys!
It's called Tight Bod With A Pod . Which made me giggle followed by LOTS of smiles when I clicked the link.
As many of you know I am an instructor at The Bar Method, and fitness/taking great care of myself is really important to me. As you may not know, we're expecting our first little one this year!! So I been extra diligent with exercise and eating well.

After perusing the work outs, which I will definitely be using, you know I went straight to the FOOD section!
When we first found out about the baby, I had no idea all the stuff we preggos are supposed to avoid, it's quite a list!!
Of course, it's all per your personal discretion, but this is my first baby, so as my husband puts it, I'm "over-informed and dangerous". (I think if he hears me ask one more restaurant if the cheese on something is pasteurized he's gonna implode)
All joking aside, he's been an amazing support and is taking AMAZING care of me and our growing baby.

This potato salad recipe was REALLY attractive to me for lots of reasons.
#1 being NO MAYO (the sub-reasons for that being great are- LIGHTER, preggo-friendly, and PERFECT FOR SUMMER PICNICS!!!)
I always want to take potato salad to BBQs or pool parties in the summer, but when it's 80 + degrees out the idea of something drowning in mayo sitting outside makes me queasy just typing it. ( and that ain't morning sickness!)

Here is the link to the orignal recipe on TBWAP it's called Game-Day Potato Salad.

I did what I so often do with recipes I find online- read it once then improvised from memory, then re-read it AFTER I finished and went- oh, missed that step! OOPS!

So here's what I did, and I gotta say, I loved it and will be making this all through my huge, giant, rapidly expanding SUMMER!!

6 red potatoes
1 med-large jalapeño
1 large red bell pepper (go to Trader Joe's for this- it was freakin $2.79 for ONE at Ralph's which is insane)
1/3 of a red onion
1 15oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed *
1 15 oz can of sweet corn, drained and rinsed --(* do rinse the canned items, you'll be glad for it, the whole salad will taste better!!)
1/3 -1/2 of a LARGE BUNCH of cilantro
2 limes
Salt, pepper, olive oil

Warsh the potatoes and place them in a large pot of water. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and let the potatoes simmer & cook about 15 minutes.
While the potatoes are cookin', get out a large bowl. Put the corn and black beans in the bowl, wash and finely dice the jalapeño and red bell pepper. (if you like a little more heat leave the membrane in the jalapeño, if you prefer it mild, remove all seeds and the membrane)
Add the jalapeño and bell pepper to the corn n beans.
Dice up 1/3 of the red onion and add that into the mix as well.
Rinse the cilantro and remove the leaves from the stems- chop up and add to the mix.
When the potatoes are finished cookin- take one (the biggest one) and cut it in half, make sure it's firm, but cooked through and not raw in the middle). If it's all good, pour the hot water out and place the pot in the sink, run cold water over the potatoes for a few minutes.
When they are cool enough to handle, chop each potato into pieces- if they're bigger (like the size of the palm of your hand) about 12 piece per potato (cut em in half, then make 2 cuts on each half so each halfa potato makes 12 pieces. (if they're smaller just make 4-6 pieces from each potato- you want each piece to be bite size)
The potatoes will be hot inside so put em on a plate and let them cool all the way, like 10-15 minutes.
When the taters are cool, add them in with everything else. Slice the two limes in half and add the juice of both limes to the bowl. Drizzle about 1-2 table spoons of olive oil over it all, then add a few big pinches of salt (1-2 tsp) and some fresh cracked black pepper. Use a big wooden spoon or big spatula to gently toss it all together. Cover and refrigerate at LEAST 1 hour, the longer it chills out the better- it's awesome after a 24 hour chill!!.

Happy picnicking!!

Bakery Closed 2/17-2/21

2011-02-16T10:31:00.000-08:00

Hi guys!

We are in need of a little rest, so the bakery will be closed while we re-energize for SPRING for a long weekend this weekend!

We will be

CLOSED Thursday Feb 17- Monday 2-21, back in the kitchen Tuesday 2-22-10

I will still be checking my email periodically during this time, so if you have any orders or other inquires please feel free to shoot me an email at info(at)sweetlifekitchen.com, but be patient as I will not be on the computer all day, so it may take 24 hours for me to return your email.

Have a great weekend!!!

XOXO
B

Spring 2011 Cake Pop Flavors

2011-02-02T14:04:00.000-08:00

So sorry for the delay in posting a list of our featured flavors for Spring 2011!!
Of course, as you know, with cake pops- creativity is the name of the game- so know that we are open to working with you on a custom confection to make the pop of your dreams!

* For Valentine's Day orders the available flavors are Chocolate Heaven and Velvet Bliss only.

Chocolate Heaven (Chocolate cake with a caramel pecan coconut filling- dipped in chocolate)

Velvet Bliss (Red Velvet cake, cream cheese frosting, dipped in vanilla coating)

Marvelous Marble (yellow cake, chocolate fudge ganache frosting, dipped in chocolate)

Party Confetti (white cake, sprinkles in the cake, vanilla frosting- dipped in chocolate or vanilla)

Cookies N Cream (chocolate or white cake, crushed cookies & vanilla frosting dipped in chocolate)

Coconut Paradise (coconut cake, dipped in chocolate)

Caribbean Carrot (Carrot cake, cream cheese frosting, dipped in vanilla coating)

Chocolate Citrus Vegan (vegan citrus (orange, lemon or lime) cake- vegan vanilla frosting, dipped in vegan chocolate)

Candy Bar Madness (chocolate cake, crushed candy bar, chocolate frosting, dipped in chocolate)

F.A.Q.

2011-01-29T10:28:00.000-08:00

Hullo!

Here's a bit of info regarding the Sweet Life Kitchen Sweet shop that may be helpful!

Q: How do I place an order?

A: The easiest way is to email us! info(at)sweetlifekitchen.com
Please include the date you need your order, weather you will be picking up or prefer info on delivery/shipping options, the type of sweet you are interested in and the approximate quantity. We do our best to return all inquiries with in 1 business day of receipt, but almost always get back to you the same day whenever possible! You can also call and leave a message for Beth at 310-989-1521, with all the same info as above, be sure to include your first and last name and repeat your phone number TWICE, also feel free to leave an email address in your message.

Q: Where is the shop and what are your hours?

A: Our kitchen is located in Culver City, CA. At the moment we do not have an actual store-front, but don't let that stop you!! We offer delivery options through out Los Angeles, the valley and Orange County as well as pick up in Culver City.

Our HOURS are Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:00pm Saturday 10am-2pm, we are closed on Sundays (unless you have consulted with us and coordinated a special event order) and do not check or return emails on Sunday, just a heads up!
We are closed select Holidays as well, and various times throughout the year when we take vacation, so we can refresh and be even better and bringing you the sweetest sweets- become a fan on our Facebook page, we will always announce upcoming closures via Facebook, and a post here on the blog as well.

Q: Do you ship?

A: Yup. We do.
We ship the cake pops and the brownie bites, for now the pie pops are a locals-only SoCal treasure.
Since we are a just-getting-going biz, our shipping rates are still not what we'd like them to be. Because our product is perishable we must send it via overnight service. The most economical so far has been through the USPS which ranges from $16-$28. We're hoping to get a negotiated rate with UPS or FedEx so we can pass the better pricing on to you! Stay tuned!!

Q: What if I have a BIG order, like more than 5 dozen cake pops, do you do that?

A. Most definitely! We'll consult with you and go over all the details of your event and customize a confection perfect for your special occasion! Please email us for more info on special events.

MORE QUESTIONS???? Email us!! info(at)sweetlifekitchen.com

Be Mine....True Love....XOXO...UR HOT

2011-01-24T19:05:00.000-08:00

I love those little conversation hearts that come around every year at Valentine's day- they crack me up!!

Here in the Sweet Life Kitchen, we're getting ready to fill LOTS of super sweet Valentine's Day orders.
Our featured flavors are Chocolate Heaven (Devil's Food cake with caramel, coconut, pecan filling- dipped in chocolate) and Velvet Bliss (red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting- dipped in vanilla coating)

Here are a few shots from our Valentine's Day Cake Pop Photo Shoot:

Order space is filling up FAST, so if you are interested in placing an order for you or your sweetheart, email us ASAP info (at) sweetlifekitchen.com

XOXO

Pepperoncini Crock Pot Beef

2011-01-11T15:52:00.000-08:00

Ok, let's be REALLY honest here.......I scarfed this one down too fast to snap a pic. It's THAT good.
So, I force you to drool over jewelry instead of beef, while I tell you a little about this, one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE crock pot recipes.....

Unless this is your first visit to my blog you already know I LOVE MY CROCK POT!!!

I posted this recipe back in 2008 when it was first given to me by my dear friend Candy, who designs stunning necklaces~ scope out her site: J.Sky Designs.

We'll be doing a trunk show together this spring in Los Angeles, sweet treats and spectacular jewelry make for some super fun shopping! Stay tuned for that.

Anyhow, since it'd been quite some time, and I now have a new, full-size crock pot and have developed a recent OBSESSION with pepperoncinis, I though it appropriate to re-post about this yummy dish, anew. Minus the photo, sorry folks, it was SOooooooooo good!!!!

As with most crock pot recipes (hence my love for the contraption) this is VERY easy, full of flavor and makes a fantastic Sunday dinner.

1 Tri Tip Roast
1 can of beef consume
1 12oz bottle of beer
2 jars of pepperoncini peppers with the liquid
1 packet of All Seasons Italian dressing mix

Add all of the above to the crock pot, cover and cook on low for 5 hours.

BAM. That's it.

This is a REALLY FLAVORFUL dish, it's definitely got a bit of kick, so I served it with a mixed greens salad and baked sweet potato on the side- for a cool/sweet compliment to the lil'bit-o-heat.

I hope you love it as much as we did :o) If you make it, do me a favor and take a photo for me, share it on our Sweet Life Kitchen Facebook page!!

Turkey Meatball New Year Soup

2011-01-09T20:36:00.000-08:00

Maybe this will make up for the temptation-tastic Prime Rib post! I know that January is a time to start fresh and be the best we can be in hopes of a fabulous year ahead.

I made some BIG decisions last year and managed to accomplish every single one of my 2010 goals! One of those was becoming an instructor at The Bar Method in Los Angeles.

I've been obsessed with Bar classes since 2008 and not only have they completely changed my body (being a baker and still able to fit in the jeans I wore on the flight to Tahiti for our honeymoon is no easy fete) but it's a really amazing head-clearer.
It's one of those exercises that you feel AMAZING after every class, and I wanted part of my life to be sharing that expereince with others. After lots of studying, co-teaching and practice classes, I taught my first class of my own in August of 2010. I love teaching just as much as I love taking classes at Bar Method!

Part of my stay-healthy plans for 2011 include making sure I continue to take at least 3 or 4 Bar classes every week, and to eat TONS of veggies! You know I LOVE meat, but nothing keeps the booty in check like making sure to get 5 servings of fruits/veggies every day.

For our first dinner of 2011, I wanted to make a yummy, healthy soup. I picked up some Jenni-O ground turkey, a can of white beans, an onion and a big bunch of kale. My cupboard ALWAYS has Swanson chicken broth in it- so I was pretty much set.

I highly reccomend this, even if you're not so sure you like kale, or know even know what it is.

Turkey Meatball Kale Soup

1 lb ground turkey
1 cup bread crumbs
1 large egg
basil, oregano, chili flakes, salt, pepper
crushed garlic
32 oz Swanson chicken broth
1 large bunch of kale, washed, patted dry with a paper towel and chopped up
1 sweet onion, chopped
1 can of white beans

In a large bowl mix the turkey, bread crumbs, and egg. Add the basil & oregano (just shake a bunch on top of the turkey) add a pinch of salt and some cracked black pepper. Add 2 tablespoons crushed garlic. I like it a little spicy so I added a few dashes of dried chili flakes.
Mix the turkey etc all up with your hands and roll into walnut-sized meatballs. Put the meatballs on a plate and
heat a large skillet, medium-low heat. Spray the skillet with non-stick spray and add the meatballs- brown the meatballs on each side- don't worry about cooking them through just get a good sear on all sides of each ball- put the browned turkey meatballs on a clean plate.
In a large stock pot heat a few tablespoons of olive oil over medium-low heat and add 3 tablespoons of crushed garlic and the chopped onion. Simmer& stir 3-5 minutes. Add the meat balls and pour in the chicken broth, raise the heat to medium and sprinkle in oregano, basil, pepper and a few dashes of th chili flakes (if you want a little kick). Drain, rinse and add the white beans, stir in the kale and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to low and simmer 45 minutes.
This makes about 6-8 servings- so it's a good one to make if you need dinner for two nights in a row!

Prime Rib Christmas Dinner

2011-01-04T09:40:00.000-08:00

In contrast to my vegan baking post, here's one that's all about the MEAT. Prime rib, a favorite guilty pleasure. I am not sure if I love prime rib because I love prime rib or because I LOVE horseradish...either way, love it.
A few years ago we had a New Year's Eve dinner party and made prime rib for friends, and thought that would perfect for our Christmas dinner this year. As luck would have it, Christmas week was super-sale-on-prime-rib week...it's not a cheap dinner to make, most of the time, and it's definitely not health food- so it's worth the once-in-a-while splurge. Lucky for us it was seriously like HALF off at the market. You want about 1.5 lbs per person, you'll have plenty for all and some leftover for next day steak & eggs.

You are going to want to line a baking pan with LOTS of foil, then rub the meat down with the herb rub and cover with plastic wrap to refrigerate for 3 hours to overnight.

Here's what you need to make the rosemary rubbed prime rib, mushroom & onion gravy w/ mashed baked potatoes & side of green beans~

Prime Rib
Fresh Rosemary
Kosher Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil
Flour
Butter
15oz beef broth
1 sweet onion
big handful of mushrooms chopped
4 large potatoes
Sour cream
Green onion
Green beans
1 lemon

Herb Rub
Mix about 1/4 cup of kosher salt with 1/8 (or a bit more) cup black pepper and fresh chopped rosemary (If you buy one of those plastic containers of fresh rosemary at the market 1 container chopped is perfect (set aside 1/2 a sprig or a few T of the choppings for your gravy)- and 2 tablespoons olive oil....you may not use all of it, but mix it all up in a medium bowl and then use your hands to cover the meat in the rub.

As stated above, I say it twice because I have a tendency to miss details like this and then have a gnarly time crunch situation....so to be clear- rub the meat down, cover it in plastic wrap AND REFRIGERATE FOR A MINIMUM OF 3 HOURS (or overnight).

After the meat is done chillin- Pre-heat the oven to 325 and cook for about 20-25 minutes per pound depending on how well done you like it. Nate and I like our prime rib (and steaks and everything along those lines) medium rare, so that's how I rocked it.
Check out this link for a table of meat temperatures ~ MEAT TEMP CHART

When ours was around 125 degrees, I took it out of the oven, let it sit in the pan for about 7 minutes, then removed it to a carving platter for a 15 minute rest.

Don't forget the horseradish!!!

While the meat was cookin' away I took a skillet and chopped up a whole sweet onion and let it caramelize on low heat for about 45 minutes, at about 30 minutes I added some sliced mushrooms and then set them on a plate to the side....when the prime rib was done I added 2 T flour and 2 T butter to the skillet- stir over low heat until butter is fully melted and combined with the flour- the mixture should be smooth and thick. Add about 15 oz of beef broth and about 1/4 cup of the drippings from the roast.
Add the onions and mushrooms and keep stirring on low heat, add a bit of water if the gravy gets too thick.

Mashed Baked Potatoes-
This makes for easy, peasy mashed potatoes; Clean- puncture and foil-wrap 1 baked potato per person (this will make PLENTY)
While the prime rib is baking (for the last hour) put the foil wrapped potatoes on the bottom shelf of the oven.
Remove when you remove the roast- toss them in a large bowl and using a potato masher- add a few tablespoons butter, 1/2 cup sour cream and chopped green onions, mash and mix- skins and all.
Add a little milk or cream if they seem dry.

For the green beans-
Wash them, remove the tips and steam lightly so they are just cooked but still have a snap- add a bit of butter and a squeeze of lemon juice.

My Vegan Baking Adventures 1

2010-12-28T11:01:00.000-08:00

I think everyone who loves sweets should enjoy sweets, so I am doing all I can to hone at least a few flavors that will be delicious vegan and gluten-free options available from the Sweet Shop (our in-progress online store project!)

Because I figure there are a pretty good number of you who may not know anything about vegan baking, that you, much like me, will be interested to know some of the different tricks & pitfalls.

So- hey, I have a blog, why not keep you all up to date on this adventure as it progresses, AND for those of you that do know a thing or two, or MORE about vegan baking- I'd deeply appreciate your comments & suggestions!!

Today was ingredient gathering day. I mean if you're gonna make a vegan cake, you can't just go butter & egging it up- whole different process to create moist, delicious cake with out a stitch of dairy/animal by-product.

Armed with my recipe, I headed to the market.....ok, margarine? Really? Easy!! I've used it before at some point, I can handle that...hmmm, hit my first wall. None of this SAYS "margarine"...so many "spreads", lots of "65% oil" labels (so what the heck is the other 35%??)...and not a dang thing is going to help me enough to just clearly say VEGAN on it, is it? I'm still looking...

Mind you, I live in West LA, land of MANY, MANY vegans...but this is a baking journal for people living everywhere, so I did not just go straight to wholefoods (which by the way, I may just do on the next batch), but hit up a local Ralph's...so the selection was Imperial, Blue Bonnet, I Can't Believe it's Not Butter, and about 4 others~

So I start reading ingredients...first one- "whey (from milk)" um, not vegan. Second one, buttermilk, also not-vegan....finally I see the top of one of em DOES say VEGAN! YAY!! So here's what I ended up with:

Smart Balance Certified Organic 100% Vegan "whipped buttery spread"

Step one, complete- now to bake the cake!!! :o)

Eggnog Banana Bread

2010-12-27T14:02:00.000-08:00

Ok- I know, we've been nog-crazy over here all week. Well, we also had some super ripe bananas so Nate suggested we whip up a batch of Christmas day banana bread. My usual recipe calls for buttermilk, which we didn't have- but we had eggnog, of course, so here's how it went:

Preheat the oven to 350.
In a medium mixing bowl, beat 2 large eggs, add 1/3 cup eggnog and 1/3 cup veg oil- mix until all are well combined. Mash up 4 bananas. Mix into egg-nog-oil mix. Add 1/2 cup brown sugar & 1/2 cup white sugar and mix. In a separate bowl, sift together 1 3/4 cups flour, 1 heaping tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt.
Slowly mix the dry flour mix into the banana-y mixture. Crush up & stir in a couple big handfuls of pecans or walnuts if you've got em (and if you want a nutty banana bread).

Pour batter into a 9x9 pan that's greased & flour'd.
Bake 45 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

Holiday Pancakes

2010-12-18T12:33:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning is only a week away!! In the fervor of present opening, coffee brewing and all kinds of holiday cheer- what are you making for breakfast???
Here is an easy and festive idea that gives a classic favorite a seasonal twist, Eggnog Pancakes!! YAY!!!

In the bakery, we make EVERYTHING from scratch- so if you are down with that you can use this pancake recipe that we love CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE. If you do, follow the recipe- but instead of buttermilk, use EGGNOG, then add a pinch of cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg.

If you're short on time and would rather curl up in front of the fire with your family, Bisquick can make a good easy pancake too!! Follow the recipe on the back of the box, but do 3/4 cup Eggnog, and 1/4 cup milk, use a little less than the 2 cups Bisquick (start with 1 1/2 cups and then add the last half cup as you mix until you get the right consistency- since the nog is thicker than milk you'll use less Bisquick)- add the pinch of cinnamon & pinch of nutmeg and you'll be good to go!!

