Don't Faint... I think I am back to blogging!

So, to say it has been awhile since I last posted is probably a little bit of an understatement. It has essentially been nine months… I have been cooking though, but I have also been busy with taking a few classes for my certification, sleeping during most of my first trimester, among other things. Thankfully I am now done with classes and have most of my energy back. I wish I had posted over the last months because I know I made several dishes that we loved including some new cookie recipes for Christmas, new Indian dishes… and I don’t remember the names to even post the recipes. Alas, I hopefully to pick back up with cooking, baking, and blogging now.

The most recent season of The Bachelorette finished up on Monday night and we had quite the meal to celebrate the end of a mediocre show (this season was fairly boring until the end) and several weeks of yummy meals and fun times with good friends and their pups. Seth and Elizabeth out did themselves with a surf and turf entrée consisting of petite fillets, grilled shrimp, and homemade crab cakes. Emily and Dowe did tasty sides of baked potatoes (with all the fixings) and asparagus. Russ and I followed up this fancy meal with a rather plain, but still yummy dessert. Since I am back to blogging I am also finally finding time to catch up on other food blogs that I enjoy reading, including Smitten Kitchen. I knew that I wanted to do something that involved the fresh Mentone blueberries Russ and I picked with his family the other weekend. I didn’t want to do the obvious blueberry cobbler though. I remembered seeing a blueberry dessert on Smitten Kitchen recently and went back to find where she made Blueberry Boy Bait. It is apparently based on an older recipe that a young girl submitted to a contest and won. She named it because of its effect on boys. Well, since we are watching The Bachelorette it sounded like the perfect fit.

To make the Blueberry Boy Bait you combine the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and salt) together in a bowl. Using an electric mixer you beat the sugars and softened butter together until they are light and fluffy. Next you add the eggs one at a time while the mixer is still going. Next you lower the speed of the mixer and add 1/3 of the flour of mixture until it is combined. Then add half the milk followed by half of the remaining flour mixture, the remaining milk, and lastly the remaining flour mixture. Once it is all combined you fold in ½ cup of blueberries. Pour the batter into a greased baking dish. Then combine the sugar, cinnamon, and another ½ cup of blueberries and sprinkle it evenly over the top of the batter. Put it in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center. Let it cool and then cut it into squares and serve.

This was a simple, but tasty summer cake. It really would work just as well (maybe even better) as a coffee cake in the morning as opposed to dessert. It was not an over the top cake, but for the ease of preparation and amount of time it is winner for simple blueberry cake. The only change I would make next time is either increasing the cinnamon in the topping by a pinch or adding a little cinnamon to the batter. It really is perfectly fine without upping the cinnamon, but I love a little spice in my cakes. It would be an easy coffee cake to take for a weekend trip with friends. Overall I was pleased with the dessert and while Russ didn’t feel any strong effects from it he did like it and rates it an 8.

Make Your Day Bread

As I mentioned in my last post I was pleasantly surprised when Claire called and came down to my floor with a surprise of Amish Friendship Bread starter for me on Monday. I have always heard of things like this, but have never done one so I was beyond excited to give it a go. So, the way it works is that you take the starter and follow the directions on how to care for it which are basically to mush the bag for several days, then add flour, sugar and milk to it, then mush the bag for a few more days, and then add more flour, sugar and milk to it. At this point you then remove part of what is in the bag to make four new starters. Then you take what is left and add the remaining ingredients and make 2 loaves of delicious bread! So, I decided that instead of making 2 loaves that I would make 4 small loaves and deliver a small loaf with a starter to Jess, Elizabeth, and Sumner. I kept one starter to make the bread one more time, so if anyone wants their very own starter give me a holler or post a comment to make your claim. I already have one claimed (Ken, that’s you), so there are three left up for grabs this next go around.

The bread is delicious! It is moist and sweet and savory all at the same time. It really works well for breakfast or dessert (anyone noticing a theme with the breads I have been baking lately…. I can pass them off as not dessert, but they really can count as dessert…). I love the cinnamon in the bread and think it adds a savory component to it and balances out the sweetness. I am looking forward to making it again in about 10 days and then I think I will stop and hope that I’ll have my day made again by someone bringing me a bread starter! Thanks Claire! Russ rates the bread an 8.

Saturday Morning Muffins on Wednesday

For the last few weekends when we have been home we have eaten muffins for breakfast on Saturday. The way it works is that we wake up and I am starving (I am always starving when I wake up and it runs in my family) and I want a muffin, but I am too hungry to find a recipe, make sure we have all the ingredients, make the batter, and bake them. That is a lot of work when one is already starving for a muffin. Russ likes a good muffin too, so he is usually game for going to get muffins (he is very sweet!) for both of us. There is a local coffee shop, Cool Beans, just down the rode that makes wonderful, huge, homemade, tasty, yummy muffins and that is where we (as in Russ, except for one time when I went) have been going to get muffins. While this is a great relaxing Saturday morning ritual I have to be honest that I have missed baking muffins or bread of any kind for that matter. So, I finally decided to make muffins tonight because it is a Thursday night…. Right now you might be wondering what a Wednesday night muffin has to do with a Saturday morning muffin ritual. Well, I will tell you. I got a very exciting surprise from Claire on Monday. Right now it is in a plastic bag on our counter and looks kind of gooey. She claims it will turn into bread if I feed it. I am super excited, so the muffins got moved to Wednesday and on Saturday morning I’ll attempt to make the gooey stuff in the plastic bag turn into a loaf of bread for breakfast. Magic will not be involved, but I may need luck… stay tuned to see how it turns out.

