easy blueberry banana smoothies + $25 UncommonGoods giveaway

Life is better during the summer, isn't it? I'll take frosty glasses over frosty winter mornings any day (then again I live in San Diego, so what do I know). These smoothies are so easy, so healthy, and so versatile (substitute blueberries for whatever fruit you like). While I'm not one to jump on bandwagons, these smoothies tick all the in-vogue foodie groupie bandwagon boxes: raw, organic, vegan (could be), etc. 

A quick side note: This post is brought to you by another collaboration post with UncommonGoods, who graciously gifted me the soapstone shot glasses you see above. To get them click here. Also, Chow Creations and UncommonGoods want to show all of y'all our love by giving one of our lucky readers a free $25 gift certificate to UncommonGoods' catalog. Details on entering are at the bottom of this post. I made the criteria super easy, quick, simple, and painless. Now back to the post. 

coming soon // easy blueberry banana smoothies

If you haven't read my Heirloom Tomato & Blackberry Crostini recipe yet, you should (if you're reading this before June 8th, you still have a chance to win a free $25 UncommonGoods gift card). Click here. Similar to that post, this Blueberry Banana Smoothie is inspired by a set of early Father's Day presents I got myself from UncommonGoods. Come back tomorrow for the full recipe and my review of the soapstone shot glass set above. I also made it available for you to enter the giveaway below. Good luck!

How to Enter the $25 Giveaway (it's completely free and 
takes five seconds): The giveaway has closed. 

1. Subscribe to our email list (the place to enter your email is on Chow Creations in the right sidebar). 

2. Comment under this post what you'd get on UncommonGoods.

3. Share or link this page on Facebook (it helps if you like our Chow Creations Facebook page)!

heirloom tomato & blackberry crostinis + $25 giveaway

Last week, I treated myself to an early Father’s Day gift (no, I’m not a father, yet, so goes my rational). And, I didn't even need to spend much time searching cause I knew exactly what I wanted was on UncommonGoods dot to the com. I literally ordered myself some socks and rocks (I’m not even joking), plus two soapstone appetizer platters and a shot glass set. Then I realized. What am I going to do with two (two!) soapstone appetizer platters and a soapstone shot glass set? I can’t even drink yet! Then I realized. What can’t I do with two soapstone appetizer platters and a shot glass set! I even rationalized my buying a "hiding-place rock" for top secret recipes (more on that later). This Father’s Day, treat dad to this beautiful Heirloom Tomato & Blackberry Crostini that's rich, refreshing, and so easy. And, don’t think I’m just writing this post to brag to y’all about my new haul. Keep reading below to learn how you can win a fresh-off-the-printing-press $25 UncommonGoods gift card (I haven’t forgot about y’all, my fellow incorrigible shopaholics)!

This post is divided into two sections: 1) Heirloom Tomato & Blackberry Crostini, and 2) $25 UncommonGoods Giveaway. Peppered throughout are my reviews of the four uncommon goods I got from UncommonGoods. You can check out the exact items I bought here. 

coming soon // $25 UncommonGoods giveaway!

UncommonGoods and Chow Creations are partnering this Father's Day to show you some, not only uniquely beautiful, but practical kitchen essentials and recipes that will impress dad and all else.

How to Enter the $25 Giveaway: This Giveaway has ended.

1. Subscribe to our email list (the place to enter your email is on Chow Creations in the right sidebar).

2. Comment under this post what you'd get on UncommonGoods.

3. Share or link this page on Facebook (it helps if you like our Chow Creations Facebook page)!

easy steak gyros + homemade pita

I saw a hilarious Arby's commercial where the company was promoting their new gyros, and the narrator pronounces gryos six different ways (euro, jiro, guyro) before giving up, calling them Mediterranean tacos! So, I thought I'd share with you my own Mediterranean tacos that, are not only cheaper and healthier (check out this wonderfully-detailed article about the benefits of eating steak) than Arby's, but are ten-times tastier. As summer peaks around the corner, you're going to want this recipe in your arsenal for those sunny beach day picnics. I'll show you how to make everything you see in the picture: the pita, the steak, and the tzatziki. Let's get started!

coming soon // easy steak gyros + homemade pita

These steak gyros are melt-in-your mouth buttery nestled in a warm chewy homemade pita. Everything you see in the picture, I'll teach you how to make. The recipe is coming soon. Check back!

