Lent starts Wednesday. And I like a challenge. A while after I decided to give up the dynamic peanut butter/chocolate duo it dawned on me, "oh dear, forty days of no chocolate or peanut butter on my blog!" And then I remembered that it's been quite some time since either showed up on anyway and decided it was a loss that could be afforded. (This does mean, however, that the weekend Lent ends there will be a fantastically rich peanut butter and chocolate recipe up here! Can't end a forty day fast without something epic.)
I suppose I'll have to come up with something equally delicious in meantime, more for my purposes than yours! I'm a dessert addict and if you have any recommendations as to how I can fill the gap between now and then without going insane, let me know! Not only will I make it and try it, but you'll see it up here :) Mrs. Browning gave me a magazine article on some fruit based cakes that look fantastic, and I think I'm going to try my hand a creme brulee! So don't give up on me just yet, more deliciousness is to come!
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Ok, so I wrote that this morning. The morning of Fat Tuesday, the day before Lent, and before I went to school and saw Supersize Me. I don't really eat fast food, so it really wasn't a big eye opener or anything, but the cool thing about the movie I think is that even if you are a McAddict, you can still relate. The whole movie is about obesity issues in general and it talks about sources other than the fast food industry. I won't lie, even though the issues pointed out in the video are mostly ones I have learned to avoid, I still have my own messy habits that contribute to me not being the size of a rail (which I'm not necessarily docking, so don't go all haywire on me). So it got me thinking. I have given up peanut butter and chocolate before (so to those of you who think I can't do it, know I have already succeeded once!) and maybe I could raise the bar a little more this year.
So here's what I'm thinking... What if I take the whole Supersize Me experiment and reverse it? Morgan swore to eat only products sold at McDonald's for thirty days, what if I swear myself off processed food for forty? Including chocolate and peanut butter. Obviously a direct foil of his mission would be to give up fast food, but I don't eat fast food anyway so that doesn't seem like much of a challenge. I'm proposing that I not only swear myself off of peanut butter and chocolate but all processed, packaged, or ready to eat food. Meaning... anything straight from a package or carton is off limits. Basically no chips, no ice cream, no crackers, no candy bars, no cereal, nothing meant to go straight from the shelf to your mouth. To a certain degree at least. I could prepare packaged foods like oatmeal, or used canned tomatoes to make pasta sauce, or cook pasta or rice, things of that nature. But toasting a pop tart doesn't fall in that category, nor does baking a Tombstone pizza. See where I'm headed?
And by the way, eating food from a restaraunt would be limited to once a week. Fast food is obviously out of bounds, anything that is pretty much just reheated at the restaraunt is automatically off limits, but otherwise I can order food at MOST once a week from any establishment, discluding non-caloric beverages (what if I want to get some tea ;) ).
Unlike others, and this a sick little part of me, I think this sounds fun. I like a challenge. And I'm going to do it. Hopefully that means you'll be hearing from me more rather than less. After all, I'm going to have to prepare my own food more often and come up with some creative ways to indulge, of course sharing my experiments all along the way. I've been wanting to factor some heathier habits into my lifestyle, and I always seem to use Lent as an excuse to do so. Here goes nothing...
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Of Course Cupid's Chubby, Valentine's Day is about Chocolate!
So naturally when Valentine's Day, or any holiday for that matter, rolls around I end up in the kitchen. The difference between me being in the kitchen for this day, however, as opposed to others is that I really only have one purpose: make something Taylor will think is delicious. Oh yeah, and something fun! I don't know how I came up with this idea. I wanted to make something that could be all his. Cakes, pie, tarts, those types of things are usually on the top of my list, but things like that beg to be shared, even though I am very confident Taylor could find a way to finish one on his own. Regardless, I wanted something fun and playful that could be his, if he so chooses.
I'd never made truffles before, but I love the concept. Depending on how you approach them they can be elegant or funky or elegantly funky! And it turns out there are a quite a few ways to make the actual chocolate part... I opted for the easier one simply because... well.... I procrastinated a bit on Valentine's Day. But not on purpose! I couldn't think of anything to make that filled the $5 limit Taylor and I agreed to place on the day! I think though that these were a good way to go. Besides, the more complicated recipes were a little intimidating and these honestly sounded a little more delicious, hopefully they are.
These really were so simply! The recipe simply asked that I beat one package of cream cheese until fluffy (make sure you use real cream cheese, not fat-free or anything robbed of flavor! and IT MUST BE AT ROOM TEMPERATURE, your ingredients won't blend if it's not softened), then gradually beat in 3 cups of powdered sugar. I then melted 3 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips in the microwave and, after it cooled a bit, beat the melted chocolate and 1.5 teaspoons of peppermint extract (though the recipe calls for vanilla; really any extract would do, pick what you like) into the cream cheese and sugar mixture. I then covered the bowl with saran wrap and let it chill in the refrigerator for an hour.
