girl meets bowl

The results are in. I know the suspense has been killing you.

The expert panel consisted of myself, my mom, sister, and bf. My in-depth statistical analysis of the results was done by averaging. Supa Fancy.

Going back to the American Idol analogy, can I be Ellen?

Bringing up the rear, we have:

6) Butternut Squash—Average Rating: 3

Taste: 3.6
Texture: 3.3
Prep: 2

I really expected the squash to do better. Early on in the battle royale, I anticipated it dominating the competition.

Butternut squash’s biggest downfall is its prep. First you have to wrangle off the tough skin and then Macgyver some way to slice it. Its size and shape make it awkward to maneuver over a mandoline and you can never get an even slice. The last time I made these they turned out fantastic. I think it was because I cut them by hand and made thicker slices that cooked more evenly. They tasted almost like Cheezits. So, butternut squash definitely has the flavor, you just have to find a way to get at it.

5) Yucca—Ave Rating: 3.7

Taste: 4
Texture: 4.1 (Mom, whom I’m now thinking of as Randy Jackson, was of the minority opinion that these were too hard, dragging down an otherwise near-perfect texture score)
Prep: 3 (it’s a bitch to peel)

These and the parsnip chips were the only two to stay crispy overnight. Plus, they have a great flavor. The prep is really the only thing holding these babies back.

4) Sweet Potato—Ave Rating: 3.8

Taste: 3.9
Texture: 3.5
Prep: 4 (it’s a little harder than potato, so getting even slices was a little tougher)

Overall, pretty tasty and crisped up really nicely.

3) Beet—Ave Rating: 4

Taste: 4
Texture: 4
Prep: 4

It was unanimously agreed that the flavor and texture were fantastic. All-around, a damn good chip.

The one drawback is that you can’t tell by a color change that they’re ready. You have to sort of just guess by texture and trial and error.

2) Classic Potato—Ave Rating: 4.7

Taste: 4.3
Texture: 4.8
Prep: 4.7

I really just threw this in the mix for comparison’s sake. I was hoping it would lose miserably to the other, more nutritious vegetables so that I could prove a point. I was prepared to throw the vote if it got too close to winning. I am not above it.
My bf, Simon Cowell, claimed from the very beginning that potato would win out against everything. (He’s not really a vegetable person. We’re working on it.)

And finally, my absolute favorite:

1) Parsnip—Ave Rating: 4.8

Taste: 4.8
Texture: 4.5
Prep: 5

I know I’m leaving out several amazing veggie/fruit chips (such as plantains and kale), so think of this as just round one.

I thought about baking the chips instead of frying, but it’s really tough to get them to cook evenly in the oven unless, unlike me, you’re good at slicing evenly.

All chips were made with the following method:

1. Slice vegetables into thin, even slices, either with a sharp knife or using a mandoline.
2. Heat a deep skillet filled about 1/4 inch high with oil (vegetable or olive) on medium-high heat until the oil sizzles when you flick a drop of water in.
3. Fry chips in batches, careful not to crowd. Chips are done when they turn golden (or, as in with beats, once you think they’re done). Remove to a paper towel when done and repeat.
4. Sprinkle a little salt if you want (I didn’t in this case, because I wanted all of them naked).
5. Eat while still crispy!

Oh and my sister is definitely Paula.

Will post the whole shebang once this physics midterm is in my rearview. Until then, a glimpse of some sexy, sexy beets:

Here’s the full, completed post.

Bombed another chem test.

Crank up the Adele and bring on the emotional baking.

The Contenders:

May the best root vegetable (or squash if we’re gonna be pc) win.
Chip finalists will be scored on taste, ease of prep, and crispiness. The panel consists of myself, bf, and mom. Think of it like American Idol, but with way more fiber…

Got a favorite veggie chip, or wanna throw support for one of the above?

Okay, only 4 more days. We can do this.

Tomato Soup—classic, simple, delicious.

Throughout this soup series, I’ve tried to stay somewhat true to the original recipe. That did not happen here. I love Ina Garten and I’m positive that her soup was phenomenal—but I was in the mood for a simple soup with just a few fresh ingredients. Sorry Ina, it’s nothing personally (you’re still Contessa over my heart).

Simple Tomato Soup
Serves 4ish

• Olive oil
• 6-8 Ripe Roma Tomatoes or 3-4 of a larger variety
• 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• Half a large bunch of fresh basil leaves (roughly maybe a cup, it’s kind of hard to over-basil.)
• 1 cup Tomato paste + 1 cup water (or equivalent tomato sauce)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Optional: A tbs or so of any hard cheese and/or heavy cream to make a creamier soup and/or sun-dried tomatoes.

1. Roughly chop the tomatoes and then cook them in a well-oiled skillet on high heat. Let them sizzle for a few minutes, occasionally stirring. Add the garlic and turn off the heat (the garlic will cook a little from the remaining heat).
2. Toss all of the ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Add more liquid and season if need be.
3. Add any of the optional ingredients that you want—they’ll all be tasty.
4. Garnish with a splash of cream or fresh basil.
5. Eat.

After bombing my chemistry test (apparently I need to study for that class), I was seriously bummed.

Then I opened my tumblr and saw all of the amazing feedback for the truffles.

Once it sunk in and I realized I wasn’t hallucinating, I was strutting like a mofo.

So thanks guys, for turning a crappy day into a good one.

Gimme a second. I have to muster enthusiasm for more soup. Okay, we’re good.

White Bean Soup=pretty tasty.

It’s sort of like eating a big bowl of white gravy, which is great if you like eating copious amounts of faux gravy. Apparently my boyfriend does, but his palette isn’t the most discerning.

