Saffron-Scented Cilantro Couscous

I wish I had access to a really super camera right now. Or Smell-O-Vision for blogs (wouldn't that be wonderful!?).

This couscous combines almost all of my favorite ingredients in cooking: onions, lemon, and saffron. The result is a fresh, flavorful couscous that is both light and hearty and utterly NOMWORTHY. I thought the cilantro would make the flavor strange but it's not at all. So, so tasty!


Saffron-Scented Cilantro Couscous

1 ½ cups chicken stock or water
1 cup dry couscous
1/3 cup cilantro leaves
1/3 cup onions, chopped
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt + to taste
2 tbsp lemon juice/about half a lemon
Pinch saffron threads

In a medium saucepan heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chicken stock, salt, and garlic powder; bring to a boil. Add in couscous, cilantro, and saffron threads, mixing quickly; cover and set off heat for 12 minutes. Fluff couscous with a fork and squeeze/sprinkle lemon juice over top.

*I love salt. Like, really really love it. So I added way more than is listed here. If you love salt, too, be warned that you’ll need to add more (although if you use chicken stock as opposed to water, the stock will give it a good salty flavor). Just taste first, of course.

Serves 2-3.

--Jirafa

Vanilla Custard

I love custard. As a kid, my favorite donuts came with custard. My favorite cakes had a creamy custard filling. I would antagonize my mother for flan, just so I could enjoy that creamy, slippery feeling on my tongue.

Imagine my delight to learn that custard is insulting easy to make.



These ramekins were a gift from my mother. I remember when she brought them to me. I had just moved into my first apartment and here comes my mom with these onion/garlic-printed ramekins complete with tiny lids, each one carefully wrapped in paper towels. I shunned them. Vehemently. I wanted plain white ramekins like everyone else, not these loserific grandma soup bowls.

She slipped them into my cupboard anyway.

A friend packed my kitchenware when I was moving, so when I found them again at my new apartment, I huffed and shoved them into the back of my pantry. And today I madly cleaned out my pantry in search of them. Thanks to my mother's amazing foresight, I got to eat custard today.

And I think these garlic-printed ramekins are so much cooler than boring white ones. (Not to mention they look fab in my LIME GREEN BAKING DISH [Also a gift from my mother] <3)


Can't touch this

Vanilla Custard:

2 eggs, 1 egg yolk
½ cup white sugar
2 cups milk
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
Nutmeg or cinnamon for dusting

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Whisk eggs, egg yolk, sugar, and vanilla together. Meanwhile, heat milk in a saucepan until it reaches a simmer. (Add cold milk to cold pot, then heat slowly. DO NOT add cold milk to a hot pan, unless you hate your pan and need an excuse to get a new one.)

When milk is hot, slowly add to egg mixture while whisking constantly. (Nice to have a helper at this point). Strain mixture and pour into three small ramekins placed into a large baking dish. Dust with cinnamon or nutmeg, if desired.

Fill the baking dish with boiling water until it reaches about ¾ of the ramekins. Bake for 40 minutes, until custard is set but slightly jiggly.

Remove from oven and let custard sit in the water for 30 minutes. Then remove from the baking dish and cool to room temperature. Then place cooled custard into refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

Serves 3.

~Jirafa

Chocolate Krisp Cookies

These are like Nestle Crunch bars meet cookie dough, thanks to the addition of Rice Krispies! On the outside these look like regular chocolate chip cookies, but one bite reveals the crispity crunchity secret inside! (Shut up spell checker, 'crispity' and 'crunchity' are too words.)

Also, this is an epic output recipe. You can make 4 dozen cookies out of this, no problem. I froze half my dough for later; otherwise I'd be spending my entire evening feverishly checking the oven.


Mmmmmmmmmmmm, cookie dough.

Chocolate Krisp Cookies

2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 ½ cups flour
1 ½ cups rice krispies
¼ cup oats
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 ½ cups chocolate chips (whatever kind you want, really)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

In the bowl of a stand mixer cream together butter and sugars until fluffy. Add oil, egg, and vanilla. Blend.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, oats, rice krispies, baking soda, and salt. Mix into butter mixture until just combined. Add chocolate chips and mix until combined.

Use an ice cream scoop to drop dough onto lined baking sheets and bake for 12-14 minutes until center is set and edges are golden-brown. Cool on a wire rack.

Makes 4 dozen easily, probably more. I ended up halving my dough and freezing it, but I got 2 dozen out of the half I baked.