I planned on rolling the truffles in whatever lovely coatings I could come up with and then place them on a baking sheet to be popped into the freezer, but when I went to retrieve my baking sheet I noticed a couple mini-muffin pans that I thought would be perfect. After all, truffles are significantly less appealing if they roll off an inconveniently flat baking sheet. I also remembered we happened to have mini-muffin liners! So I placed them in the muffin pans and went to work on my little peppermint chocolate treats.
Using a regular metal spoon, I scooped out balls of chocolate just big enough to fit in the mini-muffin slots, rolling them into smooth balls with my palms. You can coat your truffles really in just about anything you'd like, within reason of course. Some delicious options to consider are coconut flakes, any chopped variety of nuts, cocoa powder, or festive sprinkles. Taylor doesn't like coconut so I ditched that option, and I'm pretty sure he's not a huge nut fan, so I ruled that one out as well. I rolled a few in a mixture of red, pink, and white sprinkles because they were, after all, Valentine's Day truffles. I also rolled a few in cocoa powder, powerded sugar (though that wasn't my favorite), and chocolate sprinkles.
These I put in the freezer to set and then let sit in the fridge until I was ready for them! The night before Valentine's Day, I cut up small squares of saran wrap and individually wrapped each truffle, so very cute! Unfortunately my procrastination left me in such a hurry that taking pictures failed to make my priority list... especially since I might have been wrapping them at 2:30 in the morning... so you'll just have to take my word on there absolutely awesome presentation. You certainly don't need to wrap them individually, I just liked the idea of having them look like gourmet candy store goodies, which I thought they got pretty close to! The muffin liners are a necessity either, but they make clean up and delivery a little easier and I would assume can be found at your grocery store (pretty sure we got ours from Meijer, and if Meijer has it, everybody probably does).
Anyway, truffles are incredibly impressive for an incredibly easy recipe. I think too often people give in to the Hallmark crafted version of Valentine's Day. The best way to spend the holiday is to do something thoughtful, not something gift store crafted, generic, and often expensive. Baking is a perfect way to show a loved one you care, it takes time and effort and shows a great deal of appreciation and thought. If you're still on the hunt for a Valentine idea, which you shouldn't be because I had to wait until the day of to post this, make some truffles. This recipe will make enough to almost fill a paper lunch bag, around 3 dozen. Nothing says I love you like a decadent balls of chocoholic joy!
I'd never made truffles before, but I love the concept. Depending on how you approach them they can be elegant or funky or elegantly funky! And it turns out there are a quite a few ways to make the actual chocolate part... I opted for the easier one simply because... well.... I procrastinated a bit on Valentine's Day. But not on purpose! I couldn't think of anything to make that filled the $5 limit Taylor and I agreed to place on the day! I think though that these were a good way to go. Besides, the more complicated recipes were a little intimidating and these honestly sounded a little more delicious, hopefully they are.
These really were so simply! The recipe simply asked that I beat one package of cream cheese until fluffy (make sure you use real cream cheese, not fat-free or anything robbed of flavor! and IT MUST BE AT ROOM TEMPERATURE, your ingredients won't blend if it's not softened), then gradually beat in 3 cups of powdered sugar. I then melted 3 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips in the microwave and, after it cooled a bit, beat the melted chocolate and 1.5 teaspoons of peppermint extract (though the recipe calls for vanilla; really any extract would do, pick what you like) into the cream cheese and sugar mixture. I then covered the bowl with saran wrap and let it chill in the refrigerator for an hour.
I planned on rolling the truffles in whatever lovely coatings I could come up with and then place them on a baking sheet to be popped into the freezer, but when I went to retrieve my baking sheet I noticed a couple mini-muffin pans that I thought would be perfect. After all, truffles are significantly less appealing if they roll off an inconveniently flat baking sheet. I also remembered we happened to have mini-muffin liners! So I placed them in the muffin pans and went to work on my little peppermint chocolate treats.
Using a regular metal spoon, I scooped out balls of chocolate just big enough to fit in the mini-muffin slots, rolling them into smooth balls with my palms. You can coat your truffles really in just about anything you'd like, within reason of course. Some delicious options to consider are coconut flakes, any chopped variety of nuts, cocoa powder, or festive sprinkles. Taylor doesn't like coconut so I ditched that option, and I'm pretty sure he's not a huge nut fan, so I ruled that one out as well. I rolled a few in a mixture of red, pink, and white sprinkles because they were, after all, Valentine's Day truffles. I also rolled a few in cocoa powder, powerded sugar (though that wasn't my favorite), and chocolate sprinkles.
These I put in the freezer to set and then let sit in the fridge until I was ready for them! The night before Valentine's Day, I cut up small squares of saran wrap and individually wrapped each truffle, so very cute! Unfortunately my procrastination left me in such a hurry that taking pictures failed to make my priority list... especially since I might have been wrapping them at 2:30 in the morning... so you'll just have to take my word on there absolutely awesome presentation. You certainly don't need to wrap them individually, I just liked the idea of having them look like gourmet candy store goodies, which I thought they got pretty close to! The muffin liners are a necessity either, but they make clean up and delivery a little easier and I would assume can be found at your grocery store (pretty sure we got ours from Meijer, and if Meijer has it, everybody probably does).
