TND: Officially 30 and Plantain Adventures
(Our running path for the week in Miami.)
Plantain Chips
adapted from Gourmet; November 2008
Photo: Ditte Isager
What you need:
- 4 cups vegetale oil
- 2 lbs green plantains
- salt and pepper to taste
What to do:
Peel plantains and cut off the ends. Using a sharp knife cut very thin, vertical slices. In a large non-stick skillet, heat about 1/2 the oil (depending on the size of your skillet) over medium-high heat. You want to get the oil hot enough so that the plantain slices will fizzle as soon as you place them in the pan. Working in batches, place about 12 slices of plantains into the heated oil. Turn frequently and fry until they are golden brown. Place on a sheet of paper towl and quickly sprinkle salt and pepper. Repeat until all plantain chips are cooked.
TND: Mom is Coming to Town!
Happy Thursday! It has been quite the crafting week over here in Ft. Greene. We have the 3rd annual celebration of Daily Candy’s Start Small Go Big contest next week, where we’ll be donating DIY gifts to the winners and it’s my stepsister, Ruthie's baby shower this weekend. I’ve been braiding, measuring, cutting, and folding over here like there is no tomorrow. I’ve also been cleaning because my mom and stepdad arrive today from Indianapolis (and you know how parents are when they come to NY for a visit…everything must be spotless). I love it when my family comes to town. This trip will be a relatively short one, so we’ll be jam-packing our favorite activities (i.e. shopping and eating) into just a couple of days. Ruthie and I are planning on taking them to Romans in my neighborhood for a little homemade pasta and salted chocolate sorbet and over to Henry’s End in Ruthie’s hood for a bit of fresh fish and turtle soup.
We’ll also be cooking up a storm for the baby shower. I’ll be making pickled okra to put on the cheese and charcuterie plate like this one.
And these two crostini recipes that I grabbed from Smitten Kitchen.
as well as Thai chicken skewers with peanut dipping sauce and coconut shortbread cookies.
We’re also having a magnificent cake made by Sam. Here is the cake Ruth got for her gender announcing party. It's a work of art, right?!
But before all of the cooking begins, my mom and I are going out to dinner tonight in the city. Being the eldest of my three sisters and one of five out of my stepsiblings, I cherish the rare moments I get with just my mom and me.
Photo: We took this at our old haunt, Lakeside, during one of my mom's visits almost five years ago!
She usually spends this time cramming in as many lectures as humanly possible, but I really don’t mind all that much. She is annoyingly right almost all of the time and I like knowing that she would never dare let me make a decision without forcing me to look at it from every angle possible. Did I mention that she is a psychologist?;)
What are your visits like with your parents? Are you close with your mom?
xo,
stephania
Eggplant Flatbread
I have a little confession to make; I don't actually love eggplant all that much. I'm convinced it's a textural thing. That being said, I've had a few eggplant dishes that I've really enjoyed recently. The most memorable one being in a lovely pasta dish at this darling restaurant in Greenpoint. Eggplant is obviously something that I rarely cook at home, so as I woke up Sunday morning a slight panic began to arise over what on earth I was going to cook this week using eggplant. After a little browsing on a few of my favorite food blogs, I finally stumbled upon this eggplant flatbread recipe. This dish is perfect for a little impromptu dinner party. It's incredibly simple to make and is absolutely scrumptious! The ciabatta bread gives each bite a nice crunch that very pleasantly overrides my eggplant texture hangups and the classic combo of goat cheese and mozzarella makes each bite sinfully good.
Enjoy!
xo,
stephania
P.S. Check out the other eggplant recipes from our fellow food bloggers this week below!
Eggplant Flatbread
by Stephania (adapted from Bon Appetit, October 2010)
What you need:
- 1 eggplant, sliced to 1/4" thick slices and cut in half
- 1 loaf ciabatta bread, sliced in half
- 1 1/4 cups marina sauce, see recipe here
- 2 ounces goat cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- 4 tbsp olive oil, divided in half
- 1/3 cup basil, roughly chopped (leave a few whole for garnish)
- Red chili pepper infused olive oil (optional)
- Salt and pepper to taste
What you do:
Add two tablespoons of olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Apply salt and pepper to both sides of eggplant. Add eggplant to skillet, cover and cook for about 10 minutes, turning often. Transfer to plate. Brush remaining olive oil onto cut side of the ciabatta bread and toast on skillet (cut side down) for about one minute at medium-high heat.
Place bread on skillet cut side up. Apply about 1/3 cup of marinara sauce to the bread and then add basil, crumbled goat cheese, and eggplant. Top with mozzarella and apply the remaining marinara sauce with a spoon. Drizzle with red chili pepper olive oil. Toast in oven for 12 minutes. Slice into 2" strips and serve immediately.
