I bet you didn’t know that burgers are just full of secrets.
{And not the K-Stew/Robert Pattinson type}
I’ve shared them once before, but just in case you’re more of a visual person – and who isn’t? … I made a video, just for you!
What’s even better is that we’re making homemade buns that’ll be done just in time for the burgers. Are you skeptical? I was, when I first discovered this 40-minute hamburger bun recipe that I used a base to form my own.
If you don’t know much about bread-making – and I won’t pretend to be an expert, either – just know that when you’re messing around with yeast, you usually have to deal with all sorts of rise times and the like. There’s nothing hard about it – it’s can just get time-consuming. With these buns, however, you’re using a lot more yeast than you normally would, so this makes up for the lack of resting/rise time. Don’t ask me why, I’m no scientist – just watch and see!
You know those people who used to whine in school that they just failed a test, and then – of course – they’d end up with, like, a 99%?
I was so one of those people.
I’m not sure if it’s confidence thing, because I’ve never really had an issue in that department … but as I type this, I think I’m having a breakthrough … it’s totally an overachiever thing!
YES.
How have I not thought of this before? Well, truth be told, I haven’t given much thought to it at all – until just now. Until I got to thinking about getting crafty. Because – yes, that’s right, this is the part where I tell you about how I’m not crafty at all, and how I probably shouldn’t be let within a 10-foot radius to a Michael’s and I don’t even want to consider owning a hot glue gun and …
Then I tell you about this super-cool lollipop stand I made. With ribbon. And pins. And large, cone-shaped styrofoam objects.
{please “like” the video if you make it to the end – YouTube likes this, which will make it easier for other people to find it when they’re searching, and you can also subscribe to my YouTube channel here if you’re so inclined}
Before this fried chicken, I’d made one recipe out of Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc cookbook.
It was his chicken pot pie recipe, funny enough. You may recall that pot pie is Daniel’s favorite, so of course I had to try it. There were things involved like boiling carrots, celery, and potatoes in separate pots with exactly 8 peppercorns in each … things I would never ordinarily do – but I did, because Thomas Keller said so.
It sounds fussy, and it probably is, but that’s not what Thomas Keller’s all about. What he is about is precise cooking methods in an effort to bring every ingredient to its very best possible potential. And while I can’t say that that chicken pot pie was the best I’ve ever made – my heart still belongs to Ina on that one – I am proud to say that this is the best fried chicken I’ve ever made.
It’s also the only fried chicken I’ve ever made.
But, allow me to say this: I can’t imagine ever making fried chicken another way. How ’bout that statement … bold enough for you?
In other news, this chicken made me do a happy dance. And … it’s on video. You can now officially watch me do a happy dance in my kitchen – it’s only fair, it does happen often enough that you fully deserve to see it – and I can now officially be embarrassed.
I kid. Lord knows it’s gonna take more than that to ruffle these feathers!
Biscotti is one of those classic desserts that seems to be appropriate for any occasion.
Holiday gifts, housewarming gifts … breakfast.
Even people who don’t like dessert will probably take a liking to biscotti. It’s not overly sugary, and even if you’re entirely averse to sweets, you can customize these bad boys using your own favorite ingredients, making them as sweet – or un-sweet – as you want.
And, hellllooo … dipping stuff into coffee is, like, super-fun.
I got the brilliant idea to make biscotti for two of our good friends who recently hosted a housewarming party (and had also just gotten engaged – double the celebration!). My first thought was a bottle of Patron XO Cafe, our group of friends’ beverage of choice – and then I thought, biscotti! I wasn’t really sure what they were into in terms of desserts, so I figured this fabulous coffee-themed gift would please pretty much anyone.
I’m telling you: Biscotti (bonus points for pairing it with coffee-flavored tequila) is the solution to any of your “I want to make them something special, but I’m just not sure what they like” situations. We all have those situations, don’t we?
Yes, we do! Which is why I’ve got another episode of Sassy in the Kitchen for you today – so that you can see for yourself how totally easy this is.
Guys. I’ve got something super-awesome for you today!
And, it’s super-easy. I even made a video to prove it.
This asparagus tart is what I like to call a “back-pocket” recipe. You won’t ever need a recipe again after you’ve made it once – and after watching it on video, you probably won’t even need a recipe on your first shot!
Yep, you can pull this one out of your back-pocket anytime you need it. And when might that be, exactly? Well, to start – Easter. This would make an outstanding choice as an Easter hors d’oeuvre, because Easter happens to fall in the springtime, when asparagus is at its lovely peak. It would be equally perfect for brunch with the girls, or even a simple lunch with your better half and a bottle of your favorite white on a gorgeous spring day.
