I know it's been too long. I feel guilty. I feel ashamed. It feels like we've taken an awkward break in our relationship. But mostly, I feel more excited than ever to tell you about what I've been doing for the past (shudder) 11 months. Wow, has it really been that long?

Ok enough. So since September I have gotten a new job and promotion, moved in with boyfriend to the heart of the city, cooked up a STORM, and eaten a lot of new, interesting food too. Here's what I've been up to...

Let's first start with what new kitchen gadgets I've gotten since we last spoke. Well, boyfriend got me the Bowl Lift KitchenAid for Christmas. When he was picking the color, he said he didn't know which one I would like best, so he got the color of my eyes. *Insert swoon-worthy comment here.* I know, isn't he a keeper? 

Which I used to make these. Clearly, you can see desserts aren't my forte. Also, I'm going to chalk the unfocused pictures of the Black Forest Cake to the cherry liqueur that I soaked the cherries in...

Boyfriend also coordinated with one of our close friends to also get me the matching ice cream maker for the mixer. Which I used to make this banana bread ice cream.

I also got this cool juicer. 

This mezzaluna knife. 

And various and sundry other gadgets and gizmos. Like these adorable Le Creuset ramekins and olive wood salt keeper from my aunt. And that cheerful oil carafe from my grandma. 

Oh and we also bought a Berkey Water Purifier. Drinking clean water is so important, especially when you have city water like we do. If you don't already have some sort of house filtration system, I'd recommend this. It's amazing how differently the water tastes. We also got the shower filter (not pictured.)

Oh, I'm also cooking with gas in our new apartment. For the first time. In my life. It's been a blessing and a curse to say the least. But oh, the things I've roasted over the open flame....

So that's what's new on the machinery front. Now onto the more exciting important things. Food. Here are some pictures of what I've been cooking this past year. Please excuse the horrible picture quality on these, as most were taken with phones.

So we'll start with what I've cooked:

This was last summer. Pretty basic grilled steaks, corn, and asparagus.

 This was my take on a low carb version of Eggs Benedict. I sauteed zucchini and summer squash with bacon instead of the English muffin.

Mashed turnips, collards, and baked ham. 

Eggs in Nests with sundried tomatoes, cheddar, and scallions.

Red cabbage slaw with apple cider vinegar (which I love) and whole grain mustard. Also, note the makeshift spoon rest. That's what we call farmer ingenuity. 

Smoked Mozzarella and Rosemary Grilled Cheese with Aloo Matar

Mango and Avocado Salsa

Sausage Craft Della Nonna Sausage with Sauteed Peppers and Onions served over Parmesan Risotto

Roasted Honey and Dijon Mustard Pork Medallions, Polenta Cakes with Rosemary and Cayenne, Red Cabbage Slaw, and Red Beans with Yellow Onions and Rosemary

Nectarines Sauteed with Brandy-Creamed Honey, Cinnamon, Raw Peanuts, and Finished with Cream

And the endless table. 

This was by far, the best photo of the trip, though.

Needless to say, boyfriend eats a lot of them. 

This was just a basic scramble with dill, Meadow Creek Appalachian Cheese, onions, cherry tomatoes, and served with some buttered Ezekiel 4:9 Sesame Sprouted Whole Grain toast points.

Here we have some more Ezekiel toast with smoked mozzarella, a pan sauce of blistered cherry tomatoes, butter, cumin, and garlic, served with a fried egg.

And lastly, my take on Huevos Rancheros

Now onto what I ate...

Our new favorite breakfast spot is Lamplighter Roasting Company. Mmm lox and a latte.

In March, boyfriend and I went to Texas de Brazil with a couple friends. Ok, I know, I know, not local. And I pride myself in trying to support local restaurants 99% of the time. But if you're going to go to a chain, this is the one. All of the amazing, over-the-top meat aside, the salad bar was actually my favorite part. I could eat that and be perfectly satisfied; this really is a steakhouse for vegetarians. Oh also, three words: goat cheese terrine.

The beginning of June brings the Greek Food Festival to Richmond. It's a tradition we never miss. Pictured are Souvlaki, Moussaka, Pastitsio, and Spanakopita. Also, how cool are my Shield's Tavern Plates from Colonial Williamsburg?

On Father's Day I took my mom out to The Pig and the Pearl, which centers their menu around, yes you guessed it, pork and oysters.

We both started with the St. Pearl, a cocktail made with St. Germaine and a candied hibiscus flower. For our appetizer, we got the Cap City Fried Oysters which are served with their house-made Chimichurri sauce. We had the Southern Gentleman's Burger and Sethna's Pork Palooza Burger, respectively, for our main course. And for dessert, mom got the Salted Chocolate Caramel Cake and I stuck with the pork theme by choosing Bourbon Pecan Bread Pudding, which they serve with a piece of bacon on top. Needless to say, I would recommend going here seldom, as the food is very rich.

