Mama Sarah's Kitchen

Spicy Mustard Potato Salad

2012-01-29T23:08:00.000-06:00

Wow guys. Second week of posting and we almost didn't get one. I had one of those weeks where my brain decided my body didn't need to usual amount of restful sleep, so by Friday I was a bit of a hysterical zombie. Which led to sleeping most of Saturday. Follow that with an impromptu home-project in the kitchen... and here we are.

Yesterday, I got this intense craving for bbq chicken. Since I live in southern Louisiana, that's not a completely preposterous thing to eat in January. For bbq chicken, hubby said I needed to make either mac'n'cheese or potato salad. I've been wanting to try a different take on potato salad for awhile, so I opted for that. The mustard I used wasn't quite right and I overcooked my potatoes so they mashed up ALOT but I think this has potential.

Spicy Mustard Potato Salad

3 lbs potatoes, peeled and chopped (I used russet this time; I would probably use red next time)
2 boiled eggs, chopped
2 tbsp spicy whole ground mustard
1 tbsp mayo
2 tbsp finely chopped bacon pieces
salt to taste

Boil potatoes just until thoroughly cooked; you don't want them to mash up while you're stirring. Stir in other ingredients until well combined.

I know, complex right? Next week I'll have a proper post (there's a cookie recipe I'm dying to try).

(Hopefully) A New Beginning

2012-01-22T22:02:00.003-06:00

It has been quite some time since I posted, for a variety of unimportant reasons. I recently turned 25 and decided this would be the year of doing things. One such thing will be posting again and as today is Mama Sarah's Kitchen's birthday (4 years old!), I thought this would be a nice day to start. For the foreseeable future, I plan on posting once a week, probably on Sundays. We'll see how it goes from there.

Tonight I have a simple dessert for you, but I made it up on my own so I'm fairly proud of it. I'd like to move more towards coming up with my own recipes, though there are still so many fabulous recipes out there to try. I wanted something like an apple crisp, but without the oats and decided on a cobbler.

Apple Pecan Cobbler

3 large apples, cored, peeled, and chopped into bite-size pieces (I did a combination of bite-size pieces and chunks because I like a little variety)
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup flour
¾ cup white, granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
2/3 cup milk
¼ cup pecan pieces

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9 inch round baking dish.

In a large bowl, sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon over apples; toss to coat. Spread apples into prepared dish and dab butter pieces on top. Set aside.

In the same bowl, combine flour, white sugar, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add milk, stirring until well combined. Pour over apple mixture, then sprinkle pecan pieces on top.

Bake for 55-65 minutes or until top is golden brown and set.

The edges end up nice and firm and the middle is still a little squidgy; just how I like it! This would be fantastic with lightly sweetened whipped cream or, of course, vanilla ice cream.

Campfire Delight : Best. Cake. Ever.

2011-07-04T22:01:00.003-05:00

In going through chocolate cake recipes this weekend for inspiration, I came across this recipe for a Campfire Delight cake. It is a a six layer chocolate cake with toasted marshmallow filling and malted chocolate frosting. It looked so delicious, I just had to make it. Luckily, I had a family bbq to attend and thus had an immediate reason to bake it!

I only made four layers as I only have two cake pans and was a bit intimidated by the idea of stacking six layers. Regardless, this cake was phenomenal, delicious, sinful, delightful. I am amazed at the willpower I have shown this evening by not devouring a very large slice.

Campfire Delight Cake

(recipe by Sweetapolita)

Rich and Dark Chocolate Cake

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup Cacao Barry Extra Brute Cocoa Powder (or similar premium brand)
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup strong black coffee, cooled
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare two 9" cake pans with butter and flour or parchment paper. In bowl of electric mixer, sift all dry ingredients. Add all remaning ingredients to bowl with the dry ingredients and with paddle attachment on mixer, mix for 2 minutes on medium speed (you may need the plastic splashguard that comes with mixer) and pour into prepared pans. Batter will be liquidy.

Bake for 20 minutes and rotate pans in oven. Cakes are done when toothpick or skewer comes clean--approximately 35 minutes. Try not to overbake. Cool on wire racks for 20 minutes then gently invert onto racks until completely cool.

Toasted Marshmallow Frosting

16 large white marshmallows
1 cup icing sugar (confectioners' or powdered)
1 cup butter, at room temperature
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
8 oz of Kraft Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Cream (or Marshmallow Fluff)

Place marshmallows on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Place on lower rack of oven, and broil marshmallows until nice and brown. Be sure to keep an eye on them--they burn very, very quickly.

Combine butter and icing sugar in electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, on low until blended (about 1 minute). Add vanilla and mix on high for about 3 minutes.

Add marshmallow cream and toasted marshmallows, and mix on lowest setting for about 1 minute.

Malted Belgium Chocolate Frosting

2 cups butter, at room temperature
4 cups icing sugar (confectioners' or powdered)
3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup Ovaltine Classic
8 oz Callebaut (or other premium brand) bittersweet chocolate, melted
1/2 cup heavy cream

In a bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, combine the icing sugar and butter and beat on low speed for about 1 minute. Add vanilla and malt powder, and beat on low until well combined. Add the melted chocolate and beat on medium speed until smooth (about 2 minutes). Add whipping cream and beat on med-high speed for another minute. Best used right away.

Assembly:

Level the tops of each cake, then split into two layers with a knife or cake leveler. Pipe a border of the chocolate frosting around the top edge of your bottom layer, creating a dam to hold in the filling. Spread a nice, thick layer of marshmallow frosting across the top of the cake. Carefully place the second layer on top. Pipe another chocolate frosting dam, then spread a nice thick layer of chocolate frosting. Carefully place the next cake layer on top and do as you did with the first layer (marshmallow frosting). Place the final cake layer on top and then ice with the chocolate frosting. Garnish with mini marshmallows and chocolate chunks, if you please.

Enjoy!

Pork Pot Roast in Cider

2011-07-04T21:33:00.000-05:00

So I've been dieting lately, which means we haven't been eating a lot of "proper" meals lately. This weekend, I decided I'd actually cook something hearty and we happened to have a pork roast in the freezer. Digging through my cookbooks, I came across this recipe for Pork pot Roast in Cider that I tagged ages ago in my Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook. This roast may be cooked on the stove or in a slow cooker. Since I was baking all day, I used the slow cooker.

This roast was delicious. Hubby and I both loved it. It uses apple juice as the primary liquid which adds a nice sweetness that complements the pork. I was also really excited to see the recipe calls for parsnips. I discovered parsnips a few Thanksgivings ago and love them.

Pork Pot Roast in Cider

(Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook, pg 392)

1 1/2-2 pound boneless pork blade roast or sirloin roast
2 tbsp cooking oil
1 1/4 cups apple cider or juice
2 tsp instant beef bouillon granules
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp black pepper
3 medium red potatoes, peeled (if desired) and quartered
3 medium carrots, cut into 2" pieces
3 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 2" pieces
1 large onion, cut into wedges
1/3 cup cold water
1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Stove-top Directions:

Trim fat from meat. In a 4 to 6 quart Dutch oven, brown meat on all sides in hot oil. Drain off fat. Stir together cider, bouillon granules, mustard, and pepper. Pour over meat. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, 1 hour.

Add potato, carrot, parsnip, and onion. Simmer, covered, for 30 to 40 minutes more or until meat and vegetables are tender. Transfer meat and vegetables to a serving platter, reserving juices. Keep pwarm.

For gravy, measure juices; skim fat. If necessary, add enough water to juices to equal 1 1/2 cups. return to dutch oven. Stir water into flour, then stir into juices in pan. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 1 minute more. To serve, remove string from meat, if present. Slice meat and serve with vegetables and gravy.

Slow Cooker Directions:

Prepare meat as above. Place potato, carrot, parsnip, and onion, in a 3 1/2 or 4 quart slow cooker. Cut meat to fit, if necessary; place on top of vegetables. Stir together apple cider, bouillon granules, mustard, and pepper. Add to cooker. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 8 to 10 hours or on high-heat setting for 4 to 5 hours or until tender. (After four hours, I pulled the meat and veggies out and switched their positions, with meat on bottom and veggies on top.) Transfer meat and vegetables to a serving platter; keep warm. Prepare gravy in a medium saucepan on the stove top and serve as above.

Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Filling and Caramel Icing

2011-07-04T21:14:00.001-05:00

This past weekend, I made a cake for a co-worker's husband's birthday. (Interesting, her husband is also distantly related to hubby.) This cake was somewhat of a practice run as she's asked me to make a cake for his coworker's birthday as well. I cobbled together a few different recipes. I wasn't able to taste the cake, but my coworker said it was delicious!

Best-Ever Chocolate Cake

(Better Homes and Gardens, Our Best Recipes, pg 280)

3/4 cup butter
3 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups milk
1/3 cup seedless raspberry preserves or raspberry jam (for filling)
1 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted (for drizzle)

Allow butter and eggs to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Lightly grease bottoms of three 8" round cake pans, two 9" round pans, or two 8x8" square pans. Line bottoms of pans with waxed paper. Grease and lightly flour waxed paper and sides of pans. Set pans aside.

Preheat oven to 350F. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Gradually add sugar, about 1/4 cup at a time, beating on medium speed for 3 to 4 minutes or until well mixed. Scrape side of bowl; continue beating on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition (about 1 minute total). Beat in vanilla.

Alternately add flour mixture and milk to beaten mixture, beating on low speed just until combined after each addition. Beat on medium to high speed for 20 seconds more. Spread evenly into the prepared pans.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes for round cake pans, 35 to 40 minutes for square pans, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean. Cool cake layers in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pans. Peel off waxed paper. Cool completely on wire racks.

Caramel Frosting

(recipe found here)

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in salt and brown sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, until sugar dissolves. Stir in milk and return to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Cool to lukewarm, about 30 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Once lukewarm, transfer to a stand mixer. Sift powdered sugar over it, and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Assembly:

Using a bread knife or cake leveler, level the tops of each cake. Pipe a border of caramel frosting around the top edge of one cake, creating a border or dam. Spread a thin layer of frosting on top, within the dam, then spread the raspberry preserves on top. Carefully place the second cake on top of the first. Frost the cake and garnish with raspberries and drizzle with melted chocolate.

June 2011 Daring Bakers Challenge : Baklava

2011-06-27T21:31:00.001-05:00

Erica of Erica’s Edibles was our host for the Daring Baker’s June challenge. Erica challenged us to be truly DARING by making homemade phyllo dough and then to use that homemade dough to make Baklava.

When I saw this month's challenge, I was terrified. Absolutely, positively terrified. I've worked with phyllo once; it was the storebought kind and it was disastrous. I considered not even doing this month's challenge, but then I wouldn't be a Daring Baker, would I? (Please note, last month I just completely missed the challenge. My days got all jumbled.) Also, I love baklava. It's so fragrant and delicious.

Now I'm not going to post the recipe tonight. I've had one of those days where things just keep going wrong and I haven't gotten the recipe formatted to go nicely in my blog. And all I can think of is cuddling up and bed and falling asleep. I promise to try to get the recipe up tomorrow. It's a great recipe and I really want to share it!

****
Okay, it's been more than a few days, but here's the recipe as provided by The Daring Kitchen:

Phyllo Dough:

*Note 1: To have enough to fill my 9” x 9” baking dish with 18 layers of phyllo I doubled this recipe.
*Note 2: Single recipe will fill a 8” x 5” baking dish.
*Note 3: Dough can be made a head of time and froze. Just remove from freezer and allow to thaw and continue making your baklava

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups unbleached all purpose (plain) flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup less 1 tablespoon (105 ml) water, plus more if needed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus additional for coating the dough
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar, (could substitute white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar, but could affect the taste)

1. In the bowl of your stand mixer combine flour and salt

2. Mix with paddle attachment

3. Combine water, oil and vinegar in a small bowl.

4. Add water & oil mixture with mixer on low speed, mix until you get a soft dough, if it appears dry add a little more water (I had to add a tablespoon more)

5. Change to the dough hook and let knead approximately 10 minutes. You will end up with beautiful smooth dough. If you are kneading by hand, knead approx. 20 minutes.

6. Remove the dough from mixer and continue to knead for 2 more minutes. Pick up the dough and through it down hard on the counter a few times during the kneading process.

7. Shape the dough into a ball and lightly cover with oil

8. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and let rest 30-90 minutes, longer is best ( I let mine rest 2 hours and it was perfect)

Rolling your Phyllo

** Remove all rings and jewelry so it does not snag the dough**

Use whatever means you have to get the dough as thin as you can. I have included a fantastic video at the end of the post on how to roll out your phyllo dough, using a wooden dowel, which worked perfectly for me. You may also use a pasta machine if you have one, or a normal rolling pin whatever works for you.

1. Unwrap your dough and cut off a chunk slightly larger then a golf ball. While you are rolling be sure to keep the other dough covered so it doesn’t dry out.

2. Be sure to flour your hands, rolling pin and counter. As you roll you will need to keep adding, don’t worry, you can’t over-flour.

3. Roll out the dough a bit to flatten it out.

4. Wrap the dough around your rolling pin/dowel

5. Roll back and forth quickly with the dough remaining on the dowel

(see attached video for a visual, its much easier then it sounds)

6. Remove; notice how much bigger it is!

7. Rotate and repeat until it is as thin as you can it. Don’t worry if you get rips in the dough, as long as you have one perfect one for the top you will never notice.

8. When you get it as thin as you can with the rolling pin, carefully pick it up with well floured hands and stretch it on the backs of your hands as you would a pizza dough, just helps make it that much thinner. Roll out your dough until it is transparent. NOTE: you will not get it as thin as the frozen phyllo dough you purchase at the store, it is made by machine

9. Set aside on a well-floured surface. Repeat the process until your dough is used up. Between each sheet again flower well. You will not need to cover your dough with a wet cloth, as you do with boxed dough, it is moist enough that it will not try out.

Baklava Recipe

Adapted from Alton Brown, The Food Network
30 servings

Ingredients

For the syrup:
· 1 1/4 cups (300 ml) honey
· 1 1/4 cups (300ml) water
· 1 1/4 cups (300 ml) (280 gm/10 oz) sugar
· 1 cinnamon stick
· 1 (2-inch/50 mm) piece fresh citrus peel (lemon or orange work best)
· a few cloves or a pinch or ground clove

When you put your baklava in the oven start making your syrup. When you combine the two, one of them needs to be hot, I find it better when the baklava is hot and the syrup has cooled

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a medium pot over medium high heat. Stir occasionally until sugar has dissolved

2. Boil for 10 minutes, stir occasionally.

3. Once boiled for 10 minutes remove from heat and strain cinnamon stick and lemon, allow to cool as baklava cooks

Ingredients for the Filling:

1 (5-inch/125 mm piece) cinnamon stick, broken into 2 to 3 pieces or 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
15 to 20 whole allspice berries ( I just used a few pinches)
3/4 cup blanched almonds
3/4 cup raw or roasted walnuts
3/4 cup raw or roasted pistachios
2/3 cup sugar
phyllo dough (see recipe above)
1 cup melted butter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to moderate 350°F/180°C/gas mark 4.

2. Combine nuts, sugar and spices in a food processor and pulse on high until finely chopped. If you do not have a food processor chop with a sharp knife as fine as you can. Set aside

3. Trim your phyllo sheets to fit in your pan

4. Brush bottom of pan with butter and place first phyllo sheet

5. Brush the first phyllo sheet with butter and repeat approximately 5 times ending with butter. (Most recipes say more, but homemade phyllo is thicker so it's not needed)

6. Sprinkle 1/3 of the nut mixture on top

7. Continue layering phyllo and buttering repeating 4 times

8. Sprinkle 1/3 of the nut mixture on top

9. Continue layering phyllo and buttering repeating 4 times

10. Sprinkle 1/3 of the nut mixture on top

11. Continue layering and buttering phyllo 5 more times. On the top layer, make sure you have a piece of phyllo with no holes if possible, just looks better.

12. Once you have applied the top layer tuck in all the edges to give a nice appearance.

13. With a Sharp knife cut your baklava in desired shapes and number of pieces. If you can't cut all the ways through don’t worry you will cut again later. A 9x9 pan cuts nicely into 30 pieces. Then brush with a generous layer of butter making sure to cover every area and edge

14. Bake for approximately 30 minutes; remove from oven and cut again this time all the way through. Continue baking for another 30 minutes. (Oven temperatures will vary, you are looking for the top to be a golden brown, take close watch yours may need more or less time in the oven)

15. When baklava is cooked remove from oven and pour the cooled (will still be warmish) syrup evenly over the top, taking care to cover all surfaces when pouring. It looks like it is a lot but over night the syrup will soak into the baklava creating a beautifully sweet and wonderfully textured baklava!

16. Allow to cool to room temperature. Once cooled cover and store at room temperature. Allow the baklava to sit overnight to absorb the syrup.

17. Serve at room temperature.

June 2011 Daring Cooks Challenge; Potato Salad

2011-06-14T23:43:00.000-05:00

Jami Sorrento was our June Daring Cooks hostess and she chose to challenge us to celebrate the humble spud by making a delicious and healthy potato salad. The Daring Cooks Potato Salad Challenge was sponsored by the nice people at the United States Potato Board, who awarded prizes to the top 3 most creative and healthy potato salads. A medium-size (5.3 ounce) potato has 110 calories, no fat, no cholesterol, no sodium and includes nearly half your daily value of vitamin C and has more potassium than a banana!

Potato Salad!! I LOVE POTATO SALAD. Something I love about potato salad is that everyone thinks it should be made in a very specific way, and all those ways are quite different, even when they have pretty much the same ingredients. I usually make potato salad as my mother taught me to make, with a few instances of baked potato salad instead. (Two very different dishes, might I add). So this month's challenge pushed me to try a new variation of one of my favorite foods.

Now this potato salad isn't the prettiest as I used regular (dark) balsamic vinegar, but it tasted fabulous. I also used green beans from my very own garden which, in my opinion, make this the best potato salad I've ever made.

Look at that robust, delicious green bean!

Green Bean Potato Salad
(I made some slight modifications to the recipe given, and halved it)

1 lb red potatoes
5 oz green beans, parboiled and chopped
1 roasted red pepper, diced
1/6 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 cup shredded Parmesan

Scrub potatoes very well, or you may peel them. Chop into bite size chunks and boil until tender, but not mushy.