Anyway, truffles are incredibly impressive for an incredibly easy recipe. I think too often people give in to the Hallmark crafted version of Valentine's Day. The best way to spend the holiday is to do something thoughtful, not something gift store crafted, generic, and often expensive. Baking is a perfect way to show a loved one you care, it takes time and effort and shows a great deal of appreciation and thought. If you're still on the hunt for a Valentine idea, which you shouldn't be because I had to wait until the day of to post this, make some truffles. This recipe will make enough to almost fill a paper lunch bag, around 3 dozen. Nothing says I love you like a decadent balls of chocoholic joy!
Friday, February 6, 2009
Dinner for One
Haha! You thought my poll was aimed at trying to figure out what you wanted me to write about! Not really, sorry, I'm going to continue to cook whatever I feel like cooking... I just got excited cause I found out I could make polls! So even though healthy main dishes aren't in first, you will just have to get over it and either read this anyway or go to some other cookie and brownie plastered website to drool over, but personal, I thought this rocked...
Usually cooking is the last thing I want to do when I get home from work, but on this particular past Thursday I didn't seem to mind. Besides, the recipe I'd had my eye on looked pretty easy, fairly quick, and utterly delicious! Once again, I'd been religiously checking smittenkitchen.com for a few good ideas, and when I came across this one I put it at the top of my list.
This recipe immediately got my attention because it includes one of my absolute favorite ingredients, winter squash. Butternut squash actually, and it's even roasted! How could you possibly dream of saying no? And better yet, one of my other absolute favorite ingredients was mixed in, chickpeas!!! Oh smitten kitchen, I do love you.
So I cut up a butternut squash, which is no easy task. Actually sliced into my finger a bit... but it's well worth it! Cubed then tossed in olive oil, garlic, and all spice, the roasting squash sent wafting out of the oven an absolute divine aroma.
I could've eaten the whole pan just like that, but I managed to resist and press on! Those lovely golden cubes of squash were tossed with chickpeas, sliced red onion, and parsley flakes (though I would definitely recommend using fresh parsley...) and drizzled with a tahini dressing.
You may be asking yourself, "what is tahini dressing?" Easy, it's a dressing made with tahini paste! If you're now wondering, "what is tahini paste?" then you might well go look it up because I've been wondering the same thing. We bought it a while ago for one reason or another, maybe a hummus recipe.... don't remember, and it never was used. I happened upon this recipe and pulled it out of the pantry. It's got quite a unique flavor, very nutty, but pairs well some olive oil and lemon juice. If you do decide to try out this recipe, however, I would recommend only making half a recipe of the dressing. It's good, but strong, and even though I polished off all of that salad within a couple days, I've got quite a bit of unused dressing sitting in my fridge, hoping for a purpose. Anyway if you're interested, you can find the recipe here: http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/01/warm-butternut-squash-and-chickpea-salad/#more-1870. I made it as a main course, but it was pair well as a side dish with something like a simple version of roasting/grilled/whatever chicken. It's simple, but elegant and unique, an excellent option if you're aiming to impress!
Usually cooking is the last thing I want to do when I get home from work, but on this particular past Thursday I didn't seem to mind. Besides, the recipe I'd had my eye on looked pretty easy, fairly quick, and utterly delicious! Once again, I'd been religiously checking smittenkitchen.com for a few good ideas, and when I came across this one I put it at the top of my list.
This recipe immediately got my attention because it includes one of my absolute favorite ingredients, winter squash. Butternut squash actually, and it's even roasted! How could you possibly dream of saying no? And better yet, one of my other absolute favorite ingredients was mixed in, chickpeas!!! Oh smitten kitchen, I do love you.
So I cut up a butternut squash, which is no easy task. Actually sliced into my finger a bit... but it's well worth it! Cubed then tossed in olive oil, garlic, and all spice, the roasting squash sent wafting out of the oven an absolute divine aroma.
I could've eaten the whole pan just like that, but I managed to resist and press on! Those lovely golden cubes of squash were tossed with chickpeas, sliced red onion, and parsley flakes (though I would definitely recommend using fresh parsley...) and drizzled with a tahini dressing.
You may be asking yourself, "what is tahini dressing?" Easy, it's a dressing made with tahini paste! If you're now wondering, "what is tahini paste?" then you might well go look it up because I've been wondering the same thing. We bought it a while ago for one reason or another, maybe a hummus recipe.... don't remember, and it never was used. I happened upon this recipe and pulled it out of the pantry. It's got quite a unique flavor, very nutty, but pairs well some olive oil and lemon juice. If you do decide to try out this recipe, however, I would recommend only making half a recipe of the dressing. It's good, but strong, and even though I polished off all of that salad within a couple days, I've got quite a bit of unused dressing sitting in my fridge, hoping for a purpose. Anyway if you're interested, you can find the recipe here: http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/01/warm-butternut-squash-and-chickpea-salad/#more-1870. I made it as a main course, but it was pair well as a side dish with something like a simple version of roasting/grilled/whatever chicken. It's simple, but elegant and unique, an excellent option if you're aiming to impress!
