Day 14: Sage Ricotta Caprese Salad

Yield: 1 person
Time (Start to Finish): 5 min

Ingredients:
1 Heirloom Tomato (med)
Salt and Pepper
5 Sage Leaves
5 Tbsp Ricotta Cheese
Olive Oil

Directions:
1. Feel free to make this recipe larger to accommodate more people, but I’m eating alone here!
2. Cut Tomato into 5 slices (or however many slices you like, just make sure you have the same amount of sage leaves as slices)
3. Place on plate and sprinkle with salt and pepper
4. Take sage leaves and place on top. Make sure they are fresh and should cover about half, maybe a little less, of the slice (they are strong)
5. Add a Tbsp of ricotta cheese to each slice
6. Drizzle with a good olive oil, and enjoy!

Rating: 4.5 strawberries
Notes: Its important to be a sage lover to like this dish, and sage is my FAVORITE spice, so I am giving it a much higher rating than some! Also, as long as you have a good heirloom tomato, you cannot mess this up! It’s a take on the classic tomato basil mozzarella combo, and I really think I have a winner here. I wish I had someone to share it with! The secret to any good meal is starting with good ingredients, and this dish really only works with fresh tomatoes, fresh sage, and good olive oil. So don’t skimp! Oh, and I heard word that my pictures aren’t as good as they used to be??? Hey Haight House! If you got a problem, send me some feedback! Let me know how to make these pictures make your mouths water! And I’m starting photography classes Tuesday, so maybe that will help…

Day 13: Grilled Peaches and Berries with Espresso Mascarpone

Yield: 2 People
Time (Start to Finish): 15 min

Ingredients:
¼ cup mascarpone (can use cream cheese)
2 Tbsp cream
1 Tbsp gran sugar
1 Tbsp espresso powder

4 strawberries
1 peach
Handful blueberries
Handful toasted hazelnuts

Directions:
1. Heat grill pan to mid high heat
2. Slice strawberries and peach in half
3. Grill on grill cut side first until grill marks appear. Flip the peaches. Should take 2-3 min
4. In small bowl, mix cream, mascarpone, sugar and espresso
5. Put grilled fruit in bowl, add blueberries, pour cream on top and add toasted nuts

Rating: 4 strawberries
Notes: For those who don’t have a huge sweet tooth. It’s a nice sweet dish, but not a sugar sweet. A natural fruit sweet and a coffee hint. A perfect summer day grilling desert, and nice to warm you up when the sun falls down. I was a little tired today so I wanted something light and this was perfect. We also had some fresh fruit in the house, so who could ask for something better!

Day 12: Maple Bacon Soufflé Omelette

Yield: 2 people
Time (Start to Finish): 45 min

Ingredients:
4 strips bacon
3 eggs (separated)
5 Tbsp. maple syrup
½ tsp vanilla
½ tsp salt
Pan spray

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Preheat skillet to mid heat
2. Cook bacon in separate pan until crispy and tear into pieces (small) and set aside
3. Take egg yolks and whip with whisk until pale and light...about 3-4 min (I recommend using a hand whisk for this)
4. Add syrup, vanilla, and salt and mix
5. In a separate clean bowl, whip egg whites until stiff peak ( meaning when you take the whisk out they stand up on their own, no drooping) this takes about 10 or so min, so I recommend a mixer in high.
6. Add the whites to the yolks and mix together. Don’t let sit around at this point
7. Pour onto skillet that is sprayed with pan spray. Spread out and sprinkle bacon pieces on top.
8. Cook for about 4 min until starts to cook on bottom and through.
9. Finish cooking on the oven until the eggs are cooked through, about 4 more minutes or until bottom is light brown
10. Should slide out of the skillet, but if not, slice and serve however you like!

Rating: 4.5 strawberries
Notes: Light, airy and a great morning starter. I ate it on my way to work for the start of a long day and it really stuck with me, but was light enough to not feel heavy. I thank my boy from Colorado Matt K. for introducing me to this…I added the bacon part. Good breakfasts are had in Matt’s house.

