Rose's Recipes

Peanut Butter Granola Bars

2009-06-29T20:23:00.002-05:00

Yum! Homemade granola bars! I actually made these for Dad--who loves anything that has peanut butter, raisins, oatmeal, and chocolate chips. So easy to put together and delicious! Adjust the ingredients and sweetness to your taste--endless combinations. :)

Granola Bars
Rose's recipes

1 to 1 1/2 cups peanut butter (I used white chocolate wonderful today)
1/4 c brown sugar
1/2 c honey (or to taste)
1/4 c oil
2 t vanilla
2 1/2 to 3 cups oats
1/2 c Cheerios
1/2 c coconut
1/2 sunflower seeds
1/4 c raisins
1/2 c chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix wet ingredients in large bowl.
Add rest of ingredients or add-ins of your choice.
Pour mixture into 9x13 pan sprayed with cooking spray, compacting down to even out.
Bake for 20-25 minutes.
Remove from oven; score with slices with knife; allow to cool fully; cut and serve.

All-Bran Blueberry Muffins

2009-06-29T20:22:00.000-05:00

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Coconut Breads

2009-06-29T20:20:00.003-05:00

I saw these wonderful breads on Baking Bites, and just had to try them. The original recipe came from Bill Granger--thick coconut bread with a nice touch of cinnamon, served toasted with butter. Ummm....The lemon version, adapted by Nicole Weston of Baking Bites, is wonderful also. The coconut-lemon combination is bright and delicious. This recipe makes a large, sturdy tea loaf, not overly sweet and definitely improved with toasting and butter. Continue for recipe.

Bills Coconut Bread
from Baking Bites

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup + 1 tbsp sugar
2 cupps shredded coconut
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups milk (lowfat is fine)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour a 9×5-inch loaf pan. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in sugar and coconut. In a medium bowl or a large measuring cup, whisk together eggs, milk and vanilla. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in egg mixture. Stir until just combined and only a few streaks of flour remain.Add in melted butter and stir until just smooth, being careful not to overmix. Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake for 60-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Turn loaf out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

Makes 1 loaf; or 8 large slices.
Serve toasted, with butter.

For Lemon Version:

Omit cinnamon.
Use 3/4 c milk and 1/2 c fresh lemon juice.
Add 1T lemon zest.

Artichoke Dip

2009-05-16T07:27:00.004-05:00

Unfortunately I don't have a picture for this WONDERFUL, quick, and easy appetizer. How can you go wrong with cheese, artichokes, and mayonaise?? I made this for my sister's baby shower and there wasn't a spoonful left by the end of the afternoon. I've made this dip in the past, baking in the oven, until warmed and the cheese is nice and gooey. But in a similar recipe on Simply recipes (found here), she microwaves it and it's done in no time. I tried this and it came out great--and I didn't have to turn on my oven in this heat! I can't recommend this dip enough if you are looking for a crowd pleaser, and something really simple to make! Continue for recipe.

Artichoke Dip

2 cans of artichoke hearts, drained
2 cups of grated Parmesan cheese
1 clove minced garlic
Dash of red pepper flakes
1 cup of light mayonaise
Salt and pepper to taste

Cut the artichoke hearts into small pieces. Mix all ingredients in an oven or microwave-proof bowl. Microwave for 5 minutes, stirring half way through. (Alternatively, bake in oven for 20-30min.) Serve with crackers or chips.

Salsa Verde Pork Carnitas

2009-03-28T19:32:00.004-05:00

These are the BEST pork carnitas!! Thank you so much to Elise on Simply Recipes as the author of this recipe (found here). I have made these twice, both times for a crowd of friends and they really are wonderful. First of all, I love pork shoulder--it is so economical and after all day in the crockpot, it just falls off the bone, yielding a lot of tender meat. The flavors in this recipe are great--coriander seeds, cumin, salsa verde, and cilantro. Yum! Continue for recipe.

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Crustless Quiche

2009-03-28T19:30:00.000-05:00

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Graham Cracker Eclair

2009-03-24T14:28:00.003-05:00

This recipe came from my mom. It requires no baking, it makes a large pan, and is very simple to make. And it tastes really comforting. The layers of graham crackers soften and melt in your mouth between the layers of pudding and the chocolate glaze adds a smores-like quality. I know, cool whip and instant pudding mix aren't exactly the most healthful ingredients, but this just tastes good. My mom usually adds slices of bananas also, which is great too. This is excellent to make ahead of time because it tastes better after several days of graham cracker softening. Enjoy! Continue for recipe.

Graham Cracker Eclair
from Mom

Filling:
Whole graham crackers
large vanilla instant pudding mix
8oz cool whip

Glaze:
3 T melted butter
2 T cocoa powder
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 t karo light corn syrup
2 t vanilla
3 T milk

9x13 ungreased glass dish

Layer the bottom of your dish with whole graham crackers.
For the filling, make the pudding according to the instructions on the box. Fold in the cool whip.
Pour 1/2 the filling over the graham crackers. Top with another layer of crackers.
Add rest of filling.
Top with another layer of crackers.
For the glaze, mix butter and cocoa. Add rest of ingredients and stir.
Spread glaze over the top evenly.
Chill 12-24 hours.

Baked Salsa Chicken

2009-03-24T13:40:00.004-05:00

I'm trying to enhance my repertoire of easy and quick dinners for the week nights. I would love to hear your favorites! This is simply chicken breast halves, salted, and topped with salsa and a dollop of sour cream and baked for about 30 minutes. Finish with shredded cheese and bake for 5 more minutes to melt. Couldn't be any easier and tastes great. I serve with Spanish rice and slice the leftovers and roll in tortillas for lunch the next day.

Mexican Taco Stew

2009-03-16T13:51:00.004-05:00

I love soups! I adapted this recipe from the Whole Foods website. It is simple and flavorful and goes great with a green salad for dinner. Top with tortilla chips. Yum!

Mexican Taco Stew
adapted from Whole Foods

1 lb pound ground beef or turkey
1 medium onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 package taco seasoning (about 4 T)
4 cups chicken broth
1 large zucchini or summer squash, cut into small cubes (optional)
1 (15-ounce) can black beans
2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1 cup frozen corn kernels or 1 can corn
1-2 cups medium salsa

Brown meat in a large pot over medium high heat. Drain, remove and set aside. In the same pot, sauté onion and garlic until onion is translucent. Add meat back to pot and sprinkle mixture with taco seasoning to blend. Add remaining ingredients and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, 15 to 20 minutes.

Crunchy Cornmeal Waffles

2009-03-16T13:46:00.005-05:00

I almost made cornmeal pancakes this morning but decided on waffles instead. These waffles have a crunch to them from the cornmeal and would be great topped with raspberries or blueberries to offset the corn. Although these were good, I think I prefer cornmeal pancakes--next time! Continue for recipe.

Crunchy Cornmeal Waffles

King Arthur Flour

1 3/4 cups buttermilk
2 eggs
5 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled OR 1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Waffles: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs and melted butter or oil. In a separate bowl, blend together the dry ingredients, then quickly and gently combine the wet and dry ingredients. Let the batter sit for 10 minutes, to allow the cornmeal to soften. Drop the batter by 1/3-cupfuls onto a hot waffle iron, and bake until the waffle iron stops steaming.

Yield: about ten 8-inch round waffles.

Oatmeal Raisin Yogurt Muffins

2009-03-16T13:41:00.004-05:00

I really like to have homemade baked goods in the morning. It's so easy to grab a muffin or a slice of bread or coffeecake to eat in the car with my coffee on the way to work. And, because my husband doesn't usually eat these, I can freeze most of the batch and then just thaw them one by one.

This muffin recipe is just ok--not very sweet which is nice, but the texture was a bit too heavy for me. They were moist though, and actually tasted better on the 3rd day, allowing the oats to soften and the spices to blend in. I adapted this recipe from a yogurt carton, adding orange zest, dried cranberries, cinnamon, and cloves. I really like that flavor combination, but next time will go for a different base. Continue for recipe.

Oatmeal Raisin Yogurt Muffins

1 cup flour
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 t cinnamon
pinch ground cloves
1 cup yogurt
1/2 t vanilla
1 egg
2 T oil
1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease 10 muffin tins.
Stir together dry ingredients.
In a measuring cup, whisk together wet ingredients.
Stir the yogurt mixture into the flour mixture until just combined.
Divide the batter into the 10 muffin cups and bake for about 25 min.

Cabbage Rolls

2009-02-15T16:19:00.003-06:00

Yum! Warm and comforting--stuffed cabbage rolls: a mixture of beef, rice, onions, tomato paste, and allspice rolled into steamed cabbage leaves and simmered in tomato sauce. So easy and fun to put together and so satisfying! Thanks to the wonderful blog, Smitten Kitchen, for the idea to make these again. My husband's mom makes a variation of these "piggies," as she calls them, in the winter and lets them stew all day in the crock pot. Enjoy! Continue for recipe.

Cabbage Rolls

1 head of cabbage
1 lb. ground beef
1 cup uncooked rice
1/2 onion
2-3 T tomato paste
pinch of allspice
pinch of cinnamon
salt and pepper
your favorite tomato sauce

Steam cabbage in boiling water until leaves are soft.
Saute diced onion in large saucepan until translucent.
Mix beef, rice, onion, tomato paste and spices in bowl (you can dice and add some of the leftover cabbage to this mixture.)
Remove cabbage leaves and cut out center vein.
Place a dollop of beef mixture in the cabbage leaf and roll like a burrito. (You should get 2 rolls per leaf.)
Place rolls in saucepan that you cooked the onions in. Cover with tomato sauce.
Simmer gently for about 1 hour.

Chocolate Yogurt Cake

2009-02-15T15:37:00.001-06:00

Ok, really?!?!? Another yogurt cake variation?! I just can't help myself! :) They're too easy--perfect for a spur-of-the-moment weeknight treat when I don't have time to fuss around. No mixer! This is practically the only cake that I've made since the birth of my daughter. So simple! Finish with a dusting of powdered sugar or a scoop of ice cream. For a deeper chocolate flavor, melt some bittersweet chocolate and mix into the batter. Yum! Continue for recipe.

Chocolate Yogurt Cake

1/3 cup cocoa
2/3 + 1/2 cup flour
2 t baking powder
pinch of salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup plain yogurt
3 eggs
1 t vanilla
1/3-1/2 cup oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour a 9x2 round cake pan (or use a 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 loaf pan).
Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt.
In another bowl, mix the sugar, yogurt, eggs, and vanilla until well blended.
Add the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.
Add the oil, and stir until smooth.
Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the cake is springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool cake on a rack for about 20 minutes; then turn it out of the pan to cool completely.

Souper Soup/Goolash

2009-02-15T15:35:00.001-06:00

My mom makes this "kitchen sink" type soup often. It's a great way to use ingredients in your pantry and yields a very hearty and satisfying meal. Pair with a green salad and you have a nice wintertime meal--with plenty of leftovers that are even better on the second day. Thanks mom! Continue for recipe.

Souper Soup

1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
1.5 celery stalks, chopped
2-3 carrots, chopped
2-3 potatoes, chopped
1 can pinto or red beans (I usually leave this out)
1 can green beans
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 qt. water
3-5 beef bouillon cubes
1-1.5 cup noodles (I like spiral noodles)
parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Brown meat, onion, garlic, and celery together. Drain. Add rest of ingredients, except noodles. Cover and simmer until potatoes are nearly soft -- about one hour. Add noodles and cook until done -- approxiumately 20 more minutes. Even better on day two!

Simple Pancakes

2008-10-27T20:17:00.004-05:00

My favorite meal of the day is breakfast and I love to try new recipes to enhance my morning repertoire. These pancakes from King Arthur's are light and fluffy and straightforward to make. Feeling lazy, I didn't even use my mixer for these and they turned out great. I like the flavor of butter better than oil for pancakes, but either are fine. To play around with these, King Arthur recommends adding ground oats for part of the flour for a whole-grain version. I'll have to try this out next time! Continue for recipe.

Simply Perfect Pancakes

King Arthur Flour

2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
3 tablespoons melted butter or vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar OR 1/4 cup malted milk powder

1. Beat the eggs and milk until light and foamy, about 3 minutes at high speed of a stand or hand mixer (also worked fine without the mixer for lazy days!). Stir in the butter or vegetable oil.

2. Whisk the dry ingredients together to evenly distribute the salt, baking powder and sweetener.

3. Gently and quickly mix into the egg and milk mixture. Let the batter rest for at least 15 minutes, while the griddle is heating; it"ll thicken slightly.

4. Heat a heavy frying pan over medium heat, or set an electric griddle to 350°F. Lightly grease frying pan or griddle. The pan or griddle is ready if a drop of water will skitter across the surface, evaporating immediately.

5. Drop 1/3 cupfuls of batter onto the lightly greased griddle. Bake on one side until bubbles begin to form and break, then turn the pancakes and cook the other side till brown. Turn over only once. Serve immediately.

Chocolate Chip Sour Cream Cake

2008-10-19T11:05:00.004-05:00

I was really excited about this delicious looking coffeecake that I saw on the Smitten Kitten blog--a very yummy site. Sour cream cake with a layer of cinnamon and sugar in the middle and chocolate chips. I'm definitely a sucker for breakfast cakes! Although this was a very moist cake, I have to admit, probably not my favorite. It was ok though and it makes a large amount. I think I just prefer fruit coffee cakes instead of the chocolate. But I love the blog! Continue for recipe.

Chocolate Chip Sour Cream Cake

1 stick butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs, separated
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
16 ounces sour cream
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

12 ounces chocolate chips
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a large bowl, cream butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar, then mix in the egg yolks and vanilla. Sift flour, baking soda and baking powder together into a separate bowl. Alternately add sour cream and then dry ingredients into butter mixture. Beat eggs whites until stiff, then fold into batter. Mix last 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon together in a separate, small dish.

In a greased 9″x13″ pan, pour in half of the cake batter. Sprinkle the top with half of the cinnamon-sugar mixture and half of the chocolate chips. Pour remaining batter on top, sprinkling the top with the remaining cinnamon-sugar and chocolate chips.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.

Pizza Night

2008-10-02T14:57:00.013-05:00

Just a basic, simple crust! Nice texture and sturdy enough to support toppings. It's hard to go wrong with homemade pizza! Continue for recipe.

Easy Pizza Dough

2 1/4 cup bread flour
1 1/2 t salt
1 T sugar
2 T olive oil
2 t yeast
1 cup warm water

Mix sugar, oil, yeast, and water together and let sit for 5 min.
Add flour and salt and kneed for several minutes.
Let dough rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
Divide dough into 2 portions, shape into a loose ball, and let rest, covered, for 3o min.
Roll dough out on floured surface and bake!
Easy!

Fabulous Banana Cookies

2008-10-02T14:52:00.010-05:00

These are the BEST cookies!! I absolutely love them!! They are banana bread cookies--yum!! The banana really comes through in these cakey, moist treats that have a hint of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Make them with nuts, chocolate chips, or both (I like chips myself). I'm always looking for great ways to use my browning bananas. Thanks Simply Recipes for posting these cookies from Garrett McCord of Vanilla and Garlic!! Continue for recipe.

Banana Cookies Recipe

1/2 cup of unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup of sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 cup of mashed bananas (about 2 ½ large bananas)
1 teaspoon of baking soda
2 cups of flour
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg (optional)
1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves
1 cup of pecans (walnuts and chocolate chips are fine alternatives)

1 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and continue to beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.

2 In a bowl, mix the mashed bananas and baking soda. Let sit for 2 minutes. The baking soda will react with the acid in the bananas which in turn will give the cookies their lift and rise.

3 Mix the banana mixture into the butter mixture. Mix together the flour, salt, and spices and sift into the butter and banana mixture and mix until just combined.

4 Fold into the batter the pecans or chocolate chips if using. Drop in dollops onto parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until nicely golden brown. Let cool on wire racks.

Makes about 30 cookies.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

2008-10-02T14:50:00.001-05:00

Coming!

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Plum Almond Yogurt Cake

2008-09-10T18:22:00.007-05:00

Ok, another yogurt cake. I could not help myself. Yum! The plums have been so nice this month and this is a perfect and lovely way to enjoy them. Great for breakfast, snacks, or dessert. I like this variation of yogurt cake to serve to guests--the overlapping plums on the top are so beautiful and look fancy, although it still is so simple to put together. Be sure to really pack in the plums on the top. Umm--I want a latte and slice right now! Continue for recipe.

Yogurt Cake

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
3 large eggs
1/2 t vanilla (optional)
1/2 cup canola oil

Variations:

Plum Almond:
1/2 t almond extract + sliced plums--overlap on top (pack them in)
can sub ground almonds for part of the flour if wanted; sprinkle with a little brown sugar

Lemon/Orange Blueberry:
2 tsp. grated lemon/orange zest (from 1-2 lemons/oranges) + 2 cups blueberries tossed in a T of flour

For the glaze:
Juice from 2 lemons/oranges
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour a 9x2 round cake pan (or use a 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 loaf pan).
Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
In another bowl, rub the zest(if using) into the sugar with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and fragrant.
Add the yogurt, eggs, and vanilla to the sugar and mix until well blended.
Add the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.
Add the oil, and stir until smooth.
Add fruit, if using.
Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the cake is springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool cake on a rack for about 20 minutes; then turn it out of the pan to cool completely.
When the cake is cooled, combine the lemon juice and powdered sugar in a small bowl and spoon it gently over the cake. The glaze will be thin and will soak in like a syrup.

Orange Blueberry Yogurt Cake

2008-08-24T17:57:00.006-05:00

Umm..yogurt cakes are so easy to put together that I keep going to back to this basic recipe. No mixer needed! And very moist and tasty. Today I opted for an orange flavored cake with blueberries. Yum! Continue for recipe.

Yogurt Cake

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
3 large eggs
1/2 t vanilla (optional)
1/2 cup canola oil

Variations:

Plum Almond:
1/2 t almond extract + sliced plums--overlap on top (pack them in)
can sub ground almonds for part of the flour if wanted; sprinkle top with brown sugar

Lemon/Orange Blueberry:
2 tsp. grated lemon/orange zest (from 1-2 lemons/oranges)rubbed into the sugar + 2 cups blueberries tossed in a T of flour

For the glaze:
Juice from 2 lemons/oranges
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour a 9x2 round cake pan (or use a 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 loaf pan).
Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
In another bowl, rub the zest(if using) into the sugar with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and fragrant.
Add the yogurt, eggs, and vanilla to the sugar and mix until well blended.
Add the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.
Add the oil, and stir until smooth.
Add fruit, if using.
Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the cake is springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool cake on a rack for about 20 minutes; then turn it out of the pan to cool completely.
When the cake is cooled, combine the lemon juice and powdered sugar in a small bowl and spoon it gently over the cake. The glaze will be thin and will soak in like a syrup.

Plum

2008-08-24T17:55:00.003-05:00

coming!!

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Cornbread

2008-08-24T17:53:00.004-05:00

I really love cornbread! I'm a Northern fan--I like a sweet cornbread, slathered in butter and then drizzled with honey. So good with soups and chilis, but equally satisfying for breakfast. This is just a basic recipe--but good! Recipe coming soon!

