Dulcedo

four-star fried chicken

noreply@blogger.com (Dana) — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 03:39:00 +0000

So I made some changes to the design of the blog, mostly just because I was tired of looking at the old site. The new design has some big benefits though. When I finish adding the necessary links to the "Recipes" tab, it will be a heck of a lot easier to pull up a recipe from the site on my phone (I find myself doing this quite a bit at the grocery store). I think my favorite addition, though, is the "Worthy Reads" tab. A combination of blogs and books, this tab has almost all of my favorite literary kitchen resources. (Though not mentioned, I also utilize the recipe databases on MarthaStewart.com and Epicurious.com.) There are only three blogs listed, and I can't say that I keep up with them on a daily basis, but they are the first three blogs I visit when I'm looking for a new recipe. The books section, however, is the bread and butter of this tab. (Or maybe the cupcake and frosting?)

I must confess that I really, really like my cookbook collection. In fact, just looking at it -- all the books neatly arranged by type and height -- brings me joy. For someone who prepares meals as infrequently as I do (a factor of my life situation at the moment...not really my choice), a collection of more than seventy books is truly unnecessarily large. Over the course of my life and even when (if?) my opportunities to cook increase, I'll be lucky to make it through a quarter of the recipes it contains now. That doesn't matter much to me, though. For some reason, having all of those recipes within arms reach -- no typing required and most on glossy pages with beautiful pictures to accompany them -- makes me happy. There are surely more cookbooks (and a new bookcase) to come.

My attempt at Four-Star Fried Chicken -- a recipe from the book Carl and Renée gave me -- only yielded three stars, but I'm certain it was because of the changes I made, not because the recipe is lacking in some fashion. When making the brine, I misread the recipe -- failed to read it, actually -- and decided to double the brine in order to have enough to cover all of the chicken. This didn't seem to cause any problems; my chicken was still perfectly moist and flavorful.

My second change, however, did affect the taste of the chicken. When I finished coating the chicken with flour and was ready to begin frying, I noticed that Mom and Dad didn't have nearly enough vegetable oil to get the job done. Not wanting to put lunch on hold for another 45 minutes while I ran to the store to get more, I substituted the only other oil in the pantry: peanut oil. The chicken fried up just fine, but the peanut oil gave the skin a flavor that was slightly off -- not unpleasant, but not satisfying the way good fried chicken skin should be. Other than that, the chicken was fantastic. I'd really like to give this recipe another shot (with the proper frying oil) the next time I'm home. Mostly just because my family is unfailingly enthusiastic about homemade comfort food dinners like this one, but it certainly doesn't hurt that the Wolf warming drawer in Mom and Dad's kitchen makes batch frying process a breeze.

Four-Star Fried Chicken
From Memorable Recipes to Share with Family and Friends
Serves 8

4 bone-in chicken breasts, halved crosswise
4 bone-in chicken thighs
4 chicken drumsticks
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
Vegetable oil for frying

Brine
4 cups water
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons ground white pepper

To Brine the Chicken:
Combine all of the brine ingredients in a large bowl and whisk to mix until the salt is dissolved. Add the chicken pieces, which should be fully covered by the brine; add a bit more cold water if needed to cover. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 24 hours, gently stirring once or twice.

To Fry the Chicken:
Combine the flour, salt, garlic powder, cayenne, and pepper in a large bowl and whisk to mix. Cover a large baking sheet with a thin layer of flour. Line another baking sheet with a few layers of brown paper or paper towels.*

Drain the chicken and pay dry with paper towels, discarding the leftover brine. Toss each piece of chicken in the flour mixture to evenly coat and then transfer to the floured baking sheet. Let sit for 10 minutes. Toss once again in the flour to ensure a thorough coating, which will help reduce splattering when fried. Let sit 10 minutes before frying.

Meanwhile, pour 2-3 inches of oil in a wide, deep, heavy pot. (The oil should come no more than halfway up the sides of the pan for safety.) Heat the oil over medium heat to 365 degrees. Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.

Slip 3 or 4 pieces of the dredged chicken into the hot oil, taking care not to crowd them.** Cook, turning a few times, for about 20 minutes, until the skin is nicely browned and the juices run clear when the thickest part is pierced with a knife. Transfer the fried chicken to the paper-lined baking sheet and keep warm in the oven while frying the remaining pieces.

* As you can see in the picture above, I used dinner plates instead of baking sheets when coating my chicken. Not necessarily easier, but plates fit into our dishwasher whereas baking sheets do not.

** I HIGHLY recommend a splatter screen for this step. It drastically reduces the mess as well as your chances of receiving first degree burns during the frying process.

clam and chive dip

noreply@blogger.com (Dana) — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 23:23:00 +0000

So a very cool thing happened to me just before I went home for Christmas. I was sitting in my office -- which is cold and crowded with boxes of paperwork that don't have a home -- and I was feeling terribly glum, as it seems there is no aspect of my job anymore that makes use of my creative gifts. Payroll, tax preparation, meeting organization -- this is not the job I moved across the country for, and not the job I was promised. The economy is in the can and I work in a specialized industry anyway, so finding a new position has proven extremely difficult. Woe is me.

(Woe is you, too? Yeah, there are a lot of us in that boat.)

Anyway, whilst I was silently bemoaning my professional decline, my friend Carl stopped by the office. He's not so much my friend as someone who is tied to the company I work for, but in order to keep a bit of my anonymity, we'll just call him my friend. Carl and his family own and operate a little cooking company called Sur la Table. Perhaps you've heard of it? Carl's wife, Renée, is the current chair of the company, and the sole reason for his visit was to bring me a copy of her recent cookbook, Memorable Recipes to Share with Family and Friends, which they inscribed for me. Just for me! How cool is that?

I asked Carl and Renée which recipes in the book are their favorites. This clam dip and the four-star fried chicken were their recommendations. (Fried chicken recipe coming in my next post.) I really liked how the tang of the lemon juice and hint of chives came through in the dip, but I think my favorite thing about it was the consistency. Not so thick and creamy that it breaks your chip, and not so runny that it won't stick to anything. Just right. I made it for our annual Christmas Eve gathering at home and took it to two other holiday parties, but it would be terrific most any time of year. Perhaps for your upcoming Superbowl game watch?

[Just for fun, and since there are Christmas pictures in this post anyway, here is a picture of my favorite Christmas apron. It's the kind that is cut for a woman, so it doesn't make you look like you have all the shapeliness of a refrigerator box when you put it on.]

Clam and Chive Dip
Recipe from Memorable Recipes to Share with Family and Friends
Yields about 2 cups*

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup creme fraiche or sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 cans (6 1/2 ounces each) minced clams, drained, liquid reserved
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh chives
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon minced yellow onion
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Stir together the cream cheese, creme fraiche or sour cream, and mayonnaise with 2 tablespoons of the reserved clam juice. Stir in the chives, lemon juice, onion, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic powder. Fold in the clams. If the dip is too stiff, stir in a bit more of the clam juice. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour** before serving with pita chips or crudités.

* The book says this recipe yields 8 servings. I have no idea what a serving of dip is. Two tablespoons? Seems to me it made about 2 cups of dip.