Feed Me Phoebe: Grilled Eggplant Baba Ganoush
Jeanette's Healthy Living: Asian Grilled Eggplant With Soy-Sesame Sauce
From My Corner of Saratoga: Ratatouille Fresh From the Garden
And Love It Too: Slow-Cooker Paleo Eggplant Parmesan
Big Girls Small Kitchen: Homemade Baba Ganoush
Made by Michelle: Eggplant Zucchini Muffins
Cooking With Elise: Stuffed Eggplant
Virtually Homemade: Layered Ratatouille la Ratatouille
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Roasted Eggplant and Peppers Dip
HGTV Gardens: Garden-to-Table: Eggplant
Thursday Night Dinner: Eggplant Flatbread
Healthy Eats: Going Meatless With Eggplant
Devour: Giada's Rigatoni With Eggplant Puree
Cooking With Books: Sriracha and Honey Eggplant Rice
FN Dish: Eggplant: Champion of the Meat-Free Meal
TND: Bringing a Bit of Indiana to Me
Happy Thursday! After a stressful week, I am so relieved that it's finally Thursday! It's time to kick back, push my worries aside, and try to have a bit of fun. I have been feeling a bit homesick lately, so I thought that I would bring a bit of home to me through cooking. My mom is pretty fantastic at the grill. Each time I go home during the summer I'm pretty much guaranteed to have nearly all of my meals prepared on the grill. So this Thursday we'll be grilling a bit of a feast complete with grilled corn, tomato salad, burgers, and brownies.
For the craft, I'm working on our guest 4th of July post for Casa Sugar. I'm just about finished with my festive tassel garland. I promise to post a complete photo and directions when they are complete, but in the meantime here is a little preview.
xo.
stephania
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Can't Get Enough of Your Tomato Salad
by Stephania
What you need:
- 4 medium sized ripe tomatoes (or 2 large tomatoes)
- 1/3 onion sliced into 1/8 inch slivers 2 slices
- French baguette (or bread of choosing)
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinaigrette
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
What to do:
First toast your slices of bread until they are golden brown and then set them aside. Next take your scrummy looking tomatoes and put them into a medium sized mixing bowl. Add the onion, olive oil, and balsamic vinaigrette and gently mix it up with a large spoon. Be careful not to mush the tomatoes up. Now take your toasted bread and cut it up into pieces a little larger than the size of a dice. Toss them into the mixing bowl and add the red pepper flakes. Take your large spoon and gently mix it altogether and you are all set!
Story:
I made this salad for the first time about a year ago. Colleen, Caitlin, and I make it a habit to go to the farmer’s market every Saturday morning. Each week I looked forward to all of the wonderful crispy tomatoes. I think that I ate them with every single meal and always felt a little heart broken when I was on my last one. -Stephania
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F the Meat, I Want a Veggie Burger
What you need:
- ½ onion, diced
- 1 can black beans, drained
- 4 slices of cheddar cheese (or whatever kind of cheese tickles your fancy)
- ½ cup flour
- 2 slices bread of your choosing, crumbled
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp seasoned salt
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp olive oil
What to do:
In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil on medium high heat. After a few minutes, add the diced onion for three to five minutes. While your onions are sautéing, grab a large mixing bowl out of the cabinet. Dump the drained black beans into the bowl and using a fork or meat hammer mash the beans until they are almost smooth. Next, add the diced onions into the mixing bowl and stir with spatula so that the onions are mixed in evenly with the mashed beans. After they are mixed, add the remaining ingredients (except cheese slices) and use the spatula until all ingredients are well blended.
Now comes the messy part! Take out a medium sized cutting board (wood or plastic) and sprinkle the all-purpose flour over it. Depending on the size of your cutting board, you may need to add or subtract a little bit of flour. With your hands, take a good size of the bean mixture (about the size of a tennis ball) and form a patty on the cutting board. Once the patty is formed flip it over and get a little flour on the other side. Make as many patties as you would like with your bean mixture; we typically get about four.
Take out a large frying and heat the remaining two tablespoons of your olive oil over medium high heat. Place the patties in the pan and cover the pan with a lid. Flip the burgers after about five minutes or until they seem to be slightly crispy. Cover the pan again and after 3 minutes, take the lid off and place one slice of the cheese over each patty. After two minutes check on the patties and if the cheese is melted, they should be ready. To make sure, cut into the middle of one of them and make sure that they are cooked all of the way through. If they still need a bit of time, turn the heat down to medium low heat and cover the pan with the lid again. Check every two to three minutes so that they don’t burn. After the patties are cooked to your desire, take them off the pan and dress them up however you prefer.
