Vanilla Cinnamon Walnuts & Blueberry Vinaigrette – A “Connection”

Emily & Jef had a fun conversation in the library in Prague this week.  It was That One conversation I’ve been waiting for on The Bachelorette: the one that skyrockets the underdog to the top of the heap list of suitors.  Jef is now in the running for one of two roles – the sad guy to get sent home after the “take this key to stay as a couple in the fantasy suite” night, or the next Bachelor (a.k.a. the dreaded first or second runner-up slot).  I’m with Kristan – I don’t see Jef winning in the end getting the final rose because he’s WAY more Ali’s type than Emily’s.  It’s the shoes, people.  

So anyway, this reality TV conversation was about whether or not they wanted to live with their significant other before they got married.  (They said no.  Tsk, kids.)  This is maybe a conversation most of us have had (or creatively avoided) at some point in our lives.  It’s a fun one.  I’m (obviously) pro living-together.  

If Rick & I hadn’t lived together for a handful of years before we got married, then he wouldn’t have been so chill this week when all the lawnmowers ran out of gas and I just abandoned the dead rider in the middle of the front yard, walked back to him and leaned against a tree to watch him mow & wait for his LawnBoy to die so he’d go fill up the gas cans.  He never asked me to go fill up the cans or why I wan’t doing it of my own volition.  He knows.  It’s something I don’t do.  I mean, I might have done it once or twice in the first few years we lived together but I don’t anymore.  The hours of pouting it induces is just so not worth it for Rick.  It’s way better for everyone involved if he just does it himself. 

He’s admittedly my “Gas Man.”  (Srsly, he came home from work today & said that, having just come from filling the spare propane tank for the grill.  Unbidden.  That’s what I call A Connection.) 

Those dumb little things, equivalent to toilet-seat-leaving-up, are the things couples should figure out early on, in my opinion.  Sure, they’re probably not deal-breakers, but aren’t they just a lot easier to blow off after a while?  You just come to expect that the husband is going to leave all his papers all over the house.  You don’t ask (aloud), “WHY is the cable bill in the BATHROOM???”  You don’t have to beg for spare, clean horizontal surfaces in the kitchen, dining room & living room, you just pick up his crap & move it to his spot on the bed.  You learn to deal.  Civilly.  Quietly.  Peacefully.  Passive-aggressively.  (Hey, I learned ALL those conflict resolution techniques from him.) 

It’s so easy now to look at him with sad, angry eyes on those mornings I just don’t want to go to work.  I don’t have to Fake It ‘Til I Make It.  He doesn’t take my morning moods personally anymore, he knows it’s not his fault.  (Because clearly, it’s opposing counsel’s fault.)  He knows on those days when I get home before him and he finds me on the couch wrapped in a blanket that we’re probably having leftovers (or popcorn) for dinner.  And that’s totally okay.  He knows automatically when I get those really bad headaches that I just need to be put to bed like a five-year-old.  And HE draws the blinds, knowing the light causes the pain. 

He just knows now.  That’s the best.  It might’ve taken several years, but hey, he’s a guy.  And since he’s such a mean grillmaster he gets a lot of slack.  We have a Connection.

When we first moved in together I wasn’t actually sure we would ever get married.  But it wasn’t a test.  I believed then we were meant to be together.  I knew our intentions of making a “go” at it were as strong as any newly-wedded couple.  I mean, we had a Connection!  (Wait, did I already say that, like ten times?  Sorry, it’s a Bachlorette-themed post.)  And even if I wasn’t sure then, I was definitely sure the day I threw the ice scraper at him when he was so kindly scraping my windshield and it was about five below outside.  He stuck with me through that nonsense.  And now I know all I have to do is thank him for the gas  

 Who wants to take bets on Emily & Jef?  Then how about Jef & Ali??? 

PS ~ Go team Sean.  Now THEY have a connection.

Oh yeah, the food – here’s the salad I wanted to show you a while ago.

