Bringing the fancy, with really very little effort

I love cooking. Sometimes I cook, not because I am hungry, but just because I am bored, want to try a recipe, or because I want to procrastinate from my studies. I also really like to show off my food. If it is just me, it is somehow less exciting, I appreciate it, but honestly, I would also appreciate a box of mac and cheese. Now that I have my own place, I feel the burning desire to show off even more. But the problem is I am also an incredibly SLOW cook. I don't know why, maybe it is my prep skills, maybe it is that I am savoring the process. It probably has something to do with bad timing in the kitchen, but some how even Rachel Ray 30 minute meals take me longer. So when I do have dinner parties, I end up cooking all day, and rushing at the at the last minute and getting super stressed.

So here are two recipes that have very few ingredients, are pretty fool proof, and honestly take very little time, even for me. One is an appetizer, one is a desert. They also really elevate a dinner party, and people will think you are this amazing chef, even though you know (and we if you ever make this for us) you didn't really work that hard.

Flatbread with honey, thyme and salt

Recipe by: SmittenKitchen.com (this is seriously one of my favorite food blogs, she has great recipes, and amazing photos, highly recommend)

Honestly, I would eat this entirely on its own, sans the rest of the courses of a dinner party. It is sweet and nutty and salty and totally delicious. I made this for the first time for Erik's mom's birthday and it was a total hit! And Erik's mom is a serious Italian mom and quite adept in the kitchen, so she knows what she is talking about.

The recipe calls for Mahon cheese, if you can't find it, which I couldn't go for a similarly nutty cheese. I used Dubliner, and that work, Alison just made this, and used 1/2 parm and 1/2 cheddar, I don't know how it turned out, you'll have to ask her, but I can't imagine you can really go wrong.

1 3/4 cups (7 3/4 ounces or 220 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon table salt
1/2 cup (118 ml) water
1/3 cup (79 ml) olive oil
2/3 to 3/4 cup (about 3 ounces or 85 grams) grated Mahon cheese (see above for replacements)
1/3 to 1/2 cup (79 to 118 ml) honey
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
Flaky sea salt such as Maldon

Preheat oven to 450°F with a heavy baking sheet or pizza stone on a middle rack.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Make a well in center, then add water and oil and gradually stir into flour with a wooden spoon until a dough forms. Knead dough gently on a work surface 4 or 5 times. It will feel quite oily (but just think of how great your hands will look later!).

Divide dough into 4 pieces and roll out 1 piece at on a sheet of parchment paper into a longish irregular rustic shape; mine were about 12″x6″. The dough should be rolled super thin, so thin you think it might be too thin, I promise it tastes better that way and it be crazy oily and you’ll think I’ve lost my mind suggesting that it will make anything but a mess, but you’ll see in a few minutes how perfectly ungreasy it bakes up, promise.

Slide rolled out dough and parchment paper together onto the preheated baking sheet or stone, and bake about 5 minutes, until lightly golden. Leaving the oven on, remove tray from oven and quickly sprinkle with 1/4 of grated cheese. Bake an additional 3 to 4 minutes, until browned at edges and in thinner spots. It is very important that the breads be browned, they are so much more delicious!

Remove flatbreads from oven a final time, quickly drizzle each with honey (I just squeezed a honey bear over the bread until I was satisfied), sprinkle with sea salt and garnish with thyme leaves. Cut each cracker width-wise into 4 sections (about 3″x6″ each) with a sharp knife. Repeat with remaining pieces of dough. Serve warm.

Makes about 16 flatbreads.

Note: I also think this bread would be great with rosemary instead of thyme. There was this fantastic flat bread they sold at Adam's in Poughkeepsie that I was obsessed with, and it was a rosemary flatbread. I think it would be good with the rosemary in place of the thyme, or also actually in the dough, that was you get that amazing baked rosemary aroma.

Easy Lemon Ice Cream

No ice cream machine required, I swear this doesn't freeze solid and freezes in a totally ice cream consistency way. So easy and delicious, you won't believe it. This is also a recipe courtesy of Maria Keenan. I also think this would be great with limes instead of lemons, with a little graham cracker crumbled on top key lime pie style. OMG now I need to try that.

2 cups heavy cream or whipping cream

1 cup sugar

Grated peel of 1 lemon

1/3 cup lemon juice

In a large bowel, combine cream and sugar; stir to dissolve sugar. Blend in lemon peel and juice. Mixture will thicken slightly. Pour into a shallow pan and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours, but can freeze longer. Garnish with mint leaves.

Yields 6 servings.