Back Again

Oh my GOD!

I'm back.

What will I be posting about? Who knows!

What have I even been up to since October? Who knows!

What I DO know is that I will be doing something, I will be writing somethings, and I will be providing you all with amazing and entertaining content.

Stay tuned, biddies.

Remodel

I don’t know what I want to do. It makes sense, as I’m still a few months shy from entering my 20’s. I don’t expect to know what I want to do until at least my 30’s, and that’s because our lives, and the lives around us, are always evolving. Sure, in a year I’m going to want to do things, but am I going to know what I want to do?

I know that I want to create, and inspire others to create, but how do I figure out the best way to do that? Certainly, the act of simply looking at something inspiring can make you feel more creative,  but how much of that ends up staying only in your head, and how much of it actually pushes you to make?

In the past year I have moved three times, enrolled in two different universities, and studied three different majors. I have had a plethora of jobs, a number of which I'm still involved with, and I’ve spent way too much of my time with my ass glued to a train seat. As laziness is in my nature, I wasted much of those hours on small things; rather than doing school work, I scrolled through countless Instagram feeds, Pinterest boards, and wasted plenty of data downloading, deleting, and redownloading twitter (based on the level of tolerance I had that day).

A normal person would feel guilty about the time spent looking at pictures and funny text, but I have given myself room to look at it from a different angle, one that doesn’t make me remorseful. I see my time spent with my internet buddies as time spent soul searching, performing market research, and inspiring myself. As I mentioned before, seeing something creative can inspire creativity in a person, and I have been inspired. I have been inspired to work harder, and to do more than I have already been doing. I am broadening my area of interest, and in turn, I am extending the horizons of content that my blog possesses. Due to this fact, I am taking some time to remodel and reassess what I am doing here. I will still be focusing on food, but I will incorporate other ideas and interests into the posts. Oh yeah, and I will start posting againJ. Elk in the Kitchen will most likely be replaced with a new name, a new ideology, and certainly a new bio for myself, but the idea will still be the same. And I, Elke, will still be the same, with maybe a bit more drive, and some more diversity.

So, please, keep checking in to see how my remodel is going, and please stop by if you ever want for some inspiration. My hope is to create something beautiful and lasting, and to make people feel a little happier than they already did.

Thanks for sticking around, thanks for reading what I have to say, and thanks for (hopefully) coming back to see what progress I have made,

Elke 

BLAFT (some say it's the best sandwich they've ever had)

At this point, I feel like it's redundant to apologize for the infrequency of my posts. I know that I am a neglectful blog-owner. It's just something I have come to accept about myself. However, I think you guys will be able to forgive me once you read today's recipe, because it's a tasty one.

I made a sandwich last night. It was an amazing sandwich. It fed my entire family, plus some girlfriends that my 17 year old brother brought over later (Hi Jess, Shay, and Caroline!!). This sandwich was inspired by a recipe sent to me by a friend, Miro, who is (more than) a regular at the bakery I work at. Hi Miro! A few weeks ago he had sent me a sandwich recipe that included a fig spread and pork belly, along with brie and some arugula. My sandwich is a little bit different, but I definitely could not have done it without his help.

My mom texted me late yesterday afternoon saying that we had bacon, avocados, and tomatoes, implying that she wanted BL(A)Ts for dinner. When I started thinking about the sandwich, I realized how similar it was to the sandwich Miro had talked to me about, and I knew I needed to find a crossroads between the two. Luckily I had a container of dried figs in the pantry, and after finding a jalapeno in the fridge, I knew what I had to do.

This recipe was pulled together pretty quickly, mostly because I grabbed the first things I saw in the kitchen. I threw all of my ingredients on a loaf of ciabatta I had in the freezer and my dinner was complete. The only thing that was better than eating it myself was watching the smiles spread across the faces of my loved ones.

Yesterday was a monumental day, because it was the birthday of the BLAFT. It will forever shape the rest of history, for me at least, but I hope it does for all you as well. #elkinthekitchen

BLAFT (Bacon Lettuce Avocado Fig Tomato) Sandwich

Ingredients
1 loaf of ciabatta bread
1 package thick cut bacon
1 beefy tomato
1 avocado
5 dried figs
1/2 jalapeno pepper
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar (preferably a thick, syrupy kind)
1 Tbsp brown sugar
Mayonnaise
1-2 handfuls of arugula
Fresh ground pepper, to taste

Directions
1. Cook bacon until crispy in your oven, following the directions on the package.
2. Slice ciabatta in half longways and open so insides are facing up.
3. Make the fig spread by pureeing the figs, jalapeno, balsamic, and brown sugar in a food processor, blender, or with an immersion blender. Add more sugar or balsamic if you'd like, but the figs are already very sweet naturally.
4. Spread mayonnaise on both pieces of bread, more or less depending on your liking (I love mayo so I always choose more). Then, spread the fig mixture on top of the mayo.
5. Thinly slice the tomatoes and avocado, and then layer them on top of the mayo and fig spread on one of the pieces of bread. This is when I grind the pepper on, because it will stick to the avocado and tomato. Next, pile the arugula on top.
6. Finally, take the strips of bacon and place them evenly on the piece of bread without the fruit and veggies on it, so that the grease soaks into the bread a bit. I know, it sound gross and delicious all at once. Trust me, it is only delicious. Carefully place the top piece of bread on the bottom to complete the masterpiece, and cut it up into reasonably sized slices. The smaller the slices, the more you can eat! That makes sense, right?
7. Enjoy outside on your porch or on a picnic blanket in a park with some lemonade and watermelon :)

Note: Regarding the title, it is true that some have said that. It was my mother. I'm not sure if that changes things for you, but it doesn't change anything for me. :)

Something Different

Hey all! Today's post is going to be a bit different from what I normally do, but I think that it will be beneficial to anybody considering a career in the food world, and it will also tell you a bit more about my life (because everybody is dying to know what I'm thinking about).

