A spoonful of laughter and a heap of love

Cake Slice: Zebra Cake

2011-07-20T20:51:00.000-07:00

First of all... I actually baked and now I am blogging... and to my knowledge hell hasn't frozen over :-P
So this months cake was Zebra Cake. I loved this cake! It was super moist and there are a lot of fun possibilities with all the color options and flavors you can try. Obviously I still need to get the hang of the layering but I don't mind having to "practice".
To go along with the recipe and picture, I have a cautionary tale to share.

Once upon a time there was a young (ish), fun mother. One night while she was lovingly making dinner for her family, she decided "What the heck, I have all the ingredients for this cake I need to make, might as well throw it together now."

Things were going relatively well. She managed to start the cake baking; start pasta boiling; stop naughty children from fighting; and give the 3 year old carrots so he would stop crying and tugging on her leg. All of a sudden the timers for the pasta and the cake went off. So she drained the pasta and took the cake out. Because she was trying to hurry, she put the cake on the stove top for a minute. Suddenly she smelled burning sugar and saw a small line of smoke coming from the cake pan. That's right, she forgot to turn off the burner :(

Quickly the cake was loosened from the pan and (this next step is probably the most important) while turning it upside down on to a cooling rack, she prayed silently to the, God of Cakes, "Please don't let this cake be completely ruined", at least three times.
So how did her sorry tale end? The bottom stuck to the pan but the side and everything else came out remarkably well. It was slightly worse for wear, but no one would have guessed how close the cake came to being food for the garbage bin.

So I guess the moral is to not multitask and the a secondary moral is to stay on good terms with the Cake God...

Zebra Cake
Makes one 9 inch round cake
(Recipe from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman)
Ingredients:
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup whole or 2% milk
½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted and cooled
½ cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp unsweetened Dutch cocoa powder

Method:
Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 9 inch pan, line with a circle of parchment paper, grease the parchment and dust with flour.
Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
Combine the eggs and sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on high speed until thick and pale, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, stir in the milk, butter,oil and vanilla, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice as necessary.
Stir in the flour mixture, ½ cup at a time.
Transfer a third of the batter into another bowl and whisk in the cocoa powder.
Place a quarter cup of the vanilla batter into the centre of the pan and let it stand for a few seconds so it spreads out slightly. Place 2 tablespoons of the chocolate batter right on top of the vanilla and wait another few seconds until it spreads. Continue alternating vanilla and chocolate until you have used up all the batter and it has spread to the edges of the pan.
Bake until the cake is set and a toothpick comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the edge of the pan and invert the cake onto a cutting board. Peel away the parchment paper. Re-invert onto a wire rack and cool completely. Slice and serve.
Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper or wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for 3 days.

To see much prettier cakes than mine, go here

Cake Slice: Chocolate Cream Pound Cake

2011-03-20T20:40:00.000-07:00

Wow, that month seems to just fly by. It is cake posting time already. My family and I really loved the flavor of this cake and I appreciated that it is a pretty easy recipe to follow. Also I had all of the ingredients on hand, except for the cream, so that was a bonus. The only thing I didn't love about this cake is that it was deformed. It was sunken in, in the middle and it had a crust on it. None of this seemed to negatively affect the flavor but I had to serve it upside down for it to look semi-normal. Not sure if this was due to some error on my part but I have never had this happen with a cake before. Anyway I highly recommend it with ice cream; tastes yummy and hides flaws. To check out the adventures of the other Cake Slice Bakers, go here.

Makes one 9x5 inch loaf cake

March’s Cake: Chocolate Cream Pound Cake
(Recipe from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman)
Ingredients
6 tbsp unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
¼ cup heavy cream
1 cup plus 2 tbsp all purpose flour
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
½ cup (1stick) unsalted butter, softened
1½ cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method
Heat the oven to 325F. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan and dust with flour.
Sift the cocoa powder into a heatproof bowl. Place the cream in a microwavable bowl and heat for 30-60 seconds until just boiling. Pour the hot cream over the cocoa and stir and mash with a spoon to make a thick paste. Set aside to cool.
Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
Combine the butter and sugar in a large bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bow once or twice as necessary. Beat in the cocoa powder paste until smooth.
With the mixer on medium-low speed add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Stir in the vanilla.
Turn the mixer to low speed and add the flour mixture, ½ cup at a time, scraping down the sides after each addition. Add the last addition, mix for 30 seconds on medium speed.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake the cake until it is firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Invert it onto a wire rack and then turn it right side up on the rack to cool completely. Slice and serve.
Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper or wrap and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

SMS: Irish Soda Bread

2011-03-20T20:16:00.000-07:00

I loved, loved, loved this bread! I would not even hesitate to make it again (and again and again... okay you get the idea) and that is really saying something because there was a small period of time while I was making this that I thought I would be less stressed trying to shop with all three of my kids (not fun). It really was an easy recipe except for the fact that it was way too liquidy (that might be a word) and I had to keep adding flour to keep it from adhering to my counter top. The only other change I made was to the baking time. I had to add about 10 more minutes. The recipe had the option of adding caraway seeds which I have but in the end I chose not to add them. They smelled great to me and I wanted to try them but I thought the kids may not go for it, so I played it safe and left the caraway seeds out. Next time....
Go check out the recipe on our host's blog, Little bit of Everything. If you don't have a favorite Soda Bread recipe (or even if you do) this may be the ONE :) Also take a little time to see how the other bakers fared. I hope everyone loves this as much as I do!

Hello blog, it's been awhile...

2011-02-24T07:38:00.000-08:00

I have definitely neglected this poor blog! Let me just say, by way of excusing my laziness, I have been sick almost without a break from November until January. I am now doing much better and hope to get back into the swing of things. Some days I just feel so tired that even getting my camera out and trying to take a picture seems like too much work. But here I am and I am excited to get back in the swing of things.

Okay onto the reason for the post.

I am a few days late but I did make the Cake Slice cake for this month and I even did it on time (just lost track of the fact that Sunday was the 20th, the day to post, oops). This months cake was Coffee Heath Bar Crunch Cake. It was okay but not a favorite of mine. My family liked it and it was eaten pretty quickly but for me it was just so-so. I did sub out the coffee (we don't drink coffee) with Pero and the flavor of the batter was really good (I know, naughty me) but it was a little downhill from there. This probably sounds more negative than I mean for it to. It wasn't bad tasting, and it was really simple to make, just not good enough to tempt me to make it again. I took my cake out 5 minutes early when I realized it was looking slightly overdone. Check out the other Cake Slice Bakers, some of them really liked it so maybe it is just personal preference. Anyway, without further ado here is the recipe-

Coffee-Heath Bar Crunch Cake (Recipe from Cake Keeper Cakes)

(Printer Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients - Cake

1½ cups all-purpose flour (I added an extra ¼ cup of flour)
1 tbsp instant espresso powder (I used same amount of Pero)
1½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1½ tsp vanilla extract
1 cup milk

Ingredients - Streusel

4 Heath bars (1.4ounces each), chopped or 1 cup of pre-chopped Heath Bits
2 tbsp light brown sugar
2 tbsp all purpose flour
1 tbsp butter, softened

Preparation – Streusel

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Grease a 9inch round springform pan.
Combine the Heath bars, brown sugar, flour and butter in a medium mixing bowl.
Work the mixture with your fingers until it resembles large crumbs.
Refrigerate until ready to use.

Preparation – Cake

Combine the flour, espresso powder, baking powder and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
Combine the butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. With the mixer on low speed, add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla.
With the mixer on low speed, add a third of the flour mixture and then half the milk, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Repeat, alternating the flour and milk, ending with the flour.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth into an even layer with a spatula.
Scatter the streusel onto the batter, distributing it evenly over the cake.
Bake the cake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, approximately 50 to 60 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes.
Release the sides of the pan and use a large spatula to slide the cake from the pan bottom to onto a wire rack.
Cool completely, cut into wedges and serve.
Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper or wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Makes one 9 inch round cake.

CEiMB- Apple Brown Betty

2010-10-14T20:35:00.000-07:00

Oh my, I loved this. It was so easy to make and the flavor was excellent. I will definitely be making this again. The whole family loved it and I didn't feel too guilty while eating because it is really pretty healthy. Now I did make it a little bit less healthy by adding an extra tablespoon of brown sugar and an extra tablespoon of butter to the topping, but I figure for each serving that only adds a negligible amount of fat and calories. To get the recipe and try this yourself you can buy the book So Easy by Ellie Krieger or you can visit Jessica of Learning to Love Vegetables.

