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

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!

READ THE POST

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.

READ THE POST

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.

READ THE POST

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).

READ THE POST

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.

READ THE POST

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!

READ THE POST

Bittersweet & Indulgent Dark Chocolate Waffles

January 3, 2021

What could be better than bittersweet dark chocolate waffles drizzled in melted peanut butter and sweet maple syrup??

Nothing. The answer is nothing. Whether for an indulgent solo brunch, a romantic “breakfast for dinner”, or just because on a trying Tuesday morning, these waffles have your back. And they’re my new obsession.

Even though they were plenty delicious the first time I made them, I’ve fiddled with the recipe quite a bit to get it PERFECT. I made a few tweaks, both for flavor and texture as well as to slim down the calorie punch a bit.

For one, I didn’t want these waffles to be too sweet—after all, you’re putting syrup on them. So I backed off both the sugar and dark chocolate…we’re after bittersweet and indulgent (with toppings), but not rich or fudgy (which tend to make me a bit nauseous).

I also wanted to make sure the waffles got good and crisp, which the cocoa powder will fight against a bit. So after doing some research, I ended up using a little cornstarch and it does the trick nicely.

And then let’s talk simplicity…the original dark chocolate waffle recipe calls for separating the eggs and whipping the egg whites, then folding them in. Honestly, I’m lazy and rarely do that for waffles. I just haven’t seen a noticeable difference. But you do you.

Either olive oil or melted butter work in this recipe, though I tend toward butter myself. The butter should make it a little more crisp and impart more flavor, and the olive oil more moist.

Make sure you use a good quality dark chocolate, not like…Hershey’s. It really does pack a punch in this recipe so if you skimp you’ll notice it. I tend to have Ghiradelli baking discs on hand so usually use that.

READ THE POST

A Different Take on Poinsettia Punch (Berry, Lemon, & Spice Gin Cocktail)

January 1, 2021

Doesn’t that just look lovely?? I was recently introduced to this poinsettia punch cocktail by a coworker, and immediately fell in love with it.

The flavor combo of berry, lemon, and warm spices is right up my alley, and the substitution of gin made it a no-brainer for me.

I hadn’t heard of poinsettia punch before, though in doing some digging apparently the more traditional version has an orange and cranberry flavor profile, and often champagne. It’s a fairly common cocktail around the holidays (hence the name)…and honestly this recipe is entirely different. So much so, I’m not sure how it has the same name!

READ THE POST

Socca (Chickpea Flatbread) with Roasted Veggies & Goat Cheese

December 30, 2020

Be honest…if I say “chickpea flatbread”, does it give you immediate cravings?? I’m guessing that’s a NO. But it should. Socca has been on my radar for several months, but for whatever reason I kept putting off giving it a try.

Then last week I was starving, needed something super healthy, and had nothing in my fridge…I’d gotten back in town late Christmas Eve so everything was closed. I had some veggies clinging on for dear life in my fridge and that was it. So I decided that socca needed to happen immediately.

What is socca?

Socca (called farinata over the border in Italian Liguria) is a traditional Provençal flatbread and street food, somewhere between a pancake and a thick crepe. It’s crazy simple, made with chickpea flour and water, with a little salt and olive oil for flavor.

It’s naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and egg-free, and high in protein from the chickpea flour. Cooked under the broiler, it’s got a charred top and golden, crispy outside, with a soft creamy inside, perfect for topping with whatever your heart desires.

Personally I love garlicky roasted vegetables and soft, salty cheese, but you can top with eggs, fresh veggies, meat, or anything else, or just slice it up into wedges and eat hot and fresh.

It’s satisfying, one of those healthy recipes that still feels a little indulgent. And perhaps most importantly, socca is flexible…as long as you have chickpea flour on hand you can make it, and then just figure out what your refrigerator has to offer for toppings.

I use a small 5-inch cast iron skillet for a single portion of this socca breakfast skillet. You can double or triple it for a larger pan to feed more people, but it’s so easy and fast to make that I wouldn’t try to use it for leftovers. It’s definitely best fresh.READ THE POST