Friday Sharing: Solitude

I know it’s been awhile, but I just read the most beautiful poem by Ella Wheeler Wilcox, and I wanted to share. This breathtaking piece follows the soothing melody of a nursery rhyme, but has a great and terrible beauty to it. Perhaps it may appear a bit gloomy for a Friday afternoon, but Wilcox’s truth and personal pain rings through so beautifully in it. Enjoy!

Solitude

Laugh, and the world laughs with you;
Weep, and you weep alone.
For the sad old earth must borrow it’s mirth,
But has trouble enough of its own.
Sing, and the hills will answer;
Sigh, it is lost on the air.
The echoes bound to a joyful sound,
But shrink from voicing care.

Rejoice, and men will seek you;
Grieve, and they turn and go.
They want full measure of all your pleasure,
But they do not need your woe.
Be glad, and your friends are many;
Be sad, and you lose them all.
There are none to decline your nectared wine,
But alone you must drink life’s gall.

Feast, and your halls are crowded;
Fast, and the world goes by.
Succeed and give, and it helps you live,
But no man can help you die.
There is room in the halls of pleasure
For a long and lordly train,
But one by one we must all file on
Through the narrow aisles of pain. 

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Getting Back into Blogging with the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap

So about a month and a half ago, I came to the decision to stop blogging because juggling weekly blog posts with college, friends, and family became more of a challenge than a source of pleasure. Luckily for me, prior to making this decision I had signed up for the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap, and the amazing outpour of passion and thoughtfulness of this event has reinstilled my desire to keep writing, cooking, and photographing for ModernAlice. Thank you to the wonderful ladies whose love of baking and blogging has been such an inspiration to me.

The elegant packaging and sweet notes were just as motivating as the delectable cookies that I received and that’s really saying something!

Lauren of SizzleEats sent delicious Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cookies that reminded me that food blogging and fitness can go hand in hand. Healthy goodies that are not only delicious but good for you can be refreshing and exciting in a blogosphere so packed with sinful indulgences.

Hannah of FleurDelicious made my mouth water with her Pistachio-Cranberry Mexican Wedding Cakes. Until now, I thought a good cookie had to include chocolate, but these buttery, melt-in-your mouth cookies were so delicious that I couldn’t put them down. Thank you for introducing me to such a delicious new cookie to add to my to-make list.

Rachel Sally of Le Peche Fraiche made some of the prettiest cookies that I have EVER seen! My boyfriend swore that she must have bought them because her beautifully iced butter cookies were so professional looking. If you’re reading this Rachel, you truly should sell these wondrous holiday goodies!

 

 

For my cookies, I wanted to share one of my favorite indulgences that somehow hasn’t made its way onto my blog until now: Epicurious’s Chocolate Toffee Cookies.

These fudgey, chocolatey cookies taste almost brownie-like, but the toffee chunks provide a nice crunchy contrast. The recipe claims to make 18 giant cookies, but I made about 40 normal sized ones to keep the chocolate from becoming too overwhelming, but if you’re feeling adventurous, feel free to make 1/4 cup cookies, as originally recommended.

Giant Chocolate Toffee Cookies

yield: 32-40 cookies

Adapted from Epicurious

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 pound semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1 3/4 cups (packed) brown sugar
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 4 1.4-ounce chocolate-covered toffee bars (like Heath), coarsely chopped

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
2. Stir chocolate and butter in top of double boiler set over simmering water until melted and smooth. Remove from over water. Cool mixture to lukewarm.
3. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and eggs in bowl until thick, about 5 minutes. Beat in chocolate mixture and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture, then toffee.
4. Chill batter until firm, about 45 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop batter by rounded tablespoonfuls onto sheets, spacing 2 1/2 inches apart. You may have to return it to the refrigerator midway through the scooping process to let the cookie dough firm up again.
6. Bake just until tops are dry and cracked but cookies are still soft to touch, 10-12 minutes. Top with sea salt if desired. Allow to cool on racks.

Blood and Guts Stuffed Eggplant aka Imam Bayıldı

For most people, Halloween is synonymous with sugary indulgence. From handfuls of candy to haunted cakes, most people completely abandon their ideas about healthy eating. The very mention of vegetables on this sinfully sweet holiday is almost unheard of.

