Kokocooks

Beef Chili

2012-01-31T06:09:00.000-05:00

Ah, the Super Bowl. I'm not really a football fan, but I get into the big sports events. Since I grew up in Massachusetts, I'll of course be rooting for the Patriots. Hopefully they'll be more successful than the last time they played the Giants in the Super Bowl.

Chili has not always been a favorite dish of mine. A big bowl of meat and beans with nary a carb in sight - so not appealing. But this chili changed my mind. There's a lot of prep work involved (about an hour before the chili goes into the oven). If you can get the meat cut by a butcher, that will save you a lot of time. This version is pretty mild...if you like your chili spicier, I recommend adding dried chipotle peppers or dried arbol chiles. And Hubs wanted me to mention that a higher end beer yielded richer results. His beer of choice was Rogue Dead Guy Ale.

Beef Chili

adapted from The Best of America's Test Kitchen 2012

3 Tbs salt
9 oz dried pinto beans
6 dried ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded, and torn into 1-inch pieces
4 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed, halved, and seeded
3 Tbs cornmeal
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried cumin
2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 onions, cut into chunks
2 jalapeno chiles, stemmed, seeded, and cut into ½ inch pieces
3 Tbs vegetable oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
2 tsp molasses
3 lbs blade steak, ¾ inch thick, trimmed and cut into ¾ inch pieces
12 oz bottle beer

Combine 16 cups of water, salt, and beans in a Dutch oven. Bring to a boil over high heat. Remove pot from heat, cover, and let stand for 1.25 hours. Drain and rinse well. (Alternately, you could soak the beans in water overnight without boiling.)

Adjust oven rack to bottom third and preheat oven to 300° Toast chiles in a skillet over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, about 4-6 minutes. Reduce heat if chiles begin to smoke. Transfer to a food processor and let cool. Add guajillo chiles, cornmeal, oregano, cumin, cocoa powder, and ½ tsp salt to the food processor. Process until finely ground, about 2 minutes. While the processor is running, slowly add ½ c of the broth until a smooth paste forms, scraping the sides of the processor. Transfer the paste to a small bowl. Place onions in food processor and pulse until roughly chopped. Add jalapenos and pulse until the mixture is the consistency of chunky salsa.

Heat 1 Tbs oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion mixture and cook until moisture has evaporated, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook another minute. Add chile paste, tomatoes, and molasses. Stir until combined. Add remaining chicken broth and the drained beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.

Meanwhile, pat the beef dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with a little bit of salt. Heat 1 Tbs oil in the skillet over medium-high heat until shimmery. Add half the beef and cook until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer meat to the Dutch oven. Add half of the beer to the skillet, scraping the browned bits off the surface. Transfer beer to the Dutch oven. Repeat with remaining beef and beer. Stir the contents of the Dutch oven well.

Cover pot, transfer to the oven. Cook for 2 hours, until the meat and beans are tender. Let the chili stand, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Stir well and serve.

Animal Cracker Cookies

2012-01-29T07:52:00.007-05:00

I remember eating animal crackers as a kid...I loved holding that adorable red box that looked like a circus car. I would take each cracker out and match it up with the picture of the animals on the box. They kept me occupied for many car trips.

I've always wanted to make my own version of animal crackers. Here's a point of debate: Are they a cracker or are they a cookie? They are sweet like a cookie, but not too sweet. They are crispy like a cracker. How would you categorize them? This recipe produces cookies with a good crispy texture, but are a tad more buttery than the original. All in all, it's a pretty good facsimile of an animal cracker.

Animal Cracker Cookies
from Williams Sonoma

2 ½ c all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and mace. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the butter on medium speed for 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to low, and slowly add the sugar. Beat until fluffy, stopping the mixer to scrape down the sides. Add the egg and vanilla and beat for 1 minute.

Stop the mixer and add half of the flour mixture. Beat on low speed until most of the flour has been absorbed. Add the remaining flour and beat until all of the flour has been absorbed and the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl, 2 to 3 minutes.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface and divide into 2 equal balls. Shape each into a disk and wrap separately in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.

Let the dough stand at room temperature for 5 minutes. Place dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll out the dough to ¼ inch thickness. (If the dough cracks while rolling, let it stand at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes more.) Lightly dust the top of the dough with flour.

Preheat an oven to 350°F.

Line several baking sheets with parchment paper. Dip cookie cutters into flour just before using and cut out shapes. Place cookie cutouts on prepared baking sheets. Gather up the scraps, re-roll and cut out more cookies.

Bake the cookies until very light golden brown, 12 to 16 minutes, depending on their size. Transfer the baking sheets to wire racks and let the cookies cool to room temperature.

Friday Food Truck Photo, January 27th

2012-01-27T06:14:00.004-05:00

Falafel from Fantastic Hummus. The wrap came with some house made pickles, including the tasty pink piclked radish at the top of the picture. I also got some homemade spicy sauce which had lots flavor.

Sticky, Sticky Buns

2012-01-25T06:12:00.000-05:00

Breakfast for me is a routine thing. I'll go through phases of what I like to eat, and then will stick with it for months at a time. For a while, it was a waffle with peanut butter. Then, it was steel-cut oats. I hardly ever do something special for breakfast. So, I decided to buck the trend.

I've been wanting to make these ever since I saw them on an episode of Throwdown with Bobby Flay. Joanne Chang of Flour Bakery won the sticky bun throwdown with these ooey, gooey creations. The recipe is a little involved, but well worth it. The brioche is sooo buttery. These helped me get out of bed on those cold mornings when I just wanted to hide under the covers.

Sticky, Sticky Buns
recipe by Joanne Chang
as seen on foodnetwork.com

Brioche Dough:
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more if needed
2 1/4 cups bread flour
1 1/2 packages (3 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 cup cold water
5 eggs
1 3/8 cups (2 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into 10 to 12 pieces

Goo:
3/4 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup water
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Filling:
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup pecan halves, chopped

For the dough: Using a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the all-purpose flour, bread flour, yeast, sugar, salt, water, and eggs. Beat on low speed for 3 to 4 minutes, or until all the ingredients are combined. Stop the mixer as needed to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Once the dough has come together, beat on low speed for another 3 to 4 minutes. The dough will be very stiff and seem quite dry.

With the mixer on low speed, add the butter, 1 piece at a time, mixing after each addition until it disappears into the dough. Continue mixing on low speed for about 10 minutes, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. It is important for all the butter to be thoroughly mixed into the dough. If necessary, stop the mixer occasionally and break up the dough with your hands to help mix in the butter.

Once the butter is completely incorporated, turn up the speed to medium and beat until the dough becomes sticky, soft, and somewhat shiny, another 15 minutes. It will take some time to come together. Turn the speed to medium-high and beat for about 1 minute. You should hear the dough make a slap-slap-slap sound as it hits the sides of the bowl. Test the dough by pulling at it; it should stretch a bit and have a little give. If it seems wet and loose and more like a batter than a dough, add a few tablespoons of flour and mix until it comes together. If it breaks off into pieces when you pull at it, continue to mix on medium speed for another 2 to 3 minutes, or until it develops more strength and stretches when you grab it. It is ready when you can gather it all together and pick it up in 1 piece.

Put the dough in a large bowl or plastic container and cover it with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap directly onto the surface of the dough. Let the dough proof in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or up to overnight At this point you can freeze the dough in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

For the goo: In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the brown sugar and cook, stirring, to combine. Remove from the heat and whisk in the honey, cream, water, and salt. Strain to remove any undissolved lumps of brown sugar. Let cool for about 30 minutes, or until cooled to room temperature. You should have about 3 cups. (The mixture can be made up to 2 weeks in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.)

To finish the sticky buns: Combine the ¼ c light brown sugar, ¼ c of granulated sugar, cinnamon, and half the pecans in a bowl.

Divide the dough in half. Use half for this recipe and reserve the other half for another use.

On a floured work surface, roll out the brioche into rectangle about 12 by 16 inches and 1/4-inch thick. It should be fairly easy to roll. Position the rectangle so a short side is facing you. Sprinkle the sugar mixture evenly over the entire surface of the dough. Starting from the short side farthest from you and working your way down, roll up the rectangle like a jelly roll. Try to roll tightly, so you have a nice round spiral. Trim off about 1/4- inch from each end of the roll to make them even.

Use a bench scraper or a chef's knife to cut the roll into 8 equal pieces, each about 1 1/2-inches wide. (At this point, the unbaked buns can be tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen for up to 1 week. When ready to bake, thaw them, still wrapped, in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours, then proceed as directed.)

Pour the goo into a 9 by 13-inch baking dish, covering the bottom evenly. Sprinkle the remaining pecans evenly over the goo. Arrange the buns, evenly spaced, in the baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and put in a warm spot to proof until the dough is puffy, pillowy, and soft and the buns are touching-almost tripled in size, about 2hours.

Position a rack in the center of the oven, and heat to 350 degrees F. Bake until golden brown, about 35 to 45 minutes. Let cool in the dish on a wire rack for 20 to 30 minutes. One at a time, invert the buns onto a serving platter, and spoon any extra goo and pecans from the bottom of the dish over the top. The buns are best served warm or within 4 hours of baking. They can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day, and then warmed in a 325 degree F oven for 10 to 12 minutes before serving.

Kimchi Fried Rice

2012-01-23T07:12:00.005-05:00

Happy Lunar New Year! I'm not a very superstitious person, which is good since this is not an ideal dish for the new year celebration. Typically, food is eaten whole (whole fish, whole duck, etc...), and this dish requires a good deal of chopping. It could totally be adapted so you there is minimal chopping, but it would definitely not taste the same. Nevertheless, I've been loving this rice ever since I first made it. In fact, I had to make a second batch the very next day because we ate all of the first within 24 hours. It is especially good as a late night snack.

Kimchi Fried Rice
original recipe

4 Tbs peanut oil
4 eggs
1 large onion, diced
1 c kimchi, chopped, plus a little of the liquid
6 c cooked rice
3 Tbs soy sauce
2 Tbs sesame oil
¼ c chopped green onion

Heat a wok (or a skillet) over medium heat. Add 1 Tbs of oil and fry the eggs to desired consistency. Set eggs on a plate. Turn heat up to high and add remaining oil. Heat oil until almost smoking. Add onion, and stir fry until beginning to crisp, about 2 minutes. Add the kimchi and kimchi liquid and stir fry another minute. Add rice, and stir fry another few minutes. Break up the clumps of rice as it cooks. Remove wok from heat and add the soy sauce, sesame oil, and green onion. Stir thoroughly to combine. Divide rice into bowls. Top with a fried egg and serve.

Friday Food Truck Photo, January 20th

2012-01-20T05:47:00.003-05:00

Ukelele sandwich from Silver Bistro. This is quite a sandwich: ham, roasted chicken, crispy onions, caramelized pineapple, shredded cabbage, and a sweet lava sauce. It was hearty without being too filling.

Brown Sugar Bacon Fries

2012-01-19T06:04:00.000-05:00

Oh yes. I went there. I took potatoes, and fried them in bacon fat. Not 100% bacon fat (I would like to live to a ripe age, you know). But certainly more than what's in an average slice of bacon. Every time we cook bacon, we save the fat. We freeze it in ice cube trays, and have these cool cubes of frozen bacon fat. Each cube is 2 Tbs, so it's easy to measure. Mostly, we use the fat to flavor our refried beans. With the holidays just past us, we have an over-abundance of the stuff. So I decided to use a bunch of it up on some french fries.

One of the local food trucks makes brown sugar bacon fries that are perfection. I did my best to recreate them. I tried the cold oil method of cooking fries as explained by Cook's Illustrated. I had a difficult time figuring out when they had crisped up. They didn't brown as much as I thought they would. And they were slightly more chewy than crispy. But they tasted great! And they have slightly less fat then the double fry method, which becomes a moot point when you fry them in bacon fat.

Brown Sugar Bacon Fries
cooking instructions based on
Cook’s Illustrated

2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes (about 5 medium)
4 c cooking oil
1 c bacon fat
1 tsp salt
¼ c light brown sugar

Cut potatoes into ¼” strips. Place potatoes, oil, and bacon fat in a dutch oven or deep fryer. Heat until the oil comes to a rolling boil. Cook the potatoes without stirring for 15 minutes. If the oil smokes too much, reduce heat to medium, but keep heat high enough to maintain a rolling boil. Gently stir the fries, loosening any that have stuck to the bottom. Cook until the fries have become crispy on the outside, about 10 minutes more. Using a slotted spoon, remove the fries to a paper-towel lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and brown sugar. Serve immediately.

Tomato and Apple Soup

2012-01-17T05:50:00.005-05:00

Mmmmm....soup. Cold weather makes me crave it, along with spicy food, freshly baked bread, and hearty stews (all of which will be posted soon.) My blogging friend Branny is holding her second Souper Bowl charity event, donating the proceeds to the ASPCA. Want to join? Make a soup, write a post about it, dedicate it to a pet, and email Branny.

I'm dedicating this post to my cat Sienna. We found out this past year that she has kidney disease. One of her kidneys doesn't function, so we are doing what we can to keep the other one in tip-top shape. She is my couch buddy, snuggling up when I fall asleep there every night. Here she is, trying to smuggle herself to Europe in our luggage. Here's to having her in our family another year!

Tomato and Apple Soup
by Stephani Izard
as seen in In Style, January 2012

2 Tbs butter
1 large yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 Fuji apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
½ c tomato paste
1 Tbs Dijon mustard
1 Tbs sambal oelek
½ c dry white wine
28 oz. can of whole peeled tomatoes (with liquid)
4 c apple cider
½ c heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste

Melt the butter over medium high heat in a large stockpot. Add onions, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Saute until the onions are softened, about 10 minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir to combine. Saute for another 2 minutes. Add the apples, Dijon mustard, sambal oelek, and wine. Cook until the wine is reduced by about half, 5-7 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cider and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered for an hour. Remove pot from heat. Puree soup in batches in a blender (or in the pot with an immersion blender) until smooth. Stir in the heavy cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Friday Food Truck Photo, January 13th

2012-01-13T05:47:00.002-05:00

Happy Friday the 13th! Here is a hula dog from the Kona Dog. I'm not usually a hot dog eater, but these were intriguing. You pick a number of sauces to top your dog. Mine had garlic lemon sauce, mango sauce, and spicy mustard. I was worried about all those sauces oozing all over the place, but they have a way of encasing everything inside the sweet Hawaiian bun. And they also have veggie dogs for non-meat eaters.

Chocolate Mousse Cupcakes

2012-01-12T06:08:00.005-05:00

Wow, that was an unexpected break from blogging. Since the new year started, we've replaced our computer. The technology upgrade kept me from posting for a bit. Happily, I'm back! And with some tasty cupcakes.

Hubs celebrated his birthday (the big 3-5) way back in December. As usual, he worked that day, teaching his usual load. I made cupcakes for him to share with the students, so everyone benefited. When I asked him what type of cupcake he wanted, he said, "Surprise me." These cupcakes, with their triple dose of chocolate, were quite a pleasant surprise.

Chocolate Mousse Cupcakes
Adapted from cupcakes!
By Elinor Klivans

Cupcakes:
3 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1 c all-purpose flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
½ c butter, room temperature
1 ¼ c sugar
2 large eggs 1 tsp vanilla extract
½ c sour cream
½ c water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare 18 muffin tins with cupcake liners.

Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over simmering water. Stir until the chocolate is
smooth. Remove from heat and set aside.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl. In a separate large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Mix in the chocolate on low speed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add the vanilla and beat until the mixture has lightened slightly, about 1 minute. Mix in the sour cream until no white streaks remain. Add half the flour mixture, mixing until just blended. Mix in the water. Mix in the remaining flour mixture until the batter is smooth. Scoop batter into prepared cups, and bake until set, about 18-20 minutes. Cool cupcakes on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely.

Ganache for chocolate mousse and chocolate topping

1 ½ c heavy cream, divided
2 Tbs unsalted butter
8 oz semisweet chocolate chips
½ tsp vanilla
2 Tbs powdered sugar
1 tsp instant coffee granules

In a small saucepan, heat ¾ c of the heavy cream and the butter over medium-low heat until the cream is hot and the butter has melted. Do not let the mixture boil. Remove from heat and add the chocolate chips. Let the chocolate sit for a few minutes, then carefully stir until the chocolate has melted. Add the vanilla and stir until the mixture is smooth. Let the ganache cool to room temperature.

To make the mousse: place remaining heavy cream in a large bowl. Beat until soft peaks form. Add the powdered sugar and coffee granules. Continue beating the cream until firm peaks form. Take half the whipped cream and half the cooled ganache and place in another bowl. Stir to combine. Add remaining whipped cream and gently fold into the mixture until no white streaks remain.

Hollow out the center of the cupcakes. Fill the centers with the chocolate mousse. Spread the remaining ganache over the tops of the cupcakes.

Store cupcakes in the refrigerator.

My Top 10 of 2011

2011-12-30T08:17:00.002-05:00

I hope you haven't had enough of all the blog recaps. Personally, I love reading them on other people's sites. This is the first time I've done an year-end review. I'm breaking down the Top 10 into 2 categories: Top 5 reader favorites (based on views) and Top 5 personal favorites. Here we go:

Arugula and Goat Cheese Pierogies

2011-12-29T06:24:00.001-05:00

I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday! Did you spend time with friends and family? Did you get any cool cooking-related gifts? Did you eat too many cookies? My answer is "yes" to all those.

Every Christmas, we eat a big Polish dinner. This used to take place on Christmas Eve, but since Hubs and I are so busy on that day, we have moved the dinner to Christmas Day. I try to make a new filling each year, and this time I went with arugula and goat cheese. I've heard great things about these pierogies, and they didn't disappoint. The pepperiness from the arugula blended well with the tangy goat cheese and sweetness from the onions.

Arugula and Goat Cheese Pierogies
adapted from The Veselka Cookbook
by Tom Birchard and Natalie Danford

note: These pierogies are best eaten fresh. The arugula loses its vibrancy and some of its flavor when reheated.

1 Tbs butter
¼ c chopped onion
5 oz arugula, chopped
8 oz. goat cheese
6 oz. cream cheese, softened
Salt and pepper

Half a recipe for pierogi dough

Heat butter in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Place onions in a large bowl. Mix in the arugula, goat cheese, and cream cheese. Stir until well combined. Season with salt and pepper.

Make the pierogi dough according to the instructions. Cut out into rounds about 4” in diameter. Stuff rounds with about 2 Tbs of arugula filling. Lightly wet the edges of the rounds and pinch closed. Drop pierogies in boiling water and cook about 4-5 minutes. Drain and serve.