I've had to do a lot of decision making over the past year, what with graduating high school, going to college, and then transferring to a different major in a different college. Starting the year as a fashion marketing major in NYC and ending it studying culinary arts in Philly is kind of a crazy jump, and looking back, it's really making me think about how I came to make that decision. I was primarily interested in figuring out what influenced me to change the path that my future was going down. I know that I wasn't solely responsible for my decisions, that I am essentially a "product of the times," but what were the factors that made me that product? We are so influenced by media and popular culture today; I knew it would be self-indulgent to say that I was different, that I could resist the flow of the crowd. So, how had the recent insurgence of food in the media shaped the way I value food and cooking, and the decisions I have made for my future? 

In order to find the answer to my question, I need to backtrack a bit, to explain how I made my first decision (even if I did quickly abandon it). Marketing, in its most simple form, is an application of English. I have always loved reading and writing, and for a great part of my life, I knew that I was going to major in something related to that. It's what I was good at. Once, a friend told me that "words are [my] thing," and it was true. The process of creating something beautiful out of a string of something nearly insignificant was so fulfilling. This desire to create things is also how I discovered my love of cooking; it's just like writing, except 100% more tangible. Writing and cooking were same in the sense that I could make something that was completely my own, and share it with others. I have this skewed idea that cooking is my way of giving back, because most of the time I don't do it for myself. I cook for friends for the reasons that most writers write for people: I do it to open their eyes to new tastes and ideas and to educate them on things that I have more knowledge of. There is no better feeling than watching somebody smile after their first bite of your hard work. I don't post pictures and recipes online for self-validation, I do it to open up exploration for others. 

We are constantly bombarded with images and writings on food and recipes and chefs that glamorize the culinary industry. This is especially true for social networking sites such as Instagram, where 60% of people who have accounts admit to following food related accounts (Schumacher). The constant exposure to food in the media, whether that be in television, print, or online, has made me realize that I can combine my passions and share knowledge of cooking with so many more people than has ever been possible before. In 2015, I can post pictures, videos, tweets, and most importantly, I can write on my blog. However, I would have never started this venture, or my venture into the food industry, had I not been influenced and inspired.

If I think back, all the way back to the pre-Instagram days, I can see how food in the media influenced me even then. I remember watching Jamie Oliver on The Naked Chef, and some show with two old ladies on a motorcycle. When everybody else was dreaming about Johnny Depp and Beyoncé, I was asking my mom to put Nigella on. When other girls played with Barbies, I was begging my mom to let me make "soup". Now, this soup was always a nauseating combination of apples, water, and cayenne pepper, but at least I was starting my practice at an early age!  In a sixth-grade English class, I wrote a letter to Jamie Oliver, the details of which I'm not quite sure of anymore, but I still have his response letter tucked away in my house somewhere. When I think about it, Jamie Oliver has been a huge influence on my life from the initial inklings of my passion to this very minute. His efforts to reshape the way we view food in both the US and in Europe are groundbreaking and iconic, beginning with his Food Foundation, which works to combat the high levels of childhood obesity in the US (Oliver). Oliver even created Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, which is a television show where he displays his efforts in Huntington, West Virginia. Although the work he put in for that town did not create much success, the show caused a stir when people realized that "Huntington, WV" was synonymous with "Anywhere, USA" (Rivage-Seul 284). 

Seeing the way that Jamie used his knowledge of food to help others inspired me, because it wasn't anything people were expecting out of him. In the mind of the public, chefs are there for cooking, so why not surprise everybody and do more than feed your restaurant patrons? After realizing his positive impact on the world, I started to find a way to incorporate food education into most of my schools projects. To be fair, when I was at FIT I spent most of the time in my crummy little kitchen, creating new things for my roommates to try, but when I did do schoolwork, it always involved food. I wanted people to know that it was what I cared about, because food education is something that you only care about when it's shoved in your face. When I was prompted to create a brochure in my graphic design class, I made one about Jamie's Food Foundation. When I was asked to write a transfer essay to get into Drexel, I wrote about food and its importance in my life. Although I will admit that I write these papers partly for my own personal enjoyment, I do it mostly because I want to spark the reaction in others that I felt the first time I realized how important food is. I revere food, and I never would have felt this way had I not seen the amazing accomplishments of powerhouses in the culinary world.  

                    

My idols influenced me, when I saw that they were doing good. I have also been heavily influence by the books that I read, which as of late have been mostly about food. When I was younger, I loved reading books about fantasy worlds, and I would try to mimic that type of writing in my own work, creating stories about fairies and magic. My interests have slowly been creeping toward tastier topics as I’ve gotten older. In the past 15 years there has been almost exponential growth on the amount of food books, magazines, and television shows that have been created and, in the case of the literature, sold (Peterson ). So, now I read books about food, and in turn I talk and write about food. If you want proof of that, read my blog. And if you know me in real life, you're probably all too used to my diatribes on different ingredients: "Did you know that there's a lot of fraud in the olive oil industry (Mueller 10)?" "Did you know that Canola oil is made from rape seeds (Sax)?" "Did you know that coconut oil is the only vegetable fat that is primarily saturated?" I know that my friends tune me out, I can see their eyes glaze over when I because even if it was news to them, they don't care. Sometimes they recall these facts for the sole purpose of making fun of me, which usually occurs right before they take a bite of something with hydrogenated oils, or right before they pour some cheap generic olive oil into a pan. Even so, I refuse to stop, because it’s so important to learn things that can be applied to your own life, and to teach them when you can.