Spooky sweets shouldn’t get to have all the fun. With a plethora of shapes, textures, and colors, vegetables have wonderful potential to get a Halloween make over as well. This dish will make a wonderfully unexpected addition to any Halloween party spread. Plus the savory vegetables will help balance whatever sweets you are sure to consume as the evening progresses.

These eggplants have garlic to ward off any vampires (if that isn’t your intent for the evening, be sure to grab a stick of gum or some handful junior mints) while the onions make surprisingly convincing guts and the tomatoes give the appearance of blood.

This is a traditional Turkish dish that is perfect for any occasion, spooky intentions aside. It is perfectly salty and spicy and fresh all at once. Add some beans or beef crumbles into the filling and you have a complete meal.

I used fresh basil, thyme, and oregano in this dish because here in sunny California, my herb plants are still thriving, but feel free to substitute dried herbs or use different herbs altogether depending on what you have access to.

Blood and Guts Stuffed Eggplant 

Adapted from The Shiksa in the Kitchen

Serves 5-6

Ingredients:

• 5-6 long, purple Chinese or Japanese eggplants (leave the ends in tact, don’t remove the stems)
• 5-6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 12 large, whole cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced latitudinally
• 1 large onion sliced into very thin, half-moon style slices
• 1 Bell Pepper
• 1 spicy pepper (like Fresno Pepper or Anaheim Pepper)
• 2 large tomatoes, finely diced
• 1/2 cup basil leaves, julienned
• 1/3 cup oregano leaves
• 2 tablespoons thyme
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 large tomato, grated (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Peel the eggplants in stripes, leaving about half of the purple skin on the eggplant. Generously salt the exterior of the eggplant to make it less bitter, and set aside for 45 min (don’t worry, you’ll wash it off later).
3. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil on medium-high heat in a deep sauté pan. Add onions, garlic, and peppers. Stir frequently to prevent browning. Continue to sauté the vegetables until the onions become transparent. Stir frequently to prevent browning of onions and garlic.
4. After onions are cooked, add the finely diced tomatoes, basil, oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper  into the sauté pan. Cook for another 5 minutes. Remove the vegetable mixture from heat and allow it to cool.
5. Wash the eggplants, dry. Heat the remaining 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan (preferably nonstick, if not you may need to add more oil), and lightly brown the eggplants on each side for 1-2 minutes. Set the eggplants in a baking dish to cool.
6. Cut an opening slit through the middle of each eggplant, being careful not to cut all the way through the eggplant. Use your fingers to expand the opening slightly, so that there is a little pocket in the middle of the eggplant.
7. Stuff the pockets of the eggplants with the tomato-onion filling, equally divide the filling among the five eggplants. Season with a little more salt and pepper to taste.
8. Top the eggplants with the grated tomato into the baking pan,if desired. Cover the pan with aluminum foil, then make several slits on the foil to let the steam escape while baking.
9. Bake the eggplants for 45 minutes or until the eggplants are soft and fully cooked.

Fell free to dress up your eggplants with any spooky props from the party store. Fake bugs could be a fun added touch!

Halloween Round Up

Ever since I was little, Halloween has been one of my favorite holidays because I viewed it as the wonderful day of the year when you get to dress up and get free candy. Over the years, however, I have come to love Halloween in large part because it marks the beginning of the holiday season. Halloween is the first of many festive celebrations with exciting traditions,delicious food, and spirited decor. So here is the first of many holiday round ups to come in the next few months.

Costumes

Baby Frida Costume DIY

Raggedy Anne Costume DIY for kids and adults

Too Big Alice in Wonderland Costume

Children’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s costume on Etsy

Decorations

 

Swarm of Batts Pupkin..since you don’t need to carve it, feel free to decorate this pumpkin in advance, or even do this to a sugar pumpkin so that you can bake tasty treats from the pumpkin after Halloween

Googly-eyed monster cups to make any drink more exciting

Tea light squashes for a more elegant take on the classic Jack-O-Lantern

Festive pumpkin cooler

Adorable free Halloween Bunting Printable

Pumpkin Cat…too cute not to include, but please do not try this at home!

Savories

Jack-O-Lantern Stuffed Bell Pepper

These Jack-O-Lantern tarts have a sweet filling, but with a spanikopita-style spinach filling they’d be absolutely divine!

Spiced Tofu Bruchetes….stick the skewers into a pumpkin for a festive update

Spiced Harvest Squash and Fennel

Mini Mummy Pizzas….so much cuter than the giant ones from the pizza parlor!