Wanna do this with a side of bacon?? Preheat the oven to 350 before you start mixin up the cakes, cover a cookie sheet with foil (all the way up all four edges) and lay bacon flat over the foil. Bake for about 20 minutes or until bacon is as crispy as you like it!!

PS- You've probably still got some nog left, right? So brew up that pot of coffee you'll definitely need since it's pretty likely all of this started before dawn if you've got kids, and instead of milk or cream, top your cup-o-joe off with some eggnog- you're so festive. It's awesome.

Happy Holidays!!!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS 2010

2010-12-17T22:51:00.000-08:00

As always, I headed over to Shutterfly.com right around Thanksgiving and started to gather photos from 2010 to make our annual holiday card. I have so much fun creating this card every year, because I spent a whole weekend reviewing the year in photos...this card captures two of my favorite vacations- the bottom right with Leela and Arthur is from our New Years Eve stay in Mammoth, the top left corner with Arthur enjoying his road-trip-freedom, and the bottom left pic of Nate & me in San Francisco are both from our annual LA to SF PCH road-trip. In 2009 we didn't take the doggies on that trip because there was a wedding at one end of it, but this year they came, they camped, we loved it.
The top right corner photo of Leela basking in the sand was taken at one of our (and her) favorite places to spend the summer- Dog Beach in Huntington Beach, CA. My cousin Nick was visiting from Ohio, so we all met up at dog beach for a day of surf and sun.

Anyway- today, I finally finished stamping & sealing them all up, and wanted to share this card with all the Sweet Life readers too!!

So....HAPPY HOLIDAYS from BETH, NATE, LEELA & ARTHUR and may your 2011 be Merry and Bright!!

Vintage Snowflakes Holiday

For hundreds of holiday card designs, click here.

View the entire collection of cards.

Party Time!!

2010-12-16T00:28:00.000-08:00

Just a little sneak peek at the fun going on in the Sweet Life Kitchen! We are getting ready to unveil all kinds of AWESOME updates, including easier ordering for the sweets you see here :o)
In the mean time if you'd like to order cake pops, pie pops, brownie bites or cookies for a football get together, birthday or the holidays email info@sweetlifekitchen.com for ORDER details :o)

These pretty cake pops were made with love AND a few of my FAVORITE Wilton products- I don't know what I'd do with out Wilton's lollipop sticks. I should probably buy stock because I make lots of on-a-stick sweets and go through these by the case-load. The pretty-in-pink pops are a combo of two sensational
Wilton supplies~ First I bought their white candy melt discs, and then to get the perfect shade of HOT pink- I used the Wilton GARDEN CANDY COLOR set, spectacular for custom color creations.

Wilton products can be found at their website, along with a TON of fabulous inspiring ideas, tips, tricks and information!!
CLICK HERE to visit their site today and get going on a fun pop-project of your own!!

Have a DELICIOUS weekend!!
XO,
Beth

Have yourself a merry little....

2010-12-05T23:16:00.000-08:00

It's raining in L.A. right now, like REALLY raining.
The thing that makes this more than a-ok is that it was getta-Christmas-tree-weekend here!! One of my favorite weekends of the year, it's the perfect time to stay in, snuggle up (hey, you wanted an excuse to wear that snuggie from the office gift exchange anyhow, right?) and deck the halls.

On a recent trip to Trader Joe's I snagged some Pear-Cinnamon cider, which was perfect with the pouring rain & a tree waiting to be decorated. We're big fans of their yummy apple cider, that is easy to make into a perfect hot party punch.
Good news, the Pear-Cinnamon cider rocks, we warmed some up and enjoyed the rainy night!!

This time of year is all about a little planning ahead to make nights like this one extra festive....
Have some easy appetizers ready to rock (by stocking some simple staples) and always keep crackers & almonds on hand, easy to create a cheese plate to make the apps into a spread! I suggest stocking up on this cider, and some Cupcake Vineyards Malbec (inexpensive & yummy).

Here's a few preparation-pointers that make it a snap to entertain with no notice~

Cheese-Cranberry goodness for entertaining:
Two items you can keep in the fridge for most of November & December are an 8 oz container of cream cheese & a container of Trader Joe's cranberry orange sauce.
Pour 1/2-2/3 cup of the cranberry over the cream cheese & serve with crackers.

Chicken Apple Sausage Puffs

1 box puff pastry, thawed (keep a box in the freezer all through the holidays- it only takes about 40 minutes to thaw and 30-45 minutes to make this easy appetizer)

4 chicken apple sausages from Trader Joe's (the regular grocery store has it too, just costs more!)- you'll have a leftover sausage & 32 puffs- or just use 1 sheet of pastry and 2 of the sausages for 16 puffs & have the other sausages for later!

Pre-heat the oven to 400

Cut each sausage into 8 pieces

Cut each sheet of puff pastry into 16 squares

Place a piece of the sausage in the center of a puff pastry square and fold the corners into the center- pressing the corners together so they seal together.

Place the little wrapped up sausage bites a baking sheet covered in foil- bake 30 minutes or until golden brown- cool for 10 minutes and server warm.

Happy Holidays!!

WE DID IT!!

2010-12-02T20:45:00.000-08:00

In case you didn't know....we've made some SUPER SWEET changes around here!!!

For the past three years this blog has been my happy place, and I've had so much fun sharing it with every single one of you~
Now, it's time to take that one big giant sugar-coated step further and bring you our very own Sweet Shop, and newly decorated (just in time for the holidays) www.sweetlifekitchen.com .

Don't worry, I will still continue to update the blog, as always and you'll be able to click the BLOG tab on the Sweet Life Kitchen's home page to find all the latest here just like you have since it all began in 2007.

At the moment, we are looking forward to a very exciting December and hope you will be with us through every bite!! Stay tuned, beautiful packaging, sensational specials and of course- what I know so many of you have been waiting for.....SHIPPING, will be coming soon, in early 2011. We're working hard to do this all as quickly as possible, but also want to do everything just riiiiiight, so thank you for your continued love, support and patience!!

We require 7 days advance notice for all orders, just a heads up, and we're overwhelmed (in the best way) with holiday orders at the moment, so if we aren't able to fill yours this holiday season, remember.....Valentine's Day is right around the corner!! LOL!! :o)

Don't hesitate to email us with any questions, any time!! info (at) sweetlifekitchen.com
We'd love to hear from you!!

Pie Pops~ Sweet Life Kitchen SWEET SHOP

2010-11-29T15:24:00.000-08:00

Pie Pops are a fabulous addition to your holiday dinner table, great to bring to a party or give as a gift!

One of our customers ordered them for Thanksgiving and found that two of them make the perfect top & bottom to the ultimate ice cream samich!

Our filling options are based on what is fresh, local and seasonally fabulous! Look for new options every few months, and feel free to email with special requests any time! We'd be happy to help with a custom confection and fill these cuties with your favorite!

info (at) sweetlifekitchen.com

December 2010 Pie Pop Filling Selections

Pecan-Pumpkin

Pumpkin

Caramel Apple

Blueberry Cranberry

Pear-Fig

1 dozen $36.00

2 dozen (of the same) $68.00

3 dozen (of the same) $90.00

Prices do not include shipping, delivery or special event packaging (such as glass containers, etc.) email for more info on those fun extras!

Please place all orders one week (7 days) in advance of delivery or pick up date.

Minimum order is 1 dozen

For “mixed” dozens, as in 24 cake pops; 12 one flavor, 12 another the price for one dozen will apply to both flavors.

Sweet Life Kitchen Sweet Shop

2010-11-20T20:18:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again! THE HOLIDAYS!!!
Since 2005, Sweet Life Kitchen has been baking up gifts, goodies and favors for friends and family to give at this time of year and 2010 will be no exception...in fact it's gearing up to be the most delicious year in our kitchen yet!!

Thanks to the wonder that is Facebook, we've recently had requests for our goodies from friends of friends and family! So, just in time for the holidays, we're offering our goodies to anyone and everyone! YAY!

Since the official website is still in the works,
Here is some basic info so you can order holiday baked goodies~

Pie Pops
Pictured above top left, email for all kinds of yummy pie filling choices!

1 dozen $36.00

2 dozen (of the same) $68.00

3 dozen (of the same) $90.00

Cake Pops
Creativity is the name of the game, email for a list of our basic combos or for a custom confection tailored to your taste or event theme!

Basic Cake Pops
Your favorite cake dipped in milk or dark chocolate or vanilla candy coating & covered w/ sugar sprinkles!

1 dozen $27.00
2 dozen (of the same) $50.00
3 dozen (of the same) $70.00

For more detailed designs, we are happy to give you a quote via email.

Brownie Bites
Delicious homemade brownies in bite-sized bits!

Plain

1 dozen $20

2 dozen $36

3 dozen $45

Snickers or other candy filled

1 dozen $22

2 dozen $40

3 dozen $54

Prices do not include shipping, delivery or special event packaging (such as glass containers, etc.) email for more info on those fun extras!

Please place all orders one week (7 days) in advance of delivery or pick up date.

Minimum order is 1 dozen

For “mixed” dozens, as in 24 cake pops; 12 one flavor, 12 another the price for one dozen will apply to both flavors.

Email all orders and any questions to: info@sweetlifekitchen.com

We understand all kinds of dietary restrictions and are very proud to offer vegan and gluten free options! These items will be featured as regular “menu” selections soon, but for now email me personally, beth@sweetlifekitchen.com and I will be more than happy to create a vegan or gluten-free cake pop for you.

I'll update this shortly when cookies get added to the official menu, just in time for Christmas!

Baby Shower Cake Pops

2010-11-13T00:01:00.000-08:00

These are for a soon-to-be-mama who loves the bling!

I couldn't resist drenching these pops in edible "diamonds & pearls".

For order info email beth@sweetlifekitchen.com

Eat My Blog December 4 2010

2010-11-10T19:10:00.000-08:00

It's coming back! You do not want to miss out on this amazing event!! Sensational sweets from fabulous food bloggers AND proceeds go to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.

We hope to see you ALL at Tender Greens in West Hollywood on Saturday December 4th!

SLK Flashback~ TWD Twofer Pie

2010-11-08T05:46:00.000-08:00

I made this pie for the first time in 2008 and it is a FAVORITE. Pumpkin pie on the bottom, pecan pie on top- all in one crust. This pie is the creation of baking genius, Dorie Greenspan, and during my summer & fall participating in the Tuesdays With Dorie blogger baking group, I was lucky enough to "haveta" make this pie.

I highly recommend that if you don't already own Baking From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, you need to go pick it up right away- or add it to your holiday wish list!! If you adore baking or just want to try some new recipes- this book is SPECTACULAR!

One of my favorite parts of Dorie's BFMHTY book is the "basics" recipes that are included, like pie & tart crust! It's all covered!

To make this delicious combo of two pies, go get your copy of Baking, by Dorie Greenspan- or follow THIS LINK to the recipe from the original TWD post!

I get pretty obsessed with side dishes and pies this time of year, and there's no way this pie would not be a huge hit!!

Pie for Breakfast

2010-11-01T17:31:00.000-07:00

Great for a brunch get together for friends, or fun to make if you're having people over for a game that starts before noon, this is easy to throw together any time! I actually made this the morning of my 30th b-day party back in March. We all went out to Palm Springs and stayed in a totally retro pad, and on Saturday night had a fun 60s themed bash!
I had pre chopped the veggies and brought them along in ziplock baggies, to really step-up the easy factor.

Here's how to make breakfast pie~

1 prepared pie crust
4 eggs and a few splashes of milk or cream
1 1/2 cups shredded potato (they have this ready to use near the bacon & breakfast sausage)
a bunch of green onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper chopped
a hand full of shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup milk
salt & pepper to taste
3 Tablespoons medium or hot salsa

Pre-heat the oven to 350
Scramble up the eggs and milk/cream~
Line the pie pan with the pie crust- then press a piece of foil into the pan on top of the pie crust and bake the pie crust for about 10 minutes, let cool a few minutes (5-7 before filling with the eggs)
add the potato, green onion, & cheese to the eggs and stir together then pour into pie crust.
Bake until the eggs are cooked all the way through about 10 minutes (test with a toothpick) ;o)
Serve with bacon or sausage & hot sauce!

HAPPY HALLOWEENIE

2010-10-29T06:23:00.000-07:00

Wonder-Leela wishes you a safe, Happy and absolutely DELICIOUS Halloween!!!!!

From the Archives: 2007, Puff Pastry Cheese Cake Cups w/ Pear topping

2010-10-19T06:53:00.000-07:00

I've been working REALLY hard lately to roll out a whole new Sweet Life Kitchen ASAP, we are so excited to show you all the new updates!!
In doing all the fun projects that are required to make this dream a reality- I've spent time all kinds of time digging through the blog archives, allll the way back to the beginning!

This was one of my FAVORITE early recipes- a total experiment from 2007~ So old school in fact I am still searching for the original photos- so my apologies for the little one! Hope you enjoy it anyway....

Here's the O.G. post for a fabulous recipe & trip down memory lane:

These were a baking experiment gone RIGHT. I wanted to create a fun fall desert with stuff I had on hand. I couldn't find any recipes online combining cheesecake, puff pastry and pears...so I improvised this one, Nate is not super fond of graham cracker crusts & cheesecake, which I totally love, so I was excited to see if this worked because I had a feeling he would really dig it! Thankfully, they turned out awesome and would be a fabulous dessert for dinner parties!

Beth's Puff Pastry Cheese Cake Cups w/ Pear topping

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed according to package directions

2 8 oz packages cream cheese, softened and at room temperature (very important!)

3/4 c sugar

2 large eggs at room temperature

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp lemon zest

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp all spice

Topping

2 pears peeled, cored & chopped up into small pieces

1 T white sugar

1 1/2 T Brown Sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

*optional caramel for topping

Spread thawed puff pastry over floured surface and roll out. Grease a muffin pan (I used a 12 muffin-pan). Cut the pastry into 12 even squares (you could probably get 18 squares out of it if you rolled it out more. Place one square in each muffin cup.

Preheat oven to 350.

Place all toppings ingredients into a foil packet and cook in the toaster oven at 350 for 25-35 minutes.

In a large bowl combine cream cheese & sugar and mix well, until smooth and fluffy. Add vanilla and mix well, then add eggs one at a time, mixing after each. Make sure the batter is smooth and not lumpy. Use a large spoon to fill each muffin cup with cheese cake batter.

Bake cheese cake cups for about 17 minutes, then turn off oven and let stand in oven for 7 minutes. Then let cool in the pan for 15-20 minutes until removing from pan to cool. Refrigerate at least 1 hour, serve topped with pears and caramel.

Monster Eye Eggs

2010-10-16T21:59:00.000-07:00

Here's another simple Halloween party recipe, much like the spinach dip- it's a creepy twist on an easy classic!

This is also a fun recipe to make with the kids- decorating the eggs is a fun way to get party ready.

Boil a dozen eggs, let cool and split in half.

In a medium bowl mix the yolks with a few tablespoons of yellow mustard, 1 tablespoon mayonnaise, a pinch of cayenne pepper, a pinch of sugar, salt & pepper to taste.

Use a pastry bag (or gallon-sized ziplock with a corner cut out) to fill the egg white halves with the yolk mixture.

Top with sliced green pimento stuffed olives and use red gel frosting to add blood-shot-ness!

MMMMmmmmmmonster-tastic!

Bread Stick Bones and Bloooood

2010-10-13T21:03:00.000-07:00

Halloween is a BUSY time, fast forward into Fall, getting costumes ready, making sure you've got all the details on lock down and trying to get everything done while the sun sets earlier every night! This is not of my own invention, definitely a old classic, but a fun and easy Halloween party treat.

You can absolutely make your own pizza dough, but to make this a true time saver hit up Trader Joes and get some that's ready to roll!!
They've got ready made marinara sauce there too, so this can be a fun recipe to whip up with the kids for a costume party!!

Roll out the pizza dough and cut (with a pizza cutter or pastry wheel) into strips~
Cut a one inch slice in the center at the top and bottom of each strip and peel/curl the two pieces on each end around to make the "bone" shape.
Bake on a foiled baking sheet at 450 for about 15 until golden.
Serve with marinara sauce!

Lil'Mummy Dudes~ Halloween Party Recipes

2010-10-04T05:00:00.000-07:00

Sweet Life Kitchen had the pleasure of catering a super spectacular Halloween party in 2009 and we keept it creepy and crypt-tastic with some really easy, fun treats like these lil'dudes. This is certianly not my invention, I've seen hotdogs wrapped in crescent roll strips as a favorite kids dinner on Halloween. This was a cocktail party, so I needed to cocktail size this classic kids comfort food and make it party perfect. Nate helped by using a pizza roller to quickly make mummy wrapping strips out of Pillsbury Crescent Creations, and then we made like some ancient egyptians and wrapped these lil'smokies up!! I also had the sheer JOY of using my eddible marker for the first time and giving these little guys some lil'eyes~

Makes about 45
1 package "Lil'Smoky" Cocktail weenies
2-3 packages Pillsbury Crescent Creations

Preheat oven to 375.
Cover a baking sheet with foil and use a pizza slicer to cut the crescent creations into thin strips
Wrap each cocktail weenie with a strip of crescent dough.
Bake about 15 minutes per batch, until crescent is puffy and golden
Dot on some eyes with an edible marker if you wanna!

Cemetary Spinach Dip~ Halloween Party Recipes

2010-10-01T05:00:00.000-07:00

Time to get ready for Halloween! Tune in for all kinds of party recipes that I've made time and time again- easy, inexpensive ways to get in the spooky-spirit!

If you are planning a party this year or bringing a dish to one- here is my all time favorite Halloween dip. I love this because because it's a great centerpiece for a GIANT VEGGIE PLATE, which helps balance all that sugar from the trick-or-treating loot!!

This is just a very basic spinach dip that I've made and posted about before with a few dashes of green food dye for extra grody-factor to celebrate the spookiness of Halloween.
Last year I added the carrot fingers, which are an easy and awesome way to add creepy to your table...attach a little almond slice finger nail using a dab of cream cheese~ BOO!

You can easily double this recipe depending on how many guys & ghouls you have coming to your shin-dig...

Serves 20

2/3 cup mayonnaise
1 16 oz. container sour cream
1 1.8 oz) package dry leek soup mix
1 8 oz. can water chestnuts, drained and minced
2 10 ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
Fresh cracked black pepper (just a bit to taste)
Green food dye- for swampy spookieness

Mix all of the above ingredients in a large bowl and add the food dye until it is the desired color of swampy green. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours to overnight. Serve with veggies like celery, carrots & bell peppers, tomatoes......

October Giveaway! Happy Halloween MONTH!!!

2010-09-30T19:17:00.001-07:00

We're hosting a giveaway this month for our Facebook FANS!!
Nate and I both LOOOOOOOOOOOOVE Halloween, we go 110% full "in the spirit" tilt.
We'll be sharing our favorite party recipes here all month long to get you in the SPIRIT, so stay tuned and enjoy the creeeepy goodness!!
Be sure to visit our Facebook Fanpage and join up to participate in our Halloween-tastic October giveaway!!

CLICK HERE TO BECOME A FAN ON FACEBOOK!

Here's a hint to what we'll be giving away:

Martha, Martha, Martha!!
I don't know about you, but for me, if there is only ONE "Martha" thing you do, it's the annual Halloween Handbook, because it never will never disappoint.
This is going to be the theme of this giveaway- so hop on over to our Facebook page and scope it out!

Oh! And while you are hip-hopping all over the interwebs- check out this AWESOME blog to get you in the mood for the Halloween Holiday!

Vintage Halloween Collector

Cobbler on a weeknight

2010-09-20T05:59:00.000-07:00

This cobbler is so easy it can be made on a weeknight!
Just a few steps, ingredients it's easy to keep on hand and you're about an hour away from amazing dessert.
With school in full swing and football, football, football happening- it's always good to have a few sweet tricks up your sleeve!

