Matcha Popcorn with White Chocolate and Black Sesame Seeds

October 1, 2016

Happy October! My favorite month always starts off with a bang. Come the 1st day of October every year is my beautiful boy, MaQ's birthday! He is four years old today and officially a grown-up. He's still young at heart, but his demeanor is more calm nowadays. More gentleman-y. The hubby and I had plans for his birthday but unfortunately the New York weather is being extremely uncooperative, and will be raining for the next couple of days. All. Day. Long.

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photos + recipe by: © Suzanne Spiegoski — photos + recipe by: © Suzanne Spiegoski

Matcha Popcorn with White Chocolate and Black Sesame Seeds

Ingredients:

4 ounces white chocolate chips

1/2 teaspoon Japanese matcha green tea

1/2 cup popcorn kernels, popped (about 8 cups popped)

Black sesame seeds

Directions:

Place white chocolate chips in microwave-safe bowl and microwave at 15-second intervals, stirring between each one, until melted.
Add matcha powder and stir until completely incorporated. Hello, green!
Place the popcorn in a large bowl and drizzle with the white chocolate mixture, tossing as you go, until popcorn is evenly coated. Season with salt. Set popcorn in refrigerator until white-chocolate coating has firmed, about 10 minutes. Break up any clump and serve. Popcorn can be stored in the refrigerator overnight using Ziplock bag.

So you know what rainy days call for. Cooking times with Suz! :) Aside from MaQ's birthday being one of the reasons why I love October so much, I also am a big fan of Halloween. I decided to make 'Frankenstein' popcorn! This is matcha green tea incorporated into melted white chocolate and the best part, with the popcorn. Mmmmm... let's not forget the wonderful black sesame seeds. Its deep, rich flavor complements with the mild sweetness from the white chocolate, overall giving this dessert a well-balanced combination in taste. Tell me a kid who wouldn't want to try this popcorn - just look at that green color!

Instead of venturing out in the rain for MaQ's birthday this weekend, we've postponed our plans and we'll be keeping it low key and just trying to recuperate from the crazy busy month we've had. The key is to try. ;) Everyone needs to recharge their batteries every now and then. I want to check out 'The People v. O.J. Simpson' TV show, munch on some 'Frankenstein' popcorn, nap, and munch down on more deliciousness I'll be cooking later. Chicken Jardinière anyone? Perfect for gloomy, dreary days like today.

Hope you have a nice weekend. Coming up Monday on the blog, I'll be sharing another outfit post featuring my most recent pieces of jewelry and a twist on the latest reverse/backwards shirt trend, where you any shirt that buttons down in the front; you switch it to the back. Playing a lot with masculine and feminine tones together lately. Stay tuned...

LOVE & XX'S,

FOLLOW MAQ + SUZ

MaQ Shepherd's Pie

September 25, 2016

Sponsored Post: This post is intended for 21+ and sponsored by Wente Vineyards, but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

Happy Sunday! The fall season has arrived and you know what that means - I get to cook all my favorite recipes to share with you guys! I am also discussing more about my passion in cooking today with Wente Vineyards wine! You'll rarely see me drink a glass of red during the warmer seasons, but as soon as that crisp air kicks in, I'm stocking up on a ton of pinot noir! And Wente Vineyard's Riva Ranch Pinot Noir is absolutely delicious! I had to create a hearty Autumn dish to perfectly go with my new favorite wine!

One of my go-to fall meals is the classic Shepherd's pie (or Cottage pie as it's sometimes called). Rich in ground beef with carrot, onion, & garlic, and topped with gorgeously browned mashed potatoes, I did a tiny twist on my creation. Using the German Shepherd rolling pin from Stodola, I created thin-like biscuits to put on top of the pie. I was going to go for a rectangular pastry puff piece, but was concerned it might come out too mushy on top of the mashed potatoes. So instead I made circular biscuits using a glass. I loved how the pastry gave the dish more texture. It's flaky goodness made me oh so happy!