This tart is so impressive and pretty, and what’s even better than that? It tastes delicious, too. Did I mention it’s easy to make? This is a triple-double-win, peeps.
Call me old-fashioned, but I think every woman should know how to cook a steak for her man.
And with Valentine’s Day around the corner, what better time to knock this one off of your bucket list?
{To all of my meat-loving lady readers: You might just decide to make this one for yourself – and there ain’t no shame in that}
I’ve heard of engagement chicken, sure. And there are few things I love more than a good roasted chicken. But – if I were a betting woman, and the future of your relationship status depended on one meal and one meal only, I’m putting my money on steak.
Lesson of the day: Cooking up steaks better than they do at Ruth’s Chris is the real way to a man’s heart. Fact.
And guess what? No grill required! You might be surprised to know that many steakhouses don’t use use a grill to cook filet mignon. I don’t even remember where or when I first learned how to do it, but I’ve been cooking them this way for years now. I know it was before I saw Ina’s recipe because I remember feeling so proud when I saw that she made them the same way! You know, me and Ina, on the same page – NBD.
The method is super-simple – so simple that you’re going to be dumbfounded when you sink your teeth into one of these delicious steaks.
Here’s the secret: Sear on the stove, and finish in the oven.
That’s it. Seriously. This is so simple, you don’t even need a recipe. Get a little oil going over high heat in a cast-iron or stainless steel oven-proof skillet, sear the meat on each side for a minute or two until it develops a beautiful browned crust, and then just add a pat of butter to each steak before throwing ‘em in the oven for 6 minutes or so. Let them rest, covered in foil, for 10 minutes and you’ll get the most perfectly cooked medium-rare filets every time.
So says Rebecca Rather. It’s one of her mottos as a pastry chef.
Well, I don’t know about you – but I’m not a pastry chef. And guess what? My crème brûlée was – in a word – AWESOME.
Make that two words: EFF-ing AWESOME.
Yours can be, too. It’s super-easy. Guys, crème brûlée is just not something to be afraid of. You’re making a custard, baking it in a water bath, and blow-torching sugar to caramelize it into a crispy layer of deliciousness.
Yes – breaking out the blow-torch makes this dessert doubly amazing. You can use your broiler if you’re torch-less, sure…but why? Why live a torch-less life? There’s no reason for it.
Making custard is so easy, in fact, it pains me to write about it. Watch the video. You’ll see. And to make matters worse better, you probably have all of these ingredients in your fridge/pantry right now. Meaning you’re mere hours away from taking the creamiest, crunchiest espresso-and-vanilla-filled bite of your life. How many bites can you say that about?
I interrupt this {seemingly normal} blog post to bring you a message.
Check it: It’s me. In my kitchen. Lookin’ like a fool…with my pants on the ground.
Kidding! My pants are totes on in this video. Nothing weird going on over here. Well, that I can’t say for sure. Is making fleur de sel caramels and forcing your boyfriend to film it weird? Maybe.
I’m slightly intoxicated in the second half of this video. Is that weird? Psssh. That’s def not weird. I had to wait three whole hours for that caramel to set! What else is a girl to do? There was champagne to be had, people!
Here’s the deal: A while back, I said I was bringing video to 20something cupcakes. I’m all about keeping my word, and I did; I made this fabulous meal, Daniel was taping it, and in the midst of it all, a bottle of wine fell from the top of my fridge, causing a jagged piece of glass to ricochet off the floor so hard that it cut my wrist…like, bad. Like, I had to go to the emergency room because my wrist grew a golf ball bad. Like, a year later, it’s still hard for me to hold a plank on that wrist bad.
This is a true story, y’all. I can’t make this stuff up!
Maybe it was a sign. Maybe I just had too many bottles of wine piled on top of my fridge. Either way, a couple of months went by and I started a new job that I got super-busy with. So I’ve been really busy working, right – like it’s *totally* normal to get to work at 7am and leave at 8pm – and then somewhere along the way, I had an epiphany. I realized that even though I love my job, I was losing sight of other things that I love. Things like this blog. This blog provides a creative outlet that just can’t be touched.
And so, I made myself a promise that I would stop working so damned much (can I get an amen!?) and get back to the other things in my life that make me happy – things that I’m fully in control of, things that really allow me to grow. I’m a person who always likes to be pushing myself. When it comes to this blog, and myself, and my own pursuit of happiness, nothing can stand in my way.
This {right here} is my world, I’m in charge – and I’ve recently made the decision to take it back into my own hands.
I can hardly think of a better way to do so than these fleur de sel caramels. Part of my goal is to show you, if you’re even the least bit unsure – or at the very least looking for some entertainment, which I hope to provide you – that what I’m doing is easy! And fun. If you’re not having fun, you’re doing it wrong.
