Pumpkin Spice Latte

I think there is a cult-like devotion towards the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte. I don't understand it. Don't get me wrong - I love coffee. I love Starbucks. I love lattes. I love pumpkin pie, nutmeg, and cinnamon. You'd think I'd be the perfect candidate for this spicy fall treat, right? But alas, I think the pumpkin spice latte (affectionately known as the "PSL" by fans), is horrible. I don't know why. I tried to give it another shot last year, but I could only swallow about 1/4 of my drink. I had to throw the rest away. Sad, isn't it? I'm looking forward to Peppermint Mocha season, which starts after Thanksgiving.

I've been cheating

I wanted to separate my food posts from my non-food posts, so I created a separate food blog. (Specifically, it's a baking blog). It's at www.marthabaking.blogspot.com. No, my name isn't Martha, but I'm trying to focus on Martha Stewart recipes.

You may now return to your regularly scheduled program.

Cake Love

There's a VERY popular bakery / cake shop in the DC area called Cake Love. I've tried a couple of their cakes, and they're not bad, but they're not even close to being the best I've ever had. Their cupcakes are downright terrible. The cake is super dry, and the buttercream frosting is unmemorable. The last time I tried one of their cupcakes, I couldn't even finish it.

I really don't understand why this place is so popular. I can only imagine that people buy their cupcakes because of the owner's biography (he's a former government attorney) rather than the quality of his baked goods.

If you're in a cupcake mood, I highly recommend these pina colada cupcakes. They're fun, festive, and addictive. I made them as dessert for a tiki party I hosted last weekend. I got the recipe from one of my favorite food blogs, Good Things Catered. I made them tiki-themed by decorating them with colorful umbrellas, but you could also decorate them with straws.




Pina Colada Cupcakes Wearing Party Hats

Ingredients
2 1/4 c. sifted cake flour
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 2/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. oil
2 large eggs
1/2 c. fresh or canned pineapple, diced and patted dry
1 (13.5-ounce) can coconut milk
Splash of dark rum (I used Meyer's)
2 tsp vanilla extract

Whipped vanilla frosting
1/2 bag of unsweetened coconut flakes (you can also use shredded coconut)
Maraschino cherries, drained and dried

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cupcake pan with baking cups.

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. Combine rum and coconut milk in small bowl, mix to combine and set aside. Place sugar and oil in mixer and mix until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture and coconut milk mixture alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in vanilla and fold in pineapple. Spoon batter into prepared pans. Sharply tap the pans once on counter top to remove air bubbles. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool in pans 10 minutes on wire racks, and remove from pans. Cool completely on wire racks. When cupcakes are completely cool, frost with whipped vanilla frosting (this acts like a glue for the coconut) and roll tops in coconut flakes. Top each with a cherry. Serve with paper umbrellas for a fun presentation!

I adore avocados

We often cook simple Mexican food at home, especially quesadillas, because they're so tasty and easy to cook up for weeknight meals. I refer to quesadillas as "Mexican grilled-cheese sandwiches," which I think is a pretty accurate description. You can mix and match all sorts of different ingredients, depending on what you have in your fridge or pantry.

Lately I've been buying avocados from Trader Joe's, because they're very reasonably priced, but they only sell them in packs of four. I love avocados, and this veritable glut has forced me to branch out beyond my standard guacamole recipe. Last week, I decided to change things up a little bit and make an avocado and tomato salad to accompany a new quesadilla recipe. I totally winged both recipes, but they turned out really well. These are definitely "keepers" in our house.

The Judge's Avocado-Tomato Salad
1 semi-ripe avocado, cut into large chunks
1 tomato, diced
1/4 red onion, diced
1-2 TBSP cilantro (to taste)
juice from 1/2 lime
1/2 chopped jalepeno pepper OR a few dashes of habenero pepper hot sauce (I like Melinda's brand)
1/4 tsp salt

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl until well blended. Serve with tortillas, chips, or anything else!