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Oatmeal Raisin Carrot Cookies

2008-08-18T15:46:00.009-05:00

Ok, I know I just made carrot raisin muffins, but I really wanted a chewy raisin spice cookie today and I noticed this recipe on Baking Bites that sounded good. I made several modifications--used oil instead of butter and added applesauce for some of the fat. I also cut out the mixer, combining the ingredients by hand like a quick bread. I also used old-fashioned oats, pulsed briefly in my mini-chopper, as opposed to the quick variety.

The cookies are lovely looking and I really like the cakey consistency. Like many spice cakes, they are definitely better the second and third days. So plan ahead, and make these the day before--giving the spices time to develop. They are only slightly sweet and have a nice texture from the oatmeal. Great breakfast cookies. When I make them again, I will up the spices a bit and add a touch more sugar (if I'm wanting a "cookie" not a breakfast treat). Half brown sugar might be nice as well. These grew on me each day that I ate them and by the time they were gone, I was ready to make another batch! Continue for recipe.

Oatmeal Raisin Carrot Cookies

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup applesauce (generous)
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 cup grated carrots
1 cup oats
1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.
In a large bowl, mix together oil, applesauce, sugar, egg, vanilla and spices.
Stir in flour mixture. Once no streaks of flour remain, stir in carrots, oats and raisins.
Drop tablespoonfuls of batter onto prepared baking sheets.
Bake for 11-13 minutes, until cookies are set and lightly browned on the edges. Cool for 3 or 4 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Basic Muffin Recipe: Blueberry Lemon and Carrot Raisin

2008-08-18T15:44:00.006-05:00

I'm always searching for good muffin recipes. It's so nice to have a delicious muffin ready and waiting to grab for a breakfast-on-the-go. I got this basic recipe from Pam Anderson's The Perfect Recipe, a great little cookbook that gives simple instructions and lots of variations for each recipe. As the former editor of Cook's Illustrated, Anderson really is a wonderful resource.

These muffins are good! I love the slight tang that the yogurt gives to them and the moistness. The carrot-raisin muffins are really good but plain--not carrot-cake like, as they only have a little cinnamon in them and not other spices. I think the raspberry-almond or the cranberry-orange would be great too. Continue for the recipe.

Basic Muffins
from The Perfect Recipe by Pam Anderson

3 cups flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
10 T butter, at room temp.
1 cup minus 1 T sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat to 375.
Line 18 muffin tins or coat with cooking spray.
Mix dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
Beat butter and sugar at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 min.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each.
Beat in 1/2 dry ingredients.
Beat in 1/3 of yogurt.
Beat in half of remaining dry ingredients, alternating with 1/3 of remaining yogurt, and repeat into fully incorporated.
Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.
Bake until golden brown, 20-25 minutes.
Cool slightly on wire rack, about 5 min. then remove and serve.

Cinnamon-Sugar Topping (optional):

1/2 cup sugar
2 t cinnamon
4 T melted butter

Mix sugar and cinn in small bowl. Dip each warm muffin in melted butter, then in cinnamon sugar and serve.

Variations:

Lemon Blueberry: Add 1 t lemon zest to sugar and rub between fingers until fragrant. Combine 1 T flour with 1 1/2 cups blueberries and fold into finished batter.

Carrot-Cinnamon Raisin: Add 1 t cinnamon to dry ingredients and fold in 1 1/2 cups grated carrots and 3/4 cups raisins into the finished batter.

Cranberry-Walnut-Orange: Add 1 t orange zest to sugar. Fold in 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped cranberries (or 3/4 cup dried) and 3/4 cup walnuts into finished batter.

Lemon Poppy Seed: Add 3 T poppy seeds to dry ingredients and 1 t lemon zest to sugar.

Raspberry Almond: Cream 1oz almond paste with the butter and sugar. When batter is finished, spoon half portion of batter into each muffin cup. Spoon 1 1/2 t raspberry jam into each cup and fill with remaining batter.

Mocha chip: Dissolve 3 T instant coffee granules in yogurt and fold 1 cup chocolate chips (or miniatures) into finished batter. Yum!!

Mixed Berry Cobbler: Tuesday's with Dorie

2008-06-24T08:11:00.005-05:00

Today's recipe from Baking: From My Home to Your's, was a simple fruit cobbler--nothing fancy, just nice berries topped with a homey biscuit crust. Very comforting and easy. The lemon zest gave the berry filling a nice freshness and the plain topping was perfect to sop up all of the juices and let the fruit be the star. Not too sweet, this will be good for my breakfast tomorrow!

I did change this recipe just a bit. I cut it down by 1/3 and added 2 cups of mixed berries and peaches (more than the recipe called for but I definitely wouldn't want less). I also added a dash of cinnamon to the fruit and used buttermilk instead of the heavy cream in the topping. Instead of rolling out the dough, after mixing it with my hands, I globbed it on top of the fruit and spread it out to cover, giving it a more rustic feel. I was also scant with the sugar in the filling. Nice recipe! It would be just perfect with Blue Bell's new summer flavor, Blackberry Cobbler ice cream--yum!

Blueberry Boy Bait

2008-06-23T20:56:00.004-05:00

Fresh blueberry time!! We have a local farm where we pick gorgeous, pesticide-free blueberries for only $1.50/lb--amazing! I picked close to 10 pounds and so now have a wonderful stock of berries begging to be used. I did freeze a lot so I'll be able to enjoy them throughout the year as well.

I made a coffeecake today which is really nice from America's Test Kitchen. It is very tender and buttery, studded with sweet blueberries. It is topped with cinnamon and sugar which I really like--not as rich as a crumb topping, but just enough to give it sweetness and crunch on the top. Yum! Continue for blueberry recipe.Blueberry Boy Bait

The Best of America's Test Kitchen 2008

Cake:
16 T unsalted butter, softened
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 T baking powder
1 t salt
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 cups whole milk
3/4 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen, tossed with 1 t flour

Topping:
3/4 cup blueberries
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 t ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and flour a 9x13 pan.
Whisk flour, powder, and salt in medium bowl.
With a mixer, beat butter and sugars on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 min., scraping the sides when needed.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until just incorporated.
Reduce speed to medium and beat in 1/3 of the flour mixture until incorporated; beat in 1/2 of the milk.
Beat in 1/2 of the remaining flour mixture, then the remaining milk, finally the rest of the flour.
Gently fold blueberries into the batter.
Pour the batter into the pan and smooth with a spatula.
For the topping, scatter the berries over the top of the batter.
Mix the sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl and sprinkle over the batter.
Bake about 45 min.
cool the cake in the pan for 20 minutes.
Cut into squares and serve warm or at room temperature.

Tamale Pie

2008-06-22T14:02:00.004-05:00

Comfort food--ummm. Today I wanted something filling and easy that would make enough for leftovers and decided on this Tamale Pie. It's been awhile since we've had this and it was nice to revisit an old favorite.

This "pie" is made with ground beef, tomatoes, green pepper, spices, salsa, and whatever else you want to throw in. Today I felt like corn but sometimes I add beans too. This mixture is topped with a thick layer of cornbread that is great to sop up the juices of the filling. I like to break up my cornbread and mix it all together on my plate. The sweetness of the cornbread is really nice with the spiciness of the filling. Of course, you can use a cornbread box mix to top this as well, but I find it just as easy to make up my own and it's tastier. You can also add spices or chiles to the cornbread, (really good with cilantro), but it's great without any additions. Serve with a salad, and you have a complete meal! Continue for Tamale Pie recipe.

Tamale Pie

1/2 onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 lb. ground beef
1 t coriander
1/2 t cumin
1/2 t chili powder
1/2-1 cup salsa
1 14oz can diced tomatoes
1 14oz can corn
1 T Mexican hot sauce or several dashes of Tabasco
salt to taste

1 cup flour
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
2 generous T sugar
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
2/3 c milk
1 1/2 T butter, melted
1 egg
cilantro (optional)

Heat large skillet to medium high. Add onions, green peppers, and beef. Cook, breaking up the beef with spoon, until meat is fully cooked and vegetables are soft.
Stir in spices.
Add salsa, tomatoes, corn, and hot sauce.
Taste and salt, adjusting hot sauce if needed.
Preheat oven to 350.
Pour beef mixture into a 3 quart baking dish.

For cornbread topping:
Mix flour through salt in medium bowl.
In measuring cup, mix milk, egg, and butter.
Add milk mixture to flour and stir until just barely combined.
Add cilantro, if using.
Drop spoonfuls of batter onto beef mixture.

Bake for about 35 min, or until cornbread is done.

Tuesday's with Dorie Rewind: Bill's Big Carrot Cake

2008-06-16T19:44:00.008-05:00

It's Tuesday again and that means another recipe from Baking: From My Home to Yours! This week, the selection was a delicious looking peppermint puff ring. As you can tell by my photo, I was side-tracked by a previous recipe. And I noticed that it is acceptable to make past recipe trials, so I decided I just had to make a carrot cake for Father's Day. I'll have to get back to the yummy looking puff another time soon!

This is a big, beautiful looking carrot cake, filled with nuts, coconut, and raisins. The three layers are very moist and bake nicely and it certainly makes for an impressive presentation. It was good, but definitely not my favorite carrot cake. I guess I was wanting something spicier. As this cake only contains cinnamon, it didn't quite taste like a spice cake. And I'm not a fan of all of the coconut. If I were it make it again, I would add spices, omit the coconut, and increase the amount of raisins. That being said, it was still a very good cake.

But I absolutely LOVE the icing!! In fact, the icing took over the cake--yum! I could eat a bowl of this stuff! It's just a simple mixture of cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and lemon extract--but it is terrific! I will definitely be featuring this lemon icing on many sweets to come! It would be wonderful on cinnamon rolls, or chocolate cake, or.....Yum!
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Calzones

2008-06-16T18:44:00.003-05:00

Well, calzones sounded really great today. I had leftover ricotta that needed to be used and so I whipped these up for lunch. But I decided to make a semolina dough that ended up being way too bready for the amount of filling that I used. Oh well, they smelled wonderful!! I definitely prefer thin, light crusts for more traditional calzones. Next time!

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Fast and Easy Chicken Two Ways: Salsa and Sesame

2008-06-16T18:12:00.012-05:00

I'm always on the look-out for quick dishes that can be thrown together when I walk in from work and am starving. It's nice to have these in mind so I don't go straight for the dessert. :) And these are made with ingredients that I usually have on hand in the pantry. Both are served over rice, and so I usually start that simmering immediately. Salsa Chicken is spicy and Sesame Chicken is sweet--two great choices that both always sound good! Continue for Chicken recipes.

Salsa Chicken

1- 1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, but into 1-inch pieces
Several teaspoons of taco seasoning
1 cup prepared salsa (I like medium)
1 small can diced green chiles
1 8oz can tomato sauce
sharp cheddar cheese

Heat a little oil in a skillet over medium heat.
Generously sprinkle chicken on one side with taco seasoning.
Place chicken in single layer in skillet.
Sprinkle top-side of chicken with salt and pepper.
Cook chicken several minutes, until browned.
Flip chicken pieces over, and cook several more minutes, until browned.
Add salsa, chiles, and tomato sauce.
Cover the skillet and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 5 more minutes.
Sprinkle the top with cheese.
Cover skillet until cheese melts.
Serve over rice.

Easy Sesame Chicken

adapted from Culinary in the Country

3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
sprinkle of red pepper flakes
2 large egg whites
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 pounds boneless/skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2"chunks
salt and fresh ground black pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 1/2 pounds broccoli, cut into large florets

In a small bowl, whisk together honey, sesame seeds, soy sauce, garlic, and red pepper flakes.

In a large bowl, whisk together egg whites and cornstarch. Add chicken, season with salt and pepper and toss well to coat.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Place half of the chicken into the skillet - cook, turning occasionally, until golden and cooked through, about 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate and repeat with remaining tablespoon oil and chicken. Place all of the chicken back into the skillet and pour in the honey sauce - toss well to coat and remove from the heat.

Meanwhile, steam broccoli until crisp-tender.

Serve sesame chicken over the rice and broccoli.

Granola Bars

2008-06-05T12:20:00.009-05:00

One of my essential daily snacks is a granola bar. I love them and eat them all the time--breakfast, snack, dessert. I especially enjoy the trail mix bars, loaded with nuts and dried fruit. And for ages now, I've been meaning to make my own. They are so easy to put together, taste wonderful, smell terrific in the oven, and you can add exactly what you want to fit your fancy. Not to mention they don't contain all of the junk that store bought bars have--preservatives, added fats, refined sweeteners, a plethora of corn products...Why haven't I made these months ago?

So today, I've finally made my own. Exciting!! I was inspired by this recipe from a nice looking blog, The Kitchen Sink, and adapted it for the ingredients that I had on hand. I really love pumpkin seeds but didn't have any today. I enjoyed the mix of brown sugar and honey and liked the sesame seeds. Unfortunately, my coconut flakes were rather old, and didn't really add anything special, but I'm sure fresher coconut would be tasty. I'm a fan of whole nuts and seeds and so I liked the whole almonds.

Next time, I'll cut back on the oats to 2 1/2 cups and add another nut/seed and/or puffed rice cereal for lightness. But wonderful bars for my first go at it! Yummy!! Wrap them individually in parchment, and they're ready to go for lunches or treats in the car! I'll definitely play around with this recipe and make other combinations:

peanut butter for the oil
pumpkin seeds
sunflower seeds
wheat germ
Rice Krispies in place of some of the oats
cashews
flax seeds
chocolate chips
maple syrup for some of the sugar/honey

So many possible add-ins! Fun!!
Continue for Granola Bar recipe.

Granola Bars

3 cups old-fashioned oats (next time, cut back a little to 2 1/2 cups and add seeds/wheat germ/puffed rice)
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
1 t sea salt
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1 cup whole almonds, unsalted

1/2 t cinnamon
1 t vanilla
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup canola oil

1 generous cup mixed dried fruit: cranberries, dates, apricots

Preheat oven to 325.
Line a 9x9 pan with 2 pieces or parchment or foil so that there are overhangs on each side of the pan. (This will make it easy to get the bars out of the pan.)
Spread the first set of ingredients on a large, rimmed baking sheet and bake for 15 min., stirring once half way through.
A few minutes before oats mixture is finished baking, combine next set of ingredients in a small saucepan and heat over medium-low heat until brown sugar is dissolved.
In large bowl, combine oats mixture and sugar mixture; stir to combine.
Add dried fruit and mix.
Spread granola in prepared pan and press down firmly to pack it in.
Bake for 30 min.
Remove from oven and allow to cool COMPLETELY.
Lift out of pan and cut into bars with a very sharp knife.
**Do not try to cut when still warm!

French Chocolate Brownies: Tuesdays with Dorie

2008-06-03T15:25:00.008-05:00

My first recipe with the group Tuesdays with Dorie! Wonderful! This group is going through Dorie Greenspan's fabulous book, Baking From My Home to Yours, one recipe at a time, posting each Tuesday. I was so excited to join up, as I really enjoy this cookbook--Yummy!!

These brownies are really tasty. But I'm not sure if I would necessarily call them brownies--they're so smooth and soft--velvety, yet not a cake either. Wonderful!! They are made with bittersweet chocolate and have an intense flavor. They aren't fudgy or cake-like, maybe somewhere in between. They have a very tender, soft texture. The top crusts over while baking and then cracks, making them rather delicate and crumbly, adding to their charm. The secret ingredient is raisins (supposed to be rum-soaked, but I left this out) and they're very subtle--great with the chocolate. They really add a great dimension. Very nice! I love these!!

Continue for brownie recipe.

French Chocolate Brownies

adapted from Baking From My Home to Yours

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1/3 cup raisins, dark or golden

1 1/2 tablespoons water

1 1/2 tablespoons dark rum (I left this out)

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into 12 pieces

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 300°F.

Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil, butter the foil, place the pan on a baking sheet, and set aside.
Whisk together the flour, salt and cinnamon.
Put the raisins in a small saucepan with the water, bring to a boil over medium hea,t and cook until the water almost evaporates. Add the rum, let it warm for about 30 seconds, turn off the heat, stand back and ignite the rum. Allow the flames to die down, and set the raisins aside until needed.
Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Slowly and gently melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally. Remove the bowl from the saucepan and add the butter, stirring so that it melts. It's important that the chocolate and butter not get very hot. However, if the butter is not melting, you can put the bowl back over the still-hot water for a minute. If you've got a couple of little bits of unmelted butter, leave them—it's better to have a few bits than to overheat the whole. (I carefully melted mine in the microwave and it worked fine--medium power).

Set the chocolate aside for the moment.
Working with a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until they are thick and pale, about 2 minutes.

Lower the mixer speed and pour in the chocolate-butter, mixing only until it is incorporated—you'll have a thick, creamy batter.

Add the dry ingredients and mix at low speed for about 30 seconds—the dry ingredients won't be completely incorporated and that's fine.

Finish folding in the dry ingredients by hand with a rubber spatula, then fold in the raisins along with any liquid remaining in the pan.
Scrape the batter into the pan and bake 50 to 60 minutes, or until the top is dry and crackled and a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Transfer the pan to a rack and allow the brownies to cool to warm or room temperature.
Carefully lift the brownies out of the pan, using the foil edges as handles, and transfer to a cutting board. With a long-bladed knife, cut the brownies into 16 squares, each roughly 2 inches on a side, taking care not to cut through the foil.

Dorie's Serving Suggestions: The brownies are good just warm or at room temperature; they're even fine cold. I like these with a little something on top or alongside—good go-alongs are whipped crème fraiche or whipped cream, ice cream or chocolate sauce or even all three!

Storing: Wrapped well, these can be kept at room temperature for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.

Blackout Cake

2008-05-26T21:25:00.003-05:00

Type your summary here

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Big Blueberry Muffins

2008-05-26T20:35:00.009-05:00

Yum!! What a great way to start off a holiday weekend--a treat for breakfast! I saw a post for these fabulous muffins on Baking Bites, a neat blog that has scrumptious recipes. I modified the original recipe a bit, using part brown sugar and all butter and added a struesel topping. They are delicious! This might be my favorite blueberry muffin recipe yet! Nice and big and moist with lots of blueberries. Great muffins. Continue for muffin recipe.

Big Blueberry Muffins

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
5 T unsalted butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 cup (fresh or frozen) blueberries

1-2 T melted butter
brown sugar
cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375F. Line 8-9 muffin tin cups with paper liners.
In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light.
Beat in the egg, followed by the vanilla extract.
Alternate buttermilk and flour into butter mixture, ending with an addition of flour and working in 2 or three additions.
Stir in blueberries.
Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.
Mix melted butter, brown sugar (to desired consistency), and cinnamon and sprinkle on top of muffin batter for the topping.
Bake for 18-22 minutes, until tops are lightly browned and a tester comes out clean.Cool on a wire rack.
Makes 8-9 big muffins.

Party Time!!

2008-03-30T12:06:00.011-05:00

I'm back with a new post--finally!! I can't believe it's been so long! Right after finding out that I was pregnant, I started to have an aversion to my kitchen and all of the foods that normally I would be crazy about. So weird--all I wanted were breads, sandwiches, cereals, or eggs. Definitely nothing spicy or that contained vegetables or whole-grains. So I completely stopped cooking for a while. Well, my taste buds haven't completely recovered, but I now feel great and am ready for the kitchen again. Yeah!!!

Last night, my sisters and I threw a surprise party for my parents' 60th birthdays. It was a lovely evening: wonderful friends--new and old, sisters, neighbors, great conversations, laughter, and good food. A LOT of food...so many leftovers!!

