yummy – Don't Dress Like A Mom

Frosé

July 24, 2017

If you’re wondering what exactly frosé is, I’m here to help. On the flip side, if’ you’ve had the pleasure of enjoying frosé at a restaurant or trendy bar, then I’m also happy to help you make the concoction at home. It’s simple, and the hardest part is waiting for the rosé to freeze. If you love rosé and you love slushies, this is your drink.

Frosé is made my freezing rosé, blending it with a chilled strawberry simple syrup and adding lemon juice and ice. It’s perfect for warm summer days and evenings. If you’re thinking it’s a great party drink, IT IS and you can make it all ahead of time.

Some tips: use a dark colored rosé. The color of rosé lightens during freezing, and you want a nice pink drink. Second, use shallow containers to freeze the rosé. It helps move the process along faster. Also, chill all ingredients. You want a good slushy consistency, and super cold ingredients will help make perfect frosé. My last tip, make more than what you think you need. It goes down easy, and before you know it, you’ll be out of frosé (and probably crying). If you over make, you just leave it in the freezer and have a nice treat for an unassuming Monday evening.

You can get the recipe on a cute little card this weekend at Madewell in Somerset Mall (Troy, Michigan) from 12-2pm! I’m hosting a special pop-up event where I will have a bunch of my fashion pics + styling tips! I’ll have this recipe printed and you can pick one up + say hi (while supplies last).

Ingredients:

1 750 ml bottle rosé (a deep bodied bottle is best – meaning a deep pink color – I use an inexpensive bottle from Trader Joe’s)
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup water
6 ounces fresh strawberries, hulled and cut in half
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (use a touch more if you like tart flavors)
1 cup ice

Directions:

Pour rosé into a plastic or glass container and freeze for at least 6-8 hours. Meanwhile, bring sugar and water to a boil, just to dissolve the sugar. Remove from heat and add strawberries. Let steep for about 30 minutes. Strain strawberries out with a fine mesh sieve.

Once rosé is frozen (it will be slushie, not completely frozen), scoop into a large blender. Add chilled syrup, lemon juice, and cup of ice. Blend until milkshake consistency. Place back into plastic or glass container and freeze for 30 minutes, or until needed. Can be stored for up to 7 days. When ready to serve, scoop into glasses and serve with a straw.

Vegan Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Ice Cream

June 29, 2016

On a recent stretch of 90-something degree days I found myself craving ice cream around the clock. If I could have brought myself to eat ice cream for breakfast, I probably would have (but I have a teeny tiny bit of will power). Since I didn’t want to eat real deal ice cream several times a day, I thought I would research vegan options and use a little coconut milk because its a little healthier, right? Right?! At least it made me feel better about indulging more often than normal in ice cream bliss.

Visions of 50 different ice cream flavors danced in my head, but this option stood out. It had me at cookie dough and sealed the deal with peanut butter. Of course making ice cream takes ~~a little~~ a lot prep work, so you aren’t going to be able to eat it immediately. You may need to freeze your ice cream bowl, if that is the type of maker you have or purchase. You will need to soak the cashews for at least 6 hours or overnight and chill the cream base. Once you make the ice cream, it needs to harden a little in the freezer. It’s a process, but once you have the cone you’ve been dreaming about, it’s all worth it. Just keep that in mind and anticipate a hot summer night with the wind in the trees and a waffle cone in your hand with the ice cream you churned (at the press of a button or move of a lever).

*True story – I was given an ice cream bowl attachment for my Kitchen Aid stand mixer at one of my showers 6 YEARS AGO and never broke it out of the box. It seemed like one of those really fun things to scan for my bridal registry, but since we lived in a smallish apartment, the ice cream maker was stored at my parent’s until we moved into a house. Fast forward to now when I realized I had it hidden away in a cabinet and should probably give it a go. If you are looking for ice cream maker options, here are my top picks. My Kitchen Aid attachment is not on there. It refused to work after two batches and I still haven’t figured out why. An all in one machine seems like a much better option and they aren’t too pricey, but I’ve listed a splurge maker as well.

ice cream maker 1 // ice cream maker 2 // ice cream maker 3 // old fashioned ice cream maker

Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream

for the ice cream:

1 1/4 cups raw cashews, soaked overnight (or at least 6 hours), then drained
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 15-ounce can full fat coconut milk (reserve 2 tablespoons for cookie dough)
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

for the cookie dough:

3 tablespoons vegan butter (such as earth’s balance soy sticks)
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 cup dairy free mini chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life chips)
About 1-2 tablespoons coconut milk

How To:

Very important! The night before follow these two steps:

1. Place your ice cream churning bowl in the freezer to properly chill (according to manufacturer’s instructions) and soak your cashews (cover with about an inch of water). Drain before proceeding with recipe.

