baked by bay

Chipotle Shrimp Tacos

Summer! You are here! And I love you! And you make me want to proclaim to the world that I have graduated from college and will now embark on a nomadic journey cooking, eating, and photographing food while writing and traveling and sipping fine wines from all around the world. Well….a girl can dream, right?

Actually, I have a little over a month until I venture to Europe and in my spare time I am doing the following things.

1. Learning the fundamental basics of Croatian. Apparently I asked my friend’s family where my childseat was the other day and then proceeded to ask how the cabbage was doing…maybe I haven’t quite caught on to the whole foreign language thing just yet. I’m willing to give it time.

2. Comprising a book of flash fiction. I’ve discovered that this short form of writing actually works with my inability to focus on anything other than my upcoming travels.

3. Trying to eat three good meals a day and exercise daily so as to not feel the desire to hide behind plants/trees/other botanical shrubbery when the smoldering heat and beautiful oceans force me out of sweat pants and into a bikini during these upcoming summer months.

Okay…my to-do/not-to-do list is done. Onto these chipotle shrimp tacos. They only take about 15 minutes to prepare and they are heavenly (especially when entertaining company).

Ingredients:

Yield:4 servings (two filled tacos each)

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle chile powder

about 30 shrimp

1 teaspoon olive oil

8 six inch corn tortillas

2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce

1 ripe avocado, peeled and sliced

3/4 cup salsa verde

Directions:

1. Combine the chili powder, sugar, salt, cumin, and chipotle chile powder in a bowl and add the shrimp. Toss to coat.

2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shrimp mixture to the pan and cook for about 1 and 1/2 minutes on each side or until done. Remove the shrimp from the pan.

3. Heat the tortillas in a warmed skillet. I didn’t want them to be fried, just warmed, so I didn’t use oil. You can do either! Or heating them in the microwave works too.

4. Place two tortillas on each plate and top with ingredients. 

Do as I did and savor the tastes of a soon-to-be wonderful summer!

Cheers!

-Bay

Kelsey’s 30th Birthday Tea Party

“Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves - slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future. ” Thich Nat Hahn

Oh how I do love a nice cup of tea!

My sister Kelsey may or may not have been adamantly opposed to turning 30 this year. I don’t see the big deal… in my eyes people don’t get older…they just get better. I wanted to plan something special for Kelsey and considering we couldn’t take her daughter out to a rip roaring party on a Friday night (since when are babies in bars frowned upon, anyways?) I opted for the more mellow and much more pleasant, Sunday afternoon tea party in the sunshine.

Heart-Shaped Cucumber & Cream Cheese Sandwiches

Cranberry Shortbread Cookies

And instead of a cake…

We lit her Mai Tai on fire…

I suppose my family really does like to get creative :)

Cheers!

-Bay

Grapefruit-Berry Shortcake

What is it about berries and springtime? I’m big on fruit…even more so if that fruit is attached to shortcake. I saw a recipe online for berry shortcake and thought that maybe JUST maybe, that shortcake would be better if combined with the zest of grapefruit. Some friends had trouble digging into this dessert because they thought it was too pretty…I felt just the opposite. I clearly was not going to stare at it all evening…so I dug in, full force, no looking back. I’ve come to the conclusion that I approach both dessert and life with the same mentality! And I am quite alright with that :) xoxo

Ingredients

For the cake:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 tablespoon grated grapefruit zest

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3  eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

For the berries:

16 ounces fresh mixed berries 

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

For the frosting:

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 8-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray, and line the bottoms with circles of parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter, sugar, grapefruit zest and vanilla on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Beat in the sour cream until smooth. Reduce the speed to low and stir in the dry ingredients until the batter is well-blended. Divide the batter equally between the two pans and spread evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Let the cakes cool in the pans for about 10 minutes before switching them to wire racks.

Place the berries in a large bowl. Add the sugar and stir well. Let sit for 15 minutes.

To make the frosting, beat together all ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer until smooth.

To assemble the cake, place one cooled cake layer on a serving platter. Spread half to the frosting over the cake and spread evenly then spoon half the berry mixture and its juices over the cake. Repeat with the second cake layer! 

Cheers to spring and cheers to YOU!

