Presley's Pantry

Making a pavlova is no easy task, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.  I learned this the hard way.  I guess my confidence had surpassed my common sense.  How does the saying go “Never try making a recipe for the first time when having dinner guests over!”  Like a fool I tried making my first pavlova on a day when I was having a small dinner party for a friends birthday.  COMPLETE FAIL.  I had followed Ina Garten’s recipe, temperature, and instructions.  I had never seen anyone make one so I figured why not turn to her.  I whipped up the egg whites and added the sugar.  It was fluffy, dense, and perfect.  Popped the pavlova in the oven and let it bake and cool.  When it was time to serve the pavlova, it just crumbled and was WAY undercooked.  A little stream of  “egg-white goo” came pouring out of it.  I had to quickly come up with an alternative dessert to serve my guests (which wasn’t a problem, I was well stocked with ice cream, berries, and coffee cake.)  I went to bed that night thinking of the fantasy pavlova I had imagined I was going to make instead of that mush that was now sitting in the trash.

A few days later I was at Walmart and saw a beautiful display of berries in the market section.  They had blueberries, strawberries, blackberries. $1.88 a carton of bright red strawberries. I practically did a little dance knowing that I was gonna pile up on berries because I had a pavlova to tackle when I got home.  It didn’t matter how many times I had to try and perfect it, I was gonna have some berries on my pavlova.

With determination on my side, and a huge carton of eggs, me and my KitchenAid went to work.  I didn’t change much of Ina Garten’s recipe, I just baked it at a different temperature and made sure it was cooked all the way through before I even attempted to place it on a platter. Now that I know how to make it, I’ll be sure to whip it up for my friends the next time they’re here to visit.  Live and learn.

Ingredients for berry pavlova:

• 4 – extra large egg whites
• 1 1/8 – cups sugar
• 2 – teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 – teaspoon vinegar or fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 – teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 – cups whipped cream
• 2 – cups berries ( I used a combo of strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.
2. Place a 9-inch circle piece of wax paper on a cookie sheet. 
3. In a mixer attached with a whisk, whisk egg whites for about a minute on high or until peaks form.
4. With the mixer still on high, slowly start to add in sugar 1 heaping tablespoon at a time. This step should take a total of about two minutes. The whites should be dense and fluffy.
5. Remove the mixture for the mixer.
6. Sift cornstarch over egg whites, then add in vinegar and vanilla. Fold the mixture with a rubber spatula until incorporated. Do not over mix.
7. Spoon the mixture into the center of the wax paper, then with the rubber spatula work your way from the center to the outer edges of the wax paper. Making a perfect pavlova. 
8. Place the pavlova in the oven, then lower the temp to 250 degrees fahrenheit.
9. Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
10. Turn the oven off and leave the pavlova in the oven with the door closed for about 5 hours or until completely cooled down.
11. With a small spatula run it along the edges to remove the wax paper from underneath. Then transfer the pavlova very carefully to a platter.
12. Spread the top with whipped cream, and fresh berries. 
13. Serve immediately.

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Whole Foods Market. The recipe and opinions are 100% my own.

 My Mom is one of these strange creatures that says “regular chocolate chip cookies are boring.” I don’t know what planet she comes from, but that’s where we part ways. This Mother’s Day she said she wanted a “nice cookie.” I asked “what does that mean exactly?” She said “I don’t know, maybe something with peanut butter and chocolate chips.”

Oh boy…

Recently Whole Foods Market sent me a gift card to spend in store.  I thought why not get something for my Momma? There are soooo many options to choose from and I can make her those cookies she’s requesting (Whole Foods Markets have really yummy Whole Trade 365 Everyday Value^® Milk Chocolate Chips).  I could also boost her morning buzz with Whole Trade Organic Café la Dueña.  This balanced, sweet and chocolaty blend is made with beans harvested by an all-female coffee co-op in Peru, supporting equal employment opportunities for women.  Then there is the wonderful selection of *Whole Trade^®  flowers all Whole Foods carry.  I think I’ll personalize a bouquet for her. Here is a little chart on what each flower means.  I always get confused.  Happy Mother’s Day to my Mom and yours or you!