If there is one author who can be held responsible for mass education on nutrition and food, it is Michael Pollan, who boiled the basics of eating down into just seven words: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” (Food Rules, xv). He takes a deep look at the “western diet” and reveals the raging ignorance that American’s have in regards to their food and the way they eat it (In Defense of Food). Pollan’s books are now required readings in some high schools, and this shows me that a revolution is not far off, if it isn’t already here yet. If everybody took a little time to read his work, we would all be much more informed on the links between food and bodily health, and we would all eat much more “real food” (Unhappy Meals, 1).

There are books and there are celebrity chefs with their own vast empires, but neither of these can touch the extremity of the online culinary presence. Not only does it tie together the literature and the celebrities, but it adds new mediums that we have never before had access to. With a quick search you can find a 6-second video of chefs chopping onions at the speed of light. An even quicker search can find you countless Instagram accounts dedicated to pizza, bagels, ice cream, or just food in general! There is no limit to what you can do with food online, and this emerging world has completely glamorized the culinary industry in my eyes, and in the eyes of the countless others who have decided to pursue it as a career. Although it is true that food in the media is highly idealized (Mcgee 2), it may end up having a positive effect on the standards people have for the food they consume. People now have the ability to compare the food they eat with food eaten by people all over the world. Instagram has exposed us to new types of cuisines, ways of cooking, and recipes that we may never have discovered on our own, and there is no way of describing how much we, as a culture and a species, have benefitted from that. On a much smaller scale, I would never have been able to see food as a viable future for myself had I not seen so many other success stories.  Maybe that says something about my lack of confidence, but I think it speaks more to the greater range of options we have now because of a better flow of information. Without Instagram, the concept of Elk in the Kitchen would never have come to fruition, so what would any of us be doing right now? We wouldn't have been reading this extremely informative and wonderfully crafted article, and we definitely would be eating much more poorly. Oh, and I wouldn't have to hear people scream about having an "elk in their kitchen" every time I enter a friend's house, but I suppose I dug my own grave on that one. Even that annoyance gives me hope, because that means people are seeing what I'm putting out there, and possibly even hearing my push for a change.

So many factors have gone into the food renaissance we are currently living in, but there is still more that needs to be done for a true revolution, and that may be the most important factor behind my decision. In order to have a true food revolution we must take steps to change the way healthcare providers view food, extend healthcare beyond the hospitals and into the community, create a sustainable food source based on local resources (Cohen 162). These are just a few among the many things that need to be accomplished if we want to live healthier lives, and I’m making it my goal to educate people to the best of my ability, even if that just means cooking for people in a restaurant. Any move is a good move in this fight, and that is why I am doing what I am doing. Every time I step into the kitchen I am inspired, for myself and for every potential viewer of my work. My plan is to use my cooking skills and my writing skills to reach people and inspire them in just the way that I have been inspired, and hopefully we can see a change at some point in our lifetime.

In the spirit of this essay, I would like to thank you all for helping me carry out my dream. Those of you who read what I write are unwittingly making me feel like the most successful girl in the world, and you are just as important as the content that goes into my blog. You guys are like the best sandwich recipe in the whole world. #elkinthekitchen

Food Revolution Day

Guys, it's Food Revolution Day. Head to the link below real quickly to learn a little bit more about it, but more importantly, COOK SOMETHING TODAY. A sandwich, a cake, salad, anything, as long as you make it from scratch for yourself and people you care about. This may be a big cause that a lot of people are working on around the world, but the first step is to help yourself. So come on, why wouldn't you  cook yourself a delicious little meal??

Food Revolution Day

The Best Cheese On The Best Vessel (a sandwich!!)

Over the past few months, my mom and I have been enamored with halloumi cheese. The taste is pretty salty, with an almost rubbery or squeaky texture. I know that doesn't sound amazing, but it's deceivingly delicious. Seriously, we're obsessed with the stuff. We always eat it the same way too: we fry slices on our Le Creuset, without oil or anything, and I know what you're thinking, but halloumi DOES NOT MELT. Instead, this Cyprian cheese gets brown and crispy on the outside, and a bit softer on the inside.

Usually, we pair our fried slices of halloumi with a grain bowl, or a lemony kale salad, but the other day I decided to do something a bit different with it, partly because I was bored, and partly because I wanted to trick my dad. Did I mention that my dad hates halloumi? Yeah, he's crazy. Basically, I tried to hide it in a sandwich, and (spoiler alert) it worked!! I grabbed some whole grain bread from the freezer, a few handfuls of arugula, slices of tomato, and my very own homemade mayo and the perfect sandwich was made. It was a perfect meal for me to devour during the hour of free time I have on Saturdays, and it kept me full for the rest of the day. I really recommend making this for yourself  or your friends for a lunch at home, a picnic, or even to bring to school. #elkinthekitchen

Halloumi, Tomato, Arugula Sandwich with Homemade Garlic Cayenne Mayonnaise

Ingredients
2 slices whole grain bread (possibly from Crossroads Bakeshop???)
3 slices of heirloom tomato
3 slices of halloumi cheese
Handful of arugula
1 Tbsp homemade mayo

Directions
1. Fry halloumi in a cast iron pan without oil or anything. I usually do it on medium heat, and it takes about a minute to 90 seconds on each side. You'll know it's ready when it is a nice golden brown on each side.
2. Toast bread. Spread mayo on insides of both pieces of bread.
3. Layer on one slice of bread the cheese on bottom, then tomato, arugula on top, and the second slice of bread on top.

For the Mayonnaise

Garlic Cayenne Mayonnaise

Ingredients
1 egg yolk
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 pinch of salt
1 tsp cayenne
pepper to taste
3/4 cup olive oil

Directions
1. Whisk the egg yolk cider vinegar, salt, pepper, cayenne, and garlic together in a medium sized mixing bowl until combined well.
2. Slowly whisk in the olive oil about a teaspoon at a time. You have to be careful to add slowly but whisk vigorously, because it will break and separate if you don't.
3. That's basically it. My arm got tired, so you can use your kitchen aid but I think it comes out more nicely if you whisk by hand. You can use vegetable oil if you want it to taste less olive oily too! And you can add whatever spices you'd like, but I wanted something with a little bite.

