Month: February 2012

Kosher Pad-See-Ew Recipe

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For long time Thai food was not on my list of ethnic cuisine I enjoy, well, except Pad-See-Ew. I don’t know what it is about it, but Pad-See-Ew is like the ultimate comfort food for me. Big problem: most Pad-See-Ew is made with Oyster Sauce. Seriously bad news. I found a recipe that also used Oyster sauce and created my work-around. This is how it went. PAD-SEE-EW RECIPE (adapted from Rachel Cooks Thai) Ingredients: 1 pound (16oz) fresh wide, flat rice noodles 1 chicken breast, sliced thinly 4 cups Chinese broccoli, chopped coarsely 2 large eggs 3/4 cup sweet dark soy sauce 1 Tbsp kosher worcestershire sauce 5 teaspoons sugar 4 teaspoons vinegar 4 cloves garlic, chopped Directions: Make a sauce by mixing the worcestershire sauce, 1/5 cup soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, and garlic. Blanch the chicken slices until mostly done. Do the same for the rice noodles, but only for a few seconds until they are warm and loose. ***You will notice I used egg noodles. I could not find rice noodles anywhere, and …

Trader Joe’s Red Wine Chocolate Cake

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Yesterday I wrote a review of my dear friends’ new album Last Forest in the City. Roman and Alaina are truly spectacular musicians and I can’t emphasize enough that you need to buy their album! Even more reason to buy their album: Alaina’s birthday was last week! Anyone who knows Alaina is aware that Alaina is Trader Joe’s obsessed. No, she doesn’t just like Trader Joe’s – she is obsessed. Last year for her birthday I bought her a Trader Joe’s cookbook, you would have thought it was a diamond ring! So when I asked Alaina what kind of cake she wanted, naturally she said “Can you make me a Trader Joe’s Cake?” Yes, Alaina, yes I can! Accomplishing the Trader Joe’s island look was a lot of fun, and appropriate since Canadian-born Alaina has become a California girl through and through. Also, since she and her husband left LA and took off to Israel for a couple months, I wanted to remind her how much she loves the fun and sun of LA and …

Review: Last Forest in the City

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I have decided that Sundays are a good time to Review random things. Whether it is a great restaurant or a glamourous event, you want to know what I think of things, right? Haha, maybe. Today I am stepping off the beaten bath and reviewing music for you! I am going to review an album released in November of 2011 from Roman and Alaina called Last Forest in the City. I’ve never reviewed an album before so here goes: Disclaimer: This review may be biased. Why? I’m not only a fan of the married music duo Roman and Alaina – they are big fans of me! Roman and Alaina have always made a point to come to any event I am catering, and have nothing but good things to say about my food (which feels fantastic!). It just so happens I have nothing but good things to say about their music, so it’s a win-win. 🙂 People have described their album as “soulful” and “up-beat” and other things. I describe it as really good. Compelling, …

Shabbos Specials: Caramel Apple Cake

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Keeping with the “Pining for Autumn” theme and also with the apple theme I present you with the Caramel Apple Cake! I found this on Pinterest… such a beautiful presentation. Even better, I believe I received more accolades for the actual taste of this cake than any other (and that’s saying A LOT!). The real cincher in this cake is the chopped peanuts on the bottom. It provides just the right amount of crunch and flavor to bring everything together. It was also this caramel buttercream recipe that I referenced in previous posts – just the right balance of mild and rich notes. In the future, I may just lighten the buttercream for the sake of presentation, even though I think it still turned out really cute! APPLE CAKE RECIPE (adapted from The Great Cake Company) Cake Ingredients: 4 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoons cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes, …

Apple Pie, Oh My!

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There are two kinds of people in this world: cake people and pie people. I am a cake person. My boyfriend, who puts aside any fruit filling in any cake, would probably call himself a cake person too. It takes a lot for me to really enjoy a pie. When my friend Damon asked me to make some very Amercian desserts for the 4th of July last year, Apple pie was certainly on the menu. I hit the internet, and what do you know? – Smitten Kitchen to the rescue again! I have made this pie over and over and over, and it comes out pure perfection every time. The crust is to die for! GRANDMA’S APPLE PIE RECIPE (adapted from Smitten Kitchen) Crust Ingredients: 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (2 1/2 cups, non-lattice) 1 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons sugar 7 tablespoons all-vegetable shortening, chilled (8 tablespoons, non-lattice) 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1/4-inch pieces (12 tablespoons, non-lattice) 10 tablespoons ice water (6 to 8 tablespoons, non-lattice) 1. Pulse flour, salt and sugar …

