It's Sunday In My Heart and In My Stomach

Happy Monday, LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers:

I swear weekends go by in the blink of an eye.  One second it is Friday afternoon and next second it is Monday morning.  Although I had a very fun weekend, I would have liked it to last LONGER!

I have a giant file of recipes I have seen online that I would like to try one day.  The file is so big I could probably make a new recipe every day for several years.  My cooking intentions are always broader than my cooking reality.  

However today, a recipe that I had printed out months ago popped up on a Facebook feed.  A breakfast tart with baked eggs, bacon and cheese on a grain-free almond crust from Danielle Walker's Against All Grain website.  (The website calls it "Breakfast Pizza with Gruyere, Baked Eggs and Bacon" but I figure anything where I use my tart pan is a tart not a pizza.  LOL!)  

I looked at the ingredient list and I was surprised that I had almost everything on the list.  This NEVER happens.  A typical day in my life is "Ooooh I could make a BLT sandwich - except I don't have bacon, lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise or bread."  

But today was not a typical day - I even had FRESH CHIVES in my refrigerator.  It is rare I have fresh anything in my fridge as I eat out a ridiculous amount.  I decided this was the universe's way of saying that even though it was Monday, I should brunch like it's still Sunday.

The recipe for the breakfast tart (a.k.a. Pizza) is here, but I wanted to discuss some modifications that I made.  The grain free crust uses blanched almond flour, salt, egg, melted butter, cold water and chopped chives.  I had almond flour but it was not blanched - so my crust was more mottled in color.  It tastes great to me either way.  I also used smoked salt, but less than the recipe called for.  Instead of melted regular butter, I used melted grass-fed garlic and herb Kerrygold butter to add additional flavor.  I also tripled the chopped chives.  I find almond flour crusts to be a little bland so adding extra herbs really brought a lot of great flavor to the crust.

The almond crust before baking 

For the tart filling, it called for 1/4 c. creme fraiche or Greek yogurt.  I used 1/3 cup - 1/2 sour cream and 1/2 Greek yogurt to add a more savory tang.  If I were living in France, I might have creme fraiche in my fridge on a regular basis.  However here in Tampa, most of my local stores do not carry it.  

I also did not have 1/4 c. shredded Gruyere cheese.  Had I had Gruyere cheese, I would have also added some nutmeg to the filling as I find that is a great Swiss flavor combination.  However, I didn't have any Gruyere cheese (did you really think I would?)  

Instead I used 1/3 c. rough chopped Kerrygold Dubliner Cheddar cheese and added both cracked black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 garlic cloves minced and 1/4 of a small red onion, diced.  I loved the crunch of the red onion in this breakfast tart.  I like really savory flavor profiles.

The cheese filling before baking

The recipe called for 7 strips of cooked bacon to be put on top of the cheese layer.  However my tart pan could only handle 6 slices.  What a crime!

And the result?  A fabulous breakfast tart that looks impressive.  It was incredibly easy to make but looks like it was difficult.  I love recipes like that!  I will definitely make this recipe again, but next time I will rough chop the bacon instead of just laying the strips on the tart.  It was harder to cut into wedges because of it.  Also the tart is supposed to serve 6 but only 4 eggs are used.  If I was making this for a brunch, I'd crack in 2 more eggs so every serving would have a full egg on it.

I made sure to cook the tart for a few extra minutes because while I love a runny yolk, I don't like a runny egg white.  But otherwise this was SO DELICIOUS!  And grain free!  I definitely recommend checking out this recipe from Danielle Walker.  Any day can be like a Sunday brunch with this delightful dish!

Squeaky Swings: Jalapeno Ranch Summer Corn Salad for Two Recipe

Hello LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers:

I am obsessed with sweet corn.  Actually, I am obsessed with all things starchy carbs - but that's a story for my Carbaholics Anonymous group.  When I was recently in Rio De Janeiro, I was IN LOVE that there was a boiled corn cart on every corner.  I sat in the hot sun, eating a heavily buttered, heavily salted corn on the cob and watched very muscular, almost naked men play volleyball.  Heaven.  

Recently, my fabulous friends have been taking me out for all sorts of lovely dinners in honor of my 997th birthday.  Ms. Corporate Sassy took me out to our favorite lunchtime spot - J. Alexander's in Tampa, Florida - which apparently now is being called Redlands Grill.  I am not a big corporate chain restaurant girl, but I make exceptions for J.Alexander's (and Capitol Grille ... and Bonefish ... and Houston's ... and Cheesecake Factory if I am craving 90,000 calorie cheesecake slices ... OK maybe I do like chain restaurants!)

Poor Ms. Corporate Sassy, she picked a day to take me out when I was craving FILET MIGNON.  I am going to have to take her to Bern's Steakhouse or another of our favorites Cafe Ponte, when it is her birthday because let me tell you my birthday lunch was EXPENSIVE.  

