Jessica Merchant's Blog, page 378

Clementine Vodka Sodas.

I’m super curious about how much more citrus I can get away with.

A little more! Please let me. I’ll repay you in cold drinks with crushed ice and proooobbbaly pizza.

So. Hiiii.

Last year, I made these clementine cream sodas and we loved them SO much. They are such a fun way to do a fruity soda and I actually love it more than actual soda because carbonation is not my friend. And then when you go and add ice cream? Oh my oh my.

Creamy, clementine-y, delicious.

So! I knew I wanted to do something more grown up for our thirsty Thursday drink. One of the cocktails I’ve been thinking of lately is this cucumber vodka soda because it’s SO refreshing. Since the new year began, our weather has been so blah. It’s cold but just super gloomy – with barely any snow – and it still gets dark so early that there have been a few days where I’m really in a funk.

To say we are going stir crazy would be an understatement.

Cucumber drinks make me think of spa days and pool cocktails (like the perfect pimm’s cup) and I was like, you know what the heck we need? A huuuge dose of vitamin C.

Plus vodka.

That has to be the best medicine for everything.

First up, make your own clementine juice! This can be tricky since clementines aren’t necessarily built for juicing. You know? We’re talking segments ready to pop in your mouth and eat. I found that the easiest way to do this was to use a citrus squeezer juicer thing. Yeah, that one. (My descriptions are fantastic, I know.) You could also use a juicer, but mine takes approximately 23 hours to clean and I’d rather sit on the couch and hope that I can will the universe to make this drink magically appear in my hand than clean the juicer. Finally, you could also use your blender and strain the juice through a fine mesh sieve, removing any pulp and seeds. I like that idea too!

Second, combine that clementine juice with lime juice. Sounds so good, right?!

Third, combine both of those juices with ice cold vodka and some simple syrup for sweetness. Because I want all of my drinks to be sweetened as if I’m still seven years old. #notappropriate

AND the last step to enter beverage utopia is to combine this with some club soda and give yourself two straws. Hellllo weekend.

Clementine Vodka Soda

Yield: serves 4

Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups fresh clementine juice
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 cup vodka
1/4 cup simple syrup
1 to 2 cups cold seltzer water (lime is great!)
crushed ice for serving
lime, fresh mint and clementine segments for garnish



Directions:

In a large pitcher, combine the clementine juice, lime juice, vodka and simply syrup. Stir well then refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Before serving, pour in the cold seltzer water, starting with 1 cup. Taste and if desired, add in more simple syrup and seltzer. Pour the mixture over crushed ice and garnish with mint, lime wedges and clementine segments!

[To make the simple syrup, combine equal parts sugar and water (like 1 cup each) in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until the sugar dissolves, bring it to a simmer, turn off the heat and cool the syrup to room temp. Store in the fridge.)

Be sure to follow howsweeteats on instagram and tag your recipes with #howsweeteats! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the howsweeteats facebook page. I appreciate you so much!

Now that we’ve had our juice for the day.

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Portobello Mushroom Galette with Buttery Gruyere Crust.

You’re either going to love me or hate me today.

I mean, you’ve got to LOVE mushrooms to be into this. Like, love love. But I’m going to tell you one thing that might sell you on it.

It sort of tastes like pizza. In the best way possible. Sure, mushroom pizza. But still. Pizza.

Isn’t that all you need to know?!

I was just talking about learning to love mushrooms yesterday with Erin. When I started this blog, I didn’t really care for them whatsoever. And then Eddie had one of those phases where he eats the same foods for 67 days straight and the foods just happened to be sautéed garlicky mushrooms and caramelized onions.

The butter and garlic sold me first. Then I started to put those mushrooms on things like pizza smothered in boatloads of cheese. And I started to fill large portobello caps with more cheese and just ate all the mushrooms and all the cheese.

And then I liked them! That’s how the story goes.

 

Look at this baby.

Pastry crust, flakey and buttery, is studded with tons of gruyere cheese and thyme and gets so crunchy yet delicate yet rich once baked. It’s my favorite thing EVER, aside from actual pizza. Of course.

Trust me, I was hesitant to share this recipe because it’s quite polarizing. Not all of us want to eat fungi, but hello… I do! The thing is that this.tastes.so.good. It’s another form of super delicious comfort food, but it’s a little fancier than mac and cheese or a grilled cheese and good lord can’t I include ANY kind of comfort food without the word “cheese” in it?!

