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|Alexander McQueen Fall 2019|

Stunning Expressions 
Alexander McQueen Fall 2019

St. Patrick’s Day Chocolate Covered Oreos

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St. Patrick’s Day Chocolate Covered Oreos

 Chocolate Covered Oreo Cookies – The Monday Box

  • 12 Oreo sandwich cookies I use Chocolate-Mint
  • 2 cups melting chocolate
  • 1/2 cup white melting chocolate
  • green candy coloring
  • green decorating sugar or nonpareil sprinkles
  1. Use wax paper to line a cookie sheets or other flat baking pan that will fit into your refrigerator.
  2. Place the melting chocolate in a bowl large enough that the chocolate fills it up to 1 inch below the rim. Melt the chocolate wafers in the microwave at 50% power for one minute. Stir. If not completely melted, return to the microwave and heat for 15 second intervals, stirring between intervals, until melted.
  3. Place a cookie into the melted chocolate. Using two forks, press the cookie into the chocolate, then turn it over to coat the underside.
  4. Using a fork, lift the coated cookie over the bowl. Gently tap the wrist of the hand holding the fork to make excess coating drip back into the bowl. Place the cookie onto the prepared cookie sheet.
  5. After coating 12 cookies, place the cookie sheet into the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes to set the chocolate. Setting in the refrigerator, not at room temperature, will produce slight surface shine.
  6. Place ½ cup of white melting chocolate a small bowl. Melt at 50% power in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir. If not completely melted, return to the microwave at 50% power for 10 second intervals, stirring between intervals until melted. Add 10 drops of oil based green candy coloring. Stir until the white chocolate is evenly colored. Spoon the melted chocolate into a plastic sandwich/snack bag. Cut a very tiny piece off a bottom corner of each bag and pipe the colored chocolate in a spiral pattern to Important: Add decorating sugar immediately after creating each swirl. The chocolate hardens quickly.
  7. When all of the coating and decoration has hardened, wrap the cookies individually in plastic wrap. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Tip from the Author:

Pack the individually wrapped cookies closely in a Ziploc bag or plastic storage container. If using a storage container, add crumpled tissue paper between the cookies and the lid, if necessary, to prevent any movement while shipping.

St. Patrick’s Day Mint Schnapps Shakes

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St. Patrick's Day Mint Schnapps Shakes

A pale green delight is perfect as a mid-day treat or after-dinner dessert. Food Network

  • 1 pint vanilla ice cream (2 cups)
  • 1/4 cup peppermint schnapps
  • 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 3-4 drops green liquid food coloring
  • 2 mint sprigs
  1. Blend the ice cream, peppermint schnapps, vanilla and food coloring in a blender until smooth. Pour into two serving glasses and garnish each with a mint sprig.

Sicilian Sweet and Sour Pumpkin

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Sicilian Sweet and Sour Pumpkin

In this Sicilian side dish, sweet-and-sour vinaigrette and crushed red pepper highlight the savory side of the versatile sugar pumpkin.  Boston Globe

  • 1 sugar pumpkin (4-pound)
  • 8 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 small bunch fresh mint, leaves only coarsely chopped
  1. Set the oven at 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment.
  2. Halve pumpkin from stem to bottom, remove ends and scoop out seeds. With a vegetable peeler, remove the skin. Cut each half into quarters and then into 1-inch thick wedges. Transfer to a large bowl.
  3. Add 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, salt, and red pepper; toss well. Spread the wedges on the baking sheet in 1 layer. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for 15 minutes more or until the pumpkin is lightly browned and tender. (Total baking time is 1 hour.)
  4. In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat the vinegar and sugar for 2 minutes or until the sugar dissolves. Transfer to a small bowl and whisk in the remaining 5 tablespoons olive oil. Transfer the pumpkin to a platter and pour over the dressing. Sprinkle with the mint and serve warm or at room temperature. 