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Low-Fat Fudgy Brownies

2007-11-17T14:12:00.002-06:00

And finally the recipe! These were really tasty, chocolaty brownies--and low fat! Of course ice cream tops them off wonderfully. :)

Fudgy Low-Fat Brownies
America's Test Kitchen

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
2 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 T unsalted butter
2 T low-fat sour cream
1 T chocolate syrup
2 t vanilla
1 egg
1 egg white
1 cup sugar

Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat to 350.
Fold 2, 12-inch pieces foil lengthwise so each measures 7 inches wide. Fit sheets into 8-inch square pan, pushing foil into corners and up sides of pan (to help remove brownies--optional).
Spray foil or pan with cooking spray.
Whisk dry ingredients together.
Melt bittersweet chocolate and butter in large bowl until smooth. Cool several minutes, then whisk in sour cream, syrup, vanilla, eggs, and sugar.
fold in dry ingredients until combined.
Pour batter into pan. Bake until slightly puffed and toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few sticky crumbs attached, 20-25 min.
Cool completely on wire rack.

Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

2007-11-17T14:07:00.000-06:00

Coming soon!

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Compound Butters

2007-11-17T13:58:00.000-06:00

Cranberry Honey Butter

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Alsatian Apple Tart

2007-11-16T20:25:00.002-06:00

Coming soon!

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Quinoa with Moroccan Winter Squash and Carrot Stew

2007-11-16T17:55:00.000-06:00

This is one of my favorite vegetable stews. It is perfect for a fall day and has wonderful flavors. I love butternut squash and it's sweetness is nicely balanced by the combination of spices in the stew. Today I added parsnips along with the carrots and squash--yum! The spiced quinoa really goes well with it. It's nice to use an alternative grain, like quinoa, for a change from the normal rice, bulgur, or couscous. It has great texture and is beautiful too! This is definitely one of my favorite recipes. And my husband will eat it too!! Continue for recipe.

Quinoa with Moroccan Winter Squash and Carrot Stew
Bon Appetit

Stew

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons Hungarian sweet paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup water
1 can diced tomatoes (14 1/2 ounce)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 cups cubed, peeled butternut squash (from 1 1/2-pound squash)
2 cups 3/4 inch cubed, peeled carrots (I used use a little more squash and a little less carrots)

Quinoa

1 cup quinoa
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup finely chopped peeled carrot
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 cups water

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided

1. For stew: Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; sauté until soft, stirring often, about 5 minutes.

2. Add garlic; stir 1 minute. Mix in paprika and next 8 ingredients.

3. Add 1 cup water, tomatoes, and lemon juice. Bring to boil. Add squash and carrots.

4. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)

5. For quinoa: Rinse quinoa; drain. Melt butter with oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and carrot. Cover; cook until vegetables begin to brown, stirring often, about 10 minutes.

6. Add garlic, salt, and turmeric; sauté 1 minute. Add quinoa; stir 1 minute. Add 2 cups water. Bring to boil; reduce heat to medium-low. Cover; simmer until liquid is absorbed and quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes.

7. Rewarm stew. Stir in half of cilantro. Spoon quinoa onto platter, forming well in center. Spoon stew into well. Sprinkle remaining herbs over.

Herbed Turkey Stock

2007-11-16T17:42:00.000-06:00

Getting ready for Thanksgiving!! Yeah! This is the first year that it will be at my home and I can't wait! Both of my sisters and their husbands are flying in for the celebration. I just love Thanksgiving. It's such a warm, comforting time full of food, family, and heavenly smells. Only one more week!

I decided to start my preparations in advance so that I'm able to relax when my sisters are here. So I made my turkey stock from a recipe from Fine Cooking. I'll use it for my gravy on Thanksgiving. I roasted turkey parts with aromatic vegetables, then simmered them with fresh herbs: thyme, sage, and parsely. After straining, I popped it in the freezer. The aroma was great! Recipe coming soon!

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Grandma's Cranberry Bread

2007-11-16T17:22:00.000-06:00

My grandmother always had a loaf of cranberry bread in her freezer to have ready when we requested it. We loved it. "I want cranberry bread, Grandma!" It reminds me of her home in Missouri and her kitchen, in which she was always preparing good meals for us. Comforting food. Old-fashioned home-cooking. She served this bread for both Thanksgiving and Christmas and usually included small tins with her holiday baskets filled with goodies that she made for family and neighbors. Sometimes, she baked in tin cans, giving the bread a nice round shape. Sadly, my grandma doesn't remember how to bake anymore--having succumbed to the slow progression of Alzheimer's--but she does remark, "I think I used to make something like this!"

It's recipes like this bread that provide a special connection through the generations and a sense of continuity with those that have come before us. It's important for me to preserve these family culinary traditions, passing them along and keeping the memories alive. My grandma's memories may be gone, but a portion are still alive with me and my family to enjoy and cherish and share with our children.

So, with a theme of Traditional Feasts, I am going to contribute this post to the Monthly Mingle blog event, and pass on this traditional recipe to others as well. Enjoy! Continue for bread recipe.

Grandma's Cranberry Bread

Yield: 2 loaves

2 1/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 1/4 cups cranberries, sliced round or coarsely chopped (or closer to 1 1/2 cups)
3 tablespoons shortening
1 cup nuts (I like walnuts)
1 tablespoon orange rind, or a bit more
juice of one orange plus enough boiling water to make one cup liquid (or 1 cup orange)

1. Sift first five ingredients together twice. (Alternatively, pulse in food processor.)

2. Add shortening to cup of hot juice (it should melt some); add eggs and rind.

3. Add juice mixture to dry ingredients; fold together.

4. Add chopped nuts and cranberries.

5. Bake at 350 degrees until edges start to color and toothpick inserted comes out clean. (This is roughly 30 minutes, more or less, for 2 loaf pans).

Blueberry Muffins

2007-11-05T20:59:00.000-06:00

My husband, being such a thoughtful guy, wanted to bring breakfast to the office today for one of his less fortunate co-workers, " The Giant." Apparently, they make friendly wagers over sporting events, and "The Giant" continually loses, forcing him to pay for lunch. My husband just thought he'd do something kind for the loser, in anticipation of "The Giant's" eminent downfall next week. Someday he will learn--my husband is the WINNER!! :) So, these cinnamon-topped blueberry muffins are en-route to the office--enjoy!

Recipe coming soon!

Blueberry Muffins
from The Best Recipe

Pumpkin Muffins, Bread, and almost Cupcakes

2007-10-22T22:05:00.001-05:00

Pumpkin season is here! And it's finally getting cool in Houston. It's fall! Time for lots of squash. :) These are my favorite spicy pumpkin muffins (or bread). Cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon combine perfectly with the pumpkin, getting even better the day after baking. And so moist! I usually cut back on the oil and use buttermilk and or applesauce to fill in. Today, I added dried cranberries, but they're also great with walnuts. This is such a versatile recipe. And they freeze wonderfully. I always freeze one of the loaves or several muffins.

I had every intention of turning these into cupcakes with an orange-clove cream cheese frosting for the Cupcake Hero event hosted by Laurie of Quirky Cupcakes and Stefani of the Cupcake Project but they didn't make it that far. Next time!! They're so good to grab on-the-go for breakfast that I just didn't get to the frosting. Anyway, I used pastry flour (part cake flour) to make them lighter and more cupcake-like. For bread, I think I like the texture of all-purpose. But yum! I'll have to make more for cupcakes! Continue for pumpkin recipe.

Spicy Pumpkin Bread
by Rose

2 cups sugar ( I usually use part brown sugar--can cut down to 1 2/3 cups if just making it for myself)
2/3 cup oil (or even 1/2 if you're really dieting :) --then substitute the rest with buttermilk to equal 1 cup)
1/3 cup buttermilk
1-2 T applesauce
3 large eggs
1 can solid pack pumpkin (16 ounce)
3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (optional but good!)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two 9x5x3-inch loaf pans.
Beat sugar and oil in large bowl to blend.
Mix in eggs and pumpkin.
Sift flour, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, salt and baking powder into another large bowl.
Stir into pumpkin mixture in 2 additions. Mix in walnuts, if desired.
Divide batter equally between prepared pans.
Bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes.
Transfer to racks and cool 10 minutes. Using sharp knife, cut around edge of loaves. Turn loaves out onto racks and cool completely.

Coconut "Twinkie" Cupcakes with Lemon Filling

2007-10-17T19:41:00.000-05:00

My love affair with Asian desserts and pastries started last year during a vacation to SanFrancisco. I just couldn't get enough of the delicious Chinese bakeries, with my favorite steamed red bean buns. Sponge cakes, almond cookies, egg custard tarts, filled buns, moon cakes...Yum!! Upon returning home, I was excited to try some of the local bakeries. And although I haven't yet found the perfect steamed bun, Houston has a large Asian community and many options for wonderful sweets. What a great benefit of living in a large, multi-cultural city!

Anyway, I was very excited to try my first recipe for a friend's birthday from The Sweet Spot: Asian Inspired Desserts by Pichet Ong and Genevieve Ko. This cookbook has beautiful looking sweets! These cupcakes were great--light and airy, with a subtle crunch from the coconut and a tart lemon curd filling. I only piped a small amount of the curd into the cupcakes, about a tablespoon or less, and it was perfect. I topped them with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream, hiding the hole for the filling. Cute! You will hear from this cookbook again! Continue for Cupcake recipe.

Coconut Twinkie Cupcakes with Lemon Filling
from The Sweet Spot, Asian-Inspired Desserts

Lemon Filling

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 T unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup sugar
3 large egg yolks
2 t vanilla extract (or 1 vanilla bean)
1/2 t salt

Coconut Cupcakes

1 T unsalted butter, at room temperature, for greasing ramekins
1/2 cup sugar, plus more for sugaring ramekins
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup finely shredded unsweetened dried coconut
3 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
1 T grated lemon zest
1/4 t salt
1 t vanilla extract

To make Filling:

Put all ingredients in a double boiler or in bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Whisk constantly until the mixture becomes very thick, like jam, about 15 min. (Mine took quite a bit longer for some reason).
Remove from heat, put a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the curd, and refriegerate until completely chilled, about 2 hours.

For the Cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter and sugar 12 4oz. ramekins or a 12-cup muffin tin; set aside.

Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl and stir in the coconut; set aside.

Put the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer and whisk at medium-high speed until frothy. With the machine running, slowly add 1/3 cup of the sugar and continue whisking until medium-soft peaks form. Transfer to another large bowl.

Put the egg yolks and zest in the mixer bowl and whisk at medium speed until the yolks break, then add the salt and the remaining 2 T plus 2 t sugar and continue whisking until the yolks are pale yellow, thick, and doubled in volume, about 10 minutes.

Add the vanilla to the yolk mixture and whisk until well incorporated. Add 1/3 of the whipped whites to the yolks and stir well. Carefully fold in the remaining whites just until incorporated, trying to make sure they do not lose volume. Fold in half the flour mixture, then fold in the remaining flour until no traces of flour remain.

Divide the batter among the ramekins or muffin cups. If using ramekins, put them on a baking sheet. Bake for 4 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake until a tester comes out clean and the tops are puffed and golden brown, about 5 minutes more. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then unmold and cool completely on a rack. The cake will deflate as they cool.

Transfer the chilled lemon filling to a pastry bag filled with a small plain tip. Poke a hole in the top of each cupcake with the tip, and slowly pipe in the curd until it begins to squirt out the opening. You will be able to feel when the cupcake is filled.

Serve the same day.

Basic Sourdough Bread

2007-10-17T19:39:00.000-05:00

What a wonderful loaf! This is another great recipe from Peter Reinhart's The Bread Baker's Apprentice. The bread's deep flavor was developed over 3 days and the resulting loaves were terrific! After feeding my starter (or barm, which I like to keep fairly wet, about the consistency of pancake batter), a firm starter was made and then allowed to ferment overnight. The next day, the final dough was mixed, rose, and then shaped. The loaves were retarded in the refrigerator overnight and then baked on the following day.

Both the texture and flavor are really nice in this bread. I used all King Arthur Bread flour for these loaves. The result was slightly chewy but beautiful airy with a perfectly crunchy crust. I'm excited to try many variations of this basic recipe! Continue for Sourdough recipe.

Basic Sourdough Bread
from the Bread Baker's Apprentice

Makes two 1 1/2-pound loaves

Firm Starter
4 oz barm (wet starter--fed)
4.5 oz bread flour
1-2 oz water

Final Dough
20.25 oz bread flour
.5 oz sea salt
12-14 oz lukewarm water

Semolina flour for dusting

1. Remove starter from the refrigerator and measure it out 1 hour before making the firm starter to take off the chill.
2. Add the flour to the bowl and mix together the barm and the flour, adding only enough additional water so that you can knead this into a small ball. You don't need to work this very long, just until the flour is hydrated. Lightly oil a small bowl and place the starter in the bowl, turning to coat with oil. Cover.
3. Ferment at room temperature for approx. 4 hours, or until the starter has at least doubled. Put it into the refrigerator overnight.
4. Remove the starter from the refrigerator 1 hour before making the dough. Cut it into about 10 small pieces with a knife or pastry scraper. Mist with spray oil, cover with plastic and let sit for 1 hour to take off the chill.
5. To make the dough, stir together the flour and salt in large mixing bowl. Add the starter pieces and enough water to bring everything together into a ball as you stir with a large spoon.
6. Sprinkle the counter with flour, transfer the dough to the counter and knead by hand for 12-15 minutes. Adjust the water or flour as needed. The dough should be firm but tacky. It should pass the windowpane test. Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, coating it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
7. Ferment at room temperature for 3-4 hours, or until dough has nearly doubled in size.
8. Gently remove the dough from the bowl and divide it into 2 equal pieces (or smaller if making rolls), being careful to degas the dough as little as possible. Gently shape the dough into boules, batards, or baguettes.
9. Proof the dough in bannetons or proofing bowl (lined with towel, sprayed with oil, then floured), or on parchment-lined sheet pans that have been dusted with semolina flour. Mist the exposed part of the dough with spray oil and loosely cover the dough with plastic wrap. Proof the loaves for 2-3 hours, or retard overnight in the refrigerator, removing them approx. 4 hours before baking them the next day (I proofed overnight with these).
10. Prepare the oven for hearth baking with a baking stone in the bottom 3rd of the oven and a steam pan on the top shelf. Preheat the oven to 500. Carefully remove the plastic wrap from the dough 10 minutes before baking.
11. Generously dust parchment lined peel with semolina flour and gently transfer the dough to the peel. Score the dough. Slid the dough onto the stone. After 30 seconds, spray the oven walls with water and close the door. Repeat 2x more at 30 second intervals. After the final spray, lower the oven setting to 450 and bake for 10 minutes. rotate the loaves 180 degrees and continue baking for another 10-20 minutes. They should be a rick golden brown allover, and sound hollow when thumped on the bottom.
12. Transfer the finished loaves to a rack and cool for at least 4 minutes before slicing.

Pizza Napoletana

2007-10-07T16:18:00.000-05:00

Ok, I love pizza. :) This is yet another crust recipe and another trial from The Bread Baker's Apprentice. The dough was allowed to ferment overnight and thus, the flavor of this dough was really nice. However, I didn't care for the consistency. While the edges of the crust were ok, it was very thin and chewy in the center. I used part all-purpose, part bread, and part whole wheat flours. For my next dough, I'll try an overnight rest using part semolina flour. It was a good pizza though--herbed goat cheese, tomatoes, and fresh basil--how can you go wrong? Continue for Pizza recipe.

Pizza Napoletana
from The Bread Baker's Apprentice

20.25 oz. hi-gluten, bread, or all-purpose flour, chilled (I used: 9.5 oz bread, 2 oz wheat, and 8.75 oz all-purpose, put in freezer 30 min. to chill)
.44 oz salt
1 t instant yeast
2 oz olive oil
14 oz water, ice cold

Semolina flour for dusting

Stir together the flour, salt, and yeast in the bowl of an electric mixer. With a large spoon, stir in the oil and water until the flour is all absorbed. If mixing by hand, work the dough vigorously into a smooth mass. Do this for 5-7 minutes, or until the dough is smooth. If using an electric mixer (as I did), mix on medium speed for 5-7 minutes, until smooth and sticky. Dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom of the bowl. The finished dough will be springy, elastic, and sticky.

Sprinkle flour on the counter and transfer the dough. Prepare a sheet pan by lining it with parchment and misting with oil. Cut the dough into 4-6 equal pieces. Sprinkle flour over the dough. Flour hands, lift each piece, and round it into a ball. Transfer dough to the sheet pan. Mist with oil and cover with plastic. Rest in the refrigerator overnight or up to 3 days (or freeze).

Remove dough balls from refrigerator 2 hours before making pizza. Dust counter with flour then mist with oil. Place the dough on top of the counter and sprinkle with flour; dust hands with flour. Gently press the dough into flat disks and 1/2 inch thick. Sprinkle with flour, mist again, and cover with plastic. Rest for 2 hours.

45 minutes before baking, place a baking stone on a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven as hot as possible.

Dust a peel with semolina flour. make the pizzas one at a time. Flour your hands, and stretch dough by bouncing (I ended up rolling out my crusts directly on parchment).

Lay dough on the peel. Lightly top it with sauce and toppings. Slide pizza onto stone and close the door. Bake 5-8 minutes.

Greta's Apple Torte

2007-10-07T16:06:00.000-05:00

Last week I visited my dear friend Greta and her 2 little ones in Indiana. There is just something about old friends that's so wonderful and comfortable! She is such a great mom--it was so fun to see her with her family. She is a wonderfully creative person and so great in the kitchen--making tasty desserts and meals for us in college. She always had some fun treat for us to try or biscotti waiting for company. Her countless gifts of food and handmade cards are so special to me and really exemplify what a blessing food can be to others. The time and work put into making these goodies demonstrate her thoughtfulness and love for her friends. When I think about my home, I hope that is as welcoming and comforting as Greta's. Love you so Greta!

For my visit, Greta made this terrific apple torte. It was really good and I had to make it when I got home. And it's so easy and fun to make! A buttery, shortbread-like cake batter is spread on the bottom of a pan, stuffed with standing apple slices, dusted with cinnamon, and then baked. After an hour, a custardy mixture of eggs, butter, and sugar is poured over the top and it continues to bake until golden and set. Yum! The smell is fabulous and the resulting torte is gorgeous. Thanks friend!! Continue for Greta's Apple Torte recipe.

Greta's Apple Torte

¾ cup salted butter (or add 1 t salt if using unsalted)
2 c. sugar
4 eggs
2 t baking powder
8 small apples, peeled, cut into 8ths
cinnamon

8-9 inch springform pan (or 9 inch cake pan with at least 2 inch sides)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Melt ½ cup margarine.
Add 1 cup sugar and beat well.
Stir in 2 eggs and mix.
Add 1 ¾ cup flour and baking powder (and salt if using unsalted butter); beat well.
Spread in bottom of pan.
Stand apple wedges in batter and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Bake for 1 hour.
Cream remaining butter and sugar (and a small pinch of salt if using unsalted butter). Add eggs.
Pour over torte.
Bake 30 min. longer.
Allow to cool at least 15 minutes before cutting.
Enjoy!!

Beef Chili with Kidney Beans

2007-10-07T16:05:00.000-05:00

This is just a great basic beef chili. Nothing fancy or out-of-the-ordinary, but really nice flavor. I usually fuss around with my chilies, and love to add butternut squash, allspice, and cocoa which pair so nicely with the chili and meat. But today I wanted something basic--no messing around--and this was the perfect recipe from The New Best Recipe. And it tastes even better the following day. Great for a day of football! Continue for Chili recipe.