MaQ Shepherd's Pie

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
1.5lbs ground beef or lamb
Olive oil
1 large carrot
1 onion
Fresh thyme
Fresh rosemary
4 garlic cloves
1/2c red wine (Wente Vineyard Riva Ranch Pinot Noir 2014)
Splash of Worcestershire sauce
1/2c chicken broth
2Tbsp tomato paste
salt & pepper
5 large potatoes
1/4c heavy cream
3Tbsp butter
2 egg yolk
1c Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven at 400 degrees.
Peel potatoes. Boil in hot water for 15 minutes. Drain, cool and set aside.
Grate onion and carrot. Mince garlic and fresh herbs.
Add olive oil in pan and cook meat until brown. Drain grease.
Add onion, carrot, garlic, and salt & pepper.
Add thyme, rosemary, tomato paste, red wine, and Worcestershire sauce.
Add chicken broth. Cook on medium heat until most sauce has thickened.
Meanwhile, mash potatoes in a bowl. Add salt & pepper, butter, heavy cream, egg yolks and Parmesan cheese. Mix well.
Place meat in casserole dish. Then layer with mashed potato mixture. Take a fork and lightly poke.
Cook in oven for 20-22 minutes. Serve immediately.

--- For the MaQ Shepherd biscuits, I used puff pastry and the German Shepherd rolling pin from here.

What's the secret to getting that nice golden color on the mashed potatoes? Parmesan cheese! I tried to focus the browning around the edges so the biscuits would have all the room they needed to also bake nicely on top.

Karl Wente, a 5th generation winemaker, blends his two passions of making wine and making music together. I love music and normally have some on while I cook (and maybe dance), and blending passions with Wente Vineyards is something you can do too! Watch Karl's video and share what inspires you or what you might pair your bottle of Wente wine with! I know I will be going through a ton more of red wines from them. :)

Try Wente Vineyard wines and take advantage of their free shipping for a limited time only! Use code, 'JRNYSHIP1' and join the Wente newsletter to stay in touch with all things Wente! I used the Riva Ranch Pinot Noir 2014 wine to cook the minced meat with. Smooth and full of body it was also the perfect wine to accompany dinner with! I even got to enjoy dining al fresco afterward! Got to take advantage of this gorgeous weather we've been having in New York!

What are your unexpected ways of pairing wine with your passion? I'd love to hear and see what favorite wines you all drink while out and about doing your favorite thaaaannng! Are you more into reds or whites? Maybe only rosé? Alright, Sunday Brunch is here and leftovers of MaQ Shepherd's Pie is calling my name! Enjoy the rest of the weekend, everyone!

LOVE & XX'S,

FOLLOW MAQ + SUZ

Chilled Avocado Salad

September 4, 2016

Long holiday weekends call for easy-does-it recipes. And poolside! I'm sharing one of my oldest recipes: a chilled avocado salad. It is simple, fresh and healthy. Delicious. And the best part? AVOCADO. There's really nothing to it. Let me show you how you can make your own!

Start by whisking olive oil, rice wine vinegar, salt, oregano and cumin together in a large bowl. Add chopped avocado, then toss gently to coat. I always use a silicone spatula to prevent mushing the avocado. You don't want it to look all squished together, as it looks messy. Not as appealing to eat, let alone serve.

Chilled Avocado Salad

recipe + photos by © Suzanne Spiegoski — recipe + photos by © Suzanne Spiegoski

Serves 6

Ingredients:
1/4 c. olive oil
2 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. cumin
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and cut into bite-size pieces
1 c. cooked brown or white rice
1/2 c. canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1 large Roma tomato, seeded and diced
1 green onion, sliced

Directions:

Whisk oil, vinegar, salt, oregano, and cumin in large bowl. Add avocado; toss gently to coat.
Add rice, black beans, tomato and green onion; toss gently to mix. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving. Enjoy with tortilla chips. :)

Add in cooked rice, brown or white, but in this recipe I used white (non-sticky), canned black beans, tomato and green onion. Toss again to mix, season with s & p, then refrigerate for an hour before serving. I normally serve it with yellow corn chips, but any kind of tortilla chips will do just fine.