• Light red carnation – admiration
• Alstoemeria – aspirational
• Calla Lilies – regal
• Gerbera daisies – cheerful
• Pink Roses – appreciation

Ingredients for Chocolate Chip peanut butter cookies:

• 1/2 – cup creamy peanut butter
• 8 – tablespoons butter (room temperature)
• 1/2 – cup sugar
• 1 – cup DARK brown sugar (packed)
• 2 – extra large eggs
• 3 – teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 – teaspoon almond extract
• 2 1/2 – cups flour
• 1 – teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 – teaspoon salt
• 12 – ounces semi sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. In a mixer add in peanut butter, butter, sugar and brown sugar. Mix on medium speed until creamy and smooth.
2. Add in eggs and continue mixing until combined.
3. Next add in both vanilla and almond extract. Mix to combine.
4. In a separate bowl sift together flour, baking soda, and salt.
5. Then gradually pour the flour mixture into the creamy butter/sugar mixture while the mixer is running on low.
6. Add in chocolate chips. Mix until completely combined.
7. Scoop out a heaping 1/8 cup and slightly mold in your hands.
8. Then place each molded cookie on a cookie sheet lined with a baking mat.
9. Place the cookie sheet in the fridge for 30 minutes.
10. Preheat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit.
11. Remove cookie sheet from fridge and place in the oven
12. Bake cookies for 15 to 16 minutes or until edges are golden.
13. Allow cookies to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
14. Enjoy!

It’s funny because even though I’m a Mom, I never think of myself on Mother’s day or how I will be celebrated.  Instead I think of my beautiful Mother whom I absolutely adore.  I try and shower her with gifts and I always plan a meal for her.  The thing is, she’s a vegetarian. Creating a dessert is the easy part of the planning for the day.  It’s the main meal that I always have to mull over.  She especially loves Mexican food (go figure,) and trying to make something slightly different than the basic vegetarian staples (enchiladas, chilaquiles, chile rellenos) is always an exercise.

Last week I was in Orlando, Florida, working on a job and found myself in this ultra swanky hotel.  At around 4:30 in the afternoon my tummy was rumbling so I made my way down to the restaurant only to find out dinner service did not start till 6p.m.  Well honey, there was no way I could hold off that long.  The all knowing maître d’ told me there was a great bar further down the hall and they served yummy appetizers and food that would keep my stomach in happy company.  I walked down the hall and found a large group of people hanging out having drinks and noshing.  I squeezed my way between two stools lined up against the bar and caught the cashiers attention.  We locked eyes and I said “I’ll have the tacos, and some sparkling water.” Next thing I knew the most gorgeous tacos were plated in front of me. They were served on a slightly puffy tortilla and jammed with shredded beef, leafy greens and a combo of avocado and  chile cream sauce.  I was either starving or those were the best tacos I had had in a LONG time because I nearly inhaled them.

Yesterday I was shopping at Walmart and ran into a package of tortillas that looked just like the tortillas I had in Orlando.  I examined the package (La Tortilla Factory) more closely and thought this was the casing to those delicious tacos.  I instantly thought I want to make some for my Mom…. I want her to try these tortillas.  I know, I’ll make her tacos for Mother’s day with almost everything those tacos had, minus the meat, and I will substitute it with baby bella mushrooms instead.  She is going to be one happy MOMMA camper. Happy Mother’s Day to all the lovely hard working Mothers.  It’s your day.

Ingredients for tacos de hongos:

• 4 – tablespoons butter
• 1 – onion (thinly sliced)
• 1 – 8 oz box of baby bella mushroom (rinsed and cut into 4’s)
• 3 – heaping tablespoons Mayonesa with lime (I used McCormick)
• 1 – ripe avocado
• 1 – small can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• 1 – package yellow corn tortillas (I used  La Tortilla Factory- hand made style)
• leafy green lettuce
• crumbled queso fresco

Directions:

1. In a large frying pan over a medium flame add 2 tablespoons of butter, and allow it to melt coating the pan.
2. Add onions to pan and saute for about 20 minutes, or until onions are all browned and caramelized, mixing often. 
3. Remove onions from pan and set in a dish.
4. In the same frying pan over a medium high flame add in remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, allow to melt.
5. Add chopped mushrooms to butter and saute for 10 minutes. Mixing often 
6. Remove mushrooms from pan and set to the side.
7. Let’s make the sauces: In a small bowl add in 1 tablespoon of mayonesa and avocado. Mash avocado and mayo together until creamy.
8. In a separate bowl add 2 tablespoons mayo, and 2 tablespoons adobo sauce from chipotle peppers. Mix until well combined.
9. Heat tortillas over open flame until slightly charred on each side.
10. Fill the center with a teaspoon of caramelized onions and a about 6 mushroom pieces. Then top with leafy greens, queso freso, avocado cream, and adobo cream. 
11. Enjoy!

Here is a photo of my Mom and me. I love that we both have serious afro’s happening.  The luck of having curly hair.

A few weeks ago a film crew from Arkansas (the home of Walmart) came knocking on my door, and wanted to get my perspective on sustainability. When I was first approached about the idea, I jumped at it thinking “this is my chance to let the biggest retailer in the world hear what I think can be done better, or what I would like to see more of in the future. The opportunity to represent my people and hopefully make a difference for us all. ”  That day we filmed for the better half of the morning, and I was honest and as candid as possible. I talked about recycling, renewable energy, the everyday differences I myself commit to, GMO’s, organic products, and trying to shape up the planet as much as possible to leave this world a better place for my son and the generations that follow him.

