Baker's Theory

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!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
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.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
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

Print Recipe Pin Recipe
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

5 Favorite Things

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I am taking a page out of Half Baked Harvest’s book and taking a moment to reflect on all the great and wonderful things this week. Some of it is food related, some of it is not. It’s just a little slice of my life! 

#5: Heather Robertson Strength Workouts

For the last seven weeks now, I have changed up my workout routine to include a combination of strength and cardio. All last summer, I was a non-stop runner. I went from barely breathing through a half mile to breezing through six miles every other day. As wedding planning approached and intensified, six miles dwindled to four, down to three, two, and wondrously disappeared. After the wedding, I started a new routine that was 100% HIIT cardio workouts. I even put one on YouTube myself! 

But after my 30th birthday, I needed something different. Apparently women begin losing muscle mass after 30! I did a bit of research and found that muscle burns fat. You build muscle by tearing and rebuilding muscle fibers. And you tear the muscle fibers by lifting heavy weights. So now I am one of those people with a rotation of upper body and lower body days, cardio days, and ab and back circuits to top them all off. 

I follow a few fitness gurus on Youtube, namely Heather Robertson, Lindsey Bomgren, and the Tone It Up girls. They all have great strength training and cardio workouts FOR FREE online.

I have also been completely guilty of spending way too much money on cute workout clothes. Remember in the ’90s when people exercised in their dumpiest t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants? I truly cannot explain why I need six pairs of color-ranging leggings and matching tops, but I know for certain they make me happy. I’m clearly not buying them to flaunt at any gym because I need to sweat and workout in the peace and privacy of my own home. I think I just like to look fabulous for myself during my workout! These Align pants by Lululemon are my absolute favorite leggings and I have an embarrassing number of them in varying lengths. 

#4: Stovetop Espresso Makers

Our coffeemaker is on its last legs now and it’s definitely time to replace it. I drag these sorts of things out, though, because it’s not totally broken yet. Plus, I need to research coffeemakers. (Okay, I don’t. I know exactly which one I am going to get and it’s going to be the exact same one I am replacing.) Researching coffeemakers, I noticed the trendy thing now are Nespresso machines. You know, those hundred to thousand dollar contraptions George Clooney makes. For a hot second, I was sucked in by the elegant, sophistication of the matte finish and the rainbow selection of espresso pods to pop into the machine. 

But honestly? I don’t get the craze. I mean, what did Italian people do to make espresso  before shiny, gadget technology? 

I don’t actually know. I didn’t make it very far in my coffee research (that is actually upcoming research project like chocolate!). But I would guess it was some feat of Italian engineering that looks like this: 
(Scusi the hard water stains. We’re going to get a water softener soon, I hope.)

This stovetop espresso maker cost $25 at Target and makes 3 shots of espresso. They also have a 6-cupper for $35, but I’m the only drinker of coffee in the house and 3 shots is more than enough to keep me awake. I like to make vanilla and coconut milk lattes with the espresso. SO YUMMY.

#3: Little Bee by Chris Cleave

I try to read at least one book every month. Jim and I love going to the library on Saturday mornings together and we n-e-v-e-r pass up a chance to visit Barnes & Noble! There are so many good things out there to read! 

January was heavy on the non-fiction side since I was simultaneously researching chocolate and self-motivating: Chocolate: Sweet Science & Dark Secrets of the World’s Favorite Treat by Kay Frydenborg and You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero. Highly recommend both! 

February was a return to fiction! Little Bee by Chris Cleave was a recommendation from my dad. He seriously reads the best books. Can you finish a book if it’s boring? I definitely can’t. I will start twenty books before I find one I like and finish. Little Bee was never a boring moment! Next, I will read The Things We Cannot Say, a recommendation from Jane! She also reads the best books. 

Little Bee is about a young Nigerian refugee fleeing her home after it’s raided by mercenaries hired by oil companies. She flees to the United Kingdom where her story is knotted up with an English family. It’s tragic and beautiful and so well written. I could not put it down all weekend! 

