FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

I Know What Boys Like

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I know what boys like.  I know what guys want.  Roasted chicken.  Seriously, the boys loved this roasted chicken.

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My roommate and I invited a slew of friends over to celebrate the birthdays of Billy, Tyler Dean, and Molly.  And when we thought about what we’d make, a ‘Merican family dinner came to mind.  I made a roasted chicken (using Jenna’s recipe) and chocolate cake.  Kara made parmesan mashed red potatoes and soy glazed brussels sprouts.  Perhaps I have a different level of trust when it comes to Jenna’s recipes because she went to culinary school, but I’ve had such huge successes with her recipes that I have a hard time veering from her site for the basics.

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So back to the dinner.  Who knew roasted chicken would be such an easy crowd pleaser.  An easy, crispy, juicy, flavorful crowd pleaser.  One of the boys even said this was one of the best meals he’s had in Austin…  Austin!

Spiced Holiday Icing

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Icing cookies wasn’t a thing when I was little.  Or if it was, I wasn’t a part of it.  I was a part of the sticking the kiss in the middle of the peanut butter cookie thing and licking every beater and bowl in town thing.

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But tonight I was intrigued by making icing and putting my new favorite spices from my neighbor, Savory Spice Shop, to good use.  Seriously, ditch the pumpkin pie spice this season and replace it with Chinese Five Spice.  And then… remember to do the same next year!

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FoodFash Spiced Icing

2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 whole milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla (or 1/2 teaspoon concentrated vanilla)

1/4 teaspoon Chinese five spice (or pumpkin pie spice)

food coloring

Mix powdered sugar and milk together in a medium sized bowl.  Stir in vanilla and spices until evenly distributed.  Pour icing into two separate bowls.  Add a few drops of red food coloring in one bowl and a few drops of green food coloring in the other bowl and stir.  Add more food coloring to get the desired color.  Let sit at room temperature for a couple hours and then stir before applying to cooled cookies.

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I have to admit, getting the hang of putting this icing on cookies was a bit tricky.  But after a couple tries, a couple sloppy cookies, and a couple hours of the frosting sitting on the counter, everything seemed to come together quite nicely.  And the nicest thing of all was the subtle spice that replaced the just-sugar taste of ordinary cookie icing.

Buffalo Vehicle

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As much as I wish I favored a cooler hot sauce, I don’t.  Crystal is my number one and I prefer it ten times out of ten.  And anything that acts as a vehicle to get this good stuff into my belly becomes my number one as well.

As soon as I ordered a slow cooker, I went slow cooker recipe crazy on Pinterest.  I found this pulled buffalo chicken recipe from Skinny Taste and knew I was going to be blown away.  I modified the recipe a bit by using two bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts, 4 cups of chicken broth, 2 celery stalks, and an entire onion, but followed the rest of the prep instructions to a tee.  The bones and skin made for a broth worthy of saving for soup later on this week.

So this Crystal vehicle was exclamation point amazing!  It was better and more satisfying than any buffalo wing, buffalo sandwich, buffalo anything I’ve ever had.  To say I’ll be making this dish on the regular is an understatement.  So. Darn. Good.

Bulk Madness

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The bulk section at Central Market is one of my favorite places on earth.  Not only does it have everything you could ever want, but you can get the exact quantity that you need for cheap, cheap, cheap.  And today, it also served as my inspiration for some portable, protein-filled snacks for work this week.

Almonds, macadamia nuts, golden flax seeds, chocolate chunks, rascherries (dried raspberries+cherries=rascherries), oh my!

FoodFash Protein Balls (Take #1) yields 20ish balls

1 cup cooked quinoa, cooled

1/2 cup almond slivers

1/2 cup macadamia nuts

1/2 cup golden flax seeds

1 cup rascherries (or another dried fruit)

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a food processor, pulse chop almonds and macadamia nuts until they are finely chopped.  In a medium sized bowl, stir together nuts, flax seeds and cooled quinoa.  Place dried fruit in the food processor and process until smooth.  Add the fruit to the other ingredients and use a fork to stir and mash until everything is evenly mixed.  Fold in chocolate chips.  Use a 1 tablespoon measure to scoop mixture, form into balls, and place on a cookie sheet.  Chill for 1 to 2 hours and store in an air-tight container.

Tons of protein, a good dose of fiber, and a pop of sweetness are what these balls are all about.  All of this makes me super excited to bring them to work tomorrow because I just know they’ll save my life around 3 PM when I start to get that sleepy feeling.