5 pro tips when making homemade pasta

Whether you call it pasta or noodles, doing it fresh not only tastes better, but it's healthier for you. Once you know how quick and simple it is to make your own pasta, you’ll be ashamed you ever bought the store-variety. With just four ingredients and 20 minutes, you can whip up a truly home-cooked meal that is sure to impress the guests and show them who the real foodie is.

coming soon // how to make homemade fettuccine

Fettuccine is the king of strand-like Italian pastas. Learn how to make the quickest, slipperiest, chewiest fettuccine in the world from scratch. It only takes four ingredients and 20 minutes, the ultimate dinner meal for the hectic (and slow) days in our lives. Recipe out as soon as 4/21. Chow!

very berry new york cheesecake

Ahhh Costco, the place where more is more and samples be served. Hot dog in hand, we'd run past aisles searching for rectangular carts stacked with free food and scan aisles for highlighter-marked labels, sneak-peaks at what we could find in our lunch pails the following week. While I can proudly say that I pack my own lunches now, the excitement still wells within me. Perhaps Costco has some sinister motive to this all. Even till this day, I can't have berry compote for breakfast without thinking about those halcyon days emerging from successful trips at Costco with frozen-yogurt in hand. 

And that's where this post begins. "Very Berry" is not only an homage to the Very Berry Sundaes my mom bought me after our triumphant Costco runs, it's a word that carries all the memories and nostalgia I've built throughout my youth. Luckily for those of you still reading, if you know the slightest of what I'm trying to articulate, I can guarantee you'll like this cheesecake. Regardless, you're not human if you can resist thick, dense New York Cheesecake packed into a crunchy Oreo crust and slathered with Very Berry topping. I mean, this cheesecake is so good my family doesn't even know I made two of them (one of them I scarfed down so quickly an asteroid could have hit and I wouldn't have reacted). More the reason to buy in bulk. (ugh...I'm on fire today!)

coming soon // very berry new york cheesecake

This cheesecake is your quintessential New York Cheesecake: dense, rich, and not too sweet, accented with lemon and an dark oreo crust. The recipe is coming soon!

the BEST strawberry streusel coffee cake

I'm not sure whether its because spring break is almost over (at least for me) or if its because I've been listening to "A Little Fall of Rain" by Les Miserables for the past six hours on repeat, but I'm in a somber mood. Granted I've also spent the past week enduring rejection letter after rejection letter from companies for summer internships, so I guess its one of those "confluence of issues" situations. Nevertheless, one bright spot of my week was nestling in the corner of my kitchen like an antisocial vampire cat fisting handfuls of warm coffee cake into my face. In true honesty, I may not be giving this week's recipe the credit it deserves. This Strawberry Streusel Coffee Cake is perhaps one of the BEST desserts/breakfast hybrids I've ever had in my life. I mean Bon Apetit agrees with me (depending on who you believe said it first). A moist and strawberry-packed cake with a delectably-thick layer of crunchy streusel leaves little to desire except for a looser jaw (I'll point to YouTube for that tutorial). As for this blog, I try to stick to the food and not the potential dangerous and psychotic, although my prose often resembles psychopathy. Anyways, Strawberry Streusel Coffee Cake. Keep reading for the recipe and how to prepare it!

coming soon // strawberry streusel coffee cake

It's already spring, and Easter weekend is just around the corner. Don't be just the next person to bring Strawberry Shortcake. Try this deliciously moist, crunchy Strawberry Streusel Coffee Cake. You won't be dissapointed you did. The recipe out very soon. 

crunchy honey almond butter

Read the back of a Skippy jar. I'll bet you at least three words in the ingredients list you cannot pronounce. If you can't even sound out what your eating, why are you spreading it on your breakfast toast (some of us for lunch as well). While today's intro comes from the platitudinously uninspired section of my vernacular, the message still rings true. Whether you're a parent with young children or an old fart who likes reading about mushy foods (usually I can get away with insulting the elderly because most of them haven't figured out how to use the "box"), you've arrived at the right place. Even though Homemade Almond Butter falls into the dreaded category of raw, healthy, and organic, it fortunately doubles as a delicious and satisfying alternative to practically anything spreadable. Homemade is not only healthier than Store-bought, it's actually easier to make than having to go to the store. Come along as we discover the one-ingredient fix (and the fixings you could add) to end all pantry guilty pleasures. 

