Edible Vignettes

PS

2012-02-12T18:29:00.001-08:00

Butter is better than beans. Not necessarily better for your health, but better tasting and therefore better for your soul. A friend told me about a flourless chocolate cake made with garbanzo beans instead of butter and so I made it tonight. And it was fine, but not amazing. And the bean cupcakes I wrote about earlier tasted so much better the day they were made, and not that great the next day. I think I'll just stick to unhealthy dessert recipes in the future because I'd rather eat less of something truly amazing instead of more of something that is simply okay.

Cupcakes with beans. Beans!

2012-02-10T19:39:00.000-08:00

I randomly picked up a copy of the Martha Stewart Food magazine and decided I had to try the recipe for cupcakes with beans. It seemed crazy. And they turned out to be crazy good. I changed the recipe just a bit, and baked them about 5 minutes longer.

Vanilla Cupcakes (with cannellini beans)
3 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1 can (15.5 ounces) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, plus 2 large egg whites
1 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in middle and lower thirds. Line 24 standard muffin cups with paper liners. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a food processor, combine beans, butter and granulated sugar; process until smooth. With machine running, add eggs and egg whites and process until incorporated. Stir into flour mixture until well combined. Stir in buttermilk and vanilla.

2. Divide batter among muffin cups and bake until puffed and set, about 17 minutes, rotating pans halfway through. Transfer cupcakes to wire racks and let cool completely.

Filling:
1 pkg frozen raspberries
freshly squeezed orange juice (use some for the frosting, the rest for the filling)

Defrost raspberries a bit and mix with orange juice. Yep. That's it.

Frosting:
2 oz neufchatel cheese
1/2 c powdered sugar
1/2 t vanilla extract
zest of 1 orange
some freshly squeezed orange juice

Cream cheese and zest and a bit of juice. Add sugar and blend until smooth. Add vanilla and enough orange juice to reach desired consistency. (I didn't know how this would turn out so I just made a small batch. You will need to double or triple this to frost all cupcakes.)

I recommend slicing your cupcake into thirds. Spoon some of the raspberry mixture over the bottom and middle layers and then spread the top layer with some frosting.

Tomato Soup with Canned Tomatoes

2012-02-07T11:58:00.000-08:00

I grew up thinking I hated tomato soup, when what I really hated was Campbell's tomato soup. I have a hard time justifying making tomato soup when tomatoes are in season because they are so lovely I can't bring myself to do much more than slice them and sprinkle salt and pepper over the slices. Deborah Madison has a recipe for Cream of Tomato Soup in her cookbook Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. I made it today for lunch and tweaked it just a bit. It is delicious.

1 T olive oil
1 T butter
1 small onion, diced
2 celery ribs, diced
1 1/2 t dried basil
pinch of ground cloves (I added more because I loved the flavor)
2 T flour
2 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes in puree (only had tomatoes in juice so I added about 1/2 T of tomato paste to compensate)
pinch of baking soda
2 1/2 c vegetable stock (I used chicken stock)
1 to 1 1/2 c milk
salt and freshly ground pepper

Combine olive oil and butter in soup pot over medium heat. When butter has melted add onion, celery, basil and cloves and cook until onion is limp, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour and add tomatoes, tomato paste, baking soda and stock. Bring to a boil, then partially cover and lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. (She recommends pureeing it at this point but I left it as is) add milk and season with salt and pepper.

I cut up some leftover bread into cubes and toasted it in the oven at 350 degrees until crisp and topped my bowl of soup with some of the croutons. A lovely lunch for winter.

Quite possibly the best ice cream. Ever.

2012-01-29T18:16:00.001-08:00

I was completely floored by the amazingness of this ice cream the first time I conjured it up. Bryant was impressed, but not to the same degree. Jonathan and Amy came up this weekend and I made it again and was happy to see that they were also floored and dubbed it the best ice cream. It is simple, but oh so good.

2 c buttermilk
1 c sugar (taste as you add so that you get the sweetness that tastes best to you)
1 c cream (I've used whole milk in a pinch)
zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp vanilla

Combine buttermilk and sugar and whisk until sugar dissolves. Add remaining ingredients and freeze in an ice cream maker. Eat it all in one sitting. Repeat.

What we are eating.

2012-01-16T14:50:00.000-08:00

Bryant and I decided to do this 21 day eating challenge (shortened into 15 days because that is the longest amount of time we are both in town this month) and we started yesterday. I'm posting the link because everything we have eaten so far has been surprisingly delicious. There were some recipes I was dreading (like the kale and cabbage slaw) but have ended up loving. The first week your meals consist of fruit, veggies, nuts and seeds and lots of water. I thought we were going to starve. But I'm not. And I am interested to see as we reintroduce foods (sea food and legumes, then eggs and non gluten grains, and eventually dairy and gluten and sugar) how each item makes me feel. 21 days (or 15 in our case) doesn't feel like forever and it has been a great way to try some new veggie based recipes and to learn how to incorporate more nuts and seeds into our meals. So no fun dessert recipes from me until February.

Do you want to know what I miss the most? Cheese. I love cheese.

Christmas 2011 recipe links

2011-12-26T12:18:00.000-08:00

Clementine Sherbet: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/04/magazine/04food-t-001.html?_r=1&ref=magazine
*made with clementines instead of tangerines, would use a bit less salt next time, but amazingly delicious nonetheless.

Sugared Cranberries: http://blog.mychefonline.com/2011/12/sugared-cranberries/
*don't blend up sugar, superfine sugar is not needed, good old regular sugar works perfectly for dusting. We didn't use any spices. Next time save the syrup after soaking cranberries to flavor drinks or drizzle over something delicious. We couldn't stop eating these.

Cranberry Cake

2011-12-26T12:13:00.000-08:00

It just wouldn't be Christmas without this cake.

6 T unsalted butter
2 c sugar
2 c evaporated milk
4 c flour
3 T baking powder
2 t salt
4 c whole cranberries, rinsed and picked over

Cream butter and sugar. Add evaporated milk. Add combined dry ingredients. Fold in cranberries. Smooth batter into a greased 9x13-inch pan and bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes. *Batter is really thick! Don't be concerned.

Serve cake warm with hot butter sauce:

In a double boiler combine:
1 c unsalted butter
1 c sugar
3/4 c heavy cream
1 t vanilla

Heat through and then add vanilla. Serve immediately. You'll want a lot of this sauce on your cake.

The Shaffer Family Christmas Cookie

2011-12-09T19:37:00.001-08:00

The majority of my favorite cookie recipes come from my Nana and Papa's hometown community cookbook. This gingersnap recipe is incredible. We think it should be renamed gingersoft because that is a more accurate description. The recipe makes a huge batch. Huge. Your house will smell like Christmas and you will have so many cookies that you can take up to half the batch into your closet and eat them one by one all by yourself and no one will suspect a thing.

2 c sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 c shortening
1/2 c plus 2 T molasses
5 c flour
1/2 t salt
2 t baking soda
1 1/2 t cinnamon
1 t cloves
2 t ginger
Sugar for rolling (I now use turbinado sugar to roll the dough because it gives it a crunch on the exterior and I like the contrast in textures, but regular granulated sugar is just fine)

Cream together sugar, eggs and shortening. Add molasses. Scrape down sides of bowl. Sift together other ingredients and combine with creamed mixture. Roll into smallish balls and roll in sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 12 minutes.

Your cookies are done when they just begin to crack. Take them out and cool them on the sheet for a few minutes and then transfer cookies to a cooling rack to completely cool. They set up as they cool.

The Peppermint Bark Cookie

2011-12-09T17:40:00.001-08:00

Sunset magazine had a recipe for White Christmas Dream Drops that I tweaked due to a lack of ingredients and came up with this mound of deliciousness. Bryant doesn't like peppermint bark (weird) or meringue (even weirder) but loved these cookies. Go make some.

(I doubled the recipe. I may quadruple it next time because these are so very good.)

2 large egg whites, room temperature (if you forget to put your egg whites just put them in a bowl full of hot water and let sit for 5 minutes or so and it will do the trick)
1/8 tsp cream of tartar (didn't have, but if you do have it you might want to add it)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 c sugar
4 oz semi-sweet or dark chocolate, finely chopped (the original recipe calls for 1 c white chocolate chips - I think it would be fun to use both, but haven't tried it yet)
1/3 c crushed candy canes (crush it as fine as you want, I didn't want to bite into a huge chunk of candy cane so I crushed mine more on the fine end of the candy crushing spectrum)

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Add vanilla and salt. With mixer on high speed add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time and beat for 10 to 15 seconds with each addition. Scrape sides of bowl and beat for another 15 seconds or until meringue is glossy and forms straight, stiff peaks. Fold in chocolate and crushed candy canes.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or silpat and drop meringue in rounded 1 T blobs, or if you want it to be fancy schmancy pipe them with a large star tip. Bake until they feel dry and set but are still pale in color, about 30 to 35 minutes, rotating pans halfway through. Turn off oven, open door, and let cool in oven for 10 minutes. Remove pans from oven and let cool completely. You aren't supposed to eat them until they are completely cool, but I recommend eating 1 pan warm and 1 pan cool and then you will have the best of both worlds.

Creamed Corn: A True Story

2011-11-21T17:26:00.001-08:00

Bryant and I had been dating for just a few months when Thanksgiving rolled around. He was scheduled to work that holiday and couldn't go home to Rexburg and wouldn't get off work in time to join my family for dinner. I was housesitting and decided to attempt to impress him by cooking an entire Thanksgiving dinner for the two of us. I asked him what his favorite dishes were from his version of Thanksgiving and he listed off apple pie (not a problem) and creamed corn. I had never heard of creamed corn. So I googled it and read recipe after recipe, finally settling on one from the Savvannah Chop House. Thanksgiving rolled around, the dinner was amazing, and when he tasted the creamed corn he was crazy impressed. And then he asked me what brand made it. I looked confused. Brand? It comes in a can?!? I had no idea, and have been making creamed corn at his request from scratch ever since.

2 10 oz pkgs frozen corn
1 c whipping cream
1 c milk
1 t salt
6 T sugar
2 T melted butter
2 T flour

Combine first 5 ingredients and bring to a boil. Simmer 5 minutes. Meanwhile, blend butter and flour in a seperate bowl and add to corn mixture and mix well until thickened.

Cheater Chocolate Mousse

2011-11-19T22:58:00.001-08:00

This has been a busy cake month. At the beginning I made my sister's wedding cake which consisted of 3 tiers (which each had 4 layers) of devils food cake, brushed with salted caramel and filled with chocolate mousse (the real stuff) and then frosted with the mascarpone frosting. It was good.

My neighbor turned 40 this weekend and his wife asked if I would make him a chocolate cake for his birthday. So I used my no-fail Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Cake recipe and did a cheater version of chocolate mousse that always gets rave reviews. It is really quite simple. Make the Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate frosting. Whip 2 cups of cream (add sugar to taste) and fold the cream into the frosting. Everyone loves it. It is crazy easy. And then the cake was frosted with the regular frosting.

And I made a cake for one of my YW who recently turned 14 and left my class. She requested a German Chocolate cake so I used the same chocolate cake recipe, same frosting, and made the pecan coconut filling from scratch for the first time. Also really good. Let me know if you want the recipe.

Pumpkin Pie Alternative

2011-11-02T14:26:00.000-07:00

I made (and loved) this recipe last night. It is quick and easy and delicious. I made a few changes:

I put the crust in a 9 inch tart pan and baked it at 325 degrees for 8 minutes.

I used half of the amount of butter on accident. But it worked just fine. I also added a bit of salt to the crust. I think next time I'll try halving the sugar called for in the crust too.

I doubled the amount of flavor called for - the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and vanilla.

I didn't have enough whipping cream, so I used some cream and some leftover mascarpone cheese. It was awesome. Next time I'll experiement with more mascarpone cheese.

No brandy in the house (shocker) so we didn't have any brandy whipped cream. I just served it plain.

We've eaten this for dessert, breakfast and lunch. It is really good and a great way to use canned pumpkin.

Chocolate Mousse

2011-11-02T14:20:00.000-07:00

This recipe is from James Peterson's BAKING.

6 oz chocolate (he recommends bittersweet, I do half dark half milk)
1/4 c plus 2 T unsalted butter, cubed or sliced
4 egg yolks
3 T sugar
1 t vanilla extract
1 c heavy cream and possibly more if needed to unseize chocolate

Chop the chocolate and combine it with butter in a double boiler (heatproof bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water) and stir until melted and smooth. Take off heat, but keep water simmering.

Combine egg yolks and sugar in another heatproof bowl and set over saucepan of simmering water for 5 minutes, whisking constantly, until pale and slightly stiff. (It will thicken up.) Remove from heat.

Stir the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and add the vanilla and stir until well mixed. If it becomes grainy at this point (it should be smooth and shiny) slowly add 1/4 c warmed cream, a little at a time, until it becomes shiny and smooth. Let cool to room temperature.

Whip cream to soft peaks. Stir about 1/4 of whipped cream into the chocolate mixture to lighten. Then FOLD in the remaining whipped cream with a rubber spatula.

If you are using as a layer in a cake use it right away, otherwise chill for at least 1 hour. If you are serving the mousse alone pour into individual glasses immediately and cover with plastic wrap (remember to press it against the surface) to keep a crust from forming.

This recipe makes 3 cups. The first time I made it the chocolate mixture seized, the second time it didn't. This is one of our favorite desserts.

Barley Stew

2011-11-01T17:46:00.000-07:00

This is quick and delicious. A true meal in a pot. All you need to add is dessert.

2 T olive oil
1 yellow onion
1 lb (give or take) of chicken, cut up into bite size pieces
2 to 3 c mushrooms, chopped
1 bunch Italian kale, stems removed and leaves cut up into bite size pieces
3 c water (or chicken stock)
***1/4 to 1/2 c barley
1/4 c cream
1 t thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a large pot and saute onions until tender, add chicken (and salt) and saute until almost cooked through, add mushrooms and kale and saute until kale wilts. Add barley, water and thyme. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer until barley and chicken are cooked. Stir in cream. Season to taste. Serve.

***I typed up this recipe and forgot to include the barley. And now I don't remember how much I used. Maybe to be safe just use 1/3 cup. Sorry!

Peter & Heather's Wedding Cake

2011-11-01T11:42:00.000-07:00

Recipes needed:
Roasted Pears (see below)
Caramel Sauce (scroll down to the bottom of post for recipe)
Caramel Mousse (see below)
Vanilla Butter Cake
Mascarpone Frosting (see below)

Roasted Pears
5 barely ripe pears
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c butter, sliced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel pears and remove stem, core, and cut in half lengthwise. Place pear halves, flat side up, in a heavy bottomed saucepan large enough to hold them in a single layer. Sprinkle butter and sugar over them. Roast for 25 minutes to 1 hour, until butter sugar mixture is golden brown and pears are soft when you poke them with a knife. Remove pears, cool, and dice. (You can continue to caramelize the butter sugar mixture and toss a bit to coat the pears and use the rest for ice cream topping.) Fold the pears into the Vanilla Butter Cake batter just before pouring into the cake pans to bake.

Caramel Mousse
*This recipe was saved in my favorites before our luggage was lost/stolen and our laptop seemingly forever lost. I think I just folded the caramel sauce referenced above into stabilized whipped cream. This is then immediately poured in between the layers (you need to use a cake ring for this) and then refrigerated until set.

1 1/2 c caramel sauce
3 T water
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1 1/2 c chilled whipping cream

Pour 3 T water into a ramekin or small glass cup and sprinkle with gelatin. Let soften. Place ramekin in a small skillet of simmering water and stir until gelatin dissolves and mixture is clear. Mix into 1 1/2 c hot caramel. Cool just to room temperature, stirring occasionally.

Beat chilled whipping cream in a large howl to medium-firm peaks. Gradually pour cooled caramel/gelatin mixture over cream, folding constantly but gently. Use immediately.

Mascarpone Frosting
12 oz mascarpone cheese
1 1/2 c heavy whipping cream
3 T sugar (or more to taste)
1 T vanilla extract

Beat all ingredients in a large bowl until it holds soft peaks. You will probably want to add more sugar, so be sure to taste the mixture at the beginning so you can add more if desired. You can used granulated or powdered sugar. This is a lovely, lovely frosting.

Doughnuts for Halloween

2011-11-01T11:21:00.000-07:00

I used a new (and simpler) recipe this year and they ended up being fantastic. I halved the recipe on Sunday morning and made them for breakfast as a practice run, and then I doubled the recipe for Halloween. I only made holes because they fry up so much faster.

This recipe is adapted from Donna Hay.

2 t active dry yeast
1 1/2 T warm water
1/2 c lukewarm milk
4 T sugar
50 g butter, melted (I used my scale, sorry, this is from a British magazine)
2 1/4 c all purpose flour
2 eggs

Place yeast, water, milk, and 1 tablespoon of sugar in a large bowl and set in a warm place for 10 minutes or until bubbles appear on the surface. Add butter, eggs, flour and remaining sugar and stir with a large spoon until a sticky dough forms. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Place in a large oiled bowl, cover with a cloth and set in a warm place for 45 minutes or until doubled in size.

Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic. Roll out to 1cm thick and cut out holes or donuts. (I used a glass baby bottle which made the perfect size). Place rounds on a lined baking tray and let rise for 30 minutes.

Heat oil in a large, deep saucepan over medium heat to 350 degrees. Cook in batches, turning frequently, until lightly golden. Drain on absorbent paper. Toss in sugar or glaze.

Maple Glaze (proportions are purely approximations)
1 to 1 1/2 c powdered sugar
1/4 c melted butter
1/4 to 1/3 c pure maple syrup
1/4 to 1/3 c heavy whipping cream
Combine and whisk until smooth.

Chocolate Glaze (proportions are purely approximations)
4 oz dark chocolate, chopped
1/4 c butter
1/4 to 1/2 c heavy whipping cream
1 c powdered sugar
1 t vanilla extract

Melt chocolate with butter and cream in a double boiler until smooth. Whisk with sugar and vanilla. Add more cream or sugar to get desired consistency.

The loveliest corn chowder.

2011-10-13T20:51:00.000-07:00

Last week we walked to a nearby greenhouse/market and came home with 8 lbs of freshly picked Honeycrisp apples (which were promptly eaten and turned into pie), and 5 ears of corn. I had a bag of small potatoes leftover from our last CSA pick up and decided to make a corn chowder. This is the perfect farewell to summer/welcome to fall soup.

5 ears corn, kernels cut off
7 or 8 small red potatoes, peeled and chopped or diced
1 small yellow onion, chopped or diced
1 to 2 T olive oil
Water
Whole milk, evaporated milk, half and half, or cream
1 to 3 t Chicken Better Than Bullion
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 huge and perfectly ripe heirloom tomato

Heat olive oil in a soup pot and saute onion with a bit of salt until tender. Add potatoes, bullion, and just cover with water and cook until potatoes are just tender. Add corn kernels and enough milk to give some creaminess and simmer until corn is warmed through. Remove a ladleful or two and puree in blender, then add back to soup. Season with salt and pepper. Serve soup topped with diced tomato. This just might be heaven in a bowl.

Honey Caramel Cardamom Pears

2011-10-06T10:44:00.000-07:00

I need to get one of the cookbooks I used from the library (or buy myself a copy) before I can post Peter and Heather's wedding cake recipe. So sorry for the delay.

In the meantime, get some pears and make these. Be sure to use the hazlenuts, all of the flavors work together perfectly.

You don't have to pay attention to the temperature. We kept our caramel at a low boil (not a simmer) and used the cold water test to gauge when it had reached soft ball stage. Just drop some caramel in a cup of ice cold water and if you can roll it into a ball with your fingers you are at the right temperature. Let the caramel cool before dipping your pears or it will slide off, make sure you used chilled pears, and after dippin roll in the crushed and toasted hazlenuts. Happy fall.

Just give me two more weeks.

2011-09-11T19:20:00.000-07:00

I know many (3?) of you are waiting for the wedding cake recipe. And I will post it. After I get home from Seattle. Promise.

In the meantime, next time you make quinoa throw a sprig of rosemary and 1 or 2 crushed cloves of garlic into the quinoa water mixture before it boils. Remove rosemary before serving. It is delicious. And a great side to sauteed onion and squash with crumbled goat cheese. Connor licked his plate.

Cherry Tomatoes and Green Beans

2011-08-18T17:53:00.001-07:00

Picking up my CSA loot this week was quite exciting. I really missed it. I was thrilled to see a beautiful pint of cherry tomatoes. I was less excited about the green beans. I like green beans, but they don't excite me with possibilities. I was flipping through Farm to Fork looking for something that featured green beans and found a great recipe for a salad with beans and tomatoes. I didn't have the majority of the ingredients, so this is what I did instead:

Green Beans, trimmed (I think I had somewhere between 1/2 and 1 lb)
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
Salt
Pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1/6 c olive oil
1/6 c white wine vinegar
1 t sugar
Thai basil leaves, torn

Bring a pot of water to a boil, salt water and blanch green beans for 3 to 4 minutes. Immediately drain and put in an ice bath (no ice so I just ran cold water over the beans until they were cool. Put beans in a large bowl with tomatoes.

Mix dressing ingredients: oil, vinegar, sugar, basil, garlic and season with salt and pepper. Toss vinaigrette with beans and tomatoes and add more salt if desired. Divide among 4 bowls and serve with crusty bread and goat cheese. We ate the beans with our fingers, tomatoes with a fork, and soaked up the dressing with the bread spread with goat cheese. Really good. Really filling. Really simple. Really.

A note on food storage.

2011-08-14T14:24:00.000-07:00

I just made a huge purchase through Azure Standard (an organic bulk food source) and saved so much money compared to what I would have spent if I had purchased these things elsewhere. The only things I didn't buy through them were the quinoa (Costco), lentils (Co-op), applesauce (Costco), diced tomatoes (Costco), better than bullion (Costco), jam and peanut butter (Costco). I am ordering the masa through another site because it is really difficult to find organic/nonGMO masa. But it can be done.