Side note: Because Tampa lost against Chicago in the Stanley Cup, I now have to take my little sister to Bern's Steakhouse for a free steak dinner on me.  My wallet is already shaking because that tiny little girl has been known to put away the most expensive steaks on any menu.  But I am happy for ANY EXCUSE to go to Bern's Steakhouse.  It may look like a cross between Disney's Haunted Mansion and a bordello on the inside and look like a warehouse from the outside, but it is one of my favorite restaurants in the entire world - and that is saying something because I eat out A LOT!    

Anyway, back to my lunch with Ms. Corporate Sassy - J. Alexander's side of the day was a sautéed corn.  Given my love for all starchy carbs, I had to order it - in addition to my excellent filet mignon and loaded baked potato bigger than my head.  It arrived with julienned slices of zucchini in it.  Which I totally DID NOT UNDERSTAND.  Overcooked zucchini has a slimy texture which did not pair well with the crisp, sweet, bursting with goodness summer corn.  Pairing fail.  But I still ate it up heartily!  Yum!

When I was driving back from my birthday weekend in Boca Raton, one thought kept flashing through my tiny brain: "when I get back to Tampa, I want corn on the cob with herb butter."  Yes, some people spend their time thinking about world peace.  I spend my time thinking about corn.

I whipped up a giant pot of boiled corn - more corn than a single lady with 900 cats should ever cook.  I decided that with some of the leftover ears of corn, I would make a summer corn salad.  Even though I am 1,029 years old, I have never made a corn salad before.  Or at least I don't think I have ... when you're this old, memories start to fade.  I have to be careful what declarations I make, because you never know when someone from my past is going to jump out of the woodwork and scream "J'accuse!  You made a corn salad in 1997!"  It could happen.  You never know.

So with that, I made my "Jalapeño Ranch Summer Corn Salad For Two" recipe.

It tastes better than it looks

Which by the way, "Summer Corn" makes me think of the Death Cab For Cutie song "Summer Skin."  Death Cab for Cutie chose their band name from the headlines of a tabloid. Apparently an attractive woman in a taxi died or almost died - so it was "death cab for cutie."  Probably not a good incident for the woman, but a catchy tabloid headline and a better band name.

The song starts out with the lyrics "Squeaky swings and tall grass ..." and it reminds me of summer and love and heartache.

Let me tell you - I may be a corn purist - just some sweet corn, a little butter, a little salt ... but this "Jalapeño Ranch Summer Corn Salad" recipe is DELICIOUS!  Try it out!

Feel free to share this recipe, but please include the link and a created by "LilyOnTheLam.com" when you share PLEASE.

Jalapeño Ranch Summer Corn Salad for Two by LilyOnTheLam.com

Ingredients:
2 ears of summer sweet corn that have been fully cooked either by boiling or steaming and then chilled to room temperature (or refrigerated overnight)
6 mini assorted red, yellow and orange peppers (or 1 medium green bell pepper), diced fine
2 Tbsp. finely diced red onion (or more- depending on your tastes)
1/2 a large lime
3 heaping tablespoons pico de gallo or a chunky medium salsa, drained
2 tablespoons Jalapeno ranch salad dressing (or use regular ranch and put in some finely diced jalapeños).  I use "Naturally Fresh Jalapeño Ranch Dressing" (from the refrigerated section) because I think it is tasty!
1 heaping tablespoon Duke's Mayonnaise (or other fine quality Southern mayo)
salt and pepper, to taste
1/3 - 1/4 c. shredded aged cheddar (OPTIONAL)

How To:
1) Cut the kernels from the ears of sweet corn.  Use your fingers to break up the corn into individual kernels, if necessary.
2) Add diced bell peppers, red onion, the juice of 1/2 a large lime, the pico de gallo, Jalapeño ranch salad dressing and mayonnaise.  If you don't mind the extra calories, add some shredded cheddar cheese.  Add salt and pepper, to taste.
3)  You may wish to add more Jalapeño ranch dressing and mayo if you like a "saucier" salad.  Also feel free to use less.
4) Mix well.
5)  Serve immediately or keep in the fridge for a couple hours.

If you wish, you can add more shredded aged cheddar cheese and serve this on fried corn tortilla chips as a "summer corn dip."
  

In a Tostitos Scoop shell - perfect appetizer!

This salad would also be great with some fresh lobster, crab or shrimp folded in.

Otherwise it is delicious as a side salad or accompaniment to grilled meat.

I loooooove this summer corn salad.  I hope you like it too!  Thanks for reading!

P.S. I have not been compensated by Naturally Fresh or Duke's for naming their products in my recipe - just sharing information on what brands I used.

An Amazing Lower Carb Alternative! Cheesy Cauliflower Puree!

Happy Friday, LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers!

I hope you great weekend plans in store.  If you live in the Tampa Bay area, I highly recommend that you go to see "Legends of the Knight" a documentary by Tampa Filmmaker Brett Culp - playing one night only (Saturday, September 28, 2013) at the Tampa Theatre as a benefit for local charity Metropolitan Ministries.  Find out more about the film at WeAreBatman.com 

Although it was a gorgeous 85 degrees in Tampa Bay today, my stomach's calendar says it is autumn.  I have been craving comfort food but I've been trying to avoid a high carbohydrate wonderland.  The problem with trying to find alternatives to naughty comfort foods is that the alternatives rarely taste as good as the real thing.  For example, I like veggie burgers but I would never confuse one with a big juicy Angus beef burger in a blindfold challenge.  Same for tofu that is supposed to take like chicken, baked potato chips, margarine ... 

