Hand Me the Pie

Hopefully I had your attention at the word pie, after all who can resist another pie recipe? Perhaps it is because cake and cupcakes are seemingly everywhere nowadays that pie has a certain refreshing taste to it. Then again I have always been on team pie. I would have a t-shirt that says so if random-opinion screen print t-shirts weren't the only thing more outdated than using the phrase "team" anything...

Not so convinced? Let me sweeten the pot, you can eat this pie with YOUR HANDS. That's right folks, no fancy silverware or even plates required while still retaining a sense of dignity. Now you can now enjoy some pie while walking the dog or dropping the kids off to school. It might even make waiting at the DMV enjoyable. Maybe. Or you can sneak them into the movie theatre like I did. 

Known as hand pies, these are essentially the cupcake of pie world. I used this recipe from Bon Appetite which always lures me in with there wonderful photography and styling. Mine did not turn out quite as neat as the picture on the website, but the taste was wonderful enough to erase any disappointments. The only real modification I had was to add more lemon juice, which is more of a personal preference than anything else (I always, always add more lemon or more vanilla). 

If you don't mind taking the extra time to make your own pie crust I would strongly recommend it. Homemade dough going to be easier to roll out into a rectangle which is key for making uniform, clean pies. Or you could just get the store-bought dough and stuff them like calzones. 

 Either way, these hand pies can make nearly any time pie time!

Ciabatta Chicken Salad Sandwich

Sometimes all the elements come together and you have sitting before you an absolutely perfect meal. Ever since college lunch as a meal kind of ceased to exist for me, replaced by random snacks throughout the day anchored by a strong breakfast and dinner. Since I have to yet to work a normal 9-5ish job, lunch and I are still not very close. When I do eat lunch though, I want it in the traditional sandwich and chips combo. In a world dominated by fast food and boring sandwiches there is something satisfyingly old fashioned about a solid sandwich.

If really want to treat yourself with a sandwich, chicken salad is the way to go. Please be warned, the following is in no way low calorie but it is worth every work out you must do to justify eating it.

Pictured above is store bough chicken from the one and only wonderland that is Costco on their ciabatta roll. I added freshly sliced tomatoes but other options include sliced grapes, almonds, cranberries or honey. If you are making it from scratch, focus on simple ingredients and quality chicken (leftover rotisserie chicken is perfect). This recipe here is a good base that you can modify to suit your tastes. 

Now just pour yourself a classy glass of sparkling water and enjoy a relaxing break wherever you are. 

Do You Know the Muffin Man? Part 1

Oh muffins, the love child of coffee cake and cupcakes. As I attempt to detox from the sugar overload of the holidays, the search has been on for recipes are delicious but still healthy. Oranges are always great but they are especially fantastic this time of year, the citrus is a great winter pick up me up.

So my mom and sister could partake in the muffin-y goodness I made these gluten-free. Since we have the cup for cup flour, all this really meant was using that in place of the regular flour. As with most g-free baking the batter was a little thicker so I added 1/4 cup water and a just a bit more oil (stay tuned for a future post dedicated to g-free baking/substitutions!).

In the photo above I added a topping of whipped cream and extra grated rind, inching closer to the desert genre without adding a ton of extra sugar or calories since I am trying to be "healthy." Plus it just looks cool.

Cranberry Orange Muffins

   adapted from Food.com

• 2 cups gluten free flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup cranberries
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil 
• 3 teaspoons orange rind 
• 1/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

1. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. 

2. Stir in cranberries

3. In a medium bowl beat egg, oil, orange juice, and orange rind. 

4. Add to dry ingredients all at once. 

5. Stir until just combined

6.  Add water and extra oil as needed so that batter is moist but not runny

7. Spoon into muffin cups or greased muffin pan, 3/4 full. 

8. Bake 15-20min

9. (optional) Once cooled, top with whipped cream and grated orange rind. 

10. EAT 

Treat Yo Self

Mondays have always been a dark spot on the seven day week, and in the winter that darkness seems even more difficult to overcome. Can we all just agree that everything should just start an hour or two later in as long as it is pitch black and 10 degrees outside in the morning?

So when you have that Monday that involves that involves missing your alarm, unruly hair, spilled coffee, a car that also gives up in the winter AND assuming you don't have a doting significant other; sometimes you just gotta go out and buy yourself a bottle of wine, some fresh flowers and a box of licorice.  In the ever wise words of Parks and Recreation - treat yo self.

Salted Chocolate Pistachio Brownies

When it comes to a crowd pleasing party dessert it is hard to beat brownies. They have all the necessary characteristics such as easy to prepare, transportable, and able to consume without silverware. Not the mention the fact that are made with CHOCOLATE. I for one have a hard time trusting people who say they don't like chocolate, but that's for another time. 