Serves 4.
Story:
We made these burgers for the first time as part of a huge Valentine’s Day Thursdays feast when we were all single and (slightly) angsty about it. There’s nothing so satisfying as getting your hands a little dirty when you’re feeling irritated with a particular holiday.
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Blondies for Thursdays
What You Need:
- 2 cups flour
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 2 stick of butter, melted
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut
- 1 cup diced walnuts, toasted
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ¼ tsp salt
What to do:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine sugar and butter into a medium sized mixing bowl. Mix until smooth. Next add vanilla and the egg yolks, one at a time. Mix until blended. Add flour at about ½ cup at a time. Add the coconut, walnuts, salt, and chocolate chips. Stir to mix. Pour batter into a 13”x9” baking pan and make for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
TND: Baked Beet Chips and Knitted Jersey Bracelets
Happy Thursday everyone! This week has been one hectic week and girls' night could have not come soon enough! It's been a week of housebreaking (I've literally gone through 6 rolls of paper towels), loads of events, planning my trip to Florida (the sunshine is calling my name), and squeezing in early morning runs (although this morning I slept right through my alarm and am opting for quick evening run with Ophelia). I've been feeling a little uninspired in the kitchen recently, so this week I am determined to get my butt in gear and try out a new recipe. Tonight we're trying a new little appetizer, Baked Beet Chips. They are so easy to make and are loaded with Vitamin C (perfect for this crazy weather!).
For the craft, Megan, is sharing these super cute jersey bracelets. This craft is perfect for a low key night when you feel like being a bit creative, but are so wiped out that you have the attention span of this little known puppy.
Stephania
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Baked Beet Chips
adapted from Marth Stewart
What you need:
- 2 medium beets
- 1 tsp olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
What you do:
Preheat oven to 350˚F. Peel beets and very thinly slice them with a sharp knife or mandoline. Toss beets in a large bowl with olive oil and spread beets onto a cookie sheet. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper over them and bake for 20 minutes (or until crisp).
Knitted Jersey Bracelets
by Megan Kramer (adapted from Vanessa Christenson)
You can either take an old t shirt and cut it into long strips, or you can buy jersey fabric from your local crafting store. Cut the strips about 1’’ wide. The length will vary depending on how thick you make your bracelet.
If your fabric isn’t long enough, knot two together by cutting a small slit on one end of each piece. Line up the slits, and pull the other end of the bottom piece through the top of both pieces. Now they are linked.
For those of you that remember how to finger knit, this will be cake. If you don’t remember, or need a refresher, here goes. Leave a few inches of slack and hold the fabric between your thumb and forefinger. Decide how wide you want your bracelet to be; 2 fingers for a thinner bracelet, 3 or 4 for a thicker bracelet. Next weave the fabric around the fingers you want to use. When each finger has two loops, simply pull the bottom loop over the top, and off of your fingers. Now each finger will have one loop again. Wind the fabric around all of the fingers you’re using, and pull the bottom over the top again. Repeat until you have the desired length (remember jersey will stretch). Carefully pull the loops off of your fingers-don’t let go of them. Pull the tail though those loops and tie a knot. Double knot the ends together to be sure they are secure, and cut off the extra.
Enjoy!
Grillin' & Beading
Happy Thursday everyone! It's our favorite day of the week and tonight is going to be a very special night because we have a new Thursdays Girl!
Meet Ophelia...
My adorable, sweet, sweet black lab puppy. I know, she could not be more cute, right?!
So tonight we're going to have a special TND because our Thursdays Girls are dying to meet Miss Ophelia. In light of the 69 degree weather, we are most definitely going to be firing up the grill. I'm thinking fish tacos with Michelle's mango salsa and our Chunky Monkey Avocado Dip. For the craft, I'm going to be making something new. It's another take on a friendship bracelet with a chunky gold chain. I was hoping to finish it before Thursday to share with all of you, but I must admit that I've been a teeny tiny bit distracted with my little bundle of love. I promise to share it next week, just in time for Yellow Week! However, I simply cannot leave you all hanging without a single new craft idea so I've made a little roundup of my favorite jewelry making crafts from our site and from our fellow bloggers.
What are you cooking and crafting tonight?!
xo,
Stephania
Mango Salsa
by Michelle Hainer
What you need:
- 1 mango, cubed
- 1 roma tomato, chopped
- juice of one lime
- 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1/2 jalapeno pepper, finely diced
- pinch of cumin
- salt, to taste
What to do:
Combine ingredients and enjoy!
