Chocolate Mousse (Vegan)

This SO good! SO easy to make as well! Anisa, a friend of mine, made this for a friend's birthday because she was gluten, egg, and dairy intolerant. The recipe you see below is modified by me just a little bit. If you don't have vanilla soy milk than add vanilla. 

I honestly made this as I was in the midst of getting ready for a picnic lunch with my kids. So I was super busy and this still took less than 5 minutes to make- no joke. We stuck in the fridge, although you could eat it right away, and were giddy when we got home to have it. My kids and I all loved it. 

Ingredients:

1/2 Floridan Avocado or 4 avocado

1 Cup Cocoa Powder

1 Cup Sugar

1/3 Cup Vanilla Soy Milk

Directions:

1. Put all ingredients into a blender- I used a magic bullet, and blend until completely done

2. Put in the fridge and enjoy!

To be super fancy, you can put it in a fancy glass!

Steamed Mussels over Rice & Veges

We found mussels for $1 a pound at H-Mart. So we thought to try it. I have never had mussels before and for the price, it was worth a shot. Plus, I knew Ben would like them and eat them if I could not.

We also had a friend over and what a great reason to celebrate and eat good food.

My kids saw live Blue Crab- Avi loved seeing them picked up and them holding on to each other but Via was afraid and felt sorry for them. (I was more with her even though we almost bought them).

These were not only right for the price but were wild caught in Maine this week.

We did not know how our kids would respond to mussels- and my kids LOVED these. They were hesitant at first, just as I was. I think it helped that we were trying it at the same time. We all liked it.

This was easy and fast as well. 

James, our friend, said he has had good mussels and bad mussels and these were really good mussels. He could not believe I had not had them more or less make a good recipe. So I consider this a success.

I hope you enjoy it the way we did. 

Ingredients:

2 lbs Mussels

16 ounces Amber Ale

Pinch of salt

Pinch of pepper

Pinch of Italian Seasoning

1 tbsp lemon juice

1large onion

5 garlic cloves

oil

2 tbsp Butter

Head of cabbage

2 tbsp Soy Sauce

10 baby carrots

oil

3 cups Rice

6 cups Water

dash of italian seasoning

James teaching Via to get the mussel out. 

Directions:

1. Cut and dice your onion and garlic

2. Cut your carrots and cabbage

3. Boil water in your pot for your rice- once it boils add your rice and cook for 15 minutes covered.

4. Put oil in a pan over medium heat and then add your carrots and your cabbage. Saute them and then add soy sauce and cook some more. This should only take 5-7 minutes to cook. Put to side.

5. In a pot cover the bottom with oil completely and then over medium high heat put in the onions, garlic, pepper, salt, italian seasoning and saute.

6. Add in lemon juice, saute another minute.

7. Very important to wash the mussels with cold water. Any that are open and will not close are bad.

7. Add in beer and then the mussels.

8. Cook covered for 7 minutes and stir to get the beer and onions more in the flavour. Do not overcook. When they are open they are done.

9. Add the butter and stir the mussels until butter is melted.

10. Your dinner is ready to be served!

The Perfect Egg

Okay, well nothing is truly perfect in this world.  

But this makes it one step easier to not under boil or over boil your egg.

I did not even know these existed until our uncle got us one for Christmas a few years back, and since we do eggs a lot, it was super helpful. Thank you Uncle Marcos! 

Honestly, I would avoid doing boiled eggs because I just felt I was not apt to make them as perfect as I can.  I like this because I can do it with half a mind in the morning. Pop it in the bottom of the boiling water, put in the eggs, and just come check on it every few minutes until I get the desired results. 

Even better, it meets my budget standards- this tool is well worth the $6 or less you will spend on it and the eggs are part of the budget for doable proteins for the morning.

You can get it here on Amazon- the Egg Perfect Egg Timer. It is listed for $4.95 I believe and qualifies for free shipping if you spend $25.  

How much do I believe in this product? I am posting this with no compensation or payment- doing this of my own free will. Also, this was one of the few things in our kitchen that absolutely had to come with us across the country.

Directions:

1. Boil water

2. Put in the timer and eggs

3. Boil until you watch the disk in the middle change to your desired results (it will start changing colours as it boils and the red part will shrink- there are 3 settings, soft boiled, medium boiled, and hard boiled)
4. Cool and serve the way you like it! 

English Fish and Chips

What better way to celebrate the Olympics today than to have English Fish and Chips- Fish and chips being an English classic. I was wondering why fish and chips were so popular in England. I had to do a little bit of research.