This Is Me Bragging!!

HI! Today I'm gonna share with you a link to a recipe that I used, along with some pictures because I am SO PROUD of myself for making such a beautiful lemon meringue pie on my first try. And, no, I didn't mean to rhyme that.

I came home from work one day a few weeks ago with the desire to make something beautiful, and I think I did a pretty good job. I got the recipe from food52 user Yossy Arefi, who's recipe (which can be found here) was beyond amazing. Please click the link and try it out for yourself! Here are some pictures of my finished product (yes I know they're all kind of the same picture). #elkinthekitchen

Lemon Meringue Pie

Pico de Gallo For My Friends!

Wow. Please forgive me. I really am the worst blogger ever.

Over the past month I have essentially abandoned you guys, my friends! I didn't do it on purpose, and I didn't do it because I don't like blogging (because, trust me, I love that you people get to read what I have to say). I did it because life is crazy. And yes, that does seem like a bit of a cliche, sorry excuse, but it's true.

On top of school, I still work Saturdays at the bakery, and I just got a job as a prep chef at a very beautiful inn over in New Hope! I hardly have time to cook for myself, let alone cook and take pictures and write about it. However, I realized I need to put in more time over here at elkinthekitchen, so this is my foray back into blogging.

Today, since I'm only blogging during the hour I have in between school and the restaurant, I will share with you my favorite snack, pico de gallo. I make it constantly, and constantly add variations to the recipe, because its so easy to do! Oh, and it looks really pretty too.

Pico is the most perfect summertime snack, and it can really brighten up you day. It pairs well with salads, sandwiches, and even just some good old tortilla chips, and it takes almost no time to whip this up for my friends. I hope you make it for some of your own friends this weekend! #elkinthekitchen

Pico de Gallo (to be shared)

Ingredients

2 medium sized tomatoes

1 large onion

1/2 jalapeno, seeds removed

juice of 2 limes

1 bunch of cilantro

2 pinches of salt

Directions

1. Clean tomatoes and cilantro. Peel onion.

2. Chop onion, tomatoes, and jalapeno in a medium dice, or smaller/larger depending on your preferred chunkiness and texture, and place in a medium sized bowl. I don't mind bigger chunks, but I know some people can't stand it!

3. Finely chop the cilantro and add to bowl. (Note: make sure cilantro is very clean before you add it to the mixture, because it is known to have a lot of dirt hanging out in between its green leaves). Add the lime juice and salt to the bowl.

4. Mix, put into a nicer serving bowl if you want, and enjoy with some salty tortilla chips and maybe some lemonade as well!

Variations

Sometimes, I like to to add some type of fruit to my pico. In the past I have done strawberry or papaya, but recently I have been grilling slices of pineapple, chopping those up, and throwing them into the mix! It adds a nice smokey flavor to the whole thing.

Eggplant and Fig Sauce

My month at school has been kind of crazy, with weird, long, daily breaks on the train that aren’t all that relaxing. In fact, I’m sitting on a train right now, and I’m getting pretty antsy. This is why I look forward to the weekends even more than I did before. You know that corny phrase, “living for the weekend?” Yeah, that’s me, but not in a bad way. I don’t dread the week, I just get really really excited for Friday thru Sunday.

A few Fridays ago I made a pretty great meal for myself and my friend Liv. It was pretty quick to make, and most of the ingredients are things that you probably already have in your fridge. I am going to give you the recipe for delicious Eggplant and Caper sauce, which I paired with farrow, but would go great on pasta, polenta, or really any other carb. It all just depends on what your preference is. #elkinthekitchen

Eggplant and Fig Sauce

Ingredients
1 eggplant, cut into 1 sq. inch cubes
4-5 Tbsps. olive oil
2 tsp salt
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 larger tomatoes, diced
½ onion, coarsely chopped
1 tsp brown sugar
2 dried figs, very finely chopped
2 Tbsps. Capers

Directions
1. Heat up in the oil in a heavy bottomed pot. Once hot, add the eggplant and salt to the pan. Sautee about 7 minutes on medium heat, or until eggplant has softened greatly.
2. Add the garlic, tomatoes, brown sugar, and onion. Sautee that mixture until all ingredients resemble a sauce, rather than separate entities, about 10 minutes on low-med heat.
3. Remove from heat, stir in the figs and capers, and serve with a pasta or grain. I used farrow for my meal and it was lovely.

Boozy Brussel Sprouts

So, obviously I haven't been posting quite that much over the past few weeks. A few weeks ago, it was my last full week at work, before I started at my brand new college lastweek! It's been emotional and scary and this morning my mom yelled at me to "make friends" as I was getting on the train, so needless to say, it's also been embarrassing.

I have still been cooking, because if I didn't I would probably be even more emotionally exhausted than I am now, but I haven't been that careful to take any pictures or notes while doing so. However, I did manage to snap a few pics of brussel sprouts that I made for myself a few days in a row last week. These things are so good, I ate them straight out of the pan with my fingers one of the times. Also, I added these to my Easter menu, and I know it's a little late for that now, but if you ever have guests over and need a quick side of vegetables, this would be a great article for you to read. Also, my vegan guests enjoyed this recipe, because it doesn't have any dairy or animal products (even though if you wanted to add some bacon or butter, it would be 10x better).

