chai french toast

we really like french toast. we also really like chai. so when we saw chai mix at trader joe's next to a sign that said, "great in french toast batter!" we knew it was meant to be.

we used the remains of a stale baguette for the toast and 2 eggs, beaten, and about 1/3 cup soymilk for the batter. we mixed in trader joe's chai latte mix to the batter too. you can find Oregon brand chai mix at a lot of stores, but you could probably also use chai spice plus sugar.

we heated butter in a pan, dipped our toast, and fried until golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side. it was still a little chewy in the middle, so we should have cut the bread thinner. we topped with a drizzle of syrup and some pomegranate seeds. delicious!

-Lola

couscous breakfast

i decided to try something wacky for breakfast the other day.
first, i roasted chickpeas in some sugar, cinnamon, and cocoa powder for about 40 minutes at 350. they didn't turn out as crunchy as i'd hoped...maybe i should have added some oil or cooked them for longer? they also didn't really taste like cinnamon or cocoa, but they did taste sweet.

in the morning, i cooked 1/4 cup couscous in 1/4 cup cranberry apple juice. i then mixed this with yogurt, and topped with the chickpeas, frozen strawberries, a small scoop of peanut butter, and a small handful of bran flakes.

it turned out really good! i loved the couscous with the juice and the yogurt. next time, i'd probably make more couscous and eliminate the chickpeas.

-Lola

in which we eat a lot of brie

we have some exciting news here at chez twin: rita will be studying abroad in paris next semester! we've already planned her new tres chic wardrobe (quirky librarian meets audrey hepburn. it will involve lots of striped shirts, of course), and this weekend, we decided to have a french-inspired dinner.

arugula with pomegranate seeds, pecans, and vinaigrette

roast tomatoes (sprinkle with salt and pepper, roast at 350 for about half an hour, then broil for 5 minutes. let cool slightly before eating) and baguette with brie.

we should have had wine too, but neither of us like wine, so we had a mix of lime sparkly water and cranberry apple juice.

and of course, we had music to set the mood.


we're already planning an irish themed dinner for me (i'm hopefully studying abroad in dublin this summer) next week. it probably won't be nearly as classy as the french meal, but that's ok with me.

question time! you get to leave tomorrow for a vacation in any country in the world. where are you going?

-lola

breakfast quinoa

rita and i recently purchased a bag of quinoa, which we had been keeping in a drawer in the kitchen, until i learned that quinoa is actually a seed, not a grain, and should be refrigerated.

unfortunately, our fridge is approximately the size of a small dog (i have no idea where that comparison came from, but now that its in my head i have a mental block and can't think of anything else that's the same size), and we had no room for quinoa. which meant we were forced to eat delicious things like this: cooked quinoa, heated up in a splash of milk, mixed with a big scoop of pumpkin and a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice and half a packet of equal (not because i have any preference for equal. i just happened to grab it at the coffee shop). topped with almond butter.

cooked quinoa, heated up in soy milk, mixed with raisins and cinnamon and topped with syrup (trader joe's maple/agave blend) and almond butter.
-Lola

cheese enchiladas with mango salsa

this post is dedicated to our mom, who taught us (among many other important things) how to make enchiladas. happy birthday mom!
for the enchiladas, you'll need small tortillas (flour or corn), enchilada sauce, grated cheese (we buy the pre-grated mexican blend. you could also use cheddar and jack), and onions. you could also add black olives and jalapenos if you want. we forgot to buy jalapenos, so we added some hot sauce to the enchiladas.

first, make the filling by mixing cheese, diced onion, and olives and jalapenos if you have them.

next, dip your tortillas in enchilada sauce and fry them for about 3 minutes each, until they're just getting crispy. place tortillas in a baking dish, plop a spoonful of filling in each one, and roll up. keep going until your baking dish is full-you can pack your enchiladas pretty tightly. if you have extra filling, sprinkle it on top of the enchiladas and top with a little more sauce.

bake at 375 for 20 to 30 minutes, or until tortillas are crispy and cheese is melted.
for the salsa, i started with this recipe, but just copied the ingredient list and used the quantities i felt like using.
*1 ripe mango, peeled and chopped
*1 red bell pepper, chopped
*juice of 2 limes, or to taste
*4 stalks green onion, chopped
*2 teaspoons olive oil
combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir.
recommended cooking music:

(actually i was listening to taylor swift while cooking, but rita hates taylor swift. we're listening to this song as a type this post.)
and for my mom:

its her song.
i promise i will get over the novelty and stop embedding videos soon. but not yet =)
-Lola

pancake sunday

is there any better way to start a sunday morning than with chocolate chip pancakes and a bon jovi dance party in your pajamas? with yogurt, strawberries, and syrup

i think not.