1 c. flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 c whole milk
1/4 tsp vanilla
3 tablespoons butter
3 cups frozen berries
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch

Preheat oven to 325
In a medium bowl mix the flour, baking powder, vanilla and milk until well combined.
Toss the berries with the cornstarch.
Melt the butter in a 9 x 9 baking dish.
Pour the batter into the dish on top of the melted butter.
Pour the berries over the batter- don't mix, just pour em over the batter as evenly as possible.

Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until cobbler crust is golden brown.

Easy, Cheesy, For Sheezie...

2010-09-19T15:30:00.000-07:00

Recently, we were overjoyed when the lovely folks at Pretzel Crisps gave us a bunch samples to try, because we already knew we liked Pretzel Crisps, AND it was the beginning of football season- what fabulous timing!

My friend Erin shared this awesome cheese dip/spread recipe that is VERY easy (my favorite) and also addictivly delicious, and perfect for watching football with!

Here is the original recipe, along with my twists* (you know I can never resist!)

1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup milk
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch dressing/dip mix
(*this is powerful stuff people, I'm a little salt-sensitive, so recommend using half a package if you are the same way- you can use the other half to season some burgers or chicken so it does not go to waste!)
8oz cream cheese, softened
8oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese
8oz shredded pepper jack cheese
*1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
*1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
* 1/4-1/3 cup crushed almonds

In a medium or large bowl mix the mayo, milk and ranch mix until well combined "let stand to set up" 30 minutes to 1 hour .
This was in the original recipe, I was a little confused as to weather that meant just let it chillax on the counter or put it in the fridge- so I went with on the counter because I figured it would say refrigerate if that's what it meant... thoughts?
Add cream cheese and both shredded cheeses and mix until all ingredients are well combine
I blended in just the cream cheese first- so the cream cheese, and milk/mayo/ranch mix were all combined, then using a spatula mixed in the shredded cheeses, garlic, cayenne and nuts.

Transfer to serving dish and refrigerate 1 hour for flavors to combine.

Serve with Pretzel Crisps, crackers, chips, and/or veggies.

YUM.

we ARE ready for some Football

2010-09-10T23:29:00.000-07:00

Yup, that's smack in the middle of USC's campus, in the full throes of tailgating glory....and tomorrow that's where we'll be.

USC Home Opener Tailgate Menu
Mini Sloppy Joe's on wheat hawaiian rolls
Erin's ma's sensational cheese ball to go with our oodles of yummy Pretzel Crisps
Erica Courtney's "top-secret" Red Velvet Cake in cupcake form

Off to bed for now....tomorrow, we kick off the college football tailgating season! Can't wait~

Eat My Blog Summer 2010 MENU~

2010-06-11T13:02:00.000-07:00

If you are on the fence about attending this months fabulous fundraiser, EAT MY BLOG, on June 19th at Tender Greens in West Hollywood- let me tempt you with....The Menu. Yummmmm.

See you there!!

Eat My Blog Summer 2010

2010-06-08T20:52:00.000-07:00

I am SUPER excited to be participating in an AWESOME fundraiser to benefit the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank~
If you are close enough to get to West Hollywood on June 19th, I really hope to see you there!!
More to come, but wanted you guys to MARK YOUR CALENDARS and come indulge your sweet tooth while you support an excellent cause!!

Indian Summer Part 1~ Chicken Tikka Masala

2010-05-21T06:58:00.000-07:00

In the summer, the Santa Monica pier hosts a glorious concert evening every Thursday. We pack up some good food, vino and hop on our bikes to go lay a blanket down in the sand and listen to the music drift down from the pier while we enjoy the company of great friends and share all the yummy food everyone brings.
With Memorial Day weekend comin' right up, our Thursdays at the pier will be starting again soon. Of all the goodness we brought last summer- this was by far the most, um....well, detailed dish I made, but I think it was also the best- and surprisingly a fabulous picnic item!! I made the the tikka masala, some saffron rice and aslo made homemade naan, which will be the Parts 2 & 3 of my Indian Summer posting, coming asap....

I adapted this recipe from All Recipes and found it very easy to make and delicious, it was everything I wanted it to be~

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup 2% Fage Greek yogurt
1 T lemon juice (fresh)
4 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 T fresh grated ginger
Freshly ground black pepper & Kosher salt or freshly ground sea salt to taste (about a tsp salt, 2 tsp pepper)
Long bamboo skewers for grilling (soak them in water for 30 minutes to an hour before putting the chicken on them)

1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp chopped fresh garlic
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped finely
2 1/2 tsp cumin
2 1/2 tsp paprika
1 8oz can tomato sauce
1 cup heavy whipping cream
a handful chopped cilantro
Freshly ground black pepper & Kosher salt or freshly ground sea salt (coupla pinches) to taste

In a large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, garam masala, cayenne, salt, pepper, & ginger. Stir it the chicken, coating completely- cover and refridgerate 1 hour.
PReheat your grill to high heat. Skewer the marinated chicken pieces and grilll about 5-7 minutes per side, until cooked completely through.
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and jalapeno and sautee a minute or two. Season the garlic and jalapeno with the cumin, paprika, salt and pepper. Stir in the tomato sauce and cream. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, 20-25 minutes. Add grilled chicken and simmer in sauce about 10 minutes.
Serve on a large platter, sprinkle with cilantro- for picnic mode, let cool then transfer to a tuperware and transport to picnic with the cilantro in a little ziplock bag.

Our picnic was a 7 mile bike ride away and it was a cool evening picnic- I'm not so much suggesting this as a take on a giant long like to an all-day-in-the-sun picnic.

Homemade Pasta with Artichokes, Broccli and Cream Sauce

2010-05-06T19:39:00.000-07:00

This was an accidental recipe, you know; when you use whatchoo got, throw it together and bada-bing, there's dinner!
Actually, I set out with a goal of making some homemade pasta (we pretty much always have flour & egg so pasta is an easy use-whatchoo-got recipe around here with the KitchenAid mixer pasta attachment!). Then, I rounded up what ever veggies we had and figured I'd make a prima verde, and have a glorious healthy dinner. Then... at some point, not sure when....I busted out the heavy whipping cream and thick curls of parmesan cheese and started saucing it up before I realized I'd cream-sauced our healthy dinner.
Oh well, sometimes you need to just worry about yumminess and be over everything else, and use-whatchoo-got and I had heavy whipping cream that would only be useful for a few more days!

This made enough for Sunday and Monday night;
We had the pasta with just the veggies and sauce Sunday...and on Monday I grilled a chicken breast chopped it up and tossed the pasta in the skillet with the cooked, chopped chicken and tossed/sauteed together until heated through (about 7 minutes) with a little bit of olive oil and a bit more chopped garlic.

Pasta
2 c flour
2 eggs lightly beaten
1 T water

1 15oz can of artichoke hearts
5-6 cloves of garlic
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 cups broccoli (we had baby broccoli)
1-2 cups grated aged Parmesan cheese
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper

On a clean works surface, make a little mountain with the flour and then press in the top with the back of a 1/4 cup measuring cup, to make a volcano- pour the egg into the volcano and gently toss together with fingers to incorporate. Either continue kneading by hand for 10 minutes or transfer incorporated ingredients into the bowl of a Kitchen Aid stand mixer with the dough attachment and mix on medium for10 minutes, adding the water at about 7 minutes...turn it out onto the work surface and knead into a ball. Divide into 1/4ths and let rest for 15 minutes before rolling out.
Using stand mixer with pasta roller attachments, or manual pasta roller- set to thickest setting, 1, and roll through 1 x. fold in half, roll through again, then move the thickness to 2, roll through once, fold in half, roll again, and move to 3, repeat the same as with 2, moving the thickness to 4 then to 5. Lay sheets on wax paper lightly dusted with flour until all are rolled out.
Then place the spaghetti attachment and run each sheet through cutting the noodles.
Lay the noodles out to dry, or hang them on pasta drying rack.

Drain a can of artichoke hearts and cut them into 1/4ths. Chop up about 2 cups baby broccoli. Heat water in a 2 quart sauce pot and blanch the broccoli, cook it for about 5 minutes tops- drain & set aside
In another sauce pot combine 3 tablespoons butter, 5-6 cloves chopped garlic, 1 cup heavy cream, 1 T olive oil and a pinch of salt & pepper, add a big handful of freshly grated, aged, Parmesan cheese- heat on medium until it comes to a boil, then reduce to low and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until it thickens. Bring 5-6 cups of water to a boil in a large sauce pot and boil the spaghetti for about 6 minutes or until tender.
In a large bowl combine drained pasta, artichoke hearts, broccoli, 3 cloves chopped garlic, a pinch of sea salt, cracked pepper and toss with the sauce...

Pillsbury Webconference with Sandra Lee

2010-05-03T06:38:00.000-07:00

On an early Tuesday morning recently- I had my first web-conference, ohhh modern technology!
This is a pretty cool way to share info and have discussions with people all over the world. I was contacted by my friends at Pillsbury and asked to be part of this conference, hosted by the Food Network's Sandra Lee, all about Sunday morning and Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls.
Sandra shared step-by-step instructions on several yummy cinnamon roll makeovers.

Chocolate Raspberry Cream Cheese Cinnamon Rolls
http://www.pillsbury.com/Recipes/ShowRecipe.aspx?rid=47857

Taste-of-the-Islands Breakfast Roll
http://www.pillsbury.com/Recipes/ShowRecipe.aspx?rid=44859

Upside Down Cinnamon Apple Coffee Cake
http://www.pillsbury.com/Recipes/ShowRecipe.aspx?rid=12399

And also cinnamon roll French Toast
http://www.pillsbury.com/Recipes/ShowRecipe.aspx?rid=47854

It was super techy and really fun to participate it!!

Pilsburry sent me some gift certificates for FREE CINNAMON ROLLS!!!

That's not all, they sent me gift certificates for YOU too!!! I have 8 certificates for ONE FREE CAN of any 8count Pillsbury Sweet Rolls to give away so stay tuned, GIVEAWAY post comin' soon!! Stay tuned for the info on how to win comin later this week!!

Angel Food Cake ala Bon Appetit

2010-04-30T18:42:00.000-07:00

I think I've mentioned one or one hundred times how much I love food-related magazines, or magazines in general for that matter, it's a great way to find new ideas, info and inspiration! Of course the internet is a never-ending bounty of gloriousness, but there is something fabulous about turning pages and getting lost in print.

The April Issue of Bon Appetit had a spread titled The Great American Cake, a "luscious look at six old-fashioned favorites"
Cake #1 is a Lime Angel Food Cake with Lime Glaze and Pistachios, and the photo is lickably delicious.
I wanted to make it, but alas, no angel food cake pan here!
Fortunately, my day job (the Clark Kent-esque 9-5 hours of this baker's life story) does lend to some pretty sweet culinary exploits from time to time, and as luck would have it the boss-lady saw this cake too, and invited me over to help whip it up!

I grated lime zest and read through the steps and she gave me some great tips that were NOT in the magazine, that I will happily now share with you;
#1 when separating the eggs and egg whites you can NOT get even one TEENY TINY bit of yolk in the whites, if it happens, even a bitsy-bit- you gotta scrap that batch o whites and start over, even one little drop of yolk and your cake it gonna be flat'ski
#2 The man must be CLEAN and free of any grease, resist the urge!! Do not grease the pan- just buy a proper Angel Food Cake pan and know it will turn out ok, any grease and your cake is gonna be FLAT-O-RAMA.
The work day was calling, so E.C. and I had to invert the lime angel food cake to cool and head back to the office to deal with the billion dollar business of bling, because that pays the bills more effectively than our baking projects at the moment.
She made the glaze and pistachio crust later and brought it by for us to taste.
The pistachio crust and texture of the cake was really good, but the lime element (to me), was not so much...I think I like my angel food cake super sweet- so the tart aspect threw me for a loop.

THEN- STOP THE PRESSES- I got an angel food cake pan, because about at week later- there it was, at Target and on SALE! WOOHOO!!!
So of course I wanted to try this recipe on my own ASAP. I decided to go sans-lime and sans- crust and just make a plain and simple angel food cake.
For the orignal recipe see page 107 of the April 2010 Bon Appetit Magazine!

1 cup cake flour
1 1/2 cups SUPER FINE (bakers) sugar
1/4 tsp salt
10 large egg whites- room temp
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp cream of tartar

As noted above you WILL NEED a 10-inch angel food cake pan with 4-inch high sides and a removable bottom.
Center a rack in the oven and pre heat it to 350.
Sift the flour, 1/2 cup of the sugar , and salt into a medium bowl- repeat sifting 3 times.
Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment (or electric hand mixer) beat the egg whites on medium speed until frothy. Add cream of tartar and increase speed to high- beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining 1 cup of sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. Use a large spatula and gently sprinkle 1/3 of the flour mix over the whites and fold in. Fold the remaining flour mix in 2 more additions until just incorporated. Transfer to the angel food cake pan & smooth the top.
Bake cake until top is a pale golden color, and tester near center comes out clean- about 38 minutes.
Immediately invert the cake onto work surface if the pan has feet- or onto neck of a bottle (see photo) and let cake cool COMPLETELY.

Using a long thin knife, cut around the cake sides and center tube to loosen. Lift out center tube with cake still attached, run knife between cake and bottom of pan to loosen. Place on cake plate and serve with fruit! YUM!!!

Drink.Eat.Play. Words to live by...& the L.A. Beer Fest 2010

2010-04-20T18:41:00.000-07:00

Last year we heard there was going to be a L.A. Beer Fest, less than 3 blocks from our apartment, on the Sony Pictures lot, on Nate's birthday weekend- GET OUT!! It was incredible- so well organized, loads of yummy beers we'd never had, great day outside drinkin'.
So when we found out that Drink. Eat. Play.,the organizers of this fabulous event, were planning to do it all again on April 10, 2010, Nate's ACTUAL birthday- we started rallying the troops and planning Beer Fest part deaux.
I have to say we've been to several D.E.P events and they've got a knack for organizing things really well and somehow wrangling mellow, fun, non-hostile crowds to their functions.
Sake fest last year was a great time, awesome learning experience and some pretty sweet karaoke.
So we were looking forward to doing Beer Fest again.

This time they opened up the front area, allowing for EVEN MORE tents and an extra food area where they lined up some of L.A.'s yummy taco truck food fun. This was a stellar improvement over the first year. At the 2009 Beer Fest, I don't think anyone had any idea how snacky people would get in a 3-hour drink all you can festival of pure indulgence, but for 2010 they had it hooked up!

So what were the FAVORITES? Last year it was the Seadog Blueberry Ale that Val and I adored, so we hit that up again right away.
This year there was a beer from Tibet called Lhasa that was awesome- perfect for summer bbq's or to pair with spicy food.
In the dark and gorgeous department, we loved the Maui Brewing Co's Coconut Porter, which is carried at WholeFoods, so we'll definitely be picking some up soon.
Another fun find was Primo- this is beer was originally brewed in Hawaii in 1898 by the Honolulu Brewing & Malting Co, today it's a part of the Pabst brew co. family. In my personal opinion, Primo is the crown jewel of Pabst for sheezie- it's an excellent beer that I was glad to try for the first time at last year's fest and enjoy again this year!!

If you are in or around the Los Angeles area, I highly reccomend checking out their website, click here--> DRINK.EAT.PLAY.
and hop on their email list so you are in the know on their upcoming events!

Share Our Strength National Food Bloggers Bakesale

2010-04-17T13:52:00.001-07:00

As a fabulous fund raiser for Share Our Strength, food bloggers all over the nation got together on one day, April 17th 2010, and baked for the cause!
You can read all about the event on Gaby's blog- here at WHAT'S GABY COOKING, she was the fearless leader of this awesome event. I really look forward to the NEXT bakesale and sure hope to have some delicious treats to help fundraise for Share Our Strength!!

I could only pop in for a moment, I had brioche dough coming to room temp on my kitchen counter, but was able to meet Esi of Dishing Up Delights and had the pleasure of seeing Sherry Yard (eeep!) and Jeni, who has one of my favorite blogs, Picky Palate! Her peanut butter chocolate cookies were DEEEEEELICIOUS!

I missed out on hearing about this early enough to participate this year, but I for sure was not going to miss the deliciousness!

If you didn't know about this spectacular Saturday in time, or if there was not a bake sale close to you click here to support Share Our Strength with a donation today!
SHARE OUR STRENGTH

Swingin Jell-O Salad

2010-04-14T06:48:00.000-07:00

For my birthday this year, it was a big one, 3 decades to celebrate, Nate rented a sensational pad out in Palm Springs so we could throw it back to the 60s for a retro celebration.
I was in MAJOR need of a weekend away, and this was beyond perfect.
We spent three days poolside lounging in gorgeous weather and threw a totally hip shindig on Saturday night, complete with timely-themed appetizers that I was having a little too much fun to get good photos of...but here is a run-down of the easy stuff;
Celery plate- celery with either cream cheese, peanut butter or pimento cheese spread (which everyone voted should stay in the 60s, no pimento cheese fans here)

Dates- pitted & split- stuffed with goat cheese, wrapped in bacon- held with toothpick and baked at 450 for about 15 minutes or until bacon is cooked through.

Mini crustless white bread samiches (half pb & grape jelly, half with havarti dill slices and thin cucumbers) a normal sandwhich with 2 slices, crst removed then cut into 1/4s on the diagonal

Then for dessert- I made this rockin' Jell-O salad. Which is super old school, all American goodness, and I looooove it. My sister was not havin' it- she's grossed out by Jell-O and even adding the buttery pretzle crust and cream cheese whip layer, this was still a no-go for her. I however, super-giant-puffy-heart Jell-O Salad and post here for you my recipe with a few tips that were missing from the recipe I was given by Nana, who I think can make this with her eyes closed and a hand tied behind her back.

2 cups crushed pretzles
1/2 cup butter- melted
1/4-1/3 cup sugar
1 box of Jell-O (I used blackberry raspberry fusion, because how can ya resist that?!)
1 large bag of frozen fruit (I used raspeberries)
1 container of cool-whip whipped topping , thawed
1 8oz block of cream cheese, at room temp
1/2 cup sugar

Pre heat the oven to 350. Combine the pretzles, butter and sugar and press into the bottom of a greased 9 x13 inch pyrex baking dish.
Bake 8-10 minutes, then let cool completely. COMPLETELY.
In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment whip the sugar and cream cheese and then using a spatula fold in the cool whip until it's totally mixed with the cream cheese.
I scoop the cream cheese cool whip mixture by the spoonful evenly over the pretzles, then I use the back of a big metal spoon lightly greased to very gently create a wall-to-wall even layer of the cream cheese mix, with no holes that go through to the pretzle layer.
Refridgerate for at least 1 hour so it sets up.
Then make the J-E-L-L-Oh!! Prepare the Jell-O according to package directions, then pour into a big mixing bowl and refrigerate 15-20 minutes or until it gets a little thicker and starts to set up.
Then stir in the frozen fruit and when Jell-O is somewhat set and definitely not in a liquid state but a state you would call Jell-O, then spoon it onto the cream cheese layer and spread it evenly.
Cover with saran wrap and refrigerate 3-4 hours so Jell-O gets completely set.
Slice into purtty lil squares and serve up some throw-back yumminess!!

Six Taste Little Tokyo Tasting Tour- last stop..

2010-04-07T21:28:00.001-07:00

Last, and most spectacular we headed to the Far Bar. This is truly a GEM tucked away in the city I love the most, and I am thrilled to know about it... finally!
The Far East Cafe opened in this spot in 1937 and has a long and very interesting history, it was so much fun going on the tour to learn the history of places like this. Far East is now closed for daily dining but is available for special events- I'd highly recommend it for a stellar cocktail party, reception or rehearsal dinner- this spot had spectacular personality. These days there is a bar, Far Bar, open that runs along side the main building/dining room. Normally on the tour they set up a table outside, under the cafe lights for some awesome fried chicken wings. The day we went on the tour it was drizzling a bit on and off so to be on the safe side they set us up in the main dining room of Far East, all by ourselves!! It was AMAZING!