Beef Chili with Kidney Beans
from The New Best Recipe

2 medium onions, chopped fine
1 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into 1/2 inch strips
6 medium garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup chili powder
1 T ground cumin
2 t ground coriander
1 t red pepper flakes
1 t dried oregano
1/2 t cayenne pepper
2 lbs. ground beef
2 (15 oz) cans dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (28 oz) can tomato puree
Salt
Pinch of sugar (if needed)

Heat several T oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add onions, pepper, garlic, and spices and cook, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are soft and beginning to brown.
Increase the heat to medium-high, and add halt the beef. Cook, breaking up the chunks with a spoon, until no longer pink. Ad the remaining beef and cook until no longer pink.
Add the beans, tomatoes, puree, and 1/2 t salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.
Remove the cover and continue to simmer 1 hour longer (if the chioli looks too thick, add a bit of water).
Adjust the seasonings with additional salt to taste.

**Flavor improves the longer it sits. It's even better the day after cooking.

Black bean variation: Fry about 8 slices of chopped bacon in your stock pot. Pour off all but 2 T of the fat, leaving the bacon in the pot. Follow directions above, substituting black beans for the kidney beans.

Stuffed French Toast

2007-10-07T16:02:00.000-05:00

It' s been a long time since we've had French Toast! Today I made my french toast with multigrain sourdough, soaked in an egg, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon mixture, and browned on the griddle. I was feeling indulgent and so decided to go for the stuffed variety. :) Usually, I like ricotta lightly sweetened with powdered sugar and zest. But I had leftover honey and walnut cream cheese and so I slathered that between 2 slices of toast instead. I heated several ripe peaches in maple syrup and topped the french toast with the peaches and powdered sugar. I absolutely love weekend breakfasts!

Enchiladas and Spanish Rice

2007-10-04T19:47:00.000-05:00

Today was one of those days when I got home from work, starving, and didn't have much in the fridge. I needed something fast that didn't involve fresh produce. :) I had bookmarked these cheese enchiladas and spanish rice from Simply Recipes quite some time ago, and decided to give them a try. What a nice and easy meal!! I think the entire process took only 30 minutes to prepare--and how tasty!! Thanks Elise for a wonderful dinner! I keep going back to her recipes because they have all been so good.

For the enchiladas, corn tortillas are first lightly toasted in a frying pan before rolling with cheese to bring out their flavor. I had never done this before and it really made them flavorful. The technique is great also--this was a great trick to learn. The sauce is so simple but very good: Fire-roasted tomatoes, salsa, onion, garlic, tomato paste, water, and a pinch of sugar. I filled the enchiladas with a Mexican cheese blend. After assembly, they only bake for 10 minutes and they're done! Paired with the Spanish Rice, they are a filling meal, made with ingredients that I usually have on hand. Another great find from Simply Recipes! Continue for recipes.

Enchiladas
from Simply Recipes

Grapeseed oil (or another high smoke-point oil such as peanut or canola oil)
12 corn tortillas
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 cup of salsa
3 Tbsp of tomato paste
1 cup water
1 cup of canned crushed tomatoes (preferably fire roasted)
Olive oil
1 lb of jack cheese, mild cheddar or longhorn or any mild yellow cheese, grated (Mexian blend is great)
A handful of cilantro
1 cup of sour cream
Half a head of iceberg lettuce

1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2 In a large fry pan at high heat add 3 Tbsp of grapeseed oil. Add a tortilla to the pan. Cook for 2-3 seconds, lift up the tortilla with a spatula, add another tortilla underneath. Cook for 2-3 seconds, lift again, both tortillas, and add another tortilla underneath. Repeat the process with all the tortillas, adding a little more oil if needed. This way you can brown and soften the tortillas without using a lot of fat. You do this process to develop the flavor of the tortillas. As the tortillas brown a little, remove from the pan one by one to rest on a paper towel, which absorbs any excess fat.
2 Sauté up the chopped onion and garlic, then turn off the heat. Add 1 cup of salsa. Dissolve 3 Tbsp of tomato paste into 1 cup of water, add to pan. Add 1 cup of crushed fire roasted canned tomatoes. Taste. If the sauce tastes too vinegary, add a teaspoon of sugar.
3 Put some olive oil on the bottom of a large casserole pan. Take a tortilla, cover 2/3 of it lightly with the shredded cheese, then roll up the tortilla and place it in the casserole pan. Continue until all tortillas are filled and rolled. Add sauce to the top of the tortillas in the the casserole pan. Make sure all are covered with the sauce. If not, add a little water. Cover the whole thing with the rest of the grated cheese. Put the casserole in the oven for 10 minutes or until the cheese melts.
4 Garnish with cilantro and sour cream. Serve with sliced iceberg lettuce that has been dressed only with vinegar and salt.

Spanish Rice
adapted from Simply Recipes

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped fine
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cups of medium or long-grain white rice
3-4 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock if vegetarian)
1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste or 1 cup of diced fresh or cooked tomatoes, strained (I also tossed in the remaining tomatoes from the enchiladas sauce)
Pinch of oregano
1 teaspoon salt

In a frying pan, brown rice in olive oil, medium/high heat. Add onion and garlic.
Cook onion rice mixture, stirring frequently, about 4 minutes, or until onions are softened.
In a separate sauce pan bring stock to a simmer. Add tomato sauce, oregano, and salt.
Add rice to broth. Bring to a simmer. Cover. Lower heat and cook 15-25 minutes, depending on the type of rice and the instructions on the rice package. Turn off heat and let sit for 5 minutes.
Serves 4 to 6.

Cinnamon Buns: Daring Bakers Challenge!

2007-09-28T06:59:00.000-05:00

What a wonderful recipe for this month's Daring Baker's Challenge: Cinnamon or Sticky Buns from Peter Reinhart's The Bread Baker's Apprentice. They smelled so delicious coming out of the oven! I couldn't sleep because of the lovely aroma--I just wanted it to be morning so I could have a bun! Thanks Marce (Pip in the City), for your choice!

I have to admit, I waited to the last minute for this month's challenge. I wanted to make both sticky and regular varieties but didn't leave myself the time. They were really very easy to make and assemble. I love Reinhart's recipes--they are so nice to follow and give great instructions. This cookbook makes great bread baking so accessible to the home baker. I definitely recommend it for anyone wanting to learn about yeast breads.

Although I think my grandma's sweet rolls are still my favorite, these rolls were very good. The dough was great to work with, soft but not sticky, slightly sweet, and had a hint of citrus that smelled amazing even while kneading it. Instead of the lemon extract I used Princess Cake Flavor, giving it a bakery taste with vanilla, butter, and lemon scents. Yum! I also used this flavoring in the fondant glaze that was drizzled on the warm buns. (I only made 1/4 of this glaze and it was the perfect amount--all of it would have been so overwhelmingly sweet.) I think orange would be wonderful too.

Just several notes for next time I bake them....I'll make them a bit smaller and place them closer than 1/2 inch apart--almost touching-- in a round cake pan instead of a baking sheet. My favorite buns were the soft ones on the inside that were really smushed up against their neighbors. Also, I will roll out the dough a little thinner. The recipe specifies 2/3 inch, but mine was closer to 1/2. I'll use more of the cinnamon-sugar mixture next time as well. I only used about half of the mixture and felt they needed a little more. Raisins would be tasty! And I must try these with all butter--I think the flavor of the dough would be richer.I look forward to trying the sticky buns! These rolls tasted and looked like they had come from a bakery. Thanks Daring Bakers! Another fun and yummy challenge! Check out all of the other delicious looking buns on the Daring Baker's Blogroll. Continue for Cinnamon Bun recipe.

Cinnamon and Sticky Buns
from Peter Reinhart´s The Break Baker´s Apprentice

Days to Make: One (1); Active/Resting/Baking Time: 15 minutes to mix, 3 1/2 hours fermentation/shaping/proofing, 20 - 40 minutes to bake

Recipe Quantity: Eight(1) - twelve (12) large rolls or twelve (12) - sixteen (16) small rolls

Ingredients:

6 1/2 tablespoons (3.25 ounces) granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt
5 1/2 tablespoons (2.75 ounces) shortening or unsalted butter or margarine**
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon lemon extract OR 1 teaspoon grated zest of 1 lemon**
3 1/2 cups (16 ounces) unbleached bread or all-purpose flour**
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 1/8 to 1 1/4 cups whole milk or buttermilk, at room temperature OR 3 tablespoons powdered milk (DMS) and 1 cup water**
1/2 cup cinnamon sugar (6 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar plus 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon)

White fondant glaze for cinnamon buns or caramel glaze for sticky buns (at the end of the recipe.)

Walnuts, pecans, or other nuts (for sticky buns.)
Raisins or other dried fruit, such as dried cranberries or dried cherries (for sticky buns, optional.)

Step 1 - Making the Dough: Cream together the sugar, salt, and shortening or butter on medium-high speed in an electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a large metal spoon and mixing bowl and do it by hand).Note: if you are using powdered milk, cream the milk with the sugar, and add the water with the flour and yeast.Whip in the egg and lemon extract/zest until smooth. Then add the flour, yeast, and milk. Mix on low speed (or stir by hand) until the dough forms a ball. Switch to the dough hook and increase the speed to medium, mixing for approximately 10 minutes (or knead by hand for 12 to 15 minutes), or until the dough is silky and supple, tacky but not sticky. You may have to add a little flour or water while mixing to achieve this texture. Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

Step 2 - Fermentation: Ferment at room temperature for approximately 2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size.

Step 3 - Form the Buns: Mist the counter with spray oil and transfer the dough to the counter.

Roll out the dough with a rolling pin, lightly dusting the top with flour to keep it from sticking to the pin. Roll it into a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick and 14 inches wide by 12 inches long for larger buns, or 18 inches wide by 9 inches long for smaller buns. Don´t roll out the dough too thin, or the finished buns will be tough and chewy rather than soft and plump. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the surface of the dough and roll the dough up into a cigar-shaped log, creating a cinnamon-sugar spiral as you roll. With the seam side down, cut the dough into 8 to 12 pieces each about 1 3/4 inches thick for larger buns, or 12 to 16 pieces each 1 1/4 inch thick for smaller buns.

Step 4 - Prepare the Buns for Proofing:For cinnamon buns: line 1 or more sheet pans with baking parchment. Place the buns approximately 1/2 inch apart so that they aren´t touching but are close to one another.For sticky buns: coat the bottom of 1 or more baking dishes or baking pans with sides at least 1 1/2 inches high with a 1/4 inch layer of the caramel glaze. Sprinkle on the nuts and raisins (if you are using raisins or dried fruit.) You do not need a lot of nuts and raisins, only a sprinkling. Lay the pieces of dough on top of the caramel glaze, spacing them about 1/2 inches apart. Mist the dough with spray oil and cover loosely with plastic wrap or a food-grade plastic bag.

Step 5 - Proof the Buns: Proof at room temperature for 75 to 90 minutes, or until the pieces have grown into one another and have nearly doubled in size. You may also retard the shaped buns in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, pulling the pans out of the refrigerator 3 to 4 hours before baking to allow the dough to proof.

Step 6 - Bake the Buns:Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) with the oven rack in the middle shelf for cinnamon buns but on the lowest shelf for sticky buns.Bake the cinnamon buns for 20 to 30 minutes or the sticky buns 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown. If you are baking sticky buns, remember that they are really upside down (regular cinnamon buns are baked right side up), so the heat has to penetrate through the pan and into the glaze to caramelize it. The tops will become the bottoms, so they may appear dark and done, but the real key is whether the underside is fully baked. It takes practice to know just when to pull the buns out of the oven.

Step 7 - Cool the buns:For cinnamon buns, cool the buns in the pan for about 10 minutes and then streak white fondant glaze across the tops, while the buns are warm but not too hot. Remove the buns from the pans and place them on a cooling rack. Wait for at least 20 minutes before serving.For the sticky buns, cool the buns in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes and then remove them by flipping them over into another pan. Carefully scoop any run-off glaze back over the buns with a spatula. Wait at least 20 minutes before serving.

Toppings for the Buns:

White fondant glaze for cinnamon buns:

Cinnamon buns are usually topped with a thick white glaze called fondant. There are many ways to make fondant glaze, but here is a delicious and simple version, enlivened by the addition of citrus flavor, either lemon or orange. You can also substitute vanilla extract or rum extract, or simply make the glaze without any flavorings.Sift 4 cups of powdered sugar into a bowl. Add 1 teaspoon of lemon or orange extract and 6 tablespoons to 1/2 cup of warm milk, briskly whisking until all the sugar is dissolved. Add the milk slowly and only as much as is needed to make a thick, smooth paste.When the buns have cooled but are still warm, streak the glaze over them by dipping the tines of a fork or a whisk into the glaze and waving the fork or whisk over the tops. Or, form the streaks by dipping your fingers in the glaze and letting it drip off as you wave them over the tops of the buns. (Remember to wear latex gloves.)

Caramel glaze for sticky buns:

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature.2. Cream together for 2 minutes on high speed with the paddle attachment. Add 1/2 cup corn syrup and 1 teaspoon lemon, orange or vanilla extract. Continue to cream for about 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy.3. Use as much of this as you need to cover the bottom of the pan with a 1/4-inch layer. Refrigerate and save any excess for future use; it will keep for months in a sealed container.

SHF #35: X Shaped Fig Cookies

2007-09-25T21:14:00.000-05:00

Figs are the theme of this month's Sugar High Friday blog event, hosted by Ivonne from the lovely Cream Puffs in Venice. Great selection! I was excited because I have to admit, I've never baked with figs. So this was a treat--using a new ingredient for me. I had planned to go a local orchard and pick fresh figs, but I ran out of time and missed them for this year. So I chose these X shaped cookies from Baking with Julia.

These treats are a beautiful version of the classic fig newton. The filling combines figs, golden raisins, almonds, orange, chocolate, cinnamon, and rum--a wonderful combination when blended together. The soft dough is easy to work with and both the filling and dough are made in the food processor--easy! The assembly does take a bit of time but the rolled result is an enticing cross shaped cookie with a sweet figgy filling exposed on the inside. Nice! Perfect for an afternoon snack or with coffee for breakfast. A great first recipe using figs! Continue for X cookie recipe.

X Shaped Fig Cookies
adapted from Nick Malgieri, in Baking with Julia

The Dough

4 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 t baking powder
1 t salt
2 sticks cold, unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces
4 eggs

Put the dry ingredients in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade; pulse just to mix.
Add the butter pieces to the bowl and pulse 15-20 times to cut the butter in.
Add the eggs and pulse until the dough forms a ball on the blade.
Remove the dough and knead it briefly on a lightly floured counter until smooth.
Shape the dough into a log and wrap it in plastic wrap; set aside while making the filling.
(Don't clean processor--use it to make filling.)

The Filling

One 12 oz package dried Calimyrna or Mission figs (I used a 9 oz bag)
1/2 cup unblanched almonds, toasted
1/3 cup apricot preserves
1/4 cup plump golden raisins (I used about 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup candied orange peel, diced (I didn't have this and used zest, juice, and pulp from 1 orange)
2 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup dark rum (I didn't have this--used 1/2 t rum extract)
1/2 t cinnamon

1 egg beaten with a pinch of salt, for egg wash
Confectioner's sugar, for dusting

Remove stems from the figs and cut the figs into medium-size dice. (Figs and raisins should be moist; if not, plump them with boiling water before using.)
Put all filling ingredients into the bowl of the food processor and pulse with the metal balde until the mixture is finely chopped.
Scrape the filling onto a piece of plastic wrap or wax paper. Shape it into a rough log; divide into 12 pieces.
Position oven racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat to 350 degrees.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment and set aside.

Assembly:
Divide the dough into 12 pieces. Working with one at a time, on a lightly floured counter, roll the dough under your hands to form an 8-10 inch rope. Pat it out into a 3 x 8 or 10 inch rectangle.
Run a spatula under the dough to make certain it hasn't stuck to the surface.
Brush the top of the dough with the egg wash.
Roll a piece of filling to the same length as the dough; place it in the center of the dough.
Pull the dough up around the filling,k making a seam, and roll it into a cylinder, lengthening the dough a little as you roll.
Cut the roll into 2 or 3 inch pieces.
Place a cut piece of dough vertically in front of you, seam side down, and make two 1-inch long cuts, one from the bottom, the other from the top, toward the center.
Use your fingers to separate the slashes and create an X-shaped cookies.
Transfer the cookies to the prepared pans and repeat with remaining portions of dough and filling.

Baking:
Bake cookies for 15-20 minutes, or until just slightly browned, in 2 batches. Transfer to racks to cool.
Before serving, sprinkle with confectioner's sugar.

My Zucchini Orange Walnut Bread

2007-09-18T19:55:00.001-05:00

Growing up, zucchini bread was always a staple at my grandma's house. She either had one in the oven or in the freezer. She frequently made hers with pineapple, which made a moist loaf, or with raisins. I've adjusted my recipe several times and decided on a very good loaf made with walnuts and applesauce. But this time, I fine tuned the recipe again and YUM! The results were wonderful! I'm really quite proud of this loaf. :)

It is so light and tender for a zucchini bread. I used pastry flour instead of all-purpose, a great substitution for low-fat baking. Cutting back on the fat, I used part applesauce and this time added part buttermilk for the liquid ingredients. And for a new twist on the flavor, I added orange zest. It really went nicely with the cinnamon and walnuts. So moist and delicious!! Continue for Zucchini Orange Bread recipe.

Zucchini Orange Bread
by Rose

3 cups pastry flour**
1 t salt
1 1/2 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
3 t cinnamon
1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups sugar (depending on your sweet tooth)
Zest of one orange
3 eggs
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
3 t vanilla
2-3 cups zucchini (I usually go with 3)
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and prepare 2 loaf pans for baking.
Combine first five ingredients in large bowl; whisk or sift to distribute.
In a separate bowl, mix sugar with orange zest, rubbing the zest into the sugar with your fingers until fragrance is released.
Add sugar-orange to other dry ingredients and mix.
In another bowl, combine liquid ingredients; add to dry flour mixture.
Mix until just combined.
Add zucchini and walnuts, fold in just until mixed in, and pour into prepared pans.
Bake at 325 for one hour.

** I make my own: 4 c all-purpose + 2 1/4 cup cake flours = 6 1/4 cup pastry flour)--good for low-fat baking.

Mini Chocolate Cupcakes

2007-09-16T19:22:00.000-05:00

You would never know that these moist, chocolaty cupcake bites are so low in fat--no butter or oils! The secret? Pureed dates. I love these! Dutch-process cocoa and bittersweet chocolate give them an intense flavor and you don't even realize you're missing out on butter. The dates are boiled and pureed in the food processor. The entire recipe is made in the food processor, and is a snap to make. They're lovely topped with a dollop of whipped cream and a strawberry! Enjoy! Continue for Mini Chocolate Cupcakes recipe.

Mini Chocolate Cupcakes
Gourmet, August 2003

Makes 12 mini cupcakes (double recipe to make 24)

1/3 cup water
1/3 cup pitted dates, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon confectioners sugar for dusting

1. Special equipment: a mini-muffin pan with 12 (1/8-cup) muffin cups, preferably nonstick

2. Preheat oven to 325°F.

3. Bring water and dates just to a boil in a 1-quart heavy saucepan, then transfer mixture to a food processor and add cocoa powder and chocolate, pulsing once to combine.

