Archive - July, 2010

methodology: curling iron waves.

July 14, 2010 in Methodology with 20 Comments

There are a few things in this world that scare me.

Pastry bags, Splenda, and up until now, curling irons. Okay, well they still do scare me a little bit. But for the most part – minus the fact the occasional minor neck burn – I’m starting to get the hang of it.

{And the pastry bag. I guess I’m starting to get the hang of that, too}

Living in South Florida, it doesn’t really get more humid than this. And humidity, as we all know, is the enemy of any sort of good hair day. So, when I discovered that this foolproof method using the curling iron was the secret to getting my waves to survive (even through to the next day), it was a pretty big moment.

No matter your hair struggle – be it the weather, the utensil, or just another bad hair day – here is my go-to method for achieving perfect waves that will last through just about anything.

What You’ll Need:

  1. Blow dryer (or you can allow your hair to air dry if you prefer)
  2. Curling iron – preferably high quality ceramic; use 1 inch for waves as shown, 1.5-2 inches for looser waves, and 0.75 inch for tighter curls
  3. Hair spray – something with strong hold, but still touchable

First, give your hair a rough blow dry. I usually use my fingers for the most part, maybe running a brush through a few times at the end. I find that if you make your hair too smooth, the curl doesn’t hold as well.

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Now, begin with a 2 inch section of hair. Give it a nice shot of hair spray – very important if you want good hold.

{I usually start with the front of my head, and when I get about halfway done – to the back of my head – I bring over what I’ve done to one side, and then start from the front of the other side; in the picture above, I’m actually just re-curling a front piece}

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Holding the iron upside-down and with the clamp closed, wrap the section of hair around the iron.

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When you get to the end of the section, hold it there for about 15-30 seconds. How long you hold it will depend on how hot your curling iron gets and how your hair takes the heat. I have a 1 inch ceramic curling iron by Hot Tools, and it gets pretty hot – but I like to let it sit for a full 30 seconds because I have thick hair and it can handle it.

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After each section of hair is curled, give it another light spray. Repeat, section by section, until all of your hair is curled. You will have tighter curls at first (see first photo, after I had just curled most of my hair), but they will fall into looser waves after 15-20 minutes. You can also run your fingers through your hair to loosen them up, if you wish.

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End result: perfectly soft waves that will last for hours. Like, 24 humidity-filled ones.

strawberry + peach tart.

July 12, 2010 in Healthy Eats, Sweets + Treats with 8 Comments

This is what happens when you live in Florida, and what are considered to be “seasonal” foods are actually harder to find.

I wouldn’t dare expect the Publix I frequent to the carry rhubarb, but I was hoping Whole Foods would come through.

Nope. Apparently, they were out.

{I’ve since been several times and haven’t seen the so-called seasonal vegetable/fruit anywhere}

I’ve never cooked with rhubarb, let alone even eaten the stuff. So suffice it to say, I’ve been pretty curious lately,  as I’ve been seeing it plastered across just about every blog I read. I guess I’ll have to keep enjoying reading about what everyone else is doing, as for now, there’s no rhubarb in sight for me.

I can’t be too upset about it, however – because with the lack of rhubarb came this delicious creation using strawberries and peaches instead. I made this for an impromptu summer BBQ with friends, and I think it was the perfect light and healthy summer dessert. Coming in at around 200 calories a slice (for the rhubarb version – we’re assuming them to be similar), you really can’t beat it.

Strawberry + Peach Tart

Adapted from Cooking Light’s Strawberry-Rhubarb Tart

  • 1/2 (15-ounce) package refrigerated pie dough
  • 2 cups sliced peaches
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons water
  • 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon, divided
  • 3 cups sliced strawberries
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • Blackberries, for garnish
  • Whipped cream, for serving

Preheat oven to 400°.