Due to the way Far Bar is tucked away, almost like a little delicious secret hidden down an alley way, it would make a great date-night outing. Going to a show at the Walt Disney Concert Hall? This would be a perfect spot for a pre-show drink that will make you look very in-the-know, I'd sure be impressed!

I had such a sensational time on this tour, we can't wait to take the other Six Taste tours- Chinatown's up next, then the Financial District and we hear via twitter @sixtaste is going to have a Santa Monica tasting tour in the near future...wonder if S.M. Seafood will be one of the stops?!
If you live anywhere near L.A. or can get your tushie over here- take one of these tours and let me know whatcha think!!

Six Taste Little Tokyo Tasting Tour Los Angeles, CA

2010-04-05T12:42:00.000-07:00

2010 is all about eating everything, and trying new things, and learning something along the way. We kicked this tradition off in early February with an outing in Little Tokyo in downtown L.A.
EIGHT years ago, when Nate and I started dating (and even before that when we were "just friends") we used to head through the 2nd street tunnel and have sushi at HAMA, pretty often. At the time, I hadn't lived in L.A. too long, Nate went to USC, so he had a few years and more knowledge of awesome spots to do cool stuff than I did. When ever a friend or family member would come to town, I loved taking them to Little Tokyo to this seemingly hidden spot that felt like it was ours, and I felt really cool knowing about it.
Late last year I read about a company called Six Taste and their "tasting tours" in Los Angeles. I constantly checked for tickets but every weekend they were available I was out of town or busy and every weekend I was around, it'd sell out before I could pounce on it! They keep the tours under 15 people so it is a more intimate experience, which we totally appreciated.
FINALLY I snagged some tickets to their walking gastronomy tour of Little Tokyo and counted the minutes to that Saturday afternoon.
The tour consists of walking an area less than a mile, over the course of about 3 or 4 hours, with plenty of chances to sit, use the restroom and enjoy the delicious food!
We went with 4 friends (2 other couples) and had with our tour, two brothers and their wives, with their mother for her birthday and a food aficionado from Laguna Beach, and our spectacular guide, Tata!
Little Tokyo has had quite a makeover since we last sat at the bar in Hama and had the yellow tail collar and some hamachi, the lot we used to park in was a big building of luxury apartments with store fronts on the street level.
We met in front of the Japanese American History museum and started by learning a bit about the history of Little Tokyo- and got our first taste of the tour.
Tata had stopped at Yamazaki bakery and brought us a green tea dessert and a "melon cake" dessert. She gave us each a taste of each and we discussed which of the two was more western style...and WHY....

It was threatening to rain, but never did, the day was gorgeous! We walked along, down the cherry blossom tree lined street. They were not in bloom, but will be later in the spring, which would be a great time for YOU to go on this tour and check it out!!

Our first stop was at a restaurant on the street level of the big building that was sitting on top of what used to be the parking lot we'd park in for our dinners at Hama. It was not Japanese, what? Interesting! Little Tokyo is a crossroads for all kinds of culture, food and we headed into a Doner Kebab called Spitz, to see first hand how there was a wide variety of yumminess in this small corner of L.A.

Spitz has delicious homemade garlic ailoi and hummus, which are both sensational with their pita chip strips, or the sweet potato fries. We also got to taste the three spectacular (and creative) sangria recipes~ cinnamon/cardamom, white peach/basil and and apple/mint.

We were pretty full after Spitz, with much more to see and eat, so it was a good thing Tata took us on a little walk around the block to learn more of the history of the area before our next taste.
Our next stop was the Fugetsu-Do Sweet Shop- an area institution since 1903.
Everything we tried at Fugetsu-Do was as yummy as it was beautiful!

There was no way I was leaving the sweet shop with out a to-go bag, and fortunately Nate was on the same page, so we brought home all kinds of these goodies to taste and enjoy! I'll definitely be sure to hit thie spot up again this year near the holidays, what gorgeous, tasty and unique gifts!

Next up we hit Wakasaya for a spicy tuna sushi bowl and yummy miso soup with udon noodles! The boys ordered some beers and we got to check out an interesting way that food is ordered in Japan to keep things moving quick and efficiently during the busy lunch rush hour- all the menu items were posted with a photo, which I think is awesome!

The next two stops were so delicious I got a little distracted by the EATING and did not note the NAMES of the shops! EEP! So....I guess you are just going to have to GO on the tour and find out! Right?! Trust me, it's beyond worth it.

These red bean paste filled pieces of heaven have been made here, just like this for many, many years- and hopefully it always stays that way. I could've eaten 10 of these, but we'd already had SO much food, one was perfect! Hot, fresh and sooooooo delicious!

Next, we stopped at sweet-shop/ mochi spot for MOCHI-LATTO- instead of being filled with ice cream, like the mochi ice cream you'd find at Trader Joe's, these were filled with yummy gelato- the coconut was my favorite- but the Oreo and green tea were pretty awesome as well! The coconut got "smashed in my face" too fast to show up in a photo...that expression, by the way, is one of my favorite souvenirs brought back from Tanzania by Shayne & Erica. Feel free to enjoy using it as much as I do.
For the final stop and the wrap up of this awesome adventure, I'm going to spill over into a second post. So stay tuned, and in the meantime, if you live in or near (or plan on visiting) Los Angeles, head over to http://www.sixtaste.com/ and get signed up for any one of their delicious & informative tours, we're planning to take them all so if you are nowhere near L.A. feel free to virtually enjoy the yumminess here.

Happy-Happy St. Patrick's Day & ME!

2010-03-17T06:39:00.000-07:00

Ok, I freakin LOVE March. This month rocks the house- why? Cuz it's my BIRTHDAY! Oh, and St. Patrick's Day, and SPRING, and March Madness, and pastel colored M & Ms.
This year it happens to be a BIG birthday. I turned 30. WOOHOO!! I love it!! Shoot, if 30's this fun 40 must be a blast!

I decided to celebrate my 3rd decade on Earth by making a few fun St. Patrick's Day goodies. Having shared a 48 hour drinking, er- CELEBRATING window with St. Patrick's day for the past 30 years has sort of made me adopt it as MY holiday. Now my grandmother IS Irish and I do LOVE St. Patrick's Day and all that we Americans do to celebrate (we are pretty hostile in my office if you don't observe the wearin' green thing- ask Heather about the headband that was GRAY, Army gray, but GRAY).

So to keep it GREEN and have a little fun during the week that is mine & St. Patrick's day...OUR SWEET WEEK, here's what I made.

Guinness (and a touch o' Whiskey) Brownies

You'll have to take a journey for this recipe, back to Ireland.
No, I'm kidding, not really, but you will have to CLICK HERE for the recipe and scope out these beauties over at the Bite Me Kitchen.
I saw them and drooled on my keyboard at work. Ew, sorry, that's kind of gross- but LOOK AT THEM. Did you click it yet? Seriously, YUM. This is BITE ME KITCHEN's STUNNING PHOTO- I am having a wee camera issue this week, so my photos are hopefully coming soon! (my only modification was adding a teensy splash of whiskey, cuz, why not?)

I busted out a mini-me version that was in little green cupped Brownie Bite form to take to the office on the B-day. I knew I'd want a brownie with my coffee to celebrate my special day.
These were AWESOME, and I am so THANKFUL that Rose made these and inspired me to do the same!!

Then it was on was cake pop time, I'd been planning these for a while and saw them over on BAKERELLA.com site last week and was dying to make them. She's my hero, here is the link to HER POST and below is her GORGEOUS photo (mine are trapped in the camera, hopefully!!)

Hope you have a LUCKY DAY!!!
More to come soon!! So many fun things to do around here, it's hard to keep up!

And the winner is....

2010-02-26T18:30:00.000-08:00

Do you love the Oscars?? Or..... not so much.
I do actually have a day job, otherwise you'd be overloaded with a zillion updates over here and I'd probably not be running all over creation on adventures all the time. Gotta earn the moo-lah for all those adventures somehow...
For the past seven years (dang, that's crazy!) I have been working in fine jewelry, every day, surrounded by beautiful, amazing jewels. It's pretty cool, and the ultra gorgeous line I work for now is very well versed in reg carpet glam, so the Oscars (and all the major awards shows) are a big deal and loads of big work in our neck of the woods.
When it comes time for the big ones like Golden Globes or the ultimate- the Oscars, we host a suite in our studio for stylists and celebrities to come view the jewelry in a relaxing, gorgeous environment- great drinks, food and music while you pick out their bling for presenting or receiving.

Sweet Life Kitchen will be catering the ERICA COURNTEY Oscar Suite this year and in honor of the red carpet extravaganza, we'll be GIVING AWAY A COOKBOOK!!
WOOHOO!!

The CFDA AMERICAN FASHION COOKBOOK to be exact! HOW TRES CHIC IS THAT?!
This is a collaboration of all kinds of great American fashion (AND JEWELRY) designers!!
My boss, THE Erica Courtney, has a recipe featured in the book that makes buying it totally worth it (and winning it a REAL treat!!)
Erica's recipe is the (BEST) Red Velvet top-secret-until-now-straight-from-real-deal-Louisiana Cake recipe!!

So here's how it works, easy- just post a comment here that somehow relates to food you would serve at an Oscar party, your favorite Oscar moment, or why you'd love to have a copy of this glamorous cookbook!!
Since the 82nd Academy Awards are only a week away on March 7th, 2010 this contest will conclude ONE WEEK AFTER the awards on SUNDAY MARCH 14th at 8pm (PST)...so you have until then to post a comment here!!
Good Luck!

Huuuullllloooooo

2010-02-21T20:15:00.000-08:00

Where have I been?! Oh, well, just about a million places!! Mostly moving, which, as I reported from Mammoth over a month ago, we survived and are head over heels for the new place! I got a big glorious kitchen and I've been USING it!! I also have some photo stuff I've been working on (which has been a big time sucker) and an enormous Sweet Life Kitchen project that's just getting started (slash has been ongoing for a while...if that makes any sense...)
OK- so, here I am and hopefully you're dyin to know what's crackin over here.
In 2009 we focused on FESTING every second, the garlic fest, sake fest, fan-festing-tastic. This year we're all about some fascinating, and educational, food experiences. Recently we went on a TASTING TOUR of Los Angeles' Little Tokyo. We are heading to Palm Springs in March for a retro-themed weekend and will be exploring some local treasures, which I am really looking forward to!
I love the Sweet Life Kitchen Facebook page because it's given me a place to share the photos I took of food we love, even though it's not food we made, and that is going to be a bit more of a focus this year, sharing awesome food experiences AND the recipes we create.
Ok, so there's one part of what's up... NEXT, the most exciting parts...
Since we are all moved and settled in our new beautiful surroundings, it's time I get that going on here too, so be ready for some prettyfication and a big beauty overhaul here at Sweet Life Kitchen! (thanks to the lovely lady who created our logo- Deneen Alexandra of Funk Delicious Designs!!)
It's L.A., even the blog's gotta get a little work done, especially for our THREE YEAR blogaversary this summer!
And finally, the best part, my favorite aspect of the purty new site design will give you a chance to sample the goods!! Yup, there will be some Sweet treats that you can order, eat and give as delicious gifts!! WHAT?! Ya, you totally read that right, so BRACE Yo'SELVES!! It's 2010 and we're all up in it!!
If you want more info on any of this gloriousness, feel free to email me~ beth@sweetlifekitchen.com or hit me up by posting a message on the SLK Facebook page HERE

Getting ready for 2010

2009-12-31T13:39:00.000-08:00

Wow! Time sure does fly, here we are at the weenie-dog-tail end of 2009. Once again, I dropped off the map in a big way and it was for a great reason.....We MOVED!! Ok, not far, only 4 blocks actually, which is a good thing because I do love me some Culver City, CA. It was time for a bigger place, our family grew last year, when little Arthur joined the mix and we have never had a kitchen we love, until NOW.
I suppose it is partly ironic that I am typing this first update in ages while away from our new home, on vacation, in cold & snowy Mammoth Lakes, CA.

Many months before the thought of moving even entered our minds, we decided we wanted to have a big spectacular New Years Eve, in the snow, with good friends, yummy food and the weenie dogs, of course.
Throw an unplanned, but much appreciated move into the mix two weekends before Christmas, and that pretty much sums up my recent absence from the blogosphere.

In the spirit of my last post, and the fact that we had to get pretty creative with our time-savers this year, here is one of my FAVORITE quick, easy and delicious time-saving desserts. When I am not mid-moving in December, I try to measure out about 4-5 Ziploc bags of the dry ingredients for this crisp- and keep them in the freezer. That way, any time, just soften up the 1/3 cup butter and use frozen fruit for a stellar homemade crisp in about 40 minutes, all prep and baking included!!

In getting ready for our trip up here, I grabbed a few apples, measured out the oats, sugar and spices into a plastic bag and noted the fresh cranberries I had frozen a few weeks ago when they were on major sale.

As I unpacked all the food and kitchen goodies I realized I totally spaced out on bringing the cranberries!! So I shot Nate a quick text and when he got finished with his last run of the day, he hit the store and brought me a can of cranberry sauce, the chunky stuff, not the gel....Hmmm, what's this? He let me know the store they stopped at was a little less like a grocery store and definitely did not have a produce section. No problem, pretty sure I can make this work AND now I have a great recipe for left over cranberry relish after Thanksgiving!!

Cranberry Apple Crisp
Inspired by a recipe from Country Living Magazine

3 Gala apples, cored and chopped into little bite sized bits
about 15oz/one container of chunky cranberry relish (the cranberry orange relish from Trader Joe's would be good!)
3/4 C. brown sugar
1/2 C. flour
1/2 C. quick oats
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/3 cup softened butter

Preheat the oven to 350, and lightly grease a pie plate or pyrex pan. In a medium bowl mix the sugar, flour, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg and butter until all ingredients are moistened/well combined.
Toss the apples into the greased baking dish and spread the cranberry sauce over the apples. Spread the sugar, oat and spice mixture evenly over the apples and cranberries and bake uncovered, about 35 minutes, until top of crisp is golden brown.
Serve with vanilla ice cream and hot coffee~ HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

What Are Your Favortie Holiday Time-Savers?

2009-11-11T18:42:00.000-08:00

WOW. Is it seriously almost Thanksgiving?! No, really, I mean it. HOW IS IT NEAR-HALFWAY THROUGH NOVEMBER!!??
Since time is very much FLYING, I thought I'd talk about SAVING time instead! Over on the Sweet Life Kitchen Facebook page I asked ~ WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE HOLIDAY TIME SAVERS?! ...and that's what I wanna know! Here I will share some of mine, and in 30 days when I've gathered some feedback, ideas from you fabulous people I'll share a fun, helpful list of truly terrific time saving tips!!

I make enough cookies each December to feed a small army of REALLY hungry cookie-monsters. I do this while throwing & attending Holiday parties, working (PS the jewelry biz tends to get a wee bit busier this time of year), plus balancing all those other little things that make up the usual day-to-day... and then some!
About 4 years ago I started a time-saving tradition that seriously changed my life in the cookie department!!
The Sunday after Thanksgiving I spend the ENTIRE day making cookie DOUGH...I double wrap the batches in Press-n-Seal, then double bag them in heavy duty freezer bags. This way I can thaw and bake the cookies on weeknights or Saturdays through out December with out a mess in the kitchen or any major dishes to do!
Read more HERE

I also always take a day or half-day off work in early December for the extra errands, getting the holiday cards sent out, and making some week night dinners and appetizers that freeze well to get through to the New Year. I also always make MY CHILI in the crock pot that day, for our dinner that night AND yummy leftovers!

Visit our FACEBOOK FAN PAGE or post a comment here and share YOUR favorite tips!!

Singing Dog Vanilla Review & Recipes

2009-11-03T05:59:00.000-08:00

I told you all a while back that I received a sample of Singing Dog Vanilla and was VERY excited to use it!! Top notch vanilla is one of those things in the kitchen that is well worth splurging on. I feel like Singing Dog is very well priced considering that it is a fantastic, quality vanilla extract. This was my first experience with a 100% Organic Vanilla extract and I did find that though it had a slightly different flavor than vanilla I had purchased in the past, it was excellent. I like the fact that this is an "all natural, fair-trade, organic" product, companies that share these beliefs are more fun to shop with because they are working hard to promote ethical practices and sustainable agriculture.

The first go I had with this was making PEACH GINGER VANILLA ICE CREAM, and it was delicious! The primary flavor of this recipe was vanilla so we got a good opportunity to really get a taste of it and really liked it!! The last time I made vanilla ice cream I used vanilla beans and Nate had no idea that I hadn't done the same this with this batch, so I give that a thumbs up~

Next up I made APPLE BUTTERMILK SPICE CAKE , which was a recipe I made up on the fly one weekend to use up some apples.

Then I made the PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE PIES and often add vanilla to any cheesecakey goodness I am making, so this one was fun and tasted fantastic with the Singing Dog Vanilla!!

I also used it in the CARAMEL BOTTOM GINGERSNAP CHEESECAKE , of course!

I've still got a good amount of it left, and just found THIS ARTICLE on About.com listing the The Very Best Premium Vanilla Extract Brands and there's Singing Dog at #8, woooohooo!! YAY!

Caramel Bottom Gingersnap Cheesecake

2009-10-26T05:00:00.000-07:00

I love cheesecake ever so much. One of the reasons I think cheesecake is so fabulous is that it's awesome plain, but also fantastic with all kinds of yummy seasonal or other-desserty flavors mixed in! A few years ago I made PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE BARS http://www.sweetlifekitchen.com/2007/09/pumpkin-cheesecake-bars.html, but since I had recently made MINI PUMPKIN CHEESECAKES this fall, I wanted to try something with caramel instead of pumpkin.
This cheesecake has a gingersnap cookie crust that seriously tastes like candy, it's really good!!

I made this one up on the fly- so email me if you have any questions or if my explanation of crust measurements is confusing beth@sweetlifekichen.com

Crust
Heaping 3/4 cup of graham cracker crumbs
Heaping 3/4 cup of ginger snap cookie crumbs (I put a few handfuls of cookies in the food processor and blasted them)
6 T butter melted
2-3 T Brown sugar
1 T white sugar
Teeny pinch of cinnamon

Filling
2 handfuls of caramel cubes

2 8oz bricks cream cheese, room temp
2 eggs room temp
1 T brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla

Pre-heat the oven to 375. Spray a 9-inch spring form pan with some non-stick spray and mix the graham cracker and gingersnap crumbs with the sugar and pinch of cinnamon in a medium bowl. Drizzle the melted butter into the crumb mixture and toss with a fork and your fingers until all the crumbs are moistened with butter. Dump the crust mixture into the spring form pan and use the back of a spoon or bottom of a measuring cup to press it as evenly as possible into place. Bake crust 8 minutes, then allow to cool while you melt the caramel.
In a microwave safe bowl, slowly melt the caramel at 40 % power in 30-45 second intervals in the microwave. Stir after each zap until it is melty and there are no chunks.
Slowly drizzle the caramel over the crust, you won't really be able to spread it cuz that will pull the crust apart, so just lightly drizzle it very slowly all over the bottom of the pan to get as even of coverage as possible. Let the caramel cool in the crust while you mix up the cheesecake filling.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, mix cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy add eggs one at a time and then the vanilla. Mix until completely smooth- scraping down the sides of the bowl and the bottom of the bowl once or twice to be sure you get any lumpiness outta there.
Pour the cheesecake mix over the caramel in the crust. Place a 9 x 13 pan half full of warm water on the bottom rack of the oven and the cheese cake right above it on the middle rack.
Bake at 400 for 55 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
let cool then refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving. The caramel starts to melt right away when you slice this and serve it. DELICIOUS.