Look at this gorgeous salad my friend Chloe's mom made earlier in the Spring. I die for these colors.

In July we went to The Savory Grain for my mom's birthday. This is a fabulous farm-to-table restaurant located on Broad near the Fan. Pictured from left to right are 

Fried Green Tomatoes with Pimento Cheese; 

Crab Cake Entrée and Green Beans Sautéed with VA Country Ham and Goat Cheese with Sweet Potato Salad; 

Smoked Pork Tenderloin Sandwich with Bourbon Molasses Barbecue Sauce; 

Chocolate Espresso Tart with Salted Caramel Drizzle; 

Spaghetti Squash Tossed in a White Wine, Grilled Lemon and Roasted Garlic Sauce with Succotash, Roasted Carrots, Mushrooms, Spinach, Roasted Red Peppers, Shallots, Yellow Squash and Zucchini, finished with fresh Thyme and Brown Butter;

Red Snapper served over Pork Belly and topped with Orange Fennel Salad and Sliced Jalapeños and finished with a Coconut Curry reduction.  Served with Crab Citrus Orzo and Bok Choy medley.

Shrimp and Charleston Grits topped with fresh Shrimp, Sherry Cream Sauce, White Balsamic Tomato Bruschetta and Applewood Smoked Bacon.  Served with Toast Points.

Brunch at Millie's. A nice Bloody Mary on the patio while we waited for our table.

Soft Scrambled Eggs with Lobster (bacon, tomatoes, mushrooms, and puff pastry topped with hollandaise). And Chocolate Cake with Espresso Whipped Crema for dessert.

And finally, one of my favorite restaurants all-year-round, but especially in the summer: Can Can Brasserie. Some of the best French food in Richmond.

Blackberry Truffle and Avocado Salad with Goat Cheese, and Apples. Quarter Braised Chicken on top of a Strawberry Arugula Salad with Polenta Cakes. And by far one of my favorite desserts in Richmond: Goat Cheese Cheesecake with Strawberry Basil Sorbet.

So that's my year, folks. It has been a whirlwind, and I know Food, Baby! has fallen to the back burner. Ha! Food humor... 

Anyway, it is my intent to make up for my absent year by posting three recipes this week. Maybe four if you're lucky. So keep cooking, keep eating, and as always, Buon Appetito!

These have no flour, no oil, no white sugar and are gluten free, dairy free, grain free, and vegan! And did I mention that I am a meat eater, dairy eater, and sometime grain and gluten eater? So why, you ask, would I make and eat these cookies? BECAUSE THEY'RE GOOD. Very good. In fact 'good' doesn't even begin to describe them: I'd actually refer to them as sinful(ly healthy). I was originally skeptical when experimenting with the recipe I saw on Pinterest, but after making them I am a full convert. The best part though is that they're made with chickpeas. So instead of using flour, sugar, and a bunch of eggs (which can be fattening in high quantities) to build your dough base, you're getting a bean that is full of protein, fiber, and copper. And it is very full of folate and manganese, which help in red blood cell production and blood circulation as well as keeping bones strong and synthesizing fatty acids. 

This is a one pot recipe...or in this case, one processor. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and add one 15oz. can of chick peas to a food processor with 1/4 cup of the best honey you can find. I made these at a friend's house, and forgot to bring my honey, but was pleasantly surprised to find he had a great local honey that was made from orange blossoms. Talk about complex flavor profile! Now for the peanut butter. You need natural peanut butter. As in the kind that's just peanuts and salt. No JIF here. (You can make your own by putting roasted peanuts in a processor with salt and pureeing for about 10 minutes until smooth.) The reason for the natural is that if you get the over processed kind, they add extra oils to make it smoother (so check the ingredients list to make sure it only has peanuts and/or salt). If you put that in these cookies without any flour to circumvent the oil, they will separate into a slick mess. Add 1/4 c plus 2T of the peanut butter to the mix. Then add 2tsp of baking powder for a little leavening, 2tsp of pure vanilla extract, 1.5T of cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Puree until smooth and the chick peas are completely broken down. 

DISCLAIMER: This dough will be very thick and sticky (we're talking honey and peanut butter here, people!) and most likely form a big ball in the processor. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides and do a quick blitz again to make sure everything is incorporated. 

Next remove the blade, and stir in 1/2c of the darkest chocolate chips you can stand (the darker the better, and the darker the healthier). Once you have a uniform batter, line a baking sheet with parchment paper, then pour some unsweetened coconut flakes onto a plate. Form the dough into 1" cookies, roll them in the coconut and place them about 1/2" apart on the sheet. 

(TayTip: anytime you're working with a sticky, messy dough, keep a mug of water handy to dip your fingers in. If your fingers are wet, less dough will stick to them.) Bake for 10 minutes until the chocolate has melted and the coconut is toasted. Makes 21 cookies. 