Chunky Monkey Avocado Dip
by Colleen Reilly
What you need:
- 4 ripe avocados
- ½ red onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic (finely diced)
- 2 roma tomatoes
- 1/4 cup cilantro (finely chopped)
- 1 lime
- Pepper
- Salt
- 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper
What to do:
In a small mixing bowl, add diced onion and garlic. Slice roma tomatoes in half. Over a trash can, squeeze out their guts. Do this for each half. Dice what is left of the tomato into very small pieces and add to the bowl. With a sharp knife, slice each avocado in half long ways. Hold the avocado in both hands and turn each half away from the other to separate the halves. Run your knife around the pit to loosen. Using a spoon, gently scoop out the pit. If the avocado is ripe, the pit will pop right out. Slicing between the skin and the avocado’s insides with your knife, plop the insides into the bowl.
Using your (washed!) fingers or the back of a spoon or a potato masher, mash up the avocado mixture carefully so you don’t crush up the tomatoes. Because you aren’t using a food processor, this dip will be chunky. Once the dip is to the desired consistency, grind or sprinkle on pepper and add a tiny dash of salt and a dash of cayenne pepper. Slice the lime in half and squeeze one half over the mixture, seed side up so the deeds don’t fall into the bowl. Mix all ingredients with a spoon until they are evenly distributed and you’re ready to go!
This will make about 2 cups of dip. Easily doubled or tripled—just add more of everything!
Fresh Fish Tacos
by Colleen Reilly
What you need:
- 1 lb tilapia fillets (catfish works well, too)
- 3 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 medium red onion, diced
- ½ avocado, removed from skin and cubed
- 1 cup romaine lettuce, chopped
- 7 slices jalapenos, diced
- 1 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
- 2 tsp black pepper
- 1 16 oz can black beans
- 8 taco sized flour tortillas
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Salsa
What to do:
Note: Parsley is a good substitute if you are cilantro-phobic.Fire up the grill. Open can of black beans, remove label and place on grill, stirring occasionally. When it’s bubbly, it’s ready. Coat each side of tilapia fillets (1 lb will be about two fillets) with olive oil. Sprinkle pepper and 1 tbsp of cilantro on each side and rub to spread evenly. Use the extra tbsp of cilantro as a topper for the finished tacos. Put fillets on the grill (we usually put ours on a piece of foil because, admittedly, we aren’t that great at keeping our grill super clean.) The olive oil will prevent fish from sticking.
While the first side is grilling, begin chopping the toppers (avocado, lettuce, jalapenos, onion and set aside). Flip the fillets after 3-5 minutes. While the second side is cooking, put as many tortillas on the grill as will fit, and grill each side for about 30 seconds, until slightly browned. After 3-5 minutes, the tilapia should be white and flaky. Let them go for a few more minutes if there are any clear-ish parts remaining. When cooked thoroughly, remove from grill and cut up each fillet into inch-size pieces. Load each tortilla with black beans, fish, cheese and then whatever cold toppers you want. Dribble some salsa on top and close up the tortilla. Of course, Stephania and Colleen always add hot sauce as well.
Serves 4.
Story:
I can’t think of anything better than sitting in a friend’s backyard or deck (or whatever outdoor space you can find) eating these tacos and drinking a margarita on a hot summer Thursday. Ahh…summer! -Colleen
DIY Braided Necklace
from More Design Please
Vintage Necklace
by Stephania Stanley
Caitlin's Graceful Gold Earrings
by Caitlin Hinz
Pom Pom Bib Necklace
from Little Miss Momma
Rope & Hex Nut Bracelet
from Pinterest via Truly Smitten
Anthro Limitless Necklace
from Flamingo Toes
Delicious Crab Meat Muffins
Today we are sharing a tasty little appetizer from our fellow foodie and blogger, the lovely Michelle Hainer. Michelle is always coming up with new ways to keep her recipes true to whole foods and this recipe is no exception. These Crab Meat Muffins aren't really muffins at all, but bite sized pieces of deliciousness that make the perfect appetizer. Michelle usually makes these guys for special holidays, but I'm convinced that they are easy enough to make year round (most especially at our Thursday Night Dinners!).
Happy cooking & crafting!
Stephania
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Crab Meat Muffins
What you need:
- 6 English Muffins
- 1 6 ounce can of White Lump Crab meat
- 2 tablespoons mayonaise
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1/2 a teaspoon seasoned salt
For the Old English Cheese Spread
- 1/8 cup mayonaise
- 1/8 cup half and half
- 1/2 pound medium cheddar cheese, cubed
- 1/2 teaspoon spicy brown mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/6 cup tomato juice
- 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons horseradish
- 1 tablespoon scallions, thinly sliced
For the Seasoned Salt
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon tumeric
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon corn starch
What you do:
To make the Old English Chees Spread combine in a saucepan mayonnaise, milk, cheese, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and garlic powder. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in juice, horseradish and green onions. Next add the butter, crab meat, mayonaise, garlic salt, and seasoned salt.
