megan hitz: my great grandmother rose's famous carrot cake

happy easter!

spring is here! our cold, brown, wintery city is washed clean with spring rain and warmed by glimpses of springtime sun. flowers are starting to bloom and trees are sprouting green overnight. i love the seasons, especially those short, but magical, few transitional days when one finally slips into another.

growing up on a farm, seasons, especially spring and summer, meant lots of work and many, many hours spent outdoors in the dirt. my family is practically made of hard work and we all somehow ended up with at least one extremely green thumb. from my earliest days, at the close of winter, i remember listening to my dad discuss new seed varieties, ground preparation and planting schedules. and my mom, a master gardner, would begin planning her acre plot of "garden" which included a vast array of vegetables, flowers, berries, herbs and tubers.

ever since moving to the city, i have itched for a garden full of fresh things. while, it will certainly never be like home, i am blessed with a little plot of dirt in our private courtyard behind our apartment. for the past few years, i have dabbled with herbs, a few potted flowers and even tried to coax a tomato plant or two. this year, after many pleadings for our outdoor space to be spruced up, our landlord offered me a bundle of cash and the opportunity to buy, plant and maintain our little slice of green. needless to say, my trowel and spade were in hand before the ground had thawed!

this week, me and my roommates ventured to brooklyn, loaded a gypsy-cab full of plants and high-tailed it back to the city. i enjoyed an afternoon of shoveling, side-stepping our toads and soaking in that wonderful wet-earth smell. it might not be my dad's sprawl of farm land or my mom's eden-of-a-garden, but getting dirty and helping our spring be a little more full of life was all this green-thumb needed.

in the spirit of spring and the hope of easter, i am sharing a bit of a family secret with you. i give you my great grandmother rose's carrot cake! it may be one of the best cake recipes in my possession (no, really) and i make it even better by topping it with a perfect cream cheese frosting. also, i recently discovered candied carrot shavings as the perfect garnish. i hope it brings a bit of my family garden to your easter feast!

carrot cake

3 eggs

2 cup sugar

1 cup vegetable/canola oil

2 tsp soda

1 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

3 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

1 small can of crushed pineapple (& juice)

2 cups grated carrots

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

1 cup raisins (optional)

1 cup coconut

* cream eggs, sugar & oil together well. add vanilla. blend well.

* add dry ingredients mix in (do not over mix).

* stir in remaining items.

Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. test center of cake. dont over bake...edges should be starting to pull away from pan edge. edges turn golden brown.

cream cheese frosting

8 oz cream cheese -softened

1/4 cup butter -room temp

16 oz (or one small box) of confectioner sugar

lemon zest and a drop of lemon juice to taste.

whip together for 2-5 minutes. frost cooled cake.

candied carrot garnish

1 cup grated carrots

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup granulated sugar for coating

for the garnish, stir 3/4 cup sugar and 3/4 cup water in a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes. add grated carrots and simmer 4 minutes. put remaining sugar in a bowl. remove carrots from syrup with a slotted spoon and toss in sugar to coat. toss occasionally as they cool. separate on wax paper and refrigerate until ready to use. garnish frosted cake. enjoy!

Main Course: Polenta with Melissa's Tomatillo Sauce & Shrimps

Last week i was thinking of what to add to our weekly menu - the "Menu" is mentioned in an earlier post. i always try to keep within a few parameters: 1. Always Fresh, 2. Budget, 3. Diverse - as long as i stick to this formula i hope to never get bored. i think if i had to chose one cuisine to have for the rest of my life, it would have to be Mexican. i really enjoy making Mexican food, although my type of Mexican is more Tex-Mex, i still try to find some fun sauces and flavors while keeping it authentic.

My friend Melissa makes the BEST Mexican dishes, and rightly so, she grew up eating and learning how to prepare authentic family recipe's. When i asked her to help me with an enchilada sauce, she was happy to assist. Melissa really took the time to teach me not only the proper steps of how to prepare the sauce, but how to properly pick out the vegetables. Thanks to Melissa for her help, and i hope i didn't let you down!

Polenta w/ Melissa's Tomatillo Sauce & Shrimp

Step 1: Ingredients: 5 Med. Tomatillos, 1/2 Lime (juice), 1 Jalapeno, 1 Clove Garlic, 1/2 Med. Onion, Handful of Cilantro, 8 Shrimp (cleaned)

Step 2: Remove Tomatillo's from husk and wash,
wash rest of vegtables (removing stems etc.)