The muffins I made tonight are ones we saw on Jamie Oliver’s show on the Food Network, Jamie at Home. Russ and I both love this show and pretty much want to try most of the recipes. This is the first one we have had time to try. The muffins are called Butternut Squash Muffins with a Frosty Top. During the episode when Jamie made these he called them muffins sometimes and cupcakes other times. I am not sure if the two are interchangeable in British English or not, but I think they really could pass for either a muffin or cupcake.

To make the muffins you start by deseeding the butternut squash and giving it a rough chop. You don’t peel it which really surprised me, but on the same episode Jamie made a butternut squash soup and again left the skin on the squash when he cooked it. You take the pieces of squash and put them in the food processor and process them it is finely chopped. Then add the sugar and eggs and pulse it a couple times until it is blended. Then add the salt, flour, baking soda, cinnamon and olive oil and process it until it is all blended. You could add walnuts when you are adding the previous ingredients. I left them out as Russ doesn’t really like nuts in things. I think they would be so small that he probably wouldn’t have even noticed, but to be on the safe side I left them out. You then take the batter and fill the muffin tin (use paper muffin liners). These bake at 350 for about 20 to 25 minutes. While they are baking you make the frosty topping. In a bowl zest a Clementine and a lemon. Then add the juice from half of the lemon. Then mix in the sour cream, confectioners’ sugar, and a little vanilla extract (I used this instead of a vanilla bean). Then taste and adjust it as needed to have a good balance of sweet and sour. Mine was a little on the sour side, so I added more confectioners sugar until it was tart, yet sweet. Stick the frosting in the fridge until the muffins are done and then when they come out and cool slightly frost them.

These were really tasty and as I said before they could pass for a muffin or a cupcake. The muffin is dense and moist and has a wonderful flavor from the butternut squash and cinnamon. I love how bright and colorful they are too from the squash. As I mentioned earlier it really surprised me that he didn’t have you peel the squash. I have never not peeled a butternut squash unless I am going to roast it and then scoop out the squash after it roasts. You really can’t tell that the peel wasn’t removed and it makes preparing the muffins so much easier and faster. The frosting is more like a glaze as it is runny and slightly thin. I love the tart and sweet flavor combination from the lemon juice and the confectioners’ sugar and the zest adds a bright freshness to it. While I really, really liked the muffins to me the frosting was phenomenal. It might not have been Saturday morning, but we still enjoyed them and plan to eat them for breakfast tomorrow. Russ rates the muffins a 9.

Keeping Warm in the Kitchen

I imagine that if you have read this blog at all that it is obvious by now that I enjoy cooking and baking, however, you probably also know that there are certain aspects of it that I especially love. One of those is a lazy, long weekend with no real plans and plenty of time to cook and bake. This weekend Russ, Cash, and I went up to Mentone with Allen and Gil. The boys were planning to take advantage of it being one of the last weekends in deer season and I was planning on taking advantage of the cold weather and staying inside either in the kitchen or curled up by the fire with a book. I pretty much accomplished my goal considering I didn’t leave the house, tried out three new recipes, repeated one old recipe (in addition to the Santa Fe Soup in the previous post), read the new issue of Fine Cooking cover to cover, and started a new book. Top it off with good friends, Cash curled up on his blanket and it was a wonderful, long, winter weekend!

To start the cold morning off right I decided to try out the Fastest Cinnamon Buns from the November issue of Fine Cooking. I actually wanted to make these for Christmas morning to go with the Cinnamon Bread… because apparently I didn’t think one cinnamon bread would be enough for just Russ and me…. but I ran out of time to make it and have had it on the top of my bread list to try ever since. The reason these are called the Fastest is that there is no rising involved and the dough comes together very quickly. To make the dough you toss the wet ingredients in the food processor and until it is smooth. You then add the dry ingredients and pulse until the dough just comes together. You then take it out and put it on a floured surface and knead it until it is smooth. Then roll is out into a rectangle and brush it with melted butter. Then mix the filling ingredients together. I left out the pecans as Russ is not big on nuts in his breads and apparently neither is Gil or Allen. I also used Vietnamese cinnamon that Russ gave me for Christmas which is stronger than regular grocery store cinnamon. Spread the topping evenly over the dough and roll it up. Then cut it into 12 pieces and place them cut side up in a pan that has been sprayed with Pam. The recipe calls for you to use a springform pan, however, we didn’t have one in Mentone so I used a round cake pan that worked perfectly. Then bake them at 400 F for about 20 to 28 minutes (ours took around the 28 minute mark). While they bake mix together the confectioner’s sugar, milk, and vanilla extract for the glaze. I used more confectioners’ sugar than it called for because it seemed too runny to me. You want a thick, but pourable glaze, so you will just need to add more confectioners’ sugar if it too runny or more milk if it is too thick. Once the cinnamon buns came out I poured some of the glaze over them and served the rest on the side (which was a hit with the boys).

The cinnamon buns were delicious! They are sweet with a great balance of dough and filling. This was my first time using the Vietnamese cinnamon and it was fantastic! While the buns have good balance the cinnamon really does shine and Russ even commented on how good the flavor of the Vietnamese cinnamon was – potent, fragrant, and fresh. I am generally not a fan of icing on cinnamon rolls as I find it too thick, too much, and too sweet; however, the glaze on these is just the perfect amount of extra sweetness and the gooey texture really works well with the baked buns. I think that these buns would be lacking if you left it off. Russ rates the cinnamon buns a 10!

Side note on Vietnamese Cinnamon: Usually when you use a stronger cinnamon you are encouraged to cut back on the amount called for in a recipe, but since it was my first time and I am just a baking rebel I wanted to try it with the full amount to see how it tasted. I think there are definitely recipes where I might cut back on the cinnamon if I use the Vietnamese so that it won’t overwhelm the other flavors, but I liked the strong flavor of it in this recipe. Call me a baking snob, but I am not sure I can go back to using the grocery store cinnamon… especially when Penzey’s has so many different ones I need to try!

