Tag Archives: Food Network Magazine

Magazines Galore!

Many of you know how much I love a good magazine! Marie Claire, Redbook, HGTV, Food Network, Real Simple, Every Day With Rachael Ray, Good Housekeeping — these are a few of my favorite magazines… And, YES, I subscribe to each and every one of them! I love opening my mailbox to discover that I am now overwhelmed (in a good way) with plenty of reading material. They don’t always come at once (thank goodness!) but this month — I got 4 all in one day! How lovely!

So, as I dive into some of my favorite reads — I want to hear what everyone else flips through every month!? I must also share with you how amazing a simple magazine subscription is for a gift; my Auntie Anne got me a subscription to Every Day With Rachael Ray for Christmas this year and I am in love with the publication’s recipes!

magazines

Festive Holiday Inspiration

You can’t really miss holiday inspiration “this time of year” — it’s every where! And I love it, it’s exactly what we need. And, when I say “we” I mean — “we, people, that live in cold locations”. Holiday cheer excites almost everyone and it’s that perfect joy I need — it lifts my spirits in the dead of winter.

So, I thought I’d share with you some of my holiday inspiration that has kept me excited for Christmas and Hanukkah this year — remember, folks, Hanukkah starts this Saturday!

home alone soundtrack

I heavily rely on my Pandora radio, it’s free and it seems to play the music I like (most of the time). But it’s always right on the money with my favorite holiday songs. This past weekend some Home Alone music popped up on my Pandora Christmas station and it inspired me to watch the movie. I was flooded with nostalgia as I watched Kevin set up the house to scare off “the bad guys” — I watched this movie ever year growing up, it’s such a classic!

holiday glitter tree

Check out this adorable mini Holiday Glitter Trees I came across at Trader Joes! How darling and festive! They are real trees and need to be watered, hopefully mine won’t fall over from thirst! A bigger hope I have is that I won’t continue to find the glitter around the house far after the holidays are over.

holiday food network magazine

The one thing I rely on every year is my Food Network Magazine — this never lets me down on great inspirational recipes to make for the holidays. One recipe I am obsessed over this winter season is the Oatmeal Lace Cookie recipe I can’t seem to stop making. Seriously, I can’t stop making it; I have made this recipe 4 times since my December issue arrived in the mail and I think I may have gained a couple cookie pounds.

Something cute I thought I’d share is this really fun pin I came across on Pinterest. Last year I had a very New York City festive seasonal/holiday card and when I saw this pin I thought how perfect it would be to turn into greeting cards.

christmas color palette

Be sure to follow me on Instagram for some of my personal Holiday photos! And of course, be sure to follow on Pinterest too, I can’t help go a little crazy over all of the seasonal ideas — from baking to decor, I love (and pin) it all! Above is a color palette I adore, Design Seeds has some fantastic ideas for color palettes — I promise, you’ll be inspired!

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Oatmeal Lace Cookies

My Food Network Magazine arrived just in time this year — just in time for me to put some of their recipes from the December/Holiday issue to test over Thanksgiving. Next weekend I am attending a friend’s annual cookie exchange party and it’s always fun because I get to: stuff my face with cookies, have about a week’s worth of cookies in my kitchen (which usually lasts me the weekend), and I pick up on some great baking inspiration — and lets admit it, I need as much baking advice & tips as I can get! We all know, I am a cook — not a brilliant baker.

My sister can agree with me on that, that I am not the best baker. One holiday she asked me to help her bake dozens of cookies to put together some holiday cookie tins for her boyfriend’s family (they are now her inlaws). Well, in a nutshell, I accidentally flung several egg whites across her kitchen — causing a major mess on her walls. Then, I, um, probably was the one that accidentally, um, put in double the amount of baking soda into her chocolate chip cookie recipe.

So what, that’s the past. And now, I am at least much more aware of my baking actions.

Below is my favorite cookie recipe that I tested out this weekend from FNM’s brilliant “Cookie Countdown” spread. I have to say they were a hit at my friend Jesse’s Thanksgiving lunch, they were adored by my father who is a more “traditional oatmeal cookie type of man”, and my mother put in a special request that I bake her more before heading off to work again tomorrow.

So here they are — FNM’s Oatmeal Lace Cookies. Try not to eat the batter, it’s pretty darn tasty and you probably won’t be able to stop gobbling up all of the buttery batter; but I promise the baked cookies will be just as fabulous!

Nom, nom! Enjoy! And, Happy Holidays!