-Lola

spinach salad with mango and candied macadamias

with this hot weather, all i've been craving is salad. more specifically, salad with fruit, nuts, and cheese. its just so refreshing. this is the last part of our "last time cooking at home meal" (which also included the corn soup and the bread pudding). we used a recipe from cooking light, but eliminated the scallops and served it with french bread, goat cheese, and smoked salmon on the side. smoked salmon+goat cheese (or butter, or cream cheese)+baguette=amazing-ness, btw.
spinach salad with mango and candied macadamia nuts
from cooking light. serves 4
Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons water, divided
• 1/4 cup macadamia nuts or pecans
• Cooking spray
• 1 1/2 cups diced peeled mango (about 1 large), divided
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds
• 1 pound sea scallops
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 8 cups packaged spinach
• 1 cup vertically sliced red onion
  

[if, like us, you skip the scallops, you don't need the scallops, obviously, or the salt, pepper, or oil. and for any vegans, without the scallops the salad is vegan.]

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine sugar and 1 tablespoon water in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Remove from heat; stir in nuts. Spread nut mixture onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Immediately scrape onto a sheet of foil coated with cooking spray. Spread evenly; cool completely. Lightly chop; set aside.

Combine 2 tablespoons water, 1/2 cup mango, juice, ginger, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a blender or food processor; process until smooth. Stir in poppy seeds; set dressing aside.

Sprinkle scallops with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Heat oil in a grill pan or medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add scallops; sauté 2 minutes on each side. Remove from pan.

Arrange 2 cups spinach on each of 4 plates. Top each serving with 3 ounces scallops, 1/4 cup mango, and 1/4 cup onion. Drizzle each serving with 3 tablespoons dressing; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon nut mixture.

-lola

berry brioche bread pudding

so, we're heading off to the east coast tomorrow, then back to school! we're finally all packed (ok, not all done. but 95% packed). i think we deserve some bread pudding!

we used a recipe from food and wine magazine but subbed blackberries (fresh from a park down the street!) for the blueberries and raspberries. we also added more sugar. we'll say it was to account for the fact that blackberries are less sweet, and not because we weren't paying attention when we halved the recipe. it worked, and was not overly sweet. also, although half the recipe should have been four servings, i was able to cut it into 6 big slices.
i think everybody liked it.
original recipe, with my notes in brackets:
berry brioche bread pudding from food and wine magazine
serves 8 [to 12]

Ingredients

• 1. Unsalted butter, for greasing the dish
  2. 1/4 cup turbinado sugar
  3. 2 cups heavy cream
  4. 2 cups whole milk [we used 2%]
     
  5. 2/3 cup plus 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  6. 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  7. 4 large eggs
  8. 4 large egg yolks
  9. 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  10. 2 cups blueberries and raspberries, plus more for serving [or blackberries, and if using blackberries add 1/3 cup more sugar to the cream mixture and 1-2 T more sugar to your berries]
      
  11. One 1-pound loaf of brioche, cut into 1/2-inch dice
      
  12. Whipped cream for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter an 8-by-11-inch baking dish and coat the dish with the turbinado sugar.
2. In a large saucepan, bring the cream, milk, 2/3 cup of the granulated sugar and the salt to a simmer over moderately high heat, then remove from the heat.
3. In a bowl, whisk the whole eggs, egg yolks and vanilla. Gradually whisk in the hot cream until blended. Strain the custard through a fine strainer into a large bowl.
4. In a small bowl, toss the blueberries and raspberries with 2 tablespoons of the granulated sugar. Using a fork, coarsely mash the berries. Let stand until juicy, about 5 minutes.
5. Mix the brioche into the custard. Fold in the mashed berries. Transfer the pudding to the prepared baking dish and sprinkle the top with the remaining 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes, until set in the center. Remove the foil and bake in the top third of the oven for 20 minutes longer, until lightly golden.
6. Preheat the broiler. Broil the pudding for 1 minute, until golden brown [be careful! we burnt the top of ours]. Transfer to a rack [we just let stand in the pan on a counter, not a rack] and let stand for 30 minutes, until cooled slightly. Cut the bread pudding into squares and serve with blueberries, raspberries and whipped cream.