For dinner I decided to make one of Russ’ favorite dishes, Chicken Marsala. This is a recipe of Giada’s that is for Veal Marsala and I just substituted chicken for the veal (either works great). To make this dish you start by sprinkling the chicken with salt and pepper. Then heat a skillet and add a little butter and olive oil. In batches cook the chicken for a couple minutes on each side. It will cook a little more once you pull it out and later in the recipe, so don’t cook it all the way through or you might over cook it in the end. Set the chicken to the side and add a little more oil to the pan and then add the shallot and garlic. Once this has sautéed for a couple minutes add the mushrooms. I increase the amount of mushrooms because I love them and I used a mix of white and baby bella this time. Any combination of mushrooms will do, so pick what looks best and what you like. Once the mushrooms are tender and the juice has evaporated add the remaining ingredients. I increased the amount of shallots, garlic, Marsala, rosemary, chicken broth, and rosemary sprigs since I increased the amount of mushrooms. Once this has cooked down then add a little more butter, salt, and pepper. Lastly add the chicken back in until everything is heated through. I served it over linguine with a side of spinach salad.

If you love mushrooms and rosemary then you will really enjoy this dish! The woodsy flavor of the mushrooms and rosemary is brought out and complemented by the Marsala for a delicious combination. I like to serve this over pasta to help soak up some of the extra sauce. I chopped and prepped everything ahead of time which made it come together very quickly and easily when I prepared it. Russ rates it a 9.

Fastest Cinnamon Buns, November 2007 Fine Cooking
Yields, 12 buns

Cooking Spray for the pan

For the Dough:
¾ cup cottage cheese (4% milk fat)
1/3 cup buttermilk
¼ cup granulated sugar
2 oz. (4 Tbs.) unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
9 oz. (2 cups) unbleached flour; more for rolling
1 Tbs. baking powder
½ tsp table salt
¼ tsp baking soda

For the Filling:
¾ oz (1 and ½ Tbs.) unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
1 and ½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground allspice
¼ tsp ground cloves
1 cup (4 oz) chopped pecans

For the Glaze:
2 and ½ oz (scant 2/3 cup) confectioners’ sugar
2 to 3 Tbs. cold whole or low-fat milk
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Heat oven to 400 F. Grease the sides and bottom of a 9 or 10 inch springform pan with cooking spray.

Make the dough: In a food processor, combine the cottage cheese, buttermilk, sugar, melted butter, and vanilla. Process until smooth, about 10 seconds. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda and pulse in short bursts just until the dough clumps together (don’t overprocess). The dough will be soft and moist.

Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it with floured hands 4 or 5 times until smooth. With a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 12x15 inch rectangle.

Make the filling: Brush the dough with the melted butter, leaving a ½ inch border unbuttered around the edges. In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves. Sprinkle the mixture over the buttered area of the dough and pat gently into the surface. Sprinkle the nuts over the sugar mixture.

Starting at a long edge, roll up the dough jelly-roll style. Pinch the seam to seal, and leave the ends open.

With a sharp knife, cut the roll into 12 equal pieces. Set the pieces, cut side up, in the prepared pan; they should fill the pan and touch slightly, but don’t worry if there are small gaps.

Bake until golden brown and firm to the touch, 20 to 28 minutes. Set the pan on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Run a spatula around the inside edge of the pan and remove the springform ring. Transfer the rolls to a serving plate.

Make the glaze: in a small bowl, mix the confectioners’ sugar, 2 Tbs. milk, and vanilla to make a smooth glaze. It should have a thick but pourable consistency, so add up to 1 Tbs. more milk if necessary. Drizzle the glaze over the rolls. Let stand 15 minutes and serve.

Christmas Morning Bread

One of the things I love about the holidays is the foods that to me just say Christmas. I love how families eat the same meal every Christmas year after year and when someone suggests a change it always ends up that everyone really wants the same meal as last year. Well one food tradition in my family growing up was eating homemade Cinnamon Swirl Bread every Christmas morning. Our parents would give us a certain time that we were allowed to go downstairs and look in our stockings. Shortly after we pulled everything out of our stockings our parents would come downstairs and see what Santa brought and start a pot of coffee for my Dad. We would eventually all sit down at the kitchen table to a breakfast of eggs, fruit and the most wonderful warm cinnamon swirl bread. It was one of the best times of the morning as we were all right there together and enjoying Christmas morning. Now we all have our own homes and consequently our own Christmas morning traditions. I know Russ and I look forward to Christmas morning with just the two of us and Cash as our time together to share presents, sit by the fire, and enjoy a quiet morning together in our pajamas. As much as I love our Christmas morning together I still miss the cinnamon swirl bread, so this year I have decided to bridge the old and new traditions and make small loaves of it for everyone.

To make the bread be sure and allow ample time for rising. The dough rises three separate times during the process. Aside from that it is a fairly straight forward yeast bread. I happen to love yeast breads and this is my favorite. The combination of cinnamon and sugar with the yummy yeast bread is just perfect. It is great at room temperature, warm, or toasted. Russ rates the bread a 9.

Cinnamon Swirl Bread, based on a recipe from Better Homes and Garden cookbook
(makes 2 large loaves or 6 small loaves)

1 pack active dry yeast
2 cups milk, scalded
½ cup sugar
½ cup shortening (Crisco)
2 t. salt
7 and ½ cups sifted all purpose flour
2 eggs, beaten

Filling:
¾ cup sugar
1 and ½ T. cinnamon
Soft butter

Active yeast in warm water. Pour scalded milk over ½ cup sugar. Add shortening and salt. Stir to dissolve and then cool to lukewarm.

