Dana's Bakery

Being gluten free and having the biggest sweet tooth in the world hasn't been easy. Thank god Starburst are gluten free! But lately I've been going through a stressful time. School is starting up again and I'm really trying ridiculously hard to get healthy. Exercising as much as I can (not easy with the intense joint pains) and I joined Weight Watchers !! Yeah... I am trying! But I am a total stress eater. I know it's an absolutely bad habit to have. I'm trying to break it. But slowly. I've gone cold turkey before and it just ends with me gorging on sweets. And now that I've discovered the gluten allergy, I really can't afford to binge eat on pastries and such. 

But back to the point. Macarons are a gluten free sweet treat that I can cheat with! And they are so so so so delicious! And did I mention GLUTEN FREE?

Now living in Clemson, SC doesn't provide one with many Macaron-friendly bakeries. Luckily  Dana's Bakery ships nationwide! Yay!! And boy oh boy are they delicious! and creative! 

Now what's great about Dana's Bakery is all of their fun flavors! They have a standard 12 flavors, a changing flavor of the month, and then special holiday flavors! Talk about modernizing a french classic! 

You can order a Build-a-Box for only $30 and pack it with twelve of you favorite Macaron Flavors! Below is a photo of my favorite Build-a-Box combination! So yummy! And filling! These little treats are actually packed with protein thanks to the almond flour used to make them. Usually 2 or 3 at a time is enough! 

But if you don't know exactly what flavors you like yet, and are curious about some of the more adventurous flavors there's always the Variety Pack. A Variety Pack of twelve gives you a nice sample of every flavor! It's decent price of $30.00. 

Now with both the Build-a-Box and Variety Pack you have to add on about $12.00 for shipping fees, depending on where you are. So worth it people! And if you join their mailing list you receive a %10 off promo code! 

Plus look how gorgeous their packaging is! So pretty and colorful! Below is photo of my own Dana's Bakery order! This time I kept it simple and went with Red Velvet, Orange Creamsicle, Birthday Cake, and Chocolate Molten Mac! I was lucky enough to get a bonus 4 pack of Banana Fudge Sundae, their August 2013 Flavor of the Month! Which was delicious! Needless to say I had a very decadent breakfast! 

You should seriously consider following them on Instagram or Twitter and following them on Facebook !  They post some ridiculously great deals! Hence the free 4 pack! 

** This is completely my opinion, I'm in no way being paid to write this! I just love those yummy macarons! **

Shrimp Ceviche & Salsa Habanera

Okay I love love love spicy food! Especially spicy seafood! YUM!! I was just surfing the internet and found this show "The Couch" and and was browsing around and stumbled upon this recipe. LOOKS DELICIOUS!! IS DELICIOUS!!! YUM! 

Chef Victor Flores, of Midtown’s Joe Allen restaurant, visited us with his take on the classic dish. Find his recipe below:

INGREDIENTS FOR SALSA HABANERA:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 habanero pepper
1 red bell pepper
1/2 medium size red onion, julienned
1 thinly sliced garlic clove
4 ripe plum tomatoes
2 cups water
1 tbs. sea salt

Preparation of Salsa Habanera: Heat pan over medium heat for approximately one minute.  Add olive oil to coat the pan. Add garlic, onion, habanero pepper and bell pepper, stirring periodically for about 4 minutes, or until vegetables are lightly browned. Add plum tomatoes and water.  Mix, then turn up the heat to high medium, bringing to a boil. Once the mixture it is boiling, lower heat and allow to cook an additional 10 minutes. Remove the pan from heat.  Place the contents of the pan into a blender (or robot coupe), adding 1 tablespoon of sea salt, then pulse until liquified.   Strain though a very fine strainer, and allow to cool on an ice bath until ready to serve.

INGREDIENTS FOR COOKED SHRIMP:
1 pound medium size black tiger shrimp, in the shell, rinsed
10 cups of water
1 medium carrot, quartered
2 celery stalks quartered
1 large onion, quartered
2 garlic cloves
1 lemon, halved
4 springs of fresh thyme
4 bay leaves
1/2 cup white vinegar

Preparation of the shrimp:  Place water, carrot, celery, onion, garlic, lemon, bay leaves, thyme & vinegar in a pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower heat and allow liquid to simmer for about 20 minutes.  Drop the shrimp into the liquid and turn off the heat. Cook the shrimp, stirring occasionally, until they curl and turn pink, about 3 to 4 minutes. Drain and cool in refrigerator. When cold, peel and devein the shrimp, then slice in half, lengthwise.

INGREDIENTS TO FINISH:
1-1/2 cup salsa habanera
1 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1 medium size red onion thinly sliced
1/2 cup diced celery hearts
1 cup micro-greens

Preparation of finished ceviche: In a large glass bowl, place 1 cup fresh squeezed lime juice, 1/ 2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice and 1 and 1/2 cups salsa habanera.  Whisk together, adding chopped celery, thinly sliced onion and cooked shrimp to the mix. Season with salt, if necessary, and serve on martini glasses. Garnish with micro greens, and serve.