The Good Girl Gone Blog

Crispy Sweet Potato Fries + Spicy Raspberry Sauce May 14, 2013

This past weekend was full of cleaning, cooking and a House of Cards marathon. We made a few dishes, including a nut-free pesto (using sunflower seeds), the sweet potato fries above and a mint, pea + parmesan ravioli. Yum!

What makes these sweet potato fries so crispy is that they're dipped in a whipped egg white and flour batter, fried in super hot oil, cooled and re-fried!

The dipping sauce sort of came together last minute while Eric was doing the second round of frying. Inspired by a strawberry habañero sauce I'd had at The Friendly Toast, I decided to try my own sauce that combined sweet and spicy. I blended together the following ingredients, to taste:

- Non-fat greek yogurt

- Apple Wine Vinegar with Lingonberries  (from IKEA)

- Oil

- Salt

- Pepper

-  1/2 Jalapeño

- Brown Sugar

- A few frozen raspberries

Next time, I think I'll add more jalapeño for even more kick!

Local Eats: Harvard Sweet Boutique February 21, 2013

I was contacted by Harvard Sweet Boutique a few weeks ago, initially because they wanted to share a recipe for Low-Carb Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies. Of course, if you're a long time reader, you know I'm allergic to nuts of all kinds, so I wasn't about to share a recipe for a food that, as my mom says, "offends me".

Instead, they sent over a bunch of goodies for me to try. My initial reaction? The packaging is so cute! My selection of nut-free goodies, came in a cute green polka dotted box with pink tissue. The package contained an assortment of brownies (salted caramel, mint chocolate fudge, to name a few) and cookies (oatmeal raisin, ginger molasses, etc).

I attempted to snap a few shots, but without opening the individually wrapped baked goods, I couldn't really get across how yummy they looked...so I'm using their shots instead.

Overall, I found the brownies a little too rich for my taste and was disappointed, because they were the desserts I was most excited about. The cookies, on the other hand- they were yummy! The Ginger molasses was definitely my favorite, with the oatmeal raisin coming in at a close second.

About Harvard Sweet Boutique:

"Harvard Sweet Boutique was founded by Harvard, Mass. resident Sue George in 2007 and gained in popularity as an online retailer accepting orders through its catalog and website. This past November, Harvard Sweet Boutique opened its doors for its first brick-and-mortar store located in Hudson, Mass. The storefront acts as a test kitchen, where treats like homemade pop-tarts, fresh granola, whoopee pies and chocolate covered strawberries are offered! The store front is located at 25 South Street, Hudson, MA 01749.

At Harvard Sweet Boutique, we have the perfect gift idea that is unique, whimsical, and magnificent. Our gifts are even more sensational and adorable than roses and teddy bears, and are also mouth-watering delicious. Send our “Sweets for all Occasions” as a wonderful alternative to flowers and traditional candies. Our beautifully packaged gifts are guaranteed to warm the hearts of your friends, loved ones, and business associates.

At Harvard Sweet Boutique, we believe that baking should be done the old-fashioned way – from scratch. Everything is made lovingly by hand, using only the freshest ingredients. When you order gourmet desserts from us, you can rest assured you’re getting the best, most delicious baked sweet available. Our products are all natural, and made with exceptional ingredients, including rich European chocolate with the highest cocoa butter content, pure 

double-strength vanilla extracts, the finest flours, premium grade nuts, and fresh Grade A butter."

I'd give these goodies 3 out of 5 stars. If you're looking to send someone a beautifully packaged gift, Harvard Sweet Boutique is a great option, especially if you're looking for  gluten free or low carb treats. Some baked goods do contain nuts, so if you have a severe allergy, they recommend you don't buy their treats.

Image c/o Harvard Sweet Boutique.

Healthy Dinner Idea: Mexican Sweet Potato December 17, 2012

Between traveling practically every other weekend for the past two months and eating too many last minute takeout dinners, I'm not looking or feeling my best. It's hard to say no to homemade cookies, airport snacks or one of my favorite Baltimore treats: sunflower seed bagels.

For a girl who's practically a vegetarian (more often than not, I'll choose a meatless dish) and has a ton of food allergies (nuts, fish, bananas, etc) altering my diet is no piece of cake. Still, I'm making small changes, like swapping out carb heavy breakfasts for smoothies and not keeping "junk" in the apartment.

A few nights ago, I decided to work with one of my favorite foods: the sweet potato. One of the ideas I found online was to top it with black beans and salsa- brilliant, right? With a little Greek yogurt as a sour cream substitute and no real need for cheese, this sweet potato was loaded with the good stuff and packed with flavor (and vitamins). 