Add 3 cups of flour and mix well. Stir in the softened yeast and beaten eggs. Add enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Let dough rest 10 minutes. Knead until smooth and elastic. Place in a lightly greased bowl, let rise until doubled. Then push down and let rise again. Punch down and divide dough in half (if making two large loaves). Let rest 10 minutes. Roll each half into a rectangle and spread soft butter on dough. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon / sugar mixture on each and sprinkle with water. Roll up and place seam edge down in greased loaf pan. Sprinkle top with cinnamon / sugar and let rise until doubled (covered, in a warm place). Bake at 350 F for 30 to 35 minutes.

Better Neighbors...

While it isn’t quite the new year and I do have a few more days I have not decided what resolutions I am going to make for 2008 yet. In fact I am not sure what my 2007 resolutions were… Anyway, one that I am considering for 2008 is being a better neighbor. Russ and I love our house and our street and we know the neighbors around us and speak to them when we see them and there are a few others down the way that we say hi to when we see them and others we wave to in passing, but we don’t really know that many of them. We are not looking to find new best friends in our neighbors, but I feel like we should know a few more than we do. It is not that Russ and I aren’t great neighbors because we really are in the sense that we keep our house and yard up and Cash is friendly and not a barker, but we don’t really go out of way to meet new neighbors or go see any of the approximate million new babies that have been born on the street since we moved in almost two years ago. This is mainly because Russ and I are both relatively shy especially around people we don’t know or don’t know well. We have broken out of shells to go to the annual Halloween street party the last two years, but it is hard to meet neighbors who are all chasing their toddlers and tending to crying infants and the only neighbors who come to the street party besides us are those who have toddlers or crying infants. I am not exactly sure how we will try and become better neighbors, but I thought a good start would be to deliver a small holiday baked good to the neighbors on either side of us and across the street. So, I made small loaves of my mother in law’s recipe for pumpkin bread and Russ sweetly delivered them only to discover that the neighbors on either side were out of town and the one across the street who was at home and appreciated the bread is also trying to sell their house and will probably be gone soon anyway… Oh well, at least we are trying, right?

I am not posting the pumpkin bread recipe as this is a family recipe that may well be put to good use one day when Jane opens a restaurant or café or writes a cookbook. It is very yummy and the perfect blend of pumpkin and spice. Russ rates it a 9.

Even More Apples...

When Russ and I stopped at the apple orchard I picked out two and half pecks of apples to take home and I am came very close to getting another peck or two. I was worried that I wouldn’t have enough apples to make tons of apple dishes and share some with Jess and Mom. On the drive home Russ and I were talking about what to do with the apples and Russ requested homemade applesauce. When we got home I looked at the recipe and remember thinking that I would not have enough apples left to use 12 plus apples to make applesauce. Well, I shared some with Jess and Mom and I made several apple dishes and I still have more than enough apples to make applesauce. I am really starting to think that the apples are multiplying as it doesn’t seem to matter how many I use there are still tons left. I’m not complaining about having too many apples as there are more things I’d like to make with the remaining apples, but I am just saying that I’ve found out that two and half pecks of apples is really a lot of apples.

Since I have tons of apples left I decided to try making applesauce on Saturday, but before I get that Russ had also requested waffles and since I woke up hungry…. no starving on Saturday morning I decided to make the waffles first. I just got the December issue of Fine Cooking (even though it is still October!) and it had a pull out on breakfast dishes including their recipe for Light, Crisp Waffles. Even though I love Dad’s waffles I couldn’t pass up trying a new recipe.

To make the waffles you mix all the dry ingredients (flour, cornstarch, salt, baking powder, and baking soda) in a bowl. In a separate bowl you mix the buttermilk, milk, vegetable oil, and egg yolk together. In a third bowl you beat the egg white until soft peaks form. Then you sprinkle the sugar and add the vanilla and keep beating until firm peaks form. Then you combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients (not the egg white) and stir them until combined. You then dollop the egg white on top of the waffle batter and fold them into the batter. Then you cook the waffles on the waffle iron and put them in the oven (200F) after you make them until you have made all the waffles.

The waffles were yummy! I asked Russ if he thought these or Dad’s were better and he couldn’t say unless he had them both next to each other as they are very similar in taste and texture. So, that decided it for me that I like Dad’s better as they do not require three bowls and a mixer and they have wonderful memories in every bite. Russ rates the waffles a 8.

Once I was no longer starving I decided to start on the applesauce. I decided to go with Ina Garten’s recipe for her Homemade Applesauce. To make the applesauce you zest one lemon and two oranges and then juice them into a large oven proof pot. You then peel, core and quarter approximately 12 to 16 apples and mix them with the zest and juice. I ended up using a mix of the three kinds of apples I picked up at the orchard – Mutsu, Arkansas Black, and Rome Beauty. They varied in size, but I used 13 apples total. Once they are in the pot then you add the cinnamon, all spice, and butter. I also threw in some of the peel from the Rome Beauties for color. The pot then goes in the oven covered for one to one and half hours at 400F. Once they are done you remove the peel and then whisk the apples until you get the consistency you like.

While the apples were baking our house smelled AMAZING! It smelled like we had a large vat of spiced apple cider simmering in the kitchen. The applesauce was very easy to make and it had a pretty color and great texture. It is definitely more of a spiced applesauce than just regular applesauce as the cinnamon and all spice add a lot of flavor. Russ and I both really liked the flavor, however, I think I’ll cut the spices back a little bit next time. I shared some with Mom and Dad and Mom thought I could just leave the all spice out next time. Jess and Scott got some too and Jess felt like it would be great with food such as oatmeal or for those who eat pork (not me) a pork loin. I think this is definitely true and I plan to try it over oatmeal for breakfast one day this week. Russ rates the applesauce a 8. Don’t worry… I still have more apples left!

