Sarah Hearts

I try to save a few bucks every week and take my lunch to work (also know as “the fruit stand”). My lunch usually consists of some type of sandwich, fruit, and grain crackers. I’m getting tired of this combination so I’ve been on the lookout for new lunch ideas. I stumbled across this a recipe for mango, avocado, and goat cheese quesadillas in Everyday Food. I love grilled sandwiches and quesadillas but they are impossible if you’re packing a lunch. So I adapted there recipe into a wrap. It’s delicious!

Here what I put in my wrap. It was so good! The cilantro and onions added a lot of flavor. And the mango and goat cheese was excellent. You should try it!

Hey, it’s May!

Spring is right around the corner! Here in Florida, we’ve been getting our fare share of April showers, although they arrived a few days early. Hopefully that means that beautiful sunny days and lovely flowers will arrive that much sooner!

When I think of springtime, inevitably I think of Easter. Growing up in North Dakota, I was the only Jewish chid in my entire elementary school. Crazy, huh? When it came to major holidays, I always felt a little left out. My parents were awfully supportive, and they invented a few ‘faux’ holidays to help me feel not so out of the loop. One of those ‘faux’ holidays was Bunny Day.

Bunny Day was a celebration of a certain spring bunny with a penchant for giving children baskets of treats and hiding plastic eggs full of candy on the lawn. Sounds eerily similar to another springtime celebration, no? That’s what my parents were going for; they wanted me to have the fun of the holiday with the other kids, and I always appreciated that. It felt nice to not be left out of holiday parties and celebrations in school.

One of the things we always had on Bunny Day was carrot cake, naturally. My parents always said that carrot cake was a favorite of bunnies, and the best way to celebrate bunnies on their big day was to eat their favorite kind of cake!

I’ve been baking carrot cakes, not always for Bunny Day for a while now. My favorite version keeps it very simple, and very focused on the star ingredient. I’ve tried lots of different versions that include nuts, coconut, pineapple…they’re delicious in their own right, but nothing can beat the classic, simple carrot cake.

Rather than mask the subtle sweetness of the cake with a too-sweet cream cheese frosting, I used a Swiss buttercream, which is lighter on the sugar and a creamy, light texture. I added mascarpone cheese, a grown-up, slightly more sophisticated take on the classic cream cheese frosting. Finally, I candied some carrot strips, baked them in the oven to dehydrate them, and crumbled them on the sides of the cake. They’re surprisingly sweet and flavorful, and add a great textural note to this dessert.

Whether you celebrate Easter, or Bunny Day, or just want to make something delicious, this carrot cake is the perfect springtime treat!

Sweetly,

Jaclyn
www.foodpluswords.com

Click the delicious images above for the recipe!

Salad for breakfast? Before you say to yourself, “that’s crazy,” and go on to the next post, take a minute to check out these yummy recipes I found. They all take the tastiest parts of salads (think cheese, nuts, roasted veggies) and add a twist, like a poached egg. Yes, a little crazy, but also delish.

1. Breakfast salad with avocado, prosciutto, egg and parmesan.
2. Squash and chickpea salad with orange, ginger and black pepper dressing.
3. Salad with goat cheese, red peppers, chick peas, and pear.

I’m always looking for new things to pack for lunch. I usually make sandwiches, but I get tired of them after a couple days! Here is my new favorite easy lunch recipe via Everyday Food. It’s packed with protein (chickpeas) and delicious. It keeps well so you can make it the night before. Delish!

Photo by Sarah.

Hey, it’s April!

Spring is right around the corner! Here in Florida, we’ve been getting our fare share of April showers, although they arrived a few days early. Hopefully that means that beautiful sunny days and lovely flowers will arrive that much sooner!

When I think of springtime, inevitably I think of Easter. Growing up in North Dakota, I was the only Jewish chid in my entire elementary school. Crazy, huh? When it came to major holidays, I always felt a little left out. My parents were awfully supportive, and they invented a few ‘faux’ holidays to help me feel not so out of the loop. One of those ‘faux’ holidays was Bunny Day.

Bunny Day was a celebration of a certain spring bunny with a penchant for giving children baskets of treats and hiding plastic eggs full of candy on the lawn. Sounds eerily similar to another springtime celebration, no? That’s what my parents were going for; they wanted me to have the fun of the holiday with the other kids, and I always appreciated that. It felt nice to not be left out of holiday parties and celebrations in school.

One of the things we always had on Bunny Day was carrot cake, naturally. My parents always said that carrot cake was a favorite of bunnies, and the best way to celebrate bunnies on their big day was to eat their favorite kind of cake!

I’ve been baking carrot cakes, not always for Bunny Day for a while now. My favorite version keeps it very simple, and very focused on the star ingredient. I’ve tried lots of different versions that include nuts, coconut, pineapple…they’re delicious in their own right, but nothing can beat the classic, simple carrot cake.

