Baker's Theory

Zebra Cakes with Vanilla Pudding Frosting and Boozy Chocolate Glaze

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Zebra cakes with vanilla pudding frosting and a drizzle of boozy chocolate glaze. So, so easy because you use boxed cake mix and instant pudding mix, just like the lemon blossoms recipe! You can get a little fancy with the frosting tips if you want, or just give it a healthy dollop and enjoy. I started these out with the intention of making mini Boston cream pie cupcakes, but I ended up with these instead. Not complaining!

Vanilla pudding frosting > Buttercream

So this vanilla pudding frosting…is the answer to my unending search for a buttercream frosting substitute. I just don’t like buttercream. There. I said it. It’s out there. 

Buttercream is too much like eating straight up butter. But this vanilla pudding frosting is out of this world, and a lot easier to make than buttercream! No softening butter required. The instant pudding and the heavy cream work together like they’ve known each other forever. Thick and fluffy! Stuffed in a pastry bag with a star tip, you can make beautiful roses on the cupcakes and they’ll taste WAY better than buttercream. 

Frosting with Vanilla pudding: tips and tricks

Here is a frosting tip for making pretty roses: using a star tip, work in to out. Start at the center of the cake and spiral outwards. Also, keep the pastry bag straight up, perpendicular to the cupcake, like this: 

Pastry bags work really well because they’re angled just right for frosting tips, but you can also just as easily use a gallon ziplock bag! 

The easiest way to transfer frosting into a pastry bag or ziplock bag is to place the bag in a tall drinking glass and roll the edges over the sides of the cup. Now you essentially have someone holding the bag open! All you have to do is spoon in dollops of delicious vanilla pudding frosting!

Boxed cake mixes help you focus on your presentation

Of course, I love to make homemade cakes, but there is something fun and super convenient about using boxed cake mix and instant pudding mix! It’s nice for when you really want to focus on the presentation of your dessert, and not necessarily fuss with measuring spoons, whipping egg whites, and folding batter. Removing the complexity of fancy cake making and just honing in on your frosting skills makes you a better pastry decorator!

The boozy chocolate glaze...

Chocolate-y glazes remind me of donuts and donuts make me very happy, so I was elated to include a chocolate glaze in this recipe. Similar to buttercream, I am not huge on just melting chocolate chips to make frosting or glaze because it just ends up tasting like…melted chocolate chips. This glaze is powdered sugar with cocoa powder and Kahlua! A touch of half and half and vanilla, too! 

As long as you keep the liquid ratio the same, you can totally replace the half and half with Kahlua and make an *extra* boozy chocolate glaze! Just eat responsibly 😉 

I dubbed these zebra cakes because of the chocolatey stripes the glaze creates against the vanilla pudding frosting, but these aren’t true zebra cakes. I think those have a chocolate and vanilla striped pattern in the cake batter? But you don’t have to go for the zig zag pattern. As you can tell, I played around with the pattern. Some have swirls instead of stripes! A swirly zebra…what an idea. 

Let me know how these turn out when you make them! I love hearing how you guys make and style these recipes. Tag me on instagram if you share there at bakerstheory! 

Now, I must tend to Jim. He’s complaining how he’s a victim of too many good desserts. Woe is him! 🙂

Zebra Cakes with Vanilla Pudding Frosting and Boozy Chocolate Glaze

Makes use of yellow box cake mix and vanilla pudding mix to make the cake base. Vanilla pudding frosting and a Kahlua chocolate glaze zig zags it off for a super fun and easy dessert! The hardest part will be restraining yourself from grabbing more!
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 14 minutes
Frosting and Glazing 20 minutes
Total Time 44 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 18

Equipment

  • Mini muffin tin (24)
  • Frosting tip (optional)
  • Pastry bags or gallon Ziplock bags

Ingredients
  

Cake

  • 1 box Yellow cake mix such as Pillsbury or Duncan Hines
  • 1 box Instant vanilla pudding mix 3 oz
  • 4 Eggs
  • 3/4 cup Vegetable oil

Vanilla Pudding Frosting

  • 1 box Instant vanilla pudding mix 3 oz
  • 1½ cups Heavy whipping cream
  • 1/2 cup Whole milk

Boozy Chocolate Glaze

  • 1½ cups Powdered sugar
  • 3 tbsp Cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp Vanilla extract
  • 2 tbsp Half and half Milk works too
  • 1 tbsp Kahlua Coffee works too

Instructions
 

Make cake

  • Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C. Spray mini muffin tin with non-stick spray
  • Combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, and vegetable oil in a large bowl. Stir until thoroughly combined with a whisk or spatula. Batter will be thick.
  • Using a cookie dough scooper or spoon, scoop a tablespoon of the batter into each muffin tin. (This is half the cookie dough scooper for mine.)
  • You will fill one and a half mini muffin pans with the batter. Bake the pans one at a time for 12-14 minutes.
  • Allow to cool completely before removing from the pan. Place the cakes on wax paper to be frosted and glazed.