** As the recipe notes, you need to refrigerate the dip for at least 1 hour before serving. However, I made it a day in advance (per Carl's recommendation) so the flavors would have more time to draw through.

peanut butter chocolate chip cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Dana) — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 23:23:00 +0000

Last Tuesday was a pretty uneventful day. I had a meeting that ran late after work, then I went to the grocery store, and then home to relax. The Cowboy had plans to meet up with a friend (who is known in real life as Thunder Dan...I wish I had a cool nickname like that), so I had the evening to myself. Like any productive 27-year-old, I put that time to good use by organizing pictures, filing credit card statements, and cleaning the air filter in my vacuum.

Just kidding. I actually ate buffalo wings, played Super Nintendo, and did nothing productive besides think about putting away my Christmas decorations. (I think that counts.) And it was awesome.

I also had toast and chocolate chips for breakfast that day. It's possible I'm not fit to live on my own.

Anyway, (un)productivity aside, I was asleep on the couch by 9:00 p.m. This was nice. Being awakened by someone pounding loudly on my door at 3:00 a.m., however, was not. It was scary. The couch is only a few feet away from the door, so if I got up, the person outside would be able to see me...and my panic-stricken face. I did not want that. Plus, it seemed logical to me that the person outside chose my apartment because there were lights on (my nearby neighbors are early-to-bed folks and, most likely, were fast asleep at the time). Proximity to the ax murderer, near certainty of premeditation, and my own paralyzing fear kept me frozen on the couch. After a few minutes, the person went away -- on foot, apparently, since neither a car door nor the sounds of an engine could be heard -- but I held my position on the couch for another 30 minutes and then, wide awake, wandered around my bedroom for two hours after that. Not nice at all.

This is the second time something like this has happened to me in the three years that I have lived in this apartment, so I can't help but think a security analysis is in order. I live in safe, affluent area made up primarily of homes and with very few apartments. However, a bus line runs right through the middle of the neighborhood, so there are a fair number of outsiders traipsing through on a regular basis. Knowing this, it seems my options for increasing my security are to move to a secured complex (yuck), get a gun (scary...no thanks), or get a roommate (I'm so picky....). Am I missing any?

I hate apartment and condo complexes. Everything looks so much the same; they're just not me at all. I loath the idea of getting a gun, and I'm not convinced that I would remember to reach for it if I needed it anyway. So now we're down to roommate, an option more complex than it seems. My Type A (+++) personality does not mesh well with most others in tight quarters for long periods of time. Truly, I think the only reason the Cowboy can put up with me is because I cook for him and organize his sock drawer, which he likes. I'm also better at laundry. And cleanliness. Really, though, the only available roommate option is the Cowboy. Mom and Dad -- well, just Dad, really -- are not keen on that idea, but no one seems to have a better one. I really like having my own space, but the Cowboy's is looking awfully safe and secure at the moment. Plus, he said he would pay ALL THE RENT if I did his laundry all the time. Seems like a pretty good deal for me. What do you think? (Factoring in, of course, that I am an adult and can make my own decisions, but rocking the family boat unnecessarily is not of interest to me.)

I'm not quite sure how to tie these cookies into my ax murderer story, other than to say that good cookies make everything seem less bad. Normally I'm a peanut butter cookie purist, no chocolate chips allowed. These cookies are a delicious mix though -- soft, chewy, and even a little sparkly since you dip them in sugar before baking. Win-win in my book.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe via Smitten Kitchen; Adapted from The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook
Yields about 3 dozen? (Apparently I didn't write it down)

1 1/4 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup peanut butter at room temperature (can use smooth or chunky)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup chocolate chips
For sprinkling: 1 tablespoon sugar (regular or superfine)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium-size bowl, stir together the flour, the baking soda, the baking powder, and the salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and the peanut butter together until fluffy. Add the sugars and beat until smooth. Add the egg and mix well. Add the milk and the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat thoroughly. Stir in the peanut butter and chocolate chips. Place sprinkling sugar — the remaining tablespoon — in a small dish. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls into the sugar, then onto parchment-lined cookie sheets, leaving several inches between for expansion. Bake for 10-12 minutes, taking care not to overbake. Cookies may appear to be underdone, but they are not. Cool the cookies on the sheets for 1 minute, then remove to a rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

turkey meat loaf with sun-dried tomatoes

noreply@blogger.com (Dana) — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 21:12:00 +0000

OK, here is the deal: I am going to go back to posting and no one is going to hold a grudge about how failed to post anything good (or bad) during October, November, or December. I won't even claim that I was busy. I wasn't. But no one wins if I tell you what was really going on. I've come to realize that no matter how I tell it, the story will make you feel sorry for me, then you will think that I'm a little pathetic, and then you will think I am crazy. In that order. So we'll just skip that ~~saga~~ story and move on to one about a coat.

Two years ago, I was wandering through the Macy's coat section when I happened upon a rack of lovely black winter coats. With a tailored cut, oversized collar, and big, black velvet buttons, these coats were winners. Clearly better than all the other black winter coats. (Ever.) Excited to find a coat that met my irrationally high standards, I reached for my size to try one on. And there were none. Figures. But undeterred -- by that or the heart-palpitation-inducing price tag -- I rushed home to see if my size was still available online. And, lo and behold, not only was it available, but there was something EVEN BETTER. It was also available as a RED COAT WITH BLACK VELVET BUTTONS! RED! And I realized at that very moment that nothing, NOTHING, should be allowed to come between me and this coat. (Except clothes. It's not nice to wear coats while otherwise naked.)

Every day I checked the price of the coat and then my bank account balance to see if there might be the possibility of a trade. Most days the outcome was mighty disappointing. But finally, one month later and through the magic of a Christmas gift card, a post-holiday sale, a coupon, ~~some prostitution,~~ and a promo code for free shipping that I found online, the coat was mine! MINE!

The coat and I became fast friends. Every time I put it on, I was excited to wear it because it nearly always garnered a compliment from a friend or passerby. But this sort of flattery breeds paranoia in the wearer. What if something happens to the coat? What if it is stolen, damaged, or stained? WHAT WILL I DO? I would be condemned to live my remaining days -- if I survived the loss of the coat, that is -- with only average outerwear.

Prior to December 17, 2010, I don't think I ever wondered what would be like to slip on the ice, see 5 bags of groceries, Kate Spade, and my legs flying up into the air, and then land on top of -- and destroy -- a gallon of milk and a giant jar of pickles, but that night, I found out. The leather soles of my cowboy boots proved no match for the icy tundra of central Illinois, and I wiped out in the most epic, National-Lampoons-style possible. I should have been hurt. But I wasn't, and because of that, I thought the whole thing was hysterical. At least until I heard my mother -- in the midst of her cries about how she was sure I must have broken bones -- pause and say, "And your coat is soaking up all that juice!"

WHAT? Sure enough, a quick glance around me confirmed that I was lying in a pool of skim milk, petite kosher dills, and pickle juice. In a fraction of a second, my laughter transformed into giant tears and I frantically scrambled to get off the ground and out of the gunk. But the damage was done: my coat and I reeked of the milky mess.

Thankfully, dry cleaners can work wonders. Just five days after my winter wonderland wipeout, I was back to wearing the coat, sans glaring dark stains and awful stench. Hooray! No replacement necessary! (Yet.)

