My Favorite Meal (As of recently...)

Once I get hooked onto something... I really get hooked. See this meal. I swear I was eating that meal for months! Since I usually cook for myself, I usually have to end up eating leftovers until it's all gone, but for this combo, I find myself cooking it over and over again and never getting bored of it.

Really, it's the simplest components that could be enjoyed separately, but I just love them together. First, it starts off with a simple but incredibly tasty rice pilaf. I make it all of the time and the fact that I can just put all of the ingredients into a rice cooker and walk away is magic; pure magic. Next, comes the fattoush salad dressed in a simple greek dressing. It's all of my favorite veggies in a dressing that keeps everything fresh and light. If I want, I sauté some spinach with some olive oil and garlic, set it all on a plate and sprinkle with some French feta. And yes, French feta is completely different than Greek feta, and much more tasty - in my opinion!

The picture above is how I normally enjoy all of this stuff but honestly, these are simple recipes for you to use with your own discretion. The rice pilaf is excellent under kabobs and the fattoush is awesome on top some lettuce! Let me know how you like to use these recipes :)

Simple Fattoush Salad

Yields: 4  servings

For the salad:

3 roma tomatoes, seeded and cubed

1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cubed

1/4 red onion, thinly sliced

3 green onions, sliced

3 tbsn. chopped fresh mint

For the dressing*:

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp. seasoned salt (such as Lawry's)

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. lemon pepper

1 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. granulated garlic

1 tsp. dried mint

To make the dressing, combine all of the ingredients in a small jar. Seal the jar, then shake vigorously until combined and slightly emulsified, set aside. Toss all of the salad ingredients together in a large bowl. *The dressing makes much more than needed for the fatuous, but is excellent on almost everything, so save for future use. Use just enough dressing to coat the veggies. Set aside to marinade in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. 

Sometimes I like to enjoy the fattoush as a mid-day snack - I love it so!

Classic Rice Pilaf

Yields: 6 - 8 servings

1/2 cup fideo noodles

3 tbsn. unsalted butter, melted

1 cup jasmine rice

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper

2 cups water*

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spread the fideo noodles out on a baking sheet and toast until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Make sure to check after 3 minutes just in case your oven is super hot; set aside. In a rice cooker, combine the rice, toasted fideo noodles, butter, spices and water. Cook under the 'white rice' setting. After done, fluff with a fork and enjoy!

*You could use low-sodium chicken stock as an alternative!

Sour Cream Cinnamon Rolls

When the recipe said quick and easy, I was sold. I made it the day I saw the recipe - now that is some advertising! Sometimes you just need something sweet, and after a long hiatus of not baking, I needed something to ease me into the process. Even though yeast can be scary, these are anything but!

I'm not going to tell you that these are the most amazing cinnamon rolls I've ever had, because they weren't, but anything that is this easy and requires little effort can't nearly taste as good as something that you've poured your heart and soul into! But besides that, I still managed to polish them off ;)

Sour Cream Cinnamon Rolls

Yields: 12 cinnamon rolls

Original recipe here.

1/4 cup warm water (not hot)

2 tsp. dry active yeast

1 tsp. + 2 tbsn. sugar, divided

1 large egg

1/3 cup + 2 tbsn. sour cream, divided

2 1/2 tbsn. unsalted butter, melted, divided

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 cups flour

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1/4 tsp. vanilla

Whisk together the water, yeast and 1 tsp. sugar in a large mixing bowl; allow to sit for 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining sugar, egg, 1/3 cup sour cream, 1 tbsn. melted butter, baking powder and salt until well combined. Stir in the flour until well combined and a ball of dough forms. Lightly cover the bowl with a moist towel or saran wrap and allow the dough to rise in a warm area for 45 minutes. Roll the dough out into a thin rectangle on a floured surface, using a floured rolling pin. Brush the dough with 1 tbsn. melted butter, then sprinkle the entire surface with brown sugar and cinnamon. Roll the dough up and slice into 12 equal pieces. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and lightly cover with a moist towel or saran wrap. Allow to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.

Once risen, heat the oven to 350 F. Brush the cinnamon rolls with the remaining 1/2 tbsn. melted butter and bake for 15 - 20 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. To make the glaze, mix together the remaining sour cream, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Drizzle over the cooled cinnamon rolls.