Day 11: Spicy Cornbread

Yield: 9 servings
Time (Start to Finish): 1. 25 hours

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal
¼ cup gran sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. salt
2 tsp cayenne powder
1 tsp paprika
1 cup cream
2 eggs
¼ cup shortening (soft)
1 cup kerneled corn
¼ cup fire roasted green chilies (mild)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Put flour, sugar, cornmeal, salt, baking powder, cayenne, paprika in a bowl and mix
3. Add eggs
4. Add cream
5. Add soft shortening and mix until well combined.
6. Add drained corn and drained chilies and mix. Taste and add more spice if you need to
7. Put in greased square casserole dish and spread flat. Sprinkle sugar and a little cayenne on top.
8. Bake for 45 min or until a knife comes out clean. Try not to over bake so it isn’t dry.

Rating: 4 strawberries
Notes: Goes great with honey butter! I love spice, and this is a tasty spicy cornbread! Today was a tired one; a long day at work, so I needed something to wake me up and stimulate me. A kick of cayenne is the perfect thing! You can add hotter peppers, or leave them out, and serve with a yummy chili on a cold day.

Day 10: Salmon in puff pastry with white wine cream sauce

Yield: 2 people
Time (Start to Finish): 2 hours

Ingredients:
1 garlic clove
1 shallot
olive oil
1 slice bacon
1 salmon filet (8 oz)
flour (dusting)
½ cup white wine (I used riesling)
1 cup cream
salt & pepper
2/3 sheet puff pastry
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/8 tsp dill weed (dried is fine)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. heat skillet to mid high
2. Dust salmon (with skin on) with flour, light salt and light pepper.
3. Sear salmon on all sides (skin side first) on a lightly oiled skillet. Set aside.
4. Put bacon on pan and cook until lightly crispy.
5. Take bacon out and throw in shallot and garlic until slightly cooked and shallot is beginning to brown
6. Add white wine and boil until wine reduces by half (about 2 Tbsps…a little more)
7. Add cream and taste. Add salt and pepper if needed. Cook until begins to thick, it wont take too long and then add the bacon, chopped up. Turn off heat
8. Take puff pastry and put on a non stick baking sheet.
9. Make sure salmon piece will fit in the dough and be able to be wrapped.
10. In center of puff pastry spread the mustard.
11. Sprinkle the dill onto the mustard and place the salmon (deskinned at this point) onto the mustard.
12. Pour some of the sauce onto the salmon and wrap the puff pastry.
13. Turn upside down to seal, cut 2 small holes in the top and bake until brown all over. About 30 min.
14. Take out, cut in half (you can make 2 separate ones) and pour rest of sauce on the top.

Rating: 4.5 strawberries
Notes: After getting over the hurtle of cutting my thumb wide open while opening the wine, I think I made a great dish. As my first savory dish, I must say I made a rich decadent one. It goes great with a glass of white wine, and after eating it you will NOT want dessert…or maybe a nice light granita. If you have left over puff pastry dough, sprinkle it with sugar and cinnamon and throw in the oven to make a little treat. You can use any white wine, or champagne if you wish. I love this dish, and think it goes great on a summer night when it starts to get a little chilly out, but not enough for a sweater. Thanks to Tony and Will tonight who talked to me on the phone while I cooked, and enjoy!

Day 9: Toffee Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Yield: 3 dozen
Time (Start to Finish): 1.5 hours

Ingredients:
½ cup butter (1 stick, soft)
1 ½ cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 ½ cup flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ bag toffee pieces
12 oz mini peanut butter cups (trader joes)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Mix butter and sugar together until fluffy
3. Add egg and vanilla
4. Add flour, baking soda and salt
5. Mix well and add toffee and peanut butter cups and let sit in fridge for 15 min
6. Take spoon and make into balls about 1 inch. Flatten them on the pan so they are about ½ inch thick. They will spread so space apart 1-2 inches
7. Bakes at 350 for 10 min, no more

Rating: 4 strawberries
Notes: they are tasty and wonderful! But the peanut butter cups melt a little. If you want a softer cookie, substitute half of the butter for shortening. This recipe was inspired by Sarah at Patagonia wanting the mini peanut butter cups in something, my roommate Travis for wanting toffee cookies, and my aunt Paula who is not doing too well and I am visiting her today and wanted to bring a treat. All around a quick tasty cookie!