Rather than mask the subtle sweetness of the cake with a too-sweet cream cheese frosting, I used a Swiss buttercream, which is lighter on the sugar and a creamy, light texture. I added mascarpone cheese, a grown-up, slightly more sophisticated take on the classic cream cheese frosting. Finally, I candied some carrot strips, baked them in the oven to dehydrate them, and crumbled them on the sides of the cake. They’re surprisingly sweet and flavorful, and add a great textural note to this dessert.

Whether you celebrate Easter, or Bunny Day, or just want to make something delicious, this carrot cake is the perfect springtime treat!

Sweetly,

Jaclyn
www.foodpluswords.com

{Stop by Jaclyn’s blog for the delicious recipe}

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Today’s post contains recipes and tutorials to make yourself a lovely little St. Patrick’s day.

1. Bakerella’s Green Velvet Cake Balls.
2. Martha’s Shamrock Boutonnieres.
3. Mama Jill’s St. Patty’s Day Headband.
4. Twig & Thistle’s Printable St. Patrick’s Day Coasters.
5. I am Baker’s St. Patrick’s Day Scotcheroo Bars.

This week’s recipe is from my awesome mom who made this delicious dessert when I was visiting. It’s only 5 ingredients and takes 8-10 to bake. You can whip these up for dessert tonight!

Molten Chocolate Souffles

Makes 2 servings:

4 tablespoon unsalted butter +more for the ramekins
1 tablespoon flour + more for the ramekins
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk
2 tablespoons sugar

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Butter 2,  4 or 6 oz. ramekins and dust the inside with flour. Place butter and chocolate in microwave in 20 second intervals, stirring, until melted and smooth. Using an electric mixer, beat the egg, egg yolk and sugar until thick and lighter in color. Add the melted chocolate mixture and flour and beat until smooth. Divide the batter between the prepared ramekins. Bake until edges are set and center still jiggles slightly, 8-10 minutes. Let stand 15 seconds. Run a knife around edge , invert on plate, dust with confectioners sugar. Serve with fresh mint , strawberries or raspberries. Delish!

Happy March!

The third month of the year is mostly associated with Irish merrymaking. Whether you’re Irish or not, chances are you love enjoying some of the delicious foods and beverages that St. Patrick’s Day is famous for!

There are plenty of sweet treats that remind me of St. Patrick’s Day: chocolate cake infused with sweetness of Bailey’s, a bright green minty milkshake, or a stouty, rich Guiness, poured simply into a glass and topped with a scoop of dark chocolate ice cream.

For me, the combination of chocolate and Irish cream liqueur can’t be topped. I wanted to create a dessert that was perfect for everyone’s favorite Irish holiday, but was also super-simple to assemble. With all of the festivities, who wants to fuss in the kitchen for hours?

The icebox cake is a classic dessert, harkening back to the 1950’s. The cake is basically alternating layers of thin, crisp chocolate wafer cookies and whipped cream. The cake, once assembled, sits in the fridge overnight, which allows the whipped cream to soften the cookies slightly, making the cake sliceable.

While the classic icebox cake is stunning in its own right, I wanted to update it slightly, so I replaced the whipped cream with chocolate mousse, infused with homemade Irish cream liqueur. I also made individual mini-cakes, which is super-fun! Who doesn’t want their own tiny cake to enjoy?

The mousse can be made in about a half an hour, and it can sit in the fridge covered tightly for up to three days before using, although if you’re anything like me you won’t be able to help sneaking spoonfuls of it every once in a while! The actual assembly of the miniature cakes takes just a few moments, and, once assembled, they can sit in the fridge for up to two days before serving. Minimal effort, maximum delicious results!

As far as the chocolate wafer cookies go, I was able to find them easily in my grocery store, but they’re widely available online if you have trouble finding them!

I hope you’ll try this recipe for St. Patrick’s Day; these mini icebox cakes are as delicious and sweet as they are adorable!

See you next month!

Sweetly,

Jaclyn
www.foodpluswords.com

Last week I went to the Farmer’s Market and picked up a basket of Indian eggplant and yellow tomatoes. I never bought Indian eggplant before, but their small size made them so cute, I had to get them! Yellow tomatoes are my favorite, the are crisp and a little less acidic than most tomatoes.

I used the tomatoes, garlic, red onion and coarse salt and fresh cracked pepper to make the sauce. I added sun-dried tomato free-range chicken sausage. Then I topped it off with sliced, sauteed Indian eggplant and green bell paper. I served it with fettucini and a little fresh Romano cheese. Delish.

Here’s a gift guide for your favorite foodies.

Clockwise, from the top right:

1. Foodie Fight A Trivia Game for Serious Food Lovers, $18.95
2. The Cheese Tasting Party Kit, $16.95
3. Pewter Bird Measuring Spoons, $96.00
4. Damask Filled Steel Blue Coasters, $23 set of 4
5. Serendipity3 Frrrozen Hot Chocolate Mix Canister, $14.79
6. Chef’n Emulstir, $15.49
7. White Porcelain Sampler Set, $19.95
8. Martha Stewart Makes Cookies iPad app, $4.99
9. Cabinet Mount for iPad, $69.99