Surprise Goodbye Party

Tonight I set out for what I thought was a coffee date with my good friend, Kristen. But what ensured was an wonderful evening planned and executed by four of my lovely friends - Alyssa, Kristen, Morgan, and D'Ana. Morgan and I are leaving for grad programs in Virginia and so these sneaky three planned a surprise going away party for us at Kristen's house. Of course my bf was a part of this plan and he played his part quite well, telling me that he had dinner plans with a friend and so he had to "drop me off and Kristen's house." I have never been more touched and I really will never forget the amazing time I had this evening.

Ok, so I didn't make any part of this meal. But I think it is important to showcase the cooking talents of others and my friends have gots some skillzzzz :)

D'Ana made a delicious and unique "pizza" for lack of a better word. She made her own pesto and smeared it on pita bread and focaccia bread. She topped this with melted cheese and cut baby heirloom tomatoes. It was sooooo good.

Alyssa made stir fry with chunks of ginger (NOT chicken, as I originally thought - haha). Her father made his famous noodle dish which I am absolutely in LOVE with. I forgot the exact name, but it's a Filipino dish. He also made homemade egg rolls!!! I have never had anything as yummy.

Finally, Kristin ordered an amazing cake from Zingermann's - dark chocolate cake, chocolate ganache filling, and homemade butter cream. Oh my gosh, I could totally taste that butter...

Mid-day Getaway

Yesterday was a very busy day, to say the least. It was the last day of my internship and I was preparing for the ceremony and showcase when I received the cutest message from my sweetie: "My friend cancelled our lunch date. Can I come home and eat with you?" Now, how could I feed him random leftovers after that? For the past 2 weeks I have been promising to make scallion, jalapeno, cheddar scones but with all the lunch and dinner meetings, I just haven't had a chance! So I got to thinking, what if I made them as part of a delicious, summertime lunch?

I got the recipe from this blog and this Ina Garten Recipe but, as usual, made a couple modifications:

What You Need:

2 cups flour

1 Tbs baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 sticks butter, cut into very tiny pieces

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 egg

1 cup New Zealand Cheddar

3/4 jalapeno, with seeds removed and minced finely

3 scallions, chopped

Mix the dry ingredients. Cut in pieces of butter until they are the size of peas. This is easier to do since you've cut the butter into small pieces already.

Mix the wet ingredients.

Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add the wet.

Stir to combine. Then add the scallion, cheddar, and jalapeno and mix enough to just incorporate them. Turn this out onto a floured surface and knead about 6 times.

Roll out into a rectangle about 1/2 an inch thick and but into rectangles - between 8 and 9.

Place onto a baking pan and sprinkle with a little grated cheese. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes, then lower the temperature to 400 degrees and bake for another 10 minutes. The cheese should be melted and the tops should be golden.

Tips from the Chef

If you don't have buttermilk, which I didn't, you can add 1Tbs white vinegar per 1/2 cup of milk. Let this sit for about 15/20 minutes and the milk will curdle, which you want. Now you have buttermilk.

Use a cheddar cheese with body and flavor, otherwise you won't be able to taste it!

Using cold butter is key here because when it is Incorporated into the mixture and then hits the hot heat, the butter will pop and that is what makes the scones super flaky, not crumbly. You don't want to over-mix either because then they'll be dense and stiff. Over-mixing develops the gluten in the flour and so the mix becomes a stiff sticky.

I served the scones with a few slices of farm-stand tomatoes which we bought at the Farmers Market.

I also cut some corn off the cob and sauteed it with butter and added a little salt and pepper - VERY simple. Sometimes it is just better to remain faithful to the honest flavors of your ingredients.

Alone in Ann Arbor

Since the bf has planned a bunch of road trips in the weeks leading up to my move, I find myself alone in the kitchen a lot which forces me to be creative because, let's face it, one can only watch so much television.

The other day I invented the most amazing brownie sundae with warmed brownie, peanut butter, and chocolate chips covered with a scoop of caramel swirl ice cream. It was divine and totally hit the spot. Next year I probably won't be able to afford ice cream, so I am savoring the moments when I can curl up with a pint of Hudsonville :)

Most recently, I am making it my mission to discover cheap yet tasty meals - meals fit for a girl on a budget and loads of schoolwork. I started thinking about what's cheap and I came to the conclusion that beans are pretty affordable and they can be spiced up very easily. Here are a few ways to turn a canned nightmare into a culinary wonder:

1) Cannellini beans: These are just white kidney beans, essentially. Drain and rinse a can and add some salt, pepper, garlic powder, fresh garlic, chopped basil, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil. It's filling and tasty and you can spice it up with red bell pepper or feta cheese, if you have some.

Credits

2) Pinto beans: These are pretty creamy in texture, so I warm and mash them, adding jalapeno, salt, and maybe a little Tabasco. Cover with sour cream and/or cheddar cheese and you have a refried beans-esque meal.

http://www.showshown.com/bowmanfarm/compare.jpg

3) Lentils:

Super simple to cook. My mom would make these for me for lunch when I was little. Just prepare the dried lentils as stated on the package and serve with oil and lemon juice. Lentils are chalk full of protein and super cheap, so this is a great carry-along lunch or easy dinner if you make a lot at the beginning of the week.

4) Chickpeas: Drain and throw into a salad for a quick protein fix OR do the following. Fry 2 onions, thinly sliced, and 4 cloves of garlic. Add them to 2 or 3 cans of chickpeas then fry some cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, poppy seeds, and cardamon pods in oil until the cardamon pods pop (don't get hot oil on yourself). Add this to the onions and mix in a heaping spoon of sour cream and some Greek yogurt. If you like cilantro (or you can use Italian flat-leafed parsley as an alternative) chop some and throw that in at the end. Season with salt and pepper.

I will be making #4 for sure in the near future so get psyched for pics! If you have any recipes that YOU like, send them my way, too :)

Last Hoorah...for at least a month :)

Goodbyes are one of the hardest things to handle, wouldn't you say? In two weeks, I am moving to Richmond. It's a big city and a new start, but it is very far from the people I love. ALL the people I love. As these next two weeks pass, and I know they will pass much to quickly, I am amazed at the amount of lunch and coffee dates I have fit onto my calender. All my friends, I can't thank you enough for making this life of mine so full of kindness and support. I try to remind myself that it doesn't matter how far away we are from each other, my friends are my friends because of WHO we are, not because of proximity. But it is still hard to imagine seeing them only 3 or 4 times a year instead of the usual hundred-plus.

Patti and her mother had uncovered a recipe for Zingerman's Black Magic Brownies and so we attempted to make them - with lots of butter, chocolate, and nuts. Here's the recipe. I just found this version online and saw that it is a little different than the one we used, which would account for our increased baking time and super-thick cake-like end product. If yours turn out too gooey at the end of the 30 minutes, put them back in the oven for a while longer or call your creation "brownie pudding " :) Re-naming recipes that don't turn out how you originally expect them to is always a handy trick. Oh, and remember: 1) chocolate can burn if it cooks too long AND 2) continue cooking even after they come out of the oven.

Thank you to Patti, Megan, and Katie for trekking it to Ann Arbor so we could all spend an evening together.