Sarah's Key

The night is finally here for my first book club to meet! As I mentioned before I am hosting tonight and can't wait for all of the girls (there are 11 of us including myself) to get together. There will be lots of food (from yours truly, which I'm sure I will share tomorrow), wine, and chatting about the book - Sarah's Key. I have to tell you, this book was awesome. A must-read! If you haven't heard of it, go check it out. Not only did I find the story to be quite captivating, but I learned a bit about history too. The book flips back and forth between two different time periods - WWII and present day (2002). I really enjoy books like this as they make it easy to stay interested and keep the story line moving. This was one book that probably would have held my attention regardless, but I really liked the author's style. I will definitely be checking out more of Tatiana de Rosnay's books in the future.

Spicy Thai Noodles

Thai food was one of the few cuisines I have recently tried in my adult life. If you know anything about my childhood, this is kind of shocking. My parents were really good at introducing me and my brother to a variety of foods and cuisines when we were kids, but Thai food was one of the cuisines they missed. I think it could have something to do with the nice kick that comes along with some of the Thai dishes I've tried. My parents aren't really "spicy" people, but I love it. I still have a long way to go on learning and trying more Thai food, but these noodles a great addition to my life. I know these will become a part of my dinner rotation. Not only are they delicious, but they're super easy to pull together on a week night.

Spicy Thai Noodles

(Adapted from here)

Ingredients:

- 1 box of spaghetti (cooked to al dente and set aside in a large mixing bowl) 

- 1 tbsp of red pepper flakes

- 1/4 cup of olive oil

- 1/2 cup of sesame oil

- 6 tbsp of honey

- 6 tbsp of soy sauce

- 2 carrots, peeled and shredded

- 1/2 cup of green onions, chopped (plus extra for topping)

- 1/2 cup of fresh cilantro, chopped

- 3/4 cup of unsalted peanuts, chopped (plus extra for topping)

- Toasted sesame seeds, for topping

- 20 previously cooked shrimp 

Method:

1. Heat the olive oil, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes in a small sauce pan over medium heat. 

2. Once the sauce heats up (after a few minutes), strain out the pepper flakes and reserve the oil in a medium-sized mixing bowl.

3. Add the honey and soy sauce to the oil, and whisk together. 

4. Grab the cooked noodles (that you should have in a large mixing bowl) and toss the sauce over top, making sure to coat all of the noodles.

5. Then add the shrimp, carrots, green onions, cilantro, and peanuts to the noodles and combine together. 

6. Before serving, add a sprinkle of green onions, carrots and toasted sesame seeds over top. Enjoy!

Please note: This dish can be served right away as is, or you can chill the noodles and serve cold. Totally up to you!

For those of you that don't do shrimp, swap it out for beef, chicken, or tofu. Any option you decide will be a good one. The flavors of these noodles are amazing!

P.S. Don't forget you have until 11:59 EST tonight to enter my giveaway from Crate & Barrel! If you haven't entered already, get on it!

Cupcakes, Cupcakes, & More Cupcakes

In case you may have missed this morning's post, the theme of today is cupcakes! Be sure to enter my giveaway from the Crate & Barrel Woodfield store. It's a fun one. Now on to the cupcake recipe I couldn't wait to share with all of you. 


After I was told the theme of today's giveaway I knew exactly what I had to do. Bake cupcakes of course. Seems like the obvious answer...doesn't it? These came out better than expected. They're delicious. Really delicious. As in they may be one-of-the-best-cupcakes-I-have-ever-baked delicious. 

Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes with Raspberry Butter Cream Frosting

(Adapted from here)

For the cupcakes:

(made using the soda method)

Ingredients:

- 1 box of devil's food cake mix

- 1 (12 oz) can of diet coke 

- 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips

- 1 tbsp of raspberry extract

*Please note: the can of soda replaces the eggs and oil that the box instructions typically require. If you do not wish to try the soda method, you can always follow the exact instructions on the back of the box. 

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (or according to the box instructions).

2. Place the cake mix, soda, and raspberry extract in a large mixing bowl and using an electric mixer (or stand mixer), mix until smooth.