Calabrese Pasta~ Sunday Dinner

2009-10-25T08:03:00.000-07:00

Nate and I are both Italian on our mother's side, and happen to really, really love Italian food. We make HOMEMADE RAVIOLI with his family every Easter, and love making homemade pasta and LASAGNA here at home when ever we can.
I recently received a copy of Cucina Di Calabria and I've been VERY excited try one of the recipes!
My mother's family comes from Calabria, which is in Southern (the "tip of the boot" to be exact)Italy. When I was working on the post for BRACIOLA I realized that both Nate and I grew up with Sunday Dinner. Every week, no matter what was going on, on Sunday the whole family gathers for togetherness and homemade dinner. There are so many things that make it hard for the whole family to get together for dinner; soccer practice, play rehearsal, board meetings, but not on Sunday. I am sure this is not just an Italian thing and that many families have this tradition, but it was something that as we've grown older and moved away from our parents, I'd not thought about it in a while.
SO...
I thought it would be fun to share this tradition with you by posting a great Sunday family dinner at least once every month!
This Sunday dinner is my first recipe from Cucina Di Calabria, for basic pasta. I was trying to keep dinner a little lighter, so I added some veggies and basil and served this with an easy, flavorful chicken.

Serves 6

Pasta
1 1/4 cup flour
2 egg
pinch of salt

Lightly dust a clean surface with flour. Pour out the 1 1/4 cups flour into a mountain and use the back of a 1/2 c measuring cup to create a crater in the top- making the flour look like a volcano/ Crack the eggs into the crater. Use fork and your well-floured fingers to mix in a bit..then use hands to fully incorporate egg into flour~ knead, knead, knead about 5 minutes....
Separate the dough into golf ball sized balls and let rest on a flour coated towel, lightly covered with another flour dusted towel about 10 minutes. Using a pasta roller, take one of the pasta golf balls and smash it flat with your hand, then feed it through largest setting on the pasta roller twice, then fold in half lengthwise, run through again, fold again lengthwise and run through again, then move to second largest setting and run through, fold and run through once more before moving to third largest setting- repeat until you are on the 5th setting, then run through 6 th setting once, don't fold and set the sheet of dough on floured cloth- repeat with all 6 golf balls of pasta- then run sheets through pasta slicer and dry on rack or floured cloth to dry until ready to fridge, freeze or boil.

Wile the pasta dries, chop up and prepare the veggies~
1/2 yellow squash diced
1/2 zucchini diced
1 T garlic, minced
2-3 T fresh Basil, chopped
Salt, pepper
Balsamic drizzle
Parmesan & Romano

Set veggies aside and make the chicken.
While you make the chicken, put on 8 cups of water to bring to a boil for the pasta.

Chicken
6 chicken breasts
Juice of one lemon
1 T garlic
2 T olive oil + more for cooking
2 T balsamic vinegar
Salt & pepper

Rinse 6 chicken breasts and pat dry. Lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper and place in a shallow dish. In a small bowl mix the lemon juice, garlic, 2 T oil and 2 T balsamic and whisk until combined.
Pour the lemon juice mix over the chicken and let stand 5 minutes.
Heat enough olive oil to cover the bottom of a large skillet, then add chicken.
Cook chicken about 7 seconds each side.
Meanwhile when the 8 cups of water comes to a boil, add the pasta and boil about 8 minutes.
When the chicken is cooked through and golden on both sides, remove from heat and set aside.
Drain pasta. Place drained pasta in a large bowl and toss in the squash, zucchini, garlic and basil.
Add a serving of pasta with zucchini, squash, garlic and basil to each plate, drizzle balsamic over the pasta and sprinkle with Romano and Parmesan cheese, serve with chicken cut up on top or on the side.

MENU:
KELLE SALAD
CALABRESE PASTA
MINI CHOCOLATE MOLTEN CAKES!!!
~Happy Sunday~

Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake Pies

2009-10-20T05:59:00.000-07:00

Well, it's about time! This is the first pumpkin recipe I've posted this season and it's darn near Halloween already!!
I have been pretty swamped at work, holiday time = busy jewelry bees. I had the pleasure of career coaching down at G.I.A. last Friday and as I enjoyed a gorgeous day by the Pacific Ocean in Carlsbad, glowing in the 85+ degree heat, I actually found myself thinking about Fall...no, really! We got a wee little peek at Fall earlier last week, with some yummy, rainy weather, but it only lasted a moment. In hopes of some cooler temperatures I'm sharing this very easy Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie recipe to help lure the Fall back to L.A.

With some major tailgating ahead this Saturday, it'd be fun to get out the hoodies & jeans for this game!! C'mon Fall!!

I used 4 mini-tart pans for this recipe, but it would also work in a regular 8" diameter pyrex pie dish.

2 prepared 9 inch pie crust (you'll need about 1 1/2 for the 4 mini tarts and 1 crust if you are going with the 8 inch pie)
1 8oz brick of cream cheese softened
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
2 T brown sugar
1/2 15 oz can pumpkin
1/4 heaping tsp cloves
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla

Pre heat oven to 400 and line 4 mini tart pans or single pie place with prepared pie crust. Butter a piece or pieces of foil and, press, buttered side down into the crust. Bake 8 minutes at 400 remove foil, and bake another 5 minutes. Reduce heat to 350.
To make filling, mix cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment until fluffy. Add the vanilla, then spices then pumpkin. Until all ingredients are well combined. Fill a separate pyrex with a few inches of water and place on the bottom rack.
Fill each mini pie or the single pie plate 4/5 full bake on the middle rack about 30 min for the minis and about 45 minutes for a regular sized pie or until butter knife comes out clean.

More pumpkin recipes (and hopefully FALL WEATHER to come...)

Pillsbury Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls- Apples & Bannans~

2009-10-16T05:03:00.000-07:00

Last fall I was blessed to receive some sample product from Pillsbury! Check out some of the recipes I already posted HERE.

We had gobs of great stuff and wanted to each create something different with the packages of Pillsbury Cinnabon Grands Cinnamon Rolls. Nate chose to make a cinnamon roll apple pie pocket, and I made mini-cinnamon roll bananas foster bites.

To get an idea of the taste and texture of the rolls, I baked up one regular size and two mini rolls before we got started.

Ironically, Nate and I BOTH happen to be people who do not like cinnamon rolls and have never actually had Cinnabon, (GASP!) but we still enjoyed these ooey-gooey rolls and the fun creations that we made! Just to be sure, we had some friends taste-test as well and they gave the thumbs-up. I think for a super-easy, hot, sticky cinnamon roll these are a great time saving dessert or component to a dessert.

BANANAS FOSTER CINNABON CINNAMON ROLLS
By Beth G

1 package Mini Pillsbury Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls

Bananas Foster Filling
1/4 c unsalted butter
2/3 c packed brown sugar
3 T dark rum
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp fine vanilla extract
3-4 bananas sliced (lengthwise, in slices, in bits)- depends on how you are serving it...for this recipe I cut the banana in to little bits
A big hand full of coarsely chopped pecans

Combine the butter, brown sugar, rum, cinnamon and vanilla in a skillet and heat to boiling. Add bananas and cook stirring constantly for about 2-3 minutes.
Grease a mini muffin tin and start peeling the mini cinnamon rolls apart, pretty much un-wrapping them. Rip strips off and layer them in the mini-muffin tin and press down to create a little cinnamon roll dough cup.
Then spoon the bananas foster into the cinnamon roll cup & bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes until cinnamon rolls are golden.
This makes 12 mini-rolls, I actually set aside two of the mini rolls that I pushed the center out toward the outside creating a hole in the middle, like a doughnut. Then I spooned the bananas foster into the center, and baked on a greased cookie sheet at the same temp and time above. We liked both styles, the second method- creating the hole in the middle was even easier than taking them apart and would make a great party dessert!

APPLE PIE POCKETS with PILLSBURY CINNABON CINNAMON ROLL CRUST
By Nate G

Nate used the large/regular sized cinnamon rolls, he got super messy and creative and used the cinnamon roll dough as a personal pie pocket crust.

1 package Pillsbury Cinnabon Grands Cinnamon Rolls
(6 rolls, makes 4 pies)
3 apples, cored and chopped into little pieces
2 T water
2 T flour
2 T sugar
2 T brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 T butter

Unroll the cinnamon rolls on a covered work surface (lay out some wax paper) and kneed into 4 flat ovals.
In a saucepan over medium heat combine the water, flour, butter, sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon, bring to a boil and reduce heat, add apples and cook stirring often for about 5 minutes.
Spoon apple pie filling onto the cinnamon roll dough discs and fold over to create a pie pocket. Press the edges firmly to seal. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until dough is golden brown.

Peach & Ginger Vanilla Ice Cream

2009-10-12T19:23:00.000-07:00

Ok, I get it. Summer is OVER. Ya, I know...it is dipping into what I like to call the "dangerously low 60s" here in SoCal, and I'm not kidding. BRrrrrrrrRRRRrrrr. So in trying to keep the dance that is my life moving I have become a little behind (again) in my blog updates and have one last summer-rewind here for ya. I know many of you do this juggle with jobs, relationships, kids (or weenie dogs in our case), trying to jam in some exercise and relaxation here and there...you know, "The Drill".

Well, Summer of 2009 proved to be UBER-drilly for us, in the best way ever...we managed to maintain our Clark-Kent-esque day job-lives as program writer/operations manager (for Nate) and managing the beautiful business of bling in Drop Dead Gorgeous® jewelry (for me), while still spending gobs of sunny days at dog beach, AND eating/drinking our way through 5 food/drink festivals, enjoying wild night at Medieval Times, tackling a drive up and down California's beautiful coast, and nearly finishing (we'll make it to the breakers next time) our first Bay2Breakers, to mention a few of the highlights.

To me the timing of this peachy, summery ice cream post is just right- it rained today. Yup, here. In L.A., totally misted. As the clouds get darker, the sun sets earlier and we are apparently in for some "weather" over the next few days, so I am going to post this and leave it to look at and long for next summer, at least until the weekend comes!

The fall twist to ice cream making is that is takes a few hours and you do need to be all up on it every 30 minutes, this is a GREAT dessert to make while watching football games on Sundays, then enjoying a sundae after dinner with super creamy home made 'scream!!

Peach & Ginger Vanilla Ice Cream
(no ice cream maker involved, 'cuz I don't have one!)

1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
3 egg yolks
5-6 T sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 handfuls frozen peach slices, chopped into little pieces
1 tsp fresh grated ginger

In a medium sauce pot bring the milk & cream to a rolling boil. While that heats up, in a medium bowl whisk the egg yolks and sugar until thick and well combined. When the milk/cream is boiling, remove it from the heat, and while slowly stirring, gently and slowly pour about 1/3 of the milk/cream into the egg/sugar mix & stir until incorporated...then slowly, while constantly stirring add the rest of the cream to the yolk/sugar mix and stir until all ingredients are well mixed. (this will "temper" the eggs so they don't get cooked by the milk/cream) Pour it all back into the sauce pot and heat on medium heat, stirring constantly for about 5-7 minutes. You want the custard to get thicker and not heat over 180 degrees.
Pour the thickened custard into a glass bowl and add vanilla, peaches and ginger, stir well and refrigerate until chilled through. Pour chilled custard mix into a glass/pyrex baking dish and place in freezer for 45 minutes.
After 45 minutes, stir well with a whisk. Place back in freezer for 30 minutes....continue to take it out and whisk every 30 minutes for about 3 hours and transfer to an airtight container to keep in the freezer.

I think this makes a faboo dinner party dessert, my favorite kind- dresses up easy!!
Toast a frozen waffle, thinly slice a peach and arrange peach slices on top of toasted waffle then add a scoop of this yummy ice cream and drizzle with honey! YUM & EASY!!

~This recipe was created by adapting the Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Baking; From My Home to Yours by; Dorie Greenspan~

Applesauce Buttermilk Spice Cake

2009-10-09T20:41:00.000-07:00

This is a fabulous recipe to make a week or so after a fall apple picking trip, it includes fresh chopped apples AND apple sauce, so it helps you get the most out of all those apples!! I created this recipe to submit to Food52's Best Apple Cake contest. If this is the first you're hearing about food52, you need to bounce on over and check it out right now!! This is a website where each week Amanda & Merill post two categories, anyone can submit a recipe and then they actually make and taste-test the finalists!! Even better, once they select the top two, you and everyone you know can vote for the winning recipe which will be included in the cookbook published after a year, 52 weeks of this fabulous project.

My apple cake didn't make the cut, but it made Nate and my office pretty happy!!

Here's what you'll need;
2c cake flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
then 1/3 cup white sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup butter, room temp
1 egg
1/3 cup applesauce
1 to 2 apples

This recipe will fit 1 8x8 pan + 6 muffins (that's what I did here)
18 muffins or a 9 inch bundt cake pan.

In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, ginger and set aside.
Finely chop 1 of the apples...it's ok if you eat some of this while you're baking, Nate ate about a 1/4 of mine and this came out fine!
Pre-heat the oven to 400. Prepare cake pan with non-stick spray and if you are making muffins only, line the muffin tin with paper liners.
Only if you are using the rectangle or square cake pan,and want the apple-topped cake, slice up the second apple using a mandoline slicer. This will make thin apple chips ;o)
In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, combine the butter sugar and shortening until fluffy, then add the vanilla and mix until incorporated. Add the egg and mix, then the applesauce and mix. Slowly add the flour mixture and the buttermilk bit by bit alternating each, until all ingredients are mixed in.
Stir in the chopped apple bits.
Lay the thin apple slices all over the bottom of the pan, then pour the batter in.
For muffins and bundt omit the sliced apple chip step and just pour the batter in.
Bake muffins for about 18 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean, bake the 8 x 8 about 25 - 30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean, the bundt cake may need just a bit longer than that about 30-40 minutes.

This was so delicious while it was still warm, it made Fall officially arrive in LA this week and I couldn't be happier!

Braciola I~ Sunday Dinner

2009-10-04T11:37:00.000-07:00

We're calling this Braciola I, because I anticipate there being Braciola II, III, IV, V, and so on....Where the heck has Braciola been all my life?!? I'd never had it before but heard of it last year at L.A.'s Feast of San Gennaro (which we just attended again this year, but couldn't find any braciole there)

I did some research and Braciola, or Braciole, plural (pronounced BRA-Sh-OLE)can be made many ways and depending on where the person you are talking to is from.
Per what I could find by poking around the internet and making a few calls to family members- this recipe would be classified as mainland-Southern-Italian Braciola. Which is, essentially, flat steak spread with cheeses, herbs, etc (that etc means what ever you can think of) and either fried, browned/baked, or browned then finished cooking in a big pot of sauce (that's the version you'll see here next time....)

For my first Braciola, I went with cheese & herb filling.

Serves 6
Steak~
2 lb flank steak
1/4 cup ricotta
1 small handful grated Parmesan
1 handful shredded mozzarella
2 cloves finely minced garlic
1-2 tsp each fresh chopped, basil, oregano and parsley
1/2 cup bread crumbs
String for tying it up (from a cooking supply store)

A MEAT NOTE:
If you are able to go to the butcher and have them cut the flank steak as thin as possible, that is awesome.

Sauce~
(you can totally buy a jar of your favorite sauce or doctor this one any way you like it is a very basic recipe that can be jazzed up a zillion ways)
1 can 15 oz tomato sauce, then one can full of water
1 12 oz can tomato paste, then one can full of water
1/4 cup shredded Romano cheese
2 T chopped garlic
2 T fresh chopped basil
1/2 tsp sugar
a few dashes red chili flakes
a pinch of salt and some fresh cracked black pepper
A little garlic powder (lightly sprinkle over the top of the pot and stir)
Olive oil

In a large sauce pot pour the tomato sauce, water,tomato paste, water and stir over medium heat until smooth add cheese, herbs, spices, salt & pepper, continue to stir until all ingredients are incorporated and then continue on medium heat until simmering. then reduce heat to low and stir occasionally while sauce cooks and thickens for about an hour.
After the sauce has been on low for about 45 minutes, start making the Braciola.

Use a meat tenderizer hammer to pound the steak a bit flatter if you buy it prepackaged and don't have the butcher slice it extra thin. In a medium bowl mix the filling ingredients- spread them all over the center of the steak and roll it up like a jelly roll! Secure it with 5 pieces of the string and tie tightly.

In a large pan heat a few tablespoons of olive oil on low(enough to lightly cover the bottom of the pan). Using tongs add the braciola to the pan and turn every 90 seconds browning all sides of the steak. (about 8-10 minutes total)

Preheat the oven to 350 and spray a baking dish with non-stick spray. Turn the heat off the sauce and let stand 5 minutes while the oven preheats. Add the browned braciola to the baking dish and ladle a few cups of sauce over the braciola- top with a little shredded mozerella (if you are using a jar of sauce- use one whole jar here, but have another jar on hand for serving it with.
Cook for about 1 hour and 30 minutes for "medium" a little longer if you'd like it well done.

I have to say, this was a very impressive meal with very little effort involved. The prep time is not too intense and the flavor is off the chain delicious.
This is an EXCELLENT dinner-party main dish. I made a giant salad to go with this and we ate it while watching football. Kelle brought amazing bruschetta that I ate way too much of!

I think think this would be a spectacular main dish for a dinner party of 6 people, here is a menu I would suggest that would be very easy to execute and a for sure hit with your guests...

Dinner Party Menu:
~Plated Appetizer~
Caprese Towers
Stack a1/2 inch slice of tomato, 1/2 inch slice of mozzarella, fresh basil leaf- repeat, dust lightly with cracked black pepper and drizzle with olive oil.

~Main Entree~
Braciola (or make individual Braciole with smaller pieces of steak!!) w/ garlic bread & steamed veggies and GLORIOUS SALAD, sub the spring mix with baby arugula to dress it up a bit!

~Dessert~
Raspberry Semifreddo

Cobbler: Just Peachy, with a little Apricot love

2009-09-27T09:30:00.000-07:00

Moving can be so stressful!! Packing up every little bit of your life and transporting it to a whole new set of surroundings, but it can also be really exciting!! We've had quite a friends who've relocated recently~ We celebrated Naomi's new place with ICE CREAM CONE CUPCAKES and this cobbler was all about Natalie's big move!! Super hot temps made me crave something that was cold and refreshing, but if I'd made an ice creamy dessert it would have been all kinds of melty pretty quick! The late-summer early fall peaches and nectarines had been awesome, so peachy cobbler made perfect sense. Because the white peaches smelled incredible, I choose those, but to birghten it up a bit I grabbed a few ripe apricots and the mix was delish.
This could work with a variety of fruit combos, there will be an apple or apple-pear version coming soon, no doubt.

I had not really made a cobbler since last summer's MIXED BERRY COBBLER which was from "Baking From My Home to Yours" by Dorie Greenspan and it was MY pick for Tuesdays with Dorie!! This is my version of stone-fruit cobbler, so it is a lil different from Dorie's recipe- but I think it's delicious all the same~

Serves 12-16

5-6 ripe sweet peaches
4 apricots
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 c white sugar

1/2 c shortening
1/4 packed light brown sugar
1/4 white sugar
1 1/2 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 c buttermilk
1 c boiling water
3 T butter

Oven to 350 grease a 9 x 13 baking dish
In large bowl combine the fruit sugar and cinnamon and set aside
In a medium bowl cream the shortening and sugar and slowly add the flower, baking powder, salt and buttermilk a little of each at a time until all ingredients are well combined.
Pour the batter into the pan and spread evenly. Pour the fruit over the batter and spread evenly. Melt the butter in the water and pour the water over the batter & fruit~
Bake for 1 hour 15 to 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Let cool and serve a bit warm with vanilla ice cream.