-Bay

Antipasto Skewers & Spicy Tomato Basil Bruschetta

Antipasto Skewers

My brother-in-law, Blaine, always orders antipasto salad when we go out for Italian food. When I was younger, I pronounced it “anti-pasta.” In other words, I thought Blaine was saying I will have any thing else other than pasta, please to which the waiter would bring a salad in response.Sure, it seemed a bit strange at the time, but I do admit that I was actually quite sad when I discovered what antipasto actually meant: it means before the meal. So, with the help of my brother’s girlfriend, some chardonnay, and a long overdue talk about what books we were currently reading, the skewers were finished and Blaine was a happy camper. 

Ingredients (yields 8 about skewers) 
1 cup cherry tomatoes

12 ounces mozzarella cut into cubes

1 can medium black olives

1 jar green olives

1/4 pound salami, thinly sliced 

1/4  cup fresh basil leaves

skewers

Now here is where your artistic eye comes in…arrange the ingredients on the skewers so that the colors, shapes and sizes compliment one another.

Assemble. Eat. Smile. Repeat.

And onto the next…

I cannot think of an equally as entertaining or foolish story about what I called bruchetta in my youth. All I know is that I still don’t know how to pronounce the word. And I kind of like it that way. 

Spicy Tomato Basil Bruchetta

Double Vanilla Easter Cupcakes

When I’m spending a holiday with my 2 year old niece, Kassidy Bay, I know she will have only one thing on her mind—“happy cakes.” I know I must be mentally prepared to tell her precisely what type of happy cakes I have created and physically prepared to pry her away from them before dinner time. This Easter, the family came to a mutual agreement regarding these happy cakes…let’s go with a classic, vanilla cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting. And of course, when my sister wasn’t looking, I let Miss Kassidy Bay dip her fingers into the frosting and savor the familiar taste of Easter at Nini & Pops house.

Classic Vanilla Cupcakes (yields 12 cupcakes)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup milk

Directions:

Preheart your oven to 350 degrees. Cream together the butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time. Stir in the vanilla. In a separate bowl, stir together all dry ingredients. Add to the butter mixture and stir in milk. Bake for 18-24 minutes.

Classic Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter

2 cups powdered sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 tablespoons milk or heavy cream

Directions:

Beat butter for a few minutes with a mixer on medium speed. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time, followed by the vanilla extract, salt, and milk or cream.

*Frost your cupcakes and decorate with shredded dyed coconut and a candy Robin’s egg

Happy Easter!

Cheers!

-Bay

Open Your Taste Buds (To the Open-Faced Omelet)

First, I thought they looked like crepes. Then, they started to resemble strangely flat yellow pancakes. Now, the open-faced omelet presents me with the opportunity to experiment weekly with vast and varied omelette art creations. Yes, art. Culinary art. Try it tonight. Try it tomorrow. But if you want to improve your overall well-being…I suggest you try it soon. Preparing food that is equally as appealing to the eye as it is to the palate is important…and fun too.

How To Make the Perfect Open-Faced Omelet

Beat your eggs together in a medium sized bowl with a splash of milk, some salt, and pepper. Melt a small amount of butter in a pan over medium heat. Add the beaten eggs. Allow them to cook for about 45 seconds and then gently move the edge of the eggs around with a rubber spatula, allowing the uncooked portion to move to the bottom of the pan. Now, prepare for the flip! Once flipped, transfer your omelette to a plate. For my particular omelet, I warmed some arugula with sesame oil in a pan and placed that on top under fresh tomatoes, feta cheese, and avocado. 

These are a few of my favorite tastes :)

Good luck. And if your omelet doesn’t turn out exactly as you anticipated..that’s okay. Just enjoy the flavors (or grab more eggs and try again)!

Cheers!

-Bay

Oatmeal + Mid Season Maple = Happiness

Hello :) 

I hope this blog post finds you happy and full, and doing something far more fascinating to satisfy your hunger than writing about food (which is clearly what I have resorted to).

I’ve been on an oatmeal eating binge lately. I seek it. I find it. I inhale it. And I’m full for hours. In a perfect world, that’s how all healthy meals would make us feel. But let’s get real—sometimes oats & fruit just don’t cut it.