Azure Standard will ship to your home (but shipping for my gigantic order would have been $187) or (and here is the best part) they had drop points along their trucking route in Idaho and Utah and you can pick it up at one of those drop points for only $4 or so. That is the option we chose. You have to create an account before you can see the prices. Their prices are really good. I placed our order on Friday and it will arrive on the 20th of this month. Then I can figure out my rotation schedule and we will be set.

Why masa? For pupusas and corn tortillas. If you haven't had a pupusa you need to become friends with someone from El Salvador.

Sunset Magazine S'mores

2011-08-14T14:10:00.000-07:00

I thought I could just find this recipe online and link it to my blog but haven't had any luck. It is so delicious that I am going to take the time to type it all up. Just for you.

Step 1: Homemade Marshmallows
35 minutes to make, 2 hours to firm

1/4 c cornstarch
1/4 c powdered sugar
3 large egg whites (at room temperature)
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1 c granulated sugar
2 T light corn syrup
1/2 t vanilla extract

Coat a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Stir cornstarch and powdered sugar together in a bowl and dust pan with half of this mixture. Set remaining mixture aside.

Stir 1/4 c cool water and gelatin in a glass measuring cup and let soften.

Put egg whites in large bowl of mixer and beat on high until soft speaks form.

While egg whites are whipping stir granulated sugar, corn syrup, and 2/3 c water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat until it reaches 240 degrees which will take 6 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and microwave gelatin until dissolved, about 30 seconds, and stir into syrup.

Pour about 3 T syrup at a time into egg white mixture (while beating on high) and beat each addition about 20 to 30 seconds. Continue to beat until soft peaks form and the underside of the bowl is completely cool. Beat in vanilla

Spread in pan and let stand 2 hours. Sprinkle with 2 T cornstarch mixture and then cut (scissors are easiest) into 12 rectangles. Toss in bowl with remaining cornstarch to coat.

Can be made up to 4 days in advance, kept chilled in an airtight container with plastic wrap between the layers. Coat with more cornstarch mixture if they get sticky.

Step 2: Homemade Graham Crackers
1 hour

3/4 c butter, room temperature
1/3 c packed brown sugar
1/4 c granulated sugar
1 T honey
1 1/4 c all-purpose flour
1/3 c whole wheat flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t salt

Beat butter, sugars, and honey in a large bowl until smooth. In another bowl combine the dry ingredients and then add to butter mixture and beat until blended. Divide dough in half and roll each half between 2 sheets of parchment paper into a 10 by 12 inch rectangle. Slide onto a baking sheet and freeze until firm, about 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Pull off top parchment and cut dough into 2 1/2 by 4 inch rectangles. Bake until deep golden brown, 13 to 18 minutes, swapping pans halfway through. Cut crackers again after baking.

Let cook on pans 2 to 3 minutes and then separate pieces and transfer to cooling racks.

Will keep 1 week in an airtight container or frozen up to 2 months.

Step 3: The Ultimate S'more
24 graham crackers
12 marshmallows
4 bars Lindt dark chocolate with almonds, each bar broken into 3 pieces
12 squares foil

Assemble each s'more on a square of foil and gently fold and crimp edges to seal. Place in a fire (or oven heated to 350) for 2 to 3 minutes. Or, first roast the marshmallow, then assemble, and heat in fire or oven.

Tortillas and Pita Bread

2011-08-14T13:58:00.000-07:00

My farmers went on vacation this past week which meant no CSA pick up for me. And it kind of ruined my life. I hadn't fully appreciated how much the CSA had simplified my menu planning, so meals have been more random and sporadic than usual. Last night I decided to do fish tacos (this decision was solely based on the fact that I had fish and a mango) and so I made tortillas for the first time. And they were amazing. And easy. Promise.

2 c flour (preferably pastry either white or whole wheat)
1 1/2 t baking powder
1 t salt
2 t vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
3/4 c water or milk

Stir together the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Sprinkle oil over the flour mixture and work with your fingers until evenly combined. Stir in the water and work with your fingers to form a sticky ball.

Flour your counter and turn out dough and knead vigorously until smooth and soft for about a minute. Press a piece of plastic wrap onto the dough and let rest for 15 minutes if you used pastry flour or 30 minutes if you used all-purpose. Divide dough into 8 pieces and roll each one into a circle, making it as thin as possible but also handling it as little as possible. (Some of mine were way too thick, but still tasted great).

Heat an ungreased griddle or cast-iron skillet over medium high heat. Once hot cook each tortilla for 40 seconds on the first side and 40 to 60 seconds on the second side. Wrap tortillas in a towel to keep warm.

Tonight we are grilling chicken and red onion (seriously lacking in the veg department right now) and wrapping it in pita bread. This is my favorite recipe:

1 1/2 c warm water
2 1/4 t active dry yeast (1 envelop)
1 t honey
1 3/4 t salt
2 T olive oil
1 1/2 c whole wheat flour or 1 c whole wheat flour mixed with 1/2 c wheat germ or bran
2 c bread flour (I just use all-purpose)

Put water in a mixing bowl and stir in yeast and honey and set aside until foamy, about 10 minutes.

Stir in the salt and olive oil and then beat in the whole wheat flour and germ or bran (if using) until smooth. Add remaining flour in small increments until the dough is too heavy to stir. Turn out onto a counter and knead until it is smooth and supple, adding more flour if required. Put in an oiled bowl, turn to coat, then cover and set aside until doubled for about an hour.

Punch down dough and divide into 10 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and cover with a damp towel. Preheat oven to 475 degrees with a baking stone or baking sheet. After dough has rested for 15 minutes roll each into a circle a little less than 1/4 inch thick. Drop the rounds of dough directly onto the stone or heated pans and bake for 3 minutes. They should be completely puffed. Remove from the oven and cover with a towel to help them deflate.

Both of these recipes are from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for everyone.

Dear Lauren,

2011-08-08T17:59:00.000-07:00

You should know that I spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about food. Don't get overwhelmed or intimidated as you try to incorporate new foods and way of cooking. Think of it as a form of play, a delicious form. Sometimes things don't work or taste good and that is okay, just throw it away and have dessert instead. I usually spend from 3p to 6p every afternoon/evening cooking/eating/and cleaning up dinner. It is a huge chunk of time, but I really like to eat good food. I realized the other day that the reason I feel like I never have anything to wear or look put together is because in order to dress well you have to spend time thinking about and shopping for clothes. I spend my time with food. So there you go.

I have thought and thought about the whole 3 month food storage thing and finally decided that if I had to live off of my food storage for 3 months my goal was to have food that was nutrient dense and food that I already use on a regular basis. I store very little in the way of canned fruit or vegetables because in my opinion they really don't have any nutritive value and they taste terrible (except for the fruit, but that is because it is usually packed in a sugar syrup) so the only produce-y stuff I store includes canned tomatoes, sweet potato puree and applesauce. So here is my list:

Steel Cut Oats (50 lbs)
Rolled Oats (25 lbs)
Wheat (75 lbs)
French Green Lentils (10 lbs)
Quinoa (15 lbs)
Dried Pinto Beans (25 lbs)
Masa Harina (10 lbs)
Pasta (12 lbs)
Applesauce (30 3-lb jars)
Tomatoes, diced (24 12-oz cans)
Tomato Sauce (24 12-oz cans)
Tomatoes, whole (12 28-oz cans)
Sweet Potato Puree (24 12-0z cans)
Tomatillo salsa/enchilada sauce (12 10 oz jars)
Organic Chicken Better than Bullion (3 jars)
Olive Oil (3 bottles)
Balsamic Vinegar (2 bottles)
Honey (5 lbs)
Maple Syrup (64 ounces)
Strawberry Jam (60 oz)
Peanut Butter (24 jars)
Yeast (6 jars)
Vanilla (3 bottles)
Organic Valley Powdered Milk (25 lbs)
Brown Sugar (5 lbs)
Sugar (10 lbs)
Kosher Salt
Sea Salt
A bunch of spices (garlic, onion, basil, sage, rosemary, cumin, nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon are my basic basics)

Hope this helps.

Swiss Chard Sandwhiches

2011-08-08T17:55:00.001-07:00

I made bread today and realized I was too exhausted to do anything complicated for dinner. These sandwiches were quite tasty.

1 loaf baguette style bread, cut into fourths and then sliced lengthwise
4 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced into 4 1-oz slices
1 bunch Swiss Chard, stems removed and leaves roughly chopped
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 T olive oil
pinch of salt
2 to 3 T cream
4 slices of bacon
1 T brown sugar

Put bacon on baking sheet and sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes, until crispy. Remove from pan and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a saute pan. Add onion and sauteed until softened. Season with salt. Add chard and cook until wilted, then add cream and simmer until tender and sweet.

Place a slice of mozzarella on the bottom piece of bread, top with chard/onion mixture and a slice of bacon and add the top slice of bread. We ate this with fresh blueberries with a bit of cream for dessert.

Lovely hot fudge sauce.

2011-08-08T17:50:00.000-07:00

4 oz unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped (I didn't read the recipe correctly and used semi-sweet chocolate and it was delicious)
4 oz (8 T) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 c half-and-half
1 1/2 c sugar

Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler over simmering water. Whisk until smooth. Pour in the half-and-half in a steady stream, whisking as you pour. Slowly add 1/2 c sugar in a steady stream, whisking as you pour. Continue stirring until the sugar has dissolved and isn't grainy, about 30 seconds. Add another 1/2 c of sugar and again stir until it is dissolved and no longer grainy. Add the remaining 1/2 c sugar in the same manner.

Cover the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce becomes glossy and thickens slightly, about 25 minutes.

Serve warm. Makes 2 delicious cups. This gets chewy and fudgy when it hits the ice cream.

*Last night I made vanilla ice cream, this hot fudge, and caramel sauce for dessert. A good tip to remember when making caramel - be sure to heat your cream in the microwave so that it isn't cold when you add it to your caramelized sugar! If you add cold cream it can cause your melted sugar to seize and crystallize, which is exactly what happened last night.

Grocery List for Lauren

2011-08-07T18:30:00.000-07:00

Okay Lauren. This is what I purchased for groceries;

Red Star Yeast (2.16)*
Quick Oats (1.52)*
Blackberries (4.99)
Orecchiette (2.85)*
Rigatoni (2.85)*
Pappardale (2.85)*
Garlic (0.84)
Linguine (2.85)*
Spinach (3.79)
2 dozen eggs (6.39)
Coastal Cheddar Cheese (6.99)
Fresh Mozzarella (7.29)
Goat Cheese (6.29)
Chicken Breasts (16.59)
Apple Sauce (8.99)*
Cocoa Powder (5.99)*
Strawberry Jam (6.79)*
Chocolate Chips (9.79)*
2 32 oz Plain Yogurt (5.00)
1 32 oz Vanilla Yogurt (2.50)
2 gallons 1% milk (10.00)
2 pints raspberries (5.00)
1 pkg strawberries (2.50)
1 bunch bananas (2.59)
Buttermilk (2.50)
5 lbs all-purpose flour (4.99)*
8 oz bacon (4.99)
Pasta Sauce (3.99)

The asterisk indicates an item that I keep in my food storage that I am replenishing. Do you want my food storage list?

So with tax I have spent about $152.50. I lost 2 of my receipts and tried to remember everything that I purchased, but this is everything I could remember. Everything on the list with the exception of the buttermilk was organic. When I do huge food things as social events I take that money out of entertainment, not our grocery fund, so for that dessert party I spent another $45 or so on ingredients and there is no way I can pull that out of our weekly money. Last week's CSA pick up included: 1 bag red potatoes, 1 bunch basil, 2 onions, 1 bunch swiss chard, 1 bunch carrots, a bag of green beans, 4 Anaheim peppers, 1 crookneck squash. I just remembered I also purchased some hummus, so that was another $3 or so.

Dinners the past few nights have included:

Chicken breasts stuffed with mozzarella and basil served with oven roasted purple potatoes and mascarpone cheese (leftover from another week), homemade pita bread and hummus, margherita pizzas, pasta and marinara sauce, and some crazy vegetable pasta dish I made with orzo, green beans, crookneck squash, and carrot.

A dessert party. And dinner.

2011-08-01T19:09:00.000-07:00

I teach the 12 and 13 year old girls at my church and they were recently invited to bring a friend with them to church. As an extra incentive I promised them a dessert extravaganza if they complied. Bribery works wonders. We ate chocolate chip cookies, vanilla vanilla cupcakes, caramel panna cotta, homemade (not from a box) chocolate pudding with whipped cream, orange cheesecake with gingersnap crust, and vegan chocolate orange cupcakes for our one vegan in attendance. It was a success. I am going to be fat.

Dinner for Lauren: another pasta dish because I was in a rush. I just sliced one of the onions and sauteed it with a chicken breast that I cut up into pieces in a bit of olive oil. When almost cooked I added spinach until wilted, tossed it with cooked pasta and served it topped with some crumbled goat cheese.

Kale Chips

2011-07-30T20:05:00.000-07:00

Cut the center rib out of the kale and roughly cut up leaves. Toss leaves with olive oil and season with salt and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees until crispy, about 8 to 12 minutes. Adjust seasoning and serve. The only way to eat kale in my book.

Crazy Green Globe Squash Pasta

2011-07-30T20:03:00.001-07:00

Tonight I cooked 2 slices of bacon, which I removed from the pan once crisp and then added the cubed green squash (some type of zucchini maybe?) and some marjoram (went out to get oregano but couldn't find it) from my little herb garden. Once the squash was tender I added back the bacon and 3 oz of cubed fresh mozzarella, tossed it with cooked pasta, and served it up in bowls.

Emeril's Braised Kohlrabi with Fennel and Leeks

2011-07-30T19:57:00.000-07:00

*I didn't have leeks so I just used a yellow onion. I also don't buy alcohol so I used water instead of white wine.

2 T olive oil
1 T butter
3 large heads kohlrabi, cut into 1/2-inch-thick-wedges
1 yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 large bulb fennel, cored and thinly sliced
1/4 c water
3 c chicken stock
4 sprigs fresh thyme
3 sprigs fresh fennel fronds
1 t salt
1/2 t black pepper

Combine olive oil and butter in a large deep saute pan. Once butter has melted and foam has subsided add kohlrabi, onion and fennel and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, browning kohlrabi on each side (mine did not brown). Add water and cook until it has reduced by half. Add stock, thyme, and fennel fronds and season with salt and pepper. Cook partially covered for 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender crisp. Remove thyme sprigs and fennel fronds before serving.

I spooned the polenta into a bowl and then topped it with the braised veggies, including the braising liquid. Connor drank the liquid after eating his food. It was that good.

Emeril's Creamy Polenta

2011-07-30T19:50:00.000-07:00

This is heaven on a spoon. You have been warned

4 c whole milk (I didn't have any milk so I just used evaporated milk which turned out to be quite lovely. I want to try making this with skim milk too.)
2 c chicken stock (I used 2 cups water and 2 teaspoons Better Than Bullion Chicken Stock which I buy on the baking aisle at Costco)
4 T butter
2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 3/4 c stone-ground polenta
1/4 c mascarpone cheese (his recipe calls for 1/2 cup but I used less)
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (his recipe calls for 1 cup but I just grated some on top when it was served)

Combine milk, chicken stock, butter, salt and pepper in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Whisk in polenta and stir until it begins to thicken, then reduce heat to medium low and cook, stirring frequently, until creamy and tender. *His recipe indicates this will take 30 minutes, mine was done in about 8 minutes. I used regular polenta, not instant, so I don't know why mine cooked so quickly.

Remove from heat and add mascarpone cheese and stir to blend. Serve immediately with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese sprinkled on top.

Leftover polenta can be reheated just be sure to add a little water or milk to soften it.

Jamie Oliver's Perfect Pesto

2011-07-30T19:45:00.000-07:00

small handful pinenuts (about 1/4 cup)
1/2 a clove of garlic, peeled and chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 good handfuls fresh basil leaves, picked and chopped
a good handful freshly grated Parmesan cheese
extra virgin olive oil

*The first step is to put your pinenuts on a baking sheet and pop them under the broiler for a minute to warm them, but I skipped this step. I also made this in a blender, but you can do it in a food processor or with a mortar and pestle. Here's my method:

Place pinenuts, garlic, basil and a tablespoon or two of olive oil in the blender and pulse. Add more olive oil until desired consistency is reached. Add Parmesan cheese and blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper. When you reach the consistency and taste you like it is done. I kept mine in the fridge for a week and a half in an airtight glass container.

Ellie Giobbi's Italian-Style Bread

2011-07-30T19:36:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe in yet another DI cookbook that sat on my mom's shelf and then my shelf for some time. It is our new favorite bread. This recipe makes 8 loaves (20 inches long and 3 inches wide) and I wrap each loaf in foil and keep it in the freezer. Each day I just take it out and set it on the counter to defrost and then save the foil for my next batch. Or if you want it hot just heat your oven to 500 degrees and put the bread in, wrapped in the foil, for 15 minutes.

2 T active dry yeast
8 c warm water
about 16 c flour*
2 T kosher salt or 1 1/4 T table salt

*I used 2/3 whole wheat (which I ground myself, aren't I just so domestic) and 1/3 all purpose. I ended up adding a bit more than 16 cups, I think I used 18, but my dough was still sticky and wet and it worked perfectly. Don't add too much flour!

Mix the yeast and water together and let sit for 5 minutes.

Add most of the flour and salt to a large bowl and stir to combine. Add the yeast water gradually, stirring as you pour. Work dough into a manageable ball and turn it out on a lightly floured surface. Knead until elastic, adding more flour as necessary, for about 10 minutes.

Oil the bottom and sides of a clean bowl and turn dough to coat, cover with a towel, and place in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.

Turn dough out and punch down. Divide into 8 pieces and form each piece into a long loaf - about 18 inches long and 2 inches wide. Place on an oiled baking sheet (I fit 4 per pan) and cover and let double in bulk, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place bread in oven on baking sheets and bake for 30 minutes, spritzing with water a few times during the first 15 minutes of baking to get a crisp crust. Remove bread from trays, turn them over, lower heat to 350 degrees, and bake 10 to 20 more minutes until done. Cool on racks.

I baked 2 pans at a time, and rotated them when I lowered the heat. They didn't need much more time to bake, about 6 to 10 minutes at 350 degrees. This bread has a great taste and a tender crumb and freezes well. Eight loaves may seem like a lot but they disappeared fast in our house.

CSA pick up.

2011-07-29T21:17:00.000-07:00

This week I received:

2 heads kohlrabi (still had one left over from last week which made 3 in the fridge)
1 bunch beets
1 bunch carrots
1 yellow squash
1 crazy green globe squash (not sure what kind)
2 onions
1 bunch kale
1 bag red potatoes
1 bulb fennel

So far we've eaten:

Grilled veggie sandwiches: homemade baguette (recipe to come - it is pretty awesome), leftover pesto mixed with goat cheese, grilled yellow squash and grilled onion with some salt and pepper and Kale chips. Confession: I am not a huge fan of kale because it takes forever to cook to an edible state, but now I have discovered kale chips and they are simple to make and very tasty. Hooray. Bryant said this was the best meat free sandwich of his life. Ten points for me.

Braised kohlrabi, fennel, and onion with melt in your mouth deliciousness polenta. (Both recipes from Farm to Fork with a few adjustments)

Pasta with lovely cheese sauce and spinach. The spinach came from Costco.

Do you want the recipes? Let me know. Shopping list and amount spent to come.

Pizza on the grill.

2011-07-25T11:26:00.001-07:00

We waited to purchase a grill until we could buy a Traeger because once I tasted the deliciousness made by its wood-pellet burning self I couldn't settle for anything less. Completely worth the wait. (Costco has a Traeger special twice a year by the way.)

A few weeks ago I taught 14 12 and 13 year olds how to make homemade pizza and sauce. I tried out some new recipes and combined a few to come up with what is now my favorite of favorites. Absolutely delicious. We just made them with mozzarella on top but you can do anything you want.

I didn't plan anything for dessert and we had some dough left over so we rolled it out, grilled it, and then topped it with melted butter, cinnamon, sugar, and sweetened whipped cream. It was also amazing.

When I grill pizza I first grill my crust lightly on both sides, then remove and add toppings and return to the grill until it is done. I grill them at 450 degrees. I roll my crust very thin and use semolina to dust my rolling surface. I know the pre-grilling is done when my dough starts to puff up. Here's the recipe:

Pizza Dough

Combine the following in a bowl and stir until dissolved;

¼ c chicken stock (this doesn't taste odd in the dessert version by the way)

¾ c warm water

1 pkg dry yeast

1 T honey

1 T olive oil

Add and mix with a wooden spoon;

1 c flour

Add 2 more cups of flour and stir for 2 to 3 minutes.

Turn dough out on a floured surface and knead for 6 to 8 minutes until dough is smooth and firm. Grease a bowl with 1 T olive oil and then place dough in bowl, turning to coat with oil, cover with a towel and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Pizza Sauce

28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes (drain but reserve ¼ c liquid)

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 T olive oil

¼ to ½ t salt

1/8 to ¼ t freshly ground black pepper

1 t brown sugar

3 T tomato paste

2 t dried oregano

1 t dried thyme (ground if you are bothered by texture)

¼ to ½ t fennel seed, ground

Heat olive oil in a NON REACTIVE pot just over medium heat. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant. Add all other dry ingredients and stir until fragrant. Add tomatoes and stir to coat with oil mixture and let cook for 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and ¼ c reserved tomato liquid. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, smashing tomatoes and stirring occasionally. This recipe is easily doubled and is even better the next day.

If you cannot grill your pizzas, try this trick;

Heat a griddle or skillet over medium high heat and precook your rolled out dough on each side until golden brown spots appear. Let cool and then top with sauce and toppings and bake in 500 degree oven until done.