If you're anything like me and spend the holidays cooking like you're competing in the next Iron Chef challenge (Of course I can find black truffle pimento jam-infused caviar in rural Illinois. No problem!), you've had your fill of labor- and time-intensive dishes for a while. January is a time for recovery. Simple, comforting fare is in order, and this turkey meat loaf fits the bill perfectly. It's moist, flavorful, and you get to use your hands to mix it. (Everybody knows food turns out better that way.) I made this for the Cowboy and he declared it the best meat loaf he had ever eaten. I'm not sure that's saying a whole lot, but it's also the best meat loaf I've ever had, so I hope that recommendation carries some weight. Happy holiday recovery to you!

[It's worth noting that the meat loaf is cold in all of my pictures -- because it's also excellent for sandwiches.]

Turkey Meat Loaf with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Adapted from Bon Appétit March 1996
Serves 6

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped

1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
1 1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs made from soft white bread
2/3 cup chopped drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
2 teaspoons dried rubbed sage
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground pepper
Ketchup*

Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease 9x5x3-inch glass loaf pan. Heat oil in heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add onion; sauté 5 minutes. Add celery; sauté until vegetables are very tender, about 15 minutes longer. Transfer to large bowl.

Add all remaining ingredients except ketchup to vegetables in bowl. Mix thoroughly. Transfer to prepared pan. Bake 1 hour. Brush with ketchup and bake until thermometer inserted into center registers 165°F, about 15 minutes longer. Cool 5 minutes. Slice and serve.

* Mix with a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce for extra zip.

uncle brian's potato salad

noreply@blogger.com (Dana) — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 20:42:00 +0000

With the end of summer came an intense craving for my uncle's homemade potato salad. Labor Day weekend in Seattle was rainy, chilly, and mostly unpleasant, so there were no opportunities to make potato salad for a crowd. Last weekend, however, the Canadian Cowboy and I rented a cabin on a small lake outside of Seattle. I made potato salad and pretended there was a crowd. (Note that this sort of mind game will result in a boatload of leftovers.)

Canadian Cowboy was in charge of the fishing gear. I haven't been fishing in over five years, so I had to relearn how to bait a hook and cast a line. As it turns out, I'm not very good at putting my own worm on the hook -- we saw quite a few of them fly off in the other direction when I cast my line -- but I deserve an "A" for effort, I think. Okay, maybe a "B." I mostly gave up after my fumbling resulted in a squirt of worm guts to the face. (I bet you're hungry now, right?)

Thankfully, the Cowboy is much better at baiting a hook than I am.

This potato salad recipe is great to have on hand for potlucks, picnics, and other such events. A half batch will easily feed 8 people as a side. I was expecting to spend an eternity peeling potatoes, but was delighted to find that the skins mostly slid right off by just using my hands. To add a little color to the dish, I left the skin on that didn't come off easily (see below). Next time I'll leave even more.

The most important bit of advice I can offer (with respect to this salad, at least) is NOT to add all the oil and mayo at once. If you would like an oily or overly mayo-y potato salad, I'm sure the deli counter at your local grocery store would be glad to assist you. (Yuck.) Start off by adding only half of the listed amounts -- at most -- and then add more as needed until the salad just comes together. Bear in mind that the consistency of the dressing changes after it is refrigerated, so it's best to err on the side of caution. The salad should have bright hints of onion, lemon, and paprika and not taste at all like mayonnaise.

Finally, I was thrilled with the smoked paprika flavor right after I added the dressing to the salad, but found it a tad dull when I served it the next day. If you make the salad a day or two ahead of time, you may want to taste and adjust the spices again before serving.

Uncle Brian's Potato Salad
Adapted from my Uncle Brian's recipe
Serves an army (at least 16 people)

10 pounds redskin potatoes, scrubbed clean
1 medium Bermuda onion (can substitute a Spanish onion or any sweet onion)
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon paprika (I prefer smoked)
1 teaspoon Kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, plus more to taste
Olive oil for consistency (approximately 1 cup)
Mayonnaise for texture (approximately 1/2 - 1 cup)

Bring a large stock pot filled half-full with water to boil over high heat. Add the potatoes and continue to boil for 30-45 minutes, until they are cooked and easily pierced with a fork. Drain the potatoes and allow them to cool.

Once the potatoes have cooled, peel off most or all of the skin. (I like to leave some on to add color.) Dice the potatoes into approximately 1" pieces and place them in a large bowl. Stir in the onions and then cover and refrigerate until chilled.

To make the dressing, whisk together the vinegar, lemon juice, dry mustard, paprika, salt, and pepper. Whisk in 1/4 cup of mayonnaise and 1/2 cup of olive oil. Pour over chilled potato mixture and stir to combine. If the salad is dry, whisk together some or all of the remaining mayo and oil and add to the potato mixture, taking care not to make the salad overly oily. Taste and adjust spices as needed.

Potato salad should be served well chilled and stored, refrigerated, in an air-tight container.

steamed crab with clarified butter

noreply@blogger.com (Dana) — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 21:55:00 +0000

This post is like cheating. Hardly a recipe at all, it's basically just an excuse to post pretty pictures from Sunday's trip to Pike Place Market with Canadian Cowboy. Our mutual love of the market is such a nice thing. On one of our early dates, we met at the market at his suggestion. He purchased Copper River salmon (the best!), scallops, and fresh asparagus. Much to my delight, he let me pick out two bouquets of flowers -- one for his apartment, and one for me to take home. I selected these gorgeous irises for myself and a bright (but masculine) seasonal bouquet for him. Market fare in hand, we went back to his place, where he proceeded to grill up an outstanding meal. He even grilled the salad and wrapped the scallops in bacon -- very impressive!

During our market visit last Sunday, we picked up a hefty Dungeness crab, 1.5 lbs of Penn Cove mussels, French bread and almond/orange shortbread cookies from Le Panier, and a pound of late summer strawberries for homemade strawberry sorbet. We didn't even bother with vegetables this time. Shame on us, I suppose, but we were very focused on the seafood feast!

I cooked dinner for him this time. Since steaming shellfish only takes a few minutes, I prepared the strawberry sorbet first. It is such a simple thing to make that it really doesn't require its own post: 18 oz of strawberries, pureed, mixed with 3 tablespoons of fresh lime. Stir in simple syrup (1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water, heated and stirred until the sugar dissolves, then cooled to room temperature). Set it whirring away in your ice cream maker for 20-25 minutes and then freeze in an airtight container until ready to use.

Once the sorbet was finished, I made a quick sauce in which to steam the mussels. Nothing fancy, much the same as this one I made a few years ago. I dropped the shellfish into their respective pots, lit tealights for my two newest Glassybaby (oh, how I love them), and ten minutes later we were sitting down to a late-summer seafood extravaganza on the patio. So delish. The white wine and brilliant vase of dahlias on the table didn't hurt either.

Steamed Crab with Clarified Butter
Serves 2

1 large crab, approximately 2 - 2.5 lbs, cleaned
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 lemon plus additional for garnish

Add 2 inches of water to a large stock pot and place it over high heat. When it reaches a boil, add the crab, cover the pot, and heat for approximately 10 minutes. (A steamer basket is ideal for this step, but not required.) Remove crab to a serving platter, squeeze lemon over exposed meat, and serve at once with clarified butter.