coming soon // crunchy honey almond butter

Almond butter. Anyone can make it. It's just almonds pureed in a blender. But, crunchy honey almond butter. C'mon. You got to know the secret. And, the secret is gonna be out soon. Stay tuned. 

frozen mango sabayon shortbread

The first thing people ask me when I tell them I write a food blog is, "What's the best thing you've ever made?" Gosh I hate that question. I've never had a good answer. Some days it's been strawberry cheesecake parfaits, other days thyme and black pepper cheez-its. But today, I've finally found an answer, an answer that—without a doubt—trounces the precedents. Frozen Mango Sabayon Shortbread. This elegant spring dessert is wonderfully light and refreshing—tropical cubes of mango suspend in creamy sabayon atop crunchy shortbread. Whatever is bothering you, this will surely make the world good again. Cut into wedges and share with only your most worthy of friends...or not, you probably deserve it more. 

coming soon // frozen mango sabayon shortbread

In a world where negative interest rates and imminent defaults (Venezuela and Puerto Rico in mind), everyone needs a little piece of Mango Sabayon Shortbread. Recipe coming out soon!

chinese double almond cookies

By the time this post is on the interweb, most of you will have already rid yourselves of the Lunar New Year festivities, and a smaller—albeit still substantial—subset of you will have taken out the upside-down-top-hat-frosted drinking mugs and "Honest Abe" wall stickers (February 12 is Lincoln's birthday if my sarcasm was too subtle). Still, in my experience there has never been a bad occasion to serve a really good cookie, notwithstanding a really, really good cookie. I can assure you that if Lincoln were to try these cookies, he would soon have the figure of Mary Todd Lincoln (and she seems wont to the occasional cookie if you know what I mean). Whether you serve these cookies alongside a pot of tea or an upside-down-top-hat-frosted drinking mug, your guests will be throbbing at your feet in blissful insanity after their first bite. The beginning to an unhealthy addiction to almond cookies will have begun, and you will have successful stolen that person's every future dream and aspiration. We will recruit these cookie zombies to disburse the cookie curse and in a month we will rule North America! MWAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Let's get started. 

coming soon // chinese double almond cookies

Happy almost Chinese New Year everybody. Learn how to impress your guests with these scrumpdiliumptuous almond cookies! The recipe coming in less than one day. 

rosemary roasted garlic focaccia

In these early weeks of the new year, blog posts webwide begin by paying homage to the New Year, or New Year’s resolutions, or some variation along those lines. So—in being unique—I won’t mention the New Year at all. Here at Chow Creations, we pride ourselves in being independent…wait a second. By acknowledging that other food bloggers acknowledge the New Year, haven’t I inadvertently began this post with an homage to the New Year. This column is beginning to sound a lot like the subpar metaphysical food blogging I confused readers with last year. AH HA! You fell for another one of my traps. I wanted you to think I didn’t want to begin this post by mentioning the New Year, when in fact I've been in control of this rambling the entire time. So how exactly does this all relate to focaccia? The receptionist at my asylum hands me focaccia to get me to stop talking to her. Ohhhhh Margaret...my New Year’s resolution is to see a psychiatrist. 

Despite the exotic-sounding name, focaccia is deceptively simply to make. You won't even need a stand mixer to make this recipe. Although I've written the directions for the do-it-by-hand gal, if you’re not as strong as I am (cue the picture of my saggy biceps), follow along with the stand mixer’s specifications. Focaccia gets most of its flavor from the taste and quality of the olive oil you use. In addition to using the finest olive oil allowance-money can buy, I fry the rosemary and garlic in the olive oil (a quick and dirty trick to getting the most out of your most pungent ingredients) to amp up the flavornoids in focaccia flavor town. The result is a soft and crispy bread, packed with warm flavors of roasted rosemary and garlic. Beginning and advanced bread bakers will be delighted at this wonderfully easy and delicious treat!

coming soon // rosemary roasted garlic focaccia

My everything is focaccia. Without focaccia, everybody stay in cause Aaron be crazy. If you see a berserk Aaron lumbering towards you in the streets with crumbs on his lips and oily fingers, make a batch of focaccia right away. It's the only way to save yourself. Antidote coming soon.