I know, I've been slacking lately. I really need to start making consistent posts. I'll try to aim for at least one new recipe each week. It's been hard recently because I just moved back into my dorm after being on winter break for 5 weeks- two of which I spent in Israel volunteering with a group of students from the University of Maryland and Binghamton University. At first I was a bit skeptical about the whole experience, but overall, I'm really glad I went on the trip because I met a lot of awesome people, saw some things I've never seen before, spent time with my family, and ate some great food.

While on the actual trip with my group we stayed at sub-par places, and ate rice and schnitzel almost every night for dinner. One night, however, we were taken to Ben Yehuda- one of the most well known streets in Jerusalem. I decided to explore with a few friends. We shopped around for a while, but when it came time for dinner, one of them decided to take us to a Yemenite restaurant a few streets over from the main area. I didn't have high expectations because it was a tiny place and there was only a few things on the menu. I decided to order something called Jachnoon, which is this really flaky rolled up piece of dough, served with a hard boiled egg. Surprisingly, it was delicious and really fun to unravel. I never expected to get good Yemenite food in the heart of Jerusalem.

Throughout the trip I ate a lot of the traditional cheap Israeli foods such as shawarma, falafel, and hummus, but I also had some really top notch home cooked meals. After the scheduled trip with the group was over, I stayed with a few different family members for a couple extra nights. While staying with my cousin Mazal, we had a lunch with my aunt and a few of my other cousins. She made homemade couscous. Yum. Nope, this is not the stuff that you get in a box and add water to. It is completely homemade. Pretty cool, huh? I don't really know what to call the fish dish that is sitting on top of the couscous, but it was amazing. All I remember from asking about the recipe is that it has coriander and turmeric. Helpful, right?

Immediately following lunch, my cousin decided to whip up a microwave chocolate cake. I watched as she quickly mixed the ingredients in a bowl, and literally no more than ten minutes later it was done. I was shocked. I've seen recipes for microwave chocolate cakes in mugs, but never ones for a whole cake. I definitely want to experiment with this technique in the future. I wrote down the recipe, but I left it at home so I'll post it later.

Granola

Granola is one of my favorite things to make because you can whip it up in just a few minutes, and it lasts for weeks (but of course it won't). I've had my experiences with store-bought granola, but I can honestly say that this is far better. Granola is one of those things that you can really tailor to your liking. You can add whatever nuts, dried fruits, seeds, and powders that you want, and it will still turn out beautifully.

Granola

3 cups oats

2 tbsp ground flax seeds

1/3 cup applesauce (or oil)

1/3 cup honey

2 tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup slivered almonds

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup dried apricots

Whisk together applesauce, honey, maple syrup, and vanilla. In another bowl, stir oats, flax seeds, apple pie spice, and salt. Combine. 

Place in one layer on a large baking sheet. Bake at 300 degrees for 50-60 minutes, stirring every 15. While the granola is baking, place the almonds on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 8-10 minutes, or until fragrant and just starting to turn golden brown. Be careful- if you take your eyes off of these for even a minute, they will most likely burn (I know from experience)! 

Remove the granola when it begins to dry out and get crunchy. It gets harder as it cools. Once out of the oven, stir in the almonds, cranberries, and apricots (or really any nuts and dried fruit of your choosing).

This granola is great to have for breakfast as a parfait with yogurt and fruit, or even just by itself.

Chocolate Banana Muffins

I just got back from Israel a few hours ago. How did I make these so fast, you ask? Well, I didn't. I made these the day before I left, but I still remember exactly how they taste. They were that good. If you like chocolate and bananas, these muffins are for you. They're chewy yet fluffy, and large but still very moist. The abundance of bananas and applesauce in this recipe keeps them from drying out. These muffins are perfect for a quick breakfast because they're fairly healthy  yet still slightly sweet and satisfying because of the chocolate chips. They are best when heated in the microwave for a few seconds.

Chocolate Banana Muffins

Adapted from: Handle the Heat

1 1/2 cups mashed, very ripe bananas (about 4 medium bananas)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup plain unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup milk
1 large egg
1 tsp kahlua (optional)
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

In a bowl, whisk together bananas, sugars, applesauce, milk, kahlua, vanilla, and egg. In another bowl, whisk flours, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. Add the flour mixture into the wet ingredients, and stir until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. 