2. Add all ice cream ingredients to blender and blend until creamy and smooth using the puree setting. I used my ninja and it worked great. Process through a fine mesh strainer into a glass bowl to get rid of any cashew bits or grains. This helps to make the ice cream super smooth. Chill the mixture a few hours or overnight.

Add the chilled mixture to your churning bowl and and process (again, according to manufacturer’s instructions) anywhere from 20 – 45 minutes. While it is churning, make the cookie dough (keeping an eye on your mixture – once it looks like soft-serve it is ready!)

For cookie dough, use an electric mixer to combine vegan butter, peanut butter, brown sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl. Add the flour a few tablespoons at a time until the dough becomes thick and a little crumbly. Add coconut milk to add a little moisture and to help it stick together. Add chocolate chips and stir until dispersed. Freeze (chill) for a bit if you want the cookie dough to remain in chunks in your ice cream, otherwise you can keep it on the counter until ready to add.

Once the ice cream is thick like soft serve, add in 1/2 to 3/4 cup cookie dough, crumbling into chunks as you add. Smooth ice cream into a loaf pan lined with parchment. Cover well and freeze for a few hours until firm. When ready to serve, set out for about 15 minutes to soften. I prefer to serve my cookie dough ice cream on waffle cones with a sprinkle of more cookie dough. Best when fresh but will keep in your freezer for 7-10 days.

US-31 BBQ Inspired Chicken Sandwiches

February 18, 2016

As a child, my family traveled often to Muskegon, a smallish town on the Western coast of Michigan. An absolute must was a stop at US-31 BBQ. It is a tiny restaurant with a very memorable, delicious relish sauce that gets poured over smoked ham and pork. I decided to give it a try on pulled chicken and just as I thought, it is incredible.

A friend recently told me you can (and should) put chicken breasts in a slow cooker and heat on low for about 4 hours. The result is juicy chicken with minimal effort. It shreds well and is a base for so many options – enchiladas, chicken salad, pulled chicken sandwiches, etc. This was a life-changing discovery. Gone are the days where I dry out chicken.

This recipe may seem absolutely ridiculous because it mixes every basic condiment, but I tell you it is magical and amazing. Just take my word and give it a try. If you ever find yourself around Muskegon, Michigan, go directly to US-31 BBQ and try the real thing.

Pulled Chicken Sandwiches with Relish Sauce

Ingredients

1/2 cup sweet relish
1/4 cup yellow mustard
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups finely shredded cabbage (do this by using a cuisinart food processor – cabbage should be VERY finely shredded)
4 chicken breasts
about 12 slider buns

Combine ingredients in a medium saucepan and heat to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 30-40 minutes. At this point, you can place sauce in an airtight container and store in refrigerator for up to a week.

To make sandwiches, place chicken breasts in slow cooker and heat on low for 4 hours. Once cooked through, remove breasts (allow to cool slightly) and shred. If there is a lot of juice left in the slow cooker, remove a little so relish sauce does not get too thin. Replace shredded chicken and add 1 cup of relish sauce. Heat on low for at least 30 minutes, but can leave on warm until ready to use.

Heat remaining relish sauce on stovetop to warm through. Place about 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of shredded chicken on each slider bun. Top with additional relish sauce and serve warm.

Variation: Use thinly sliced deli ham instead of chicken, warm slightly, and top with relish sauce. Use rotisserie chicken instead of cooking chicken yourself for a super quick meal. You can use just about any meat.

Candy Heart Cookies

February 11, 2016

If you are in the baking mood and want to get in touch with your artistic side, these cookies are both fun and challenging to create. While the actual mixing and roll out portion is super easy, the decorating is more of a mindful practice. My cookies are in no way perfect, but I enjoy the process and love making them my own.

I know we all have a basic sugar cookie recipe, but this one is my favorite because of several reasons – it is super simple, you have baked cookies in no time at all, and they taste the best with the kind of soft texture I require of a sugar cookie. No crunchy cookies in my house.

I like to use a mix of almond and vanilla extract in the dough. I love the flavor of vanilla and can’t be without it in a sweet confection. I use almond because the icing has almond as well, and they compliment each other. If you like a certain flavor, by all means use it instead. These cookies can be your blank canvas to experiment on.