Thursday Tweet Treats~Adam's PB cookies

2009-09-24T07:16:00.000-07:00

So this weeks Thursday Tweet Treat will have to be photo-less for a few days, don't worry, I'll get it updated ASAP! Priorities people!! As I type this it is 11:30pm on a work-night, I have a cheese cake in the oven, a buttermilk apple spice cake preppin and a Saturday tailgate menu to plan and well, make! This Thursday's Tweet Treat recipe is comin atcha courtesy of my friend Adam.

3-ingredient, no flour, Peanut Butter Cookies~ These were incredibly easy and a great thing to make when you need your sweets fix, but don't have a ton of time of ingredients handy!

Thank you for sharing this with me via the Sweet Life Kitchen Facebook Fan page, ADAM!! Mucho Appreciated!!

Follow Sweet Life Kitchen on twitter @oursweetlife to check out this weeks Tweet Treat Recipe!

I also back his reccomendation to add some dark chocolate chips- YUMTASTIC!!

Bacon Brunch Quiche

2009-09-20T22:47:00.000-07:00

You may not automatically equate quiche with tailgating, but it's actually a match made in heaven.
It's a perfect tailgate item for an early game, OR for when you have overnight guests (we tend to have more friends visit in the fall for some reason...) because you can make this the night before and just give it a little re-heat before chowing down!

Our first home game of the season was a 12:30 kick off, and we made plans to meet friends downtown on campus at 9:30am so I had to think of a tailgate menu that would be delicious and brunchy. I made Dorie Greenspan's basic biscuits using whole wheat flour and brought fresh berry jam, we grilled a bunch of chicken apple sausage, and since I've been on a banana bread kick this month (that post is on it's way) I made banana blueberry muffins. This quiche was the savory centerpiece to this picnic tailgate brunch, it was super easy and incredibly delicious.

Serves 8-10

1 9 inch prepared pie crust
1 cup milk
3-4 eggs
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
6 pieces bacon, fully cooked, cooled and chopped into little bits
3 dashes hot sauce
1 cup shredded cheese
Salt
Pepper

Lightly grease a removable-bottom-non-stick tart pan and pre-heat the oven to 450. Lay the pie crust as centered as possible into the pan and lightly press a piece of foil on top of the crust. Bake for 10 minutes, remove foil, reduce heat to 350 and bake another 5-7 minutes, pull out of oven and sprinkle hot crust with 1/2 of the shredded cheese, set aside and let cool.
In a medium pan saute a the onions and bell peppers with a little butter, about 3 minutes until they get a little soft...
In a medium bowl beat the eggs, add milk, a few dashes of hot sauce, salt, pepper and stir to incorporate all ingredients. Sprinkle the chopped, cooked bacon and the onion/pepper mix as evenly as possible in the pie crust on top of the cheese layer. Pour the egg mix in and top with the rest of the shredded cheese. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Let cool, slice up and ENJOY!

Happy Package Day

2009-09-19T05:45:00.000-07:00

OOOOOoooooBOY!!! I absolutely love giving and receiving anything food related. It just brings a smile to my face~

I am VERY excited about the COOKBOOK GIVEAWAY that we've had cookin here this week and on Tuesday I got to giveAWAY a cookbook. Just to prove that karma does in fact exist, I recently RECEIVED two super-spectacular goodies.....

These two will be making more than one appearance in upcoming posts, possibly even sharing a recipe, so I wanted to tell you all about them!!

This first fantastic gift is VERY special to me, for all sorts of reasons. We have quite a few loved ones (friends, family, Labrador retrievers, pugs, etc.) in the P.N.W....Pacific North West....ever so beautiful Oregon. We've seen this state at several different times of year, and my favorite is when the berry picking is prime time~ When I saw (via the magical window to the world that is Facebook) my friends Douglas & Mishele were out enjoying the bounty of Oregon berry picking, I not so subtly suggested that they cram a bunch of berries in a FedEx box and send it to SoCal. Well, they did way better than that. They picked berries, then made their "Don't Let Summer End" Blackberry Jam. Patented. THEN, on a business trip to L.A. this week, Douglas BROUGHT ME A JAR of this jam.....look at it....Oh my goooooodness.

Stay tuned~ I feel scones or another round of biscuits comin on!!

THANK YOU TO Douglas, Mishele, Acacia, and Alaya! We are very thankful for our jam!!!

To make a great day extra great, it was a twofer and I also received some ORGANIC VANILLA EXTRACT from Singing Dog (how great is that name, can you think of a singing dog and not crack a smile?) I am really looking forward to making some delicious recipes with this vanilla, and of course I'll tell you all about it!! I am excited to work with this brand and do want to try all of their products because they believe in promoting sustainable, organic, and socially responsible practices, and I am way down with that!

So that's my happy-package-day, I can't wait to contribute to someones happy-package-day soon when we host another giveaway here at Sweet Life Kitchen! YAY!!

Thursday Tweet Treats~ Peach Pie Honey Q

2009-09-17T05:01:00.000-07:00

YAY!! It's THURSDAY!! Time for our Thursday TWEET Treat, just a little bit more work-week and it will be Saturday :o)
In case you are just tuning in, and wondering what the heck a Tweet Treat is, lemme bring you up to speed...If you CLICK HERE to follow me on Twitter, every Thursday I will TWEET a complete recipe- ingredients, instructions all in 140 characters or less!! A recipe has to easy-peasy when it can only be a few sentences max.
The recipe itself can be found only on Twitter, every Thursday. This weeks Tweet Treat is a Peach Pie Honey Q...wonder how to make it? Fly on over to Twitter to see!

You know me, I can't resist snappin at least one pic...so you can always SEE the TWEET TREAT recipe here in the Sweet Life Kitchen.

This is a very simple dessert that is also very yummy! This would be a great hands-on recipe to make with the kids and because it is lil individual pie curly que, you could doll these up with a baby scoop of vanilla ice cream for a dinner party!

We've got a WINNER!!!

2009-09-16T04:00:00.000-07:00

YAY!! This giving stuff away thing is beyond fun....I may just have to do it again. Soon....

This post is all about the WINNER of our FIRST ever giveaway here at Sweet Life Kitchen~
A week ago I wrote THIS post and want to thank all 41 folks who left a comment!! How exciting!

So Tuesday at 6:00pm PST, when I got home from a big day at work and big workout at Bar Method, I punched the numbers 1 to 41 into the "Random Number Generator" over at Random.org....and the winner IS.......

NUMBER 22....

No, I am not going to make you count down to the 22nd post response, it's fellow foodie blogger; JAMIE!!! CONGRATULATIONS JAMIE!!!

This is awesome because Jamie has a fabulous blog that I had never seen, and now not only do I get to enjoy it, but you all get to know about it too!!

CLICK HERE to check out all the drool-worthy goodness over at JAMIE'S GREEN KITCHEN!!

So from Dorie's home to mine...and my home to JAMIE'S GREEN KITCHEN,

HAPPY BAKING EVERYBODY!!!

Stay tuned for our next giveaway coming very, very soon.....

PS- If you are reading this and have a product that you would like us to feature here as one of our Giveaways, don't be shy!! Email me or leave a comment on this post with your contact info and we'll do some giving together!! YAY!

Sushi Night~ Making Sushi at Home

2009-09-14T04:39:00.000-07:00

For some reason we used to make sushi A LOT and have not made it for a LONG time...Sushi a great get together food, and we do love having people over, so I'm going to have to get back with it and start working it into the routine more! The reason we only do sushi when we have friends over is because, I can't control myself at the market and always buy a ton of fish!

I think this is one of those items that people don't think of as something to make for a dinner party. It really is fun and not too difficult to DIY, and MAKE SUSHI AT HOME!! Even if you are not into raw fish (fry some shrimp in tempura batter, or find a good recipe for tamago (the egg/omlete sushi) you can always go veggie sushi and sup carrots, asparagus, eggplant and other yummy veggies for fish if you want! Due to the nature of rolls, you don't really want to make them ahead (the moisture in the rice will make take the crispness out of the nori/seaweed), so when we do sushi I always make a menu plan and pace it out. Having plenty of yummy sake and Japanese beer on hand as well as a big bowl of steamed edamame is also a must! Just add some great friends, good music and you've got an amazing evening on your hands.

I made this dinner for a couple of friends (and Nate who was still recovering from not feeling well) earlier this year, just after New Year's Eve. Nate is sushi-master when we do this so I was a little nervous heading up the operation vs assisting him... I always like to make something special and have friends over to kick off the year ASAP every January, even if it takes me all freakin year to get around blogging about it!! As you have certainly noticed, I am back in the blogswing full time now so in addition to all the goodies we've been making lately, there will be some early 2009 throwbacks comin atcha too!!

~Menu~
Served 4
Albacore Nigiri Sushi (1 piece per person)
Albacore & Green Onion Cut Roll
Toro/Bluefin Tuna Nigiri Sushi (2 pieces per person)
Salmon Nigiri Sushi (2 pieces per person)
King Crab Leg Cut Roll with Raddish Sprouts
Spicy Tuna & Yellow Tail Cut Roll

Making sushi is not super easy, but it is also not major surgery. I am hoping this will be a helpful guide and instruction on making it for yourself! Thankfully, I was able to find some AWESOME videos courtesy of Le Miu's Sushi that really make this much easier to get with.

I will update this soon with details and photos from a more-recent sushi session, but here's the basic rundown. I am also hoping to take a knife-skills class before the end of the year, and can't wait to see how much better it will be the next time we do sushi.

OK, first and foremost, you are working with raw fish, so CLEAN THAT KITCHEN, even if it's clean already, clean it again!! You will want to use a lot of vinegar and lemon juice to get the kitchen, cutting board and all surfaces super clean (and not all chemical'ly).

Here is the "stuff" you are going to need.
A non porous cutting board (I always wipe it down with a damp towel splashed with a little vinegar/lemon)
A SUPER SHARP knife, for fish
Another very sharp knife for veggies
2 clean dish towels, one dry and one you will want to get damp with water, splash it with vinegar and fold it to lay the blade of your knife on when not slicin', and to wipe the fish knife after each use.
A bowl with water and a splash of vinegar for dippin your fingers so the rice dosen't stick to em.
Saran wrap
A large bowl (and small-holed collander or strainer) for washing the rice
If you want to make rolls, there are bamboo sheets for rollin those up and you will need one- cover it in saran wrap.
Plates for servin, and little bowls for soy sauce!
I use a rice cooker, but you can use a pot on the stove too..
A BIG non-metal bowl and plastic or wooden spoon to "toss" the rice while cooling it to room temp

The items you'll need from the market~
Ginger
Wasabi (we get the powder and make it by adding water, it also comes all mixed in a tube)
Soy Sauce
Smelt eggs
White sushi rice
Rice Vinegar
White sugar
Salt
Sesame seeds
Nori (sheets of seaweed)
Siracha hot sauce
Kewpie Japaneese Mayo
Cucumber
Avocado
Radish sprouts
Fish* YOU WILL NEED TO GO TO A SUSHI FISH MARKET, we go to MITSUWA, or Nijiya....this is RAW FISH, don't leave it out- follow the instructions below of keeping it in the refrigerator when not slicing or eating it. Do as much research as you'd like before attempting this outside of a restaurant. I am in no way endorsing that you do this, just sharing our experience of doing it. Also, if you are pregnant or have any other food allergies please consult your doctor.

Start by taking care of all the prep work, and setting up your dojo so that as soon as your rice is made, mixed and cooled- it won't be such a big deal to assemble the rolls and get to the best part- EATING!!

You'll want as much counter space as possible (not an easy task in our apartment kitchen). I use the large cutting board as the center piece to the operation and set up the knives, dry towel, vinegar dippin bowl and prepped food items all around the board. This way everything is at arms length and makes the whole process easier.

Now, get your sushi rice started...
It is true that this is really the most difficult part of making sushi- getting the rice just right. In Japan, craftsmen apprentice for years before they officially take over making the rice, it's serious stuff. I am so happy I was able to find these videos on www.5min.com, they are incredible helpful and I feel like it is much clearer to just watch exactly what to do!! The rice will take about an hour to cook (20 minutes cooking, 20 resting in cooker then mixing with sushi vinegar and cooling) So you can pace your prep accordingly!

How to Make Sushi Rice

For the menu above, the food prep entails:
Slicing the fish for the Nigiri sushi.
This would be really hard to type out an explanation for- we just happen to go out to sushi A LOT and sit at the bar A LOT so we've watched sushi chef slice up many, many, many meals.
I think it's best to watch someone do this first hand so here is some assistance from Le Miu's Sushi, which has AWESOME, very helpful videos- like this one below (I just slice a little thicker for the sushi pieces and a little thinner for sashimi pieces, but the technique is the same...)

How to Cut Fish for Sashimi

Slice up your fish, plate it wrap with saran and refrigerate until it's go-time.

Remove the shell from the crab legs, shred the crab meat, mix it in a small glass bowl with a little bit of the Kewpie Mayo and a 1/2 tsp of smelt egg. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you are going to make this roll...

Chop up the albacore for the albacore garlic roll. In a glass bowl mix chopped albacore, 1-2 tsp Kewepie mayo, 1 T chopped garlic, a big pinch of sesame seeds and some thinly sliced green onion. Cover with plastic wrap, fridge, yada-yada-yada...

Chop up the yellow tail and tuna for the spicy sushi rolls and put each in a glass bowl. To each bowl add 1/2 tsp smelt egg, 1-2 tsp Kewpie mayo, add the siracha hot sauce in dashes, stirring after each dash until it reaches your desired level of spicydom. Add a pinch of sesame seeds to each bowl, mix all ingredients in each bowl- plastic wrap + frige...

Prep all the veg....
Cut each avocado, then into thin slices, squeeze a lemon over lightly to keep it from browning.
Thinly slice up 4 green onions.
Cut the root bottom off the radish sprouts, rinse them thoroughly, pat dry and place on the side in a bowl.
Place a small bowl filled with wasabi to the side of the cutting board too.
Cut the ends off the cucumber, cut it in half width wise, then in half length wise, then into thin spears.

OK, you are ready to ROLL.
Get your serving dishes ready, and once again, enjoy these super-helpful videos!!

Making Sushi

This next video is a roll we did not make this time, but it's another easy one to add to your menu!! For the spicy rolls on my menu, and the albacore-garlic roll, exclude the wasabi and just scoop the filling onto the rice where he is placing the tuna slices.

Tuna Maki recipe

As I said, I tend to pace this out- start with some nigiri, and when it's ready to serve we all eat together, talk a little, then I hop up to make the next item...I like this because the dinner process is a little longer which is fun and gives us all time to catch up and enjoy! Feel free to email me ANY questions you may have on this post!! beth@sweetlifekitchen.com

COOK BOOK GIVEAWAY REMINDER!!

2009-09-13T12:08:00.000-07:00

Hey guys!
Don't forget about the BFMHTY Cookbook GIVEAYWAY that will be happening in just two days!!

~CLICK THIS LINK~ to see the original post and details on how to enter to win one of my favorite books of all time!!
The cut off is TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 15, 2009 at 6:00pm PST.

Here are some of the yummy things I've made from Dorie's book Baking: From My Home To Yours....

WORLD PEACE COOKIES

DEVIL'S FOOD WHITE-OUT CAKE

BLACK & WHITE BANANA LOAF

THANKSGIVING TWOFER PIE

ARBORIO RICE PUDDING

RUGELACH

Don't forget Sweet Life Kitchen's FIRST GIVEAWAY EVER!!!~CLICK HERE for DETAILS~

Peach, Avocado & Heirloom Tomato Salad

2009-09-11T06:26:00.000-07:00

Here is another awesome easy-weeknight-dinner, especially while the weather is still nice and warm and eating dinner out on the patio is still an option!
I'd recently discovered the "herb" salad mix at Trader Joes (and WholeFoods) that has lil bits of fresh dill and other herby herbs that give this salad extra fresh awesome flavor. We had a veggie-tastic dinner and ate this salad with a side of grilled butternut squash, BUT for a more protein-centric alternative, marinate 1 lb of boneless skinless chicken breast in 1/2 the dressing mix and grill it up!

Here's the salad details
Serves 2-4

1 large, firm heirloom tomato chopped
1 avocado chopped
1 large yellow peach chopped
handful coarsely chopped almonds
1/2 bag herb salad mix

Lightly toss all of the above together in a large bowl. Drizzle about 1/3 of the dressing (recipe below) over, lightly toss to coat with dressing, and add fresh ground black pepper to taste.

Dressing
you will only use about 1/3 of the dressing and save the rest to marinate some chicken for grillin!)

2 oz olive oil
a little over 1 oz balsamic vinegar
fresh cracked black pepper
pinch of sea salt
1 big tablespoon full fat free Greek style yogurt

Don't forget Sweet Life Kitchen's FIRST GIVEAWAY EVER!!!~CLICK HERE for DETAILS~

Grilled Bison Meatloaf

2009-09-10T15:22:00.000-07:00

Bison is a great substitute for ground beef...it's lower in fat and cholesterol and tastes awesome!! I made some really delicious BISON MEATBALLS to tote with us to the Hollywood this summer, and not too long after that, Nate whipped up this bison meatloaf on the grill~ it was sensational!! This is a good easy-weeknight dinner to make while the weather is still grill-friendly. One bowl, one thick foil packet, and then you could even eat on paper plates if you aren't in the business of doing dishes this week!!

It's hard to believe that the summer is past and that it's back-to-school-time all over again! I will be adding a "Weeknight Dinner" label to some simple but very yummy dinners that will help everyone get back in the back-to-school swing of things. Just because the days literally start getting shorter and there is so much more stuff to get done, doesn't mean you shouldn't have an awesome dinner!!

Keep a package of Hawaiian rolls in the freeze, they'll last you more than a week and you can just toast em up as a side item, easy-peasy!
Another great option is making a big batch of brown rice at the beginning of the week (or on Sunday) and keeping that to heat up necessary portions with out the prep work!

Here is a fun twist on a comfort classic, for a healthy veggie side item chop up a bunch of cauliflower and peel 3-4 cloves of garlic. Lay out 2 layers of foil (enough to fold up around the cauliflower and garlic. Add a little bit of chopped up butter (less than 1 T.) a pinch of salt and some cracked black pepper...put this foil on the gril at the same time as the meatloaf and when it'd done, mash all packet contents with a potato masher~

Onto the MEATLOAF~

1 lb ground bison
1 T bbq sauce
1 T spicy brown deli mustard
Heaping 1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
a few tsp parsley
1/4 of a sweet white onion finely chopped
few good shakes of garlic powder
Kosher salt & fresh ground pepper
bit o chili flakes- just a pinch...
1 carrot sliced in coin slices
1/2 bulb fennel, chopped up.

3 zucchinis for a side dish, if you want...

In a large bowl mix bison, bbq sauce, mustard, bread crumbs, egg, parsley, onion, garlic powder, salt, pepper and carrots.
Lay out 2 big layers of heavy duty foil in a + formation. Heat the grill to medium heat.
Form the meat mix into a loaf and place in the center of the foil, surround the loaf with fennel, top w bbq sauce, wrap up and grill on medium heat for about 40 minutes.

When the meatloaf is almost done slice a few zucchinis thinly length wise and lightly butter each side and lightly salt & pepper each slice. Grill 2 minutes each side.

Don't forget Sweet Life Kitchen's FIRST GIVEAWAY EVER!!!~CLICK HERE for DETAILS~

Thursday Tweet Treats~

2009-09-10T05:25:00.000-07:00

This week's Thursday Tweet Treat is a truly sensational, uber easy frozen, refreshing desert that uses just ONE ingredient.

I certainly did not make this discovery first hand, and you can scope out this dairy-free, one-ingredient- "ice cream" over at The Kitchn on August 19th and on Instrucables.com recently too!!

Are you wondering how to make this creamy goodness??

Wanna know what the ONE ingredient in this "ice-cream" is? Well if you follow me on Tiwtter, I will be tweeting the recipe at least three times today, and just so you don't miss it, from now on, just before the Tweet Treat Tweet I will do an announcement tweet with the title of the recipe and "#recipe", hopefully this will make it easier to spot!!