Make pudding frosting

  • In a deep bowl, combine pudding mix with heavy whipping cream and milk and beat with a whisk attachment using an electric mixer. Frosting will be thick.
  • Cut the tip off a frosting bag or one of the bottom corners of a gallon ziplock bag. Insert a frosting tip, if desired. (I used a star tip for a rose-type of pattern.) Place the bag in a tall cup and fold the top edge over the cup.
  • Scrape the pudding frosting into the bag. Twist the bag to seal and apply pressure to push frosting out of the tip.
  • Frost the cakes by starting at the center, circling your way out.

Make boozy chocolate glaze

  • Combine powdered sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, half and half, and Kahlua (if using) or espresso. Whisk until a thin glaze.
  • Similar to the pudding frosting, pour glaze into a pastry bag, but this time without any frosting tip. Snip the tip and drag the glaze back and forth across the frosted cakes in a zig zag pattern.
Keyword pudding frosting, Zebra cakes

Hangover Kale

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Kale has grown really popular in the last decade, and I completely stood united with the skeptics until I tried out this recipe. This is the only way I eat kale and it is so good! the serving size is for 2-3, but I can make it for a very hungry one. 

The garlic is sliced, not minced, and gives a little caramelized crispiness for good texture! It is very important to trim the stems off the kale. Otherwise it’s realllllly tough. The leaves are fantastic, but that stem is as fibrous as a tree branch. I guess that’s actually what it is. 

You won’t ever catch me chugging a kale smoothie, but you will definitely see me inhaling this green goodness. 

I really enjoy this as a side for any holiday meal, but it also works great as an alternative to roasted vegetables if your oven is occupied! Definitely try it with slow roasted oven salmon or red wine pasta!!! 

I wrote the recipe as vegetarian, but half the time I will fry up bacon instead of olive oil and add bacon crumbles back into it after I’ve rendered the fat and fried the garlic in it. 

Hangover Kale

It will prevent a hangover or cure one, or just be the most delicious intake of green vegetables you've ever had. It comes together in a snap--first boiling the kale and then pan frying it in bacon fat (or olive oil) with lightly browned garlic and red chili flakes. Toss with parmesan and a squeeze of lemon.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Course Side Dish

Ingredients
  

  • 8 oz Fresh kale leaves stems removed
  • 4 cloves Garlic sliced thinly
  • 1 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil bacon or pancetta fat work too
  • 1/4 tsp Red chili flakes
  • 3 tbsp Grated Parmesan cheese
  • Lemon halved

Instructions
 

  • Prepare an ice bath in a medium bowl with cool water and a few ice cubes. Alternatively lay out a cookie sheet.
  • In a medium pot, boil salted water. Add kale and stir until just cooked, about 2 minutes. Kale will shrink down.
  • Transfer kale to ice bath or spread on a cookie sheet to cool.
  • In a medium skillet, heat olive oil. When shimmering, add garlic slices until golden and slightly browned. Do not burn.
  • Working quickly, add the chili flakes and stir, and then add the kale immediately after. *Waiting too long will make the kitchen air a little spicy!!
  • Sautee until combined, about 1-2 minutes.
  • Remove from heat and toss with Parmesan. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the kale and serve.

Notes

You can add in an extra step and fry some bacon or pancetta in the pan prior to frying the garlic. If doing this, you do not need to use olive oil, as the fat rendered from the bacon or pancetta will work fine! You can use about 2-3 strips of bacon or a 3-4 oz of pancetta, cubed. 
Keyword aglio e olio kale, kale recipe

Oven Roasted Salmon for Lent

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I have long feared overcooking salmon. Dry salmon is the worst. The only things that are good dry are shortbread cookies and gin. Okay, and warm blankets. But I was reading my Salt, Acid, Fat, Heat book and I discovered a way to make salmon that is IMPOSSIBLE to dry out. This is seriously the most tender, flakey, moist salmon I’ve ever had. 

The key: cook it at a low temperature for a longer period of time. Do it this way, and the heating will be so gentle on the proteins that the salmon will be a translucent coral when it’s done cooking. 225F for 45 minutes were the magic numbers. It’s absolutely marvelous, flakey, and tender.

