...make lemonade

Life's handed me a couple of (metaphorical) lemons in the past few weeks, so yesterday I decided that I might as well put a cliché to good use and attempt to make some (actual) lemonade. Simple and delicious! I found a recipe online and followed it exactly.  

 

   

Old-Fashioned Lemonade  
recipe courtesy of allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
6 lemons
1 cup white sugar
6 cups cold water

Directions:
1. Juice the lemons to make 1 cup of juice. To make your labor easier, FIRMLY roll the lemons between your hand and counter top* before cutting in half and juicing. 

2. In a gallon pitcher combine 1 cup lemon juice, 1 cup sugar, and 6 cups cold water. Stir. Adjust water to taste. Chill and serve over ice.

*This was a very helpful tip! 

 

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better times, noodle salad

A few nights ago I made my second, slightly more successful attempt at an Asian noodle salad. This time I used a recipe I found online, instead of coming up with one myself. And once again, the results looked pretty...

...but still weren't quite what I was hoping for. This recipe included both peanuts and peanut butter in the sauce. I don't mind a Reese's Cup every now and again, but I don't love peanut butter, and making a whole meal out of it turned out to be a bit much. 

On the upside, I discovered a great Thai chili sauce in the Asian Foods aisle at Fairway. The recipe called for Sriracha (which I'm still looking for--anybody know where I can find it on the Upper West Side?) This version is made by Roland, and is my new go-to condiment for everything from hash browns to scrambled eggs:

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minty magic

It's been a grey, rainy couple of days in New York. With chilly winds and temperatures in the 40s, mid-May has been feeling an awful lot like March. (I guess this is payback for those late winter days that were so warm I needed to run the air conditioner, right?) Amid all of this nonstop dreariness, I found myself very much in need of a pick-me-up. I needed chocolate.

It just so happens that I'd been scouring the web in search of a great noodle salad recipe (to replace my awful improvised attempt!) and had bookmarked a brownie recipe that I simply had to try, so this afternoon I decided to give it a whirl. And trust me, this recipe does not disappoint.

A few notes: I like the mint, but it might be fun to experiment with other flavorings (cherry, coconut) in the frosting layer instead. Also, cut these brownies into small squares, because they're very rich. 

Mint Brownies

recipe courtesy of Our Best Bites

Ingredients:

Brownies:

4 squares unsweetened baking chocolate (4 ounces)

1 cup butter (2 sticks)

4 eggs (I used three, since I like my brownies fudge-y and not cake-y)

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Frosting:

2 cups powdered sugar

4 tablespoons butter, softened

1 1/2 teaspoons peppermint extract

1-2 tablespoons milk

Green food coloring

Chocolate Glaze:

6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate, since I had it on hand)

6 tablespoons butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 inch pan with foil, making sure the foil extends over the edges by at least one inch. Lightly spray with non-stick spray and set aside.

Chop both unsweetened chocolate and two sticks of butter into chunks and place together in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until just melted and smooth. Set aside to cool, stirring occasionally. 

With an electric mixer or stand mixer beat eggs, sugar, and vanilla for 2 minutes. While egg mixture is beating, measure out flour and combine with baking powder. While mixer is running, slowly add melted chocolate and beat to combine. Turn beater speed to low and add in flour by spoonfuls. Mix just until combined. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 20-30 minutes or until a knife poked in center comes out clean.

Cool completely on a metal rack. When brownies have cooled to room temperature, prepare frosting. Combine all frosting ingredients, starting with 1 1/2 tablespoon of milk, and beat until light and fluffy. Add more milk by teaspoonful as needed. Spread frosting evenly over brownies and then place brownies in fridge to chill. 

While brownies are chilling prepare chocolate glaze. Place chocolate chips and 6 tablespoons butter in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until just melted and smooth. Set aside to cool for about 15 minutes and then carefully spread on top of the frosting layer. Return pan to fridge to cool. When chocolate has hardened, use edges of foil to remove entire brownie from pan. Cut into squares and serve.

 

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good times, noodle salad

While visiting family a few weeks ago, I tried the delicious Sesame Noodle Salad at McKenzie Brew House in Malvern, PA. A blend of lightly sauteed vegetables, cashews, cilantro, and thin noodles in a sesame vinaigrette, it was the perfect lunch for a warm spring afternoon. And of course, the first thing I wanted to do when I got back to New York was to recreate it at home. I used lots of fresh ingredients--zucchini, red peppers, carrots--and improvised a sesame-soy sauce by combining a couple of recipes I found online. The finished product looked really pretty...

...but unfortunately, it didn't taste anything like the original. My version was way too earthy (I think due to too much sesame oil?) and not nearly as flavorful as I'd hoped, with a bit of a funky aftertaste. Plus the vegetables and cashews got soggy after just a few hours in the fridge, making it less than ideal for next-day leftovers. 

Better luck next time, I guess.

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