Don't forget Sweet Life Kitchen's FIRST GIVEAWAY EVER!!!~CLICK HERE for DETAILS~

CLICK THIS LINK to FOLLOW ALONG on TWITTER!

Just Halibut....and a whack photo.

2009-09-09T12:20:00.000-07:00

This is totally phoning it in in the photo department~ my apologies. This photo was taken after the good light of the day had passed. It was also, unfortunately, taken with anger because I'd just shattered my NEW pretty yellow Le Creuset rectangle baking dish. :( You will get to enjoy that baking dish just like I did, once...it'll be featured in the upcoming Peach & Apricot cobbler post. Blast. I miss it already...
ANYHOW~
This is super simple, dinner-in-minutes, healthy meal...add a baked potato, rice or a toasted Hawaiian roll if you'd like. I made this after a looong Labor Day weekend eating marathon. So we just kept it simple halibut, roasted garlic and spinach. I also had a few scallops and cooked them right along with the halibut~ they weren't cooked properly though so I am excluding the 'splaination in this post...more scallop recipes coming soon.

Serves 4

4 4oz Halibut steaks
1 bunch spinach
1/2 a lemon
1 head of garlic
3 T butter
olive oil
salt
pepper

Cut the top off of the head of garlic, exposing the tops of most of the individual cloves. Place on foil & drizzle with olive oil. Bake in the toaster oven at 350 for about 25 minutes, or until garlic is golden and soft. While garlic is cooking, wash the spinach and chop it up coarsely, removing as many of the stems as possible, pat dry with a paper towel & place in a large saute pot. Add a little olive oil, 1 tablespoon butter and a little salt & pepper, squeeze the juice of 1/4 of a lemon, turn on medium heat, stir occasionally until spinach reduces and is cooked but not wilted (about 4-6 minutes). When the garlic clove is done roasting, smash up 3-4 cloves and stir into spinach. In a large pan, heat a few tablespoons olive oil and 1 T butter on medium heat. Sprinkle salt and pepper all sides of each halibut steak. Add fish to the heated pan and squeeze 1/4 of a lemon over the fish, cook about 4 minutes. Flip, squeeze more lemon and cook about 4 minutes..flip again and give it another minute, or until fillets are golden, one more flip to brown that other side. Serve with the spinach and 3-4 cloves roasted garlic on the side. Healthy, delicious, even though the photo was junk ;o)

Don't forget Sweet Life Kitchen's FIRST GIVEAWAY EVER!!!~CLICK HERE for DETAILS~

Tailgating with Dorie~ A COOKBOOK GIVEAWAY!!

2009-09-08T18:00:00.000-07:00

Well, the more accurate title for this post would be Biscuits with Dorie, but because I made these biscuits for our first tailgate of the year, I was inspired to come up with a football themed pots title...Biscuits are perfect in many, many settings- including on a paper plate with fresh berry jam, on a Saturday game-morning at the start of the season. While making these biscuits I though about how much I love my copy of Baking from My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan. I purchased it when I joined the weekly baking ranks of Tuesdays with Dorie, and loved each and every recipe I tried! While I was unable to keep up with my weekly TWD commitment, I still cherish this book and use it VERY often!! There are so many great recipes that are really not all that technically difficult and yield professional, delicious results. When I make something from this book I prefer to post the link to buy the book vs posting a copy of the recipe...I've decided to go one step further and GIVE YOU THE BOOK!!! THAT'S RIGHT, A FREE COPY OF DORIE GREENSPAN'S BAKING; FROM MY HOME TO YOURS!!!!

Just type "Tuesdays with Dorie" into the search feature on this blog to get a tiny idea of the bounty of glorious recipes that this awesome book contains! Mine is a floury-sticky mess, but don't worry, the winner will receive a shiny new copy~ ready to get coated in flour and sugar!

Here's how it's going to go down~
All you have to do is POST A COMMENT with your favorite Dorie recipe or if you've never tried one, the one you'd like to try, on to this post on or before Tuesday September 15th and a winner will be chosen at 6pm PST on Tuesday September 15, 2009.

I'll post links back to this giveaway on my TWITTER and FACEBOOK page to remind you to get your post up before 9/15/09 at 6pm PST!!
Good Luck~

Zucchini Carrot Muffins

2009-09-08T05:15:00.000-07:00

Nana grows zucchini and mid-August it is very abundant around here!! We'd also purchased a big bundle of carrots at the market with the intention of juicing them...but on a Saturday afternoon of cleaning out the fridge we decided to try this combo in a muffin, totally delicious. I had never tried zucchini bread until a few years ago when Nate made it with the awesome zuchini from Nana. I couldn't believe how much I loved it. She makes a FABULOUS chocolate zucchini cake that I will have
to make and share with you soon, but for now enjoy this combo-muffin~ a yummy veggie-filled snack that is perfect any time of day!!

Makes 24 muffins
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots & zucchini
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 heaping tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 handful mini chocolate chips
1 1/2 handfuls crushed pecans

Pre-heat oven to 350, and line a muffin tin with paper liners. Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt- set aside. In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream together the eggs and sugar. Add the zucchini, carrots, oil, milk and vanilla and mix about 30-45 seconds, until ingredients are well combined. With the mixer on a low speed add the flour mixture slowly, and mix just until dry ingredients are incorporated. Using a large spoon or spatula, stir the chocolate chips and pecans into the batter. Fill each muffin cup a bit over 3/4 full and bake 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Mama Corrado Pasta Salad

2009-09-05T06:41:00.000-07:00

On summer Thursdays in LA we gravitate to the Santa Monica pier for picnic dinners and some outside week-night relaxing, sad to see it coming to a close, I will cherish these evenings in the sand eating dinner with friends. This year, on September 9th, 2009 the pier will turn 100 years old and we'll be down at the beach watching the fireworks and eating dinner on the sand one more time before we head full force into fall, football and snow (boarding for Nate, skiing for me!)...

A few weeks back when I took the PICNIC CHICKEN to the pier, I also attempted to pay tribute to a family tradition of a favorite girl. My friend Natalie has a mom that knows what is up in the kitchen. I mean it, and you KNOW what I am takin' about. They have spectacular get-togethers and after one of those, Natalie brought in some leftovers of a pasta salad that was awesome, and I'd never had anything like it before!!
It had everything rockin and can feed a big group of hungry fun-having friends with out spending a zillion dollars.

This should be called Tribute to Mama Corrado Salad, because although Natalie & Naomi gave mine the thumbs up, I had the real deal again this past weekend and I think because I 1/2'd the recipe mine was not quite the same...I'll go full batch next time and tote this yummy pasta, tuna, egg salad down to the Coliseum to chow on before we watch the Trojans win some football!! WOOHOOOOO!

1 regular sized bag Macaroni pasta
4 8oz cans Tuna
8 Hard boiled eggs, chopped
4 ice cream scooper scoops of Mayonnaise
1 ice cream Mustard
6-8 Chopped sweet pickles (I used 12 cornichons)
1 can of sweet peas
salt & pepper to taste

Bring water to a boil in a large saucepot. Cook macaroni about 9 minutes or until cooked a bit aldente (you don't want it overcooked and mushy!)Drain and cool pasta.

Mix the macaroni, tuna, eggs, sweet pickles, peas, salt and pepper together in a large bowl. Add the mayo and mustard, and mix until everything is incorporated. Refrigerate at least 4 hours.

Bookmark this on Delicious

Thursday Tweet Treats~

2009-09-03T05:16:00.000-07:00

So as I'd mentioned last week, I've joined the ranks of tweeting twitterers and decided a great challenge/use for my twitter account would be to come up with recipes so easy they could be captured in 140 characters or less, ingredients & instructions bada-bing.

Two recipes down and many more to come, I plan to continue this at LEAST every Thursday~ so be sure to FOLLOW ME on Twitter so you are sure not to miss any of the so-easy-you-can-tweet-em goodness~

THIS WEEKS THURSDAY TWEET TREAT is a delicious all-fruit smoothie;

It's been VERY hot in L.A. and unfortunately, there is a VERY large fire burning not too far from where I live and work. We feel awful for all the people, animals & homes that have been hurt by this fire and really hope it gets under control soon.

Picnic Steak Samich

2009-09-02T05:06:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it's all about an AMAZING sandwich, or samich, as this particular recipe creates.
With Fall right around the corner, it's time to start planning our tailgating menus and Sunday afternoon football party feasts! Nate suggested this for last Thursday night's pier picnic dinner and we were all very grateful for his inspiration.
This is very easy to put together, the flavor is off the chain and you can feed a good sized group with out seriously breaking the bank. So...be sure you add this bad boy to your Fall get-together menu and HAPPY FOOTBALL SEASON EVERYONE~

This makes 2 Giant Samiches, each samich feeds about 6-8 adults
1 tri-tip (about 2 lbs.)
tri-tip rub*
2 large loaves French bread
1 batch of garlic aioli**
4 avocados
1 sweet white onion
the best balsamic vinegar you can find (my favorite is from Joan's on Third, 18 years old- thick- almost sweet- and beyond delicious)

Tri-Tip Rub
In a small bowl mix equal parts (a few tablespoons)Kosher salt & cracked black pepper, then add in a few teaspoons garlic powder & onion powder, throw in a pinch of cayenne & 3 cloves minced fresh garlic.

Garlic Aioli
3 cloves garlic
1 raw large egg
1/2 cup olive oil
Juice from 1/2 a lemon
3 T. mayo
a pinch of salt and a little bit of cracked black pepper

In a food processor, blend the garlic, egg, lemon juice salt and pepper. Slowly add the olive oil and continue to process. Once all the olive oil is added process about 1-2 minutes, add mayo, then process another 30 seconds- 1 minute and transfer to container with a secure lid, refrigerate 1 hour.

Slice the onion and throw it in a saute pan on low heat with a few tablespoons of olive oil. Continue to stir the onions occasionally and saute on lowest heat for about 45 minutes, until they are all caramelized and gloriously golden looking. While you are caramelizing the onions, grill that tri-tip! Trim off any major excess fat, if it is not already pretty trimmed. Rub it with the spice/garlic mix and toss it on the grill (on medium heat), for about 45 minutes flipping 2-3 times until the internal temperature is about 140-150 degrees, cook longer if you'd like it more medium to well done.

Let the tri tip cool completely, when the onions are all caramelized, set them aside to cool completely as well.

Slice the tri-tip thin for stackin on the bread. Slice the avocados (you'll use two avocados on each samich). Slice the French bread open lengthwise. On the top half of each loaf, generously slather aioli. On the bottom layer lightly drizzle the balsamic vinegar (if you are worried about the steadiness of your hand and don't want to annihilate the bread by accidentally dumping the bottle, pour it in little pours into a large spoon and use that for drizzling.)
Layer caramelized onions on the bottom half of each loaf, over the balsamic, then layer the tri tip over the onions. Top the tri tip with avocado slices and top with the aioli'd top half of bread. SHIZAM- awesome, amazing samich perfection.
Slice each according to how many folks you've got coming to grub down and what else you may be serving on the side...(two great side-suggestions comin ASAP!! Keep ya posted)

ChocolateBacon.....ya, you read that right.

2009-08-31T05:30:00.000-07:00

So, I don't exactly remember where we were or how it came up, but Nate said he wanted to try making chocolate covered bacon one weekend. I thought, why not? It's sweet and salty and I do love both of those things, so why not TOGETHER.

Nate bought some bacon and a big bag of chocolate Kisses (we used a few oz. of the baking chocolate I had on hand too, because we were at a crossroads on the milk vs dark chocolate (I was pro-dark)...

We make bacon in the oven, as I've mentioned in previous posts. It's always crisp and perfect and makes much less mess because you just let the grease cool and throw the foil away!

Oven Bacon
Pre-heat oven to 350
Cover a baking sheet (that has edges/sides to it, not totally flat) with foil. Lay bacon out side by side down the sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until it is perfectly crisp, but not singed.

Remove bacon with tongs and place on paper towel covered plate, cover with additional paper towel to remove grease and let cool.

Chocolate~

Heat water to simmering in a medium sauce pot. Place the chocolate in a smaller pot and place the bottom of the smaller pot in the water, cooking the chocolate, stirring gently constantly.
Remove chocolate from the heat once it is completely melted.
Get ready to make a chocolate mess.
Dip the cooled bacon slices in the chocolate, coating completely.
Lay bacon on a cool cookie sheet covered in wax paper and refrigerate at least 1-2 hours before eating.

When we started talking about this mixture I was give several Vosges chocolate bacon bars (pictured above) I highly recommend you check these out.

I also really like the Red Fire Exotic Candy Bar and the Black Pearl Exotic Candy Bar, but I am sure they are all super fabulous~ and I love giving them as gifts or part of a gift. Fun, creative and delicious!!

Click HERE to check out VOSGES

We made this, I brought it to work (only one brave taker that was totally down with it.) Then a friend emailed me in shock from her office because someone had brought it in there! Like the same week!!
I had to Google it after that and found it is not such a strange thing after all...I am guessing there will be more "experiments" along these lines to come~

I also found these SERIOUSly amazing looking cupcakes over on A Good Appetite blog~
DARK CHOCOLATE BACON CUPCAKES These are on my must try list~

Heirloom Tomato Snack

2009-08-27T05:42:00.000-07:00

Recently I ventured to some new destinations in the virtual world. I created a FACEBOOK FAN PAGE for the Sweet Life Kitchen and also had to hop on to TWITTER and figure out how to be a good tweeter.Last week I TWEETED my favorite SLOW-COOKER PULLED PORK recipe, a dish so easy to make the instructions fit in just 140 characters!

This made me want to come up with more so-easy-you-can-tweet-it recipes.
Then I found this seriously gorgeous, big, giant super firm heirloom tomato. My sister said one of her favorite ways to do up one of these bad-boys is to slice em up & toast them with mozzarella.
That sounded way to good to resist. So here is the full (but still less than 300 character) version.

Slice a firm heirloom tomato in 3/4 inch slices and cover with shredded mozzarella cheese. Broil in the toaster oven for about 6 minutes or until the cheese is golden bubbly. Serve with cracked black pepper and torn fresh basil if you've got it!!

Feel free to follow along on Twitter, as I am planning to try and tweet at least one full-on, start-to-finish recipe per week, and hopefully more often if I can!!

Yummy French Toast

2009-08-26T06:13:00.000-07:00

We had this at Lia & Jeff's on the morning after 4th of July last year and talk about it all the time. This is a great way to kick off the weekend, which is exactly what Nate did. After a dear friends 30th birthday celebration last Friday night, I needed a little food-therapy Saturday morning to recover! Nate headed off to the store with my single request, "Get some fruit!". He returned and busted out this delicious French Toast w/ a little bacon on the side!

Serves 4
Loaf of King's Hawaiian Bread (you won't use the whole loaf)
3-4 eggs
1/2 cup whole milk
small pinch of cinnamon
1-2 tsp brown sugar
Strawberries
Syrup

Slice 4 pieces of the loaf about an inch thick. Heat a large non-stick skillet or griddle to medium/medium-high heat. Whisk the eggs, milk, cinnamon & sugar in a shallow bowl. Dredge each slice of bread in the egg and toss em on the griddle! Cook until the bottom is golden, 3 minutes or a bit more...then flip em and do the same on the other side!
Then slice up a few strawberries and drizzle with syrup! (you can sprinkle with powdered sugar if you want, but they were sweet enough just like this too!)
I love this served with chicken apple sausage, but anything to add a little salty breakfast goodness, like bacon or ham is a delicious addition.

Ginger Steak Kabobs

2009-08-24T21:05:00.000-07:00

Here is another perfect picnic staple. We have been spending the last few weeks dining out doors pretty often and have a few more picnic dinners before the summer fades to football! But then...there's FOOTBALL!!! I am already plotting my opening weekend tailgate menu and we are all very excited to be back at the Coliseum for another winning season~ GO TROJANS!! Ok, back to kabobs~ these are great for a summer bbq, pool party, tailgate AND easy enough to make a fabulous work-night dinner, with out a major mess. (mmmmm less-mess, my favorite!!)

This made 7 all meat kabobs and 8 pineapple veggie kabobs

1.75-2 lb London broil, cut into 1 to 1 1/2 inch cubes
1 sweet white onion
1 pineapple
2 green bell peppers
1 red bell pepper

Marinade
1/3 soy sauce
2-3 tsp fresh grated ginger
3 chopped green onions
3 T teriyaki sauce

Combine the cubes of steak and marinade ingredients in a bowl~ mix, cover and refrigerate for about an hour.
Soak bamboo kabob skewers in water for about 1 hour (while meat marinates & you chop the veggies & pineapple)
Make all-meat skewers with the beef, and then make all veggie-skewers with the veggies!
Grill all skewers for 8-12 minutes flipping every few minutes to grill on all sides, leave the meat on an additional 4-6 minutes for medium-well to well-done kabobs.
Remove meat and veggies from kabobs and serve over steamed brown rice drizzled with soy or teriyaki sauce.

Grilled Picnic Chicken

2009-08-21T05:42:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you just want COLD grilled chicken, especially on a beautiful summer night while picnicking at the beach. This was absolutely one of those occasions. In Santa Monica for the past 21 summers, there are free concerts down at the pier every Thursday! Seriously!! So living about 7 miles from the pier in Culver City, we've been biking down there the past few weeks and enjoying some fun time outside and doing one of my favorite things in the world- eating dinner on the beach! It's incredible to be able to be on the sand, on a weeknight, with our friends just taking in the summer. I like cold picnic chicken because it's a make ahead basic, super-easy recipe.

Nate came up with a slightly spicy, super savory dry rub recipe that was really delicious!

We grilled this chicken the night before and it chilled in the fridge the whole day of the picnic, which was perfect for us!

Picnic Chicken

1 package chicken drumsticks and thighs (our store had a pkg with about 12 pieces total)

Shimmy shake these items over the chicken, to lightly coat the skin and massage in~
Paprika
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Sea Salt
Black Pepper
Chili flakes (a lil'pinch on each side of the chicken)

Heat the grill to medium high heat and place the chicken on the grill, let it cook 6-8 minutes, then flip and grill another 6-8 minutes, flip again and cook 5 minutes. Then flip again, turn off the grill and cover with grill lid. Let sit for 5 minutes, remove from grill let cool then serve or refrigerate for taking off to the beach for a picnic later!!

Blueberry Ricotta Pancakes

2009-08-19T06:18:00.000-07:00

Ok, there's one question- Are you aware of the show, "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" on the Food Network?? If you don't know what I am talking about, stop reading and go set your Tivo RIGHT NOW.
Do heed this warning; you're not going to want to watch this show if you are hungry or if you are trying not to attempt making a blueberry ricotta pancake at 10:30pm on a weeknight...

The episode that inspired this recipe was "Breakfast" and our jaws dropped when the Blueberry Ricotta Pancake at B.L.D. (Breakfast Lunch Dinner) on Beverly, Blvd came onto the screen.
Not to mention that the front of my office was in the shot of BLD's exterior...I have been working literally RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET from this glorious pancake since the restaurant opened and this is the first time I am hearing about it?!? Ok, I do pretty much only go there for L or D, and have yet to make it there for B, but do plan to SOON!

In the meantime, Nate and I had to at least attempt to make this glorious flavor combination happen.

We didn't have any buttermilk, but I forged ahead and used my normal pancake recipe, using whole milk instead.. but whipped the egg whites, per BLD...which I've never done before! Fun and flufftastic~

Blueberry Ricotta Pancakes, inspired by BLD in Los Angeles, CA
Makes about 12-14 pancakes

2 eggs
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1 2/3 c whole milk
1 2/3 c all-purpose flour
1 3/4 tsp baking powder
1 3/4 tsp baking soda
1 pinch of salt
1 T. sugar
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
a few handfuls of fresh blueberries

Separate the eggs, and whip the egg whites into stiff peaks. (I use a stand mixer with whisk attachment)
In a large bowl, while the egg whites are whisking sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Pour the milk, butter and sugar into the dry ingredients and mix until incorporated, using a spatula fold in the egg whites and add the ricotta in tablespoon sized drops and lightly mix in.