-lola

mixed berry compote

pictured with plain greek yogurt. it was way prettier in person, trust me.

our family really loves chocolate. it is practically blasphemy to serve a dessert without any chocolate. however, when making dessert for a recent dinner party, we were craving some birite vanilla ice cream so we decided to risk it. we made a warm mixed berry compote to serve over. i think we were forgiven for the lack of chocolate.

mixed berry compote, from gourmet via epicurious
*3 cups mixed berries (we used blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries)
*3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
*1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
*2 Tablespoons lemon juice

Melt butter in a skillet over moderate heat. Stir in brown sugar and lemon juice until sugar is dissolved. Add berries and cook, tossing gently (try to keep most of them from breaking up), until berries are warm and juices begin to be released, 2 to 3 minutes.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

-Lola

apple cinnamon oatmeal

this is my favorite oatmeal breakfast. i use 1/2 cup oats cooked in 3/4 cup or 1 cup water (less water if you're microwaving, more if stovetop. also, i use either mccann's quick irish oats or quaker. i like mccann's better. It also absorbs the water a lot better, so i use less water with quaker) and topped with a large sprinkle of cinnamon. stir in a chopped apple before cooking, or midway through if you want it a little crunchy. top with a spoonful of peanut butter. for an extra treat (my go-to finals week breakfast) add 1 packet or 1-2 tablespoons of hot chocolate powder (stir in before cooking)

-Lola

mini banana muffins

There's this guy at my mom's work that we both love, despite having only met him once or twice, because he has an awesome name. I wish I could tell you his name, but I don't think he would appreciate having it told to the entire internet (because obviously everyone on the entire internet reads this blog). Just trust me, it's an awesome name. Anyway, we decided to make him some baked goods since he is allergic to eggs and therefore doesn't get to have them much. Apparently, according to our mom, everyone in his life is just constantly eating baked goods with eggs in them in front of him, and he is tortured knowing he can't have any. I imagine them laughing maniacally as they do it, but they probably don't.
It was hard for us to find an eggless recipe that doesn't rely on any odd ingredients that can only be got at the health food store, but eventually we found this one and modified it slightly because we didn't have any soy milk. We replaced the soy milk and vinegar combo with regular milk and the margarine with butter, and put the batter into a mini muffin tin instead of a bread pan. They turned out great and the awesomely-monikered person who we made them for loved them too.
-Rita
p.s. My dear twin forgot to post the recipe. Here it is:
*1/2 cup brown sugar
*1/2 cup white sugar
*1/2 cup butter
*3 bananas, mashed
*2 cups flour
*1/2 teaspoon baking soda
*1/4 cup milk
*1 teaspoon vanilla
*1 teaspoon cinnamon
*1/4 teaspoon allspice
*1/2 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix baking soda, flour, salt, and spices in a medium bowl.
Mix butter and sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl. Add banana, milk, and vanilla, and stir with a spoon. Add dry ingredients, stir until well mixed. Bake in a greased (with cooking spray) mini-muffin twin for 25 minutes, or until light-medium brown on top. Makes 48 mini-muffins.
-Lola

strawberry shortcakes...

...are deliciousand even more so when they're chocolate.
from Bon Appetit
you can clearly see that our biscuits are way flatter than the one in the Bon Appetit picture. they were more like slightly fluffy cookies, perhaps because we made 7 biscuits instead of 6. oh well, they still tasted good. i suppose they were extra-short cakes =)
ingredients
Biscuits

* 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
* 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1 tablespoon baking powder
* 1/8 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup chilled whipping cream
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Strawberries

* 2 pounds small strawberries, hulled, quartered (about 3 1/2 cups)
* 8 tablespoons powdered sugar, divided
* 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
* 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur
* 1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange peel
* Pinch of salt
*
* 1/2 cup chilled whipping cream
* 1/2 cup chilled sour cream

Preparation

biscuits
*
Preheat oven to 400°F. Line baking sheet with parchment. Whisk first 5 ingredients in large bowl. Using electric mixer, beat cream and vanilla in medium bowl until firm peaks form. Stir cream into flour mixture until moist clumps form. Transfer mixture to lightly floured surface and knead gently until dough forms ball, about 10 turns. Pat dough out to 3/4-inch thickness. Using 3-inch cutter, cut out biscuits. Gather dough, pat out again, and cut out total of 6 biscuits. Place biscuits on prepared baking sheet.
*
Bake biscuits until toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool. DO AHEAD Can be made 6 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

strawberries
*
Stir strawberries, 6 tablespoons powdered sugar, and next 4 ingredients in medium bowl. Cover and chill at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours.
*
Using electric mixer, beat chilled whipping cream, sour cream, and remaining 2 tablespoons powdered sugar until soft peaks form. Place 1 biscuit on each of 6 plates. Place large spoonful of berries with juices atop biscuits. Top with whipped cream. Pass remaining berries alongside.