For Lauren - Cookbooks

2011-07-25T11:19:00.000-07:00

So here's the truth. I use my sweet cookbooks much much more than my savory cookbooks. Finding 5 to suggest for actual meals rather than meals composed of desserts was difficult. But here are four I use on a regular basis:

The Savory Way by Deborah Madison
My mom found this at DI years ago and it sat on her shelf. She gave it to me 2 years ago and it sat on my shelf. Now I use it all of the time.

Jamie's Italy by Jamie Oliver
I have 5 or so of his cookbooks but I use this one the most. His pesto recipe is perfect and we've eaten pesto pasta for 4 days in a row (because my CSA included a huge bouquet of basil last week) which is amazing considering Bryant has never liked pesto. But he loves this recipe.

Farm to Fork by Emeril Lagasse
I love his recipes. I love the ideas I get from seeing the different flavors he combines.

Sarabeth's Bakery by Sarabeth Levine
Yes, this is a dessert book. But is a recent discovery that I wish I had found years ago because she explains tricks and techniques so perfectly.

I use www.tastespotting.com the most for finding recipes. Especially now that I have a weekly CSA subscription. A few weeks ago I had 2 heads of napa cabbage that I didn't no what to do with so I just went to the website, typed napa cabbage into the search engine, and found a bunch of recipes to look through that I eventually narrowed down to two that we used later in the week.

When we lived in Nebraska and I had nothing to do and free cable I watched the Food Network a lot. And that was a great help because it exposed me to new food ideas and combinations and ingredients I hadn't heard of before. I am finally to the point where I am comfortable making up my own dishes, and I do a lot, but these are the resources I depend on.

I pick up my CSA on Wednesday and payday is Friday so the menu planning/budgeting post is to come. In the meantime here is the perfect pizza.

Pea Shoot Salad

2011-06-13T19:23:00.000-07:00

More seasonal eating - I have pea shoots galore. Tonight we grilled some trout and served it with a simple salad of mixed greens, pea shoots, and thinly sliced radishes with this dressing:

3 T seasoned rice vinegar
1 T sesame oil
1 T honey or brown sugar
1 T soy sauce
Juice squeezed from half a lime
1 clove of garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Connor drank the dressing from his bowl.

Seasonal Eating

2011-06-06T10:48:00.001-07:00

I thought I did a pretty good job eating seasonally. I never bought tomatoes, berries, grapes, or peppers out of season. But this spring we joined a CSA and I quickly learned that my attempts at seasonal eating were pathetic. I have never eaten so many greens in my life. This past week my CSA share included mustard greens, rabe, kale, spinach, arugula, bok choy, pea shoots, and radishes. I still had baby turnips left over from the previous week so I decided to make a green soup. It was surprisingly delicious. I adapted a recipe from Deborah Madison's The Savory Way.

2 T olive oil
2 T butter
8 baby turnips, peeled and chopped or 2 medium red skin potatoes diced
1 small onion, chopped, or 2 to 3 medium leeks, thinly sliced
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
5 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
2 good pinches dried thyme
2 c spinach, chopped
1 c mustard greens, stems removed and chopped
1 c rabe, stems removed and chopped
2 c kale, stems removed and chopped
2 c arugula, chopped
2 qts chicken stock (I used water + better than bullion)
1/4 c cream or evaporated milk
6 slices bacon, cut into small pieces
1 T maple syrup

Warm oil and butter in a wide soup pot. Add the turnips, onion, carrot, garlic, thyme and some salt. Stir to coat, cover, and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the greens and allow them to gradually wilt down, stirring every few minutes.

When they have wilted add the stock and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer about 20 minutes. ***You can puree the soup at this point but Bryant hates pureed soups so I just left this consistency and added bacon.

While the soup is simmering fry the bacon is a dry frying pan until crispy. Add to soup with cream or evaporated milk and stir to combine. Serve with good bread.

The only way we've been able to make it through the mountain of bok choy we've received is by eating stir fry. I use quinoa cooked in chicken stock instead of rice and I chop the stems of the bok choy and tear the leaves and stir fry it with onion, garlic, ginger, shredded carrot, mushrooms, salt and pepper. I serve it with chopped peanuts or almonds, soy sauce, and crushed red pepper. Even Connor devours it.

Happy Spring.

Carrot Gnocchi and Bread

2011-05-19T18:27:00.000-07:00

I have had one life changing gnocchi experience, one really good gnocchi experience, and many terrible gnocchi experiences. The life changing one occurred at a completely legit Italian restaurant in San Francisco where their Italian accents were still so pronounced that I could barely understand their English when they spoke to us. The really good gnocchi was at Pizzeria 712 in Orem, UT and it was a ricotta gnocchi with a creamy goat cheese sauce.

Tonight I made this gnocchi. Here are my tips:
*It says it serves 4 but I doubled the recipe and it just fed the three in our household who have advanced past baby food.
*I didn't have any Parmesan cheese so I didn't use it. I also didn't have fresh sage.
*WHEN I make this again I will make the dough in the morning instead of doing it all at once.
*I don't know why it says to boil them for 6 to 7 seconds, mine took much longer.

I made a coconut sauce to accompany them and I just made a roux with some butter, flour and Better than Bullion chicken stock mix (about 1 tsp) and once that was combined and cooked I added about 1/2 a can of light coconut milk. Once it had thickened I added just a bit of cinnamon and ginger.

I also made this bread which can be made in less than 2 hours. I made one loaf instead of three.

We rounded out our meal with some of the wilted maple spinach. Great dinner. My kitchen is now a mess.

Pinto Bean Soup

2011-05-19T12:24:00.000-07:00

This soup doesn't sound like much, but it is very good. You just need to remember to soak your beans.

1 1/2 c dried pinto beans, soaked in water for 8 hours or overnight

Drain beans and put in a pot with 2 quarts (I never measure this) of water and slowly bring to a boil. Skim the scum off the surface and reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add 1/4 c chopped onion and some salt and simmer for an additional 30 minutes or until tender. Using an immersion blender if you are fancy like that or just a plain old blender if you haven't gotten around to purchasing an immersion blender yet (someday, someday) blend this mixture to your desired consistency. We like ours with some puree and some roughly chopped beans. Sidenote - I never use all of the liquid when I blend the soup because I think it makes it too runny. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve with:
A good dollop of creme fraiche or sour cream in each bowl
Chopped green onions
Pine Nuts (don't forget these)
Candied Bacon

Candied Bacon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put your bacon on a rimmed baking sheet and sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake until crispy, about 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven to cool and then crumble. You will never make bacon again without brown sugar.

Sweet Potato Pancakes

2011-05-19T12:20:00.000-07:00

Prepare:
3/4 lb sweet potato - peeled, chopped, and cooked until tender in boiling water for about 15 min

Combine in a medium bowl:
1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c cornmeal
3 1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg
1/4 t ginger

Combine in another bowl or large measuring cup:
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 to 2 c milk
2 T butter, melted
1 t vanilla
Mashed/cooked sweet potato

Blend wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Make pancakes. Serve with coconut caramel sauce or maple syrup.

A few good links.

2011-05-17T18:47:00.000-07:00

Best pie crust. Ever.

You can make caramel sauce with coconut milk. It is amazing with sweet potato pancakes. Or on a spoon.

Our version of Easter eggs.

Anyone interested in a recipe for sweet potato pancakes? Pinto bean soup with bacon, pine nuts, and green onions? Let me know.

Mind-blowingly good spinach. Who knew?

2011-03-30T19:30:00.001-07:00

I did not realize that spinach could be amazing. But it can. And it is easy. I put this on top of cottage cheese on top of a baked potato for a quick meal.

Heat some olive oil (just a bit) in a large skillet over medium-ish heat. Add fresh spinach, 1 clove minced garlic, some salt and pepper, and REAL maple syrup. Perhaps a tablespoon or two. Stir until evenly wilted, remove from heat and add just a bit of cream.

That's it. It is very, very good.

Lavender Vanilla Sugar Cookies

2011-03-28T12:05:00.000-07:00

1 T lavender
2/3 c sugar (I used vanilla sugar)
1 c unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 t pure vanilla extract
2 c all-purpose flour
1/8 t salt

Grind lavender and sugar in a coffee grinder or food processor. Combine with butter in a medium sized bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and combine. Add flour and salt and carefully carefully mix until just combined. Dough should be soft but not sticky, and guess what? No eggs. So go ahead and eat it without fear of illness. Form dough into two balls and flatten into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out with cookie cutters and place on prepared sheet. I sprinkled them with white sugar crystals at this point. Put back in the fridge for 10 minutes.

Bake for 8 to 12 minutes, depending on the size of your cookie. You want these underdone so that they are still soft. Let cool completely. No frosting needed.

Homemade Chocolate Pudding

2011-03-26T19:27:00.000-07:00

Okay folks. This recipe is a must. It is amazing warm or cold. It is just amazing. I use 3 different cocoa powders that I buy every time I am in SLC at Tony Caputo's, but you can just use whatever cocoa powder you have on hand.

2 T cornstarch
1/8 t salt
1/3 c cocoa powder
1/2 c sugar
2 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
2 c milk (I've used skim, I've used half and half)
2 T butter
2 t vanilla extract
handful of chocolate chips (I used Nestle semi-sweet)

In a medium saucepan whisk together the cornstarch, salt, cocoa powder and sugar. In a bowl combine the milk and egg yolks and slowly add to the mixture in the saucepan, whisking until combined. Set over medium heat and stir constantly until the mixture thickens and boils for 1 minute.

Remove from heat and stir in butter, vanilla and chocolate chips until smooth. Eat immediately or later. If chilling be sure to put a piece of plastic wrap pressed on to the pudding to prevent a skim from forming. ENJOY.

Dessert in 30 seconds or less.

2011-02-01T19:00:00.001-08:00

I realize I am odd and normal people do not have chocolate ganache and mascarpone cheese in their fridge on a regular basis, but you should because then you can make this crazy easy amazingly good dessert. You also need dried figs. Here's how it works:

Take a fig and slice it lengthwise. I use brown Turkish figs because I think they taste the best. But that's just me.

Take a scoop of ganache and put it on your plate or in a bowl. Take a scoop of mascarpone cheese and mix it into the ganache. Put a large dollop on each fig half. Pop the entire thing in your mouth and close your eyes. It's that good.

More cake.

2011-01-29T12:13:00.000-08:00

This is now my favorite white cake recipe. Buy the vanilla bean, it is worth it. This recipe is from Organic and Chic by Sarah Magid. The only change I made was using a whole vanilla bean rather than a half.

Vanilla Bean Butter Cake

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 c white sugar
4 eggs
1 c whole milk
1 T vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped out and reserved
2 3/4 c all-purpose flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 2 8-inch (I used 6 inch) round cake pans (I also lined them with parchment paper) or place liners in muffin pans for 24 cupcakes.

Cream the butter and sugar on medium speed for 3 to 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add eggs, one at a time.

In a small bowl combine the milk, vanilla extract and vanilla bean seeds. Set aside.

In another bowl combine the flour, salt, and baking powder.

With mixer on low speed alternate adding the flour and milk mixtures, starting and ending with the flour. When almost combined turn off the mixer and scrape sides and bottom of bowl. Finish mixing the batter by hand with a rubber spatula. Pour into prepared pans.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or 24 to 30 minutes for cupcakes. Let cool in pans for 15 minutes then invert on a wire rack and cool completely.

Vanilla Whipped Buttercream

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 c sugar
1 c whole milk
1/4 c all-purpose four
1 1/2 T vanilla extract

In a small saucepan combine 1/4 c of the milk with the flour and vanilla and whisk until completely smooth. Over medium heat slowly add the remaining heat and whisk constantly until it begins to thicken. Remove from heat and keep stirring. Cool in an ice bath to room temperature.

Cream the butter on medium speed. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low slowly add the thickened and cooled milk mixture and increase speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy.

100th Post - Connor's Divine Birthday Cake

2011-01-11T12:55:00.001-08:00

I bought The Silver Spoon for Children cookbook for Connor several months ago and decided to try out the recipes for his birthday. We chose the Orange Cake because Connor is obsessed with oranges, and it is now my new favorite cake. It is easy and delicious. So delicious. Completely amazing. Make it tonight.

Orange Cake

7 T unsalted butter, plus a bit more for greasing the pan

1 orange

2 barnyard eggs (yep, that's what it calls for)

1/2 c supgerfine sugar (we used granulated because that is what we had)

scant 1 c confectioner's sugar

scant 1 c self-rising flour

1/2 t baking powder

Orange Glaze

scant 1 c confectioner's guar

1 orange (we used both the zest and the juice)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter an 8-inch cake pan and line with parchment paper.

Melt butter and let cool. In a medium bowl combine the eggs, superfine sugar, and confectioner's sugar with a whisk until light and fluffy. Stir in melted butter. Sfit the flour and baking powder onto the egg mixutre and pour in 6 T orange juice. Carefully mix tovether and pour into pan.

Bake for 18 to 22 minutes. Let cool in pan and then turn out on cooling rack. Place on cakestand and poke holes all over the cake with a toothipick or a fork. Whisk together juice from 1 orange, zest, and confectioner's sugar to make the glaze. Spread glaze all over cake, letting it seap into the holes until it is completelyl absorbed by the cake.

Top with sweetened whipped cream with a bit of vanilla and a thinly sliced orange sprinkled with sugar if you would like for decoration.

Panna Cotta with Roasted Strawberries

2010-10-22T14:12:00.000-07:00

Divine. Easy. Make this soon.

1 envelope unflavored gelatin
2 c heavy cream
1/2 c sugar
2 c buttermilk
1 T vanilla

Measure 2 T water in a small bowl and add gelatin. Stir and let stand 5 minutes.

Place 1 c cream in a heavy, medium-sized saucepan. Bring to a simmer. Add the gelatin and sugar and stir until both have dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in remaining 1 c cream, 2 c buttermilk, and 1 T vanilla. Pour into desired mold, individual glasses, ramekins, large glass bowl, goblets, whatever. Chill until set, about 6 hours.

4 to 6 c frozen strawberries
1 t lemon zest
1/4 to 1/2 c sugar

Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper or silpat. Spread out strawberries in a single layer. Sprinkle with lemon zest and sugar. Roast in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes or so, until berries have softened and juice has thickened with the sugar. Taste for doneness. Let cool. Pile on top of panna cotta to serve.

MIA

2010-09-07T19:38:00.000-07:00

Sorry. Life has been crazy. But here are two cookbook recommendations and two recipes that I'm not sure you can live without.

Canyon Ranch Nourish is amazing and quite possibly my new favorite. The recipes are divine and healthy. It doesn't get much better than that.

Ellie Krieger's So Easy is easy, and delicious, and nutritious. Seriously, check these out ASAP from your library.

Here is a sneak peak from Canyon Ranch:

This tart is amazing. I knew the cookbook and I were meant for each other when I found this recipe in the breakfast section. For 2 days I thought I might even like it more than pie. That's how good it is. I've made it 3 times - twice according to the recipe (mostly) and once with all white flour and believe me, it needs the whole wheat flour.

Crust:
4 T unsalted butter
1/4 c low-fat cream cheese
1/2 c plus 1 T sugar
1/4 t salt
3/4 c whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 c all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 10-inch tart pan with canola oil spray.
Combine all ingredients in a food processor until mixed, reserving 1 T of the sugar for the filling. Press into the tart pan to form the crust.

Filling:

2 or 3 peaches or nectarines

1 c blueberries (if you use frozen berries make sure they are completely thawed and drained)

1 egg

1 t vanilla

1 T sugar

Arrange the peach slices in concentric circles around the edge of the tart and pile the blueberries in the middle. Whisk 1 egg with 1 T sugar and 1 t vanilla and pour over berries. Bake for 40 minutes.

And then I made these:

Cinnamon Snap Rolls (from A Passion for Ice Cream by Emily Luchetti) filled with homemade apricot vanilla ice cream. Let me know if you need the recipes.

The blogging is going to get worse, not better, for the next little while because in 2 weeks I leave to go wait for our baby girl to be born! Can't wait.

Plum Preserves

2010-08-08T19:48:00.000-07:00

To read the very long account about how I got the plums go to http://www.petersonabcs.blogspot.com/. To make some crazy good plum preserves use this recipe and add 2 cinnamon sticks to the mixture as it boils. I also made ice cream using the many plums currently in my possession and adapted a recipe from this man who is kind of a genius. Here's the recipe:

Plum Ice Cream

1 lb plums, halved and pitted

1 c sugar

1/3 c water

1 c cream

1/2 t pure vanilla extract

Combine the plums, sugar, and water in a nonreactive saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes or until plums are tender. Remove from heat and puree in a blender. Add cream and vanilla and blend until thoroughly combined. Pour through a sieve into a container and refrigerate until cold. Put mixture in ice cream maker and make ice cream. Eat ice cream. It is tart and delicious and the vanilla is the perfect accompaniment to the tartness of the plums and brings out the flavor of the cream. And it looks pretty.

20 lbs of apricots

2010-08-06T10:34:00.000-07:00

I saw a listing on craigslist for 20 lbs of apricots for $15, which seemed too good of a deal to pass up. I planned on making apricot lavender jam, but quickly decided upon realizing how many apricots make up 20 lbs that I needed some other quick things to use up all of the lovely produce. I found this recipe and changed it by omitting the vanilla bean (although that would also be perfectly wonderful), doubling the recipe, and adding 5 tsp of culinary lavender buds that I ground up in a coffee grinder with some of the sugar. I also left the peelings on because I love the color and didn't want to peel that many apricots, and after combining all of the ingredients I let it sit overnight in the fridge (covered of course) to really let the flavors meld. This jam is fantastic - on a spoon, on bread, or mixed with some vinegar to make a lovely apricot vinaigrette for a salad. So that's the jam.

Then I saw this recipe for apricot ice cream and decided to puree a bunch of the apricots, add a bit of lemon juice to preserve the color, and freeze the puree in ice cube trays (which were later emptied into gallon freezer bags) so that we can eat apricot ice cream all year long. I haven't made any yet, but it looks quite good.

Apricot pie also sounded idea but rather than make the entire pie I decided to just make the filling, put it in a gallon ziplock bag, shape it in a pie dish and freeze. Once frozen I removed the pie dish and now when I need a pie I can just make the crust, pop in the filling, and bake it. I haven't tasted the finished product yet, but the filling is very good.

4 c apricots, peeled
1 T lemon juice
1 c sugar
1/3 c flour
nutmeg to taste
1 to 2 t vanilla extract

Just toss to combine and you are ready to go.

By this point I had just enough apricots to fill a cookie sheet, so I lined the cookie sheet with parchment, spread out the apricot halves, drizzled them with 2 T olive oil, 1/2 c melted honey,
1 t vanilla, and a sprinkling of cinnamon. I then roasted them in a 375 degree oven for about 35 to 45 minutes, until meltingly soft and a bit caramelized. These are delicious on their own, but especially over French Toast.

DB Challenge - Mexican Chocolate Swiss Roll Ice Cream Cake

2010-07-27T10:00:00.000-07:00

The July 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Sunita of Sunita’s world – life and food. Sunita challenged everyone to make an ice-cream filled Swiss roll that’s then used to make a bombe with hot fudge. Her recipe is based on an ice cream cake recipe from Taste of Home.

For this challenge we had to make 2 kinds of ice cream - the recipes given in the challenge were for vanilla and chocolate, but I decided instead to make dulce de leche and cinnamon. I also made caramel sauce for serving, and it was the perfect accompaniment to the cake. This is quite divine. My only regret is not thoroughly reading the recipe when making the Swiss Roll. That led to quite the catastrophe, but I managed to piece it together and still roll it up with the whipped cream.

Recipes from the challenge:

Swiss Roll Ice Cream Cake
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Baking time: 10 - 12 minutes
Rolling and cooling time: at least 30 minutes
Filling: 5 - 8 minutes
Filling and rolling: 5 - 10 minutes

Ingredients:
6 medium sized eggs
1 C / 225 grams caster sugar /8 oz + extra for rolling
6 TBS. / 45 grams/ a pinch over 1.5 oz of all purpose (plain) flour + 5 TBS. /40 gram / a pinch under 1.5 oz of natural unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted together
2 TBS. /30 ml / 1 fl oz of boiling water
a little oil for brushing the pans
For the filling:
2 C / 500 mls/ 16 fl oz of whipping cream
1 vanilla pod, cut into small pieces of about ½ cm (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
5 TBS. / 70 grams / 2.5oz of caster sugar

Directions:
1. Pre-heat the oven at 200 deg C /400 deg F approximately. Brush the baking pans (11 inches by 9 inches) with a little oil and line with greaseproof baking paper. If you have just one pan, bake one cake and then let the pan cool completely before using it for the next cake.
2. In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs and sugar and beat till very thick; when the beaters are lifted, it should leave a trail on the surface for at least 10 seconds.

3. Add the flour mixture, in three batches and fold in gently with a spatula. Fold in the water.
4. Divide the mixture among the two baking pans and spread it out evenly, into the corners of the pans.
5. Place a pan in the center of the pre-heated oven and bake for about 10-12 minutes or till the center is springy to the touch.
6. Spread a kitchen towel on the counter and sprinkle a little caster sugar over it. Very important. I didn't use sugar on my towel and it was not good!
7. Turn the cake on to the towel and peel away the baking paper. Trim any crisp edges.
8. Starting from one of the shorter sides, start to make a roll with the towel going inside. Cool the wrapped roll on a rack, seam side down.
9. Repeat the same for the next cake as well.
10. Grind together the vanilla pieces and sugar in a food processer till nicely mixed together. If you are using vanilla extract, just grind the sugar on its own and then add the sugar and extract to the cream.
11. In a large bowl, add the cream and vanilla-sugar mixture and beat till very thick.
12. Divide the cream mixture between the completely cooled cakes.
13. Open the rolls and spread the cream mixture, making sure it does not go right to
the edges (a border of ½ an inch should be fine).
14. Roll the cakes up again, this time without the towel. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge till needed, seam side down.