Heat a large frying pan or griddle to medium high heat. Using a ladle scoop about 3/4 of a cup of batter onto the heated surface. Drop as many blueberries as you'd like (I think we did 5-7 per pancake). Wait until you see bubbles across the surface and the bottom of the pancake is golden then flip & cook until lightly golden.
I loved these topped with a drizzle of honey and a little bit o' butter~

I'll have to try the BLD version soon and then make these again!! Stay tuned...

Italian Kabobs~ Picnic, Party Perfection!

2009-08-15T10:41:00.000-07:00

This has to be the perfect party food...well, I suppose anything on-a-stick would fit into that category..but nonetheless these travel well and are super-delicious!
I saw these at the Hollywood about a month ago, when we brought the bison meatballs & broccoli salad. The family in front of us busted out Tortellini-Kabobs and I flipped out!

I decided that I HAD to make my version of that for our next trip to the bowl...time came for Reggae Fest and Nate and I hit the store together to gather the bits for these kabobs~

Tortellini was the one must, everything else was open season on yumminess...
The possibilities are endless here, and if I'd not spent the morning of this Bowl Sunday watching Julie & Julia with my mom & sister, I would have busted out some mini-homemade meatballs for these scrumptious sticks....next time!

This will make 20-30 kabobs, there may be some leftover bits of one or more ingredients, but they are all pretty good leftovers to have and whip up a good dinner with the next night!

2 containers mozzarella balls
1 large pkg cheese tortellini, boiled drained and cooled
1-2 small packages grape tomatoes (there a lil smaller than cherry tomatoes, which would also work just fine)
A jar of whole pepperoncini, chopped into strips
1 pkg fresh basil
1 10oz Italian dry salami cut into 1/2 inch thick slices, then cut into 1/4ths
1 jar of garlic green olives (either garlic stuffed or a jar with both garlic cloves and olives in it)
(you can kind of go nuts here, sliced pepperoni would be good, fold up and skewer...
you could cook and cool Italian sausage, mini-meatballs...anything you can think of!)

Just start alternating ingredients as shown in the photo~
Then place on a serving tray, or in our case in a foil tray that we could tote to the bowl...and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with some sea salt & cracked black pepper!

Grilled Shrimp w/ Nate's Cocktail Sauce

2009-08-11T19:46:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back we made some pretty spectacular OYSTERS and while he was picking those up at Santa Monica Seafood, Nate grabbed some shrimp to go with them! This is just a very simple way to grill shell-on shrimp for peel-n-eat goodness. I love these because the completely scream SUMMER!! Nate whipped up a little homemade cocktail sauce to really take these to the next level.

Grilled Shrimp

12 raw, shell-on shrimpies
2 T butter, room temp
1 t olive oil
2 tsp crushed garlic
2 T minced shallot
sea salt & fresh black pepper

Start by deveining the scrimps, this is pretty mellow once you've done it before...it sounds harder than it is, I promise!

Lay the little gray bastid on it's side and use a super sharp knife to cut a slit (about 1/2a centimeter deep, just piercing through the shell and cutting a bit into the shrimp)
Use your thumbs and first fingers to peek inside the cut and while gently running cold water over the shrimp and your hands, remove the dark digestive tract of the shrimp.
There. Done! YAY!! I got better with practice and by the last one I was an ace- this is not as intense as it may sound all typed out~
Here is a video from YouTube courtesy of epicurious- it does show peeling the shrimp before deveining, but notes that the peeling is not necessary and in fact helps the shrimp retain yummy flavor if left in the shell during cooking...

CLICK HERE TO WATCH

Heat the grill to medium low heat.
Anyhow, now that your shrimp are deveined, mix the butter, olive oil, garlic, shallot salt & pepper in a small bowl until well combined. Rub butter mix all over each shrimp.I skewered them onto kabob sticks to make them easier to flip.
Cook 3-5 minutes on each side until cooked through.

Nate's Cocktail sauce
Catchup, a few dashes Frank's Red Hot hot sauce,black pepper, a dash olive oil, stir all together!

Squeeze a bit of lemon over the shrimp and serve! This is great with tabouli, grilled veggies and of course the GRILLED NAPA OYSTERS we ate with them!!

Blueberry Chocolate Chip Muffins

2009-08-07T06:25:00.000-07:00

Ok, there has been many a dinner recipe here lately, so I thought I'd mix it up, and sweeten it up a bit! This is a light and almost cake-y muffin that has a very mild flavor so it is really all about the blueberries! I added just a small handful of the chocolate chips for fun, but not too many so they took over the blueberry-yumminess. I think these would also be excellent with the addition of a bit of lemon or orange zest~

Makes 12 giant, 18 medium muffins

1 C. Milk
1 egg
1/3 c veg oil
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 c sugar
1 T. brown sugar
small pinch of salt
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1/4 cup/ one good sized handful mini chocolate chips
slivered almonds to sprinkle on top

Pre-heat oven to 400 and line a muffin tin with paper liners.
In a medium bowl sift the flour, baking powder and salt-set aside.
In a large bowl, blend the egg, oil and milk until mixed.
Add the sugars and mix for 10 seconds
Using a spoon or spatula slowly stir in the dry ingredients, but don't over-mix, just get all dry ingredients incorporated into milk/egg/oil/sugar mix.
Fill muffin cups about half full and bake for 20-25 minutes.
Let cool 5 minutes in the tin and sprinkle with raw almonds then move muffins to a cooling rack.

I love blueberries with honey, and these are very mildly flavored muffins, so you get a lot of blueberry goodness- I put some butter and honey on these and LOOOOVED it~

Dry-Rub Grilled Ribs & Homemade BBQ Sauce

2009-08-04T22:27:00.000-07:00

I've been DYING to BBQ. We use our grill all the time, but I wanted to make something that would be messy, delicious and super-bbq-y! Nate and I were in Huntington Beach so we decided to stop at Plowboy's. Seriously, if you live with in a reasonable distance to Plowboy's- get over there ASAP!! Amazing produce at great prices and the best butcher ever. We did not go in with a plan, other than my plan to get a sky-high samich at the deli. As we walked along the long meat cases we tossed some ideas around, but in the end the ribs looked too good to resist.
When we got home I gathered up the dry ingredients to make a yummy rub and learned all about preppin the pork. (read below). This was not too difficult and was WAY BEYOND delicious.

Sweet Life Dry-Rub Grilled Ribs & Homemade BBQ Sauce
serves 2-4 (depends on your hunger level, Nate is a whole rack man on this one)

2 full racks of pork baby back ribs

Dry Rub~
6 T brown sugar
2 T paprika
5 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp salish (smoke) salt
2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cayenne
5-6 twists of cracked black pepper

Homemade BBQ Sauce
2 T butter
2 slice (just under an inch thick) of sweet white onion, finely chopped
1 12oz can tomato paste
3 tsp mustard
6 T white vinegar
2 T Worcestershire sauce
4 T molasses
2 T DRY RUB mixture
6 T water
2 T brown sugar

Removing the membrane~ ok, don't freak out. I know you may be reading that thinking W T F? Well it's really no big deal, and if you remember while @ the butcher, I reckon you can just directly ask to have it pulled right off, right there. In any event if you buy the ribs, get home, whip up a dry rub and then read about said membrane that you never realized existed, then here's what you do....I watched this video on YouTube courtesy of BarbequeWeb.com, and it was pretty easy to do! CLICK HERE TO WATCH

There...that wasn't so bad, was it? OK, now I just set the ribs aside on the paper that the butcher wrapped them up in bony side down. In a medium bowl mix the rub ingredients with a fork and set aside 2 tablespoons to use in the sauce.
Using your hands work the rub over every inch of ribage.
Wrap them back up in the paper and refrigerate 2 hours to all day.

Now, make the sauce!
In a medium sauce pan over low heat combine all ingredients and stir until everything is mixed in. Pour into a jar or other sealed container and refrigerate until it's time for ribs (this will really get the flavors well-combined)

Heat the grill to medium-low (about 300-325 degrees). Place the ribs, bony side down on the pre-heated grill, close the lid and let the magic happen. That's all you need to do to those. Grill them at about 300-325 degrees for 2-2 1/2 hours.

Take those smokin' delicious ribs off the grill and let them rest on a cutting board for about 7 minutes.
Mop them with sauce, cut them if you would like to and get a big pile of napkins, because you're gonna need em.

Grilled Garlic Burgers

2009-07-30T22:04:00.000-07:00

You really can never have too much of a good thing. We'd purchased some garlicy Jalapeno Mustard at last weekends Garlic Festival, and I'd been craving burgers all week. This would most def work with fresh chopped garlic, but sometimes after a extra long day of work, you just don't feel like choppin', ya know? I keep Christopher Ranch chopped garlic (from GILROY!) in my fridge at all time, it was fun to see their big presence at the festival. Being way too tuckerd out to get too crazy in the kitchen, we used what we had on hand and made a super delicious, garlic-tastic burger.

4 Garlic Burgers~
1 lb ground beef
2-3 T minced garlic
1 T Jalapeno Garlic Mustard (or go with a spicy deli mustard)
Fresh cracked black pepper
Garlic Salt
Kosher salt
Sharp Cheddar cheese (that's what we had on hand- I would also recommend this with a pepper jack or any garlic-cheese you may run into!)
More mustard & some red onion for the bun
BUNS

Mix all of the above in a medium bowl while you heat the grill (med-high heat).
Form the mix into 4 patties and put em on the grill. We used Nate's 4 flips/no squeezin method (this makes ULTRA JUICY burgers). Grill them 5 minutes after you put them down, then flip and grill 4 minutes on the other side, flip again and grill 2 minutes, flip one more time and grill 1-2 minutes.Do not use the spatula to PRESS down on the burgers at any point while grilling, just flip em gently. Turn the heat off, add sliced cheese, put the lid on for about a minute until cheese gets a little melty.
Serve on toasted buns with some spicy mustard and thin sliced red onion, if you have some time this is a simple GARLIC AIOLI that would be brilliant, or just stir 1 T of the chopped garlic into 2 T of mayo before mixing the meat and refrigerate and use that spread on the bottom bun.

Garlic Festival in Gilroy, CA

2009-07-27T18:48:00.000-07:00

If you are like me, you looooove watching the Food Network, it's an obsession (obviously). A few years ago I caught a special about Food Festivals, it was a countdown-style show and all lead up to their #1 pick, the Annual Garlic Festival in Gilroy, CA.

Gilroy is not exactly Los Angeles adjacent, but it is easily a no-airplane-required trip. I have been talking about going to this festival "someday" for a few years now (since learning of the it's glorious garlicy existence). Last year we were lucky enough to attend the Portland Brewers Festival, but it was the same weekend as the Garlic Festival, so no go in 2008....

Then as spring got hot and summery, I got an email inviting us to Morgan Hill, CA for a dear friend's 40th b-day. Now this friend LIVES in Portland, OR- so I started looking at flights, then my co-worker actually READ the evite and the road-trip planning was in full swing. I could not believe our luck that the party was on the Saturday of the GARLIC FESTIVAL, and the party spot was merely 11 miles away from allll that GARLIC!!

What I knew going in: there was going to be GRIPS of GARLIC...and there was going to be garlic ice cream and I was going to eat it. It was going to be H-O-T, HOT, like no-joke ragin' in the high 90's low to mid-hundreds hot.

What I did not know: This is a MAJOR fundraiser. I happily purchased a program from a super-friendly high school program-girl for $1 that supported their high school. $1 for a program, that's awesome...it has the recipes from last years cook-off (stay tuned for those), and tons of great garlic info.
Part of that info was a breakdown of all the local schools and organizations that benefit from the funds raised each year at this yummy event. And (pictured here below) there was a big garlic-torch that noted a total of over $8 MILLION funds have been raised since the festival began.

With California's farms facing serious drought issues, and with everyone feeling the crunch of the current economy, this really hit home and made me glad to be there. I mean the ticket was only $12 (I would have gladly paid twice that for all the good the event does!!)
Another thing I did not know was how we would all turn into drooling children in a toy store and eat ourselves silly in no time flat.

We walked right in and hit Gourmet Alley~

Garlic Fries

Garlic Sauteed Mushrooms ~top~ and Garlic & Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms (I will definitely be making these, IF YOU HAVE A RECIPE- PLEASE POST IT as a comment to this post!)

Garlic Crab Fries

Garlic Jumbalaya

Garlic Grilled Oysters (YAY OYSTERS!!)

Garlic Chicken Stir Fry

Deep Fried Garlic (this was our FAVORITE item!!)

Garlic Ice Cream (SUPER EXCELLENT, I also want to attempt to make this- it was delicious!)

Garlic Grilled Craw Fish

In addition to the seriously scrumptious eats and fabulous fund raising, there was top-notch entertainment. We arrived a little later than planned on Sunday (FYI, plan to arrive at 9:30, the fest opens at 10, and TONS of people attend...and upon arrival, walk the WHOLE Festival, THEN start eating...those are my must-note-tips!)
In any event, the big cook-off took place Sunday at noon, and we were there, but didn't make it into the grand-stand but did watch from the giant screen. This was super exciting because Fabio, of recent-Top-Chef-fame, was our FAVORITE contestant on T.C. last season, and it was fun that he was there hosting!

The annual Garlic Festival in Gilory, CA is definitely an event you must add to your can't-miss-list. There are tons of affordable hotels near the festival, and even if you eat 'till you bust, like we did and do some shopping (there are loads of fun merchant booths too!) it is still not a budget-buster of a weekend. ESPECIALLY if you live in California~ it's a great way to support an amazing farm-fabulous community that I, for one could not live without!
gilroygarlicfestival.com

And please feel free to post any garlic-tastic recipes that you love as a comment to this post!

Napa Valley Grilled Oysters

2009-07-24T06:14:00.000-07:00

During a recent trip to the Stags Leap District of the Napa Valley. We were BLESSED to be with some dear friends, one of those friends being a bartender at Anchor & Hope (and two other peeps with us being the GM and sommelier of A&H) SUPER LUCKY US.
Click here to see Anchor & Hope SF

So far what I can share with you, as far as wine experience goes, is that it's a glorious, never-ending journey. We visited 6 wineries; Chimney Rock and Pine Ridge were two of them.

More details of the trip to come...If you want to hear about each winery and details of the trip SOONER,click HERE to become a fan of Sweet Life Kitchen on Facebook , I am posting all the edible, sip'able goodness of our PCH trip on the fan page, as I will only be posting here when we open the bottles and pair it with a recipe~ like this one!

This recipe comes from Chimney Rock, where it was passed along by a local and was so simple we didn't even need to write it down...we paired it with the Dijon Clones Chardonnay we purchased at Pine Ridge Winery. The oysters and the chardonnay really brought out the best in one another (not too hard to do) and Nate & I think this was one of the BEST dinner's we've EVER made.

About the vino~ This chardonnay, from 2007, is a super summery wine. It is very light, and full of fruity-ness with out being SWEET, which we really loved.

About the oysters~ This recipe is most often prepared with large, meaty oysters. Nate and I LOOOOOOVE oysters and try to eat them when ever possible...we recently had an INCREDIBLE dinner at Santa Monica Seafood's newer location on Wilshire Blvd and the Kumomoto oysters were seriously divine...so we decided why the heck not- they may not be big but they are DELICIOUS, raw, grilled, delicious.

Napa Valley Grilled Oysters
12 oysters
1/2 cup butter (unsalted)
1/3 a large bulb chopped fennel
1/3 cup chopped shallot
(we pretty much eyeballed this- it does not have to be precise at all.)

Heat up on super low in a sauce pot JUST to melt the butter and mix, turn off heat
Meanwhile put the oysters deep side down on the grill and heat 3-5 minutes or until the shells start to pop open (if one does not want to open- toss it, peace out oyster.)

Remove them from the grill and use an oyster shuckin knife and pop those tops!! loosen up each lil oyster and spoon the super amazing, delicious fennel-butter-shallot extravaganza on to each oyster...
Put the topped off oysters back on the grill for about 3 minutes or until butter starts to bubble and they are all heated through.

Prepare to have your socks knocked OFF.

Angel Food Cupcakes

2009-07-21T06:16:00.000-07:00

With all the heavy eating we had planned for the 4th of July weekend, I struggled to think of something that would be sweet and desserty at the end of the day with out being too heavy...so I thought angel food cake would be light and still substantial enough for our sweet tooth after a long day of bike riding in the sunshine...

I came across The Cupcakery Blog , where Wendy had highlighted the Angel Food Cake recipe from the Buttercup Bake Shop Cookbook, which was, as promised, easy to prepare.

We are talking MAJOR egg whites here...2 cups, which is about 14 eggs worth...Wendy suggests just purchasing the carton of egg whites (which I didn't do this time, but that would make it even easier, so I will do this next time...)

This made 24 mini cupcakes and 12 regular size…

1 cup cake flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
14 egg whites (2 cups)
1 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat the oven to 375° degrees and line the muffin tins with paper wrappers.
In a medium bowl, combine flour with one cup of the sugar. Sift these together three separate times. ( I am pretty sure this is essential, so you will need a sifter for this recipe…) Set the sifted whatnot aside and put remaining sugar in a separate cup for later use.
Pour the egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer and use the whisk attachment, mix on lowest setting for about 1 minute. Then add cream of tartar, vanilla and salt.
After another minute of beating, turn the mixer to medium speed and gradually add the 1/2 cup of remaining sugar. Stop and scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula after all the sugar is added. Resume beating until the whites are stiff but moist. (This should take about 5 minutes.)Transfer the egg whites to a large bowl. Sift the flour-sugar mixture over the whites and gently fold until all the dry ingredients are mixed in. Using a ladle, fill the cupcake liners about ½ full, or a little less than ½ full.
Bake about 8-10 minutes, but not any longer to prevent the bottoms from burning.
Cupcakes will be done when a toothpick comes out of the center clean. Remove cupcakes from the pan and place on a wire rack. Cool completely before frosting.
I made these and took them (un-frosted) with a big bowl of fresh strawberries and a container of Cool Whip to our HB 4th of July gathering at Jeff & Lia’s and they made a great late night (meaning 9pm) sweet treat!

BBQ Bison Meatballs

2009-07-19T09:03:00.000-07:00

Bison Balls. YUM. These are deeeelicious. Bison is a lower-fat, super awesome alternative to ground beef for burgers, meatloaf and in this case, meatballs. Another of my Hollywood Bowl tote-along-menu...these were easy to carry in a pyrex and make a terrific picnic-tailgating-bonfire summer treat!
Nate used this recipe recently and gave it his own twist to prepare a Bison Grilled Meatloaf, which we'll get posted soon!!

BBQ Bison Meatballs
(makes about 12-15 balls)

1 lb ground bison
1 T bbq sauce
1 T spicy brown deli mustard
Heaping 1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
a few tsp parsley
1/4 of a sweet white onion finely chopped
few good shakes of each:onion powder & garlic powder
Kosher salt & fresh ground pepper
bit o chili flakes- just a pinch...

Preheat the oven to 400 and cover a baking sheet with foil (spray it with non-stick spray)
In a large bowl combine all ingredients and mix well using your hands.
Roll the mixture into balls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter and place the balls on the baking sheet about 1 inch apart.
Cook 7 minutes, then turn the meatballs over~ cook 7 more minutes, flip them again to a different side and cook 5 minutes... turn off oven and let the balls sit in there about 3-5 more minutes.
Let the balls cool and place them in a lidded container...squeeze some more bbq sauce into the container, put the lid on- shake it up- and refrigerate, serve em cold.