Glide Zen

Okay so, I wrote a long post about the pure amazingness of this salmon then I went to cut and past it below the photo and forgot to paste it, posted it and lost my "paste." Yeah the most frustrating and stupid thing ever! I hate when that happens! Oh well, moving on =)... I'm going to be a little lazy about it and just tell you, you need to try this salmon! It is really the best salmon I have ever eaten! I saw this recipe over Epicurious, from Gourmet Magazine. I will be honest, Gourmet Magazine is sometimes too "gourmet" for me. Their version of this however looked awesome! Simple yet incredible. I created my own version by jazzing it up to suit my taste. Rather than grilling it I pan seared it, obviously. I wanted a tiny bit of sweet to balance out the citrus-y tang so I added honey, and what better way to get that perfectly golden brown, crisp crust then to pan sear it along with a little sprinkling of flour? I also thought if you're going to make b...

You are looking at a must try comfort food meal. I was never a fan of chicken pot pie until a friend so kindly brought me this dish after I had my baby a few years ago. I'm fully in love with it! Rather then getting a surrounding of heavy pie crust you get a fluffy biscuit topping that will quickly have you loading your plate with a second round. In my opinion the topping is what makes this dish. It sets it apart from it's competitors, being loaded with Parmesan cheese, plenty of heavy cream, some black pepper and cayenne pepper for a slight kick, and I also added a little garlic powder (because how can I resist?). Then to finish, it's browned in the oven to beautifully golden perfection.  And the wonder doesn't just end at the topping. That is just the beginning. It's loaded with fresh, sauteed veggies, fall apart tender chicken which is all tossed in a creamy white sauce. This hearty dish would also be incredible made with leftover turkey from your upcoming Th...

Oreos, one of life's simple pleasures. Oreos can give any dessert an instant upgrade. I love love love them. One of my all times favorite desserts is Cookies and Cream Ice Cream (with Cold Stone's Sweet Cream of course). That crisp, chocolate cookie with rich, sweet cream combination is a match made in Heaven. When I saw these cupcakes over at Beantown Baker I knew I had to try them. That ice cream deliciousness in cupcake form. Yes! "Please! Please! Gimme, Gimme, Gimme. I need, I need, I need!"( What About Bob , one of my favorite movie's and quotes =). I made a few small changes to the recipe, I didn't think 1 stick of butter was quite enough moisture for 24 cupcakes so I added in 1/3 cup sour cream and reduced the amount of milk slightly, then increased the baking powder just a tad. Other minor changes I made were, I didn't use room temperature egg whites and I didn't add the 2 tbsp flour to the chopped Oreos because I cut mine into small piec...

All the deliciousness of a cannoli without the frying mess!? Yes indeed. These cupcakes are complete and utter bliss! I have a total weakness for cannolis so I was so excited to see they come in cupcake form. I love all things pastry and all things cupcake and these are the best of both worlds combined into one decadent, out of this world dessert. These are deliciously indulgent and perfectly dainty. They are fancy enough that I felt it was an occasion worth getting out my Grandmother's fine china set, sipping milk out of a tea cup and gently using a fork as if I were a Queen. That is until after one bite, I quickly forgot that fancy mannered moment and rather wanted to drop my fork and shove the entire cupcake in mouth and devour all of it in it's entirety without leaving a smidgen of a crumb behind. And then steal everyone else's. Yes just that good. These are one of the best cupcakes I've ever had and they will definitely be going on my list of favorite cupca...

Is there anything that can replace a fresh, homemade cookie warm out of the oven? Cookies are my weakness in life. Let me rephrase that, cookies are one of my many weaknesses in life. Seriously, why do they have to be so good? If they tasted horrible it would be so much easier to never eat them, but they taste amazing so I can't help but always eat them far too often. That is one reason though that I try create my favorite version of different kinds of cookies. I'm not a very picky eater but I think I know food can be labeled from awful, to bad, to acceptable, to decent, to good, to delicious, to unforgettably extraoridnary. I always am for the unforgettably extraordinary, though I know I wont always achieve it, it pushes me to make things better. I think I also know the difference between an okay cookie and a perfect cookie.  Let me tell you how I would describe the perfect Snickerdoodle. Where to start? Cinnamon, a must. But, almost alway...