The Recipe for Oatmeal Lace Cookies:
Ingredients:
1 Stick Unsalted Butter
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup rolled oats (not instant)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon beaten egg white
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

Directions:
1. Position the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Melt the butter with the sugar in a saucepan over low heat, stirring, until the mixture thickens and the sugar is almost dissolved, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the oats, flour, vanilla and salt. Let cool 10 minutes, then stir in the egg white.
3. drop 6 rounded tablespoonfuls of the batter onto each prepared baking sheet, about 3 1/2 inches apart. Spread each mound into a 3-inch circle. Bake, switching the position of the pans halfway through, until golden brown, 12-15 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheets until firm, about 3 minutes, then carefully remove using a thin metal spatula and transfer to a rack to cool completely.
4. Put the chocolate in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring, until melted. Drizzle on the cookies and let set, about 30 minutes.

(note: this isn’t my own personal recipe, it’s taken word-for-word from FNM. And, I highly recommend trying this recipe, it’s brilliant and is perfect for Holiday cookie parties, and just plain ol’ every day cookie eating!)

A Classic Country-Style Dinner

There’s something about the foods that I get to eat when I go home. Leaving a city and going to the country-side, it doesn’t just mean you can go pick corn yourself from the farm down the road, but it also means… MORE COUNTER SPACE! After living in a city with practically no apartment/living space and then returning home to a house with a kitchen practically the size of your first apartment — you know you’re going to have a field day cooking! I sure have.

Within the past few days, I have made multiple batches of cookies, specifically homemade oatmeal raisin cookies, loads of homemade popcorn spiced up with either truffle salt or dry ranch dip (try it, it’s fabulous!), homemade pizza (a Rasi family specialty), and tonight was one of my favorites… I made an outstanding lemon, garlic chicken with creamed corn. Not only was this recipe a cinch, it also involved very few ingredients that are also basic and easy to find in any grocery store!

Pulled directly from the one, the only, Food Network Magazine, the directions are made by professionals and need no alterations, I promise you! The simplicity of the creamed corn recipe will have me making it many more times even when I am cooking other dishes that may not be chicken. Take a look at the recipe for the chicken and the corn. The only addition I would make is to add more salt and pepper at the end once the corn has been cooked. It will add the perfect seasoning to the plate. Also, I paired this dish with a full-bodied red wine. Try it, you’ll be happy!

I laughed while making this because my mother was with me and said, “how long do you think this will take to cook?” I told her the directions said about 40 minutes total. She laughed and said that that is never the case and it always ends up taking longer. Everyone knows that I am a true believer and supporter in the entire Food Network brand, yes it’s because I am a fan… But it’s also because I actually have experience working in the FNM offices and I know that everyone there does everything to make the recipe the best it can ever be! So, follow directions to the T. And if you find something you’d prefer to change, do it the second time you make the dish! The chefs writing these recipes have experience — they are not college graduates that cooked up Ramen noodles one too many times… They are trained culinary experts that want everyone to say “YUM” when they take a bite out of their own personal culinary creation.

A New Section To My Blog

I have recently added a new tab to my blog where I can start keeping track of my favorite recipes. I have only added a few and I will continue to add recipes as I cook! I have blogged about a few of my favorites in the past, such as: Paula Deen’s Phyllo Wrapped Asparagus and Food Network Magazine’s “Copy That” recipe called Almost Famous Cheddar Biscuits.

As I said, this is a work in progress so there are only a handful of recipes that have been added to this tab. If you have any recipes that you would be willing to share, please either submit them via comment on the “Recipe” tab, or feel free to contact me under the “Contact Me” tab.

Thanks!
Cayla

Italian Pastries & Food Network Meringue Recipe

The other day when I was down in China Town (NYC) for the Grub Street Food Festival, I saw Italian pastries that were labeled in English and in Chinese. It made me think about how even though certain styles or desserts might be known as “Italian,” they are also known well by many cultures around the world. Who wouldn’t love to sink their teeth into the classic flavors of a lobster tail (not a real lobster tail, but the pastry kind)?

I found this photo in my camera and it was taken while I was in a pastry shop in Venice. Yes, of course I ended up buying a variety of sweets to sample several different types of desserts. I can’t help it, I love meringues, actually it has been on my list of things to do… learn how to make meringues. In the October issue of Food Network Magazine there were adorable ghost meringues and while I was reading the recipe I realized how easy it is to make. Also, it doesn’t require a ton of ingredients. Maybe I’ll make them this weekend for Halloween!