I heart cooking clubs- Farewell Food

2010-10-03T20:06:00.000-07:00

The group I heart cooking clubs focuses on one chef for a period of 6 months and then moves on to a new chef. It is really such a great way to get to know new chefs and to push yourself to try new things. I will be honest, before joining the group, I really had no idea who Mark Bittman was. Now his recipes have become a staple in my home and even when I don't follow a recipe exactly, I will still grab my big, red How to Cook Everything book to see what the best way is to slice some fruit or how to prepare some other fill-in-the-blank. So for me this isn't really goodbye because Mr. Bittman is here to stay! Which is really what this group is about. I have found a new favorite that I don't think I would have found otherwise.
However in keeping with the farewell theme, I decided to say farewell to summer as well as Mark Bittman. I found a tasty and simple recipe that has become another meatless favorite!

Pasta with Corn, Zucchini, and Tomatoes

Ingredients

Salt
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, or 2 tablespoons oil and 1 tablespoon butter
1 cup corn kernels (from 2 or 3 ears)
1 cup diced zucchini or summer squash (from 2 or 3 small vegetables)
1 medium onion or 3 or 4 shallots, diced
1/4 teaspoon minced garlic, optional
1 sprigs tarragon
4 plum or 2 large tomatoes, diced
1 pound cut pasta, like penne, rigatoni, or fusilli

Method

1. Set a large pot of water to boil and salt it. Put 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add corn. Cook, stirring occasionally, until corn begins to brown. Add zucchini and some salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until zucchini begins to brown.
2. Add onion or shallots and garlic if you are using it. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion softens, about 5 minutes. Add tarragon and cook for 30 seconds, then tomatoes. Put pasta in boiling water and cook until tender but not mushy, 10 to 15 minutes.
3. While pasta cooks continue to cook sauce, reducing heat when tomatoes begin to break down. If sauce dries out (with plum tomatoes, this is likely), add some pasta cooking water, about 1/2 cup at a time. When pasta is done, drain it, toss with sauce and remaining oil or butter, and serve immediately.

French Fridays with Dorie: Gougeres

2010-10-01T17:00:00.000-07:00

French Fridays with Dorie is a blogging group focusing on Dorie Greenspan lovely new cookbook, Around My French Table. I love Dorie and I am loving this new cookbook. Her books are the most entertaining cookbooks I own. Not only can the women really whip up a great dish but she also know how to dish, as in spin an entertaining story. I can actually curl up with her cookbooks like I would a novel and enjoy the stories. I would definitely recommend checking out this book!

This weeks recipe was Gougeres. Until yesterday I had never made these wonderful little pastries but I can guarantee I will be making them again. They are so amazingly quick and easy. You can seriously have them to the table in just over 30 minutes, which in my opinion, makes them as convenient as biscuits but with a more sophisticated flavor. We all really loved these and definitely ate more than is probably recommended. I ended up just using some sharp cheddar that I had in the fridge this time. I can't wait to experiment with some other types of cheese!

CEiMB- Almond French Toast Bake

2010-10-01T16:19:00.000-07:00

I have had this wonderful little cookbook by Ellie Krieger called So Easy for months and although I have looked through it several times, until last week it was mostly just keeping my other cookbooks company. No longer! I had come across a group called Craving Ellie in my Belly a few weeks ago and decided if I joined the group, then maybe I would actually use this wonderful cookbook. And that is just what happened :D I have now made my first delicious and really very healthy Ellie Krieger recipe. YAY!
It truly was a success in my opinion. My kids loved it, and while it wasn't my hubby's absolute favorite, he enjoyed it, and for me, two of my most favorite foods on the planet are french toast and bread pudding so, heck yes I am a fan. The other really winning quality: it was truly "so easy" to make. Isn't it great to actually find truth in advertising!
I followed the recipe pretty exactly. I only made 3 changes. The first one was to use frozen blueberries instead of fresh. The second change I made was that I didn't use real maple syrup, I just used the pancake syrup I had on hand. The last change I made was to use fewer eggs than called for. The recipe called for a whopping 8 whole eggs and 8 egg whites, that seemed like a lot for one loaf of french bread. After checking some comments on the Food Network link for the recipe, I saw someone suggested using only 5 whole eggs and 4 egg whites. That is what I did and for me it turned out great. Not soggy and just slightly crispy on the edges.
See how everyone else fared here and to try this recipe yourself, head on over to our hostess, Heide's blog, Chez Zero.

SMS Rewind: North Fork Peach Raspberry Pie

2010-09-26T20:09:00.000-07:00

I actually made this lovely pie a while ago but I still had not gotten around to posting it. Since this week was kind of busy I decided to skip the Plum Raspberry Preserves that were picked by this week's hostess, Margo of Effort to Deliciousness, but be sure to check that out.

This pie was originally picked earlier this summer, on July 4th. It is a really simple pie. The taste is delicious and it is such a great way to use up that summer fruit. The peaches and the raspberries really compliment each other. I may be biased though because raspberries are probably my favorite fruit. I love the slightly tart flavor, of raspberries and of the pie :)
This pie was picked by Rebecca of the lovely blog, Beurrista. Be sure to check out her blog to get the recipe. It is worth making. Also you can check out the experiences of the other sms bakers by checking here.

SMS: Lemon Blueberry Buttermilk Pie

2010-09-20T11:21:00.000-07:00

What a fun and easy recipe we got to make this week. Special thanks to Melissa of the blog Lulu the Baker for such great pick (check out her blog for the recipe)!It was a big hit in my house and you can even pat yourself on the back after eating it because, hey, fresh blueberries equal antioxidants and fiber (and I am sure lots of other great things). The other really great thing about this recipe is that, while it looks pretty and fairly impressive, it is so incredibly easy (especially if you cheat and have a good friend like Marie Callendar help with the crust).
Enjoy a visual feast and take a look at the how the incredibly talented SMS bakers fared this week.

SMS: Mom's French Pancakes

2010-09-05T08:24:00.000-07:00

Wow it has been a long time. Summer was so busy for me and even though I did some baking, I really failed in the posting department. I think part of my problem was that once I got a few posts behind, it started feeling like a chore to get caught up. I finally had to remind myself that I am doing this because I enjoy it and I am only doing this for me, so it doesn't need to feel like I am behind.

Okay on to this weeks SMS recipe. I love crepes. My father is french so I grew up with a lot of french food. Crepes were a Saturday morning staple in my house growing up so this was a fun and easy recipe for me. I love just about any filling in crepes. My favorites are berries, nutella, plain old sugar with lemon juice sprinkled over the sugar, and one of my most favorite fillings is creme de marron (chestnut cream). I happened to have a can in the pantry so that is what I used for the filling in these crepes. Apparently it is not a universally loved flavor because my husband is not a fan and my youngest little guy didn't seem to like it either. Oh well, can't win 'em all. In any case this was a very basic and straightforward recipe. The crepes it produced were yummy. Head on over to Jaime's blog, Good Eats and Sweet Treats, to check out her delicious photos and to snag the recipe. To find out how all the other SMS bakers fared, go here.

My camera has died, so this is a borrowed camera that, unfortunately, was not at all co operative. Hence the lousy picture. But the other bakers have beautiful pics, so check those out.

SMS: Chocolate Walnut Brownies

2010-07-18T00:44:00.000-07:00

First off, I must admit I was somewhat distracted this week by something even better than brownies. "What", you say, "could possibly be better than brownies?" My adorable, super-cute, 4 day old nephew! He is the squishiest, most cuddly baby ever! So, instead of stressing about this post and getting it done early, I procrastinated and cuddled instead.
That being said, it is funny how nervous I was for my week to host. I don't know how everyone else feels when their time comes but, for me, so much thought gets put into the whole process. I wanted to pick a "good" recipe and I wanted to make it enough times that I would have really cool tips or tricks to share. Alas, I have no tips or tricks. Luckily, I found the recipe to be pretty straightforward and in my opinion, it makes a really good brownie. Now I do realize what makes a good brownie seems to be a really individualized thing. Some like fudgy, some like cakey, etc. I don't like mine to taste undercooked. These were just about perfect for me. They were moist but still tasted cooked all the way through. I also found this recipe to be pretty customizable. I added mint chips to one batch and they were just great.Instead of using cocoa in this recipe, you use unsweetened chocolate and melt it in a double boiler. ( I just used a metal bowl over a pot.)
Next, you mix together the eggs, sugar and vanilla, until the batter is a pale yellow.Incorporate the chocolate into batter. Now is the time to get creative and throw in any add-ins that you have a hankering for, in this case, walnuts.Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 45 - 5o minutes. Then comes the best part-Cut and eat.