This cute little Corningware dish was the perfect size for a single filet of salmon, but if you’re cooking multiple filets, just use a regular baking pan or casserole dish. 

I have been eyeing this one from Staub at Williams Sonoma…that La Mer color is absolutely gorgeous!

All you have to do is make a little bed of herbs in a pan or casserole dish. Whatever you have on hand is fine. I used rosemary, thyme, and dill. Very springy. I also tore a garlic clove in half and tossed it in there. Then place the boneless, skinless salmon filet on top, sprinkle with salt and oil, and bake!

45-50 minutes in the oven and you’re ready to go! The amount of work you actually put in is 5 minutes, and the oven brings it home. 

Starting with a frozen salmon filet?

No problem! Fish thaws very quickly. If your salmon filet is frozen, 30-60 minutes before you’re ready to bake, place the salmon, still in its packaging, in a bowl of lukewarm water. Place it in the fridge for 30-60 minutes and it’ll be thawed.

If you have multiple filets, fill a baking pan with lukewarm water and distribute them evenly around the pan. Place the pan in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes and it’ll be thawed.

Then remove the packaged filet(s) from the water, take off the packaging, and you’re good to go!

What pairs with roasted salmon?

Too many things! If you’re observing the Friday Lenten fast and you like breakfast for dinner (or any other time of day), flakey, oven roasted salmon atop a bagel with cream cheese is TO DIE FOR. Guys, it’s so good. If you’re feeling extra putzy, you can make this fun Greek bagel for one with feta and dill!

Creamy, herby pasta is also delicious with roasted salmon! This one-pot, cooks-in-its-own-sauce angel hair is ridiculously easy if you want to have a low-maintenance meal prep! 2 cups of milk + 1 cup of water + 8 oz angel hair + 4 tbsp of butter and whatever dried herbs you love! Simmer for 10 min and voila. Just add cheese 🙂

It’s like Pasta-Roni but BETTER. And of course, if you are trying to behave and go the healthy route, roasted vegetables ALWAYS go with roasted salmon, though the veggies may be competing for oven space. Unless you have a double oven like Jane! 

Just a little tip on roasting veggies: the baseline temperature for most roasted vegetables is 400F, thought it’ll vary depending on how “heavy” the vegetable is. For example Brussels sprouts are really hearty, so they could hold up fine at 425F. Cauliflower is a little more frail and will do better around 375F. Regardless, don’t roast your vegetables at the same time as your salmon in the same oven! They’re going to require different temperatures and times!

Alternatively, you could whip up some Hangover Kale, which I personally think is THE BEST choice!!

Oven Roasted Salmon

Slowly roasted salmon in the oven for 40-50 minutes at 225°F GUARANTEES it won't dry out. It's such a gentle heating to the proteins of the fish that it'll look a bit translucent when done roasting! This is perfect with a creamy herby pasta or over a bagel slathered with cream cheese. If you're behaving, it also goes really well with roasted vegetables!
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Main Course
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 4 Salmon filets boneless and skinless
  • Handful of fresh herbs rosemary, thyme, sage, dill, or whatever you have on hand!
  • Salt
  • Extra virgin olive oil

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 225°F / 107°C
  • In a shallow casserole dish or pan, arrange a bed of herbs.
  • Place the salmon filet on top of the bed of herbs. Sprinkle with salt and rub in olive oil.
  • Place in the middle of the oven for 40-50 minutes, or until flakey at the thickest point.
  • Serve with roasted vegetables, creamy pasta, or as lox with a bagel.

Old Fashioned Vanilla Ice Cream

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Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. Classic vanilla ice cream, slow churned to perfection is the classiest dessert out there. It’s the little black dress of sweets. And like a little black dress, vanilla ice cream is both fun and easy to accessorize! 

Brownies! Cookies! Caramel! Hot fudge! Berries! Espresso!

I love a hot fudge brownie sundae, and as crazy as I am about all things chocolate, the only acceptable ice cream for a hot fudge brownie sundae is vanilla. Gotta have balance. 

There’s also the potential to drizzle hot sea salt caramel sauce on the cool vanilla ice cream… maybe a sprinkle of peanuts, too? I know Jim would go for some white chocolate topping! 

When Jim got back from his Disney trip–actually, first I have to preface by saying the Flake family eats a lot of ice cream on vacation. At least once a day, I’m sure. Anyway, Jim got back from his Disney trip totally unfulfilled in the quantity of ice cream he consumed on vacation. 

