Archive for Random but Exciting!
An Evening with Grass Fed Beef
Out of no where, my good friend, fellow Bostonian and fabulous chef Minnie invited me to join her for an impromptu evening of grass fed beef last Thursday night. She explained it to me as “a bunch of chefs cooking up grass fed beef.” My guess was that there would be lots of great food there, and I LOVE a good piece of meat, so I had no hesitation in agreeing to go!
The event was a casual, yet informative and delicious dinner 
hosted by Kevin Coleman, a rep for Estancia Beef. Basically, Coleman invited a bunch of local chef’s to his gorgeous home to test out and cook up some super fab. cuts of grass fed beef.
I felt a little out of place initially, as I am not exactly a professional chef, but with Kevin’s gracious hospitality and all the chef’s being super friendly, I was quickly put at ease. Minnie invited me to help prep her dish 
(lemon grass ginger beef served over a cold noodle salad- AMAZING!) and that at least made me feel useful! After preping, I took the opportunity to pick Kevin’s brain about what made grass fed beef so special. Here’s are few fun facts…
Fact: This beef is considered more “responsible.” The cattle are raised on free range family farms, no corns or grains ever given to the cattle and its meets the highest standards in animal 
welfare.
Fact: GFB is overall healthier than the meat found at your local grocery store: its full of omega 3 fatty acids (similarly to Salmon), has half the fat and cholesterol of corn-fed beef, no added hormones and is super high in vitamins A and E.
Fact: Its cooks faster and has a more intense flavor (which I can totally 
attest too!)
So, pretty much, this is the end all be all of red meat. Awesome. The food prepared was freaking amazing- it began with Steak Tartar, Sirloin Crostinis, Mushroom and Gouda Stuffed Burgers, Minnie’s Amazing Lemongrass Beef Salad, Curried Beef, a Seared Fillet and sides of creamy risotto and crispy onion loaf.
My taste buds were uber happy! All 
the food was fantastic and I could totally taste the difference in quality in the meat. The meat was soo tender and flavor far more robust. Something that I have personally been focusing on lately in the kitchen has been the quality of the foods and ingredients I purchase to cook or bake with. And, GFB definitely fits into this category of far better quality.
I was fortunate enough to go home with a couple pieces of meat to try to 
cook up on my own and made my own version of Minnie’s dish with a slab of Flank Steak. It cooked up super fast (3 minutes east side under the broiler) to a perfect medium rare. And it was Scrumptious!
Definitely keep your eye out for GFB on the menu’s of your fav. restaurants. Its popping up everywhere here in LA. My favorite take out spot Bloom has a fantastic GFB Burger. And, I’ve heard fab 
things about the burgers at Father’s Office in Culver City.
I took tons of photos that night of all the deliciously beautiful food and decided I had to post all of them! so keep scrolling to check them out! and my apologies if it caused your mouth to water!
Happy Scrolling, and Happy Baking!
-Kristy
…
Great Article
Just wanted to pass along a link to short article from Tallahassee.com on one woman’s version of cake therapy! She’s super talented! And, I lived in Tally while in grad. school and so glad to here she is being recognized by the city!
http://www.tallahassee.com/article/20100315/LIVING04/3150326/Cake-baking-is-therapy-for-Monticello-woman
Happy Baking and Reading!
-Kristy
Another Week Gone… But I Went Shopping!
Yes, it has been yet another week since I have submitted a post and I hope everybody had a lovely Thanksgiving. I am happy to report I am fully recovered from my sushi-sickness, but was burnt out from working 6 days in a row. Today was my first day off and I was completely lazy until I traded my PJ’s for jeans around 2pm. It was utterly delightful! I watched trashy TV, drank too much coffee and had cake for breakfast. Yippee!
Anyways, I have lots to update you on. I baked for almost 6 hours straight last Wednesday Night and will share each of my treats I baked with you over the next few days. But today, I wanted to share with you what I rewarded myself with for having such long work week. I had a $50 gift card to World Market that had been sitting on my night stand for months and today was the perfect day to use it!
Initially my boyfriend and I had discussed using the gift card to go toward a new furniture purchase for our living… but today I thought otherwise. I quickly passed the furniture section not seeing anything all that appealing and headed straight for the kitchen section! To the typical person, these purchases aren’t all that exciting… but they made me very happy!
It all began with a new cookie sheet! Seeing that I bake so many cookies, probably thousands a year, a shiny new cookie sheet is a very exciting thing! The next purchase was a flour sifter. Again, nothing uber thrilling… but I will now have fluffier cakes and smoother frosting! Awesome! On to the cookie cutters… I was hoping to stock up on some awesome holiday cookies cutters, but World Market hadn’t got them in yet, so I got a circle… simple yet versatile! My last purchase in the kitchenware section was an awesome microplane. It’s got a zester, a scoring blade and garnish cutter all in one! I can’t wait to use it!