Before I post the recipe, I just want to say thanks to the great women in this group. I am inspired every time I check one of your blogs! Be sure to check out the amazing bakers who joined me this week.
You can find this week's recipe on pages 82-83 of The Sweet Melissa Baking Book, or posted below.
Chocolate Walnut Brownies

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter
4 ounces best-quality unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2/3 sup walnuts, coarsely chopped (optional)

Before you start
Position a rack in the center of your oven. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter and flour a 9 x 9 x 2-inch square cake pan.

In the top of a double boiler set over simmering, not boiling, water, melt the butter and chocolate. Remove from the heat but keep warm.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whip attachment, beat together the eggs, sugar, and vanilla on medium speed until pale yellow in color, about 2 minutes. Add the melted chocolate and mix to combine.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.
Add the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture in 3 batches, mixing on low speed until just combined. Do not overmix. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Stir in the nuts by hand.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until sides begin to pull away from the pan and center is moist but not runny and a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack to cool.
When cool, loosen the edges of the pan with a knife and invert the brownies onto the cutting board. Cut into 12 brownies, measuring 3 inches by 2 1/4 inches, or serve straight from the pan.

The brownies keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 5 days, or freeze well wrapped in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil for up to 3 weeks. Do not unwrap before defrosting.

SMS: Sour Cherry and Almond Biscotti

2010-07-11T11:46:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I have posted anything but I have actually been doing quite a bit of cooking and baking. We have just been busy enough the last couple weeks that I have had trouble finding time to sit down and make a record of the culinary adventures I have been having. Okay it probably hasn't been exciting enough to apply the word "adventure" but I did make freezer jam on my own, which was a first :) I also made last weeks sms recipe but I just haven't gotten around to posting it either. Maybe a little later today...Anyway, on to this weeks recipe. I have never made biscotti before and I was so pleasantly surprised that mine turned out. I kept thinking throughout the process that I couldn't see how this was going to come out looking like the biscotti my grandparents make but in the end it all came together just fine. Although it took a little time, most of that was baking or sitting in the fridge, and it was actually really easy to make. My husband preferred it after the first baking. He liked that it was more like a cookie then, so maybe I will make these again for him without baking twice.Thanks to Tracey for hosting this week, what a great pick! Check out her blog for the recipe and a really nice picture tutorial (wish I would have had that to look at while making mine). Also take a look at how the other SMS bakers did.

SMS: Gingersnaps

2010-06-27T14:06:00.000-07:00

I love gingersnaps! I had the privilege of having one of the world's sweetest and kindest women for my grandmother. As a kid I loved visiting her house. It was one of those places where a kid could really be spoiled. She always had yummy treats at her house that my parents didn't keep regularly stocked around our house. One of the treats she frequently had at her house were gingersnaps. They weren't homemade but they were still yummy, especially dipped in milk. Since those days I have come to like these crisp little cookies even more because not only are they just plain good but I also have sweet memories of my lovely grandmother attached to them. This recipe is the first time I have ever made gingersnaps. I thought the recipe was great, although mine were slightly overcooked, so I probably need to lower the temperature in the oven or reduce the time. The only other thing I had a problem with was I only had half of the ginger I needed. I improvised and used a little more of the other spices but the flavor, while still yummy, wasn't quite right for gingersnaps. I definitely plan to make them again, this time with enough ginger. Check out the other amazing SMS bakers to see some really great looking cookies and for the recipe and some yummy looking variations on the recipe, head on over to our lovely host's blog, The Ginger Snap Girl.

I heart cooking clubs- Dining with Dad

2010-06-20T17:04:00.000-07:00

Here I am posting on the last day of the week, again! Hmmm, I need to get more organized. We have so many things going on during the summer that posting gets pushed to last.
Okay, so this week I made two recipes from How to Cook Everything. The first one is Everday Pancakes with one of his variations, and the second recipe was The Best Scrambled Eggs.

The Everyday Pancake recipe is a really great basic pancake recipe. It will probably be my go-to recipe for pancakes because it is so versatile and quick to whip up. I love all of the add in suggestions and look forward to trying a lot of them. Some of them sound so good, like substituting coconut milk for regular milk (love coconut milk) and some of them sound intriguing like spooning the batter over cooked bacon. I didn't pick anything as exciting as either of those two suggestions this time. My husband is a big fan of grains so we added one cup of cooked wheat berries to the batter. He liked it a lot and everyone else seemed to enjoy them as well (particularly my littlest guy). The wheat berries kind of give the pancake a chewy texture but it worked. Here is the recipe-

Everyday Pancakes

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar, optional (I left it out)
2 eggs
1 1/2 to 2 cups milk
2 tablespoons melted and cooled butter (optional), plus unmelted butter for cooking, or use neutral oil

Method

1. Heat a griddle or large skillet over medium-low heat. In a bowl, mix together dry ingredients. Beat eggs into 1 1/2 cups milk, then stir in 2 tablespoons melted cooled butter, if using it. Gently stir this mixture into dry ingredients, mixing only enough to moisten flour; don't worry about a few lumps. If batter seems thick, add a little more milk.
2. Place a teaspoon or 2 of butter or oil on griddle or skillet. When butter foam subsides or oil shimmers, ladle batter onto griddle or skillet, making pancakes of any size you like. Adjust heat as necessary; usually, first batch will require higher heat than subsequent batches. Flip pancakes after bubbles rise to surface and bottoms brown, after 2 to 4 minutes.
3. Cook until second side is lightly browned. Serve, or hold on an ovenproof plate in a 200-degree oven for up to 15 minutes.

My second recipe, The Best Scrambled Eggs, was also pretty good. They take quite a long time to cook but they have a very creamy texture. I probably won't make these too often. They were tasty but not enough to justify the extra time they took. One of the things I love about scrambled eggs is that they only take about five minutes to whip up so this just isn't as useful to me but for a special occasion they would be a yummy addition. The recipe only makes two servings so I doubled it. I also didn't have cream on hand (well actually I did but it was put in a part of my fridge that freezes and was totally solid) so I used 3 tblsp. of whole milk with 1 tblsp. butter. Here is this recipe doubled-
The Best Scrambled Eggs

Ingredients

8-10 eggs
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons of cream
2 tablespoons butter or olive oil

Method

1.Crack the eggs into a bowl and beat them just until the yolks and whites are combined. Season with salt and pepper and beat in the cream.
2. Put a medium skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium heat for about 1 minute. Add the butter or oil and swirl it around the pan. After the butter melts, but before it foams, turn the heat to low.
3. Add the eggs to the skillet and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. At first nothing will happen; after 10 minutes or so, the eggs will begin to form curds. Do not lose patience: Keep stirring, breaking up the curds as they form, until the mixture is a mass of soft curds. This will take 30 minutes or more. Serve immediately.

SMS: Chocolate Orange Macaroons

2010-06-13T16:19:00.000-07:00

This week our SMS host was Ellen of Blue Tree Green Heart. She picked these wonderful, super easy Chocolate Orange Macaroons. They are seriously the easiest cookie I have ever made. They even beat out no-bake cookies, I think, on the easiness scale. This recipe has five ingredients and it literally takes only about 5 minutes to mix it all up. When these first came out of the oven and I tried one warm (because that is the just the kind of impatient person I am) I thought they were pretty good but as they cooled they tasted so much better. I took some down to my mom and dad and they seemed to like them too, especially my mom, who ate "a few" more than the two she planned to eat. Give these a try, especially if you are a fan of coconut! Also be sure to check out how the other bakers did this week and take a look at Ellen's post, she has some really great photographs!