#2: Lent

This last week was the start of Lent! Lent is a time of fasting and going with less to remind us of Jesus’ forty days in the dessert and to prepare for Easter. I am actually very fond of Lent because I have reason to make more vegetarian and seafood dishes! 

Last Sunday Jane made roasted cauliflower as part of her usual Sunday meal feast, and I was feeling very inspired by it. I didn’t even know I liked cauliflower until I had it roasted! It’s so crisp and virtuous. So I made some on Ash Wednesday with roasted Brussels sprouts and quinoa. 

I didn’t write down a recipe, but you just coat chopped cauliflower in olive oil and some salt and roast for 20 minutes. 

On Fridays, we also go without meat, and I have a newfound love of seafood! So I made garlic butter shrimp and Parmesan polenta! 

#1: Anniversaries with Jim

Back in February 2019, Jim and I had our first date! We went to a cute little Italian restaurant and then went back to my house and watched a movie. We like to recreate these anniversaries (like the first time we played music together) because Jim has an exceptionally good memory and can remember things like eating cheeseburgers and watching Gone in 60 Seconds on March 12, 2013. (He’ll probably correct me on that.) 

So this weekend we commemorated our first date by going back to our little spaghetti spot, and then we came home to watch Pitched Perfect, complete with chocolate cake for dessert and our pajamas. It was SO SNUGGLY. 

We have also decided we are going to have at least one date night every month! It’s appropriate that spending time with this guy is my #1 favorite thing because he is my #1 favorite person. 

Hope you all have a great week!

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

Hawaiian Granola

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Hope you all had a nice Valentine’s Day! Jim and I made Italian beef sandwiches and watched Valentine’s Day the movie. Thankfully the sandwiches were great because the movie was terrible! We still had a fun time hanging out together, though.

Recently I ran out of exfoliator and had to replenish the supply. I thought I’d try out the St. Ives Coffee Coconut, and it smelled so good when I put it on that I seriously wanted to eat it. It reminded me of Hawaii and I knew I’d need to make something coffee and coconut flavored immediately. Not sure which recipe would absorb my newest obsession, but I kept it in mind over the next few days. 

For Valentine’s Day, I sent my mom Russian teacakes and chocolate-covered raspberry marshmallows, and then she gently reminded me that I forgot to send her granola for her yogurt. And then it clicked! The vehicle for my coffee coconut extravaganza revealed itself. Well, the first of many, I hope. I’m thinking a cookie will be next…

I could eat this crunchy granola all by itself. In fact, I do while I prepare my breakfast. I think it would be great as a homemade cereal but I didn’t make enough to pour a whole cup in a bowl! Too precious! 

I like to top my Noosa yogurt with this granola and a handful of blueberries! I also just eat it by the spoonful. This recipe calls for almonds, but you can also use macadamia nuts for a full Hawaiian treat!

The key is making sure it is dried after baking. The butter adds a lot of moisture, and sometimes more is needed to fully coat the oats. If you don’t bake off all of the water, the granola might taste a bit stale after a day! The granola needs to bake long enough that the water in the butter evaporates. That will give a nice crunch to the granola. 

Hawaiian Granola

Coffee coconut granola perfect as a homemade cereal or a crunchy topping to yogurt.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Breakfast
Servings 3 cups

Ingredients
  

  • 8 tbsp Salted butter melted
  • 2 cups Dried rolled oats uncooked
  • 6½ tbsp Brown sugar packed
  • 1 tbsp Instant coffee powder heaping
  • ¾ tsp Coconut extract
  • ½ cup Sliced raw almonds
  • ½ cup Unsweetened coconut chips

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C.
  • Melt butter in a large, microwave-safe bowl. Once melted, add all other ingredients, stirring to coat oats completely.
  • Spread oats onto a parchment lined jelly roll pan. Bake for 15 minutes, stirring half way.
  • Lower the oven temperature to 300°F / 150°C and continue baking an additional 10 minutes.
  • Remove pan from oven and allow to cool, about 30 minutes. Clusters will form once cooled.
Keyword coffee coconut, granola topping, homemade cereal, yogurt topping

8 Things You Didn’t Know About Chocolate

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Swiss, Belgian, Dutch. Ecuadorian, Columbian, Ugandan. Where does chocolate even come from? What is fair trade chocolate? What does it mean if its Dutch processed cocoa? How is cocoa different from cacao? And what the heck is a nib? 