I meandered from the kitchen center to the expansive wine section of the store (one of the many reasons why I LOVE this store!) I stumbled upon a bottle of wine called “Layer Cake” and this was an instant must buy for me simply because of the name. For an inexpensive red wine, it was quite delightful. The write up on the back of the bottle equates it preparation and taste to eating a luscious layer cake and I surely agree! The flavor was rich yet smooth and yummy! My final purchase was a wine stopper and pourer… a neat little gadget that allows you to fully seal your wine- yet make it easy to pour when you are ready for another glass! A perfect kitchen gadget for this wine drinker!
Today was totally about pampering myself after a long week… with a little AM indulgence and laziness and some afternoon retail therapy, I think I am ready to face another week on the psych. unit! (Good thing its only a 4 day work week!)
Happy Baking and Indulging!
-Kristy
Rough Weekend!
Greetings! My apologies for my sporadic posts over the last week. I was glad to be back from my visit with nephew, but I have been a bit overwhelmed with everything I needed to get before Thanksgiving… then… yesterday… I ate some very, very bad sushi… needless to say its 7pm on Monday and I am just starting to feel functional again. Anyways… its a new week… here’s hoping for a productive one!
In thinking about Thanksgiving, I couldn’t help but think about the importance of having a beautiful table setting! So I thought I would share with you the table setting my brother and sister in law have on their table because its super adorable, simple, yet festive! A leafy place mat, simple white plates, deep red napkins and dazzling napkin ring. The fabulous thing about having white plates, is that you can simply, easily and inexpensively change out the place mat and napkins and have an entirely new look. Their setting looks awesome on their rich chocolate brown table, and dazzled with a beautiful bunch of deep red, rust orange and yellow flowers.
Just as the food you serve should look fabulously tasty… so should what you serve it on!
Happy Baking and decorating!
-Kristy
French Women Eat Pastry…
I am still recovering from my trip and from a very Manic day at work, but was excited to finally be writing this post… my apologies if I am scattered, but I hope you enjoy!
So I have finally (after 2 months too long…) finished reading French Women Don’t Get Fat: The Secret of Eating for Pleasure by Mireille Guiliano, the CEO of Clicquot, Inc (they make the awesome Champagne Veuve Clicquot). I absolutely, positively adored this book. Please allow me to explain some of her tips that I found useful and why I loved this book….
1. This is NOT a diet book. (I know… this blog is far from a diet or healthy living blog… just bear with me here!) You all know how much I enjoy my sweets, yet eating healthy is just as important. My life simply would not be complete without cookies, cake or pastry. It is important to me that they are a part of my eating life style. Guiliano makes eating pastry acceptable, guilt-free, and with a little common sense strategies, will not pack on the pounds. If you eat a pastry today, skip the pastry tomorrow and compensate with some extra healthy meals in your day. As I have mentioned before, making healthy choices and eating well is important to me… and Guiliano meshed these two ideas well in an adorable and witty way!
2. Tip: Eat QUALITY not QUANTITY. Yes, sometimes nothing is better than satisfying your chocolate craving by binging on 100 Mini Snickers— but really you will be more satisfied with just one piece of uber high quality dark chocolate or milk chocolate. All the sugars and processed ingredients in the Snicker’s just make you crave it more, and over eat. Personally, I’ll take a decadent piece of 70% cocoa chocolate square any day over a Snickers! This was a simple, straightforward tip that I have heard before… but a friendly reminder is always helpful!
3. Move more and drink more Water and Wine: Take the stairs, always have your water in hand… and don’t forget a spectacular red wine with dinner. Yes, Mireille… I can handle this! (Oh how I love a good Pinot come winter time!)
These are just a few tips, and the book is full of so many more. The premise and overall philosophy is eat good food, drink good drinks and savor every minute of it. I think it was a philosophy i was already trying to live by, and Guiliano clarified this for me. She encourages baking your own bread a pastry, enjoying the fruits of your labor and not over-doing it. She makes it do-able and gets you so excited about your next meal. She has totally inspired me. I am now obsessed with the French culture and have tentative plans for a trip to Paris with my sister. Guiliano also has a second book… French Women for All Seasons and I can’t wait to get it. Overall awesome book… and would make a fab. holiday gift! If you’ve read it already, I would love to hear your thoughts!
Happy Baking and Reading!
-Kristy
This book is a must read.
