bread that's worth the dough

    Where have I been, you ask? Well, my friends, I have been cooking! One of my dear friends Heather owns a charming bakery called Cheesecake Therapy that has great and incredibly imaginative flavors of cheesecake to offer in addition to incredible cupcakes, tarts, pies, scones, bread pudding, and whatever else she feels like whipping up that day. She called (read: Facebook messaged) me a couple months ago eagerly looking to start a Sunday brunch and asked if I would help her in the kitchen so that's been my fun new venture! Not only do I get to work with a wonderful woman in a fabulous bakery, I get to help plan menus and help cook classy, fun, unique, and delicious brunches!

Look at that fancy chef's jacket!
Also, look how cute that bakery is!

  Arvada is full of all sorts of wonderful little places to eat, too. They're hidden gems in the area because, if you know anything about that city, it's not like it's known for it's hip scene, but there have been some really cool new places popping up all around the Old Town Arvada area. (if you're not from Colorado, sorry. This one is pretty city specific!) In addition to Cheesecake Therapy, there is always the D Note which has great pizza and jazz, Scrumptious which is full of old and new candies of every variety, Mannekin Frittes which specializes in french fries, and one of my new favorite places, the Great Harvest Bread Company.

Ham and Gouda? Yes, please!

    

I discovered Great Harvest on accident when I spontaneously ended up at the Old Town Arvada St. Patrick's Day "festival." I put the word in quotes because it was about 1 block long (yet still managed to have a Scentsy booth. I swear that shit is like a CULT. I should know--my mom sells it. haha) and really the only thing to do there was drink green beer, eat free samples of indian food, and try the green bread that Great Harvest was selling. Then (since there was hardly anything else to look at) I noticed some other VERY EXCITING breads! I ended up buying a Stout and Gouda loaf and a Potato Dill loaf of bread because they looked so good and it was the BEST DECISION I'VE EVER MADE. Seriously. 

    So next time you're in Arvada and you're thinking, "I sure wish i had some delicious bread..." check these guys out. I went in a couple of weeks after the delicious Stout & Gouda loaf was gone to get another loaf of it and found out they run more "seasonal" flavors, so I ended up getting a Santa Fe Jalapeño Cheddar loaf for sandwiches and a Cinnamon Chip loaf for dessert/snacks/breakfast/anything because that was the best bread in the world. 

Cinnamon Chip loaf.
This is seriously like bread porn. See how tasty it looks?!

Tacos!

My adventure this weekend - making delicious tacos from scratch!

Tortillas are way easier to make than I ever imagined. With the always lovely Julia rolling out the tortillas and shredding her heart out with chicken, the meal was fun to make, fun to eat, and delicious.

Handmade tortillas (you can clearly tell by the shape...), brined and seasoned shredded chicken, purple cabbage and radish ribbons tossed with crema mexicana, and queso fresco crumbled over the top all brought together with a squeeze of lime juice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I almost had to restrain myself to keep from eating until I fell in to a taco haze.

Something fresh, something fatty, something spicy, something with acid, all on a fun tortilla that was made minutes before we ate it!

Hipster Cupcake Friday!

Kettle Corn cupcake, complete with a piece on top. Exceptionally good!

Nutella Ice Cream!

Nutella: (n.) a delicious chocolately hazelnut spread that makes everything better. 


I've made chocolate cakes with nutella mousse and slathered nutella on just about everything one can conceive, and not surprisingly nutella ice cream was like magic. It was like soft serve poured directly out of a unicorn's horn.  Since I have the nicest boyfriend in the world (hoping he sees this and buys me nice things), I got a KitchenAid stand mixer for my birthday in October and have been admiring all of the fun things it can do. Not only does it mix anything and everything but it works as an ice cream maker, pasta roller, can wash the cat, iron your clothes, fold your socks, tell you where babies come from, and write a hit song*. 


Anyhow, here's the recipe for the nutella ice cream. It's so good you'll find yourself sleepwalking, waking up in the kitchen with a spoon in your mouth and a delicious creamy bite of ice cream sliding down your throat. 


Nutella Ice Cream, with thanks to Giada De Laurentiis (who i don't think actually eats anything she makes because she looks like a stick figure sim. you know, the sims? that computer game? anyhow... on with the recipe.)

i borrowed this picture because mine didn't come out as well.. :)

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup sugar, plus 1/4 cup
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup Nutella
• 1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts, crushed, for garnish

Directions

In a saucepan combine the milk, cream, and 1/2 cup sugar over medium heat. Cook until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl whip the egg yolks with the remaining sugar using an electric mixer until the eggs have become thick and pale yellow, about 4 minutes. Slowly pour 1/2 cup of the warm milk and cream mixture into the egg mixture and stir. This will help to warm your eggs so they don't scramble because no one wants to taste eggs in their ice cream. Add this mixture back into the saucepan. Cook over very low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture becomes thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, about 7 to 10 minutes.

Place a strainer over a medium bowl and pour the warm custard mixture through the strainer. Stir in the vanilla and hazelnut spread until it dissolves. Chill mixture completely before pouring into an ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's instructions to freeze. To serve, scoop gelato into serving bowls and top with hazelnuts.

Happy cooking! Enjoy the ice cream!

*stand mixer may or may not actually do the functions listed. please consult the owner's manual for actual functionality.