In a large bowl, combine potatoes, green beans, and diced red pepper.

In a measuring cup, whisk together oil, vinegar, salt, and Parmesan. Pour over vegetables and toss to coat.

Serve warm.

German Chocolate Cake

2011-05-15T12:32:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, my coworker's son graduated from college. She threw a great little party and requested a German Chocolate cake for the occasion. Now, at that point I'd never had German chocolate cake, much less made one, but I do have my evertrue Better Homes and Garden cookbook which has yet to steer me wrong.

Kitchen Lesson No. 1: Always carefully and completely read a recipe before you begin. You never want to get to the end of your baking adventure and realize that the recipe only calls for frosting the top of the cake layers and not the side when you had anticipated total icing. That leaves you scrambling for a solution. That being said, it did lead me to do something I hadn't originally planned but which worked great! After doing some googling, I saw a few cakes that had the coconut frosting on the top with chocolate on the sides. It looked classy and delicious and I'm very happy with the end result.

German Chocolate Cake
(BH&G New Cookbook, pg 166)

Chocolate Cake

1 4-oz package sweet baking chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 cups whole milk
3/4 cup unsalted butter
3 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla

Coconut-Pecan Frosting

1 egg
1 5-oz can evaporated milk
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 1/3 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Chocolate Frosting

8 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 tbsp light corn syrup
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup cornstarch

For the cake:

In a small saucepan, combine chocolate and milk. Cook adn stir over low heat until melted; set aside to cool.

Allow butter and eggs to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, grease the bottom of two 8x8" square pans or 9" round cake pans. Line the bottoms with wax paper; then, grease and lightly flour the pans. Alternatively, you can just grease a 13x9 inch baking pan. Set the pans aside. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Gradually add the sugar, about 1/4 cup at a time, beating on medium speed after each addition until well combined (about 3 minutes). Scrape the sides of the bowl; continue beating on medium speed for 2 minutes more. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition (about 1 minute total). Beat in vanilla. Alternately add flour and chocolate mixtures to the butter mixture, beating on low speed after each additional just until combined. beat on medium to high speed for 20 seconds more. Spread batter evenly into the prepared pans.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes for the 8" pans, 30 to 35 minutes for the 9" pans, or 40 to 45 minutes for the 13x9" pan, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool cake layers in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove cake layers from pans. Peel off waxed paper. Cool thoroughly on racks. Or place 13x9 cake in pan on wire rack and cool completely.

For the Coconut-Pecan Filling:

In a medium saucepan, slightly beat the egg. Stir in the evaporated milk, sugar, and butter. Cook and stir over medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes, until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat; stir in coconut flakes and pecans. Cover and cool thoroughly before using.

For the Chocolate Frosting:

Combine chocolate, corn syrup, and butter in a medium bowl. Heat cream until just boiling. Remove from heat and pour over chocolate. Let stand for one minute, then stir. Let sit til room temperature. Sift cornstarch over frosting, a tablespoon at a time, and mix in until you get a thick enough consistency to frost with. (When I made this frosting, it wasn't thick enough to stay on the cake (it dripped a bit), so I added cornstarch as a quick fix to get it thick enough.) Classy, I know.

Assembly:

Set the first cake layer on cake plate/round/whatever you desire. Pipe a 1/4 inch thick border of chocolate frosting around the very edge; this will act as a dam to keep your coconut filling from oozing out the sides. Spread half of the coconut filling within your chocolate border. Set the next cake layer on top. Again, pipe a chocolate frosting border along the edge of the cake. Spread the other half of the coconut filling on top, trying to get it as level as possible. Pipe a decorative border on top of the coconut filling dam. Frost the sides of the cake.

Slice and enjoy!

May 2011 Daring Cooks Challenge: Gumbo

2011-05-14T23:07:00.001-05:00

Our May hostess, Denise, of There’s a Newf in My Soup!, challenged The Daring Cooks to make Gumbo! She provided us with all the recipes we’d need, from creole spices, homemade stock, and Louisiana white rice, to Drew’s Chicken & Smoked Sausage Gumbo and Seafood Gumbo from My New Orleans: The Cookbook, by John Besh.

Okay, I must admit I was a bit amused when I learned this month's challenge was gumbo having grown up in the heart of Cajun country. But I have been meaning to learn to make a seafood gumbo (instead of my beloved chicken and sausage), so this challenge gave me the opportunity to finally do so. Unfortunately, my head is POUNDING right now (which I suspect is the result of my discovering the tastiness of the pina colada this afternoon.)

Now, I don't want to be a Negative Norton, and this was a good gumbo, but John Besh's recipe was super counter-intuitive to me. Perhaps that's how they make gumbos in New Orleans, not in Cajun country. BUT I have finally had seafood gumbo and used the shrimp heads/shells that have been hanging out in my freezer for months. YAAY!

*****
Edit:

Now that my headache has cleared, I'd like to explain a bit more. In my quest to make my first gumbo, I spoke to many people about technique. Everyone I spoke to said the same basic thing. First you make your roux, then you whisk in your liquids and let that boil for at least an hour before adding anything else. Only after that hour do you add your veggies and meats. Then that boils for at least an hour longer, though usually much longer. With Besh's recipe, the roux is made, then the veggies are slowly added, then the meats, then the liquid is added as the last step. Having had horrible failure occur when my roux and liquid didn't come together, I was TERRIFIED that this would happen again and that unlike previous times, I wouldn't be able to just toss out the roux and start over again. Everything was already in the pot! So basically, with Besh's recipe, there was a lot of frantic whisking and praying.

That being said, the gumbo came out just fine. Everything mixed together and the flavors were right.

And honestly, I'm really looking forward to a bowl of that gumbo for lunch. Warm weather be damned!

April 2011 Daring Baker's Challenge: Maple Mousse in a Bacon Cup

2011-04-27T23:39:00.000-05:00

There are 2 mandatory components to this challenge. You must make one of the 2 maple mousse recipes listed below and you must make an edible container in which to place your mousse for presentation.

What a challenge! I was excited for the bacon bowls, but I've never been a huge fan of maple. This has always been a little heartbreaking for me, as I read an enchanting book as a child set in Vermont on a maple farm. I always wanted to try drizzling fresh maple syrup on the snow to make candy as they did in the novel, but a lack of syrupy trees and snow prevented me from doing so.

Tonight, I got overambitious with my bacon bowls. I think I made them too big, so they were floppyish. I double-bowled them for my picture. I do want to try making some smaller ones for scrambled eggs.

I ended up making myself a little deconstructed dessert bowl. Incidentally, I discovered that I hate gloopy cloying overpowering "maple" syrup and not the actual maple flavor. YAY!!

April 2011 Daring Cooks Challenge: Edible Containers

2011-04-14T23:27:00.000-05:00

Renata of Testado, Provado & Aprovado! was our Daring Cooks’ April 2011 hostess. Renata challenged us to think “outside the plate” and create our own edible containers! Prizes are being awarded to the most creative edible container and filling, so vote on your favorite from April 17th to May 16th at http://thedaringkitchen.com!

Yaay edible containers! Yet another challenge featuring something I've been wanting to try, but hadn't. Hubby and I love baked eggs, and while I've been wanting to try putting them in a bread basket, I just never did. But now that I've tried with bread, I believe a bacon-cup is in my near future. Bacony egg goodness? Heck yeah!

March 2011 Daring Baker's Challenge: Yeasted Meringue Coffee Cake

2011-03-27T23:07:00.000-05:00

The March 2011 Daring Baker’s Challenge was hosted by Ria of Ria’s Collection and Jamie of Life’s a Feast. Ria and Jamie challenged The Daring Bakers to bake a yeasted Meringue Coffee Cake.

Okay. Yeasted Meringue Coffee Cake sounds weird. Why would you put meringue in a coffee cake? Shouldn't a coffee cake be all crumbly cinnamon deliciousness? No and not necessarily. I had some reservations about this challenge; it just seemed like an odd mix of two things. BUT, those reservations were absolutely unnecessary because this stuff is DELICIOUS. I honestly can't stop myself from eating it. For the past two days, I keep finding myself in the kitchen cutting off little slivers (okay maybe wedges). Basically, this is a similar to a king cake or danish.. sweet bread rolled out, spread with meringue, with filling sprinkled on top, then rolled up, shaped into a ring, and baked. Two different filling options were provided, but I decided to try my own thing and used cinnamon chips and almonds. DELICIOUS. I'm so proud of myself.

FILLED MERINGUE COFFEE CAKE

(Makes 2 round coffee cakes, each approximately 10 inches in diameter. The recipe can easily be halved to make one round coffee cake.)

For the yeast coffee cake dough:

4 cups flour
¼ cup sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
1 package active dried yeast
¾ cup whole milk
¼ cup water (doesn’t matter what temperature)
½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
2 large eggs at room temperature

For the meringue:

3 large egg whites at room temperature
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ cup sugar

For the filling:

1 cup coarsely chopped blanched almonds
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1 cup cinnamon chips

Egg wash: 1 beaten egg
confectioner’s sugar (powdered/icing sugar) for dusting cakes

Prepare the dough:

In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 ½ cups of the flour, the sugar, salt and yeast.

In a saucepan, combine the milk, water and butter and heat over medium heat until warm and the butter is just melted.

With an electric mixer on low speed, gradually add the warm liquid to the flour/yeast mixture, beating until well blended. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes. Add the eggs and 1 cup (150 g) flour and beat for 2 more minutes.

Using a wooden spoon, stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a dough that holds together. Turn out onto a floured surface (use any of the 1 ½ cups of flour remaining) and knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes until the dough is soft, smooth, sexy and elastic, keeping the work surface floured and adding extra flour as needed.

Place the dough in a lightly greased (I use vegetable oil) bowl, turning to coat all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let rise until double in bulk, 45 – 60 minutes. The rising time will depend on the type of yeast you use.

Once the dough has doubled, make the meringue:

In a clean mixing bowl – ideally a plastic or metal bowl so the egg whites adhere to the side (they slip on glass) and you don’t end up with liquid remaining in the bottom – beat the egg whites with the salt, first on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to high and continue beating until foamy and opaque. Add the vanilla then start adding the ½ cup sugar, a tablespoon at a time as you beat, until very stiff, glossy peaks form.

Assemble the Coffee Cakes:

Line 2 baking/cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Punch down the dough and divide in half. On a lightly floured surface, working one piece of

the dough at a time (keep the other half of the dough wrapped in plastic), roll out the dough into a 20 x 10-inch (about 51 x 25 ½ cm) rectangle. Spread half of the meringue evenly over the rectangle up to about 1/2-inch (3/4 cm) from the edges. Sprinkle 1 tbsp sugar, then half a cup of chopped almonds, and half a cup of cinnamon chips over the meringue.

Now, roll up the dough jellyroll style, from the long side. Pinch the seam closed to seal. Very carefully transfer the filled log to one of the lined cookie sheets, seam side down. Bring the ends of the log around and seal the ends together, forming a ring, tucking one end into the other and pinching to seal.

Using kitchen scissors or a sharp knife (although scissors are easier), make cuts along the outside edge at 1-inch (2 ½ cm) intervals. Make them as shallow or as deep as desired but don’t be afraid to cut deep into the ring.

Repeat with the remaining dough, meringue and fillings.

Cover the 2 coffee cakes with plastic wrap and allow them to rise again for 45 to 60 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).

Brush the tops of the coffee cakes with the egg wash. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until risen and golden brown. The dough should sound hollow when tapped.

Remove from the oven and slide the parchment paper off the cookie sheets onto the table. Very gently loosen the coffee cakes from the paper with a large spatula and carefully slide the cakes off onto cooling racks. Allow to cool.

Just before serving, dust the tops of the coffee cakes with confectioner’s sugar as well as cocoa powder if using chocolate in the filling. These are best eaten fresh, the same day or the next day.

March 2011 Daring Cook's Challenge: Ceviche and Papas Rellenas

2011-03-14T23:59:00.000-05:00

Kathlyn of Bake Like a Ninja was our Daring Cooks’ March 2011 hostess. Kathlyn challenges us to make two classic Peruvian dishes: Ceviche de Pescado from “Peruvian Cooking – Basic Recipes” by Annik Franco Barreau. And Papas Rellenas adapted from a home recipe by Kathlyn’s Spanish teacher, Mayra.

Okay guys. Papas rellenas are one of my absolute favorites. I've had them before at a Cuban restaurant and they were amazing. Tasty meat surrounded by potatoes, then fried to delicious perfection.. Aaahh.

Unfortunately, I've been a bit rushed for this challenge. This past week was Mardi Gras and I was lucky enough to have a friend from Iowa come visit. At the end of her trip, hubby and I got a 6 week old puppy, so it's been a bit hectic. Beyond that, my house is in disarray as we're having the windows replaced. (I'm sitting beside my desk on the floor because my desk is full of everything that was once under the window.)

I've been a horrible blogger lately. I'm sorry.

February 2011 Daring Bakers' Challenge: Panna Cotta and Florentine Cookies

2011-02-27T23:30:00.000-06:00

The February 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Mallory from A Sofa in the Kitchen. She chose to challenge everyone to make Panna Cotta from a Giada De Laurentiis recipe and Nestle Florentine Cookies.

I have been curious about panna cotta for quite some time (since I started obsessing over tastespotting.com), but I've never really planned to make it. Lucky for me, it was this month's challenge!

The texture of panna cotta was interesting, somewhere between jello and pudding. It requires the use of gelatin, which I haven't used much before, so I had fun with that.

Mmmm cookies.

Vanilla Panna Cotta

(from Giada De Laurentiis)

1 cup (240 ml) whole milk
1 tablespoon (one packet) (15 ml) (7 gm) (¼ oz) unflavored powdered gelatin
3 cups (720 ml) whipping cream (30+% butterfat)
1/3 cup (80 ml) honey
1 tablespoon (15 ml) (15 gm) (½ oz) granulated sugar
pinch of salt

Pour the milk into a bowl or pot and sprinkle gelatin evenly and thinly over the milk (make sure the bowl/pot is cold by placing the bowl/pot in the refrigerator for a few minutes before you start making the Panna Cotta). Let stand for 5 minutes to soften the gelatin.

Pour the milk into the saucepan/pot and place over medium heat on the stove. Heat this mixture until it is hot, but not boiling, about five minutes. (I whisk it a few times at this stage).

Next, add the cream, honey, sugar, and pinch of salt. Making sure the mixture doesn't boil, continue to heat and stir occasionally until the sugar and honey have dissolved 5-7 minutes.

Remove from heat, allow it to sit for a few minutes to cool slightly. Then pour into the glass or ramekin.

Strawberry Gelée

(Recipe by Mallory)

1 cup (240 ml) (230 gm) (8 oz) strawberries
3 tablespoons (45 ml) water
1/4 cup (60 ml) (60 gm) (2 oz) granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons (7½ ml) (3½ gm) (1/8 oz) unflavored powdered gelatin

Sprinkle gelatin over water.

Place fruit and sugar in a small saucepan and simmer until sugar has dissolved. Now mix the gelatin into the strawberry mixture and stir until gelatin has dissolved.

Remove from heat and allow to cool (close to room temp, again, if you're planning on layering on pouring on top of your Panna Cotta, a hot mixture will also heat up your chilled Panna Cotta).

Nestle Florentine Cookies

(Recipe from the cookbook “Nestle Classic Recipes”, and their website)

2/3 cup (160 ml) (150 gm) (5.3 oz) unsalted butter
2 cups (480 ml) (160 gm) (5 2/3 oz) quick oats
1 cup (240 ml) (230 gm) (8 oz) granulated sugar
2/3 cup (160 ml) (95 gm) (3⅓ oz) plain (all purpose) flour
1/4 cup (60 ml) dark corn syrup
1/4 cup (60 ml) whole milk
1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1½ cups (360 ml) (250 gm) (9 oz) dark or milk chocolate

Preheat oven to moderately hot 375°F (190°C) (gas mark 5). Prepare your baking sheet with silpat or parchment paper.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan, then remove from the heat.

To the melted butter add oats, sugar, flour, corn syrup, milk, vanilla, and salt. Mix well. Drop a tablespoon full, three inches (75 mm) apart, onto your prepared baking sheet. Flatten slightly with the back of your tablespoon, or use a spatula.

Bake in preheated oven for 6-8 minutes, until cookies are golden brown. Cool completely on the baking sheets.

While the cookies are cooling melt your chocolate until smooth either in the microwave (1 1/2 minutes), or stovetop (in a double boiler, or a bowl that fits atop a saucepan filled with a bit of water, being sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl).

Peel the cookies from the silpat or parchment and place face down on a wire rack set over a sheet of wax/parchment paper (to keep counters clean).

Spread a tablespoon of chocolate on the bottom/flat side of your cookie, sandwiching another (flat end) cookie atop the chocolate.

This recipe will make about 2 1/2 - 3 dozen sandwiched Florentine cookies. You can also choose not to sandwich yours, in which case, drizzle the tops with chocolate (over your wax paper).

February 2011 Daring Cook's Challenge: Cold Soba Salad and Tempura

2011-02-14T23:13:00.001-06:00

The February 2011 Daring Cooks’ challenge was hosted by Lisa of Blueberry Girl. She challenged Daring Cooks to make Hiyashi Soba and Tempura. She has various sources for her challenge including japanesefood.about.com, pinkbites.com, and itsybitsyfoodies.com.

Wow. Nothing like suddenly remembering I need to post after I've snuggled up all warm and cozy in bed. That's one good thing about doing challenges at the last minute: you remember to post immediately after doing it.

(tempura eggplant and sweet potato)

Sorry I've been pretty nonexistent lately. I guess I've been busy and in a kitchen slump. I have got a few things to post, which I will hopefully do in the next few days.

White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookies

2011-01-16T22:33:00.004-06:00

Hubby's favorite cookies are white chocolate chip macadamia nut ones. He adores them. Any time he came home for a visit while in the Marine Corps, we'd get a couple packs of those Pepperidge Farm tahoes. So when Christmas cookie time rolled around and I asked him if he'd like me to make any special cookies, I wasn't the least surprised at his request. I did a quick search to see if I could find a copycat recipe for the PF Tahoes, but I didn't find one. Instead, I came across this one, which was a winner.

