will cotton’s candyland

art and food, two of my favorite things rolled into one by artist will cotton. such mouthwatering desserts, don’t you wish a place like this really existed? one of his favorite things to paint is cotton candy, coincidence on his name?

via: will cotton + speak easy

cheese quesadillas made w. love

okay you guys, i’ve got a little dish to whip up for your valentine or yourself too for that matter. i like to call these cheese quesadillas made with love, check those cute heart cutouts! i actually think that i may have used just a tad too much oil, but they were still delicious nonetheless!

ingredients: {1 serving}
• 1 small to medium-sized flour tortilla
• 3 slices of mild cheddar cheese
• 1 T unsalted butter
• extra-virgin olive oil, just a drizzle
• 1 small heart-shaped cookie cutter
• salsa + hot sauce for serving

to do:
start by taking your flour tortilla and folding it in half. then slice the tortilla into thirds creating 3 triangles. now take each triangle, unfold, and stamp down in the center, only 1 side of the tortilla with the cookie cutter. remove the tortilla heart shapes and set aside. now take your cheese slices and stamp down each with the cookie cutter and remove the cheese heart shapes to set aside as well.

with the remaining cheese, place them inside the tortilla triangles making sure that the cheese is visible through the heart cutouts. heat a skillet on medium with the butter and place each tortilla triangle into the pan. once the cheese has melted a bit, flip over and cook until slightly golden. serve immediately with hot sauce and salsa.

for a sweet finish, and as to not waste any food, add a drizzle of olive oil to the pan as well as the assembled cheese hearts on tortilla heart cutouts. cook until slightly golden and slightly crispy. mmm, enjoy!

world nutella day

hurry! go grab a crunchy almond biscotti + a jar of chocolate hazelnut spread. now slather it on + celebrate world nutella day with me! xxx

ingredients:
• biscotti cookie
• nutella spread
• sprinkles {optional}

to do:
you know what to do!

super bowl snacks

here are some last minute treats to whip up for sunday’s super bowl! #goniners

1. root beer floats
2. brats w. caramelized onions
3. bruschetta
4. vegetarian chili
5. chocolate-dipped potato chips
6. chocolate sandwich cookies
7. tacos

most delightful

a good friend of mine told me that she ingests a couple of tablespoons of this magic elixir daily. she spoke of clearer skin and lots of energy, so i had to give it a go. when i went to google this, i quickly realized the vast following of people that swear by this healthy habit, guess i missed that one, but better late than never right?

directions: i mix 1 T of this apple cider vinegar in a glass of cold water and drink it upon waking, i am an addict now.

split pea soup

this is definitely one of my favorites, a delicious hot cup of split pea soup. perfect for light lunches, filling for hearty dinners. tuck into a bowl of my split pea soup!

ingredients: {8 servings}
• 1 pound split peas
• 4 carrots chopped
• 1 sweet onion chopped
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 2 russet potatoes chopped
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 1 quart water {use to thin out consistency}
• 2 bay leaves
• kosher salt to taste
• cracked black pepper to taste
• extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small smoked ham shank
• 1/4 cup white wine

to do:
in a stock pot sauté onions, garlic, carrots and potatoes in olive oil. add the white wine to deglaze the bottom of the pot. add the bay leaves and salt and pepper to taste as you go. add 1/2 of the split peas into the pot, along with the ham shank. submerge all of the ingredients in the quart of chicken stock. bring to a boil and simmer for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

add the other 1/2 of the split peas along with up to another quart of liquid {either more stock or water} and simmer on low for another 40 minutes up to several hours. remember to remove the bay leaves after the cooking process. at any time now, remove the shank from the pot, chop ham into small chunks and place back into the pot. discard any bones and gristle. serve with french bread or saltines. enjoy!

cup o’ broth w. wild rice

wanna know an obsession of mine at the moment? a simple hot cup of chicken broth with rice added. it sort of takes the place of an afternoon tea and works really well as a low-calorie snack for in between meals. it warms me right up as it’s been pretty chilly these days. so so good!

ingredients:
• leftover rice of some kind {i like brown usually but i had wild on hand}
• 1 chicken bouillon cube {oh the salty goodness!}
• hot water

to do:
1. bring water to a boil in a kettle
2. add warmed rice, bouillon cube and hot water to a mug
3. stir to dissolve bouillon cube
enjoy!

green shake

the color for 2013 is green, so get ready to drink your greens! i’ve been enjoying one of these every morning lately and normally imbibe mine from the extractions of my juicer, but because it’s sitting somewhere in a storage facility, i’m currently counting on my waring blender. i promise.. you magically cannot taste the spinach and it is super delicious!

ingredients:
• a big handful of washed and dried, organic, baby spinach
• 3 heaping Tablespoons of non-fat greek yogurt {i like 0% fage}
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup coconut or almond milk
• a spoonful of vanilla protein powder {sun-warrior is my fave}
• a couple dashes of organic cinnamon
• a couple Tablespoons of real maple syrup
• a little handful of frozen fruit {i like mangos, peaches, blueberries, whatever i have on hand}
• optional: a couple of ice cubes {you can omit this if you include the frozen fruit}
• optional: half of a banana
• optional: maca powder
• optional: chia seeds

to do:
blend together, serve immediately and feel the energy coursing through your body. enjoy!