So I decided to make some for him! (And, okay, also because I really wanted ice cream after he’d talked and talked and talked about it all week.) 

tips & tricks

Some advice when you are in the mood to treat yo-self to homemade ice cream: plan ahead. You have to cook the custard because it contains eggs, and after cooking it you have to chill it in the refrigerator for at least four hours. Then you can churn it in the ice cream maker, but it’s not done after that! You have to freeze it for another four hours! 

It’s totally doable to make in a day as long as you make the custard in the morning! And you very likely have everything in your fridge to make this vanilla ice cream! It’s not putzy, and most of the work is done by the refrigerator and the ice cream maker. Really, the amount of work actually put into it by you is about ten minutes worth! Plus the time it takes to gobble it up! 

If you’re looking for caramel or hot fudge sauce, I love Trader Joe’s brand of both! I have also used Sally’s Baking Addiction for making homemade caramel sauce and it’s a really good recipe. 

Do you need an ice cream maker to make this recipe? 

Well, I haven’t tried yet, but I am guessing you could get a gallon Ziploc bag and fill it with a bit of ice. Then fill another bag (a freezer quart) with the custard, seal it, and place the quart bag in the gallon bag with the ice. Then, to quote the Beatles, shake it up, baby. 

Old Fashioned Vanilla Ice Cream

Classic, creamy, and delicious. So easy to upgrade with mixed in brownie pieces or a healthy drizzle of warm, salted caramel or hot fudge. This is also great with hot coffee poured over it for an affogato summer treat! If you want to have it the same day, make it in the morning so it's ready for an afternoon or post-dinner dessert!
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Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Chill Time (inactive) 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 45 minutes
Course Dessert
Servings 6

Equipment

  • Ice Cream Maker
  • Thermometer

Ingredients
  

  • 4 Egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup Sugar
  • 1 cup Whole milk
  • 1/4 tsp Fine sea salt
  • 1 tbsp Vanilla extract
  • 1 cup Heavy whipping cream

Instructions
 

  • Whisk eggs and sugar in a medium bowl until the mixture is a pale yellow and the texture is ribbon-y, about five minutes.
  • In a sauce pan warm the milk to just before a simmer. Immediately remove from heat.
  • Slowly drizzle the milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly to prevent cooking the eggs.
  • Return the entire mixture to the sauce pan and stir occasionally, checking the temperature with a thermometer until it reads 145°F / 63°C.
  • Transfer the mixture to a large, sealed container (there should be room to add the cream later) and allow to chill in refrigerator for at least 4 hours. The temperature of the chilled mixture should be ~35°F / 1.5°C.
  • Once the mixture has chilled, add to it the heavy cream and vanilla extract, stirring to thoroughly combine.
  • Pour the mixture into the ice cream maker and churn for 20-25 minutes, until stiff and the texture of soft serve.
  • Transfer to a clean sealable container and freeze for at least 4 hours before enjoying.
Keyword ice cream base, vanilla ice cream

How to Espresso on the Cheap

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Nespressos are all the rage now. They’re also outrageously expensive. The cheapest ones are $150, and then the pods are about $0.70 each. I briefly considered one since my regular percolating coffeemaker is ready to retire. But then I discovered stove top espresso makers, and I’m never going back. Thanks, but no thanks, George Clooney. I’ve got something better. 

I am a little geeky when it comes to my stove top espresso maker. The engineer in me likes to know how it works. 

It’s not complicated at all! Just fill the base with filtered water. Then drop the perforated funnel into the base with the funnel pointing down. Fill the top of the funnel with coffee grounds. You can use regular or espresso grounds. (You can also use a food processor or blender to grind your beans if you don’t have a grinder!) 

Twist the upper kettle on to the base and place it on the stove on medium high heat. The water in the base will evaporate and the steam will rise through the funnel of coffee grounds. The coffee-infused steam will continue to rise through the skinny tube in the middle of the kettle where it will condense and become delicious espresso. 

Lemon Blossoms

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Have you ever tried the lemon loaf at Starbucks? The one with the lemony glaze? Yah. This tastes just like it buh bettah. 

By the way, this is not a BT original. I actually got this recipe from Paula Deen back when she had a Food Network show and people actually watched cooking shows, not 15-second videos. 

If you’re in a pinch and need a fast dessert, this is a really good one because it uses boxed yellow cake mix and lemon pudding mix. All you have to do is crack a few eggs, pour in the oil and stir. 