Unfortunately, during my Christmas cookie weekend, I didn't snap any photos. No big loss, as these cookies aren't much to look at it. But what they lack in looks, they make up for in taste.

White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup coarsely chopped macadamia nuts
1 cup coarsely chopped white chocolate

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla and almond extracts. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; gradually stir into the creamed mixture. Mix in the macadamia nuts and white chocolate. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

Cheese Scones

2011-01-16T22:15:00.000-06:00

The other day, I made some soup and wanted to make biscuits or something to go along with it. Unfortunately, I had no milk, so I got to play the game of "what recipe needs ingredients that I have" which is an interesting game. I found a recipe for country scones in my Taste of Home Cookbook. They're more like biscuits in texture, but they are beyond delicious. So tantalizingly scrumptious that I made them again two nights later.

Cheese Scones
(The Taste of Home Cookbook, page 442)

2 cups all purpose flour
3 tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
5 tbsp cold butter, cut into squares
1 cup sour cream
2 egg yolks
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 egg white

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Combine sour cream and egg yolks; add to crumb mixture. Stir in cheese until just blended.

Turn onto a floured surface; knead gently 8-10 times. Divide into four portions. On ungreased baking sheets, pat dough into 4 inch circles.

Cut each into four wedges, but do not separate. Beat egg white; brush over dough.

Bake at 425F for 15 to 18 minutes, or until golden. Serve warm.

Note: when I made these, I halved the recipe. Also, I didn't divide the dough into halves or quarters; I just patted it into an inch thick circle and cut it into 8 wedges.

December 2010 Daring Bakers Challenge : Christmas Stollen

2010-12-27T21:12:00.001-06:00

The 2010 December Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Penny of Sweet Sadie’s Baking. She chose to challenge Daring Bakers’ to make Stollen. She adapted a friend’s family recipe and combined it with information from friends, techniques from Peter Reinhart’s book.........and Martha Stewart’s demonstration.

Stollen is similar to fruitcake, but it is more a sweet bread than cake. It has a combination of candied citron, cherries, and raisins along with slivered almonds. I wasn't sure if I would like it (I generally do not eat raisins due to a traumatizing childhood experience) but I found this both delightful and addicting. It is pleasantly sweet (I find some sweet breads are a tease) and the spices and fruits add a complexity of flavors.

Stollen Wreath

Makes one large wreath or two traditional shaped Stollen loaves. Serves 10-12 people

Ingredients

¼ cup (60ml) lukewarm water (110º F / 43º C)
2 packages (4 1/2 teaspoons) (22 ml) (14 grams) (1/2 oz) active dry yeast
1 cup (240 ml) milk
10 tablespoons (150 ml) (140 grams) unsalted butter (can use salted butter)
5½ cups (1320 ml) (27 ozs) (770 grams) all-purpose (plain) flour (Measure flour first - then sift- plus extra for dusting)
½ cup (120 ml) (115 gms) sugar
¾ teaspoon (3 ¾ ml) (4 ½ grams) salt (if using salted butter there is no need to alter this salt measurement)
1 teaspoon (5 ml) (6 grams) cinnamon
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
Grated zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange
2 teaspoons (10 ml) (very good) vanilla extract
1 teaspoon (5 ml) lemon extract or orange extract
¾ cup (180 ml) (4 ¾ ozs) (135 grams) mixed peel (link below to make your own)
1 cup (240 ml) (6 ozs) (170 gms) firmly packed raisins
3 tablespoons (45ml) rum
12 red glacé cherries (roughly chopped) for the color and the taste. (optional)
1 cup (240 ml) (3 ½ ozs) (100 grams) flaked almonds
Melted unsalted butter for coating the wreath
Confectioners’ (icing) (powdered) sugar for dusting wreath

Directions:

Soak the raisins: in a small bowl, soak the raisins in the rum (or in the orange juice from the zested orange) and set aside.

To make the dough
Pour ¼ cup (60 ml) warm water into a small bowl, sprinkle with yeast and let stand 5 minutes. Stir to dissolve yeast completely.

In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup (240 ml) milk and 10 tablespoons (150 ml) butter over medium - low heat until butter is melted. Let stand until lukewarm, about 5 minutes.

Lightly beat eggs in a small bowl and add lemon and vanilla extracts.

In a large mixing bowl (4 qt) (4 liters) (or in the bowl of an electric mixer with paddle attachment), stir together the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, orange and lemon zests.

Then stir in (or mix on low speed with the paddle attachment) the yeast/water mixture, eggs and the lukewarm milk/butter mixture. This should take about 2 minutes. It should be a soft, but not sticky ball. When the dough comes together, cover the bowl with either plastic or a tea cloth and let rest for 10 minutes.

Add in the mixed peel, soaked fruit and almonds and mix with your hands or on low speed to incorporate. Here is where you can add the cherries if you would like. Be delicate with the cherries or all your dough will turn red!

Sprinkle flour on the counter, transfer the dough to the counter, and begin kneading (or mixing with the dough hook) to distribute the fruit evenly, adding additional flour if needed. The dough should be soft and satiny, tacky but not sticky. Knead for approximately 8 minutes (6 minutes by machine). The full six minutes of kneading is needed to distribute the dried fruit and other ingredients and to make the dough have a reasonable bread-dough consistency. You can tell when the dough is kneaded enough – a few raisins will start to fall off the dough onto the counter because at the beginning of the kneading process the dough is very sticky and the raisins will be held into the dough but when the dough is done it is tacky which isn't enough to bind the outside raisins onto the dough ball.

Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling around to coat it with the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

Put it in the fridge overnight. The dough becomes very firm in the fridge (since the butter goes firm) but it does rise slowly… the raw dough can be kept in the refrigerator up to a week and then baked on the day you want.

Shaping the Dough and Baking the Wreath

Let the dough rest for 2 hours after taking out of the fridge in order to warm slightly.

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Preheat oven to moderate 350°F/180°C/gas mark 4 with the oven rack on the middle shelf.

Punch dough down, roll into a rectangle about 16 x 24 inches (40 x 61 cms) and ¼ inch (6 mm) thick.

Starting with a long side, roll up tightly, forming a long, thin cylinder.

Transfer the cylinder roll to the sheet pan. Join the ends together, trying to overlap the layers to make the seam stronger and pinch with your fingers to make it stick, forming a large circle. You can form it around a bowl to keep the shape.

Using kitchen scissors, make cuts along outside of circle, in 2-inch (5 cm) intervals, cutting 2/3 of the way through the dough.

Twist each segment outward, forming a wreath shape. Mist the dough with spray oil and cover loosely with plastic wrap.

Proof for approximately 2 hours at room temperature, or until about 1½ times its original size.

Bake the stollen for 20 minutes, then rotate the pan 180 degrees for even baking and continue to bake for 20 to 30 minutes. The bread will bake to a dark mahogany color, should register 190°F/88°C in the center of the loaf, and should sound hollow when thumped on the bottom.

Transfer to a cooling rack and brush the top with melted butter while still hot. Immediately tap a layer of powdered sugar over the top through a sieve or sifter. Wait for 1 minute, then tap another layer over the first. The bread should be coated generously with the powdered sugar.

Let cool at least an hour before serving. Coat the stollen in butter and icing sugar three times, since this many coatings helps keeps the stollen fresh - especially if you intend on sending it in the mail as Christmas presents!

When completely cool, store in a plastic bag. Or leave it out uncovered overnight to dry out slightly, German style.

Sorry I haven't kept up on posting; I've baked myself into exhaustion. Also, I suspect I am getting sick again (as I simply cannot stop sneezing).

OHGOODNEWS! Hubby got me the food processor of my dreams for Christmas!!

December 2010 Daring Cooks Challenge: Poach (eggs) to Perfection!

2010-12-14T21:22:00.003-06:00

Jenn and Jill have challenged The Daring Cooks to learn to perfect the technique of poaching an egg. They chose Eggs Benedict recipe from Alton Brown, Oeufs en Meurette from Cooking with Wine by Anne Willan, and Homemade Sundried Tomato & Pine Nut Seitan Sausages (poached) courtesy of Trudy of Veggie num num.

As a kid, I always thought soft-boiled eggs in the little cups were poached eggs; I didn't learn any better until hubby made me poached eggs not so long ago. The challenge was to poach an egg; a few different recipes were provided. I debated for a while, then decided to try my hand at Eggs Benedict. I've been flirting with the idea of having a brunch get-together so it seemed sensible to add such a classic breakfast/brunch item to my repertoire.

Hubby and I both fell madly in love with Eggs Benedict last night. He had had it once before at a restaurant and was unimpressed; it was my first time. The salty butteriness of the sauce with an ever so slight kick of cayenne against the sweetness of the canadian bacon really bring this dish together.

Eggs Benedict

(the Hollandaise sauce is courtesy of Alton Brown)

4 eggs (size is your choice)
2 English muffins*
4 slices of Canadian bacon/back bacon (or plain bacon if you prefer)
Chives, for garnish
Splash of vinegar (for poaching)

For the hollandaise (makes 1.5 cups):

3 large egg yolks
1 tsp. (5 ml) water
¼ tsp. (1 ¼ ml/1½ g) sugar
12 Tbl. (170 g/6 oz.) unsalted butter, chilled and cut in small pieces º
½ tsp. (2 ½ ml/3 g) kosher salt
2 tsp. (10 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
Pinch cayenne pepper (optional)

* for gluten free, use gluten free English muffins or bread of your choice
º for dairy free, use a dairy free margarine

Directions:

1. Fill a medium saucepan halfway with water and bring to a simmer.

2. Cut the chilled butter into small pieces and set aside.

3. Whisk egg yolks and 1 tsp. (5 ml) water in a mixing bowl large enough to sit on the saucepan without touching the water (or in top portion of a double boiler). Whisk for 1–2 minutes, until egg yolks lighten. Add the sugar and whisk 30 seconds more.

4. Place bowl on saucepan over simmering water and whisk steadily 3–5 minutes (it only took about 3 for me) until the yolks thicken to coat the back of a spoon.

5. Remove from heat (but let the water continue to simmer) and whisk in the butter, 1 piece at a time. Move the bowl to the pan again as needed to melt the butter, making sure to whisk constantly.

6. Once all the butter is incorporated, remove from heat and whisk in the salt, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper (if using).

7. Keep the hollandaise warm while you poach your eggs in a thermos, carafe, or bowl that you’ve preheated with warm water.

8. If the water simmering in your pan has gotten too low, add enough so that you have 2–3 inches of water and bring back to a simmer.

9. Add salt and a splash of vinegar (any kind will do). I added about a tablespoon of vinegar to my small saucepan (about 3 cups of water/720 ml of water), but you may need more if you’re using a larger pan with more water.

10. Crack eggs directly into the very gently simmering water (or crack first into a bowl and gently drop into the water), making sure they’re separated. Cook for 3 minutes for a viscous but still runny yolk.

11. While waiting for the eggs, quickly fry the Canadian/back bacon and toast your English muffin.

12. Top each half of English muffin with a piece of bacon. Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon, draining well, and place on top of the bacon. Top with hollandaise and chopped chives, and enjoy!

Mince Pies

2010-12-12T20:17:00.001-06:00

Who isn't intrigued by mincemeat? Anyone? Everyone has heard of it, and just about everyone has thought "ew gross" as they envisioned meat and raisins in a pie. And while long ago in lands far away mincemeat did indeed contain beef, venison, or lamb, it has evolved from a savory meal to a mostly meat-free, delicious dessert. I say mostly because there are some who still put meat in their mincemeat and others who use beef suet (fat from around the kidneys ::shudder::). In the past few years as I've really gotten into starting my own yuletide traditions, I always decide it's the year I'll try making mincemeat. Yet I never did. But this year, I had the foresight to plan my December weekends and thus I dedicated myself to making mincemeat.

In looking through my cookbooks for a recipe, I not surprisingly found one in Nigella Lawson's How to Be a Domestic Goddess. Furthermore, she had multiple recipes for mince pies with various crusts and/or toppings. I opted for a basic mince pie, just pastry and mincemeat.

I am thrilled with the results. It is definitely sweet, but the tartness of the granny smith apples really keep the sweet in balance. The spices are subtle, which I find refreshing as many holiday dishes are heavy-handed with the clove, cinnamon, and nutmeg. These little pies are really quite addictive and I find myself returning to the kitchen time and time again to pick up another little delight. That is what is so dangerous about doing bite-size desserts; you really just can't stop!

Hettie Potter's Suet-Free Mincemeat

(from Nigella Lawson's How to Be a Domestic Goddess, pg 264)

1 cup + 2 tbsp dark brown sugar
1 cup + 2 tbsp medium-dry hard cider
2 1/4 pounds peeled, halved, and quartered tart cooking apples
1/2 tsp mixed spice (I used 1/4 tsp ground cloves, 1/4 tsp allspice)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup + 2 tbsp currants (I used dried cranberries as currants are scarce in Louisiana)
1 cup + 2 tbsp raisins
1/3 cup natural-colored glace cherries, roughly chopped (I used maraschino cherries as I could not find glace)*
1/3 cup blanched almonds, fairly finely chopped
ring and juice of 1/2 a lemon
6 tbsp brandy or rum
4 1-pint or 2 1-quart canning jars**

In a large saucepan, dissolve the sugar in the cider over a gentle heat. Roughly chop the apples and add them to the saucepan. Then add all the other ingredients except the brandy or rum, and summer for 30 minutes or until everything looks pulpy. Take off the heat and when it has cooled a little, stir in the brandy or rum. Spoon into sterilized jars.**

This should make around 4 pounds.

* Glace cherries are candied cherries and are the type used in fruitcakes. Usually, they are in all grocery stores around this time of year, packaged in little clear tubs, but for some reason, I couldn't find them.

** I halved the recipe because 1) I wasn't sure I would even like mincemeat, and 2) I didn't want to deal with canning anything. So halving the recipe, I had enough for my pies and then about 1/2 to 1 cup left over, which I plan to put on top of vanilla ice cream or some other delicious thing. Like pancakes. Definitely pancakes.

Star-Topped Mince Pies

(from Nigella Lawson's How to Be a Domestic Goddess, pg 260)

1 2/3 cups cake flour
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, diced small
juice of 1 orange
pinch of salt
approximately 3/4 cup + plus 2 tbsp mincemeat
1 large egg, mixed with a tbsp water to glaze (optional)
confectioners' sugar for dusting
a tray of miniature tart pans, each indent about 2 inches in diameter*
2 1/2 inch fluted round biscuit cutter**
1 1/2 inch star cutter ***

Measure the flour into a shallow bowl or dish, and, using a teaspoon, dollop in little mounds of shortening. Add the butter, combine with your hands, and put in the freezer for 20 minutes. Mix the orange juice and the salt in a small pitcher (I used a measuring cup) and put this in the refrigerator.

Empty out the flour and fat into the bowl of a food processor and blitz until you've got a pale pile of oatmeal-like crumbs. Add the salted juice down the funnel, pulsing til it looks as if the dough is about to cohere; you want to stop just before it does (even if some orange juice is left). If all your juice is used up and you need more liquid, add some ice water. Turn out of the processor and, in your hands, combine to a dough. **** Then form into three discs. Wrap each in plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator to rest for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 425F.

Roll out the discs one at time as thinly as you can without exaggerating; in other words, you want a light pastry shell, but one sturdy enough to support the dense mincemeat. Out of each rolled-out disc cut out circles a little wider than the indentations in the trays. Press these circles gently into the molds and dollop in a scant teaspoon of mincemeat. then cut out your stars - re-rolling the pastry as necessary - and place them lightly on top of the mincemeat.

If you want to glaze the mince pies, then brush the stars with a pastry brush dipped into the egg and water mix. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't: the difference really is one of appearance and only you can decide whether you want them pale and matte or gold and shiny. (Mama Sarah: I didn't glaze mine. Next time I might).

Put in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes; keep an eye on them, they really don't take long. Remove from the oven, prising out the little pies right away and letting the empty tin cool down before you start putting in the pastry for the next batch. Carry on until they're all down. Dust over some confectioners' sugar by sifting it through a tea strainer before serving them.

makes 36.

* I do not have a tray of miniature tart pans, but I DO have a mini muffin tray.

** I found a glass that was a bit larger than the muffin cups.

*** I did not have a star cutter, so I printed out a star that would fit within the muffin tray (because I cannot draw) and used it as a stencil, cutting out the stars with a sharp knife.

**** I have a small 2-cup food processor which does not have a funnel, so things didn't go quite according to plan. After a few attempts to combine the OJ with the flour, I pulled it all out of the food processor into a bowl and mixed it together with my hands.

Because I used a mini muffin pan and am not the most efficient roller, I just made 24 pies and one small tart.

Probably the ONLY thing I would do differently next time is chop my apples smaller. They did not break down as much as I expected so there are fairly big apple chunks in my mincemeat. Okay, I'd also either grind the almonds or omit them completely; they were a bit too hard when everything else was so soft.

Other than that, these are divine and you should make them so we can educate the world about the awesomeness of mincemeat!

Vanilla Speckled Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache

2010-12-05T22:39:00.001-06:00

I am sometimes an impulsive shopper, but I can usually resist buying the recipe magazines. But not too long ago, I couldn't resist the cheesecake gracing the cover of Mixingbowl.com which seems to be a magazine published by Better Homes and Gardens. It was their Baking issue and featured a Vanilla-Speckled Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache. Now, I'm a sugar for vanilla, especially actual vanilla bean. (So much so that I've asked for vanilla beans for Christmas). I wanted to bake it, but more importantly, I wanted to eat it. The weekend after Thanksgiving finally gave me the opportunity to splurge and bake this cheesecake as we had Thanksgiving dinner with hubby's paternal family. I always bring dessert and they love me for it.