These brussel sprouts are crispy and oily, as well as salty, spicy, and a little boozy from the white wine I toss in at the end. Sorry in advance to my mother who is probably wondering what happened to that bottle:) #elkinthekitchen

Boozy Brussel Sprouts

Ingredients
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 bag of brussel sprouts, bottom parts removed and each sprout quartered
2 pinches of salt
Black pepper to taste
1 pinch of dried red pepper flakes
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 cup of white wine

Directions
1. Heat up the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.
2. Once the oil is hot, toss in everything except the white wine. Let the brussel sprouts cook and crisp up, occasionally mixing around with a wooden utensil, but not so much that no parts of the sprouts brown. If they look burnt, it's probably okay. The crispier the better. However, lower the heat if necessary.
3. Once the contents of the pan have been cooking for 7-10 minutes, and are decently browned, pour in the wine. Let the wine cook out for a few minutes, still mixing with a wooden utensil. After the wine has cooked out and your sprouts look dry again, they are ready to eat!
4. Put on a plate and enjoy as a snack, meal, or side!

It's Almost Spring, and That Means Ice Cream

About 12 years ago, and young Elke purchased an ice cream maker at a flea market for $3. Jump to 2015, and she found it high up on a shelf, dusted it off, and decided to put it to use.

I drew inspiration for my ice cream from a recipe in Kinfolk Table, which was for a ginger ice cream with a kumquat compote. However, for my ice cream I made it ginger and mint, and I decided to leave out the compote.

This was absolutely delicious, especially because I had to wait 2 days to eat it! And remember, this will only work if you have an ice cream maker, but (from my personal experience) you can find them fairly cheap. #elkinthekitchen

Ginger Mint Ice Cream

Ingredients
1 cup fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup fresh mint, chopped
3 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
3 large egg yolks

Directions
1. Place ginger in a saucepan and add enough cold water to cover. Bring water to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain ginger and discard liquid.
2. Return ginger to saucepan and add sugar, milk, and cream. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat.
3. Whisk egg yolks in a heatproof bowl until light in color. Slowly whisk in a 1/4 cup of the hot ginger cream mixture. Then, continue to slowly whisk in the remaining mixture.
4. Return to a saucepan and cook over medium-low heat for 7-10 minutes, whisking constantly. Never allow the mixture to come to a boil. You will know it is ready when it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
5. Remove from heat, and allow mixture to steep for 30 minutes. Strain the mixture into a large bowl and discard the solids. Stir in the chopped mint, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.
6. Churn the mixture in your ice cream maker, following the directions supplied by the manufacturer. After the ice cream has been churned until it is firm, freeze for at least 2 hours, then enjoy!

Arugula and Black Pepper Parmesan Rose Sauce

I know it's been a few days since I posted last...This rainy week has got me feeling a little unmotivated, if you can't tell.

A few days ago I made a gorgeous pasta sauce to pair with some bucatini, which is my favorite type of pasta. The sauce was supposed to be a classic Alfredo, which is what my mother asked me to make...but then she left to go pick my brother up and I decided to mix it up a bit.

I knew that my mom wanted a cream sauce, but I always go for a red sauce, so I decided to compromise. I completely made this up from the ingredients I could scrape up from my bare fridge, but it all worked out pretty well in the end! Everybody was happy, and we all went up for seconds.

This sauce is simple and easy to make, while at the same time being full of flavor and open to your own interpretation. #elkinthekitchen

Arugula and Black Pepper Parmesan Rose Sauce 

Ingredients
5 mushrooms, cleaned and chopped
3 sprigs of thyme
7 cherry tomatoes, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 pint heavy cream
3 Tbsp coarsely chopped Parmesan, plus more for serving
2 handfuls arugula
salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
1 box pasta of your choice, I used bucatini

Directions
1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add olive oil. Once heated up, toss in the mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, thyme, and garlic. Sauté for about 5 minutes on medium/low heat, making sure not to burn the garlic.
2. Pour in a dash of cream and all the cheese, and cook until the cheese has melted a bit. Pour in the rest of the cream and cook, stirring, until it is simmering and has reduced.
3. Boil heavily salted water and cook your pasta until al dente.
4. Add salt and pepper the sauce to your taste, as well as some extra cheese if you'd like. Turn off heat and gently stir in the arugula. Once the pasta is done cooking, stir that into the sauce as well and enjoy!

Lemon Lavender Everything

I'm not the biggest fan of lavender flavored things. In general, I don't like the taste of flowery things much. However, lemon and lavender is one of the best (and most trendy) flavor combos out there. In the summer I make an amazing lavender lemonade. I'll share that recipe with you at a later date though.

Today I decided to share with you a Lemon Lavender Polenta cake that I found on food52. I baked it with my friend Liv, and we took lots of pretty pictures of it, but I'll talk more about that later.

The cake was beautiful and really simple to make. Plus, I love polenta and cornmeal and pretty much anything made from corn, so that was fun for me. Who cares that corn has no nutritional value? #elkinthekitchen

Lemon Lavender Polenta Cake (from food52)

Ingredients

200 grams unsalted butter, softened, plus some to grease the cake pan

170 grams caster or natural cane sugar

100 grams cake flour (all-purpose flour also works)

200 grams polenta or cornmeal

1.5 teaspoons baking powder

3 medium eggs

Zest of 2 lemons

Juice of one lemon

1 teaspoon dried (culinary grade) lavender

Directions

1. Line the base of a 9-inch springform cake tin (a slightly smaller one will work as well) with baking parchment and grease sides lightly with butter. Preheat the oven to 350º F. 

2. Beat the butter and sugar till pale and whipped, 3 to 5 minutes. 

3. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, polenta, and baking powder, then beat some of this into the butter/sugar mixture, followed by one egg. Alternate adding dry ingredients and eggs, beating all the while. 

4. Finally, beat in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and lavender. Then pour, spoon, or scrape the mixture into your prepared tin and bake in the oven, about 40 minutes. (Please remember that depending on altitude, cooking times can change. Higher altitudes usually require a slightly longer time.) 

