baking

You should probably avoid pretty much anything I stress bake.

That’s right, I stress bake. Here’s a quick little reminder for you guys who are not aware of my sordid love affair with decadent chocolate cake and anything bathed in a creme.

I mean, come ON! How are you not salivating? You see, I have a real love and passion for food. I wouldn’t say I’m as adventurous as Andrew Zimmern, but I do enjoy tasting new and interesting foods – especially when they both smell and look delish!

During midterms, I baked double dark chocolate brownies, some with a hearty layer or mint chocolate; plus there were chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, waffles, and capellini with homemade marinara! Should I have been studying? Probably. Did I need the brain-break? YES.

Once I got through the thick of exams, though, my brain kept re-thinking the exam questions and trying to remember my answers. I re-lived new hypos (hypothetical questions and scenarios on the exam), trying to see if I could apply the law to my own ideas.

Note: You should really avoid this kind of cyclical and tedious behavior. It’s not good for you and ends in tears. Trust me.

I ended up getting myself worked up and decided I needed something to focus on, so I dug deep into my belly and decided that what my little heart craved most was capirotada.

I know – what in the ever-loving tort law is capirotada?

Capirotada is a Mexican Bread pudding that is traditionally eaten during the lenten season. One of my Tias (Aunts) is an absolute expert at all things Capirotada and I decided to make my own recipe, inspired by her yummy treats and hilarious jokes.

bread-pudding

I guess you can say law school has me feeling all sorts of ways and I needed to re-ground myself. Clean the slate. And, erm..avoid studying for contracts just a bit longer.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Vanilla (I used Mexican vanilla, but I’m not convinced that another form of liquid vanilla would taste too different)
6-7 bolillos (small french bread like loaves, usually found in the bakery of your local supermarket)
2 cups of water
2 piloncillo chunks (piloncillo is a Mexican Brown sugar, packed tightly and in a small cone-like shape about the length of your hand)
2 cinnamon sticks
6 eggs
4 star anise flowers
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
1 cup of milk
1 cup of raisins
1 cup of cheddar cheese
1/2 cup of pecans (I picked up some candied pecans, and will not justify this delectable choice)

Steps:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Grease (use butter, vegetable oil, or cooking spray) a 9 1/2″ x 13″ pan. Set aside.
On the stove, place the piloncillo, star anise, cinnamon, vanilla, and water into a pot and simmer the ingredients until the piloncillo is completely dissolved and reduces by about a quarter. [This is the step where your house starts to smell like Christmas and all things wonderful and warm!] Set aside for about 20 minutes to cool.
Cut the bolillos into bite sized cubes. Set them in a large mixing bowl.
Take the star anise and cinnamon sticks out of the syrup.
Scramble the eggs in a medium sized bowl. Carefully and slowly, add the cooled syrup into the egg mixture. Scramble again. [You should add the syrup a couple of ladel-fulls at a time.]
Once the eggs and syrup are combined, pour half the mixture over the bread.
Add half a cup of cheese, half a cup of raisins, and a 1/4 cup of pecans. Toss gently to combine the ingredients. Transfer them to the pan.
Repeat step 8 with the rest of the raisins, pecans, cheese, and syrup.
Now you place the casserole dish into the oven and bake, uncovered, for 20 – 30 minutes, until the top is slightly brown.
While you’re waiting, you can make the glaze!
Whisk the condensed milk and half a cup of milk in a small bowl. You can use less milk if you want a thicker, creamy glaze.

Once the capirotada is done, pull it out of the oven and pour the glaze over it.
Feel free to serve yourself a heaping slice with a nice glass of milk. You can eat capirotada cold or warm, but I’m pretty sure it’ll be gone before it has time to cool off.

If you’re feeling like a daredevil and not counting any calories at all…you should try this with a small mound of vanilla bean ice cream. Oooooh!

Sexcapades, Hold the Pasta

I’ve got a few friends that are “experienced” and “spontaneous.” When they speak of their sexcapades with different men and women (yes, some of these friendlies are gentlemen and some are wonderful members of the LGBT community) I tend to feel lost and somewhat-in-awe of their “Smash Lists.”