4. Let cool 2 minutes, then add brown sugar, egg, vanilla, baking soda, and a pinch of salt, then purée until smooth. Add flour and pulse just until incorporated.

5. Spray muffin cups with cooking spray. (If pan is not nonstick, line sprayed bottoms with rounds of wax paper, then spray paper.)

6. Spoon batter into cups, dividing it evenly, and bake in middle of oven until a wooden pick or skewer comes out clean, 18 to 22 minutes.

7. Cool cupcakes in pan on a rack 10 minutes, then turn out onto rack (remove wax paper, if using) and cool completely, right side up. Just before serving, sprinkle tops lightly with confectioners sugar.

Serving size: 3 cupcakes
177 calories and 4 grams fat.

An Indian Meal: Beigan Bharta, Spiced Cauliflower, and Laila's Spiced Fresh Beans

2007-09-16T14:34:00.000-05:00

I really enjoy Indian food. Houston has some great restaurants but it's fun to cook some of my favorites at home. My wonderful friend Laila has really spoiled me--she always brings new dishes for me to try or has me over for chai and snacks. She also shares her recipes with me. Thanks Laila! Yum!

Perusing various blogs, I found a great monthly blog event, Think Spice. This month, mustard seeds have the spotlight. Naturally, I thought of Indian cuisine and decided to make two of Laila's dishes, spiced cauliflower and beans, that are spiced with brown mustard seeds. I love the "pop" that they make in a hot pan. :) Both of these dishes are really nice. In addition to mustard seeds, the cauliflower is spiced with cumin, tumeric, coriander, and kitchen king masala powder--giving it a nice heat. This recipe is also great with potatoes and peas.

I love these spiced beans with freshly shelled black-eyed peas that are available for a large portion of the year here in Houston. Laila brought back a special spice blend from India that she has ground when she is back home. It has over 20 different ingredients (I'll try to get a list from her--or at least a sampling of the key spices). And it is good! It's not very hot, but has a very nice flavor. As with the cauliflower, brown mustard seeds and cumin are toasted in a hot pan to start off the recipe. Pop!

Beigan Bharta does not have mustard seeds but I absolutely love eggplant and this is probably one of my top favorite Indian dishes. And so I had to make it to go along with the other dishes! This recipe is great--easy to make, and so flavorful, and the perfect amount of heat. My mouth is watering! Continue for Beigan Bharta, Indian- Spiced Cauliflower, and Laila's Spiced Beans recipes.

Beigan Bharta

2 large eggplants
2 small green chilis (thai/asian), very finely minced (I used 1/2 of a serrano today)
1/2 onion, very finely diced or pulsed in food processor
2 garlic cloves, very finely minced or processed to paste (can use 1t garlic paste)
1 teaspoon ginger paste (approx. 1/2 inch grated ginger if using fresh)
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon red chili powder (don't use a mix--straight chili powder, cayenne is ok)
1 teaspoon salt
3 roma tomatos, pureed in processor/blender or finely diced
2 tablespoons half and half (or any cream/milk)
2 tablespoons cilantro
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground coriander seed
1/2 lime, juice

1. Bake eggplant until soft: Drizzle with EVOO and place cut side down on baking sheet and bake until tender--scoop out flesh and reserve. OR if you don't mind the skins, cut eggplants in slices, drizzle with oil, bake, and use entire eggplant.
2. Heat several tablespoons oil in saute pan.
3. Add green chilis, onion paste, garlic paste, and ginger paste. Cook over medium hi, constantly stirring. (I like to put my onion, garlic, ginger, and chilis in my mini-chop and puree them together, then add to saute pan).
4. Add cumin, red chili powder, and salt.
5. Cook until onion is very soft, adding several tablespoons of water to pan to prevent charring and add steam.
6. Add tomatoes and half and half.
7. Add eggplant and cilantro and coriander.
8. Mash eggplant as it cooks--don't add water.
9. Cover and simmer.
10. After finished cooking, squeeze juice from 1/2 a lime over and stir.

Indian-spiced Cauliflower (or potatoes or peas)

1 head cauliflower (3-4 cups)
1/4 teaspoon brown mustard seed
1/4 teaspoon cumin seed
1/4 onion, diced very finely (or pureed)
1 tablespoon tomato paste, heaping tablespoon
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon tumeric
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon kitchen king masala powder (heaping teaspoon)
2 tablespoons cilantro

1. Heat oil in pan on high.
2. Add mustard and cumin seeds; toast.
3. Add onion and brown, stirring constantly until soft.
4. Turn heat to low. Add tomato paste; stir.
5. Add salt, tumeric, coriander, masala powder; stir. Add a bit of water to make a paste.
6. Add cauliflower (or potato) and mix.
7. Add cilantro.
8. Add several tablespoons water; cover and cook on low until soft.

Laila's Spiced Fresh black-eyed Peas or Beans (very small red beans)

1 pound fresh black-eyed peas (about 2 cups)
1/4 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1/4 teaspoon cumin seed
1/2 small onion, very finely chopped or processed into paste
1/4 teaspoon tumeric
1/2 teaspoon cayenne, red chili powder (or to taste)
1 teaspoon Laila's spice mix (very generous teaspoon)
1 teaspoon sugar
2 Tablespoons flaked, unsweetened coconut blended in blender --optional (I like it without)
salt, to taste

1. Warm 2-3 tablespoons oil in saute pan. Add mustard and cumin seeds. Cook until they "pop" over medium high.
2. Add onion and brown well.
3. Add beans; stir; add spices. Saute.
4. Add enough water to cook beans (approx. 1 cup) and barely cover, or a bit more. Cover pan with a plate and add water to top of the plate.
5. Reduce heat and simmer until beans are done, 45 min. to 1 hour. (The longer the better--let's the spices meld)
6. Serve with rice.

Lemon Puff Pancake

2007-09-16T14:25:00.000-05:00

What a nice breakfast treat! I have had this recipe from King Arthur Flour stashed away for a while and decided to try it this morning. It was so light and delicious--part pancake, part crepe, part popover. And so simple! A batter of eggs, milk, flour, and lemon and vanilla extracts were baked in a buttered skillet and then topped with a spritz of lemon juice and powdered sugar. No standing over a hot griddle or flipping pancakes--I like it!

I was rather surprised when I took this large puff out of the oven when it was finished cooking. The batter had puffed up the sides of the skillet and in the middle. It was funny looking, but tasty! It was great topped with strawberries and without also. I loved the lemon juice. My husband took half of it and ate it like it was pizza. :) Continue for Puff Pancake recipe.

Lemon Puff Pancake with Berries
King Arthur's Baker's Catalouge

3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) butter, melted
1/2 cup (2 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
small pinch of nutmeg
1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (4 ounces) milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon lemon oil, optional
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) freshly squeezed lemon juice (juice of half a juicy lemon)
2 tablespoons (1/2 ounce) confectioners’ sugar

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Pour the melted butter into a 12" skillet with ovenproof handle, or a 10" square pan. Yes, the size of the pan matters. Too small, it’ll overflow. Too large, it won’t puff as high. Try to find a pan or ovenproof skillet whose square-inch cooking surface is about 100 square inches.

Whisk together the flour, salt, nutmeg, sugar, milk, vanilla, lemon oil, and eggs till fairly smooth.

Pour the batter into the pan. Bake the pancake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until it’s very puffy and golden, with deeper brown patches. Remove it from the oven, and sprinkle with the lemon juice, then the sugar. Cut in squares, and serve immediately, garnished with fresh berries, if desired.

Yield: 4 generous servings.

Black Beans and Rice

2007-09-16T14:11:00.000-05:00

Beans and rice is a staple in our home. There are so many variations and bean/vegetable combinations that it never gets tiring. And so economical and healthy! Tonight I made my standard black beans, seasoned only with onions, garlic, peppers, salt, and tomatoes. Such basic ingredients yet so flavorful! Sometimes simple is really nice.

For my rice, I usually toast a bit of garlic and rice in a saucepan until fragrant, before adding water to cook. Today I added green onions also. This really enhances the flavor of the rice and the garlic is great with the beans. I love garlic! I really like these beans with smoked sausage also but opted for no meat tonight. Continue for Basic Beans recipe.

Basic Black Beans

1/2 onion, finely chopped
about 3 cloves minced garlic
1 green pepper, chopped (I used 2 mild hatch chilis tonight; red is also good)
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cans black beans**
salt

Heat a little oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add the onion and cook several minutes.
Add garlic and pepper and cook until soft.
Add tomatoes, salt, and beans.
Cover and simmer until heated.

**Often, I use dried beans: Soak overnight with a bay leaf. Cook with water (and sometimes I like sausage) in a large stock pot or all day in the crockpot. Saute vegetables and add to beans along with the tomaotes after they haved finished cooking. Simmer about 15-30 minutes to combine flavors.

Plum Clafouti

2007-09-05T19:03:00.000-05:00

I just love clafoutis! And there is nothing simpler to bake! This light, eggy dish is traditionally made with cherries but a variety of fruits are excellent as well. Peaches and nectarines are nice. My first experience was with plums, so I always think of this treat when plums are in season. The sliced fruit is layered on the bottom of your pan, sprinkled with brown sugar, and then drowned with an egg, millk, and flour mixture. The fruit rises to the top while baking, making a beautiful finish! The fruit really shines, so it's important that whatever you choose to use is ripe and flavorful. This makes a nice dessert but we like it for breakfast, slightly warmed with a large cup of coffee.

I just saw a savory clafouti on the gorgeous blog La Tartine Gourmande that I must try. It's a zucchini, corn, and goat cheese clafouti. Delicious!!! Beatrice Peltre published this in the Boston Globe and the recipe can be found here. Her photography and food styling is amazing--it's a great blog to check out. Continue for Plum Clafouti recipe.

Plum Clafouti
King Arthur Flour's The Baker's Companion

3 cups sliced plums (or other fruit)
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 t salt
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
3/4 t vanilla extract (or almond, or 1/2 t each)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Thoroughly butter a 10-inch round pan or skillet.
Arrange the sliced plums on the bottom of the pan and sprinkle with the brown sugar. (Fruit will form a double layer--there will be more fruit than a single layer.)
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt.
In a small bowl, combine the eggs, milk, and vanilla. Beat until thoroughly combined, then gradually whisk into the flour mixture, smoothing out the lumps.
Pour the batter over the fruit in the prepared baking pan and bake for 35-40 minutes.
Serve warm or at room temperature.

Serving size: 1 slice (8 servings)
168 calories, 2g fat

Revisit: Light and Fluffy Pancakes

2007-09-03T17:38:00.000-05:00

It's a holiday! Enjoy a nice leisurely breakfast with multiple cups of coffee and relax. I love it. I made my favorite pancakes today and included lemon zest from half of a lemon to the batter--perfect! They're my new favorites again! (Click here for the original post and recipe.)

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

2007-09-03T17:17:00.000-05:00

Happy Labor Day! It's been a rainy day here in Houston and perfect for slow-cooking pulled pork. I found this recipe on one of my favorite blogs, Simply Recipes, and it is really, really good. The pork butt is marinated and simmered in a tangy, sweet, slightly spicy sauce. After several hours, the pork shreds easily and is added back to the sauce after it has reduced. It has a great flavor and is so tender! Yum! I absolutely love pulled pork and Elise, you were right--this is the best! Continue for Pulled Pork recipe.

Pulled Pork

1 large onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, peeled
1 pickled jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
2 teaspoons of Chipotle chile powder OR I used 1 chipotle pepper in adobe sauce and 2 t of the sauce and it was perfect.
1 Tbsp tomato paste
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
3/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon paprika
1/3 cup ketchup
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup light brown sugar
3 lbs of pork butt, trimmed of excess fat
Hamburger buns

1 Purée all of the sauce ingredients (everything except the bay leaf, the pork and the buns) in a blender until smooth.

2 Put sauce, bay leaf, and pork into a large pot and add 1 quart of water. Bring mixture to a boil and simmer, covered, turning frequently, for 2-3 hours or until the meat pulls apart easily with a fork.

3 Remove from heat and cool pork in the sauce. When cool, remove the pork from the sauuce and shred into small pieces. Set aside.

4 Reduce the sauce by two thirds (This is important--the sauce will thicken and taste less vinegary) . Add the pork back to the sauce. Serve hot over open-face hamburger buns.

Serves 6 to 8.

If you have extra time, marinate the pork in the sauce overnight or for several hours before cooking.

Multigrain Sandwich Loaf

2007-09-03T12:32:00.000-05:00

I'm so excited about my new Peter Reinhart cookbook, Whole Grain Breads! This was my first recipe and it really turned out well. It has a wonderful texture and great whole grain flavor. It is just perfect for sandwiches. Whole wheat breads are often too dense and heavy tasting, but this one is very nice!

The recipe starts the day before baking with a biga (starter) and a soaker that contains the whole grains. Reinhart gives the baker options on ingredients, allowing for personal taste and variation. I really like this about his recipes. You can make many slightly different loafs all from the same basic recipe. It does make it important to weigh your ingredients though, instead of measuring by volume--especially with the whole grains. Volumes can differ greatly depending on which grains you use. Weighing is so nice with baking, allowing for much better reproducibility.

I made this loaf largely an oat bread, choosing to use steel cut oats for the cooked grain, along with oat bran and rolled oats. Cornmeal, whole wheat, and flaxseeds rounded out the whole grains and I used buttermilk and brown sugar (also options in the recipe). In the soaker, I used a combination of whole wheat and bread flours. Very nice! I'm excited to try new variations of this loaf soon. Next time I make brown rice, I'll save some for bread! Continue for Multigrain Sandwich Loaf recipe.

Multigrain Sandwich Bread adapted from Whole Grain Breads Makes 1 large loaf

Soaker
28.25 g whole wheat flour
28.25 g unbleached bread flour
56.5 g cornmeal
56.5 g rolled oats
42.5 g cooked steel cut oats
7 g oat bran
7 g whole flaxseeds
4 g sea salt
170 g buttermilk

Mix all of the soaker ingredients together in a bowl for about 1 minute, until all of the flour is hydrated and the ingredients form a thick, porridge-like dough.
Cover loosely with plastic and leave at room temperature for 12-24 hours (I actually moved mine to the fridge the following day and made my bread the next day--it's good for 3 days in the fridge.)

Biga
227 g unbleached bread flour
1 g instant yeast
142 g filtered water, at room temperature

Mix all of the biga ingredients together to form a ball of dough. Using wet hands, knead the dough in the bowl for 2 min. to be sure all of the ingredients are evenly distributed and the flour is fully hydrated. The dough should feel very tacky. Let the dough rest for 5 min., then knead it again with wet hands for 1 minute. The dough will become smoother but still be tacky.
Transfer the dough to a clean bowl, cover tightly, and refrigerate for a least 8 hrs. and up to 3 days. (I used mine 36 hrs. later).

2 hours before mixing the final dough, remove the biga (and soaker if it's been longer than 1 day) from the fridge.

Final Dough
all of the biga
all of the soaker
28.5 g whole wheat flour
5 g salt
7 g instant yeast
42.5 g brown sugar
1 T unsalted butter, melted

Using a pastry scraper, chop the soaker and the bigan each into 12 smaller pieces. Sprinkle some extra flour over the pre-doughs to deep the pieces from sticking back together.
Combine the soaker and biga pieces with the other ingredients except the extra flour and stir vigorously for about 2 min., until all of the ingredients are evenly integrated. The dough should be solft and slightly sticky.
Dust the counter with flour, then toss the dough in the flour to coat. Knead by hand for 3-4 min., incorporating only as much extra flour as needed, until the dough feels soft and tacky, but not sticky.
Form into a ball and let it rest for 5 min. while you prepare a clean, lightly oiled bowl.
Resume kneading the dough for 1 min (I kneaded mine for 5 more min. to pass the windowpane test--gently stretch a piece of dough to see if it will hold a paper-thin, translucent membrane). Dough will have strength yet feel soft, supple, and very tacky.
Form dough into a ball and place in the prepared bowl, spraying lightly with oil. Cover loosely with plastic and let rise 50 min (45-60)--1 1/2 times its original size.
Transfer dough to a lightly floured counter and form it into either a loaf or a batard shape (I made a batard this time but think I like this bread as a loaf).
Coat loaf lightly with a beaten egg white, and sprinkle with poppy seeds. Mist top of dough with pan spray, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let rise for 46-60 min. (50), until it is about 1 1/2 times its original size.
Preheat oven to 425. For my freestanding loaf, I prepared oven for hearth baking: pan of water on the very top rack and preheated baking stone.
When the dough is ready to bake, place it in oven, pour 1 cup of hot water into the steam pan, lower the temp. to 350, spray sides of oven with water and bake for 20 min., spraying oven walls at 1 and 2 minutes.
Rotate the loaf 180 degrees and continue baking for another 25 min, until the loaf is a rich brown.
Transfer bread to a cooling rack and allow to cool for at least 1 hour before serving.

Beer Bread with Green Chiles, Cumin, and Cheese

2007-08-30T19:54:00.000-05:00

More chiles! I needed something to go with my stew and decided to make a quick beer bread. These loaves are nice because they take about 2 minutes to mix up and only 45 min. to bake. So you can get home from work and fill the house with the smell of bread within one hour! I added cumin, roasted green chiles, and a Mexican cheese blend to this batch and it turned out deliciously. It really complemented the stew. But you can use any flavors that you want. It's not the most beautiful bread, it's scraggly, but nice, easy, and tasty! Continue for Beer Bread recipe.

Basic Beer Bread

3 cups all-purpose flour ***
2 T sugar
1 1/2 t salt
1 T baking powder
12 ounces beer
Optional seasonings (For this loaf, I used 1 large t cumin, 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese, and 4 chopped green chiles)

***(I used self-rising flour this time, omitting the salt and baking powder)

Top with either an egg wash (1 egg + 2 t water + tiny pinch of salt) before baking, or 2 T melted butter immediately out of the oven.

Heat oven to 375 degrees.
Combine all dry ingredients.
Stir in the beer and mix until just combined. (Batter will be thick but add a tad of water if it is very dry--might need to if substituting whole wheat).
Pour into 9 x 5 loaf pan.
Brush with egg wash if using.
Bake for about 45 min.
Remove from oven and brush with butter, if you haven't used the egg wash.

This loaf is so versatile: use part whole wheat, add oats, add any dried or fresh herb, green onions, chives, cheeses, dill, Italian, parmesan cheese, basil, thyme, oregano, red pepper flakes, garlic, tomato sauce, black pepper......

Green Chile Beef Stew

2007-08-29T21:52:00.000-05:00

Hatch green chiles are here! These New Mexican chiles cause quite a stir at our local grocery stores when they're in season. They're only at our Houston stores several weeks and so it's a good time to stock up. It's nice to use fresh chiles instead of canned. They have a very nice flavor and are perfect for enchiladas, stews, beans, fajitas, cornbread, salsa, cheese bread...well, they're just great chiles. I usually buy the mild variety and buy them freshly roasted. Yum! This makes them so easy to use. And the roasted chiles can be frozen for use throughout the year. Today I made a simple stew using the chiles, beef, and potatoes. Continue for Green Chile Beef Stew recipe.