5. It may seem a bit wobbly but, if the cake is cooked, a cake tester (I actually just use a slender steak knife) should come out clean. Transfer it from oven to a wire cooling rack, but leave in its tin.

For the Syrup

Ingredients

Juice of 2 lemons

125 grams granulated sugar

Icing sugar, for topping

Directions

1. Make the syrup by boiling together the lemon juice and sugar in a small saucepan. 

2. Once the sugar has dissolved into the juice, leave it for about one minute more and then you’re done. 

3. Prick the top of the cake all over with a cake tester, fork, or skewer. Be careful not to tear the cake too much if using a fork or a skewer, as it is delicate. Pour the warm syrup over the cake, and leave to cool before taking it out of its tin. 

4. Before serving, sprinkle icing sugar (using a sieve) over the top of the cake. Then slice and serve.

I'm back! (and cooking up a storm)

Hi all! I am so sorry about how I left you guys hanging these past few days. As you know, I was travelling, and then I was getting back into the swing of being home! Plus, trying to get Baz to forgive me for leaving is a full time job. Since I've been home, I've been cooking and baking like it's the end of the world, so over the next few days, be ready for a bunch of posts!

Today I will stick with something simple. A smoothie! It has been my breakfast everyday this week, partly because it tastes so good, but mostly because I need to recover from a week of eating without any sense of consequence.

Smoothies are usually simple, even though a lot of people think they are difficult to make well. I think we can attribute that to the fact that store-bought smoothies are so damn expensive, it makes people think they couldn't possibly replicate it. My smoothies are simple and healthy and they look really pretty. See?? #elkinthekitchen

Elke's Simple Smoothie

Ingredients

1/2 banana

3 strawberries, sliced

1/2 cup blueberries

1 cup kale

1/4 cup slivered almonds, plus more for topping

1/2 cup coconut milk

1 tsp honey

1 Tbsp ground flax seeds

1 tsp chia seeds, for topping

Directions
1. It's pretty simple...throw everything in the blender (aside from the extra almonds and the chia) and liquefy. The kale will make it green, but don't fear because the blueberries turn it back to a pretty color. Feel free to use frozen fruit, because it's cheaper, easier, and tastes just as good. Also, the measurements can be very loosely followed. If you like different fruit, or you want it to be more or less sweet, do whatever you feel! This is just my basic recipe.
2. Pour some smoothie into a pretty glass, sprinkle the chia and almonds on top, and enjoy a healthy start to your day.

Bacon Maple Popcorn: Good for Any Day of the Week

This recipe is short and easy. Similar to the last recipe, I don't have many pictures (I only have one) but that's due more from the fact that this recipe is so short, I could really only take one picture.

This recipe is so awesome, I've been making it for years. Since I was 15. So that's pretty cool, it's kinda part of my history. It requires five ingredients, and about 15 minutes of your time. The most fun part of this recipe is that you cook the popcorn kernels in rendered bacon fat, instead of vegetable or olive oil, which is what I'm used to doing. Also, it only requires one pot and another smaller bowl for the microwave (eek, I know, microwave?? It's only to melt the butter, so don't judge me too harshly).

Whatever event you make this popcorn for, people will love it. And people will love you! Even after it's been sitting out for a couple of hours, and the party is winding down, and there's only 4 people left, when the popcorn is soggy from age, it still tastes delicious. But maybe the delicious part is enjoying it with people you love...Nah, it's the bacon. #elkinthekitchen

Bacon Maple Popcorn

Ingredients
3 strips of bacon
1/2 cup popcorn kernels
3 Tbsp salted butter
3 Tbsp real maple syrup

Directions
1. In the same pot you plan on using for the popcorn, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon, but leave the rendered fat. Put the bacon strips aside and let cool.
2. With the heat on medium-low, drop one popcorn kernel into the rendered fat. Once the kernel pops, your fat is hot enough, and you can add in the remaining 1/2 cup of kernels. Put the lid on the pot and shake back and forth until you hear the popping com to a stop, about 3 minutes.
3. In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter in the microwave. Once the butter is melted, add the maple syrup and stir to combine. Chop the bacon into little bits. Pour the maple butter over the popcorn, and sprinkle the bacon, and mix together with a big spoon, or your hands!
4. Feel free to add anymore butter or maple syrup to your popcorn, I won't tell anybody! I add extra sometimes too, because who cares? Enjoy!

Chicken Makes Everything Better

So, after my last post, I'm sure you're all wondering how my travels went. Although my flight was a total of 45 minutes, I spent 10 ours travelling, between delays, and deicing the plane, and cab rides. The only thing that got me through all of that was knowing that my friends were buying ingredients for me to make dinner with when I got there. Yes, I was looking forward to making dinner for people at 10pm after a full day of travelling. What can I say? It's what I love to do.

The grocery list I texted my friend right before the plane took off went as follows: "I just need chicken thighs (bone in and skin on) lemon, garlic, thyme, and polenta. I'm assuming you have salt, pepper, and olive oil." I guess I should have been a bit more specific, because I got boneless, skinless thighs, and precooked polenta in that weird cylindrical shape, and all the olive oil they had, which was about three tablespoons. I was a bit disappointed, because as my friends' father says, "boneless, skinless, tastless." It's okay though, I worked with what I had. I found some baby arugula in the fridge, as well as some onions and mushrooms which I sauteed, and put those all together as a nice little side salad.

It all ended up very nicely. The chicken was garlicky, lemony, and covered in thyme an oil, which spooned over the fried polenta was amazing. The arugula was perfect underneath the buttery and salty mushrooms and onions, and it all tasted better because it was the first meal I'd had all day.

The only regret I have is that I was so tired that I didn't have the forethought to take pictures while I was cooking. So, this is going to be a pictureless post. If it helps, I can post a cute picture of my kitten that my mom sent me instead.