#1: Cacao is the pod and seeds

Cacao is the raw, plant form of chocolate and is harvested from a cacao tree. The tree’s scientific name is Theobroma cacao which translates to “food of the gods” in Greek.  Theobromine, a stimulant, is one of the molecules in cacao that gives you energy, similar to caffeine. Ancient Mayan civilizations would provide cacao seeds to their warriors to keep them alert for fighting.

Cacao trees prefer warm, dark growing conditions and thrive in the Amazon, where the plant originates. World wide, cacao trees generally grow well within 15 degrees north or south of the equator. Early conquerors of the Americas transplanted cacao trees to Africa and later southeast Asia where the climate better suited the crop.

The cacao tree matures in about four to six years. Flowering is a sign of reaching maturity, and once they begin flowering, they will do so year round. These flowers grow into cacao pods, and after five months of growth, the pods are ready to harvest. They are almost (American) football-sized at this time.

 

Cacao pods grow at the base of the cacao tree and come in many resplendent colors like red, yellow, green, and purple, to attract animals that will spread its seeds. They are harvested by hand with the help of machetes. Many of the laborers harvesting cacao are children, but fair trade chocolate organizations are trying to stop this practice. 

Once cacao pods are gathered by laborers, they are brought to a local processing house and split open to reveal pods covered in a sweet, tart, and juicy white pulp. The pulp and seeds they cover are pulled out of the pod and set on a tarp under banana leaves to ferment outside for one week. The pulp is then removed and the remaining seeds are uncovered and set in the sun to dry for another week. 

The fermented and dried seeds are next shipped to chocolate factories in developed countries to be processed further. The insides of the seeds contain cacao nibs that can be pressed into various chocolate products.  

#2: Cacao trees are indigenous to South America

Cacao trees originated in the Amazon Rainforest, likely 15,000 years ago. However, it did not emerge in the human diet until around 3,000 years ago when the Olmec civilization began developing its complex processing. They would ferment, dry, and grind the seeds into a powder to combine with pulverized maize, chiles, and water for consumption as an opulent beverage called xocolatl. Yet, the Olmecs lived in southern Mexico, approximately 2,600 miles away from the Amazon Rainforest. Thus cacao must have traveled through some means to reach the ancient Olmecs. Since the cacao tree grows best within 15 degrees of the equator, it likely came to the Olmecs by human hands rather than natural pollination. 

#3: Cacao was brought to Europe by Spanish conquistadors

On his trips to the Americas, Christopher Columbus encountered people native to the Indies called the Taino. Upon conquering these people, one encounter describes how Columbus’ crew discovered dried cacao seeds which the Taino seemed to value greatly. Unbeknownst to the conquistadors, cacao seeds were used as currency for the Taino, Mayans, and Aztecs. Later seeing the potential value in these seeds (perhaps money could grow on trees…?), Columbus returned to Spain with them. But the bitter taste did not impress the Spaniards.

Twenty years later, Hernan Cortes would conquer the Aztec empire whose last emperor, Montezuma II, allegedly drank gallons of the invigorating cacao beverage called xocolatl (pronounced sho-ko-lah-tul) every day. In contrast to Columbus’ experience, Cortes and his conquistadors welcomed this xocolatl beverage by adding honey or sugar to it to make it more drinkable. This time, cacao’s return to Spain would be better received.

For one hundred years, Spain would keep its chocolate a national secret while it built up plantations throughout Central and South America. However, cacao, being more inclined to the chaotic jungle floor, did not thrive in large plantations and swiftly fell prey to disease. Even today, between 30-50% of the world’s cacao is unusable due to disease. 