Candy Cane Cupcakes

2011-12-25T06:05:00.008-05:00

Merry Christmas! Hope you all are having a fabulous holiday. We are celebrating with family, lots of food, and fun. I'm trying my hand at homemade English muffins for breakfast. We're having all the grandparents over for stuffed cabbage and pierogies later in the day. And butterscotch pie for dessert.

I made these cupcakes as a way of using up leftover candy canes. There's no candy in the cupcakes themselves, but I used up a bunch as a garnish. And I took full advantage of the "musicians love free food" rule and had Hubs bring them in one night he worked Candlelight. Everyone in the orchestra played extra well that night!

Candy Cane Cupcakes
adapted from Taste of Home
February/March 2000

note: this recipe makes 36-40 cupcakes. If you don't need that many, half the recipe to make 18-20 cupcakes.

1 c butter, softened
2 1/2 c sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ tsp peppermint extract
2 3/4 c all purpose flour1 c baking cocoa
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 c water

Peppermint Buttercream (recipe follows)
Candy canes for decorating

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line three 12-cup muffin pans with cupcake liners.

In a mixing bow, cream butter and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat on high speed until light and fluffy. Stir in vanilla and peppermint extract.

Combine dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture alternately with water, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Pour into cupcake liners. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 18 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

Peppermint Buttercream

2 c sugar
8 large egg whites
¼ tsp kosher salt
4 sticks unsalted butter, “room temperature”
1 ½ tsp peppermint extract

Place sugar and egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer. Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water. Heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture reaches 160°F. Mixture will be frothy.

Remove bowl from heat and attach to the mixer. Fit the mixer with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high until stiff peaks form, about 10 minutes. The mixture should be room temperature. Reduce speed to medium and add the butter, 2 Tbs at a time, making sure each addition is well incorporated. If the mixture is soupy, stick the bowl in the fridge, chill for 20-30 minutes, and continue to beat until the mixture comes together. If the mixture looks curdled, just keep beating. Beat in the peppermint extract. Frost the cooled cupcakes. Garnish with candy canes

Friday Food Truck Photo, December 23rd

2011-12-23T09:54:00.004-05:00

Homemade eggnog from Big Wheel Truck. They've been spreading the holiday cheer with this eggnog for a few weeks now, and I finally snagged a bottle last night. It puts any commercial version to shame. You can taste the love (and the cream!) in every sip. I'm glad I have visiting guests to help me drink the rest.

Vertical Christmas Tree Cake

2011-12-21T06:34:00.001-05:00

Every year, my work holds a holiday bake-off. It takes place in conjunction with the holiday party for the Superintendent. This year I decided to make a vertical layer cake. Manda of I Am Baker has a wonderful tutorial on how to put this together. She also made a beautiful ruffle cake last year, which I freely riffed on for decorating the outside of my cake.

I did make one adjustment to the instructions. Instead of pouring the simple sugar over the cake, I put a thin layer of frosting between the layers. Because of this, the seams didn't quite meet once I reassembled the cake. No worries, it just meant that someone got an extra helping of frosting.

Unfortunately, I didn't win the bake-off. For the past few years the winning entry has been accompanied by a festive display. Maybe I should think more about the presentation of my dessert for next year. The cake got scarfed up before I could take a picture of the inside. So, I made a second cake for photography purposes. I used a different cake recipe, one that wasn't quite as sturdy as the first. But the inside looked like a (much) neater version of this:

I'm including my recipe for whipped buttercream. I use this for cakes that need a LOT of frosting. The bonus of this recipe is that the frosting doesn't need to be refrigerated, if using the version with all shortening. It can stay at room temperature all day if necessary. The cake recipe that worked really well (from the first cake) is an almond scented white cake.

Whipped Buttercream
source unknown

2 ½ c vegetable shortening (or 1 ½ c shortening, 1 c of butter)
1 lb powdered sugar
1 Tbs vanilla

½ c granulated sugar
½ tsp salt
2 Tbs meringue powder
¼ c plus 2 Tbs boiling water

Beat shortening and powdered sugar in a large bowl until fluffy. Add vanilla and beat until combined. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment (make sure the bowl is very clean), mix the granulated sugar, salt, and meringue powder. Add the boiling water and mix on high until stiff peaks form, about 8 minutes. Add the whipped mixture to the large bowl and beat both mixtures until well combined.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2011-12-19T06:34:00.006-05:00

Ah, enough of the cookies. But not to worry, there are more holiday recipes coming up. This soup is one of the dishes that got us through this busy season. I made a double batch of it at the beginning of the month, and froze it in batches. We pulled it out on the nights we didn't have time to cook. It freezes and reheats fantastically. And it is hearty enough to keep us full on those nights we have three shows of Candlelight to get through.

Chicken Tortilla Soup
adapted from An Opera Singer in the Kitchen

2 Tbs vegetable oil
1 carrot, diced
1/2 white onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 poblano pepper, seeded and diced
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp taco seasoning
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
4 cups chicken broth
1-16 oz petite diced tomatoes
1-16 oz tomato sauce
2 bone-in, skinless chicken breasts
1- 15 oz can kernel corn
6 corn tortillas, cut into pieces

Chopped avocado
Shredded monterey jack cheese
Crispy tortilla strips

In a stock pot or large dutch oven, heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add carrots and white onion, saute until onions are softened, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, poblano pepper, black pepper, taco seasoning, chili powder, and cumin. Stir to combine and saute another 2 minutes. Add chicken broth, diced tomatoes, and tomato sauce. Turn heat up to high and bring to a boil. Carefully slide chicken breast in, meat side down, making sure it is completely submerged. Turn heat down to low, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.

Remove chicken from the pot and set on a cutting board. Add corn and tortillas to the soup, and stir to combine. Cover and simmer for another 10 minutes. The tortillas will break down and thicken the soup. Meanwhile, remove chicken from the bone and shred. Discard bones. Return chicken to the soup. Adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve with cilantro and tortilla strips.

Friday Food Truck Photo, December 16th

2011-12-16T06:14:00.001-05:00

Beef bulgogi and sides from Korean BBQ Taco Box. This is one of the most popular mobile eateries in town - so popular that they have four trucks in their fleet. I've visited them a number of times, but have had trouble photographing the food so that it looks its best. A big part of Korean food is all the side dishes. The ones with this meal are (clockwise from left): gimbap (Korean version of a maki roll), fried cheese roll, spicy chicken wing, kimchi, and a salad with ginger dressing.

Butterscotch Shortbread

2011-12-15T06:41:00.004-05:00

Okay, last cookie post for a while. Promise. And it's a short one to boot. These cookies also were part of the boxes of goodies I gave to friends and family. Chopping the chips was a little tedious, but worth it. In hindsight, perhaps the vitamix would've helped with that. After tasting them, I thought they could use a teeny extra bit of salt, so I added that to the recipe. Because I used a smallish cutter, I got about 40 cookies from one batch. Always a good thing when making 80+ cookies at a time.

Butterscotch Shortbread
adapted from Cookies & More 2011
published by Taste of Home

1 c butter, softened
½ c powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 ¾ c all-purpose flour
½ c cornstarch
¼ tsp salt
½ c butterscotch chips, finely chopped
½ c toffee bits
Kosher salt for sprinkling

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat liner. Preheat oven to 350F.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and powdered sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, and salt. Gradually add dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix well. Fold in butterscotch chips and toffee bits. Cover and chill for 1 hour.

Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to ¼” thickness. Cut into desired shapes, and place on prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle a few salt crystals onto each cookie. Bake until lightly browned, about 10-12 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

Lemon Almond Springerle

2011-12-12T06:10:00.004-05:00

I am proud to announce that I was a part of the inaugural Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap. One of 625 participants. Each of us made and sent a dozen cookies to 3 people. In turn we received a dozen cookies from 3 other people. Participants hailed from multiple countries. That means there were about 22,500 cookies zipping around the world in the past few weeks.

For my part, I made lemon almond springerele. I got some new molds, and was eager to see how they worked. They were a lot finickier (is that a real word?) than the previous molds I had used. But the end result was totally worth the slight hassle. I also really wanted the lemon flavor to come through, so I tweaked the recipe a bit.

Swapped cookies: peanut butter toffee pretzel cookies from Emily of Life On Food, snickerdoodles from Chung-Ah of Damn Delicious, sunflower butter chocolate chip cookies from Michele the Food Librarian, cookeys from Michele.

The best part of the swap was getting to know new bloggers. Oh, and the excitement of opening a box of cookies! I got two boxes in one day, and the third came a few days later. My favorites were the peanut butter toffee pretzel cookies because I'm a sucker for anything with peanut butter. Thank you Chung-Ah, Emily, and Michele for all the wonderful cookies! And a HUGE "Thanks!" to Lindsay of Love and Olive Oil and Julie of The Little Kitchen for the huge task of organizing the swap. Can't wait for next year!

Lemon Almond Springerle
adapted from House On The Hill

note: This recipe makes a ton of cookies. I recommend making a half batch to start with.

1/2 tsp baker’s ammonia (Hartshorn)
2 Tbs milk
6 large eggs, room temperature
6 c powdered sugar
1/2 c unsalted butter, softened
1/2 tsp salt
1 ½ tsp of almond extract
1 tsp lemon oil
grated zest of 2 lemons
2 lb. box cake flour, sifted, plus more as needed

Dissolve baker’s ammonia in milk and let sit for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, beat eggs till thick and lemon-colored (10-20 minutes). Slowly beat in the powdered sugar, then the softened butter. Add the hartshorn and milk, salt, almond extract and lemon oil, and lemon zest. Gradually beat in as much flour as you can with the mixer, then stir in the remainder of the 2 lbs. of flour to make a stiff dough. Turn onto a well-floured surface and roll out to a ½ ” thickness. If the dough keeps sticking to the rolling pin, knead a little more flour into it.

Dust molds with some flour, making sure to get in all the crevices. Press molds into dough to imprint and cut out cookies. Repeat with remaining dough. Place cookies on a baking sheet lined with a single layer of parchment (DO NOT USE SILPAT MAT.) Let cookies dry for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.

Bake on cookie sheets at 250° till barely golden on the bottom, about 10-15 minutes or more, depending on size and thickness of cookie.

Store in airtight containers or in zipper bags in the freezer. They keep for weeks, and improve with age. Yield 3 to 12 dozen.

Friday Food Truck Photo, December 9th

2011-12-09T07:10:00.004-05:00

Fried mac and cheese bites with sriracha mayo from Treehouse Truck. This was my first time trying fried mac, and wow! Holy richness. Definitely not for lightweights. I recommend sharing with a few friends.

Pecan Pie Bars

2011-12-07T06:24:00.002-05:00

There is a monster living in our house....a pecan pie-loving monster. He only comes out when I make these bars. He looks a lot like my husband, but if any of these bars are within sight the monster takes over. He devours every last pecan crumb, and then disappears.

I made these pecan pie bars for Thanksgiving, and they were an instant hit. They are so easy to make! I prepped the ingredients while the turkey cooked, then baked them while we ate dinner. By the time we were ready for dessert, they had cooled. I really liked having small bites for dessert after eating such a heavy meal...people were more likely to sample all the desserts instead of having just one slice of pie. Normally I cut them into slightly larger squares, but this particular batch was being divided up for my cookie gift boxes.

Pecan Pie Bars
adapted from 100 Best Cookies 2011
published by Better Homes & Gardens

1 ¼ c all-purpose flour
½ c powdered sugar
¼ tsp salt
½ c unsalted butter
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
1 c chopped pecans
½ c packed light brown sugar
½ c light corn syrup
2 Tbs butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350F. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, powdered sugar, and salt. With a pastry blender, cut the butter into the mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Pat the mixture into an ungreased 9x9-inch baking pan. Bake for 20 minutes, or until light brown.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together the eggs, pecans, brown sugar, corn syrup. Add the 2 Tbs melted butter and vanilla and stir to combine. Spread the mixture evenly over the baked crust. Return pan to the oven and bake another 25 minutes, until filling is set. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Makes 16-20 bars, depending on size.

Friday Food Truck Photo, December 2nd

2011-12-02T05:46:00.005-05:00

Lobster roll from Monsta Lobsta. This was the 4 oz. sandwich. They also serve one with 8 oz. of lobster. The smaller sandwich was still ample amount of meat. The meat was perfectly seasoned with just a bit of herbs and spices, and a splash of lemon.

Fettuccine Alfredo With Spinach and Grilled Chicken

2011-12-01T17:37:00.003-05:00

I don’t usually post twice in one day, but I wanted to publish this right away...

I’m pretty sure Annie doesn’t know who I am. I am one of the many thousands (and thousands) of fans of her blog, Annies Eats. Every time I read a new post, I am amazed by this woman who is a doctor, wife, mother, cook, baker, cookie decorator, and all around awesome person.

On Thanksgiving of last week, Annie lost her father. Instead of sharing what I’m sure would’ve been a splendid feast, she grieved. Reading her post suddenly brought me back to 9 months ago, when I lost my father. You never expect it to happen to your loved ones. I gave my husband and son an extra hug today.

My heart goes out to Annie and her family. I wish I could give her a hug. I wish I could give her some baked goods. I wish I could give her a platter of this fettuccine alfredo. Instead, all I can do is dedicate this post to her, and let her know that she is in my thoughts.

Fettuccine Alfredo with Spinach and Grilled Chicken
adapted from the recipe by Bravo!

note: This recipe is based on the Pasta Woozie dish from the Bravo! restaurant chain. I added the mushrooms, but feel free to omit them if you wish. This dish uses a lot of pots and pans, but it is well worth the effort.

Grilled Chicken:
2 c water
2 Tbs kosher salt
1 ½ lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
½ tsp ground black pepper
2 Tbs vegetable oil

Alfredo Sauce:
6 Tbs butter
16 oz. heavy whipping cream
salt to taste
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
½ C grated Parmesan cheese
½ C grated Romano cheese
1 egg yolk

Pasta:
1 lb fettuccine
4 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
1 Tbs garlic, finely chopped
4 oz. Parmesan cheese, grated
Salt and pepper to taste
4 oz. fresh spinach leaves

Prepare the chicken: Create a brine by dissolving the salt in the water in a gallon-sized bag with a zipper top. Place chicken inside, and chill for 30 minutes. Remove chicken and discard liquid. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with the oregano, basil, and black pepper. Heat a grill to medium-high and brush grate with vegetable oil. Grill chicken until cooked through, about 6-8 minutes on each side. Set chicken on a plate to rest. (Alternately, you could saute the chicken in a skillet if you don’t want to fire up the grill.)

While the chicken is brining, prepare the alfredo sauce. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add heavy cream, stirring constantly. Stir in salt, nutmeg, grated Parmesan cheese, and grated Romano cheese. Stir constantly until melted. Mix in egg yolk. Reduce heat to low and simmer until ready to use, stirring every few minutes.

Also while the chicken is brining, heat a large pot of water to boiling. Cook fettuccine to al dente. Drain and set aside. In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and garlic and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Slice chicken into strips. Add chicken, ¾ of the alfredo sauce, and Parmesan cheese to the pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the spinach and let wilt a little. Add the fettuccine. Stir to combine, and cook a few minutes to heat through. Garnish with remaining alfredo sauce and more grate Parmesan cheese, if desired. (I reserve the extra sauce for the leftovers.)

Belgian Beef Stew

2011-12-01T05:22:00.003-05:00

When we went to Belgium this past summer, the weather was in the midst of changing from spring to summer. When we arrived, the weather was dank, overcast, and in the 50's. While we were there, a heat wave hit Europe. Suddenly it was sunny and in the mid-90's. We got to enjoy the best of both seasons: we ate hearty stews and soups when the weather was cool, and enjoyed all the wonderful street food while the weather was warm. (I'm including gratuitous photo of the Grand Place in Brussels.)

Now that the weather here has cooled off, I look forward making all my favorite cold weather food. One addition to the list is this Belgian beef stew. We ate it for our first dinner in Belgium. My sister-in-law made it for us, and after 13 hours of traveling with a cranky toddler, this stew was heaven. I was lucky to find some good Belgian beers at World Market, and they tasted great in and with the stew.

Belgian Beef Stew
adapted from Dutch & Belgian Food and Cooking
by Janny de Moor and Suzanne Vandyck

2 lbs beef stew meat, cubed
3 Tbs all-purpose flour
2 Tbs butter
2 Tbs vegetable oil
1 large onion, diced
6 oz. mushrooms, quartered
3 garlic cloves, minced
12 oz dark Belgian Beer (I used the Westmalle)
1 bouquet garni (fresh thyme and parsley sprigs tied together with kitchen twine)
2 bay leaves
2 Tbs red wine vinegar
2 Tbs light brown sugar, packed
2 slices rustic brown bread
3 Tbs dijon mustard
2 Tbs chopped fresh parsley
Salt and pepper

Season the beef with salt and pepper, then coat them in flour. In a large dutch oven over medium high heat, melt the butter. Add the vegetable oil. Add the beef in batches and brown on all sides. Remove beef to a plate and repeat with remaining batches. Add the onion and mushrooms to the dutch oven and cook until softened, 6-8 minutes. Add the garlic and saute a few minutes more. Return the beef to the dutch oven and stir well to combine.

Pour the beer into the dutch oven and heat to just about boiling. Add the bouquet garni, bay leaves, vinegar, and brown sugar. Cover the pot, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 2 hours, or until the meat has become tender.

Spread the mustard onto the bread in a thick layer. Place it on top of the stew, mustard side down. Replace the lid and simmer the stew for another 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the bread doesn’t fall apart its own, then break it up into small chunks with your stirring spoon. Remove the bouquet garni and bay leaves. Stir in the parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

M&M Cookies

2011-11-23T07:48:00.001-05:00

Been busy with Thanksgiving preparations. I'm also simultaneously jump-starting my holiday baking. With all the stuff scheduled in December, I'm trying to bake as many cookies this week as I can.

I love these cookies 1) for all the fun colors in them and 2) because I can make them with my son. He's really good at dumping ingredients into the bowl. And he loves topping the cookies with more candy. Usually, some m&ms magically find their way into his mouth. (Sorry about the blurry phone picture.)

M&M® Cookies
adapted from squidoo.com

1 cup of soft butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
2 c M&Ms

Preheat oven to 350°F . Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or silpat mats.

In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and the vanilla.

In another bowl, mix together flour, baking soda and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix. Stir in the M&Ms.