Step 3: Place Tomatillo's, and Jalapeno in pre-heated cast iron skillet
over Med. High Heat (you want to lightly blister them)
*you will hear them popping

Step 4: Once blistered, transfer them to a pot and cover with water.
Let veggies simmer in water until just before boiling. Once the water
comes to a boil remove and transfer to blender.

Step 5: Place Tomatillo's, Jalapeno, Garlic, Cilantro,
Onion, Lime Juice and a 1/2 cup of hot water in Blender and Puree.

Step 6: Transfer back to skillet over Med. Heat placing Shrimp
in Sauce to cook. Once finished serve over Polenta and Garnish with
Green Garlic.

ENJOY!

megan: sweet-and-spicy meatballs

happy spring!

(well, i for one am insisting on it being spring despite the cold day and snowflakes in the forecast.)

it has come to be routine, over the past three years, that when new year's eve hats are thrown out, empty champagne bottles are recycled and the last bits of crunchy evergreen are cast to the curb, a new running season commences! don't stop reading. i am certainly not one of those annoyingly athletic types, but i do run. and i like it -- quite a bit, actually.

this hasn't always been the case. it all started in october of 2008. i was tired of the routine gym workouts and so was my bank account. with the holidays looming before me, i had two choices 1. eat all that amazing food and get pudgy around the middle. or 2. eat all that amazing food and run. outside. in ny winter weather.

sigh...the scales were tipped, all puns intended. my fate had been decided. i would become a runner. my 2009 resolution was to run a half marathon by the end of the year (that's 13.1 miles for you non-runners). so, my first winter training began. to date, i happily have 3 half marathons and a myriad other, smaller triumphs under my brooks. currently, i am preparing for my 4th half marathon, taking place in two weeks!

how does this have anything to do with food? running, or more specifically, training, makes a runner incredibly, non-stop hungry! and when logging 20-30 miles a week, a girl needs to make sure she is getting enough protein for muscle rebuilding, not to mention plenty of carbs to fuel you up the harlem hills and down the hudson river. last week i went on a quest for meals that would do just that. i discovered (and slightly tweaked) this great sweet-and-spicy meatball recipe. it involves fresh pineapple, crunchy green veggies and really easy meatballs.

while you may not be registering for a half marathon anytime soon, this will keep you moving! stay tuned for next month's easter post!

ingredients:

1-1/2 pound ground beef

1/2 whole onion, diced very finely

1 whole egg

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1 teaspoon kosher salt

freshly ground pepper to taste

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (more to taste)

1/4 cups all-purpose flour )

oil for frying

2 whole green bell peppers, seeded and chopped roughly

1-1/4 cup fresh pineapple chunks

2 cups beef stock or broth

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 cups sherry (or white vinegar)

1/3 cups sugar

1 tablespoon flour/cornstarch (or more to thicken to desirable consistency)

salt to taste

*serve over brown rice, noodles or quinoa

combine ground beef, diced onion, egg, salt, pepper, breadcrumbs, and crushed red pepper. mix with hands until combined. roll meat mixture into small balls (walnut sized) and place on a cookie sheet. freeze on the pan for 15 minutes to firm.

mix together beef stock, soy sauce, sherry (or vinegar), sugar, and flour. set aside.

heat canola oil over medium-high heat. roll meatballs in flour, then fry in two batches until nice and brown, about two minutes per batch.

remove meatballs and set aside on a separate plate.

pour off oil from pan and return pan to medium high heat. when pan is hot, throw in the chopped green peppers and cook for one minute. add pineapple to pan and cook for one minute, stirring gently. add snap peas to pan for one minute more.

pour in stock/soy sauce mixture, then add meatballs. stir gently to combine and allow to cook and bubble for a few minutes, or until sauce is thickened. add salt and crushed red peppers to taste -the more the better in my opinion!

serve over steamed brown rice or quinoa. enjoy!

Snack: Herban Guacamole

we try to have something green with every meal we prepare, infact we try to stick to a vegetarian diet most nights, and if we have meat it's usually just to enhance. i try to plan a special dinner one night out of the week, a night where we can be Bad with our diet (i hate diets, but found out that after this night i was being put on one). This week the Special night was Appetizer Night - i prepared a couple of things from my favorite blog The Pioneer Woman: Potato Skins, Jalapeno Poppers, and my very own Guacamole.

i never can seem to make her recipe's come out perfect - her's are made with such ease, and the presentation is Beautiful. Mine came out alright, good enough for us to finish it all....but i wanted to share with you my recipe for Guacamole:

Herban Guacamole

Step 1: 2 Ripe Avocado's, 1 Med. Tomato, 1 Jalapeno (Seeded), 2 Green Onions,
1 Handful of Cilantro, and 1/2 Fresh Lime, 1 lg Clove Garlic, Pinch of Salt.