Press dough into bottom and up sides of a 10-inch tart pan. Line bottom of dough with a piece of foil; arrange pie weights or dried beans (I use rice) on foil. Bake at 400° for 5 minutes. Remove pie weights and foil. Bake an additional 5 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Combine 1/4 cup sugar, cornstarch, water, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer for a few minutes, stirring frequently. Make sure you reduce it long enough to allow it to thicken up – I probably didn’t reduce long enough, and ended up with a bit of liquid in some areas of the tart. Remove from heat, and stir in peaches and strawberries. Stir together well and spoon fruit mixture into prepared crust. Combine 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and 1 tablespoon of sugar; sprinkle evenly over tart.

Place tart on a baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 30 minutes or until filling is set. Cool on a wire rack.

Add a few blackberries in the center for garnish, if you like, and serve with whipped cream.

What are YOUR favorite light and easy desserts for summer?

pesto pasta salad.

July 7, 2010 in On the Side with 7 Comments

Here is a pasta salad that just screams summer.

{Yes, I do realize I’m a little obsessed with all things summer – and Ina Garten, for that matter}

Basil is quickly becoming my herb of choice for this time of year, because it seems to go so perfectly with everything I feel like eating – I want beautiful chiffonades of it over my Caprese salads, and I need it to be muddled into my strawberry-vodka cocktails, of course. And what about these perfectly simple + gorgeous tomato, basil, and goat cheese tartlets for your next get-together? Or maybe a super-refreshing salad of watermelon and feta, drizzled in basil oil? I mean, we need basil. And lots of it.

Lucky for me, I do have a lot of it – in fact, I have an enormous vat of the deliciously sweet stuff growing on my balcony right now. Can you guess what’s next?

Pesto.

Pesto, meet pasta salad. With peas and lots of other healthy stuff like spinach (which sort of blends right in, by the way – if you have any picky veggie eaters out there) and whole wheat pasta. I loved everything about this salad – especially the beautiful green color. If you want to add a pop of something else, however, I think sun-dried tomatoes would be a great addition.

Pesto Pasta Salad

Recipe courtesy of Ina Garten

  • 3/4 pound fusilli pasta {I use whole wheat}
  • 3/4 pound bow tie pasta {again, whole wheat}
  • 1/4 cup good olive oil
  • 1 1/2 cups pesto {see recipe below}
  • 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
  • 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 1/4 cups good mayonnaise {I use light or olive oil mayo}
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
  • 1 1/2 cups frozen peas, defrosted
  • 1/3 cup pine nuts
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Cook the fusilli and bow ties in a large pot of boiling salted water for 10 to 12 minutes until al dente. The purpose of two different types of pasta is to give it some texture and help the pesto to hang on to it nicely, but you can absolutely use just one. After it’s cooked, drain and toss into a bowl with the olive oil. Cool to room temperature.

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, puree the pesto, spinach, and lemon juice. Add the mayonnaise and puree. Add the pesto mixture to the cooled pasta and then add the Parmesan, peas, pine nuts, salt, and pepper. Mix well, season to taste, and serve at room temperature.

To make the pesto:

*This makes about 4 cups of pesto, so you can roughly halve it if you want only enough for the salad

  • 1/4 cup pine nuts (or you could do half pine nuts, half walnuts)
  • 2 tablespoons chopped garlic (5 cloves)
  • 2 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 3/4 cup good olive oil
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Place the pine nuts and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for 15 seconds. Add the basil leaves, salt, and pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is thoroughly pureed. Add the Parmesan and puree for a minute. Use right away or store the pesto in the refrigerator or freezer with a thin film of olive oil on top.

summer essentials.

July 6, 2010 in Fashion with 3 Comments

When the lovely Jessica over at Style Obsession recently hosted a series of {fabulous} guest bloggers on the topic of summer essentials, you know I had to participate. Head over to her blog and check out my post to see the five can’t-live-without items I’m coveting this summer.

{american} flag cake.

July 2, 2010 in Sweets + Treats with 16 Comments

This was a very special cake, for many reasons.