I heart cooking clubs- Herb Garden

2010-06-06T14:24:00.000-07:00

I love fresh herbs, unfortunately I CANNOT seem to keep them alive! I don't know what I am doing wrong, but despite my best efforts I keep killing them. Luckily, the grocery store has them so when I am in need, I can drive five minutes and pick them up.
The herb I decided to play with this week was thyme, and just for the heck of it, I looked it up on Wikipedia. Here are a few interesting factoids about thyme: Ancient Egyptians used thyme for embalming. The ancient Greeks used it in their baths and burnt it as incense in their temples, believing that thyme was a source of courage . It was thought that the spread of thyme throughout Europe was thanks to the Romans , as they used it to purify their rooms and to "give an aromatic flavor to cheese and liqueurs". In the European Middle Ages , the herb was placed beneath pillows to aid sleep and ward off nightmares. In this period, women would also often give knights and warriors gifts that included thyme leaves as it was believed to bring courage to the bearer. Thyme was also used as incense and placed on coffins during funerals as it was supposed to assure passage into the next life.
I made Italian bread sticks, also called grissini. They are an item that I buy from Whole Foods whenever I go there because they are just so yummy. I discovered them a couple years ago and have a mild addiction to them. Now I can make my own and season them however I like and as an extra bonus, homemade just tastes fresher and yummier. These are really easy to make, and the recipe says you should get 50-100. I got around 60-70 ish, so not too shabby. The dough is mixed in the food processor, which I love because it makes it so darn easy!
These are very customizable. The first pan I actually started cooking before I realized I hadn't added any herbs (duh), so they ended up being plain. After that I added thyme to the dough, and for my last two pans, just to jazz them up a little, I sprinkled one with onion powder and one with garlic powder. All of the variations were just lovely and would be great dipped in just about anything (ranch and marinara are my faves).
Anyway without further ado, here is the basic recipe, and if you are going to add herbs, he suggests 2 teaspoons of rosemary, thyme, sage or a combination of the three which you are supposed to add along with the olive oil, oops.

Breadsticks

2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
3 cups all purpose or bread flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more as needed
1/2 cup semolina or cornmeal

1. Combine the yeast, sugar, flour and salt in a food processor; pulse once or twice. Add the oil and, again, pulse a couple times. With the machine running add 1 cup of water through the feed tube. Continue to add water, a tablespoon at a time, until the mixture forms a ball. The dough should be a little shaggy and quite sticky.
2. Put the olive oil in a bowl and transfer the dough ball to it, turning to coat well. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for 1 hour in a warm place. Reshape the ball, put it back in the bowl, cover again and let rise in the refrigerator for several hours or, preferably, overnight.
3. Heat the oven to 400F. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets with olive oil and sprinkle very lightly with the semolina.4. Cut the dough into three pieces: keep the other 2 covered while you work with the first. On a well floured surface, roll a piece of dough out as thinly as possible into a large rectangle, about a foot long. Use a sharp knife or pastry wheel to cut the dough into roughly 1/4 inch thick strips (slightly smaller is better than slightly bigger).
5. Transfer the strips to the baking sheets, spaced apart and brushed with olive oil. Bake until crisp and golden, 10-20 minutes, then cool completely on wire racks. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

No SMS this week :(

2010-06-06T14:14:00.000-07:00

I really wanted to make these cookies but apparently the stores out by me are deficient! I could not find shelled pistachios anywhere accept Costco, and I just didn't want that big of a bag. I looked in baking good and the snack aisle, and I even checked every checkout stand (I probably looked half-crazed) because sometimes they have those snack bags of nuts. NADA. I guess I could have shelled them myself but by the time I decided I was going to have to do that, if I wanted to make these, my littlest guy came down with a fever.
I realize in the whole scheme of things these are not big problems, they were more like irritating mosquito bite problems. Ah well, I will make these sometime this summer and I am enjoying seeing how everyone else fared. Also skip on over to our wonderful pinch hitter's blog, Tracey of Tracey's Culinary Adventures.

I heart cooking clubs- Garlic Breath

2010-05-30T22:48:00.000-07:00

For this weeks IHCC recipe I made braised potatoes. He has several (10) variations of the recipe and I made Braised potatoes and Garlic. I love garlic and I actually think this could have easily accommodated more garlic but I try to be sensitive to the rest of my family. This was a really easy recipe and if you are having freaky weather for May (like we are) you might enjoy soup.

Ingredients-

2 pounds all-purpose or waxy potatoes
3 Tblsp. olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper
1-2 heads of garlic, peeled
2 cups stock or water
1/4 cup parsley, for garnish (I didn't have any so I skipped this)
Parmesan, if desired

-Peel potatoes and cut them into chunks.
-Put the oil in a large pot over medium high heat. When hot add the potatoes and garlic, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook stirring occasionally until coated in oil and beginning to turn golden.
-Add the stock and enough water so that the potatoes are barely covered. Bring to a boil, stirring once in a while to make sure the potatoes aren't sticking, then turn the heat to medium-low so that the mixture bubbles gently.
-Cook, stirring occasionally until the potatoes get tender, 20-25 minutes. Add more liquid if they start to stick.
-The potatoes are done when a skewer or sharp knife inserted into one meets almost no resistance. Adjust seasoning, garnish with Parmesan and serve.

After tasting the recipe the way it is, I did puree about half of the soup just to give it a more creamy texture. My whole family loved this. Everyone had seconds and my two year old had fourths (although I was giving him much smaller servings).

SMS: Coconut Custard Pie

2010-05-30T22:08:00.000-07:00

Ahh, I am getting this out so late but technically it is still Sunday where I live (for another 45 minutes). I made the pie earlier in the week and then kind of forgot about it until a little while ago. Incidentally, I also made last weeks pecan pralines this week (they were good but SUPER sweet, like tooth ache sweet). Anyway back to the coconut custard pie. It was very easy to make and pretty quick too. Overall I liked it and the fam seemed to enjoy it but I was a little disappointed in the texture or flavor. I was expecting it to be more creamy, like pudding and it was a little more eggy. It wasn't bad, I was just looking forward to something a little different. I followed the recipe pretty exactly but it could have been user error.
I must admit I did not make my own crust. Just didn't feel like messing with it this time.
Also making a brief appearance, here are my pralines for last weeks SMS. They are pretty good with ice cream. They weren't anything I would crave but they are pretty quick and really easy. I could see making them to give to a neighbor as a gift. I think if/when I make these again I will add more nuts. You really need the nuts to help break up the sweet.

Daring Bakers: Piece Montée or Croquembouche

2010-05-27T21:22:00.000-07:00

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

It was definitely a challenge, to say the least! This project took me a little ways out of my comfort zone. I get nervous to make layer cakes, let alone something like this. But that being said it was a very fun learning experience and I am so glad I got to try it! My dad and my stepmom are both French, were married in France and had a croquembouche for their wedding cake. I didn't make it to the wedding but I have seen the picture and been very curious about this dessert ever since. I am sure theirs looked and tasted much better than the one I made (at least I REALLY hope so). Still I don't think I did too bad a job for my first try :) If I make one again, don't think I would use the caramelized sugar. It was a pain, literally! I ended up burning the tip of one of my fingers, which kind of ruined some of the fun. Were I to try this again, I think I would try the chocolate. Much more user friendly and who doesn't love cream puffs and chocolate. So not sure if I will ever make the whole thing again but I can definitely say I will make cream puffs again and I am excited to make other things with the pate a choux.

I followed the recipes and used the vanilla cream filling. Yummy! To finish off my croquembouche, I made my favorite sugar cookies and used a basic royal icing to decorate them.
Making the pate a choux was actually pretty quick and easy. The piping was a little more difficult for me to get right. For some reason when I tried to pipe it at first, it seemed a little too liquidy (spell check tells me this is not a real word but c'est la vie) but after sitting for a minute the flour seemed to absorb more of the egg and it worked out fine.
Some of the puffs were not quite as puffy as they should have been but they still tasted yummy and worked out okay.
Here are the sugar cookies. They were pretty fun and easy to make.

Following are the recipes used in making the piece montée, including the sugar cookie recipe.

Pate a Choux (Yield: About 28)
¾ cup (175 ml.) water
6 Tbsp. (85 g.) unsalted butter
¼ Tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 cup (125 g.) all-purpose flour
4 large eggs

For Egg Wash: 1 egg and pinch of salt

Pre-heat oven to 425◦F/220◦C degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Preparing batter:
Combine water, butter, salt and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and stir occasionally. At boil, remove from heat and sift in the flour, stirring to combine completely.

Return to heat and cook, stirring constantly until the batter dries slightly and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.

Transfer to a bowl and stir with a wooden spoon 1 minute to cool slightly.

Add 1 egg. The batter will appear loose and shiny. As you stir, the batter will become dry-looking like lightly buttered mashed potatoes. It is at this point that you will add in the next egg. Repeat until you have incorporated all the eggs.

Piping:
Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a large open tip (I piped directly from the bag opening without a tip). Pipe choux about 1 inch-part in the baking sheets. Choux should be about 1 inch high about 1 inch wide. Using a clean finger dipped in hot water, gently press down on any tips that have formed on the top of choux when piping. You want them to retain their ball shape, but be smoothly curved on top. Brush tops with egg wash (1 egg lightly beaten with pinch of salt).