Read More http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2007/06/chocolate_strawberry_shortcakes#ixzz0p3UPGv6r
-Lola

baked french toast

have i ever told you how much i LOVE french toast? despite this, i almost never make it, and the few times I have, its never been as good as what you get at most diners (although i also love diners, and the atmosphere can make sub-par french toast delicious. my favorite french toast was when rita and i went to the java house for lunch one day, and made friends with the old man who worked there, who came over and chided us for not putting enough syrup on our toast, then proceeded to douse the toast in about 5 pounds of syrup).

so for our belated mother's day brunch, after much debate, we decided on french toast, but knew we had to step it up.
not only is this recipe super simple and delicious, its baked so you can all enjoy brunch together instead of making each slice of toast to order.

baked french toast serves 6 adapted from smitten kitchen
*1 loaf challah
*3 cups milk (we used fat free)
*3 eggs
*3 Tablespoons sugar, plus about 1 teaspoon extra for sprinkling on top
*1/2 teaspoon salt
* about 2 teaspoons cinnamon
*pecans (about 1 large handful)
*raisins (about 1 large handful)
*1 banana, sliced (optional)
1. grease a baking dish.
2. slice challah into 1 inch pieces. arrange in baking dish, packing tightly. you can also layer if necessary.
3. sprinkle pecans and raisins on top. you can also put the pecans and raisins between layers if you want. i recommend squishing them between the slices of bread.
3. whisk together milk, eggs, sugar and salt in a large bowl. pour over bread.
4. sprinkle cinnamon and sugar over everything.
5. cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
6. bake at 425 degrees F for 20 minutes. add slices of banana on top and bake for 10 more minutes.
7. cut, serve, and enjoy! we served ours with more sliced banana, strawberries, pecans, powdered sugar, and syrup.
-Lola

home

somehow we made it through finals, sad goodbyes, and a cross-country flight, and we are home for summer break! we'll just be hanging out in sf for the summer, except for a short trip to portland and seattle. hopefully the hanging out in sf will include jobs for both of us, although that is currently looking unlikely. if anyone knows of a good summer job for someone studying psych, nutrition, and irish, please let me know =)

"we have no food in the house", my dad warned me as we hauled massive suitcases up the stairs. which, in fact, meant that our fridge and pantry were full of food. "Feta! Avocado! Sun-dried tomatoes!", Rita and i cried excitedly while preparing lunch today. You have to understand, the contents of our fridge at school is usually frozen peas, 1 jar of peanut butter, and milk.
mache with sun-dried tomatoes, chickpeas, artichoke hearts, sliced strawberries, chopped avocado, and feta.
the cats liked it too.
-Lola

grilled cheese with soyrizo

sorry for our long absence. attendance around here may be sparse for the next few weeks, but after that we'll be home, with plenty of free time, a plethora of ingredients, and a real kitchen, so expect some good posts!
so what have the twins been eating? lots of cheesy sandwiches, apparently. today, i bring you the grilled cheese with soyrizo, and next post rita will show you a delicious tuna melt. (soyrizo= soy chorizo. available at trader joe's. tastes just like the real thing, i promise. but of course you could use real mexican chorizo too).i ate off the floor. i'm classy like that.
cook about 1/4 cup soyrizo in a frying pan for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until it is thoroughly heated. remove from pan and add a small pat of butter/margarine to the pan. top 1 piece bread (always whole wheat at chez twin) with soyrizo and cheddar cheese. top with other piece of bread. grill in pan until bread is nicely browned and cheese is melty, about 3 minutes on each side (you'll need a spatula to flip the sandwich).
i served mine with pineapple salsa (from whole foods, but you could find it at most grocery stores or make your own), and spinach with more pineapple salsa and walnuts on the side.
_lola

snacks!