The flavors of this cheesecake were great! But sadly, I have one major issue with the recipe. The ganache was too firm or the cheesecake was too soft, but it was impossible to slice without it flattening and getting messy. Thus, no nice slice photo. Next time, I might add more cream cheese or less sour cream to attempt to fix this issue. Or perhaps I'll just do a thinner layer of ganache. I guess I'll just have to make a few more :)

Vanilla Speckled Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache

(Mixingbowl.com, Fall/Winter 2010, page 13)

2 cups finely crushhed chocolate graham crackers (about 28 squares)
1 tbsp finely shredded orange peel (omitted because hubby would hate it)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 8-oz packages cream cheese, softened
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 cups sour cream
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup sweetened condences milk
2 pints fresh raspberries (purchased but forgotten)
orange peel strips (optional)

Preheat oven to 325F. Place an 8 inch springform pan on a large sheet of foil. Wrap foil around bottom and sides of pan to enclose; set aside.

For the crust, in a medium bowl combine rushed graham crackers and orange peel. Stir in melted butter. Press the crumb mixture onto bottom and up sides of the prepared pan. Chill while preparing filling.

For filling, in a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined after each addition. Gradually add sugar, beating until filling is creamy. Beat in sour cream and vanilla bean seeds. Scrape sides of bowl throughout mixing to prevent any lumps, but do not overbeat.

Pour filling into chilled crust; use a spatula to smooth the top. Place in a large roasting pan. Carefully pour enough boiling water into roasting pan to reach one-fourth of the way up the sides of the springform pan. Bake for 45 minutes. Turn off oven; leave cheesecake in oven for 1 hour or until cheesecake jiggles slightly. Remove cheesecake from roasting pan to wire rack. Using a small sharp knife, loosen the crust from pan sides. Cool for 30 minutes. Chill, loosely covered, for at least 4 hours.

For ganache, in a small saucepan, combine chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk. Cook and stir over low heat until smooth. Spread evenly over cheesecake. Chill until set. Just before serving, top with raspberries and, if desired, orange peel strips.

Thanksgiving, Part III: Squash Casserole

2010-12-05T22:23:00.001-06:00

Okay, I'll be honest: I didn't make the squash casserole for Thanksgiving this year. My sister did. She did last year too. But, I have made it before and all of us in my family (mom, dad, sister, me) make it the same. So I'm not really cheating by posting this.

(please forgive the horrible photo: it was Thanksgiving and people were hungry)

Squash casserole

(Don't know where Mom got the recipe, and this isalmost exactly as she gave it to my sister and me)

2 c. yellow squash
2 eggs, beaten
¾ c. mayonnaise (I use a little less, about ½ cup)
1 c. grated cheddar cheese
10 green onions (I usually use regular onion)
½ stick butter or margarine
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper
½ c. cracker crumbs (don’t fight over who gets to crush them)*

In a large pot, with a little water, cook the squash until it is tender. Drain.

Saute onions in butter until tender. Combine all ingredients except cracker crumbs and put in a buttered casserole dish. Top with cracker crumbs and bake at 400 for 25 to 30 minutes.

* My mom put this note because my sister and I literally fought over who got to make the cracker crumbs. My mom had this cool device (probably a nut chopper of sorts) that was a glass jar with a plastic funnel that screwed on top. at the bottom of the funnel were some awesome teeth and there was a handle you would turn to crunch up the crackers. My sister and I would each get to crush half a pack of Ritz crackers. Were someone to crush more than her share, chaos would ensue.

November 2010 Daring Bakers Challenge: Crostata

2010-11-29T20:26:00.001-06:00

The 2010 November Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Simona of briciole. She chose to challenge Daring Bakers’ to make pasta frolla for a crostata. She used her own experience as a source, as well as information from Pellegrino Artusi’s Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well.

Guys, this might be my favorite challenge thus far. A crostata is sweet short crust pastry (reminiscent of a sugar cookie) that can be filled with fruit preserves, pastry cream, or other marvelous things. I decided to go with a simple pastry cream/custardy filling. Since hubby told me I could only make one pie for Thanksgiving (he's so mean!) I thwarted him by preparing this for Thanksgiving dessert as well. I did not have regular size tart pan (8 or 9 inches) but I did have a bunch of smaller ones, so I decided to make mini crostatas with end up being the perfect dessert size, in my opinion.

The reason I loved this challenge so much is because this crostata is nearly identical to my absolute favorite pastry at Croissant du Jour in Cedar Rapids, Iowa (where hubby and I lived while I was in college). The only thing missing was a handful of raspberries baked into the cream.

Crostata Con la Crema
Pastry

1/2 c. minus 1 tablespoon [105 ml, 100 g, 3 ½ oz] superfine sugar (see Note 1) or a scant 3/4 cup [180ml, 90g, 3 oz] of powdered sugar 1 and 3/4 cup [420 ml, 235 g, 8 1/4 oz.] unbleached all-purpose flour a pinch of salt
1 stick [8 tablespoons / 4 oz. / 115 g] cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
grated0 zest of half a lemon (you could also use vanilla sugar as an option
1 large egg and 1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten in a small bowl

Crema

500 ml whole milk
1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
1 tsp hazelnut extract (optional)
4 egg yolks
½ cup sugar

Whisk together sugar, flour and salt in a bowl.

Rub or cut the butter into the flour until the mixture has the consistency of coarse crumbs. You can do this in the bowl or on your work surface, using your fingertips or an implement of choice.

Make a well in the center of the mounded flour and butter mixture and pour the beaten eggs into it (reserve about a teaspoon of the egg mixture for glazing purposes later on – place in the refrigerator, covered, until ready to use).

Add the lemon zest to your flour/butter/egg mixture.

Use a fork to incorporate the liquid into the solid ingredients, and then use your fingertip. Knead lightly just until the dough comes together into a ball.

Shape the dough into a flat disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Place the dough in the refrigerator and chill for at least two hours. You can refrigerate the dough overnight.

For the Crema :

In a medium saucepan, heat the milk and extracts, but keep well below boiling.

In a large heatproof bowl, whisk yolks and sugar until pale yellow and frothy. Temper the yolks by whisking in 1/4 cup of the heated milk. Whisk in another 1/4 cup, then pour it all back into the saucepan.

Over medium heat, bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook until mixture has thickened considerably, and can coat the back of the spoon.

Fill the sink with a couple inches of cold/ice water. Place the saucepan in the water and let cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.

Assembling and baking the crostata con la crema:

Heat the oven to 350ºF [180ºC/gas mark 4].

Take the pasta frolla out of the fridge, unwrap it and cut away ¼ of the dough. Reserve this dough to make the lattice top of the crostata. Refrigerate this dough while you work on the tart base.

To help roll the crostata dough, keep the dough on top of the plastic wrap that you had it wrapped in. This can help rolling the dough and can also help when transferring the dough to your pan. You can also use parchment paper for this. However, you can also roll the dough directly on a work surface if you prefer.

Lightly dust the top of the dough and your work surface (if you’re rolling directly on a work surface) with flour. Keep some flour handy to dust the dough as you go along.

If the dough is very firm, start by pressing the dough with the rolling pin from the middle to each end, moving the rolling pin by a pin's width each time; turn the dough 180 degrees and repeat; when it softens, start rolling.

Roll the dough into a circle about 1/8th inch (3 mm) thick.

If you used the plastic wrap or parchment paper as rolling surface, flip dough over the pan, centering it, and delicately press it all around so the corners are well covered. Peel away the plastic wrap.

Trim the excess dough hanging over the edges of the pan. Press the remaining dough around the border into the sides of the pan making sure the border is an even thickness all the way around.

Prick the bottom of the dough with a fork in several places.

Take out of the fridge the reserved pasta frolla you had cut away earlier. Roll it with your pin and cut into strips or use cookie cutters to make small shapes (this is not traditional, but it looks cute); or roll with your hands into ropes.

Cover the bottom of the crostata crust evenly with the pastry cream.

Use the prepared strips or rolls of dough to make a lattice over the surface, or decorate with the cut shapes. (Note: You can use dough scraps to make cookies: see the Additional Information section for some pointers)

Brush the border and strips of dough with the reserved beaten eggs. You can add a drop or two of water to the beaten eggs if you don’t have enough liquid.

Put the tart in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.

After 35 minutes, check the tart, and continue baking until the tart is of a nice golden hue.

When done, remove the tart from the oven and let cool. If you have used a tart pan with a removable bottom, then release the tart base from the fluted tart ring. Make sure the tart is completely cool before slicing and serving.

(I felt this tart was MUCH better after it had been refrigerated overnight)

Thanksgiving, Part II: Homemade Cranberry Sauce

2010-11-28T22:43:00.001-06:00

As a kid, I never really liked cranberry sauce. This was most likely due to the gelatinous nature, but also partly due to the fact that my mom hated it and my dad loved it. As a kid, I aligned with my mom's food preferences and readily abhorred my dad's (vienna sausages, need I say more?)

I can't exactly remember why I decided to make cranberry sauce from scratch a few years back, but it was most likely because I'm a food snob and like to make it all from scratch. Also, the gelatinous stuff in the can just really gives me the heebie-geebies. Anyhoo, it is ridiculously easy to make and MUCH better homemade (I find the canned stuff granular). And most people seem impressed when they find out your cranberry sauce is homemade, though some will roll their eyes. I just prefer the texture and hint of citrus.

Cranberry Sauce

1 - 12 oz package fresh cranberries
1 cup orange juice (I prefer pulp free)
1 cup white granulated sugar

In a medium sized saucepan, combine orange juice and sugar. Bring to a boil. Add cranberries. (I usually go through the package of cranberries and pull out any that are not firm or are discolored.) Reduce heat and let the cranberries boil gently for approximately 10 minutes. The cranberries will begin to pop and the mixture will thicken considerably.

Let the mixture cool to room temperature then refrigerate until ready to serve OR, if you do not want the remnants of the berry skin, you can pour the sauce through a mesh sieve, pushing firmly against the mesh to extract the most sauce and then refrigerate.

Thanksgiving, Part I: Tender Honey Rolls

2010-11-28T22:16:00.001-06:00

As I was preparing for Thanksgiving, I got on my blog to print out some recipes I used in previous years (I'm horribly unorganized and don't have all of my recipes saved on my computer! Shameful!!) To my horror, I realized I have twice posted photographs of a Thanksgiving meal with a promise to quickly update recipes, but never did. SHAME ON ME! Well, I'm going to remedy this situation, though it will take a few posts over a few different days. For Thanksgiving we had:

Apple Scented Roast Turkey
Tender Honey Rolls
Rice Dressing (no cornbread mush in my house!)
Squash Casserole (traditional family recipe prepared by my sister)
Candied Sweet Potato Casserole (traditional family recipe prepared by my dad)
Green Bean Casserole (oy, so many casseroles! this one prepared by hubby's mother)
Macaroni and Cheese (at hubby's insistence)

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Honey Pumpkin Crumble Pie
And this month's Daring Bakers' Challenge which I will reveal tomorrow

The turkey recipe is all ajumble and will take some time to mesh out into a real, directional recipe, so I'm starting with the easy stuff already typed up on my computer. And hey, who's going to be roasting a turkey any time soon?

Tender Honey Rolls

(recipe found here)

4 cups bread flour (Start with 3 if you are hand kneading)
1 cup warm water (105° to 115°F)
1/4 cup honey
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 package dry yeast (1/4-ounce)
Vegetable cooking spray
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp hone

Hand kneading instructions:

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the honey, egg and oil. Add roughly 3 cups of the flour and the salt until the dough comes together in a sticky mass. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, working in the remaining flour as necessary to keep the dough from being too sticky, until the dough is smooth and elastic, 8 minutes. Do not be tempted to add too much flour. The dough should stay soft and will become less sticky with kneading.

Form the dough into a ball and transfer it to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free spot until it doubles in bulk, about 2 hours.

Bread Machine Instructions:

Follow manufacturer’s instructions for placing first 7 ingredients into bread pan; select dough cycle, and start bread machine. Remove dough from machine (do not bake).

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead 30 seconds. Cover dough, and let rest 10 minutes.

Punch dough down, and divide into 12-18 equal portions. Shape each portion into a ball, and place on baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 20 minutes. Uncover and bake at 400° for 13 minutes or until browned. Remove rolls from pans, and serve warm or at room temperature.

About 5 minutes into baking , top rolls with 1 tbsp melted butter and 1 tbsp honey to give it that golden brown shiny coat.

(This year, I used a bit too much flour so they weren't as light as soft as the year before, but regardless, these rolls are a HUGE hit. )

Alligator

2010-11-21T22:55:00.000-06:00

Living in south-central Louisiana presents some quite interesting food opportunities. Of course, there's crawfish. Less common is alligator. While it shows up on some restaurant menus (mainly fried as an appetizer), I have never known anyone who ate it home. Needless to say, I was thrilled when I learned that one of hubby's friend's dad is a bona fide alligator hunter/fisherman. Cool beans, right? Well, she went home this weekend and offered to bring us back some goodies, and boy did she deliver! Not only did she bring us multiple pieces alligator tail, she also got us some soft shell crabs, frog legs, and ground deer meat (chili anyone?). As I was attempting (and mostly succeeded) to clean/organize our garage, I figured gator would be easiest to do.

Hubby's friend told us to handle the gator like pork, so I decided to sear it in a cast iron skillet, then let it cook, covered, over low heat for about an hour. I threw in a couple onions and garlic cloves, thinly sliced, and about a cup of water.

After an hour, hubby and I were a bit confused as there were still some quite soft pieces, like uncooked fish. It turns out that alligator tail can be quite fatty, especially at the base, as that is where an alligator stores all of its extra fat. So the lesson learned is that next time, we will need to trim the meat prior to cooking.. (Now, I realize some of you might be thinking "how could they mistake fat for meat?" but when you're cooking with a new ingredient, it is often difficult to tell or be sure of yourself. Also, alligator fat is a veeery weird texture. And once we found the meat proper, we immediately knew our error. Have no fear, we did not consume copious amounts of fat first! One tiny nibble and we were done!)

Egg Drop Soup

2010-11-17T22:28:00.001-06:00

Sorry I missed a couple of posts; hubby and I were both sick, so we pretty much didn't cook for a week and a half. For most of my life, I never understood why soup was considered the perfect food for sick people; I certainly never craved it when I was ill. But something has changed. While I was lying miserably on the couch, watching movie after endless movie, all I wanted to eat was gumbo. While sick, hubby wanted egg drop soup (though he never got it). After we mended, I was talking to my mom and she asked if I knew how to make egg drop soup. It seemed like fate. It was even more fated because the next day was chilly and wet and perfect for soup.

Now, I've always wanted to like egg drop soup, but every time I try it, I feel like I'm just drinking an egg yolk. Ick! So I knew off the bat that I wanted our soup to be less thick than you get at a restaurant, but I had to balance that with the fact that hubby likes the thickness. So, we worked together to find a consistency that worked for us. That's what is so great about making such dishes for yourself!

I did a quick google search for recipes and chose this one because it was simple. I then did a bit more searching on technique and found this site quite helpful! The egg drops turned out perfectly, both silky and wispy. If possible, two people do this quite nicely.

Egg Drop Soup

4 cups chicken broth/stock
1/4 tsp white pepper
salt to taste
optional : a few drops of sesame oil
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/ cup water
2 eggs, beaten
1-2 green onions, minced (omitted because I had none)

In a wok or saucepan, bring the 4 cups chicken broth to a boil. Add white pepper and salt, plus sesame oil, if you're using it. Cook for another minute. If you'd like to thicken the soup, dissolve the cornstarch into the water. Slowly pour it into the broth, stirring as you go, until you reach your desired consistency. I probably used 2/3 of the mixture for ours. Right before you add the egg, turn off the heat.

This is where having a second person comes in handy. One person holds a fork about 8 inches from the broth. Slowly pour the egg through the fork tines. While this is going on, the second person stirs the broth at a leisurely pace (hubby says "definitely not fast.... definitely not slow). After a moment (it really takes no time at all), the egg drops are ready and the soup is finished. (If you don't have a second set of hands handy, the author at the site I visited balanced the fork on a box of crackers and poured the eggs with one hand and stirred with the other. Talent!)

Of course, you can garnish it with those minced green onions if you're fancy enough to have them. =)

November 2010 Daring Cooks Challenge: Souffle

2010-11-14T20:49:00.001-06:00

Dave and Linda from Monkeyshines in the Kitchen chose Soufflés as our November 2010 Daring Cooks’ Challenge! Dave and Linda provided two of their own delicious recipes plus a sinfully decadent chocolate soufflé recipe adapted from Gordon Ramsay’s recipe found at the BBC Good Food website.

Wow, souffle! When I think of souffles, I think of super-difficult, hush the house, no-one-better-dare-sneeze-while-this-is-baking! difficulty. It is one of those dishes that that, if you can make a souffle, you are a successful, talented cook in my book. Before tonight, I'd never had souffle, which only elevated its status in my mind. I can't even say I've been wanting to try making a souffle just because it seems that daunting. Yet, I was excited when I read the challenge. I finally had to attempt souffle, and you know what? It really isn't that bad. Yet another mythic dish slayed. Allriiiight. (I am SUPER thrilled with myself right now, guys. I made souffle! Two kinds!!)

Generally, I like to stick with savory dishes for my Daring Cooks challenges and leave the sweets for the Daring Bakers challenge. BUT, this one time, I decided to do one of each. Since I have no souffle repertoire, I used two of the recipes so generously provided. For dinner, we had a crab and artichoke souffle (delicious!) and for dessert, chocolate souffle (scrumptious!).

Crab and Artichoke Souffle

(A Monkeyshines in the Kitchen recipe)

1 cup crab meat, flaked and lightly-packed
½ cup finely chopped cooked artichoke hearts (frozen, fresh or from a jar is OK, but please don’t use the marinated-in-oil style)
2 large egg yolks
3 large egg whites
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp cream of tartar
1 cup Gruyere cheese, shredded
½ tsp white pepper
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp flour
1 tsp dried chives or tarragon
1 cup milk
Salt and pepper to taste
Additional butter and bread crumbs for preparing the dishes

1. Preheat oven to moderate 375 ˚F/190 ˚C/gas mark 5.

2. Prepare dishes – you can use one 2-quart (US)/1.9 litre or six 1-cup/240 ml soufflé dishes – by buttering the dish, then coating with bread crumbs. (You may have some left over soufflé mixture if you go with the smaller soufflé dishes.)