So years ago when I heard of pureeing cauliflower as a substitute for mashed potatoes, I was skeptical.  However food optimism runs deep, so I tried the recipe.  And was instantly sad.  It tasted like waterlogged, pulverized cauliflower.  It was definitely not mashed potato-like in any sense of the word.

Awhile back, I stumbled upon the blog "I Breathe ... I'm Hungry - Deliciously Low Carb and Gluten Free Recipes" by Mellissa Sevigny.  I made Melissa's low carb flax seed pizza crust recipe as the base of my Hickory Barbecue Chicken and Bacon Pizza and really liked it - even though I would never ever ever mistake flax crust for a thick chewy wheat crust.

While reading through Mellissa's blog, I also found a recipe for "Better than Potatoes" Cheesy Cauliflower Puree.  I thought "Mmmm hmmm, I've been down this road before.  Sure it's better than potatoes.  And I'm prettier than all the supermodels in the world too."  

There is a local deli in Tampa that makes Cauliflower Au Gratin - I used to eat it all the time thinking I was having a low carb option until I read the ingredients and found it had potatoes in it!  Well hello!  Why not just put steak in the tofu scramble then!  As you may have noticed, I have been burned by cauliflower in the past!  Oh the post traumatic stress of it all!

But since my stomach has been in a "it's autumn, fill my belly with some comfort food!" kick, I decided to try Mellissa's so called Better than Potatoes.  Reading the blog, Mellissa had noted that she microwaves the cauliflower to avoid the waterlogged taste of pureed cauliflower.  Ah-ha ... maybe she was on to something here.  

Now while this dish is low carb, it is not necessarily low cal or low fat.  According to Mellissa's calculations, it is 148 calories and 11 g fat for a 1/2 cup serving.  One head of cauliflower makes approximately 2 cups (4 servings).  It also contains - butter, cream and Kerrygold Dubliner aged cheddar cheese - but frankly not in ridiculous amounts per serving.  But if you're lactose intolerant, you should make some swaps.  

I microwaved a head of cauliflower per the recipe's directions (click on the link to be transferred to the recipe on Mellissa's blog) and then in my Ninja Blender, blended the cooked florets with butter, cream and chopped up bits of Kerrygold Dubliner aged cheddar cheese (I buy mine by the gigantic brick at Costco - much cheaper than the small overpriced tiny slices they sell everywhere else.)  I would recommend using a food processor to puree and whip the cauliflower, but my Ninja blender is pretty strong and was already on the counter.  The food processor was tucked away in the pantry closet.  What can I say?  I'm lazy.

My Ninja blender took a little while to turn the cauliflower, cheese, butter and cream into a heavenly batch of what looked like whipped potatoes.  I microwaved the pureed cauliflower after blending to make sure any pulverized bits of Dubliner cheese were melted and then whipped the "faux-tatoes" with a fork.  They looked good.  They smelled good.  But how did they taste?

FANTASTIC!  If I were eating whipped potatoes with cheese and this cheesy cauliflower puree in a blind taste test, I would definitely have to take a few bites to figure out which one was cauliflower.  I sprinkled some garlic salt and cayenne pepper in the cauliflower puree to give it a little more flavor and punch.  

I grilled a hamburger patty with Baby Bello (Baby Portobello) mushrooms and served it with the cheesy cauliflower puree and some sauteed green beans with slivered almonds that were too shy to appear in the picture below.

Grilled Hamburger Patty with Sauteed Baby Bello Mushrooms and Cheesy Cauliflower Puree

I was quite happy with my comfort food meal.  It is not diet food but it is lower calories and lower carbohydrates than if I had had a hamburger on a bun with cheesy mashed potatoes.  It was a tasty alternative.  I will definitely be making the cheesy cauliflower puree part of my regular cast of side dishes.  They are so tasty I could just have a bowl of them for dinner like Mellissa did in her blog post. 

If you are eating a lower carb diet and miss mashed potatoes, you definitely need to check out Mellissa's recipe.           

Chef Lily Strikes Again! Vegetable Summer Rolls with Peanut Sauce

Hello LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers:

I think I have cooked in my kitchen more in the past 2 days than I have in the past 2 months! 

Yesterday, I made a tuna and farro Mediterranean salad that was to die for - I'll be posting my recipe in a future LilyOnTheLam.com post.

Today, I made mint, vegetable and cellophane noodle summer rolls with a peanut dipping sauce.  I used the recipe from TheKitchn.com, except I used liquid stevia instead of sugar.  I also found that if I lightly tossed the cellophane noodles in the peanut sauce, it helped give the summer roll more flavor throughout the roll versus dipping it in the sauce.

It was a super easy recipe to make, so if you're looking for a fast healthy dinner, give it a try!

Dessert- Detox Style! Baked Cinnamon Pear with Coconut Chai Chia "Faux Caviar" Pudding

Hello LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers:

I am back from a long birthday weekend in New Orleans where I ate and drank everything and anything I wanted!  By the last day my stomach and liver were screaming "Why?  Why do you hate us?"