Cacao made its popular European debut in the mid 17th century when Spanish princess, Maria Teresa wed King Louis XIV of France, introducing her beloved chocolate drink to the French court. At this time, chocolate was still primarily consumed as a beverage. The fermented and dried beans from the Americas were ground up and mixed with water, sugar, and spices. 

#4: Dutch processed cocoa has been alkalized

As chocolate exploded throughout Europe, chocolate experts began to emerge. The 1800s were an important and bustling time for chocolate’s transformation into the delightful bars recognized today. The standard procedure for making chocolate was to ferment and dry the cacao seeds, and then grind them to be mixed with water. However, this ground up mixture of cacao seeds (also known as cacao mass) was gritty and did not dissolve easily in water. Coenraad Johannes van Houten, a Dutch chemist with an interest in chocolate, found that treating the cacao mass with alkaline salts allowed them to dissolve more easily. Cacao is naturally acidic, and alkalizing it brought it to a neutral pH. Thus, Dutch processed chocolate was born. 

Recipes that call for natural cocoa differ from those that call for Dutched cocoa, and they will react differently to leavening agents such as baking soda and powder. 

van Houten is also credited with inventing the chocolate press. Every cacao pod contains around 70 seeds. After the seeds have fermented in pulp and dried, the seeds are sent to the processor. The seeds contain cacao nibs which are gritty to eat and contain both cocoa butter and cocoa mass. van Houten’s chocolate press was able to push the creamy cacao butter out of the nibs and retain the powdery cocoa mass that is what people use today in baking. Cocoa butter can be reintroduced into the mass with dairy and sugar to create all sorts of chocolatey treats, or it can be utilized in cosmetics. 

#5: Lindt & Nestle were scientists who advanced chocolate processing

By the late 19th century, chocolate transformed again through Rodolphe Lindt’s conching invention. The Swiss inventor developed the machine to better incorporate and distribute cocoa butter with cocoa powder through heating and grinding. 

Anecdotes from the Lindt & Sprungli company suggest Lindt accidentally left the machine on overnight. The result was a silky chocolate product with better melting properties and very smooth texture. Today high quality chocolate is conched for around 72 hours while lower quality chocolate is conched for around six hours. 

Around the same time the chocolate conch entered the scene, another Swiss chocolate enthusiast, Daniel Peter, sought out the help of his neighbor, a specialist in dairy and infant formulas, to stabilize the introduction of milk into chocolate. The neighbor and specialist was Henri Nestle, who was working on producing infant formula to supplement mother’s milk from cow’s milk. Together, Peter and Nestle created the original Swiss milk chocolate by combining dried milk powder with cocoa butter, mass, and sugar and established the Nestle company. 

#6: Fair trade chocolate focuses on labor rights where cacao grows

As early as the 1600s when chocolate finally made its way to the first coffee house in London, there were those who were uneasy about the ethics of the crop. Quakers of the time were the largest proponents of raising standards for laborers involved in cacao. 

African slaves were brought to the West Indies and the Americas to work on cacao plantations. By the mid-1800s, though, many chocolate manufacturers were forced to source their cacao more ethically. 

Problems still exist today, however, especially in Cote d’Iviore in western Africa, where cacao trees have made a second home after the Amazon. Child laborers aged 10-15 work to collect cacao pods and deliver them to local processing houses rather than attend school. Female laborers are paid less than male laborers in these developing countries where the cacao tree thrives best. 

Nestle, Mars, and Hershey, all big hitters in the chocolate industry, cannot guarantee that their chocolate does not contain child labor in its supply chain. Despite having certifications for their ethical processes, it is very difficult to trace every bean from every farm. 

Purchasing fair trade certified chocolate used to mean consumer dollars were spent on ensuring children were not involved in labor, women were paid equally to men, and cacao farms were tended to sustainably with minimal environmental impact and deforestation. However, these certifications have become diluted, corrupted, and easy to obtain. 