This time I used blueberry pomagrante juice instead of whole blueberries and just shook up the ingredients in a jar in lieu of getting out the blender. 

I also added some incredible roasted walnuts with vanilla & cinnamon, inspired by a great salad we had last Friday night at Harvey’s.  Do this: 

Vanilla Cinnamon Walnuts

            1 tsp canola oil

           1/4 tsp vanilla extract

            heavy dash cinnamon

            heavy dash salt

            1/2 packet of Splenda or 1/2 tsp sugar

            2 cups walnut halves

Mix together the first five ingredients in a small bowl and toss in the walnuts until coated.  Toast them over medium-high heat in a nonstick skillet for about 6-8 minutes until fragrant & darkened to an oak-y brown.  Cool before tossing on salad.  Amazing with that blueberry vinaigrette, strawberries, apple matchsticks, blueberries & feta cheese. 

Served alongside a bourbon glazed salmon from How Sweet It Is. 

Yum, yum, yum!

I think I finally figured out how to make litigation bearable.  Rewards:  reality TV, good food, a nice night in the backyard, and a tall glass of wine.  I can think of worse coping mechanisms.

My Salad Muse ~ A Vinaigrette Experiment

Last night was the fourth time in recent memory that I “WOW!!!”’d over a salad. 

Salad. 

I have no pictures.  Cuz, I mean, it’s salad. 

Oh wait, here’s one: 

That lovely soon-to-be clean plate was, just moments before, home to THE single most delectable combination of food stuffs I’ve eaten since…. um… probably February.  (You may notice a trend: when we go Up North, we eat extremely well.  When we eat extremely well, I blog about it, and then try to replicate what we ate Up North, then blog about that.) 

Anyway, that salad, the Muse, as I will now call it, was fed to us at the Boathouse on Old Mission. 

Its proper name on the menu was “apple beet salad,” which was deceptively misleading and caused me to blow past it without reading the description on first glance.  Upon further review, third trip down menu lane, I read all the way to the end of the description & ran smack into this:

“vanilla cinnamon vinaigrette.”

And I died a little. 

Nine dollars later, in the name of research and development, I declared the Boathouse apple beet salad to be the most wonderful salad I’ve ever, EVER had.  Possibly the best non-meat, non-dessert dish I’ve ever eaten. 

Envision the plate (cuz, as noted above, I was too preoccupied with eating the salad to photograph it – bad blogger):  Crispy white apple matchsticks on top of a fluffy mound of dark green ruffly spinach leaves, sparkly red beet pieces (ignore the beets if you don’t like them, I just pushed them off to Rick’s side), a perfect canel of creamy goat cheese on the edge of the plate, and a healthy scattering of toasted whole marcona almonds. 

Then inhale:  the scent of vanilla, apple & cinnamon hit me in the face with more force than I thought vanilla was capable of.  Savory, sweet, tangy, crispy, crunchy, cool, creamy, rich, and somehow umami, I swear.  Divine.  Perfect with the cold Bry’s estate dry reisling we ordered.  

(Yes, I was drinking two different glasses of wine – I ordered the veal as my entrée so I needed a red, too, sheesh.) 

Luckily that afternoon Rick & I ran 7 miles.  I call that 700 spare calories.  I saved up some of those for dessert on Sunday… this little beauty:  

Lemon tart with a sea salt crust & chocolate sauce at Riverside in Leland.  Again, a remarkably perfect flavor pairing.  I almost want to shed a tear just thinking about it.  And of course re-create it at home in cupcake form.  More on that later.

Anyway, so that apple-vanilla-cinnamon salad at the Boathouse changed my life. 