White Bean Gravy Soup — adapted from Kitchen Confidante

• Olive oil
• 1/2 Medium Onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2-3 cups veggie or chicken stock or water
• 2 cups cooked white beans* 
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Parmesan or similar hard cheese grated on top and/or a lil sour cream

1. Rough chop the onion and garlic. Pan sear the onions until they have a little color. Throw in the garlic for a minute then remove from heat.
2. Blend onion, garlic, beans, and enough liquid to reach desired consistency.
3. Season to taste and top with cheese and/or cream.
4. Enjoy!

*You could canned, OR you could be classy and use dried. It’s better for you and cheaper in the long run. Just soak dried beans overnight and simmer for 20 minutes or so the next day. Voila. (Roughly 2/3 cup dried=2 cups cooked).

Tomato Soup Coming Soon!

I’ve got 99 problems but a snitch ain’t one.

I originally made these for an HP party right before Deathly Hallows Part II. (Butterbeer, chocolate frogs, treacle tarts, and a few other wizard treats may have also been present). I finally got around to recreating them and doing a step-by-step. (If you don’t want to make them and are just looking for some snitch porn, scroll to the bottom.)

Golden Snitch Truffles
Makes 32 Snitches

Ingredients*

• 2 cups (12 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips (or dark chocolate)
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 2 tbs Kahlua or vanilla extract or flavor of choice
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2-1 cup dark chocolate, 60% or higher

*I swear I tried to measure everything but inevitably there were unforeseen changes along the way, so these are sort of guesstimates of the amounts I used. If you’ve got a go-to truffle recipe, by all means, use that instead)

Supplies

• Wax Paper
• Edible Gold Powder (I used Wilton’s Pearl Dust, about $4)
• Edible Gold Spray (I used Duff’s Cake Graffiti, $4)
• Decent paint brush that’s small enough to fit in the Wilton tube
• Pastry bag or a ziploc

Truffles

1. Whip the cream and Kahlua/vanilla until stiff peaks form. Melt the chocolate in the microwave or over a double broiler and let cool. Fold in the whipped cream. The mixture should resemble a dense mousse.

   

2. Chill the mixture in the freezer or fridge until it’s a manageable consistency. You’re gonna use the cocoa powder like you would flour here. Mix in as much as you need to be able to roll balls smoothly without sticking. Return to freezer if they’re giving you too much trouble.

   

3. Transfer truffles to clean wax paper. I know that you’ve just rolled perfect, beautifully rounded balls, but perfect spheres don’t sit well with wings attached. You’re going to want to flatten the bottoms a little bit to make them sit nicer. You can either squish them down—which I don’t recommend because you’ll mess up their shape—or you can do what I do and drop them. While transferring to the clean wax paper, drop your truffles from about a foot over the surface and let gravity do its thing. 
4. Bust out your gold. (I always thought the brand was “Buff” not “Duff” because of that oddly placed heart logo. Am I alone in that?)

   

5. Using the paint brush, dust the truffles one at a time with the gold powder. (1 tube of powder covered 32 truffles with a little leftover). You can also give them a quick spray with the Duff if you want to seal them.

   

6. Remove the gilded truffles from the wax paper and set aside (store in the refrigerator until you need them). Don’t even think about tossing that beautiful, golden wax paper they were sitting on. You’re gonna use it in a sec. Give it a quick spray with the Duff if you haven’t already.

Wings

1. Load your dark chocolate into a pastry/ziploc bag and seal it. Heat the bag in a double broiler water bath (alternately, melt the chocolate and then bag it, but I’m way too messy for that). Snip a small hole in the corner. Drizzle the chocolate onto that gilded wax paper you saved, making wings about 1 to 1 1/2 inches long. Like so:

   

2. This design is just what I’ve found that works. Feel free to play around with the pattern as long as you maintain a feasible level of stability. (This is why using dark chocolate is so important. I tried using white chocolate and semi-sweet, but only dark really held up).

   

    
3. Once you’ve filled your wax paper, freeze the wings to set them (about 2 minutes). To figure out how many wings you’ll need to make, count your truffles, multiply by 2 and then add 5 or so extras because you’ll inevitably break a few or make some duds.

   

4. Spray gold on set wings, thoroughly coating but not drenching. Freeze to set.

   

5. Gingerly remove wings from the paper—more like removing the paper from them. The gold should stick to the bottoms and come up when you lift the wings, so both sides are golden. (You’re looking at the backside of one).

   

6. Set finished wings aside and repeat on the same wax paper until you’ve made enough wings. For round two, drizzle chocolate on the spaces in between the old wing sites so they pick up the gold backing.

   

Assembly

1. To assemble, you’ll need one truffle and two wings. Try to match the wings—something I clearly need to work on.

   

2. Gently press the wings into the sides of the truffle. If your truffles are the right consistency, the wings should stay in place.

   

3. Voila, done.

   

4. Repeat until you have a small Snitch army.

   

   A note of caution: these babies are a little fragile so they don’t travel well. I recommend storing them separately and assembling at the destination if you need to. Store in refrigerator.
   

   

   Why yes that is my homemade infinity Ravenclaw scarf. How kind of you to notice.

   

   I started out making these as a classic chocolate and cream truffle, but they were just too dense for my liking. I think whipping the cream adds a lightness and silkiness to the truffles. Mmmm.

   

   

   My little sister kindly modelled for me. Oh and not that I’m horribly jealous or outraged at the injustice or anything, but she, having never been interested in Harry Potter, got to go to the Wizarding World in Orlando with a friend. For a week. I have never been and will likely never get a chance to go. She even has a robe now. So. Not. Cool.

   

   
   
   

   

   
   On a side note, can someone close to JK Rowling kindly suggest that she write a prequel? Either focusing on the Marauder days or going way back to the founding of Hogwarts, or even a side story of some of the Wizarding communities in other countries. Plz plz plz???