Monday, February 2, 2009
I'm Not There for the Football
Apparently my craving for carrot cake was not satisfied through scones, even if they were delicious. Super Bowl meant a cake. Lots of things mean cake, but whatever, I needed a cake for the Super Bowl and looking for something without chocolate (and after ditching football shaped cupcakes...) I came across a recipe that I've had on my to-do list for quite sometime.
I've seen recipes for Hummingbird Cake on more than one occasion, and fortunately the pages of my new favorite baking book are graced with one! Although I was little confused... the recipe is called Hummingbird Carrot Cake, and yet recipe made no mention of carrots beyond the title! And so trouble ensued, I could not make a carrot cake without carrots, and therefore I decided to take some creative liberty. Ordinarily, cooking can be freestyle whereas baking is a more exact science and recipes should be respected. I've come to find, however, that what's important is that you keep the base batter true to the recipe's directions and beyond that you should be free to add just about anything you'd like, as long as your ingredients are kept to a reasonable volume.
From what I've observed, Hummingbird cakes tend to be a spin off carrot cake with crushed pineapple and sometimes coconut. So after I was shocked to find the carrot part neglected in this particular version I used it as more of a recommendation list than an actual recipe. The recipe called for basic batter ingredients, with crushed pineapple, pecans, and finely chopped banana. Yum. But I decided to add a good two cups of shredded carrot and some raisins, which I made room for by cutting the pecans and banana in half. The best part of a cake like this is the texture. Not only is it decadently moist, but the carrots, raisins, pineapple, and banana all contribute a different chewiness and the pecans add a fantastic crunch.
TIP! I've seen this numerous times before, but hadn't tried it until now. There's a fantastic way to get a little more chew out of raisins when baking! Raisins are dehydrated grapes, right? So if you rehydrate them a little bit they plump up and have great moisture and texture. I did this with my golden raisins by letting them steep in really hot water for about five minutes, and it was a fantastic idea. You can also heat liquor or other flavor lending liquids to steep dried fruit in for plumping. Raisins plumped in rum are a really good addition to a rich cake! (Or so I hear).
ANOTHER TIP! This one I've seen numerous times and have utilized numerous times! I made blueberry bread a little while back and neglected to add this step because I was in a rush and regretted in later. I mixed my blueberries into my batter, but they all sunk to the bottom! The top was just sweet bread and all the blueberries were hidden in the bottom, not cool. To make sure you're ingredients (in this case, shredded carrots and raisins) stay evenly suspended in your batter, sprinkle them with some flour before mixing them into the batter. If the pieces have a light dusting of flour, they stick to the batter and don't sink!
And so my loaded batter was poured into three cake pans, because two layers just doesn't seem to cut it anymore. But what is cake, no matter how many layers, without a good frosting? Carrot cakes are classically topped with a cream cheese frosting, but I decided to fudge the recipe for this one a little bit too... I added a couple teaspoons of cinnamon to partner with a splash of vanilla extract. I don't think you could really taste the cinnamon, but it added a lovely rustic color to the icing! I dusted the top with ground pecans and placed a couple pecan halves in the center to pretend I know how to decorate :)
ONE LAST TIP! So I made that epic fail chocolate ice cream cake a while ago, right? Well in that mess I discovered something quite delicious. The cake actual cake layers dried out a bit after being frozen, so I decided to "rehydrate" them a little bit by pouring some milk over my frozen slice of cake. What made me decide to do this? I just don't know. But it was genius! I decided to try it with carrot cake and stuck a slice of my Hummingbird Cake in the freezer overnight. EPIC! Frozen cake + milk = delicious. Try it. So good.
I've seen recipes for Hummingbird Cake on more than one occasion, and fortunately the pages of my new favorite baking book are graced with one! Although I was little confused... the recipe is called Hummingbird Carrot Cake, and yet recipe made no mention of carrots beyond the title! And so trouble ensued, I could not make a carrot cake without carrots, and therefore I decided to take some creative liberty. Ordinarily, cooking can be freestyle whereas baking is a more exact science and recipes should be respected. I've come to find, however, that what's important is that you keep the base batter true to the recipe's directions and beyond that you should be free to add just about anything you'd like, as long as your ingredients are kept to a reasonable volume.
From what I've observed, Hummingbird cakes tend to be a spin off carrot cake with crushed pineapple and sometimes coconut. So after I was shocked to find the carrot part neglected in this particular version I used it as more of a recommendation list than an actual recipe. The recipe called for basic batter ingredients, with crushed pineapple, pecans, and finely chopped banana. Yum. But I decided to add a good two cups of shredded carrot and some raisins, which I made room for by cutting the pecans and banana in half. The best part of a cake like this is the texture. Not only is it decadently moist, but the carrots, raisins, pineapple, and banana all contribute a different chewiness and the pecans add a fantastic crunch.
