finding time for cooking | for the time-starved or curious culinary adventurer

Protein-Packed Single-Serving Almond Butter Waffle (GF, Keto, Low Carb)

February 27, 2021

First off, I’m not going to pretend that these are “real” waffles. Not like my fluffy carb-y buttermilk goodness, or dark chocolate indulgence. But if you’re on a low carb diet for whatever reason, this keto waffle recipe might be your best friend.

I accidentally made this a few months ago on a healthy whim, and kind of forgot about it since it didn’t blow my mind.

But the last month I’ve been on a super low-carb diet for health reasons for (like keto, but more restrictive). And after a couple weeks of egg-mania plus some 90-second keto bread, I was craving something that felt semi-normal.

It’s crazy easy and all the ingredients were things I had on-hand. Even if you’re not on a specific diet, going low-carb and gluten-free on occasion isn’t a bad thing.

I often add a bit of cinnamon and vanilla to the mix, and you could even try going a tiny bit savory if you wanted (like some fresh rosemary). It doesn’t need sweetener, but you could definitely add a bit of honey or monkfruit syrup too.

I’ve made it in both my more Belgian-style waffle maker and a more traditional rectangle one and it’s great either way (I’m more partial to the Belgian).

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Traditional Sticky Toffee Pudding (Cake)

February 21, 2021

Despite being a massive Great British Bake Off superfan, I often find myself underwhelmed with a lot of Brit desserts (as they’re often a bit less moist than I prefer myself). But as I discovered on a trip to Scotland several years ago, sticky toffee pudding does NOT fall into that category.

In fact, I’m obsessed. This has a very “fall” feel to it (and that’s when I first made it), but this is true cold weather comfort food all winter long.

The thing is, I don’t like “toffee” at all, so I’d never paid this dessert any attention. I was excited to find that it doesn’t actually include any toffee, and instead is a moist treacly cake doused with buttery, sugary sauce.

(And even describing it like that would make me think I wouldn’t like it…BUT I DO. The world is a mystery.)

So is it a pudding or a cake?? Yes. British people call desserts “pudding”, which is baffling, and it’s definitely a cake. And if I understand correctly, it’s considered a “pudding” due to being more moist and having a sauce, rather than being super cake-like??

Brits, hit me up in the comments and help me understand…I’m reading between the lines of GBBO episode critiques.

As I’m one person and didn’t want to gain 32 pounds just from this recipe, I halved the recipe and it made 4 small ramekins. Halving is tricky with some of the amounts, but for any time I need to half a “3/4” amount, I shoot for halfway between 1/3 and 1/2.

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Black Raspberry Irish Coffee Cocktail

February 18, 2021

I have issues with alcohol + hot. Seemingly-insurmountable issues. You can keep you hot toddies and your mulled wine. But I keep hearing about how amazing authentic Irish coffees are and felt like I had to truly give them a fair shot.

Then I ran across this black raspberry Irish coffee cocktail and was INTRIGUED.

What makes it different than a regular Irish coffee?? Mostly it’s the addition of Chambord liqueur, in a couple guises.

Chambord is a black raspberry liqueur made in France, aged in old cognac barrels. It’s super delish and you can use it in an easy Chambord Royale (with champagne). But this is a more unique application, bringing something special to a traditional cocktail like the Irish coffee.

This recipe comes from Slane Irish Whiskey, and the addition of Chambord’s rich black raspberry flavor highlights the fruity and vanilla notes in the whiskey (to me at least).

The pictures aren’t much (it’s hard to make this cocktail look sexy), but there is a lot to love about this interesting take on the Irish coffee. I’m still not necessarily a “hot cocktail” fan, but this drink could maybe convert me!

Though I kept thinking…hmm, would this be delicious as an cold coffee cocktail??

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Super Easy Lemon Poppyseed Food Processor Biscuits

February 14, 2021

Guys, there are few things more magical than fluffy hot layered biscuits fresh out of the oven. But honestly…I’m often too lazy to want to spend time cutting or rubbing the butter into the flour. Which is why these food processor biscuits are my new EVERYTHING.

I mean, even on my laziest morning I can throw some stuff in a food processor, blitz it, pat it out, and throw it in the oven.

I love these perfumed with lemon zest and some poppyseeds, for a subtle flavor that pairs perfectly with honey or jam. But the flavors are totally flexible…try orange zest, cinnamon, chopped fresh rosemary, or anything else that strikes your fancy.

The one thing to know is that my dough is often a bit too wet if I use all the buttermilk called for, so maybe go a little easy at first to see if you need it all. But even if your dough gets too wet and sticky, you can add a bit of extra flour while you roll it out—problem solved.

And in less than 30 minutes, you’ll have hot, flaky, steamy biscuits just begging to be devoured!

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90-Second Keto “Bread” (No/Low Carb)

February 6, 2021

I KNOW. You’re probably thinking, “What is happening here? Who is this person??” Same. But here we are—90-second keto bread.

When I started looking for easy keto bread recipes, just to have a vehicle for my almond butter, I had trouble finding one that sounded good. A lot had cream cheese (not my thing, nor do I keep it around the house), or weird ingredients (lookin’ at you psyllium husk), or were overly complex. And then I found this gem.

Technically I guess it should be called like…5-minute keto bread since you have to get the ingredients out and stir them together. The 90 seconds is just the cooking time. But still.

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How To Make a Cute (& Easy) Onesie Cake For a Baby Shower

January 30, 2021

I am known for many things, but my cake decorating skills (or generally making desserts that are aesthetically pleasing) is NOT one of those things. I make delicious things, but they’re not always pretty and that’s okay. When I try cake decorating, it looks like a two-year-old did it.