Optionally you can also add in a little tabasco sauce for added spiciness. But sometimes it's nice to keep a dish fresh and true to its recipe. Every time I serve this at a dinner party, it's gone lickety-split. People love this appetizer, and rightfully so! What's not to enjoy?! ;)

Check out the step-by-step YouTube video down below! And be sure to subscribe to our channel for weekly videos on style, food & cooking, beauty tutorials and more! I've been passionate in my adventures in videography and love sharing not just my experiences, but the learning curve that has come with it. What's been your latest passion? Or what have you learned recently that's taken you on a new journey?

Thanks for stopping by! We love reading your comments, questions & feedback! Be sure to comment down below and to share! We hope you enjoy the long holiday weekend! We'll be traveling for the next few days and can't wait to show you where! It's another place I've never been AND I'll also be experiencing something I've never done before either! It's going to be amazing!!! So excited! Stay tuned...

videography + photography, styling + editing

by: Suzanne Spiegoski

Happy Labor Day Weekend! I whipped up a chilled avocado salad to enjoy during the long holiday weekend! Subscribe for new videos every week http://bit.ly/21XFK0K

Cheers! xo.

LOVE & XX'S,

FOLLOW MAQ + SUZ

Ramen Breakfast Toast

August 12, 2016

Every now and again I come across a recipe that completely blows me away. Case in point: C ravings. Christine is a writer/food blogger with a talent in food photography as well. I'm always left inspired after visiting her work, but when I came across her ramen breakfast toast on Beautiful Cuisines on Instagram, I had to re-create it! I've never tried making ramen 'toast' and was extremely curious how this recipe would pan out, let alone how it would taste together with all the different flavors. And oh boy, let me just say - they invented #foodgasm specifically for this toast.

First the latest food trend was all about rice buns, and now ramen toast. And I can understand why. All you need is some salt and eggs to coat the cooked ramen before frying it in a pan (individually) with a little bit of vegetable oil. It was not that difficult to make, though I will say that if you're not that confident at boiling eggs, just be sure to make extra for back-up. To get that nice, soft runny egg, time it at 6.5 minutes. But like I said, it depends on a lot of factors so just put a couple more eggs in for good measure. You'll be good to go!

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Breakfast Ramen Toast

Serves 4
Recipe by: What Do You Crave

Photos by: Suzanne Spiegoski // Recipe by: What Do You Crave

Ingredients:
2 packets instant ramen
4 eggs
Salt
Vegetable oil for frying
1 cup diced tomato
1 small jalapeno, minced
¼ cup diced red onion
1-2 Tbsp. sweet soy sauce*
1 tsp. fresh grated ginger
1 lime
1 avocado
Nori
Chili flakes, optional
Sriracha, optional

Directions:

Make the Ramen “Toast”
Cook ramen noodles according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cool water for about 15 seconds.
Whisk together two eggs with a little salt and carefully mix in noodles.
Divide noodles evenly into 4 ramekins or bowls. Use plastic wrap to press noodles into bottom of the bowls and help hold shape.
Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Make the Soft-boiled Eggs
Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil then reduce to a gentle simmer.
Carefully add in 2 eggs, one at a time, with a slotted spoon.
Cook for about 6.5 minutes for a soft, runny yolk and set white. Use a timer!
This takes practice to get right and sometimes you may find you need to adjust your cooking time to get it just right. I would recommend cooking a few extra eggs at different increments just to test it out.
Remove eggs with spoon and place into an ice bath to stop cooping process. Carefully peel and set aside until ready to use.

Prep your Toppings
Combine tomato, onion, jalapeno, ginger, and juice from half a lime in a bowl.
Add in 1 Tbsp. of sweet soy sauce and taste test before adding more. Not all soy sauce is created equal, some are saltier than others.
Mix to combine and set aside.
Slice avocado however you see fit and use the other half of the lime to prevent it from turning brown.