TIP! I've seen this numerous times before, but hadn't tried it until now. There's a fantastic way to get a little more chew out of raisins when baking! Raisins are dehydrated grapes, right? So if you rehydrate them a little bit they plump up and have great moisture and texture. I did this with my golden raisins by letting them steep in really hot water for about five minutes, and it was a fantastic idea. You can also heat liquor or other flavor lending liquids to steep dried fruit in for plumping. Raisins plumped in rum are a really good addition to a rich cake! (Or so I hear).
ANOTHER TIP! This one I've seen numerous times and have utilized numerous times! I made blueberry bread a little while back and neglected to add this step because I was in a rush and regretted in later. I mixed my blueberries into my batter, but they all sunk to the bottom! The top was just sweet bread and all the blueberries were hidden in the bottom, not cool. To make sure you're ingredients (in this case, shredded carrots and raisins) stay evenly suspended in your batter, sprinkle them with some flour before mixing them into the batter. If the pieces have a light dusting of flour, they stick to the batter and don't sink!
And so my loaded batter was poured into three cake pans, because two layers just doesn't seem to cut it anymore. But what is cake, no matter how many layers, without a good frosting? Carrot cakes are classically topped with a cream cheese frosting, but I decided to fudge the recipe for this one a little bit too... I added a couple teaspoons of cinnamon to partner with a splash of vanilla extract. I don't think you could really taste the cinnamon, but it added a lovely rustic color to the icing! I dusted the top with ground pecans and placed a couple pecan halves in the center to pretend I know how to decorate :)
ONE LAST TIP! So I made that epic fail chocolate ice cream cake a while ago, right? Well in that mess I discovered something quite delicious. The cake actual cake layers dried out a bit after being frozen, so I decided to "rehydrate" them a little bit by pouring some milk over my frozen slice of cake. What made me decide to do this? I just don't know. But it was genius! I decided to try it with carrot cake and stuck a slice of my Hummingbird Cake in the freezer overnight. EPIC! Frozen cake + milk = delicious. Try it. So good.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Carrots and Spice and Everything Nice
I have to admit, I made these quite some time ago, two weeks I believe! I was distracted with life and other recipes and put my hasty photographs on the back burner (figuratively ;) ), but better late than never, right? Besides, I wouldn't want you to miss out on yet another baked good! They are starting to feel somewhat rare these days...
I want to say it was a Saturday morning. Although I was up semi-early, which is unfortunately my nature, I was waiting on Taylor to find his way out of bed to start the day. I simply couldn't bring myself to wake him, so I, of course, decided to kill the hour or so with a quick recipe! It was still a little early to be thinking about cakes or cookies, so I turned to my favorite breakfast sweet, scones.
Anyone who claims they don't like scones is a liar. If you don't like scones, you're simply eating the wrong ones. The absolutely divine characteristic of scones is that they can be whatever you'd like them to be. Although in America they tend to be sweet, including ingredients like dried fruits, orange zest, cinnamon, pumpkin, nuts, poppy seeds, and so on, they also exist in a number of savory varieties available as well. The British often add raisins, currants, cheese, or dates. Potato scones can be found in Scotland, and other countries one may encounter scones with cheese, onion, and bacon! Um... YUM! They can be baked or fried, thick or thin, light or heavy, the possibilities are seemingly endless!
I, however, in my attempt to make my baked goods appear a little healthier, was attracted to a carrot cake scone recipe. Carrots and raisins folded into a thick cinnamon spiked scone batter was intriguing and a cream cheese glaze won me over. I will admit, I upped the health ante and replaced half the flour with whole wheat flour. Whole wheat is just has so much more depth of flavor, and feels so much better to eat!
Of course, where I make healthy strides I tend to counterattack them with equally unhealthy embellishments, and I didn't fail here! The cream cheese glaze was delicious, though not aesthetically pleasing enough for my taste. The recipe recommended decorating the scone tops with cinnamon or coconut, so I thought "why not both?" Coconut, in my opinion, is best when it's lightly toasted. Before my handful of snowy coconut was oven-bound, I mixed in a bit of cinnamon to infuse in the heat. And so each of my carrot cake scones received a light layer of cream cheese glaze and a dusting of cinnamon toasted coconut.
They were fairly well received, I quite enjoyed the one or two I ended up polishing off! They are a lovely breakfast go-to and would certainly make wonderful company to a cup of hot tea. The recipe is simple and quick, a wonderful go to for a homemade breakfast within an hour, for those of you who simply are too lazy to tackle the art of bagel making!
I want to say it was a Saturday morning. Although I was up semi-early, which is unfortunately my nature, I was waiting on Taylor to find his way out of bed to start the day. I simply couldn't bring myself to wake him, so I, of course, decided to kill the hour or so with a quick recipe! It was still a little early to be thinking about cakes or cookies, so I turned to my favorite breakfast sweet, scones.