Beautiful Baby Boy Baz

There we go! Isn't he perfect? You don't have to answer that, because I already know that he is. Okay, enough of that, let's get to the food. #elkinthekitchen

Chicken with Garlic, Lemon, and Thyme

Ingredients

1 package of chicken thighs, bone in and skin on, there should be 4 or 5 pieces

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 lemon

4 sprigs of thyme

2 Tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

2. Thinly cut 4 slices of lemon, and save the rest for juice. Unwrap the chicken and place the thighs in an ovenproof baking pan. I used a glass Pyrex dish that I found in my friend's kitchen.

3. Sprinkle the sliced garlic and the the sprigs of thyme over the chicken, then place the lemon slices in the dish. Use the other half of the lemon to squeeze some juice over the thighs. 

4. Sprinkle on some salt and pepper (I'm usually pretty generous with both of these in this recipe). Pour the olive oil evenly over the dish, and you're ready to put it in the oven.

5. Bake at 350 for about 30-40 minutes, The skin on top should be crispy, and the meat on the inside should be devoid of all pink coloring. If the chicken is still pink, you need to put it back in the over for a few minutes.

6. Pair with some nice crusty bread, polenta, or even some rice! When you pour the oil from the chicken over any carb like that, the result is amazing. Enjoy :)

Airports Aren't Fun... But Muffins Are!

Here I am, on a cold, snowy, wet Sunday afternoon, sitting in the Philadelphia International Airport, waiting to hop on a plane to the equally, if not more, cold, snowy, wet Boston. Don't get me wrong, I'm more than ecstatic to be going to Boston. All of my best friends live there, I'm seeing my favorite band play a show, and I get an entire week off from working my two jobs. It's just that the vibe of the airport is bringing me down.

I'm also a bit hungry, but I won't eat anything here because, well, in the simplest of explanations, I am a giant food snob. Is that really a surprise though? I think not. This is what got me to thinking about my most recent obsession: blueberry, oatmeal, and flaxseed muffins. I first found this recipe on food52, but I added a few changes to my version of the muffin, after having made them a few times.

These things are the absolute best, I'm telling you guys. Not only are they moist and delicious, but they are full of fiber and pretty good for you. Though let's be real, that's not the reason I ate so many of them.

So, if you're sitting in a stinky airport and need something to daydream about like me, or if you're in your cozy home trying to think of something fun to snack on, this is for you. #elkinthekitchen

Blueberry Oat Muffins

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat flour

5 cups rolled oats

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

2/3 cup ground flaxseed

4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

4 tsp ground cinnamon

2 eggs

3/4 cup coconut oil

3/4 cup water

2 cups buttermilk

1 cup shredded carrots

2 cups blueberries

1/2 cup walnut pieces

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 and line a muffin pan with your favorite cute paper liners!

2. In a bowl, mix together the flour, oats, brown sugar, flaxseed, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon.

3. Mix in the eggs, coconut oil, water, and buttermilk until the dry and wet ingredients are just combined. Fold in the carrots, blueberries, and walnuts. Fill each paper liner to the top with batter, and bake for 20-25 minutes.

4. After the muffins cool, feel free to eat as many as you want, because who cares? We're all covered up in big sweaters and scarves anyway! 

These muffins are super moist, so they keep for a while. If you wanted to wrap them in saran individually, that's cool, but not necessary. At the very least, all you need to do is lay a piece of saran on top of the plate that the muffins are sitting on.  

A Salad for Warmer Days

So, it's 8:30 on a Friday night, and I'm sitting in my bed after having eaten a lovely homemade pizza dinner with my parents. I know what you are all thinking. Does she not have friends? How old is she, because did she ever tell us? Why is she in bed so early? Why isn't she posting about the homemade pizza?

I'm here to answer all of your questions, and more! First, I do have friends. Such good friends, in fact, that I'm leaving in two days to  go stay with some of them in Boston for a week! I'll touch back on that later. The answer to the second question is that I am 19, so it's pretty weird for somebody my age to spend their Friday night this way, which brings us to the third answer. I have a very good explanation for this. You see, I work at a bakery, and bakeries have early hours. Long story short, I have work at 6:30am tomorrow. But I'm staying up to blog for you guys because I love you all so much and I love talking about food even more.

Finally, my answer to your fourth question is that my mom made it, and I would never steal the credit for anybody else's work. Though I do have to say that I make some pretty fantastic pizza, which I will definitely be writing about in the near future.

Anyways, back to the main reason for this post. A salad. Not a boring salad with the wilted iceberg from your bottom drawer, and not a grab-store-bought-dressing-from-the-fridge salad either. None of that shit in my kitchen.

Whenever I go food shopping, I usually try to buy at least two or three different kinds of lettuce. I almost always have spinach and arugula in my fridge, so for this salad I used spinach. I love the way spinach wilts under the sauteed onions I threw on top, because it gives it a different texture than a regular cold salad. Along with the spinach and onions, I threw in some chevre, sliced strawberries, and half of an avocado. I sauteed the onions in olive oil, and because of that the salad didn't need much dressing, but I drizzled on some aged balsamic vinegar, because I'm obsessed with anything and everything vinegar.

This salad is really simple, and easy to make if you only have a short time to eat lunch, or you're just too hungry to wait long for anything. For me, thinking about this salad is what helped get me through work today. With the strawberries and avocados, it really reminds me of warm weather, and I think everybody needs a reminder of what that feels like right now. #elkinthekitchen.