Light, Crisp Waffles, Fine Cooking December 2007

Yields four to five 8 inch waffles.

A required rest in the oven not only adds to the crispiness of the waffles, but also allows you to make a big batch, so everyone can eat at once.

3 1/2 (3/4 cup) bleached all-purpose flour

1 oz. (1/4 cup) cornstarch

1/2 tsp. table salt

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup milk

6 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 large egg, seperated
1 Tbs. granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Heat the oven to 200F and heat the waffle iron. Mix the flour, cornstarch, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Measure the buttermilk, milk, and vegetable oil in a Pyrex measuring cup; mix in the egg yolk and set aside.

In another bowl, beat the egg white almost to soft peaks. Sprinkle in the sugar and continue to beat until the peaks are firm and glossy. Beat in the vanilla.

Pour the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk until just mixed. Drop the whipped egg white onto the batter in dollops and fold in with a rubber spatula until just incorporated.

Pour the batter onto the hot waffle iron (1/2 to 2/3 cup depending on your waffle iron) and cook until the waffle is crisp and nutty brown (follow the manufacturer's instructions for timing at first and then adjust to your liking). Set the waffle directly on the oven rack to keep it warm and crisp. Repeat with the remaining batter, holding the waffles in the oven (don't stack them). When all the waffles are cooked, serve immediately.

Apples, Apples and More Apples

This Saturday Russ and I made no plans except to stick around the house, watch football, bake, grill, and hang out with friends. Russ got started in the kitchen first by grilling wings for lunch and prepping the ribs. Once he was done with the kitchen I took over and started my apple baking. As I mentioned before we stopped by an orchard on our way home from Highlands, NC and picked up two and a half pecks of apples. I have been looking at different apple recipes for days now trying to narrow down what I want to try. I decided on a muffin and cake recipe for today.

The Apple Muffin recipe I decided on is from King Arthur Flour and it calls for predominately whole grain flour. To make the muffins you mix the flours (white whole wheat and all-purpose), baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together. Set this bowl to the side and cream the butter and sugars. Then mix the egg and buttermilk in and then turn off the mixer and stir in the flour mixture. Once this is all incorporated then you mix in the apple (which is cored, peeled, and cut into chunks). This is then put into muffin tins and baked for 10 minutes at 450 and then 15 minutes at 400. You are supposed to sprinkle the remaining brown sugar over the batter before baking, but I managed to forget this until they had already baked.

The muffins turned out really well! They are not a sweet muffin, but a tasty one filled with apples. The apples truly take center stage in this recipe and really make the muffin. You can’t put too many apples into it. This is one I will definitely try again, only next time I’ll probably double the recipe since it only makes 12 muffins in order to have more to share with friends and family. I did manage to share a few with Jess and Scott and sent a couple with Will (Russ' good college friend who was passing through town) and Megan (Will's friend) for the road. Jess called to tell me that she thinks they are best muffin yet and she has tasted lots of them in my quest for a perfect blueberry muffin! I may have to use some of the last of the Mentone blueberries from the freezer and try this recipe with blueberries. Russ rates the muffins a 9.

Next up on my apple baking spree is a cake I have made once before (pre-blog) and despite it not being the prettiest of cakes it was a real hit as far as flavor and texture. It is recipe I found online called Gooey Apple Sheet Cake. I am typically not a big fan of sheet cakes simply because they are not very attractive and have to be served out of the pan, but I do make exceptions and this recipe is definitely worth the exception.

To make the cake you mix melted butter and sugar together and then add the eggs. In a separate bowl you mix the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, and cinnamon). You then add the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk until it is all mixed together. You then fold the apples into the batter and spread the batter into a greased pan. Then you make the topping by mixing the cream cheese, powdered sugar, eggs, and oats together. You then spread this over the cake batter and put it in the oven to bake for 45 minutes at 350.

This recipe is so simple to put together and it is so moist, rich, and gooey (hence the name). It is not light by any means, but it is well worth the splurge. I was a little disappointed though that I chunked the apples instead of leaving them in thin slices. Last time I believe I did the think slices and I think the shape and thickness of slices would work much better than the chunks. Allen, Russ, Will, Megan and I all loved it! It is a recipe that is a guaranteed hit with a crowd, so if you are in need of a dessert sometime soon I would highly recommend it. As an added bonus it is similar to a coffee cake, so it is tasty in the morning too! Russ rates the cake a 10.

On a non-apple note I also made homemade Stove Top Macaroni and Cheese tonight. Russ and I were watching the Food Network recently and ran across Alton Brown’s Good Eats on cheese. Being the cheese lovers that we are we could resist watching. Russ loves the macaroni and cheese from the blue box, so despite the many recipes I have tried for homemade macaroni and cheese he still prefers the box kind. Alton convinces his nephew on the show that his Stove Top Mac and Cheese is better than the box kind, so I had to give it a try.

To make the macaroni and cheese you start by bringing a large pot of salted water to a boil. Once boiling you cook the elbow pasta until al dente. While the pasta is cooking you grate the sharp cheddar cheese. You also mix the evaporated milk, dry mustard, hot sauce, salt, and pepper together. I went ahead and double the recipe since there were five of us for dinner. Once the pasta is cooked you drain it and run cold water over it. Then you return it to the pan and add the milk mixture and then the cheese. This is supposed to cook for a couple minutes until it thickens up and the cheese melts. I had to turn up the heat in order to get it to thicken a little quicker.

The recipe is very simple and the results are good, but not great. The texture was not as smooth as I would have liked, however, this may have been in part to my increasing the heat to have it thicken. It also had good flavor, but was far from fantastic. I think I’ll keep trying to find a homemade macaroni and cheese recipe that is true winner. Russ rates the mac and cheese a 7.