--Jirafa

Spicy Baked Penne

The best things in the world start like this:

and end like this:

Oh baked penne, how I love thee. You are perfect for dinner parties, where I'm too cheap and lazy to toil over lasagna. (My secret has been outed). You are also perfect as leftovers, eaten cold out of the baking dish at 1am after the 800th round of this game:

(My last dinner party involved going through the entire family Apples to Apples card set TWICE. Oh yes, that's how we nerds party.)

Before all the epic nerdery began though, we were nomming down on this:


Don´t mind me, just licking my laptop screen.

Spicy Baked Penne:

1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 28-ounce cans crushed Italian plum tomatoes
3 teaspoons dried basil
1 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
2 cups canned chicken broth
1 pound penne or rigatoni
2 1/2 cups packed cheese (sharp cheddar and mozzarella are tasty)


Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a LARGE skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; saute onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Mix in tomatoes, dried basil and crushed red pepper. Bring to a boil. Add broth; bring back to boil. Reduce heat to medium or lower and simmer uncovered until mixture is thick and is reduced, about 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cook pasta until aldente. Drain well but don't rinse. Return pasta to pot. Pour sauce over and toss to blend. Mix in half the cheese. Transfer to baking pan and top with remaining cheese.

Bake until cheese is browned and bubbly, about 25 minutes.

Serves 5 to 6.

(PS, if you´re wondering why the pictures look suddenly fab, it´s because they were taken with my friend´s gorgeous fancy expensive camera. I am using them to my advantage.)

Veggie Couscous

I make this frequently when class is in session. It's hearty and flavorful; really nice to have during a stressful week of studying.

I actually used a boxed instant couscous for this. I don't normally condone the use of boxed food, but sometimes it really is tasty and easier. Not necessarily cheaper, though, so feel free to buy your own bulk couscous and make it the...hard way?



Veggie Couscous:

1 box Near East Roasted Garlic and Olive Oil couscous
¼ onion, chopped
1 veggie burger patty, cooked and chunked
1 zucchini, chopped
1 cup (about 4-5 medium) mushrooms, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. In the meantime, set water to boil for couscous, following instructions.

Sauté onion and garlic together for a minute, then add mushrooms and zucchini. Finish couscous preparations; set aside. Cook vegetables until zucchini is tender, but still crisp (about 3-4 minutes). Add in cooked veggie patty pieces (isn’t ‘patty’ the worst word for food ever? D: ) and heat through. Season with salt, pepper, and any dried spices you enjoy (I use basil for everything). Mix with couscous and serve!

Serves 2-3

Chocolate Toffee Cookies

I love to make cookies but I don't quite like eating them. However, I think my roommates are fine with this arrangement (so are my thighs).

These cookies have a lot of dough with subtle chocolate toffee crunches, if that's your thing. You can always add in another bar and amp up the crunchy yumminess!

Chocolate Toffee Cookies:

2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 bar Lindt Toffee Crunch, chopped

In a large bowl (or in a mixer) cream butter and sugars together for 4 minutes, scraping down sides of the bowl occasionally. Add eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking soda. Putting the mixer on low speed, add flour mixture to butter mixture until just combined. Mix chocolate toffee pieces in with a wooden spoon.

Chill dough at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake 10-12 minutes, until cookies are browned but slightly soft still. Cool on a wire rack.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

--Jirafa

Picnic Bentos

These are some pictures from the past two picnic bentos I've packed. I don't get to use the large boxes often so I'm always excited when I get the chance!



Apples, banana, blueberries, and decadent white chocolate.



Turkey and cheese roll-ups, doritos.



White cheddar cheez-its, cherries, triscuits with laughing cow cheese, grapes, and gummi bears! Yum!

Pear Crisp

After being introduced to this Paradise of a produce market by a friend I ended up buying an 8-pound bag of pears which sat on my counter. And sat. And sat. And continued sitting until my resolution to no longer waste food kicked in and I ravaged the internets for a good pear crisp recipe.



Soooooo delicious. The nutmeg was cruelty though, because now all I can think of is making gingersnaps until I pass out. Oh winter baking, how I miss thee...

Pear Crisp:

5 pears, peeled, cored, sliced
1/2 cup brown sugar
½ tsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Mix pears, lemon juice, brown sugar, and vanilla; pour into a greased 8x8 baking pan. In a large bowl, mix flour, white sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together. In a separate bowl, beat together melted butter and egg; add to flour mixture and stir until it forms a strudel-like consistency. Cover pears with floury mixture and bake 30 minutes until top is golden brown.

Serves 4-6.