3. Chop the artichoke hearts into ¼”/0.5cm dice. If you use frozen or from a jar, then there’s no need to cook them. If you are using fresh, then steam gently until just softened, about 5 minutes or sauté over low heat until just ever so lightly browned.

4. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter, then stir in the flour to make a roux. – you just want to get the flour evenly blended to a paste, not cook the roux for any length of time. Gradually stir in the milk, mixing all the time. Add herbs, then the cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted and you have a thick sauce. Remove from heat.

5. Beat the egg yolks well and gently warm them by whisking them in a bowl over simmering water for six minutes. Gradually stir the egg yolks into the cheese sauce until well blended.

6. Add the artichoke and flaked crab meat to the cheese sauce.

7. Beat the egg whites until at the stiff peak stage.

8. Fold the whites in thirds into the sauce.

9. Spoon the mixture into your baking dish and level the tops using a spatula. Be sure to wipe up any spills and make sure the edge is clean.

10. Bake for 40 min if you’re using a large soufflé dish or 25 min if using smaller dishes – the soufflé should be richly browned.

Gordon Ramsay's Chocolate Souffle

(Adapted From BBC Good Food Recipe by Gordon Ramsay)

2 Tbsp unsalted butter, for greasing
Cocoa powder or finely grated chocolate
2 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour
2 tsp caster (superfine) sugar (regular sugar is OK)
½ tsp corn starch
1 medium egg yolk
1 medium whole egg
4 Tbsp milk
5 Tbsp heavy cream
3 oz good-quality dark chocolate preferably 70+% cocoa solids, broken in pieces
2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
Optional: 2 tsp orange zest or 2 tsp minced chipotle chile en adobo or 1 tsp chipotle chile powder.
Optional: powdered sugar for dusting
6 medium egg whites
6½ Tbsp superfine/caster sugar (if you don’t have it, regular sugar is OK)

1. Heat oven to moderate 375 ˚F/190 ˚C/gas mark 5. 2. Take four 1 cup/~240ml soufflé dishes and brush them completely with softened butter. Tip a little cocoa powder or grated chocolate into each dish, roll the dish around tilting it as you do so it is evenly lined all round.

3. For the crème patisserie, mix the flour, sugar and corn starch into a small bowl. Put egg yolk and whole egg into a medium sized bowl, beat lightly, then beat in half of the flour mixture to give a smooth paste. Tip in the rest of the flour mixture and cocoa powder and mix well.

4. To make the ganache, pour the milk and cream into a pan and bring just to the boil. Remove from the heat. Add the chocolate and beat until it is melted and smooth with no lumps.

5. Gradually stir hot chocolate ganache into the paste from step 3, and add the orange zest or chile if using. This is your crème patisserie.

6. Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks with an electric whisk. Sprinkle in the sugar as you are mixing. Keep whisking to give stiff, firm peaks to give volume to the soufflés.

7. Stir about 2 tbsp (30 ml) of the beaten egg whites into the crème patisserie. Carefully fold in a third of the rest, cutting through the mixture. Fold in another third (take care not to lose the volume), then fold in the rest.

8. Spoon the mixture into the dishes. Run a spoon across the top of each dish so the mixture is completely flat. Take a little time to wipe any splashes off the outside of each dish, or they will burn on while cooking.

9. Bake the soufflés for 15-17 minutes.

10. The soufflés should have risen by about two thirds of their original height and jiggle when moved, but be set on top.

Roasted Okra

2010-11-03T22:13:00.001-05:00

Okay, I know it sounds weird. Roasted. Okra. If you like okra, you'll like this. If you don't like okra, well then, come back Sunday.

So, roasted okra. In trying to eat healthy, I've had to rethink how I eat most of my vegetables. Some vegetables can easily be delicious and healthy. Others have to be worked with. The deal with okra is that I know so few uses for it: fried (favorite.food.ever), smothered (butter), and in gumbo (not quite a side dish). I recently made the dry okra, which was tasty, but I was trying to avoid using so much oil. Then I thought of sticking it in the oven, a la blasted broccoli, and figured "what the hell". If it was horrible, we just wouldn't eat it. Lucky for us, it was quite tasty. Very okra-y, but that's okay with me.

Roasted Okra

1 lb okra, chopped (again, I used the precut frozen variety)
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400F. Lightly spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

If there is a lot of excess moisture on your okra (say it recently thawed...), cover a plate with paper towels and then lay the okra down in a single layer to draw out some moisture. Place okra in a medium sized bowl. Pour olive oil over the okra, the stir gently to coat.

Pour the okra onto the baking sheet, making sure it is spread in a single layer. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until the okra is dry (i.e., no longer slimy), turning the okra and moving it around occasionally. Salt and pepper to taste.

Happy Halloween!!

2010-10-31T22:01:00.000-05:00

Well, it's late and I'm super tired and want to go to bed at 10:00, which is 3 minutes from now. But, I also want to post. In honor of Halloween, I made popcorn balls and roasted pumpkin seeds. Neither were exceptional. BUT, the pumpkin seeds did convince me that the first pumpkin seeds I ever had were probably bad (I had to spit it out it was so gross). I'm not going to post either recipe since neither rocked my boat.

Happy Halloween!

October 2010 Daring Bakers' Challenge: Donuts!

2010-10-27T22:12:00.005-05:00

The October 2010 Daring Bakers challenge was hosted by Lori of Butter Me Up. Lori chose to challenge DBers to make doughnuts. She used several sources for her recipes including Alton Brown, Nancy Silverton, Kate Neumann and Epicurious.

(mmmm donuty deliciousness)

Wow, donuts!! I've been excited about this challenge, because, honestly, who hasn't wanted to make their own donuts? It was both easier and way more complicated than I expected. I thought I'd wake up Sunday morning and spend maybe an hour making us donuts for breakfast, but both of the recipes I was interested in took multiple hours. So, that's where it was more complicated. Frying the delicious things was much easier than I expected. (I'm always so intimidated by frying.) I planned to make both pumpkin donuts and traditional yeast donuts, but after getting the first recipe ready, I decided I'd take it easy and just make the one. I can always try the second one another weekend.

(best part of donuts: donut holes)

Hubby, of course, gave me that "ugh she's going to make me eat the 'creative' ones instead of the good, normal ones!" grimace when I told him I'd be making pumpkin donuts, but he LOVED them. The ladies at work also enjoyed them. Me, I love anything pumpkin!

Pumpkin Donuts

(original recipe here)

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1 cup white granulated sugar
3 tbsp butter, unsalted
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp buttermilk
1 cup pumpkin (Canned pure pumpkin or fresh cooked and pureed pumpkin – DON’T use pumpkin pie mix!)
Canola Oil DEPENDS on size of vessel you are frying in – you want THREE (3) inches of oil (can substitute any flavorless oil used for frying)

Powdered Sugar Glaze:

2 cups powdered sugar
4 tbsp whipping cream

Whisk together the first 8 ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until blended (the mixture will be grainy and not smooth). Beat in egg, then yolks and vanilla. Gradually beat in buttermilk; beat in pumpkin. Using rubber spatula, fold in dry ingredients in 4 additions, blending gently after each addition. Cover with plastic; chill 3 hours.

Sprinkle 2 rimmed baking sheets lightly with flour. Press out 1/3 of dough on floured surface to 1/2- to 2/3-inch (12 mm to 15 mm) thickness. Using 2 1/2-inch (65 mm) -diameter round cutter, cut out dough rounds. Arrange on sheets. Repeat with remaining dough in 2 more batches. Gather dough scraps. Press out dough and cut out more dough rounds until all dough is used.

Using 1-inch (25 mm) diameter round cutter, cut out center of each dough round to make doughnuts and doughnut holes.

Line 2 baking sheets with several layers of paper towels. Pour oil into large deep skillet to depth of 1 1/2 inches (40 mm). Attach deep-fry thermometer and heat oil to 365°F to 370°F (185°C to 188°C). Fry doughnut holes in 2 batches until golden brown, turning occasionally, about 2 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Fry doughnuts, 3 or 4 at a time, until golden brown, adjusting heat to maintain temperature, about 1 minute per side. Using slotted spoon, transfer doughnuts to paper towels to drain. Cool completely.

For the glaze:

Whisk powdered sugar and 4 tablespoons whipping cream to blend. Whisk in additional cream, 1 teaspoon at a time, to form medium thick glaze.

Add doughnut holes to bowl of spiced sugar and toss to coat.

Spread doughnuts on 1 side with powdered sugar glaze. (I just drizzled it).

Arrange doughnuts, glazed side up, on racks. Let stand until glaze sets, at least 30 minutes.

Smothered Rabbit

2010-10-27T21:54:00.001-05:00

One of the great things about living in southern Louisiana is the meat, more specifically, the little Cajun meat shops everywhere. Everyone has their favorite go-to place for boudin or stuffed pork chops (I'm a Heleaux's girl myself), but sometimes, you try something from someone else's little shop and you stray. My sister goes to Don's, and ever since she shared their chicken burgers with hubby and me, I've been wanting to go there. FINALLY a weekend or two ago, we were running around town with my sister and she decided she'd bring us over to Don's (since it's totally in her side of town where I don't know my way around). Long story short (well, shorter than it could be), while there hubby and I got a well-seasoned rabbit. Remember when I made that rabbit stew and we were thoroughly unimpressed? That's because I didn't trust my (adopted) roots and smother the heck out of it Cajun style. So tonight, I did it the right way.

Now, I knew the meat needed to cook for a good long time over low heat, but I didn't want to start the whole process after getting home at 5:20. So I cheated a bit and pulled out the crock pot. In the end, I dirtied more dishes than I could have, but I think this method actually worked really well.

Smothered Rabbit

1 rabbit, quartered and well-seasoned to your liking (ours was heavily seasoned with the typical Cajun spices)
1 tbsp olive oil
14 oz chicken broth
14 oz water
1 tbsp corn starch
1-2 tbsp water

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the rabbit pieces to the pan and sear each side. Place the rabbit in the crock pot, then pour in broth and water. Cover and cook on low for at least 5 hours.

You will know the rabbit is ready when the meat falls off the bone at the merest provocation. Remove the meat from the crock pot and let cool for a few minutes. Pull the meat off the bone, but be VERY CAREFUL of the gajillion tiny bones and bits of cartilage.

Place the meat in a large skillet and ladle a few cups of the broth mixture into it. Bring to a simmer.

In a small cup or bowl, combine the corn starch and water; make sure it's smooth.

In the skillet, push the meat to one side of the pan and let the juices collect at the other side.   Slowly pour 2/3 of the cornstarch water mixture into the juices, stirring constantly. This will thicken up your sauce.   Stir the meat back into the sauce and let simmer for a few moments.

Serve over rice!

Vermont (Pumpkin) Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

2010-10-20T23:03:00.002-05:00

Hello, Autumn! I have pumpkin on my mind lately, so when I stumbled upon this recipe for a pumpkin cake layered with cream cheese frosting, I knew it would be a wonderful idea.

Vermont Spice Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

3 cups all-purpose flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (I used a mixture of 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1 tsp. cloves and 3/4 tsp. nutmeg)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting:

11 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup butter, softened
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2-3 teaspoons maple extract (I used 1 tsp vanilla extract as I did not have any maple)
squeeze of lemon juice

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease 2 9-inch round cake pans.

Combine flour, baking powder, spices, baking soda and salt in a small bowl.

Beat sugar and butter in a large mixer bowl fitted with a paddle attachment until creamy. Add eggs one at a time; beat for 2 minutes. Beat in pumpkin, evaporated milk, water and vanilla extract. Gradually add the flour mixture.

Spread evenly into prepared cake pans. Bake for 35-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in the pans on wire racks for 15 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

For the frosting: Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Gradually add in the powdered sugar and beat until fluffy. Add in the maple extract and lemon juice. Mix well. Refrigerate until needed.

Cut each cake layer in half horizontally with a long, serrated knife. Frost between layers and on top of cake, leaving sides unfrosted. Garnish as desired.

Lemon Poppyseed Buttermilk Pancakes

2010-10-19T22:05:00.001-05:00

Sometimes as I stumble around the internet, I come across recipes that I just leave up in my browser, knowing I'll have to make them soon and not wanting to risk losing the recipe. This recipe for lemon poppyseed pancakes was one such recipe. That weekend, I declared to hubby we'd be having them for breakfast, even though I know he dislikes poppyseeds. Sometimes, a lady's gotta cook what a lady wants, husband be damned!

mmm fluffy

Lemon Poppyseed Buttermilk Pancakes
(original recipe)

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup raw sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup poppy seeds
zest of 4 lemons
2 1/4 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten2 tablespoons butter, melted (extra butter for pan and serving, if desired)

Glaze

1 cup sifted confectioners sugar
2 Tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice

In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl combine buttermilk, eggs, lemon zest, butter and poppy seeds. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. It’s okay if the batter is a little lumpy, just don’t over mix.

Heat skillet to med-high and brush with butter. Test pan by splashing with a few drops of water and if they dance on the skillet, you’re ready! Pour about 1/2 c. (or desired amount) batter, when the pancake begins to bubble and the bottom is golden, flip. Repeat! Stack pancakes on plate and keep in warm oven until ready.

Prepare lemon glaze by combining the confectioners sugar with enough lemon juice to form a thin icing.

Drizzle with glaze and devour!

Moussaka

2010-10-19T21:53:00.000-05:00

There's a Greek restaurant in town that has amazing moussaka; hubby and I both love it. As the restaurant is none-too-cheap, I decided it would probably be best if we learned to make this dish ourselves. For those who don't know, moussaka is somewhat of a casserole: it starts with a layer of potato slices, then layers of eggplant and a spiced meat mixture, topped with a thick layer of bechamel sauce. Heavenly!

I just picked a recipe online and am super lucky to have chosen a great one. This dish is time consuming, but so very worth it. My advice would be to make it on the weekend and freeze half. It is very filling! Hubby and I probably had four meals each from one recipe.

Moussaka
(original recipe found here)

3-4 eggplants, about 4 lbs. total
1 lb. potatoes
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef (or lamb)
2 large onions, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup red wine
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1 cup tomato puree (or crushed tomatoes)
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups plain breadcrumbs
8 egg whites, lightly beaten (reserve yolks for bechamel)
1 cup grated Kefalotyri or Parmesan cheese

Bechamel Sauce:
1 cup salted butter (2 sticks)
1 cup flour
4 cups milk, warmed
8 egg yolks, lightly beaten
Pinch of ground nutmeg

Using a sharp peeler, partially peel the eggplants, leaving strips of peel about 1 inch wide around the eggplant. Slice the eggplant in to 1/2 inch slices. Place the eggplant slices in a colander and salt them liberally. Cover them with an inverted plate that is weighted down by a heavy can or jar. Place the colander in the sink so that excess moisture can be drawn out. They will need to sit for at least 15-20 minutes, preferably an hour. The salt also helps to remove some of the bitterness of the eggplant.

Peel the potatoes and boil them whole until they are just done. They should not get too soft, just cooked enough so that they no longer crunch. Drain, cool and slice them in 1/4 inch slices. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil and lightly grease. Add a splash of water to the egg whites and beat them lightly with a fork. Add breadcrumbs to a flat plate.

Rinse the eggplant slices and dry with paper towels. Dip the eggplant slices in the beaten egg whites and then dredge them in the breadcrumbs, coating both sides. Place breaded eggplant slices on baking sheets and bake at 400 degrees for 1/2 an hour, turning them over once during cooking.

When eggplant is finished cooking, lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees.

In a large sauté pan, brown the ground beef (or lamb) until the pink color disappears. Add onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add wine to pan and allow it to simmer and reduce a bit before adding cinnamon, allspice, parsley, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, and sugar. Allow the sauce to simmer uncovered for approximately 15 minutes so that excess liquid can evaporate. It should be a drier, chunkier, tomato sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

For the Bechamel Sauce: Melt butter over low heat. Using a whisk, add flour to melted butter whisking continuously to make a smooth paste. Allow the flour to cook for a minute but do not allow it to brown. Add warmed milk to mixture in a steady stream, whisking continuously. Simmer over low heat until it thickens a bit but does not boil. Remove from heat, and stir in beaten egg yolks and pinch of nutmeg. Return to heat and stir until sauce thickens.

Assemble the Moussaka:
Lightly grease a large deep baking pan (lasagna pan). Sprinkle the bottom of pan with breadcrumbs. Leaving a 1/4 inch space around the edges of the pan, place a layer of potatoes on the bottom. Top with a layer of eggplant slices.

Add meat sauce on top of eggplant layer and sprinkle with 1/4 of the grated cheese. Top with another layer of eggplant slices and sprinkle once again with 1/4 of the grated cheese.

Pour the béchamel sauce over the eggplant and be sure to allow sauce to fill the sides and corners of the pan. Smooth the béchamel on top with a spatula and sprinkle with remaining grated cheese.

Bake in a 350-degree oven for 45 minutes or until béchamel sauce is a nice golden brown color. Allow to cool for 15 – 20 minutes before slicing and serving.

You can make this dish ahead up until the béchamel sauce and refrigerate. Make the béchamel sauce right before you intend to bake it.

Chocolate Drizzle Pumpkin Scones

2010-10-19T21:43:00.000-05:00

Oh, impulse buys. You know it's happened to you: you're standing in line at the grocery store, wait-wait-waiting for the old man in front of you to fish his 63 cents out of his pocket. Your eyes wander from the faces around you to the tabloids, bubble gum, and candy bars. Those damn candy bars! And then your eyes meet the vanilla-speckled cheesecake with chocolate ganache tantalizingly draped across one of the food magazines and you are instantly seduced. You - barely - resist the urge to abandon your items and spot in line to grab all the ingredients and rush home. But you'll compromise by buying the magazine and promising yourself the cheesecake will be your weekend reward.

....flash forward three weeks. I still haven't made that sinful cheesecake, but I have made some Chocolate Drizzle Pumpkin Scones which, while probably not as delicious as the cheesecake, are pretty darn good. I made them for breakfast a weekend or two ago, hesitant of hubby's reception of them. My fear was just wasted time; he loved them so much in fact that he would not let me bring the leftovers to work!