So now that the vacation is over, I am looking to detox my diet and bring in some fresh healthy food that is low in refined sugars, sodium and chemicals.  

But I still get dessert, right? Right?

I love dessert so any healthy eating plan has to include room for some dessert!

When my little sister was in college, I would send her gift boxes of Harry and David's pears.  So this year for my birthday, my sister sent me a Harry and David's gift basket.  Ohhh those juicy pears!  So delicious but so many pears for one person.  I decided to bake a pear sprinkled in cinnamon for dessert.  No sugar, no fatty crumble topping, no whipped cream, no ice cream ... sigh this healthy dessert is sounding kind of boring.

But no ... wait ... I definitely could jazz up this dessert without feeling too unhealthy.  One of my friends has been adding chia seeds - a seed in the mint family - to her food to promote better digestive health (due to its fiber content) and Omega-3 benefits.  

I have read articles online claiming chia seeds are also an appetite suppressant and can help you lose weight, but a 12 week study did not show that either claim is true.

However I'm always in for trying new food fads, so I thought I would try making "chia pudding" which next to Chia Pets seems to be the top use of chia seeds.

I love chai flavors so I wanted to give "chai chia" a try.  I whipped up a batch of chia seeds, chai spices and coconut milk and let it sit in the refrigerator for about 6 hours.  The result?  A creamy, rich, coconut and chai spice flavored topping that really went well with my baked pears.    

It was a very satisfying dessert without loads of guilt.  Plus it is SUPER EASY to make.  Try it yourself and let me know what you think!

Not the world's best food stylist but it tastes super yummy!

LilyOnTheLam's Baked Cinnamon Pears with Coconut Chai Chia "Faux Caviar" Pudding
(Four servings)

1/2 of a 14.5 ounce can of light coconut milk 
2 Tbsp. Chia seeds (I buy mine from Whole Foods)
1 dropperful of liquid Stevia (or 1-2 Tbsp. maple syrup, honey or agave nectar)
cardamom
nutmeg
cinnamon

2 pears (I used Comice Pears)
1/2 c. water


First: prepare the "Faux Caviar" Coconut Chai Chia Pudding.  Take 1 c. of light coconut milk (or approximately 1/2 of a 14.5 oz. can) and pour into a mixing bowl.  

Note:  You can substitute 1 c. of Blue Diamond Unsweetened Almond Breeze Almond & Coconut Milk Blend for the coconut milk- it will not be as rich tasting but will be lower in calories.  You may want to add 1/2 tsp. vanilla if using Almond Breeze.  

To the coconut milk, add 2 Tbsp. of chia seeds and whisk well.  The chia seeds will instantly begin to soak in the coconut milk and clump together.  Add 1 dropperful of liquid stevia, a dash of cardamom and a dash of nutmeg.  Add 2-3 dashes of cinnamon.  Whisk again well.  Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and let sit in refrigerator for at least two hours or even overnight.  You may wish to whisk the chia pudding every couple of hours to help the thickening process.  However this is not absolutely necessary.  Whisk the chia pudding again before serving.

After sitting in the refrigerator, the chia seeds will plump up and the coconut milk mixture will thicken.  The chai scent is intoxicating!  To me, the pudding looks like it is studded with tapioca pearls or caviar.  It may look somewhat odd, but it tastes ultra rich, creamy and delicious.

Second: Prepare the pears!

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Slice each pear into 8 slices length-wise.  (I keep the skin on, but you can peel them if you would like.)  In a glass baking pan, add 1/2 cup water and lay the sliced pears in a single layer.  Sprinkle cinnamon on top and bake for 20-35 minutes, until tender but not falling apart.

Place 4 slices of baked pear on four individual serving dishes and top with several spoonfuls of coconut chai chia pudding.  Serve, eat and enjoy!      

The warm pear will heat up the pudding, so if you'd rather preserve the cold and hot temperatures you could also serve the pudding in its own bowl next to the warm pear.

This dessert is like summer and autumn in a bowl - rich, creamy, thick coconut and chai flavors with the warm, luscious baked pear.  It's delicious!

Because Sometimes You Just Want Booze In Your Cupcake - Three Olives Loopy Vodka Cupcakes

Hello LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers:

It's cupcake time!  Today's blog post is about "The Loopy Jason Cupcake - a double-frosted cupcake consisting of an almond and Three Olives Loopy vodka flavored cupcake with Three Olives Loopy vodka glaze and then topped with a Cream Cheese and Three Olives Loopy vodka butter cream frosting."  Excited? 

Today's blog post could not have happened without inspiration from three gentlemen - F&G who bought me my very first taste of Three Olives Loopy (like Kellogg's Froot Loop cereal-flavored) vodka and Mr. Jason - who when I whined that I wanted a cupcake, sent me a link to a cupcake recipe containing vodka.

Being half-Polish, I frankly am surprised that I haven't put vodka in my cupcakes a long time ago.  I have used Bailey's Irish Cream in frosting and I drink copious amounts of vodka in a mad variety of flavors.  How did I not ever think of putting together vodka and cupcakes?  (Maybe because I drink too much and my creative brain cells have long since left the playground.)