In 1860 the first fish and chips shop was opened in London. It was the result of a surge in fishing in the North Sea and became a staple food for working classes. And there is thought that chips were thought to become about at the same time. Also, during World War II, it was one of the few foods that were not under rationing standards, which is probably reason for its ever growing and staying popularity! Now places that do fish and chips sell 25% of all fish and 10% of all potatoes in the country and has become world famous for being from England although other places like Ireland, South Africa and other countries sell it as well. Thank you Wikipedia!

I have loved fish and chips since I was a little girl- I could eat fish and chips any day of the week. I did not take kind to any other kind of fish, but fish and chips I could do. I love chips as well- who does not. If you go to an American restaurant, they may be referred as steak fries. I decided to share this with my kids- and what better time than watching the Olympics in London!

Ingredients:

4 oz water

1 egg

3/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 cup flour

20 ounce white fish, thawed

6 potatoes

1/4 cup oil

1/2 tbsp italian seasoning

1 tsp garlic powder/salt

 

Directions: 

1. In a mixing bowl combine water, egg, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, lemon juice. Mix. 

2. Add flour and mix. 

3. In a small bowl combine the oil italian seasoning and garlic powder

4. Take the potatoes and cut them in half, half again, and fourth them. 

5.  Get your baking sheet out, put the potatoes on it and pour on the small bowl mix. 

6. Massage the potatoes until well seasoned- its okay if there is more oil on there since it will help coat the bottom

7. Put in the oven for 20 minutes, turn, another 20 minutes.

8. In the mean time, pour the big bowl mix over the fish. 

9. Cook on medium heat for 3-4 minutes on each side.

I hope that you enjoy it as much as my family did! 

All Star Creamy Peanut Butter Oatmeal

I have been working out a lot recently and needed something more substantial for breakfast than just cereal or plain oatmeal. Protein is a must have if you are working out a lot.  I thought this sounds so good, and let me tell you- it was! What I like about this is the simple little twist is that it is simple and so good! Therefore, I call this an "All Star Breakfast"! 

Ingredients:

2 cups oats

4 cups water

2-4 tbsp peanut butter

1/4-1/2 cup milk/soymilk

2 tbsp sugar

cinnamon to taste

Directions:

1. Boil Water and then turn to medium heat

2. Add oats, sugar, cinnamon and cook for 5 minutes

3. Add in peanut butter and milk/soymilk when still on the stove.

4. Let cool and enjoy. 

5. Of course, make again tomorrow!

Sun Bread

We love to check out books from the library- one day one of the kids liked the sound of this book and added it to the many books they wanted to check out. Lo and behold, it had a cool recipe on it. I like the idea of having recipes in children's books so they learn how to cook and bake. 

Something that is long lost sometimes in the school system and hard to do with little time we have today- which is teaching kids baking and cooking. So thank you Elisa Kleven for your book, "Sun Bread". 

My son loves to read and this was perfect for him. This is him reading an excerpt out of the book- don't mind the baby in the back round talking on the phone :) If you can not view here, here to see it on You Tube :)

Ingredients:

3 eggs

3 tbsp sugar

2 cups flour

1/2 cup butter

3 tbsp lukewarm water

4 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

  

Making Happy Sun Bread :)

Directions:

1. Mix the eggs and sugar in a bowl

2. Combine flour and butter together

3. In a small bowl combine water and yeast (let stand for 5 minutes).

4. Add yeast mixture to the batter and mix. 

5. Knead for 10 minutes.

6. Put in bowl and cover, let rest for 1 hour.

7. Punch the bowl down and half it.

8.  To do the sun, do a round ball and flatten.

9. Make two eyes and draw your mouth!

10. To make the arms of the sun divide your remaining dough and seperate into several different pieces and make into long 'snakes.' 

11. Cover and let raise an hour.

12. Preheat oven 425 degrees and bake bread for 20 minutes (use toothpick to check doneness).

Lemon Ginger Potatoes

Potato, Patato! You say one way, I say another!

I love using staple foods and finding creative ways to cook them.

This is not spicy but does have kick to it. 

Super yum- after serving us and our guests, I put some aside, and in all honestly, finished it off. This was our side dish, and our friends brought Lentil Loaf and Salad. I may have to have Alyson guest blog that Lentil Loaf because it rocked and the salad has basil in it which complemented the Lemon Ginger Potatoes hands down! What a great dinner!

Including all the knock knock jokes my kids decided to make and that was followed by a game called Sequence, which we had never played before! It was fun, and we had teams, naturally divided by gender, and the girls and boys tied! 