[To clarify the butter, melt it in a small saucepan over medium-low heat for a few minutes. Skim the foam off the top and then pour the butter into a separate dish, leaving any solids at the bottom of the saucepan behind.]

cowboy cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Dana) — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 17:02:00 +0000

Oh, my. It seems things have gotten away from me again over here in blogging land. Terribly sorry about that. It's not that I don't enjoy cooking, baking, and blogging -- you know I do -- it's that my priorities have shifted a bit over the last year. Last July I started taking dance lessons. As it turns out, dancing comes rather naturally to me, so what began as just a little Country dancing (two-step, Schottische, triple-step, etc.) had, by September, ramped up to include ballroom, swing, and salsa, too. I danced five to six days a week all through the fall and winter, then dropped down to three to four days a week in the spring, partially because I was running out of money (private lessons are expensive!), and partially because I wanted to spend more time with my Country music/dancing friends and less with everyone else.

Spring, as you have read, brought carrot cake, the introduction of The Pioneer Woman, and Snickerdoodle cupcakes. Oh, and Orlando Bloom. Ugh. Let's wrap up that last part right now. Outside of the initial introduction, the Orlando Bloom experience was a disaster from start to very quick finish. He was not so much cowboy as redneck, and that just doesn't work for me. Moving on.

Summer, however, brought me something utterly delightful. Something tall and feverishly handsome, with baby blue eyes, scores of soft lashes, and sparkling white teeth...nicely packaged in boots and a cowboy hat. (I clearly have a type.) Enter Canadian Cowboy. Would you like to hear more about him? Perhaps after this recipe....

Cowboy Cookies
A recipe from MarthaStewart.com
Yields about 3 dozen cookies

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light-brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, cut into 1/4-inch chunks (1 cup)
3 ounces (3/4 cup) pecan halves
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat butter and sugars on medium-high speed until pale and creamy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.

Reduce speed to low, and slowly add flour mixture, beating until just incorporated. Beat in oats, chocolate, pecans, and coconut until combined. (Dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)

Using a 1 1/2-inch scoop, drop dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 3 inches apart. Bake until edges of cookies begin to brown, 11-13 minutes. Let cookies cool on sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

carrot cake

noreply@blogger.com (Dana) — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 04:19:00 +0000

What Not To Do: Helpful Tips for Boys Courting Girls. I could write this book someday. Even though I haven't actually penned it yet, let me give you some exciting excerpts from my dates, past and present:

Do NOT...

1. Ask girl out and then share your fantasy about an evening with her roommate.
2. Initiate date number two by calling girl at 2:00 a.m. and asking her to come over.
3. Attempt to initiate dates three and four by calling girl at 2:00 a.m. and asking her to come over.
4. Take off your jacket at the restaurant to reveal a loose-fitting black tank top circa 1992. Visible armpit hair at the dinner table is a no-no.
5. Go with girl to her business-related gala, take full advantage of the open bar, and then insist that you cannot possibly drive home and must stay the night at her apartment.

True stories, all of them. Sad, right? Married people should count their blessings.

I have been craving carrot cake lately and the appearance of this post is proof that I finally got tired of paying $3.25 a slice for it at my local PCC Market. Plus, it's Easter, so what better time could there be for a carrot cake? I'm of the belief that the Bunny likes his carrots better in cake form anyway. (Who wouldn't?) I made a three-layer 6" cake and mailed two layers off to the family back home and kept one layer for the Bunny and my own little Easter celebration. Unfortunately, I already ate the Bunny's portion. Oh well -- he sent my Easter basket goodies early this year, so I suppose he won't be back anyway? I appreciated his cake enough for the both of us, I promise.

This Microplane grater is a mighty helpful tool in the creation of carrot cake. (Yes, it's $35, but it's more ergonomic than the paddle graters and you can drop the whole thing in the dishwasher when you're done. Super!) You can grate the carrots in a food processor if you don't have a box grater, but the pieces will be a bit heavier and the cake a bit denser. I made two minor enhancements to the Smitten Kitchen recipe below: I like raisins, but not those nasty, dryish things that gum up inside the Sunmaid box, so I soak my raisins in alcohol first. Usually bourbon, but this time I used Myer's dark rum; anything along those lines will work nicely. I also toasted the walnuts to boost the flavor a bit before adding them to the batter. Both of these alterations were pleasantly noticeable in the baked cake, but when I make this again I think I will scrap the walnuts and double the boozy raisins. (After the dating debacles described above, who wouldn't need a good stiff drink...er, cake?) Yum, yum, yum. Happy Easter!

[Frosting, anyone? Try Smitten Kitchen's maple cream cheese frosting or my vanilla bean cream cheese frosting.]

Carrot Cake
A recipe from the Smitten Kitchen
Makes 24 cupcakes, one two-layer 9" cake, or one three-layer 6" cake

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups canola oil
4 large eggs
3 cups grated peeled carrots
1 cups coarsely chopped walnuts (optional)
1/2 cup raisins (optional)

[Layer cake prep: Butter each of the cake pans. Line the bottom of the pans with parchment or waxed paper. Butter and flour the paper; tap out excess flour.]*

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Stir together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger in medium bowl and then set aside. In a large bowl, whisk the sugar and oil until well blended. Whisk in the eggs one at a time. Add the flour mixture and stir until blended. Stir in the grated carrots, walnuts, and raisins, if using. Divide batter among cake pans or cupcake molds, filling 3/4 of each.

Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of each comes out clean (cupcakes about 15 minutes, layer cakes about 40 minutes). Let cool in pans for 10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

* I cheat here and use butter-flavored Pam and Pam With Flour, respectively. Seems to work just fine.

meatballs in almond sauce

noreply@blogger.com (Dana) — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:22:00 +0000

When was the last time you stumbled across a blog that sucked away your afternoon? One that was so witty and entertaining that it caused those three loads of laundry you swore you were going to get through to remain in a crumpled heap on the floor two days later (and counting...)? My friend Hannah recently suggested that I visit The Pioneer Woman. (Yes, I gave you the link, but don't blame me if you click on it and then fail to accomplish even half of what you had planned to do today. You have been warned.) Hannah thought I would particularly like reading The Pioneer Woman's love story, Black Heels to Tractor Wheels, so that's where I started.

Let's pretend, for my sake, that I didn't plow through the first 31 chapters of Black Heels to Tractor Wheels in one day. (It makes me feel better if you think I accomplished more than just gluing myself to a computer screen on Wednesday. I also went to a karaoke bar.) It's just so easy to read, and as my friend C pointed out ("You and this woman -- you are the same person!"), there are some striking similarities between Pioneer Woman and me. Like our serious and sudden attraction to men in Wranglers and cowboys boots. And the sense of Everything is Right With the World that comes from climbing into the cab of a big pickup truck for a date. And probably also our unfortunate tendency to find ourselves in potentially mortifying situations. (I would like to tell myself that this last example isn't quite true, but yesterday I walked face-first into the door of our office. No, it is not made of glass.) Pioneer Woman's blog is worth visiting (over and over and over again), but if a gazillion hours of online reading is a bit more than you can handle at the moment, you'll be heartened to know that the published version of Black Heels to Tractor Wheels is scheduled for release around this time next year and plans for a movie are in the works as well. Apparently I'm not the only fan.