Yesterday, unable to shake the memory of it, I began experimenting with vinaigrette at home.  I downloaded a few recipes off the interwebs to get familiar with the oil-acid ratios.  I went to Meijers (yes, it is “MeijerZ”) & bought some fabulous produce (I’ve found that the boxed organic 50/50 spring mix/baby spinach is the best base for any salad and it makes a huge difference).  The grocery cart just about filled itself with berries, apples, cukes, radishes… 

I pulled out the blender when I got home and set my print-out references on the counter.  I followed one recipe for blueberry-balsamic vinaigrette to the “T” and wasn’t terribly happy with the result.  So I put it in a jar and started over. 

So in the blender went more blueberries, salt, pepper, Splenda, a little water, apple cider vinegar, and – wait for this – almond emulsion (extract).  Yes, almond flavoring, like you’d use in baking.  That was all blended till smooth, then drizzled with a bit of canola oil.  Here’s the recipe – make it if you get a chance:

Blueberry Vinaigrette with Almond Essence:

        1/4 cup fresh blueberries

        3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

        1/8 tsp almond emulsion or extract

        1 packet of Splenda or up to 1 teaspoon honey or sugar for desired sweetness

        1/4 – 1/2 tsp salt

        1/4 cup canola oil

Blend first 5 ingredients til smooth.  Then, with blender running, drizzle in the oil.  Refrigerate for 1/2 hour or more for best flavor distribution. 

I’m smacking myself in the face for not taking a picture of this salad. 

Not only was the dressing phenomenal, but so was the mix of fruits, veggies & nuts:  the aforementioned 50/50 greens mix, sliced cucumbers, radishes, celery, pink lady apples, black seedless grapes and toasted pecans.  If you have any kind of food-sensitive imagination you can know inherently how delectable, in flavor and texture, that combo was.  Together with my blueberry almond vinaigrette…  WOW. 

Next time I promise I’ll take a picture.  This time, I leave you with a cocktail inspiration.  Something Smith & Wollensky call The U.S. Mint – gin muddled with mint, cucumber & tonic.  THE BEST summer drink.  One of two reasons I grow mint (mojitos are the other). 

Thank you Chef Street for posing with my lovely drink.  Your freshly-pressed vintage shirt and dirty martini are definitely better than any backdrop I could design  

PS ~ no matter how much I gush about the food, good friends are the best side dishes.   Okay, good wine is right up there, too. 

Flavor A.D.D. – white chocolate mocha & blueberry-lemon cupcakes

Today I took a sick day.  Haven’t had one of those in FOR. EVER.  I’ll spare ya the details, but suffice it to say it wasn’t one of those laid-up-all-day-on-the-couch-with-a-box-of-Kleenex-and-the-Hallmark-channel sick days, but just one where I had to stay home.  Had to.  No worries, though.  I’m all better now, thanks.  =) 

Anyway, I had a great cupcake order to fill for this weekend, so I used my time off pretty wisely.  The customer gave me full creative license with the flavor combos.  And I got two full batches of cupcakes baked, filled, frosted & decorated. 

You probably think creative license is awesome, right?  Well, truly it is.  But inevitably I become paralyzed by the eleventy million ideas floating around in my head at any given time, like I have Flavor A.D.D.  I just don’t have enough opportunities to create all the great ideas I see on the blogs I follow.  Mocha, blueberry, roasted strawberry & basil are banging around in there against legal authorities on defamation, NCUA regulations, sub-chapter S of the internal revenue code, networking opportunities, blah blah blah…

Anyway, (sorry, A.D.D.) one of the flavors I’ve wanted to make for a while is a French vanilla latte or mocha cupcake.  So I did! 

But before I did, just after I assembled all the ingredients, I had a minor freak-out. 

I had too many things goin’ on. 

White chocolate pudding, a great scratch vanilla cake recipe.  A box of French vanilla cake mix in the cupboard.  Cool whip.  White Baker’s chocolate.  Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips.  Coffee extract.  Maxwell house mocha powder….  On top of that, I bought a whole cache of ingredients for blueberry cake & lemon cream cheese frosting. 

Gah.  Distracted. 

I finally understood how you could accidentally put the wrong frosting on the wrong cupcake on Cupcake Wars. 