Mixtape

a fine frenzy . now is the start

i haven't always been the biggest fan of a fine frenzy, but i just love this song. it's so fun! the song isn't even out yet, but you can preview it from the link above.

dabruck & klein . all about you ft. anna mcdonald (disfunktion remix)

the naked & famous . no way (disfunktion remix)

i'm loving disfunktion remixes at the moment. the naked & famous remix is the perfect summer song. the melody on both are just amazing.

foxes . youth

foxes . youth (adventure club dubstep remix)

i can't even tell you have many times i've listened to this song in one continuous loop. i'm completely obsessed with everything about it: the lyrics, the songstress and the melody. it's beautiful. and if you're in the mood with something with more bass, the adventure club remix is awesome as well.

the m machine . faces

the m machine is something to be reckoned with. their music is completely epic, and bridges the gap between man and machine, combining emotional acoustics and electronic elements. 

purity ring . odedear

this song is seriously hypnotic. somehow sensuous and futuristic at the same time.

ko ko . float

whistling, tapping beats, and a fun harmony make this an amazing song. something you just wanna skip to.

the group called hr . my city

great hip hop. as simple as simple gets. 

major lazer . get free ft. amber of the dirty projectors (what so not remix)

amber of the dirty projector's voice is so unmistakable! i love collaborations, because you get the best of multiple worlds. double dose of funky from major lazer and amber, plus even funkier from the remix.

marina & the diamonds . lies (produced by diplo)

i love this song. marina's voice is undeniably gorgeous and you can just feel every emotion she's ever felt in her voice, it's amazing. the acoustic version, here, is just as amazing, if not better. 

kelly rowland . motivation ft. lil wayne (diplo remix)

question is, what can diplo not do? i really admire the guy. travels all around the world to study music of all cultures, then uses what he learns to influence his music. seriously, sometimes he makes the weirdest tracks of all time, but i love it. he takes kelly's song to a whole other level. so much soul and funk.

beach house . equal mind

new beach house album has been amazing so far and i just love her earthy, almost hypnotic vocals.

the naked & famous . young blood (tiesto & hardwell remix)

such a iconic song that's been remixed up and down, left and right. i really like tiesto's & hardwell's remix though. i can't say it's better than the original, but if i feel like something dancier, this does the trick.

deadmau5 . the veldt ft. chris james

quite arguably, the most beautiful song he's produced, second to 'strobe.' can you believe he found the vocalist to this song via twitter?! the song is based on this short story by ray bradbury, which is a great read, so if you have the time, read it!

scissor sisters . only the horses (calvin harris extended mix)

straight out of the 'we found love' fame, calvin harris drops this remix of the scissor sisters and i'm in love. such a talented individual - he produces, sings and remixes!

logic . tic tac toe

my favorite white boy rapper of the moment! his latest release is just another song i enduringly love.

avec sans . perth (bon iver cover)

i love bon iver, but sometimes their music can be too slow-paced for me, so i love it when people remix them. in this case, it's a cover that i almost love better than the original. avec sans' vocals are gorgeous; laid on top of a more up-beat tempo, it's love.

tiesto & swanky tunes . make some noise ft. ben mcinerney 

this vocals on this song are amazing, thanks ben mcinerney! the melody still hits pretty hard though, so it's a good mix of both worlds.

crystal castles . empathy (spf50 remix)

this reminds me of something that would be on the skins uk soundtrack. it's a filthy underground kind of song, but then again what crystal castles song isn't?t

the asteroids galaxy tour . major (vacationer remix)

i'm a big vacationer fan right now, but usually their music is more mellow. this song is pure funkadelic, which surprises me, but i'm not complaining. i totally dig it.

cassie . king of hearts (kanye west remix)

kanye killed this remix. simple as that.

midi matilda . day dreams (mykill remix)

i think this will become a summer staple! windows down, sun on my skin, driving to the beach kind of song.

the cataracts . all you ft. waka flocka and kaskade

the cataracts always make some fun music but in combination with waka and kaskade, it's a total winner! they sample kaskade's "all you" so it's a great mix of the signature cataracts' beat, gorgeous vocals and some fly rap. 

t.i. . love this life

he's backkkk! i love my man t.i.! if you're a fan of him, this song is just an instant like.

bondax . all inside

gorgeous song for this rainy weather we've been getting intermittently.

lana del rey . blue jeans (gesaffelstein remix)

as i said, gesaffelstein is someone i'm really into at the moment. something about that french urban techno vibe i'm digging. if french techno isn't your thing, i still think you'd love this remix. just makes the song a bit funkier and not just fluffy.

birdy . skinny love (bon iver cover) (secret weapon remix)

i've always loved birdy, such a talented girl with an amazing voice! she takes skinny love to a whole other level, but this secret weapon remix gives me chills.

all links are to where songs can be downloaded and/or streamed.