Call me old-fashioned, but the act of being intimate with another human being is not something I think should be described as “smashing” unless you’re from some other part of the world where telling someone you’ve had a “smashing good time with your SO.” Even in a hangout context, it seems odd.
Who the heck “smashes” anyway…other than The Hulk?

No.
I’ve decided that adults do not “smash.”
So when my friend, the inspiration for last week’s post, called me a prude and unimaginative for not having a smash list, well – the feast was damn near ruined.

Instead of getting my panties in a twist, I decided to fuel my thoughts into some fiery dishes.
It’s been too cold to hit the pavement in my sneaks, so the oven has seen a flurry of activity!

Here I have my version of Zucchini Lasagna. It’s pasta-free! The beau & I love it.

You’ll need 8 oz of Ricotta, 1 lb. of ground lean sirloin, an onion, 1 pot, 1 bread pan, a cutting board and some spices!

First, heat the pot with a teaspoon of vegetable oil or a spritz of EVOO spray. You’ll need to start browning your sirloin before you slice your zucchinis.

Brown yo' meat first! I mixed in salt, pepper, 1/4 cup of diced white onion, 1 T each of basil and oregano. — Brown yo’ meat first! I mixed in salt, pepper, 1/4 cup of diced white onion, 1 T each of basil and oregano.

Be sure to preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Now’s a good time to do so.
Now, take 2 medium zucchinis, slice them lengthwise – about 1/4 in. thick.

Sliced veggies always look so pretty, don’t ya think?

Place a few of them in a foil-lined baking bread pan, ours needed about 3.5 (the greenies were a bit short for the pan) to form one layer. I’m also incredibly lazy about cleanup, so the foil eases my dish-washing woes.

Next, comes the ground sirloin and pasta sauce. We used the Classico Spinach & Parmesan…it was sooooo yummy!
1 lb of ground sirloin to 1 bottle of sauce. If you’re interested in making a spicy marinara from scratch, I’d be happy to throw in some advice there, soon! I was in a hurry, so I used a pre-made sauce.

There are two bottles of this scrumptiousness because we also made spaghetti! My absolute fave!

Once the sirloin cooks through, add the sauce and warm it through.
Go ahead and get ready to start layering!

Since you already put the zucchinis down, your next layer will be the ground sirloin and sauce.

Finally, add a layer of cheese! It’s a 1 part Ricotta (cottage cheese is perfectly fine to use instead), 1 part Mozzarella mixture. I used half a cup of each and put down a thin layer, using 1/3 of the mixture. You should have enough ingredients to make 2.5 layers, ending with cheese on top.
We had a bit of the meat mixture left over, so I used it for our packed lunches on the spaghetti.

Once you’ve finished up your layers, pop that wonderful combination of meat-meets-veggie into the oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Patience is key, here. Don’t gnaw off any appendages while you wait and are cornered into smelling the yummly scents emanating from your kitcheny parts.

Once your oven dings! then it’s good to go!
Pull it out, carefully – don’t burn yourself in haste, sweetheart.
Next, slice yourself a juicy piece of zasagna!
Pair it with a small side salad and you’ll be dancing right along with your taste buds.

I wish I could give you a taste of this. It's delish! — I wish I could give you a taste of this. It’s delish!

This week will bring an abundance of foodie finds and interesting ways to make a twist on traditional dishes.
Get excited!

Much love!

Meet Sarah

Hi! I’m a recent law school graduate from the UNT Dallas College of Law. I’m currently studying for the September Bar Exam.

I spend most of my time clerking, jogging my favorite Dallas trails, and visiting Dallas eateries and coffee shops.

My passions lie across a myriad of topics, but I tend to focus my efforts on criminal, corporate, business, immigration, landlord/tenant, and patent law.

I was the Chief Reporter for the Law Review and the former President of the Sports & Entertainment Law Association.

This blog serves as both a creative outlet and a guide for others making their way through the tough years of law school and beyond.