Jalapeno Jack Grilled Cheese on Sourdough

Baby Red Chard

 So I lied again about the whole only baking thing during Ramadan. I made a trip to good ol' HEB today and got some wonderful, fresh deliciousness to eat. Tonight, I made a grilled cheese on sourdough bread with jalapeno jack cheese. The things that really made this sandwich delightful is baby red chard and arugula. The chard with the sourdough creates a lovely nutty flavor that complements the spice from the cheese quite well. I had to photograph my sandwich really quickly because I couldn't wait to eat it.
I don't have many comments for this post, because I'm still thinking about the awesome sandwich I just devoured. And I'm also thinking about the coffee Haagen Dazs in my freezer...

Oh, and here's my reminder for making grilled cheeses: transfer the sandwich from a pan and finish it off under a broiler for about 1 minute! It's like magic!

What's in it:
-sourdough bread, jalapeno jack cheese, baby red chard, arugula

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Cranberry Almond Oatmeal Cookies

I think I'm only going to be baking things during Ramadan. The only 2 things I miss during the day are water and chocolate/something sweet. Anyways, when the days I actually get up for suhoor (the morning meal), I eat oatmeal. So ever since I first ate some, I've been craving oatmeal cookies. Now I'm eating them all by myself and I don't regret it. I can afford to eat a few cookies at night considering I don't eat during the day...right? Don't judge me. These are delicious. Now, I don't like to toot my own horn, but occasionally I will make something pretty darn good that I have to. Let me tell ya, these cookies...ARE PRETTY DARN GOOD. What I like in an oatmeal cookies is a delicate crisp exterior but an wonderfully soft and chewy interior. I added some fruit and nuts to it to make it seem healthier. When I'm not doing MCAT practice, you can find me watching some type of cooking show. My new favorite obsession is Ramsay's Best Restaurant. Earlier tonight I had milk and cookies while I watched Mister Ramsay. [It's refreshing to see him so nice and encouraging on television.]
Anyways, oatmeal cookies = SUCCESS.
Oh and best part is...they are SUPER easy to make and bake in literally 10 minutes. No joke. A minute more and they'll probably be overdone and harden. So you want to be very careful with timing when making these.

What's in it:
-flour, baking soda, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, butter, egg, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, rolled oats, cranberries, sliced almonds

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Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies

Soooo....I lied. I thought I wouldn't be making anything this month, but that didn't last long. These seemingly daunting delectables are actually quite delicate delights. A lot of sugar does go into making these, but it's 95% light brown sugar if that makes you feel any better. I made these while fasting, so I didn't get to taste anything. I do feel there needs to be more chocolate in the brownie, and I need to mix the cookie dough a tad bit more. I kinda made these haphazardly because I was delirious from lack of food. However, some people who had the honor to eat them thought they were delish! So yay! There is something about the brownie that makes you want more. The brownie part is very airy and much lighter than you'd expect. And the cookie dough part isn't overwhelmingly sweet. You can eat more because it's not heavy...but your hips will probably hate you later on.

[On another note, some of you have asked why I don't put up actual recipes on here. Well, to be honest, I don't usually follow recipes myself. I'll adapt from recipes I find, but I don't do precise measurements and I'm constantly modifying what I make. Also, for you foodies out there, I want this to be a portal for you so that you can take something from here and make it on your own. The best way to learn to cook is by experimenting and guessing. That's the only way you'll build the intuition you need in order to create something successful. ]

What's in it:
-Brownie: semi-sweet baking chocolate, light brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour, butter
-Cookie dough: butter, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, milk, vanilla, flour, chocolate chips

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Hiatus

Hello all! Because of Ramadan, I probably won't be updating until September. I get fed for free everyday, so I'm not really making much on my own.
Stay tuned!



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Crab Cakes

 

My Secret Sauce!

 This dish is slightly inspired by an episode of Food Network Star, where the contestants had to create something using packaged goods such as Cheez Its or Townhouse crackers. So I wanted to get rid of the crab meat that was sitting in my fridge and I decided to make crab cakes. While gathering some ingredients, I realized I really need to make a trip to good ol' HEB. Anyways, to make crab cakes you need at least mayo, eggs, and some form of breading--that's what binds everything together and keeps the cake from falling apart. Now, you're probably asking, how did FNS inspire me? Well, that's where the Townhouse Flatbread Crisps come in. I crushed up a whole bunch of crackers and used that as my breading. I used the Italian Herb flavor, so it gave more dimension to the cakes. Using butter in your pan will help add extra flavor, but make sure the fat has stopped bubbling before you put the cakes in, or else it'll make them soggy and not crispy.

I was going to put them on a bed of arugula, but I didn't have any...
However,  I did make a sauce to go with it. Instead of tartar, I made my own 'special sauce'.

PS: my secret ingredient for the crab cake is wasabi powder.

What's in it:
-Crab cakes: crab meat, mayo, egg, dried mustard, wasabi powder, cumin, paprika, salt, black pepper, red chili powder, dried oregano, Townhouse Flatbread Crisps
-Sauce: it's a secret ;)

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Parmesan Tomato Crepes

I should have probably posted this before the nutella crepes, so this would show up afterwards. So if you haven't looked at the post below, please do so, then come back. [pause].
[resume] Alright, so I decided to make something savoury after the sweet. I had seen a recipe (thanks, Super), for parm tomatoes, so I thought I'd give that a try. I cut up some roma tomatoes, threw on some olive oil, salt, pepper, and parmesan, and topped that with oregano. While those were baking in the oven, I made the crepes, so everything would be done together. You simply line up the tomatoes inside the crepe and fold over each side. I used some of the juice from the tomatoes to seal the crepe so it wouldn't fall apart. I garnished the entire thing with some dried parsely and, voila! You got yourself an easy and delicious crepe.

 Parsley flakes!

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Nutella Crepes

 Crepes are wonderlous (wonderful + fabulous). They are delimptious (delicious + scrumptious). But most importantly, they are AWESOME. I finally decided to make crepes of my own, but of course it took me a while to experiment to get the right consistency. I, of course, had to make nutella crepes, because that's a staple. You can't have crepes without nutella. That's just...wrong. Anyways, I definitely had this one before making and eating the savoury crepe in the post above this. Who say's you can't have dessert before dinner?

The crepes should come off clean and easily when flipping them. Cooking spray is your friend.

                       They should be almost perfect circles.










What's in it:
-Crepe: flour, butter, salt, eggs, milk, water
-Filling: nutella, powdered sugar

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