Ingredients:

6 potatoes

2 cups water

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp salt

3-4 tbsp grated ginger

2 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning

1/8-1/4 cup oil

Directions:

1. Cut potatoes into bit sizes

2. Pour oil into the bottom of a pan

3. Over medium high heat add potatoes and cook (don't forget to stir) for 10-12 minutes.

4. As you cook, add in some ginger.

5. Get the water, add salt, pepper and a little bit of ginger to it.

6. Pull the pan aside for a minute and add the water mixture and put back and cook until completely absorbed.

7. Add in the lemon juice and rest of the ginger as well as the Italian Seasoning and stir well.

8. Serve!

Guest Blogger: Kathy Cinderella Xu "Midnight Brunch"

A college friend of mine, Kathy Cinderella Xu, knows how to have fun and live life. Not a moment goes by that I don't talk to her that she has not tried something new or went to a party the night before. And she lives in the city, too, that does not sleep. You guessed it- New York City.  You can visit her blog "Dress, Dine, Sparkle" to learn more about her!

Midnight Brunch

Living in the city that never sleeps, there’s no surprise that we have events likeMidnight Brunch.  Midnight Brunch is a rogue dinner party that happens in the middle of the night, featuring exotic food and craft cocktails, and hosted by the lovely Emily Cavalier.

Last week’s particular edition was sponsored by KitchenAid for Cooks for the Cure, which is an initiative that brings folks across the country together to host potlucks, in order to raise money to fund breast cancer research.

The Midnight Brunch menu was French-inspired and featured hors d’oeuvres, main course, dessert and specialty cocktails, two of them bright pink in honor of breast cancer awareness. One of the drinks was “Low Tide” which consisted of hibiscus-infused Tito’s Vodka, homemade lemongrass syrup, fresh lime juice and tonic.

As for the hors d’oeuvres, there were cream cheese deviled eggs and pissaladiere nicoises, which I helped make (mini caramelized onion tarts with nicoise olives). Both were savory, tasty and delightful in their own way.

  

The amuse bouche mini parfaits in shot glasses, full of organic French Vanilla yogurt, granola and strawberry jam. The parfaits were simply delicious and temptingly sweet.

The main course was french toast bread pudding, with spiced pear sauce and a side of spinach salad with strawberry slices. The french toast was so thick and delectable, and the sauce warm, gooey and the perfect companion.

For dessert, we had lemon bars with thyme, which were so yummy! It was perfect for a warm summer day- Light, fresh, full of flavor and just the right amount of sweetness.

The next Midnight Event is Friday, August 10, 2012 in Brooklyn. To join the invitation list, complete the form at the bottom of the page, here or emailemily@mouthoftheborder.com

Below is the recipe for the delightful lemon bars, by Cathy Erway :

 Lemon Thyme Bars

(makes about 24)

for the crust1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
1/3 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons thyme leaves

for the custard
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 3 large lemons)
finely grated zest from the 3 lemons
4 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1-2 tablespoons thyme leaves for garnish

To make the crust, combine the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs (or cut in butter with a pastry cutter or your fingers). Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Press mixture into a slightly greased 9 x 13″ casserole. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Remove from oven.

In a large bowl, combine the eggs and flour and gently beat with a fork until there are no lumps. Stir in the rest of the ingredients. Pour mixture on top of the baked crust and return to the oven to bake at 350 degrees for another 15 minutes, or until the top has just set. Let cool completely. For neatest results when cutting, cover and chill at least 30 minutes before cutting into squares. Sprinkle tops with thyme for garnish.

Double Decker Sliders

Why celebrate only the beginning of the olympics with a spot of tea and croutons with your daughter when you can make double decker sliders. The picture above makes them look bigger then they are- this recipe made about 14-18 sliders and they all gotten eaten up by the five of us.

I love homemade hamburgers hands down to something bought in a fast food joint. You can add your own things, just like how I added carrots to it to hide vegetables for my kids. It is very juicy and will fall apart if you try to do too much with it, but done well, it is juicy and delish.

Congrats to Michael Phelps, for becoming the most decorated Olympian in history!! As well to Gabrielle Douglas in Gymnastics, Rebecca Soni in swimming, Kayla Harrison in Judo- just to name a few record breakers and gold medalists! Congrats to all the athletes!!! Can you tell I have team spirit?! Yes, I do! 

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef

1 egg

1/2 cup shredded carrot

1 small onion

1 tbsp worchestire sauce

1 tsbp pale ale beer (option)

1 glove garlic, minced

3 tbsp bread crumbs

1 cup sharp chedder cheese, grated

Directions:

1. cut onion, garlic, and put in the bowl.

2. shred the baby carrots and put in.

3. Add egg, beer, sauce and stir.

4. Add in meat and stir.

5. Add in bread crumbs and cheese and stir.

6. preheat oven 170 degrees to keep patties warm while you cook others.

7. Make patties no bigger then the palm of  your hand and compact them as much you can.

8. Over medium heat cook the patties, try not to push down and flip once or twice.

9. Serve.

You Know You Want This Burger!

               Yes! I See You!