Christmas Cookies!

This was my first attempt at making some frosted christmas cookies. I used the cooking light sugar cookie recipe and used Sandra Lee's royal frosting recipe (2 egg whites, 1 tsp. vanilla flavoring...but I used almond, and 3 c. powdered sugar). I used a bunch of different colors...buuuut in general, I thought they turned out pretty amateur. I need to work on my piping technique! Oh and shout out to mom and dad for the early christmas present; a pampered chef froster!

Anyways, I need to practice, but here's how the first attempt turned out:

Beer Simmered Asian Shrimp Salad

YUMMY! I had this for lunch today! (Oh, and PLEASE make oatmeal with milk, blueberries, cranberries, sliced almonds, pomegranate seeds, and honey...so good!)

1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. hot sauce
3 tbsp. soy sauce
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tsp. red chili flakes
1/2 bottle lager beer
8 medium shrimp
mixed greens
cucumbers
green onions

Combine first 6 ingredients and bring to a simmer. Add shrimp and lager, and simmer for about 2-3 minutes (don't let the shrimp get tough!). Remove shrimp after they have turned pink and place onto of greens, cucumber, and onions. Increase heat to a boil and cook remaining sauce for about 1-2 minutes, or until it thickens. Spoon 2-3 tbsp. of sauce on top of salad as a dressing!

Absent!

Sorry I've been so absent lately! These past two weeks have been insane...but now it's Christmas Break! Highlights from these past two weeks include ending my raw food mistake I mean diet, apple cinnamon and carrot muffins, and homemade guacamole.

Goals for Christmas break include:

1) Make cute, frosted Christmas cookies.
2) Lebanese feats with the Robinsons!
3) Something French...just anything.


Happy Holiday's, ya'll!

Final Day of Raw Food Diet

My thesis is due this week. Overtones concert is on Sunday. Musical Theatre Revue is on Sunday. I have about 100 meetings, rehearsals, classes, and gigs to go to this week. Soooo, yeah...I don't have time to think about raw food. I'm done.


BUT I was still good today! I have a tofu panini and a side salad for lunch. Attempted to make Thai coconut soup....it ended up tasting like garbage, so I had some hummus, pita, dolmas, and olives for dinner instead. And a granola bar for a snack. So I'm ok, right?


Sorry...raw food was fun. But I was hungry.

Raw Food Diet Day #1

Ok...sooo here is what I had to eat today. Not exactly ALL raw food...but pretty close!

Skipped Breakfast...didn't have anything raw to eat, so I just skipped it!

Lunch: D-Hall. I had a salad with lettuce, spinach, onions, bell peppers, carrots, mushrooms, olives, peas, kidney beans, hummus, salt, pepper, olive oil, and red wine vinegar.

Snack: Granola bar and black coffee.

Dinner: Green bell pepper stuffed with 40 spice hummus/radish/mushroom mixture.


So...I feel full? I'm feeling healthy and energetic. I don't feel like I'm going to die or pass out or anything...hopefully I can keep this up all week!

Raw Food Diet

I decided to try a raw food diet for a week...and I'm making it official by putting it on my blog so that the 10 people who read it will hold me accountable! Obviously, I could never do a full on raw food diet for the rest of my life...mainly because I love to cook too much for that...but I thought I would try to starting on MONDAY as sort of a post-thanksgiving detox (sidenote: I had 5 thanksgivings this year...not ok!)

ALSO it's kind of a fun cooking experiment, right? I mean...it'll be less "cooking" and more "assembling"...but still...

That is all! Thanksgiving was delicious. Tomorrow is the Lebanese Thanksgiving, which will also be delicious. Then Sunday and THEN raw food heaven!

Sweet Potato Casserole

I made this for the annual theatre dept. thanksgiving (and actually,this was the first time I had actually gone...just in time, right?). Anyways, I forgot to take a picture...but everyone ate it and loved it, so just trust that it looked awesome.

2 cans cooked yams
1/2 c. dark brown sugar
1/2 c. heavy whipping cream
1/2 c. melted butter (unsalted, PLEASE!)
1 tbsp. cinnamon
1 tbsp. cloves
3 c. mini marshmallows
2 eggs, beaten
Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 400 F

Mash the yams until the consistency of smashed potatoes (or go ahead and whip them!). Mix in the cream, butter (cooled, so you don't scramble the eggs), beaten eggs, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Spoon into a baking pan and cover with marshmallows. Cook on the bottom rack for 30 minutes, then move to the top rack (to toast the marshmallows).

Happy Thanksgiving!