Blake Makes

More people are getting the jars of peanut butter dulce de leche that I mailed out last week. I love to see what y’all are doing with your jars (like Dave). I’m sure most of you are just eating it right out of the jar (like me), but some of you are taking it to a new level.

I sent a jar to Foodie Bride and she made brownies with it. OMG! Check it out!

I’d like to take this moment and say thanks to Foodie Bride (Shawnda). Thanks for your interest. Thanks for making something amazing with something I made. Thanks for blogging about it (and sending your readers to this blog).

This is what I love about blogs. They’re bringing us all closer together. I have about 80 more friends (Sooper Heroes) now than I had just a week ago.

I’ve had close to 100 requests for dulce (in just 5 days!). I wonder how many people I could have gotten into a brick and mortar store in the same time? I doubt 100 and I doubt for as cheaply (blogging’s virtually free).

I’ve spoken to another Sooper Hero, and he’s doing something completely different (but totally him). I won’t tell you what it is until he posts about it, but let me just say that it’s not a dessert. In fact, it’s not sweet at all.

I’ll be posting more updates as more of the first mail out gets blogged about. In the meantime, get ready for round 2. I’ll be working all weekend on another round of PB DDL, plus experimenting with a few more flavors of DDL (banana and marshmallow cream) and making something completely different - Blake Makes Mini Moments.

I’ve got quite a long list of Sooper Heroes amassing, and that’s great! I’m super excited.

I already told you guys that we have our first Sooper Company, and today I got another. Pretty soon, there’s going to be a ton of food going out the door and into your mailboxes.

Get ready because we’re just getting started.

BTW, more info is coming on Soopz and Blakeville. I’m pulling together the content for those pages, and you’ll be able to read it soon by clicking the tabs at the top of this page.

Whew! Stay tuned! bk

Hello Blake Makers and Sooper Heroes. We just got back from our long weekend back home, and when we arrived, a large brown box was waiting to greet us at the front door.

Obviously, inside the box we found about 200 1.5 oz. jars. They are smaller than the first dulce jars, but these are much cuter.

For round two, we’re making another batch of Blake Makes Peanut Butter Dulce de Leche (with a revised recipe), but I’m also going to make something else.

I think I already spilled the beans in a comment, but here are some clues to tempt you:

1. Give me more.
2. Campfire.
3. Layers.

I’m calling my new concoction “Mini Moments.” Give me about a week. bk

Hello, Blake Makers (and Sooper Heroes). Ok, now we’re getting some results from the dulce mail out. My friend, Dave Coustan, received his jar and blogged about it. He takes us through, pic by pic, his experiencing Blake Makes Dulce de Leche for the first time. Go check it out.

I don’t know gang, are you thinking what I’m thinking? It’s time for another round of dulce. Who wants some?

Click the image to go to Dave’s site.

Oh, and, thanks Dave. You’re a blogging rock star! See you on twitter.

Hello, Blake Makers. Well, it’s been an exciting week on Blake Makes. The dulce post went well (actually better than I had anticipated), so I guess my readers were hungrier than I thought. Well, fasten your seat belts because we’re about to take a giant step forward. Here comes Soopz (and more secrets, “Blakeville”).

I’ve been working on an idea for a few months, and it’s just about done (I can smell it in the oven, and the aroma is heavenly). With help from my business counselor (I couldn’t live/work without Joan), I’ve put together a business plan for Soopz (this is a working title).

What is Soopz?

Soopz is basically another name for the Blake Makes family. It’s a network of bloggers (mostly food bloggers) that read this blog and like to blog themselves (again, mostly about food).

The idea is that Blake Makes (eventually Soopz.com) will feature food products (both made in Blakeville -another secret- and from outside food companies), and Soopz members (we’re calling them Sooper Heroes) will receive free food to blog about.

The dulce post was just a peek at what’s to come. We’re already working with food companies (Sooper Companies) to start distributing free food to the Soopz network. So, if you want some free food, keep reading.

I want to be a Sooper Hero!

The formal site and system is underway, but for now, we’re going to take a hands-on, home grown approach. If you’re interested in becoming a Sooper Hero, comment on this post and I’ll add you to the list. You can also e-mail me at blakekillian [at] yahoo [dot] com, twitter me (@beekiller), or IM (Yahoo: blakekillian; AIM: TrkyDnr).

I want to be a Sooper Company!

If you’re a food company and would like to share your product with an amazing group of food bloggers, e-mail me at blake [at] killianinteractive [dot] com.

Just to recap:

• Soopz is coming (but you can join now)
• Products fresh from “Blakeville” are in production
• “Mini Moments” are going to blow your mind

Hello, Blake Makers. Remember those secrets and surprises I mentioned a little while ago? Well, here’s one of them: Blake Makes Peanut Butter Dulce de Leche.

I’m developing a dulce de leche recipe that combines the milky caramel with creamy peanut butter (one of my favorite things). This is just the first batch, so it’s still a work in progress, but I’d love your feedback.

But how can you help unless you try it for yourself?

I’ve got 6 jars ready to ship to the first six Blake Makers to comment on this post. You can either comment with your address, or just tell me you want a jar, and I’ll e-mail you to get your address.

This is just tasting round 1. Round 2 will have more jars so more people can taste.

The clock starts now!

Bridget’s away on a business trip, so dinner is just me and the poodle tonight. I’m really craving eggs today, but I don’t want breakfast for dinner. I love poached eggs…wheels turning…I have some great homemade vinegarette in the fridge…wheels turning…why not put a poached egg on a salad? The EBLT is born.