Anyone who claims they don't like scones is a liar. If you don't like scones, you're simply eating the wrong ones. The absolutely divine characteristic of scones is that they can be whatever you'd like them to be. Although in America they tend to be sweet, including ingredients like dried fruits, orange zest, cinnamon, pumpkin, nuts, poppy seeds, and so on, they also exist in a number of savory varieties available as well. The British often add raisins, currants, cheese, or dates. Potato scones can be found in Scotland, and other countries one may encounter scones with cheese, onion, and bacon! Um... YUM! They can be baked or fried, thick or thin, light or heavy, the possibilities are seemingly endless!
I, however, in my attempt to make my baked goods appear a little healthier, was attracted to a carrot cake scone recipe. Carrots and raisins folded into a thick cinnamon spiked scone batter was intriguing and a cream cheese glaze won me over. I will admit, I upped the health ante and replaced half the flour with whole wheat flour. Whole wheat is just has so much more depth of flavor, and feels so much better to eat!
Of course, where I make healthy strides I tend to counterattack them with equally unhealthy embellishments, and I didn't fail here! The cream cheese glaze was delicious, though not aesthetically pleasing enough for my taste. The recipe recommended decorating the scone tops with cinnamon or coconut, so I thought "why not both?" Coconut, in my opinion, is best when it's lightly toasted. Before my handful of snowy coconut was oven-bound, I mixed in a bit of cinnamon to infuse in the heat. And so each of my carrot cake scones received a light layer of cream cheese glaze and a dusting of cinnamon toasted coconut.
They were fairly well received, I quite enjoyed the one or two I ended up polishing off! They are a lovely breakfast go-to and would certainly make wonderful company to a cup of hot tea. The recipe is simple and quick, a wonderful go to for a homemade breakfast within an hour, for those of you who simply are too lazy to tackle the art of bagel making!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
The Weather Outside is Frightful, but the Kitchen is So Delightful!
I absolutely love snow days. There is an atmosphere about them that is so unique it really doesn't compare to any other type of day. The brilliant comfort of a snow day is built on the fact that you can't possibly have any plans. I always feel like I have a mile long to-do list, a thousand places to be, and I rarely get to treat myself to time spent on tasks I've longed to tend to for my own personal satisfaction. Snow days, however, are not like real days. They are like an extra day thrown into the year, like Mother Nature saying, "Screw the real world, do whatever the hell you want!" And so today I am doing just that.
I was woken up at about 6 by my brother who so graciously informed me that school was not something I needed to worry about on this particular Wednesday. I was so incredibly excited about the prospect of having a day open to do whatever I wanted (which, inevitably, was try out a few recipes) that falling back into a snow sent slumber wasn't an option. I was a little disappointed that on a day with so much potential I was getting up earlier than I would on a school day, but now that I've spent my morning I'm thrilled with the way it turned out!
So by the time I dragged my butt downstairs at 6:30 in the morning, cookbook in hand, I had already decided that a completely open day called for a good challenge. This particular recipe was one I was eager to try and was ecstatic to find an opportunity to test run. My father, who was quite befuddled that his teenager daughter was wandering downstairs so early in the morning by choice, met my ambition with a considerable amount of doubt.
I've never been a huge fan of everything bagels, but having never heard of homemade bagels, I found the recipe screaming "MAKE ME!" And I don't ignore screaming recipes. So when I eagerly told my father I was making bagels he responded by saying, "Molly... I think bagels are the type of thing that you make once and then you realize why you buy them." I AM NEVER BUYING BAGELS AGAIN!!! Except maybe when I don't have roughly two to two and half hours to make my own. But seriously, bagels have always just been alright in my book. Turns out that when they come fresh out of the oven the combination of a browned crust and a soft, warm interior is nothing short of orgasmic.
You may be wondering, as I did when I first flipped to this recipe, what in the world goes into the making of a deliciously fresh homemade wonder bagel? The recipe starts out much the same as any other bread recipe, activating yeast and kneading in lots of bread flour with a little sugar, salt, and whatnot. The recipe says to mix most of this together with a dough hook, which is a nifty device that slips into a standing mixer, but since I don't have a big $200 KitchenAid mixer, I got mine together with a considerable amount of elbow grease. After the dough rises for an hour or so, it's divided, rolled into strips, then formed into the typical bagel ring which is allotted another 15 minutes of rising time. Then 6 quarts of water is brought to a simmer with 1/4 cup honey, 1 T sugar, and 1 T salt. The bagels are simmered in the water for roughly 30 seconds on each side, 2-4 bagels at a time (I did 3 and managed quite well). The only bagel recipe in the book I was working from was the everything bagel recipe which, although I could probably adapt to easily accomodate any type of bagel, called for a mixture of satueed onions, poppyseeds, sesame seeds, and kosher salt as a pre-baking topping. After rubbing on an incredibly aromatic "everything" topping, I popped them in the oven for half and hour and found my labor was well rewarded.