I'm going to pull a recipe out of my Made But Not Posted file in order to give you a break from my recent rash of desserts. Dad requested meatballs for one of our Christmas 2009 gatherings, so settled on these and, Sweet Betsy From Pike, were they ever good! So filling and so savory, and really not too difficult to make. In order to speed the day-of prep along, I did my chopping and meat-mixing ahead of time. I also got a little help from The Athlete, who has finally come to understand that assisting me in the kitchen is not a perfect slice of hell (as she once thought), but a rather nice way to spend a little time together around the holidays (just a little, but we're working on it). She was kind enough to form the meat mixture into balls and dust them with flour while I prepared the picada. Huge help! Sautéing the meatballs in the skillet was the most time-intensive task. I had to do small batches since our large skillet was being put to another use at the time, and it took quite a while since I was making a double match of meatballs in the first place. However, I made these in my parent's kitchen (ahem..."my" kitchen), so I had the benefit of a warming drawer to keep the already cooked meatballs toasty. A large pot set over very low heat can serve a the same purpose if you find yourself in a similar situation.

Meatballs in Almond Sauce
(Albóndigas en Salsa de Almendra)
A recipe from Williams-Sonoma
Serves 6 as an appetizer

Meatballs
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground pork*
2 slices bread, about 2 ounces total, soaked in water to cover and squeezed dry
1/4 cup minced yellow onion
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
3 tablespoons finely minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg or cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Picada
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons ground blanched almonds
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
A few saffron threads, crushed
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Olive oil for deep-frying or sautéing
Flour for dusting

Sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup minced yellow onion
1/2 cup dry white wine
2/3 cup meat or chicken broth

To make the meatballs, in a bowl, combine the beef, pork, soaked bread, onion, garlic, parsley, egg, paprika, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Knead with your hands until well mixed. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour, as the mixture is easier to work with when cold.

To make the picada, in a mini food processor or mortar, combine the garlic, almonds, parsley, paprika and saffron, and process or grind to a paste. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Once the meat mixture is well chilled, form it into 1-inch balls and dust them with flour, coating evenly. In a deep-fry pan over medium-high heat, pour in olive oil to a depth of 2 inches and heat to 375 degrees F on a deep-frying thermometer. Working in batches, slip the balls into the hot oil and fry until golden, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. (Alternately, in a large fry pan over medium heat, warm a little olive oil and sauté the meatballs until well browned on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes.)

To make the sauce, in a large fry pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion and sauté until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the wine, broth, and meatballs and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. Add the picada and cook for a few minutes more to blend the flavors. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Transfer to a serving dish and serve hot.

* You may not be able to find this pre-packaged, but fear not -- the helpful person behind the meat counter at any standard grocery store can grind pork for you.

snickerdoodle cupcakes

noreply@blogger.com (Dana) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 22:15:00 +0000

Let's talk about dating, shall we? I'm rather regretting boring you with an entire post about text messaging -- especially since I'm sure I have more interesting things to say -- and my dating life is, at the very least, interesting. The highs and lows of it are certainly fodder for conversation among my friends. I can even connect what I'm about to say about dating to this cupcake recipe, so this should work out nicely. (Perhaps we can disregard the narrative in the last post as a bit of poor blogging judgment on my part? Don't disregard the recipe though -- it is a keeper.)

One of the gifts the Good Lord Above has blessed me with is the gift of knowing what I like and what I need (and the difference between the two). When it comes to dating, this is terrifically useful, but also terrifically frustrating, as the qualities I'm looking for seem mighty rare these days. At any rate, one of the essential elements is that the guy must be comfortable in his own shoes. Quiet confidence is perfectly OK -- and often preferable -- but a shrinking violet would look grossly out of place next to me. My particular sense of confidence, sometimes quiet and sometimes outgoing, can be intimidating to some, so when a guy manages to get past that I am always impressed. This is how Orlando Bloom entered my life.

Not really Orlando Bloom, but a cowboy boot- and hat-wearing guy that would look an awful lot like Orlando Bloom if Orlando Bloom donned this fabulously sexy Western wear. Anyway, two weeks ago, clad in my most recently acquired vintage Western shirt (an obsession I will expound on in later posts), I paid a visit to my favorite local live music establishment to hear one of my favorite local Country bands. I arrived early, thanks to a glitch in dinner plans for the evening, and while passing the pre-show time chatting with friends, I couldn't help but notice the dark eyes of Orlando Bloom staring at me from beneath his straw cowboy hat. It takes more than a celebrity resemblance and a meeting of eyes across the room to pique my interest, so I didn't give this brief interaction much thought. That is, until I noticed him still watching as my sky and navy blue shirt, with embroidered flowers and shotgun cuffs, twirled around the floor while the band roared through their first set. Midway through the evening, Orlando Bloom asked me to dance. He can dance. Always good, but still not enough to grab my attention. We parted ways, but in between conversations with his friends -- who were all gathered together for a rowdy cowboy birthday celebration -- Orlando Bloom continued to watch. And at the end of the evening, after two more dances and with nary a hint of reservation, hesitation, insecurity, or doubt, Orlando Bloom asked me out.

I said yes.

I made these cupcakes for my friend, K. When I first met K last fall, we had a lively discussion about cookies, cupcakes, and a whole host of other things, and by the end it was decided that I would turn K's favorite cookie, Snickerdoodle, into a cupcake. It took me a while; as you now know, I didn't turn on my oven for many months while I was busy learning to dance. I'm getting better at striking a balance though, and a few weeks ago I had the time and the inclination to focus in on keeping last fall's Snickerdoodle cupcake promise.

These cupcakes are, umm, oh so good. Cinnamon, sugar, butter, and vanilla -- really, where can you go wrong? The cupcake recipes comes from Martha Stewart's new cupcake book, which was a Christmas gift to me that Dad picked out himself. (Love, love, love those gifts.) Martha recommends pairing the cupcake with a seven-minute frosting, but I opted for my go-to vanilla buttercream instead. Good choice, I think. The pièce de résistance of the cupcake, though, is the teeny tiny Snickerdoodle cookie perched on top -- a subtlety sparkling adornement to the folds of creamy frosting. (So proud of the tiny cookies...and all the awesome adjectives in the preceding sentence.) The recipe for the cookies can be found here, but you'll need to whittle the size of each ball of dough down from a scoop to a pinch to get a cookie small enough to place on a cupcake. Enjoy! (K did.)

Oh, and since I promised to tie the dating story in with the cupcake recipe: It was K's fantastic band that was playing the night I met Orlando Bloom.

* I anticipate getting a few questions about the floral bakery box holding K's cupcakes, above. I made that myself using a rather large stamp and black matte ink. Special friends deserve specially packaged gifts, I think. (Not shown: lime green grosgrain and black satin ribbons that tied it all together after the lid was closed.) For those interested in decorating their own bakery boxes, this task will likely require an ink that is formulated to dry on glossy surfaces. I used Tsukineko's Archival Brilliance pigment ink pad in Graphite Black.

** This frosting recipe will make enough to nicely cover all of the cupcakes. However, if you have a preference for big swirls of frosting (as I clearly do), you should plan to double it.

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes
Yields 24-28 cupcakes

Cupcakes
A recipe from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups cake flour (not self- rising), sifted
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups milk

Frosting
A recipe by Cheryl at The Cupcake Bakeshop
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
6-8 cups sifted powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 cup milk

To Make the Cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Sift together both flours, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the milk, and beginning and ending with the flour. Beat until combined.

Fill your cupcake containers of choice three-quarters full. Bake, rotating halfway through, until a cake tester inserted into the centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

To Make the Frosting:
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter at medium-high speed until creamy. Add half of the sifted sugar, the vanilla, and the milk. Beat until combined. Gradually add the remaining sugar until the frosting reaches your desired consistency.