Apparently not.

Know what I like to eat this with though? A big spring greens or arugula salad. It gives you that perfect balance of comfort and health. And I also think it makes it a lovely complete meal, one you could even serve at a dinner party or for a few guests, even if Eddie thinks that you’re missing the chicken.

Don’t listen to him!

Mushroom Galette with Gruyere Crust

Yield: serves 4

Total Time: 2 hours

Ingredients:

crust (this makes enough for two large galettes)

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/3 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
1/4 cup ice cold water
3/4 cups cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces (3 sticks or 24 tablespoons)
4 ounces freshly grated gruyere cheese


1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
12 ounces sliced baby portobello/cremini mushrooms
8 ounces mixed wild mushrooms
4 garlic cloves, minced
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
4 tablespoons mascarpone cheese
¼ cup finely grated parmesan cheese, plus extra for topping
4 ounces freshly grated gruyere cheese
fresh oregano for topping



Directions:

Add the flour, sugar and salt to a food processor and pulse just until combined. In a small bowl, whisk mix together the egg, vinegar and water. Add the cold butter pieces and cheese into the food processor and pulse until small coarse crumbs remain. Sprinkle the water/egg mixture over the flour and pulse again until the dough comes together.

Remove the dough with your hands and wrap it in plastic wrap. This dough makes enough for 2 galette crusts, so you can either separate it into 2 sections now, or separate it after it's refrigerated. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the butter and olive oil. Stir in the mushrooms and garlic. Cook until the mushrooms soften, about 8 minutes. Stir in the salt, pepper, thyme, parmesan and mascarpone cheese.

Remove the crust from the fridge. Roll one of the pie crusts into a... "rustic" shape - no shape necessary really - until it is about 1/4 inch thick. Place the dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle half of the cheese on the crust. Layer the mushrooms in the center leaving a 2-inch+ border of crust. Sprinkle on more cheese. Once the mushrooms are layered, fold the crust over top of the mushrooms. Brush the crust with the beaten egg wash.

Bake the galette until the crust and almonds are golden, about 40 to 45 minutes. Remove, let cool slightly and sprinkle with herbs. Serve immediately.

Be sure to follow howsweeteats on instagram and tag your recipes with #howsweeteats! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the howsweeteats facebook page. I appreciate you so much!

p.s. wine, yes, always.

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Tuesday Things.

1. Happy Valentine’s Day! Are you doing anything Valentine-y tonight? We got Max a huuuuuge stuffed puppy (one of the jellycat ones – our fave) and he is absolutely terrified of it. So that’s how our day started out. He was also upset that his “present” was not birthday cake.

2. Is life even serious with these brown butter breadcrumb churro ice cream sundaes?!

3. Last year around this time I think I mentioned the same thing, but I still can’t get behind the socks + heels trend. Is anyone really loving this?

4. On that same note, whyyyy do I wish that I could just order this metallic pink denim mini skirt? The only reason I wish I was 17 again. For the answer to my feelings on #3, see here. I am still a child.

5. So much TV! Oh my gosh, GIRLS thoughts? I didn’t find Hannah as insufferable as I usually do. I am wildly annoyed at Marnie, I still love Shoshanna and I hope that Elijah gets his own spin off. Also loved seeing Riz Ahmed in the show because I loooove him. I’m still incredibly bored with Homeland. I’m petrified of the Walking Dead. I’m rewatching Gilmore Girls because, hello, I live in Stars Hollow.

6. I fell in love with Adele all over again at the Grammy’s. And the color of her dress! Crush.

7. People that finish their workweek on Thursday. YES YES YES.

8. Last week I read the One That Got Away. I wanted something light and mind numbing and this was it! I stayed up until 3AM reading it because I got so hooked. I would rather swim with sharks than stay at a bar until 3AM, but reading a good book until 3AM? I’m there.

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Baked Chocolate Fudge Doughnuts.

See also: how to perk up a Monday.

I’ve got one more little chocolate recipe here for your super sweet teeth. It’s totally NOT a Monday recipe, unless you plan on making it tonight for Valentine’s Day breakfast tomorrow.

Which you totally should.

For yourself!

Oh! Here’s a question.

Is a doughnut breakfast or dessert? At least, for you – is it breakfast or dessert?

If you would have asked me ten years ago, I probably would have said breakfast, even though doughnuts weren’t my number one choice. I never loved doughnuts or pastries when I was growing up, so the obsession is fairly recent.