Below is the recipe of Ghastly Meringues from Food Network Magazine (text is word for word and is credited to FNM):

    Ingredients:
    3 large egg whites
    1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
    3/4 cup sugar
    1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

    Directions:
    Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until frothy. Beat in the sugar; increase the mixer speed to high and beat until stiff peaks form, 5 to 6 minutes.
    Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip. Pipe 8 to 10 swirls on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until dry, 1 hour to 1 hour, 15 minutes. Transfer the baking sheet to a rack and let cool completely.
    Put the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl; microwave on 50 percent power until melted, about 1 minute, stirring halfway. Transfer the melted chocolate to a zip-top bag and snip a corner. Pipe the chocolate on the meringues to look like eyes.

My Favorite Spicy Tuna Roll – From Hillstone

hillstone_food

Hillston'e spicy tuna rolls... My favorite!

For a long time I really disliked sushi, I actually can’t tell you why exactly I hated it so much … but I did. Less than a year ago I got hooked to spicy tuna rolls — so much in fact, I discussed my tuna intake with my doctor and she told me to chill out with the tuna and limit myself to eating it once a week. It’s probably the hardest thing for me to do because sushi is such an easy meal and I am often tempted to pick up the spicy tuna from Whole Foods for lunch. But since I only can have it once a week, I save my time for the right moment aka the time my boyfriend and I go to Hillstone for dinner.
Hillstone on Park Ave. is always busy — and for good reasons. The service, the food, the atmosphere is pretty consistent and it’s nice to have consistency. The service is usually exceptionally friendly and the food always comes out hot and the way you want it. We usually order the Rockefeller to start (the spinach and artichoke dip). Actually not long ago, The Food Network Magazine did a “copy that” recipe on Houston’s (or Hillstone’s) spinach and artichoke dip; I was extremely happy when I made the recipe to find that FNM was right on with all of the ingredients! (I have made other “copy that” recipes, like the Red Lobster’s cheddar biscuits, click here for the recipe!) On Sunday nights my boyfriend and I love to order the tomato soup; there’s a sweet honey that’s added to the soup and it’s a unexpected but delicious surprise. I order the spicy tuna rolls with a side of wilted spinach (I get the spinach if I am insanely hungry) and my boyfriend orders the ribs. The ribs practically slide off of the bone, they are cooked to perfection every single time!
Hillstone’s (or Houston’s) spicy sauce for the tuna rolls is delish — it has the perfect spice and isn’t too overwhelming. If you don’t enjoy eating sushi for your main dish, be sure to order it as an appetizer to share with friends so you don’t miss out on the experience of the best spicy tuna rolls!

April 2011 Issue of Food Network Magazine

My kitty, Hudson, is taking a look at the April issue of Food Network Magazine!

Here it is! The April 2011 issue of FNM! I’m always excited to get new issues — the magazine is filled with only the best recipes (and easy too) that you can make! My favorite sections are the Food News and the Copy That recipe; they are the first pages I flip to when I tear through the glossy pages! This month’s issue is especially exciting for me because I have a small feature in the back of the issue with my name on it! A new edition to the On The Road section of FNM is a page called “Last Call” and this month I wrote the Last Call (page 144).
Be sure to pick up your own issue and take a look at what all the excitement is about!

Food Network’s Almost-Famous Cheddar Biscuits

Food Network Magazine's "Copy That" recipe makes unbelievable cheddar biscuits! These I made in my parents kitchen in Hershey, Pa.

Lots of kitchen counter space isn’t a common thing to find in a Manhattan apartment. Which is why when I go back to visit my parents, I take full advantage of using their counter space for some cooking and/or baking.
Here is one of my favorite recipes from Food Network Magazine that I am sure you will fall in love with. It’s the best side dish and I usually pair it with a baked lemon-butter cod and some sort of veggie like asparagus or zucchini.
So here it is, the recipe to Almost-Famous Cheddar Biscuits (if you like the Red Lobster biscuits, you’ll love these even more)!

Ingredients:

For The Biscuits:
- Cooking spray
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 1/2 teaspoons sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons vegetable shortening, at room temperature
- 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 6 ounces grated yellow cheddar cheese (about 1 1/4 cups)
- 3/4 cup whole milk

For The Garlic Butter:
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 clove garlic, smashed
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley

Directions:
Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees. Lightly mist a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
Make the biscuits: Pulse the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a food processor. Add the shortening and pulse until combined. Add the butter; pulse 4 or 5 times, or until the butter is in pea-size pieces. Add the cheese and pulse 2 or 3 times. Pour in the milk and pulse just until the mixture is moistened and forms a shaggy dough. Turn out onto a clean surface and gently knead until the dough comes together. Do not overwork the dough or the biscuits will be tough.
Drop the dough onto the baking sheet in scant 1/4-cup portions, 2 inches apart, and bake until golden, 15 to 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the garlic butter: Melt the butter with the garlic in a small saucepan over medium heat; cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley. Brush the biscuits with the garlic butter and serve warm.