Cupcakes may be stored in an airtight container for at least two days. (I am exceptionally good at making cupcakes rapidly disappear, so I really wouldn't know beyond that.)

mile-high lemon meringue pie

noreply@blogger.com (Dana) — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 17:40:00 +0000

I am a music person. I love to cook and I love to dance, but I really, really love music. Nothing could be as delightful as the first chord of a great country song, the melody of a hymn I know by heart, or the inspirational notes of the Notre Dame alma mater. Sometimes these auditory staples of my existence make me happy and sometimes they make me a little sad, but they never fail to elicit a welcome emotion. Sound is, after all, a powerful thing. I would be remiss, though, if I didn't point out the one incongruity in my daily scheme of sounds. I feel a little thrill of glee every time I hear it, but its melodic structure bears no resemblance -- none -- to the songs previously mentioned. To what am I referring? To the electronic chime of an incoming text message of course!

What is it about the text message that is so appealing, particularly to the under 40 crowd? At this time last year, I maybe sent and received a handful of texts per month, well under my plan limit of 100. But back in November -- like magic! -- unlimited messaging was added to my plan....and it has been downhill ever since. Sooooo many texts. Sometimes my thumbs get tired! (Is there a machine at the gym to fix that?) And on one occasion (OK, two), I woke up on top of my phone because I fell asleep in the middle of a text conversation.

I have my own reasons for explaining why text messages appeal to me. I'm quite to the point -- little patience for pleasantries required in a phone conversation -- so I can appreciate the 160 character limit imposed by the text messaging gods. And of course there are situations where it is simply practical -- noisy bars, updating a friend on your latest date...while you are on it (just kidding...kind of) -- but none of those really explain the enigmatic lure of the text. Why doesn't an incoming phone call make me feel the same way? (And you know it isn't just me. Fingers flying over tiny keys can been seen on nearly every street corner these days.)

I made these lemon meringue pies for Dad using some of Mom's darling mini pie plates (which she uses for salad, not pies). Meringue can be such a tricky bugger. Weeping, waning, collapsing, failing -- words heard all too often in a baker's attempt to conjure that fluffy, pie-topping confection. Not with this recipe though. Good old Martha. Thanks to her, the only words heard in my kitchen were along the lines of, "Whoo!!! Look at my meringue! Look how high I can pile it!!!" Perfect.

Now a couple of finer points about this recipe that you would do well to follow: You must, must, must use cake flour to make the filling. It will not thicken properly with regular flour, and runny pie -- while still tasty -- just doesn't have quite the same appeal. Please use fresh lemon juice. If it comes from a bottle or a frozen tube, I can promise you it won't taste as good. It just won't. And when you are browning your meringue, watch it like a hawk! It goes from brown to black in the blink of an eye, so don't wander away from your oven at this stage of the game. My very evenly browned meringue is the result of Mom and Dad's high-end ovens. If I had owned one at the time, I would have used a kitchen torch to darken the peaks a bit after removing the pies from the oven. Most ovens have uneven heat circulation and hot spots, so this isn't an issue. Finally, don't put your leftover pie in the fridge. Fluffy meringue goodness and thick lemon filling just don't respond well to the chill of the fridge. Loosely covered at room temperature will work fine, though who has leftover pie anyway?

Mile-High Lemon Meringue Pie
Yields one 9-inch pie

Pate Brisee
A recipe from MarthaStewart.com
Makes 1 double-crust or 2 single-crust 9-inch to 10-inch pies
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled or frozen and cut into small pieces
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

Filling
A recipe from Martha Stewart's Pies & Tarts
1 1/4 cups sugar
2/3 cup sifted cake flour
1/4 cup cornstartch
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups water
5 egg yolks
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons grated lemon rind
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Meringue
A recipe from Martha Stewart's Pies & Tarts
8-12 egg large egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
6 tablespoons sugar

To Make the Crust:
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, salt, and sugar. Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8-10 seconds.

With the machine running, add the ice water in a slow, steady stream through the feed tube. Pulse until the dough holds together without being wet or sticky, being careful not to process more than 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a small amount together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Divide the dough into two equal balls. Flatten each ball into a disc and wrap in plastic. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill at least 1 hour. Dough may be stored frozen up to 1 month.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Roll out half the dough 1/8 inch thick on a lightly floured surface, fit it into a 9-inch pie plate, and trim the edge, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang.

Line pie shell with foil or parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake 15-20 minutes or until beginning to set. Remove foil with weights and bake until golden, approximately 20 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.

To Make the Filling:
Raise the oven temperature to 375 degrees F. In a bowl over simmering water, combine the sugar, flour, cornstarch, salt, and water and cook for 10-20 minutes until the mixture becomes very thick and almost translucent. Remove it from the heat and beat in the egg yolks, one at a time, until thoroughly blended. Return the mixture to the heat and cook for 6-7 minutes, stirring constantly, until thick and smooth. Rome it from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and rind. Whisk in the butter, a piece at a time, and set aside to cool.

To Make the Meringue:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until fluffy. Add the cream of tartar, vanilla, and salt. Continue beating and add 1 tablespoon of sugar to the mixture every minute. Beat for 7-8 minutes until stiff peaks form.

To Assemble the Pie:
Pour the cooled filling into the pie shell. Mound the meringue over the filling in peaks as high as possible, making sure to cover the filling completely to the edge of the pie shell. Bake for approximately 10 minutes, or until the meringue is golden brown. Let cool at room temperature for at least 3 hours before cutting. Do not refrigerate.

feta salsa

noreply@blogger.com (Dana) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 16:58:00 +0000

My family has a tradition of taking in a seasonally themed performing arts event just before Christmas each year. For many years, this meant a trip to see the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra's holiday pops concert at Powell Symphony Hall. This was always a treat (especially for a music lover like me), but scheduling conflicts in recent years have forced us to seek out other options. One year this meant attending a Trans Siberian Orchestra concert at the Savvis Center. This was an interesting alternative, but I think my tolerance of insane electronic guitar riffs is maxed out at one hour, not two, and arena shows are, by nature, rather impersonal. This year Dad purchased tickets to a production of White Christmas at the Fox Theatre. The costumes and dance numbers were outstanding, and who wouldn't be moved into the holiday spirit by listening to those classic songs penned by Irving Berlin? Next year I hope we can make it back to the Symphony, but if not, I wouldn't be disappointed to spend another evening at the Fox. With its grand architecture and festively decorated lobbies, our annual holiday outing seemed extra special!

This recipe is all of the deliciousness of an antipasto platter combined in one dish. I made it for last year's Christmas Eve party, and it was so simple to prepare and well received that I am seriously considering making it again this year. (Highly unusual since I normally make one or two new appetizers each year.) You could make this and serve it right away, but I do think it benefits from chilling for a few hours to let the flavors draw through. Adding marinated artichoke hearts, garbanzo beans, or capers might be a nice variation on the basic recipe below.

Feta Salsa
A recipe from the Smitten Kitchen
Yields about 2 cups

1/2 pound feta (cow’s milk)
2/3 cup sundried tomatoes in oil
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives
2 tablespoons fresh dill
3 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley
2 scallions
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Crumble the feta into a bowl. Chop the tomatoes and olives, dill and parsley and thinly slice the scallions. Gently mix the ingredients together and drizzle with a few tablespoons of olive oil to taste. Chill or serve at room temperature.

roasted vegetables with pomegranate vinaigrette

noreply@blogger.com (Dana) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 07:27:00 +0000

Ahem. Hello? *Cough* Hmm...I'm pretty sure today's post will fall on empty ears, which is entirely deserved. I have been absent for, well, quite a while. I had a small group of loyal readers last year, and falling off the face of the blogging earth was not a very nice thing for me to do to them. I'm sorry. Let me tell you what 2009 held for me, and then about a terrific and simple vegetable recipe that that might come in handy for your holiday cooking.