Ooey-gooey chocolate and peanut butter goodness. Everyone knows the dough is better than the cookie, right? That's what makes these so good: the texture is smooth and thick and breaks apart easily like dough. Not to mention there are only 71 calories, 8g carbs, and 4g of fat per cookie. Hello healthy decadence! 

Buon appetito! 

Cioccolato. Chocolat. Chocolade. Čokolada. Chocolate. Is there a more beautiful word? Especially when used in a sentence with Chianti and salt and caramel? I don't think so. And I'd be willing to debate anyone who thinks otherwise. This is definitely not a healthy dessert. Some might even say that's a contradiction of terms (I do have some healthy desserts up my sleeve, but this isn't one of them). This is called crack for two reasons. One is that it's addicting, and the other is that you crack it to break it up at the end. Also, I feel like I say this all the time, but anything that has wine definitely has my attention. Add chocolate, and I'm so there it's not even funny...

Start by spraying the largest cookie sheet you have with cooking spray. IMPORTANT: if your sheet isn't nonstick, put parchment or wax paper down, otherwise you'll have a sticky mess that won't come off the pan. Then lay as many saltines as you can fit on the sheet with the salt side down in rows. Do this before you start your caramel because once it's ready, you have a small window of time to get it from the pot to the crackers before it hardens. Next preheat your oven to 475 degrees F. In a large skillet or sauce pot (depending on how high the sides of your skillet are), melt two sticks of butter over med-high heat. Once the butter has melted, add 1 cup of dark brown sugar. What? I told you this wasn't healthy. 

So now the dessert fairy turns the butter and brown sugar into caramel. This will bubble and be constantly darkening in color, and you need to be constantly stirring it. Boil for 1-2 minutes, then add 3/4 cup of Chianti and another 1/3 cup of brown sugar. Keep stirring and DON'T leave it, or your sugar will burn faster than you can say strawberries for "dessert." Notice the nice pink color the wine adds? I will also say that at this point, you can seriously burn yourself, so no dogs, kids, or other moving objects flying around the kitchen. Boil another 1-2 minutes until the sugar has dissolved (TayTip: if you don't trust your timer or yourself, use a candy thermometer. The caramel will be done when it's reached 234 degrees F). Then take your pot and pour the Chianti caramel over the crackers. Don't worry about covering every square inch because it will spread out in the oven. Bake for 4 minutes; this is to toast the crackers and make a uniform layer of caramel.

Now for the chocolate. I used Ghirardelli semi-sweet morsels with a 60% cacao count. You can go darker, but anything over 70% will most likely be too bitter. I also wouldn't recommend milk chocolate for this particular recipe. I'm usually all for deviating from the beaten path in the kitchen, but trust me on this one: you need dark chocolate. Sprinkle 2 cups of morsels right onto the hot, caramel-covered, crackers. The residual heat will melt it; this takes about 5 minutes. Once it's melted, use a rubber spatula or offset spatula to spread it in an even layer. The last step is to sprinkle fleur de sel (use sea salt if you don't have any, but don't use iodized...you need large granules) all over the melted chocolate before it's hardened. Stick the pan in the freezer for a minimum of 45 minutes so the chocolate and caramel can set.

You will know the chocolate is completely tempered when it doesn't have a shine, but rather a matte finish. Take a butter knife or offset spatula and slide it under the crack, which will probably be in one giant sheet, and break it up to your heart's content! No rules or size specifications for the pieces. Store in an airtight container or ziploc bag in the fridge or freezer for long term storage.

Gooey. Glossy. And gorgeous. Do yourself a favor RIGHT NOW, and click on the pictures to enlarge them. Then click again to zoom. You're welcome. 

Salty and sweet and wine and chocolate. This is dessert royalty, people. I bet you wouldn't think I'd describe it as light--because it isn't--but the saltines add an airiness that normal toffee or brittle doesn't have. Basically, it's less dense. Serve on ice cream, with whipped cream, by itself, or on a shoe. I guarantee it'll be equally as good in any of those scenarios. Go make it, then go on a walk if you're feeling guilty. 

Questions, comments, and recipe requests below. Buon appetito!

Then grate some fresh whole nutmeg into the pan. About 1tsp. 

Cook over medium-high to high heat until boiling then remove from the heat immediately as the sugar can burn very quickly. 

Now back to the cooled peaches. Toss them skins and charred parts and all into a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. 

Will look like this when finished. (TayTip: at this point you could use the peach puree as a marinade or sauce for pork, chicken, or fish)

Then add your gorgeous, tawny caramel and blend until incorporated. 

Now for the "yo" part, and the reason why the peaches had to cool. If you mix piping hot peaches with cold yogurt, it is going to separate. As in curds and whey, and I don't see Little Miss Muffet anywhere, so it's best to take your time with this one. Add 2.5 cups to the peach mixture and blend. 

Pale and sunny.