But perhaps one creative brain cell stuck around because when I looked at the link Mr. Jason sent me, I thought "sure vodka in a cupcake would be good (why not?), but LOOPY VODKA in a cupcake - now THAT would be really something!"  Like MacGyver with a paper clip and some bubble gum, I set off searching the internet for various boozy cupcake recipes and any recipe imitating a Kellogg's Froot Loops cereal flavor.  I was on a MISSION!

I posted on Facebook that I would not only perfect a cupcake with Three Olives Loopy Vodka but that I would name it in honor of Mr. Jason, my cupcake muse.  And ladies and gentlemen, that was how the LOOPY JASON CUPCAKE was born!

Now before I give you the details on how to make Loopy Jason cupcakes, let me tell you a little about the man behind the inspiration for this cupcake.  

I have known Mr. Jason for many, many years. (and no, he doesn't require anyone to call him Mr. Jason, nor do I refer to him to his face as Mr. Jason - but for some reason [perhaps too many vodka cupcakes] I feel like calling him Mr. Jason today.  And no, he's not a dog groomer or a hairstylist in Beverly Hills.)  I first met Jason (ahem - Mr. Jason) in La La Land -- yes, Los Angeles, California.  Jason was splitting his time between an apartment in New York City and a house near Venice Beach.  I was living in a one bedroom apartment in Hollywood that had nightly transvestite hooker action in the alley.  I split my time between horror and dodging crackheads.

Jason has one of those personalities where everyone just wants to hang out with him.  I'm pretty sure he was a priest or cult leader in a former life as I instantly feel calm and zen when I am around him.  Kind of a beatnik, modern day laid back just cool dude.  And he can cook!  I, like many people, just think that Jason is the bees' elbows.  People just want to be around him.

Oh and by the way ... do you want to know something else about Jason?

I hate him.

Yes, don't tell Jason, but I hate him.  

Why, you ask?  

After such praise and insect appendages and cult leader status?  

Yes, yes and yes.  I hate him.  

And lean in closer, because I'll tell you the two reasons I absolutely hate Jason.

Number one -- he's a savant.  Do you know how on occasion you may get an itch to try something new?  Like you decide you want to try pottery, so you take some clay and after much concerted effort you make ... ta da, a round ball!  

Well with Jason, when he gets an itch to try something he goes from amateur to masterpiece creator in about 1.3 seconds.  

Oh Jason wants to try sculpting?  How did that go?  Oh a garage full of museum-quality pieces on the first try.

Oh, Jason wants to try his hand at woodworking?  I did woodworking in 6th grade.  Do you know what I made?  A cutting board - 2 pieces of wood fused together.  And a bookstand - 3 pieces of wood fused together.  

Do you know what Jason made for his very first woodworking project?  A gigantic king-sized bed frame - reminiscent of something you would see at some ridiculously ritzy $1000 a night eco-lodge in the middle of a rainforest.  

Jason is so good at everything he decides to try on a whim that I just want to choke the life out of him.  

After he makes me a house full of furniture, that is.

Number Two --  The second reason why I hate Jason is because he works in New York City at an office where they have every beverage known to man or beast.  My company won't even pay for my internet and Jason has 900,000 beverages at his disposal each and every day.  

People, beverages are important.  And I'm not just talking about "Oh you have BOTH Pepsi and Coke products?"  No, I am talking about: 

"Hey Jason, I had this wild peyote-induced hallucination where I rode a pegasus to a forest inhabited by gnomes and they served this crystal clear nectar that they plucked from giant Avatar the movie-like flowers, fermented for 100 years and then served lightly carbonated.  Do you have any of that on hand?"

"Sure Lily, do you want the soursop flavor or the jackfruit flavor?"

"WHAAAAAT?  I thought they discontinued the soursop flavor because it causes seizures in giraffes?"

"No, they just told uncool people that so the cool people would have an ample supply."

"I KNEW IT!  Wait, does this mean I'm not one of the cool people?"

"Ummm... uhhhh... hey, did you want this drink on ice?  We have crushed, shaved, cubed and a guy in the back who will carve little ice heads shaped like the members of The New Kids On The Block."

I hate you, Jason.  I hate you and your savant ways and your unlimited supply of magical drinks.  Beverages are important and in this life Jason obviously has an incredible store of beverage karma.  While I, on the other hand, get giddy if I have a Smartwater every now and again.

Now some of you out there may be thinking: "Hmmm Lily, your `hatred' actually sounds like textbook jealousy."  To which I would respond "Shut up, Dr. Freud- nobody asked you!"

Is it no wonder that Jason the savant would also be the ultimate cupcake muse?  So while I hate Jason, I love that he inspired me to actually use my oven ... In Florida ... In the summer.  That takes a lot of chutzpah, moxie and a lot of desire to have booze in my food.

Jason had sent me the link to the Chocolate Vodka Raspberry Rock Star Cupcake.  I took one look at the recipe and knew it was too much work for a lazy baker like me.  I needed something much easier and this is what I came up with ...