But with that fairly recent obsession comes all those crazy trashed up doughnuts. Doughnuts with actual cheesecake on top, with cereal on top, with 34 different glazes and sprinkles – so much stuff on doughnuts! I’m inclined to eat one for dessert instead of breakfast because consuming someone like that first thing in the morning sets me up for a day of terrible choices and also often makes me feel like garbage, especially if it’s consumed alone. Without eggs or fruit or something.

This is my compromise: doughnuts are breakfast dessert. Dessert AFTER breakfast! Have a lovely, balanced breakfast first thing in the morning and then eat a doughnut for dessert. It’s a win either way. Also, you’ve already eaten breakfast, so you’re full, but one is never too full for dessert. Never!

Really, I never am. I can always have a bite regardless of the meal I just ate. Shockingly I prefer to SHARE dessert after a big meal, but that’s only because it gives a reason to order multiple different desserts so I can take bites of different flavors. True life.

In my perfect doughnut world, yeasted ones are the only to exist. I LOVE yeasted doughnuts. They are so light and fluffy. I don’t dislike cake doughnuts, but I never choose them first. They are just so much more dense.

But I guess that’s a good thing if you’re into coffee dunking, right right?

My infatuation with yeasted doughnuts is one of the reasons that I don’t make baked doughnuts often. While they aren’t exactly like REAL (read: fried) cake doughnuts, they are much closer in texture to cake doughnuts than they are to yeasted. And as much as I love the yeasted doughnuts? Eddie is that crazy about cake doughnuts. He wouldn’t even eat a fluffy one if I put it in front of his face!

Plus, the baked ones are SO much easier. And your entire house doesn’t smell like a deep fryer. SOLD.

On top of these chocolate love bugs, there is a big fat BLOOD ORANGE drizzle. Are you absolutely blown away? That I am sharing yet another blood orange (part of a) recipe?!

It’s not necessary but it is 1. delicious and 2. pink so if they are still in season when you go to make these? It’s a done deal. You neeeeed it.

Chocolate fudge + a teeny hint of orange and a giant splash of pink makes for the most adorable breakfast dessert. Or dinner dessert. Or lunch! You could even make these into a cake shape, pile them high on a cake stand or set them on top of a milkshake.

Because that sounds like an appropriate thing to do when you’re eating doughnuts.

I love you this many doughnuts!

Baked Chocolate Fudge Doughnuts

Yield: makes 18 doughnuts

Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cake flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk (whole or 2%, full-fat coconut or almond)
4 ounces chopped chocolate

  blood orange glaze

¼ cup freshly squeezed blood orange juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup powdered sugar



Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray your donut pan with nonstick spray. Whisk together the flours, cocoa, baking powder and salt.

In a large bowl, whisk together the butter and sugar until combined. Add in the dry ingredients and the eggs, mixing until the batter is just combined. Whisk in the vanilla extract, then stir in the milk until the batter is smooth. Fold in the chopped chocolate. Use a spoon and add the batter to the donut pan until each mold is about 3/4 of the way full. Bake the donuts for 15 to 17 minutes, until they are set and slightly golden. Remove and let cool. Once cool, dip each donut in the ganache and drizzle with the orange glaze. Serve immediately. 

blood orange glaze

Whisk together the ingredients until combined and smooth.

Be sure to follow howsweeteats on instagram and tag your recipes with #howsweeteats! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the howsweeteats facebook page. I appreciate you so much!

Might even be better than margarita Monday!

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Currently Crushing On.

{via}

Hello hello! I hope you guys had a great week. I’m breaking free of the house/book work this weekend for a bit and seeing the outside world. I probably won’t even know what to do with myself.

I’m super excited because the photos for the book are coming together so well and I just love love love every recipe SO much. If you missed it, last week I shared a behind the scenes sneak peek and I’m going to do another in a week or so. If you have any specific questions, let me know down below!

ANNNND. What are you guys up to this weekend?!

Here are my fave links of the week:

absolutely stunning cardamom white chocolate bark.

these cucumbers in garlic sauce! oh yum.

so gorgeous: honey lemon poppyseed fruit jars.

zucchini sweet potato slice sounds fantastic.

gorgeoussss black cherry macarons.

greens salad with shrimp, beets and goat cheese: whoa.

the most adorable matcha tiramisu for two.

super comforting mushroom ramen.

coconut panna cotta jars. lovely.

love the idea of tuxedo cupcakes.

this creamy polenta with roasted beets is super pretty.

yes yes, i’ll take two slices of red velvet poke cake.