Oh, by the way, the magazine was Better Homes and Garden's MixingBowl.com 'The Baking Issue. "

Chocolate Drizzle Pumpkin Scones
(page 24)

6 tbsp butter
4 oz of cream cheese
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup maple syrup (I used honey as I have yet to buy maple syrup)
1 tsp vanlila
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup cake flour
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground ginger

Chocolate Drizzle

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 tbsp butter

Cut butter and cream cheese into small pieces; freeze until chilled. In a bowl, stir together pumpkin, buttermilk, maple syrup, and vanilla. Chill.

Preheat oven to 375F. In a bowl, whisk together flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, allspice, and ginger. Cut in butter and cream cheese until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add pumpkin mixture to the flour mixture. Using a fork, stir until moistened. Tough dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead dough for 10 to 12 strokes or until nearly smooth. Pat into a 7 inch circle. Cut into 8 wedges. Place wedges 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool.

For the drizzle, place chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream to a boil, then pour over the chocolate chips. Stir until smooth. Stir in butter until melted.

Drizzle chocolate atop the scones.

*Funny story: when I made the scones, my batter was SUPER moist. It was so moist there was no way I could knead it. I thought "what the hell??" and added flour until I had a kneadable consistency. Now, as I typed up the ingredients I realized I used the WHOLE CAN of pumpkin puree, not just a 1/2 cup. (forehead slap). Good job, Sarah, good job. They were still tasty though!

October 2010 Daring Cooks' Challenge: Stuffed Grape Leaves

2010-10-14T22:40:00.000-05:00

Our October 2010 hostess, Lori of Lori’s Lipsmacking Goodness, has challenged The Daring Cooks to stuff grape leaves. Lori chose a recipe from Aromas of Aleppo and a recipe from The New Book of Middle Eastern Food.

I greeted this month's challenge with mixed emotions. I adore stuffed grape leaves (which I have always known as dolmades) , but hubby hates them. So while I was excited that I'd get to try making something so neat and tasty, I knew it would be a waste of energy to even consider hubby enjoying the challenge. But in the end, that just means more tastiness for me!

I'm not going to post the recipe right now. If you'd ever like to try a Daring Kitchen recipe, they archive every challenge on their site, here. There were two recipes supplied for the stuffed grape leaves; I went with the warm (as opposed to cold) one. The recipe included an apricot tamarind sauce, but I wanted to make a tzatziki because it is my favorite and I like the coolness of the cucumber. I'll post the tzatziki recipe later. (I have to make up for those two missed blogging days!)

I never would have imagined stuffing grape leaves would be so fun; it was quite the rewarding experience to see the little tasty bundles fill up the pan. I froze half of them, since I knew hubby wouldn't be eating any. I'll have to pull them out when we have company.

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

2010-10-03T23:20:00.000-05:00

Well, the weather has begun to cool and that means it's gumbo time. I started craving gumbo really badly a couple days ago and got it into my head that I was going to make some. Even though I grew up in southern Louisiana, my family cooked southern and not Cajun food most of my childhood. Even as my parents embraced Cajun culture and cuisine as I got into my teens, they only made gumbo from box mixes. Homemade gumbo was something enjoyed at other houses. After I reached adulthood, my dad started to make a really good gumbo, but I never got him to show me while we lived together. About a month ago, hubby's mom made some gumbo (which she was kind enough to share) and I asked a few questions about how she did it. That's about it when it comes to my gumbo-cooking education. Any time you have gumbo at someone's house, it's been cooking for hours so you don't get to see how they make it. Ideally, I wanted to go to hubby's grandparents' house and watch while they made some gumbo, but I got impatient. I wanted gumbo and I wanted it now. So with much trepidation, I headed into the kitchen for one of the most rewarding cooking experiences I have had.

For those who don't know, gumbo is a hearty soup that is roux-based. (Roux being a thick paste made from almost burning equal parts of oil and flour). There are many variety of gumbos, the most common (in my experience) being: chicken and sausage, shrimp, and seafood. Gumbo is thickened with the use of either okra (which is how the dish got its name) or file. For any additional information, I'm sure you know how to use Google. =)

My favorite gumbo is chicken and sausage. It is simple and comforting, yet so delicious I can't help but go back for more and more. Everyone has their own way of making gumbo. Some make the roux from scratch and some use the kind in a jar (which is much more convenient). The roux can be light, medium, or dark. Really, no two pots of gumbo are alike. I took a chance and decided to go all the way, making the roux from scratch. I didn't find it as daunting as I had imagined it to be, but I also wimped out and went with a lighter roux than I had planned. That being said, this gumbo was amazingly delicious and I am so pleased with myself! Hubby didn't even let me freeze the leftovers because he wanted to eat more tomorrow.

*Please note we used a good deal of meat in this gumbo because hubby likes it that way. Feel free to use less.

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

4 oz (roughly 1/2 cup) vegetable oil
4 oz (roughly 1/2 cup) all purpose flour
4 quarts water
1 lb okra, chopped into 1/3 inch rounds (I used the precut frozen kind)
1 large onion, coarsely diced
1 large green bell pepper, coarsely diced
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken, cut into large chunks*
1 lb sausage, cut into 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch rounds
6 boiled eggs, peeled
1 tsp Tabasco
salt to taste

* I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts to cut down on time, but the meat wasn't as tender as I wanted. Next time, I'll do it the proper way and throw in some skinless chicken quarters. This just requires pulling the bones out of the gumbo, removing all the meat, and returning it to the pot.

In a large pot, over medium heat, heat the oil until it is smoking. Stirring quickly and constantly, add in the flour a bit at a time. It might chunk up a bit, but it will smooth out if you just keep diligently stirring. You want your roux to be a thick paste, almost pudding like. Over medium heat and stirring constantly, cook the roux until it is at least the color of peanut butter and at most the color of mahogany. My roux took about an hour and looked like milk chocolate.

Once the roux is finished, slowly pour in the water, whisking constantly. It is imperative that you keep whisking and don't add too much water at once. If you do, everything will separate and look horrid and disgusting and you'll have to start all over again. (This said from experience.) Once the water is whisked in, bring it all to a boil and keep it going for at least an hour.

Add in the okra, onion, bell pepper, chicken, and sausage. Cook at least an additional hour and a half, until everything is tender and melding together.

Thirty minutes prior to serving, drop in the boiled eggs, whole. It sounds weird, but trust me, it is divine. You may also add green onions and parsley at this point.

Serve gumbo ladled over a good portion of rice. Enjoy!

White Turkey Chili

2010-09-29T23:02:00.000-05:00

I wish I could say I made this chili with this cold front that has come in (lows in the 60s, high in the 80s), but I can't. I made it a few weeks ago, while it was still blisteringly hot outside. But everyone has that odd "it's not the right time of year for this!!" craving. Watermelon on Christmas Eve, chili in the middle of the summer. It happens to us all.

Now, my family is very much a tomato-beef chili kind of clan. I've had turkey chili once before and it was served to me by a healthnut professor of mine. But I need to expand my regular food repertoire, so I took a shot at White Turkey Chili.

White Turkey Chili

olive oil
1 lb ground turkey
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups vegetable stock
1 cup chicken stock
1 tbsp dried marjoram
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
salt and pepper to taste
1 can cannellini beans, drained and thoroughly rinsed
1 can fava beans, drained and thoroughly rinsed

(I experimented with my herbs/spices and you should too!)

In a large pot, heat enough olive oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan. Brown the turkey, stirring frequently to break it up. Add the onion. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until onions are tender. Stir in marjoram, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper.

Pour in vegetable and chicken stock. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cover. Twenty minutes prior to serving, stir in the beans.

Serve topped with shredded cheese.

September 2010 Daring Bakers' Challenge : Decorated Sugar Cookies

2010-09-27T21:52:00.000-05:00

The September 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Mandy of “What the Fruitcake?!” Mandy challenged everyone to make Decorated Sugar Cookies based on recipes from Peggy Porschen and The Joy of Baking.

This challenge used a specific technique of icing called flooding. Basically, you use royal icing of a specific consistency (methinks mine was a tad too thick), outline your icing area, and then fill it in with more icing. The border keeps the icing from going everywhere. You can do a lot of neat things (I experimented with my last few cookies, but the photographs didn't come out). You can blend and meld colors or you can layer different designs.

A fun aspect of this challenge was that you needed to choose a theme that represented September for you. I originally planned to do something focusing on hubby's birthday (September 8), but all this month I've anxiously anticipated autumn, so I created the color-changing leaves I miss from Iowa. (In Louisiana, the leaves are green one day and dead on the ground the next.)

I can't wait to play around with this technique some more as the holidays progress!

Luci's Homemade Sloppy Joes

2010-09-24T00:06:00.000-05:00

Sorry I didn't post yesterday; I have been very confused about day of the week for the past two weeks. I spent all of Tuesday thinking it was Wednesday, then all of Wednesday thinking it was Tuesday. Thankfully, I know today is Thursday and tomorrow is glorious, wonderful, workweek-ending Friday.

The upcoming story speaks volumes of my upbringing, I believe.... Tuesday night, I asked hubby what he wanted for dinner. He wanted sloppy joes. I replied that we had no Manwich (with a little glee in my heart) and thus thought the discussion on sloppy joes was over. But it was not, because, my friends, you can make sloppy joes from scratch! I never even considered the possibility until hubby mentioned his friend, Luci, had recently made homemade sloppy joes. Growing up, we NEVER had sloppy joes at home (or meatloaf and a few other classic Americana foods) because my mom is weird about meat. Life story aside; I made sloppy joes (even though hubby said he would, because after putting the meat on, he remembered homework [was I like that as a student? probably worse]).

Now Luci, I didn't follow the recipe exactly. Our printer was dreadfully out of ink, so I just got the ingredients printed off and sort of went with my gut. Please forgive.

Sloppy Joes

(original recipe from Luci's Tasty Adventures)

1 lb Ground beef, broken up into small pieces
1 celery rib, finely chopped (omitted as we hate celery)
1 yellow onion, finely chopped (I coarsely chopped)
½ green bell pepper, finely chopped (I coarsely chopped)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1 15 ounce can of tomato sauce
kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
¼ cup ketchup (optional) (we opted out)

What I did:

Brown the meat in a medium skillet or pot until thoroughly cooked. Stir frequently to thoroughly break up/crumble the meat. Add in onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until veggies are tender.

Stir in tomato sauce, brown sugar, worcestershire sauce, cider vinegar, salt and pepper. (I added a splash of Chachere's to give it a kick). Let simmer for 15 minutes.

We had no buns, so we ate it with crackers. We both thought it was pretty darn tasty, even me, the nonsloppy joe eater.

Reese's Chewy Chocolate Cookies

2010-09-19T22:32:00.001-05:00

My dad has been working a lot lately, and my sister and I, finally deciding it had been absolutely too long since we had seen him, told him he had the choice of either taking us to Cracker Barrel or barbecuing for us this weekend. Lucky for us, Dad offered to BBQ (his is the best!). We decided on a day and time kind of late, so I decided I'd just make cookies for dessert. Rummaging through my tub of chocolate chips, etc, I came across an unopened bag of Reese's peanut butter chips. Score!! I flipped the bag over and saw a recipe for chewy, chocolately cookies and thought "double score!" as I'd been thinking of making chocolate cookies. Everyone loved the cookies, especially hubby.

Reese's Chewy Chocolate Cookies
(from the back of the Reese's Peanut Butter Chips bag)

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 10-oz bag peanut butter chips

Preheat oven to 350F.

Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a separate bowl, beat sugar and butter until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until well combined. Gradually mix in flour until well combined.

Drop rounded tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheet (I always lay down parchment paper). Bake 8-9 minutes. Do not overbake! Cool slightly, then remove to a cooling rack.

September 2010 Daring Cooks Challenge: Food Preservation, the Apple Butter of Knowledge

2010-09-14T21:37:00.002-05:00

The September 2010 Daring Cooks’ challenge was hosted by John of Eat4Fun. John chose to challenge The Daring Cooks to learn about food preservation, mainly in the form of canning and freezing. He challenged everyone to make a recipe and preserve it. John’s source for food preservation information was from The National Center for Home Food Preservation.

I was beyond thrilled when I saw this month's challenge. I! LOVE! APPLE BUTTER!! I've been meaning to buy some for ages and this was sooo perfect. I love apple butter, especially with peanut butter (SO GOOD!!!). The challenge was doubly awesome because I want to become more proficient at canning. I plan on starting a garden next summer and I'm sure I'll eventually need to can things. Making this apple butter was such a rewarding way to spend an afternoon. It was relaxing and gratifying, and the results were DELICIOUS. I am strongly considering making apple butter for Christmas gifts.

I used a combination of Gala, Fuji, and Granny Smith in an attempt to get a full, complex apple experience. The combination worked well.

Apple Butter
(adapted from this recipe)

6 lbs apples
1 cup apple cider
3/4 cup sugar, or to taste
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp cloves

Peel and core the apples, then cut into eighths. In a large saucepan, combine the apples and apple cider. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the apples are soft and falling apart. Using a potato masher or similar implement, mash the apples.

Mix in the sugar, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves into the apple mash. Use a stick blender (or be messy and use a handheld blender like me) to create a smoother apple butter. Bring to a simmer and partially cover; you want the moisture to evaporate out of the butter.

When the butter is done, it should mound on a plate without the liquid separating around the edges, creating a watery ring. At this point, the apple butter is ready to be frozen or canned.

I'm not quite ready to blog about canning. Hopefully, I will do so in the near future.

Lemon-Champagne Bars with Strawberry Brulee Topping

2010-09-12T23:46:00.000-05:00

Man, that's a mouthful!! (Both the name and bars themselves). Haha, I made a funny... ... excuse me, I'm tired. I've had the most productive weekend that I've ever had in my life. I've cooked and cleaned and mowed (first time ever!) and cooked and cleaned and did some electrically wiring (for serious) and cooked and cleaned and planted a tree. Oh, and I did ALL the laundry in the house. So I need a weekend to recoup from my weekend, but alas, off to work tomorrow I go. Good thing I have a small cache of recipes I can update in times like this.

Tonight I offer you Rebecca Rather the Pastry Queen's Lemon-Champagne Bars with Strawberry Brulee Topping. You might remember (though you probably don't) that I received this cookbook as a gift and have tried a few recipes with disappointing results. Well, this try was mixed. Overall, the bars taste great. They have this wonderfully creamy, perfectly balanced tart and sweet lemon cream. The sweet strawberries really complement the lemon. The crust is pretty awesome, not crisp or chewy. BUT the brulee topping was a pain in the hiney. Yet another recipe with instructions that just don't work. So, I would use this recipe again (the bars were hit) but I'd do it a little differently.

Lemon-Champagne Bars with Strawberry Brulee Topping

(from Rebecca Rather, The Pastry Queen, pg 147-148)

CRUST

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
zest of 2 lemons, preferably organic
1/2 cup raspberry or strawberry jam (I used strawberry)

LEMON FILLING

6 large egg yolks
6 large eggs
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup champagne or brut sparkling wine
3/4 cup chilled, unsalted butter

STRAWBERRY BRULEE TOPPING

1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled
1/2 cup sugar

To make the crust:

Preheat the oven to 375F. Coat a 9x13 baking pan with cooping spray. Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl on medium speed about 3 minutes, until creamy. Add the flour, salt, and zest. Beat on medium-low speed just until incorporated. Press the dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. Let cool about 10 minutes. Spread the jam evenly over the cooled crust. Turn the oven down to 350F.

To make the lemon filling:

Whisk the egg yolks, eggs, sugar, lemon juice, and champagne in a large bowl set over a saucepan with 2 inches of simmering water. Cook about 15 minutes, whisking occasionally, until the mixture thickens. Cut the cold butter into tablespoon-size pieces. Whisk the butter, one piece at a time, into the lemon mixture. Cook about 10 minutes longer, whisking occasionally. The mixture will be thick and puddinglike.

Pour the filling over the crust and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool the bars, then refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight. (if you are in a hurry, they'll get sufficiently cold after 1 hour in the freezer.)

To make the topping:

Slice the strawberries thinly and arrange them in a single layer on top of the lemon filling. Sprinkle the sugar evenly over the strawberries. Use a kitchen torch to melt the sugar until it is brown and crackly; or put the bars under a hot broiler for about 1 minute, until the sugar melts and browns. (My strawberries created too much liquid, preventing the sugar from browning, and then charred around the edges. Next time, I would do the sugar on top of the lemon mixture, torch it to get it crisp and brown, and then lay the strawberries on top.)

Serve immediately.

Shrimp Pasta with a Tomato Cream Sauce

2010-09-08T23:59:00.001-05:00

Today is hubby's birthday; happy birthday hubby!! Of course, for his birthday he got to decide what we had for dinner. He requested the "orange shrimp". After a dumbfounded look, he continued to explain that it looks, but does not taste, orange. Then I knew what he was talking about. It's the first recipe I tried from the Pioneer Woman; she calls it Penne a la Betsy after her sister. As I looked through my blog for the recipe - and I was absolutely sure I blogged it - I could not find it. I searched "pasta"and "shrimp" to no avail. I even looked through all my blog entry titles. I have no idea how this one slipped through the cracks! It is a wonderfully, amazingly, sinfully delicious dish that is pretty simple to prepare. It is definitely one of my go-to dishes if I want to impress.

Hubby and I have experimented with different pasta varieties (I don't think we've used the same one twice). So far, our favorite has been rigatoni. Tonight, I used bowtie because it's what we had in the pantry.

Shrimp Pasta with a Tomato Cream Sauce

1 pound extra large, peeled, deveined shrimp
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 pound pasta
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 – 1 cup white wine (chardonnay)
8 oz tomato sauce
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tbsp parsley
basil

Start the pasta water boiling. Rinse the shrimp under cool water. Heat 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp olive oil in a skillet. Sauté shrimp, then remove them to a plate to cool. Boil the pasta.
Finely dice the onion and garlic. Heat 2 tbsp butter, then add 2 tbsp olive oil. Add the onions and garlic; stir occasionally. Pull tails off the shrimp, then cut them into bite size pieces. Pour wine over onions and garlic. Cook for a few minutes to let the alcohol evaporate. Add tomato sauce; stir. Stir in cream. Simmer for a few minutes. Add shrimp; salt and pepper. Chop parsley and basil. Add to sauce. Pour 3/4 over the pasta to the sauce; salt and pepper as needed.