(P.S. Three Olives Vodka sent a blogger a bottle of S'mores vodka and she made cupcakes with it.  I want Three Olives Vodka to know that they can send me free vodka any time they want ... I am here, ready willing and able to accept free vodka.  My absolute favorites are the Loopy vodka, of course - but I also keep a bottle of Three Olives root beer vodka in my freezer at all times.  The darling little Ybor City bar Fume Bella [Beautiful Smoke] turned me on to Three Olives root beer vodka in their root beer highballs and I have been a fan ever since!)

Loopy Jason Double Frosted Vodka Cupcakes:
Makes 24 cupcakes

For my base cupcake recipe, I started with a modified version of TheBakingRobot.com's Cake Vodka Cupcakes.  I am not going to repost his/her/robot's recipe here in my blog because I don't own it and I do believe in blogger etiquette.  And I hope anyone who wants to try my Loopy Jason cupcake recipes will credit LilyOnTheLam.com appropriately.  (Thanks!)

- Cake Vodka Cupcake recipe

Lily's modifications - I followed the recipe except I put in 2/3 of a cup of Three Olives Loopy Vodka instead of the 1/2 cup of cake-flavored vodka and 1 1/4 tsp. almond extract instead of the vanilla extract.  I used Hello Kitty cupcake wrappers, because they're incredibly cute.  

TheBakingRobot.com says to mix the batter until it is just combined.  I totally overmixed and had dense cupcakes because of it.  So next time I am paying better attention to TheBakingRobot.com!  Live and learn!

My recipe made 24 cupcakes, TheBakingRobot.com's makes only 16, so not sure how that happened.  I use a standard size cupcake pan.

After filling the cupcake tins 2/3 full I sprinkled each cupcake with either True Lime or True Lemon crystallized juice.  (So 12 of my cupcakes had lime topping and 12 had lemon.)  If you are using the packets (versus the shaker bottles) of True Lime and True Lemon, I used about 1/2 a packet per cupcake.  It makes a slight crunchy cupcake top with a burst of citrus that adds to the Froot Loop-like taste.

I baked the cupcakes for about 21 minutes - I should have only baked them for about 18 minutes.  The browning of the True Lemon and True Lime is a bit deceptive, so test with a toothpick in the center of a cupcake to see if the cake is fully cooked.    

The lightly browned True Lemon or True Lime crystals made a bit of a crust on top.  I should have taken a toothpick and poked holes about 3/4 inch deep into each of the cupcakes before I did this next step.

Loopy Vodka Glaze:

I took two cups of powdered sugar, three True Lime packets, one True Lemon packet and 1/2 a cup of Three Olives Loopy vodka and mixed well to make a vodka and sugar glaze.  I drizzled a small spoonful of glaze over each cupcake while it was still slightly warm.

I did this for two reasons - my cupcakes were overcooked, so I wanted to add some moisture back in to the cupcake.  This is to give it a kind of rum cake feel where the cake is saturated with alcohol.  

I also wanted to replicate that sugar-sweet citrus POW! of flavor that kids' sugar-frosted cereals give.  

If you are watching your calories, stop eating cupcakes.

Ooops, I mean if you are watching your calories, just brush the tops of the warm cupcakes with Three Olives Loopy Vodka instead of the sugar glaze.

I then let the cupcakes completely cool and let the glaze harden.  

Loopy Vodka Cream Cheese Butter Cream Frosting:

While the cupcakes were cooling,  I took a recipe for White Russian Cream Cheese Frosting from CulinaryConcoctionsbyPeabody.Com.  I swapped out the 2 Tbsp of Kahula and 2 Tbsp of Vanilla vodka with 5 Tbsp of Three Olives Loopy Vodka.  I also added 2 packets of True Lime.  

I put the finished buttercream frosting in the refrigerator for about two hours before using to let the flavors develop and the butter cream to set.  I also tried my best to not stop by the refrigerator frequently to stick my finger in the frosting bowl.

Please note - while supposedly the alcohol content of the vodka cooks out of the cupcake as it is baking, the glaze and butter cream frosting have straight vodka in them with all of its lovely alcohol content in tact.  In other words, 21 years old and up age limit for these cupcakes.  Don't give them to your children, please!

After frosting the glazed cupcakes with the cream cheese butter cream, I tried my hand at decorating.  I smashed some Kellogg's Froot Loops cereal and dusted the top of a cupcake with the crumbs.  I found however that this made a giant mess when I tried biting in to the cupcake.  So I prefer just a couple Froot Loops on top for style purposes and a cleaner looking cupcake.  Just because your cupcake is boozy, doesn't mean it needs to be sloppy.  Or at least that has always been my life's motto.

So how did it taste?  Really sweet and citrus-y with a Loopy vodka kick.  It's like you put a splash of vodka in your morning breakfast cereal.  (Frankly something I consider from time to time ...)

The almond cupcake balanced the rich sweetness of the glaze and the cream cheese butter cream.  It definitely had that "This is too sweet to be a part of my balanced morning breakfast" feeling that I get when I eat sugared cereals.  If I had not over-mixed and over-baked the cupcake batter, this would have been an A+ recipe!

