Homemade Watermelon Juice (Sandia)

I love watermelon juice and watermelon drinks. I love it with and without the pulp. First tried it in Berkeley at IHouse (International House) and also at Cancun Taquería, a good Berkeley restaurant with a big salsa bar (I posted about it here). I've also had it in Moreno Valley (near Riverside) at Taquería Azteca.

Anyway, so for this juice I just blended together some fresh watermelon slices (without the rind), water, and sugar and then added ice. I'd say that you don't actually need the sugar, but just play around with the ingredients and figure out how you like it. It's also good if you blend the ice so that it's a watermelon smoothie! And obviously you can add vodka and/or lime or something, but then it wouldn't be watermelon juice!!

Patrick's Grad Party @ Campagnia - Fresno, CA

Campagnia
1185 E. Champlain Drive
Fresno, CA 93720
Website here.

Patrick (the same Patrick whose high school grad party food I posted about here) is my first friend to become a doctor (he's now a doc of pharmacy)! He recently had a really nice combined graduation party with his cousin, JJ/Jay, at Campagnia. The food was AWESOME. I'd been here for a work lunch with my former co-workers a few years ago but don't remember anything about the food. Here's what it was like this time since its reopening! I just don't have a picture of the penne. I wonder if the new owners (they just reopened) are Asian. When do you ever see plain white rice served at nice restaurants like this?

 

This salad that everyone received was sooo good. I love green salads that include fruit, feta (or a similar cheese) and sweetened/candied walnuts! Here's the online description of this salad: "Pear & butterleaf lettuce salad with strawberries, candied pecans, blue cheese & poppy seed dressing."
Patrick didn't care for the amount of candied walnuts, but I thought it was just right.

 Patrick's New York steak ("with bleu cheese red wine butter, steamed jasmine rice & sauteed spinach"), which he said was good:

 My order of "Pan Roasted Salmon" = "with steamed jasmine rice, sauteed vegetables, mango salsa and roasted pasilla chile sauce" (SO delicious and the perfect amount!):

Land O'Lakes' Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Rounds

These below are actually from the first time I made these (last December of 2010):

These are small, slightly crispy, light, and cinnamon-sugary. Got the recipe from Land O' Lakes here. They're simple, good, and they make a great gift. You can tie them together in a stack with a bow or do something cute like that. My dad said they taste like snickerdoodles, which I don't like, but they're definitely better in my opinion because they have chocolate in them.

1  cup butter, softened
1  cup sugar
1  egg
2  tablespoons milk
1  teaspoon vanilla
3  cups all-purpose flour
2  teaspoons baking powder
1  teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup mini real semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

(1) Combine butter &1 cup sugar in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy
(2) Add egg, milk & vanilla and continue beating until well mixed
(3) Reduce speed to low & add flour, baking powder & 1 teaspoon cinnamon.
(4) Beat, scraping bowl often, until well mixed
(5) Stir in chocolate chips
(6) Divide dough into fourths & shape each into 8-inch log
(7) Combine 1/4 cup sugar &1 teaspoon cinnamon in small bowl. Spread sugar mixture onto waxed paper.
(8) Roll the logs in sugar mixture until outside is well coated & wrap each in plastic wrap
(9) Refrigerate until firm (2 hours) or put them in the freezer for about 30 minutes (I chose the latter method because I didn't have much time)
(10) Heat oven to 375°F
(11) Cut logs into 1/4-inch slices w/ sharp knife
(12) Place 1 inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheets
(13) Bake for 8-10 min or until edges are firm and bottoms are lightly browned
(14) Cool 1 minute
(15) Remove from cookie sheets

Hot Fudge Sundae Cupcakes

I bookmarked this awhile ago from Joy the Baker's site and used it the other day when I remembered that a kid at my volunteer place described her dream cupcake to me. It was something like this: "A vanilla cupcake with chocolate frosting and whipped cream and a cherry on top!"  What an easy way to make a kid's dream come true. Thanks, Joy! The kids had so much fun making and eating these. Several asked for more.

Just sad that I didn't have those cherries with the stems still on them.

Recipe (original here):


12 Vanilla Cupcakes
from The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook

1 cup all-purpose flour
a 3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup whole milk
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

(1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
(2) Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda & butter into the bowl of a stand mixer or a handheld beater & beat on slow speed until mixture is a sandy consistency & everything is combined
(3) Gradually pour in half of the milk & beat until the milk is just incorporated
(4) Whisk the egg, vanilla & remaining milk together in a separate bowl for a few seconds, then pour into the flour mixture and continue beating until just incorporated
(5) Scrape any unmixed ingredients from the side or the bottom of the bowl with a spatula
(6) Continue mixing until batter is smooth (just a few minutes without over-mixing).
(7) Spoon batter into paper lined muffin tins, dividing between the 12 cups
(8) Bake for 20-25 min or until light golden & a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean
(9) Let cupcakes cool slightly in the pan, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely before frosting

Chocolate Ganache
3/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup heavy cream

(1) Put chocolate chips in a small bowl
(2) Bring cream to a simmer in small heavy saucepan
(3) Pour cream evenly over chocolate
(4) Let stand for one min to soften, then stir until smooth
(5) If frosting is too loose to spread, let it sit at room temperature for 10-30 minutes, stirring occasionally (frosting will thicken as it stands)
(6) Top vanilla cupcakes w/h chocolate ganache, slightly sweetened whipped cream, a cherry (slivered almonds are optional).
* Serve immediately* - Otherwise chocolate will get harder & whipped cream will get runny

Whipped Cream(1) Add a bit of sugar to heavy whipping cream & whip it with a hand-mixer until you reach your desired consistency