Anyway, I had to call in reinforcements. 

Luckily I have a like-minded friend or two in my phone contacts.  Instant moral support via txt is sometimes necessary in the kitchen, and it was today.  Thanks to one Wilton-trained buddy, I was able to focus on a French vanilla /white chocolate pudding cake filled with mocha whipped cream.  And trusting my gut, I made an awesome mocha Swiss meringue buttercream.  Although I haven’t tasted the combination, they look amazing and smell even better. 

 I’m dying a little inside, though.  I’m on Day 8 of a 10-day sugar detox.  Consequently I washed about 2/3 of a cup of silky smooth, gorgeous chocolate ganache and a 1/2 cup of mocha whipped cream DOWN. THE. DRAIN. 

That’s what I call super-human self-control.  I hope these cupcakes taste as good as they are in my mind.

Winter Refresher Cupcakes

Never fails.I become ardently inspired to create a new dessert by seeing or tasting something fabulous that someone else makes.  As soon as practical thereafter, I go to the store to get the ingredients.  And BAM!  Fail.  Said ingredients are now out of season and unavailable to me, even if they were – just moments ago – available to the person who made the inspirational dessert.  GAH! 

This time, however, I outsmarted the season by predicting that this might happen and stocking up on & freezing a few extra bags of fresh cranberries in December.  Score! 

The inspiration for this lovely flavor combo came from an ice cream, of all things (I KNOW!?  Ice cream in February?!)  White chocolate-chunk ice cream with cranberries, sprinkled with coarse natural sugar and accompanied by two thin slivers of candied meyer lemon.  It was SO beautiful, so wintery.  At first taste I thought, “mmm, this is nice.”  Then I ate seven more bites and wanted to merry the person who made it.  This was one of those ingenius desserts that just got better and better with each bite and afterward had me in a little bit of a food daze. 

So of course instantly I decided (spoon in mouth) that this was going to become a cupcake. 

Little did I realize it would be one of THE BEST non-chocolate desserts I’ve ever made.  Especially because it was a bit of an experiment.

Me and my chemistry-challenged self were starting to get cocky with different variations on this Perfect Vanilla Cupcake recipe.  But I couldn’t help it.  I’m like a mad scientist and when I get an idea in my head I need to act on it with zero regard for the properties of sodium bi-carbonate. 

And what a wonderful experiment this was!!! 

For as much as I hate doing this, I have to share the recipe because it was incredible, and frankly, because I want to be able to re-create it again as soon as cranberries come back in season next fall. 

The Winter Refresher Cupcake:  White Chocolate, Cranberry & Citrus

Perfect Vanilla Cupcakes by Glory at Glorious Treats SLIGHTLY MODIFIED: 

Before assembling the cupcake batter, blanche half a bag of whole raw cranberries (2 cups or so) in simmering water for about 3-5 minutes until they pop but before they turn to mush.  Drain & cool.

Finely chop two squares of Baker’s white chocolate and mix with a 1/2 teaspoon of flour.  Set aside.  (Try not to be tempted to use white “baking chips” – I hate those.  The extra step of chopping the Baker’s chocolate only takes a sec.)

Assemble cake batter while cranberries cool.  Recipe is modified as follows: 

                Instead of 2 eggs I used 3 egg whites (changes the color & texture slightly);

                I added 1 extra tablespoon of sugar to offset any bitterness in the cranberries;

                And at the end, I stirred in the chopped white chocolate. 

Fill each cup about 2/3 full.  Drop a few of the softened cranberries right in the middle of the batter, they won’t sink!  I made mini cupcakes so I just used about 3-5 berries in each one but if I made regular-sized cupcakes I’d use twice that.  This recipe made 24 minis and one 6” cake layer.  That equates to about 15-16 regular-sized cupcakes I think. 

This is a perfectly moist & tender cupcake!  Not perfectly white-white or as fluffy as a boxed mix, but it is the best scratch vanilla cake I’ve ever had, and incredibly easy after doing it once or twice.  THANK YOU GLORY!!!