Dry Okra

2010-09-05T20:39:00.000-05:00

One food that I have consistently loved throughout my whole life is fried okra. Once I got older, I also developed a fondness for smothered okra. .. and those are about the only two ways I've had okra. So when I came across this recipe for dry okra, I just had to try it. It's an Indian dish, but I think anyone would like it.

Dry Okra
(Recipe adapted from Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking)

1 lb fresh okra (I used the frozen, chopped kind)
8 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground amchoor or lemon juice
1/8-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Wipe the okra pods with dampened kitchen paper. Pat dry. Cut off the conical top and the very tip or each okra pod and then cut the pods, crosswise, into 7mm-1 cm (1/3 - 1/2 inch) segments.

Put the oil in a large, preferably non-stick, frying pan and set over medium-high heat. When hot, put in the cumin seeds. Let the seeds sizzle for 10 seconds. Put in the onions and okra, spreading the okra out evenly in the pan. Fry, stirring every now and then, for 10 minutes, spreading the okra out evenly in the pan each time you stir. The onions should begin to brown by this time. Turn the heat to medium and continue to stir and fry the same way for another 5 minutes. Be gentle as you stir. Put in the salt, ground cumin, ground coriander, amchoor or lemon juice and cayenne pepper.

Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring or tossing gently as you do so.

Crawfish Tart

2010-09-01T23:44:00.001-05:00

Craving seem to be marvelous things for me lately. One night, not too long ago, I was dying for some crawfish. Luckily, I had some in the freezer (care of my brother-in-law's dad who rocks). Until recently, the only way crawfish was prepared at my house was in etouffee, and always with the same recipe. I was being so unfair to crawfish! Luckily, this day that I was craving it, I did not want our etouffee, no sirree! I still had some puff pastry left in the fridge from our housewarming party and quickly hit on the idea of a crawfish/puff pastry tart. I still had some mushrooms left over as well and what goes better with crawfish and mushrooms than onions? So into the pot (well, saute pan) they all went. But I was worried my little creation might be dry so I simply melted some butter in with it all then whisked flour into the liquids. After explaining what I had done to hubby as we ate, he quickly pointed out that I basically made etouffee. He's right and I'm okay with it for two reasons. First, I just sort of made the etouffee without planning it and not at all going by the usual recipe. Second, I put it on puff pastry, not rice.

Hubby and I both thought this was absolutely divine; he thought it would make a wonderful appetizer or party food. We both agreed though that the long rectangular shape would have to change; the pastry is not stable enough to support the toppings so it was a bit floppy. Doing smaller, bite-size rectangles (or other shapes) would solve this problem quite easily.

Crawfish Tart

1 sheet of puff pastry
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb crawfish tails, thawed
1 large onion, chopped
1 package mushrooms (you know, the little blue cartons)
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400F. On a well-floured surface, roll puff pastry to an approximate 8 by 16 inch rectangle. Using a sharp knife/pastry cutter/pizza cutter, score a border 1 inch in from the edges of the pastry (making a "crust") taking care not to cut all the way through the dough. Using a fork, poke many holes in the inner rectangle (to prevent it from rising as much as the outer crust). Brush with beaten egg.

Bake for 10-15 minutes, until lightly golden and beginning to puff up. The middle might puff a bit as well, and if it looks too inflated, just give it a few more stabs with Mr. Fork. I advise keeping an eye on the pastry as it bakes.

While the pastry is baking (and you're keeping an eye on it) heat the olive oil in a large skillet and saute the onions, mushrooms, and garlic until they are tender. Stir in the crawfish and let cook over medium heat for five minutes. There will be a fair amount of liquid and this is okay.

Push the crawfish, onions, and mushrooms to the edges of the skillet, leaving the juices room to accumulate in the center. Add the butter and let it melt. Whisking constantly, slowly add the flour into the liquids, taking care to leave the crawfish and veggies on the sides undisturbed. Add flour until you have a fairly thick sauce. Now stir together everything you've taken such care to keep separate.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon the crawfish mixture into the inner rectangle of the puff pastry, taking care to create an even layer. Try to get as close to the "crust" as possible.

Bake an additional 10 minutes, or until the puff pastry has risen and is golden.

Sweet Potato Pie Muffins

2010-08-29T21:39:00.001-05:00

One of the ladies at work and I like to talk about food. Recently, she had me look at two different muffin recipes to get my opinion on them (her daughter eats very, very healthily and the recipes were for an attempt to make her muffins) . We started talking about various things and the lady told me about sweet potato pancakes they make. After a day or so, I just couldn't stop thinking about sweet potatoes and muffins. I've been wanting to bake some sweet potato muffins for the past week, but never got around to it (i.e., I've been rather lazy). Finally, I couldn't resist my urge to bake. More than just bake though, I wanted to create something. I am so hesitant to just dive head first into making something, in trusting myself to have the skill and knowledge. I am so terrified of failure in the kitchen... and this is preposterous! So even when I do venture out on my own, I usually scan some recipes to get general ratios (flour to sugar, wet to dry) before embarking. But not this time, buddy! I marched into the kitchen with just my brain to guide me. It was a little scary but also exhilarating. I feel I'm finally becoming an actual, honest-to-goodness baker, and damn, does it feel good.

Was that enough exposition? I'm not usually so verbose -- at least not lately -- but I am really proud of these muffins. And myself. For risking failure in an attempt to create and succeeding.

Sweet Potato Pie Muffins
(Yields 1 1/2 dozen muffins)

3 large eggs
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 15 oz. can sweet potato puree (feel free to make your own puree)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 cup old fashioned oats
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup finely to mediumly chopped pecans
1/2 cup cinnamon chips

Preheat oven to 350F. Generously oil a muffin pan.

In a large bow, beat eggs and both sugars until light and creamy. Mix in sweet potato puree and vanilla until well combined.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, oats, baking powder, and salt. Add into sweet potato mixture and mix well. Stir in pecans and cinnamon chips.

Spoon into prepared muffin pan, filling each cup about 2/3 of the way full. The muffins will rise a bit.

Bake 10-15 minutes or until the tops look firm and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to cool further.

August 2010 Daring Baker's Challenge: Baked Alaska

2010-08-27T23:09:00.000-05:00

The August 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Elissa of 17 and Baking. For the first time, The Daring Bakers partnered with Sugar High Fridays for a co-event and Elissa was the gracious hostess of both. Using the theme of beurre noisette, or browned butter, Elissa chose to challenge Daring Bakers to make a pound cake to be used in either a Baked Alaska or in Ice Cream Petit Fours. The sources for Elissa’s challenge were Gourmet magazine and David Lebovitz’s “The Perfect Scoop”.

As you can see from the title of this blog entry, I opted for the baked alaska. My reasoning was twofold: 1) I've always been intrigued by mentions of the dessert, and 2) I have this great dislike of petit fours (even though the ones made in the challenge would be completely different than those I dislike). For those who don't know, baked alaska is a layer of cake topped with ice cream, all covered in meringue that is lightly toasted (or torched).

It wasn't really what I expected, but I couldn't really tell you what it was that I had expected. From the past few challenges, I've learned something about myself: I do not like desserts that chill cake along with ice cream. They're fine if they are separate, but I do not like cold cake. You learn something new about yourself every day!

A heads up: I am super crazy excited about September's Daring Cook's challenge!!!!!!!!

Strawberry Pielettes

2010-08-21T12:47:00.000-05:00

Last weekend, hubby and I finally hosted a housewarming party after being in our house for approximately two months. I came up with this monstrously long list of things I wanted to make, which hubby then had to help me cull down. I stuck mostly with recipes that have been a hit before, but I really wanted to make little bite size fruity pie/tart hybrids. The coffee shop across from my college - Brewed Awakenings in Cedar Rapids, IA if you're ever in town - made little tarts that were amazing, ESPECIALLY the mulberry one. The crust was perfectly sweet and tender. I wanted to do something similar. I knew what I did not want my crust to be; I didn't want it super flaky (a la apple pie) but I didn't want it to be hard and buttery (a la lemon meringue tarts). I wanted something almost cookie like, but not quite. Looking through my recipes, I came across the hand pies my sister and I made for her husband months ago and TADA we've got a crust.

These little pielettes (name in progress, not quite a pie, not quite a tartlette) were a smash! Everyone, including me, thought they were great. I used strawberry preserves for the party ones, and having a few empty shells after the strawberry ran out, used some fig as well. Hubby preferred the fig. I think you could do just about any fruit in these: peach, apple, berries galore.

The crust isn't exactly what I wanted; next time, I'll use butter instead of crisco and substitute some brown for white sugar.

Strawberry Pielettes

(makes 48)

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1 egg
1/2 tbsp vinegar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
approximately 2 cups strawberry preserves (or any other variety)
whipped cream
sliced fruit/additional berries for topping (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease 2 mini-muffin pans (or if you just have 1, bake in two parts).

Cream together sugar, shortening, and egg until fluffy. Beat in vinegar, milk, and vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl, whisk together baking powder, baking soda, salt, and 1/2 cup flour. Add to the wet ingredients. Add flour in 1/2 cup increments, mixing well after each addition. Add additional flour, if necessary, to ensure dough is not sticky.

Roll 1-inch balls of dough and drop into each cup of the muffin pan. Press the dough to fill the muffin cup, creating an indentation into which you will put the preserves. You can use your fingers for this; I used the end of my ice cream scoop which had the perfect diameter. If you use an instrument, make sure you keep it greased or the dough will stick to it and pull up.

Bake for approximately 10 minutes. The crust will puff up a bit; if it puffs too much, use a spoon to gently remove some from the center. Spoon a tablespoon or so of preserves into each, filling them almost to the very top. Try not to drip preserves on the rims of the pielettes.

Bake approximately 10-15 minutes, or until the crust appears set and slightly golden. Let cool in pan for a few minutes, then remove to a cooling rack. A tip for removing them: if you rotate the pielettes in the muffin cup, then should pull out easily.

Once cool and you're ready to serve, garnish with a plop of whipped cream and slice of strawberry (or whatever fruit you've used).

August 2010 Daring Cook's Challenge: Pierogi

2010-08-14T23:56:00.000-05:00

The August 2010 Daring Cooks’ Challenge was hosted by LizG of Bits n’ Bites and Anula of Anula’s Kitchen. They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make pierogi from scratch and an optional challenge to provide one filling that best represents their locale.

Man, I just barely completed this challenge. Hubby and I threw a housewarming party today for which I made waay too much food. Prior to that, we've been fixing and painting and cleaning and all the wonderfully time consuming things owning a house has.

For my filling, I actually used mashed potatoes and mushroom cream sauce left over from the party. Worked quite well! The pierogi were delicious and easy to make! Next, I want to use bacon in them somehow,.

Easy Stir Fry

2010-07-29T22:01:00.001-05:00

I like cooking elaborate dishes; the more steps involved the better and more rewarding. That being said, I don't always feel like being in the kitchen and spending my free time taking care of meals. Sometimes, I'm hungry and I want to eat soon. Unfortunately, for many people, that means cooking things from boxes or not cooking anything at all, which is sad. Good food can be made simply and quickly. Like this stir fry. As long as you've got thawed meat and veggies, you're golden!

Hubby and I play around with stir fry, using different meats and veggies. One evening I made it with pork, bell pepper, and onion. One day hubby used shrimp and a frozen veggie stir-fry mixture we picked up. Those mixes are handy!

Take this recipe lightly and loosely; do what you want!

Easy Stir Fry

2 pork chops, sliced into thin strips (the thinner the strips, the faster they'll cook)
2 green bell peppers, sliced thinly
1 large onion, sliced thinly
olive oil
soy sauce
oyster sauce

In a large skillet, heat oil then brown the strips of pork. Sprinkle soy sauce over the meat to give it a little flavor. Once the pork is cooked thoroughly (it will take a few minutes per side) remove to a bowl.

Add the bell pepper and onion into the pan. Cook over medium heat until tender. Return the pork to the pan. Stir in approximately 2 tbsp soy sauce and 1 tbsp oyster sauce. For more sauce, increase amounts.

Florida Blueberry Cobbler

2010-07-29T21:49:00.002-05:00

Some time back, hubby and I were at the store and saw blueberries were on sale. Since hubby loves blueberries, we of course got some. At that store, they have a little recipe kiosk, so hubby browsed through it to decide what we should do with our blueberries. He came across two recipes: one for a pie and one for a cobbler. He opted for cobbler. Now, this is not a cobbler like the one I always make; some might say this one is traditional. It's syrupy fruit on the bottom with crispy, buttery crust on top. Quite delicious!

Florida Blueberry Cobbler
(From the Florida Agriculture Bureau of Seafood and Aquaculture)

Filling

1 stick butter
1 tsp lemon juice
4 cup fresh blueberries, rinsed and drained
1 cup sugar

Crust

1 cup self-rising flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla flavoring
1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 375F. Place the butter in an 8x8 baking glass dish and melt in the microwave.

For the filling: in a large mixing bowl, combine the lemon juice and blueberries. Add the sugar and mix well. Pour the blueberry mixture into the baking dish. DO NOT STIR.

Combine the crust ingredients in a small bowl. Pour over the blueberries and bake for 45 minutes or until brown.

Serve with ice cream, whipped cream, or plain.

It is best served warm, or at least the same day. The blueberries get a little syrupy (i.e., runny), so watch yourself (and any nice clothes)!

july 2010 Daring Baker's Challenge: Swiss Swirl Ice Cream Cake

2010-07-27T23:34:00.001-05:00

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.

I had a lot of fun figuring out what flavors of ice cream to use as two different flavors are hidden within the cakey exterior. I stuck with the original swiss roll cake recipe, chocolate cake with a simple cream filling. Add to those the layer of fudge between the two types of ice cream, I definitely starting getting a sundae vibe. And thus I came up with caramel and marshmallow ice creams.

Unfortunately, I had a few mishaps with this challenge. I spread my cake batter a bit too thin, so it didn't roll too well. Then, I didn't thicken the fudge sauce enough, so it didn't set which then kind of make things a mess. Good thing looks don't affect taste!

July 2010 Daring Cook's Challenge: Nut Butters

2010-07-14T21:56:00.001-05:00

The July 2010 Daring Cooks’ Challenge was hosted by Margie of More Please and Natashya of Living in the Kitchen with Puppies. They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make their own nut butter from scratch, and use the nut butter in a recipe. Their sources include Better with Nut Butter by Cooking Light Magazine, Asian Noodles by Nina Simonds, and Food Network online.

I once played with the idea of making my own peanut butter, but at the time I did not have a food processor, so the idea slipped away. When I found out this month's challenge, I was super excited! It took me forever to decide what kind to make, and then I changed my mind at the last moment because of a craving I'd been having. I ended up making an almond butter and using it in one of the supplied recipes, Chicken with Curried Tomato Almond Sauce.

(please note: homemade nut butters are not as smooth as store bought)

I was surprised by how absolutely simple it is to make a nut butter; you just grind the nuts and they'll eventually become a paste, though you may have to add a little oil to smooth things out. I am SUPER excited by this. Next up, cashew butter!

The Chicken with Curried Tomato Almond Sauce was great: nice and spicy with the sweet earthiness of the peas mellowing it out. The almond butter was very subtle; it lingered on the tongue after all else was gone.

Chicken with Curried Tomato Almond Sauce

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
4 (6 oz / 170 g) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
Salt to taste

Spice Blend:

1.5 tablespoons (20 ml) garam masala seasoning
1 teaspoon (5 ml) ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon (1 ml) black pepper

Sauce:

4 tablespoons (60 ml) butter
1 large onion, cut in half pole to pole (or coarsely diced if you plan to leave it in)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (15-ounce/425 g) can tomato sauce
⅓ cup (80 ml) almond butter
⅓ cup (80 ml) milk
½ to ¾ cup (120 to 180 ml) chicken broth or water, more as needed
1 cup (240 ml) frozen peas (optional)

Hot basmati rice for serving
Chopped parsley (optional garnish)
Sliced almonds (optional garnish)

Directions:

Cook the chicken. If desired, pound chicken to ¼ inch (6 mm) thickness to promote even cooking. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper to taste. Heat 1 teaspoon (5 ml) olive oil a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add half the chicken; sauté 3 to 5 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Cook the chicken in 2 batches, adding more oil if needed for second batch. Dice chicken into bite-sized pieces; set aside on clean plate and keep warm.

Prepare spice blend. Stir garam masala, ginger, cinnamon, and pepper together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Melt the butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook gently for several minutes to infuse the butter with onion flavor. Keep the heat low to avoid burning the butter; a little color is fine. Add the spice blend and garlic and cook for 1 minute or till fragrant, stirring constantly. Add the tomato sauce, stir well, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer. Whisk in almond butter and milk until thoroughly combined with tomato sauce. The almond butter is thick so it takes a while to make a smooth sauce. Return to simmer. Add broth (or water) to sauce to reach desired consistency; return to simmer. Add more broth (or water) as needed to thin sauce as desired.

Remove onion from sauce and discard (or leave the onion in, like I did). Stir frozen peas (if using) into sauce. Transfer sliced chicken to sauce. Simmer gently for a few minutes until peas and chicken are heated through.

Serve chicken and sauce over rice. Garnish with chopped parsley and/or sliced almonds if desired.

June 2010 Daring Bakers' Challenge: Chocolate Pavlovas with Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse

2010-06-27T23:17:00.000-05:00

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.

Pavlova is one of my absolute favorite desserts, so I was thrilled to have an excuse to make one! It was fun to try a new recipe as well as new topping as I usually do mine with whipped cream and berries. The mousse in this recipe was a little too "dark" for me; I'd use a sweeter chocolate next time. This was my first time making a creme anglais (for the topping), though I've made similar things in the past. Mmmm cream.. I enjoyed a pavlova with just that drizzled on top.

In non-challenge news, a few weeks ago hubby and I bought and moved in to our first house!! Tres exciting. So my last of blogging has been due to 1) restricted finances (all money going to fixing up said house) 2) busy-ness, 3) lack of internet and 4) not much cooking (hubby has a job that has him away four evenings a week).

Also, hubby and I have decided it is time to get healthier (and shed some rather unnecessary pounds) so we're adapting to new eating habits. We'll see how creative we can get cooking without butter (oh butter, I miss you).