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Blood Orange Coffee Cake.

I know I know I know.

Not only do I have a severe blood orange problem, I also have a coffee cake problem. A BIG ONE. It’s been only two months since I made this cranberry sauce coffee cake and I was craving one again.

If only!

Because. I wanted to cover it in a pink glaze. That’s the REAL reason that I can’t get over blood orange.

It should come as no surprise because I often mention how I don’t really care about orange flavored things. It’s not that I dislike them, it’s just never the first flavor I would choose. I feel slightly different about blood oranges as a whole because they are a bit sweeter and less orange-like than navel oranges, but when zested? It’s all the same thing.

But the pink reigns me in.

This recipe is from Joy’s sour cream cake and I really don’t think I’ll ever use another coffee cake recipe. I swap yogurt for sour cream because I always have it on hand, but otherwise it’s perfect. I might try to adapt it down to a 9×13 pan at some point – I am just loving how perfectly it works in a bundt pan. Bundts are always so hit or miss, but they look CUTE. Cute cute cute.

So yes, basically I’m making this recipe again and again because it’s pink and it’s cute. If you could wrap up the worst girly millennial ever, you’d find me when you untie the bow.

But look! It’s just so pink. All reasoning behind this cake is right there before your eyes.

Now that we’ve clarified that, let’s talk coffee cake. Every time I share a coffee cake recipe, there are a few readers who assume that the coffee should be IN the cake. I do love that idea, and funnily enough I think it’s the name alone that keeps Eddie far, far away from it. He refuses to eat coffee cake because of his wild aversion to ANYTHING coffee-related, even words.

Hmmmmph. Okay, more for us.

But! I did put a bit of espresso powder in the streusel here. I loooove the flavor that it adds. Especially with the orange. I have to tell you how much more I loved the orange flavor here when mixed with the streusel, as opposed to just plain orange cake. And I also have to tell you how I scraped the glaze that dripped off the cake and onto the board… off with a spatula. And put it on my own piece of cake.

You’re probably really reassessing your feelings for me at the moment.

Embarrassingly enough, I still have onnnnne more recipe that uses blood orange to share with you this year. Because I’m a psycho and can’t stop. But this is the best! I swear. Until the next best comes along. aka, next week. When we eat all the chocolate things. After finishing all the cake things.

Blood Orange Coffee Cake

Yield: makes 1 (10 cup) bundt cake, serves 6 to 8

Total Time: 2 hours

Ingredients:

streusel

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

cake

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons freshly grated orange zest
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cups plain greek yogurt (full-fat or 2%)

blood orange glaze

¼ cup freshly squeezed blood orange juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup powdered sugar



Directions:

streusel

Whisk together the sugar, flour, cinnamon, cocoa, espresso powder and salt. Add the butter pieces and using your hands, mix together the flour and butter until the flour is incorporated and in tiny pieces. It's okay if the mixture looks like SAND!

cake

Take the sugar and mix it with the orange zest. Rub it in between your fingers to combine fully.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, soda and salt. In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, then add the sugar and beat for 4 to 5 minutes on medium speed until fluffy, scraping down the sides if needed. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well for a minute or so after each addition. Add the vanilla and beat well. Beat in the yogurt, again scraping down the sides if needed.

Gradually add the dry ingredients with the mix on low speed. But until they are just incorporated. Spoon half of the batter into the greased bundt pan. Sprinkle the batter with two thirds of the streusel. Add the remaining batter on top then, swirl in the remaining streusel with a knife. Bake until a wooden pick inserted into the cake comes out clean, about 45 to 55 minutes.

My cake needed the full 55 and it was perfect.

Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Invert the pan on a wire rack and allow the cake to cool completely. Don't attempt to move it or it will break apart!

Once cool, drizzle the cake with the blood orange glaze. Let set for about 30 minutes then slice and serve.

blood orange glaze

Whisk together the ingredients until combined and smooth.

[slightly adapted from joy's sour cream coffee cake]

Be sure to follow howsweeteats on instagram and tag your recipes with #howsweeteats! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the howsweeteats facebook page. I appreciate you so much!

But seeee? PINK!

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Chocolate Lovers Coconut Milkshakes with Sea Salt.

Put a milkshake on the menu for dinner tonight!