A Week With An 8-Year Old!
I was away over the last week to take care of my amazing 8-year-old nephew Paeton while my brother and sister-in-law were away. I legit lived the life of an 8 year-old boy for about 5 days— we watched about 12 hours of Transformers (the original cartoon that is…I now know the theme song by heart!), went to Target to get new Bionicles and read every Lego Comic book we could get our hands on! My goodness it was exhausting! In between playing with Optimus Prime and legos, we did a little baking… so I wanted to share our adventures with you.
One morning we got up early to bake cinnamon rolls for breakfast. They really have everything in them that an 8-year-old would want for breakfast! Sugar, cinnamon and loads of frosting! I opted to use the pre-made Cinnamon Buns Dough-in-a-Can by Pillsbury. There were enough steps in making these that kept his attention, yet weren’t too complicated to bore him either. We went a little crazy and added lots of exciting sprinkles prior to baking… really what child doesn’t like sprinkles!?!? They were a huge hit. After topping with lots of frosting, Peaton of course was super specific on which cinnamon roll he wanted (of course the one with the most sprinkles and frosting!) and also specified which ones we should save for mom and dad. How thoughtful!
Later that day we headed to Target to get some toys and brownies mix to make mom and dad ‘Welcome Home Brownies.’ In the midst of our shopping a little crankiness set in, so I thought a treat at the bakery would boost our moods. Paet got a Brownie and I got a Cheese Danish from the Bakery in the store— (This is what I would call Pastry Tasting at the 8-year-old level). And with Paetons prompt “Let’s Dig In!” we did just that! Oh this was exactly what we needed! He gave his brownie 2 thumbs up and was excited to try his first bite of my danish— which he thoroughly enjoyed and kept steeling bits of! He’s a little mischievous, but that’s what makes him so freaking adorable!
Once in the brownie mix isle we got a bit distracted by something new and exciting. It was a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Bar Mix. This was a must buy for mom and dad’s welcome home treat. Both Paeton and I were really excited to try this. It was a no-bake kinda deal… and Paet really liked them, but I wasn’t too impressed. It came with a “baking dish” to make the bars in, and it was uber tiny, the chocolate sauce to go over the top didn’t cover the whole bar (even in the tiny dish they provided) and the peanut butter center came out kind of chunky. They were edible, but not great. Of course we also topped these with sprinkles and Paeton loved them! They made him happy… as well as made his mom and dad happy… and that’s all that really mattered!
I of course loved spending every minute I could my nephew and the fact that we had some quality time baking was even better! Thanks for letting me share it with you! If you have any special childhood baking memories, of you own, please share!
Happy Baking and Memory Making!
-Kristy
12 Days of Cookies!
How Exciting! Starting November 30, the Food Network will again begin it’s 12 Days of Cookies Email Newsletter Series! (Sign up by Clicking here!) Many of your Food Network Fav’s will share awesome cookie recipes, stories and of course fab. baking tips for the upcoming holiday season. Click here and you can check out a few holiday cookie videos and see cookie recipes from past years 12 Days of Cookies! I obviously LOVE testing out new cookie recipes, so I am totally looking forward to this! Hope you are too!
Happy Baking!
-Kristy
Some good info on Flour!
So I had to travel the end of this, hence my delay in posting, but one great things about traveling is that I get caught up on all my well over due magazine reading. For my flights, I took the latest Glamour, In Style, Cooking Light and Martha Stewart. I’ve already made it through almost all of them and I am only on day 2 out of 6 in my trip!
Anyways, onto the important stuff. In the ‘Ask Martha’ section of the November Martha Stewart Living, Martha explains the difference between all-purpose flour, cake flour and bread flour. This is really vital information for all semi-professional bakers! Here are some of the basics…
- All Purpose Flour- It’s ‘All Purpose’ because it works great for cookies, cakes, bread, crusts, etc. It has enough protein to keep a layer cake strong yet fluffy, but not enough to make it too heavy (FYI- the amount of protein in the flour is what causes a baked delight to be sturdy or soft… the more protein the tougher, less protein softer.)
- Bread Flour: To make this as simple as possible… it has more protein… so its harder and stronger.
- Cake Flour: Again, to make this super simple… has less protein making it light and soft lending for a perfect cake consistency.
Hope you find this bit of info helpful! If any of you want the inside scoop on how to make your own cake flour at home, check out Joy the Baker’s Blog in my Blog Roll for some simple how-to info, or click here!
Will do my best to post again over the weekend! If not I will have lots to catch everybody up on when I get back on Wednesday!
Happy Baking and Traveling!
-Kristy
Cross Country Cookies!