Blue Velvet Cake Recipe

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First things first. #1 – You can now reach me by a new URL! If you type in www.miriinthevillage.com, it will forward you directly to this blog. #2 – LIKE ME ON FACEBOOK! #3 – FOLLOW ME ON PINTEREST! Ok, now that’s over, so you say you want the recipe to my Blue Velvet cake from Monday, do you? What’s the magic word? Ok, fine. I’ll give it to you, but you have to promise not to be angry. TONS of butter. I’m just warning you. BLUE VELVET CAKE RECIPE (adapted from Paula Dean’s recipe on the Food Network) Ingredients: 2 cups sugar 1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature 2 eggs 1 tablespoon cocoa powder 1/2 tbsp blue food coloring 1 dab of violet food coloring 2 1/2 cups cake flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup buttermilk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 tablespoon vinegar Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 3 (8-inch) round pans. In a mixing bowl, cream the sugar and butter, mix until light …

What do you expect from me Mom? I’m half machine!

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Excuse the ambiguous nature of the title of this blog post, but if you’ve ever watched Arrested Development, you know it’s more than appropriate! My close friend Evy turned 30 this year, and to celebrate, she threw an Arrested Development themed party. I, of course, was asked to make the cake. I made it “Blue Man Group Velvet” with vanilla buttercream and a filling of banana slices and chocolate chips. The banana and chocolate chips filling is for the fact that the Bluths own a frozen banana stand. The “Blue Man Group Velvet” – well, take a look: Of course, there are many other inside jokes I included on this cake including a “loose seal”, a star of david “in solitude”, the orange theme during the credits, “I need a favor” from the Bluth family crest, the flowers representing Lucille Bluth’s tweed suits, Evy’s favorite surprise: “Steve Holt!” So how did I go about decorating this masterpiece? Remember my post about luster dust? It can be difficult to free-hand frosting on a cake. So much …

Shabbos Specials: Apple Cider Donuts

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My close friends know that I’m really into Autumn. I love the sights, smells, colors. So it’s February, so what? I mean I can still have those things even when it’s not Autumn, right? These tasty treats are always a crowd-pleaser! APPLE CIDER DONUT RECIPE (Adapted from Smitten Kitchen) Ingredients: Donuts 1 cup apple cider 3 1/2 cups flour, plus additional for the work surface 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, at room temperature 1 cup granulated sugar 2 large eggs 1/2 cup buttermilk Vegetable oil or shortening for frying Topping Glaze (1 cup confectioners’ sugar + 2 tablespoons apple cider) Cinnamon sugar (1 cup granulated sugar + 1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon) In a saucepan over medium heat, gently reduce the apple cider to about 1/4 cup, 20 to 30 minutes. Set aside to cool. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and soda, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Set aside. Using an electric mixer on …

Cakes for Sale

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Hi all! Did you know I not only photograph pretty cakes I make, I sell them too? It’s true! This was a special cake for a very special young lady who happened to be born the day after Valentine’s Day. Cakes are custom made (no pre-made cakes) and can vary in price between $25 – $60 depending on size, ingredients, and customization. Pretty sweet, huh? If you live in the LA area and would like me to make a cake for you, you can contact me at mirikeh@gmail.com.

Two-Tone Piping Tutorial

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I have a pretty cool technique to share with you today! If you are planning a party for someone with a color theme (i.e. bridal shower), a clever way to bring out the theme is through two-tone piping. Lay saran wrap flat on the counter, place about 1/2 cup of your piping frosting on top. Roll the saran wrap at the ends on each side and tie a knot on one end. Follow the same instructions for the 2nd color. Roll together the saran wrap for the two colors on the ends without the knot. Pull the un-knotted end of the saran wrap through the pastry bag already fitted with a coupler. Cut off the end of the saran wrap before affixing the tip. Once tip is affixed, pipe onto cupcakes as normal. When you are done piping, just pull the empty saran wrap bags from the pastry bag, and throw them away. You are left with beautiful cupcakes and a clean pastry bag.