Valrohna and Guittard Chocolate are some of the better-known chocolate manufacturers to be commended for their compliance and effort in ending unethical chocolate. Unfortunately, the majority of larger chocolate corporations may be certified for the purpose of good press but do little to change the situation and continue sourcing unethical chocolate. 

#7: There are three main types of cacao

There are actually 22 varieties, but the main ones are Criollo, Forastero, and Trinatario. Similar to grapes which can produce such different wines as pinot noir or cabernet sauvignon from the same species of grape, cacao varieties possess different flavor profiles, too. Criollo is the most coveted and rare, producing mild, non-acidic, and chocolatey flavors. Forastero is the most common and inexpensive cacao with a slightly acidic taste. Trinatario is a hybrid of Criollo and Forastero. Good quality chocolate will often come from Trinatario beans, but the best will be pure Criollo or a combination of the two. There is another variety that, similar to Criollo, is extremely rare and highly coveted but is not mass produced, and that is Nacional cacao. Long thought extinct, Nacional is the original cacao that all others stem from and is found in Ecuador and Peru. Forastero cacao makes up the largest percentage of the cacao market because it is the most resistant to disease. It is Forastero cacao that traveled to the Ivory Coast of Africa to yield the chocolate advertised as Ugandan or Ghanan. 

#8: M&Ms were the result of friendly competition

M&Ms, the name, is actually an abbreviation for Mars and Murrie. Forest Mars, Sr., son of Mars Chocolate founder, Frank Mars, and Bruce Murrie, son of William Murrie, president of Hershey’s Company at the time, joined forces during World War II to provide a stimulating, heat-resistant, easily transportable chocolate ration for American soldiers. Mars patented the idea, but Hershey had control of chocolate rations in the 1940s, and so the two teamed up. Soldiers were issued M&Ms exclusively during this time. 

Cowgirl Brownies

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My cousin Leo asked me a few months ago if I could do a spicy chocolate recipe and I found just the thing recently in studying chocolate. Chocolate and spicy peppers are actually the original ingredients used together in cacao’s history. Ancient Olmecs, Mayans, and Aztecs would prepare a drink called xocolatl (pronounced “sho-ko-lat-ul” …sound familiar?) that contained fermented, dried, and ground cacao nibs with water and dried chilis. Only the elite class, warriors, royalty, and priests were allowed to consume it. The Aztec Emperor Montezuma was known to drink gallons of it daily.

Now a small tangent. My friend Maddie is very health-conscious and shared with me a book called Sweet Laurel. It’s a recipe book that makes use of more whole foods and includes the chocolate cake that “changed everything” according to Laurel, the book’s co-author. Laurel Gallucci has Hashimoto’s disease and had to completely change her diet–a very dramatic life event for someone who loves baking! Maddie lent me her copy, and the next time she came over (for a cheeseburger night–the night she gave me the idea to make croissants) I attempt the chocolate cake that was supposedly life altering. 

FYI, I am very wary of “healthy” recipes, especially for desserts. You could call me a snob in this regard. Coconut oil, apple sauce, and quinoa are hard for me to put in a dessert. Ironically, they don’t seem natural. I’m afraid it’ll taste too healthy. But Maddie was quite excited about the book and I wanted to do something nice for her so I gave this chocolate cake a look. The recipe didn’t make a lot of sense to me, and I made quite a few modifications. I’m so snobby! Sorry! 

Up to the point that I was cutting into the cake, I was skeptical. I thought, “This is gonna be a wreck.” And then…I was surprised. It was really delicious. And my next thought was, “this would go great with some cayenne pepper.” 

For this recipe, I’ve retained the changes I made to Laurel’s original recipe–hers was obviously more cakey and this is definitely more brownie-y. Plus she doesn’t have sugar on the ingredients list and I just couldn’t not have sugar! What’s my problem??!

