Reese's & Banana GRADUATION CAPcakes

IT'S GRADUATION WEEKEND!!! A big congratulations to my 3L friends -- YOU DID IT! I'm so proud of you guys. Make sure you don't forget me when you're all hotshot lawyers :) In honor of your big day, I made treats (shocker, right??). Now go out there and do great things (while munching on one of these sweet treats)!

CONGRATULATIONS!

What you'll need for...

the Cupcakes: - 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup peanut butter
- 1 1/2 overripe bananas
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup flour
- 12 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups


the Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting:

- 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1-2 tbsp milk 
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder

Graduation Cap Toppers:

- 12 mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
- 12 squares of chocolate [about two bars]

How you make...

the Cupcakes:

Start by preheating the over to 350 degrees. Then beat together the peanut butter, bananas, and the sugar until creamy. Mix in the vegetable oil, eggs, buttermilk, and baking soda. Next, gradually mix in the flour until batter is formed. Line a muffin tin and place an unwrapped Reese's Cup in the bottom of each cup and pour batter over each Reese's Cup. Bake the cupcakes for 20-23 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool on a wire rack.

the Frosting:

Meanwhile, use a stand mixer and whisk together the peanut butter and the butter. Gradually add in the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, and the cocoa. Add the vanilla and the milk in between the powdered sugar to help keep the consistency smooth (only adding as much milk as needed for desired consistency, make sure that you don't add it all at once). Then frost the cupcakes!

the Toppers:

Open and remove all packaging. Cut the bars of chocolate into square pieces. Use a lighter to melt the center of the square just a little and quickly affix the reese's cup to the square. Repeat until all of the caps are made! Refrigerate to allow them to harden. Then place them on the top of cupcake and VIOLA! HAPPY GRADUATION!!!

Spicy Garlic & Pancetta Mac 'n' TENANT-cheese AT WILL & Montreal Steak

Okay, okay. I hope you are as excited for this as I am. It's DELICIOUS! Every single part of it. EVERY. SINGLE. PART. But there are two things you need to know first: 1. If you have never tasted montreal steak seasoning before, then get ready to have your mind blown. and 2. Seriously, prepare yourself -- your mind WILL BE BLOWN! Oh...and the Mac 'n' Cheese is pretty darn awesome too.

There is nothing worse than mac 'n' cheese with too much pasta, too little cheese, or lack of any flavor. You don't have to worry about that here though. This might be the best mac 'n' cheese that I have ever had...I might have to sneak in to the kitchen after this post and have a second helping (oh yes, it is definitely happening). The mac 'n' cheese has the PERFECT ratio of pasta, to pancetta, to cheese. It's ooey gooey and absolutely delicious (and left overs the next day are just as good). YUM!

Please enjoy :)

What you'll need for...

the Mac 'n' Cheese:
- 1/2 box of ziti pasta
- 2 cups milk
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/3 lb pancetta, thick cut
- 1/2 stick of butter
- 12 oz of cheese (I used equal parts Pepper Jack, Swiss, and Sharp Cheddar)
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes (or more depending on taste)
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3-4 garlic cloves, crushed

the Steaks:
- 1 inch Steaks
- McCormick Montreal Seasoning (possibly the best thing on earth)
- olive oil

How you make it...

the Mac 'n' Cheese:

  I made a special trip to the market and got the pancetta sliced very thick. The lady at the counter said it was size 8. Two slices equaled about a 1/3 of a lb and it was the perfect amount once chopped up. Nothing beats getting a surprise piece of yummy pancetta in each bite of pasta! Mmmmm.... I'm drooling just thinking about it again.  

    Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cook the pasta, but under cook it just a little (it will finish cooking in the oven later), drain, and set aside.

    Next dice the pancetta. In a small pot, fry up the pancetta pieces until nice and crispy but not over cooked! Remove the pancetta, and in the same pot, melt the butter. Once melted, add in the flour and whisk until all of the lumps are gone. After a minute or two, add in the milk. Make sure to continue whisking the mixture so that it doesn't burn on the bottom. I'm Jewish. After 3-4 minutes, the mixture will thicken. Continue whisking and add in the crushed garlic, pepper, pepper flakes, salt, and cheese (minus a handful). Cook on medium heat until completely melted.