In the near future, except posts on:
1) Blueberry cobbler that, had hubby and I not been married already, he would have married me for.

2) Venison backstrap. Super simple, tasty, and not at all bad for you!

May 2010 Daring Baker's Challenge: Piece Montee (Croquembouche)

2010-05-27T23:03:00.000-05:00

The May 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Cat of Little Miss Cupcake. Cat challenged everyone to make a piece montée, or croquembouche, based on recipes from Peter Kump’s Baking School in Manhattan and Nick Malgieri.

I've always been fascinated by the piece montee/croquembouche, but I must admit I never planned on making one myself. I'm not a huge fan of pate a choux, but I do ADORE pastry cream, so it all evened out. The actual baking in this challenge as fairly easy, though I believe my pate a choux was a bit too wet and I was very concerned it would not rise (it did.. mostly), but the assembly? GOOD LORD was it touch and go for a minute. The process generally involved dipping a delicate cream filled puff into hot liquid sugar then flipping it over and placing it on the arrangement as quickly as possible. Did I burn my finger? Yes. Did I almost put said finger, with the burning sugar still on it, in my mouth? Yes. At the last moment, I realized what I was doing. I can just imagine that phone call to hubby telling him to come home from work as I've disabled myself. .... BACK to the challenge. All in all, I'm not in love with this, but I would definitely use this recipe if trying to impress someone. I know scores of people who love pate a choux based delights; I'm just not one of them. It's really sad. I need to get over it.

May 2010 Daring Cook's Challenge: Stacked Green Chili & Chicken Enchiladas

2010-05-14T21:59:00.000-05:00

Our hosts this month, Barbara of Barbara Bakes and Bunnee of Anna+Food have chosen a delicious Stacked Green Chile & Grilled Chicken Enchilada recipe in celebration of Cinco de Mayo! The recipe, featuring a homemade enchilada sauce was found on www.finecooking.com and written by Robb Walsh.

Oh my but this challenge was delicious. It was a perfect combination of textures and flavors. Soft and firm, hot, sweet, and savory. Now, the one pictured above is a bit overdone (as can be seen by my darkened cheese) as the enchiladas in one dish browned more quickly. But still, SO DELICIOUS!!!

The only way I really varied from the recipe was that I cooked my chicken in a skillet on the stove after seasoning it with salt-free Chachere's and cumin. This was one recipe I pretty much followed by the book. You should definitely give it a try!

Stacked Green Chile and Grilled Chicken Enchiladas

1½ pounds Fresh Anaheim chiles (about eight 6 to 8 inch chiles) 24 ounces 678 grams - roast, peel, remove seeds, chop coarsely. Other green chiles (NOT bell peppers) could probably be substituted but be conscious of heat and size!)
7-8 ounces Tomatillos (about 4-5 medium)212 grams - peel, remove stems
4 cups Chicken broth (32 ounces/920 grams)
1 clove Garlic, minced
2 teaspoons yellow onion, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ tsp Kosher salt (add more to taste)
¼ tsp Black Pepper (add more to taste)
2 tablespoons Cornstarch (dissolve in 2 tablespoons water, for thickening)
Hot sauce, your favorite, optional
2 Boneless chicken breasts (you can also use bone-in chicken breasts or thighs)
3 tablespoons Olive oil or other neutral vegetable oil (use more as needed)
Kosher salt and pepper
12 Small Corn tortillas (5-6 inch/13-15 cm). (you can also use wheat tortillas or other wraps)
6 ounces grated Monterey Jack, 170 grams (other cheeses (cheddar, pepper jack, Mexican cheeses) can be used. Just be sure they melt well and complement the filling)
Cilantro for garnish, chopped and sprinkled optional

Directions:

Roasting Fresh Chiles

1. Coat each chile with a little vegetable oil. If you are doing only a couple chiles, using the gas stove works. For larger batches (as in this recipe), grilling or broiling is faster.
2. Lay the oiled chiles on the grill or baking sheet (line pan with foil for simpler clean-up). Place the grill or broil close to the element, turning the chiles so they char evenly. They should be black and blistered.
3. As they are completely charred (they will probably not all be done at once), remove them to a bowl and cover with plastic, or close up in a paper bag. Let them rest until they are cool.
4. Pull on the stem and the seed core MAY pop out (it rarely does for me). Open the chile and remove the seeds. Turn the chile skin side up and with a paring knife, scrape away the skin. Sometimes it just pulls right off, sometimes you really have to scrape it.
5. DO NOT RINSE!

Green Chile Sauce

1. Put a medium saucepan of water on to boil and remove the papery outer skin from the tomatillos. Boil the tomatillos until soft, 5 to 10 minutes. You can also grill the tomatillos until soft.
2. Drain and puree in a blender or food processor.
3. Return the tomatillos to the saucepan along with the chicken broth, chopped green chiles, minced onion, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper.
4. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Add the cornstarch/water mixture and stir well. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened and reduced to 4-5 cups, another 10-15 minutes.
6. Adjust seasonings and add hot sauce if you want a little more heat.

Enchiladas

1. Heat a gas grill to medium high or build a medium-hot charcoal Coat the chicken with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Grill the chicken until just cooked through, 4-5 minutes a side for boneless chicken breasts.
3. Cool and then slice into thin strips or shred.
4. In a small skillet, heat 3 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat until very hot. Dip the edge of a tortilla into the oil to check – it should sizzle immediately.
5. Using tongs, put a tortilla into the pan and cook until soft and lightly brown on each side, about 15-20 seconds per side (at the most).
6. Drain on paper towels.
7. Add oil as needed and continue until all 12 tortillas are done.
8. In a baking dish large enough to hold four separate stacks of tortillas, ladle a thin layer of sauce.
9. Lay four tortillas in the dish and ladle another ½ cup (4 ounces/112 grams) of sauce over the tortillas.
10. Divide half the chicken among the first layer of tortillas, top with another ½ cup of sauce and 1/3 of the grated cheese.
11. Stack another four tortillas, top with the rest of the chicken, more sauce and another third of the cheese.
12. Finish with the third tortilla, topped with the remaining sauce and cheese.
13. Bake until the sauce has thickened and the cheese melted, about 20 minutes. Let rest for 5-10 minutes.
14. To serve, transfer each stack to a plate. Spoon any leftover sauce over the stacks and sprinkle with cilantro, if you wish. The stacks may also be cooked in individual gratin dishes.

April 2010 Daring Bakers' Challenge: Pudding

2010-04-27T22:33:00.001-05:00

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.

Suet, for those who don't know, is ~~disgusting~~ a flaky animal fat. For numerous reasons (mainly time and money) I decided to opt out of using suet; instead, I used lard, which is still animal fat. So I did not stray too far. There was a great deal of latitude in what type of pudding we made. Since this is for the Daring Bakers, I decided to keep it sweet since the Daring Cooks has me doing something savory once a month. I was really trying to avoid having to go out and buy specific ingredients for this challenge so i dug in the pantry a bit to see what goodies I had. Lo and behold, dried cranberries were found!! Add to that the bit of leftover marmalade I had and a winning combo was born.

Now, it's not exactly gorgeous but it was quite delicious. Warm and filling, with the sweet marmalade balanced by the rest of the pudding. As he was eating it, hubby requested I make it again.

And yes, those are icing roses you see! I'm taking a cake decorating class and was practicing; I thought they'd add a nice splash of color. They aren't perfect, but for a first try, I think they're nice. I'll post more on the cake decorating class later.

Also, if you've noticed a lack of posts lately, it isn't because I've forgotten you. It's due to the fact that hubby and I are currently looking for a house! It is tres exciting and even more time consuming!

Steamed Cranberry-Orange Pudding

100 grams/4 ounces All-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1.5 teaspoons Baking powder
100 grams/4 ounces oats
75 grams/3 ounces sugar
75 grams/ 3 ounces lard
1 large egg
6 to 8 tablespoons Cold milk
1/4 cup dried cranberries
2 tbsp marmalade

Sift flour, salt, baking powder oats, and sugar together. Cut in the lard. Mix in the egg and milk until you have a soft batter. Stir in dried cranberries.

Turn into a buttered 2-pint oven-safe pudding bowl and cover securely with buttered paper or aluminum foil.

Steam in the oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Do this by heating the oven to 400. In a pot large enough to hold your pudding bowl, lay down a steaming rack, plate, or bunched up foil (to prevent the bowl from touching the bottom of the pot). Place the covered pudding bowl into the pot then fill with water until it comes halfway up the bowl. Cover the pot and place in the oven.

Once done, turn onto a plate to serve.

Banana Pancakes

2010-04-18T22:27:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I realized I had some bananas that were very, very ripe. I started to think about what I could make (bars, bread, etc) when Jack Johnson's "Banana Pancakes" started playing in my head. I then informed hubby we would be having banana pancakes for breakfast today.

After I woke up and made my way to the kitchen, I started thinking that maybe I'd rather make banana fritters. Remembering I had such a recipe, I pulled out my Jacques Pepin cookbook. His recipe didn't appeal to me this morning, largely because it called for the bananas to be sliced. I decided to just create something.

As you can see, I ended up with pancakes more than fitters, but they were delicious so I'm okay with it. I imagine this recipe will evolve, but hubby and I enjoyed our breakfast of banana pancakes.

Banana Pancakes

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/3 - 1/2 cup milk
3 bananas, mashed

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Make a little well in the center, then add the egg and a small amount of milk into it. Slowly start to whisk the liquids into the dry ingredients, adding more milk as it thickens up. Whisk until smooth. Stir in the mashed bananas. You want a fairly thick batter that won't spread much in the pan.

In a skillet, heat 2-3 tbsp of oil over medium heat. Spoon 1/3 cup of batter into the pan. Depending on the size of your skillet, you could do 2 or 3 at a time. Cook for three minutes on one side, until the edges start to set. Flip and cook another 2-3 minutes, until it the pancake is firm.

We had ours with a thin icing (per hubby's request) but any syrup would work well.

April 2010 Daring Cooks' Challenge: Brunswick Stew

2010-04-14T21:03:00.002-05:00

The 2010 April Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Wolf of Wolf’s Den. She chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make Brunswick Stew. Wolf chose recipes for her challenge from The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook by Matt Lee and Ted Lee, and from the Callaway, Virginia Ruritan Club.

Now who does love a good stew? Granted, my experience was limited to the beef-potato-and-carrot type, but I still love it! Brunswick stew is different in that it has a variety of meats (ham, chicken, and bacon in mine) and veggies (corn and lima beans in mine). I was a bit hesitant at first regarding the lima beans, but they worked surprisingly well. There were two different recipes, and for this challenge I went with the easy one. To be honest, I got confused and did my Daring Bakers' Challenge thinking it was due today and didn't realize my mistake til oh 10 p.m. last night. That left me with the little time after work today to do the challenge. Because hubby REALLY enjoyed this stew, I'll be making it again, and next time I'll use the more involved recipe.

Brunswick Stew, the Short Recipe
(Brunswick Stew recipe from the Callaway, Va Ruritan Club)
(I halved the recipe and made some modifications; my version is what's below)

3 strips of bacon, diced
1 large onion, roughly diced
2 tbsp butter
1 1/2 cups frozen corn
1 cup frozen baby lima beans
1 tomato, diced
2 medium potatoes (or 1 large and 1 small like I had), diced
1 1/2 lb cooked chicken and ham, diced
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp Poultry Seasoning (luckily, my dad discovered some in the pantry this week!)
Dash of red pepper
2 lbs (one of the cartons) of chicken broth
1 can beef broth
1 can tomato juice

In a large pot, spread the diced bacon in a single layer along the bottom of the pan. Cook over medium heat until crispy. Add in the onions and saute for a few minutes before stirring in the butter. Add in the corn, lima beans, and tomato. Sprinkle in the poultry seasoning and red pepper and stir til it is evenly distributed. Pour in the two broths and tomato juice. Add the potato, chicken, and ham. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer and let cook until veggies are tender.

Chiles Rellenos Recipe

2010-04-07T22:16:00.001-05:00

This is the second recipe I tried from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook hubby's granny gave me, it being the second recipe that caught my eye. One of my favorite meals ever is at a local place, Agave. It is a seafood filled poblano pepper with a light, creamy sauce. I adore the poblano; fresh, slightly sweet, slightly smokey with the perfect amount of heat. Mmmmmm. So when I saw this recipe, I imagined heaven. The tastiness of chiles rellenos without having to bread and fry? I'm in.

Now the recipe is for a side dish; it's poblano, sprinkled with cheese, topped with a light, eggy batter. I wanted to thicken it up a bit and make it the main coarse, so I added shredded chicken and a few other things. It was a great start to a dish I foresee being very versatile.

Chiles Rellenos Casserole
(modified from Better Homes and Gardens: Our Best Recipes, pg 60)

3 large poblano peppers, halved
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
3/4 cup Oaxaca cheese, diced (a semi-soft Mexican cheese used in queso)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp Chacheres or Seasoned Salt
1 cup shredded Mexican-blend cheese
3 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/8 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 450. Grease a baking dish just large enough to fit your peppers side by side.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add the peppers and boil for 3 minutes, attempting to keep the peppers completely submerged. After 3 minutes, remove from water and place cut side down to drain.

In a mixing bowl, combine chicken, Oaxac, 1/2 tsp cumin, and Chacheres.

Place the peppers in prepared pan, keeping them as close together as possible, alternating tip to end if needed. Try to leave no extra empty space.

Fill the peppers with the chicken/cheese mixture, making sure to fill them completely before spreading any remaining mixture across the top. Sprinkle shredded cheese evenly on top.

In the bowl, whisk together the milk and eggs until well combined. In a small, separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Whisk into wet ingredients. Pour over the chicken and cheese filled poblanos.

Bake for 15 minutes. Let sit 5 minutes before serving. It should be easy enough to differentiate where one pepper ends and the other begins.

Goes deliciously with sour cream on top!

Apple-Spiced Sweet Potatoes

2010-04-04T21:52:00.002-05:00

Last weekend, hubby and I were at his granny's house for a big family dinner. Since she was having issues with her computer, he sat down to work on it.. two hours later, basically everyone else had left and Granny came in to sit with us. She and I started talking recipes and she brought out a cookbook she just got it: Better Homes and Gardens: Our Best Recipes. As I flipped through, I exclaimed every few pages at the tastiness of a recipe. Granny, being the sweetheart she is, gave me the cookbook. I knew immediately which recipe I wanted to try first, a slow cooker recipe combining apples and sweet potatoes. I served it with porkchops seasoned with salt, red pepper, and ground mustard, which paired well with the apples and sweet potatoes.

The recipe calls for apple pie filling; I feel like this made the apples too soft and crumbly. Next time, I'll start with fresh so they hold up a bit better. I was also pretty loose with the recipe, so I'll put the recipe and my alterations.

Apple-Spiced Sweet Potatoes

3 1/2 to 4 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 inch chunks
1 20-oz can apple pie filling
2/3 cup golden raisins (I omitted these)
3 tbsp butter or margarine, cut up
1 1/2 tsp apple pie spice (I don't have this so I just sprinkled in some cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove)
1 recipe candied pecans (omitted)

Lightly coat the liner of a 3 1/2 to 4 quart slow cooker with nonstick spray. Add sweet potato chunks, apple pie filling, raisins, butter, and the apple pie spice. Mix well.

Cover; cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or high for 3 to 4 hours.

Meanwhile, prepared Candied Pecans. To serve, top each serving of potatoes with some o the pecans.

Candied Pecans: In a large skillet, combine 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans, 1/3 cup sugar, and 2 tbsp butter. Cook and stir over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until sugar mixture clinging to the nuts turns golden and starts to melt. Pour nut mixture onto a large piece of foil; cool completely. when nut mixture is cool, coarsely crush.

March 2010 Daring Bakers' Challenge: Orange Tian

2010-03-27T23:19:00.000-05:00

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.

This challenge and I had a love/hate relationship. My crust base and caramel did not behave, but I absolutely loved the marmalade and segmenting oranges. I got lots of practice segmenting them too, because I had to do 8 oranges. Sadly, while I really wanted to like this dessert, it just didn't happen. While I love eating citrus fruit, I've never liked them any way other than fresh. BUT I did enjoy the complexity and various components of the dish; I can see some of it coming to play in later cooking adventures.

S'mores Bites

2010-03-24T22:33:00.000-05:00

Have I got the perfect summer time dessert for you! It is a variation of the smores bars I posted quite some time ago (May '08). Awhile ago as I was deciding what to bring for dessert to a family dinner, I remembered how everyone loves the s'mores bars, but they are so darn messy. How could I make them easier to eat? Then, a voice spoke to me.. it was my mini-muffin pan calling from the pantry! With just a few adjustments to the recipe, I created perfect, bite-sized pieces of smores heaven. Mmhmm.

See how the tops crackle open to show delicious marshmallowy goodness? Yuummy.

S'mores Bites

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cup flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
approximately 1 cup chocolate chips
1jar marshmallow fluff

Preheat oven to 350F. Generously spray a mini muffin pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars. Beat in the egg and vanilla.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, crumbs, baking powder, and salt. Add to the butter mixture and mix on low speed until combined. It will be kind of clumpy.

Scoop out about 1 tablespoon of the dough and roll it into a ball. Press the ball into a cup of the muffin pan and gently press down so that the ball turns into a cup. Have the dough on the sides rise to the edge of the cup itself, but make sure you have a good 1/6 to 1/4 inch of dough at the bottom. Repeat until you have filled the pan. (You should have a good deal of dough left.)

Drop about 5 chocolate chips into each cup, pushing down gently so they kind of stick in place.

Carefully spoon the marshmallow creme into a piping bag or a really strong zip back (the first time, my bag busted and marshmallow goop oozed out!) Using a circular motion, pipe about 1 tbsp of creme into each cup. It might look overfilled at first, but the creme will settle down after sitting for a minute. Repeat.

Now, roll approximately 1 teaspoon of dough into a ball, then flatten it out into a disk. It should be about 1/8 inch thick and about the same size as the top of the muffin cup. Gently lay the disc atop the creme and press down GENTLY. Repeat.

Bake 15-20 minutes, until the tops crack open to reveal the marshmallowy awesomeness inside.