i was sick last weekend, which sucked of course, but i've been so busy lately that it was actually fantastic to have a break. It was also a great excuse to watch trashy movies that turned out to be quite entertaining (valentine's day, cruel intentions, and my new favorite movie, crank, in which jason straithern plays a hit-man named--seriously--chev chelios, who must keep his adrenaline high to slow the poison he's been injected with). i also ate some yummy snacks:cottage cheese with raisins, lots of pumpkin pie spice, and 1/2 a crumbled cinnamon graham cracker.
plain yogurt with pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, annie's cinnamon bunnies, and chocolate chips.
and also way too many chocolate covered peanut butter pretzels (from trader joe's). those things are dangerous.
-Lola

carmelized pear oats

i get my best ideas in 3 places: while walking through the city, while in the shower, and while lying in bed, unable to go to sleep. a few nights ago, the latter came into play as i attempted to distract myself from thoughts of my 3 impending midterms. so i started thinking about what i wanted in my oatmeal the next morning, and all of the sudden, it came to me--carmelized pears! it was a very good idea indeed. i added many sprinkles of pumpkin pie spice (you can substitute cinnamon if you like. also, you should try it with vanilla if you have some) and a generous scoop of (plain, nonfat) yogurt to my usual steel-cut oats (i think it would be just as good, or even better, without the yogurt), and stirred this all together. then i topped my concoction with 1 pear, sliced and sauteed in a pat of earth balance (ie, butter or your preferred butter substitute) for about 10 minutes, or until nicely browned. i also added a mini-spoonful of peanut butter on top. if i get to eat this every time i study for my psych midterm (this morning's breakfast reading: 50 pages on "Accessibility of Social Constructs: Information-Processing Consequences of Individual and Contextual Variablity"), i might just be ok.
-Lola
p.s. another giveaway! check it out and you could win some maranatha nut butter!
and another one, for krema peanut butter! can you tell i really want some free pb?
eater not a runner also has an awesome giveaway
i'm on a giveaway finding roll, apparently...this one's for goji and me custom cereal

avocado strawberry smoothie

one of my favorite things about growing up in san francisco was getting to try an amazing array of ethnic foods. i have an obsession with asian desserts (actually, i've barely scratched the surface in terms of trying those. but i still love them madly and frequently try to convince my friends from the mid-west and the south that shaved ice with red beans, grass jelly, and condensed milk is a perfectly acceptable, and delicious, thing to eat. if you've never experienced the magic of asian desserts, here are a few more for you to look into: sago pudding, eggettes, and anything with red bean paste). one dessert that i have always been intrigued by but never tried is the avocado milkshake. unfortunately, we had no ice cream on hand, so i decided to try an avocado smoothie instead. with strawberries, which may sound weird but is delicious, trust me.
avocado strawberry smoothie makes 1 large smoothie
*1 1/2 cups soy milk (i used plain, but i think vanilla or even chocolate would be good)

*1/2 a ripe avocado

*frozen strawberries (start with a medium handful and add more to taste)
blend all ingredients until smooth and combined.
1/2 of the smoothie, partially frozen (i was impatient) and topped with cereal, dark chocolate chips, and a dollop of peanut butter. yum!!!
-Lola

grilled pineapple and avocado salad

aww, i wish i was feeling in the mood to eat something so light and summery now! unfortunately its snowing and i've been subsisting more on mac and cheese and chocolate than on fresh salads. despite the snow, you should make this (or maybe you're enjoying better weather, in which case you should definitely make this) because it was quite tasty. we served it as the starter for our cuban feast (followed by cuban sandwiches and key lime pie).
the recipe, from cooking light
-Lola

key lime pie oatmeal

remember how awesome that key lime pie we made was? (it was, trust me.)well, this was not as good. but ALMOST. and its more acceptable/healthier than eating pie for breakfast every morning.
before you get the recipe, i apologize for the fact that you probably don't have "true lime" (concentrated lime...it looks like sugar crystals) around, and i don't know where to buy it. its not the type of thing i would usually buy, but if you happen to have it for some reason, try this recipe.
the reason i had the "true lime", in case you were wondering (you probably weren't, but who knows) is that my roommate last year got the school approved "care packages" from her mother. these weren't actually from her mother, they were boxes you ordered online that contained no real food. so the cheap candies and easy mac would sit on our windowsill for months until someone was finally brave and desperate enough to eat the artificially flavored pb & j snack mix (that someone was me. bad choice there). anyhoo, this year, one of said care packages included true lime, true lemon, and true orange, and she pawned them off on me, so i figured i'd put some in my oats.
without further ado...
key lime pie oats serves 1
*1/4 cup steel cut oats
*3/4 cup vanilla soy milk
*1 packet lime concentrate
*frozen blackberries
*1 cinnamon graham cracker
boil soy milk in a pot. stir in oats, turn heat to low/medium, and let simmer for about 15 minutes, until oats have absorbed milk and are tender. stir in lime. serve topped with blackberries and crumbled graham cracker.
-Lola