Sunday Brunch

On late, lazy Sunday mornings, one of our favorite breakfasts to make is a variation on fried potatoes. They change a little bit each time, but this time we thought they came out particularly well and thought we'd share the recipe. But don't be afraid to get creative and try your own spin!

The finished potatoes.

The close-up.

Right before they were devoured. 

Improv Potatoes (2 servings):

• 2 russet potatoes, diced 
• Olive oil
• 2/3 cup halved grape tomatoes
• A pinch of lemon pepper
• A pinch of hot sauce (or more, to taste)
• A dash of crushed red pepper flakes
• A dash of onion powder
• A dash of garlic powder
• A dash of sriracha (or more, to taste)
• A sprinkle of ground cinnamon
• A sprinkle of thyme
• Salt and pepper, to taste

          Coat a large, non-stick skillet in olive oil and set to medium heat. While heating, add the garlic and onion powder. After about a minute, add the potatoes. Cook for about five minutes, stirring frequently, then add the lemon pepper and crushed red pepper. Stir for another ten minutes before adding the tomatoes. After another five minutes, stir in the hot sauce and sriracha. Cook for another five, turn off the heat and top off with the cinnamon and thyme, stirring thoroughly to incorporate the spices. CAUTION: These are SPICY. Be careful. Please don't burn your taste buds off. Have a great morning. 

Cookbooks and Cake

Today we dropped by the campus bookstore and while browsing found a book we absolutely had to buy:

The holy book of vegan baking

The book is called Sticky Fingers' Vegan Sweets (Petersan, 2015). It has chapters on cakes, cookies, cupcakes, whoopie pies and more. It was written by the former winners of Cupcake Wars and the only team to ever win on the show with vegan cupcakes! The cake we made is a Chocolate Raspberry Cake and it was absolutely delightful. We think this cake would be perfect for Valentine's Day and is a really fun two-person baking project. It takes a little bit of time but is very much worth it.

The finished cake.

The profile.

The slice.

Some helpful hints: 

• Leave the cakes in a minute or two longer than the recipe says if you have a small oven. Ours were a little sticky in the center which made cutting a challenge.
• If possible, puree your own fresh raspberries.
• If possible, make the frosting and ganache ahead of time and refrigerate, Ours got a bit melt-y sitting out while we decorated.
• Have fun with the decorations! We went with the ganache pictured in the book, a crown of raspberries stuffed with mini chocolate chips, a mound of raspberry puree in the center and some more mini chips over top. This was by far the most fun part of making the cake.

Our overall thoughts on the book:

It's very well written and easy to follow. The page turns can get a bit tricky in recipes with multiple steps, so just make sure you know which pages you're using and bookmark them. There are ingredient and equipment indexes at the front of the book that make advanced baking seem much more manageable. There are two sections of inspiring glossed photos that are the honestly the reason we bought it. All in all we give this book a huge thumbs up and would highly recommend it no matter your baking skill level.

Soapy Pillows

When I was growing up, my mom called these bad boys Soapy Pillows. The original dessert, sopapillas, is a great way to get rid of extra tortillas... and after those burritos we definitely had extra tortillas. They're super quick to make and with two people, the job flies by. It's also pretty cool to watch them puff up. If you're looking for dessert but don't have the typical "dessert ingredients", give these a whirl!

The spread.

The golden children.

Up close and personal.

Artsy powdered sugar.

Soapy Pillows (makes a **** ton):

• 4 large flour tortillas
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2 cups of canola oil
• 1/2 cup maple syrup (for dipping)
• Any other dipping sauces- chocolate sauce, honey, etc.

          Pour the oil into a saucepan and heat on high. Slice the large flour tortillas into 1/8th wedges. Test the oil with a small piece of tortilla- once it sizzles, the oil is ready. Drop the tortilla wedges into the oil two to three at a time. Cook for approximately 10 seconds and flip, then transfer to a dinner plate coated in a paper towel. Even if they aren't quite golden yet, they will continue to cook on the plate because of the oil, so pop them out of the oil after 20 seconds. Transfer all of them to a big bowl and sprinkle powdered sugar over each layer as you place it in the bowl. Pour the maple syrup and other dipping sauces into bowls, and enjoy! 

Inaugural Burritos

Welcome! After being snowed in for the weekend, we decided to kick off this cooking blog with tonight's scrumptious dinner: burritos! They're easy, quick and fun. Here's our version on the classic:

The spread.

The veggies.

The fillins.

The finishing touches.

Inaugural Burritos (makes 4):

Veggie Filling

• 1/2 a red bell pepper, sliced
• 1/2 a green bell pepper, sliced
• 1 cup of baby bella mushrooms, sliced
• Olive oil to coat pan
• A pinch of salt and pepper
• A dash of garlic powder
• A dash of onion powder
• A dash of cumin
• A dash of coriander
• A sprinkle of cayenne
• A sprinkle of red pepper flakes
• A sprinkle of oregano
• A sprinkle of paprika

          Heat the oil on medium high heat. After about two minutes, toss in the veggies. Stir often, cooking for for about 5 minutes. When veggies look bright and mildly tender, toss in herbs and spices. Stir together for another 2 minutes.

Da Rest

• Your favorite guacamole, to taste
• Peach salsa, to taste
• Hot sauce, to taste (don't be a wimp)
• 1 cup white rice, steamed
• 1 can re-fried pinto beans
• 1/2 cup sliced grape tomatoes
• Cheese (if desired, to taste)
• 4 flour tortillas

          Wipe down pan from making veggie filling. Place tortillas one by one, cooking for about 20 seconds per side. Spread a layer of beans and a layer of guacamole on the tortilla, fill 'er up and wrap snug by folding up the bottom first, then folding in the two sides. Eat the heck outta' that durn burrito.