This past Tuesday I was in Arkansas for the first Walmart Sustainability Expo. A few CEO’s from the largest global companies had also gathered there to join in on making a green footprint in the quest for sustainability. I sat there in a room of over 2000 people listening to all the changes that Walmart has committed to making, and then watching as some of the largest brands followed their lead. Kellogg’s, Campbell Soup, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, General Mills, Unilever, and Proctor and Gamble all pledged to make a difference. Some companies promised to use a significant amount of less water, others promised to reduce the amount of packaging used by making smaller containers with concentrated product inside, and lastly we had the companies that pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. About an hour into the conference they played the video (posted above) that my family and I were featured in along with 3 other Walmart Moms and their families. I watched the video from my seat and knew that all eyes and ears in that room were watching too. I felt so proud of us 4 Walmart Moms who stood up to make a difference, and hoped that those companies heard what we (the consumers) had to say.

Pictured below is a sketch of a group of CEO’s that had just made their pledge and were having their picture taken to document the joyes occasion.

The level of green consciousness was definitely the focal point of everyone in the room, and when I departed from the conference that night, I felt great knowing I was part of a team of people that were looking to build a better tomorrow.

I was recently asked by Walmart to review the new Samsung Galaxy S 5 phone.  Being a food blogger, the first thing I look for in a phone is how good the camera works because of the nature of my job.  I have to take many photographs of food and Instagram them or Facebook or Twitter.   I’ll also write quick reviews of different foods I’ve just tasted or of restaurants I’ve just eaten at.  Also because I’m constantly on the go, I’ll write posts for my blog directly from my phone from wherever I am.  There’s a lot of pressure for my phone because essentially, I live and die by it.

First off, the 5MP camera for the Samsung Galaxy S 5 is amazing, with a resolution of 800 x 480 (16 megapixels), I’m able to take strikingly awesome photos. I also love the screen size.  It’s 4 inches from corner to corner so I could see everything clearly. The extended room on the face is also perfect to write in my documents and move different apps around without them getting jumbled up together.  The actual look of this water-resistant phone is sleek, clean and very simple.  At 9.9mm thin, it’ll have minimal impact on the back of your pant pocket.  Another one of the many cool features is that it has a built in heart-rate monitor so you can see what’s going on with your old ticker while you exercise!

But let’s face it, the best way to test anything out is to have a go at it in your everyday life.  That is exactly what I did this past weekend with this helpful phone.  I made fish tacos (recipe below) on Saturday and had a blast with my family all over my beloved city of Los Angeles.

Oh, how are my fish tacos?  They rock.

Ingredients for baja-style fish tacos:

• 2 – pounds white fish
• Salt and pepper (to taste)
• 1 1/2 – cups flour
• 1 – teaspoon baking powder
• 1 – teaspoon Lawry’s seasoning salt
• 1 – teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 – teaspoon cumin
• 1 – egg
• 1 – bottle Mexican beer ( I used Modelo)
• Vegetable oil (about 3 to 4 cups)
• Corn tortillas

Ingredients for garnish:

• avocado
• lime
• cabbage (thinly sliced)
• radish
• cotija cheese
• Mexican crema
• Red or green salsa

Directions:

1. Wash and cut the fish into 2 inch pieces.

2. Pat dry the fish with a paper towel, then lightly season fish with salt and pepper.

3. In a large bowl add in flour and baking powder.  Then the Lawry’s garlic powder and cumin.  Mix to combine.  Pour in egg and beer.  Whisk until batter is no longer clumpy.  Set the batter to the side to rest for 10 minutes, then it’s ready.

4. Place fish pieces into beer batter.  Mix to combine well.

5. In a pot add vegetable oil over a medium flame.  Allow to get hot. Using thongs add in one piece of battered fish at a time.

6. Deep fry for several minutes or until golden brown. Oil will bubble, and once it starts to    calm down a little the piece is golden and crispy.

7. Place all crispy fish pieces on a paper lined plate to drain.

8. Heat the corn tortillas, fill with crispy cauliflower pieces, and garnish as you desire.

                      My weekend in pics with the Samsung GALAXY S 5:

It seems to me that I crave fried rice once every two weeks, and have to run out to my various Chinese spots that I frequent to get it, and every time I’m there placing my order, making sure to repeat “extra egg on the rice please” to ensure they make it exactly the way I want it, I think to myself “Why don’t I have a rice cooker so I could make my own fried rice?” I know you’re probably thinking “Why the rice cooker for fried rice?” Here’s the answer…. The best fried rice is made with day old rice that is sticky and made in a rice cooker. Plain and simple. And why has it taken me so long to own one? Oh I know, because I have a clutter of junk in my kitchen cabinets that I need to get rid of, in order to make room for new stuff…. that’s why. Oh the vicious cycle of making time to get my life in order! Let’s spring forward.