Gooey Apple Sheet Cake

For the Cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups granulated sugar1 cup butter -- melted

2 eggs

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 c buttermilk

2 c chopped apples -- (1/4-1/2 inch pieces)
1 and 1/2 tsps ground cinnamon

For the Topping:
3 cups powdered sugar

8 oz. lowfat cream cheese (softened)

2 eggs
1/4 c oats

Mix melted butter and sugar with a mixer. Add eggs and beat well. Combine the flour, baking soda, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, mixing well. Fold in the chopped apples. Spread batter into well greased (or sprayed) 13 x 9 baking pan. Mix Topping ingredients and put over cake BEFORE baking. Bake in a 350ºF oven for 40-45 minutes. You can store this on the counter or in the refrigerator. Great warm, cold, or at room temperature.

Source: Found online and is modified from a recipe from Diana's Desserts.

Baking for the Weekend

I have been in the mood to do some more baking from my King Arthur Whole Grain Baking cookbook, so I thought I would try out a recipe for this weekend. I decided on the Peach Coffeecake since peaches are still in season and I happen to have some that are ripe and ready to be eaten!

To make the coffeecake you cream the butter and sugar together which gave me an opportunity to use my Kitchen Aid mixer which is always super fun! You then add the egg and mix until it is combined. In a separate bowl you add the white whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, salt, and baking soda and whisk it together. While mixing you add the flour mixture by thirds alternating with the buttermilk (I used non-fat). Once everything is incorporated you add the vanilla extract. Then carefully fold in two cups (I used a little more because I love peaches) of peeled sliced peaches to the batter. In a smaller bowl you make the topping by combing butter, flour, sugar, and cinnamon. Then add the batter to greased baking pans and add the topping. I used two round baking dishes, but you can also use one larger rectangular dish. These bake at 350 for about 30 minutes until a tooth pick comes out clean. Then let them cool on a wire rack.

I made the coffeecakes last night, so they would be ready to be eaten this weekend. Since it made two and we decided to share the other one with Russ' grandparents. First, we had to do a taste test this morning to make sure they were tasty enough to share with his grandparents and a little to my parents too. Russ and I both loved them! It was very moist with the right amount of peaches and the topping added fantastic flavor with the cinnamon. It was just sweet enough for breakfast without being overly sweet. Since is passed our taste test we’ll definitely be sharing it with his grandparents this weekend. Russ rates the coffeecake a 10 which surprised me since he is still skeptical of my baking with whole grains. Maybe he is starting to come around to liking whole grains….

Peach Coffeecake, King Arthur Whole Grain Baking

Yield: Two 9 inch round coffeecakes or one 9x13-inch cake, 24 servings
Baking time: 25 to 30 minutes for rounds, 30 to 35 minutes for 9x13-inch cake

Cake:
2 cups white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 cup buttermilk
1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups peeled, diced fresh peaches, or if frozen thawed

Topping:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round pans or one 9x13-inch pan.

To make the cake: Whisk together the flours, baking soda and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Cream together the butter and sugar in a large bowl. Beat in the egg, stopping afterward to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add the dry ingredients, one third at a time, alternately with the buttermilk. Add the vanilla. Stir in the peaches until evenly distributed. Pour the batter into the prepared pan(s).

To make the topping: Combine the softened butter, sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a small mixing bowl until evenly mixed. Sprinkle this mixture over the batter. Bake according to pan size, until the top is golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack for at least 20 minutes before serving.

Waffles... Just like Dad made...

Most of my cooking memories from growing up are from my Mom cooking dinner. However, some of my more special memories are of all the baking and cooking for the holidays and the occasional special treats we would make with my parents sometimes such as doughnuts, popcorn balls, gingerbread houses, Aunt Bill's Candy, peanut brittle, funnel cakes, and more. As I mentioned in my post from last weekend my Saturday cooking memory from growing up is of my Dad making waffles for three of us. I don't know the last time that I had Dad's waffles, but I remember watching Dad making them, how wonderful they tasted, and eating them half at a time so that they would stay hot. So, I was eager to give it a try this morning and let Russ experience my Dad's waffles for the first time.

To make Dad's waffles you mix together the dry and wet ingredients in separate bowls and then combine them. The dry ingredients include flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. The wet ingredients are 1 egg (lightly whisked), milk, and vegetable oil. Once you combine the wet and dry separately you will want to stir them each separately and then combine. Dad said that he usually adds a little more flour once he combines them to get the consistency he likes. I did the same adding about 1/8 a cup more flour. You then heat your waffle iron, spray it with Pam, and cook your waffles.

The waffles turned out wonderful and tasted just like I remembered. Russ really liked them too and said he thought they were even better than last week's waffles. Dad's waffles are nothing fancy, but they are the perfect classic waffle. Russ and I ate them with a little butter and syrup. Russ rates the waffles a 10!

Now that Russ has tried my childhood Saturday breakfast I am wondering when he is going to make his Dad's Saturday morning pancakes for me.... Apparently music is the key ingredient to the pancakes, so I am anxious to give them a try.

Dad's Waffles
(Makes 2 to 3 waffles)

Dry Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 tablespoon sugar

Wet Ingredients:

1 egg, whisked
1 cup of milk (we used skim)
1/4 cup of vegetable oil

Combine the dry ingredients in one bowl and stir just to mix them together. In a separate bowl add the egg and whisk it lightly, then add the milk and oil and stir to combine. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and mix them together. You may need to add about 1/8 of a cup more of flour in order to make sure the mixture is not too runny.

Heat your waffle iron and spray with Pam. Then add the batter and cook. Serve with butter and syrup.