Smoked Gouda and Caramelized Onion Quesadillas
(adapted from an Epicurious recipe)

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1 white or yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon golden brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 1/2 cups grated smoked Gouda cheese
6 10-inch-diameter flour tortillas

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add onion, brown sugar and vinegar; sauté until onion is golden brown, stirring frequently, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat. Cool to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Sprinkle cheese over half of each tortilla, dividing equally. Sprinkle sautéed onion over cheese. Season with pepper. Fold other half of each tortilla over cheese mixture.

Brush heavy large skillet with some additional melted butter or oil. Place over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook quesadillas just until brown spots appear, brushing skillet with butter or oil between batches, about 30 seconds to 1 minute per side. Transfer quesadillas to heavy large baking sheet.

Bake until tortillas are golden and cheese melts, about 5 minutes.

Pasta Puttanesca

I am a registered carb-o-holic, so I'm always looking for new pasta recipes. This recipe for pasta puttanesca is a triple-threat: delicious, easy, and healthy! It's one of my favorite weeknight meals. I like to serve it with a mixed green salad and some crusty Italian bread. Oh, and a glass of red wine, of course!

Pasta Puttanesca
(Adapted from a recipe by Ellie Krieger)

8 ounces whole-wheat thin spaghetti
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil

1/4 cup pitted chopped Kalamata olives (you can substitute other olives)
2 tablespoons chopped capers
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, preferably "no salt added"
3/4 cup chopped fresh arugula
1/4 cup grated Parmaggiano Reggiano cheese

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add pasta and cook according to the directions on the package.

While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large skillet over a medium flame. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the basil, olives, capers, anchovy paste, oregano and crushed red pepper to the skillet, and saute for 2 minutes more. Add the tomatoes and simmer for about 5 minutes. Stir in the arugula and simmer for 1 minute more, until the greens wilt slightly.

When the pasta is done, drain it and add it to the skillet, tossing it with the sauce to combine. Top with grated cheese.

New format

I changed the format/style of my blog, because the old format was doing some weird things with my photos. This is one of the few styles that didn't crop all of my Shutterfly pictures, so I'm sticking with it for now. I don't know what Blogger has against Shutterfly, but they are not happy with each other right now.

The rednecks among us

A couple of weeks ago, the hubz and I decided to check out our local county fair. Funnel cakes, fried Oreos, and Ferris wheels, oh my! What better way to spend a warm summer afternoon?

Our county has a moderate-sized farming community (although much of our farmland has been taken over by urban/suburban development in recent years). I've been to a few agricultural fairs in my time, so I was expecting to see some rabbits, goats, and maybe a few cows. However, I was not prepared for the racing pigs. Yes, I said RACING PIGS. Piglets, to be exact. (There were also racing ducks and racing baby goats, which were adorable.) In case you're wondering how they convinced the pigs to run around a track, I can answer your question with one word: CHEETOS. Genius, right? I mean, I know plenty of PEOPLE who would run around a 20-yard track for a handful of Cheetos.

To further support the redneck element, I should also mention that the pigs were named after NASCAR drivers.... Dale Earnhardt Jr., Richard Petty, etc. (Sorry, those are the only two NASCAR names I know offhand, and the only reason I know Petty is because I always confuse him with the singer, Tom Petty. I guess I don't have much redneck cred.)

Anyway, here are some photos of the pigs:



Coming around the bend, it's Earnhardt, then Petty, then... whoever!

Snarfing down some post-race Cheetos. Mmmm tasty!

And here's a photo of the racing ducks:




I know what you're thinking. Racing pigs, racing ducks, you've seen it all before. You want to see something new! Something exciting! Something that literally makes your jaw drop and your eyes bug out of your head. Well, my friends, I think I have what you're looking for. You will never guess what else I found at my local county fair.

A toilet decorating contest. Yes, you read that correctly. There was a contest to DECORATE TOILETS. And you know what's even more shocking? Some of the toilets were actually pretty darn cool. (Can I get some of my redneck cred back now?) See for yourself....




You can clearly see the SpongeBob toilet in the background, but my favorites were the two politically-themed toilets in the front. What a brilliant analogy. Let's take a closer look, shall we?



The toilet bowl says "Privy to Change," with money flushing down the drain. It's brilliant! Brilliant, I tell you!

I guess this is what they mean when they say "beauty is in the eye of the beholder?"