Step 2: Remove Avocados from their skin & discard seeds, 1/2 the lime,
and chop all the rest of the veggies.

Step 3: Place all ingredients in bowl

Step 4: (optional) Handful of Flax Seed

Step 5: Mash well (i like mine chunky)

Step 6: Enjoy!

Snack: Herban Popcorn

after a long day at work and hectic subway ride home, it's nice to come home to a home cooked meal. we do our best to eat healthy, and keep in mind portion control..... i don't usually succeed, but never the less we get it done. afterwards it's the same ole story, take a shower to wash off the day, and then chill in bed with either a book, or to watch a movie. Normally we watch a movie...

in my opinion, no movie is worth watching without a nice bowl of popcorn - and there is no better way to prepare it, than on a stove top. My cousin Russ used to prepare the BEST popcorn when we were growing up. He had a special science and ratio of seeds per oil, and afterwards he would melt butter for the top. Today, it's not so good for me to have butter, but i can have a good seasoning, and nothing top's Bragg: Nutritional Yeast Seasoning.

Nutritional Yeast Seasoning is a live yeast that is easily added to your everyday life. it's cheese like flavor carries several of the B vitamins your body usually misses within a normal diet. Besides all that, it tastes Amazing - i swear it is like having a cheese popcorn, and to know it's healthy is even better. so without rambling on, here is my recipe for Herban Popcorn.

Herban Popcorn

Step 1: The Supplies: Dutch Oven, Sea Salt (Himalayan), Bragg Seasoning,

Organic Popcorn Kernels, Organic Olive Oil

Step 2: Put a single layer of Kernels along the bottom of Dutch Oven -

Cover with a thin layer of Olive Oil

Step 3: Cover

Step 4: Crank up the heat to High - Let pop till there is about 5 seconds between popping

Step 5: Uncover and let steam escape

Step 6: Season with Salt, and Plenty of Bragg's (i usually shake it up so it will spread)

Enjoy!

* i normally buy my kernels in bulk from Perelandra (Brooklyn Heights) &

transfer them to a glass jar for safe keeping.

Breakfast: Herban Quiche

In our ever hectic day to day lives, it is easiest to forget to eat the, arguably, most important meal of the day - Breakfast. Breakfast food, and preparations vary from culture to culture - for instance you can find all sorts here. On the weekends we try to go out for breakfast/brunch, and during the week we try to take some fruit, or cereal (hot or cold), but wouldn't it be nice to have something warm, and comforting? (and at the same time, healthy?).

We decided to try something new this week - we are making a quiche from scratch and separating into portions for each morning. Esp. for me, it's nice to grab and go, and once i get to work have a nice plate of power foods to start the day. When i lived in Texas, i used to make quiche quite a bit, so the recipe wasn't foreign to me, but the ingredients would change slightly. Listed below is the recipe for my "Herban Quiche" - hope you enjoy!

Herban Quiche

ingredients

8 Med. Eggs (Organic)

1 Bunch Kale (Stems Removed and Chopped)

1 Clove Garlic (minced)

1 Leek (white & Lt. Green Parts Only, Chopped)

2 Handful's of Baby Bella Shroom's (chopped)

2 Slices Bacon (Pan Fried and Crumbled)

Black Pepper (pinch)

Sea Salt (pinch)

1 Cup Whole Milk

1/2 Cup Sharp Cheddar

Cheese (Grated)

1 pie crust:

Pate Brisee (Martha Stewart of course)

Step 1: Prepare all ingredients

Step 2: Pre-Heat Oven to 350º

Step 3: Fry Bacon on Med-High Heat

Remove and Reserve Bacon Pieces for later use.

Step 4: Saute' Leeks, Shroom's, and Garlic in Bacon Grease.

when consistency is to your liking, add Kale and Saute' till Kale is cooked down.