Baking for my Boys

Russ and I were pretty excited to have no plans for today, so we could just relax and hang out. I decided to do some baking too. The other day I bought a waffle maker, so I decided to try it this morning. Later in the afternoon I decided to make special treat for my constant kitchen companion, Cash.

Growing up my Dad would frequently make waffles for us on Saturday mornings. It was one of his specialties. He always made thin waffles and not the thicker Belgium style waffles. So, when I went to purchase a waffle maker I wanted one that was for thin waffles. Out of all the waffle makers there only one was for thin waffles, so I took it. I had planned on getting Dad's recipe and making his waffles, but I forgot to ask him for it so I looked for another recipe. I found an older CL recipe for Chocolate Chip Waffles. I had all the ingredients on hand, so I decided to go for it.

The recipe is fairly simple although I did end up using three different mixing bowls to make it. (In hindsight I realized if I had planned better I could have reused one bowl and only made a mess of two.) You mix the wet ingredients together in one bowl - egg yolk, milk, vanilla, and melted butter. In another bowl you mix the dry ingredients together - flour, salt, and baking powder. You then mix the wet and dry ingredients together. Then you mix with a mixer the egg white and sugar until stiff peaks form. This is gently folded into the batter. Lastly you fold the chocolate chips in and the batter is done. They cook on the waffle maker according to the manufacturer's directions. We served ours with a little butter and syrup.

Russ and I both really enjoyed the waffles. They were sweet and tasty and you definitely would not know they were lighter. Russ said that they reminded him of Eggo waffles. While for some this may be a little insulting, knowing Russ this is a big compliment! We both enjoyed them and Russ rates them a 9. Next time I make waffles I hope to try out Dad's recipe for Russ.

Just recently I found two different sizes of dog treat cookie cutters. So, this afternoon I decided to try something I have never done before and make homemade dog treats. Cash is my loyal companion in the kitchen when I cook and bake and I have yet to make anything for him. I looked online to find a recipe and there are tons of different ones out there. I narrowed it down to the treats flavored with peanut butter since I know Cash loves it. I found a fairly simple recipe for Peanut Butter Dog Treats.

To make the treats you mix the wet ingredients together in one bowl - water, oil, eggs, peanut butter, and vanilla. Then you mix the dry ingredients together in another bowl - flour (I used whole wheat), cornmeal, and oats. You then mix the two together and roll it out on a floured surface and cut the cookies out. The cookies bake at 400F for 20 minutes and then you turn the oven off and leave them in there for about 2 hours until they are hard. When I went to roll mine out the dough was way too sticky, so I added more flour (about 1 cup more). Next time I'll increase the flour in the dry ingredients. I also found it very important to roll it out on a well floured surface. I felt like it needed more flour than I typically use when rolling out cookies.

Cash sampled two treats last night and they received two paws up! The recipe yielded about 40 cookies which will last for a little while in an airtight container, but Cash wanted to share some. He will be passing some of the treats to his cousin, Hugo, tomorrow. (Edited to add: Wagg and Bernie's Moms stopped by on Sunday, so each were sent home with some treats for their pup!)

On a totally non-food related note a big congratulations to Julie, Brian, and big sister Emily on the birth of Drew!

Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits
adapted from Bullwinkle.com

1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
3 tablespoons peanut butter (I used creamy)
2 tsp. vanilla
3 cups flour (the original recipe called for 2 cups, but it needed at least 1 cup more, I used whole wheat)
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup oats

Blend wet ingredients together. Whisk dry ingredients together and mix into wet mixture to form a ball of dough. Roll out (on a floured surface) and shape. Put onto a non-stick cookie try or lightly greased one. Cook 20 minutes at 400F. Turn off oven and allow the biscuits to cool in the oven until crisp and hard. Store in an airtight container.

Summer Grilling and Bread Baking

Russ and I went to the Pepper Place Farmer’s Market for the first time this season on Saturday. We really enjoy going and getting some of the wonderful produce there. This was Cash’s first time to the market and he loved it! Russ and I got lots of peaches and some fresh corn on the cob. I decided to try another new recipe out of the June CL to go with the corn and peaches. It is Marinated Chicken Cooked Under a Brick.

This recipe calls for using a whole chicken. Last year I decided to try roasting a whole chicken and was pleasantly surprised how easy it is. It sounds intimidating (at least it did to me) because I think of people talking about cooking whole turkeys and how much work it is, time it takes etc. Well a whole chicken is a lot smaller and very manageable to cook even for a weeknight dinner. I highly recommend you try cooking a whole chicken if you haven’t done it before. We have now roasted and grilled them on with great results. Not only are whole chickens very inexpensive to buy, but we have always had them turn out to be very moist and flavorful. Roasting a whole chicken is especially easy and a good way to cook your first chicken.

You use a whole chicken in this recipe and it has to marinate for 8 hours or overnight. I had intended to prepare the marinade and get it going last night, but I got too tired and did it this morning. It took a little longer than I expected though, so I would recommend doing it the night before if possible. The marinade has minced garlic, chopped shallots, honey, dijon mustard, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, and chopped fresh rosemary and thyme. The part that took a little longer than when I normally marinate chicken is that you also have to prepare the chicken. I skinned it this morning and Russ cut the wings off and cut it so it laid flat prior to grilling it. Russ grilled it on low heat for an hour with the bricks (wrapped in foil) on top.

The chicken smelled and tasted fantastic. The marinade gave the chicken great flavor and cooking it for an hour made it very tender. It was moist, but Russ said next time we'll just served the breasts whole (he sliced it) to keep them even more moist. I think we will repeat this chicken again this summer. The only thing I will do differently is to prepare it the night before and let it marinate overnight. I think marinating it for a little longer will only enhance the flavor and not overpower it and it won't make my morning as rushed. Russ rates the chicken a 9.