Wedges are traditionally fried or sauteed, but roasting concentrates the flavors and requires much less oil. Serve it straight from the oven or at room temperature.

Grapefruit Avocado Salad

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Grapefruit Avocado Salad

A healthy salad with a light citrus vinaigrette. Simply Recipes

  • 2 avocados, peeled and sliced
  • 2 grapefruits, peeled, segmented, seeds removed
  • Lettuce Head

Citrus vinaigrette:

  • 1 shallot minced (1 Tbsp)
  • 1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh oregano or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 1/2 tsp lime zest
  • 3 tbsp lime juice
  • 1 cup light olive oil
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  1. In a small bowl, mix the vinaigrette ingredients.

  2. Peel and slice the avocados. Arrange slices of avocados and grapefruit segments on a plate on a bed of a few lettuce leaves.

  3. Spoon dressing over the salad.

The vinaigrette recipe makes more dressing than you will need for the amount of avocado and grapefruit. Refrigerate the extra in a jar and use it for another salad.

Citrus + Soy Shrimp Lettuce Cups

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Citrus + Soy Shrimp Lettuce Cups

They make for a great lunch or light yet filling weeknight dinner. They’re low-carbs, healthy and oh-so-satisfying. Killing Thyme

Shrimp:

  • 12 shrimp peeled and deveined
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • Kosher salt + cracked black pepper

Stuffing Mixture:

  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 2 cloves of garlic minced
  • 4 oz Brussels Sprouts approx. 1 heaping cup, shredded or chopped
  • 3 oz mushrooms chopped
  • 1 orange or yellow bell pepper they're sweeter, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup shredded carrot

Sauce:

  • 4 tbsp Kikkoman soy sauce
  • 2 tsp ginger
  • 2 tsp rice vinegar
  • 2 tsp fish sauce
  • 2 tsp miso paste
  • juice of 1/2 an orange – any citrus fruit will work, or one lemon or lime

Additional:

  • Head of iceberg lettuce
  • Dry roasted peanuts for garnish, chopped
  • slices Scallions for garnish, thinly
  • Microgreens optional, for garnish

Sauce:

  1. Thoroughly mix all of the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.

Shrimp:

  1. Heat sesame oil in a skillet over moderate heat.
  2. Add the shrimp, and evenly sprinkle the coriander, salt and pepper over the shrimps. After approx. one minute, turn the shrimp over and toss around in the pan to coat with oil and seasoning. Simmer the shrimp for another minute or two. If the shrimp is completely opaque with a pearly-pink hue, they’re ready to go. Remove from heat and set aside.

Stuffing Mixture:

  1. Heat the sesame oil in a large skillet over moderate heat.
  2. Add the garlic and simmer until fragrant, tossing occasionally to avoid browning, approx. 1 minute.
  3. Add all of the vegetables to the skillet, as well as half of the sauce; toss to coat. Simmer until the mushrooms are tender, approx. 5-7 minutes.
  4. Remove skillet from heat, add the shrimp, and slowly add the remainder of the sauce — as much or as little of it as you want. I like saucier cups, so I used it all.
  5. Tear leaves from the head of iceberg lettuce and transfer the mixture to the lettuce leaves/cups.
  6. Garnish with peanuts, scallions, microgreens and an extra squirt of citrus if you’d like.

This recipe should serve approx. 8 lettuce cups. The cups are filling, so I’d suggest 3 per person if a meal — less if a snack. This makes for a great appetizer as well.

DANNIJO Jewelry

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DANNIJO Jewelry and Fashion 2019

|Issey Miyake Fall 2019|

Stunning Expressions 
Issey Miyake Fall 2019

|Elie Saab Fall 2019 RTW|

Stunning Expressions 
Elie Saab Fall 2019 RTW

|Jamaica Travel|

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JAMAICA – Travel Photography: Cities, Regions, Monuments, Landmarks, landscapes, highlights, places to go, people, folklore, costumes, culture and history.