Orange-zested Cream Cheese Frosting

I use this recipe & method and at the end, mix in until just blended the zest of one orange (or less – start with the zest of half the orange; it’s quite potent).  Don’t overmix cream cheese frosting, whatever you do. 

And for this recipe I’m actually going to suggest using some kind of colored sugar for the decoration because it adds a lovely crunch.  And of course a touch of pink which I’m a huge fan of. 

Oh my gosh, I just remembered!  This flavor combo is also amazing in martini form!  Vanilla vodka, triple sec & cranberry juice.  I think those have to be on this weekend’s agenda.  {Rubbing hands together whilst bearing an evil-delighted grin!}

 

I made these for a new Fan who ordered a bunch of mini cupcakes for a small baby shower.  She wanted some cookie dough cupcakes (the reason I buy a bag of mini-chocolate chips EVERY single time I go to the grocery store) and the white-chocolate-cranberry.  They’re a great compliment, very lady-like yet youthful.  And SO DARN CUTE!!! 

Yesterday after work, Rick laid down for a nap to try & kick the cold he’s coming down with and so I had a ton of time to indulge myself in these little princesses.  And mybe have a glass of chianti for my birthday dinner

Sunshine, love, and octopus.

Last weekend I had an experience that changed my whole perspective on life, if only just for a moment.

Octopus.

Yes, I ate octopus for the first time last weekend. A divine experience. I can’t even describe it.

That’s what happens when you let go.

Lately I think I’ve been trying to be too in control. Of pretty much everything. And maybe everyone.

I can’t control anyone else’s emotions or behavior. I can’t control the outcome of litigation, even when I do the absolute best work I’m capable of doing. Disappointing results in this career are not a reflection of my inadequacies or deficiencies in my professional capacity. They just are.

It is what it is.

Octopus.

Man! That was NOT my idea, but I truly adore the person who had – and acted upon – the idea. I trust that person implicitly when it comes to food. Because (among other reasons) somehow, when I woke up that morning my coffee was the best I’ve ever had. This person has never observed my coffee habit. Yet there it was: in a hot carafe beside a tiny bowl of natural sugar lumps and a jug of half & half. Waiting just for me.

The night before he made us this for dinner:

After a long snowy ride up north, Rick & I took one glance at the menu, looked at each other and shrugged – everything sounded so amazing, how were we supposed to choose??? So we put the “choice” in the chef’s hands. He gave us a little bit of everything we wanted on the menu, and he had no input. It was almost like fate intervened as we finished our first glass of wine. Incredible…

So after two days and nights of delicious food, drinks, laughter and soul-baring conversation, I came home with a fresh perspective about what is really important in life.

Chocolate. Half & half. Fresh mozzarella cheese. Dedicated service to others. Hugs. Raw honesty. Sunshine. Faith. Love. Friendship.

And beer. Because if nothing else, beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.

Candied Bacon Cheddar Biscuits

This weekend we’re having a trial run as a bed & breakfast.  Don’t tell Rick, but that may be exactly what I want to do with his retirement (which will effectively be my third career) in five or six years. 

All four of our bedrooms are chock full of Learmans.  Ten of them, to be exact (including us, anyway).  Ages 0-54.  Surprisingly, I woke up this morning to a totally quiet house.  I thoroughly expected to be awakened by a screaming 5-month old or a barking dog who forgot we had houseguests.  Instead I just woke up because the sun was coming up & streaming in our bedroom French doors.  Weird.  Especially since we didn’t go to bed until at least 3:00 a.m., as per usual in the fashion of these big family get-togethers. 

So what did I immediately think of?  Breakfast, duh. 

Specifically the breakfast we had our first morning in Napa at a little French bakery across the street from famed chef Michael Chiarello’s Bottega: Bouchon.  It was so adorable I was almost intimidated by it. 