Salted Caramel Crème Pastries

One of my new favorite foodie show is definitely Unique Sweets/ Unique Eats on the Cooking channel. The way they film the food is utterly gorgeous, and seriously makes me salivate every single time I watch... it's painful and delightful all at the same time. I guess I'm a masochist of sorts...

Anyways, I was watching the episode that featured breakfast pastries, and while drooling extensively, I came across a breakfast pastry that I knew I had to try to recreate at home. I forget the name of the bakery now, but basically they make their own puff pastry, pre-bake it, then fill it with salted caramel, custard then brulee the whole thing. Sounds pretty decadent for a breakfast pastry doesn't it? Well, it sure sounds like heaven to me.

Of course, re-creating it at home, I simplified the process because I was no way in hell gonna make my own puff pastry! I happened to also have some leftover salted caramel sauce from a cake I made the weekend before... so it was all a snap for me. Just as it is, this pastry is amazing, but to add my own little twist to it, I added some sliced strawberries in the center to cut the sweetness a little and add a some freshness. But honestly, this is one of the simplest, most delicious, ingenious things I've ever eaten - I urge you to make it immediately!!

Salted Caramel Crème Pastries

Yields: 18 pastries

For the custard:

1 small package instant vanilla bean pudding

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1 cup whole milk

1 tsp. vanilla bean paste or vanilla

For the salted caramel:

3/4 cup sugar

1/8 cup corn syrup

4 tbsn. butter, softened, cut into cubes

3/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 tsp. fleur de sel or any other sea salt

1 package puff pastry, defrosted, each sheet cut into 9 squares

1 cup strawberries, sliced thinly

coarse sugar, such as turbinado

To make the caramel, stir together the sugar, corn syrup and 1/4 cup of water in a small saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat and continue stirring until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to high, stop stirring and allow the mixture to come to a boil. Continue boiling until the mixture turns a deep caramel color. If you are unsure of when to turn off the heat, the mixture should register 300 F on a candy thermometer. Remove the saucepan from the heat, and add the heavy cream and butter, being careful as it should bubble up vigorously. Add the salt, then allow the mixture to cool to room temperature. 

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Spread the squares of puff pastry on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, leaving about 1" in between each. Use a 3" round cookie cutter to impress a circle into each square (this will help to form a indentation later after baking so that it can be filled with cream). Bake until golden brown, about 12 - 15 minutes. Once golden brown, remove to a wire rack to cool. While baking, you can make the custard. In a medium bowl, whisk together the pudding mix, heavy cream, milk and vanilla  until smooth and the mixture starts to thicken. Set aside in the refrigerator for about 10 more minutes so that it can firm up some more.

To assemble, use a spoon to press in the circle indentations to make room for the custard. In each indentation, add about 1 tbsn. of the salted caramel. Add a few sliced strawberries, then top with custard, filling to the top. Sprinkle the tops with sugar, then use a torch to brulee until the sugar has melted and caramelized. Repeat with remaining pastries. Enjoy!

Lychee Green Tea + Routin 1883 Syrups

I'm a very lucky blogger. I know I haven't been blogging that often lately, but this space is something I can call my own and a place to share my loves with you guys. To all of my readers, you mean a lot to me and your kind comments mean even more! I'm even luckier to have been able to receive so many nice gifts from various companies.

The latest are these unbelievably unique syrups from Routin 1883. They kindly let me choose what flavors I wanted to try, and of course lychee had to be one of them! You all know how much I love tea, so lychee syrup in tea is just another form of heaven for me. I fell in love with speculoos about a year or so ago when I made a foodie trip to New York and tried the Wafels & Dinges truck. They had this speculoos spread that they served with their waffles that was just... divine. When I saw that Routin 1883 offered a speculoos flavor I knew I had to try it!