Using a spoon or a scoop, drop cookies of about 1 heaping tablspoon onto your cookie sheets, making them about two inches apart. If you have extra candies, push them into the tops of the cookie mounds. Bake for between 10 and 13 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

Eat To The Beat: "If I Had A Million Dollars" Mac and Cheese

2011-11-20T05:55:00.009-05:00

Elly Says Opa is celebrating her 5 year blogiversary by bringing back the Eat To The Beat event. Congratulations, Elly! The concept is simple: create a dish inspired by a song. Or a singer. Or a band. Love it! The marriage of two of my passions: music and food. Is there a song that inspires a food idea in you? Come join in the fun!

For this event, I made Moroccan Spiced Macaroni and Cheese in honor of one of my favorite bands, Barenaked Ladies. When I was young(er), foolish(er) and had more free time, I would follow the band around for part of their tour - usually for 3 or 4 shows at a time. I made signs on posterboard to hold up at the concerts. I even flew to Scotland and caught a few shows there. Yeah, I geeked out majorly for them.

One of their most enduring songs is "If I Had A Million Dollars." It was one of the first songs they wrote (back in the late 80's), and they sing it at every. single. performance. There's a line that goes, "If I had a million dollars...we wouldn't have to eat Kraft dinner..." Kraft dinner = Canadian for Kraft Mac and Cheese. Fans used to throw boxes of mac and cheese onto the stage. Sometimes the boxes were open, and dried pasta and orange powder would rain down onto the band. Other times the boxes were closed, and the band members had to dodge flying missiles with sharp corners. They now have fans donate the boxes of mac and cheese to a local food bank.

While this version of mac and cheese may not be million-dollar worthy - no lobster, or truffle, or other high end ingredients - it is certainly an improvement from the stuff in a box. We have dubbed this recipe, "crack mac," because it is so addictive. Pecorino romano cheese is pretty salty, which I why I don't season the dish until after adding the cheese. And the mac tastes even better leftover - that is, if you can control yourself enough to have some leftover. (I usually can't.)

Moroccan Spiced Macaroni and Chese
adapted from Macaroni & Cheese
by Marlena Spieler

5 green onions, white and light green parts thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 Tbs paprika
2 tsp ancho chile powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp fresh lemon zest, chopped
2 Tbs finely chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbs finely chopped fresh mint
3 Tbs finely chopped fresh cilantro
6 Tbs unsalted butter, room temperature

16 oz small tubular pasta, such as elbow or ditalini
6 oz pecorino romano cheese, shredded
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine green onions, garlic, paprika, ancho chile powder, cumin, coriander, lemon zest, parsley, mint, and cilantro in a medium bowl. Mash together with butter, forming a paste. Set aside. Can be made a few hours ahead of time, and stored in the refrigerator.

Cook pasta until al dente. Drain, saving about ¼ c of cooking water. Toss the hot pasta with the cooking water and herbed butter. Sprinkle about half the cheese on the pasta and toss. Season with salt and pepper. Serve and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Friday Food Truck Photo, November 18th

2011-11-18T06:55:00.000-05:00

This is a turkey-bacon-cheddar crepe with chipotle ranch sauce from The Crepe Company. They have both savory and sweet crepes, so next time I'll have to have a sweet one - maybe one with nutella?

I'm not sure how much longer I'm going to be able to post a Friday FTP. With the sun setting so early, it's difficult to get good pictures of the food. A lot of places are open for lunch, but getting to them from work is a challenge. Hopefully, more places will be open during daylight hours in the next coming months.

Sweet Potato Whoopie Pies

2011-11-16T05:49:00.002-05:00

I haven't done too many preparations for Thanksgiving yet. Here's how we celebrate: we typically stay in town, because that week kicks off all of our holiday gigs. Three days before the Thanksgiving, we have super late, after-hours rehearsals at Epcot for the Candlelight Processional. The three days following Thanksgiving, we have holiday performances. This means there are a lot of musicians who don't get to travel and see family on this holiday.

We often had Thanksgiving dinner at someone's house who played host to "homeless" musicians. This year, we are having dinner at our place with just a few friends. Although knowing my husband, who loves inviting people over, that number will probably increase in the next few days. Not that I mind - the more people eating turkey, the less we have for leftovers!

You have probably already fleshed out your Thanksgiving menu, but if you're looking for something to add, I highly recommend these whoopie pies. They're like a sweet potato casserole in cookie form. You could serve them as an appetizer. Or how about as a non-traditional side dish? And of course, there's always dessert. The marshmallow filling holds its shape, so there's no messy oozing when you bite into the whoopie pie. And using the kitchen torch equals a good day of cooking in my book.

Sweet Potato Whoopie Pies
adapted from Cuisine at Home
December 2010

*note to make sweet potato puree, process cooked, skinned sweet potatoes in a food processor for about 30 seconds. 1 large baked sweet potato=about 1 c puree.

2 c all purpose flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp table salt
1 stick (8Tbs) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 c packed light brown sugar
1 egg
2 c cooked sweet potato puree*
1 tsp vanilla
½ c plus 1 Tbs buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar with a hand mixer. Beat in the egg. Add sweet potato puree and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add half the flour mixture and beat on low until just combined. Add the buttermilk and beat until just combined. Finish off with remaining flour and beat until just combined.

Scoop batter onto prepared baking sheets in about 3 Tbs amounts, spacing about 1 inch apart. Bake until cookies are just set and spring back when touched, about 14-16 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

Marshmallow Filling
Adapted from Cupcakes!
By Elinor Klivans

2 egg whites
½ c sugar
2 ½ Tbs water
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
½ tsp vanilla extract

Place egg whites, sugar, water, and cream of tartar in the top of a double boiler (or a medium heatproof bowl.) Beat with a hand mixer on high until opaque, white, and foamy. Put the bowl over a pot of simmering water. Make sure the container sits firmly over the pan. Beat on high until the frosting forms stiff peaks that stand up straight when you stop the beaters and lift them out of the frosting. This should take about 7 minutes. Remove bowl from the pan and add the vanilla extract. Continue beating on high for another two minutes to thicken the frosting. Use immediately.

To finish the whoopie pies, fill a pastry bag fitted with a tip and pipe onto the bottom side of half the cookies. Use a kitchen torch to toast the filling. Top with remaining cookies.

Mozart Balls for Amy's Virtual Baby Shower

2011-11-15T05:30:00.018-05:00

Mozart what? His...huh? This does not seem like the most appropriately-named food for a baby shower. Let me explain.....

Amy of Sing For Your Supper is having a baby in a few months! I know her from various online social forums, and though we've never met in person, I wanted to do something to celebrate. Kelsey is hosting a virtual baby shower for her, and we decided to all make sweets for Amy's sweet baby girl who is due in January. Check out all the other shower participants on Amy's and Kelsey's blog.

This was my first virtual event. What to make? Two things I already knew about Amy: 1) she sings opera. Earlier this year she sang in the chorus for the Fort Worth Opera production of The Mikado. She got to wear this cute costume. 2) She loves the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Good taste! His music speaks to the soul. It's no wonder that a Mozart aria was used in this movie scene.

Onto the Mozart Balls (Mozart Kugeln.)....These are well-packed chocolates. There are layers of hazelnut, pistachio, and almond, all rolled up. Then the balls are dipped in milk chocolate, followed by dark chocolate. I first encountered them in Salzburg (a.k.a. "city of Mozart"), and ate a ton of them during my visit. I thought these would be perfect to make for Amy's shower.

The homemade marzipan was pretty easy to make. I adapted one recipe for the different layers in the chocolates. The almond marzipan turned out perfectly - great flavor and perfect consistency. The pistachio marzipan was difficult to work with. The mixture formed a paste with a beautiful green color, but it very quickly started to dry out. Next time, I'll use the pistachio as the first layer, to make the assembly easier. Then I coated the candies in tempered milk chocolate and dark chocolate. Since these treats travel well, I'm sending some to Amy, so she can enjoy them for herself. Congratulations, Amy! I can't wait to say hello to your baby.

Almond Marzipan
adapted from About.com

½ c blanched, slivered almonds
1 c powdered sugar
2 tbsp corn syrup
½ tsp vegetable oil

Place almonds in a food processor and process until they begin to form a paste. The almonds will first become fine crumbs. Stop the processor and scrape down the sides a few times. Add powdered sugar and process until well mixed. Add the corn syrup and vegetable oil and pulse until it starts to come together. The marzipan will look crumbly, but will hold together and smooth out when you press it together.

For pistachio variation: substitute ½ c shelled, unsalted, roasted pistachios for the almonds.

For chocolate hazelnut variation: substitute ½ c peeled, roasted hazelnuts for the almonds. Add 2 tsp. cocoa powder along with the powdered sugar.

To assemble the chocolates, roll chocolate hazelnut mixture into small balls (3-4 grams.) Cover with a layer of pistachio marzipan (7 grams) and roll to smooth the surface. Then cover the balls with a layer of almond marzipan (10-11 grams) and roll to smooth the surface. I'm adding the weight measurements because you don't want the finished chocolates to end up too big. Dip balls in tempered milk chocolate and let set. Then dip them in tempered dark chocolate and let set.

Salmon Pho

2011-11-13T14:37:00.004-05:00

Whenever I feel a little run down, I crave pho. There's something about the combination of noodles and that magical broth that is so comforting. There was this one time when I had a performance on a Saturday night (typical.) I had been feeling run down all day, and went to grab dinner before the concert. After eating a bowl of beef pho, I felt instantly better. Well enough to get through a playing a two hour concert.

I was happy to find a recipe that duplicates pho broth and cooks in less than an hour. I had never thought to use salmon in Vietnamese noodle soup, but I really liked the combination. If you want an extra kick, add a few squirts of sriracha to the soup.

Salmon Pho
adapted from Cuisine At Home
June 2011

Broth:
3 Tbs vegetable oil
1 large onion, sliced
2 Tbs minced fresh ginger
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
4 c water
4 c low sodium chicken broth
3 Tbs fish sauce
1 Tbs sugar
2 Tbs plus 1 tsp low sodium soy sauce
10 whole cloves
1 bunch fresh cilantro stems
2 tsp Chinese five spice powder

2 6-oz. salmon fillets
Salt and pepper
1 c sliced shitake mushroom caps
1 c matchstick carrots
¼ c thinly sliced white onion
12 oz. rice-stick noodles, cooked

Garnish:
Bean sprouts
Chopped green onion, white and light green parts
Fresh mint leaves
Fresh basil leaves (Thai basil if available)
Fresh cilantro leaves
Sliced jalapeno
Lime wedges

Heat vegetable oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Saute onion, ginger, and garlic in the stockpot until softened, about 3 minutes. Add water, broth, fish sauce, sugar, soy sauce, cloves, cilantro stems, and five spice powder. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Using a large slotted spoon, pull solids out of the broth; discard. Turn heat back up to medium-high and bring broth back to a boil.

Season salmon fillets with salt and pepper. Thinly slice crosswise (against the grain.) Set aside.
Add shitake mushroom caps, carrots, and the ¼ c of sliced onions to the broth. Divide salmon and noodles evenly into four large soup bowls. Pour into the bowl, making sure to cover the salmon. The fish will cook in the hot broth. Garnish with bean sprouts, green onion, mint, basil, cilantro, jalapeno, and lime wedges.

Friday Food Truck Photo, November 11

2011-11-11T06:15:00.002-05:00

Happy Veterans Day! Both my father and sister were in the military. Thank you to all the men and women who are serving and have served. The FFTP of the day is cupcakes from the Yum Yum Truck! I know, I've featured their cupcakes before, but I feel that the pictures did not do the cupcakes justice. Pictured in front are last month's bananatella Versace cupcake (left), and this month's cookies got creamed cupcake (right). Hiding behind them are a chocolate mint and a vanilla cupcake.

Dan Dan Noodles

2011-11-09T06:36:00.003-05:00

Before this recipe, the only dan dan noodles that I had were from Pei Wei. They were good, but I had a teeny suspicion that they weren't quite the same as the real thing. Then one day, Hubs made a version that claimed to be more authentic. I instantly loved them. We have them at least once a month. The key is the Sichuan (Szechuan) peppercorns. They have a very different flavor than black peppercorns - more herbal, spicy but with a mellower heat. We found them here. We now have a one-pound bag of peppercorns. Not to worry, they will get eaten up.

I adapted the original recipe two ways - the way Hubs makes it, and a version with less obscure ingredients. If you aren't able to find black vinegar, dark soy sauce, or fresh Chinese noodles, the substitutions are in parenthesis. You can also make a vegetarian version using crumbled tofu in place of the ground pork. The cucumber and bean sprouts are an homage to the Pei Wei version, and a way for me to sneak some veggies into the dish.

Dan Dan Noodles
adapted from Land of Plenty
by Fuschia Dunlop

1½ Tbs soy sauce
½ Tbs dark soy sauce (or substitute another ½ Tbs regular soy sauce)
1 Tbs chili oil, or to taste (use less for less spice)
1½ tsp black vinegar (1 tsp rice vinegar and ½ tsp brown sugar)
1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns, toasted and ground
1 Tbs peanut oil
4 oz ground pork (vegetarian option: firm tofu, crumbled)
1 tsp rice wine (dry sherry)
2 tsp soy sauce

12 oz fresh Chinese noodles, cooked (spaghetti)
3 scallions, green parts only, sliced
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped
Handful of fresh bean sprouts

Mix together the 1½ Tbs soy sauce, dark soy sauce, chili oil, black vinegar, and Sichuan peppercorns. Set aside.

Heat 1 Tbs peanut oil in a wok over high heat. Add ground pork, rice wine, and 2 tsp of soy sauce. Stir-fry until pork is just cooked through, breaking up the meat as it cooks. Reduce heat to medium. Add the noodles, and stir to combine. Pour sauce over the noodles and toss. Top with sliced scallions, chopped cucumber, and bean sprouts.

Sticky Five Spice Short Ribs

2011-11-05T08:07:00.003-04:00

Feeding a toddler is an exercise in patience. My kid is way pickier now than when he started solid food. He'll eat something one day, and not like it the next. Makes menu planning a little difficult. However, I found one thing that he consistently likes: tender, slow cooked meat. Anytime I make short ribs, he gobbles one down in record time. These were no exception. The adults in the household loved them as well. I especially liked how this recipe cooks down the liquid to make the sticky sauce - very convenient!

Sticky Five-Spice Short Ribs
by Aida Mollenkamp
as seen on Food Network

1 1/2 cups rice wine or dry sherry
1/2 cup oyster sauce
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 1/2 pounds short ribs, English cut
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons five-spice powder
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
6 medium garlic cloves, smashed
1-inch piece ginger, sliced
1 small jalapeno pepper, halved, seeded, and thickly sliced

Heat the oven to 350 F.
Mix together sherry, oyster sauce, and brown sugar until evenly combined; set aside. Pat ribs dry with a paper towel and season well with salt and five-spice powder.

Place a 3-quart Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed, shallow pot with a tight-fitting lid over medium heat and add oil. When oil starts to smoke, add ribs and sear until well browned, about 2 minutes per side. Remove ribs to a plate and set aside. Discard all but 1 tablespoon drippings, return pan to stove, and add garlic, ginger, and jalapeno and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in reserved sherry mixture and bring to a simmer.

Return ribs to pan and bring to a simmer. Cover and transfer to oven to cook, turning occasionally, until meat is knife tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Increase oven to 400 degrees F and cook, covered, until ribs are sticky, about 20 more minutes.

Friday Food Truck Photo, November 4

2011-11-04T06:19:00.000-04:00

Black and blue from C&S Brisket Bus. I don't like to post pictures with bite marks in it, but it really was the best way to show off the components of the sandwich. Brisket, lettuce, tomato, roasted garlic and blue cheese aioli, and blackened seasoning on the bun. This sandwich was epic.

Pasta e Ceci Soup

2011-10-31T06:58:00.000-04:00

Happy Halloween! I didn't do much for this holiday food-wise - sorry about that. We are definitely taking my son trick-or-treating this evening. If the rain clears up. If you're wondering, he is dressing up as Charlie Brown. It was an easy costume to make, and it is even easier to convince him to wear it.

On Halloween, I give you something....sorta orange? I'm normally not a fan of chickpeas (the ceci part of the soup), but I really liked them in this dish! I think having all that pasta surrounding the chickpeas helped. The original directions were rather confusing, to me at least. Hopefully, I've simplified them and made them easier to follow.

Pasta E Ceci Soup
adapted from Williams-Sonoma

3 Tbs plus ¼ c extra-virgin olive oil
2 carros, finely diced
1 yellow onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 plum tomatoes, diced
2 15-oz cans chick peas, drained
6 c chicken stock
2 fresh thyme sprigs
3 fresh rosemary sprigs
8 oz ditalini or other small pasta, cooked to al dente
Salt and pepper to taste
Pecorino-Romano cheese, grated

Heat 3 Tbs olive oil in a large dutch oven. Add carrots and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and tomato, and cook another minute. Add chick peas, chicken stock, and thyme sprigs. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Discard thyme.

Chop one rosemary sprig and set aside. In a large skillet, heat remaining ¼ c olive oil over medium heat. Add remaining 2 rosemary sprigs and let fry for 2 minutes. Remove rosemary, and keep olive oil warm.

Using a slotted spoon, scoop about ½ of the chick pea mixture into a bowl. Mash with a potato masher until almost smooth. Add chick pea puree to the olive oil in the pan and saute for 2 minutes. Add pasta and 1 c of soup broth, and cook until warmed through. Add back to the rest of the soup. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with Pecorino-Romano cheese and reserved chopped rosemary.

Friday Food Truck Photo, October 28th

2011-10-28T07:36:00.002-04:00

Shrimp ceviche with black beans and rice from Travelling Gourmet. I love the vegetable letters in their logo! The ceviche was "cooked" perfectly, and the beans and rice that accompanied it were well seasoned. I liked the extra kick of coriander.

Pumpkin Lasagna Rolls

2011-10-25T07:16:00.001-04:00

What it is about pumpkin? There are plenty of foods that only come around for a short period of the year. Cranberries, artichokes, figs....People don't start putting those things in every. single. dish. possible. The thing is, I'm the exact same way. I recently tweeted that I (proudly) went through three cans of pumpkin in two days. For me, pumpkin food signifies fall, my favorite season of all.

I've had this recipe bookmarked since I saw it in January. I wasn't in the mood for pumpkin then, but I sure am now! Branny made a vegan version, but I decided to make this using dairy products. The filling is extra creamy and smooth. Next time I may add some toasted walnuts for a little crunch.

Pumpkin Lasagna Rolls
adapted from Branny Boils Over

6 lasagna noodles

Pumpkin filling:
15 oz solid packed pumpkin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground ginger

Cheese filling:
15 oz. carton of part-skim ricotta cheese
2 Tbs chopped fresh sage
½ tsp salt

Bechamel Sauce:
2 c. whole milk
2 T butter
2 T flour
1/4 tsp fresh nutmeg
1 tsp fresh lemon zest

¼ c fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of water to boil on a stove. Drop in lasagna noodles and simmer until pliable, 9-10 minutes. Place noodles to cool over the lip of a large mixing bowl, draping one portion of the noodle on the outside of the bowl and one on the inside.