The best part of this dough is it does not have to chill. You can make and bake with no time in between – which is great for people such as myself who cannot wait to eat a cookie once they’ve started the process. I have a chocolate chip cookie recipe that requires DAYS between making and baking and its basically torture (if it weren’t for the cookie dough I sneak in the mean time).

So whether you want to eat a great sugar cookie, to test out your cookie icing skills, or need a gift for someone sweet, this cookie recipe is something fun to try.

Roll Out Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

2 sticks unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon almond flavoring
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla flavoring
2 1/2 + a little more all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Cream together butter and confectioners’ sugar in a large bowl. Add egg and flavorings, blending well. With a sifter on top of your large bowl, sift in flour, baking powder and salt, then mix until ingredients are just incorporated. You will know when the dough is ready by touching it – the dough shouldn’t really stick to your fingers. If dough is too sticky, add more flour. Let dough sit for 5 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to about 1/4 inch thick and cut with heart shaped cutters (any size works – I used small and medium). Place on silpat lined cookie sheets and bake for 7-8 minutes, being careful not to let brown. I take them out when they look completely dry, but have no browning whatsoever.

Icing:

one bag confectioners’ sugar (2 pounds)
5 tablespoons meringue powder (available at Michaels)
2 teaspoons almond extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup warm water (+ more if necessary)

Stir extracts into water. Using a whisk attachment on a stand mixer, slowly mix confectioners’s sugar and meringue powder. Add water and extracts slowly, with mixer on low. Once incorporated, whisk on medium-high for about 2-4 minutes, or until thick, fluffy and glossy. Icing should form a soft peak.

Separate icing evenly into four bowls (or into 5 if you want to do another color). Add pink food color to one, purple to another, green to another and yellow to the fourth. Since I used small amounts of frosting, only a little coloring was needed – so start with just a tiny bit, adding more until you get the color you want.

Here is an amazing trick for getting colors into piping bags. For each color icing, I place about 3 tablespoons into piping bag and pipe an outline around each cookie. Then you fill the outline with about 2 teaspoons matching icing and smooth to edge with an offset spatula. If your icing seems to thick, you can add a touch of water (works best with a spray bottle until you get proper flooding consistency). The flood icing stops at the outline, and dries smooth and flat. Place cookies by a fan to dry if you want them extra glossy. Let cookies dry for about 2 hours before piping any lettering.

To pipe lettering, dye leftover pink or leftover white frosting red. Use trick for piping bag above, and use #2 wilton tip to write phrases on cookies. Take your time and don’t get frustrated! It takes patience and practice. By the last cookie, I’m sure you will feel like a pro.

Depending on cookie cutter sizes used, this recipe makes about 2 to 2 1/2 dozen. Can be doubled.

food coloring // Wilton tips // icing bags // heart cookie cutters // Silpat // off-set spatula

Wild Rice and Chicken Soup

January 14, 2016

BEST SOUP EVER. I could stop the post now and just leave you with the recipe, but I will tell you why, at the very least.

If it is cold as Siberia outside, this soup warms your soul and gives you a happy, cozy feeling, making you kind of like super chilly days (*if you can eat this and sit by a fire). With hearty rice, tender chicken and colorful veggies, it sticks to your bones in a very good way leaving you full and content, perhaps even mesmerized by the fluttering flakes outside you were just cursing the arrival of. After having one bowl you can conquer the snow pile outside your door and everything will be ok.

Notes: The original recipe calls for mushrooms, but I personally dislike them. If mushrooms are your thing, you can add them with the cooked chicken just before you let the whole pot simmer. You can find wild rice at Trader Joe’s and I save time by picking up a rotisserie chicken.

Wild Rice and Chicken Soup

1 cup wild rice
4 cups water
1/4 cup olive oil
1 onion, diced
4 medium carrots, peeled diced
4 stalks celery, diced
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
8 cups chicken stock or broth
kosher or sea salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
3/4 cup half and half
1/2 cup chopped Italian (flat-leaf) parsley

Cook wild rice in the 4 cups of water for 40 minutes or until light and fluffy. Drain and set aside.

In a large dutch oven add olive oil, onion, carrots and celery. Cook until softened, about 3-5 minutes. Add flour and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Pour in chicken stock or brother and bring to a boil. Add cooked chicken, salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Add cooked wild rice and half and half. Bring soup back up to a boil and allow it to heat through. Turn off heat and stir in chopped parsley. Ladle into large bowls and enjoy!