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

So, obviously, EBLT stands for Eggs-Bacon-Lettuce-Tomato. I toss some mixed greens in a simple, homemade vinegarette.

The make the vinegarette, whisk together the following:

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon raspberry vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon grainy mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  
• 1 tablespoon minced shallot

Toss the greens in the dressing. Dice a tomato, toss it in. Scissor in some crisp turkey bacon, toss it in. Crumble in some feta.

Poach 2 eggs and place them (carefully) on top of the salad. Crack a little black pepper on the stark white spheres.

I cook my eggs just long enough to keep them together, but to leave the insides warm and runny.

I break into the eggs one at a time. The first egg gets invaded when I start my meal, and warm, yellowy mirth pours into the salad and becomes part of the dressing.

I puncture the second egg about half way through the salad.

Blake Makers, this is such a great way to eat healthy, eat high, eat happy. bk

P.S. I know there are a lot of photos, but I loved them all.

I’ve made a version of these quesadillas before, but these are a little different. I’m always amazed how sweet onions get if you cook them long (and slow) enough. These were like candy, and I didn’t add sugar or balsamic vinegar.

To Make The Onions:

Peel and slice 2 yellow onions and 1 red onion (I cut the yellow onions in half).

Melt 2 tblsp. of butter with 2 tblsp. of olive oil over low heat in a large skillet. Add the onions.

Leave them to cook (you should hear a slight, quiet sizzle).

Stir them in 15 minute increments until 1 hour has elapsed. They should be brown and sweet.

Taste to see if you need any salt, and I toss in about a tsp. of fresh thyme leaves.

To Make The Quesadillas:

Place a quesadilla on a plate. Top with 1/4 of the onion mixture. Dollop on fresh goat cheese. Top with another tortilla.

Cook in a skillet over medium-high heat until golden and filling is gooey.

We used whole wheat tortillas and went light on the cheese to make this dish healthier for us. They were so good…even better cold the next day.

Bridget made this salad last weekend. It’s just got a few ingredients, and requires no cooking (assembly only). I got guilt-free seconds. Behold, tomato-onion salad.

There are no exact measurements with this salad. Dice as many tomatoes as you need to feed everyone eating.

Thinly slice a white onion. White onions have a little heat, so make sure not to put too much in. We just used 1 medium white onion for the two of us, and remember, slice it as thin as you can.

Next, chop some black olives (about a cup) and fresh parsley (about 1/4 cup).

Drizzle over a little olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.

We sprinkled on some crumbly goat cheese at the end (to taste), and ate it with slices of toasted Kalamata olive bread.

This is sort of like a deconstructed Panzanella. It’s very good and keeps in the fridge for plenty of late night snacking.

We served this risotto with Monday’s scallops. We were going to make herby Basmati, but, alas, I forgot to buy the Basmati. Silly Blake. We had some Arborio rice and a few lemons, wheels turning….wheels turning…ah ha! Lemon Risotto!

Here’s how you make it:

In a separate pan, heat 4 cups of chicken stock to a simmering boil. Melt 2 tblsp. of butter and 2 tblsp. of olive oil in another saute’ pan. Chop an onion and cook until translucent. Next, add 1 cup of Arborio rice, and cook for about a minute.

Ladle-in the hot broth a cup at a time. Stir, stir, stir until most of the liquid is gone. Then add another ladle-full. Stir, stir, stir until most of the liquid is gone. Do this two more times, until the grains of rice are cooked (al dente, not mushy). If it gets too thick, just add a little more broth.

Finish with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, the zest and juice of a lemon. We chopped a few scallions, and tossed them in, too. And, of course, salt and pepper to taste.

This turned out really well. Plus, I was happy that we made some yummy risotto without an egg yolk or cream. Maybe not the healthiest thing to eat, but better than the usual. Besides, moderation makes butter and carbs a little less scary.

Hello, Blake Makers! I’m back! It’s so good to be back, and I really appreciate everyone’s comments and e-mails. I love you guys! I decided I’d make this comeback post something a little special (and a little fancy), but it’s still really easy to make.

Don’t let scallops scare you. I was a little afraid of them because they’re expensive, and because I know that seafood can be easily overcooked. Not only did we not overcook these, but they were some of the best scallops we’ve ever tasted. Presenting Barefoot Contessa’s Scallops Provencal.

I bought a pound of fresh sea scallops (the big ones) from Whole Foods. They were really fresh, I could tell because they were practically odorless except for a slight fresh, salty sea breeze essence.

Since the scallops were so thick, I sliced them in half (horizontally) per the recipe. Now I had twice as many scallops as I started with. Keep this in mind (as I will) when you go to buy the scallops and think that six aren’t enough. Trust me, six large scallops can easily feed four people.

Salt and pepper the scallops and lightly dust them with flour.

Melt two tblsp. of butter in a saute’ pan over high heat. When the butter sizzles, add the scallops in a single layer and reduce the flame to medium. Don’t move them around - you’re going for a nice sear (crust). Turn them after a couple of minutes. They should be golden brown.

Another couple of minutes on the other side, then just before you think they’re done, add another 2 tblsp. of butter.

Add 2 large chopped shallots, 1 chopped garlic clove, 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley and 1/3 cup dry white wine (this is what makes it French).

Cook it for a minute longer, then remove it from the heat and eat it. Squeeze a little lemon over the top just before you take your first bite.

We were going make some herbed basmati rice to go with it, but I forgot to buy the rice. So, we improvised and made lemon risotto. That post is coming on Wednesday, and it’s worth the wait.