And there you have it - LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers - The Loopy Jason Cupcake - a Three Olives Loopy Vodka cupcake!  Try out the recipe and let me know what you think in the comments section!

P.S. Three Olives, I'm serious - send me some free vodka.  ;)

OK Cheryl, This One Is For You - Tirosalata Recipes

As part of being the Top Diva, Author and Hostess Supreme of LilyOnTheLam.com, I receive a large amount of fan mail.  Basically the equivalent of four hundred semi trucks worth an hour - give or take a ton.  

The other day I received this email:

Subject:  Tirosalata
Hello I was looking for this Acropolis recipe online and every time I put it in your name comes up. Do you have a recipe similar or identical to Acropolis's recipe. I want to serve it at a party this year.  Thank. You, Cheryl   

Now my first thought was "Cheryl, if you put in the words `gorgeous, fabulous and innovator' in your favorite search engine, you'll get my name too.  What's your point?"

My second thought was "OK, I'll send you some tirosalata recipes ... eventually ... cause I'm kinda lazy."

By the way, the blog post Cheryl is referring to is "You May Be Good, But You Sir Are No Tzatziki."

I don't have the actual recipe that the Acropolis Restaurant uses, but here are some links of recipes that I think make a pretty good tirosalata.  I do hope Cheryl and the rest of the Tirosalata lovers out there check out these recipes and leave comments on this blog.  Well I hope you leave me positive comments.  ;-)

Authentic-style Tirosalata Recipe from FoodGeeks

Vegetarilin's Tirosalata Recipe (yummy)

Rumbamel's Spicy Greek Cheese Dip from SparkPeople

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Chowdah Competition: A Tale of Four Clam Chowders - Maine vs. Minneapolis

Hello LilyOnTheLam.com Readers:

I was recently celebrating the Autumnal season in Portland, Maine.  And by celebrating, I mean shoving every tasty morsel I saw into my happy, but rapidly expanding belly.  

As part of this ravenous rampage of the Old Port, Cape Elizabeth and Kennebunkport areas, I had the delicious privilege of sampling New England-style clam chowders.  The following weekend, I went to visit my baby sister Squidge in her first real "on her own, no roommates, post college graduation" adult apartment in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  She made me dinner - clam chowder in sourdough bread bowls.  I've always been the one to make treats for my sister, it was wonderful to have her playing chef for me! 

In honor of my chowder-extravaganza, I'd like to share my thoughts and pictures of the four clam chowders I had within a week.  I hope you have the opportunity to welcome Autumn with a great bowl of clam chowder.  (Also, if you're in the San Francisco area, check out my restaurant review of The Blue Mermaid Chowder House and Bar.) 

My first meal in Portland was lunch at DiMillo's Restaurant and Lounge a floating restaurant in Old Port, Portland, Maine.   I like "floating dining" - locally, I like going to Fulton's Crab House in nearby Downtown Disney in Orlando, Florida.  However I do find that when restaurants have a "gimmick" there is a greater chance that the cuisine suffers, so I wasn't sure if DiMillo's food would be as good as the environment.  

I ordered a cup of clam chowder and a lobster roll.  (You'll hear about my Lobster Roll in a subsequent LilyOnTheLam.Com blog post.)  The restaurant was spacious and reminded me a little too much of Florida - evidently the Thursday lunch crowd is mostly geriatric at DiMillo's.  I felt like a fetus amongst the blue hairs!  

The restaurant seemed to be overstaffed with hosts/hostesses and understaffed with servers.  My poor waiter was doing his best running between many tables while four hosts (and possibly managers?) stood at the host stand gabbing away.  I wanted to turn around and say "hey, help a server out!"  When I worked in the restaurant industry as an eager high schooler, I worked for a family-owned Italian restaurant.  There was never a "that's your job" snideness.  If a server was swamped, as support staff we pitched in to help.    

DiMillo's Clam Chowder was your basic New England style clam chowder.  I found the chowder to be too thick for my tastes.  I like my chowder to taste like a thick, creamy soup and not like white gravy.  But the flavor was good and there was a nice balance of clams to potatoes.  DiMillo's felt like an old time supper club and for that, I felt very at home and comfortable.  The fellow patrons were very sweet and a load of fun to eavesdrop on!
  

DiMillo's Clam Chowder

The dessert special that day was an Almond Joy cheesecake.  I was quite full from my lunch so there was no room for dessert for me.  However an adorable elderly lady at the table next to me ordered the cheesecake special.  Out comes this huge slab of the best-looking cheesecake ever.  It was all I could do to stop myself from reaching over and swiping a bite.  

The older lady took the most amazing joy in each forkful.  It was the definition of pure bliss.  After about fifteen minutes of such blissful bites, she called it quits - only managing to get through about one-third of the enormous piece.  But she giddily asked the server for a box because she was not going to miss out on the rest of the dessert.  I enjoyed watching someone so thoroughly enjoy their meal.  

So if you find yourself at DiMillo's in Portland, Maine - check out their dessert special and see if it brings as big of a smile to your face as it did for a cheesecake-loving older lady!  And maybe you'll cause other people to share in that smile.  My lunch at DiMillo's was a homey welcome to Portland.

