Archive for November, 2011

Nov 29

Vietnamese Iced Coffee (cà phê sữa đá)

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Years ago I was first introduced to cà phê sữa đá by a friend. There are numerous Vietnamese restaurants in the DC/MD/VA area and after tasting this delicious drink once, I began traveling to get it on a regular basis. Vietnamese iced coffee is creamy, rich and gives me that great burst of energy you can only get from sugar and caffeine. Bliss! Now that I realize how simple they are to make, I can enjoy them at home whenever I please. You need a Vietnamese coffee filter, which can be found online or at most Asian markets. You also need chicory coffee, which can be found at most supermarkets. I prefer Cafe Du Monde.

Nov 26

73 Comments

Eggnog Cupcakes with Rum Buttercream

I shared a recipe for eggnog cupcakes a few years ago that has consistently pulled good traffic around the holidays. And it’s always been a bit of a sore spot for me because while I appreciate the visitors, I feel like the recipe and photo are underwhelming. I decided that both needed an upgrade. I’ve been loving the recipes in ‘CakeLove’by Warren Brown, so I modified his delicious recipe for yellow butter cake. The rum buttercream recipe is courtesy of me.

Nov 22

62 Comments

Flavored Marshmallows

I think of these as seasonal marshmallows but I’m pretty sure they’ll be wonderful any time of year. But really, what’s better in the cold winter months than hot chocolate with marshmallows? I decided to make three separate flavors to give away in goody bags at Thanksgiving this year. I made pumpkin spiced marshmallows, cardamom marshmallows and cinnamon marshmallows. This recipe is incredibly flexible and you can use just about any spice or extract you want. How about peppermint or nutmeg marshmallows? Have fun with it!

You’ll need a stand mixer and a candy thermometer. A pizza cutter is useful for cutting even marshmallows but you can use a regular knife. I’ve used gelatin sheets but you can easily substitute them with powdered gelatin.

Nov 18

72 Comments

Homemade Coconut Milk

Things have been a bit quiet here at Savory Simple. It’s because I’m currently doing a 7 day detox from Baltimore Health Coach! No sugar, dairy, gluten, caffeine, soy, corn, or processed foods for one week. The first few days were rough, but now I’m feeling great! It’s amazing how much the foods we consume effect our bodies. I’m waking up without coffee and my night time sugar cravings are gone. I feel clear-headed and energized. I think I may do this once per month since I work with sugar and gluten so often.

As you can imagine, it’s been difficult to cook and bake for the blog this week. Next time I detox I really need to bank some entries in advance. However, I’ve been wanting to make coconut milk ever since I made raw almond milk. This was the perfect week to try. And it was so easy and delicious. It has a consistency similar to regular milk, but tastes like the canned variety. Canned coconut milk is much thicker and I tend to use it in curries and ice cream. I’d recommend this version for cereal and smoothies, or wherever you might use regular milk. You can store it in the refrigerator for a few days but I wouldn’t let it sit too long. Natural separation will occur, so shake it before using. I store my milk in a mason jar for easy shaking.

Nov 10

220 Comments

Williams-Sonoma Holiday Giveaway

The contest has ended. Thanks to everyone who entered! Keep an eye out in the next few weeks for another fun giveaway!

Nov 8

86 Comments

Puff Pastry Brie Bites

Around the holidays, I always like to keep some simple, crowd-pleasing recipes on hand. Appetizers don’t always need to be fancy. People want small tasty bites to hold them over until the main attractions. When I was growing up my mother would wrap Gouda cheese in crescent roll dough and serve fresh baked wedges as an appetizer. It took no time to make and everyone loved it. What’s not to love about oozing cheese and flaky dough?

That was my inspiration for this appetizer. Well, that and the adorable mini brie bites I recently found at Trader Joe’s. All you need for this recipe is puff pastry, brie bites, and a fruit spread of your choice. If you want to be fancy you can certainly make everything from scratch. But trust me, this tastes wonderful and is an easy holiday appetizer that you can even take on the road. If you swap out the fruit spread for chocolate, you have an easy dessert!

Nov 3

83 Comments

Mushroom Risotto

A few months ago I was perusing Williams-Sonoma and came upon their Wild Porcini Sea Salt. I believe it was at that moment when I came up with the idea of making an “extreme’ mushroom risotto, using as many complementary mushroom ingredients as possible. This risotto came out very well; it tastes earthy and rich. I really like the taste of truffle oil but you may want to cut back slightly if it’s not your thing.

Nov 2

69 Comments

Almond Butter

Since I now regularly make raw almond milk, I decided to invest in bulk almonds to save money. Totally worth it! I can now make milk for pennies on the dollar. It got me wondering what else I could do with them, and I decided to try homemade almond butter. It’s unbelievably easy and incredibly economical.

Archive for November, 2011

Vietnamese Iced Coffee (cà phê sữa đá)

Eggnog Cupcakes with Rum Buttercream

Flavored Marshmallows

Homemade Coconut Milk

Williams-Sonoma Holiday Giveaway

Puff Pastry Brie Bites

Mushroom Risotto

Almond Butter

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