3. Take the cup of chocolate chips and combine into the smooth batter with a large spoon. 

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes, or until cooked through. 

5. Once finished, let cool for about 10 minutes before topping with the frosting (recipe to follow).

For the frosting:

Ingredients:

- 1 1/4 sticks of butter, softened

- 1 tsp of almond extract

- 1 tsp of raspberry extract

- 3 to 4 cups of confectioners sugar

- 1 tbsp of milk (use more as needed, depending on consistency)

- A few drops of red food coloring

- Optional: Extra chocolate chips for topping

Method:

1. Beat the butter and extracts together (until fluffy), for 30 seconds.

2. Add the confectioners sugar, one cup at a time, and continue to mix together. 

3. Then add the milk (as needed) to achieve desired consistency.

4. Add red food coloring for a nice pink color and mix together

5. Frost the cupcakes, topping with extra chocolate chips (if you so choose). 

I don't think, I know you will enjoy these! And because one cupcake is never enough, why stop at one photo?

Enjoy! 

Extra Day Of The Year

Happy Lear everyone! In honor of the extra 24 hours of the year we all get to enjoy, the Crate & Barrel Woodfield store and I decided to partner up for another giveaway. I only do giveaways that I really love and this is definitely one of them. This giveaway has a theme. A theme of one of my favorite things - cupcakes!  

One lucky reader will win (all of) the following:

One Cupcake Cookbook

One Cupcake Corer

And...

One Set of 100 Spring Cupcake Papers

So, here's how you enter.

Mandatory To Be Entered To Win: 

1. Answer the following question via twitter: "How do you plan on spending the extra 24 hours of the year?" Make sure to include #cbleapyear, @sharisdailydish, and @cbwoodfield in your tweet. 

For Additional Entries (& chances to win):

1. You must be (or become) a follower of The Daily Dish through Google Connect (on the right hand side of the blog).

2. Leave a comment letting me know what your favorite cupcake flavor is. 

3. "Like" The Daily Dish on Facebook.

4. Follow The Daily Dish on Twitter.

5. Follow the Crate & Barrel Woodfield store on Twitter.

(Please leave a comment for each additional entry).  

You will have until Thursday, March 1st at 11:59PM EST to enter. I will then randomly select a winner who will be announced on the morning of Friday, March 2nd. 

In keeping with the cupcake theme, I decided to make some cupcakes of my own to share with all of you. Check back this afternoon for my latest creation. I promise you won't want to miss it!

For Those Of You That Don't Go Meatless

I feel like I have been super good at posting a bunch of meatless recipes here lately, but I haven't exactly provided anything for the meat lovers. As I have mentioned before, I have not gone completely meatless, and these meatballs (made with beef) are here to prove it. These are so good you will want to make extra to freeze for a later date. I promise. I am already kicking myself for not. 

Italian Meatballs

(makes 12)

Ingredients:

• - 1 lb of lean ground beef
• - 1 small onion, finely chopped
• - 3 garlic cloves, minced
• - 1 large egg
• - 1/3 cup dried bread crumbs
• - 1/4 cup crushed red pepper flakes
• - 1/4 cup fresh Parsley, chopped
• - 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• - Salt & ground black pepper, to taste
• - Cooking spray
• - 1 jar of tomato sauce of your choice, for topping
• - Optional: Shaved Parmesan, for topping
• - Optional: Spaghetti, to serve with (rice could also be a good alternative)
• Method:
• 1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 
• 2. Line a baking sheet with tin foil, spray the bottom with non-stick cooking spray, and set aside.
• 3. In a large mixing bowl, add the onion, garlic, bread crumbs, egg, Parsley, Parmesan, red pepper flakes, salt & pepper, with the beef. Mix together thoroughly (I use my hands as the easiest way to do this step). 
• 4. Then shape the meat mixture into 12 evenly sized meatballs.
• 5. Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes (or until they are cooked through). 
• 6. Remove from the oven and serve over a bed of spaghetti (optional). Pour the tomato sauce of your choice over top and garnish with some shaved Parmesan cheese (optional).