While the chicken was grilling I had some spare time on my hands, so I decided to do a little baking with the peaches instead of serving them as a side with the chicken. I have been wanting to try more recipes out of my King Arthur Whole Grain Baking cookbook, but have not found time to bake recently. My peaches from the market were ripe, so I decided to try the Peach Oatmeal Bread.

The recipe is a simple one for bread since you just mix the dry ingredients together and then add the oats and sliced peaches to it. Then you mix the wet ingredients together and I did this by hand with a whisk and add it to the flour / peach mixture. I did drain the peaches as the recipe stated, however, next time with fresh peaches I won't bother draining them. Despite the juiciness of the peaches very little juice drained out and to be honest I would have rather had the juice in the bread. If you used canned peaches (which I wouldn't recommend) then do drain them. The only changes I made to the recipe was that I made 4 smaller loaves instead of 1 larger one and I sifted the dry mixture before adding the peaches and oats.

Russ and I both liked this bread. I think I could have taken it out a couple minutes sooner as I thought it was a little dry. I really liked the oatmeal / peach flavor combination, however, I think the bread as a whole could have been a little better. Next time I will add more peaches though as I would have liked to have more in there and cook it a little less time. I think I may even bump it up from 2 to 3 cups leaving everything else the same. I may also bump up the almond extract just a pinch as it adds a nice little extra flavor. I liked that this recipe doesn't use any butter, uses not a lot of sugar, very little oil, and does use whole grain flour. I am anxious to try the bread again today as usually whole grain baked goods are better the next day. This recipe did not call for any resting during the baking process, so I am thinking that sitting overnight has probably only enhanced its flavor. Russ rates the Peach Oatmeal Bread a 8.

* Pictures of the Peach Oatmeal Bread and the recipe will be posted shortly.

Russ' Salmon on the Plank

Sumner and John have had Russ and me over for dinner several times and we finally reciprocated and had them over tonight. Kilkee, their sweet puppy, came with them and she and Cash had a wonderful time playing outside. By the end of the night they were happy, tired pups!

Since the weather has been so nice we decided to grill part of the meal. We decided to have Russ do salmon on a cedar plank on the Egg. He has done plank salmon before and it has turned out very yummy. The planks soak in water all day and then a rub is applied to the salmon a couple hours before grilling. The salmon turned our really well tonight except that it was a little bit saltier than we would have wanted. Next time Russ plans to make a few minor adjustments to the seasonings to make it even better.

We served with it fresh corn on the cob, homemade blueberry muffins, and asparagus. I made the blueberry muffin batter earlier this morning and then baked them this afternoon. I have been on a quest to find the "perfect" blueberry muffin recipe for a few months now and this has been our favorite one so far. It is a whole wheat blueberry muffin from my new cookbook, King Arthur's Whole Grain Baking. They are a dense muffin from being whole wheat, but have great flavor and texture. Next time I will make a couple changes by adding more blueberries and taking them out of the oven a couple minutes sooner.

The asparagus is a repeater for us. It is a Cooking Light recipe from September 2001 that is quick, easy, and very tasty. It is called Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Browned Butter . We typically grill our asparagus after marinating it in Italian dressing, however, when we don't grill it this is our preferred recipe.

All in all it was a wonderful Spring dinner with good company! Russ rates the meal a 7 (only because he is being hard on himself with the salmon).

Chef Howie's Plank Salmon, "Planking Secrets"

For the dry rub:

2 tsp lemon pepper
1 tsp granulated garlic
1 tsp dried tarragon
1 tsp dried basil
1 Tbsp paprika
1 Tbsp kosher salt
2 tsp light brown sugar

For the salmon:

1 cedar plank, soaked overnight or at least 1 hour
four 6 oz pieces of fresh salmon fillet about 2 inches thick, skin removed (we use one large piece of salmon instead of individual portions)
2 lemons, cut into 8 wedges

Combine the ingredients for the dry rub in a small bowl.

Place the fillets on wax paper. Sprinkle both sides of the fish evenly with 2 Tbsp of the dry rub, pressing the seasoning into the fish. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 2 hours and up to 12 hours.

Preheat the grill on medium-high for 5 to 10 minutes or until the chamber temperature rises above 500F. Rinse the plank and place it on the cooking grate. Cover the grill and heat the plank for 4 to 5 minutes, or until it starts to throw off a bit of smoke and crackles lightly. Reduce the heat to medium.

Place the salmon on the plank and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until the fish has an internal temperature of 135F. (This temperature is my standard doneness measure for fish. Chef Howie prefers his salmon rarer and removes it from the heat at 120F.) Transfer the salmon pieces to plates and serve garnished with lemon wedges.

Sour Cream Muffins (King Arthur Whole Grain Baking)

2 cups white whole wheat flour
1/2 unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream (we used reduced fat)
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen berries or diced stone fruits (such as peaches or plums) of your choice
Coarse sugar for sprinkling (we used regular)

Lightly grease muffin tin, or line with papers and coat the papers with non-stick spray. Whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Cream together the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy and almost white in color. Scrape down the bowl to make sure all the butter is incorporated, then turn the mixer back on and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla and sour cream, and mix until incorporated. Add the dry ingredients, mixing on a low speed just until the batter is smooth. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl once more, to be sure everything is evenly combined. Gently fold in the fruit and refrigerate at least one hour.

Preheat the oven to 400F. Scoop the batter by the 1/4-cupful into the prepared pan and sprinkle with sugar or other topping. Bake the muffins until a cake tester is inserted in the center and comes out clean, 22 to 26 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn them out onto a rack to finish cooling. (My notes: I baked them for 22 minutes and think they could have come out a minute or so sooner. Next time I'll check them at 20 minutes to see how they are doing.)