For one, it was the first time I ever used a pastry bag and actually liked it – which was a big moment for me. Another reason is that I made it for a BFF’s party celebrating her man, who recently became an official citizen of the United States. He’s from Canada, and although he’s lived here his whole life, he was still super excited because he has serious American spirit; we were excited, too, because it gave us a reason to throw a huge party complete with every classically American dish you can think of, and a whole lot of sweet tea vodka and apple pie martinis.

And, you know, it also represents our country’s independence. So that’s cool, too.

You should probably {at least} consider making it this weekend, because not only is it as festive as it gets, it’s also beyond delicious. I literally can’t even tell you how obsessed people were with this cake – I heard everything from it’s the best cake they’d ever had, to intense threats recommendations to open my own bakery. The cake itself is a sponge cake, so it’s super dense and moist, and it has so much flavor – thanks to a heavy dose of butter. The icing is a cream cheese/buttercream variety, and it was also a huge hit – everyone loved how the tartness of the berries complemented it. It takes some time to pipe the icing and place all the berries on top, but I promise you – it’s not that hard, and that means a lot coming from someone as pastry bag-challenged as myself.

{What I finally figured out: you must use a big enough pastry bag! Get plenty of icing in there, but make sure you don’t overfill the bag so that you can fold the top of it over your hand}

Flag Cake

Recipe courtesy of Ina Garten

  • 18 tablespoons (2 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 6 extra-large eggs at room temperature
  • 1 cup sour cream at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1/3 cup cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

For the icing:

  • 1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 pounds cream cheese at room temperature
  • 1 pound confectioners’ sugar, sifted
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For your stars + stripes:

  • 2 half-pints blueberries
  • 3 half-pints raspberries

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter and flour (or use Pam for baking) an 18 by 13 by 1 1/2-inch sheet pan. I think my sheet pan is actually 18 x 12 x 1, and it worked out just fine. I think it’s a little tricky to find a pan this exact size recommended – so use what you have. If it’s something much smaller, like a half sheet pan, you can always split the cake into 2, or halve it – which would be an especially good idea if you have a smaller group, because this recipe makes a ton of cake.

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed, until light and fluffy. On medium speed, add the eggs, 2 at a time, then add the sour cream and vanilla. Scrape down the sides and stir until smooth.

Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda in a bowl. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until just combined. No over-mixing! Pour into the prepared pan. Smooth the top with a spatula. Bake in the center of the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool to room temperature.

Like Ina, I served this cake right in the pan. If you want to turn it out onto a board before frosting, use parchment paper when you grease and flour the pan.

For the icing, combine the butter, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mixing just until smooth. Easy-peasy.

Spread three-fourths of the icing on the top of the cooled sheet cake. If you want to, you can outline the flag on the top of the cake with a toothpick, though I didn’t find this step necessary. Fill the upper left corner with blueberries. Place 2 rows of raspberries across the top of the cake like a red stripe.

Put the remaining icing in a pastry bag fitted with a star tip. Hold the bag with the edges folded over your hand (see below), and use your other hand to spatula the icing into the bag. Make sure to use a big enough bag, and to fill it about halfway or a little more. Squeeze the icing so that its pushed down to the tip and there’s no air in the bag, and squeeze the icing out gently. Try doing a little practice run on your counter, if you’re an amateur like me.

You want to try and gently squeeze it out as evenly as possible when you’re doing the stripes. I certainly didn’t do a perfect job, but once I figured out how to hold the bag and did a few practice lines, I started getting the hang of it.

Pipe two rows of white stripes below the first stripe of raspberries. Alternate rows of raspberries and icing until the flag is completed. I didn’t have enough room to do the last 2 stripes of raspberries, so I ended up just piping extra icing there – just make it work! Pipe stars on top of the blueberries. I probably got a little carried away here and did too many white stars – you can try spacing them out a little better than I did for a closer result to Ina’s.

End result: an imperfectly perfect + richly delicious flag cake, sure to steal the show.

Have a fabulous {and safe} Fourth of July, dolls!

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