Muffin Monday: Strawberry Cheesecake Muffins

southbayrantsnraves — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 20:20:09 +0000

Yes, look who’s back? Yes, this is a late submission, but it’s still Monday! I’ll be honest, these weren’t the easiest muffins to prepare. I always have a hard time with muffins that have special fillings. This one ended up erupting all over my oven. So yes, I have a jelly filled oven right now. Some of the jelly did stay though. Good thing I have a jar of jelly to make up for the strawberry explosion.

Other than the volcanic jelly incident, the muffins turned out very moist, which is good since I used half wheat & half regular flour to make it “healthier” . I’m glad I’m working right now so I can share these with even more people since I’m on a restrictive diet these days!

Strawberry Cheesecake Muffins

Ingredients

8oz softened cream cheese
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 egg
1 1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 tsp grated lemon zest
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup strawberry jam

Cooking Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
Grease 12 muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.
Beat together cream cheese and confectioners\' sugar until smooth; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt.
In a separate bowl, beat together egg milk, brown sugar, butter, lemon zest and vanilla extract. Stir egg mixture into dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened.
Spoon half of batter into muffin cups.
Top each portion with 1 tablespoon cream cheese mixture and 1 teaspoon jam.
Spoon remaining muffin batter on top.
Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until golden.
Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then remove muffins and cool on rack.
Store in airtight container.

Muffin Monday is an initiative by Baker Street. A culinary journey of sharing a wickedly delicious muffin recipe every week. Drop in a quick line to join her on her journey to make the world smile and beat glum Monday mornings week after week.

Prego food blogger dines out

southbayrantsnraves — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:00:39 +0000

When I first found out I was pregnant, I thought that the rules would be easy: don’t drink, don’t do drugs, don’t smoke. Done. Oh if only. There are SO many restrictions that it takes me forever to order these days. I’m seriously analyzing every single ingredient listed with each dish to make sure it’s safe for me to eat. That’s why these days, especially between working & being pregnant, I eat at home more often so I can control what goes in my food.

Of course there’s times when I want to treat myself too. I tend to lean towards restaurants with customizable menus. I had a tasty chicken sandwich at Stacked in Torrance the other day. It was pretty healthy too. I’m glad there’s other places with heavily customized menus like another burger haven The Counter and Big Wok Mongolian BBQ, right here in the South Bay area. Do you know of any other customizable menus? I’m glad that although my food options have been very limited these days, there’s some choices that are still available for me.

Yum Thai Redondo Beach, CA

southbayrantsnraves — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:00:25 +0000

I finally get to write this review. It started when I set out to review Pasta Kitchen. To my dismay, I saw a sign on the door that said they were closing. So for the last year, I’d see a sign that a new Thai restaurant was opening. It wasn’t until late last year that it finally happened.

Walking in, I just simply wanted Yum Thai to live up to its name. The vibe was very friendly and mellow. They had so many Thai favorites that it made it pretty hard to choose from. I usually go with the noodles, but I was in the mood for something different. Their Thai Chicken dish caught my eye so I decided to try it out.

Thai Chicken

The chicken was fall of the bone tender. I liked how the skin sealed in the moisture of the meat. The dish was served with a nice sized side of curry sauce. I’ve always been nervous about curry. It’s really been hit or miss since I don’t like spicy food. This one was definitely a hit. Sweet & tangy with a nice kick at the end. Just right for me!

The service was great throughout my visit. Servers were very friendly & also had warm smiles on their faces. They kept up with drink refills & bussing tables. The menu averaged at $8.50 a dish. Not bad at all. The portions were just enough for one meal. I wouldn’t be taking anything home for lunch the next day but that was fine by me. It’s always nice to find another Thai restaurant. So for me, Yum Thai lived up to its name. Can’t wait to try more of their dishes!

What’s your favorite Thai restaurant?

Yum Thai

1888 1/2 Pacific Coast Hwy

Redondo Beach, CA 90277

Part time blogger

southbayrantsnraves — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:35:17 +0000

You’ve probably noticed that I haven’t been blogging as frequently. Well, the reason for that is I’m expecting a little bundle in July. With that bundle comes a restrictive diet (sushi, deli meat, coffee, steak cooked less than well done? forget about it!) & more hours at work. I’ll still be posting about events in the beach cities, a Muffin Monday or two & yes a sprinkling of restaurant posts in the mix. I’ve gone part time, but I’m still here!

This weekend at Uncorked, Hermosa Beach

southbayrantsnraves — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:42:34 +0000

Come and check out Hermosa’s new little wine shop, Uncorked.

Tonight 6-8pm: Uncorked welcomes fourth generation winemaker & owner, Caitlin Pianetta. Caitlin will be pouring Pianetta Vineyard’s Cab & Syrah. Check out these bold reds with high quality flavor.

Saturday, Jan 21st 6-8pm: Doug Timewell from boutique Toucan Vineyards will be on hand to pour his Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, and a Zinfandel Port for all the dessert wine fans.

Visit uncorked at 302 Pier Ave Hermosa Beach, CA 90254. Check them out online too!

Common Grains Soba Noodle Demo

southbayrantsnraves — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:00:07 +0000

Noodles are probably the one thing that I can never get sick of. If you’re a noodle addict like me, you’re in luck. Common Grains, whose mission is to educate the public on the importance of grains in a healthy lifestyle, will hold a soba noodle demonstration and tasting from Thursday January 26- Sunday January 29 at the Mitsuwa Marketplace, at 21515 S Western Ave in Torrance. Demonstrations are at 12 & 1 pm. The event is free of charge, but $18 will give you fresh soba noodles & two dipping sauces!

