Hopefully a few pretty pictures will make it up to you?

A few weeks ago I hopped on a plane got up at 3am to sit in an airport for 3 hours waiting to hop on a plane. Eventually we actually got on the plane and after several more hours of airport torture, I found myself in Seattle, Washington.

As in, clear on the other side of the country from where I live. My first trip to the West Coast!

First we toured the Olympic Peninsula, where we saw the tallest mountains I’ve ever laid eyes on, beaches that are the polar opposite of East Coast beaches, and trees dripping with moss in the rain forest. Yes, rain forest!

When we’d had our fill of wilderness, we made our way back to Seattle where I proceeded to eat my way around Pike Place Market and the rest of Seattle.

World’s Best Mac & Cheese at Beecher’s in Pike Place? Yup, I ate that.

Free samples on the Theo Chocolate Factory tour? I ate those too (and then some).

Apple fritter the size of my face? More coffee than I’ve drank in my entire life? A life-changing bacon & cheddar crepe with maple syrup and a fried egg at Citizen? Done, done and done. Our hotel, The Maxwell, even had free pineapple cupcakes every evening!

But now I’m home again and ready to share more recipes with you! I hope you’re hungry…

Guess what?

It lived!

It lived and grew taller and taller, like Jack’s fabled beanstalk. (Seriously, it got to be about a foot tall. The photo above was taken after I cut it down.) I knew I’d have to cut it down eventually but I didn’t want to do it until I had something worthy in mind for my magical beanstalk of basil.

What goes with basil? Tomatoes. Then it hit me.

Soup. Soup soup soup. I’m kind of obsessed with soup right now.

I don’t usually get excited about tomato soups, but I like this one for lots of reasons. It’s got really nice depth of flavor, unlike the classic kind that comes in a red and white can. This soup can also be made dairy-free while still being rich and creamy, which my stomach is a fan of. And did I mention it’s ridiculously quick and easy to make?

It’s win – win – win. (I keep typing wine. Obviously my brain is trying to tell me something.)

There’s something just really comforting about tomato soups, right? Pair it with a salad or some grilled cheese and eat it while wrapped up in warm a blanket for best results.

Are you obsessed with soup right now too? Come join SoupaPalooza at TidyMom and Dine & Dish sponsored by KitchenAid, Red Star Yeast and Le Creuset. You’ll find 50+ soup recipes there – enough to keep you warm and comforted through the rest of winter and well into summer!

Creamy Fire-Roasted Tomato Soup

Adapted from Nom Nom Paleo
Serves 4

Don’t get weirded out by the coconut milk. You don’t taste coconut at all, it just makes the soup creamy without the dairy. Feel free to add up to 14 ounces of coconut milk if you want your soup creamier. The wine can be omitted – I just can’t help putting wine in everything I cook.

An immersion blender makes this soup very quick (and I highly recommend it!), but you can use a blender or food processor if that’s all you have. You may have to work in batches.\

Ingredients

2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 large shallots, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup white wine (optional)
28 ounces Muir Glen Organic Fire-Roasted Diced Tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup chicken broth
10 ounces coconut milk (regular or lite)
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/4 cup grated Parmesan (optional, omit if making dairy-free)
Spices, to taste (I use black pepper, chili powder, and cayenne for a kick)
6 – 10 leaves fresh basil, finely chopped

Directions

In a 2 or 3 quart stock pot over medium heat, add oil and saute shallots until soft. Add garlic, cook for 1 minute. Add wine (if using) and cook until reduced by at least half. Add tomatoes, salt and broth. Puree (using an immersion blender, or working in batches with a food processor or blender) and return to heat. Bring soup to a simmer. Stir in coconut milk. Add sugar, Parmesan and other seasoning to taste. Stir in fresh basil. Puree one last time, if desired. Serve hot.

“Must. Have. Chocolate.”

I made this cake for my dad for Father’s Day. Pay no attention to the fact that I named it “My Favorite Chocolate Cake” when it wasn’t even my cake. It was everyone’s favorite chocolate cake.