Cook “Toast” and Assemble
In a large non-stick pan heat a thin layer of vegetable oil over medium heat.
Carefully plop noodle “toast” out into pan. I’d do one at a time.
Cook for about 3 minutes on each side or until lightly crisp and golden.
Top each toast with nori, ¼ of the avocado slices, ¼ cup pico de gallo, and ½ of a soft boiled egg.
Serve with chili flakes or Sriracha and enjoy!

In the recipe there's a delightful homemade pico de gallo (I always manage to sting my fingers after chopping up jalapeños ha ha) with a nice heat to it. Adding thin layers of avocado brings a creamy buttery sensation to the mix. And the seaweed combined with the soft boiled egg? It's tastes a lot like regular ramen noodle soup, but without all the slurping and with varied textures. For more spiciness, add Sriracha sauce and red pepper chili flakes. I totally loved making this dish! And it's not just for breakfast, you can have this for lunch and dinner too!

I can't wait to do my own twist on the ramen breakfast toast. There's so many ways to make it! You could use kimchi, sausage, radish, and other breakfast-like toppings. So glad I was able to work with a recipe first that not only was had me try something new, but more especially, discovering new tastes in flavors. Thanks again, Christine for such an awesome recipe! I could have waited and done my own creation on this idea, but this one was too good not to share! To see more of Christine and her overall super star-ness, go check out Cravings now!

LOVE & XX'S,

FOLLOW MAQ + SUZ

Peach Melba

July 21, 2016

Cheers, it's almost the weekend and I'm about to have me some fun! I finally found my edible flowers, y'all! After patiently waiting until Wednesday, I happily went to the Union Square Farmer's Market and picked up some vibrant babies with Windfall Farms. They have the freshest flowers to work with and ever since they've caught my eye during the start to spring, I've been dying to add them in my practice with plating. Plus, edible flowers can really bring a dish together with its fragrant and earthy qualities. Not to mention how aesthetically sound they are, especially with desserts.

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Peach Melba

Ingredients:

Peaches:
1 1/2c water
1 3/4c sugar
1 vanilla pod, split lengthwise
1Tbsp lemon juice
2-3 peaches

Raspberry sauce:
1 1/2c raspberries
1/4c confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 pint of vanilla bean ice cream
Raspberries & peanut granola to garnish.

Directions:

Put the water, sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla pod into a wide saucepan and gently heat to dissolve the sugar. Bring saucepan to a boil and let it bubble for 5 minutes. Turn heat down to a fast simmer.

Cut the peaches in half, and if the stones come out easily then remove them. If not, you can get them out after poaching them. To poach, put peach halves in the sugar syrup for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side depending on the ripeness of the fruit. Test the cut side with the sharp point of a knife to see if they are soft. Remove with slotted spoon.

Peel skin off peach halves and let them cool. Be sure to remove stone after. To make raspberry sauce, blend fresh raspberries, confectioners' sugar and lemon juice. Sieve to remove the pits and pour the puree into a jar.

To serve, allow 1 -2 peach halves per person alongside with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. Spoon raspberry sauce over each.

One of my all-time favorite desserts (originally from France) is the peach melba. The combination with the sweet peach and tartness from the raspberries is a symphony in your mouth. Add in the vanilla ice cream and its oozy, creamy combo will definitely have you feeling some type of way! Instead of doing it the traditional way, like how I used to get it at the retirement home I worked at as a teenager (yup, true story), was a scoop of ice cream, half of a poached peach, and with some drizzling of raspberry sauce. Nothing fancy. And it doesn't need to be. But I have such a passion when it comes to cooking, I'm always trying to elevate dishes to the next level. I even formed my first ice cream quenelle! So here you have it: My deconstructed version of the peach melba dessert. You can download the recipe by clicking on the button above. Got questions or comments? I love hearing from my readers! Write your thoughts down below. I've got some really exciting content coming up for the rest of the summer! And yes, it will include some traveling! Yay! Plus I'll be celebrating my one year anniversary since creating MaQ + Suz, and of course I'll be doing a post on this! Stay tuned...