Aren't the bottles just lovely? Anyway Routin 1883 is a brand that hails from France that specializes in decadent and specialty syrups that you could add to almost anything. I like to use my lychee flavor in tea and the speculoos flavor in lattes but I'm just about sure I could add them to anything I'd like... and believe me, I will! These syrups are concentrated in flavor and add just the right amount of sweetness. 

If you're interested in trying some, grab some here!

Lychee Green Tea with Boba

Yields: 1 serving

1 1/2 cups water

1 jasmine green tea bag or 2 tsp. loose leaf jasmine green tea

1 oz. Routin 1883 lychee syrup

1/4 cup boba, cooked (optional)

ice

Heat the water till almost boiling, either on top of a stove or in the microwave. Steep the tea, and immediately place in the refrigerator to cool for 15 - 30 minutes. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice. Pour in the syrup and cooled tea. Shake vigorously to cool, about 1 minute. Place the cooked boba in a tall glass. Strain the cooled tea mixture on top. Enjoy!

* Using a cocktail shaker is completely optional. You could plainly serve the tea over ice but I think shaking it makes it a bit more fun :)

Seriously, so delicious. I finished it in no time.

Cheesy Quinoa Bowl

This is one of the easiest meals ever! And so uberly delicious. I am totally enamored with roasting veggies right now... because, well, almost anything tastes good when it's roasted. I guess the same concept that applies to frying food applies to roasting food, because it's worked for me! Seriously, any veggie roasted equals happy stomach for me, plus, I don't get why brussels sprouts get such a bad rap? They're so friggin' delicious, and they're so cute - like mini cabbages, which, basically they are!

Anyways, the quinoa is just a great base to any meal you'd want to cook. It's incredibly simple. All you do is cook the quinoa in your rice cooker, and it does all the work for you! No simmering over a pesky stove or stirring and all that jazz. After it's all cooked, just quickly sauté it up with some garlic and Parmesan and by gosh, it's so tasty. 

I top it with whatever I have at the moment, like above, I had some roasted brussels sprouts, I wilted down some spinach, and topped it with feta and pine nuts and it was so satisfying and so healthy! One of my favorite quick meals, honestly. But the possibilities are endless. As a side to some grilled salmon, or the base of a salad - use your imagination :)

Cheesy Quinoa Bowl
Yields: about 6 servings


For the quinoa:
2 cups cooked quinoa (I used 1/2 regular and 1/2 red quinoa)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup crumbled French feta cheese
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsn. olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste


Optional toppings:
roasted veggies of any kind
sautéed spinach with garlic
poached egg
seared salmon
... the options are endless


In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the quinoa and heat until warmed and the garlic flavor is fragrant throughout. Once warmed through, add the Parmesan and heat until it starts to melt, about 1 - 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, then stir in the feta cheese and pine nuts. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve under anything you'd like!

Massive Mixtape

First off, awesome music news! Apparently Arcade Fire is producing some new music for The Hunger Games movie and I'm stoked! It's like two of my major loves are combining to make the most beautiful baby ever!

I haven't posted music loves in a while, so, as always, here are some of my favorites from the past months:

washed out . new theory (RAC remix)

the intro to this song is just insane, so gorgeous. and as always, RAC remixes are always a win.

neil young . old man (sound remedy remix)

sound remedy gives an old classic some new twisted kicks.

bingo players . l'amour

super fun electro song. kind of want to start robot dancing to it, although i'd do it horribly...

the hood internet . still regulating (warren g x nate dog x toro y moro)

the hood internet . #facedvalue (genesis x wallpaper)

(more free downloads available at their soundcloud)

when is hood internet bad? answer: never. they never fail to mash hip hop and indie together to create more melodic beats. 

kishi bashi . bright whites

makes me so happy, i picture myself road tripping with the windows down in a sundress with some sweet tea in my hand!

logic . young sinatra III

reminds me a lot of nujabes. if you don't know nujabes, get to know him. and if you like him, then listen to this song. my perfect kind of rap song, one with soul and a great melody.

tyga . rack city

so diiiiirty, in a good way! and much too catchy not to post.

the middle east . blood

if this sounds familiar it's because you watched 'crazy stupid love.' i just love that movie... and ryan gosling... and ryan gosling's glorious body. oops got off point, but anyway, this song is amazing.