I did a lot of cooking for Christmas 2008, and as per usual, I took a little break in January. During that time, I started to feel like maybe I should pursue a few other hobbies that had been resting on the back burner. In particular, I finally got around to reading some of the classic novels that had been on my reading list for years. I also did a fair bit of traveling for work in the first half of the year, participating in some interesting pilot projects for my industry. Not a bad gig for someone my age. On May 24, though, everything changed.

I stayed in Seattle for Memorial Day weekend 2009 instead of traveling home to see my family. Knowing this, one of my coworkers asked me to join her and another friend at one of Seattle's country bars for an evening of live music. I'm a huge fan of music in general, but especially of country music, so this wasn't a difficult sell. However, I didn't have great expectations for a Sunday evening bar outing. Much to my surprise, the bar had a good crowd. More surprising, though, were the number of people out on the dance floor. And they were really dancing -- genuine two-step and some interesting pattern dances -- not just bumping and grinding. It looked like so much fun that I couldn't help but tell my coworker how much I wanted to learn to dance like that. She had done some dancing in the past but thought she could use a refresher, so we started taking lessons together.

I spent July and August learning to become a decent "follow" for two-step and East Coast swing at the same little country bar we first visited back in May. (In most forms of partner dancing, one person is the "lead" and the other the "follow.") Dancing to my favorite music made me happier than I ever could have guessed. I loved it so much, in fact, that I decided I wanted to learn other dances -- salsa, West Coast swing, and ballroom. And so I did. In September and October I was taking seven dances classes a week in addition to dancing socially four evenings a week. To say that I was burning the candle at both ends would be putting it mildly. I was never home -- and therefore never cooking -- but I was having so much fun that I didn't care. In November I refined things a little, dropping down to private lessons in West Coast swing and ballroom, and group lessons for salsa. I can't really explain how much I love to dance. I can only tell you that it makes my heart happy and that nearly every moment of every day that I'm doing something else, I would rather be dancing. Truly.

I'm pretty thrilled with the passion that I've developed for dance even though, in the beginning, it left little time for my other hobbies and activities. I'm working a little harder now to strike a balance between dancing and the rest of my life. If I am successful, I should have time to do a little bit of cooking and blogging without feeling as though that time would have been better spent whirling and twirling around a dance floor. I did, of course, do some cooking when I was home for Thanksgiving. My aunt played hostess this year, so instead of the full meal I was only responsible for a vegetable dish and cranberry sauce. I chose this recipe for roasted vegetables with pomegranate vinaigrette from the November 2009 issue of Martha Stewart Living. My favorite go-to side dish is roasted vegetables with olive oil, and this recipe is a simple variation of that one. I'm not a huge fan of the little jewel-like pomegranate seeds, but decided to add them anyway. Good thing, since everyone else at the table delighted in the crunch they added to the dish. Whether you like them or not, it's certainly easy to appreciate the visual appeal they add to the vegetables -- an easy addition for a festive holiday presentation, for sure.

Roasted Vegetables with Pomegranate Vinaigrette
A recipe from Martha Stewart Living - November 2009
Serves 12

Roasted Vegetables
1 large head regular cauliflower (about 2 pounds), cut into small florets
1 pound baby Romanesco cauliflower, or regular cut into small florets
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch wedges
1 pound brussels sprouts, halved
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Course salt and freshly ground pepper

Pomegranate Vinaigrette
1/2 cup pomegranate juice
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup pomegranate seeds
Course salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Toss together the vegetables and 3 tablespoons of oil in a large bowl, then season generously with salt and pepper. Spread the vegetables evenly on 2 rimmed baking sheets and roast until golden, mixing halfway through, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette: Transfer the pomegranate juice to a small bowl. Pour in 1 cup of oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper.

Just before serving, drizzle vinaigrette over warm vegetables and toss with pomegranate seeds.

mashed potatoes with garlic and chives

noreply@blogger.com (Dana) — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 15:18:00 +0000

Every year we have the same little tussle in our house around the holidays. Mom and Dad -- in their efforts to preserve, save, and protect -- insist that all holiday lights must be turned off when the last person goes to bed. I, however, relish the opportunity to fall asleep in the comforting glow of a Christmas tree. So this is where we butt heads, and the almost ritualistic annual scenario goes something like this: Mom and Dad go to bed. I fall asleep on the sofa next to one of the trees. Mom/Dad shuffles into the room at 3 a.m., turns off the tree, and grumbles something in my direction about sleeping in my own bed. I get up and either turn the tree back on or actually go to bed.

Now, I can see where the turning off of the lights makes perfect sense with our real tree, which is lit with big, multicolored bulbs. Dry tree + hot bulbs = no good. But that's only one tree. All the other trees are lit with tiny, twinkly LEDs, and who has ever heard of one of those spontaneously igniting some artificial greenery and burning down a home? Am I wrong in my belief that it's highly unlikely one of the little sparkly lights will set our home ablaze? No more likely than any other home disaster caused by water pipes, gas lines, etc.?

Mashed potatoes, beloved though they are, are often left off the holiday table because they demand last-minute preparation. However, if you can rope a couple of holiday guests into peeling potatoes for you (trust me, they'll be happy to be given a task), the recipe below should be last-minute manageable even as you wrestle with the roast beast. And the ultra-creamy results are sure to be appreciated by all.

A few pictures of our holiday beast (not so much roasted), just for fun:

Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes with Garlic and Chives
A recipe from Williams-Sonoma Entertaining: Thanksgiving Entertaining
Serves 10-12

5 pounds large Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
Salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
12 large cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup minced fresh chives
Freshly ground pepper

Put the potatoes in a large pot and add water to cover. Salt the water, bring to a boil over medium heat, and then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer, stirring once or twice, until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, about 30 minutes. Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid.

While the potatoes are cooking, in a small saucepan over low heat, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add the garlic and sauté just until it turns opaque, 1-2 minutes. Do not let it brown. Set aside.

Pour the milk into a small saucepan. Place over medium-low heat and gently bring to a simmer. Set aside and keep warm.

Return the potatoes to the pot and place over low heat. Mash thoroughly with a potato masher.* Using a wooden spoon, gradually stir in 3/4 cup of the hot milk, the remaining 4 tablespoons butter, the sautéed garlic, and the chives. Add the remaining milk and, if necessary, the reserved cooking liquid, adding just enough for the desired consistency. Stir until light and fluffy. Do not overmix or the potatoes will turn gummy. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

* I used an electric mixer for this step.

egg nog cupcakes

noreply@blogger.com (Dana) — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 17:55:00 +0000

Just a quick post today because Mom and I are about to leave for a little road trip to my second favorite place in the whole world -- Notre Dame! Most alumni make their annual pilgrimage back to the University during football season. Not me, though. Don't get me wrong -- I love Notre Dame football weekends -- but my favorite time to visit is when classes are finished, the students have gone home, and the casual visitors are few and far between. Perhaps that seems odd since all of these things are part and parcel of a bustling college campus. But when the campus empties out and I can wander down the quad without a single other person in sight, I can pretend that the Notre Dame of today is still my Notre Dame. Nothing has changed. I haven't gotten older. And I still feel right at home.

