How To Roast Beets

Beets happen to be one of those things I sort of associate with an aluminum can (or in more recent years, a glass container).  Make no mistake.  I have no problem chomping down on those beets.  I have always been a fan of these lovely root vegetables.

However, I recently began wondering if I could roast my own beets.  I have no idea where this urge came from.  It's just one of those things I can't explain.  There are a lot of things I can't explain about myself, but let's not go there.

Let's talk about beets.  Roasted beets, specifically.  Roasted beets are tender and slightly smoky, yet slightly sweet.  They're one of my new go-to vegetables.  You can do a lot with them.  More on that topic coming in a future blog post...

This "recipe" is more of a guideline.  Before I woke up one day and decided to roast my own beets, I didn't realize how easy it would be.  I found out that the most difficult part was trying to get the red beet stain off my fingers.  After the first beet, I got wise and donned the latex gloves that I keep around to chop jalapenos.  This is a wise move, my friends.

I was able to find both red and golden beets at my local farmers market, so I snagged those and got to work on roasting them up!  Another smart move is to take those beet greens and saute them with some garlic and red wine vinegar.  Go on with your bad self.

Esca & Spiegelworld: A Review

 

This past weekend, my friend Katie and I decided to catch up over an excellent meal at Esca and an off-Broadway show called Spiegelworld.  Both were amazing and fascinating and I had such a great time.

Here's what went down at Esca:

Esca is a fantastic southern Italian trattoria specializing in seafood.  There is a beautiful patio space out back, and since it was a nice evening, that's where Katie and I chose to dine.  Interestingly enough, this restaurant is also a collaboration between Dave Pasternack, Mario Batali, and Joe Bastianich.  So already I had high hopes for my dinner.

Cinnamon Streusel Muffins

I've been going all out lately.  I mean, I've been doing some serious travel and I just need to a take a breather.  At this particular moment, my breather happens to involve cinnamon and muffins and crispy crunchy streusel. Yes, I like this kind of breather.

In all my blog life, I've never made cinnamon streusel muffins.  I'm not sure why, especially because this is my go-to muffin in real life.  There's nothing quite like spicy cinnamon and sweet brown sugar topping melted over a soft, spongy cake.

Did you also know that you can freeze muffins?  Yes, you can.  Wrap them up and throw them in the freezer.  The next time you desire a warm, sweet treat for breakfast, pop one in the microwave oven for a few seconds and it's just as if it was freshly baked!

Don't sleep on this.  Make sure you whip up your own cinnamon streusel goodness.  This is not a game, folks.

Pineapple Sangria

Dearest friends:  I apologize for being absent for so long.  You see, I've spent the past few weeks visiting the South (Huntsvilleeee, what up!), rehearsing (thinking about rehearsing) for a dance performance coming up in September, and traveling to Vermont to be a bridesmaid for my friend's wedding.  And when I wasn't doing any of that stuff, I was probably at work.

I will be so excited when I finally get to spend 24 hours within a 1hr radius of my home.  It looks as if that won't happen until this Friday.  As I patiently await that beautiful day, I will shower you with booze, courtesy of Camille of the Growing Up Gabel blog, which happens to be my Secret Recipe Club assignment this month!

Gee, what can I say about this liquid gold?  First of all, I love pineapple.  Second of all, I love wine.  And these two things happen to be the main ingredients in this awesome and simple cocktail.  I also happen to have quite a paltry selection of beverages on this blog.  And by "selection", I'm talking about my lone strawberry infused vodka beverage post.  I figured I should do something about that.  Really, who can say no to a fruity, sparkling (and boozy) drink?

That's what I thought.

Livin' the Life 8/6/2012

This weekend, I took my very first jaunt to my roommate's hometown of Huntsville, Alabama! The real reason for the trip was to celebrate my roomate's new nephew who will be arriving later this year. A group of 4 of us flew down to the South and we had exciting times filled with family, friends, and NASA.

Can you see the body of the plane reflected in the engine? I'm really into reflections lately.

My roomie's mom made the best lasagne...

Oven Roasted Corn with Honey Chili Butter

Public Service Announcement: I'm always thinking of ways to make this blog better.  I'm also always thinking of ways to make it easier for readers to access these posts.  Recently, one of my friends said that she would read my blog more often if the posts were emailed to her.  Sooooo, I set up this snazzy new email feature which you can find in that box over to the right of the screen.  Sign up now!

OK, now on to this corn situation we seem to have here...

I love when I find a new way to make or serve corn.  It gets me all excited and I can't wait to share it with you!  You ready? Here we go...

• Buy fresh corn.
• Throw corn in preheated oven for 35 minutes.
• Done.

Why am I just finding out about this cooking methodology now?  The corn is roasted in its own husk and is slightly firm and sweet once done.

Oh, and Beth also recommended that I make a honey chili butter to go along with this corn.  Why yes, Beth, I think I shall.