Vanilla Ice Cream
Preparation time: 5 minutes + freezing
I have made the ice cream without an ice cream maker.
Ingredients
2 and ½ C / 625 ml / 20 fl oz of whipping cream
1 vanilla bean, minced or 1 tsp/ 5 ml/ .15 fl oz vanilla extract
½ C / 115grams/ 4 oz of granulated sugar
Directions:
1. Grind together the sugar and vanilla in a food processor. In a mixing bowl, add the cream and vanilla –sugar mixture and whisk lightly till everything is mixed together. If you are using the vanilla extract, grind the sugar on its own and then and the sugar along with the vanilla extract to the cream.
2. Pour into a freezer friendly container and freeze till firm around the edges. Remove from the freezer, beat till smooth and return to the freezer. Do this 3-4 times and then set completely.

Hot Fudge Sauce
Preparation time: 2 minutes
I made this just after adding the layer of vanilla ice cream to the cake.
Cooking time: 2 minutes
Ingredients:
1 C / 230 grams / 8 oz of caster sugar
3 TBS. / 24 grams /1.5 oz of natural unsweetened cocoa powder
2 TBS. /15 grams / 1 oz of corn flour/cornstarch
1 ½ C / 355 ml /12 fl oz of water
1 TBS. /14 grams/ 1 oz butter
1 tsp/ 5 ml / .15 fl oz vanilla extract
Directions:
1. In a small saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, corn flour and water.
2. Place the pan over heat, and stir constantly, till it begins to thicken and is smooth (for about 2 minutes).
3. Remove from heat and mix in the butter and vanilla. Keep aside to cool.

Chocolate Ice Cream
Preparation time: 5 minutes + freezing
Ingredients:
2 C / 500 ml whipping cream
1 C / 230 grams / 8 oz caster sugar
3 TBS. / 24 grams / 1.5 oz of natural unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions:
1. Grind together the sugar and the cocoa powder in a food processor.
2. In a saucepan, add all the ingredients and whisk lightly.
3. Place the pan over heat and keep stirring till it begins to bubble around the edges.
4. Remove from heat and cool completely before transferring to a freezer friendly container till firm around the edges. If you are using an ice cream maker, churn the ice cream according to the manufacturer’s instruction, after the mixture has cooled completely.
5. Remove from the freezer, beat till smooth and return to the freezer. Do this 3-4 times and then set completely.

Assembly:
1. Cut the Swiss rolls into 20 equal slices
(approximately 2 cms each).
2. Cover the bottom and sides of the bowl in
which you are going to set the dessert with
cling film/plastic wrap.
3. Arrange two slices at the bottom of the pan,
with their seam sides facing each other.
Arrange the Swiss roll slices up the bowl,
with the seam sides facing away from the
bottom, to cover the sides of the bowl.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and
freeze till the slices are firm (at least 30
minutes).
4. Soften the vanilla ice cream. Take the bowl out
of the freezer, remove the cling film cover
and add the ice cream on top of the cake slices.

Spread it out to cover the bottom and sides of the

bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap

and freeze till firm (at least 1 hour)
5. Add the fudge sauce over the vanilla ice
cream, cover and freeze till firm. (at least an
hour)
6. Soften the chocolate ice cream and spread it
over the fudge sauce. Cover with plastic wrap
and freeze for at least 4-5 hours till completely
set.
7. Remove the plastic cover, and place the
serving plate on top of the bowl. Turn it
upside down and remove the bowl and the
plastic lining. If the bowl does not come
away easily, wipe the outsides of the bowl
with a kitchen towel dampened with hot
water. The bowl will come away easily.
8. Keep the cake out of the freezer for at least
10 minutes before slicing, depending on
how hot your region is. Slice with a sharp
knife, dipped in hot water.

Additional recipes I used:

Dulce de Leche Ice Cream: http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/05/dulce-de-leche-ice-cream/

Dulce de Leche: http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2005/11/dulce_de_lechec.html

Cinnamon Ice Cream adapted from recipe by Emily Luchetti in A Passion for Ice Cream

2 3/4 c heavy whipping cream

1 c milk

2/3 c sugar

3 cinnamon sticks

1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp kosher salt

Combine the cream, milk, sugar, cinnamon sticks, cinnamon, and salt in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until almost simmering. Pour into a bowl and cool over ice bath to room temperature. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Strain cream, discard cinnamon sticks, and church in ice cream machine.

Caramel Sauce adapted from recipe by Emily Luchetti in A Passion for Ice Cream

2 c sugar

1/2 c water

1 1/2 c heavy whipping cream

1/8 tsp salt

2 ounces (4 T) unsalted butter

1 T very good vanilla

Stir the sugar and water together in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Increase heat to high and continue to cook, without stirring, until the sugar is medium amber in color. Remove pot from heat and slowly stir in about 1/4 c of the cream. (It will sputter, so be careful. At this point I always think I've ruined it, but just keep stirring.) Continue adding the cream and then add the salt and butter and whisk until smooth. Add the vanilla last. This can be stored in the fridge, just microwave for 10 to 30 seconds and stir before serving.

***I could drink this straight, that's how good this is, so consider yourself warned.

Pavlova Parfaits

2010-06-27T13:23:00.000-07:00

The June 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Dawn of Doable and Delicious. Dawn challenged the Daring Bakers’ to make Chocolate Pavlovas and Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse. The challenge recipe is based on a recipe from the book Chocolate Epiphany by Francois Payard.

I actually layered these in goblets initially, and they looked exquisite, but then we had eaten about half when I realized I hadn't taken a photo! So I quickly scraped together what was remaining and made a mock up for the photo, which Bryant happily ate. I chose to make the meringues in disc form and then break them into pieces to layer in the parfait because Bryant is not a huge meringue fan. But apparently he is a huge chocolate meringue fan, so now I know. The chocolate mascarpone mousse is amazing, and something I would eat daily if I could. This isn't hard at all to make, but it does have several components and require a bit of prep work. It is very much worth it. I added the strawberries to the recipe and I am very glad I did because it went perfectly with all of the other flavors.

Recipe 1: Chocolate Meringue (for the chocolate Pavlova):
3 large egg whites

½ cup plus 1 tbsp (110 grams) white granulated sugar

¼ cup (30 grams) confectioner’s (icing) sugar

1/3 cup (30 grams) cocoa powder

Directions:
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 200º F (95º C) degrees. Line two baking sheets with silpat or parchment and set aside.

Put the egg whites in a bowl and whip until soft peaks form. Increase speed to high and gradually add granulated sugar about 1 tbsp at a time until stiff peaks form. (The whites should be firm but moist.)

Sift the confectioner’s sugar and cocoa powder over the egg whites and fold the dry ingredients into the white. (This looks like it will not happen. Fold gently and it will eventually come together.) Fill a pastry bag with the meringue.

Pipe the meringue into whatever shapes you desire. Alternatively, you could just free form your shapes and level them a bit with the back of a spoon. Bake for 2-3 hours until the meringues become dry and crisp. Cool and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Recipe 2: Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse (for the top of the Pavlova base):
1 ½ cups (355 mls) heavy cream (cream with a milk fat content of between 36 and 40 percent)

grated zest of 1 average sized lemon9 ounces (255 grams) (I used orange zest instead)

72% chocolate, chopped1 2/3 cups (390 mls) mascarpone

pinch of nutmeg

2 tbsp (30 mls) Grand Marnier (or orange juice, which is what I used)

Directions:
Put ½ cup (120 mls) of the heavy cream and the lemon zest in a saucepan over medium high heat. Once warm, add the chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and let sit at room temperature until cool.

Place the mascarpone, the remaining cup of cream and nutmeg in a bowl. Whip on low for a minute until the mascarpone is loose. Add the Grand Marnier (or orange juice) and whip on medium speed until it holds soft peaks. (DO NOT OVERBEAT AS THE MASCARPONE WILL BREAK.) Mix about ¼ of the mascarpone mixture into the chocolate to lighten. Fold in the remaining mascarpone until well incorporated. Fill a pastry bag with the mousse. Again, you could just free form mousse on top of the pavlova.

Recipe 3: Mascarpone Cream (for drizzling):
1 recipe crème anglaise

½ cup (120 mls) mascarpone2 tbsp (30 mls)

Sambucca (optional - I used 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract instead)

½ cup (120 mls) heavy cream

Directions:
Prepare the crème anglaise. Slowly whisk in the mascarpone and the Sambucca (or vanilla) and let the mixture cool. Put the cream in a bowl and beat with electric mixer until very soft peaks are formed. Fold the cream into the mascarpone mixture.

Recipe 4: Crème Anglaise (a component of the Mascarpone Cream above):
1 cup (235 mls) whole milk

1 cup (235 mls) heavy cream

1 vanilla bean, split or 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

6 large egg yolks

6 tbsp (75 grams) sugar

Directions:
In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until the mixture turns pale yellow.
Combine the milk, cream and vanilla in a saucepan over medium high heat, bringing the mixture to a boil. Take off the heat.

Pour about ½ cup of the hot liquid into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly to keep from making scrambled eggs. Pour the yolk mixture into the pan with the remaining cream mixture and put the heat back on medium. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens enough to lightly coat the back of a wooden spoon. DO NOT OVERCOOK.

Remove the mixture from the heat and strain it through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl. Cover and refrigerate until the mixture is thoroughly chilled, about 2 hours or overnight.

Assembly:Pipe the mousse onto the pavlovas and drizzle with the mascarpone cream over the top. Dust with confectioner’s sugar and fresh fruit if desired.

For my assembly I broke all of the chocolate meringues, and then layered each component with sliced strawberries in a tall goblet. This is truly divine.

What we've been eating.

2010-06-15T11:13:00.000-07:00

I have a friend who is gluten/dairy/egg/sugar/nut intolerant, and this friend has some serious chocolate cravings. So I came up with this recipe and it is my new favorite quick chocolate fix. These cookies remind me of the chocolate macaroons at the Boise Co-op, minus the guilt.

No Bake Cookies
1 c old fashioned rolled oats (do not just quick cooking!!!)
1/2 c unsweetened coconut (I suppose this is optional, but if you don't like coconut you need to try harder.)
1 T coconut oil
1/3 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 c light agave syrup
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

Combine oats and coconut. Set aside. In a small saucepan whisk the coconut oil, cocoa powder, and agave over medium heat until thick and smooth. When hot to the touch remove from heat and add vanilla. Add oats and coconut and stir until evenly mixed. Drop by tablespoonful onto parchment/silpat lined baking sheet and cool in the refrigerator for 20 minutes or until firm. This only makes 12 or so (perfect for the binge eater that I am) so feel free to try doubling or tripling. You may need to play around with the amount of coconut oil if you double the recipe because I'm not sure if that will have to be doubled. These are quite divine.

My new favorite sandwich requires a grill of some sort. I just use my grill pan and it works perfectly. For each sandwich you will need:

1 demi baguette, sliced and brushed lightly with olive oil
1 slice of young eggplant, peeled, brushed lightly with olive oil and seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and basil
a bit of butter
4 to 6 mushrooms, sliced
handful of fresh spinach, torn
1 oz pepper jack cheese (or any cheese of your choice)

Heat grill pan and grill eggplant on both sides until juicy and no longer tough. Grill baguette halves and set on plate. In a small fry pan heat a bit of butter and add mushrooms and cook until tender. Add spinach just to wilt. To assemble place grilled eggplant on bread, top with slices of cheese, top with mushroom/spinach mixture, and finish with other baguette. Even my carnivorous husband is in love with this sandwich.

Another great vegetarian dish is yam and bean burritos. You can use canned beans, but try to cook your own dried beans. I soaked a cup of pinto beans overnight and then covered them with water and boiled for 10 minutes, added a chopped onion, reduced the heat to a simmer and simmered for a bout 20 minutes until tender. Then I drained them and seasoned them with salt and garlic powder. To serve 4 to 6 you will need:

Tortillas (might I recommend the Garden of Eatin organic whole wheat tortillas - very good)
2 medium yams
Tomato Salsa (I used medium hot)
1 to 2 T olive oil or canola oil
Chili Powder (only use if you use a mild salsa, start out with 1 tsp and add more until you get the heat you like)
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 onion, thinly sliced (I've used red, white, and yellow onions)
2 to 3 cloves of garlic, minced
Cooked beans (black beans would also work, I just used the pinto beans for kicks)
Avocado or cheese
Lettuce

Wash and prick yams with a fork and microwave until tender, about 5 to 8 minutes. They will soften as they sit so don't over cook because you don't want them to be mushy! In a large fry pan heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, add the garlic for 1 minute, add the cumin, yams, beans, and salsa (I used about 1/3 c because it was very hot) and cook until fragrant and warmed through. Fill tortilla with mixture, top with avocado, cheese, or lettuce (or all three!) and prepare to fall in love with a burrito.

Two fun cookbooks to look for at your library are The Gluten Free Vegan (obviously I got this one to try to find some recipes to cook for my friend with all of the food allergies, but I've loved it and if you aren't gluten sensitive you can easily use wheat produces instead, but it has good recipe ideas) and V Cuisine, The Art of New Vegan Cooking. Again, I use dairy instead of soy and add meat to some of the recipes instead of meat substitutes, but really good recipes.

Raw Desserts

2010-06-01T10:33:00.001-07:00

My mom and I are doing a 30-day no sugar challenge and in order to satisfy my need for something sweet I have been experimenting with a few raw recipes. These taste fabulous, are very filling, and leave me quite satisfied. They also happen to be egg/dairy/gluten free by virtue of being raw. Here's what I've been making:

Cardamom Tapioca Parfaits with Mango and Toasted Coconut

Strawberries and Cream

Mexican Chocolate Banana Coconut Cream Pie

I have had several requests for the banana cream pie recipe so here it is!

Crust for a 9" tart

1 c raw walnuts

1 c raw almonds

1 c wide-chip unsweetened coconut

11 dates

2 T really good cocoa powder

2 T light agave (you can substitute additional dates to increase the sweetness)

1 t pure vanilla extract

pinch of salt

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until it comes together in a ball. Taste and adjust for sweetness/chocolate flavor. Press into a 9" tart pan with a removable bottom. Cover and refrigerate.

Filling

1 1/2 c raw walnuts (soaked for at least 2 hours in cold water)

5 to 10 dates (adjust according to desired sweetness - may also add some agave syrup_

1 banana

1/4 to 1/2 c lite coconut milk

1 to 2 t pure vanilla extract

1/4 to 1/2 t cinnamon

1 t fresh lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth and fluffy, adding more coconut milk as needed to reach desired consistency.

Assembly

2 to 3 bananas

1 oz unsweetened chocolate

1 t to 1 T agave or honey (mixed with melted unsweetened chocolate to desired sweetness)

Cocoa powder and Cinnamon

Slice bananas to cover bottom of tart. Top with 1/2 of the filling and repeat. Dollop melted chocolate all over top layer of filling and gently smooth to cover tart. Sprinkle with cocoa powder and cinnamon until lightly covered. Freeze for 20 minutes and then serve.

Chicken & Dumplings

2010-05-05T22:39:00.001-07:00

Have you made Chicken in a Pot yet? When you do, save your leftover meat and juice to make dumplings. Heat some olive oil in a large pot. Add some chopped onion, carrot, and celery. Saute until carrot is just tender and add minced garlic. Add whatever meat you have leftover, and some frozen or fresh corn kernels if you have them handy. Now add the leftover juice from your chicken in a pot, chicken stock, and evaporated milk until you have a good liquid to solid ratio. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Now make your dumplings.

1 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c buttermilk
2 T canola or olive oil

Mix dry ingredients. Combine milk and oil and stir into flour mixture until just moistened. Drop by spoonful into boiling soup mixture, cover with lid, reduce heat to a simmer, and let simmer for 15 minutes. No peaking!!! They will soak up a lot of liquid so make sure you add enough. Sorry, it isn't an exact recipe, but it makes for great variations.

Chocolate Banana Muffins

2010-05-05T22:35:00.000-07:00

These are very very good. The original recipe is from Vegetarian Times but I added some chocolate chips to the batter and they now double as a semi-healthy breakfast/mostly-healthy dessert. The best part? No eggs, which means you can lick the bowl clean without an ounce of guilt.

1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c sugar
1/3 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 c buttermilk
3/4 c mashed banana
1/3 c canola oil
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 to 1/2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray and dust with sugar for an extra sweet crunch.

Whisk together all dry ingredients. In another bowl combine the buttermilk, banana, oil, and vanilla. Fold the wet mixture into the dry mixture. Gently add chocolate chips.

Scoop batter into prepared pan. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes. SO GOOD.

Daring Baker - Traditional British Pudding

2010-04-27T21:13:00.001-07:00

The April 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Esther of The Lilac Kitchen. She challenged everyone to make a traditional British pudding using, if possible, a very traditional British ingredient: suet.

Now I really feel like a daring baker. Have you heard of suet? I hadn't prior to this challenge. Suet is a hard and flaky fat taken from the area around the kidneys of a cow or sheep. No joke. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to find suet? I finally tracked some down at a local butcher and was slightly grossed out when he handed this to me:

Yep. This is daring for me. I was both excited and confused when I saw this month's challenge. Excited because it is something I've always wanted to make but confused because I think of this as a cold weather dish. The weather cooperated however and today was perfectly cold and overcast, making it an excellent day to eat a steamed pudding.

I took my recipe from an extremely old black 3-ring binder that used to belong to my Nana and I think used to belong to her mother. Inside was a recipe for Nut & Date Pudding, which fit the requirements of the challenge in that the recipe called for suet and it was a steamed pudding.

Honestly, the most difficult part of this recipe was finding the suet. I put the pudding together in about 10 minutes. First I had to separate the suet from the membrane and crumble out a cup to use in the batter. (Bryant was completely grossed out by the suet, luckily I had him taste the pudding before showing him the suet. He couldn't believe that something that looked so disgusting could make something so amazingly delicious.)

The recipe didn't contain many instructions, so I combined the dry ingredients in own bowl and the wet ingredients in another. Then I rubbed the suet into the dry ingredients (kind of like when making pie dough) and added the chopped dates and walnuts. I added the wet ingredients and briefly stirred until combined. Next it was into a greased bowl, covered with 2 layers of greased parchment paper and 2 layers of foil, and then into my canning pot to steam.

Perfectly steamed after only 2 hours.

The unmolded pudding.

The pudding after receiving a bath of hot caramel toffee-ish sauce.

I am not a very good food photographer, but these will have to suffice.

I made up the sauce because my great-grandma's recipe seemed lacking a bit, but I used her general idea and added a bit of molasses, some cream, and omitted the flour and boiling water. This is going to become my new Christmas tradition. Suet is so incredibly high in fat that I can only justify eating it once a year, and I can't think of a better way to honor my British heritage than by making a traditional British pudding.

Date & Nut Pudding

This is the original recipe, I halved it for the 2 of us and still have quite a bit tucked away in the freezer for a future midnight snack.

2 c suet

3 eggs

1 c sugar

3/4 c buttermilk

pinch of salt

1 tsp nutmeg

2 tsp vanilla

2 c flour

1 T baking soda

1 c chopped walnuts

1 lb chopped dates

Combine dry ingredients in one bowl and wet in another. Mix suet into dry ingredients and add dates and nuts. When evenly combined add wet ingredients and mix. Put batter into a greased pudding mold/ceramic bowl/#10 can and cover with 2 layers of greased parchment paper and 2 layers of aluminum foil. Place on a steamer rack in a steamer/canner/really large pot with a lid with boiling water that reaches up to the middle of the pudding. (The idea is that the pudding bowl should never touch the bottom of the pan, which is why I propped it up with my steamer rack. Cover pot and let steam for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. To check for doneness (is that a word?) insert a skewer through the foil and parchment paper. If it comes out clean the pudding is done. Remove from pan, unmold and serve with sauce.

I need a clever name for this sauce.

1 c sugar

4 T butter

1 c cream, divided

2 T molasses

Combine sugar, butter, molasses, and 1/2 c cream in a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. When sugar has melted remove from heat and add remaining 1/2 c cream. Serve immediately with pudding.

I can understand if you are grossed out by the suet, but honestly, this is amazing. Rich, decadent, and a family recipe at that. Now that's my kind of family history.

Pie Notes

2010-04-12T19:44:00.000-07:00

I made the blackberry tonight for my parents but couldn't get the same type of berries (Stahlbush Island Farms Marion Blackberries) and the pie was good, but not life changing. So, if you make this pie, try really hard to get the right blackberries, because you want them to impart amazing flavor, not just so so flavor. That's all.

These are a few of my favorite things!

2010-04-11T18:37:00.000-07:00

Insert Julie Andrew's song here. It all began Thursday night, when I realized it was already 6pm and I had no idea what I was making for dinner. Both Bryant & I were exhausted, and I had a whole chicken that had been sitting in my fridge since Monday, begging to be cooked. French chicken in a pot sounded good, so I searched the Internet for a recipe (I've never made or eaten this before, so don't ask how I knew it sounded good, it just did) and decided that no matter what, I was going to make that chicken fit in my pot. The 4 1/2 lb bird barely fit in my 3 qt le creuset, surrounded by chopped onion, celery, garlic, a sprig of rosemary and a single bay leaf. The first 30 minutes left us both drooling, and wondering how we were going to wait the allotted 80 minutes before we could devour the bird. I had just finished cleaning up from the chicken when I was hit with the intense need for pie.

Do you have a pie need? Mine is most certainly a need, and not simply a want. There is no denying it, and no other dessert substitution will do, so I decided to make a blackberry pie. At this point Bryant asked if I knew what it meant to be exhausted, to which I replied that I did which was exactly why I had to make a pie because that was the only antidote to my fatigue. I quickly made the filling and then realized I was completely out of all-purpose flour. Going to the store at this point was out of the question, so I decided to take a gamble and made my crust using 1 1/3 c whole wheat pastry flour and 1 c 00 pizza flour. This turned out to be the perfect crust to compliment the blackberry filling. We ate dinner at 9pm, both amazed at the perfection of the chicken and the pie. I couldn't think of a better meal. On Saturday we spent time with my in-laws who live nearby and my sister-in-law Ginny made what just might be my all-time favorite green salad. This time I was smart enough to write down the recipe, because after eating 3 bowl fulls I realized that I truly need to make this salad on a regular basis when strawberries are in season. What a perfect food week.