This is a really lemon-y dessert or breakfast, people. Lemon is only second to chocolate for my favorite types of dessert so this is no problem for me! Lemon bars, lemon bread, lemon loaf, lemonade, lemon ice, lemon sorbet, lemon donuts, lemon matcha donuts, I’m drooling. When life hands me lemons, I make at least one of the above. I also have no issue having this for breakfast because it’s as sweet as a coffee cake or cinnamon roll. And it goes *so* well with espresso. 

The texture of the cake is super moist. Adding pudding mix to any cake mix gives it a fantastic, firm, and rich texture. I’ve also found that cakes that use oil are a lot less likely to dry out than those that use butter. 

The icing is just…deluxe. I can’t even describe it. It hardens enough that it’ll gently crack when you bite into it so you’ll have simultaneously hardened and silky, lemony icing jamming on top of the luscious cake. And you just dip the fresh-from-the-oven mini cakes into the bowl of icing and let it d-r-i-i-i-i-p on down. The more icing, the better. I promise you, these will disappear fast. They’re so innocent because they’re mini muffins. Before you know it you’ve had five! 

I wish I knew where food-grade lavender was sold because that would look so lovely and springy sprinkled on top. 

With spring and Easter coming up, I highly recommend these lemon blossoms. They’re also great for bridal or baby showers because they are sunny, bright yellow and are full of refreshing pucker. 

FYI, I used a mini muffin tin which makes 12 mini muffins. Do it twice and you’ll have about 24 mini muffins. But if I’m being honest with you guys, I made one 12 mini muffin batch, and then I was so eager to use my new donut baking pan, that I put the rest of the batter in it. They turned out more like bundt cakes, but I wasn’t complaining. Lots of icing can be stored in that cavern!

Lemon Blossoms

Paula Deen
Super zippy and lemony mini muffin cakes with a deliciously crackly glaze. Both easy and magical because they will vanish immediately. Grab a box of lemon pudding and yellow cake mix and you're half way there! Got this recipe from Paula Deen back when she had her show on the Food Network! Perfect for spring, Easter, bridal showers, or baby showers!
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine Southern
Servings 12

Ingredients
  

Lemon cakes

  • 15.25 oz Yellow cake mix
  • 3.4 oz Lemon pudding mix
  • 4 Eggs
  • 3/4 cup Vegetable oil

Lemon icing

  • 4 cups Powdered sugar sifted
  • Zest of one lemon
  • 1/3 cup Freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 3 tbsp Water
  • 3 tbsp Vegetable oil

Instructions
 

Lemon cakes

  • Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C. Grease a mini muffin tin with non-stick spray. In addition, line a cooling rack with wax paper.
  • Combine yellow cake mix, lemon pudding mix, four eggs, and 3/4 cup vegetable oil in a large bowl. Beat with a hand mixer until well mixed, about 30 seconds on medium speed.
  • Fill the muffin tin about half way up. A tablespoon-sized cookie dough scoop is very helpful!
  • Bake for 12-14 minutes.
  • While cakes are baking, prepare the icing.
  • Allow cakes to cool slightly (about 3-5 minutes) and then turn out of the pan. Carefully using your fingers, dip the muffins into the glaze. Place glazed muffin on the wax paper-lined cooling rack.
  • Allow them to set for one hour before serving. This allows the icing to harden.

Lemon icing

  • Sift powdered sugar in a large bowl. Add lemon zest, fresh lemon juice, water, and vegetable oil. Stir together with a whisk so there are no lumps.
Keyword Baby shower, Bridal shower, Easter dessert, glazed lemon cake, Lemon dessert, lemon muffins, Spring dessert

Brie-L-T Sandwich

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Some cheeses (ahem, brie) don’t lend themselves to being sliced. Truly, the best way to serve brie or chevre on a charcuterie board is to take off the plastic wrap and set it in the middle with a tiny cheese knife. Kind of anticlimactic when charcuterie is all about presentation, but c’est la brie.

Alternatively, you could slather your brie on a sandwich and make a Brie-L-T. I like this way. Much less cleanup of goopy cheese on my nice Boos block. Plus, can you imagine how satisfying it is to slather a healthy slab of buttery brie on bread? It’s like butter, but you can eat more of it because it doesn’t have as many calories. Yumyum.

 

Now the brie is just an addition to the BLT. There’s still bacon, don’t worry. And it’s candied! Uh, yum. Do you season your bacon? If you haven’t, you must try it! It is so, so easy. You literally season it right in the pan. Something as fatty as bacon just sucks in flavors like the vacuum of space. 

Since this sandwich is so extra, each element of the Brie-L-T has to go an extra mile. The tomatoes are leveled up by roasting in a balsamic glaze. What’s nice about these fancy-ish toh-mah-toes is they take about five minutes to assemble, and then the oven does the rest of the work. Poof. You can move on to frying bacon and listening to podcasts. 