In a bowl, combine the ingredients of the pumpkin filling. In a separate bowl, combine the ingredients of the cheese filling.

In a sauce pan, melt butter. Add flour and cook combination a few minutes until golden. Whisk in milk and bring to a simmer. Cook 7-8 minutes until thickened. Add nutmeg and lemon zest, and set aside.

Assemble rolls by laying noodles out and spreading pumpkin mixture along the length of the noodle, leaving the end of the pasta furthest from you bare. Dollop ricotta mixture down the pumpkin layer, then gently smooth over the pumpkin. Roll lasagna ending with the bare noodle end, and place seamside down in a greased baking sheet. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Pour sauce over lasagna rolls.

Bake in a 350* preheated oven, covered, for 15 minutes. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the lasagna rolls. Bake, uncovered, for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Friday Food Truck Photo, October 21st

2011-10-21T05:57:00.001-04:00

Meatballs from the Swede Dish Truck. These newcomers to the food truck scene serve up authentic Swedish cuisine. The meatballs are accompanied by a very generous portion of mashed potatoes, a cream gravy, pickled gherkins, and a lingonberry jam. The meatballs were tender and savory, and the gherkins added some great crunch along with acidity; I just wish there had been a few more.

Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

2011-10-18T05:48:00.002-04:00

A few years ago, I made a wedding cake for my friends Alyssa and Stephen. Just recently, Alyssa celebrated her 30th birthday. She had a get together in the park with make-your-own sundaes. I offered to bring cupcakes. When I asked her what flavor she wanted, she suggested lemon cupcakes, like her wedding cake. Awesome, lemon meringue cupcakes, here I come!

These cupcakes exceeded my expectations. I was leery of the frosting, since I had tried seven minute frosting before with disastrous results. But it whipped up beautifully, and held its shape after being piped onto the cupcakes. Using a kitchen torch instead of the broiler made toasting the meringue a lot easier to control (and was way more fun).

Lemon Meringue Cupcakes
adapted from My Baking Addiction

2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk, room temperature
4 large egg whites, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
lemon zest from two lemons (finely grated)
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 c lemon curd

Meringue Frosting:
¾ cups plus 1 tablespoons sugar
⅓ cup water
1 tablespoons light corn syrup
3 large egg whites, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 muffin pans with cupcake liners.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and egg whites.

Place the sugar and lemon zest in the bowl of your mixer or another large bowl and rub them together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant. Add the butter and, working with the paddle or whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat at medium speed for 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed. Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated. Add the rest of the milk and eggs, beating until the batter is thoroughly combined. Add the last of the dry ingredients. Finally, give the batter a good 2-minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and well aerated.

Distribute the batter evenly between 24 muffin wells, filling each well 2/3 full. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until the cupcakes are springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the centers come out clean. Cool on wire rack.

Once cupcakes have cooled, hollow out a small circle in the center of each cupcake. Spoon or pipe in a dollop of lemon curd.

For the frosting:
In a small saucepan, combine 3/4 c sugar with the water and corn syrup; clip a candy thermometer to side of pan. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Continue boiling, without stirring, until syrup reaches 230 degrees.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk egg whites on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. With mixer running, add remaining 1 tablespoon sugar, beating to combine. As soon as sugar syrup reaches 230 degrees, remove from heat. With mixer on medium-low speed, pour syrup down side of bowl in a slow, steady stream. Raise speed to medium-high; whisk until mixture is completely cool (test by touching the bottom of the bowl) and stiff (but not dry) peaks form, about 7 minutes. Use immediately.

Frost cooled cupcakes. Use a kitchen torch to lightly brown the meringue frosting.

Pumpkin Doughnuts

2011-10-15T08:31:00.000-04:00

I'll tell you a secret about musicians....we are suckers for free food. I think it hearkens back to our college days when we played gigs in exchange for food. It was how we got people for our own performances. "Can you play in this recital for me? I can't pay you, but I'll make you cookies/cupcakes/dinner!"

This is why I was happy when Hubs agreed to play a 5-week concert series for school kids - two morning performances with a short break in between. Perfect time for a mid-morning snack! I've been baking goodies for the musicians. By far, these pumpkin doughnuts have been the most popular.

This is one of the fastest recipes I've posted since making the food. I have seen these doughnuts on not one, not two, but three of my favorite blogs. I decided to go straight to the original source for the recipe. The dough was extremely sticky, so I had to use more flour than usual. Next time, I may knead a little bit of flour into the dough before cutting them.

I saved some of the doughnut holes for myself and family. They were so addictive, I ate six of them before I realized it.

Pumpkin Doughnuts
adapted from Bon Appetit magazine
October 2004

Doughnuts:
3 ½ cups all purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ easpoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ c buttermilk
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
Canola oil (for deep-frying)

Spiced Sugar:
1 c sugar
4 tsp cinnamon
3 tsp nutmeg

Whisk first 8 ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until blended (mixture will be grainy). Beat in egg, then yolks and vanilla. Gradually beat in buttermilk; beat in pumpkin in 4 additions. Using rubber spatula, fold in dry ingredients in 4 additions, blending gently after each addition. Cover with plastic; chill for at least 3 hours, or overnight.

Combine the ingredients for the spiced sugar in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Sprinkle 2 rimmed baking sheets lightly with flour. Press out ½ of dough on a well floured surface to 1/2- to 2/3-inch thickness. Using a round cutter, cut out dough rounds. Arrange on sheets. Repeat with remaining dough. Gather dough scraps. Press out dough and cut out more dough rounds until all dough is used.

Using a small round cutter, cut out center of each dough round to make doughnuts and doughnut holes.

Line a few wire racks with paper towels. Pour oil into large deep skillet to depth of 1 1/2 inches. Attach deep-fry thermometer and heat oil to 370°F to 380°F. Fry doughnut holes in batches until golden brown, turning once about 1-2 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Fry doughnuts in batches, keeping enough space for the doughnuts to move around, until golden brown, adjusting heat to maintain temperature, about 1 minute per side. Using slotted spoon, transfer doughnuts to paper towels to drain. While the doughnuts are still slightly warm, toss them in the spiced sugar. Let cool before serving.

Friday Food Truck Photo, October 14

2011-10-14T09:43:00.004-04:00

Cupcakes from the Yum Yum Cupcake truck. This is an older photo, taken on my very first food truck venture. I didn't have my camera, so I took the shot with my phone. The Yum Yum truck is one of the most popular business on wheels. They sell out of cupcakes at almost every location. Pictured here are: mint chocolate, red velvet, peanut butter chocolate, and vanilla. They also have flavors of the month that Facebook and Twitter fans can vote for. Their October flavors are bananatella and hootenanny harvest. Yum!

Epcot Food and Wine Festival 2011, The Desserts

2011-10-11T00:12:00.003-04:00

When I'm at the Food and Wine Festival, desserts usually take a back seat to the drinks and savory food. I'm usually so excited to try the main dishes, that I'm too full when it's time for dessert. But, there are some sweets that are too good to pass up. Here are my top 5 desserts of the International Marketplace:

Belgian Waffle with Berry Compote from Belgium. This dessert debuted a year ago and was an instant hit. It was easily the most popular menu item from last year. The waffle was crisp and warm, and the berry sauce made us totally forget about syrup.

Apple Strudel from Germany. This classic appears every year, and for good reason. Flaky pastry, apple filling, and not one but two sauces: caramel and vanilla. This generous portion is big enough to share with a friend.

Pumpkin mousse with dried cranberries (provided by Ocean Spray) and orange sauce from Hops and Barley. The chefs have really stepped up the selections from the Hops and Barley stand (a.k.a., the United States.) This pumpkin mousse is layered parfait-style with an orange sauce and a granola-like streusel with dried cranberries. I really liked the combination of the citrusy orange with the pumpkin.

Chocolate lava cake with Bailey’s ganache from Ireland. These little lava cakes are rich, so it’s a good thing the portion is small. We loved the warm Irish cream ganache so much that Hubs licked the plate clean.

White chocolate macadamia mousse with dark chocolate pearls from Desserts & Champagne. Yes, another mousse. All the selections from the Dessert Trio tasted fantastic (a vast improvement from last year), but this mousse really stood out. The pearls were chocolate covered rice krispie-like crunchies, and they popped delightfully in my mouth.

Have you been to the Food and Wine Festival yet? Do you have a favorite dish? Which dessert would you really like to try?

Grilled Chicken Salad with Parmesan Breadcrumbs

2011-10-09T08:07:00.000-04:00

I love eating salads, but sometimes I balk at having to prep all the ingredients. I'm not sure why, since I normally don't mind recipes with lengthy ingredient lists. Luckily, this salad doesn't take much to put together. It is a deconstructed version of chicken parmesan. All the components are there - chicken, crispy breadcrumbs, mozzarella, and sauce. As long as you don't go heavy on the breadcrumbs, the dish stays much healthier than the original.

Grilled Chicken Salad with Parmesan Breadcrumbs
adapted from Food Network Magazine
July/August 2010

1 plum tomato, halved
4 sun-dried tomatoes, plus 1 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbs red wine vinegar
1 small garlic clove
1 tsp fresh oregano
1 bunch basil leaves, torn
4 Tbs grated parmesan cheese, divided
Salt and pepper

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 1 lb)
3 T extra-virgin olive oil
⅔ c panko crumbs
2 Tbs chopped fresh parsley
8 c salad mix
4 oz. small mozzarella balls (bocconcini), sliced

Puree plum tomato, sun-dried tomatoes and olive oil, vinegar, garlic, oregano, half the basil leaves, and 2 Tbs Parmesan cheese until smooth. Add a few tsp of water if necessary. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Preheat grill to high. Halve the chicken breasts horizontally to make four thin cutlets. (If you can find thin-cut cutlets at your store, then you can skip this step.) Brush with 1 Tbs olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill chicken until marked on the bottom, about 4 minutes. Flip and grill another 3 minutes, or until cooked through. Let the meat rest on a cutting board.

Heat remaining 2 Tbs olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bread crumbs and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden. Remove from heat. Add remaining 2 Tbs Parmesan cheese and the parsley. Stir to combine.

Toss salad greens and remaining basil in a large bowl. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and add to the greens. Add mozzarella. Toss with the dressing and sprinkle with bread crumb mixture.

Friday Food Truck Photo, October 7th

2011-10-07T05:45:00.005-04:00

Emapanadas from La Empanada. They are an offshoot of Black Bean Deli, so I already knew their food would taste great. The two flavors of empanadas were: picadillo (filling pictured below) and black bean plantain.

The picadillo empanada was Tyler-approved.

Epcot Food and Wine Festival, 2011

2011-10-03T23:39:00.006-04:00

First column: passport decoration, cheese selection from Cheese kiosk, keilbasa and pierogi with caramelized onions and sour cream, stuffed cabbage. Second column: black pepper shrimp with sichuan noodles, German Bier flight, chocolate lava cake with Bailey's ganache, fennel. Third column: German beer list, Welcome display, sausage in a pretzel roll. Fourth column: lettuce wrap with roast pork and kimchi slaw, ropa vieja, Kerrygold cheese selection with apple chutney and brown bread. Click collage for larger view.

I spent the better part of last weekend hanging out at Epcot and tasting numerous selections from the Food and Wine Festival. This is my absolute favorite thing at Disney. For about 6 weeks, Epcot hosts a ton of events: private lunches and dinners, tastings, demonstrations, a concert series, and an International Marketplace of 25 countries.

The theme for this year is "Passport to a World Flavors." Hawaii, Portugal, and the Caribbean made their debut, and Scandinavia returned to the market.

First row: Greek salad, Xante description (don't believe it), Swedish meatballs. Second row: chocolate cannolis, Hawaii menu, Xante. Third row: Apple strudel, griddled Greek cheese with honey and pistachios, tuna poke with seaweed salad. Fourth row: Belgian waffle with berry compote, Craft beer flight. Click collage for larger view.

I tried the pork slider and the tuna poke from Hawaii. I liked the pineapple chutney on the slider, and the tuna was fresh and well seasoned. I also had the calamari from Portugal - good flavor, but the texture of the calamari was a little too rubbery. And the ropa vieja from the Caribbean was tender and delicious.

First row: seared scallop with Kumara red curry puree and apple-radish slaw, lobster roll, cappellini with spicy shrimp, Brewer's collection stand. Second row: wine, Scandinavia kiosk, France, steamed mussels with roasted garlic cream and baguette. Third row: dessert trio, lobster claw, passport decoration, calamari salad with fennel, smoked paprika, and olive oil. Fourth row: escargots in brioche, grilled beef skewer with chimichurri sauce and boniato puree, Kalua pork slider with sweet and sour Dole pineapple chutney and spicy mayo, ribeye taco with chipotle sauce and green onion. Click collage for larger view.

Maybe it was because we were there on the first day, but the rice was messed up on all the dishes that we tried. The rice with the mahi mahi was undercooked and hard, the rice with the ropa vieja was gummy, and the "sticky" rice that came with the bulgogi was more akin to Uncle Ben's. I'm hoping these kinks were just "first day jitters." Other dishes I wasn't impressed with were the ribeye tacos (paltry amount of filling, especially for the price), the stuffed cabbage, and the Xante liquor from Scandinavia (tasted like banana flavored medicine. Blech.)

There were perennial favorites: the escargots (how can you resist those cute bread cups?), the lamb slider, and the maple salmon. Even though they are offered every year, I can't pass by without having them.

Here are some of the standout dishes:

First up, the coq au vin from France. I was disappointed that my beloved short rib wasn't offered, but am happy that it was replaced by something so delicious. There was a generous portion of chicken, with a rich onion and mushroom gravy. It was placed on a bed of macaroni gratin, or macaroni and cheese. For $4.75 it was the best bang for the buck, and one of the richest dishes in the World Showcase.

Next is the lobster claw from the Hops and Barley kiosk. As complex as the coq au vin was, this dish was stellar in its simplicity. A whole lobster claw with a side of clarified butter - that's all you need. The lobster was perfectly steamed, and its sweet flavor shone.

I was a bit scared about cracking the shell, but the chef had sliced the shell in a few key places, so extracting the meat was very easy. The Hops and Barley also offers a lobster roll, but with food this beautiful, bread and mayo are totally unnecessary.

The griddled Greek cheese from Greece was a pleasant surprise. The cheese was fried and crispy, and the honey was just sweet enough to offset dish's saltiness.

And the Brewer's collection of beer in Germany was fantastic. We had Bier Flight #1, but with the Oktoberfest swapped for the Roog. The Dunkel, a dark beer, was also quite tasty. There was a little biergarten with some tables set up in a grassy area. And the whole Germany pavilion was decked out for Oktoberfest.

Each menu board had a QR code that could be scanned (as seen in the right corner of the menus.) Most of them went to a site that provided menu items and descriptions, which seemed a bit redundant. Every so often, one would provide a gem. For example, the QR code on the Germany menu gives the recipe for their apple strudel. Very helpful!

I'm saving a whole separate post for the dessert offerings. Stay tuned for my favorite sweets of the festival! Click here to see my full photo album.

Friday Food Truck Photo, September 30

2011-09-30T06:22:00.002-04:00

Mango Italian ice from Sunset Ice. Pure mango flavor. This is my son's favorite dish at the food truck events.

The people on the truck are super nice. I asked for less ice so it wouldn't spill over the cup, and they only charged me $1 instead of the full $2.50. Bonus!

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

2011-09-26T06:26:00.000-04:00

Happy National Pancake Day! I don't usually keep up with food holidays, but I was tipped off by Jaclyn about this day. Luckily, I had a pancake recipe ready to post.

I've found a trend with my breakfast foods - I like to combine them. Donut muffins, banana bread waffles, and now cinnamon roll pancakes. These are different than the type of pancake that you actually swirl a cinnamon batter into the pancake as it cooks. I plan on trying those out soon. The toppings for this recipe totally won me over - a spiced maple syrup swirled with a cream cheese icing. A word of warning: the topping, when warmed, will not swirl as prettily. However, they still will taste amazing.

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
adapted from Cuisine At Home
October 2011

Pancakes:
1 ½ c all purpose flour
¼ c sugar
1 tsp apple pie spice
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp table salt
2 c buttermilk
3 Tbs pure maple syrup
1 egg
½ tsp vanilla extract
Butter for cooking

Cream cheese icing:
6 oz. cream cheese (from a block)
¼ c sweetened condensed milk
3 Tbs buttermilk or regular milk
½ tsp vanilla extract
1-2 tsp warm water

Spiced Maple Syrup:
¾ c pure maple syrup
3 Tbs sweetened condensed milk
2 Tbs unsalted butter
¼ tsp apple pie spice

For the pancakes: Combine flour, sugar, apple pie spice, baking soda, and salt in a bowl; set aside. Whisk together the buttermilk, maple syrup, egg, and vanilla in a separate bowl. Fold buttermilk mixture into dry ingredients until just moistened. Small lumps are okay. Let batter rest for 10 minutes.

Heat a large griddle over medium-low. Melt a pat of butter and spread a thin layer over the surface of the griddle. Pour about ⅓ c of batter onto the griddle for each pancake. Cook until bubbles form in the pancakes and the edges are set. Flip and cook until golden, about 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove pancakes to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Repeat with remaining batter.

For the cream cheese icing: Place cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, buttermilk, and vanilla in a sauce pan over medium heat. As the cream cheese melts, whisk ingredients together until smooth. Add water 1 tsp at a time until desired consistency is reached. Pour into a bowl or small pitcher.

For the spiced maple syrup: Heat maple syrup, sweetened condensed milk, butter, and apple pie spice in a small saucepan over medium heat until butter melts and ingredients are well combined, about 5 minutes. Pour into a bowl or a small pitcher.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Chex Mix

2011-09-24T08:01:00.001-04:00

This is the "Plex" mix I made for my son's Yo Gabba Gabba party. Since chocolate and peanut butter is one of my favorite food pairings, I was all for it. I thought it would be a popular snack for the youngsters, but it was equally popular with the adults. We now have a gigantic bag of m&m's that are missing all the yellow candies. Oh, what to do with them???