And while you’re at it, please look at how light and fluffy and pillow-ish the chocolate whipped cream is on top of these shakes. Why does non-chocolate whipped cream even exist? I don’t know after making these. Grab a straw!

I reeeeeallllly wanted to make some sort of super luxurious chocolate shake for Valentine’s day purposes, because the holiday just makes me think of deep, dark cocoa desserts. And if it’s not going to be a brownie or cake, shakes it is. They are just so easy. Obviously. Who doesn’t want dessert in 5 minutes?!

With all of the recipe development going on for the book, we’ve barely been eating out at all. Maybe once a week, even once every two weeks, because we have so much delicious food at home. And weirdly enough I’ve been on a burger + homemade fry + milkshake kick (which started when I was testing a bunch of different burgers) and they are tasting so GOOD at home. I’m never one to order a shake when we grab burgers our, but something about making them at home with a great burger and fries? YES.

I loooove that idea for Valentine’s Day. Take that, filet and blue cheese sauce!

Also. I have to tell you about my favorite fairly recent Valentine’s day memory!

A year after Eddie and I started dating, I woke up on Valentine’s day morning to go to the gym. It was 5am and snowing like crazy and my car slid sideways down the hill from our house, sort of getting stuck in someone’s yard. FUN. Since he was also on his way to the gym, I called him to come help me as I sat there crying like a baby not knowing what to do. (Really, I could have got myself out of this situation. I’m sure.)

Once the situation was remedied, we both ended up not going to work because there was a TON of snow (like feet! feet of snow! why haven’t we had any this year?! crossing my fingers for today.) – and we made this huge breakfast back at his apartment. Like a big, spur of the moment, weekday breakfast. It was so fun! Also. This story is not interesting. You had to be there, right?

The only downside is that I think we used turkey bacon. Ugh. Turkey bacon. Way to ruin the romance.

Anyhoo, we did NOT have chocolate shakes like this that day, but we should have. This year, I will probably make a bunch of cliche fun heart-shaped food for Max (I’ve turned into such a sucker) and I’m 99% sure I’m doing the burger night for Eddie. Very obnoxious milkshakes included! Maybe some chocolate covered pretzels on top. I can’t tell Eddie about the sea salt because he will freak.

Me on the other hand? Give me all the salty chocolate.

Chocolate Lovers Coconut Milkshakes with Sea Salt

Yield: serves 2 obnoxiously, 4 appropriately

Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

chocolate sauce/fudge for drizzling in the glass
1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk
1 cup chocolate ice cream
½ cup chocolate milk
2 ounces semi sweet chocolate, melted
2 tablespoons dutch process cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup ice

chocolate whipped cream

1 cup cold heavy cream
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 tablespoon powdered sugar

for garnish

chocolate sprinkles
chocolate shavings or curls
flaked sea salt
cocoa powder for dusting



Directions:

To start, use chocolate syrup, fudge or leftover ganache (that's what I used!) on a spoon and brush it around the insides of the glass.

Add the milks, ice cream, chocolate, cocoa powder and vanilla extract to a blender and puree until thick and creamy.

Top the milkshakes with the chocolate whipped cream and sprinkles, chocolate shavings and sea salt. Serve immediately!

chocolate whipped cream

In the bowl of your electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream and soft peaks form. Add in the cocoa, sugar and vanilla extract and beat until thick. Top the milkshakes.

Be sure to follow howsweeteats on instagram and tag your recipes with #howsweeteats! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the howsweeteats facebook page. I appreciate you so much!

Not going to unfriend you if you add a shot of bourbon…

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Beer Brownies.

Oh yes I said it. BEER brownies!

If I can convince you to make one dessert for (yourself on?) Valentine’s Day, this shall be it! These are so rich and decadent and guess what? They only make a tiny serving! Just for you! And me. Of course.

These beer brownies come from Christina’s newest book Sweet & Simple: Desserts For Two which is out now, just in time for your sweet teeth to crave some super chocolately deliciousness.

Christina makes all the best desserts in batches to serve two people. Two! Isn’t that amazing?

I’ve probably mentioned it a million times but really, the only person I know who can bake a 9×13 pan of brownies and not consume it like a pyscho is my mom. She can make a large serving of ANY dessert, have it sit in eyesight on her counter in the kitchen and enjoy one single serving every single day and no more. Absolutely NO more. Not even a crumb.