I am not a very good food photographer, and this doesn't look amazing from the photo, but if you could smell it you would make it tonight.

French Chicken in a Pot - Cooks Illustrated recipe

1 whole roasting chicken (4 1/2 - 5 lbs), giblets removed and discarded

2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 T olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

6 medium garlic cloves, peeled and trimmed

1 bay leaf

1 medium sprig fresh rosemary

1-2 to 1 tsp fresh lemon juice

Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat to 250 degrees. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add chicken (breast side down) and scatter onion, celery, garlic, bay leaf, and rosemary around chicken. Cook until lightly browned, about 5minutes. Using a large spoon inserted into the cavity, flip chicken breast side up and cook until both chicken and vegetables are well browned, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat, cover pot with foil and then cover foil tightly with lid of pot. Transfer to oven and cook until 160 degrees when a thermometer is inserted into the breast, about 80 to 110 minutes.

Transfer chicken to a carving board (or platter) and tent with foil to let rest for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, strain chicken juices from pot and skim off fat. Pour liquid into a small saucepan and set over low heat. Season to taste with lemon juice and serve with chicken. ***This is so good that I am seriously considering never again cooking a turkey for Thanksgiving because this is far superior to any poultry I have ever had before.

My Blackberry Pie

I call this my pie because it is my favorite. I have never had a pie before. Up to this point when asked about my favorite pie I would answer apple because apple pie and I go way back. It is my favorite pie to bake because it is Bryant's favorite pie to eat. But blackberry pie is my pie. It brings me to pie nirvana, a place full of happiness and comfort. These are weighty promises from a pie, but I only write the truth. The best part of all is that it is made with frozen blackberries, so you can make this any time of the year! I am going to give the recipe for the whole wheat crust because I haven't tried it with the regular crust yet, although I am sure it is sublime.

Crust

1 1/4 c whole wheat pastry flour

1 1/4 c all-purpose or 00 flour

2 T sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 sticks butter (very cold and cubed)

1/2-3/4 c ice cold milk (I was also out of milk, so I used half and half)

Combine dry ingredients. Rub in butter with fingers or cut in with pastry cutter. When butter is even distributed add milk, a bit at a time, mixing gently with fork until dough just comes together. Form into 2 disks, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill 30 minutes.

Filling

2 pkgs frozen blackberries, unsweetened (use the best quality! I used 2 10 oz Stahlbush Island Farms pkgs), mostly defrosted and watery juice drained off (about 30 to 45 minutes out of the freezer)

2 T flour

1/2 to 3/4 c sugar

zest of 1 lemon

1/2 to 1 vanilla bean

Toss blackberries with flour. Add sugar, lemon zest, and seeds from vanilla bean. Stir to combine. Let juices macerate and thicken.

Roll out crust, put in pie plate. Fill with berries. Top with crust. Brush with cream (or a beaten egg yolk) and sprinkle evenly with turbinado sugar (adds a lovely crunch). Cut an X in the center of the top crust for those lovely juices to blubble out of while baking. Bake at 400 degrees until juices are bubbling and crust is golden, about 40 minutes. (Oh! Please put your pie on a rimmed baking sheet that has been preheated with your oven otherwise you will have blackberry juice everywhere.) Serve with best quality vanilla ice cream (preferably homemade) or sweetened freshly whipped cream with pure vanilla extract.

Try to make this pie last at least 2 days. It is divine warm, and the lemon really comes out. But let it cool and sit overnight and you can really taste that vanilla bean. I hope you love it.

Ginny's Amazing Strawberry Salad

I have incredible sisters-in-law. My brothers-in-law are pretty good, but these girls have them beat. This salad is but further evidence of Ginny's greatness.

8 c spinach or mixed greens

2 c sliced strawberries

1/4 c sunflower seeds

2 to 3 T diced onion (to taste)

2 T canola oil

2 T red wine vinegar

4 1/2 t sugar

1/2 t dried dill weed

1/8 t garlic powder

1/8 t salt

1/8 t ground mustard

Toss salad ingredients in a large bowl. Combine dressing ingredients (starting with canola and ending with ground mustard) in a separate container. Dress salad and prepare to be blown away. This is delicious!

In other food news, I made a blueberry version of Nana's pancakes today and substituted whole wheat pastry flour for the all-purpose and added 2 T sugar and 1 c frozen blueberries that I tossed with a bit of flour and sugar. Very good, especially when served with lemon curd.

Speaking of lemon curd, the only reason I have any is because a friend gave it to me for an Easter gift. Isn't that a great idea?!? I am going to do that next year.

Have I posted the recipe for scones? I think so, but today I added a bit of uncooked millet, used whole wheat pastry flour for 1/2 of the flour, and added about 3/4 c frozen blueberries and raspberries. Very good.

Pasta e Faggioli

2010-04-02T14:33:00.001-07:00

Dinner number two from Tastespotting this week: Pasta e Faggioli. Boise is currently seeing more of winter weather than spring, so soup season is still in full force. This soup is divine, hearty, and comforting. The only changes I made include omitting the rosemary (didn't have any on hand), using fresh thyme rather than dried, and I used De Cecco stellette pasta because who doesn't want darling little pasta stars floating in their soup?

If you are considering, even for a moment, using canned beans just forget about it. Dried beans are a must. Put them out to soak today and make this tomorrow. It takes a good 2 hours to simmer (I added more stock during the simmering because my beans soaked up a lot of liquid) and is the perfect soup to have cooking when you are getting other things done at home. \

Pasta e Faggioli (adapted from the link above)

Ingredients
1/2 tsp dried thyme or 3 sprigs fresh thyme (remove when soup has finished cooking if using fresh)
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 large chopped onion
3 celery stalks chopped
4 cloves smashed garlic
1 28 oz can whole tomatoes
1 cup white cannellini beans dried
2 - 3 cups chicken stock
8 oz Ditalini or Stellette pasta
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
parmigiano reggiano rind

Directions:
Soak beans overnight in 3 cups of water.Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and butter in a heavy large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and garlic and saute until the onion is tender. Open pealed tomatoes and smash or cut or chop tomatoes. Add the broth, tomatoes, cheese rind, beans (drained), and herbs. Salt to taste and pepper to taste. I like to use quite a bit of pepper! Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, then decrease the heat to low simmer until the beans are soft (about 2 hours). Stir occasionally.
Add 8 ounces of pasta, stir in pasta so it does not stick to saucepan. Cover and simmer for about 8 minutes until pasta is al dente. Remove bay leaves and cheese rind.

Ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle with some Parmesan and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil just before serving if desired. Serve with good bread.

Brilliant.

2010-04-01T08:23:00.001-07:00

Lately I've been out of my menu-planning groove and our lives have been so hectic that I've felt completely incapable of making a simple grocery shopping list. The other night I got on to Tastespotting and found the inspiration I needed. The first recipe I decided to try was a butternut squash fondue and this dish is pure brilliance. One small squash will give 2 people a very filling meal and you get the best of both words - cheesey delicious fondue, roasted butternut squash, no fondue pot required. The original recipe is in metric so I just estimated the proportions.

1 butternut squash, halved

*I used a large serrated knife and it worked beautifully. After you halve the squash scoop out the seeds and strings and score the squash with x's. Place in an ovensafe dish or pan.

1 clove garlic, finely minced

1-2 Tbs butter or olive oil

2-3 Tbs creme fraiche (this is similar to sour cream, but oh so much better)

2-4 oz grated cheese (I used Emmenthaler)

1/2 tsp cornstarch

1 Tbs chicken stock

pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

salt and pepper to taste

*The original recipe also calls for fresh thyme, which I bought but completely forgot to use.

Rub the hollow of each squash halve with minced garlic and place in pan. Whisk together cornstarch and chicken stock and then add creme fraiche and grated cheese and season to taste with nutmeg, salt and pepper. Stir until combined and spoon into squash hollows. Brush melted butter over scored squash and season (if desired) with salt, pepper, and fresh thyme. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 to 60 minutes (depends on the size of your squash) until squash is tender. When almost cooked toast slices of bread and cube for dipping in the fondue. Serve immediately.

Daring Baker Challenge - Orange Tian

2010-03-30T21:26:00.001-07:00

The 2010 March Daring Baker’s challenge was hosted by Jennifer of Chocolate Shavings. She chose Orange Tian as the challenge for this month, a dessert based on a recipe from Alain Ducasse’s Cooking School in Paris.

My finished product!

I was a bit late with this challenge because March has been a crazy month, but I finally got it completed. This month's challenge seemed more difficult than the tiramisu, but that could be because I did the entire thing in one day. I made a few changes which I will bold in the recipe and liked this dessert more than I expected as I tasted the individual components along the way. I was most disappointed by the orange marmalade because I followed the directions exactly but could still taste bitterness, but Bryant liked the way all of the flavors worked together so perhaps it was just me. I don't think I would make this exact recipe again, but I will certainly use this concept with other fruit/flavor combinations in the future.

Recipe as provided for the Challenge:

Preparation time:- Pate Sablee: 20 minutes to make, 30 minutes to rest, 15 minutes to roll out, 20 minutes to bake- Marmalade: 20 minutes to make, 30 minutes to blanch- Orange segments: 20 minutes, overnight to sit- Caramel: 15 minutes, overnight to sit- Whipped Cream: 15 minutes- Assembling: 20 minutes- Freezer to Set: 10 minutes

Equipment required:• Cookie cutters . Ideally, you should have about 6 cookie cutters to build the desserts in and cut the circles of dough. I chose to make this family style and used a 9" springform pan as my mold. The cookie cutters will be the size of your final dessert, so they should be the size of an individually-sized tart mold. If you don’t have round cookie cutters you could use an individually-sized cheesecake mold without its base.• A food processor (although the dough could be made by hand too)• A stand-up or hand mixer• Parchment paper or a silicone sheet• A baking sheet• A rolling pin

For the Pate Sablee:
2 medium-sized egg yolks at room temperature
Granulated sugar 6 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon
Vanilla extract ½ teaspoon
Unsalted butter ¼ cup + 3 tablespoons ice cold, cubed
Salt 1/3 teaspoon
All-purpose flour 1.5 cup + 2 tablespoons
Baking powder 1 teaspoon

Directions:Put the flour, baking powder, ice cold cubed butter and salt in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. In a separate bowl, add the eggs yolks, vanilla extract and sugar and beat with a whisk until the mixture is pale. Pour the egg mixture in the food processor.
Process until the dough just comes together. If you find that the dough is still a little too crumbly to come together, add a couple drops of water and process again to form a homogenous ball of dough. Form into a disc, cover with plastic wrap and leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.Preheat your oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit.

Roll out the dough onto a lightly floured surface until you obtain a ¼ inch thick circle.
Using your cookie cutter, cut out circles of dough and place on a parchment (or silicone) lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes or until the circles of dough are just golden.

For the Marmalade:
Freshly pressed orange juice ¼ cup + 3 tablespoons
1 large orange used to make orange slices
cold water to cook the orange slices
pectin 5 grams
granulated sugar: use the same weight as the weight of orange slices once they are cooked

Finely slice the orange. Place the orange slices in a medium-sized pot filled with cold water. Simmer for about 10 minutes, discard the water, re-fill with cold water and blanch the oranges for another 10 minutes. Blanch the orange slices 3 times. This process removes the bitterness from the orange peel, so it is essential to use a new batch of cold water every time when you blanch the slices. Once blanched 3 times, drain the slices and let them cool.

Once they are cool enough to handle, finely mince them (using a knife or a food processor).
Weigh the slices and use the same amount of granulated sugar . If you don’t have a scale, you can place the slices in a cup measurer and use the same amount of sugar. In a pot over medium heat, add the minced orange slices, the sugar you just weighed, the orange juice and the pectin. Cook until the mixture reaches a jam consistency (10-15 minutes). At this point I added an additional 1 Tbs of brown sugar and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge.

For the Orange Segments:
For this step you will need 8 oranges. (I used 8 but didn't have enough, hence the meyer lemon decoration in the middle.)
Cut the oranges into segments over a shallow bowl and make sure to keep the juice. Add the segments to the bowl with the juice. [See YouTube video in the References section below for additional information on segmenting oranges.]

For the Caramel:
Granulated sugar 1 cup
Freshly pressed orange juice 1.5 cups + 2 tablespoons

Place the sugar in a pan on medium heat and begin heating it. Once the sugar starts to bubble and foam, slowly add the orange juice. As soon as the mixture starts boiling, remove from the heat and pour half of the mixture over the orange segments.

Reserve the other half of the caramel mixture in a small bowl — you will use this later to spoon over the finished dessert. When the dessert is assembled and setting in the freezer, heat the kept caramel sauce in a small saucepan over low heat until it thickens and just coats the back of a spoon (about 10 minutes). You can then spoon it over the orange tians.

[Tip: Be very careful when making the caramel — if you have never made caramel before, I would suggest making this step while you don’t have to worry about anything else. Bubbling sugar is extremely, extremely hot, so make sure you have a bowl of ice cold water in the kitchen in case anyone gets burnt!]

For the Whipped Cream:
Heavy whipping cream 1 cup
3 tablespoons of hot water
1 tsp Gelatine
1 tablespoon of confectioner's sugar
orange marmalade (see recipe above) 1 tablespoon (I omitted this from the cream)
Zest of 1 meyer lemon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In a small bowl, add the gelatine and hot water, stirring well until the gelatine dissolves. Let the gelatine cool to room temperature while you make the whipped cream. Combine the cream in a chilled mixing bowl. Whip the cream using a hand mixer on low speed until the cream starts to thicken for about one minute. Add the confectioner sugar. Increase the speed to medium-high. Whip the cream until the beaters leave visible (but not lasting) trails in the cream, then add the cooled gelatine slowly while beating continuously. Continue whipping until the cream is light and fluffy and forms soft peaks. Transfer the whipped cream to a bowl and fold in the orange marmalade.[Tip: Use an ice cold bowl to make the whipped cream in. You can do this by putting your mixing bowl, cream and beater in the fridge for 20 minutes prior to whipping the cream.]

Assembling the Dessert:
Make sure you have some room in your freezer. Ideally, you should be able to fit a small baking sheet or tray of desserts to set in the freezer. Line a small tray or baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone sheet. Lay out 6 cookie cutters onto the parchment paper/silicone.
Drain the orange segments on a kitchen towel. Have the marmalade, whipped cream and baked circles of dough ready to use.

Arrange the orange segments at the bottom of each cookie cutter. Make sure the segments all touch either and that there are no gaps. Make sure they fit snuggly and look pretty as they will end up being the top of the dessert. Arrange them as you would sliced apples when making an apple tart.

Once you have neatly arranged one layer of orange segments at the bottom of each cookie cutter, add a couple spoonfuls of whipped cream and gently spread it so that it fills the cookie cutter in an even layer. Leave about 1/4 inch at the top so there is room for dough circle.
Using a butter knife or small spoon, spread a small even layer of orange marmalade on each circle of dough.

Carefully place a circle of dough over each ring (the side of dough covered in marmalade should be the side touching the whipping cream). Gently press on the circle of dough to make sure the dessert is compact.

Place the desserts to set in the freezer to set for 10 minutes.

Using a small knife, gently go around the edges of the cookie cutter to make sure the dessert will be easy to unmold. Gently place your serving plate on top of a dessert (on top of the circle of dough) and turn the plate over. Gently remove the cookie cutter, add a spoonful of caramel sauce and serve immediately.
Resources:
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-tian.htm (An article about the dessert known as tian.)
YouTube link on how to segment an orange: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZG5mcEEBlcI
To learn more about Pectin: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pectin

Dulce de Leche Banana Cream Pie

2010-03-08T09:32:00.001-08:00

This was amazing. I just have to figure out how to stabilize the dulce de leche because it ended up making the pie a runny mess, which is why I don't have a photo. But it was a delicious runny mess. I used the Dorie Greenspan recipe for pastry cream with an extra teaspoon of vanilla (I did use a vanilla bean as well), almost a 1/4 tsp of cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg and lightened it a bit with sweetened whipped cream after it had cooled. I made the dulce de leche in the oven using David Labovitz's brilliant method and made the trusty Smitten Kitchen all butter crust. I layered the dulce de leche, bananas (thinly sliced), and pastry cream twice. Oh my, it may be my new favorite pie, and I don't usually get excited about banana cream. So if you have any ideas on how to stabilize the dulce de leche, let me know.

Nana's Bread

2010-03-05T10:49:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I decided to bake Nana's bread. Growing up I thought her bread was the best in the world, but during the last 10 years it simply became the best toast in the world, but untoasted it was just ordinary. Making her bread 3 times in the past week has helped me figure out what happened. The original recipe (from my great grandmother) calls for melted shortening. After my Papa's heart attack and subsequent surgery 6 years ago she started using olive oil instead and replaced the sugar with honey. She also started baking the bread longer, why I don't know. I've tweaked it a bit and last night the loaves where moist and delicious. I made 3 loaves of bread and used the last quarter of dough to make what just might be the best cinnamon rolls of all times.

Nana's White Bread

3 tsp dry yeast

2 1/2 c warm water

4 c all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/3 c olive oil

1/3 c melted butter

6 Tbs sugar

6 tsp salt

2 c warm buttermilk (use the real thing, not powder)

7 to 9 c all-purpose flour

Sprinkle the yeast into the warm water and add a pinch of sugar. Let sit until yeast has proofed and risen considerably. Meanwhile combine 4 cups flour and baking soda in a very large bowl. In a smalled bowl combine the olive oil, melted butter, sugar, salt, and buttermilk. When yeast has proofed add along with buttermilk mixture to the flour and baking soda. Stir to combine with a wooden spoon. Continue to add flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. When dough becomes too difficult to stir knead in the remaining flour. (Don't add too much and don't add too little. With practice you'll figure out just how much to add.) Knead the dough 100 times, adding more flour as needed, until dough is smooth and satiny. Shape into a ball, rub top with olive oil, and cover with plastic wrap and a towel. Set in a warm spot to rise. (This can take 2 to 3 hours.) When dough has doubled in size punch down and cover and let rise a second time. When dough has again doubled punch down and dived into fourths. Grease 4 bread pans (or 3 if you want to make cinnamon rolls)*** with shortening. Flatten each quarter of dough, removing all of the bubbles, and roll up to make a loaf, being sure to pinch the seam and the ends. Place in pan, seam side down. Repeat with remaining dough and once again cover and let rise until doubled. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool slightly in pans (about 3 minutes) and then remove from pans and let cool completely on cooling rack.

***Cinnamon roll variation

You can obviously use all of the bread dough to make these cinnamon rolls rather than just a quarter, but it will make a lot!

If you like raisins, combine 1 c raisins with 1 c boiling water and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Let sit until they absorb some of the liquid, then drain and set aside until ready to use. This is very good!

Before flattening dough knead in:

zest of 1 orange

1 vanilla bean, scraped

2 T sugar

until mixed into dough. Flatten as much as possible and brush with melted butter. Generously sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. (Be generous!) Add raisins if using. tightly roll up into a long log and cut with string or floss every 1/2 inch. Place rolls into greased 9x13-inch pan and cover and let rise until doubled. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Let cool slightly then cover with glaze.

Glaze

1 c powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 T melted butter

2 to 6 T milk

Stir until combined. Adjust milk/sugar proportions to reach your desired consistency.

I firmly believe cinnamon rolls should be eaten warm. Simply pop one in the microwave for 20 seconds and prepare to become addicted.

My First Daring Baker's Challenge - Heaven on a Dessert Plate!

2010-02-27T20:23:00.000-08:00

The February 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen and Deeba of Passionate About Baking. They chose Tiramisu as the challenge for the month. Their challenge recipe is based on recipes from The Washington Post, Cordon Bleu at Home and Baking Obsession.

RECIPE SOURCE:
Mascarpone Cheese – Vera’s Recipe (Baking Obsession) for Homemade Mascarpone Cheese
Savoiardi/ Ladyfinger Biscuits – Recipe from Cordon Bleu At Home
Tiramisu – Carminantonio's Tiramisu from The Washington Post, July 11 2007

My Substitutions:

The zabaglione calls for Marsala wine but instead I used sweetened fresh orange juice instead with an extra teaspoon of vanilla.
The original recipe calls for 2 cups of brewed espresso, but instead I simmered 4 tablespoons cocoa powder, 4 tablespoons sugar, and 2 cups of water in a small saucepan until thickened and combined. I omitted the teaspoon of rum extract and instead added 1 teaspoon of vanilla.

If you never make this recipe you should at least make the mascarpone cheese. The tricky part is finding cream that is NOT ultrapasturized. I found such cream from a local dairy so it is possible. It is amazing, not difficult at all, and once you've made it for yourself you won't buy it from a store again.

When I made my goals for 2010 I decided it was time to become a Daring Baker. I eagerly waited for the recipe reveal date and couldn't believe that my first challenge consisted of making my own mascarpone cheese, lady fingers, and a dessert that contains ingredients that I don't use due to religious beliefs. So after making a few substitutions, and several days of preparation, I created this beautiful desert for our Valentine's celebration.

I decided to make the dessert in a serving for two, and wrapped it with a chocolate ribbon. I lined souffle dishes with plastic wrap and then assembled the tiramisu according to the directions in the recipe. After chilling overnight I was able to finish them off with a chocolate ribbon.

I should have tempered the chocolate to give it a sheen, but I was running short on time so I simply folded a piece of plastic wrap into thirds and with an offset spatula spread melted dark chocolate on the plastic wrap. I let it cool until it was firm enough to mold and molded it around a can covered in plastic wrap that was the same size as the tiramisu. After letting it set a few more moments I unmolded it from the can, peeled off the plastic wrap, and molded it around the tiramisu on the serving plate.

Don't these layers look divine?

The remains. I froze the remaining two, thinking it would provide me with a treat later on, but wouldn't you know it even tasted amazing frozen?