Chocolate Peanut Butter Chex Mix
adapted from Chex.com

4 c Rice Chex cereal
2 c Wheat Chex cereal
1 c vanilla baking chips
½ c semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 c peanut butter chips
1 c chocolate candies (like M&Ms)
2 c mini marshmallows

Line 2 cookie sheets with waxed paper. Pour half of the Rice Chex and half of the Wheat Chex into a large bowl and stir to combine. In a small microwave-safe bowl, heat vanilla chips in microwave until melted, about 1 minute. Stir chips to smooth. Pour vanilla chips over the cereal and stir to coat evenly. Spread the cereal onto one of the prepared cookie sheets. Melt semi-sweet chips the same was as the vanilla chips. Drizzle over the vanilla-coated cereal. Place cookie sheet in refrigerator and chill to set.

Repeat process with remaining cereal and the peanut butter chips. Spread peanut butter coated cereal onto the second prepared cookie sheet. Chill in refrigerator until set. Gently break the cereal into small chunks and place in a large, clean bowl. Add the chocolate candies and mini marshmallows and toss to combine.

Friday Food Truck Photo, September 23rd

2011-09-23T07:30:00.000-04:00

Florida avocado stuffed with Japanese sticky rice and lump crab meat from Big Wheel Truck. Sesame/seaweed mixture sprinkled on top. I had just eaten a very unsatisfactory sandwich right before ordering this. So the first bite of avocado and crab was especially refreshing.

A Very Yo Gabba Gabba Birthday Party

2011-09-19T20:41:00.005-04:00

We celebrated the tyke’s 2nd birthday this past weekend! I guess I can start using his real name, since it shows up in the picture. Now, I’m not one who usually likes “themed” things. There was no theme for his birthday last year. Nowadays, he LOVES Yo Gabba Gabba. Once I began brainstorming things to do for a Yo Gabba Gabba party, the ideas kept coming. So, a themed party it was. It's hard to see, but Gabba Land provided the background for the food spread.

First were the cupcakes. I made toppers out of fondant to resemble each of the five characters. The shapes were easy to cut out and put together. I loved that I could make these well in advance of the party, so that all I had to do was put them on top of the frosted cupcakes. This meant that I could make the cupcakes just before the party, and they would be uber-fresh. The cupcakes and smash cake were both homemade funfetti.

Then I came up with a snack food for each of the characters:

- Muno, “He’s tall and friendly.” These homemade fruit roll-ups were long and red, just like Muno.

- Foofa, “She’s pink and happy.” This refreshing watermelon basil water was just the right shade of pink.

- Brobee, “The little green one.” This hummus and veggie tray was a bit of a stretch, but I loved making the cucumber skewers with alternating slices so they looked like Brobee’s stripes. I didn’t get a picture of the whole tray, but it was a colorful array of baby carrots, celery, grape tomatoes, yellow bell pepper, and the cucumber skewers.

- Toodee, “She likes to have fun.” There was an episode where Toodee didn’t want to eat her snack of yogurt, because she didn’t think she’d like it. Once she tried it however, she discovered she liked it. (Try it, you’ll like it!) I realized I spelled "fruitty" wrong. I wanted it to sound like "tutti fruitti," but I messed the card up.

- Plex, “A magic robot.” Hubs came up with the idea of having “Plex” mix. I decided to add the yellow candies. This was a big hit among both the kids and the adults. Recipe coming soon!

DJ Lance. Can’t forget about him! I made a smash cake and decorated it to look like his boombox. Normally, I’m philosophically opposed to smash cakes. Why waste all that lovely cake? But like I said, once the ideas started rolling, I couldn’t help myself.

There was also more substantial food for everyone. There were a number of vegetarians at the party, so I made sure to use vegetarian sausage and vegetable stock in the red beans. The gumbo was for the meat eaters. There were also make-your-own shrimp po boys, but they were eaten so quickly I didn’t get a picture of them.

My favorite part of the party was watching Tyler blow out the candles. He made a loud “ffffff” sound and shook his head back and forth, like when he blows on hot food.

And of course, he loved digging into the cake.

There were also cookie favors for the guests. After the party, Hubs asked, “What are we going to do next year to top this?” I’m sure I’ll think of something!

