Cupcakes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.