Day 8: Fruit Galette

Yield: 2-3 people
Time (Start to Finish): 1.5 hours

Ingredients:
1/3 sheet puff pastry
1 Tbsp cream cheese
1 egg
½ apple
½ pear
1 apricot
Sugar (for sprinkling)
Honey (for drizzling)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Put puff pastry sheet onto nonstick sheet pan
3. Mix egg and cream cheese until smooth and brush puff pastry with mixture.
4. Sprinkle puff pastry with sugar
5. Peel apple, pear and apricot and cut into slices, not too thin
6. On puff pastry alternate apple, apricot, pear, apricot, making sure they are tight together and slightly elevated. You will have extra fruit which is perfect for snacking
7. Sprinkle with sugar and brush with more egg mixture. Don’t put on too much egg or it will pour off the sides when baking (if that happens just cut it off with a knife) left over egg can be cooked up for a nice scrambled egg
8. Sprinkle with more sugar and bake 25-30 min until bottom becomes lightly brown
9. Remove from oven and drizzle honey on top

Rating: 5 strawberries
Notes: I just think this is great for breakfast or dessert. You can add more cream cheese if you like, or change up the fruits. It will be a little doughy and soft, and if you like a firmer crust, feel free to prebake the crust a little before you add the fruit. Don’t over bake it. This is my one-week anniversary!! I made it through my first week! Don’t worry, not all recipes with be bready or desert related, but this week I was really excited and motivated. Thanks to all who have helped me this week (mainly my roomies Travis, Alley and Christina who have tasted everything I have made) and look forward to more and more recipes! Email questions or concerns!

Day 7: Annie's Famous White Chocolate Cheesecake

Day 7: Annie’s Classic Famous White Chocolate Cheesecake

Yield: 1 9-inch cake
Time (Start to Finish): 2 hours plus cooling time

Ingredients:
½ box Oreos (about 50)
1 tsp cocoa powder
2-3 Tbsp butter

8 oz sour cream
9-10 oz white chocolate (guittard)
8 oz gran sugar
1 pound 5 oz cream cheese
5 eggs
2 Tbsp vanilla

2-3 white chocolate lindt truffle candies

1 teapot hot water

Directions:
1. Make sure all ingredients are room temperature
2. Preheat oven to 450F
3. Take 10 Oreos and separate the center from the cookie
4. Mix center frosting with cocoa powder and set aside
5. Take all rest of Oreos and blend until crumbs
6. Add melted butter until when gripped in hand the crumbs hold together and press them into a greased 9-inch cake/spring form pan
7. Bake in oven for 2 min...NO MORE!! Just until you begin smelling the chocolate. Take out and cool and preheat oven to 325F
8. In water bath on the stove (a pan filled with boiling water and a bowl over it filled with the chocolate) melt the white chocolate.
9. In a mixing machine but the room temp sour cream. Add the white chocolate in one batch and turn mixer on until combined. Scrape bowl.
10. While mixer is on, add sugar and scrape bowl again
11. While mixer is on, add room temp cream cheese a piece at a time. Turn mixer up and blend until lumps are out. Stop and scrape bowl a few times to make sure all the lumps are out
12. While mixer is on, add room temp eggs one at a time until combined, and then add vanilla
13. Mix until very smooth and pour onto cooled crust. Bang on a counter until all the bubbles come to the surface and pop
14. Put in another pan that has sides and fill with the hot water making a water bath, and put in oven. Be sure to check through the cooking process that there is still water in the oven.
Be CAREFUL opening oven during cooking, the steam burns your face!
15. Take out of oven when it wiggle like jell-o, doesn’t shake like water. Usually around an hour. Do not let get brown on top. Let sit on the counter until you can handle it, wrap in tinfoil and put in the freezer.
16. When frozen, run knife along sides and depan.
17. Take truffle candies and slice into peddles. Decorate top of cake with the Oreo filling to make vines and the truffles to make flowers. Serve to those you want to impress and direct them to my site.