Pie Week Winner and Wrap Up

2011-09-18T20:10:00.001-04:00

~~~~~~Drumroll~~~~~~~~

Congratulations to Carina! Her comment was, "Mmm..awesome giveaway! i love pie making but my pie-making supplies were recently depleted so this sounds great! and my favorite pie might have to be fresh blueberry pie, so hard to choose!! also, where do you find lard?"

I found lard in my local supermarket. It was with the vegetable shortening. Other places to look would be in the section with Latino food, or at a Latino grocery.

Thanks everyone for entering! The hardest part about hosting a giveaway was figuring out how to capture a screen shot of the random generator. There's no snipping tool on my computer, so Hubs worked some technical magic. He's so helpful!

Pie Week has come to a close. I have eaten waaaay too much pie in preparing for it. Along with all the pies featured on the blog, there were the ones that didn't quite make the cut. There were the cracked, oozing hand pies,

The shepherd's pie that tasted great, but used too many processed foods for my comfort,

And the fig galette that looked great but didn't photograph well.

All in all, I am supremely satisfied with Pie Week. I hope you all had fun reading. I need some time away from pastry dough.

Apple Hand Pies

2011-09-17T07:06:00.002-04:00

For the final day of Pie Week, I give you the classic apple pie. But there's a twist - it comes in a handy, self-contained packet. These remind me of the desserts at fast food restaurants. Or the kind that used to be at fast food restaurants, before they made an attempt to be healthy.

I actually made these hand pies twice. The first time, the apples were raw going into the pie. Due to the large hole in the surface of the crust, the apples dried up and still tasted a bit raw. All the pictures in the collage, and those of the finished product, are from this batch.

I wasn't satisfied with the dry, raw filling, so I found another recipe that cooked the apples before filling the pies. I liked the results much better. However, the large vent in the crust proved to be a problem again. Most of the juices leaked out of the hole.

While I love this apple shaped mold, it took more than a few tries to figure out the best technique. Here are some tips: Roll the dough out a little thicker than you normally would. If you're making a fruit pie where the filling gets bubbly, then don't use the side with the hole. Just cut out two shapes from the side without the hole. Don't crimp too tightly because this weakens the edges. Check the edges once the pies are on the baking sheet. Use a little less filling than you normally would. The amount of filling in the collage is just a bit too much.

I also made fried versions of the hand pies. Something didn't quite work, so I'm still tinkering with the process. Also, this is your last chance to enter my pie package giveaway! It closes at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time tonight. Good luck everyone!

Apple Hand Pies
Adapted from Alison Ladman
As seen in the Seattle Times

1/3 c sugar
¾ tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 Tbs butter
3 small Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and diced
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp lemon juice
1 Tbs water
Pastry dough for single layer crust
1 egg, beaten with 1 Tbs water

Combine sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small bowl. Set aside. Melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the apples and sugar mixture. Sauté for 4-5 minutes, or until just tender.

Stir the cornstarch, lemon juice, and water in a small bowl. Add to the apples and stir. Cook until the juices thicken and bubble, about 2 minutes. Set the filling aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll pastry dough out on a lightly floured surface to a 3/8” thickness. Cut out shapes for hand pies. Place a few tablespoonfuls of filling in on each cutout. Dab water on the edge of the dough and crimp closed. Make sure the pies are sealed well. Brush egg wash over the surface of the pies. Cut slits or shapes on the top of each pie to allow steam to escape. Place pies on the baking sheet and bake until bubbly and golden brown, about 20-25 minutes (depending on size.) Transfer to a wire rack. Let cool for 20 minutes before serving.

Honey Pear Galette

2011-09-16T06:32:00.000-04:00

Pears are one of my favorite fruits. I know, I say that with just about every fruit I mention. There are some I don't care for: cantaloupe, papaya, persimmon. Maybe I just haven't given them a chance. But pears, they are a fall favorite. My love of pears is evidenced by Exhibit A, below.

Pears seem to take a backseat to apples. With pears, you know exactly when they're ripe. In fact, there's about a two day window to eat a ripe pear. I actually like them just before they ripen - when they're sweet but still a little firm. When they're at this stage, they're perfect for this recipe.

A galette is a free form pie that doesn't use a plate. I like to think of it as a lazy man's pie. Most of the time when I ruin a crust, it is because it fell apart when transferring to the pie plate. This problem is eliminated with a galette, so my success rate for it is much higher.

I combined two different recipes to make this - the custard comes from White on Rice, and the honey comes from Dessert For Breakfast. The uniform pear slices made an attractive center. When the galette baked the pears got really watery and the custard looked like it might break down, but everything set when the galette cooled. Next time I may drizzle the honey on after the galette bakes.

Did I mention that there's a giveaway going on?

Honey Pear Galette
adapted from White On Rice and Dessert for Breakfast

Pastry Cream:
1 c whole milk
2 Tbs cornstarch
4 Tbs sugar
1/8 tsp sea salt
1 egg
¼ tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp cinnamon

1 single layer pastry crust

Pear Filling:
4 ripe pears, peeled and thinly sliced
1 Tbs all purpose flour
Pinch of salt
2 Tbs honey

Egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 Tbs water)

For the pastry cream: Heat milk in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Mix cornstarch, sugar, and sea salt, and egg in a small bowl. Once milk begins to boil, remove from heat. Slowly pour 1/3 c of the hot milk into the cornstarch mixture, whisking constantly. Pour that back into the saucepan with the remaining milk, also whisking to combine. Place saucepan over medium heat and cook until the mixture thickens, whisking constantly (about 2 minutes.) Pour pastry cream into a heatproof bowl and let chill while you prep the pears.

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Roll pastry crust into a 12-inch circle. Transfer crust to a baking sheet. Spread pastry cream in the center, leaving approximately a 2-inch border. Arrange the pear slices on top of the pastry cream. Sprinkle with the flour and salt. Fold edges of the crust over the pears. Lightly brush the surface of the crust with the egg wash. Bake until the crust is golden, about 30-40 minutes. Place on a cooling rack and drizzle exposed pears with honey. Cool before serving.

Banana Cream Pie

2011-09-15T06:47:00.008-04:00

Pie Week is over halfway done. Have I featured your favorite pie? Maybe your favorite is coming up. Do any of these look enticing enough to try? These last few recipes are cooler-weather pies.

I'm a sucker for anything with a whipped cream topping. Banana cream pie is has simple ingredients - sliced bananas, vanilla custard, and that beautiful, fluffy topping. When put together, this pie becomes more than the sum of its parts.

Don't forget to enter my giveaway.

Banana Cream Pie
adapted from Kelly Jaggers

Pastry crust for single layer pie

3 ripe bananas, peeled and sliced ¼-inch thick
1 ½ c whole milk
½ c sugar
4 Tbs corn starch
2 eggs
¼ tsp salt
3 Tbs unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla

½ Tbs cold water
½ tsp unflavored powder gelatin
1 c heavy whipping cream, cold
3 Tbs powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Heat oven to 375ºF. Roll out pastry dough and place in a 9-inch pie. Line pastry with foil and add pie weights or a pound of dried beans (I use black eyed peas.) Bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and weight and bake an additional 10 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. Cover edge with a pie shield if it starts getting too brown. Remove pie crust from oven and set aside to cool.

Layer banana slices evenly in the bottom of the crust. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, milk, cornstarch, eggs, and salt. Whisk until smooth. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it begins to simmer and thicken.

Remove from heat and add the butter and vanilla. Stir until melted. Pour custard through a strainer to remove any lumps, then pour custard into the prepared crust.

Place a layer of plastic wrap over the crust, making sure the surface of the custard is touching the wrap. Chill overnight.

Place cold water in a small bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over the water and let sit for 5 minutes. Microwave for 10 seconds to melt. Set aside while you whip the cream.

Whip the cream in a medium, cold bowl on medium-high speed. Once cream starts to thicken, add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and gelatin, and continue whipping until soft peaks form. Top pie with whipped cream. Let pie chill for 30 minutes before serving.

Ham, Zucchini, and Gruyere Quiche

2011-09-14T06:54:00.005-04:00

Pie Week charges on. Wednesday already? Time to change things up, with a savory pie. You may (or may not) have noticed a dearth of egg recipes on my blog. Aside from the occasional dessert with a rich custard, I tend to stay away from eggy dishes - brunch favorites, hollandaise sauce, anything with meringue....That's because Hubs has an egg intolerance. The tyke may have inherited this. Since I don't want to be the only one in the house to eat something, I tend to shy away from these types of foods.

The one exception to this is quiche. Every so often, I crave quiche. I love the cheesy, light-but-dense filling, especially combined with a pastry crust. Quiche is a great way to use up the stuff that hangs out in my refrigerator drawers. Leftover mushrooms? Throw them in! A few nubs of hard cheese? Grate them up! A few sprigs of thyme? Even better! Quiche is one of the few dishes where I'll eat ham, probably because there's lots of other stuff to hide it in. I also like to eat quiche with a salad, especially arugula, because it helps balance out the richness from the pie.

Ham, Zucchini, and Gruyere Quiche
original recipe

Pastry dough for a single layer pie

2 Tbs olive oil
1 medium zucchini, diced
7 oz. ham steak, cubed
4 large eggs
1 c regular cream
1 ½ c gruyere cheese
¼ c shredded Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Roll out pastry dough and line a deep dish pie plate.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add zucchini, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add ham and cook until the ham begins to brown, another 3-4 minutes. Remove pan from heat and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and cream. Stir in gruyere, Parmesan, and ham/zucchini mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Pour into the prepared pie plate. Bake until set, about 35-40 minutes. Cover edge of the crust with a pie shield or strips of foil to keep them from burning. Remove from oven, and let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Grasshopper Pie

2011-09-13T06:36:00.001-04:00

It's Day 3 of Pie Week! Be sure to enter the giveaway. You know how I said that great pie starts with a great crust? Here's a prime example. This crust has crushed Oreos, coconut, and butter - what a blissful combination. It pairs perfectly with the chilled mint custard.

The original recipe involved steeping mint leaves in cream. I tried it once, and it seemed like an unnecessary step. I achieved the exact same results with some peppermint extract, with a lot less time and mess. That's the thing about Martha Stewart recipes. Occasionally, the directions are overly complicated.

Also, I once made this pie using double stuff Oreos. Big mistake. All the extra "creme" melted when the crust baked, forming greasy pools on the surface. That's why I stick to reduced fat cookies.

Grasshopper Pie
Adapted from Martha Stewart

6 Tbs butter, melted, plus extra for the pie plate
¾ c sweetened shredded coconut
1 ½ c crushed chocolate wafer sandwich cookies (reduced fat Oreos work great)
½ c sugar
2 c heavy cream
3 Tbs green crème de menthe (or clear, with 4 drops of food coloring)
1 envelope (1/4 ounce) unflavored gelatin
5 large egg yolks
½ tsp peppermint extract

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly butter a 9-inch pie plate. Whisk together the coconut, cookie crumbs, and ¼ c of the sugar. Add melted butter and stir well until combined. Press mixture into the pie plate. Bake until just set, 10-12 minutes. Cool completely.

Prepare an ice water bath by filling a large bowl halfway with ice cubes. Pour enough cold water in to fill to the top of the ice. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat ½ c whipped cream until stiff peaks form. Set aside. Place crème de menthe (and food coloring) in a small bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over it. Set aside. Beat egg yolks and remaining ¼ c sugar in a medium heat-proof bowl. Set aside.

Heat the other 1 ½ c cream and peppermint extract over medium heat until warm. Add gelatin mixture and whisk until gelatin is melted. Temper the egg yolks by slowly drizzling about ½ c of the warm cream mixture into the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Pour egg mixture back into the pan of remaining cream. Heat until cream mixture reaches 150ºF, stirring constantly.

Transfer the pan to the ice water bath. Whisk until the mixture thickens to the consistency of pudding, about 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the bath. Gently fold in the chilled whipped cream with a rubber spatula until well combined.

Spoon mixture into the pie crust. Chill until set.

Peach Pie

2011-09-12T07:07:00.012-04:00

Welcome to Day 2 of Pie Week! Don't forget to enter my Pie Week giveaway. Summer is easing into autumn, for most of the country. Here at Pie Week, I aim to reflect this shift. Florida is not one of those places that cools off in September. The weather regularly stays over 90 degrees. So my first pie recipe is a summer favorite.

Peach pie is a quintessential Southern dish. Peaches come in season at the end of summer, and it is one of my favorite fruits. One of Hubs' students gave us a basket of peaches from when they went picking up in Kentucky. They were some of the best peaches I ever had. Ever since we ate those, Hubs has been asking for peach pie.

This version has a little hit of brown sugar and cinnamon. They complement the peaches nicely. While I love the lattice top to the pie, the large openings dried out the exposed peaches. Next time, I'll use a tighter weave, or cover the top completely.

Peach Pie
adapted from Kelly Jaggers
from The Everything Pie Cookbook

Note: Ripe peaches will peel very easily. If you have trouble removing the skin, use a vegetable peeler. Or, cut a thin “x” into the bottom of each peach. Blanch peaches in boiling water for 1 minute, then plunge them into a bowl of ice water to halt the cooking process. Skins should peel away after the peaches cool.

¾ c light brown sugar
¼ c cornstarch
¼ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
7-10 ripe peaches (depending on size), peeled, pitted, and cut into 1-inch chunks

1 double layer pie crust, unbaked

2 Tbs unsalted butter
1 egg, beaten with 1 Tbs water

Heat oven to 425ºF.

In a large bowl, combine brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, vanilla, and peaches. Gently stir to coat the fruit and let stand for 10 minutes.

Roll out half the double layer pie dough and press into a 9-inch pie plate. Trim edges. Pour the peach filling into the plate. Dot the top with butter. Brush the edge of the crust with the egg/water mixture.

Roll out the second half of the pie dough. Cut into 1-inch strips. Place on top of the filling in a lattice design. Trim edges of lattice strips. Crimp the edges with a fork or your fingers. Brush the top layer of crust and the edges with the egg wash.

Place pie on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350ºF and bake for an additional 30 minutes. Cover edges with a pie shield or strips of foil to prevent burning. Cool for 1 hour before slicing.

The Perfect Pie Crust and a Giveaway

2011-09-11T07:21:00.007-04:00

There's a National Pie Day (January 23rd). And there's a Pi Day (March 14th. 3-14, get it?) But there's no Pie Week. Olivia Munn has started a petition for a National Pie Week. Britain has a Pie Week. Why don't we? So I'm taking things into my own hands, and declaring it Pie Week around here. I'm posting a pie recipe every day this week. Will your favorite make an appearance? Check back to find out.

Great pie starts with a great crust. For me, this includes using a combination butter and lard. Yes, lard. It helps make the crust flaky. I've tried using vegetable shortening, but it leaves a weird texture in my mouth. The only way I can describe it is "mouth-feel." So lard it is. I guess it's a good thing I don't make a pie every week.

Kelly Jaggers' The Everything Pie Cookbook has great tips for making pie crust. A lot of them I already knew. Give the dough a quarter turn after rolling it once to keep it from sticking. Don't overwork the dough when mixing. Use ice cold water. After reading her book, I actually put those tips to work. Guess what, I consistently made fantastic pie crusts! Imagine that. This recipe was my favorite from the book.

The Perfect Pie Crust
adapted from “Food Processor Pie Crust”
by Kelly Jaggers

Makes a single crust. For a double crust, double the ingredients. Divide dough in half, flatten each half into a disk, and separately wrap and chill the disks.

1 ¼ c all purpose flour
1 Tbs sugar
½ tsp salt
4 Tbs unsalted butter, chilled and cut into chunks
3 Tbs lard (or vegetable shortening), chilled and cut into chunks
3-4 Tbs ice cold water

Add flour, sugar, and salt to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times to combine. Add butter and shortening and pulse until the dough separates into large pebbles, about 5 pulses.

Add 2 Tbs of water and pulse. Add more water, a tablespoon at a time, if needed. Dough should start to clump together into one mass, but should not feel wet or sticky.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and form into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Take dough out of refrigerator and let sit on the counter for 10 minutes. Unwrap, and roll dough out on a lightly floured surface, forming a 12-inch circle. Periodically turn the dough 90 degrees (a quarter turn) to keep the dough from sticking. Dust the surface with a little more flour if necessary.

Carefully transfer dough to a 9-inch pie plate. Press gently into the plate and trim to 1-inch of the edge of the pan. Crimp edge with a fork or your fingers.

Now for the giveaway - my very first. I'm a little nervous. I'm giving away some pie making goodies - a copy of Everything Pie by Kelly Jaggers, a pie crust shield, and a rolling mat. The book has tons of fabulous looking recipes. The crust shield keeps the edges from turning too brown. And the rolling mat has handy outlines so you know exactly how big the dough is as you roll it out.

Here are the rules:

1. Open to U.S. residents only.

2. To enter, leave a comment telling me your favorite pie flavor. Is it a fruit pie? A custard pie? A savory pie? Duplicate comments will be invalid. Please include your email address if it is not part of your profile.

3. For an additional entry, "Like" Kokocooks on Facebook. Leave a comment telling me your first name and the first initial of your last name.

4. Giveaway closes on Saturday September 17, 2011 at 8:00 p.m Eastern Time. One winner will be chosen at random, and notified via email. Winner has 72 hours to respond.

Good luck!

Friday Food Truck Photo, September 9th

2011-09-09T07:13:00.001-04:00

Cake ball kabobs, from Bloom Bakery. They partner with Treehouse Truck at food truck events. The flavors were: chocolate, banana caramel, chocolate strawberry, and coconut lime. Fantastic concept, great flavors, but not successful in execution. The insides were way too soft - almost seemed like they were raw. Listen to me, I think I've been watching too much Top Chef.

Greek Burritos

2011-09-04T08:19:00.006-04:00

Every so often on a weekday, Hubs and the tyke meet me for lunch. We sometimes meet a mall not too far from where I work. The mall is convenient and kid friendly. Normally, I'm not a fan of the selection at food courts, but this mall has a place that sells fantastic Greek food. Their menu is a mashup of traditional Greek and Mexican dishes, and one of my favorite things to eat is the Greek burrito. So naturally, I set about making a version at home.

Elly of Elly Says Opa! has fantastic recipes on her blog. She recently posted a recipe for Greek nachos, and the seasoned meat for those nachos looked like an easy way to replicate gyro meat for my burritos. I loved how the lamb turned out! I sometimes have difficulty finding ground lamb at the supermarket, so I used lamb shanks. It was easy to trim the meat and then grind it. If you're not a fan of lamb, ground beef would work well for the burritos.

Greek Burritos
meat recipe adapted from Elly Says Opa!

Lamb:
1 Tbs olive oil
¼ c finely diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs tomato paste
1 lb ground lamb (or beef)
1/3 c water
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp oregano
¼ tsp ground coriander
1/8 tsp cloves

4 large flour tortillas
2 c cooked rice
¾ c crumbled feta cheese
1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 tomato, chopped
Quick tzatziki sauce (recipe below)

For the lamb: Heat skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and heat through. Add onion, and cook until softened. Add garlic and tomato paste, and sauté until fragrant, another 2 minutes. Add lamb and brown. Drain some of the fat from the pan. Add water and spices, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Stack tortillas on a plate and cover with a damp paper towel. Heat in microwave for about 30 seconds so they become pliable. Place some rice, meat, feta, cucumber, tomato, and tzatziki sauce on each tortilla. Fold ends up and roll.

Quick tzatziki sauce
adapted from Emeril Lagasse

1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
1 c plain Greek yogurt
1 Tbs olive oil
2 tsp lemon juice
½ tsp salt
1 tsp minced, fresh oregano
1 small garlic clove, minced

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Chill for at least 1 hour.

Friday Food Truck Photo, September 2nd

2011-09-02T06:48:00.004-04:00

420 burger from The Crooked Spoon. This is not a regular menu item - it makes special appearances only. It is loaded with bacon, pineapple jam, fried onion ring, and a dijon spread - a great combination of sweet and salty.

Banana Bread Waffles

2011-08-31T07:41:00.001-04:00

Bananas. I love them when they're just a touch green. I hate them when they're soft and speckled. I'm always looking for ways to use them up once they get to that point. This recipe is a great way to use them up. I posted these on The Life of Rylie's Saturday Play Date a few weeks ago. They are super easy to make, and they freeze well for later. Since I'm still on a waffle kick for breakfast, I end up using the bananas eventually.

Banana Bread Waffles
adapted from Seven Spoons

4 Tbs butter, melted
1 c plus 2 Tbs milk, warmed a little
1 tsp vanilla
2 c all-purpose flour
1 Tbs packed light brown sugar
1 ½ tsp yeast
½ tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten lightly
3 very ripe bananas, mashed (about 1-1 ¼ c)
3 Tbs sour cream or Greek yogurt

In a small bowl, whisk together the butter, milk, and vanilla. Mixture should be warm but not hot. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, yeast, and salt. Pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined. Stir in the beaten eggs. Cover and refrigerate for at least 12 hours, and up to 24 hours.

Thirty minutes before you want to make the waffles, take the batter out of the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature. The batter should be doubled in size. When ready to make the waffles, stir in the mashed bananas and sour cream. Use a light hand to thoroughly combine. Heat waffle iron and bake according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Gummy Frogs - August Daring Bakers (part 2)

2011-08-27T06:35:00.006-04:00

So, the Daring Bakers challenge for the month was two-fold. Along with chocolate candies, we had to make one other type of candy. This other candy could be anything. I chose gummy frogs. I've wanted to make gummy candy for a while, but was a little off-put by the amount of gelatin used. I tried using less, but the texture ended up somewhere between jello and a gummy bear. That was even more off-putting.

When it came time to pull the candies out of the molds, I was a little wary. I was afraid they would rip, but they were surprising resilient. All means of tugging and pulling on them, and those frogs didn't lose their shape, let alone tear. I love how they look like they're marching into battle.

Look, they're getting closer.

Gummy Frogs
adapted from Skip To My Lou
white layer adapted from Jelly Shot Test Kitchen

Green Layer:
1/3 c water
1 box of melon flavored jello (or any green flavor)
3 packets of unflavored gelatin

White layer:
1/3 c water
1 packet unflavored gelatin
4 oz sweetened condensed milk

Cornstarch for dusting

For the green layer: Place water in a small saucepan. Sprinkle jello and unflavored gelatin over the water, and let set for 5 minutes. Place saucepan over medium heat and melt the mixture, stirring occasionally. Place gelatin mixture into a cup with a pour-spout. Fill plastic molds until almost full. Leave a few centimeters at the top.

For the white layer: while the green layer sets, make the white layer. Follow the same steps as above with the water and gelatin. After the mixture melts, remove from heat, and stir in the condensed milk. Place gelatin mixture into a cup with a pour-spout and fill the remaining space of the molds. Let candy set. Dust the surface of the candy with a little bit of cornstarch, and then pull out of molds.

You can use the mold over to make more batches. Gently re-heat the gelatin mixtures until melted and re-fill the molds, letting the green layer set a little before filling with the white mixture.

Peanut Butter Cups - August Daring Bakers (part 1)

2011-08-27T06:32:00.009-04:00

The August 2011 Daring Bakers’ Challenge was hosted by Lisa of Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drive and Mandy of What the Fruitcake?!. These two sugar mavens challenged us to make sinfully delicious candies! This was a special challenge for the Daring Bakers because the good folks at http://www.chocoley.com/ offered an amazing prize for the winner of the most creative and delicious candy!