Green Chile Beef Stew

1 1/2 lb. lean stew meat, cut into cubes
1/2 medium onion, chopped
6 cups water
4 cloves minced garlic
8-10 roasted, peeled, and diced New Mexico green chiles (such as Hatch)
1 1/2 large Russet potatoes (or potato of your choice), cubed
1/4 t cumin
Salt and pepper to taste

Crockpot Method:
Coat meat with flour; sprinkle generously with salt and a bit of pepper.
Add all ingredients to crockpot and cook on high 8-10 hours or until potatoes are tender.

Milk Chocolate and Caramel Tart: Daring Bakers Challenge

2007-08-28T19:41:00.000-05:00

My first Daring Baker's Challenge!! How exciting! This month's challenge was hosted by Veronica of Veronica's Test Kitchen and Patricia of Techicolor Kitchen. Thanks! I'm always excited to make a tart of any kind!

This recipe, from Eric Kayser's Sweet and Savory Tarts, started with a hazelnut shortbread crust. This was fairly straightforward, although my dough was very sticky and I had to piece together the edges of the crust. It was blind baked before adding the filling.

The caramel layer turned out beautifully--the best part of this tart in my opinion. The original recipe said to dry melt the sugar but I chose to add a little water and corn syrup. The trick with caramel is to just let it sit and boil without any stirring until it is a deep amber color. The richer the color, the richer the flavor.

After adding the cream and butter, it was so smooth and yummy looking! You can see my reflection on the surface when I took a photo. :) The caramel was then poured into the baked crust and baked until set. It kind of looked like a pumpkin pie.

After cooling, it was topped with a chocolate whipped cream and chilled. This challenge was fairly uncomplicated--a good one for my first! I thought that the tart was ok, but the balance was off. The chocolate mouse was a little overpowering and I didn't care much for the crust. But I liked the caramel layer. Yum--like a candy bar. It's fun being part of a group of food bloggers to share ideas and see others comments. There are some great pictures from this challenge--check out the Daring Bakers blogroll to see them. Continue for Milk Chocolate and Caramel Tart recipe.

Milk Chocolate and Caramel Tart
adapted from Eric Kayser’s Sweet and Savory tarts

Chocolate Shortbread Pastry
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Refrigeration: overnight
To make 3 tarts, 9 ½ inches (24 cm) squareor 10 inches (26 cm round)

1 cup (250g ) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (150 g) confectioners’ sugar
½ cup (50 g) ground hazelnuts
2 level teaspoons (5 g) ground cinnamon (I omitted this)
2 eggs
4 ½ cups (400 g) cake flour
2 ½ teaspoons (10 g) baking powder
1 ½ tablespoons (10 g) cocoa powder

One day ahead:
1. In a mixing bowl of a food processor, cream the butter. (Next time I'll try my stand mixer.)
2. Add the confectioners’ sugar, the ground hazelnuts, and the cinnamon (if using), and mix together.
3. Add the eggs, one by one, mixing constantly.
4. Sift in the flour, the baking powder, and the cocoa powder, and mix well.
5. Divide the dough into 3 pieces, form a disc with the dough, and cover in plastic wrap. (Dough was fairly sticky).
6. Chill overnight. (I froze 2 of my crusts at this point.)

The next day:
1. Remove one piece of dough from fridge and let sit about 15 min. (You can begin making caramel filling.)
2. Preheat oven to 325 °F (160 °C).
3. Put dough on a piece of parchment paper, sprinkle lightly with flour, and roll out to fit 10 inch tart pan. (My dough was very sticky and I ended up pressing it out rather than rolling it.)
4. Over turn dough into tart pan, piecing together if dough rips.
5. Cover bottom of tart with a piece of parchment then top with dried beans to weigh it down. (After baking, my parchment stuck a bit to the tart--I'll leave this out next time.)
6. Put crust in freezer for about 15 min.
7. Place crust on a baking sheet, and bake for 15 min.

Caramel Filling
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1 T light corn syrup
1 cup (250 g) heavy cream, slightly warmed
1/4 cup (50 g) butter, cut into pieces
2 whole eggs, room temp.
1 egg yolk, room temp.
2 ½ tablespoons (15 g) flour

1. Combine sugar, water, and corn syrup in a medium saucepan and stir to combine.
2. Place over medium high heat--DO NOT STIR. Mixture will come to a boil--DO NOT STIR.
3. Let caramel become a nice dark amber color--don't rush this. The caramel will have more flavor as the color intensifies.
4. When desired color is attained, remove from heat.
5. Add warmed heavy cream (place briefly in microwave to warm cream a bit first), whisking constantly. Be careful--the mixture will bubble vigorously when you add the cream.
6. When the mixture is smooth, stir in the butter.
7. Set aside to cool.
8. In a small bowl, whisk eggs and egg yolk. Add a little of the flour and whisk. Add remaining flour and whisk until smooth.
9. When caramel has cooled to warm, add flour mixture and whisk until combined.
10. Pour into baked tart crust and bake for 15 min at 325. (I baked mine for 35min.--my caramel was still very giggly after 15min.)
11. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Milk Chocolate Mouse
1 1/4 cups (300 g) whipping cream
1/2 lb (250 g) milk chocolate

1. Beat the whipping cream until stiff.
2. Melt the chocolate in the microwave.
3. Gently fold chocolate into the cream.
4. Spread over the cooled caramel mixture, smoothing it with a spatula.
5. Chill for one hour before serving.

Caramel Fragments
1/2 cup sugar
2 T water
1/2 T light corn syrup

1. Combine in small saucepan.
2. Place over medium high heat and let it sit and boil--without stirring--until it reached an amber color.
3. Pour it onto waxed paper set on a baking sheet.
4. Allow to cool. Break into small fragments and use to decorate the top of the tart. (***I poured my caramel onto wax paper directly on the counter and it's stuck to the counter!! Ahhh!! I'll have to figure out a way to melt it off. :)

Banana Bundt Cake

2007-08-28T19:40:00.000-05:00

I am constantly looking for new recipes that use bananas, as I usually have several ripe ones sitting on my counter begging to be used. I know ripe bananas can be frozen and used later, but it seems like I always have a lot of them and I hate to throw them out. So this week I tried this low-fat breakfast cake from Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites. I stumbled upon this great cookbook on the sale rack of the tea room for only $6! What a fun find! It really has a lot of healthful, vegetarian dishes that look delicious.

This snack cake is lightly flavored with nutmeg and cardamom and is only slightly sweet. At first I found it a bit on the bland side, but after eating several pieces, I really enjoyed it. It is very nice for breakfast, to have a slice with coffee on the way to work. I appreciate that it isn't very sugary and the spices give it a nice subtle flavor that is different than my typically cinnamon-spiced banana breads. I like the sturdy but smooth texture of the cake. If you're wanting something sweeter, the cookbook recommends a mocha glaze which sounds wonderful. Continue for Banana Bundt Cake recipe.

Banana Bundt Cake
Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites

Makes one 10-inch Bundt cake

2 1/2 cups unbleached white flour, preferably pastry flour**
2 t baking powder
1 t salt
1/2 t nutmeg
1/2 t cardamom
3/4 cup brown sugar (if you want it sweeter, use up to 1 cup)
2 egg yolks
1 cup lightly mashed bananas (3)
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup canola oil
1 t vanilla (I would use 1 1/2)
4 egg whites

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare a 10-inch Bundt pan with cooking spray.
Sift the flour with the baking powder, slat, and spices. Add the sugar, mix well, and set aside.
Combine the yolks, bananas, applesauce, oil, and vanilla and mix well, Add the mixture to the dry ingredients and stir just until evenly blended.
Beat the whites until stiff but not dry. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter and pour into pan.
Bake for 60 minutes, until the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.
Cool on a rack for 10 min. Invert onto a plate.

If you want a sweeter cake, try glazing with Moosewood's Mocha Glaze:
2 oz. bittersweet chocolate
6 T brewed strong coffee
2 T cocoa
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

Combine chocolate and coffee in a saucepan and heat until melted. Combine a small amount of the melted chocolate with the cocoa to make a paste. Stir the paste into the remaining chocolate. Beat in the sugar and drizzle over cake.

** I make my own: 4 c all-purpose + 2 1/4 cup cake flours = 6 1/4 cup pastry flour)--good for low-fat baking.

Serves 16
140 calories, 5.8g fat per serving

Peanut Butter and Fudge Brownies with Salted Peanuts

2007-08-16T16:48:00.000-05:00

This is my first browniebabe entry! How fun! Myriam, from the beautiful blog Once Upon a Tart, hosts this brownie roundup and presents the winner with a cute apron. What a great idea! I wanted to come up with something unique and tasty but I kept coming back to the classic peanut butter and chocolate. You just can't beat that simply fabulous combination. I knew I wanted to do a peanut butter frosting and I found this recipe while searching around on epicurious. And it's a Dorie Greenspan recipe! How appropriate!

The fudgy brownie layer is studded with salted peanuts, topped with a layer of rich peanut butter, and finished with a shiny chocolate ganache. The finished brownie looks amazing and is so easy to make. It will be a great recipe to make for a gathering--it's very rich and can be cut into bite-sized squares, making quite a lot. Yum! I love this blog contest and can't wait for the next one! Continue for Peanut Butter and Fudge Brownies recipe.

Bon Appétit
January 2007
Dorie Greenspan

Brownies
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
7 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup roasted salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Frosting and ganache
1 cup chunky peanut butter (do not use natural or old-fashioned)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided, room temperature
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg (I used a dash of cinnamon instead)
1 tablespoon whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

7 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

For brownies:
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 325°F. Line 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan with foil, leaving long overhang; butter foil.

Place 3/4 cup butter in heavy large saucepan. Add both chocolates; stir over low heat until smooth. Remove from heat. Whisk in sugar, vanilla, and salt, then eggs, 1 at a time. Fold in flour, then nuts. Spread in prepared pan. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 30 minutes. Place pan on rack; cool.

For frosting and ganache:
Using electric mixer, beat peanut butter and 1/4 cup butter in medium bowl to blend. Beat in powdered sugar, salt, and nutmeg, then milk and vanilla. Spread frosting over brownies.

Stir chocolate and 1/4 cup butter in heavy small saucepan over low heat until smooth. Drop ganache all over frosting; spread to cover. Chill until set, about 1 1/2 hours. Do ahead Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and keep chilled.

Using foil as aid, transfer brownie cake to work surface; cut into squares. Bring to room temperature; serve.

Cinnamon Walnut Raisin Bread

2007-08-15T21:25:00.000-05:00

More swirls! For my parent's anniversary, I made a breakfast tray and included this cinnamon raisin swirl bread with honey cream cheese. Yum! I've heard a lot about Peter Reinhart's The Bread Baker's Apprentice, but this was my first recipe. Lovely! It's a very nice loaf with great texture and packed full of raisins and walnuts. It has a subtle hint of sweetness and cinnamon but not overwhelming. This is a great loaf to give to a neighbor or take to a brunch!

I used golden raisins that I plumped in hot water and they were delicious. The cinnamon swirl is optional but I think is a must--adding a bit more sweetness, flavor, and beauty. I also dusted the top with cinnamon and sugar, as suggested, right out of the oven, giving the loaves a sweet crust. It's made entirely with bread flour--next time I'm going to try all-purpose or a mixture--it was a little chewy. But a wonderful first recipe from this tasty book! Continue for recipe.

Cinnamon Raisin Walnut Bread
by Peter Reinhart, The Bread Baker's Apprentice

Makes two 1 1/2-pound loaves

3 1/2 cups (16oz) unbleached bread flour
4 t sugar
1 1/4 t salt
2 t instant yeast
1 1/4 t cinnamon
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 T shortening, melted or at room temperature
1/2 cup buttermilk or whole milk, room temp.
3/4 cup water, room temperature
1 1/2 cups raisins, rinsed and drained (**I plump my raisins in hot water--then use this water
in the recipe.)
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

1. Stir together the flour, sugar, salt, yeast, and cinnamon in a mixing bowl. Add the egg, shortening, buttermilk, and water. Stir together with a large spoon (or mix on low speed with the paddle attachment) until the ingredients come together and form a ball. Adjust with flour or water if the dough seems too sticky or too dry and stiff.

2. Sprinkle flour on a counter, transfer the dough to the counter, and begin kneading (or mixing on medium speed, switching to the dough hook). The dough should be soft and pliable, tacky but not sticky. Add flour as you knead (or mix), if necessary, to achieve this texture. Knead by hand for approximately 10 minutes (or by machine for 6 to 8 minutes). Sprinkle in the raisins and walnuts during the final 2 minutes of kneading (or mixing) to distribute them evenly and to avoid crushing them too much. (If you are mixing by machine, you may have to finish kneading by hand to distribute the raisins and walnuts evenly.) The dough should register 77° to 81°F (25 to 27°C). Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

3. Ferment at room temperature for approximately 2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size.

4. Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces and form them into loaves. Place each loaf in a lightly oiled 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-inch pan, mist the tops with spray oil, and cover loosely with plastic wrap.

5. Proof at room temperature for 60 to 90 minutes, or until the dough crests above the lips of the pans and is nearly doubled in size.

6. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) with the oven rack on the middle shelf. Place the loaf pans on a sheet pan, making sure they are not touching each other.

7. Bake the loaves for 20 minutes. Rotate the pan 180 degrees for even baking and continue baking for another 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the oven. The finished breads should register 190°F (85°C) in the center and be golden brown on top and lightly golden on the sides and bottom. They should make a hollow sound when thumped on the bottom.

8. Immediately remove the breads from their pans and cool on a rack for at least 1 hour, preferably 2 hours, before slicing or serving.

COMMENTARY
An alternative to the method described here is to add a cinnamon swirl. To make cinnamon sugar, stir together 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon. When shaping the dough, roll out each piece with a rolling pin to a rectangle 5 inches wide by 8 inches long and approximately 1/3 inch thick. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the surface of the rectangles and then roll up the dough into a tight sandwich-style loaf, pinching the seam closed with your fingers. When you slice the baked bread, there will be a cinnamon swirl that not only looks pretty but will also add additional cinnamon-sugar flavor.

Another trick that adds flavor is to brush the tops of the baked loaves with melted butter as soon as they come out of the bread pans, and then roll them in the cinnamon sugar. When the bread cools, the top will have an additional sweet and crunchy flavor burst.

Semolina Rolls with Pizza and Ham and Swiss Filling

2007-08-12T18:26:00.000-05:00

I love these homemade hotpockets! They're great to send for lunches for the week. I usually make several fillings so we don't get tired of having the same thing everyday. This recipe comes from King Arthur's Baker's Catalouge. I really like the semolina flour. It's just a bit different than my pizza dough recipe but similiar. I love the way the cheese oozes out of the rolls while baking, leaving a crispy cheese crust.

For this batch, I made a pizza filling (sauce, Italian cheeses, and pepperoni) and a ham and swiss roll with a sweet garlic mustard that I brought back from Peju Winery in Napa. But you can fill them with anything. I think a spicy chicken and peppers mixture would be great--next time! My only suggestion would be to make them smaller. They are really too big for me. Maybe make 10-12 instead of the 8 that the recipe specifies. Continue for recipe.

Semolina Rolls with Pizza Filling
King Arthur

Packing school lunches calls for organization. Our filled rolls are perfect; they're filling and satisfying. They can be made in advance and they don't need to be heated. We give you our basic recipe for semolina bread. You can also use your own white, wheat or rye bread recipe. The pizza filling is a hit with all generations.

1 teaspoon sugar or honey
2 cups room temperature water
1 tablespoon granulated yeast
2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 tablespoon salt
2 1/2 cups semolina flour

Dissolve the sugar or honey in the water and add the yeast and 1/2 cup all-purpose flour. Let it sit for 10 minutes to give the yeast a chance to get going.
Add the salt and the semolina flour, then the remainder of the all-purpose flour, a half cup at a time, until the dough has formed a shaggy mass.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and knead it, adding more flour as necessary, until the dough has formed a smooth and satiny ball.
Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap.
Let the dough rise until it is doubled in size. Punch the dough down.
Divide the dough into 8 pieces (or 10-12). Roll each piece into a rectangle 1/8- to 1/4-inch thick. If the dough is being recalcitrant and it is contracting, it is telling you that it needs a little rest. If you let the dough sit for a few minutes, you will find that it is much more cooperative.
Place filling on the dough and leave a border of at least 1/2 inch. (Liquid fillings like spaghetti sauce or mustard need to be used in scant amounts so that they don't boil out of the rolls.)
Roll up lengthwise.
Brush the edges with the egg wash and pinch to seal shut. Pinch the ends shut and fold them underneath the roll.
Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Egg Wash:
1 large egg
1 tablespoon water
1/4 teaspoon salt
Beat the egg and the water together. Add the salt and beat.

Let the rolls rest and rise until they are swollen, 30 to 45 minutes; don't let them double in size. Preheat the oven to 375°F while the rolls are rising. Brush the rolls with the remaining egg wash.
Slash the rolls diagonally about 1/2-inch deep. Keep the slashes on the top of the rolls so that the cheese doesn't ooze out during baking.
Bake the rolls for 25 to 35 minutes. When the rolls are done, they will be browned and should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.
Let cool before eating. The melted cheese is hot!

Some Other Favorite Fillings: tuna fish salad and cheddar cheese; ham and Swiss and Dijon mustard; turkey and provolone and honey mustard; Reuben: pastrami, Swiss, Russian dressing*, and mustard; and corned beef and Swiss. *Mayonnaise tends to ooze; make your tuna salad a bit dry.

Nutrition information per serving, semolina bread alone (1/8 of recipe -- 1 roll, 149 g): 280 cal, 1 g fat, 9 g protein, 59 g complex carbohydrates, 1 g sugar, 2 g dietary fiber, 802 mg sodium, 114 mg potassium, 3 mg iron, 144 mg calcium, 81 mg phosphorus. Nutrition information per serving, semolina bread with pizza filling (1/8 of recipe -- 1 roll, 228 g): 519 cal, 20 g fat, 22 g protein, 62 g complex carbohydrates, 3 g dietary fiber, 82 mg cholesterol, 1653 mg sodium, 268 mg potassium, 1 mg vitamin C, 4 mg iron, 303 mg calcium, 237 mg phosphorus.

This recipe reprinted from King Arthur Flour's Baking Sheet, Vol. III, No. 8, Sept.-Oct., 1992

Chicken and Broccoli Stirfry

2007-08-12T17:59:00.000-05:00

One of the things on my growing list of "Must Learn" is to master several great new stirfry sauces. Stirfries are so easy, fresh, and healthful. And a great and quick way to use veggies that need to be used. I have one sauce that I really like that I got years ago from Cooking Light but I need to branch out. So I tried this Spicy Schezuan sauce from Pam Anderson's The Perfect Recipe. It was ok--but not very spicy and too much sesame oil, in my opinion. So, the search continues! Any great suggestions?

Korova Sables

2007-08-05T14:58:00.000-05:00

Chocolate!! I just finished a cinnamon latte and two of these melt-in-your-mouth cookies for a Sunday afternoon treat. Yummm! These buttery sables are intensely chocolaty with a hint of salt--the perfect combination. As you can tell from previous posts, I am a huge Dorie Greenspan fan. Her recipes consistently are wonderful and are very easy to follow and reproduce. This was my first recipe from her Paris Sweets cookbook--delicious and so simple! The dough for these cookies is rolled into a log, refrigerated, sliced, and baked, making them a great candidate for holiday baskets. I love sweets that I can make ahead and keep in the freezer or refrigerator to pop in the oven when I'm ready for them. These are going on my list for Christmas cookies! Continue for recipe.