Candy Corn Crudite Platter with Pumpkin Dip for a healthy take the on the beloved candy

Baked Parmesan and Sage Truffle Fries

Curried Zucchini Roll Ups

Vegetarian Lasagna Bites

Innocent (or spooky) Owl Crackers

Sweets

Pumpkin Mouse Trifle (you don’t have to tall anyone that it’s healthy)

Candy Corn Butter Cookies

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Caramel Frosting

Candy Corn Candy Apples

Jack-O-Lantern Pop Tarts

Monster Candy Apples

Pumpkin Meringue Pie

Momofuku Milk Bar Remix: Candy Corn Chocolate Chip Cornflake Cookies

In my family, what began as a simple pizza dinner with friends before trick-or-treating has evolved into a fanciful feast with creative, themed treats and appetizers. It’s a wonderful time to chat with friends and family in a more relaxed setting before the candy-crazed kids begin their neighborhood roam. What are your Halloween traditions?

Ooey Gooey Oreo Brownie Sandwiches

The blogosphere is abuzz with recipes for Halloween parties and Fall goodies, because these big seasonal affairs are universally exciting. But for now at least, I would rather celebrate the small things. The things that belong to no one else but me (and Goose too).

It’s so easy to get wrapped up in the massive commercial holidays, even when you hardly know their significance, or even if they have one. Celebrating the little things, like straight A report cards, loosing teeth, the first snow of the season, and monthly anniversaries can bring just as much, if not more happiness.

Just because the rest of the world doesn’t recognize how incredible it is to dating the same person for 39 months, doesn’t mean that it isn’t incredible.I have a habit of baking something for Goose for each of our monthiversaries, not because there is any societal custom that dictates that I should, but because I feel so incredibly lucky to shared another month with my best friend and favorite person by my side.

I challenge you, find something for you to celebrate with loved ones this month besides Halloween. Maybe you’ll end up with a new tradition, or simply a way to jazz up an otherwise ordinary day.

Today I’m not sharing jazzed up pumpkin pie or homemade candies, instead I am focusing on something classic and timeless, with a slightly modern update because that’s what life calls for. Something (or someone) who is dependable, but also adaptable.

I present to you my Ooey Gooey Oreo Brownie Sandwiches. The cookies are almost like the lovechild between a brownie and a macaroon shell. They are perfectly rich and chocolately to satisfy any intense cocoa craving. I prefer to devour the cookies plain, but for anyone who prefers sweeter desserts, whip up the oreo cream filling to balance out the intense chocolate flavor.

As with your  holidays, feel free to make these cookies entirely your own. Skip the filling and instead add white chocolate chips into the cookie batter, mix some salted caramel sauce into your filling, add a smear of peanut butter along with your filling to the sandwich. Try out anything that sounds good to you! Remember that this is your life, and you deserve to do whatever makes you happy.

Ooey Gooey Oreo Sandwiches 

Cookies adapted from Recipe Girl

Yield: 10-15 cookie sandwiches

Ingredients:

Cookies

• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 2/3 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon espresso powder
• 3 large egg whites, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips
• nonstick cooking spray (as unprocessed as possible, like canola oil spray)

Filling

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly spray it with nonstick spray.
2.  In a large bowl, whisk together powdered sugar with cocoa powder, salt, and espresso powder. Whisk in two egg whites and vanilla extract and beat just until the batter is moistened. You’re looking for a brownie-like, thick and fudgy batter consistency. If it seems too thick, add another egg white. Gently stir in chocolate chips.
3. Spoon batter onto the prepared baking sheets in 12 evenly spaced mounds per cookie sheet. Bake for 14 minutes, until the tops are glossy and lightly cracked.
4. Slide the parchment paper (with the cookies) onto wire racks. Let cookies cool completely. Because of the lack of flour, these cookies are very difficult to remove. You will loose some along the way, but don’t worry, the ones that refuse to make nice with you spatula are the gooiest, most delicious ones that should be going straight into your mouth!
5. While the cookies are cooking, make the filling by creaming the butter in the bowl of a mixmaster, about 3 minutes, then slowly add in the powdered sugar and mix until incorporated. Add the vanilla and the salt, mixing for another 30 seconds.
6. Match up your cookies into similarly-shaped pairs. Spread the filling on one of the oreos, then smoosh the two halves together.