Baking:
Bake the choux at 425◦F/220◦C degrees until well-puffed and turning lightly golden in color, about 10 minutes. Lower the temperature to 350◦F/180◦C degrees and continue baking until well-colored and dry, about 20 minutes more. Remove to a rack and cool. Can be stored in a airtight box overnight.

Filling:
When you are ready to assemble your piece montée, using a plain pastry tip (I actually used a squeeze bottle as per the recommendation of Martha Stewart), pierce the bottom of each choux. Fill the choux with pastry cream using either the same tip or a star tip, and place on a paper-lined sheet. Choux can be refrigerated briefly at this point while you make your glaze.

For the Vanilla Crème Patissiere (Half Batch)
1 cup (225 ml.) whole milk
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
6 Tbsp. (100 g.) sugar
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks
2 Tbsp. (30 g.) unsalted butter
1 Tsp. Vanilla

Dissolve cornstarch in ¼ cup of milk. Combine the remaining milk with the sugar in a saucepan; bring to boil; remove from heat.

Beat the whole egg, then the yolks into the cornstarch mixture. Pour 1/3 of boiling milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly so that the eggs do not begin to cook.

Return the remaining milk to boil. Pour in the hot egg mixture in a stream, continuing whisking.

Continue whisking (this is important – you do not want the eggs to solidify/cook) until the cream thickens and comes to a boil. Remove from heat and beat in the butter and vanilla.

Pour cream into a stainless steel/ceramic bowl. Press plastic wrap firmly against the surface. Chill immediately and until ready to use.

Here is the recipe for the glaze I used and following is the chocolate glaze I wish I had used.

Hard Caramel Glaze:
1 cup (225 g.) sugar
½ teaspoon lemon juice

Combine sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan with a metal kitchen spoon stirring until the sugar resembles wet sand. Place on medium heat; heat without stirring until sugar starts to melt around the sides of the pan and the center begins to smoke. Begin to stir sugar. Continue heating, stirring occasionally until the sugar is a clear, amber color. Remove from heat immediately; place bottom of pan in ice water to stop the cooking. Use immediately.

Chocolate Glaze:
8 ounces/200 g. finely chopped chocolate (use the finest quality you can afford as the taste will be quite pronounced; I recommend semi-sweet)

Melt chocolate in microwave or double boiler. Stir at regular intervals to avoid burning. Use the best quality chocolate you can afford. Use immediately.

Finally here is the recipe for the sugar cookies. I found them on this wonderful blog.

Ingredients

1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp good quality vanilla
1 cup sour cream
4.5- 5 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
4 tsp. baking powder

Cream butter and sugar. Mix in eggs. Add sour cream and vanilla. Blend well. Sift dry ingredients together. Add to cream mixture a little at a time. Roll dough on floured board and cut into desired shapes. Bake on parchment lined sheets at 350 F for about 10 minutes.

Seriously these are amazing cookies and I usually use the frosting that goes with them (which you can find on the same blog) and it is even better!

Here is the link to the Daring Bakers challenge. There is some awesome information along with some extra recipes that I didn't use. Also you can use the blog roll to check out how the other, very talented, Daring Bakers did with this challenge.

No SMS today :(

2010-05-23T17:35:00.001-07:00

No yummy butterscotch pralines here. I just didn't find the time this week to do any baking or cooking. My husband loves butterscotch so I will still be making these (hopefully sometime this week). Anyway they look really wonderful on everyone blogs. Tessa over at The Cookin' Chemist hosted this week and she has a great tutorial on how to make these butterscotch pralines and be sure to check out how the other sms bakers did.

I heart cooking clubs- Potluck

2010-05-17T20:20:00.000-07:00

It is that time again! POTLUCK. This week I went super-duper easy for my potluck recipe. I made Five Minute Drizzle Sauce, which can be found at the beginning (page 22) of How to cook Everything. This is such a simple recipe and I really loved it plus I just love all of Bittman's variations.
Here is the recipe-
Ingredients

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or butter
1 tablespoon minced onion, garlic, ginger, shallot, scallion or lemongrass
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice or mild vinegar, like balsamic
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Put the oil or butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. When the oil is warm or the butter is melted, add the onion and cook stirring occasionally, until it softens (turn the heat down if it starts to color), a minute or two.
2. Stir in 2 tablespoons water and the lemon juice and sprinkle with some salt and pepper; maintain the heat so it bubbles gently for a minute or two. Taste, adjust the seasoning and serve.

I used the onion and drizzled this over warm pasta. Then I topped it with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese. What a comfort food! I can't wait to try some of the other variations and to try it on more than just pasta. Mark Bittman suggests it be used on pasta, rice, fish or chicken. I think it would also make a yummy vinaigrette for a salad.

SMS: Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Caramel-Rum Raisin Sauce

2010-05-16T20:36:00.000-07:00

YUMMY! I really love bread pudding, any kind, at pretty much any time of the day! Bread pudding, is not just for dessert as far as I am concerned. If I didn't love bread pudding so much, I probably would have given this week a miss because my little sister got married Friday, which made for a crazy, busy week.

I am so glad I made this because it was delicious. Here are the few changes I made to the recipe: I didn't have brioche so I grabbed a loaf of bread from a local grocery store that was described as rich, golden and buttery. I also did not have rum so I substituted 1 tsp. rum flavoring and enough water to make 1/4 cup in total. The rum flavoring was a little strong for me so next time I think I would just use 1/2 tsp. rum flavoring. This will be a recipe I definitely use again, especially in the fall and winter, although we are pumpkin lovers year round here!
I still have some leftover sauce that I plan to try with vanilla ice cream tomorrow, yum!
To give the recipe a try, zip on over to our wonderful host this week, Carmen of Baking is my Zen; she has the original recipe plus some variations and some great information as well. Also enjoy taking a look at the other SMS bakers.

Daring Cooks: Stacked Green Chile & Grilled Chicken Enchiladas

2010-05-16T18:53:00.000-07:00

Our hosts this month, Barbara of Barbara Bakes and Bunnee of Anna+Food have chosen a delicious Stacked Green Chile & Grilled Chicken Enchilada recipe in celebration of Cinco de Mayo! The recipe, featuring a homemade enchilada sauce was found on www.finecooking.com and written by Robb Walsh.
Okay, so I am posting this a couple days late but I have a pretty good excuse. My little sister got married on Friday and it ended up being a (good) crazy day! Anyway, all of a sudden, today I remembered that I still haven't posted this. Oops!

My family and I really enjoyed this recipe. In fact looking at the pictures makes me really wish I had some leftovers sitting around somewhere! I am so glad I made these because we have a new family favorite. I have never made enchiladas before, stacked or otherwise, so it was exciting to try something completely new. Also I am really intimidated by chili peppers. Just some weird quirk of mine, I get nervous messing with foods that you should wear gloves to cut into. But I overcame my fear, and I found the chilies really non-intimidating once I started cooking. I originally planned to make my own corn tortillas, but alas that will have to be a project for a future date. These had a lot of steps to follow but each of the steps was dead easy. I did make a different filling than the chicken filling. As I have mentioned on here before, the hubby is not a big meat eater, so I threw together a very simple, non-meat filling.
The recipe for my easy filling is-

1 can of black beans
1 can of sweet corn
1/2 a red onion, diced
1 cup queso fresco, crumbled
cilantro to taste

Mix them all together and add them to the enchiladas.
Here is the link to the rest of the recipe on the Daring Kitchen or they can also be found on finecooking.com here. Special thanks to our hosts, Barbara and Bunee! These were great!

SMS: Orange Blueberry Muffins with Pecan Crumble and Mother's Day

2010-05-09T12:22:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there who work so hard! And a special wish for happiness to my own sweet Mother. Being a mom is a really tough job and some days there seem to be few if any rewards. On a related note, I have two pretty cute little boys here that I might be willing to part with for the right price (i.e. if you pick them up they are yours). I am just kidding (mostly)! But if anyone has any ideas how to get kids to stop fighting, I am all ears.
Okay on to the recipe. These muffins were so yummy! I loved them and, in my opinion, the pecan crumble really is what separates these muffins from any other blueberry muffins. I could have eaten the whole bowl of that pecan crumble plain (or maybe with a bowl of ice cream) . Luckily I resisted, and I am so glad I did because the synergy of the crumble with the muffin was better. These were really pretty easy to make and I was able to get a dozen regular sized muffins as well as a dozen mini muffins. The only problem I had was the amount of liquid in the batter. Melissa mentions in the recipe that you will need to adjust the amount of liquid in the batter depending on the moisture of the fruit you use. Well blueberries are not as moist as, say, peaches, so I guess I should have used more liquid, but she doesn't specify how much more. Anyway, after I had everything mixed together, I realized it was more the consistency of bread dough than muffin batter, so I added more liquid and because of that I think the muffins were slightly over mixed. Ah well, I will know better next time and this time they still tasted pretty great. Find out how the other SMS bakers did and be sure to check out the wonderful blog of this week's host, Chaya of Sweet and Savory.