   Place the pasta back into the large pot and pour in the cheese mixture, pancetta pieces, and extra chunks of cheese. Mix well and then pour it into a 9'' pie dish. Bake for 45 minutes. Let it rest before eating so that all of the cheese becomes yummy and gooey! Then NOM away!!! (OMG IT'S SO GOOD!!)

the Steak:

   It's so simple! Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Coat both sides of the steaks with montreal seasoning. Don't be scared to use a lot of seasoning! Next, in an iron skillet heat some olive oil (be liberal with it). When the skillet is nice and hot, place the steaks in and hear the sizzle. After a minute, flip and admire the beauty. After another minute, place the entire skillet in the oven and let it finish cooking for about 10 minutes. Take it out of the oven, let it rest before cutting for 5 mins, and then enjoy with delicious A1 steak sauce. DIG IN!

Legal Pun Links: Tenancy at Will

TRIAL Mix Cookies

Happy finals season! It's that time of year again (you know, the part that actually matters). Time to put pen to paper (or in our generation's case, fingers to computer keys) and spill out everything we know. This urge to throw anything and everything at our exam page got me thinking....TRAIL MIX -- a mix of odds and ends that somehow come together to make the most delicious of snacks. But let's be honest, trail mix is way too healthy to be my snack of choice during finals. That's what I came up with the TRAIL Mix Cookie! Unhealthy, delicious, and an awesome legal pun -- aka, perfection! Bake away my fellow procrastinators, BAKE AWAYYYYY!!!

What you'll need:
- 1 1/5 cups oats
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 1/2 cups trail mix*

*the trail mix can be whatever you want it to be! I used dark chocolate M&Ms, chopped dried apricots, dried unsweetened coconut flakes and chopped almonds.


How you make it:

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. Next, in a stand mixer, cream the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar together. When this is all well mixed, add in the egg and vanilla extract. continue mixing until fluffy. Then slowly add in the rest of the ingredients and continue to mix until it is all incorporated.

The mixture will be sticky so either risk getting your fingers a little sticky, or use a spoon to form 1inch dough balls. Place them on a baking sheet and bake these bad boys in for 9-10 minutes. Let the cookies cool completely before trying to take them off of the cookie sheet. And enjoy :)

S'more BROWNie v. BOARD of EDUCATION

Okay, okay. I know I've been MIA for a while, but I'm back now! And I have something great to share. My very first post (before my clever legal puns) was for S'more Bars. (You can find the recipe here: S'more Bars) They were honestly the best thing I had ever baked, and they inspired me to make this blog. 

I've been craving those gooey, oozing with chocolatey goodness bars lately -- like CRAZY craving. I want them, and I want them NOW. I think the original was mind-blowing-ly great, but I want to try something new. I was watching Giada on TV yesterday and I found some food inspiration. So here's my version of S'more Brownies! Oh my goodness, I'm in heaven!

What you'll need:

- 10 graham crackers sheets, broken in half (20 squares, 40 rectangles -- you get it.), divided into squares

- ¾ cup unsalted butter

- 4 oz. chocolate chips (I used dark chocolate)

- 1 cup sugar

- 3 eggs

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- 1 cup all-purpose flour

- 2½ cups miniature marshmallows

- 1 cup chocolate chips (any kind you like) to sprinkle on top

How you make it:

Start by heating your oven to 350°F and lining a 9x13-inch pan with foil. Spray the foil with cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with 15 graham crackers, with sides overlapping if necessary. Then break remaining graham crackers into medium sized pieces and set aside. In a large bowl, microwave the butter and 4 oz. of chocolate chips for 2 minutes. Stir the mixture until the chocolate is completely melted. Whisk in the sugar, eggs, and vanilla, and then stir in the flour until well mixed. Pour over this mixture over the graham crackers in pan and smooth gently. Place in whole thing in the preheated oven and bake for 30 to 32 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with clean. Do not overbake!!!

As soon as you take the brownies out of the oven, sprinkle the top with marshmallows and extra chocolate chips. Bake for an additional 3 to 5 minutes or just until marshmallows begin to puff.  Remove from the oven and press reserved graham pieces gently into marshmallows. Place the brownies back under the broiler, and toast the marshmallows until golden brown. THIS HAPPENS VERY QUICKLY SO WATCH IT!! 

Let the brownies cool completely on a wire rack before cutting. Last step: ENJOY!

Un-WAFFLE Detainer

Good Morning! I have a recipe for you that will make it a GREAT morning! If you extra time this morning, I suggest you use it wisely and make these absolutely delicious waffles. These waffles have crispy outsides but wonderfully buttery insides. My boyfriend's mother made these for me and I HAD to have the recipe. Luckily, she was nice enough to share :) Try these out!