Of the three cups of clam chowder I had in Portland, Maine; each restaurant served their chowder with Westminster Bakers Co. oyster crackers.  These crackers were amazing - light, crisp, flavorful.  I think it's a real testament to their quality that each restaurant I went to served them and I definitely need to find if they are sold locally in Tampa, Florida.  

The next day, I went to Gilbert's Chowder House.  Have you ever heard two lovelier words put together?  Chowder ... House.  I can almost hear the angels weeping at the beauty.

Gilbert's has a long rectangular dining room and it is extremely popular.  There was a line out the door for their chowder.  It is a very casual eating establishment with a wide variety of chowder lovers as patrons.  If you're looking to kick back with a pint of blueberry ale and a steaming bowl of chowder or a lobster roll with everyday citizens, check out Gilbert's Chowder House.

Gilbert's Chowder House's Clam Chowder

Gilbert's Chowder House's clam chowder was the perfect consistency - creamy mouthfeel without being overly thick or wallpaper paste-like.  The aroma and taste had a savory, "fresh from the sea" appeal.  It was cold and rainy when I was at Gilbert's Chowder House and the big styrofoam cup of chowder warmed me from the inside out.  My only complaint was that there were way too many potatoes.  The flavor was great, but I would have appreciated a better clam to potato ratio.  It was more potato chowder with clams versus clam chowder with potatoes.  But it was hearty, rich and very flavorful.  

Gilbert's was also the only restaurant I saw in the Portland, Maine area where they offered clam chowder in bread bowls. So if you prefer your chowder in a bread bowl, head over to Gilbert's.

The third Maine New England-style clam chowder I tasted was in the quaint and charming Kennebunkport, Maine restaurant Mabel's Lobster Claw.  There is a couple public parking lots in Kennebunkport and many dining choices.  However I arrived right at lunchtime and every restaurant seemed to be packed.  I parked my rental car and started walking around.  

I had read good things about Mabel's Lobster Claw, so when I saw a sign advertising the restaurant I walked closer to the sign to see if it had a map to show me where the restaurant was located.  There was an arrow pointing the direction of the restaurant but it was one mile from the main town area.  Since I had just parked my car, I figured a one mile walk in scenic Kennebunkport would be a great start.  I also assumed that since it's off the main drag, there was a good chance there would be an open table.

Unfortunately about 2 blocks into the walk, it started raining heavily.  I was prepared with a thick Nautica jacket and an umbrella.  I walked on the far edges of the sidewalk to avoid getting splashed by cars driving through puddles on the side of the road.  By the time I reached Mabel's, I was very happy to have a roof over my head out of the rain.

Mabel's is extremely homey with a courteous staff.  It had a combination New England cabin/diner feel.  The counter was covered with a delightful array of housemade desserts.  

I ordered the clam chowder and WOW!  Of my three Maine clam chowders, Mabel's Lobster Claw Restaurant's clam chowder was the best.  The chowder was like velvet - silky, hot and creamy.  Just the right combination of clams and vegetables.  The clams were amazingly tender.  I am very used to clams being overcooked and rubbery in clam chowder.  I don't know how Mabel's keeps their clams so tender, but I am mighty glad that they do.          

Mabel's Lobster Claw's Clam Chowder

Mabel's Lobster Claw Restaurant was a perfect "Vacation in Maine" style restaurant.  Friendly, fast service in a warm, laidback environment with amazing seafood.  Win, win and win!

A week later after my Portland Maine vacation, I was presented with another bowl of clam chowder - but this time I was in Minneapolis in my baby sister's kitchen.  She was using the following clam chowder recipe taken from Cooking Light, but had added carrots and more vegetables to it.  Now this may be blasphemy to New Englanders, but we Midwesterners see no evil in throwing more veggies into our chowder.  Also the recipe has BACON in it ... is there anything more wonderful than bacon?  It brings  a nice smoky quality to the creamy mouthfeel of the soup.

Clam Chowder a la Squidge

My sister had carved out hollows in sourdough bread bowls from Panera Bread.  

I couldn't find Westminster Bakers oyster crackers sadly, so I bought a local brand.  Unfortunately they were not as good as Westminster's.

The picture below is my sister's clam chowder pot, mid-fast stirring.  Like the stove in my first "real" adult apartment, my sister's stove runs way too hot.  "Low" is boiling, so it was imperative that the chowder be stirred fast and ferociously!
  

 And voila - my sister's clam chowder with vegetables and bacon served in a sourdough bread bowl.  Fantastic!

You may think there is some nepotism here, but of the four chowders - my sister's clam chowder was my overall favorite because the extra vegetables and bacon balanced out the richness of the clam chowder.  

For freshest, most tender clams, the award would go to Mabel's Lobster Claw.  It also wins for overall ambiance, since the town of Kennebunkport is wonderfully quaint and scenic.  

With autumn upon us, get yourself a bowl of clam chowder.  Where is your favorite place for clam chowder?  Let me know in the comments section below!

Happy Fall 2012!  Chowdah, chowdah, chowdah!

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