Now I know the traditional BLT has lettuce. Alas, brie just seems like it could do so much better than lettuce, you know? So the “L” here stands for “Leafy green.” That’s the story I am going with, anyway. Leafy greens of the Brie-L-T are macerated arugula leaves. In other words, make a dressing (or buy one) and dredge the arugula leaves in it. I like arugula because it’s got a spicy bitterness, but if you are not into that, try spinach or kale. (Trim the stems of the kale if you go that route or else you’ll suffer a tooth-aching crunch…)

Assembly is pretty easy. Slather baguette with brie. Top with roasted tomatoes, bacon, arugula, and red onions. Eat.

As a side note, something about that arugula looks very wild and tousled, like a chia pet, and I really dig it. 

And there you have it. A classic gone classy. Bon appétit! 

Brie-L-T Sandwich

A yummy, sophisticated revamp of a classic favorite. Slathered baguettes with brie and stacked with candied bacon, roasted tomatoes, and dressed arugula. Some red onions give it a little HI-YA spice! If you make the tomatoes ahead of time, it comes together as quickly as you can fry up some bacon.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Main Course
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

Roasted tomatoes

  • 5 Medium tomatoes sliced 1/4"
  • 1 tsp Kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp Garlic powder
  • 2 tbsp Sugar
  • 1/3 cup Balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 cup Extra virgin olive oil

Candied Bacon

  • 8 strips Bacon
  • 4 tsp Sugar
  • 1 tsp Black pepper

Macerated Arugula

  • 6 oz Arugula (one bag)
  • 1/4 cup Extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup Red wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp Dusseldorf mustard
  • 1/2 tsp Sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp Black pepper

Sandwich

  • 2 ft French baguette, quartered
  • 8 oz Brie cheese Rind removed
  • 16 slices Roasted tomatoes
  • 8 strips Candied bacon
  • 1 bowl Macerated arugula
  • 8 slices Red onion

Instructions
 

Roasted tomatoes

  • Preheat the oven to 450°F / 230°C.
  • Line a large baking pan with parchment paper. Arrange sliced tomatoes on the parchment paper.
  • Sprinkle tomatoes with salt, garlic powder, and sugar. Then drizzle vinegar and oil over tomatoes.
  • Bake 30 minutes, or until skins blister.

Candied bacon

  • Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. When hot, arrange bacon slices in the pan side by side.
  • Sprinkle bacon with half of the sugar and black pepper. Flip the bacon when bottom is crisped and red, about 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle remaining sugar and black pepper and continue frying until crisped and cooked completely, about another 2-3 minutes.
  • Transfer bacon to a plate and dab with paper towel. **Don't line the plate with paper towel. The candied bacon will be sticky and adhere to the towel.

Macerated Arugula

  • In a large bowl, whisk vinegar, oil, salt, pepper, and mustard until thoroughly combined.
  • Drop in arugula and dredge leaves in the dressing, folding with a spoon.

Sandwich

  • With one quarter of the baguette, slice it lengthwise and open the bread.
  • Slather both sides with brie cheese generously.
  • Top side of the sandwich with four staggered slices of roasted tomato.
  • Place two strips of bacon on top of the tomatoes.
  • Top bacon with a handful of macerated arugula.
  • Arrange two red onion slices atop the arugula.
  • Top the sandwich with the other brie-slathered bread slice.
  • Repeat for the remaining three baguettes.
Keyword BLT, Brie cheese, Candied bacon, Roasted tomatoes

Overnight Quinoa and Oats

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I think overnight oats was a thing a few years ago? I have no idea for sure. I don’t think oatmeal really goes out of fashion. Have you seen the Quaker Oats man? But these have the addition of quinoa! Extra protein-y and fiber-y! 

These whip up in about 15 minutes, or 10 if you soak them overnight. And it is not necessary to soak them overnight. It shaves off five minutes on the cook time and allows your body to absorb the nutrients more efficiently, but whether you do this does not change that they are delicious and nutritious! 

I swiped this recipe from Alton Brown in his fourth cookbook, which I picked up at the library last weekend. Now I have already explained how my breakfast must be balanced in flavors because I am a breakfast snoot. This recipe has salt in it which is probably not the typical flavor you’d expect in oatmeal but it is so, so, so good. Salt is a flavor enhancer! It brings out the best of everything else in the food. It’s like the friend that compliments everything you’re wearing. 