Crisp Waffles
by Mrs. Costantino

What you'll need:
- 2 cups cake flour
- 1 1/4 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup cream
- 2 eggs, separated
- 2/3 cup melted butter

How you make it:

Start by sifting together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar into a mixing bowl. Do this twice. Next, combine the milk and cream and stir into the flor mixture. Then, in a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks until pale yellow. Stir the eggs yolks into the batter with the melted butter. Then set this mixture aside for an hour. Then beat the egg whites until still and gently fold them into the batter. Lastly, fill a hot lightly oiled waffle iron two-thirds full with batter and cook until steam no longer appears.

P.S. This recipe makes about 4-6 servings, depending on how hungry you are!

Temporary In-JUNK-tion FOOD -- But, you won't be able to stop nom-ing

HELLO! This post is a little different than my usual posts. Thanks to some help from my friends, this post is a collection of 3 delicious Super Bowl junk food recipes. Below are recipes for wings, dip and nachos. Katie made the wings, Emily made the garlic artichoke dip, and Cavan and I made the nachos. All three are absolutely delicious and I highly recommend you try each one!

Brown Sugar and Teriyaki Chicken Wings:
by Katie Leary

What you'll need:

- 1 pound of chicken wings
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/2 bottle of teriyaki sauce

How you make it:

Simple! Just mix the ingredients together and let it all marinate for at least 4 hours. Then bake at 325 degrees F for 1 1/2 hours, flipping them after 45minutes. Make sure to use a pan with a lip, otherwise the juices will spill over and make a mess in your oven! Enjoy :)

Warm Garlic Artichoke Dip:
by Emily Whitaker

What you'll need: 

- 1-14 oz can artichoke hearts, drained
- 1 cup plus 1 T parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup reduced fat mayo
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tsp grated lemon zest or a 1/2 tsp lemon juice
- Dash cayenne pepper
- Salt & pepper to taste

How you make it:

Finely chop artichoke hearts and mix them in with the other ingredients except for one teaspoon of parmesan.  You can chop & mix this in a food processor or by hand.  Sprinkle the remaining teaspoon of parmesan on top. Next, place the mixture in pie plate or shallow casserole dish and bake at 375 for 20 to 25 minutes, or until bubbly but not brown on top. Then enjoy with crackers or by the delish, garlic-y spoonful!! SO GOOD! Thank you Emily!

Doritos Taco Nachos:
by Cavan Costantino and Nicole Ozeran

What you'll need:

- 1 large bag of Doritos chips (You could also use traditional tortilla chips)
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 roma tomatoes, chopped
- sour cream, to taste
- 1 pound of chicken
- taco seasoning, to taste
- 1 can of refried beans
- handful of cilantro, chopped
- 2 tablespoons of canned jalapenos, chopped
- 1/2 cup of sliced black olives
-  1 can of Rotel
- 1 pound of Velveeta cheese
- salsa

How you make it:

Start by pouring taco seasoning over your chicken and cooking the chicken in a pan until fully cooked. Chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces and set aside. Empty the entire bag of chips onto a large dish or onto a baking sheet. Make sure the chip create a solid layer across. Warm the beans in a microwave dish, then spread across the chips. Next, distribute the pieces of chicken across the chips and beans.
Then, heat the Velveeta and Rotel until completely smooth. Ladle the queso mixture over the top of the nachos. Lastly, sprinkle the onion, jalapenos, tomato, olives, and cilantro across the yummy cheesy nachos. Finish with some spoonfuls of salsa and sour cream. Serve and enjoy! NOM NOM NOM

Cheesecake Chocolate Peppermint TrufFILED MOTION

Happy Holidays!! I think don't that I have ever loved Christmas as much as I do now that I am in law school--mainly because Christmas holidays means escape from law school! Finals are over, and it's time to sit on the couch and eat delicious food. If you're looking for some fun, festive and easy treats to stuff your face with, check out these little morsels! So simple, so elegant, and SO DELICIOUS!

What you will need:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/2 cup crushed candy canes

How you make it:
Cream the cream cheese and the powdered sugar together. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave, being careful not to burn them and add to the cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate for 20 minutes. Then mold spoonfuls of the batter into round balls using your hands. Roll the truffles in crushed candy canes and viola -- Homemade truffles! (I also used cocoa powder and powdered sugar to dust these for a different flavor) Enjoy!

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

LINKS! What does it mean to "file a motion"? http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/filed