Chef Mutsuko

The Common Grains program culminates with the opening of a new restaurant & soba bar in Torrance, Soba-ya in February. The restaurant will be located at 1757 W. Carson Street, suites R&S.

For more information on the soba demonstration and the new soba bar, be sure to visit the common grains website.

Will you be attending the demonstration? Do you have a favorite noodle bar?

Photos courtesy of Wagstaff Worldwide

Superbowl Appetizer: Edamame Beans

southbayrantsnraves — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:00:30 +0000

The Super Bowl is just a few weeks away. Fortunately, there’s many places to watch the game including Torrance’s own Lazy Dog Cafe.

If you’re planning your own Super Bowl party & still looking for a good appetizer, try Lazy Dog Cafe’s own Chef Gabe Caliendo’s Togarashi Edamame Beans

1 tbsp. vegetable oil
8 oz. unshelled fresh or frozen edamame (soybeans)
*1 tbsp. Traditional Togarashi Seasonings
1 tsp. crushed garlic
1 Fl. Oz. Soy Sauce
1 Fl. Oz. Rice Wine Vinegar
1 tsp. Sesame Oil
Fresh Orange Zest (optional)
1 tsp. sesame seeds (garnish)

Bring 4 cups of water to a boil and add the edamame. Once the water is boiling again, cook for 5 minutes or until tender. Drain and transfer edamame to a bowl of ice water to cool. Drain and pat dry or use a salad spinner to dry. Set aside.

Heat vegetable oil in a large, heavy wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add togarashi seasonings and crushed garlic; sauté lightly for 30 seconds. Add edamame and stir to heat through, about 2 minutes. Add soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and orange zest; stir 1 minute to coat evenly and heat through. Finish by stirring in sesame oil. Transfer to plate and serve hot. Garnish with sesame seeds.

*Togarashi seasonings can be found at a Japanese market.

Brunch at The Tripel

southbayrantsnraves — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:00:05 +0000

A few months ago, I tried out The Tripel in Playa Del Rey which is the sister property of Redondo Beach’s Hudson House. I loved their small bites & I’m glad to know that now they’re serving brunch!

Starting tomorrow, you can enjoy a wide variety of breakfast items at this cozy bar. Breakfast includes Banana bread French toast with vanilla bean maple syrup & bourbon cream, a burrata egg white omelette that includes tomatoes, Thai basil, & charred broccolini, sweet carrot farro with wilted kale, chicken sausage, and poached egg, the cobb with grilled chicken, blue cheese, egg, bacon & avocado. To wash things down, try a bloody beer, a concoction of spicy tomato spiked lager over ice. Try the cava cocktail available in pear, peach, or strawberry.

I don’t know about you, but these sound pretty tasty to me! Hope you give it a try!

Brunch is available on Saturdays & Sundays from 9am-4pm.

The Tripel

333 Culver Bl

Playa Del Rey, CA 90293

Muffin Monday: Crusty Cheese Muffins

southbayrantsnraves — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:00:50 +0000

I’m peeping out of my little cave with my first Muffin Monday post of the year. I must admit when I first saw the recipe, my nose wrinkled a bit when I saw the original recipe called for onions. I had to let it sink in for a minute & think of these more like biscuits, than sweet muffins. I got over the onion thing, but decided to omit it in the end because my husband & I aren’t really big fans anyways.

The muffins smelled so good as they baked. My husband commented that they smelled like croissants. Indeed I could practically see that cheese start to bubble as it was in the oven.

Finally the time came for me to try these first muffins of the year. To my surprise, the muffins were pretty light & not overwhelmed by the cheese. This will definitely be my breakfast for a few days!

Please note the original recipe said it would only make 6 muffins, but I was able to make a dozen.

Crusty Cheese Muffins

Ingredients

1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 tbsp butter
1 tsp water
1 3/4 cups self rising flour
3/4 c grated cheddar cheese
1 tbsp chopped fresh chives
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Cooking Directions

Place the all purpose flour in a small bowl and rub in the butter, mix in just enough water to bind ingredients. Press dough into a ball, cover, freeze about 30 minutes or until firm
Preheat the oven to 400F.
Sift self rising and extra flour into a large bowl, stir in half the cheese and all of the chives, then egg, buttermilk and oil
Spoon Mixture into prepared tray.
Grate frozen dough into a small bowl, quickly mix in remaining onion and cheese.
Sprinkle over muffins.
Bake muffins for about 25 minutes.

Looking for more Muffin Mondays?

Daily Grill launches Simply 600 menu

southbayrantsnraves — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 16:00:12 +0000

One of the most popular resolutions each new year is to lose weight, to eat healthy. Well, the Daily Grill can help you do just that with the launch of their Simply 600 menu. Each item on this menu, including salads, sandwiches, burgers, seafood, chicken, meat, and pasta dishes are all under 600 calories.

Blackened Ahi Tuna Salad

Some of the items featured on this menu include a blackened ahi tuna salad and a Thai chicken noodle salad.

Chicken Meatballs & Angel Hair Pasta

Salad not your thing? There’s more to choose from like the pan seared salmon burger, fish tacos, turkey club, chicken meatballs and angel hair pasta, and simply grilled salmon.

Be sure to check out the Daily Grill. Note that the Simply 600 menu is not available at LAX, but see other locations to check out this new menu!