veganvegan

vegan? interested in the likes of this sweet treat?

















hop on over to the site i co-blog with my friend lexi to get this banana nut cupcake recipe without the use of animal products as well as a fresh pasta idea!

happy sunday!

roast chicken with lemon and figs

i am soooo stuffed...i can barely type. this is what happens when i eat starchy starch. and buttery butter. in the form of mashed potatoes. but it's a holiday! and an irish one! so i just HAD to!!

paired with the starchy starch was a lemon-fig roasted chicken in a delicious balsamic sauce. ode to my dear husband who has an insatiable desire for anything fig. try it! i guarantee much success and happiness.




Roast Chicken with Lemon and Dried Figs
serves 2-3 people

2 chicken breasts, sliced into 2 inch chunks (on skewers if you like)
2 lemons
1 cup of figs
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon dried parsley

- Preheat oven to 400. Slice one lemon and place it with the figs in the bottom of roasting pan or casserole dish. Place chicken on top.
- Whisk together the juice of the other lemon, sugar and vinegar. Pour over chicken to cover and toss in the squeezed lemon. This will obtain more juice during roasted and can be squeezed again after being taken out of the oven.
- Salt the chicken and dust parsley over. Put in the oven for about 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. If using skewers, turn over after 15 minutes.





Once removed from the oven, plate up and spoon juice over for extra flavor.
Happy roasting!

leprechaun kitchen invasion!!

try as you might, it's St. Patrick's Day and those little green guys are going to make mischief where you don't want it! i learned this lesson the hard way last night preparing for today's festivities. i followed the recipe with precision. but they didn't care!

they blew up my Guinness/molasses concoction :























and they had the nerve to over-bake my bread!!!



















i tried to eat it anyway with a warm lemon sauce...




a small victory.


i'll get them next year.... or hopefully this evening with tonight's dinner. more to come. until then... good luck fending off the leprechauns and HAPPY SAINT PATRICKS DAY!!


(this post dedicated to Chris Wentz. because of her, i believe :D)

pi(e) day!

happy pi(e) day, everyone!

to celebrate, i made a tiny little treat. after the extreme exhaustion i have been fighting from my very long and fulfilling weekend at the world headquarters of whole foods for the TECHmunch food blogger conference, i couldn't handle a recipe too involved. but i had family on the way over this morning and could not let them down! lunch without dessert?? shameful!




what do you make when you're entertaining folks for lunch? my go-to is chicken salad on croissants. today, i served that with a salad and austin-made SASS raspberry vinaigrette before these little pastry delights.























whip up this lemon curd tart when you're in a pinch and please those crowds! (allow 30 minutes from start to finish to be safe!) makes 12-14 little pies.




pie crust recipe:

1 cup flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, chilled, cubed
1/4 cup ice water

combine dry ingredients, cut in butter and add water to incorporate. roll out with extra flour, press into muffin tins or mini tart pans, poke with fork to prevent bubbles during baking and slide onto the middle rack of a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. let cool before filling.


lemon curd filling:

3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest

combine in double broiler over simmering water, whisk for 15 minutes or until desired consistency. cool in fridge if desired. fill tarts.

go forth and serve PI(E)!!!