Last week I just about had it, I reached into one of my cabinets and some old plastic cups came tumbling out, my kitchen was seriously long overdue for a spring cleaning. I grabbed a step ladder and climbed up into my chaotic cabinets and started to get rid of what was no longer needed. I began by taking everything out of the cabinets so I could scrub them down. Then before putting all the wanted items back in, I thought it would be nice to line the bottoms with con-tact paper. I threw on a poncho and off to Walmart I went to get my con-tact paper.

My Walmart is set up where you go through the market area first in order to get to the rest of the store. As I strolled in I couldn’t help but eye the produce as I passed it. There was a big display of asparagus, and it just looked so green and fresh. I started to think “I need asparagus for dinner tonight. Awwww, asparagus would be divine in a fried rice with ham.” My mind continued to wander “I have ham in the fridge leftover from Easter, I could buy that asparagus and make fried rice. No, you can’t, you don’t have a rice cooker.”

Before my mind had made the conscious decision to do anything, my body was already in motion. The asparagus was in the cart, I was headed to the appliance aisle because I knew with my new spacious cabinets in order I would have plenty of room for a rice cooker. The dreaded spring cleaning that I had procrastinated on for so long ended up being a godsent.

Ingredients for asparagus ham fried rice:

• 2 – tablespoons vegetable oil    
• 1 1/2  – cups ham (cubed small)
• 1 – cup onion (sliced)
• 2 – cups asparagus (cut into pieces)
• 4 – cups steamed rice (I used Nishiki)
• 1 – tablespoon butter
• 3 – eggs (whisked in a bowl)
• 4 –  green onion (sliced & chopped)
• 1/2 – tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 – tablespoon sesame seeds
• 1 – teaspoon nanami togarashi (optional)

Directions:

1. Make a pot of rice in rice cooker according to directions in the manual. Make a total of 4 cups. Place rice in the fridge over night or until ready to use. 1 day old rice works best for this recipe.
2. In a large frying pan over a medium high flame add 2 tablespoon vegetable oil and allow to get hot.
3. Add ham to pan. Fry until ham is crisp, about 4 minutes.
4. Add in onion and asparagus mix well.  Continue to fry for 3 minutes or until asparagus turns a bright green color. 
5. Add in the rice, with a spatula break up the rice, and mix into the onion asparagus mixture.
6. Once the rice is combined lower the flame to a simmer. 
7. In a separate small pan over a medium flame add butter and allow to melt.
8. Add eggs to melted butter and fry up the eggs. Scrambled egg is the end results.
9. Add the cooked egg to the rice. 
10. Sprinkle the rice with green onion, and soy sauce. Mix well to combine.
11. Lastly sprinkle with sesame seeds and if some spice is desired nanami togarashi.
12. Enjoy!

This post is sponsored by Sprint.

The other day I happened upon an ice cream sandwich cake on the internet. It looked so good and tempting. I don’t know why, but it just had my name written all over it. Maybe it has something to do with the bloodmoon, or pms, or maybe the odd warm weather…. whatever the reason…. I wanted it.

As I examined the chocolate sauce dripping down the sides of the cake (my current obsession), I thought to myself  “I bet that would be heavenly with cajeta, and neapolitan ice cream sandwiches instead.” In that instant all the pieces came together. This coming Thursday (April 24th), I will be hosting a #Billboards2014 party here in my home with my #Framily on behalf of Sprint, and a cajeta neapolitan ice cream sandwich cake would be the perfect dessert for us. Plus the ice cream sandwich is sort-of  in the same shape as the new Samsung Galaxy 5S, and guess what? Sprint is giving me the new phone to give to one of the members of my #Framily. Oh it’s gonna be a fun night.  We plan on watching the awards, playing games, snacking, and eating cajeta neapolitan ice cream sandwich cake.  Don’t forget to follow the conversation on both instagram and twitter…. we will be using the #Framily and #Billboards2014 hashtags!

Ingredients for cajeta neapolitan ice cream sandwich cake:

• 12 – neapolitan ice cream sandwiches
• 1/2 – cup cajeta
• 2 – cups whipped cream
• optional: fresh strawberries

Directions:

1. Lay 3 ice cream sandwiches on a plate. 
2. Drizzle 2 tablespoons on cajeta on top of sandwiches. 
3. Place another 3 sandwiches on top of cajeta, with the sandwiches stacked in the opposite direction.
4. Top with another 2 tablespoons of cajeta. 
5. Top cajeta layer with 3 more sandwiches.
6. Another two tablespoons of cajeta.
7. Lay down the final 3 sandwiches.
8. Frost the entire stack of sandwiches with whipped cream. 
9. Drizzle the remaining cajeta over the top of the cake and place back in the freezer for a minimum of 1 hour to firm. 
10. Slice and Enjoy!