Korova Sables
Paris Sweets: Great Desserts from the City's Best Pastry Shops
Dorie Greenspan (adapted from Pierre Herme)

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/2 t baking soda
1 stick + 3 T unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 t fine sea salt (or 1/2 t fleur de sel)
1 t vanilla extract
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small bits (I used 1 3.5 oz. bar and it was great--in a pinch, use chocolate chips.)

Sift the flour, cocoa, and baking soda together. Set aside.
With your paddle attachment (or by hand), beat butter on medium speed until soft and creamy. Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla and beat for another minute.
Add dry ingredients and mix only until incorporated. The dough will be crumbly. You want to mix the dough as little as possible for the best texture.
Add the chocolate pieces and mix.
Turn the dough out onto the counter and squeeze it so that it sticks together in large clumps. Divide the dough in half and shape into logs that are 1 1/2 inches in diameter.
Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours. (They can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for 1 month).
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
With a sharp knife, slice the logs into 1/2 inch thick rounds and place on the cookie sheet, leaving 1 inch in between cookies.
Baking only one sheet at a time, bake for 12 min. The cookies will not look or feel done, but that is how they're supposed to be.
Transfer the sheet to a cooling rack and cool until warm.

Yield: 36 cookies

**If using frozen dough, you don't need to defrost it before baking--just slice the logs and bake the cookies 1 minute longer.
**Try adding toasted pecans, craisins, and/or a pinch of cinnamon for a different twist.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2007-08-05T14:32:00.000-05:00

This is my favorite soup recipe and one that I make frequently. Somehow tortilla soup sounds good even in the blistering heat of August. And the house smells so good when it's on the stove. This recipe comes from The Common Grill Cookbook, a very nice collection of dishes by Craig Common. His herbed pizza dough is one of my favorites and he has a lovely chicken, sweet potato, and corn chowder. This tortilla soup starts with a mirepoix (saute of onions, carrots, and celery) for a great flavor base and then combines red, yellow, poblano, black and crushed red peppers for a nice heat. Continue for recipe.

Chicken Tortilla Soup
adapted from The Common Grill Cookbook

1 small onion (red or white--use 1/2 of a large onion), finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 lb. carrots, finely diced
2 ribs of celery, finely diced
1/2 large red pepper, diced
1/2 large yellow pepper, diced (or red if you don't have a yellow)
1 Poblano pepper, finely diced
1/2 t oregano (2 pinches)
1 t cumin
1 T kosher salt
1/4 t black pepper
1/4 t red pepper flakes
1 28 oz. can Italian-style plum tomatoes (or 2 smaller cans), chopped, diced, or left in large chunks
5 cups chicken broth
1 cup water (or a bit more if you want a little more broth)
1 lb. chicken, cooked and diced

6 corn tortillas, cut into thin strips, pan fried to top soup (or tortilla chips)

Heat olive oil in a soup pot. Add onion and cook until translucent, approx. 5 min.
Add garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes.
Arit in carrots and celery and cook until carrots are soft, about 6-8 min.
Thoroughly mix in peppers, oregano, cumin, slat, black and red pepper flakes.
Stir in tomatoes, broth, and water and simmer for 30 min.
Add diced chicken and continue cooking for an additional 30 min. (The longer this soup sits, the better the flavor).
Top with tortilla strips.

French Yogurt Cake with Lemon

2007-08-04T18:48:00.000-05:00

If I never make another cake in my life, that's fine. This is it. My cake. One I hopefully will make again and again--varying the flavors, adding berries, nuts. I honestly can't wait to bake it again. Just right. There really is not very much to it--not very sweet and simple. This yogurt cake is tender and moist. It's rich but much lighter than a pound cake. It's perfectly infused with lemon flavor--great with berries, whipped cream, or on its own. I had a slice for breakfast, but I would enjoy this cake for dessert, tea, or anytime.

I read about this cake on several blogs and knew that I had to try it--almost anything with yogurt appeals to me. This is a very common cake in France and the measuring is done in French yogurt cups (about 1/2 cup). Sweet! It is very simple--no mixer involved. It's finished with a lemon syrup that gives the top a nice glaze of flavor and sweetness.

My version is a combination of a recipe from Orangette (a truly delicious blog) and a recipe in Greenspan's Baking (yet another winner!). They both offer tempting variations that I'll definitely be trying soon:

1. Layer as a strawberry shortcake--cut horizontally and spread with whipped cream, jam, and strawberries.
2. Almond: substitute 1/2 cup flour with 1/2 cup ground, blanched almonds.
3. Omit lemon, add vanilla or orange.
4. Add fresh or frozen fruit and/or nuts: Spread 2/3 batter in pan; top with berries; cover with remaining batter. (You don't have to thaw berries if frozen.)
5. Layer with lemon cream, curd, or jam and frost with sweetened whipped cream.
6. Top with chocolate sauce or chocolate mousse.
7. Try olive oil instead of canola.
8. Glaze with warmed and strained marmalade or apricot jam (with almond version) thinned with a teaspoon of water.
9. My variation: replace some of the flour with cocoa for a chocolate version.

And a new favorite yogurt! Straus yogurt was on sale at Whole Foods and I decided to try it. It has a very nice flavor and consistency--and no pectins added. This is what I used for my cake. Continue for recipe.

French Yogurt Cake with Lemon

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. grated lemon zest (from 1-2 lemons)
1/2 cup plain yogurt
3 large eggs
1/4 t vanilla (optional)
1/2 cup canola oil

For the glaze:
Juice from 2 lemons
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour a 9x2 round cake pan (or use a 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 loaf pan).
Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
In another bowl, rub the zest into the sugar with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and fragrant.
Add the yogurt, eggs, and vanilla to the sugar and mix until well blended.
Add the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.
Add the oil, and stir until smooth.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the cake is springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool cake on a rack for about 20 minutes; then turn it out of the pan to cool completely.
When the cake is cooled, combine the lemon juice and powdered sugar in a small bowl and spoon it gently over the cake. The glaze will be thin and will soak in like a syrup.

Chicken Nuggets

2007-07-30T19:33:00.000-05:00

I called my husband and said that we were having some kind of chicken for dinner and he immediately requested chicken nuggets. He's like a kid--give him burgers, nuggets, and pizza everyday and he would be happy. But they really are nice for a change from "grown-up" food. They're so fast and easy to make--I had forgotten how much I liked the small breaded bites--yum! And you can change around the seasoning of the breading, giving them different tastes. Tonight I served them with bulgur, cooked with a little thyme and garlic, and green beans. Continue for recipe.

Baked Chicken Nuggets

1 lb. chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
buttermilk
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1 T Parmesan cheese (or more)
2 t salt (or less, depending on amount of cheese)
1/2 t thyme
1/2 t basil
1/2 t paprika

Soak chicken in buttermilk.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a gallon sized ziploc bag, mix crumbs and seasonings.
Add chicken to bag and shake to evenly coat all pieces.
Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and place chicken on sheet. (For a crispier nugget, place chicken on a cooling rack and place on top of the sheet.)
Lightly spray chicken with cooking spray.
Bake for 15-18 min.
Broil for 2 more min.

**Feel free to vary the spices: Old Bay, Creole are nice for some spice.

Pizza Sauce and Basic Pizza Dough

2007-07-29T19:55:00.000-05:00

I really just love pizza. The house always smells amazing when they're baking. And today I made my own sauce, adding to the wonderful aroma. Pizza making is so simple, and so much better for you than pre-packaged pizza. It's fun to play around with the toppings or customize each slice for the varying tastes of your family. My husband is a strict pepperoni lover whereas I love everything on mine. We can enjoy two totally different meals, each to our liking, baked at the same time.
Tonight I made a basic crust--just flour, water, yeast, salt, and olive oil. It's a sturdy, bready crust able to withstand the weight of several toppings. It was ok but low on flavor. I definitely prefer my semolina crust or a thinner, herbed crust with a bit a sugar added to the dough. I topped one with pepperoni, Robert's standard, and one with tomato slices marinated in a balsamic/red wine vinaigrette. Continue for recipes.

Pizza Sauce

1/2 onion, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 28oz can diced tomatoes (or 2 smaller cans)

1 large tablespoon tomato paste

Herbs: 1 t thyme, 1 t basil, 1 t rosemary, 1/2 t oregano (or 1 T fresh herbs)--these are just estimates; feel free to throw in seasonings to your taste--I always throw in large "pinches" and usually side with thyme.

large pinch of sugar

salt and pepper, to taste

Heat a bit of olive oil in a skillet. Fry onion and garlic until softened.

Add remaining ingredients and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 45 min, or until the tomatoes have reduced to a thick pulp.

Let sauce cool a little and then puree in the blender. (I like my pasta sauce thunky but prefer a smooth pizza sauce--this is optional though.)

Basic Pizza Dough

For one pizza:

1 1/2 cup flour
1/4 t salt
1 t yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm water
1 T olive oil

Place the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk to mix. Stir in the yeast.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.
Pour in the water and oil and mix with a spoon to a soft dough.
Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover.
Let rise in a warm place about 1 1/2 hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 425.
Gently deflate the dough, knead, and shape into a ball.
Roll dough out and place on baking sheet or pizza peel.
Push up the dough to make a rim or a twisted border.
Brush or spray pizza lightly with olive oil (use garlic oil or chili oil for a nice flavor).
Top with desired toppings/sauce.
Bake for about 15 min, or until crust is golden.

Sweet Sticky Rice with Mango

2007-07-23T20:20:00.000-05:00

There is something so comforting about warm, sweet, creamy rice. I really like this dessert and leftovers are great for breakfast. I use long grain, asian sticky rice to make this. Usually, I add dates and brown sugar and make the rice with water, adding milk at the end if I feel like it. But I had two overripe mangoes that I needed to use and a can of coconut milk hanging around--perfect for Thai sticky rice with mangoes.

How rich and creamy! Heavenly! Instead of serving the mangoes on the side, I cut them up and added them to the rice with the coconut milk and sugar--after about 10 min. of cooking time. To serve, I drizzled warm, sweetened milk over the top. Ummm. The following day, I poured milk over the leftovers and heated it for a breakfast treat. Can I curl up in bed with a book and eat this everyday?

Sesame Whole Wheat Sandwich Rolls

2007-07-22T16:00:00.000-05:00

What a relaxing weekend! We have had so much rain here in Houston this summer that we're getting used to napping indoors, watching movies, and reading. Nice! The perfect weekend to make a yeasted bread. I decided to try another recipe from The Bread Bible before having to return the book to the library and chose these Sesame Whole Wheat Rolls. The egg glaze gave them a beautiful brown, shiny appearance and they smelled absolutely wonderful. They're very sturdy rolls--great for large sandwiches or BBQ. They need a substantial filling to stand up to the whole grains and bready texture. I'll probably make them smaller next time, as they are very filling. Continue for recipe.

Sesame Whole-Wheat Long Rolls
The Bread Bible, Beth Hensperger's

Yield: 16 rolls

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 1/2 T active dry yeast (1 1/2 packages)--use a little less with instant yeast
2 T brown sugar
3/4 cup warm milk
4 T butter, melted
1 T salt
2 T raw sesame seeds
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
4 -4 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour or bread flour

Egg glaze: 1 large egg mixed with 1 T milk

Pour the water in a small bowl. Sprinkle the yeast and a pinch of brown sugar over the surface of the water. Stir to combine and let stand at room temperature until foamy, about 10 min.
In a large bowl, using a whisk, combine the milk, butter, brown sugar, salt, seeds, and whole-wheat flour.
Beat hard until smooth, about 3 min.
Add yeast mixture and the unbleached flour, 1/2 cup at a time.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for about 5 min., dusting with flour only as needed, to make a smooth, soft, slightly sticky dough.
Place the dough in a greased deep bowl. and cover the plastic wrap.
Let rise until doubled in bulk, 45 min. to 1 hour.
Gently deflate the dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface.
Grease or parchment-line 2 baking sheets.
Divide the dough into 16 equal portions and shape each into an oblong oval.
Place the rolls 2 inches apart on the baking sheet, cover, and let rest until puffy and almost double, about 30 minutes.
Brush with the egg glaze.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Bake rolls for 20-25 min. or until lightly browned.

Strawberry Ice Cream

2007-07-15T22:57:00.000-05:00

Ice Cream! My parents gave me a new ice cream maker for my birthday and this was my first batch. Many to follow! I have a rapidly growing list of "must make" frozen treats. And so easy! It's so satisfying to watch the machine churn your ingredients into ice cream. So many possibilities! Continue for recipe.

Strawberry Ice Cream

2 lbs strawberries, sliced
several tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 1/4 cups milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 t vanilla

Place strawberries in a bowl with lemon juice and 1/2 cup sugar. Coarsely mash with a potato masher or fork. Let sit for at least 45 min. Drain strawberry juice into another bowl.

Add remaining sugar, milk, cream, and vanilla to juices; mix.

Place in ice cream maker and process about 20 min. Add strawberries and process about 5 more minutes. This yields a very soft ice cream. Freeze for several hours to firm.

**This is best eaten within several days. Although still really tasty after longer, it's not made with a custard base (egg yolks) and therefore gets icier the longer it's kept, instead of remaining creamy.

Buttermilk Honey Bread

2007-07-15T22:55:00.000-05:00

I came home from the library today with a copy of Beth Hensperger's The Bread Bible and decided to try this basic, white bread. It's a nice bread, great for sandwiches and toast. I adapted the recipe a little, using part white-whole wheat flour, and substituting instant yeast and sea salt and it turned out well. The loaf had a nicely browned crust, brushed with an egg glaze, and a great texture--not too dense but sturdy enough for sandwiches. There's a subtle hint of honey--nice flavor. It's a keeper! Continue for recipe.

Buttermilk Honey Bread
adapted from The Bread Bible

3/4 cup warm water
1 tablespoon active dry yeast (3/4 T instant yeast)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 cups buttermilk, slightly warmed
2 tablespoons butter, melted
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon salt
6 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour (4 cups AP, 2 cups white whole-wheat)

Egg glaze: 1 egg mixed with 1 T milk

1. Pour water in small bowl. Sprinkle the yeast and sugar over the surface of the water. Stir to dissolve and let stand at room temperature until foamy, about 10 min. (This isn't necessary with instant yeast.)

2. In a large bowl using a whisk, or mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the milk, butter, salt, 2 cups of the flour, and yeast mixture. Beat hard to combine. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating with a wooden spoon after each addition, until a shaggy dough that clears the sides of the bowl is formed.

3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 3-5 min., or until the dough is smooth and satiny, adding the flour only as needed to prevent sticking. (For machine, switch to dough hook and knead 3-4 min., or until smooth and springy and springs back when pressed.)

4. Place the dough in a greased large bowl. Coat the top with cooking spray and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

5. Gently deflate the dough. Turn it out onto a floured work surface. Grease two 9-by-5 inch loaf pans. Divide the dough into 2 equal portions. Place the dough in the loaf pans. Cover lightly and let rise until doubled in bulk, 30-45 min.

6. 20 min. before baking time, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush the egg glaze gently over the top of the loaves. Immediately sprinkle each loaf evenly with 1 tablespoon of poppy seeds, if wanted. Place the pans on the center rack (on top of baking stone--optional) of the oven and bake 40-45 minutes, or until loaves are brown, pull away from the pans and sound hollow. Transfer loaves to a cooling rack and let cool before slicing.

My Birthday Cake

2007-07-15T22:53:00.000-05:00

Thanks Mom! I requested a good white cake with vanilla buttercream for my birthday and gave my mom this recipe. :) It was nice--tender and delicious--nothing fancy. It was fun to share with my family and it's been irresistible sitting on my counter top. It's allowing me to extend my birthday experience for several more days. I love birthdays! Each year I drag my celebration out longer and longer, savoring the pampering! I'm certainly blessed with dear friends and family! Continue for recipe.

Classic White Cake
adapted from America's Test Kitchen, 2006

2 1/4 cups cake flour (9oz)
1 cup milk, room temperature
6 egg whites, room temperature
1 1/2 t Princess Cake Flavor
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 cups sugar (12 1/4 oz)
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened but still cool

Butter Frosting
16 tablespoons butter, softened but still cool
4 cups confectioner's sugar (1 pound)
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 tablespoon milk
pinch of salt

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray two 9-inch round cake pans with cookings spray and line with parchment. Spray the paper rounds, dust with flour. Alternatively, spray with baking spray with flour.

2. Pour milk, egg whites, and extracts into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup and mix with a flork until blended.

3. Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of mixer and turn on low speed.

4. Add butter; continue beating at low speed until the mixture resembles moist crumbs, with no powdery streaks remaining.

5. Add all but 1/2 cup of the milk mixture to the crumbs and beat at medium speed for 1 1/2 min.

6. Add remaining 1/2 cup milk mixture and beat 30 sec. more. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides. Return the mixer to medium high speed and beat 20 sec. longer.

7. Divide the batter evenly between prepared pans; spread the batter with rubber spatula. Place the pans 3 inches from the oven walls and 3 inches apart.

8. Bake 23-25 min.

9. Let the cakes rest in the pans for 3 min. Loosen and invert onto wire racks. Cool completely.

10. For frosting: Beat butter, sugar, vanilla, milk, and salt at low speed until sugar is moistened. Increase the speed to medium-hi; beat, stopping to scrape down the bowl, until creamy and fluffy, about 1 1/2 min. Avoid overbeating.

Amish Friendship Breads

2007-07-15T22:47:00.000-05:00

A friend from work gave me a bag of Amish Friendship Bread Starter last week. After 10 days of mushing the liquidy bag, building strength on my counter, the result was 2 loaves of sweet bread: Banana Pecan and Cinnamon Raisin, with enough starter to give to three friends.

This was my first time to receive the starter--a sweet mixture of yeast, milk, sugar, and flour. And although I probably won't keep mine going, it's a wonderful idea. After fermenting at room temperature for a bit over a week, it's divided into 4 parts: one to bake with, and 3 to give away. I love the concept of involving friends and family in baking. It's something very personal and satisfying to share. Giving away this bread starter encourages someone to bake who might not do so otherwise, giving them a new experience, expanding their knowledge. Continue for recipe.

Cinnamon Raisin Amish Friendship Bread

1/2 cup Amish starter (at day 10)
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup applesauce
2 eggs
1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 t cinnamon
1/4 t salt
1/4 t baking soda
3/4 t baking powder
1/2 t vanilla
raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease one 9x5 inch loaf pan.
Whisk dry ingredients to mix; add rest of ingredients and mix well.
Pour into prepared pans and sprinkle top with cinnamon/sugar mixture if wanted.
Bake for 50-60 min.

Banana Nut Amish Friendship Bread

2 ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup applesauce
1 rounded cup flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
3/4 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1 t banana extract or vanilla
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 cup Amish starter (Day 10)
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease one 9x5 inch loaf pan.
Whisk dry ingredients to mix; add rest of ingredients and mix well.
Pour into prepared pans and sprinkle top with cinnamon/sugar mixture if wanted.
Bake for 50-60 min.

**These loaves really lasted a long time, even though they were relatively low-fat. The traditional recipe calls for the addition of a box of instant vanilla pudding. I changed mine around and left this out.