By the time they came out of the oven it was around 9:30 and the rest of my family, clearly more sane than I, was just beginning to roll out of bed. Even though the bagels seemed to be coming along fantastically, I felt they could use a partner in crime if they were to perfectly grace the breakfast table. I love to chop, so it wasn't much of a surprise that I might have gone a little overboard with the onion I was mincing for the bagel topping. I reserved half the onion bits and mixed them into some scrambled eggs. I sliced my chosen bagel in half and put the eggs in the middle and LOVED IT.
My brother stole half the eggs and added some cheese and ham in the middle of his bagel, which after a few minutes of cheese-melting time in the oven seemed like a fantastic idea. The whole family loved them, and you will too! Although the recipe sounds a little funky, it's quite simple besides being a little time consuming. But believe me, the time and effort are a small price to pay for a bagel you will enjoy more than any other!
I was woken up at about 6 by my brother who so graciously informed me that school was not something I needed to worry about on this particular Wednesday. I was so incredibly excited about the prospect of having a day open to do whatever I wanted (which, inevitably, was try out a few recipes) that falling back into a snow sent slumber wasn't an option. I was a little disappointed that on a day with so much potential I was getting up earlier than I would on a school day, but now that I've spent my morning I'm thrilled with the way it turned out!
So by the time I dragged my butt downstairs at 6:30 in the morning, cookbook in hand, I had already decided that a completely open day called for a good challenge. This particular recipe was one I was eager to try and was ecstatic to find an opportunity to test run. My father, who was quite befuddled that his teenager daughter was wandering downstairs so early in the morning by choice, met my ambition with a considerable amount of doubt.
I've never been a huge fan of everything bagels, but having never heard of homemade bagels, I found the recipe screaming "MAKE ME!" And I don't ignore screaming recipes. So when I eagerly told my father I was making bagels he responded by saying, "Molly... I think bagels are the type of thing that you make once and then you realize why you buy them." I AM NEVER BUYING BAGELS AGAIN!!! Except maybe when I don't have roughly two to two and half hours to make my own. But seriously, bagels have always just been alright in my book. Turns out that when they come fresh out of the oven the combination of a browned crust and a soft, warm interior is nothing short of orgasmic.
You may be wondering, as I did when I first flipped to this recipe, what in the world goes into the making of a deliciously fresh homemade wonder bagel? The recipe starts out much the same as any other bread recipe, activating yeast and kneading in lots of bread flour with a little sugar, salt, and whatnot. The recipe says to mix most of this together with a dough hook, which is a nifty device that slips into a standing mixer, but since I don't have a big $200 KitchenAid mixer, I got mine together with a considerable amount of elbow grease. After the dough rises for an hour or so, it's divided, rolled into strips, then formed into the typical bagel ring which is allotted another 15 minutes of rising time. Then 6 quarts of water is brought to a simmer with 1/4 cup honey, 1 T sugar, and 1 T salt. The bagels are simmered in the water for roughly 30 seconds on each side, 2-4 bagels at a time (I did 3 and managed quite well). The only bagel recipe in the book I was working from was the everything bagel recipe which, although I could probably adapt to easily accomodate any type of bagel, called for a mixture of satueed onions, poppyseeds, sesame seeds, and kosher salt as a pre-baking topping. After rubbing on an incredibly aromatic "everything" topping, I popped them in the oven for half and hour and found my labor was well rewarded.
By the time they came out of the oven it was around 9:30 and the rest of my family, clearly more sane than I, was just beginning to roll out of bed. Even though the bagels seemed to be coming along fantastically, I felt they could use a partner in crime if they were to perfectly grace the breakfast table. I love to chop, so it wasn't much of a surprise that I might have gone a little overboard with the onion I was mincing for the bagel topping. I reserved half the onion bits and mixed them into some scrambled eggs. I sliced my chosen bagel in half and put the eggs in the middle and LOVED IT.
My brother stole half the eggs and added some cheese and ham in the middle of his bagel, which after a few minutes of cheese-melting time in the oven seemed like a fantastic idea. The whole family loved them, and you will too! Although the recipe sounds a little funky, it's quite simple besides being a little time consuming. But believe me, the time and effort are a small price to pay for a bagel you will enjoy more than any other!
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Move by Yourself
I realize that I have lied to you. I do believe in my first true post I claimed I would fill this page with chocolate and peanut butter flooded recipes, but I have not! The two birthday cakes and those molten brownies of killer (probably literally...) goodness had chocolate, but alas, not even one mention of peanut butter!!! What a travesty!!! Or maybe not...
As much as I love both of these fantastically divine substances, I've led myself to believe that it's within my best interest to shy away. At one, very brief, point, I had mastered the art of baking without excessive taste testing. I could make a dozen batches of cookies and be perfectly content without nibbling on even one. But I eventually came around and realized that it's almost as fun to eat my delectable creations as it is to bake them (though not quite!). In my ever-going, and sometimes ever-failing, effort to be more health conscious, I've tried to turn myself away from baking and focus more on cooking. I still bake, don't get me wrong! But I try to keep it to special occasions and gifts; if I give it away I can't eat it all!