I heart cooking clubs-(and I heart) breakfast in bed

2010-05-03T10:41:00.000-07:00

I really love making (and eating) breakfast! It is my favorite meal of the day and I think breakfast foods are a completely viable option for any meal of the day. I missed last weeks IHCC theme because I had a house full of sickos and just never found the time to devote to cooking what I had planned to make, so maybe for potluck this month... Anyway, because of that I had a real hankering to make something for this weeks IHCC theme. When I woke up this morning I was so excited because I already had been eying a breakfast recipe, Swedish Pancakes, and knew I even had all of the ingredients, mostly because they are really basic ingredients.
So here it is, hope you enjoy, I know we really did! They were really rich but my kids still managed to eat an unholy amount of these. My littlest guy ate them plain (I am not a fan of sticky) but the two older ones had powdered sugar at first and then tried them with maple syrup. Both ways were great but I will have to pick up some lingonberry preserves to try them with next time. My middle guy told me these were so much better than regular pancakes because they were yummy and cute and tiny (who doesn't love mini). Anyway these were so fluffy and light, from the egg white, and they were really sweet enough to eat plain. I got the recipe from the NY Times.

Mr Bittman offers some advice:

Don’t stir the batter any more than is necessary to combine the ingredients; it will make the pancakes tough. Cook them, over fairly high heat, in a lot of butter. These are so rich and delicious they can be served with nothing more than a dusting of confectioners\' sugar. But they are sweet enough so that you can serve them with lingonberry or other tart preserves or even a little lemon juice. Yogurt or sour cream also complement the pancakes nicely.

Ingredients

3 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
pinch salt
1 cup milk
3/4 cup flour
3 tablespoons melted butter, more for cooking
confectioner's sugar for dusting

Method

1. Separate eggs, and beat yolks in a medium bowl with sugar and salt. Add milk and flour alternately, stirring gently after each addition, to form a thin, smooth batter. Stir in melted butter. (Batter can be covered and refrigerated at this point for up to a day.)
2. Beat egg whites until they hold stiff peaks. Gently stir them into batter; do not worry about fully incorporating them.
3. Heat a cast iron or nonstick skillet or griddle over medium-high heat; when a drop of water skips across it before evaporating, it\'s ready. Melt some butter in pan, and, using a tablespoon, scoop up a bit of batter and put it in pan. Cook as many pancakes at once as will fit comfortably, turning them when they are brown. Total cooking time is less than 5 minutes per pancake.
4. Serve immediately, sprinkled with confectioners\' sugar.

SMS: Peanut Butter Truffles

2010-05-02T14:32:00.000-07:00

This week for Sweet Melissa Sunday we made Peanut Butter Truffles. I have never made truffles before so I was a little worried that they would be really difficult. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that they were dead easy! It was a really fun project and I even had some help rolling the chocolate. My oldest son thought it looked like playing with play dough. It was, only a little messier. Anyway the general consensus, after making these, was that there was little to no peanut butter flavor and my kids and hubby didn't really like the bittersweet chocolate. So next time (and yes there will be a next time) I am going to try doubling the chocolate and I will try using semi-sweet, maybe I will even try some white chocolate since I have a son who is on an "I only like white chocolate" kick.
One of my very favorite things about this recipe is how easy they are to make, yet they look and taste impressive. My other favorite thing was how customizable they are. All I had was peanuts and the powdered sugar, but you could really coat them with anything. Afterward I spent the rest of the day thinking of different toppings I could try next time (crushed nutter butter cookies, chopped Reese's pieces, drizzled chocolate, drizzled peanut butter, pretzels, etc). Seriously the possibilities are endless. Anyway this was a really fun recipe to try! Great pick to Mara of Love Your Mother Earth. Check out her blog to see the full recipe and to see how she customized hers and make sure to take a look at the other SMS bloggers. Everyone had really fun ideas! By the way these would make a great Mother's Day gift!
I love how glossy and pretty the melted chocolate mix looks!

SMS: Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler Pie (with a change)

2010-04-25T18:08:00.001-07:00

The SMS recipe this week was the aforementioned Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler Pie. I have never used rhubarb in anything so I was somewhat excited to try something new. It looks like rhubarb is in season from April to October but after 4 separate trips to the grocery store, I gave up on finding rhubarb. So my pie is actually Strawberry Peach Cobbler Pie. I used canned peaches so my pie filling was a bit runnier than it would normally be. Because of this I added an extra tablespoon of corn starch. The filling was still a little thin but the flavor was divine. I think my absolute favorite part was the Cobbler topping. Don't leave out the lemon zest, it adds a subtle but delicious flavor!

Check out Tracey's Culinary Adventures for the recipe and to check out her beautiful cobbler pie. Also be sure to take a look at the rest of the SMS baker's creations.

I heart cooking clubs- Potluck

2010-04-23T15:53:00.000-07:00

This week's theme at IHCC was Potluck, so basically I could pick any Mark Bittman recipe I wanted. I decided to give the Simplest Bean Burgers a whirl, and I am so glad I did! These are, hands down, the best alternative burger I have ever tasted. They were also so dang easy! I had some leftover pinto beans in my fridge, so that is what I used for my beans but I think canned beans would turn out just as yummy!

Ingredients:

2 cups well-cooked white, black, or red beans or chickpeas or lentils, or one 14-ounce can, drained

1 medium onion, quartered (I used dehydrated onion)

1/2 cup rolled oats (preferably not instant)

1 tablespoon chili powder or spice mix of your choice

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 egg

Bean-cooking liquid, stock, or other liquid (wine, cream, milk, water, ketchup, etc.) if necessary

Extra virgin olive oil or neutral oil, like grapeseed or corn, as needed

I also added about 1/2 a cup of cheese to our burgers and a 1/4 cup stewed tomatoes. They were a little loose so next time I would use tomato paste or he also recommends ketchup.

1. Combine the beans, onion, oats, chili powder, salt, pepper, and egg in a food processor and pulse until chunky but not puréed, adding a little liquid if necessary (this is unlikely but not impossible) to produce a moist but not wet mixture. Let the mixture rest for a few minutes if time allows.

2. With wet hands, shape into whatever size patties you want and again let rest for a few minutes if time allows. (You can make the burger mixture or even shape the burgers up to a day or so in advance. Just cover tightly and refrigerate, then bring everything back to room temperature before cooking.) Film the bottom of a large nonstick or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet with oil and turn the heat to medium. A minute later, add the patties. Cook until nicely browned on one side, about 5 minutes; turn carefully and cook on the other side until firm and browned. 3. Serve on buns with the usual burger fixings. Or cool and refrigerate or freeze for later use.

More sweet potatoes

2010-04-23T15:33:00.000-07:00

My husband's birthday is the day before my oldest son's birthday (my husband's birthday was stressful that year). I gave him the choice of any kind of dessert he wanted for his birthday and he picked, drum roll please, sweet potato pie. The first time he tasted sweet potato pie was a couple years ago, during the Thanksgiving season. We purchased one from Costco and it was so delicious. It tasted smoother and creamier than Pumpkin Pie. Anyway we have sort of been on a personal quest to find a recipe that tastes similar. The one I made didn't, so the quest continues, but it was pretty good in its own right. I got the recipe from here and it is worth a try if you like sweet potatoes. The only thing I would change if I make it again is, I would leave out the lemon juice. I didn't feel like it added to the taste, it was slightly distracting for me. Oh, I also cheated and used a frozen Marie Callendar's pie crust, just because I was short on time.

My Baby turns 9

2010-04-23T15:08:00.000-07:00

It was my oldest "baby" boy's birthday this past week. We haven't had his birthday party yet (that will take place on Saturday) so no cake, but I let him pick what he wanted to eat for breakfast and lunch on his birthday. Dinner, we surprised him with Chuck E Cheese, so no choice there, he got pizza, but he said it was the best surprise ever. Afterward we took him out for ice cream at Baskin Robbins. The most difficult thing I made was breakfast, and it was super easy. I made what our family calls Hootenanny, also known as German Pancakes or Puff Pancakes. They are so simple and a great way to use up some extra eggs. You can go traditional and top them with syrup or just about anything else you can think of. I like mine with peanut butter and a little maple syrup. Yum!