Use an ice cream scoop to fill the muffin tins until three-quarters full. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack, and then freeze if desired.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

My dad comes from an Israeli family, so naturally we eat a lot of hummus. However, most of it is either store bought or from a restaurant. Hummus seemed to be fairly easy to make, so a few nights ago I decided to give it a shot. I whipped out my food processor, and within minutes I had this delicious Middle Eastern dip.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained (chick peas)

1/3 cup roasted red peppers

2 tbsp. tahini (sesame paste)

1-2 cloves garlic

1 lemon, juiced

1 tsp. salt

2-3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

In a food processor, blend the first 5 ingredients. When smooth, while food processor is still on, slowly drizzle in olive oil until the desired consistency is reached. It should be smooth, but thick. When serving, top with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of paprika.

Purple Sugar Donut Muffins

I stumbled upon this recipe for sugar donut muffins a few nights ago, and it's been sitting as a tab in my internet browser ever since. These are the perfect little treats that taste and feel like donuts, but are a bit healthier and more fun to eat. They are sweet on the outside, yet soft and chewy on the inside- just like a donut. I chose to make them in mini muffin pans so they'd be a great bite-sized snack for any time of day.

Why the purple, you ask? In spirit of the Ravens making it to the playoffs, I decided it would be a great idea to bake something purple. It's not everyday you get to make weird colored desserts that people won't question. First, I thought of coating them in purple sugar after they came out of the oven, but the grocery stores that I went to had literally every color decorating sugar except for purple. I tried making it myself by putting sugar and red and blue food coloring in the food processor, but that turned out to be a disaster. Moving on to plan b, I just decided to make the entire batter purple.
Success.

Sugar Donut Muffins

Adapted from Baking Bites

3/4 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking power

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup milk (low fat is fine)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup sugar, for rolling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray mini-muffin pans with non-stick baking spray. In a large bowl, whip sugar and egg until fluffy. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Slowly add into the egg mixture. Add the oil, milk, and vanilla, and stir until combined. If you want to add food coloring, this is the time to do so.

Scoop into muffin pans, until about 3/4 full. Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out dry. Immediately after coming out of the oven, roll the muffins in sugar and then cool on a wire rack.

Enjoy! GO RAVENS!!

Deep Dish Spinach Pie

I always cook something for my mom for Mothers Day. This year I came across a recipe for this beautiful deep dish spinach pie, and I just knew I had to make it. It was clearly a success, because it was on the top of my mom's list of things she wanted me to make when I came home for winter break. This spinach pie is absolutely delicious. It's a great dish to make during the week because it makes 9 good sized slices, and it tastes just as good, if not better, the next day. Cuts better too.

Deep Dish Spinach Pie

Adapted from Cooking With My Kid

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced
3 shallots, diced
2 (10 oz) boxes frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
1 cup grated Gruyere cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 large eggs whites, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon dry Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 teaspoons kosher salt
1/3 cup toasted almonds
2 sheets (1 box) frozen puff pastry
1 extra-large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water (for egg wash)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat the olive in a pan and saute the shallots over medium heat for 5 minutes, or until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Meanwhile, squeeze most of the water out of the spinach and place in a bowl. Add the onion mixture, Gruyere, Parmesan, eggs, bread crumbs, salt, and almonds. Mix well, making sure to break up the spinach.

Thaw the puff pastry for 35-45 minutes at room temperature until just workable. Unfold one sheet and roll into a rectangle on a floured cutting board, poke with a fork, and place in an 8x8 baking dish.

Scoop the spinach mixture into the baking dish.  Roll out the second piece of puff pastry on a floured board until it is also a rectangle. Place it over the spinach and tuck the sides down into the baking pan, making sure both sheets of puff pastry touch all the way around. Brush the top with egg wash and then poke a few times with a fork.  Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the pastry is lightly browned and puffy. Let cool 20 minutes before slicing (doesn't usually happen in my house).

The Beginning

Hi. My name is Jenny, I'm 19 years old, and I'm a sophomore at the University of Maryland. Do I have a major? Nope. Do I know what I want to study? Not really. Do I even know what I'll be doing next year? Well, no. One thing I do know, though, is that I love to cook. I can remember cooking with my mom ever since I was little, but my interest in cooking/baking has developed into a passion just over the past few years. I don't have any professional training, but I've been to a few cooking classes here and there. A lot of my inspiration comes from cooking shows and food blogs. I'll cook anything once. I love trying new recipes, experimenting with different flavors, and putting my own twist on recipes. Most of all, I love making people happy with my food.

I decided to start a blog so I can take you along with me on my culinary journey as I test new recipes, learn new techniques, and most of all, become more knowledgeable about the field.