I like to top my oatmeal with peanut butter (or Nutella), bananas, berries, butter, and brown sugar. I’ll also add a dusting of nutmeg! Sweet, salty, tart! My coconut latte provides more sweet and bitter and the medium-boiled “fudgy” egg provides the savory. Perfect! 

Overnight Quinoa and Oats

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Prep Time 2 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Inactive Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 12 minutes
Course Breakfast
Servings 2

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup Rolled oats
  • 1/3 cup Quinoa
  • 1/4 tsp Kosher salt
  • 2 cups Water
  • 1/4 cup Sweetened vanilla coconut milk
  • 3 tbsp Packed brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp Unsalted butter
  • Berries and sliced bananas for topping
  • 1 tbsp Peanut butter for topping

Instructions
 

  • Soak oats and quinoa in water with salt in a small pot. Place in refrigerator overnight.
  • In the morning, add the coconut milk and cook on medium heat for ten minutes, stirring occasionally. Oats will thicken.
  • Divide between two bowls and top with butter, sugar, fruit, and other toppings. Enjoy!

Notes

If you don't remember to soak the oats overnight, it's not a huge deal. It just adds five minutes to the cook time! The only added benefit to soaking the grains ahead of time is that the body absorbs their nutrients more easily. 
Keyword Oatmeal, old fashioned oats, Overnight oats, quinoa

Beer Braised Carnitas

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I took off the next three days to just focus on cooking. I had set goals and a timeline prepared, groceries purchased, and naturally, it all went by the wayside. I even set off the smoke alarm once. Actually six times. 

So you know what? I needed some comfort food. And nothing beats shredded, meaty, Mexican food to help you wallow and then pick yourself up by the bootstraps while marathon watching Modern Family re-runs. (Jim and I have successfully Myers-Briggs typed all of the characters.)

I have made a lot of shredded pork. The beauty of pork is that it lends itself to so many cuisines. Generally carnitas are used in tacos. But shredded pork shoulder belongs in so many other places besides tacos! Burrito bowls, nachos, quesadillas, pozole, and arepas are great with shredded pork for a bit of Latin flair! And so are filled dumplings, barbecue sandwiches, ramen, sticky rice bowls, Bahn mi sandwiches, gnocchi, pasta dishes, and eggs Benedict! 

It’s so versatile! And if you exchange cumin for basil, you’re ready for an Italian shredded pork instead of carnitas. This is a base recipe that you can build off of and modify to whatever you’re making for dinner! 

This recipe is nice because it is SUPER low maintenance. And it requires six cloves of garlic! I read a recipe the other day on another blog that called for half a clove of garlic. Half a clove!!!?!?!?! Who does that? Whatever a recipe calls for when it comes to garlic, I. WILL. TRIPLE IT. I loves me some garlic. 

It’s also nice that you dump all the stuff in a pot and walk away for four and a half hours. 

Now let’s talk about the beer. Pork shoulder is a fatty cut of meat. I advise taking the long fat strip off after the pork is done cooking. But even after that, pork shoulder just has a lot of fat in it! That’s why it’s so juicy and delicious! It’s marbled! Alcohol dissolves fats. (I wish that were true for my love handles.) But that’s why I list beer! Fatty meat + alcohol = perfectly juicy meat. 

Now if you don’t have beer or you aren’t a drinker, a good substitute is a can of Coke! If you’re not a soda drinker, one of those individual bottles of orange juice also works well. And if all else fails, just go with water! 

Beer Braised Shredded Pork (Carnitas)

An incredibly tender and flavorful 3 lb pork shoulder roast done in 4.5 hours with about five minutes of prep work and chopping. It is perfect for tacos, burritos, quesadillas, pozole, or a Mexican eggs Benedict! It's also great with pasta or gnocchi.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours 40 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 45 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 8

Equipment

  • Dutch oven

Ingredients
  

  • 3 lbs Pork shoulder butt roast
  • 1 tbsp Kosher salt
  • 2 Jalepeños, medium chopped seeds removed
  • Juice of two cuties or one orange
  • 1 White onion, sliced like an apple in eighths
  • 6 cloves Garlic, whole peeled
  • 1 tsp Ground cumin
  • 2 tsp Dried oregano leaves
  • 1 tsp Chili powder
  • 1 tsp Onion powder
  • 4 oz can Hatch green chiles, diced
  • 2 Dried ancho chiles, sliced seeds removed
  • 2 tsp Better than Bullion chicken base
  • 12 oz Wheat beer