Hootenanny

Ingredients:
1 cube butter
6 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. sugar

Heat oven to 425°F. Put a 9x13 pan in the oven with the cube of butter. Allow butter to melt, being careful not to burn. Put eggs in a blender; beat 3 minutes on high. Add milk, flour, salt, and sugar. Beat 3 more minutes. Pour egg mixture into melted butter in pan. Bake 20 minutes. Serve at once.
Optional- I find it easiest to cut with a pizza cutter.

SMS: Sweet Potato Bread with Cinnamon-Rum-Orange Glaze

2010-04-18T19:35:00.000-07:00

First of all, I have to say I was so excited to do this post and to bake this bread, for several reasons. I was excited because, some of the bloggers who participate in Sweet Melissa Sundays, are people whose blogs I have been frequenting over the past year so it almost feels like getting to rub shoulders with my own personal celebrities. The other reason is just because I love sweet potatoes. My pictures don't do the bread justice (aka they suck). I would love to be a great photographer but alas, my gift seems to be more along the lines of appreciating great photography. Anyway the cake was delicious and I can guarantee I will be making this again in the fall!

The recipe is dead easy and I followed it pretty closely. The only changes I made were using a little less sweet potato (the only cans I could find were 12.75 oz cans) and I didn't have rum so I used two tsp. of rum flavoring and then added enough water to equal 1/4 cup. I also think I overcooked my glaze, which is why it looks less glossy and pretty compared to the other SMS'ers.

Anyway be sure to check out the SMS blogroll to see how beautifully everyone's cakes turned out and for the recipe take a look at Lorelei's blog. Thanks for picking this one Lorelei, it was awesome.

I heart cooking clubs- Pantry raid

2010-04-17T19:24:00.000-07:00

I just joined the "I heart cooking clubs" group. Originally I planned to wait until next weeks theme to get started but I really like the Pantry raid theme, and decided I would use it for tonight's dinner. I found a recipe by Mark Bittman (who is the chef/cook the group is focusing on for 6 months) that uses dried pinto beans. I happen to have a bag of dried pinto beans that has been in my pantry for probably as long as we have lived in our house (5 years). I made Chili non carne and used the tomato variation. The recipe was basic and hearty. It is a perfect fall meal so I will be using it again for sure. We added a little hot sauce and extra seasoning because it was a tiny bit bland (although that was probably my fault because I made 1.5 times the beans the recipe calls for and forgot to add extra seasoning). I read his instructions wrong and didn't let them cook as long as they were supposed to before adding the tomatoes, so I ended up pouring everything into the electric pressure cooker and dinner was saved! Nobody likes crunchy, not cooked enough, beans.

Chili non Carne

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Time: About 2 hours, largely unattended

Chili means different things to different people; I think of it as slow-cooked red beans seasoned with cumin and chiles, though some insist that chili should be made with meat and few or even no beans. To me, at that point you've entered the realm of cassoulet, though the second variation includes meat. Other beans you can use: red or pink beans are traditional, but you can also use cannellini or other white beans alone or in combination.

1 pound dried pinto beans, washed, picked over, and soaked if you like

1 whole onion, unpeeled, plus 1 small onion, minced Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup bean-cooking liquid, vegetable stock, or water 1 fresh or dried hot chile, seeded and minced, or to taste (optional)

1 teaspoon ground cumin, or to taste (optional)

1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (optional)

1 tablespoon minced garlic

Chopped fresh cilantro for garnish

1. Put the beans in a large pot with water to cover and bring to a boil over high heat, skimming the foam if necessary. Add the whole onion. Adjust the heat so the beans bubble steadily but not violently and cover loosely.

2. When the beans begin to soften (30 minutes to an hour, depending on the type of bean and whether or not you soaked the beans), season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally and adding water if necessary, until the beans are quite tender but still intact (about as long as it took them to begin to soften).

3. Drain the beans, reserving the cooking liquid if you choose to use it. Discard the onion and add all the remaining ingredients except the cilantro. Turn the heat to medium and bring to a boil. Cover and turn the heat down to low.

4. Cook, stirring occasionally and adding more liquid if necessary, until the beans are very tender and the flavors have mellowed, about 15 minutes. Taste, adjust the seasoning, and garnish with cilantro. Serve with rice, crackers, or tortilla chips and bottled hot sauce.

Chili with Tomatoes.

This simple addition makes a big difference; you might also add 1/4 teaspoon or so of ground cinnamon: Substitute 2 cups peeled, seeded, and chopped tomato (canned is fine; don't bother to drain) for the bean or other liquid. Cook carefully, adding a little more liquid if needed. Top with freshly grated cheddar or other semihard cheese if you like.

Chili con Carne.

Try this with the preceding variation: While the beans are cooking, put 1 tablespoon neutral oil, like grapeseed or corn, in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 pound hand-chopped or ground beef, pork, turkey, or chicken and cook, stirring, until the meat has lost its color, about 10 minutes. Season the meat with salt, pepper, and about 2 teaspoons chili powder, or to taste. Stir it into the beans along with the other ingredients.

White Chili.

Substitute any kind of white beans for the pinto beans. In Step 3, when you discard the onion, stir in 2 cups shredded or chopped cooked chicken (grilled is terrific).

A year of pie

2010-04-17T16:42:00.000-07:00

My Hubby loves pie. For almost every birthday he asks me to make him pie instead of cake. I don't mind baking pie but my crusts suck. Not the flavor so much but the presentation. I figure practice makes perfect, so this last Christmas I gave the Hubs a gift certificate for a pie a month. I have enjoyed making the pies so far and I do think I am slowly getting better, and my husband has enjoyed the pies so far, as well. One of his favorite pies is cherry, and I recently found a recipe I wanted to try for a sour cherry pie. It sounded yummy and I have never tried it so I gave it whirl. I didn't not use traditional pie crust dough because I had some leftover tart dough. It definitely did not come out pretty. I had trouble with the top crust. Every time I would try to place it on top it would fall apart. I am pretty sure it was being uncooperative because I didn't let it sit in the fridge long enough after I rolled it out but I was crunched for time. In the end I just tried to kind of mush it into place, so I tell myself it looks rustic :)

I used Dorie Greenspan's Sweet Tart Dough

2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
Lightly packed 1/2 cup ground blanched almonds
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature
31/2 cups all purpose flour

1. To make the dough: Place the butter in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade and process, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until creamy. Add the confectioners’ sugar and process to blend well. Add the ground almonds, salt, and vanilla and continue to process until smooth, scraping the bowl as necessary. Lightly stir the eggs together with a fork and, with the machine running, add them to the work bowl; process for a few seconds to blend. Finally, add the flour and pulse until the mixture just starts to come together. When the dough forms moist curds and clumps and then starts to form a ball, stop! – you don’t want to overwork it. The dough will be very soft, and that’s just as it should be. (If you want to make the dough in a mixer, use the paddle attachment. First beat the butter until it is smooth, then add the remaining ingredients in the order given above. Just be careful when you add the flour – you must stop mixing as soon as the flour is incorporated.)

2. Gather the dough into a ball and divide it into 3 pieces. Gently press each piece into a disk and wrap each disk in plastic. Allow the dough to rest in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or for up to 2 days, before rolling and baking. (The dough can be wrapped airtight and frozen for up to a month.)

3. To roll and bake tart crusts: For each tart, butter the right-sized tart pan and place it on a parchment-lined baking sheet. If you are making more than one tart, work with one piece of dough at a time.

4. What makes this dough so delicious – lots of butter – also makes it a little difficult to roll. The easiest way to work with pâte sucrée is to roll it out between sheets of plastic wrap. Just flatten a large piece of plastic wrap against the counter and roll the dough between that and another piece of plastic. Turn the dough over often so that you can roll it out on both sides, and as you’re rolling, make sure to lift the sheets of plastic several times so that they don’t crease and get rolled into the dough. (If the dough becomes too soft, just slip it, still between plastic, onto a baking sheet and pop it into the fridge for a few minutes.) Remove one sheet of plastic and center the dough (exposed side down) over the tart pan. Press the dough against the bottom of the pan and up the sides, remove the top sheet of plastic wrap, and roll your rolling pin across the rim of the pan to cut off the excess. If the dough cracks or splits while you’re working, don’t worry – you can patch the cracks with leftover dough (moisten the edges to “glue” them into place). Just be careful not to stretch the dough in the pan (what you stretch now will shrink later). Chill for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator. (Repeat with the remaining dough, if necessary.)