While brownies can get saturated on the potluck gathering scene, they are incredibly easy to modify and turn into something more. So the next time you want to make sure your brownies get picked over all the other desserts in the crowd, give this recipe a try. They are like wearing a glittering black dress over a plain one - classy but memorable. 

To accommodate my mom and sister I used to a gluten-free brownie box as my base, but you could use any box or your favorite recipe. My regular flour choice of the boxed variety is Ghiradelli double chocolate, always amazing especially for the price. 

And now for the pistachio topping, the glitter on the black dress if you will. I used a generous handful of pistachios, shelled and then finely chopped. If you aren't super skilled with a knife, just chop them as small as you can without risking the tips of your fingers (you could even leave them whole). Once the batter has been poured into the dish, place pistachios evenly on top. For the final touch, add a sprinkle of sea salt on top of the nuts. 

One mistake commonly made in any kind of brownie is over-baking them. Everybody just needs to calm down on their baking times and stop being afraid of anything that isn't "golden brown" when you take it out of the oven. I would suggest cutting the recommended baking time by about 5 min and then checking the brownies with a toothpick: if they are firm on top with some batter on the toothpick, they are done. If the toothpick comes out with a runny liquid or if the top is not solid then put them back in the oven for the extra 5 min. Also, as with almost all desserts, make sure your pan is in the center of the oven for the most even bake.    

The result is a salty-sweet chocolate delight that will be sure to get a second glances and satisfied taste buds. All those all other brownies have no idea what they are up against. 

Rice Krispie Rebel

I still love Rice Krispie treats. As we grow older our taste buds evolve, gradually adapting to accept dishes more complex than hot dogs, toast and buttered noodles. As adults we are expected to desire exotic spices and unpronounceable names, not to mention strange colors that would send any child running to far away. And while I am happy to stray from the plain peanut butter sandwiches every day in elementary school, sometimes all I really want is a simple snack.

Few desserts personify American childhood better than Rice Krispie treats for reasons that aren't too hard to see. First off, they require a whopping three ingredients that include cover the plain pallet of butter, rice cereal and marshmallow, aka sugar. One would be hard pressed to find someone over the age of three that didn't enjoy one or all the previously mentioned ingredients. Second is the ease of preparation; multiple bowls, measuring cups, and even the oven can sit idle on this one. A special trip to the store might not even be necessary.

It was late on a weeknight when the need for Rice Krispie treats came to me. I wanted to experiment slightly from the recipe that I had consumed at least a hundred times and counting so I headed to my pantry for inspiration. After much debating Honey Nut O's won out as my cereal replacement. They have the right shape and texture, not to mention the same nostalgic taste. Personally I like my bars to very sweet and chewy so I always modify the recipe slightly from what is on the box. In this case I used a 12oz bag of marshmallows and roughly 5 cups of cereal (vs. 10oz of marshmallows and 6 cups of cereal). Plus sprinkles, because honestly, sprinkles make everything better.

Overall I was really excited about how well they turned out, the honey taste from the cereal was subtle but a nice change . They were a bit heavier than traditional Rice Krispies which made them even easier to justify as breakfast, with a healthy banana and glass of milk of course. I dare you to test these out on the even the pickiest eater, but make sure you save one or two for yourself first.

It's My Birthday

I will confess I am one of "those people." The ones who still get excited about birthdays past age 7. And when I say excited, I don't just mean that I go out and buy myself a cake and some balloons. This is all-out celebration mode. From age 11 to 18 I still planned my own parties, complete with handmade invitations that I MAILED. At the risk of sounding a bit self-involved I would also like to point out that I do the same for my friends (Lesley from Parks and Rec is my hero). 

This year I got off work which meant a full day of fun activities. Lunch and thrift shopping with my mom followed by and afternoon of lattes and magazines and concluding in a Blackhawks opening game dinner party. 

Now for the recipe. Don't be fooled at first glance what look like ordinary funfetti cupcakes - there is nothing ordinary about these small cakes of deliciousness. Since it was my birthday, the dessert revolved around ice cream and in this case Oberweis Black Cherry (if you have never tried it - change that). The cake choice narrowed to what would go best with said ice cream, and after lots of contemplation I decided to go classic with yellow cake. Wanting something that everyone in my family could enjoy I found a recipe from a gluten-free cookbook and added rainbow sprinkles into the batter just like my childhood favorite. 

What I really like about good g-free cake batters is how moist they are in comparison to many regular flour ones. If done right, they have a wonderfully heavy and flavorful texture without the "starchy" aftertaste of g-free flour or the bland dryness of cheap box mixes. The frosting is buttercream, because honestly there is nothing better than a thick buttercream frosting. They were a perfect birthday night treat (and breakfast the next morning).

Oh did I mention my dad surprised me with 10 bars of foreign chocolate? Pure joy.