And I still didn’t do an *amazing* job on this adorable onesie cake, but I’m PRETTY DARN PROUD OF IT and also think the idea/technique is awesome.

For this shower, the mom-to-be had requested her favorite cake—regular yellow box cake with chocolate frosting. And what mama wants, mama gets.

HOWEVER, this hurt my baker’s soul, so I tried to figure out some way to make it special. Well, and I also made a second (delicious) cake 🙂

While sifting through baby shower cake ideas, I stumbled upon this onesie-shaped cake, and it actually looked super easy so it felt I could tackle it. It’s mainly just some simple cutting or carving of a 9×13 cake and then doing the frosting and just a bit of piping.

Mine is definitely not perfect (definitely looks wonkus in the diaper region especially), but I’ll talk about a few of the techniques I used below.

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One-Bowl Easy King Cake

January 24, 2021

I kind of have to preface this post by saying that this is not much like a traditional king cake. But it IS easier and faster. And delicious. It might make NOLA peeps upset, but sometimes you just need an easy king cake recipe that bucks tradition a bit.

An alternative king cake, if you will.

Listen, a real king cake is awesome (and I’ve got one coming your way). But it’s a lot of work to make, and a lot of store-bought ones are just NOT GREAT. I don’t celebrate Mardi Gras or know tons about it, but I’ve always loved the flavor profile and textures of a really good king cake.

So when Joy the Baker (a New Orleans-ite and king cake connoisseur herself) offered up this one-bowl easy king cake recipe that’s…actually more like a cake…I was intrigued.

And it’s delish! I think of it as a fancy coffee cake-like thing that also can claim some king cake DNA?? And you know I’m always 100% IN on coffee cake (see this, this, and this).

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Easy 30-Minute Mongolian Chicken

January 18, 2021

Ohhhhh man. I’ve always been a huge Mongolian beef fan when I get Chinese takeout, but I’d never really given any thought to Mongolian chicken.

But the other night I was really missing my amazing Chinese place back in Atlanta. I was trying to find something delicious and indulgent but easy, and remembered how much I loved my easy 30-minute Mongolian beef.

Problem was…I didn’t have any flank steak or similar. I *did* have chicken thighs though, which honestly were getting close to their use-by date, so I decided to give that a try.

AND IT WAS SO GOOD!!! I could truly have eaten the entire dish in one sitting. I did make a big side of my honey-balsamic roasted brussels sprouts, so I wasn’t *entirely* being naughty.

I kept it simple and roasted some thin red peppers to go along with it, but you could do broccoli or anything else you prefer.

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A Home Baker Trying Out Samin Nosrat’s Ligurian Focaccia

January 16, 2021

I’ve been fascinated with the idea of trying out this Ligurian focaccia recipe ever since I watched the first episode of Samin Nosrat’s Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat on Netflix.

I’d intended to just have it on in the background, but found myself mesmerized by the gorgeously-shot slow, close-ups of bubbling dough, shiny olive oil pooling in dimples, flaky salt showering over a pan. It hooked me good.

I’d been meaning to try out this recipe for months, but stalled and hemmed and hawed…something about figuring out the long first rise time and when the final product would be ready (for dinner time, ostensibly) seemed to trip me up. I wanted to actually ENJOY making this, not feel rushed or only half paying attention.

That seems silly in hindsight. But since I had some time over the winter break period to do whatever, whenever, I “scheduled” it for one of those chilly days between Christmas and New Year’s (though I celebrate neither of those) when the time kind of blurs together.

No one is really working, you’re not getting bombarded with emails, and you can just kind of…coast. Drink coffee until it’s time to drink gin. Watch the classic black-and-white “New Moon” for the umpteenth time. Maybe organize your closet. Lose a few hours reading. Wonder if it’s Tuesday or Friday.

And between doing those things you can do the few steps it takes to pretend you’re as awesome and knowledgeable as Samin Nosrat and throw together this Ligurian focaccia. You’ll mimic her gentle movements, the dreamy glug of olive oil and sprinkles of salt.

Or, honestly, you’ll rush each step but still make sure that it has plenty of time to rise (THIS IS CRITICAL), and still end up with an addictive crunchy, salty bread. Because I learned that this recipe is so simple that if you’re only half paying attention you can still end up in the same place. It takes patience in the rising, but the actual hands-on steps are so easy.

What makes Ligurian focaccia different? Many people consider Ligurian focaccia (focaccia liguria, or sometimes focaccia genovese which is where the dimples are used) to be the most traditional Italian focaccia type, though there are other regional types.

You’ll find it all of the country, sometimes by itself or with toppings, or as the basis for sandwiches as well. If you see “pizza bianca” listed on a menu, this is basically just focaccia (sometimes with a little cheese as well) so don’t be expecting a real pizza.

So let’s try this, shall we?? READ THE POST

Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken

January 9, 2021

Want to know a secret?? I realize the instant pot is the darling of cooks everywhere. But I’ve struggled to make recipes that I love with it, for the most part. Heresy, I know. However, this easy and delicious instant pot honey garlic chicken is finally a breakthrough!

One of my biggest issues with the Instant Pot (and honestly with crockpots as well) is that sauces tend to be water-ier and everything seems to be soggier than I’d want. Flavors aren’t as punchy or bright. Mostly I’m sad.

And while this sauce definitely isn’t as thick and indulgent as my easy sesame chicken is (or anything like that stovetop-based), the hands-off aspect here and the fast “time to table” makes this a winner. And the flavors are rich and complex. That’s a winner in my book!

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