5. When you are ready to bake the crust(s), preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Line the crust with a circle of parchment paper or foil and fill with dried beans or rice.

6. Bake the crust (or crusts) for 20 to 25 minutes, or just until very lightly colored. If the crust needs to be fully baked, remove the parchment and beans and bake the crust for another 3 to 5 minutes, or until golden. Transfer to a rack to cool.

The actual pie recipe that I used (for the filling) is here. I used canned sour cherries, and I didn't have a lime but I did have lime juice so I just added a couple squirts of that. I also didn't bother with putting the egg wash on the top of the crust. Anyway it turned out to be delicious even if it wasn't pretty. Just one more reason not to judge a book by its cover.

Chili Rellenos Casserole

2010-04-16T20:33:00.000-07:00

I hate wasting food. It happens all the time that I buy produce and don't use it all before it goes bad. The other night I was trying to figure out what to make for dinner when I noticed I had some leftover evaporated milk in the fridge, so I decided to find a recipe that would use it up. I made some slight changes to a recipe that I found on allrecipes for Chili Rellenos Casserole. I thought it was pretty good, my husband said he was pleasantly surprised, but the two older boys were not big fans. Ah well you can't win 'em all.

Ingredients

2 (7 ounce) cans whole green chile peppers, drained
16 ounces Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese blend, shredded
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 can evaporated milk
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
1 can red enchilada sauce

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Lay half of the chilies evenly in bottom of baking dish. Sprinkle with half of the cheese, and cover with remaining chilies. In a bowl, mix together the eggs, milk, and flour, and pour over the top of the chilies.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove from oven, pour enchilada sauce evenly over the top, and continue baking another 15 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese, and place under the broiler for 5 minutes. Serve with salsa and sour cream, if desired.

"Wheatie" Joes

2010-04-10T15:28:00.001-07:00

I love sloppy joes. They are simple and yummy. My husband, the not too much meat guy, isn't quite as fond of them. So over the last 11 years that we have been married I have tried to find a compromise. This is one of them. By using cracked wheat in place of ground beef, I keep most of the flavor that I love and he gets a meatless meal. Also using cracked wheat is cheaper than ground beef. So I guess it is a win-win-win situation. I have tailored this recipe to my family's taste, feel free to do the same. You could even do half ground beef and half cracked wheat. This makes enough for about a dozen wheatie joes, depending on how much of the mixture you want in each bun.

Ingredients:
4 cups beef broth
1 cup of cracked wheat (or you could also use bulgur wheat)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2- 1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp. mustard
1/2 cup ketchup
2/3 cup barbecue sauce

1. Bring the beef broth to a boil over medium heat. Add the cracked wheat and cook until all the liquid is absorbed, about 30 minutes. Stir frequently.
2. Chop onion and bell pepper and saute in olive oil until they just start to brown. Add in garlic, and saute about two more minutes.
3. Add the sauteed vegetables to the cooked cracked wheat. Mix in mustard, ketchup and barbecue sauce.
4. Serve on buns. Top with cheese if desired.

Mexican Bean and Rice Soup

2010-04-10T15:14:00.000-07:00

This soup is "soup-er" easy. Okay, forgive me, I am not usually one for bad puns! I promise, no more. Anyway my family really loved this soup, especially the hubs! There are only a few ingredients and I had them all in my pantry. This is a great food storage recipe. I got the recipe from my husband's aunt.

Ingredients:
2 (16-oz) cans refried beans
3 c. vegetable broth (I used chicken because that is what I had)
1 can corn, drained
1 c. cooked rice
1 c. mild salsa

Place beans and broth into a pot and stir well to mix. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, add remaining ingredients, cover and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

I served with tortilla chips. You could also add cheese and sour cream. This soup really was dead easy and so quick!

Coffee Break Muffins

2010-04-04T11:37:00.000-07:00

I don't drink coffee but I like the smell and have been wanting to try Dorie Greenspan's recipe for these muffins, with a little tweaking of my own. The only thing I changed was that I used Postum instead of espresso. I liked them and will make them again but I think next time I will add a tablespoon of cocoa powder just because I personally felt like they needed a little something extra. I thought about adding chocolate chips but I think that might make them a little too sweet and I liked the fact that they were not overly sweet first thing in the morning.
Here is the recipe with my changes...

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp. postum
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. salt
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup hot water with 1 tbsp. postum, cooled
1 stick butter, melted and cooled
1 large egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400F. Prepare a muffin pan.
In a large bowl whisk together the first 6 ingredients. Add the brown sugar. In another bowl whisk the remaining ingredients. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients. Whisk gently but quickly to blend. Do not overblend. Divide batter evenly among the muffin cups.
Bake for 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Banana Pancakes and my baby's 2nd birthday

2010-04-01T10:33:00.000-07:00

Today is my third little guy's birthday! He is turning two so he can't give me a lot of opinions on what he wants for his birthday but I know he LOVES bananas. So today will be a banana themed day. I have a recipe for banana pancakes but I tweaked it to be a little healthier and, in my opinion, a little tastier.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup white flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 egg beaten
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 Tbsp. applesauce (instead of oil)
1 mashed banana
1/2 cup chocolate or pb chips (optional)

Directions:
Mix dry ingredients. Mix wet ingredients. Make a well in the dry ingredients and add in the wet ingredients. Stir until just moistened. Grease a hot skillet. Drop batter by 1/4 cup and sprinkle chocolate or p.b. chips on top (I used both). Cook on both sides over medium heat for about a minute or two.

Creamy Spaghetti Casserole with Beans

2010-03-30T18:46:00.000-07:00

For dinner tonight I made up this little recipe. My family loved it and said it reminded them of rice-a-roni. It is similar to a chicken dish I have had and you could certainly add chicken or replace the beans with the chicken. The picture isn't beautiful, I like to tell myself it looks "rustic".

Ingredients

2 cans of Great Northern Beans (white beans)

1 can cream of mushroom

1 can Water (mushroom can)

1 Chicken bullion cube (dissolved in water)

1 8oz. block cream cheese

2 Tbsp. tortilla soup seasoning

1/2 package of spaghetti (enough for 4-5 servings)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 35o F.
Cook spaghetti for six minutes or until al dente.
Meanwhile combine soup, water, bullion, softened cream cheese and the tortilla soup seasoning. Heat on stove in a medium saucepan and whisk until smooth.
Drain spaghetti. Add sauce to spaghetti and put in a casserole dish. Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.

Rhodes Chicken Filled Stuffing Rolls

2010-03-30T10:21:00.000-07:00

I made these last week for a quick and easy lunch for the kiddos and me. They were delicious and super easy. We liked them dipped in a little ranch dressing. The recipe says to dip the rolls in crushed herb stuffing mix. I didn't feel like opening a box so we just used Italian bread crumbs. This is a picture of them that I found on the internet (my camera was mia that day), the picture doesn't really do them justice! Oh also I thawed the rolls in the microwave using the defrost setting, that made them even quicker. These are great for leftover chicken.

Prep Time: 30 minutes min
(not including thaw time)
Bake Time: min
Skill Level: Intermediate
Servings: 12

12 Rhodes Texas™ Rolls, thawed but still cold
8 ounces boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted
3 ounce package cream cheese
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 cup herb bread stuffing
1 egg, beaten

Instructions
Cut chicken into 1-inch cubes. Sauté chicken in butter. Let cool. Mix chicken, cream cheese, thyme, salt and pepper. Press rolls into 3-inch circles and divide filling among 12 rolls. Pull edges together to seal. Crush herb bread mixture into crumbs. Dip each filled roll in egg and roll in crumbs. Place smooth side up in sprayed muffin tins. Bake at 350°F 20-25 minutes. Serve warm.

Food Food Food

2010-03-30T09:37:00.001-07:00

I love to cook and bake. I love the idea that the heart of a home is the kitchen. I love June Cleaver and Margaret Anderson and Ruth Martin and the real people they represent! One of the reasons I have created this blog is in an attempt to be inspired to be more like these women, who for me, are icons of what mothers should be like. They were eternally patient, they always seemed to enjoy their children and they dished out wisdom and love, along with delicious home cooked meals. I realize it isn't necessarily a realistic goal but it is something to shoot for.
The other reason for this blog is that, my husband is constantly asking me to remember what I cooked so that I can make it again. He doesn't eat a lot of meat which sometimes forces me to get kind of creative. Unfortunately I often don't get around to jotting down what I did, which makes it hard to recreate. Hopefully posting on a blog will take care of that.
Anyway recipes will follow soon!