In that case, allow me to introduce you to my childhood favorite Saturday morning meal of all time…oatmeal pancakes. My uncle has been making his own syrup which was of course one of the first things I discovered when I went home last week. I don’t care how old I get, there is nothing quite like returning home to Mom & Dad’s after a few months away and running towards a full fridge. Uncle Paul and Aunt Holly have mid seasoned mapled their syrup to perfection and Mom has put a little extra love into her oatmeal pancake recipe because she missed me…needless to say, I’m one happy girl.

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Pancakes (makes 10-12 pancakes)

Ingredients:

1 cup milk

1 cup oats

2  tablespoons oil

2 eggs

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Mix oats and milk together. Let stand for 5 minutes. Add the rest of ingredients. Cook on a hot & oiled griddle using 1/4 cup batter per cupcake. Happy pancaking!

Cheers!

-Bay

Where In The World Did Cocktails Come From?

But really, where? As it turns out, stories on the origin of the word cocktail have as many variations as cocktails themselves. The first recorded use of the word cocktail occured in The Morning Post and Gazetteer in London, England on March 20, 1798. My favorite theory on the word claims that leftover liquors from drinks were dumped into a ceramic container shaped like a rooster, allowing one to get cheap drinks from a tap set in the tail of the rooster; therefore called “cock’s tail” and eventually cocktail. Another theory refers to a 16th century drink called “cock-ale” which had the ingredient of (I’m serious) a dead rooster. After my research I decided that all these have one thing in common; they are a matter of taste…choose your story (and your beverage) wisely.

Blackberry Mojito (serves 2)

Ingredients:

12 fresh blackberries

16 mint leaves

1 teaspoon sugar

3 ounces white rum

1 ounce lime juice

club soda & ice (I opted out of these ingredients)

Directions:

In a shaker, place the mint leaves, blackberries and sugar and muddle well with mortar or the back of a spoon. Add the rum and lime juice and shake well.  Traditionally, you fill highball glasses with crushed ice and strain the drink into the glasses & then top it with club soda. I used champagne glasses with no ice and no club soda for a more dramatic look. Garnish with mint leaves,blackberries, and a slice of lime. 

My brother strolled into my parent’s house on Saturday night with a massive box full of surprises. When questioned about what was in the box, he replied, “It’s my portable tiki bar.” Stevie is forever on the quest to find new things that fascinate him (a trait that we all love) and when this new thing just so happens to include specialty tiki cocktails, we transform into an overwhelmingly supportive family:)

Stevie’s Zombie (serves 1…yes, 1)

Ingredients:

1 oz fresh lime juice

1 oz fresh lemon juice

1 oz unsweetened pineapple juice

1 oz passion fruit syrup

1 oz light Puerto Rican rum

1 oz gold Puerto Rican rum

1 oz Porter’s 151

1 teaspoon brown sugar syrup (Stevie infused this with orange flowers)

1 dash Angostura bitters

Directions:

Shake well with lots of crushed ice and pour into tall glass. Garnish with a mint sprig. These drinks were extra special served in my grandmother’s poodle glasses from the 1940’s and garnished with orange blossoms from my Dad’s grove. Enjoy but beware. As you can tell from the ingredients, these zombies will sneak up on you (really…3 ounces per drink). But perhaps if you are very lucky, your night will end with the entire family dancing in the living room to The Temptations.

Cheers!

-Bay

Go For The Moon

Dear Canon SLR Camera,

I know we have our differences. I know we get into altercations and you sometimes refuse to work for me or with me and cause me to disregard my food blog for far too long. But I just wanted to let you know…I still love you. And I’m glad we are friends again.

Sincerely,

Bay

Now that that’s taken care of, I will take a moment to write about a few of my favorite flavors. When I was young I liked quesadillas because my mom always folded them into the shape of a half moon. I would eat them on blue plates and squint my eyes until I was nearly positive that the blue of the plastic was the sky and that the tortilla really was the moon. These days, I’m just too hungry to think about that nonsense :)

Goat cheese. Spinach. Mushrooms. And a wheat tortilla—quite possibly my favorite combination of flavors in existence. Try it.

Cheers!

-Bay