I’m terrible at frosting cakes but this is my best one yet! A little plain, but at least it turned out level. It’s all thanks to Zoe Bakes and her amazingly helpful “How To” cake decorating video series. If you need cake decorating help, check them out!

Chocolate cake is one of those desserts that’s relatively simple and unassuming, but also can easily turn out disappointing. I like my chocolate cake rich but not too sweet, moist and super chocolatey. This cake is all of those things, and it held up like a champ during a 2 hour car ride over mountains.

It’s amazing.

Don’t you just want to swipe your finger through that frosting?

The chocolate cake layers are tender but with a sturdy crumb that holds up to slicing. They’re also incredibly moist. Despite the somewhat light color, the chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream frosting is intensely chocolatey. I love swiss meringue buttercream because it’s not cloyingly sweet like some other frostings. The cake layers may taste a little on the salty side on their own, but when paired with the silky smooth, rich frosting, the salt and sweet balance is spot on.

The whole thing is a chocoholic’s dream come true. I’m already trying to find an excuse to make this cake again!

My Favorite Chocolate Cake

Adapted from Ina Garden and Sweetapolita
Makes one 9-inch, 2-layer cake

I usually dislike coffee in my chocolate cake because I feel like the coffee flavor overwhelms the chocolate flavor. However, I used a cup of coffee brewed on the weak side for this cake and couldn’t taste the coffee flavor at all so I say go for it. And can I say I just love that you can make this cake easily without using a mixer?

Cake Ingredients

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups sugar
3/4 cups good cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray two 9-inch round cake pans with baking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. In another medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla. Pour wet ingredients into dry and whisk to combine. Add coffee and whisk just until combined. Batter will be thin and runny.

Divide batter evenly among prepared cake pans and bake at 350°F for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans for about 30 minutes, then flip out onto a rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream Ingredients

4 large egg whites
1 cups granulated sugar
2 sticks of unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1/2 tablespoon vanilla
pinch salt
8 ounces quality dark chocolate, chopped (I used Callebaut dark)

I actually ended up using 5 egg whites because I was using fresh eggs and they were a little on the small side. The key to Swiss meringue buttercream is not to panic when it reaches the stage where it looks like it’s irrevocably ruined – just keep beating! If at the end your frosting is too soupy, it might be too warm. Pop it in the fridge for 15-20 minutes and then beat until smooth.

NOTE: I had exactly enough frosting to fill and cover my cake and no leftovers. If you want to add decorations of any kind, I recommend making 1.5 or 2 times this recipe to make sure you have enough frosting.

Directions

Remove butter from refrigerator and cut into cubes. Set aside. (By starting with this step, your butter should be just about the right softened-but-still-cool temperature by the time you’re ready to add it to your frosting.)

Set a saucepan with about 2 inches of water over medium heat and bring to a simmer (not boil). Add chopped chocolate to a large, heat safe bowl and set over saucepan with simmering water. Stir gently just until melted. Remove chocolate from heat and set aside. Keep water simmering.

Add egg whites and sugar to metal bowl of an electric mixer. Set mixer bowl over saucepan with simmering water. Whisk constantly until sugar has dissolved and an instant read thermometer reads 140°F.

Remove bowl from stove and attach to mixer. Using the whisk attachment, whip egg white mixture at medium speed until it forms a light, glossy white meringue and the bottom of the bowl feels room temperature to the touch (about 10 minutes).

Switch to the paddle attachment. On low speed, add butter one cube at a time, incorporating each completely before adding the next. Beat until smooth. (If it curdles, just keep beating!) Add vanilla, salt and melted chocolate, and continue beating until smooth again.

Assembly

Set one cake layer on a cake plate, cake board or pedestal. Add about 1/3 of the frosting and smooth into an even layer. Top with remaining cake layer (upside-down if cake is domed). Spread remaining frosting evenly on top and sides of cake.

Storage

Cake layers can be made ahead, wrapped tightly with plastic wrap, placed in a freezer safe bag and frozen. When ready to use, take them out of the freezer and frost immediately or allow to thaw at room temperature. I actually find it easier to frost frozen cakes because they are firmer.