Split and half and quarter the english muffins. Stir everything together and then spread the mixture on top of the muffins. Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown, about 12-15 minutes.
Cheese Class 101
I have finally checked off another one of my New Year's goals: take a class. Last weekend I took a fantastic cheese class with my dear friends, Shoko and Davey. We smelled, tasted, and drank our way through a Sunday afternoon at Murray's Cheese Shop in the West Village.
We sampled eight different kinds of cheeses...
1. Up in Smoke
2. Harbison
3. Quadrello
4. Amanteigado Grande
5. Vendeen Bichonne
6. L'Etivaz
7. Bleu Du Bocage
And you see that glass of wine in the back? Well that is what they call a magic glass of wine. It is refilled every single time you finish a glass! As you can imagine, we had a All of cheeses were absolutely scrumptious, but my favorites were the Quadrello and the Bleu Du Bocage.
the Quadrello...
A few fun facts about Quadrello:
- made from pasteurized buffalo milk
- it's a lovely mild stinky cheese
- from Lombardia, Italy
They served this guy with this zesty Grapefruit & Smoked Salt Marmalade and it was an impeccable match!
the Bleu Du Bocage...
A few fun facts about the Bleu Du Bocage:
- it's a stinky, stinky blue with hints of sage
- it's a pasteurized goat cheese
- from Pays de la Loire, France
They served this one with a sesame caramel and let me just tell you that it was most definitely as good as it sounds!
The next time you're hosting an event, I highly recommend all of these! If you want just a few that make a great combo of the soft, more mild cheese with a stinky, harder cheese I would personally go for the very creamy Harbison and the Quadrello.
Serve the cheese with jam, honey, walnuts, apple slices, and a fresh baguette!
Check out all of the different cheese classes at Murray's here or even just stop by and pick up a few to try on your own!
Have any favorite cheese we should know about? Tell us about them!
xoxo,
stephania
Weekly Roundup!
hello everyone!
Its that time again, happy friday!! If your in New England then you know its been a wacky weather week up here, perfect for pulling all your girls together and using some of the cocktail party tips and tricks we've told you about all week! I cannot wait to try out some of these delicious cocktail recipes! I hope you all have a great weekend and hopefully have plenty of inspiration for your parties.
xo
Lucie
This week we posted:
Cocktail: RYE's Vecchio
This cocktail from Lauryn's husbands restaurant looks absolutely delicious, I love the addition of the rosemary syrup! I wish I was in Louisville so I could try this out!
Dill Havarti Appetizer
Mary Clare showed us this tasty and simple appetizer! Perfect for any girls night in!
Cocktail Hour with Carli Vierke
Carli is our newest guest contributor! She teamed up Daniel Pagett to create a Thursdays cocktail! Better click to check it out...
Our Favorite Things: Cocktail Hour
Stephania shares with us her favorite things for cocktail hour! I love the dress she choose, the back is so dramatic.
Cocktails: Seductive Swans
I shared this delicious cocktail recipe with you guys (I made them last night for my girlfriends), and it was a hit!
Cocktails: Kir Imperial with a Twist
Jana shared this wonderful cocktail recipe with us that combines raspberry liquor and champagne, I've had champagne cocktails with pomegranate juice or blackberry liqueur but I love the idea of the raspberry liqueur! She also teaches us how to do a lemon twist, I've always wanted to learn how to do that.
Springtime Recipes and a Pretty in Pink drink
Colleen shares her recipes for grilled shrimp, plantains, and a "Happiness in a Glass" cocktail! yummy!
Give me More Bracelets
These bracelets are so cute and easy to make. Its awesome because you can personalize them and that way no one else has what you do!
This week they posted:
With Style and Grace: Strawberry Gazpacho
I cannot wait to try this out, I have never thought of making soup with strawberries! It seems very cool, refreshing, and perfect for girls night in.
How Sweet Eats: No Bake Baileys Truffle Cake
Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. I have three words for you: Baileys. Whipped. Cream.
Gimme Some Oven: Nutella Hot Chocolate
So I have a confession to make, I am addicted to nutella. I mean seriously. I have to hide it from myself sometimes. This is the perfect remedy for any problem.
Martha Stewart: Flower Wrapped Favors
I love these! They are perfect for a spring time get together and wrapping up your party favors!
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