ochazuke

i’m sure it’s safe to say by now that we’ve all done our fair share of holiday indulging and maybe even gained a few extra pounds. no worries because now you’ve got a really light and yummy japanese detox soup to help get you back on track! i’ve posted another variation here, and because i eat it so often, i thought that a gentle reminder wouldn’t be a bad idea.

ingredients:
• leftover brown rice {preferably japanese short grain}
• green tea bag {genmaicha}
• sake ochazuke mix {seaweed and rice cracker seasonings}
• ochazuke wakame mix {seaweed and rice cracker seasonings}
• 1 umeboshi plum
• chinese pickles
• low-sodium soy sauce {optional}

to do:
add hot water to a bowl along with all of the ingredients, stir and enjoy!

white chocolate dipped almonds

here’s one last dilly-dallier of a holiday gift or snack idea, white chocolate-dipped almonds! super easy, super sweet!

ingredients:
• raw almonds
• white chocolate chips
• colorful sugar sprinkles

to do:
using the double boiler method, heat the chocolate to a smooth and creamy consistency. dip almonds one by one into the melted chocolate. sprinkle with the sugar immediately and allow to dry. toss into little jam jars for gifts or enjoy them for yourself!

holiday goodies

as per one reader’s request, i’ve compiled a few of my past recipes into one post for some holiday eating inspiration. as far as i’m concerned, the simmering, the mixing and the noshing have only just begun! click on the links for the recipes + i hope you enjoy! x

1. chocolate raspberry bars w. white chocolate and almonds
2. gnocchi w. brown butter sauce
3. white chocolate-dipped pretzel rods
4. cherry jello cake
5. holiday biscotti
6. poached pears in red wine sauce
7. red wine risotto w. peas
8. sun-dried tomato pesto pasta

gingerbread man cookies

remember how i said that these were my absolute favorite kind of cookies? well i lied because these are.. i know, sorry, it’s kind of hard to take me seriously now but i actually had never tried these cookies up until a few days ago, so technically i didn’t really lie. sooo.. this gingerbread is slightly chewy and has such a rich depth of flavor from the molasses. and the icing, well you know, icing is just the icing on the cake, i mean cookie ;)

ingredients: {makes 3 1/2 dozen 4 inch cookies}
• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 cup salted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup unsulfured molasses

to do:
1. pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.
2. whisk together flour, soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in a medium bowl.
3. in a large bowl with an electric mixer cream butter and sugar. scrap down the sides of the bowl. add egg and molasses, and beat on medium speed until smooth. scrape bowl and add the flour mixture. blend on low speed until combined; do not overmix.
4. separate dough into 2 balls and flatten into disks. wrap each disk lightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm.
5. on a floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. with floured cookie cutters cut into gingerbread men. use scraps until all the dough is used. place on ungreased baking sheets 1/2 inch apart and bake for 8-10 minutes or until slightly golden.
6. allow to cool completely before icing.

* see recipe for icing here.

figs w. brie + honey

my mom gave me a bag of fresh figs the other day so i decided to whip up these little hors d’oeuvres. the combination of creaminess from the brie, chewiness from the figs and touch of sweetness from the honey makes for such delicious little bites. plus they’re so easy to assemble and perfect for holiday gatherings!

ingredients:
• brie
• honey
• figs, halved
• thyme, fresh or dried {whatever you have on hand}
• crackers

to do:
slice brie into thin cuts and place onto crackers. next, layer the halved figs on top of the cheese slices and set aside. on low, heat honey in a small saucepan along with the thyme so that it infuses into the honey. gently stir just up until heated through. drizzle the thyme-infused honey sauce onto the figs, brie and crackers. serve immediately and enjoy!

sugar cookies w. royal icing

these are hands down my favorite holiday cookies. growing up, we visited family in san jose for the holidays, and these babies would always be waiting for my sister and i to devour. some of these types of cookies have icing that is firm, but i prefer them to have a soft, buttery consistency similar to that of cake frosting.

i will not lie to you, these are not the easiest cookies to master if in fact you’re a perfectionist like me and aim for perfectly iced cookies, e.g., williams-sonoma catalogs. one trick that i find helpful is to use a chopstick for correcting the iced outlines of the cookies. but despite their level of difficulty, they are totally worth it
in that christmas only happens once a year!

ingredients: {dough}
• 2 sticks {1 cup} unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt

ingredients: {icing}
• 3 cups confectioners sugar
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1/3 cup whole milk {i substituted with coconut milk}
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• food coloring {separate icing into however many bowls for each color that you are using}

to do: {dough}
in a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer for 30 seconds. add sugar and beat until smooth. beat in the eggs and vanilla extract. add flour, baking soda and salt to butter mixture and beat on medium until smooth. if the dough is very sticky, beat in a little more flour. form dough into 2 balls, wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. preheat oven to 375 degrees. roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface to about 1/8 inch thick. cut out cookies with cookie cutters of your choice until all of the dough is gone. place cookies on a baking sheet 1 inch apart. bake for 10 minutes or until golden. remove cookies to a wire rack and cool for 20 minutes.

to do: {icing}
beat all of the icing ingredients until smooth and separate into bowls with their appropriate food coloring colors added. ice cookies by first outlining using pastry bags or squeeze bottles and then flooding. correct iced edges with a chopstick, cleaning chopstick as you go with a dampened hand towel. add sprinkles and/or other decorations. enjoy!

onigiri

xo,
mr. rice cake

artwork: my own