I recommend making the frosting the same day you will be icing the cake. Once iced, the cake can be refrigerated. The icing will firm up in the fridge, making it easier to travel with the cake without ruining it.

If refrigerated, remove cake from fridge at least 1 hour before eating to allow frosting time to soften again. Leftovers can be stored however you feel comfortable, refrigerated or covered at room temperature. (Ours was stored at room temperature.)

It’s been freezing here lately. Literally freezing. We’ve seen more snow in the last month than we normally get in a whole year. Needless to say I’m all about warm food right now. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, whatever – it just needs to be warm.

My go-to warm breakfast is oatmeal. It’s so easy anyone can make it and so versatile you can make it taste different every day. And it’s good for you too! This recipe is just one of the many ways I make my breakfast oatmeal. What’s your favorite way to make oatmeal?

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal with Walnuts

Makes 1 serving

I like my oatmeal to have texture, unlike those mushy, sugary packets you buy at the store. You can use any kind of oatmeal you like, but I prefer the “old fashioned” or steel cut oats for their hearty texture. Apples (I used golden delicious) and walnuts add some crunch, making this oatmeal anything but mush.

Ingredients

1/3 cup oats
1/4 of an apple, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon real maple syrup
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup water
pinch of salt
dried cranberries (optional)

Directions

Place oats, apple, walnuts, cinnamon and salt in a microwave-safe bowl and stir to combine. Stir in milk, water and maple syrup. Microwave for about 2 minutes. Stir. If too runny, continue to microwave in 30 second intervals until the liquid is absorbed. Top with additional walnuts and dried cranberries if desired, and enjoy!

The liners were so cute I just had to decorate the cupcakes to match. The spider cupcake liners that say “Beware” around the sides were decorated to look like spiderwebs (easier than it looks!), and the skull cupcakes liners that say “Poison” were topped with chocolate cookie crumb “dirt”. I had initially planned to add gummiworms to the dirt, but the chocolate ganache icing wasn’t sturdy enough to hold them up. The dirt cupcakes would look great with a cookie tombstone or a zombie hand cupcake topper – your imagination is the limit!

These cupcakes are dark. Very dark. Not for the faint of heart. They’re a little bit mysterious too, which makes them the perfect choice for Halloween.

At first bite, you’ll taste dark rich chocolate. After a moment, a hint of spices will come through, not enough to overwhelm the chocolate but enough to make you think, “Oh, that’s different”.

Not very sweet at all and a little bit creepy, these are the perfect grown-up Halloween cupcakes.

Dark Chocolate Spice Cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes

As written, this recipe makes very dark chocolate cupcakes. If you don’t like dark chocolate, substitute regular unsweetened cocoa powder in place of the dark cocoa powder. And if you don’t like spices, you can omit them completely to get a really good plain old chocolate cupcake.

Ingredients

1/2 cup fresh brewed coffee
1 stick unsalted butter
heaping 1/3 cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/3 cup low-fat sour cream
1 tsp vanilla

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup pan with cupcake liners.

In a saucepan over medium heat, bring butter and coffee to a simmer. Remove from heat and stir in cocoa powder. Set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, spices and salt.

In a large bowl, beat sour cream and egg together with an electric mixer or by hand. Stir in vanilla. Add the coffee mixture in small amounts, beating constantly, until combined. Add flour mixture and beat slowly until just incorporated.

Divide batter evenly among 12 cupcake cups, filling each about 2/3 full. Bake at 350°F for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool cupcakes on a rack before icing.

Chocolate Ganache Icing

Adapted from Baking From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan
Ices 12 cupcakes

Ingredients

3 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
2 ounces of white chocolate, coarsely chopped (optional)
Chocolate cookies, crushed into chunky crumbs (optional)

Make this icing when you’re ready to use it and work quickly. It’s almost straight chocolate, so it will eventually harden at room temperature.

Directions

Place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering (not boiling!) water. Heat, stirring occasionally, until melted. Remove bowl from heat and set aside to cool for about 5 minutes.

With a spatula, stir the confectioners’ sugar into the warm chocolate. Add a few pieces of butter at a time, stirring to combine, until all are incorporated.