Step 5: Roll your dough on a lightly floured surface

Step 6: Place in Pie Dish, and Bake for 10-12 Minutes before adding ingredients

Step 7: While Pie Crust is baking, whip eggs, Milk and Pepper in bowl

Step 8: Layer Cheese, Vegetables and Bacon before pouring egg mixture

Step 9: Add Egg Mixture

Step 10: Bake at 350º for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 300º and bake for

55 minutes or until egg's are cooked through.

We let our's cool thoroughly and sliced into 8 slices - One for each morning.

Enjoy!

(*All ingredients used were certified Organic)

Main Course: Poached Lobster

When it comes to Valentines Day in NYC you can count on every chocolate shop from Godiva to Jacques Torres to have lines out the door - due to lack of creativity, over exposure to main stream media, or just old fashioned themes those gifts are very thoughtless, and normally don't make anyone feel to special (not that Jacques Torres isn't special, i LOVE his chocolate). This year, however, a friend of mine Matt made Poached Lobster for his wife and my good friend Amy - i remember seeing the photo he took after masterfully placing it on a cutting board and presenting it in all its rustic glory.

picking out lobsters can be exciting, but you have to pay attention to what you are choosing, or having chosen for you. when picking out a lobster there are a few rules to follow:

1. try to purchase your lobster from a reliable source, steer clear of supermarkets if at all possible. the best place receives them daily.

2. although it is tempting to purchase the largest you can find, try to get them in the 1 1/4 lb - 1 1/2 lb range - these have the most tender meat.

3. lobsters should be purchased live - when choosing, try to aim for a lively one. when it's picked up the tail should flap up and down - if the tail is dormant, don't purchase it.

4. Remember, lobster's are not red when alive, they are anything else. Color does not determine or affect the flavor.

Lobster always makes for a beautiful presentation - esp. when the sides are simple, and the table is set with the Lobster Crackers, and the Garlic Butter Sauce. i hope you enjoy my version of Poached Lobster, i know we sure did. Thanks to Matt for the wonderful idea!

Poached Lobster

Step 1: Ingredients: 2 cloves Garlic halved, 10 whole Peppercorns, 5 Bay Leaves, 2 Med. Carrots Chopped, 1 Yellow Onion Chopped, 5 Celery Stalks, & the stalks of one Fennel Bulb (chopped), 4 Quarts of water, and 2 (1 1/4 lb) Lobsters.

Step 2: in a large Dutch Oven/Cauldron bring 4 cups of water to a boil adding all vegetables.

you're creating a broth - let boil for about 15 minutes

Step 3: while Broth is cooking, place your live Lobsters in the freezer (15 min).

this will make them dormant, and easier to handle.

Step 4: Ease both Lobster's in pot and cover tightly w/ lid.

Step 5: Once red remove from broth w/ tongs and place on cutting board to cool.

remove rubber bands from claws.

Step 6: Enjoy!

*for tips on eating your lobster follow this link

Main Course: Roasted Tomato & Fennel Soup

the weather in NYC can be harsh - the Summers are sticky, and Winter can stick around for a lifetime. this past week we went from the low 30's to the mid 60's and back down to 34º, all in a matter of a week. tonight the wind picked up to 60 mph, and gave a blistering sting when it hit your face. we went out to take photos of "Flat Stanley", and on our way home we decided to have some homemade tomato soup, and a sandwich on crusty bread.

i decided to make "Roasted Tomato & Fennel Soup", it was perfect! it warms you up and goes down smooth. Hope you enjoy the recipe, and please stay out of the wind.

Step 1: You'll Need the following ingredients: 2.5 lbs of Tomato's (Cored, halved, & Seeded), 2 cloves of Garlic, 1 med. Fennel Bulb washed, cored, & Cubed, 1 med. Yellow Onion Chopped, 2 Cups of Chicken Stock, and 1/2 cup of Whole Milk.

Step 2: Place Tomato's on a rimmed baking dish, coat with Olive Oil and Broil for 8-10 minutes

(until Skin is blackened). Remove, Let cool for 2 minutes and remove, and discard skins.

Step 3: Saute Onion, Fennel, and Garlic in Olive Oil over med. Heat till Onions are tender.

Step 4: Add Stock, Tomato's, and a Pinch of Salt and let simmer till tomato's are cooked.

Transfer to a Blender in batch's and Puree' - Return to pot, and add Milk. Let thicken and Serve.

i chose to serve mine in Mugs w/ Swiss, Sharp Cheddar, & Avocado on Toasted Ciabatta.

*All ingredients used were Organic