madonna . give me all your luvin' ft. nikki minaj & M.I.A. (nicky romero remix)

jack black . wild ones two ft. david guetta, nicky romero & sia

one of my favorite house music youngsters. lately, everything he's been releasing has been on fire. i didn't originally like madonna's new song, but nicky managed to breathe new life to it and i can now say i love it so.

mike snow . black & blue (savage skulls remix)

something has got to be in that swedish water, because lately, everything i love seems to hail from sweden (i.e. miike snow, avicii, jens lekman, lykke li, plus tons more). anyway i heard this song while shopping and i knew i had to have it. amazing remix.

a.trak x jay z x kanye west . where my money at?

this trio couldn't do any better. ny swag on steroids. 

deadmau5 . closer

not officially released but when i heard this song on his soundcloud, i instantaneously loved it. the sampling in it is amazing and i just love the chill mood.

usher . climax (produced by diplo)

i am OBSESSED with this song. such a great song to sing along to. usher's voice is insanely sexy.

teen daze . watch over me

it's so funny, my taste in music. i love everything from hard rap, to banging electro to songs like this. just chill, gorgeous tones and something to listen to on a rainy day.

drake . make me proud ft. nikki minaj

i think it's so awesome that i used to watch drake on degrassi when i was younger and now i listen to him rap... how crazy is that?! still cannot get over it, but anyway i just love listening to drake rap. he can rap to me all he likes!

fareoh . facepaint

an upcoming house producer that i'd like to see a lot more of in the future. this song just makes me happy, it's so uplifting!

segal . vessel

(more free downloads on his soundcloud)

segal produces the score for skins UK and seriously, he's made some of the most beautiful instrumentals to accompany the most dramatic and heartfelt moments of the show that whenever i re-listen to his music, it just takes me back! i love when you can feel the emotion in a song.

boys noize & erol alkan . lemonade (gesaffelstein remix)

i am such a big fan of gesaffelstein! totally dark and french and twisted, in a techno/ electro way. boys noize is also awesome, saw him live when i didn't really know much about his music, but was pleasantly surprised when it urged me to dance all night long.

gorillaz . doyathing ft. james murphy (of lcd soundsystem) & andre 3000

how can this combination not be good? so much talent in one song, really, it's insanity.

grouplove . tongue tied

grouplove . colours (xaphoon jones remix)

grouplove = pure dance-y fun! hopefully seeing them live soon?!

the jane doze . replacement ros (sigur ros x drake ft. trey songz)

(more free downloads on their soundcloud)

how cute are these girls?! they make some of my favorite mash-ups and this song is amaaaaazing. seriously, have i mentioned that rap mashed over gorgeous melodies is like... my favorite thing EVER? cause they are and this is a fine example of that.

lana del rey . diet mountain dew

hey, i'm a fan of lana, no matter the drama surrounding her. i like her songs no matter how weird her snl performances are and how plumped her lips are haha

loz contreras . break you down ft. sanna

oh my gosh. sooooo beautiful. really, so freaking beautiful it makes me wanna cry!

mac miller . knock knock

throwback! sampling can do a lot for a song, see above example.

nujabes . tsurugi no mai

oh, just ANOTHER gorgeous nujabes song. always love for nujabes. rest in peace jun seba. 

karmin . broken hearted (r3hab remix)

labrinth . last time (r3hab remix)

i think r3hab has cornered the market on awesome pop-y remixes. for reals.

sleeping at last . turning page

yes, i watched the twilight trilogy. yes, i'm one of those. on another note, the soundtrack for the movies are awesome, and this song is one of my favorites. something so pretty, i'd consider using it at my wedding.

we are knights . tears

just another great driving song; indie chill.

miike snow . paddling out (wolfgang gartner remix)

wolfgang gartner . there and back (tommy noble's full power bootleg remix)

so excited for the new miike snow! wheeeeeeeeee. but anyway, wolfgang gartner is another house love of mine. just massive, massive tracks.

felix cartal . black to white ft. miss palmer

really liking the piano in this! awesome vocals, awesome track.

NOTE: links are to separate sites where you can download listed songs, or if no free downloads are available, links are to where you can stream the music, and if you like it, purchase it! 

*all images gathered from google images, and further edited by me*