I fall somewhere in the middle of that and omggivemeallthesugar. Since I technically cook for my job and have a lot of food in my house at once, I have a certain level of discipline when it comes to dessert.

HOWEVER.

That discipline usually goes something like this:

Bake a pan of brownies. Cut myself one pretty square of fudgy brownie after lunch.

Eat it. Enjoy it. Not like “enjoy it” by sitting down and savoring every bite, but more like “enjoy it” while standing over the sink and simultaneously scrolling through Instagram on my phone.

Then.

I’ll take one more forkful. I mean, I don’t need a whole piece. I’m pretty satisfied and a whole second brownie will send me over the sugar edge. But a forkful? Yeah. I can do that.

I mean, maybe a second forkful.

And a crumb. I dropped another crumb. Need another crumb. It’s cool, these bites don’t have calories.

Work work work work work (sung like Rhianna, I’m embarrassing) and then an hour later just maybe onnnnne more forkful.

Just one.

One more bite.

Seven hours later dinner is over and there are 13 forkfuls of brownie taken directly out of the pan. BUT I NEVER ATE A WHOLE BROWNIE!

Halp me.

Do you relate? Or would you and my mom be besties?

That’s why I have always been obsessed with Christina’s concept of desserts for two. Two! Probably also since until fairly recently I was only part of a family of two, and those desserts were perfect for Sunday night dinner and the link. Small batch sugar cookies? Yes please! Little cheesecakes? Hello lover.

So. Guess how we start out making these beer brownies? By making a beer syrup.

BEER SYRUP. I need to tell you again. Beer freaking syrup!

Christina calls it a beer concentrate and it happens by boiling beer down until it’s, well… concentrated. Yes yes. I sort of just wanted to slurp it off of a spoon.

The beer syrup gets mixed into the brownie batter. It gives the best hint of flavor EVER. A tiny bit also gets whipped into the buttercream and now isn’t that just the best thing you’ve ever heard of in your little life? Sugar plus butter plus BEER.

Oh hi I’m eating this for dinner.

Beer Brownies

Yield: serves 2 to 4

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup dark beer
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 large egg white
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup all purpose flour

frosting

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon beer syrup (from above)



Directions:

Heat the beer in a small saucepan over medium heat and let it simmer until it reduces to 1/2 cup. This will take 15 to 20 minutes and be sure to watch it so it doesn't boil over. If it starts to bubble up, stir and remove it from the heat to let it come down.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a 9x5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper.

In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the butter, cocoa, sugar and chocolate. Microwave for 30 seconds, stir, then microwave for another 30 seconds. Stir until everything is melted and combined. Let it cool for a few minutes.

Stir in 4 tablespoons of the beer syrup, the egg white, vanilla and salt. Stir in the flour until fully combined.

Pour the mixture into the lined loaf pan and bake for 4o to 45 minutes. The brownies are done with the top is dry and a toothpick inserted has only a few crumbs sticking. Cool the brownies completely.

Once cool, frost and top with sprinkles if desired. Slice and serve.

frosting

Beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until combined and fluffy. Beat in the remaining tablespoon of beer syrup until combined. Frost the brownies once cool.

[recipe from sweet & simple]

Be sure to follow howsweeteats on instagram and tag your recipes with #howsweeteats! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the howsweeteats facebook page. I appreciate you so much!

These are the fudgiest things in life.

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Tuesday Things.

1. I would be completely thrilled to live my life in Gaga’s sparkle beaded outfit from her opening of the Super Bowl.

2. Oh my gosh. This blood orange winter watercolor cake. She speaks to my heart so, so much.

3. My ritual on the weekend nights right now has been to lock myself in a room and write my next book for hours on end. While this is working since it’s gross and cold outside and I love that I’m not procrastinating like usual, I’m going majorly stir crazy.

4. I work from home. Ha. Ha ha ha ha ha.

5. Coffee and I have reunited (thanks to that cascara latte – ugh, why is it so good) and I have to say that the little break I took worked wonders. I no longer feel horrible when I drink it – and I’m still adding a teeny bit of cream. What is coffee without cream? Seriously.

6. So I finished Gilmore Girls AND the revival. While I’m drowning in my depression (wait, for a second I think I was actually LIVING in Stars Hollow, that’s how obsessed I was), I’m looking for a happy, light, funny book to scoop me up and rock me to sleep. I didn’t HATE the revival but it was different. If you read Lauren Graham’s most recent book, she talks about how when the show ended, they got rid of everything since Netflix shows and streaming TV didn’t exist. Everything had to come from scratch. My one question is will Eddie mind if I hang a poster of Luke circa 2004 in our bedroom like I did with Zack Morris as a tween. See also: I might be youtubing fan videos of Luke and Lorelai.