Today has been one of those days where it is now about 10:30pm and this was the first chance I had to chill on the couch for a bit. Monday’s are part of my “weekend” but I spent most of the day running errands all over this vast city, and baking about 5 dozen chocolate chip cookies. Oh how wonderful it feels to be in PJ’s, lounging on the couch, watching my BF play WII!
I baked all those cookies tonight to mail out to friends and family. After growing up in Boston, going to school in Florida and moving out to Los Angeles, I legit have friends and family all over this country… MA, FL, IL, KY, OK, DC, PR, NC… oh the list could go on! Since I send tons and tons of cookies cross country, especially in the up coming holiday season, I thought it might be a good idea to share where I get some of my packaging supplies and shipping tips. Okay, not the most thrilling topics for a baking blog, but important none the less!
For one, I am OBSESSED with Nashville Wraps! I get just about everything from them… boxes, bags, tissue paper, ribbon, and packing supplies. (Actually, the colors and design of my website was developed after I picked out the packaging I liked best for my cookies on this website!) They carry just about everything you need in a million different categories. I obviously tend to frequently check out their food packaging options, as well as enjoy their echo-friendly packaging options. On top of having just about everything imaginable that you would need for packaging your favorite pastry, their pricing is oh so wallet friendly… Something that I am sure is on the minds of many!
For Labels and such, I love Zazzle.com. You can customize just about anything and can create your own account and save all your customized items for future purchase. I find them to be a touch on the expensive side and tend to wait till I have a coupon to make a purchase. FYI- Martha Stewart Living has a coupon for Zazzle in just about every issue! Good thing I have a subscription to MSL!
Lastly, when it comes to shipping, I stick with the good old, USPS. I am a huge fan the flat rate boxes that ship anywhere in the country, on 2-3 day service for a “low flat rate!” Especially when shipping anything perishable, I want it to arrive at its destination still tasting freshly baked, and using this service has never failed me! The boxes are free, so you can stock up, package at home, and know exactly what you will play when you get to the post office. It really couldn’t be any easier!
Those are all the tips I have for now! I hope you bakers will find them helpful when sending cookies and treats cross country! If you have any additional tips, leave a comment and share your thoughts!
Happy Baking!
-Kristy
Magazines, Books and Blogs!
One great thing about having a website and a blog is that you can pass along info, resources and suggestions. For today’s post, I’ve decided to pass long a few things that I am loving right now. Here they are…
The November Issue of Cooking Light. I freaking LOVE this magazine. When I open up the mail box on that one day a month when it arrives, my day is always made a little bit brighter. This months issue blew me away. I always go through and flag all the recipes I am interested in during my first look through, then go back again and read them all, plus read all the fab articles. Well this month, I swear I flagged majority of the mag! Here’s a couple of the recipes that tickled my fancy… Pecan Pie with Spike Cream, Roasted Butternut Soup with Goat Cheese Toast, Frosted Pumpkin Cake, Baked Brie with Golden Raisin Compotes, Carmel Apple Pie, Vanilla-Bourbon Pumpkin Tart, Satsuma Orange Cheesecake, Cranberry Upside-Down Cake, Pumpkin Ice Cream Torte and a wonderful how-to article on Tempering Chocolate. Okay thats more than just a couple recipes… but shows how awesome this issue is.. go pick up your own copy before they all fly off the shelves!
I recently purchased the book Soda Fountain Classics by Elsa Petersen-Shepelern with photography by Debi Treloar. It’s an adorable book that features the history of and recipes for classic ice cream sundae’s, floats, parfaits, malts, sauces and syrups. The pictures cause some serious ice cream cravings and the dessert recipes are all totally do-able and easy. I am really looking forward to making a classic New York Egg Cream and testing out the Raspberry Sherbet Recipe… Check out Amazon.com to find a copy of the book for yourself as low as $2 for a brand new, hard cover copy! It’s an awesome book, at an awesome price… and makes an awesome gift for the upcoming holidays! Perfect
- Caroline Dines is the blog from one of my BFF’s from college. She and I were pretty much obsessed with food all through school and was for sure one of the things we totally bonded over! Her blog is full of lots of healthy and smart eating tips and recipes, as well as features her adventures of working at a local farm and eating out in the Boston area. I often turn to her blog when I need a great idea on how to change up a simple salad or sandwich, or even to gather idea’s on how to make a favorite dessert guilt-free. It’s so a blog worth reading!
Well I am going to spend the rest of my Sunday evening perusing recipes, blog reading and magazine flipping! Mmm… it will be a delightfully relaxing evening for sure!
Happy Baking and Reading everyone!
-Kristy