Alana's Mexican Sweet Potato

Ingredients:

- Black beans (drained)

- 1/4 of an onion, chopped

- 1 clove garlic, chopped 

- Salt and pepper to taste

- Olive oil for Sautéing

- 1 sweet potato

- 2-3 heaping Tbsp. salsa

- Dollop of non-fat Greek yogurt (I like FAGE Total)

Directions:

- Puncture sweet potato with a fork and bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes or until the inside is soft and the skin is crispy.

- Meanwhile, sauté onion and garlic and add salt and pepper to taste. Once the onions are translucent, add the beans and cook on low for just enough time to heat the mixture to desired temperature.

- Once sweet potato is done, cut it open and cover with the bean mixture.

- Top with salsa and a dollop of greek yogurt.

- Enjoy :)

Guest Post: Craft Coffee Review December 12, 2012

Editor's Note: Hey everyone- my very own coffee snob boyfriend, Eric, is guest blogging today about Craft Coffee, a cool company that was kind enough to send us a curated coffee box to review. Read on and enjoy! Plus, if you want to get your own Craft Coffee (or give it as a gift to the coffee snob in your life), here's a special 10% off code just for you: alanaholiday. Code can be used through 12/23!

My office has five different ways of making coffee:

• Automatic, all-in-one grinder + espresso machine
• French press
• Aero press
• Single cup pour-over
• Chemex

All of these devices get used at least once a day, and not a single one of them accepts a small plastic cup containing powdery brown stuff of unknown origin. They all work a little differently, but they each have one thing in common: whole beans, freshly roasted, freshly ground.

We’re fond of subscription coffee programs that brings awesome beans directly to our door. Craft Coffee has been kind enough to treat us to a sampling of some of their beans for the last week.

For around $20/month, they send you 12 oz. of truly the world’s best coffee curated by some insane coffee professionals. What sets them apart is you receive three 4-oz. bags each from different roasters, each with tasting notes and true coffee nerd stats: country and producer of origin, varietal, elevation and wash process.

But even if the role of amateur coffee connoisseur isn’t for you, Craft Coffee is still offering you better-tasting coffee than the over-roasted stuff you’re already paying $2/day for, but at less than half the price, in your own home (or office!), effortlessly delivered to your door.

I’ll sip to that.

You're Invited...Blog Better Boston: Food Summit October 07, 2012

In just 2 weeks, Amy and I will be throwing another Blog Better Boston event, this time geared towards food bloggers. We're super excited to be working with Stonewall Kitchen to provide attendees with a private tour of the facilities, a cooking demo and awesome sessions like food photography, recipe development and more!

If you're local (or if you want to come up for the weekend!), it's a must-attend event. Tickets are available here. I'd love to see you :)

Big thanks fo our presenting sponsor, Wayfair!

Photo Diary: YUMantashen (aka Yummy Hamantashen) March 08, 2012

I don't care what anyone says about their mom's recipe, my mom's hamantashen recipe is actually the best. A little bit cakey, not at all dry and just a tad crunchy when they come out of the oven, her dough beats anything you've ever tried before.

Unfortunately, I can't share the secret family recipe with you (sorry!), because my mom sells hamantashen as part of her Yum! by Becky business. I think the last time we talked, she said she'd sold over 60 dozen. Seriously, those numbers don't lie, this recipe is the BEST.

Photo Diary: Homemade Ravioli January 03, 2012

The above photos were taken on Christmas eve as we prepared ravioli completely from scratch. It was a family effort- Dotti made the pasta and passed it to Eric. Eric stuffed, folded over and cut the long pasta noodle into ravioli and passed them to Matt. Matt pressed the edges of the ravioli with a fork before handing them off to me. I used a pizza cutter to round the edges of the noodles and voila, they were ready to be cooked.

The final product was super yummy, but my favorite part was definitely the assembly line process. We figured out "best practices" along the way, joked around and had a great time.

These ravioli were definitely made with love.

More photos here.

Serve Review and Giveaway! December 19, 2011

This post is sponsored by Serve from American Express. Sign up for Serve and receive $10 credit towards your first use. Comment below within the next 7 days for your chance to win an extra $100 credit to your account!

Last week, I had the INCREDIBLE opportunity to go out to a lavish dinner with good friends, c/o Serve, a new way to settle bills between friends. It's a great way to split the bill without driving the waiter crazy!

Amy, Stew, Eric and I met at UpStairs on the Square and were seated at a table in the Monday Bar. The decor was out of this world- bright colored walls, zebra carpeting and and exquisite lighting. Because we weren't worrying about the bill (thanks Serve), we ordered an expensive and delicious bottle of wine, two appetizers (oysters and a mozzarella dish), entrees AND four different desserts.

Believe me, after that meal, I think we were all ready to burst! Though the food and atmosphere were both fantastic, the best aspect of the evening was definitely the great company. We've been wanting to go out with Amy and Stew for a while now and finally did it. We talked about everything from travel to TV and even began brainstorming a really cool blogger event (stay tuned, Boston!).