Rating: 5 strawberries
Notes: this is my pride and joy recipe, so be thankful you are getting it. I was lent camping gear from my friend Evan, and this is his thank you gift. It is the perfect classic cheesecake recipe, and you can add berries, candies, anything you want, its ideal. Feel free to play with it as long as you keep the ratio the same. I LOVE this recipe and think it is why I have the friends I do…

Day 6: Puff Pastry Wrapped Brie and Berries

Day 6: Puff Pastry Wrapped Brie and Berries

Yield: 4-6 people round
Time (Start to Finish): 45 min

Ingredients:
10-12 strawberries
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 big mint leaves
1 sheet puff pastry
1 .5 lb. brie
honey

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400F
2. Defrost puff pastry and place on baking sheet
3. Take strawberries and heat on stove until soft
4. Add vinegar and mint
5. Pour onto puff pastry in the center
6. Place brie on top
7. Close up puff pastry to make a sack and pour honey on top. Make sure there are no cracks in the pastry dough
8. Bake 15-20 min until brown on top
9. Serve with crackers, chips, or other pieces of puff pastry baked into crisps

Rating: 4 strawberries
Notes: Made this recipe for a girls night in watching so you think you can dance. It’s simple, sweet, and can be a desert or appetizer. You can also make it with peaches, apricots, or anything and you can add nuts on top. A lovely little snack!

Day 5: Honey Glazed Banana Bread

Yield: 1 Loaf
Time (Start to Finish): 1.5 Hours

Ingredients:
¼ cup milk
1 cap vinegar
¼ sugar
¼ cup honey
6 Tbsp shortening
1 ½ egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 ½ flour
½ tsp b. soda
1 tsp b. powder
¾-1 cup smashed bananas

½ lemon
½ cup honey

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Put cap of vinegar into milk and set aside
3. In mixing bowl, mix honey, sugar and shortening
4. Add vanilla and eggs
5. Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder
6. Add flour mixture to the egg/sugar mixture alternating with the milk
7. Add bananas and mix until combined
8. Put in greased loaf or square pan and bake for 45 min until a knife poked in the center comes out clean
9. While baking, mix honey and lemon together
10.When the bread comes out of oven, pour/brush honey lemon on top

Rating: 4.5 strawberries
Notes: This recipe is great with the glaze on top. If it is too bitter, you can add a little sugar…I think it is just the right touch! You can also toast slices of it and put on a little butter or peanut butter.

Day 4: Chai French Toast with sauce

Yield: 3-4 slices
Time (Start to Finish): 30 min

Ingredients:
3-4 slices bread (I used sourdough)

1 egg
¼ cup cream
1/8 tsp salt
1/3 cup chai powder (trader joes, or add cinnamon, cloves, ginger, all spice and cardamom to equal 3 tbsp.)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp nutmeg

butter for pan (2-3 Tbsp for 2 rounds)

3-4 Tbsp sour cream
4-5 Tbsp maple syrup
1 peach
sprinkle cinnamon

Directions:
1. mix egg, cream, salt, powder, vanilla and nutmeg in a bowl that is wide enough to dunk bread into
2. heat pan to mid-high and add butter until sizzling and melted.
3. Dunk bread in mixture and place in pan
4. Cook each side until brown
5. In separate bowl mix sour cream and maple syrup
6. Slice up peach into thin long slices
7. Put toast on plate, drizzle with sauce and add peaches on top. You can sprinkle cinnamon on top

Rating: 4.5 strawberries
Notes: this recipe rocked my world. Its mainly the maple syrup sour cream sauce that is utterly fantastic and I think can be added to most breakfasty things. The French toast is spicy and perfect. I didn’t even need to add butter or extra syrup on top.

Day 3: Chai Snickerdoodles

Yield: 2-3 dozenn
Time (Start to Finish): 1 hour

Ingredients:
¼ cup butter (soft)
¼ cup shortening (soft)
¾ cup gran sugar
1 ¼ cup flour
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 egg
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
3-4 Tbsp chai powder (trader joes, or add cinnamon, cloves, ginger, all spice and cardamom to equal 3 tbsp.)