Instructions
 

  • Place the pork roast in the Dutch oven with the fat side on the side. Season liberally with kosher salt.
  • Juice oranges over the roast and cover it with jalepeños, dried ancho chiles, Hatch green chiles, and dried spices. Spread whole garlic cloves and onion around the sides of the roast. Drop in the Better than Bullion directly on the meat and then pour over the beer.
  • Cover Dutch oven with lid and place on low heat for four hours, undisturbed.
  • Before shredding, remove the long strip of fat from the roast. Then shred pork with two forks. Serve or store in a sealed container for up to 3-4 days.
Keyword beer tacos, carnitas, shredded pork, taco Tuesday, tacos

Quick Chilaquiles

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There is one thing I have made thousands of times and I can confidently say I am the expert on. It is the most comforting food I can produce and I will reach for it any time of day. I learned how to make it from my dad, and he learned it from his mom. We have added to it and made our own specific improvements on it, but the base is always the same and it is–well, nothing is perfect, but this comes pretty darn close. It is simple, delicious, crispy, extremely customizable, ready in five minutes, and one of my favorite dishes of all time.

Obviously, I’m talking about my breakfast.

I am a major creature of habit with certain things. I need to exercise every morning. I need to call my mom every Saturday. I need to watch Love Actually every Christmas season. And I need my breakfast to fulfill very specific needs. I explained a few months ago in a post how flavors are lumped into a few major groups: sweet, bitter, salty, acidic, savory, and spicy. My breakfast needs to check each one of those boxes. That sounds high maintenance, but it’s really not. The magic is in the very basic ingredients used to assemble my pièce de résistance. 

The main dish, so to speak, is what my family calls tortillas and eggs. The more specific idea is explained in this post but I consider this the new and improved, 2.0 version. Here is the gist of it: fry torn pieces of yellow corn tortillas in some kind of liquid fat–I usually choose butter or corn oil. My dad opts for fat rendered from chorizo. Once the pieces are crispy like chips, you pour a beaten egg over them with cheese, cream, and salsa. Cook until they are scrambled and garnish as desired.

The side kick is my beloved Noosa yogurt. I get the larger containers and take half for a single serving. I usually reach for blueberry, strawberry-rhubarb, coconut, vanilla, or peach. And it is always topped with fruit (usually blueberries) and crunchy granola. Most recently it has been my Hawaiian granola, but I also enjoy the classic plain granola. As a side note, Noosa containers are excellent storage for salad toppings.

I always start my day with caffeine, usually in the form of coffee, but sometimes black or green tea if I’m feeling a little exotic. Recently, I purchased a stovetop espresso maker from Target because it’s about $1,975 less than a Nespresso machine, and anyway, I feel a little superior about my coffee coming from a bean and not a $12 pod. 

Eggs and Tortillas 2.0

Crispy fried tortillas combined with scrambled eggs, salsa, and cheese. It's the improved, one skillet version of chilaquiles and takes 5 minutes to whip up! You can also use regular tortilla chips if you don't have corn tortillas.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 1 minute
Cook Time 4 minutes
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American, Mexican
Servings 1

Ingredients
  

  • ½ tbsp Salted butter alternatively, corn oil works
  • 1 6" corn tortilla
  • 1 Egg
  • 1 Egg white
  • 1 tbsp Half and half
  • 2 tbsp Salsa Authentica (red salsa) Trader Joe's
  • 2 tbsp Shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • Sprinkle of garlic powder
  • Guacamole, salsa, cheese, green onions, sour cream for topping

Instructions
 

  • In a small frying pan on medium flame, melt butter or heat oil until butter is bubbling or oil is shimmering.
  • While butter (or oil) is heating in the pan, crack egg and egg white in a small bowl. Add cream, salsa, half and half, cheese, and garlic powder.
  • Tear the tortilla into ~1" pieces and drop into the hot butter or oil. Fry pieces until crisp, about 1 minute on each side.
  • Pour the egg batter over the crisped tortilla pieces and immediately begin folding into a scramble. Use a silicon spatula to both get all of the egg batter out of the bowl and to scramble the egg in the pan. Once egg is completely scrambled and the batter has cooked onto the tortilla chips, remove from the pan and serve. Garnish with guacamole, more salsa, cheese, sour cream, and/or green onions. Eat immediately.

Notes

Alternatively, you can use tortilla chips instead of frying your own. The procedure would still be the same, and you would still sauté the chips in butter or oil, though they would already be crunchy, so you would only do this to warm them. Then you'd add the egg batter as usual. 
This dish is very good with leftover shredded carnitas or barbacoa for an extra rich and hearty breakfast.
Keyword chilaquiles, fried tortillas, huevos