The fact that the awnings matched the blazing warm colors of the surrounding fall trees did not seem accidental. 

Of all the gorgeous scones, muffins, coffee cakes, cookies, brownies, buns and other goodies, I chose a tall, rich-looking bacon & cheddar scone.  As I predicted, it was satisfyingly crumbly, buttery, and had gorgeous bits of savory bacon throughout.  What I did not expect was a background sweetness – absolutely the perfect compliment to the salty bacon.  After my second bite I realized I had to try & recreate this at home. 

This was the perfect occasion.  I had a house full of people and a totally empty, quiet kitchen, all to myself. 

Unbeknownst to them (again, good thing they don’t read this!), Rick’s kids have been my guinea pigs before, and they’re either really good at it or kind of suck at it.  None of them has ever complained (even when I made cinnamon rolls that didn’t rise – someone should have at least mentioned it) and more often than not, they rave.  And they’re generally great eaters.  Right now the girls are dieting, which is kind of annoying considering I’m trying to stuff their faces with fattening carbs, but the guys are all still growing (at ages 25-50, mind you) so they’re dependable feeders. 

They liked these.  A lot. 

So did I.  So will you.  I made them the Semi-Homemade way, inspired by my friend Sandra Lee whose memoir I just finished Thursday night.  The peppery candied bacon was so great on its own you at least have to go there this Christmas. 

You know, as a gift to the men in your life. 

I see these as a bed & breakfast staple. 

Bacon Cheddar Breakfast Biscuits  yield: 20-24 biscuits

3-1/4 cups Bisquick mix

1 cup milk

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

6-8 slices center-cut bacon

4 tablespoons brown sugar

3 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon honey

salt

freshly ground black pepper

Lay out bacon strips on a wire rack set over a foil-lined cookie sheet.  Sprinkle 2 tablespoons brown sugar on top and bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes until bubbly & browned.  Sprinkle generously with black pepper when it comes out of the oven & cool slightly.

Julienne (thinly slice) the bacon into bits.  Mix Bisquick, milk, the bacon drippings (yes, do it)

bacon, cheese and 2 tablespoons brown sugar until combined.  Spoon heaping tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheets and bake for 9-10 minutes or until just browned. 

Meanwhile in the microwave, melt the butter & honey.  When the biscuits come out of the oven, brush with honeybutter.  Serve warm to your family with good coffee next to a warm fire.    

I Cheated. Don’t Tell.

I am so glad none of the in-laws read this.

I was in charge of dessert for last night’s annual Christmas dinner.

And because I was still recovering from sugery and had an UBER-busy week at work, I totally cheated on my required Christmas dessert, red velvet cupcakes. 

I mean TOTALLY cheated:

Boxed cake mix is one thing.  An excellent thing, actually.

But generally I pride myself on scratch baking.  (There are days I believe it’s over-rated, however.)

Not only did I use a box, but I also used the 2-ingredient Weight Watchers recipe, using 12 ounces of pop (soda for you non-Michiganders).  Dr. Pepper is perfect for red velvet.

AND although I pride myself on my amazing frosting creations, I didn’t even make homemade frosting.  I used straight Cool Whip. 

Piped on with a 1M star tip like snowflakes. 

Cool Whip is secretly my favorite food product on earth.  Isn’t it beautiful?  Sniff. 

Shiny red wrappers and a chandelier cupcake stand and BAM!  Instant fancy dessert.

Three ingredients.  I’m a genius.  Okay, four.  I added Ghirardelli chocolate chips as a last-ditch effort, in vain, to add some class.

Then, when I got home from work yesterday with an extra half hour to spare, I made a homemade pumpkin pie and kept it all for ourselves.  Shhh.  Don’t tell.  I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to eat any real food for dinner so I made sure to have something soft, creamy & palatable for me to eat when we got home from the Christmas party. 

Our white elephant gift exchange was epic – “must be wearable on one’s head”.  The best ever!