Unfortunately I'm not a very great cook. Even less fortunately, I seem to have very unique taste buds. Moroccan stew and crazy artichoke tortillas don't appeal to everybody, neither does the roasted butternut squash soup that I recently conjured and failed to photograph. It used to bother me a little that if I made dinner at my house, I was often the only one eating it. My dad's a little adventurous, and sometimes half-heartedly embarks on my vegan/vegetarian/ethnic culinary experiments, but in the end nobody's anywhere near as enthusiastic as I am. The recipes I'm drawn to usually are full of spices like cumin and cinnamon, or fresh Italian herbs like oregano, rosemary, basil, and so on. But they hardly ever have meat. Probably have meat like .01% of the time. And so my family and my friends watch as I stir in chickpeas, squash, lentils, and any random vegetable I can get my hands on, wondering why in the world I could possibly want to eat the concoction I'm stirring.
I'm starting to learn not to care. I've stopped inviting others into my precious kitchen space to observe my prized work in progress, because I now know the reaction I'm about to get isn't the one I was hoping for. But does that really matter? Who cares if anybody else takes the slightest interest in my personal endeavors? To a certain degree I guess I do, otherwise I wouldn't ask so mainly fruitless times for an awe-struck smile I won't receive. I am, however, beginning to feed off my own thrill from cooking. I'm beginning to submerge myself in my own satisfaction with the warmth of my dishes. I suppose this blog may contribute to that, the fact that I can post pictures and write about the wrongs, rights, disappoinments, joys, and lessons learned of my efforts. Here I can pretend that somebody has the same reaction I do, pretend that somebody clicks on a picture of my latest interest and appreciates the outcome.
Ultimately, I think what's important is that I cook for myself. When I try to pick recipes that accomodate others and step outside of what really engages my interest my heart isn't in it. More than anything, food is about love. If you take the elements out of what you do that differentiate it as yours, you lose passion, you remove the love. Without that most critical element, our own secret ingredient, our pursuits are merely a recipe for disaster. In everything you do, make it your own and don't let anybody take it away from you. Those who cannot recognize the passion and zeal in your efforts are the ones missing out, and you shouldn't deprive yourself for their error.
As much as I love both of these fantastically divine substances, I've led myself to believe that it's within my best interest to shy away. At one, very brief, point, I had mastered the art of baking without excessive taste testing. I could make a dozen batches of cookies and be perfectly content without nibbling on even one. But I eventually came around and realized that it's almost as fun to eat my delectable creations as it is to bake them (though not quite!). In my ever-going, and sometimes ever-failing, effort to be more health conscious, I've tried to turn myself away from baking and focus more on cooking. I still bake, don't get me wrong! But I try to keep it to special occasions and gifts; if I give it away I can't eat it all!
Unfortunately I'm not a very great cook. Even less fortunately, I seem to have very unique taste buds. Moroccan stew and crazy artichoke tortillas don't appeal to everybody, neither does the roasted butternut squash soup that I recently conjured and failed to photograph. It used to bother me a little that if I made dinner at my house, I was often the only one eating it. My dad's a little adventurous, and sometimes half-heartedly embarks on my vegan/vegetarian/ethnic culinary experiments, but in the end nobody's anywhere near as enthusiastic as I am. The recipes I'm drawn to usually are full of spices like cumin and cinnamon, or fresh Italian herbs like oregano, rosemary, basil, and so on. But they hardly ever have meat. Probably have meat like .01% of the time. And so my family and my friends watch as I stir in chickpeas, squash, lentils, and any random vegetable I can get my hands on, wondering why in the world I could possibly want to eat the concoction I'm stirring.
I'm starting to learn not to care. I've stopped inviting others into my precious kitchen space to observe my prized work in progress, because I now know the reaction I'm about to get isn't the one I was hoping for. But does that really matter? Who cares if anybody else takes the slightest interest in my personal endeavors? To a certain degree I guess I do, otherwise I wouldn't ask so mainly fruitless times for an awe-struck smile I won't receive. I am, however, beginning to feed off my own thrill from cooking. I'm beginning to submerge myself in my own satisfaction with the warmth of my dishes. I suppose this blog may contribute to that, the fact that I can post pictures and write about the wrongs, rights, disappoinments, joys, and lessons learned of my efforts. Here I can pretend that somebody has the same reaction I do, pretend that somebody clicks on a picture of my latest interest and appreciates the outcome.
Ultimately, I think what's important is that I cook for myself. When I try to pick recipes that accomodate others and step outside of what really engages my interest my heart isn't in it. More than anything, food is about love. If you take the elements out of what you do that differentiate it as yours, you lose passion, you remove the love. Without that most critical element, our own secret ingredient, our pursuits are merely a recipe for disaster. In everything you do, make it your own and don't let anybody take it away from you. Those who cannot recognize the passion and zeal in your efforts are the ones missing out, and you shouldn't deprive yourself for their error.
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