Once cool enough to be spreadable, dip cupcake tops in the ganache to ice, or carefully spread it across the tops using a spatula.

Allow to set at room temperature.

To create spider web and dirt look…

Heat chopped white chocolate in microwave for about 45 seconds on 70% power. Stir. If not melted, microwave in 10 second intervals at 70% power until melted. Fill a plastic sandwich bag with the melted white chocolate and snip a tiny bit of the corner off to make a piping bag.

Working quickly (because it’s chocolate and will eventually harden), ice the cupcakes with chocolate ganache icing. While still warm, pipe a spiral of white chocolate on top of the iced cupcakes, starting in the center and working outward. Drag a toothpick through the icing and spiral, from the center of the spiral to the edge of the cupcake, to create a spiderweb design. Alternately, top iced cupcakes with cookie crumbs to create “dirt”.

If you’ve been following along on Twitter, you know I made a nice coconut layer cake to celebrate my mom’s birthday and Mother’s Day this past week. Unfortunately I don’t have any photos or even a recipe to share! I put the cake together at her house and we were so busy celebrating that I didn’t get around to photographing it. I’ll be honest, it wasn’t that pretty anyway. I’ve only iced 2 or 3 cakes in my life so I’m not very good at it! The cake did taste good, but it wasn’t wow. I used a doctored up boxed cake mix (per Mom’s request) and paired it with a cream cheese buttercream frosting. Both were good on their own, but combined, I felt the cream cheese overpowered the coconut flavor. I’ll try something different next time.

Anyway, I’ve got a few things in the works this week, now that I should have more free time. In the mean time, tell me, what do you plan on making for Memorial Day weekend? Or if you’re not doing anything special for Memorial Day weekend, have you seen any recipes lately that you’re just DYING to make? Don’t keep them from me!

Over the weekend my husband and I attended a wedding in Alexandria, VA. The food we ate all weekend, from lunch at Chadwick’s on the waterfront to the heavenly chicken fontina at the rehearsal dinner to the delicious crab cakes and filet at the reception, was amazing. I came home with no ill effects, other than feeling like I gained about 20lbs.

Until Monday. Everything I ate yesterday – the blueberry muffin I ate for breakfast (recipe coming up tomorrow!), the chicken piccata I made for dinner, the Ghiradelli chocolate I had for dessert – all had an extremely bitter aftertaste. What in the world?! I know those blueberry muffins aren’t bitter, I’ve eaten at least 9 of them already. And my husband assured me the chicken piccata wasn’t bitter either! But that was all I could taste.

At first, I chalked it up to my allergies. I don’t know about you, but I’ve been sneezing my head off lately. The more I thought about it, though, I realized I’ve never had this problem with allergies before. So I turned to Dr. Google. The first few links I read suggested everything from acid reflux to decaying teeth as the cause, but I’m pretty sure I don’t have acid reflux and I was just at the dentist last month where I got a clean bill of health.

And that’s when I found it. The 5th hit of my Google search suggested pine nuts. I clicked over to the Wikipedia page about pine nuts, and what do you know:

The eating of pine nuts can cause serious taste disturbances, developing 1-3 days after consumption and lasting for days or weeks. A bitter, metallic taste is described. In general, a minority of pine nuts on the market present this problem. Though very unpleasant, there does not seem to be a real health concern.

A quick Google search for “pine nuts” and “bitter taste” sealed the deal. The reason I’ve been able to taste nothing but bitterness for the last day and a half? The pine nuts on the salad I ate at the wedding reception on Saturday. Now let’s just hope it goes away soon!

More on pine nuts & the bitter taste:
The Pine Nut Menace (Food & Wine)
Pine Nuts Left A Bitter Taste In My Mouth (Pinch My Salt)
The Great Pine Nut Mystery (The Greasy Spoon)

Also, you can follow The Craving Chronicles on Twitter now, if you’re into that sorta thing. Recent tweets will appear on the right hand side of the site when you visit, so even if you’re not using Twitter you won’t miss out.

And while you’re at it, if you have anything else you’d like to share, let me have it! This site is still very much a work in progress, so I’d love to know what you think of the site so far, what you’d like to see in the future, or answer any questions you have.