Dear Kathy,

2010-02-11T12:44:00.000-08:00

I haven't forgotten. And now it has to be amazing because I promised it by the end of the year and that was almost two months ago. So if you have any requests, let me know. It will happen, eventually. Thanks for being patient.

Adrienne

An accounting.

2010-02-11T12:38:00.001-08:00

So I still have 5 lbs to go, not bad considering there have been 2 full weeks of sickness, and therefore 2 full weeks without exercise, in my life since I first set my goal, as well as several occasions for which I had to make treats containing vast amounts of butter and sugar. I am getting closer to my goal and I am also only eating those things that I truly want (for the most part) which is a good thing. Since I have been sick I have craved homemade chocolate pudding, baked apples with maple cream cheese, and my mom's spaghetti. I have made the first two items, and they were divine, but not the last because no matter how hard I try I just can't get it to taste exactly like my mom's spaghetti. I have also realized that I don't want to make my own spaghetti when I am sick, I want someone else to make it for me. And that someone is in Salt Lake. Sick with pneumonia. Maybe someone should go make spaghetti for my mom instead.

Waffles

2010-02-11T12:26:00.001-08:00

This is another recipe from Eating Well. They are delicious, and even better when served with leftover raspberry puree from the cupcakes (see previous post) and lemon or orange curd, which if you make the wedding cake cupcakes is the perfect answer to the question of what to do with all of the leftover egg yolks. Maple syrup, is of course, always perfectly lovely and even better with a touch of freshly whipped cream.

Waffles
2 c buttermilk
1/2 c rolled oats
2/3 c whole wheat flour
2/3 c all-purpose flour
1/4 c cornmeal
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
1/4 c brown sugar
1 T canola oil
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Mix buttermilk and oats in a medium bowl; let stand for 15 minutes.

Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl.

Stir eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla into the oat mixture. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients; mix with a rubber spatula just until moistened.

Coat a waffle iron with cooking spray and preheat. Spoon in enough batter to cover three-fourths of the surface (about 2/3 cup for an 8-by-8-inch waffle iron). Cook until waffles are crisp and golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter.

Cupcakes

2010-02-11T11:40:00.000-08:00

I detest cooking for people who don't comment on the food. It doesn't even matter if they like it (although that is obviously preferable) I just want to know what they think. A simple 'it's good' or 'not my favorite' does not suffice. Why is it good? What are your favorite parts? Or why don't you like it? What would make it better? I expect a conversation about the food. It isn't even a matter or pride or vanity because most of what I cook is from a recipe, a recipe that someone else created and therefore they get all of the credit. That's why I want to talk about it. I finally discovered why this bothers me so much. Cooking is my creative outlet, my art form. Even when I am using another person's recipe I am practicing skills and learning ingredient combinations. When I cook for a person and they don't comment it is exactly the same as having an art show and watching people look at the art work, your art work that you've spent hours preparing, and never getting any feedback. This has been on my mind for two reason, the first being that we had the perfect food guests over for dinner about 2 weeks ago and they gave ample feedback about the food, which I appreciated. The second reason is because of a gentleman at Church last Sunday who tracked me down to tell me about a cupcake that I had made that his wife brought home for him. I love people who talk about food, because I love to talk about food. They will surely talk about food if you make any of these recipes.

My current favorite frosting recipe by Sarah Magid. I made a fantastic cake for Connor's first birthday but the frosting was a flop, and this recipe saved the day. I've made the vanilla, the chocolate variation, and I added my own brown sugar variation to go with the orange cupcakes. Use a handmixer! I don't know why, but it works much better than a standmixer for this recipe. Her cookbook is lovely and it is called Organic and Chic: Cakes, Cookies, and Other Sweets that Taste as Good as They Look.

Vanilla Whipped Buttercream
2 sticks (1 cup) organic unsalted butter, softened
1 cup organic cane sugar
1 cup organic whole milk
1/4 cup sifted organic all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons organic vanilla extract

Cream the butter on medium speed, with a hand mixer until soft, about 30 seconds. Add the sugar and beat on high speed until light and fluffy, 5 to 7 minutes.

In a small saucepan, combine 1/4 cup of the milk, the flour, and the vanilla extract, and whisk until there are no lumps. Over medium heat, slowly add the remaining 3/4 cup milk, whisking constantly, and cook until the mixture comes to a low boil. Then reduce the heat to low and keep whisking for a few more minutes, until the mixture starts to thicken.

Immediately remove the pan from the heat, but keep stirring. (After you have removed the pan from the heat, the mixture will continue to cook for a minute or two on its own. If you overheat it and get small lumps, try to whisk vigorously to get them out, or pass the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve.) If necessary, place the pan over a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process and allow the mixture to cool. ***I always get small lumps and they always disappear by the end of the recipe.

Once the milk mixture has thickened, set it aside to cool to room temperature. You can stick it in the freezer to rush the cooling.

With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour the milk mixture into the butter-sugar mixture. Increase the speed to medium and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add vanilla to combine.

Brown Sugar Whipped Buttercream: simply replace the sugar with brown sugar.

Chocolate Whipped Buttercream: This light and fluffy chocolate frosting tastes like whipped cream with a hint of chocolate: While the milk mixture is cooling, melt 4 ounces unsweetened or dark chocolate in the top of a double boiler set over simmering water, or in 30-second bursts in a microwave. Cool to room temperature. With the mixer on low speed, combine the chocolate with the butter-sugar mixture.

Orange Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Buttercream
1/2 c unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 c white sugar
3 large eggs
3 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp pure orange extract (or use extra orange zest)
zest of 1 or 2 oranges
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 c milk

Turbinado sugar for decorating

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a cupcake pan with 12 paper liners.

Place sugar and zest in the bowl of mixer and blend with fingers until fragrant. Add butter and beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until well combined. Add extracts.

In a separate bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and milk, in three additions, ending with the flour. Scrape down sides of bowl.

Fill cupcake liners with batter and bake 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for 3 minutes in pan and then remove to cool completely on a cooling rack.

***I made these in a mini-cupcake pan and so I greased the pan and coated it with white sugar. They make the perfect bite of cake. Frost with brown sugar buttercream and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.

The other cupcakes I made were for a group of 60 people so I made my wedding cake recipe and the chocolate cake recipe I posted last year. I filled both kinds of cupcakes with this raspberry filling with the addition of a bit more lemon juice. I frosted both with the vanilla whipped buttercream. These are truly divine.

My Wedding Cake
(You may want to cut this recipe in half because the original makes enough for 2 8-inch round cakes and 2 10-inch round cakes which makes a ton of cupcakes.)
12 egg whites
3 1/3 c white sugar
6 1/4 c cake flour (you must use cake flour)
3 T baking powder
2 tsp salt
4 c cold water
1 1/2 c vegetable oil
1 T lemon zest
1 T orange zest
1 T vanilla

If you make the entire recipe you will need a very very large mixing bowl. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Continue beating and gradually add 1 1/3 c sugar until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

Mix remaining sugar (2 c), flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in 3 cups of water and all remaining ingredients. When smooth gently fold in egg white mixture, 1/3 at a time. Make sure it is fully incorporated or your cupcakes will not work. Gradually stir in remaining 1 cup water. Spoon into cupcake pan lined with paper liners until it is 3/4 full. Bake 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool in pan for 3 to 5 minutes and then remove to cooling rack to cool completely.

The chocolate cake recipe here. Only fill 2/3 of the way full and don't worry if it sinks because you are going to fill them with raspberry filling anyway and then top them with frosting so no one will ever know.

I like to use a pastry bag to pipe my frosting onto cupcakes, it looks much prettier. I'm not the world's greatest frosting spreader.

Main Dish Worthy Salads

2010-02-11T11:27:00.000-08:00

I've learned an interesting lesson during these past weeks. There is no limit to the amount of salads Bryant will eat during a week, but there is a limit when it comes to soup. I'm not quite sure why, but it is a good thing to know. This first recipe I found on the Eating Well website which is a great resource for healthy and delicious recipes. I tweaked it a bit so here's my version:

Coconut-Lime Chicken & Snow Pea Salad
serves 2 as a main dish
1 c lite coconut milk
1/4 c lime juice
2 T brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
8 oz chicken, cooked or uncooked
4 c chopped salad greens of your choice
1 c chopped cabbage
1 c snow peas, trimmed
3 T minced fresh cilantro
2 T minced red onion

Dressing: Whisk coconut milk, lime juice, sugar, and salt together. If your chicken is already cooked, heat 1/2 c dressing in a saucepan with red onion, add chicken, and simmer until onion is tender. If your chicken is raw preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place chicken in a 8x8-inch glass baking dish and cover with 3/4 c dressing and bake until cooked through, about 20 minutes.

Salad: Toss lettuce, cabbage, snow peas, onion, and cilantro in a large bowl with remaining dressing. Divide between two plates. Slice chicken and place on top of salads. Drizzle cooking liquid over each salad. THIS IS SO GOOD.

Fan's Christmas present is the gift that just keeps on giving. This recipe was originally to be served with rice, but I served it as a salad instead and it was very good.

Pork Medallions with Chili-Maple sauce
serves 4 as a main dish

16 oz pork tenderloin
1/2 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
1 T canola oil
3/4 c chicken broth
3 T pure maple syrup
1 T chili-garlic paste (found in the Thai section at the supermarket)
1 green onion, chopped
4 c salad greens chopped

Cut tenderloin crosswise into 8 slices. Place between plastic wrap and bound to 1/2-inch thickness with a meat mallet (or the bottom of a saucepan which is what I sued) and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and five-spice powder.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork and cook until brown and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a platter. Add next 3 ingredients to skillet and boil until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 2 minutes. Place salad greens on plates, top with pork, dress with sauce, and sprinkle with green onion. You just may want to lick the pan clean.

Soup, Enchiladas, and Brownies

2010-01-27T13:32:00.000-08:00

Let me first tell you about the soup and enchiladas. I was at the co-op the other day and they had samples of a pumpkin curry soup that was amazing. You can use either fresh or canned pumpkin and either whole milk, half and half, or coconut milk. I used half whole milk and half coconut milk just for kicks. It is a delicious soup.

Pumpkin Curry Soup
serves 8
2 Tbs butter
2 medium onions, chopped (1 cup)
1 medium carrot, chopped (1 cup)
1 celery stalk, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (which I don't have so I used 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp cloves and 1/4 tsp ginger)
2 15 oz cans pumpkin
28 oz chicken broth
2/3 c water
1 c milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Melt the butter in a pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery and saute until tender. Add the curry and pumpkin pie spice and cook for 1 minute. Add the pumpkin, chicken broth and water and bring to a boil and then cover, reduce heat, and simmer about 15 minutes. Puree the soup at this point in a blender (in three batches) and then return to pot. Add the milk and season to taste with salt and pepper. This, like all soups, is even better the next day. And one serving is 158 calories (depending on the milk you use).

Then we have the enchiladas. Growing up I loved my mom's enchiladas which are made with flour tortillas, stuffed with chicken, cheese, and green chilies, and then topped with a cream of chicken/sour cream sauce. Then I had Chelsea's enchiladas which are made with corn tortillas and filled with beans, meat, and cheese and smothered in green enchilada sauce. My mom called me the other day with a recipe that combines the two and I tweaked it a bit and found enchilada heaven. The best part (other than the taste)? Only 107 calories per enchilada.

Best of Both Worlds Enchiladas
makes 24
2 small cans green enchilada sauce (the ones I found had 100 calories per can)
2 small cans fat free refried beans (I used the ones flavored with lime and green chilie and they had 350 calories per can)
2 chicken breasts, baked and shredded
2 oz cheddar cheese (organic valley, grated)
2 pkgs thin corn tortillas (I found one that had 4 tortillas for 140 calories)
1 Tbs butter
3 Tbs flour
2 c chicken broth
2 Tbs sour cream
Garlic powder to taste
Onion powder to taste
Salt and Pepper to taste

I made 12 at a time. Pour the enchilada sauce into the bottom of a 9x13 pan (or larger). Put 12 tortillas on your counter and spread some beans, top with chicken a bit of cheese, roll up and squish in the pan with the enchilada sauce. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

Make a white sauce by melting the butter and adding the flour until golden. SLOWLY add the chicken stock until you reach the desired consistency. Add the sour cream and season to taste with garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Pour over enchiladas. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes.

Now the brownies. Have I ever mentioned that I am a complete binge eater when it comes to homemade desserts? My happy place is sitting alone in a corner, a brownie in each hand and one in my mouth. Counting calories is not exactly brownie friendly so I tried to make a healthy-ish recipe. It worked, but lacked intense flavor. The good part was a 9x13-inch pan made 12 157 calorie servings, which isn't bad for a brownie. The next day I made real brownies for book club and realized the error of my ways. Brownies aren't supposed to be healthy. They are supposed to be rich and decadent. I fell in love with the brownie at Devil's Food Bakery in Denver, CO and have mourned the fact that I am no longer a mere 4 hour drive from that heavenly establishment. Now I have no need to mourn, because I have found the best brownie recipe of all times. My parents bought the cookbook Baked for my birthday last year and this is the first recipe that I've tried. It is incredible. And, if you cut really tiny brownies, 40 from a 9x13-inch pan, they are only 147 calories a piece. And they leave you feeling satisfied. Make them soon.

The Baked Brownie
serves anywhere from 1 to 40
1 1/4 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 Tbs dark unsweetened cocoa powder
11 ounces dark chocolate (60 to 72% cacao) coarsely chopped
1 c (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tsp dark unsweetened cocoa powder (the original recipe calls for espresso powder, but I don't do the coffee thing so this is my substitution)
1 1/2 c granulated sugar
1/2 c firmly packed light brown sugar
5 large eggs AT ROOM TEMPERATURE
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 35p degrees and butter the sides and bottom of a 9x13-inch glass or light-colored metal pan.

In a medium bowl whisk together flour, salt, and 2 Tbs cocoa powder.

Put the chocolate, butter, and 1 tsp cocoa powder in a large bowl and set over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth. Turn off the heat but keep the bowl over the water and add the sugars. Whisk until completely combined, then remove the bowl from pan. Let cool to room temperature.

Add 3 eggs to the melted chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Add the remaining eggs and whisk until combined. Add the vanilla and stir until combined. Do not overbeat the batter at this stage or your brownies will be cakey.

Sprinkle the flour mixture over the melted chocolate mixture and using a spatula (not a whisk) fold the flour mixture into the chocolate until just a bit of the flour mixture is visible.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs sticking to it. Let the brownies cool completely, then cut into squares and serve. (Or hoard.)

In Praise of Calorie Counting and Hot Chocolate

2010-01-22T13:11:00.000-08:00

My brother called to tell me about an online program he was using to track his daily calorie consumption. You input your height, weight and age and the amount of weight you want to lose per week and your activity level. Then it tells you how many calories you can consume each day in order to reach your weight loss goal. I have never been a calorie counter, but I signed up to give it a try. I now believe everyone should try this, at least for a week, because it makes you much more conscious of what you truly want to eat. My calorie limit if I do not exercise is 1161, which is rather depressing. This in and of itself motivates me to workout simply so I can eat more. What I am loving however is that rather than feeling deprived I feel fulfilled, because when I eat I very carefully choose what it is I really want. If I just need something snacky there is no way at 148 calories that I am going to chose a piece of bread, I will instead take the 35 calorie bowl of baby carrots. This morning I made myself the most delicious cup of hot cocoa, with whole milk, divine cocoa powder, and sugar. I added up the calories and decided it was completely worth the 278 calories, and I enjoyed every single drop. I suppose what I am really trying to explain is that it isn't about losing weight, it is about purposeful eating. I believe eating should be a joyful experience, and oddly enough watching my caloric intake like a hawk each day is increasing the amount of pleasure I get from food. Who would have thought?

Hot Cocoa - single serving
*You really want to use the best quality possible for your cocoa powder. If you live in UT march yourself down to Caputo's and ask for a tutorial in their bulk cocoa powder. My current favorite is the Pralus organic which if you buy 1/2 lb or more the price is $12.96/lb which is about half of what it costs if you purchase less than 1/2 lb. I bought 1/2 lb for about $6.35 and it is worth every penny and then some.
**The longer you let it simmer the thicker it gets. Use whole milk, it's worth it.

1 c whole milk
2 tbs cocoa powder
2 tbs sugar
1/2 to 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Combine the cocoa powder and sugar in a small saucepan over medium-ish heat. Slowly whisk in milk and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until you reach desired thickness. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Enjoy ever so slowly.

For Christmas I made Hot Chocolate which was rich and thick and divine. I topped it with whipped cream and used the same proportions as listed above with the addition of 1 oz of chocolate per person. I bought my chocolate bar at Caputo's as well and purchased the Francois Pralus Djakarta 75% bar. Again, it is pricey but worth it.

To serve 6
1 qt half and half
10 tbs pralus cocoa powder
12 tbs sugar (or to taste)
1 bar Djakarta chocolate, finely chopped
1 to 3 tsp vanilla (to taste)

Follow the directions above but when it starts to simmer stir in the chopped chocolate. Stir until melted and than simmer until thick (about 15 minutes) stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, add vanilla.

Plop a dollop of sweetened vanilla whipped cream into each mug and then pour in hot chocolate. Prepare to be amazed.

Szechuan Sesame Noodles

2010-01-21T11:49:00.000-08:00

Fanny gave me a bon appetit recipe-a-day calender and if this is the only recipe that I ever make it will be completely worth it. I changed it up a bit, decreased the amount of oil, increased the amount of veggies, and added a bit of chicken breast for additional protein for my carnivorous husband. I also made my own teriyaki sauce (soy sauce, brown sugar and garlic powder) to save money. It is amazingly good, a bit spicy, and even good cold the next day for lunch. This recipe serves 4, if you can keep yourself from eating it all in one sitting.

8 oz thin dried Asian noodles or linguine
1 1/2 tbs sesame oil, divided
3 tbs chopped peanuts
3 garlic cloves
6 tbs teriyaki sauce
2 tbs fresh lime juice
1 tsp chili-garlic sauce (found in the Asian aisle)
1 bunch of green onions thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper thinly sliced
1 c snow peas, trimmed
1 chicken breast, thinly sliced

Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to the bite. Drain and return noodles to pot and mix in 1/2 tbs sesame oil and peanuts.

Heat remaining 1 tbs oil in a heavy skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and stir 10 seconds. Add the red bell pepper and chicken and saute for 1 minute or so. Add the teriyaki sauce, lime juice, and chili-garlic sauce and simmer until chicken is cooked through and pepper is tender. Mix into noodles and stir in green onion and snow peas.

This is so good you will never need to go out for Chinese take-out again.

3 lbs down, 7 more to go

2010-01-19T09:35:00.000-08:00

After Connor was born I gained 5 lbs simply due to lack of exercise. It was really hard to go anywhere in January with a tiny new baby. And then we travelled a lot, and then we moved, and then the holidays came and not only did I not ever lose that initial 5 lbs but I gained an additional 5, seemingly overnight. Growing up weight gain was something I constantly worried about, but in a different way because I was always trying to weigh more. My heart problem made it very difficult for me to gain any weight. I can vividly remember the day I reached the 100 lbs mark which was a day of celebration. Hooray for hearts that work! It has been hard to change that 'must gain weight' mentality as I've been in my twentites and to realize that I need to exercise. So my goal is to lose the weight by Valentine's Day, which means I have to be a lot more conscious about what I eat. The funny thing is I don't eat a lot, but I haven't been moving a lot either, so what I do it sticks. My two biggest downfalls have been lack of exercise and lack of planning because when I don't plan I don't eat well. My exercise plan is off to a good start (down 3 lbs already) and I am getting back into the swing of things with meal planning. I have a major sweet tooth so yesterday I made almond biscotti, another fabulous recipe from the mayo clinic, with a few changes. I left out the dried apricot, used 1 tsp of vanilla instead of the almond extract, and added 1/2 a vanilla bean. They are delicious and mildly sweet and fulfill my craving for something sweet and crunchy. Last night was more fun with Martha and vegetables as I tried out this new quinoa recipe I cut out of the January issue. It is delicious and combines many of my food loves. I love quinoa because it is the only non-animal complete protein. I love swiss chard for its color and flavor and versatility, and I love mushrooms. This is quick to prepare (although I would recommend first cooking the chard stems until almost tender and then adding the leaves) and delicious.

I do not believe in dieting, just in healthy eating. I love butter and chocolate and sugar and fat and have no intention of cutting them out of my diet, but I also understand the effects of creeping obesity and don't want to gain 10 lbs a year for the next 5 years so I figure I had better get this under control now while my life is relatively simple and I only have one child.

New Year, New Vegetable

2010-01-18T09:24:00.000-08:00

I suppose the title is a bit misleading, for cabbage is certainly not a new vegetable in my life, but it is the method of cooking the cabbage that is not only new to me, but unbelievably tasty. Up to this point I have believed that cabbage has two purposes - soup and coleslaw. My sweet Mom decided to get me a subscription to Martha Stewart Living and in the January issue there was this one page photo of roasted cabbage. I pulled it out and stuck it in my 'recipes to try' pile. I am thankful I did not wait long, because now that I have tasted roasted cabbage I have every intention of making it quite frequently. Dinner was ridiculously simple last night, and what made it even better was that it was also very healthy and amazingly delicious. I served the roasted cabbage with chicken breasts topped with sauteed mushrooms and toasted baguette rubbed with fresh garlic. Even if you think you don't like cabbage you must try this once, because it tastes so different from what you might expect.

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil. Cut 1 green cabbage in quarters, leaving the core intact. Place on baking sheet and brush all sides with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place chicken on other end of baking sheet, brush with olive oil, and season. Bake for 15 minutes, turn, and bake 10 minutes more.

While roasting, saute sliced mushrooms in 1/2 Tbs butter. Toast baguette slices and rub with 1 clove of crushed garlic. Plate with chicken and squeeze fresh lemon juice over the cabbage and then add to plate. Devour immediately, using the bread to wipe up the delicious juices that remain.

Busy.