¼ cup chai powder w/ added cinnamon (or 1/8 cup sugar with spices) for rolling cookies


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Mix butter, sugar and shortening in bowl
3. Add egg and mix
4. Add all dry (flour, powder, salt, chai) and mix with hand in bowl until forms a ball
5. In separate bowl put chai powder
6. Roll dough into 1 inch balls with hands and then roll in chai powder to cover.
7. Place on cookie sheet 2-3 inches apart (they spread a little) and bake at 350F for 10-12 min (when they come out they should be very soft, take out before they get too hard)

Rating: 3.5-4 strawberries
Notes: My roomies dug these cookies, but I need to find a way to make them taste even more like chai. I like soft snicker doodles, and these are nice and soft, so be careful not to take them out too late. I made them super fast and the dough is great to munch on!

Day 2: Caramel Apple Bread Pudding

Yield: 4 Servings
Time (Start to Finish): 1.25 hours

Ingredients:
Pudding:
1 Cup Soymilk
2 Tablespoons Butter
1/3 Cup Gran Sugar
1.5 Eggs
1 Tsp. Cinnamon
¼ Tsp. Nutmeg
1 Tsp. Vanilla
3-4 cups bread 1 inch cubed, decrusted (any egg bread, day old usually, challah works great or brioche)

Sauce:
1 Granny Smith Apple
1 Cup Gran Sugar
6 Tablespoons Butter
½ Cup Cream
½ Tsp Salt
½ Tsp Vanilla

Directions:
Pudding
1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Heat soymilk, sugar and butter in a pan until melted
3. Put eggs in bowl and slowly add hot milk while whisking with fork until combined
4. Add cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla
5. Take bread and fill 4 buttered ramekins to top, then pour mixture over the bread making sure it is all soaked in (do not leave dry pieces of bread)
6. Bake on a sheet pan and cover top in foil for 30 min or until a knife comes out clean. You can also bake in a square pan if desired.
Sauce
1. Add sugar to a saucepan with a little water at mid high heat
2. Let come to a boil making sure it doesn’t burn bottom of pan
3. Add butter when it comes to a color you like and whisk
4. Add cream, salt, vanilla and apple
5. Stir until apple becomes slightly soft and sauce is thickened. Takes about 15 min total
6. Depan puddings and pour sauce over the top, it makes a lot of sauce so you can make less if you wish

Rating: 3.5 strawberries
Notes:
If you don’t want to make a caramel sauce, you can buy a store sauce, and heat up an apple on a pan until soft. I LOVE this recipe, and love making it during fall. Be careful on the sauce not to overcook the sugar, and remember sugar is much hotter than boiling water. You can always add more spices if you like more cinnamon, or a hint of cayenne to make it spicy. It doesn’t get full stars because its not fall yet, and because the caramel sauce can be a little hard…and I didn’t have any ice cream

Day 1: Hazelnut Snowball Cookies

Yield: 6 dozen

Time (Start to Finish): 1.5 Hours

Ingredients:
1 Cup Softened Unsalted Butter
1/4 Cup Light Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Powdered Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
2 1/4 Cup Flour
1/4 tsp. Salt
3/4 Cup Hazelnuts (Chopped and toasted lightly)

2 Cups Powdered Sugar with Dash Cinnamon for rolling cookies

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400F
2. In mixing bowl, mix butter with 2 sugars until combined.
3. Add vanilla and cinnamon
4. Add flour 1 cup at a time and mix after each addition until combined. then add salt and hazelnuts.
5. Mix with hands until forms a ball and all ingredients are combined.
6. Roll the dough with hands into 1/2 inch balls and place 1 inch apart on cookie sheet. they will not spread, so they can be placed close together.
7. Bake at 400F for 10-12 minutes until cooked but not brown. you can lift one up and look on the bottom and if it is just starting to brown, it is done.
8. Take out of oven, let sit for a second until you can handle them and roll each cookie in a bowl of powdered sugar with a dash of cinnamon.
9. When all cookies are done, roll each cookie a second time in the powered sugar mixture and then enjoy!!

Rating: 3.5 strawberries
-They are delicious, but powdered sugar is messy and sometimes makes you cough, so by the nature of the cookie, it got docked a little

Notes:
Welcome to day 1! I was excited and got up early, so most days wont be posted by 10am. Day 1 worked out great, and I am off to spread the wealth at work today. These can be made with different nuts and spices, so try your favorite combo! Thanks guys, and tomorrow's recipe is looking just as amazing!