I'm not sure how "creative" it was to make peanut butter cups, but wow, were they good!

Our task for the Daring Bakers was to make chocolate candies and to temper the chocolate. Tempering chocolate allows the chocolate to develop that shiny exterior and soft texture that chocolate candies are known for. It is important to use high quality chocolate. I've tempered chocolate using regular chocolate chips, and baker's chocolate, and it didn't quite work. The chocolate was soft at room temperature, and melted as soon as I touched them with my fingers. Those types of chocolate do not have a high enough cocoa butter content to temper properly.

Tempering the chocolate sounds tricky, but it is really easy. It's just a matter of keeping a close eye on the temperature while you're heating and cooling and reheating the chocolate. I have a feeling these candies will make a reappearance in my holiday goody boxes.

For part 2 of the Daring Bakers challenge, I made gummy frogs.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
filling adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

8 oz high quality milk chocolate
1/2 c creamy peanut butter
3 Tbs unsalted butter, softened
3 Tbs powdered sugar
1/8 tsp salt

Temper the chocolate: Break the chocolate into small chunks. Melt 2/3 of the chocolate the the top of a double boiler over simmering water. Gently stirring constantly, bring the chocolate to 113º F. Remove the double boiler from the heat. Add small amounts of the reserved chocolate bits to the hot chocolate, stirring to melt. Keep adding small amounts until the chocolate reaches 80.6º F (a digital instant read thermometer is extremely helpful for this). Return the chocolate to the simmering water and heat until the chocolate reaches 86º F. It is important to keep the water simmering and not boiling, as the chocolate heats very quickly. It is also important to keep the chocolate free of water drops, or it will seize and turn dry. The chocolate is now tempered and ready to use.

For the peanut butter filling: beat the peanut butter, butter, powdered sugar, and salt together until smooth. Place filling in a pastry bag fitted with a medium sized round tip.

Place mini-cup liners in a mini-muffin pan (or use chocolate molds without any liners). Fill cups about 1/2 way full. Using a small popsicle stick, or a lollipop stick, or a chopstick (you get the picture) paint the sides of the cups, making sure sides and are coated with chocolate. Chill the cups for about 5 minutes. Take out of fridge, and fill cups with peanut butter filling until about 3/4 of the way full. Tap the muffin pan on the counter to remove all air pockets, and to level the filling. Pour more chocolate into the cups, filling to the top. You can let the chocolate set either at room temperature, or in the refrigerator. Once set, remove chocolates from muffin pan.

Friday Food Truck Photo, August 26th

2011-08-26T06:23:00.000-04:00

Ropa vieja tostones, from Tastebuds Catering. These tasted awesome. I had to fight my husband and my son off in order to eat them. As it was, I only ate about half the food. The garlicky green sauce was the best, and my son liked wiping it on my face as well.

Salmon Nicoise Salad

2011-08-23T06:29:00.008-04:00

When I was on vacation in Europe (man, I love saying that!), I saw niçoise salads on just about every cafe and restaurant menu. I indulged in one, enjoying the crunchy veggies, soft eggs, and pungent anchovies. I ate this salad in Brussels, so I'm including a gratuitous Belgian street scene.

When I came back home, just about every food magazine I read had a recipe for a niçoise salad. There were 2 recipes alone in Gwyneth Paltrow's book. Most of the recipes swapped out salmon for the tuna. I figured that all these magazine editors (and Gwyneth) couldn't be wrong, and made a salmon niçoise salad.

This salad is a perfect make-ahead meal, since so many ingredients need prepping. You can poach the salmon, boil the eggs, and cook the potatoes and green beans the night/morning before eating the salad. And what's so great is that the prepped ingredients don't need to be reheated - it's a salad. A cold salad. Once it's time to eat, it's just a matter of whipping together the dressing, and throwing everything together. Speaking of the dressing - it totally brought everything together. Drizzle it lightly and toss well. It can overpower the other ingredients if poured on too thickly.

Salmon Niçoise Salad
Adapted from Garden Fresh Recipes
From Sunset magazine

1 bay leaf
½ Tbs kosher salt
10 black peppercorns
1 c white wine
1 lb salmon filet

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs Dijon mustard
5 Tbs white wine vinegar
½ c extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbs chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 Tbs chopped fresh basil
Sea salt

2 large bunches baby arugula
15 small red skinned new potatoes, boiled and cut in half
4 hard boiled eggs, cut into quarters
½ lb fresh green beans, trimmed and cooked until tender crisp
½ c pitted black olives (Niçoise, if available)
1 c chopped fresh tomatoes

Place bay leaf, kosher salt, peppercorns, and wine in a large saucepan. Add salmon and enough water to cover. Remove salmon, cover pan, and bring liquid to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, then gently place salmon in the liquid. Simmer, covered, until salmon is just opaque, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, make the dressing.

In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic, mustard, and white wine vinegar. Slowly whisk in the oil until the dressing is well combined. Whisk in the parsley and basil. Season with salt.

With a spatula, carefully remove the salmon from the poaching liquid. Set on a plate, and chill for 10 minutes, loosely covered with foil. Discard poaching liquid.

To assemble the salad, break salmon into large pieces, discarding the skin. Arrange arugula onto a large platter. Top with salmon, eggs, green beans, olives, and tomatoes. Drizzle dressing evenly over the salad. Toss, and serve.

Friday Food Truck Photo, August 19

2011-08-19T07:01:00.003-04:00

Continuing the quest to eat my way through O-town's growing list of food trucks. This is a chicken and waffle from Melissa's Chicken and Waffles. Every time I've been to a food truck event where this truck was parked, there was a line deep that was at least an hour long. Sometimes a two hour line. I finally realized why. What a great combination, especially when topped with gravy. It's pretty filling, so I recommend sharing with a friend.

Calzones

2011-08-17T06:09:00.002-04:00

I can't decide which I like more - pizza or calzones. They're essentially the same thing: dough, cheese, sauce, and fillings/toppings. Pizza has more has a higher toppings to crust ration, whereas calzones are the opposite. I guess my favorite depends on whether I'm in the mood for carbs or not.

Calzones take about the same amount of time to put together as pizza, which if you use pre-made dough is not much. I find this especially helpful on busy weeknights when I don't have time to prep dough. My local supermarket sells pizza dough near the bakery section, in a little refrigerator along with pizza fixings.

I'm not normally a pepperoni eater, but on this occasion it sounded really good. Combined with mushrooms, it tasted great! Some of my favorite fillings are spinach, tomato, artichoke, meatball, and pineapple, although not all at once. What are some of your favorite fillings/toppings?

Calzones
Original recipe

1 batch pizza dough (or store bought dough)

Filling:
8 oz. mozzarella, cut into small chunks
4 oz pepperoni slices
Small carton button mushrooms, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced

Olive oil
1 c marinara sauce

Place a pizza stone (if available) in oven. Preheat oven to 400˚F.

Follow instructions for pizza dough through punching the dough down. (If you’re using store bought pizza dough, let the dough rise at room temperature until doubled, then punch down.) Divide dough into 4 equal portions. Working with one piece at a time, roll dough out to form a flat circle (or as close to a circle as you can get.) Place ¼ of each of the mozzarella, pepperoni, and mushrooms on one half of the dough. Sprinkle with a bit of garlic. Fold over the other side of dough, covering the filling. Pinch ends together, making sure to completely seal. Drizzle with a little bit of olive oil, spreading it to cover the surface. Place calzones on hot pizza stone and bake until browned on top, about 10-15 minutes. Check a few times to prevent calzone from burning. Let cool for 5 minutes, and serve with a side of marinara sauce.

My First Guest Post

2011-08-13T08:15:00.002-04:00

I'm posting over at The Life Of Rylie...And Bryce, too today for a Saturday Play Date! I made some banana bread waffles to share with LeeAnn's readers.

Head on over to her blog and check it out. You'll also get to see a rare photo of Hubs, the tyke, and me - all in one shot!

Friday Food Truck Photo, August 11

2011-08-12T07:45:00.004-04:00

Brown sugar bacon fries from Big Wheel Truck. Fried in fat from their house-cured bacon, and sprinkled with brown sugar. Salty and sweet. Don't knock them until you try them, because they are ah-ma-zing! Of all the local trucks, Big Wheel's menu changes the most often. That's because they focus on using local, seasonal ingredients in their dishes.

Baguettes

2011-08-08T20:08:00.010-04:00

While on vacation in Europe last month, we spent a few days in Paris. I had been to Paris once before, about 12 years ago. I had already done a lot of the typical tourist things, so on this trip I wanted to explore the city in a different way. Since we left the tyke in Belgium with family, we did lots non kid-friendly activities - like museums, bike tours, eating leisurely at sit-down restaurants and cafes, and drinking lots of wine. Check out my album, which includes pictures I took while on a photo tour.

I also took a four hour long bread baking class. I mean, what better place to learn to make baguettes than Paris? Along with the baguettes, we also made two types of brioche, and fougasse. Chef Pino was patient, informative, and a thorough instructor. Best part was that we got to taste all the bread at the end of the class, and we took the rest with us when left. Hubs and I devoured the baguette and half the brioche on the train ride back to Belgium (along with some exquisite macarons from La Duree.)

Once home, I immediately tried to replicate the baguettes. The method I had learned didn't quite work here, so I had to find a recipe that was adapted for American ingredients. I remember having some success with the recipe in Mireille Guiliano's book, so I added a few things I learned from the class to this recipe.

I love the crisp crusts on these baguettes, along with their soft insides. I also learned that baguettes are only good for about 4-6 hours after baking, after which they go stale. If you don't plan on eating all four baguettes within that time, you can save the dough for later. Once you shape the baguettes, wrap them in plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator. They will last a few days that way. When you are ready to bake, unwrap them, place on baking sheet, cover with a dish towel, and let rise at room temperature until doubled.

Baguettes
Adapted from Mireille Guiliano

1 tsp active dry yeast
1 ¾ c warm water
5 c unbleached flour
2 tsp kosher salt
Spray bottle of water

In a small bowl, combine yeast and ½ c warm water. Stir gently to dissolve yeast. Set aside for 10 minutes.

Combine flour and salt. Add yeast mixture and stir in remaining 1 ¼ c warm water. Mix dough until it is sticky enough to knead (or use a dough hook in a stand mixer.) On a lightly floured surface, knead about 10 minutes. Dough should be slightly sticky and smooth with no lumps. Coat a large bowl with a thin layer of non-stick spray. Place dough in the bowl, and cover with a damp towel. Let rise at room temperature until doubled, about 1-1 ½ hours.

Remove dough from bowl to a very lightly floured hard surface. Pick up dough, and slam it onto the surface a few times. (Don’t be gentle. This helps remove air pockets. Be careful, because flour will fly in a few different directions.) Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. Roll each into a baguette shape. Tuck ends under to form a smooth surface. Transfer loaves to a lightly greased baking sheet (or baguette pan), cover with a damp towel, and let rise until nearly doubled in size.

Place about 2-3 cups of water in a baking pan and place on the bottom rack in the oven. Preheat oven to 450˚F. Do not open oven door until you are ready to bake the baguettes. Score loaves diagonally across the top with a sharp knife. Spray tops generously with water. Place baguettes in oven and bake for 10 minutes. Lower heat to 350˚F and bake an additional 10-15 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool on a rack before slicing.

Friday Food Truck Photo, August 5

2011-08-05T10:36:00.000-04:00

Traditional pupusa from Pupusas Orlando - thick tortilla stuffed with shredded pork, cheese, and mashed beans.

Salt and Pepper Shrimp

2011-08-05T06:57:00.004-04:00

Whole shrimp. With heads. And tentacles. All edible. I debated for a while about posting this recipe, which resulted in no blog updates for a week. It tasted fabulous, so much so that we made it twice in one week. But its appearance might be off-putting, possibly intimidating. The shrimp are meant to be eaten in their entirety. In fact, they taste best when eaten this way, since the salty-sweet pepper mixture coats the crunchy shell.

We brought a shrimp to our neighbor so he could try one. He took one look at it and declared us "adventurous eaters." Hidden meaning: "No way I'm putting that thing in my mouth." I never really thought of myself as an adventurous eater. I'm not as adventurous as my friend Julia, who has eaten donkey, tripe, live squid, and fried silk worms. Does eating shrimp legs and heads constitute as adventurous eating? The tyke loved the shrimp. Of course, he'll eat just about anything that's deep fried.

So here is my question for you readers: if presented with a plate of these succulent, fragrant shrimp, how much of them would you eat? Shell? Legs? Tail? Head?

Salt and Pepper Shrimp

adapted from a recipe by Luke Nguyen

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp five spice powder

1 tsp sugar

Vegetable oil for frying, plus 1 Tbs more

8 large whole shrimp

1 ½ c cornstarch

1 Tbs minced garlic

1 Tbs minced shallot

1 tsp minced fresh red chile or jalepeno chile

3 green onions, green and light green sections sliced into 1-inch pieces

1 lime, quartered

Place salt, pepper, and five spice powder in a hot pan over medium high heat. Dry roast for about 1 minute, stirring a few times. Remove from heat to a bowl, and let cool. Stir in sugar. Set aside.

Place enough oil in a fryer or a dutch oven to reach a 3-inch depth. Heat oil to 300ºF. Place cornstarch in a large bowl. Dredge the shrimp in the cornstarch, shaking off excess. Place four shrimp in the hot oil and fry for 1 minute. Remove with a slotted spoon onto a cooling rack. Repeat with remaining shrimp.

In a large skillet, heat 1 Tbs of vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic, shallot, chile, and green onions. Saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add shrimp, tossing to combine. Sprinkle salt and pepper mixture onto the shrimp as you toss, making sure to coat the shrimp well. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

Friday Food Truck Photo, July 29

2011-07-29T07:28:00.002-04:00

These are cake push pops (red velvet-cream cheese and chocolate-peanut butter) from the Batter Bowl Truck. Such a whimsical and portable container - and I felt like a kid again when I ate one. The red velvet cake was incredibly moist. Sadly, I lost the chocolate push pop before I could taste it. I disappeared somewhere between the food truck and my car. Guess that means I'll have to go back and get another one!

Sticky Wings

2011-07-26T15:55:00.000-04:00

As soon as I saw this recipe in the America Test Kitchen's Slow Cooker Revolution cookbook, I started craving wings. And I don't eat wings very often. Call me a wuss, but I'm not a fan of completely covering my fingers in a gooey sauce in order to eat my food. These wings, however, looked too good to pass up.

Unlike some of the recipes in the Slow Cooker Revolution, this one was super easy: mix the sauce ingredients, dump it into the slow cooker with the wings, and cook. A short stint under the broiler crisped up the skin and caramelized the sticky sauce. The sauce was sweet and tangy, with just a hint of heat. Once I started eating them, it took a supreme effort to stop.

Sticky Wings
Adapted from Slow Cooker Revolution
From America’s Test Kitchen

Wings:
¼ c dark brown sugar
1 Tbs soy sauce
2 Tbs minced fresh ginger
4 cloves garlic, minced
Dash of cayenne pepper
3 lbs chicken wings, drums and flats*
Salt and pepper

Sauce:
½ c dark brown sugar
½ tsp sambal oelek (or sriracha or ¼ tsp cayenne powder)
3 Tbs soy sauce
¼ c water
¼ c tomato paste

For the wings: Stir together the brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and cayenne in a small bowl. Season chicken with salt and pepper, and place in slow cooker. Pour soy sauce mixture in over the wings and toss to coat. Cover and cook until chicken is tender, about 4 hours on low.

Position an oven rack 10 inches from the broiler. Heat on broil. Coat a broiling pan (or a wire rack placed on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet) with non-stick spray. Transfer wings to pan. Discard the liquid.

For the sauce: Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Brush the tops of the wings with the sauce. Broil until crispy on top, about 10-15 minutes (check a few times to prevent burning.) Flip wings and brush the tops with the remaining sauce. Broil until crisp and lightly charred, 5-10 minutes longer. Serve.

Friday Food Truck Photo, July 22

2011-07-22T14:02:00.004-04:00

I'm starting a new series on Kokocooks: the Friday Food Truck Photo. The food truck trend has taken off here in Central FL, and I am totally hooked. Food trucks park at various locations for lunch all over the city. There are weekday "pods" where small groups of trucks will gather for dinner. And there are frequent Food Truck Bazaars on Sunday evenings, hosted by The Daily City. I usually hit up a food truck at least once a week.

Today's photo is a steak bulgogi taco from the Mobile Deli. Sadly, the Mobile Deli truck is up for sale: the owner is changing careers. We will miss the Mobile Deli and their tasty tacos. Hopefully, a company with equally tasty food will open in their stead.

Disney Cupcake Crawl

2011-07-19T12:25:00.002-04:00

The Disney Food Blog is one of my prime sources for food goings-on at Disney. So when A.J. posted a Disney Cupcake Crawl Challenge, I was totally up for it. (below photo: courtesy of The Disney Food Blog.)

Disney generally tends to be a heightened version of reality, and their cupcakes are no exception - they are bigger, more elaborate, and crazier looking than the average cupcake. I knew I would need some help if I wanted to get through a cupcake crawl, so I enlisted the aid of Julie of The Little Kitchen, Jaclyn of Food Plus Words, and Jessica of The Novice Chef. Hubs and the tyke also came along.

The crawl involved 5 locations and 10 cupcakes, spanning across three theme parks and two resorts. We began our journey at the Boardwalk Bakery. They had three cupcakes available: oreo bon bon, orange cream, and s'mores.

We were informally judging the cupcakes on texture, taste, and presentation. All the cupcakes got high marks for presentation. The oreo cupcake had the a fantastic texture, and the orange cream had an incredible flavor. The s'mores cupcake was a little dry.

Next stop was Starring Rolls Cafe at the Hollywood Studios. They had four (!) cupcakes to try: chocolate peanut butter, butterfinger, marble, and red velvet cheesecake. Again, all the cupcakes looked fabulous. However, they were stored in a well-chilled cooler, and I think that affected their texture. If they had come to room temperature before eating, I'm sure they would've been moister.

The cream cheese frosting on the red velvet cupcake was amazing. The butterfinger topping on that cupcake tasted great, especially when combined with the cake. The dense filling of the chocolate peanut butter cupcake was a great combination of both flavors. The only disappointment was the marble cupcake. It was a layer of chocolate cake and a layer of vanilla cake, with hardly a swirl to combine them.

At this point, we were feeling the sugar, so we took a break from cupcakes and rode on Star Tours, and searched for a Star Wars collector's set for Julie's husband. We then headed to the next cupcake stop, the Kusafiri Coffee Shop and Bakery located in the Africa area of the Animal Kingdom.

Here were the most impressive looking cupcakes we had seen so far - a zebra cupcake, a white chocolate elephant cupcake, and a cotton top tamarin cupcake. We oohed and aahed over these cupcakes. However, underneath the fancy tops, the cakes were okay. The toasted coconut on the white elephant cupcake was the best part.

There were still two more stops, but by this point we had reached our heat threshold and sweetness breaking point. We tried a total of 10 cupcakes, which means we added two to the original challenge. We headed for our respective homes to cool off and drink lots of water.

Never one to leave a project unfinished, I followed up a few days later to check out the cupcakes we missed. The vanilla caramel cupcake at the Germany pavilion of Epcot was sorely disappointing. The cake was dry, and the buttercream was hard. I think I got one that was past its prime.

While on our cupcake crawl, we were tweeted by a fan about a must-try cupcake at the Contemporary resort. I headed there and found two fantastic looking cupcakes: the dos leches cupcake, and the Florida strawberry cupcake.

My favorite by far of all the cupcakes I've had (and by this point, that was 12) was the dos leches cake. It was a moist yellow cake, with a caramel filling, topped with a creamy frosting and chocolate shavings. The strawberry cupcake was similar, but with a strawberry filling and a strawberry frosting. The tyke especially liked this one.

And I've saved the best for last. That was the s'mores cupcake at the Wilderness Lodge.

This was a different s'mores cupcake than the one we tried at the Boardwalk Bakery. It consisted of a graham cracker flavored cake studded with chocolate bits, topped with a marshmallow frosting and capped off by a Hershey's chocolate square. It was the perfect balance of the three flavors. Additionally, this cupcake was a little smaller than all the others, making it more manageable (i.e. realistic) to finish.

What a challenge! I can't imagine anyone having the stamina to make it through all those cupcakes in one day. I've been inspired by all the flavors and toppings, but right now I need a break from cupcakes.

Souvlaki Burger Wraps

2011-07-16T17:14:00.001-04:00

Lamb burgers are one of our favorites. The meat lends itself very well to grilling. Usually, we will buy a whole leg of lamb, grind the meat ourselves, and divide it into dinner-sized portions. We then freeze the extra portions for later. This way, we always have ground lamb on hand, since it can sometimes be difficult to find in stores.

I loved the meatball-size nuggets of these burgers. They cooked super-fast, and got a wonderful char on the outside. And I have a cooking confession: when I'm pressed for time, I will stop by a local Mediterranean restaurant and buy some of their tzatziki sauce. It's something I don't mind buying pre-made.

Souvlaki Burger Wraps
Adapted from Burgers
By Paul Gayler

Burgers:
1 ½ lbs coarsely ground lamb
½ c crumbled feta cheese
½ c finely chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbs fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 Tbs fresh mint, chopped
2 tsp fresh oregano, chopped
½ tsp ground cumin
Salt and pepper

4 flatbreads
Lettuce leaves
Sliced red onion
Chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
Tzatziki sauce

Mix all the burger ingredients together in a bowl, seasoning with salt and pepper. Chill for 1 hour.

Shape meat into 3-inch sized patties. Heat a grill until hot, and spray grate lightly with non-stick spray. Cook burgers for about 4-5 minutes until cooked through and lightly charred on the outside, turning burgers regularly. Remove from heat to a plate.

Place flatbreads on the grill and warm for about 30 seconds on each side. Place flatbreads on a plate. To assemble the wraps, sprinkle lettuce, red onion, and parsley on each flatbread. Place 3-4 burgers on top. Spoon tzatziki sauce over the meat. Roll up flatbread and eat.

Heath Bar Cookies

2011-07-05T07:55:00.001-04:00

I'm in the process of cleaning out my pantry. I have lots of random candies in there - peanut butter cups, butterscotch chips, candy canes leftover from Christmas (okay, maybe those should be tossed)....and mini-Heath Bars.

Basically, this is a chocolate chip cookie recipe but with Heath bar bits and pecans. I like the combination of toffee and pecan - they have a similar crunch and balance each other out. We decided to freeze the cookie dough in individual portions so we can pop them in the oven whenever we feel like eating a few cookies. It saves us from going on a cookie eating binge, and I don't have to make cookies nearly as often whenever I have a craving.

Heath Bar Cookies
adapted from Simply Recipes

2 ½ c all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 ½ c sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 c chopped Heath Bar pieces

Sift together flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Beat in vanilla. Add in the flour mixture and mix until combined. Stir in the Heath bar chips. Chill dough for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or silpat. Drop cookies in uniform scoops, placing 3 inches away from each other to allow cookies to spread. Bake 10-12 minutes, until the edges just start to brown. Remove from oven and let cookies cool on the sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and cool completely.

Blueberry and Shrimp Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

2011-06-24T18:06:00.002-04:00

Heather McPherson, the food editor of our local paper, makes guest appearances on my favorite radio station. Every Wednesday morning, she presents a recipe for listeners to try. The dish is seasonal, easy to make, and always sounds fantastic.

A little while ago, Heather featured this shrimp and blueberry salad. My first reaction was, "Shrimp and blueberries!? That's an odd combination." The morning radio crew reacted that way as well. I was intrigued by the flavor combination, so decided to make the salad with the plethora of blueberries in our house. All the ingredients worked together! The blueberries complemented the sweetness of the shrimp, and the citrus in the vinaigrette kept the salad from being too sweet.