2009-12-17T11:37:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving nearly did me in, but I loved every moment of it. My familia made the trek up to Boise for the weekend and I couldn't have asked for a better time. However, I cooked a lot. And then I stopped cooking once everyone left. I needed a break. Here's what we ate during the weekend:

Orange Lavender Scones
Cinnamon Swirlies
Steel-Cut Oatmeal with Brown Sugar & Cream
Peppered Pork Tenderloin with Grilled Pears and Bleu Cheese
Mushroom and Ricotta Ravioli
Heritage Turkey
Mashed Potatoes & Gravy
Jonathan's Sweet Potato Gratin
Yolanda's Sausage and Cornbread stuffing
Roasted Vegetable Cornucopias
Maak Family Rolls
Pumpkin Pie
Key Lime Pie
Lemon Custard Pie
Black Bottom Pie
Apple Pie
Pear Butterscotch Pie
Banana Cream Pie

I think that is all, but it seems like there was more. The weekend before Thanksgiving I made chocolates with a good friend and her sisters and we spent 2 days making salted caramel, lavender caramel, nougat, English toffee, and orange fondant, all of which we then dipped in chocolate.

This past Monday we had our own Christmas party and had ham, my mom's scalloped potatoes, cinnamon roasted almonds, pear terrine with brie and crackers, caramel apple cider, and CHOCOLATE CREPES WITH CANDY CANE ICE CREAM AND CHOCOLATE GANACHE SAUCE. That deserves to be in all caps, because it was amazing. I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but Bryant gave me the BMW of ice cream makers for my birthday, and it is now my favorite kitchen item. Desserts have been elevated to a completely new level in our house.

Soon we will be heading to SLC and we will feast on our traditional clam chowder, bacon wrapped shrimp, gingersnaps, and cranberry cake with hot butter sauce. And I'm making an apple pie for my Aunt Jayne. And then I will be working out, a lot. I most likely won't be blogging until the new year unless you have specific requests, so have a very merry Christmas.

One last thing, we had spiced banana pancakes for breakfast topped with the remaining chocolate ganache sauce. Connor had a pancake sans ganache and loved it. He has no idea what he is missing.

Whoopie Pies

2009-11-18T10:36:00.001-08:00

I've had this recipe in my 'things to make someday' file for quite sometime. They are delicious. The filling would be very good in a triffle, or as a dip for fruit, or in a fruit tart, the possibilities are endless. Find the recipe at Eating Well.

Caramel Apple Bread Pudding

2009-11-18T10:24:00.000-08:00

Last Friday we took this to a party and it was a huge hit. I had leftover brioche (challah would also be great, but you can use any white bread.) I found the original recipe online and made a few changes to suit my preferences. Be sure to check it around the 1 hour mark because you don't want to overbake the pudding. It is a wonderful dessert for this time of year.

Caramel Apple Bread Pudding

For the bread pudding ~
9 to 12 loosely packed cups cubed bread
3 medium apples, diced (I used like to use winesap)
4 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt 3 cups whole milk

For the caramel sauce ~
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon rum extract (this is not an absolutely necessary ingredient, you can find it on the aisle with the other extracts - vanilla, banana, etc.)
1 stick butter, cubed
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt (only use if you used unsalted butter)

Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray a 2-quart or 11x7 baking dish with nonstick coating. Toss the apples with the bread and spread evenly in baking dish.In a bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. When thoroughly combined, whisk in milk. Pour the mixture over the bread and let refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap, for at least 30 minutes (better if longer so that the bread is able to absorb the custard), occasionally pressing the bread with a spatula to help it absorb the mixture.

Bake in a water bath for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the pudding is puffy and golden brown on top. (Check at one hour)

For the caramel sauce, place the sugar in a small saucepan and pour the water and rum evenly over the top. Set over medium heat and swirl the pan until the sugar is well dissolved. Turn the heat up to medium-high and continue swirling until the syrup turns a deep amber color. Watch it closely as it will burn quickly. As soon as the syrup reaches the right color, remove it from the heat and add the butter. Whisk gently until the butter is incorporated, then stir in the heavy cream. If the syrup turns lumpy, set it over low heat and stir until smooth. Add the vanilla and salt, stir and transfer to a serving bowl. The sauce can be refrigerated and reheated in a saucepan over very low heat. Serve the bread pudding warm, drizzled with the caramel sauce and topped with freshly whipped cream. Serves 8.

I love evaporated milk.

2009-11-04T19:44:00.000-08:00

Evaporated milk is a staple in our house. I use it in almost all of our soups, and this week I also found a way to make a fantastic Alfredo sauce minus the cream and the cheese. Here are some ideas:

Butternut Squash Soup

1 butternut squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
1 large apple, quartered and cored
1 small onion, quartered
1 head of garlic
1 can evaporated milk
chicken stock
Cayenne pepper
curry powder
thyme
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a pan with aluminum foil and drizzle with olive oil. Place squash, apples, onion, and garlic on pan and smear with oil. Roast until tender. Scoop the squash into a blender and puree with apple and onion. Add roasted garlic to taste. Thin with 1 can evaporated milk and chicken stock. Season with Cayenne pepper, curry powder, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste.

Corn Chowder

2 Tbs olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1/4 c diced celery
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
2 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
15 oz frozen sweet corn kernels
2 c vegetable or chicken stock
1 can evaporated milk

Heat olive oil in a large pot and saute onion and celery until tender. Add potato, garlic, and salt and saute 1 to 2 minutes more. Add corn and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Simmer until potatoes are just tender. Add evaporated milk and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Fake Alfredo Sauce
This isn't a real recipe, I don't have actual measurements. It makes quite a lot!

2 to 3 Tbs butter
1/3 c flour
1 can evaporated milk
chicken or vegetable stock
salt and pepper
garlic (fresh or powder)
fresh nutmeg

Melt butter in saucepan. Add flour and stir until combined and mixture smells nutty. Slowly add chicken stock, whisking constantly. Add evaporated milk, alternating with chicken stock as needed to reach the desired consistency. Season with garlic, salt and pepper, and freshly grated nutmeg. You must use the nutmeg!!!

I used this sauce two ways. The first night I served it over sweet potato gnocchi and tonight I cooked some pasta which I tossed with the sauce and then grilled a chicken breast (seasoned with salt and pepper and with fresh lemon juice while cooking) which I served on top of the pasta. Kind of like a Chicken Alfredo, but much better.

Good Recipes

2009-11-04T14:44:00.001-08:00

I love Autumn food. Here are a few of my favorite recipes as of late.

Gingersnaps - these are made with whole wheat pastry flour and turbinado sugar which gives them a healthy edge and a delightful crunch from the sugar that contrasts nicely with the softness of the cookie.

Beef Stew with Fennel and Shallots - from The New Mayo Clinic Cookbook which happens to be my new favorite. The recipes are delicious and healthy. I don't like stew as a general rule but this one is fantastic. I left out the bay leaf, the boiling onions, and used button mushrooms instead of portobello and it was still delicious. Serve with Whole Grain Buttermilk Biscuits, they are wonderful.

Braised Chicken with Mushrooms and Pearl Onions - another keeper from the Mayo Clinic. I made whole wheat dumplings with this dish and it was perfect. Let me know if you want the dumpling recipe.

And for dessert? Whip up the Date-Walnut Cake with Warm Honey Sauce.

Now go buy the cookbook.

Apology

2009-11-02T16:04:00.001-08:00

I am very sorry for the typing errors that occur all too frequently in my blogs. I try to proof read, and I use spell check, but the errors continue to appear. So sorry.

Apple Pie Goodness

2009-10-28T15:11:00.001-07:00

A few notes: you don't have to use a vanilla bean, and you can increase the amount of spices if you prefer. We like to taste more apple, with the spice as an accent, but feel free to change the recipe according to your own tastes. Use good butter for the crust! It matters.

Double Cranberry and Thyme Sauce

2009-10-23T09:36:00.000-07:00

This sauce is supposed to be served with Cornish game hen, but when I made it I only had chicken available, and it was still delicious. I'll type the original recipe, but just know that you can serve the sauce with chicken or pork with equally delicious results. I think I saved this recipe from a Bon Appetit.

Cornish Game Hen with Double-Cranberry and Thyme Sauce
Serves 2

3 Tbs butter, divided
1 Tbs golden brown sugar
3 tsp chopped fresh thyme, divided
1 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 lb Cornish game hen, halved, backbone removed, rinsed, and patted dry
1/2 tsp all purpose flour
3/4 c low-salt chicken broth
1/2 c white grape juice
1/3 c frozen cranberry juice cocktail concentrate, thawed
1/4 c dried sweetened cranberries

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Blend 2 Tbs butter, sugar, and 2 tsp thyme in a small bowl. Sprinkle hen halves with salt and pepper. Spread skin of each with half of butter mixture. Heat large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add hen halves, skin side down, and sear until deep brown, about 4 minutes. Turn, skin side up, and sear 1 minute. Remove from heat. Transfer, skin side up, to a small rimmed baking sheet. Reserve skillet. Roast hen halves until just cooked through and juices run clear when pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, blend remaining 1 Tbs butter and 1/2 Tbs flour in a small bowl and set aside. Add broth, grape juice, cranberry concentrate, and remaining 1 tsp thyme to reserved skillet. Boil until sauce is reduced to 3/4 c, whisking often, about 7 minutes. Whisk in flour mixture and cranberries. Simmer until sauce coats the spoon, about 2 minutes, stirring often. Season with salt and pepper.

Spoon sauce over hen halves and serve.

My Apple Pie

2009-10-23T08:20:00.000-07:00

This recipe has been 11 years in the making. I started making apple pie when I was 16 because it was my first boyfriend's favorite dessert. Luckily for me, it is also Bryant's favorite dessert, and I already had 5 years of practice when we met! The recipe has changed drastically since age 16, but I am finally content to let it be. There are a lot of steps, but don't be intimidated because it is not complicated.

*Recipe includes adaptations from the following websites that may be helpful: http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/11/pie-crust-102-all-butter-really-flaky-pie-dough/ and http://www.joyofbaking.com/ApplePie.hml

Crust:
2 ½ c flour
1 Tbs sugar
1 tsp salt
1 c unsalted butter (cubed into ½ inch pieces)
½ + ¼ c ice cold milk

Combine flour, sugar, and salt. Cut butter into flour with pastry blender. Drizzle ½ c cold milk over the mixture and stir with spatula. Add additional milk, 1 Tbs at a time, but not to exceed an additional ¼ cup. When dough clings together divide in half and pat into rounds. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1, but preferably 2, hours.

Filling:
5 to 6 apples of different varieties
(I used 3 golden delicious, 1 Fuji, 1 McIntosh, 1 Granny Smith)
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
¼ c granulated sugar
¼ c brown sugar + 1/8 c brown sugar
Scant ½ tsp cinnamon
Scant 1/8 tsp cloves
2 grates of fresh nutmeg
1 vanilla bean (split in half lengthwise, seeds scraped out, pod and seeds reserved)
2 Tbs butter
¼ c whipping cream
1 Tbs + 1 tsp cornstarch

Peal, core, and thinly slice apples. Toss with lemon juice in a large bowl. In a small bowl combine sugars, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, vanilla beans seeds and vanilla bean pod. Combine sugar mixture with apples and let macerate for 30 minutes, or until you have ½ c liquid. Drain the liquid and place in large soup pot with 2 Tbs butter and vanilla bean pod and bring to a low boil. Meanwhile, toss apples with cornstarch. Boil, uncovered, until thick and syrupy and reduced to 1/3 c of liquid. Add cream. Stir in apples and bring liquid back to a low boil for about 1 minute. Return to boil and cool.

Assembly:
½ c turbinado sugar
1 egg, separated
2 Tbs cream
Roll out bottom crust and place in glass pie dish. Brush with egg white and sprinkle with no more than ¼ c turbinado sugar. Let dry about 5 minutes. Spoon in apple filling and top with crust. Seal and crimp edges. Brush with mixture of egg yolk and cream and sprinkle with remaining turbinado sugar, not to exceed ¼ cup. Cut 8 slits and bake on the lowest rack of the oven at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Then reduce heat to 375 degrees and bake an additional 30 to 40 minutes. (Cover loosely with aluminum foil is top browns to quickly!) Let cool completely (at least 3 hours) before serving.

Wanted: Pie Recipes

2009-10-20T18:17:00.000-07:00

It was my turn to choose a book for book club and I chose American Pie: Slices of Life (and Pie) from America's Back Roads by Pascale Le Draoulec. I read this book years ago and have loved it ever since. I love the stories people share about the role of pie in their lives. Everyone is coming to my house on Thursday to eat pie, swap recipes, and share stories. I can hardly wait. Do you have a favorite pie recipe? Or pie memory? Please share.

My Favorite Pork Tenderloin Recipe

2009-10-20T18:14:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite pork tenderloin recipe, and it is also a fabulous fall dinner. If you grill it on a grill pan on top of the stove I grill it on all 4 sides for about 6 to 8 minutes a side. If you own a grill you can simply follow the directions believe. Don't be put off by the fennel seed - it works perfectly with the other spices. Don't even think about not serving this with the pears. Or the cheese. This is a perfect recipe. I think I saved this recipe out of a Bon Appetit magazine. Enjoy!

2 Tbs fresh rosemary
2 tsp fennel seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 (1 lb) pork tenderloin
2 1/2 tsp olive oil
4 ripe but firm pear (you could also use plums)
3 oz crumbled blue cheese

Grind first 3 ingredients in a spice or coffee grinder until finely ground. Combine with salt and pepper. Rub pork with 1 tsp olive oil and then sprinkle evenly with spice mixture. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Prepare grill. (I don't have a grill so I just use a grill pan on my stove top which requires a bit more cooking time, but I'm assuming you have a grill so I will give you those cooking instructions.) Place pork on a grill rack coated with cooking spray and grill 16 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest portion registers 155 degrees, turning once. Let stand 10 minutes, cut crosswise into 1/4 inch slices. Place pear halves in a shallow dish and drizzle with remaining olive oil. Toss gently to coat. Place on grill and grill 3 minutes or until golden. Fill with cheese and serve alongside pork. (Take a bite of the pork with the pear and cheese - delicious!)

Week of High Protein, Low Carb Dinners for Jonathan

2009-10-06T12:05:00.000-07:00

This was a lot of typing. There are most likely typos, and you'll want to double check the grocery list to make sure I didn't forget anything. The only accuracy I can guarantee is that of the recipes. There are two fish, two vegetarian, and 3 chicken dishes. Some take a bit longer than 30 minutes, but not in prep work, just in cook time. Some make great leftovers so you can make them when you have extra time. Let me know if you have any questions!

Menu Plan:
Sunday
- Zucchini-Wrapped Tilapia with Balsamic Butter Sauce with Wild Rice and sugar Snap Peas ***cook enough wild rice to have 1 cup left over***
Monday
- Grilled Butterflied Chicken Breasts atop Wilted Spinach and Fresh Mozzarella
Tuesday
- Lentil Salad or Mediterranean Couscous and Lentil Salad (your choice – two recipes to choose from) ***save remaining ½ red pepper for Thursday***
Wednesday
- Stuffed Salmon and Autumn Salad with Balsamic Pear Syrup ***you will serve this salad again on Friday***
Thursday
- Chicken Fajitas with Red Pepper, Zucchini and Yellow Squash
Friday
- Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms and Autumn Salad with Balsamic Pear Syrup
Saturday
- Chicken Vegetable Barley Soup

Shopping List:
Tilapia Fillets (2)
Salmon Fillet (1/2 to 1 lb)
Chicken Breasts (3)
Fresh Mozzarella (4 ounces)
Soft Goat Cheese (2 ounces) ***there is a lot of bad goat cheese out there, hunt out one that you like. Mom found a good one at Caputo’s, I like the one at Wal-Mart***
Feta Cheese (4 ounces)
Sour Cream
Whole Wheat Tortillas
Whole Wheat Pita Bread
Wild Rice Blend ***Costco has a great organic wild rice blend***
Couscous (1 cup) ***bulk aisle***
Petite French Green Lentils (1 cup) ***bulk aisle***
Barley (1/2 cup) ***bulk aisle***
Black Beans, canned (optional addition to Fajitas)
Evaporated Milk (1 can)
Chicken Stock (1 box)
Fresh Spinach
Frozen Spinach (16 ounces)
Sugar Snap Peas
Carrot (2 medium sized)
Green Onions (6)
Celery (1 stalk)
Italian Parsley (1 bunch)
Garlic
Lemon (2)
Arugula (4 cups)
Mixed Greens (enough for 4 servings)
Grape Tomatoes (2 1/2 cups)
Zucchini (2 small)
Yellow Squash (3 small)
Red Bell Pepper (1)
Onion (2 to 3 depending on size)
Portobello Mushrooms (2 large)
Button or White Mushrooms (6 oz)
Fresh Basil
Italian or Plain Breadcrumbs
Walnuts (1/2 cup) ***bulk aisle***
Pear or Apple juice (1/2 cup) ***try the baby aisle to buy a small bottle***
Dried Tart Cherries (1/4 cup) ***bulk aisle***
Honey or Maple Walnuts (1/4 c) ***bulk aisle***
Mild Bleu Cheese (can substitute goat cheese - 2 ounces)

Pantry Staples:
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
White Wine Vinegar
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
Nutmeg
Thyme
Rosemary
Oregano
Cayenne Pepper
Dijon Mustard
Honey
Salsa

Zucchini-Wrapped Tilapia
(approximate time for fish from start to finish is 25 minutes. The rice will take longer so start it first so everything is ready about the same time.)
1 zucchini, trimmed
2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
2 to 4 basil leaves
2 tilapia filets
1/4 c balsamic vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Tbs butter
Wild Rice

Cook wild rice blend according to package directions. (For extra flavor, replace the water with chicken stock if desired.)
Simmer vinegar and garlic in a small saucepan over medium heat until reduced to a thick syrup, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1 Tbs butter and set aside.
Shave zucchini lengthwise into very thin ribbons with a Y-shaped vegetable peeler.
Arrange 5 or 6 zucchini ribbons overlapping on a flat surface and top with a basil leaf.
Season fish with salt and pepper and place on top of basil and zucchini ribbons.
Top with another basil leaf (if desired) and wrap zucchini around the fish.
Heat 1 Tbs oil in a skillet and swirl to coat bottom, then arrange fish, seam sides down, in oil. Lightly brush the tops of the zucchini-wrapped fish with remaining oil.
Cover skillet and cook over medium heat, without turning, until barely cooked through, about 5 to 9 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish (fish will continue to cook from residual heat).
Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook sugar snap peas until tender crisp, about 1 minute. Drain and plate alongside cooked wild rice blend. Transfer the fish to the plates and drizzle with the balsamic butter reduction.

Grilled Butterflied Chicken Breasts with Spinach and Fresh Mozzarella
(approximate time from start to finish: 15 minutes)
1 chicken breast, butterflied and cut into two pieces
2 to 4 c fresh spinach
2 slices mozzarella
half a lemon
salt and pepper

Heat grill or grill pan. Season chicken with salt and pepper and spray with a light coating of cooking spray. Grill until cooked through, turning once, squirting with lemon juice halfway through.
Meanwhile, lightly wilt spinach and dress with a squeeze of lemon juice, a pinch of salt and pepper. Plate and top with fresh mozzarella. When chicken is cooked place on top of mozzarella and serve.

Lentil Salad
(approximate time from start to finish: 30 minutes)

1 c dried French green lentils, sorted and rinsed
1 medium-sized carrot, diced
6 green onions, thinly sliced
1 celery stalk, finely diced
½ red bell pepper, finely diced
½ c Italian parsley, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ c olive oil

Bring 3 c water to a boil and add lentils, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until lentils are just tender. Drain and put in large bowl. Toss lentils with remaining ingredients, drizzle with olive oil, and season to taste with salt and pepper. (serves 6) I like to serve this with whole wheat pita bread that has been brushed with olive oil, sprinkled with salt, grilled and cut into wedges. I also like it topped with a bit of sour cream or plain yogurt.

Mediterranean Couscous and Lentil Salad
(approximate time from start to finish: 30 minutes)

1 c French green lentils, sorted and rinsed
3 Tbs white wine vinegar
1 c couscous
½ tsp salt
3 Tbs plus 2 tsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced and mashed to a paste with ¼ tsp salt
4 c arugula leaves, chopped
2 c grape tomatoes, halved
½ c feta cheese, crumbled

Bring 3 c water to a boil and add lentils, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until lentils are just tender. Drain and put in large bowl.
Pour 1 ¼ c boiling water over couscous in a bowl, stir in salt and cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and stir in 2 tsp oil. Add to lentils.
Whisk together garlic paste, remaining 3 Tbs oil and remaining 2 Tbs vinegar in a small bowl. Stir dressing into lentils and couscous, then gently add the arugula, tomatoes, and feta.

Stuffed Salmon
(approximate time from start to finish: 45 minutes)
We had this dish at our friends’ home one night and were shocked by its goodness, even Bryant who hated walnuts loved this dish. I am including the original recipe, which serves 6, so just halve the ingredients for you and Amy.

1 ½ to 2 lb salmon fillet
1 Tbs olive oil
½ c minced onion
½ c chopped walnuts
2 c frozen spinach, thawed and drained
¼ c Italian breadcrumbs
Pinch of nutmeg
1 Tbs Dijon mustard mixed with 1 Tbs honey

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat baking pas with nonstick spray and set aside. Cut a slit down the side of the salmon almost all the way through but leaving one side intact. Heat oil in a large pan over medium high heat and sauté the onion for 3 minutes, add the walnuts for one minute spinach for 1 minute, and then add breadcrumbs and season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Cool 10 minutes in the fridge. Fill salmon pocket with stuffing and brush top of salmon with mustard honey mixture. Bake for 40 minutes or until cooked through.