When it was time to pay the check, Amy paid the physical bill and I reimbursed her via the Serve mobile app. It was as simple as signing in, answering a security question and then inputting Amy's email and the bill amount. She received a confirmation email soon after and we were all set. We were happy and full and left the restaurant already trying to come up with a location for our next double date.

Would I use Serve again? Probably! I really hate having to get separate checks when dining out and this eliminated the need for that. Plus, the handy app includes fun features like a calculator for splitting bills, a Quick Pay button where you can calculate hourly rates and a (somewhat silly) Pizza Party button!

Remember to sign up for Serve and receive $10 credit towards your first use. Comment below within the next 7 days for your chance to win an extra $100 credit to your account! Official sweepstakes rules and regulations may be found by clicking here. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

Fabulous Drink and Dessert Pairings December 14, 2011

Thanks to Duncan Hines for sponsoring my writing. There's no limit to the baking possibilities, so grab your favorite Duncan Hines mix and Comstock or Wilderness fruit fillings and Bake On! www.duncanhines.com.

Drinks and dessert are definitely two of the most fun parts of a festive meal, whether you enjoy them with or without the actual meal. Not sure what combo to try? No problem! Fortunately, the winter is the perfect time to experiment with drink/dessert combinations right at home. Can you say fancy spiked hot chocolate paired with smores by a warm fire?

The dessert/drink pairing I'm really loving right now is drinks as dessert, especially when it comes to champagne! The photo above shows off our fabulous champagne punch from last year's holiday party, complete with frozen rubber ducky. It was a huge hit and was practically gone half way through the party.

Now, about a year later, I'm loving whipping out champagne or any sparkling white for non-special occasions, you know, like a Wednesday. Plop some blueberries into your champagne flute and that Wednesday becomes a special occasion! (Thank you Dale for the inspiration to celebrate the everyday with bubbles!)

Looking for an actual dessert/drink pairing recommendation? I like champagne and creme brulee, partly because it makes me feel fancy. It's actually what Eric and I enjoyed at Top of the Hub on our one year anniversary.

I took the liberty of polling my friends/Twitter followers on their favorite pairings. What do you think? 

Rachel: Appletastic- spiked cider and apple pie.

Dale: I'm a big fan of "high brow/low brow". Try this: Pair Sauternes (many consider it the finest dessert wine in the world) with Twinkies.

Gwen: Red velvet cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting paired with spiked apple cider.

Tracy: Dark Chocolate (72%) with any red wine! That always works :-)

Nicole: What about Butterbeet? It's a dessert IN a drink! 

Angela: Pimm's Cup is one tasty alcoholic bev I'm trying to bring back to life.

Miriam: Best drink ever is the Houdini from Eastern Standard. It's made with Bols Genever, Cocchi Americano and Benedictine.

Now I want to know, what are your favorite drink/dessert pairings?

Remember to check out Duncan Hines' website www.duncanhines.com to find some great recipes for your holiday get-together! I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective.

Our First Boston Brunchers Event December 13, 2011

On Sunday, Eric and I attended our first Boston Brunchers event, which was hosted by Harvard Common Press in their spectacular 5th floor office in the South End. When we first walked into the building, I was amazed by the ancient elevator and the fact that I had no idea anything worth visiting actually existed in this part of my neighborhood.

We were greeted warmly with drinks, smiles and lots of Mexican art. Everyone was extremely friendly, especially the HCP staff, who had whipped up some delicious treats based off of recipes in some of the cookbooks they'd published. 

Nancy, HCP's head of marketing, took me around and answered all of my questions about the company, their office space (an old piano factory, now covered in gorgeous rugs that the company's president, Bruce, brought back from Mexico) and the books they publish (mostly cookbooks, but some parenting books as well).

Brunch included lots of yummy muffins and cakes (I'm assuming they were all yummy, most contained nuts so I stayed away) and some sort of egg/cheese/spinach bake. Oh, and there was wine, lots of wine.

It was nice to meet so many of the local foodies (like Beth, Liz, Taryn and Audrey) whom I've been emailing with on behalf of HipHost and to finally put faces to email addresses and Twitter handles.

One of the coolest parts of the experience was the discussion about how to go from blog to book, specifically in the cooking world. Apparently, most publishers require you to come up with 100% original recipes, meaning you can't use anything you've already posted on your blog. So, in addition to having a real job and maintaining a blog, you also have to come up with 100-150 completely new recipes. It sounds like a ton of work and I applaud any food blogger who takes on the challenge.

A special thank you to the Boston Brunchers (Renee specifically) for putting together this event, and to all of the amazing staff at HCP who made us feel at home. Also, thanks to HCP for sending us home with lots of fun cookbooks. I can't wait to make a bunch of things in Gourmet Gifts!