A Salad for Warmer Days

Ingredients
1-2 handfuls of spinach
3 strawberries
1/2 avocado
2 Tbsp chevre
1/2 onion
2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions
1. Cut the onion into slices. It doesn't matter how thick or thin, as long as they are all around the same size. Pour the oil into a sautee pan, put heat on medium, and throw in the onions. Let them fry for around five minutes, stirring every 30 seconds or so to make sure they are not burning.
2. Once the onions are done cooking, it is time to assemble the rest of the salad. Put the spinach in a nice sized bowl. Slice the strawberries and avocado, and throw them in on top of the spinach, along with the onions. Crumble the chevre on top. Mix around so the warm onions can wilt the spinach and melt the cheese a bit.
3. Once everything is in the bowl, drizzle a bit of balsamic on top, sprinkle on some salt and pepper, and enjoy!

I hope this recipe reminds you of summer they way it does for me. As I mentioned earlier, I am going away next week, and I will try to keep up with posts, but if I stop for a few days, do not fear! I won't abandon the blog, or you guys for that matter, so just know that if there is ever a lull in posts, it's for good reason (like a vacation!!).

Drinking Chocolate

This post is going to be short. While it won't seem like a lot, while it may seem like an afterthought, I believe that everybody should have access to this recipe. My drinking chocolate is unlike any Swiss Miss or Hershey's chocolate syrup you've ever had. It's not too sweet, but it's one of the most chocolatey things you'll ever taste, if you use the right quantity and quality of chocolate.

You have a few options when it comes to this drinking chocolate. I give you the option to add salt if you would like. The salt deepens the flavor of the chocolate, but it definitely takes it even farther away from the traditional, super sweet hot chocolate. I love adding salt to mine, but I have weird taste buds, or so they tell me.

You could decide to drink it straight up, as is, hot chocolatey milk, or you could choose to throw a bunch of marshmallows and a huge pile of whipped cream and chocolate shavings on top. The first option is more natural, and definitely healthier for you, but the second option is way more fun. And isn't that what we need right now in this dark winter, some fun? #elkinthekitchen

Drinking Chocolate

Homemade Drinking Chocolate

Ingredients

2 oz (2 squares) high quality dark chocolate

1 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 pinch of sea salt (optional)

1 cup whole milk, warmed up to above room temperature

Directions

1. Chop or shave the chocolate into smaller, finer pieces. They don't have to be perfectly shaved, but make sure they are small enough to melt easily, and at the same pace.

2. Melt butter in small saucepan. Add chocolate shavings, constantly whisking to combine with the butter. If you are adding the pinch of salt, now would be the time.

3. Slowing pour in the warm milk, a few tablespoons at a time, whisking constantly to properly combine with the melted chocolate. If you fail to whisk them together, the chocolate will separate from the liquid.

4. Keep on heat, whisking until it has come to your desired heat. This process will only take a few minutes. Make sure to keep an eye on the mixture the entire time it's on the stove, and be careful not to scald or curdle the milk. Once hot, remove from heat, and pour into your favorite mug.

5. If you are adding the additional toppings, now is your chance. I like to put the marshmallows on first, so they get melty in the hot chocolate. I then quickly whip up some heavy whipping cream in a bowl to make my own whipped cream, which I dollop on top of the marshmallows. Finally, I sprinkle some extra chocolate shavings on top, because it just looks so darn pretty.

Pickled Vegetables

Although I'm notorious for telling everybody how much I love the winter, how the snow is my favorite type of weather, and how I am a "winter baby" because I was born in February, I'll admit I'm currently a bit sick of it. That is the reason why I drove to four different stores today to find the things I needed to make pickled vegetables. I needed something to get me out of this slump, and the thought of crisp, vinegary, and salt vegetables sounded like the perfect idea.

If I'm being completely honest, I didn't need to go to four different stores, but I needed to put some okra in my pickling jars, and nobody seemed to have it. After two hours and some good sleuthing skills, I finally got my hands on some, and I was ready to pickle!

I grabbed four brand new 12 oz canning jars, sterilized them in a hot water bath, and I was ready to stuff them with my vegetables. I chose to use onions, cucumbers, okra, garlic, and jalapenos. Along with the veggies, I used dill, mustard seeds, and black peppercorns to flavor the pickles. After packing the jars with veggies, it was time to add the liquid. For the pickling liquid, all you need are equal parts water and vinegar, and a decent amount of salt. I brought the liquids and salt to a boil in a larger pot, and then filled the jars with it, but not all the way to the brim. The only thing left to do was to seal the jars in another hot water bath, and my work was done!

The one annoying part of pickling is that there is no instant gratification, because you need to wait at least 1-2 weeks for the pickles for be ready to eat. So, in two weeks, I'm going to be a very happy girl. #elkinthekitchen

Pickled Vegetables

Ingredients
8 oz okra
1 large cucumber, in slices
1 large onion, quartered
8 cloves garlic
2 jalapeno peppers, each cut in half
8 sprigs dill
4 tsp mustard seed
4 tsp black peppercorns
2.5 cups apple cider vinegar
2.5 cups water
4 Tbsp kosher salt
4 12 oz canning jars

Directions
1. Sterilize jars and lids in a hot water bath
2. Fill each jar with 1/2 of a jalapeno, 2 cloves of garlic, 2 sprigs dill, 1/4 of the onion, 1/4 of the sliced cucumber, 1/4 of the okra, and a tsp each of mustard seeds and black peppercorns.
3. Combine vinegar, water, and salt in a pot and bring to a boil.
4. When the liquid has boiled, turn off heat, and ladle enough liquid into each jar to cover the vegetables, but not all the way to the brim. I left about a half of an inch, or an inch, of room at the top of the jars. Screw the lids on securely.
5. Once the lids are on the jars, you need to seal them by boiling in another hot water bath for 10 minutes. The lids should be a bit concave when they come out of the bath. If they are not, that means they did not fully seal, and the jars that did not seal you must keep in the refrigerator. Those jars will keep for about a week.
6. Let the jars that sealed properly sit for a week or two before you break into your pickles.