Autumn Salad with Pear Balsamic Reduction
½ c apple juice or pear juice
½ c balsamic vinegar
¼ c dried tart cherries
1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
6 c salad greens
¼ c honey roasted or maple walnuts
¼ c soft cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

In a small saucepan combine the juice and vinegar and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Put the cherries in a heatproof bowl and pour the hot liquid over them. Set aside to soften for 30 minutes. Pour cherries and their soaking liquid through a sieve held over the original pan and set the cherries aside. Bring the liquid to a simmer over medium heat and reduce to ¼ cup. It will be syrupy. Pour into a small bowl and whisk in oil. Combine the greens, walnuts, cherries, and cheese and drizzle with dressing. (serves 4)

Chicken Fajitas
(approximate time from start to finish: 20 minutes)

1 Tbs olive oil
1 chicken breast, thinly sliced
1 zucchini, cut into matchsticks
1 yellow squash, cut into matchsticks
1 small onion, thinly sliced
½ red bell pepper, cut into matchsticks
Salt, pepper, oregano, and cayenne pepper to taste
1 15-ounce can black beans, optional
Whole Wheat Tortillas
Sour cream and salsa for serving

Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan, add onions and chicken and cook until chicken is almost cooked through, seasoning with salt and pepper. Add remaining vegetables and sauté until tender crisp, seasoning with oregano and cayenne pepper to taste. Stir in black beans until heated through. Warm tortillas, fill with fajita mixture, top with sour cream and salsa if desired.

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
(approximate time from start to finish: 45 minutes)
This dish originally served four. In the ingredients I only put down enough to serve 2, but I am including the original recipe because you can make these up to two days in advance, just individually wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

2 Tbs olive oil, divided
1 small onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
6 ounces button or white mushrooms, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ tsp salt
1 c cooked wild rice
2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
4 large Portobello mushrooms, stems and gills removed
12 cherry tomatoes, halved
4 tsp fine breadcrumbs, divided

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and coat baking sheet with cooking spray. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 1 Tbs oil. Add onion and cook 5 minutes or until translucent, stirring often. Stir in button mushrooms, garlic, and salt and cook 8 to 10 minutes or until mushrooms are soft and most of the liquid is evaporated, stirring frequently. Stir in rice and cook 1 to 2 minutes longer, or until heated through. Remove from heat and stir in goat cheese.

Fill each Portobello with about 1/3 c filling and top with tomato halves. Place portobello mushrooms on baking sheet, drizzle with remaining olive oil and sprinkle each with 1 tsp breadcrumbs. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until mushrooms are cooked through and breadcrumbs are golden.

Chicken Vegetable Barley Soup
(approximate time from start to finish: 45 minutes)
This is less of a precise recipe and more of a suggestion. Adjust to suit your taste.

1 chicken breast, shredded and cooked (you can grill extra chicken or cook extra when you make fajitas, or chop and cook before making the soup)

1 Tbs olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium carrot, diced
1 zucchini, diced
1 yellow squash, diced
1 box chicken stock
1 can evaporated milk
¼ to ½ c barley
Salt, pepper, thyme, and rosemary to taste

Heat olive oil in a large soup pot and add onion and carrot and sauté until onion is translucent. Add garlic for 1 minute and then add remaining vegetables and season with salt and pepper. Add 1 box good chicken stock, cubed or shredded chicken, and barley. When barley is cooked add 1 can evaporated milk and season to taste with salt, pepper, thyme, and rosemary. Simmer until ready to eat. (This is good the first day, but amazing the second day and consequently a great make ahead dish.)

Veggie Recipes for Melissa

2009-09-17T07:53:00.001-07:00

Melissa - let me know if you have any specific requests. I think the quickest way to add veggies to a meal is to make a pasta dish. Here are a few of our favorites:

Linguine and Cherry Tomatoes
2 c cherry tomatoes, washed and halved
2 to 4 Tbs good Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 to 4 oz cheese (Parmesan, asiago, any hard cheese will do)
6 oz linguine

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook linguine according to directions (about 10 minutes). In the meantime halve the cherry tomatoes and combine in a large bowl with the olive oil, grated cheese, salt and pepper. When pasta is cooked drain and add to the tomato mixture, tossing to combine. This is great served with a lettuce salad and garlic bread.

Penne with Matchstick Zucchini and Mozzarella Cubes
4 oz dried penne pasta
1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 medium zucchini, cut into matchsticks
1/2 tsp dried oregano
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp salt
4 oz part-skim mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/4 to 1/2 inch cubes

Cook the pasta according to package directions, drain well reserving 1/2 c pasta water.

Meanwhile heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove from heat and lightly spray with vegetable oil spray. Add bell pepper, zucchini, oregano, garlic, and basil and cook for 5 minutes or until bell pepper is tender crisp and zucchini is starting to lightly brown. Gently stir in the pasta, reserved pasta water, salt and mozzarella. Serve immediately.

Pasta Primavera with Breadcrumb Topping
8 oz fusilli or rotini
3 Tbs olive oil
1/2 lb green beans, trimmed
small yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (you can omit if you don't like heat)
3 medium zucchini (about 1/2 lb) julienned
2 large red bell peppers, julienned
1/4 c finely chopped basil (or use 1 tsp dried)
1 tsp chopped fresh oregano (or 1/2 tsp dried)
1 c plain dry breadcrumbs
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Olive Oil

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add green beans for 3 minutes. Transfer beans to a colander and rinse under cold water to stop cooking.

Heat 2 Tbs oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add green beans, onion, garlic, and crushed red pepper and cook, covered, for 3 minutes. Add Zucchini, peppers, basil, and oregano and cook, uncovered for 5 minutes or until vegetables are just al dente. DO NOT OVERCOOK! Season with salt to taste.

Warm remaining 1 Tbs oil in a second skillet over medium heat. Add breadcrumbs and saute until golden, about 5 minutes. Add drained pasta to vegetables and toss to blend. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs, cheese, a drizzle of olive oil, and serve.

Let me know if you want any of the following recipes - Roasted Corn and Black Bean Quesadillas, Zucchini and Corn Quesadillas, Stuffed Red Peppers, Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas with Tomatillo Sauce, Portabello Mushrooms stuffed with Wild Rice and Goat Cheese, or Grits Souffle with Tomato Coulis (a cheesy souffle with asparagus and a spicy tomato sauce).

Hotcakes

2009-09-17T07:44:00.001-07:00

This photo is several years old, but it is one in which my Nana is actually smiling. Usually she is trying to hide from the camera. She will be 80 years old next month and is still going strong despite battling cancer 3 times. I absolutely love her hotcakes, and although she gave me the recipe several years ago I've never been able to replicate her hotcakes at home. So this trip I decided to watch her closely and write down her every move. It was a good decision because she has made some major changes (like omitting the sugar, cutting the salt in half, and doubling the amount of buttermilk!) to the recipe and didn't write them down because she thought I wanted the original recipe. Her hotcakes are light and feathery with a slight tang from the buttermilk. They are my favorite.

1 1/4 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 beaten egg
1 1/2 - 2 c buttermilk (the amount of buttermilk depends on your flour and the humidity. The batter will thicken as it sits. You want it to pour easily off the spoon, not plop or run off.)
2 Tbs oil

In a mixing bowl combine the first 4 ingredients. Make a well in the center and add the remaining 3 ingredients. Mix until the batter is smooth. Drop by tablespoonful (this is important - not the measurement tablespoon, but the big spoon in your utensil drawer) onto a hot griddle. When bubbles appear on the surface flip and cook on the other side until golden brown. Serve with syrup of your choice. Nana prefers chokecherry syrup.

An egg by any other name . . .

2009-08-20T10:31:00.000-07:00

Breakfasts at my Nana's home are anything but simple. The usual spread consists of hotcakes (she doesn't make pancakes as far as I know, just hotcakes), toast, eggs, hot cereal with cream and brown sugar, and fresh fruit smoothies which are my Papa's specialty. I grew up eating what I thought were poached eggs any time I was staying with them. Poached eggs were and still are my favorite especially with a well-buttered piece of toast to tear up and mix into the runny yolk and just cooked egg white. It wasn't until around the age of 23 or so that I learned that what I thought was a poached egg was not. I was watching one of those become a designer reality shows and one of the team projects was to run a B&B for a weekend. One of the judges ordered a poached egg and this seemingly simple meal because quite the challenge for one of the teams. Their poached egg was most certainly not my poached egg. I decided that my Nana was just confused and made my first actually poached egg several days later. I didn't like it at all.

Fast forward. I am really hungry and stranded at home because Bryant is working at a hospital in another city this week and therefore has our car. Our refrigerator is almost empty because we are moving into our new home soon.so I do not have many food options at the moment. I do, however, have eggs and cream, and as I thought about what I could make I remembered hearing something about an egg coddled in cream. My Internet search led me to this article by Dorrie Greenspan and the realization that I have been eating coddled eggs my entire life, minus the cream. Coddled eggs, come to find out, are a quintessential British dish which makes even more sense considering my Nana's very English upbringing. So there you have it. I like my eggs coddled, not poached, thank you very much, and the addition of cream is simply lovely. One mystery solved. The next task is to figure out how on earth to make her hotcakes. I have the recipe, but I swear they are not remotely close to the ones that she whips up. I may have to record her making them next week.

Simple Food

2009-08-13T07:39:00.000-07:00

Summer is synonymous with simple food. Dinners lately have been centered around produce. Green beans sauteed with bacon heaped on a platter with fresh corn on the cob rubbed with butter, grilled slices of baguette drizzled with olive oil and chopped fresh tomatoes tossed with pesto. Fresh cherry tomatoes tossed with angel hair pasta, drizzled with olive oil, and topped with grated Parmesan cheese and cracked black pepper. Breakfast this morning was beautiful. Ripe Turkish figs served alongside a scoop of ricotta cheese that had been sprinkled with cinnamon and drizzled with a delicate honey. Meals do not have be complicated, especially in the summer.

Dinner for Emily

2009-08-07T09:46:00.001-07:00

My sweet friend Emily went on a trip to Italy this past Spring and dutifully documented everything she ate just for me. She even brought back pesto and cheese for me, but there was a catch. She said I could only have them if I cooked Italian food for her, a deal that seemed to be completely in my favor. Last night we had a great time eating ravioli with a ricotta garlic filling in a chicken stock reduction, bruschetta with pesto, tomatoes, and asiago cheese, and peche bianche con panna di mandorla, which translated means white peaches with almond cream. This dinner was the perfect excuse to buy a manual pasta roller. Rolling out the dough was so much easier. I am thankful that I didn't buy the ravioli attachment however because I think it is more fun to use my ravioli rolling pin and cutter. Here's the photographic process (since I posted the recipe several months ago:

Filling the well with the egg/water/oil mixture

What the dough looks like when all liquid has been incorporated

Dough after kneading for 5 minutes

Spreading the ricotta filling on the pasta

Cutting the ravioli

Drying out the ravioli on a pan with semolina

I have been waiting to make this dessert since 2005. Bryant bought me an Under the Tuscan Sun day planner that year and it was filled with great Italian recipes. This dessert has always looked delicious, and it is truly amazing. I didn't take a photo of my dessert because I had to use yellow peaches (I couldn't find any white ones that were ripe enough) and these were a bit too ripe so they didn't hold their form as well after poaching. I would also reduce the amount of cookie crumbs because it made the mixture a bit too dark, but the taste was still incredible. The Amaretti cookies are expensive, but lovely. Even the packaging is fabulous.

Here is a close up of the photo from the page I saved from my day planner. It is easy and very, very good.

***If you aren't a fan of the almond flavor you could simply use vanilla extract or add lemon zest. You could find a vanilla cookie to crumble instead. The Amaretti cookies are delicious and worth a try.

Pesche Bianche Con Panna Di Mandorla

1 c mascarpone

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1/4 c heavy cream

1/4 c superfine sugar

1/2 c sliced almonds, toasted and cooled

1 1/2 c crushed almond cookie crumbs, such as Amaretti (I would reduce this to 1 cup)

6 large white peaches, ripe but not soft

1 c ginger ale or sparkling apple cider (poaching liquid)

Mix all filling ingredients and chill for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, peal the peaches and halve them removing the pit. Bring the poaching liquid to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the peach halves and poach for 3 to 4 minutes, spooning liquid over the halves. Remove peaches from the liquid and cool. Spoon a mound of mascarpone mixture into the center of the peach. Serve, garnished with almonds and mint leaves.

Serves 6

Recipes for Melissa & then some

2009-08-06T10:32:00.000-07:00

Melissa - I am so sorry that it has taken me so long to post these recipes! Hopefully it isn't too late. This scone recipe is one that I've adapted from the American Heart Association Cookbook on page 515. The original recipe calls for pineapple juice but my mom substituted orange juice one day and that was the beginning of our mutual love for this great recipe. It can be easily adapted to whatever ingredients you have on hand. Some of our favorite combinations include lemon poppy seed, orange poppy seed, and orange lavender. Feel free to play around with the flavor combinations. The original recipe also calls for 1/2 c dried cranberries which I always omit, but you can add them or any other dried fruit that sounds tasty.

Scones
2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c rolled oats
1/2 c sugar
1 Tbs poppy seeds (optional, sometimes I substitute 1/2 tsp lavender buds or orange zest)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbs butter
1/2 c dried cranberries (optional)
1/2 c orange juice
1 egg, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a large bowl combine flour, oatmeal, sugar, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut butter into flour mixture until crumbly. Stir in cranberries (if using) and make a well in the center of mixture. Pour in juice and egg and stir until just combined. Don't over mix!

With floured hands divide the dough in half. Shape into 2 balls and place on baking sheet 4 to inches apart. Flatten each into a 6-inch disk. Cut each into 8 wedges with a sharp knife, but do not separate.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Let cool for at least 5 minutes on a cooling rack.

***I like to drizzle these with a simple icing made with powdered sugar and orange juice. Sometimes I mix lavender buds with the sugar in my coffee grinder. Sometimes I add orange or lemon zest. Play around with the flavors. These are delicious and easy.

You also asked for a recipe for white bread. I am assuming you want the normal white loaf sandwich bread, and this is the only recipe I've tried. Bryant & I are in love with this bread, it is delicious. Again, this only makes one loaf. There is a basic white bread recipe in the American Heart Association cookbook (pg 463) but I haven't tried it yet, and it makes two loaves. This recipe is from the Wednesday Chef blog.

Maple White Bread (Makes 1 large loaf)
1 cup milk (whole milk is best, but any kind will do)
1/4 cup maple syrup (use real maple syrup, not the fake stuff)
4 tablespoons sweet butter (unsalted)
1 teaspoon salt
1 package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (about 110 degrees)
1 teaspoon sugar or maple sugar
1 egg beaten
4 cups (approximately) unbleached all-purpose flour

1. Place milk, maple syrup, butter and salt in a saucepan and scald. Allow to cool to lukewarm.
2. Dissolve yeast in warm water along with the sugar. Set aside for five minutes until the mixture becomes frothy. Transfer the milk mixture to a large bowl, stir in the yeast mixture and then stir in the egg.
3. Stir in two cups of the flour. Then add more flour about one-half cup at a time until a ball of dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a floured board and knead for about eight minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic, adding more flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking. Place dough in an oiled bowl, turn the dough to oil on all sides, cover lightly and set aside to rise until doubled, about an hour.
4. Punch down dough, turn onto a lightly floured board and knead for another minute or so. Roll dough into a rectangle about nine by 12 inches, then roll tightly, jellyroll fashion, starting from the narrow side. Pinch the seam and ends closed. Fit the dough seam side down into a greased 9-by-5-by-3-inch baking pan.
5. Cover and set in a warm place to rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place bread in the oven and bake about 45 minutes, until well browned. Remove from pan and allow to cool freely on a rack before slicing.

To read the original post go to http://www.thewednesdaychef.com/the_wednesday_chef/2009/02/maple-white-bread.html

I have taken a cooking hiatus this past month because I was sick for half of it and out of town for the other half. Last Saturday I cooked dinner for 40 people. It was a lot of work, a lot of fun, and a great learning experience. I will share my recipes and experience soon. I am finally getting back into the swing of things now that I am feeling better, and one thing that really helped me this week was prepping all of my produce in one day. On Monday I went grocery shopping and bought yellow squash, zucchini, onion, yams, corn, and carrots. I diced the squash, yams, zucchini, and onion and put in separate containers in the fridge. I removed the kernels from the corn and shredded the carrots and gave each of them their own containers. Then I cooked a big batch of brown rice (which turned out perfect for once thank to this great advice) and separated it into 1 cup servings. Cooking has been a breeze. I've made vegetarian burritos by sauteing all of the veggies with the rice and black beans, then folding them up in a whole wheat tortilla and serving with sour cream. I made egg fried rice by again sauteing the veggies (except for the corn), adding rice and then 3 lightly beaten eggs. Dessert has been fresh fruit including strawberries, figs, and black grapes. Tonight I am cooking for friends and planning on making ricotta ravioli with a reduced chicken stock sauce, crostini with pesto and thinly sliced tomatoes, and a special dessert that I saved from an old day planner - poached pears filled with a sweet mascarpone mixture and topped with toasted almonds and crushed amaretti cookies. It should be good. I will try to take photos before devouring the food.

It was that good.

2009-07-07T06:58:00.000-07:00

I honestly thought there would be at least one remaining slice, but we all decided that seconds were a must, so this is the best I can do photograph-wise. One of the benefits of having people over for dinner is that it frees up a few extra dollars to make something extra special to eat. Our friends simply asked us to bring dessert which made it possible for me to splurge a bit. And it was worth it. I have a love/hate relationship with berry desserts because my healthy self feels like berries really don't need any additional calories, they are already delicious and should be enjoyed as is. My sweet-tooth self (who is getting larger by the day) can't deny that sugar and butter simply make things better, end of story. This recipe satisfies both by perfectly complimenting the berries in a healthy-ish way. It is the best fruit tart I have ever eaten. Each bite contains a perfectly ripe raspberry nestled in the most delicate vanilla/orange creamy filling and ends with the perfectly balanced salty/sweet layer of crust. Don't be intimidated by the lengthy instructions, this is very quick in terms of prep work, just make sure you leave plenty of time for freezing/cooling/chilling. The original recipe is from the July 09 issue of Vegetarian Times.

Crust
1/4 c almonds
1/4 c pecans
1/4 c hazelnuts
1/4 c sugar
3/4 c whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp salt
6 Tbs chilled unsalted butter, diced
1 large egg yolk

Toast nuts on a baking sheet in a 350 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until browned, shaking periodically. Pulse nuts, flour, sugar, and salt in food processor until nuts are ground to a powder. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add egg yolk and pulse until moist clumps form. Press dough into bottom and sides of prepared pan, about 1/4-inch thick, and pierce with a fork. Freeze for 30 minutes. Adjust oven to 400 degrees and bake crust for 12 to 14 minutes, or until golden. Cool.

Filling:
1/2 c light sour cream
1/2 c nonfat plain Greek yogurt (use Fage brand)
2 Tbs brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Zest of 1 orange
2 c raspberries (or whatever mixture of berries you prefer)
1 Tbs orange juice

Whisk together sour cream, yogurt, brown sugar, vanilla, and orange zest. Spread filling in crust. Toss berries with orange juice and gently spoon over top of filling until evenly covered. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving.

Cavatappi and Chard

2009-06-20T10:23:00.000-07:00

This has been a pasta week. We started it off with pumpkin ravioli in a caramelized shallot and butter sauce, followed by this fabulous dish, and ended with the eggplant pasta mentioned earlier. All three dishes were so completely different that the repetition of pasta was inconsequential. Swiss Chard is in season and I love it in this dish. I am including a link to the original recipe but this is how I make this dish. Don't be put off by the raisins - they make this dish. A few words of advice: I use about half stems and half leaves. I'll post another recipe that will use up the remaining leaves. Six cups of stems is just way too much, and I like the color contrast that the leaves provide. You can use any kind of Swiss Chard - rainbow, green, or red, but do realize that if you use the rainbow or red you will end up with a pink sauce. Not necessarily a bad thing, but I've found that the green chard just looks better. The recipe calls for golden raisins, but they are not naturally golden. Use what you feel comfortable with, but I did find a golden raisin called Himalayan Monukka raisins which are delicious but contain seeds. I ended up halving and seeding all of the raisins. This dish tastes fantastic.

1/4 c pine nuts (I don't toast pine nuts, you can, I just don't want to go to the effort for this dish)
2 Tbs olive oil
3 large shallots, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs apple cider vinegar
1 tsp ground cumin
6 c swiss chard stems and leaves cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 can evaporated milk, not reduced fat
1/2 c golden raisins
16 oz cavatappi pasta (or any pasta with ridges that will hold the sauce)
***the last time I made this dish I was out of broth and hard cheese, so I omitted both and simply increased the evaporated milk. You can use cream as well, but I always have evaporated milk on hand.

Heat oil in a large skilled over medium heat. Add shallots and cook until golden brown, about 5minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Remove from heat and add the vinegar and cumin. Let vinegar evaporate 20 seconds, then return skillet to heat. Add 1/3 c water and bring to a simmer. Stir in chard stems and reduce heat to medium low. Simmer for 12 minutes or until tender. Stir in chard leaves, milk, and raisins and simmer 10 more minutes. Cook pasta according to directions, drain, and add to chard mixture. Transfer to a serving bowl and top with pine nuts. Enjoy!

Challah

2009-06-19T19:13:00.001-07:00

Oh Kathy, I do not understand why it has taken me so long to post this recipe. I found a great bread book at the library several months ago titled Secrets of Jewish Baker. I've only tried this challah recipe, but it is good enough to convince me that I cannot live without this book. Challah makes the best toast, and the best french toast. The only tricky part is the braiding, but it is forgiving and you can braid and unbraid several times until you get it right. I prefer to not use seeds on the top, but I am sure it would be lovely either way. Make this bread and prepare to become addicted. Toasting it is the key!

Wow.

2009-06-19T19:08:00.000-07:00

You must make this pasta dish because it will blow your mind. It is an excellent introduction to eggplant. My only changes include using crushed tomatoes (28 oz can) and peeling the eggplant. Make sure you use only fresh eggplant - one that is firm, heavy for its size, shiny, and wrinkle free. Trust me, make this dish. You will be amazed.