7. Just going to say it: I love the whole athleisure trend because while it’s not different from the stuff I wear daily anyway, now I feel like a normal human doing everything in my workout clothes. But is it just me? Or do you save your GOOD workout clothes for wearing… and not working out. I only work out in the old stuff. Duh.

8. This is so interesting: what happened when I forced myself to wake up at 5am for a month. When I asked you guys a few weeks ago if you set alarms on the weekend, many of you asked why I do that when I have a kid. The short answer is that I want to be up a little earlier to have time to do nothing (truly) by myself. I love the mornings.

9. Favorite commercials from the Super Bowl? I loved a lot of them and they message they were sharing, but I gotta give my fave to Martha Stewart + Snoop. I will never get sick of those two together.

The post Tuesday Things. appeared first on How Sweet It Is.

Honey Mustard Chicken Chopped Salad.

I’m here to rescue you.

From the vat of cheese dip and guac that you might have eaten last night during the game. With a colorful, crunchy, chopped salad that will totally make your Monday! If you need a little help loathing yourself less this morning, I’m your gal.

Let’s get to it.

This is SO my new favorite chicken recipe. It’s not completely new – I took that sweet and spicy honey broiled chicken that we love and made a honey mustard glaze to brush on instead – and then threw it together with a bunch of vegetables and cheese and a quick honey mustard vinaigrette.

For me, that vinaigrette is key. I don’t love the thick and sticky honey mustard dressings, in fact, I’ve been weird about dressings since I was a kid and you know that my go to is always a mix of oil and vinegar. But I LOVE the flavor of honey mustard, so I wanted to combine the two into a honey mustard-like vinaigrette.

My salad is way too high maintenance, always.

Speaking of high maintence salads, whyyyy do they taste so much when chopped? It has to be because you get a bite of everything in each forkful. Right? I’ve only had one bad chopped salad in my life and it was on a holiday (worst time to eat out ever) when it seemed like an entire bag of raw carrots accidentally on purpose jumped into the bowl. Horrific!

No carrots here today. No way.

ALSO. No celery. Always and forever. Surefire way to ruin a salad? CELERY. Stop it right now.

The things that made this chopped salad perfection:

The chicken! Chopped into cubes, of course. It’s sort of crunchy on the outside. Charred, if you will.

Avocado, always.

Diced radish.

Chopped cherry tomatoes.

Sliced green onions.

Tons of blue cheese. All crumbly and creamy.

Oh oh and butter lettuce! The best of the lettuces. Buttery, for sure.

I also find that I eat a TON more salad if it’s in a big mixing bowl like this. Chopped + mixing bowl + tossing incessantly like a psycho make for the best flavor and texture and perfect bite every time. Take it from me.

Honey Mustard Chicken Chopped Salad

Yield: serves 4

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
3 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
8 cups butter lettuce, chopped
3 radishes, diced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, chopped
1 avocado, chopped
½ red onion, chopped
2 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
a sprinkle of green onions

honey mustard vinaigrette

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

 

Directions:

Heat the broiler on your oven to high and place an oven rack 6 inches below. Line a baking sheet with foil.

Season the chicken on both sides with the salt, pepper and paprika. Place it on the baking sheet and broil for 7 minutes, the flip and broil for 7 minutes more. While the chicken is broiling, whisk together the honey, vinegar and mustard. Brush it on the chicken and broil for 2 more minutes. Flip the chicken one more time, brush with the honey mixture and broil 2 minutes more. Remove the chicken and let it cool slightly. Cut it into 1-inch cubes/pieces.

Assemble the salad by combining the lettuce with a pinch of salt and pepper, tomatoes, radishes, onion, blue cheese, green onions and chicken. Drizzle with the dressing, toss and serve!

honey mustard vinaigrette

In a bowl, whisk together the vinegar, honey, mustard, garlic, salt and pepper. Continue to whisk while streaming in the olive oil. This dressing stays great in the fridge in a sealed container for a week or so.

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Okay! Back to your regularly scheduled chips and guac.

The post Honey Mustard Chicken Chopped Salad. appeared first on How Sweet It Is.