  Let me state things plainly, you are going to want to make this pie =). It is one of the easiest and tastiest pies I've ever made. I adore cream puffs. Basically I could eat about 20 or more in one sitting (if I didn't exercise any self control). So, when I saw   this cake , and noticed how many of the reviewers had made a pie version of it I knew I had to give it a try. I don't want a little wimpy piece of cake I want a big slice of pie! I'm so glad I tried this pie. I like it equally as much, if not more than cream puffs.  I used a different pastry cream than that listed on the original recipe. I like to call it "cheaters pastry cream" because it is made from a boxed pudding mix. It's not often I use mixes when I cook and bake but in this case, for pastry cream, I love to. It always guarantees the perfect consistency, a great texture, and I also like how it's just a bit sweeter than your average pastry cream that's made from scratch. I don...

Aww, just look at all the gooey, soon to be stretched and strung (upon my no longer empty fork) cheese and dream of what could be yours =)! Italian comfort food at its finest. The saying third times a charm, it's true. Yes this is my third attempt at creating what I'd envisioned, and at last a beautifully delicious success.  The first time I tried Chicken Caprese lasagna roll ups - strange texture and not my favorite flavor, the second time around I omitted the chicken and made them using fresh Mozzarella - far to soupy and (I was expecting some liquid but I'm telling you half the baking dish was filled with the liquid from the fresh Mozza). The texture of the fresh Mozzarella seemed a little gummy when it melted too. So, the third time I went with a more traditional cheese feeling with the average low-moisture part skim Mozzarella cheese and lots of it, a bit of Parmesan for flavor and a little Ricotta for texture and glueage (I know t...

Yesterday I posted an Authentic Italian Meat Spaghetti Sauce so today I wanted to post a vegetarian Italian pasta dish. Trust me though you don't need to be vegetarian to fully appreciate this pasta.  I didn't know exactly what kind of pasta I wanted to make, and then I realized I had some lemons I needed to use up while they were still fresh. Also, browned butter is a great way to add flavor to simple dishes so I decided why not combine the lemon with some browned butter. They seem as though they were made to go together. The great thing about this pasta is that it's elegant, full of fresh flavor, incredibly simple and it can be made in 15 minutes. Have guests over and impress them with this delicious, flavorful pasta. No one needs to know how easy it was =). Enjoy! Who knew almonds made such pretty little flowers... Browned Butter Lemon Pasta Yields about 3-4 servings Ingredients: 1/4 cup butter 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 2 cloves garlic, finely mince...

Do you want to mimic at home that amazing meat sauce they make in the Italian restaurants? Well look no further =). In my opinion I think there are a few key steps in creating that authentic, thick, richly flavored, meaty sauce. I've learned a few things trying to imitate that amazingly delicious pasta sauce that I get at a few of my favorite Italian restaurants. One of them being, you need to cook the sauce low and slow, 5 hours minimum. If you want great sauce you're going to have to have a little patience. This is one of those made with love recipes =). I think Roma tomatoes are best. A few weeks ago I made a similar sauce, entirely from scratch. I'm talking fresh Roma tomatoes, boiled, peeled, seeded and crushed them. It took far too much time and effort only to realize the next time around canned Roma tomatoes were better. They don't seem as acidic. The flavors of the fresh basil and parsley in this recipe lend it fresh from the garden flavor. I didn't wan...

If you ask me, made from scratch Mexican food is just about as good as it gets. I've mentioned before that Mexican and Italian food are my two favorite kinds of food. One thing I love about each of them (other than the number one reason - the incredibly delicious flavors) is their use of so many fresh ingredients and how a lot of it is made from scratch. I've been to Mexico just a few times and one of my favorite things there was always the fresh tortillas. I loved stopping by the market to get a bag filled with a large stack of fresh flour tortillas from the bakery (I loved the fresh churros they have too, mmmm). I could probably eat that whole stack in one sitting. These may seem like one of those things that's not worth the time and effort but I'm telling you, it is! I just don't like the flour tortillas from the store that are pre-made and loaded with preservatives, they just taste weird to me. Once you've had fresh tortillas, you know what I mean when ...

I know I know, you're thinking Christmas already!? Well, these aren't just a Christmas treat. Yes they do make a wonderful and festive Christmas treat but to me these are the best upgrade hot cocoa has ever been given, and hot cocoa isn't just for Christmas.  Words nearly cannot express the complete and utter bliss I experienced when dipping one of these chocolate and peppermint candy coated homemade peppermint marshmallows into a cup of hot cocoa. And I used to think dunking Twix candy bars in hot cocoa was good. It's like winter S'mores somehow. As you dunk and swirl the marshmallow the chocolate coating becomes warm and turns to the most incredible melt-y goodness, and the peppermint candy softens a bit while it's flavors prepare you for the dreaminess ahead, then the best part - the marshmallow will melt and puff a little as it becomes creamy and inexplicable delicious. Heaven on a stick. I want the whole batch of chocolate covered homemade marshmal...