Blubeberry and Shrimp Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
Adapted from The Dish
by Heather McPherson

Lemon Vinaigrette:
¼ c vegetable oil
3 Tbs lemon juice
2 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp salt
Few dashes of ground cayenne pepper

Salad:
12 oz medium cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
6 c mixed salad greens
2 c fresh blueberries
½ c walnut pieces
½ c edamame or green peas, cooked and cooled
½ c feta cheese, crumbled

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinaigrette ingredients. Adjust seasoning to taste. Remove 3 Tbs of the vinaigrette and place in a large salad bowl. Add shrimp and toss. Let stand for 5 minutes. Add salad greens to the bowl and toss. Divide salad evenly into 4 bowls. Sprinkle walnuts, edamame, and feta cheese over the salad. Drizzle with vinaigrette.

Vacation Food

2011-06-22T02:58:00.004-04:00

I'm currently in Belgium on vacation. Hubs has family who lives there, and we jumped at the chance to visit. We've been having lots of this:

And these

And have tried these

And of course, this

Boston Cream Pie

2011-06-20T16:28:00.001-04:00

My father-in-law lives in town, and does a LOT of babysitting for us. He covers the few times during the week that Hubs' schedule and my schedule don't overlap. He loves hanging out with the tyke. They go on lots of walks together, and help each other with small projects around the yard.

FIL's birthday was over Memorial Day weekend. He rented a room at the beach, and invited us over for the day. He also hinted that he would like a Boston cream pie for a birthday cake. I was happy to oblige.

I used the Baker's Illustrated recipe found on Annie's blog, and the cake was one of the moistest sponge cakes I've ever had. The custard, however, never set and became a runny mess. After reading the comments in the blog post, I guess I didn't cook the custard long enough. I ended up using a Martha Stewart recipe for the custard.

Boston Cream Pie
Cake from Annies-Eats, originally from Baking Illustrated
Pastry cream from Martha Stewart

Pastry cream:
2 c milk
½ c sugar
4 large egg yolks
2 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
6 Tbs cornstarch

In a medium saucepan, combine milk and ¼ c of the sugar over medium heat. Bring to a simmer. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks and remaining sugar until well combined. Whisk in vanilla and salt. Whisk in cornstarch, 1 tablespoon at a time, until fully incorporated. Slowly add about 1 cup of the milk mixture to the egg mixture, whisking constantly to prevent the eggs from cooking. Add this back to the saucepan with the remaining milk. Continue cooking over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture comes to a full boil.

Transfer mixture to a medium bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap against the surface of the filling to prevent a skin from forming. Chill overnight.

Cake:
½ (2 oz)c cake flour
¼ c (1.25 oz) all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
3 Tbs milk
2 Tbs unsalted butter
½ tsp vanilla extract
5 large eggs, room temperature
¾ c (5.25 oz) sugar

Adjust an oven rack to lower-middle position. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line the bottoms of two 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper. Grease and flour the sides of the pans; set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the cake flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. In a small saucepan, combine the milk and butter and heat over medium-low heat until the butter melts. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla; set aside.

Separate 3 of the eggs, putting the whites in the bowl of a stand mixer. Reserve the 3 yolks plus the other 2 whole eggs in a separate bowl. Fit the mixer with the whisk attachment and beat the whites on low until foamy. Increase the mixer speed to medium and gradually incorporate 6 Tbs of the sugar. Continue beating until the whites form soft, moist peaks. Be careful not to overbeat. Transfer the egg whites to a clean mixing bowl. Add the egg yolk-whole egg mixture to the stand mixer bowl. Beat the egg mixture with the remaining 6 Tbs of sugar at medium-high speed until very thick and pale yellow in color, about 5 minutes.

Add the beaten egg mixture to the bowl of whipped egg whites. Sprinkle the flour mixture over everything in the bowl. Fold very gently with a spatula, about 12 strokes. Make a well in one side of the batter and pour the milk-butter mixture into the well. Continue folding until the batter shows no trace of flour and the eggs are evenly mixed.

Immediately divide the batter between the prepared cake pans. Bake until the tops are light brown and spring back when touched, about 16-17 minutes. Remove pans from oven and run a knife along the edges of the pan to loosen the cakes. Transfer to wire racks by inverting a wire rack onto a cake pan, flipping the pan and rack over, and removing the pan, leaving the cake on the wire rack. Repeat with other cake pan. Cool completely.

Chocolate Glaze:
½ c heavy cream
2 Tbs light corn syrup
4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
¼ tsp vanilla extract

Combine heavy cream and corn syrup in a medium saucepan. Warm over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and add the chocolate. Cover and let stand for 8 minutes. Stir in the vanilla gently until glaze is smooth. Cool until tepid, so that a spoonful of glaze slowly falls back into the pan. You can chill the glaze to speed up this process, stirring every few minutes to ensure even cooling.

To assemble the cake, place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread custard evenly over the top. Place second cake layer on the cake. Pour glaze in the center of the cake surface. Gently spread the glaze using smooth strokes until the glaze covers the entire top surface of the cake.

Father's Day

2011-06-18T18:29:00.002-04:00

As Father's Day approaches, I find myself thinking of my dad. It's been four months since he passed. He really loved being a grandfather. He kept a digital picture frame close to his chair in the living room. Whenever an image of the tyke appeared in the frame, my dad would say, "He is so darn cute!"

So now I turn to celebrating my husband on Father's Day, who is a tremendous dad. My son tries to be just like him.

We celebrated Father's Day a little early this year because we will be flying around on planes on the actual day. We are both huge Star Wars fans, and have been subtly indoctrinating our son.

Little does he know that he partakes in the Rebellion with each bite of his sandwich.

Blueberry Lemonade

2011-06-16T09:09:00.003-04:00

Blueberry season in Florida started at the end of April, and went through early June. By the time we had a free weekend to go picking, most of the u-pick farms had closed. Luckily we found a place still open. And even luckier, the berries were organic. And luckier still, the berries were incredibly sweet and ripe. We picked 5.5 lbs, and they didn't last long in the house.

One way we've used up the berries was in this blueberry lemonade. We tasted some at the blueberry farm, and I immediately tried to make my own. It was tricky finding the right balance of sweet but not too sugary. This drink is a perfect refresher for those hot summer days ahead.

Blueberry Lemonade
Original recipe

1 c fresh blueberries
½ c fresh lemon juice
1/3 c sugar
3 c water

Place blueberries into a medium saucepan. Pour a little bit of water in the bottom – just enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Heat until the water starts to boil. Remove from heat, and crush blueberries with a potato masher. Pour blueberries into a fine mesh sieve. Strain the juice into a large pitcher and discard the solids. Add the lemon juice and sugar; mix until sugar dissolves. Add the water. Chill in the refrigerator. Serve over ice.

Beef and Broccoli

2011-06-13T13:45:00.001-04:00

Hubs continues to love his wok. He uses it at least twice a week. In fact, he just made 21 lbs. of vegetarian fried rice for dinner for a women's shelter. With our new rice cooker, it was relatively easy to prep. The fried rice was enough to feed 80 people. They loved it so much that they went back for seconds until it was gone.

Beef and broccoli is one of my favorite takeout dishes, so of course we tried it at home. Hubs found that using the dark soy sauce gave the beef a rich color. It also caramelized a little more when cooked, which flavored the beef. The dish freezes and transports well, which means that my mom will get to try it. It also makes a good dish to take to new/expecting parents.

Beef and Broccoli
adapted from Cook’s Illustrated

1 lb flank steak, cut into 2-inch strips along the grain, and then thinly sliced across the grain
3 Tbs dark soy sauce (or regular soy sauce)
2 Tbs low sodium chicken broth
5 Tbs oyster sauce
1 Tbs light brown sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp cornstarch
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced (about 1 Tbs)
2 ½ Tbs vegetable oil
2 bunches broccoli, florets cut off and thinly sliced
1/3 c water
1 red bell pepper, seeds and membranes removed, and cut into small chunks
2 scallions, sliced on the diagonal

Combine beef and soy sauce in a gallon sized plastic bag. Seal bag, make sure all the beef is coated, and refrigerate for at least 10 minutes, or up to an hour. (I let it marinate for the amount of time it takes to prep the other ingredients.) Whisk chicken broth, oyster sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, and cornstarch in a bowl. Combine garlic and ginger in another bowl.

Drain beef and discard liquid. Heat 1 Tbs vegetable oil in a wok over high heat until smoking. Add beef and break up the clumps. Cook without stirring for 1 minute, then stir and cook until beef is browned around the edges, about 30 seconds. Cook in 2 batches if necessary. Transfer beef to a bowl.

Add 1 Tbs vegetable oil to wok, and heat until just smoking. Add broccoli and cook 30 seconds. Add water, cover wok, and lower heat to medium. Steam broccoli until tender-crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Increase heat to high, and add remaining ½ Tbs vegetable oil to wok. Heat until just smoking. Add the red bell pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until peppers start to spot. Clear center of skillet and add the garlic and ginger. Mash with a spoon and cook about 15 seconds. Stir garlic and ginger into the peppers. Return beef and broccoli to the wok and toss to combine. Whisk the sauce to recombine, and add to the wok. Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce has thickened and is evenly distributed, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a serving plate. Garnish with scallions and serve.

A Small Change...

2011-06-13T11:13:00.000-04:00

For a while, I've been thinking that I should reconcile my blog name with my blog url. It's not something I thought through when creating the blog. I had no idea about "branding" and all that when I started.

After much deliberation, I decided to change my blog name. I figured it was easier than changing the url, which is a step I'm not ready to take yet. Henceforth, this blog shall be known as Kokocooks. Now onto changing the name everywhere the blog is registered...

Miso Turkey Burger

2011-06-09T11:37:00.002-04:00

It's regularly over 90 degrees, so it's officially grilling time! As the heat of summer kicks in we mostly cook on the grill. Now that we have an outdoor wok, I'm sure we'll use that even more.

I love burgers, but hate cooking them. I'm always afraid of overcooking the meat. I've made a deal with Hubs: if I put the burgers together, he'll grill them. It works out pretty well. These burgers came out super moist. The miso sauce, along with the mango and cucumber, added sweetness but not too much. I'll definitely make these again. I'm sure my mom would love to try them as well.

Miso Turkey Burgers
Adapted from Burgers
By Paul Gayler

Glaze:
½ Tbs miso paste
2 Tbs maple syrup
1 tsp soy sauce

Burgers:
1 Tbs olive oil
¼ c finely chopped onion
1 Tbs finely chopped fresh ginger
1 ¼ lbs. ground turkey
1 Tbs miso paste
2 green onions, white and light green part finely sliced
1 Tbs soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil

5 hamburger buns
Bibb lettuce leaves
Mango cucumber salsa (recipe follows)

In a small bowl, mix together the ingredients for the glaze.

In a skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Saute the onion and ginger until
softened, about 5 minutes. Place onion and ginger in a medium bowl. Add the ground
turkey, miso paste, green onion, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Combine well and shape
into 5 patties. Pat them so they are about ½-inch thick (burgers will shrink a little during cooking.) Cook in a skillet or on the grill until browned on both sides and cooked through, about 3-4 minutes on each side.

To assemble burgers, split hamburger buns. Stack lettuce, burger, glaze, and salsa on the bottom bun.

Mango Cucumber Salsa
from same book as above

1 mango, stone removed and thinly sliced
½ cucumber, cut into thin strips with a vegetable peeler
1 tsp sugar
2 Tbs lime juice
Pinch Salt
¼ tsp dried chili flakes

Place ingredients in a bowl and carefully toss until well combined.

Vegetable Lasagna with Lemon Garlic Sauce

2011-06-04T06:38:00.004-04:00

I'm still making and freezing meals for my mom. So far, she loves (or says she loves) all the food. She especially enjoyed the bean burritos, and grilled salmon with asparagus risotto.

I searched around for a veggie lasagna for my mom, and found this one. The lemon and garlic in the bechamel sauce appealed to me - lemon and garlic are two of my favorite flavors. And anything packed with noodles and veggies is fine by me.

Lemon-Garlic Vegetable Lasagna
Adapted from Hot Off The Garlic Press

Sauce:
¼ c butter
5 cloves garlic, finely minced
¼ c flour
4 c whole milk
1/3 c fresh grated Parmesan
1/3 c fresh grated Pecorino
Zest of 1 lemon
Salt and Pepper

Vegetable Filling
3 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and shredded
3 cloves garlic
1 zucchini, diced
1 yellow squash, diced
10 mushrooms, sliced
½ bag baby spinach

For lasagna:
Lasagna noodles
3 c shredded mozzarella
Large carton of ricotta cheese
Grated Parmesan

For the Sauce: Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute garlic in melted butter for 1 minute, stirring frequently to keep garlic from burning. Stir in the flour with a whisk and cook for another minute. Whisk in the milk, stirring vigorously to prevent lumps. Heat sauce until bubbling and thickened. Reduce heat to low, add Parmesan, Pecorino, and lemon zest. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and set aside.

For the vegetable filling: Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and carrot and cook until soft. Add garlic, zucchini, squash, and mushrooms. Sauté another 5 minutes. Add spinach and cook until wilted. Remove from heat and set aside.

To assemble the lasagna, cook noodles in batches of 4 or 5 at a time, cooking until al dente (noodles should still be a little stiff.) Pour a little sauce in the bottom of a 13x9-inch deep dish baking pan. (Alternately, I use two 5x7x2-inch baking dishes and freeze one for later.) Spread sauce so the entire bottom is covered with a thin layer. Place a layer of noodles on top of the sauce. Layer some of the vegetable filling, more sauce, then some mozzarella. Place another layer of noodles on top. Layer ricotta, vegetable filling, sauce, and mozzarella. If you have space, repeat with another layer of noodles, vegetables, sauce, and mozzarella. For the final layer, use noodles, sauce, mozzarella, and Parmesan. Bake at 375°F for 20-30 minutes, until cheese is browned and bubbly. Remove from oven and let sit for 20 minutes. Use extra sauce to serve with pieces of lasagna.

Fried Rice, Forbidden Style

2011-05-31T22:02:00.003-04:00

A few months ago, we upgraded our rice cooker. We love it! It makes the BEST rice. We now know what rice is supposed to taste like. The cooker has multiple settings. It reads the temperature of the rice and compensates to keep the rice from over-cooking. It has a timer so you can choose what time the rice will be done. And, it has a retractable cord.

Hubs is now addicted to rice. On average, we have 6-7 varieties in the house at all times. We've started buying the giant bags from the Asian market. We eat about 14 cups of rice a week. Uncooked. We may have a problem.

One of the many varieties of rice occupying our pantry is black rice. It is also called "Forbidden" rice because long ago, only the Emperor of China was allowed to eat it. Thankfully, that harsh restriction has lifted. I expected the rice to be chewy like wild rice, but it was soft and nutty. The bacon and roasted garlic added smokiness and richness to the fried rice.

Fried Rice, Forbidden Style
Adapted from Sang Yoon
As seen on Food and Wine

1 head of garlic, cloves separated and peeled
2 Tbs vegetable oil, plus more for drizzling
2 c black rice, uncooked
2 c water
8 oz bacon, coarsely chopped
1 medium onion, diced
¼ c soy sauce
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 scallions, chopped into large slices

One day before making the fried rice: Preheat oven to 350°F. Place whole garlic cloves on a double layer of foil. Drizzle vegetable oil over the garlic and wrap tightly. Bake for about 1 hour, until garlic is soft and caramelized. Let cool, then chill overnight. Pour rice and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover rice, reduce heat to low, and cook for 20 minutes, until the water is absorbed and rice is tender. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Spread the rice on a large baking sheet and let cool to room temperature. Store in an airtight container, and refrigerate overnight.

In a large wok, cook the bacon over medium-high heat until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a plate. Drain bacon fat from wok. Add the 2 Tbs vegetable oil. Adjust heat to almost high. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until browned. Add bacon, black rice, and roasted garlic and stir-fry until warmed through, about 3 minutes. Stir in the soy sauce and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl, garnish with scallions, and serve.

Vanilla Strawberry Whoopie Pies

2011-05-26T07:09:00.006-04:00

A few weekends ago we held the Central Florida Food Blogger Bake Sale. It was organized by Julie of The Little Kitchen and Aggie of Aggie's Kitchen. I couldn't wait to meet many local food bloggers, and was impressed by the spread. Other participants of the bake sale were:

Jaclyn from food + words (@foodpluswords)
Monica from Sweetbitesblog (@sweetbitesblog)
Jim from Comfort In Crumbs @comfortincrumbs
Pearleen from MegaYummo! (@MegaYummo)
Dawn from Wicked Good Dinner (@dawnviola)
Katie from Katie’s Cucina (@katiescucina)
Robin W. (@SimplySoBaking)
Natasha from Thats So Yummy (@thatssoyummy)
Wanda from My Sweet Zepol (@mysweetzepol)

Unfortunately, I couldn't stay for the entire event. Remember how I mentioned that May was my busy month? Well, that weekend I had a rehearsal and two orchestra performances. I had to dash from the bake sale to our dress rehearsal with violinist Joshua Bell. I managed to snap a few pictures of all the yummy baked goods before I had to leave.

For my part, I made dipped waffle cone bowls and vanilla strawberry whoopie pies. I've made the whoopie pies for a few different events recently - bite-sized ones for a reception, and large ones for the bake sale.

I fell in love with these the moment they came out of the oven. The cookie and filling combination tasted like a strawberry milkshake. After one bite, Hubs closed his eyes and murmered, "I'm so glad I married you."

Vanilla Strawberry Whoopie Pies

adapted from King Arthur Flour

1 c unsalted butter, room temperature

1 ½ c sugar

3 large eggs

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

1 ½ tsp vanilla extract

4 ½ c unbleached all-purpose flour

1 ½ tsp salt

1 Tbs baking powder

1 ¼ c milk

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well combined. With the edge of a knife, carefully scrape the seeds from the inside the vanilla bean and add seeds to the butter mixture. Add vanilla extract and beat to combine.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking powder. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.

Drop by scoopfuls (I use an ice-cream scoop) onto prepared baking sheets, leaving a few inches between cookie dough. Bake until the tops are springy and just barely dry, 7-11 minutes depending on the size. Watch carefully to keep from browning. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream Filling

1 c sugar

4 large egg whites

Pinch kosher salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

2 Tbs crushed freeze-dried strawberries (crush berries, then measure)

Place sugar and egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer. Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water. Heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture reaches 160°F. Mixture will be frothy.

Remove bowl from heat and attach to the mixer. Fit the mixer with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high until stiff peaks form, about 10 minutes. The mixture should be room temperature. Reduce speed to medium and add the butter, 2 Tbs at a time, making sure each addition is well incorporated. If the mixture is soupy, stick the bowl in the fridge, chill for 15-20 minutes, and continue to beat until the mixture comes together. If the mixture looks curdled, just keep beating. Beat in the crushed strawberries.

To assemble cookies, spread filling on bottom-side of one cookie. Place a second cookie, right-side up, on top to form a sandwich.

Bean Burritos with Rice and Cheese

2011-05-17T16:51:00.005-04:00

The month of May is hands down my busiest time of the year. Between spring school concerts, end-of-the-season gigs, and the craziness of wrapping up classes, I hardly have time to cook or see my family. My blog(s) usually go on hiatus at this time.

One thing that is keeping us fed during this busy time are frozen burritos. We usually get a bunch of Amy's burritos, but I made some of my own. We already make our own refried beans, and they taste fantastic tucked into a tortilla with some rice and cheese. I make a double batch of burritos because we go through them so quickly. The are the perfect lunch on the go, quick dinner, and late night snack.

Refried Beans
Adapted from Pinch My Salt

2 Tbs bacon fat (or vegetable oil)
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans (15 oz) small red beans
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large heavy skillet, heat the bacon fat (or vegetable oil) over medium high heat until shimmering. Saute the onion until soft. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute. Add the beans with their liquid. Smash beans with a potato masher. Reduce heat to medium-low, and let beans simmer until softened, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add a little water if they start to dry out. Season with salt and pepper.

Bean Burritos
original recipe

Refried beans (see recipe above)
2 c cooked rice
2 ½ c grated Mexican blend cheese
12 8-inch flour tortillas (large taco size)

Place a tortilla on a plate and cover with a damp paper towel. Heat in the microwave for about 20 seconds. Place a few (2-3) tablespoons of refried beans, a few tablespoons of rice, and some cheese in the tortilla, just a little off center. Fold sides up and roll the tortilla. Place on a lined baking sheet, seam side down. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling. Freeze burritos for 2 hours. Remove from freezer and place in a freezer-safe container. Place burritos back in freezer.

To reheat, wrap frozen burrito in a paper towel. Microwave for about 2 minutes.

Orange Honey Butter

2011-05-09T06:26:00.004-04:00

Whenever I thought about homemade butter, I always imagined the old fashioned wooden butter churner. I never dreamed I could make it at home. So when I saw a friend post this on her blog, the light bulb went off in my head.

On some basic science-of-cooking level, I knew that if you kept whipping cream past the soft peak stage, it would eventually turn into butter. So I gave it a whirl (pun intended.) After a few minutes of whipping, I had beautiful whipped cream. Another few minutes, and I had soft-whipped butter. After this, the butter started to separate into a solid and a liquid. I kept whipping until most of the liquid separated. Because there was little water left in the butter, it was a little harder to spread when chilled, so I recommend warming it a little before serving. Its taste was much richer than the butter I usually have. The honey and orange were perfect for my morning biscuit.

Orange Honey Butter
original recipe

1 c heavy cream
3 Tbs honey
1 Tbs fresh orange zest

Pour cream into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, beat on medium-high until the cream separates into a solid and a liquid. Drain water from bowl. Beat in honey and orange zest. Keep chilled in refrigerator.

Waffle Cone Bowls

2011-05-03T20:53:00.009-04:00

What better way to improve ice cream than to serve it in a homemade, edible receptacle? Since ice cream is Hubs' favorite late night snack, I'm always looking for ways to alleviate the monotony.

The waffle cone maker is the newest small appliance to grace our (already crowded) counter tops. They're a snap to make, and cook in about a minute and a half. I prefer to shape them into bowls because 1) they stand up on their own, and 2) they hold more ice cream.

I plan on making lots of these for the upcoming Central Florida Food Blogger Bake Sale.

It is being hosted by Julie of The Little Kitchen and Aggie of Aggie's Kitchen. It takes place on Saturday, May 14th, and proceeds go to Share Our Strength. Interested in stopping by and browsing all the fantastic baked goods? More information can be found here. If you can't make it to the bake sale, but would still like to contribute, visit the Share Our Strength site.

Waffle Cone Bowls
adapted from the Chef's Choice recipe

1 egg
1 egg white
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 c granulated sugar
2/3 c sifted all-purpose flour
2 Tbs melted butter

Beat egg, egg white, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl until sugar has incorporated and the mixture turns thick and light yellow. Add the flour and stir until just incorporated. Add the melted butter and stir until well blended.

Preheat the waffle cone maker to desired setting. Spoon about 3 Tbs of batter into the center of the iron. Close the lid, fasten the latch, and cook until light brown, about 90 seconds. Carefully peel the waffle from the iron (I use a wooden chopstick) and either shape into a cone, or drape over and upturned glass to form a bowl. Cool until set (a few minutes.)