Lose Your Weight Smoothie

Hello everyone!

I have been telling lots of people about the new smoothie I have been drinking to replace a meal a day. Okay, so this health kick is going to last just as long as they usually do- so I've got about 2 more good months and then it's back to an all-candy diet. But for those of you that are interested, here is the recipe:

1/2 leaf red kale
1/2 leaf chard
1/2 leaf collard greens
small handful spinach
4 strawberries
4 blackberries
1/4 cup blueberries
1/4 apple (diced)
1 scoop vitamin powder
1 scoop whey protein powder
1 Tb sugar (I use 2 Tb cause I'm crazy)
1/2 cup water

What I did is buy all of the stuff and then make a ton of ziplock bags filled with these items (except for the powder, sugar and water) and froze them so that each morning I take out a bag and throw it in the blender with the other stuff. The nice thing about this is that the ingredients are already frozen so I don't have to use ice, and it is easy to eat and run. You may have to use a food processor if you don't have a great blender. I like to blend everything with a small amount of the water, and then when it has broken down a bit add the rest of the water to blend completely.

I hope you guys like it! It is actually REALLY good- and I am extremely picky about healthy stuff!

My Pie Crust Recipe

I have used this pie dough recipe since culinary school, however I have changed it slightly so it is easier to make. It has always been awesome!

This recipe makes enough dough for 3 pie bottoms.

1 lb 2 oz flour
2 tsp salt
2 oz sugar
12 oz unsalted butter, cold and cubed
6 oz cold water

Mix the flour, salt and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add the butter and mix on LOW until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs- do NOT let it become a dough. Add the cold water and mix on LOW for 10 seconds, or just until it comes together as a dough- do not overmix. Shape the dough into 3 even sized disks and wrap each one in plastic wrap. Chill for 30 minutes before using, or freeze for later use.

Delicious Chicken Tikka Masala

I tried out a new recipe for one of my favorite meals last night. Thought I would spread the word- it was so good!

Chicken Tikka Masala

Mix the following ingredients in a bowl and add the chicken. Marinade the chicken in the mixture for at least 1 hour.

1 cup plain yogurt
1 Tb lemon juice
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp salt
3 chicken breasts

For the sauce: Melt the butter in a skillet and add the garlic and jalapeno. Saute for 1 minute, then add the remaining ingredients. Whisk to combine and allow it to cook for 20 minutes to thicken.

1 Tb Butter
1 clove minced garlic
1 tsp minced jalapeno (this makes the sauce pretty mild, add more if you want it spicier)
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
8 oz tomato sauce
8 oz cream
1 tsp minced cilantro

In the meantime, either grill or saute the chicken until golden brown and cooked through. Chop into 1" cubes and place in the sauce.

Serve over rice and with a side of naan. (I just bought some naan at Harmon's and toasted it for 3 minutes with olive oil on it.)

Enjoy!!

My New York Bakery Tour.

This year I got to go to New York for the second time. I went a few years ago, but this time I promised myself that I was going to visit some awesome bakeries for some inspiration. My old boss from Les Madeleine's used to live in NYC, and she said that the first place we had to visit was the Doughnut Plant. Let's just say that was a superb piece of advice. The doughnuts were so unique, they had flavors like key lime, creme brulee, valrhona chocolate, etc. Our favorites were the tres leches and creme brulee. (Licks lips). 

Afterwards we got to visit Little Italy, which had a bakery that was filled to the BRIM with beautiful desserts like the picture here. These were some mousse petit fours, and they tasted just as sweet and beautiful as they looked.

This was a bakery we stumbled upon in the financial district called Financier. They had a bunch of french macarons, that were just too perfect. It was almost painful to see how delicate and precise they all were. Don't they just look so beautiful in rows like this? (Sorry this picture is so dark :)

Here are some breakfast pastries from a bakery right by the Today show. Sadly, I don't remember the name.....We got to be on TV, and then ran over here where I got an almond raspberry croissant. Damn, New York is so good at studding each moment with great food and desserts, I tell ya.

And these were some pastries from my favorite store in all of New York (that I've been to). The store is called Dean and Deluca, and if you are ever in SoHo, stop there. It is a pretty big specialty food market with just about everything you could ever imagine. I could spend hours there looking at each item. It is just so fun!

New York really knows how to make breath taking pastries. Ahh, what a wonderful place it is.

Honey Beer Cake

A beery chocolate cake with honey and oatmeal stout frosting. Each layer is steeped with a honey beer syrup. Truly delcious, even for a beer-hater like me!

Bienvenue.

Hello to each of you, and welcome to my new blog, for my new business- Rue de Lis Desserts!

I am beyond excited for this new adventure in my life. Every step of my life has led up to this moment, and whether I am ready or not, I am taking the leap.

So let me tell you why.

Why am I opening a business? Well, to know, I think first you must ask what I truly believe in.

If nothing else, I believe in PASSION. Since I was a young girl I have found the romance of cooking and baking in the kitchen. I was only nine years old when I took my first cooking class, and even then I was able to capture the smells, the taste, and the beautiful design of the food I ate. How it affected each and every one of my senses, and that stuck with me.

Cooking (and baking) has always been an intimate experience to me. I can't help but think how much each meal has the potential to affect the one enjoying it. Think of your favorite meal. Most people think of the flavor, the taste- but there is so much more to a life changing meal.

Now take yourself back to the first time you ate your favorite food. What did it smell like, look like, taste like? Was it steaming hot or ice cold? What was the atmosphere like? Were the lights dim and the ambiance romantic, or did you enjoy it outside on your back porch on the perfect day? Who did you eat it with? What else was going on in your life- was this the meal that healed you from your bad break up, or did it quench your hunger after a long day of snowboarding?

I love to think about all of this when I bake. I wonder who will enjoy the treats I've labored to make, and put all of my heart and soul into. Maybe it is their wedding cake, the one and only wedding cake they will ever have. Or a first birthday cake. Or cupcakes for their high school graduation.

Food surrounds our lives and enhances all of our greatest moments.

Baking, and eating for that matter, is a beautiful and poetic experience that amplifies my life in all different shapes and forms.
I am opening this company to help my passion thrive, and to help others with the same passion learn and grow. But I don't want it to stop there- I want my passion to shine through my desserts and inspire others to live their dreams as I have. To take risks for whatever it is you love to do. And to always remember:

 "I am not afraid of failure, for I am not looking to succeed. I am looking to learn." - anon

Happiness is the journey, and if you are doing what you love, and always take what comes as an opportunity to learn, you have no other option but to truly be happy.