Now that we’re even more close to Valentine’s Day and I haven’t bombarded you enough with recipes for it, I thought I’d add another into the mix. I also decorated it with a little bit of espresso salt I had on hand from a previous recipe. This is basically equal parts espresso powder and flaky salt, such as Maldon. Totally optional. I find it neutralizes the spiciness a bit! 

Cowgirl chocolate is just another word for spicy chocolate, and these cowgirl brownies bring a little sweet and a little heat! Perfect for impressing a fair maiden or Adonis this Valentine’s Day! 

One last (unrelated) note about Valentine’s Day. I just have to say I have the best husband in the world. It was -13F this morning and he told me he had to “run an errand,” and he couldn’t tell me where. He came home with a beautiful bouquet of red roses for me. Such a cutie! And a romantic. I am one lucky girl! 

I like to use Dutch processed cocoa for this recipe. If you use regular cocoa, add 1 tsp of baking soda to the batter! Dutch processed cocoa is different from regular cocoa in that Dutch processed cocoa has been alkalized. Remember high school chemistry and pH? Low pH = acid, high pH = base (or alkaline). Cocoa is naturally acidic. Baking soda, also known as sodium bicarbonate, or NaOH, is basic. Alkalizing it neutralizes its pH. Baking with Dutch cocoa usually yields a darker, almost black pastry. Pretty cool! Fun fact: Dutch processed cocoa was invented in the mid-19th century to reduce the cost of cocoa. It’s actually the cheaper version of regular cocoa! 

Cowgirl Brownies

Cowgirl chocolate has a bit of cayenne pepper in it! Yeehaw! Actually, ancient Mayans and Aztecs prepared a beverage with fermented, dried, and ground up cacao with chili and water. These brownies are like a fudgy cake, if that's possible, and they are gluten free! They are also almost vegan but I don't know what you can substitute for eggs. Maybe unsweetened applesauce? I modified this recipe from the book Sweet Laurel. I also add espresso salt on top but it's completely optional!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Dessert
Servings 16

Ingredients
  

  • 2½ cups Almond flour
  • ⅓ cup Cocoa powder Dutch processed
  • ¼ cup Sugar
  • ¼ tsp Cayenne pepper heaping
  • 1 tsp Instant espresso powder
  • ½ tsp Sea salt
  • ½ cup Semi-sweet chocolate chunks
  • ½ cup Water
  • ⅓ cup Extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 Eggs
  • ¾ cup Maple Syrup can sub equal amount of brown sugar
  • 2 oz Dark chocolate melted

For topping

  • 5 oz Dark chocolate melted
  • 1 tsp Espresso salt (optional) Equal parts instant coffee powder and flakey salt such as Maldon

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C
  • Grease an 8" x 8" pan and line it with parchment paper with an overhang. The overhang will allow you to pull the brownies out to frost them.
  • In a large bowl combine almond flour, cocoa powder, sugar, cayenne pepper, espresso powder, sea salt, and chocolate chips.
  • Add the olive oil, water, eggs, maple syrup, and melted chocolate. Combine well, ensuring there are no dried bits of powder.
  • Pour brownie batter into the prepared pan and bake on the top rack of your oven for 40-45 minutes. It should be just past the "jiggly" phase.
  • Allow brownies to cool completely in the pan. Once cooled, Lift the brownies out of the pan using the parchment paper and place on a cutting board. Cut into 16 equal squares, cleaning the knife between each cut.
  • For topping, melt the dark chocolate in the microwave, about 1 minute. Place a Ziploc bag inside a cup and invert the top edge of the bag over the cup's rim. This allows you to pour melted chocolate into the bag easily. Scrape the melted chocolate into the Ziploc bag and seal. Snip a small part of the corner off, about 3 mm. Pipe chocolate on each brownie square in a fun pattern. I have done zig zags, hearts, Xs and Os. Then sprinkle with the espresso salt and serve.
Keyword cowgirl chocolate, espresso salt, extra chocolatey brownies, spicy chocolate brownies, Valentine's Day