Linda's Ice Cream Cake

2007-07-15T22:44:00.001-05:00

My mother-in-law does not spend much time in the kitchen but she has one specialty which is always in demand: Ice Cream Cakes!! That a wonderful niche! Living in Houston, she always uses Blue Bell ice cream and makes a large array of their fabulous flavors: Mint chocolate chip, Banana Split, Cherry Vanilla, Peanut Brittle, Moolenium Crunch, Peppermint, Butter Pecan.....the list is endless. Yum! A great treat in the summer! Thanks Linda!

I've listed the recipe for 1 cake, but it is so easy to make an assembly line and bake multiple cakes at the same time. Measure out your dry ingredients into several small bowls for each cake; powder several tea towels; Lay out your foil pieces for the pan and wrapping; keep water and eggs next to your mixer. When the first cake is in the oven, rinse out your mixing bowel and start beating the eggs for the second cake. It is amazing how fast this is!
Continue for recipe.

Linda's Ice Cream Cakes

For 1 cake:

1/4 cup cocoa (generous--eyeball it)
3/4 cup flour
pinch of salt
~1 t baking powder (eyeball it)
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
~1 t vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line jelly roll pan with foil. Spray foil with floured cooking spray for easy release.
Lay out a thin, pill-free tea towel. Generously spread towel with powdered sugar.
In small bowl, mix cocoa, flour, salt, and bp.
Place eggs in mixer, and beat on high for about 3 min, until light and fluffy.
Turn mixer down and add water, sugar, and vanilla.
Slowly add flour mixture until just combined.
Pour into prepared jelly roll pan and bake for ~12 min. or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Loosen foil from pan and quickly and careful dump the cake onto sugared towel.
Roll towel/cake up, starting with the short edge or edge that is thinnest.
Let this cool a little; not completely cool, but cool enough so that the ice cream won't melt.
Unroll your cake.
Pack with ice cream (use almost a full 1/2 gallon).
Roll up cake, using the towel to help keep it tight. Pack the ends with additional ice cream.
Wrap cake tightly in heavy duty foil and freeze for at least 5 hours before serving.
Serve directly from freezer.

Garlic Cheese Stromboli

2007-07-15T22:04:00.001-05:00

How can anyone not love stromboli? Delicious! This recipe came from The Bread Bible by Beth Hensberger. The bread was really lovely. It had a tender texture and sturdy crust. I liked the garlic and mozzarella filling in the roll--it is a perfect combination for an Italian meal. Next time, I will try one with pizza sauce also. Yum!! This is a definite keeper! Recipe to come.

Garlic Cheese Stromboli

Rose's Favorite Low-Fat Banana Bread

2007-07-15T21:59:00.000-05:00

This is my favorite Banana Bread, hence the title of the post :). It has great flavor and the perfect sweetness. I love the cinnamon and the bananas really come through in the taste. The buttermilk and the applesauce make it very moist and delicious. The recipe makes a very large loaf--perfect for a week of on-the-run breakfasts! Continue for recipe.

Favorite Low-Fat Banana Bread

2 eggs
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 c brown sugar
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 cup applesauce (generous 1/4 cup is good)
1/3 cup milk or buttermilk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil (generous)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash of cinnamon
1/3 cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Spray a 9x5 bread pan with non-stick cooking spray, and lightly dust with flour.

2. In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in bananas, applesauce, milk, oil and vanilla.

3. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Stir flour mixture into banana mixture, mixing just until blended. Fold in walnuts. Pour batter into prepared pan.

4. Bake in preheated pan until golden and a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean, about 1 hour. Turn bread out onto a wire rack and let cool.

Saturday Breakfast

2007-07-09T20:42:00.000-05:00

I love eggs! What a nice Saturday morning breakfast. My sister was in town and we woke up late, took a long walk, and then had tomato, green pepper, and Mexican cheese omelettes with multi-grain bread and jam. And 3 leisurely cups of coffee. Weekend mornings are great for lounging. My life is all about relaxing and eating good food...then relaxing some more.

Cake-Pan Chocolate Cake

2007-07-09T20:36:00.000-05:00

I had printed this recipe from King Arthur's website a while ago and just found it when I was organizing my files. My husband requested brownies for a late evening dessert but I wanted something lighter. And I didn't want to create many dishes or use my mixer or stove. This cake fit the requirements. You can mix all of the ingredients directly in the baking pan and no mixer! (although next time I'll probably mix in a separate bowl). The recipe even recommends eating the cake right out of the pan.

It was an easy recipe but the simplicity compromises the texture and flavor. It's a chocolate cake but doesn't have an intensely chocolate flavor or delicate crumb, by any means. But it was still good. Actually, it was a comforting cake. And I think it tasted even better the next day. And of course, leftover vanilla buttercream made it wonderful. Continue for recipe.

Cake-Pan Chocolate Cake
King Arthur Flour

1 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon vinegar
6 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup cold water (original recipe), coffee (next inspiration), milk (later inspiration), or 3/4 cup water and 1/4 cup rum (latest inspiration)

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Measure all the dry ingredients into an 8 or 9-inch round or square cake pan. Blend these together thoroughly with a fork and scoop out three holes, or indentations. (It's just as easy to mix this in a bowl also.)

Pour the vanilla into the first hole, the vinegar into the second, and the vegetable oil into the third.

Take the cup of cold liquid (water, coffee, milk, etc.) and pour it directly over everything in the pan. Stir all the ingredients together with your fork until they are well blended.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Serve right from the pan; warm from the oven, this Cake-Pan Cake is wonderful with a big glass of milk (skim, of course!)

This recipe reprinted from King Arthur Flour's Baking Sheet, Vol. II, No. 5, March, 1991.

Chicken Fried Steak

2007-07-09T20:30:00.000-05:00

There is really no good way to make chicken fried steak look appetizing! I have to admit, I am definitely not a fan of this breaded and fried steak. But I had some beef cutlets and thought that I would branch out and try something new. This recipe is from America's Test Kitchen and if you like chicken fried steak, it's probably a good method. The steak is dredged through flour, then a mixture of buttermilk and egg, and then re-dipped into seasoned flour. The resulting crust is thick enough to stand up to the onion gravy and turns a nice golden brown when it's fried. It did slide off of the steak when cut though. Something different for dinner, although I don't think I'll make it again.

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Blueberry Cake

2007-07-04T18:26:00.000-05:00

Happy 4th of July and fresh blueberries! That combination calls for a cake to start the day! (And I picked 15 pounds of delicious blueberries and want to use them!) This is a wonderful cake--great for breakfast, tea, or dessert. The buttery, shortbread-like cake is nicely scented with lemon and the blueberries really shine. And it's beautiful! The batter is spread in the pan first and the blueberries are spread on top, allowing the cake to surround the berries while baking. This recipe is adapted from Simply Recipes and is definitely one I'll add to my favorites! Great for company! Continue for recipe.
Blueberry Cake

1 cup plus 1 teaspoon of all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 oz (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
zest from one lemon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs
2 cups blueberries, rinsed and drained (may substitute frozen blueberries, or substitute some of the blueberries for raspberries)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Confectioner's sugar

1 Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan and dust with flour. Or use a 9-inch round cake pan that has been greased and dusted with flour. (I use baking spray with flour.)

2 In a small bowl combine 1 cup of flour with the baking powder and salt and set aside.

3 In a mixer bowl, rub the lemon zest into the sugar with your fingers, releasing the lemon fragrance into the sugar.

4 Using the mixer, cream the butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time and beat until well blended. Reduce the speed of the mixer to low and gradually add the flour mixture. Beat until smooth. Pour the batter into the baking pan.

5 In a medium bowl, combine the berries with the remaining teaspoon of flour and the lemon juice. Spoon the berry mixture over the batter. (Don't skimp on the berries--overlapping is ok; they don't have to be in a single layer.)

5 Bake for 1 hour at 350°F, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes. If using a springform pan, slide a thin knife around the edges of the cake to release it from the pan before you release and remove the springform. If using a cake pan, slide a thin knife around the edges of the cake and invert it onto a cake rack. Transfer the cake to a platter, berry side up. Dust the cake with confectioner's sugar before serving.

Perfect Party Cake Again

2007-07-02T22:44:00.000-05:00

I made this cake for my good friend Shelly's birthday. It's great to have old friends, like family, that you share history with. And I just love this cake. It has a great consistency, is very moist, and isn't overly sweet. I used Princess Cake flavor instead of the lemon extract--yum! Dorie Greenspan's recipes are just fabulous!

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Dark Chocolate Cake with Easy Chocolate Buttercream

2007-07-02T21:21:00.001-05:00

I made this cake for a friend's birthday and it was a hit. It is a very dark, chocolaty cake. Dutch-processed cocoa and bittersweet chocolate give it an intense flavor and sour cream adds to the moistness. It has a great texture and stays nice for several days. I think it would be great with coffee or vanilla buttercream or a whipped filling and topping. It was almost too much chocolate for me--but still wonderful! I made two 6-inch layers and sliced each in half, yielding a four-layer cake. This recipe makes nice cupcakes also. Continue for recipe.

Dark Chocolate Cake
America's Test Kitchen: Test Kitchen Favorites, 2007

12 cupcakes or Two 6-inch cakes

8 T unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup (1.5 ounces) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
3/4 cup (3.75 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
3/4 cup (5.25 ounces) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (4 ounces) sour cream

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12 muffin cups OR prepare two 6-inch cake pans.
Combine butter, chocolate, and cocoa in medium heatproof bowl. Set bowl over a saucepan of simmering water; heat mixture until melted and whisk until smooth and fully combined. (Alternatively, heat slowly in microwave on 50% power until melted.) Set aside to cool until just warm to the touch.
Whisk the flour, baking soda and powder in small bowl to combine.
Whisk eggs in another bowl; add sugar, vanilla, and salt and whisk until fully incorporated.
Add chocolate mixture and whisk until combined.
Sift about 1/3 of the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture and whisk until combined.
Whisk in the sour cream, then sift the remaining flour mixture over the batter and whisk until homogenous and thick.
Dived batter among the muffin tin cups.
Bake until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, 18-20 minutes for cupcakes and 25 minutes for cakes.

**This recipe doesn't double well--cupcakes don't rise as much with a doubled batch.

Easy Chocolate Buttercream

2 sticks butter, room temperature, soft
3 cups powdered sugar
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup milk
3/4 cup cocoa (I like Hershey's Special Dark for deeper flavor)
1 oz. melted semisweet chocolate

Beat butter; Add sugar and mix until moistened.
Add salt, vanilla, milk, and chocolates.
Beat until fluffy and desired consistency, several minutes.

Crepes with Ricotta and Blueberries

2007-07-02T19:50:00.000-05:00

Crepes with berries and powdered sugar is one of our favorite breakfasts and one that my husband requests often. In fact, I can almost bet that every time I ask him on a weekend what he wants for breakfast, the answer will be Crepes and Bacon!

This recipe is from an absolutely lovely food blog, La Tartine Gourmande. Her pictures are amazing--a wonderful food stylist and great recipes too. It's definitely one of my favorite sites! Continue for recipe.

Crepes
La Tartine Gourmande

1 cup flour
1 cup milk (skim is fine)
1/3 cup water
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon melted butter, cooled (can use 1-2T)
optional: 1 T rum

Mix all ingredients in a blender and let the batter rest for 2 hours (30 min. minimum). (Alternatively, whisk all ingredients except for butter very well; add butter and continue to whisk until smooth.)

Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with fresh berries or jam. Or try one of the following toppings.

Ricotta filling:
Ricotta cheese
powdered sugar, to taste (I don't like mine very sweet--just a hint of sweetness is nice) and optional: several drops of flavoring: vanilla, lemon, Fiori di Siscilia...
Mix all ingredients.

Berry sauce and filling:
water (about 1/2 cup)
cornstarch
several tablespoons sugar (to taste--depending on sweetness of fruit)
berries
options: vanilla, cinnamon, lemon juice, zest, wine, mint
Mix over medium heat until thickened.

Apple or Plum Filling:
apples or plums
butter
brown sugar
options: vanilla, cinnamon
Saute until soft and carmelized.

Classic Sourdough

2007-06-10T20:37:00.000-05:00

This is my favorite basic sourdough bread. It's delicious--fluffy, soft interior, with a chewy crust and perfect "sourness." The crust is not too hard but is just lovely. Robert and I ate half a loaf tonight with our spaghetti. This would be great for dinner rolls, buns, or shaped in a loaf pan and used for sandwiches.

I adapted this recipe from the King Arthur's Classic Sourdough recipe that was included with their starter. I have had wonderful success with KA recipes! Continue for recipe.

Classic Sourdough

Feed starter:
Remove 1/2 and discard; add 1/2 cup water + 1 cup flour (my starter is fairly stiff); sit at room temperature overnight, or up to 12 hours.

Sponge:
1 cup fed starter
1 1/2 cup lukewarm water
3 cups KA unbleached all-purpose flour

Mix and beat vigorously; cover and let sit 4 hours (anywhere from 2-8 is ok--longer increases sour flavor; I like 4 hrs). (Refeed remaining starter and let sit at RT for awhile before storing in fridge.)

Add:
2 cups flour
1 T fine sea salt
1 scant T honey (or sugar)--optional; next time I'm going to try sugar; honey if
I'm using part whole wheat or seeds/nuts.

Knead until smooth and elastic, adding only enough flour to keep dough from sticking, approx. 3-5 min. Dough will be slightly tacky but smooth, not wet. Spray bowl with cooking spray and place dough in bowl. Cover.

Rise until doubled: 1-2 hours (1 1/2 hrs. in 80 degree kitchen).

Split dough in half; gently shape into torpedo loaves (or other shape: rolls, loaf pan, boule, etc.). Place on cornmeal covered parchment paper. Lightly spray with cooking spray. Cover.

Rise until doubled: 1-2 hours (1 hr. 45 min).

Preheat oven and baking stone to 450 degrees.
Slash tops of loaves; slide onto hot stone in oven; immediately mist oven; repeat mist once after 2 min.

Bake 20 min. until nicely browned. Cool completely on rack. Enjoy!

Chewy, Chunky Blondies

2007-06-10T20:15:00.000-05:00

Another winner from Dorie Greenspan's Baking. These blondies are very rich and buttery --butterscotch, chocolate chips, and coconut--great combination! I baked them for a bit longer than called for and they definitely need to cool before cutting into, allowing them to set up. But how can you go wrong with a blondie? Delicious!

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Tomato Soup Cake

2007-06-09T21:33:00.000-05:00

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Green Bean and Carrot Chips

2007-06-09T21:27:00.000-05:00

Last weekend, I visited the original Whole Foods Market in Austin and went crazy. It was amazing--I think I was there almost 4 hours! Eating, shopping, eating, drinking, eating... Such a neat store. Various food bars are set up throughout, each with its own menu, and samples, of course. For breakfast, I bought a loaf of raisin, pecan sourdough and a cup of coffee. Wonderful samples included candied salmon, smoked brisket, "raw" whipped cauliflower, octupus salad, shrimp ceviche, pumpkin-flax seed granola, and several breads and cheeses. I sat down at the "living raw" foods bar for lunch (as if I hadn't had enough samples!) and ordered a vegetable nori roll with brazil nut paste and ginger-soy dressing. Very beautiful. I finished with fresh pistachio gelato and bought a delicious smoked chicken salad to take with me for dinner. What a great day! It is definately an outing worth going to Austin for. I even bought a skirt at the store!

One of my take home treats, were these tasty bean and carrot chips. I had never had green bean chips and really enjoyed them. Dried, fried, and lightly salted, the bean taste is present with the natural sweetness of the vegetable. They are a great alternative to potato chips and look so appealing and different! I'll have to try making some--they would be perfect for picnics or bbqs or to send in lunches. Robert even tried one! :)

Mango Chutney

2007-05-24T20:47:00.000-05:00

My first canning experience! I'm so excited! It worked! I bought a large box of sweet Ataulfo Mexican mangoes at an outdoor market and wanted to try this chutney that I saw on Simply Recipes. It's a sweet condiment with a nice flavor from the ginger, raisins, and onions. I love it on turkey sandwiches, roasted chicken, and grilled pork. I haven't tried it yet with fish, but I think it would go really nicely in fish tacos. Interesting! Continue for recipe.

Mango Chutney
C&H Sugar

2 cups sugar
1 cup distilled white vinegar
6 cups mangoes (4 to 5), peeled and cut in 3/4-inch pieces (See How to Cut a Mango)
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup crystallized ginger, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon mustard seeds, whole
1/4 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes (hot)

1 Combine sugar and vinegar in a 6 quart pot; bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves.

2 Add remaining ingredients and simmer, uncovered, until syrupy and slightly thickened, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Stir occasionally during cooking.

3 Pour into clean, hot jars leaving 1/2-inch headspace; close jars. Process in a water bath 15 minutes.

Makes 6 (1/2 pint) jars

Mom's Marvelous Marinade for Steak or Pork Kabobs

2007-05-23T19:27:00.001-05:00

I just love this marinade. It reminds me of summer grilling: Dad outside tending the grill with a frosty mug of some unusual beer; Mom inside making her standard white rice, cutting a loaf of french bread, sampling a slice spread with margarine; guacamole and chips sitting on the counter to nibble on; the wonderful smell from the combination of all of these things. Summer.

Mom always used this marinade for beef kabobs, but the sweetness works really well with pork also. It can be used for larger cuts of meats too, not just kabobs--although the smaller surface area of the meat means more marinade coating--yum! I think I'll try this with a slow cooker roast next--pulled pork/beef sandwiches would be great. (Rump roast in a slow cooker with all of the marinade for about 10hrs. on low). I usually reserve a little marinade to coat grilled veggies. Continue for recipe.

Mom's Marinade

1 cup beef broth
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup wine vinegar
4 tablespoons oil
4 cloves garlic
pepper

Whisk all ingredients together.
Marinate with meat at least several hours, preferably overnight.

Multi-grain Sourdough Bread

2007-05-23T19:11:00.000-05:00

King Arthur Flour

Clay's Multi-Grain Sourdough Bread

The Baking Sheet® Vol. XIII, No. 4, Spring 2002 issue.

2/3 cup (6 1/2 ounces) sourdough starter, fed and ready to use
2/3 cup (5 3/8 ounces) lukewarm water
2 teaspoons (3/8 ounce) olive oil
1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups (5 1/4 to 6 1/2 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/4 cup (1 1/4 ounces) potato flour
1/2 cup (2 1/4 ounces)King Arthur Traditional Whole Wheat Flour
1/3 cup (1 5/8 ounces) Harvest Grains Blend OR any blend of seeds and flaked or softened whole grain kernels
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast

*If your starter is very thin, you may need an additional 2 to 4 tablespoons of flour. The dough should be slightly shaggy during the initial 3 to 4 minutes of mixing, and soft and slightly sticky after 10 minutes of kneading.

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer,and mix and knead to form a smooth dough. Allow the dough to rise for 1 hour; it'll become puffy, though it may not double in bulk.

Lightly grease an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch bread pan. Gently deflate the risen dough, and shape it into a log. Place it in the pan, cover it lightly, and allow it to rise till it crests about 1 inch over the rim of the pan.

Bake the bread in a preheated 400°F oven for 25 to 30 minutes, tenting it with foil after 20 minutes if it's browning too quickly. When it's done, the bread will be golden brown, and will register 190°F on an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center. Remove the bread from the oven, and turn it out of the pan onto a rack, to cool completely.

Yield: 1 loaf, 16 slices.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Black Bean, Vegetable Rice

2007-05-16T19:15:00.000-05:00

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