So here's the thing about egg nog cupcakes. They taste strikingly similar to a spice cake. And why shouldn't they? Spice cake = some sort of milk + vanilla + spices. Egg nog = some sort of milk/cream + vanilla + spices. Still good, though, and still worth making for a holiday treat. The pastry cream really makes the cupcake seem egg noggy, mostly due to its texture I think. One word of caution, though: these cupcakes inflate quite a bit in the oven and then shrink back a little as they cool, so don't make them in paper souffle cups (or you'll end up trying to hide the shrinkage with frosting, as I did).

Egg Nog Cupcakes
Yields 24 cupcakes

Cupcakes
A recipe by Cheryl at The Cupcake Bakeshop
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter, room temp
3 eggs, room temp
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup eggnog
1/4 cup bourbon/dark rum (all of one or a mix)
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon each baking powder and soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Egg Nog Pastry Cream
A recipe by Cheryl at The Cupcake Bakeshop
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup eggnog
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon dark rum
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Frosting
Adapted from a recipe by Cheryl at The Cupcake Bakeshop
1 cup butter, room temperature
6-8 cups sifted powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 cup egg nog

To Make the Cupcakes:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium-size bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, cream together sugar and butter until light and fluffy.Beat in the eggs one at a time until blended.

In a separate bowl or liquid measuring cup, mix together eggnog, bourbon, and vanilla.

Add the flour mixture to the batter in three additions, alternating with the egg nog mixture and beginning and ending with the flour. Fill your cupcake containers of choice 2/3 full and bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack before filling or frosting as desired.

To Make the Pastry Cream Filling:
Place flour in a heavy sauce pan, gradually whisk in eggnog until blended and smooth. Add egg yolks, one at a time, whisking until just combined after each addition.

Cook the mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, removing from the heat occasionally to avoid lumps, until thickened. If necessary, strain through a metal sieve to remove lumps.

Remove from heat, stir in butter, rum, and vanilla. Transfer pastry cream to a bowl. Cover surface with plastic wrap to prevent a film from forming on the surface. Refrigerate until ready to use.

[To fill the cupcakes like I did, cut a cone shape out of the top of the cupcake, add about a teaspoon of the filling, and replace the cone "hat."]

To Make the Frosting:
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter at medium-high speed until creamy. Add half of the sifted sugar, the vanilla, and the egg nog. Beat until combined. Gradually add the remaining sugar until the frosting reaches your desired consistency.

roasted dry-brined turkey

noreply@blogger.com (Dana) — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 03:15:00 +0000

Mmm...turkey. It's a shame my family only make it once a year. The Athlete insists that if we had turkey more often, Thanksgiving wouldn't be as special. I disagree -- I think Thanksgiving would be just as special, and we'd all be happier if we had more turkey. More is better, right? Isn't that the American way? Anyway, here is the recipe I used for our Thanksgiving turkey this year. In previous years, I used a Williams-Sonoma recipe that was perfectly fantastic. It certainly set the bar high, but this year's Martha recipe didn't disappoint.You have to start 2 days ahead of time, but the advance salt rub makes the turkey oh, so tender. (If you have even the tiniest cut on your hand, this process will seem torturous, so wear latex gloves.)

P.S. See those giant forks sticking out of our turkey below? Those are roast lifters. If you're going to attempt to roast any large piece of meat or poultry, do yourself a favor and pick up a pair. You'll be glad you did when your turkey is resting comfortably on a platter instead of the floor. (If you're obsessive like me, you'll get All-Clad lifters to match your All-Clad roasting pan, but it's not actually necessary.)

Roasted Dry-Brined Turkey
A recipe from Martha Stewart Living, November 2008
Serves 10-12

Kosher salt
14 dried bay leaves, 10 crushed and 4 left whole
1 whole fresh turkey (22 to 24 pounds), giblets and neck reserved for stuffing or gravy
6 ounces unsalted butter, softened
1 cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc
1 cup water, plus more if needed

Combine 2/3 cup salt and crushed bay leaves in a small bowl. Rinse inside and outside of turkey, and pat dry with paper towels. Rub 2 tablespoons of the salt mixture on each leg portion, 1 1/2 teaspoons on each wing, 2 tablespoons on each breast, and the remaining salt mixture inside the cavity. Place turkey in a large oven bag and seal tightly, removing any trapped air. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate for 48 hours.

Remove turkey from bag and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour. Combine 1 stick butter, the wine, and whole bay leaves in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and then remove from heat.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F with rack in the lowest position. Rinse inside and outside of turkey and pat dry with paper towels. Place turkey, breast side up, on a rack in a roasting pan. Tuck wings under turkey. (If the wings won't stay tucked, secure them with kitchen string.) Season cavity with salt and pepper. Tie legs together with kitchen string. Rub remaining 1/2 stick butter on turkey and season with salt and pepper. Pour water into roasting pan.

Place turkey, legs first, into oven. Roast for 30 minutes, then baste with butter-wine mixture. Reduce temperature to 350 and roast, basting with butter-wine mixture every 30 minutes, for 2 1/2 hours.* (Add more water to roasting pan if necessary to prevent pan drippings from burning.) Rotate pan, and roast until skin is golden brown and thickest part of thigh (avoiding bone registers 165 on an instant-read thermometer, 30-45 minutes more. Transfer turkey to a rimmed baking sheet, reserving pan juices and roasting pan for gravy making, and let rest for 30 minutes before carving.

* You may need to cover the turkey with a sheet of foil if it develops that nice, golden roasted color early on in the cooking.

honey-phyllo pumpkin pie

noreply@blogger.com (Dana) — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 04:09:00 +0000

Yesterday we hosted the first holiday meal in our home in four years. FOUR YEARS. The remodeling project, which I've mentioned here on occasion, is taking a very long time. However, the kitchen portion of it is nearly finished, so we were long overdue for a holiday gathering. And as the aspiring hostess with the mostess, I don't think anyone was more excited than me. I poured over recipes, starched napkins, glittered leaves, and made my best attempt at creating a memorable occasion. (Mom obligingly created the lovely centerpieces for the table.) It didn't exactly go off without a hitch -- I spilled part of the pumpkin pie in the oven, reinforcements were needed to get the mashed potatoes and gravy ready in time, and, most unfortunately, Mom was too ill to participate -- but we still had many things for which to be thankful. Including this pumpkin pie.

When it comes to sweets, I'm not a pie girl. Cakes and cookies I crave, but except for the homemade apple version, pies don't interest me much. So when I tell you that one taste of this pumpkin pie made me want to snatch the pie plate and run out the door, leaving only crumbs in my wake, you'll know it must be good. So good....

I don't know if it was the fresh pumpkin puree that made all the difference, or the recipe itself, but the pie is outstanding. The fresh pumpkin puree is lighter and creamier than its canned counterpart, and so easy to make that I don't know why we all rely on the canned version so much. (OK, sugar pie pumpkins can be a little tough to locate in some areas. I got mine at Whole Foods and brought them on the airplane with me.) The phyllo dough preparation looks daunting, but it turned out to be fairly simple. And accented with the cinnamon-sugar mixture, the flaky phyllo crust was a wonderful complement to the pie filling. The walnut streusel completed the triumvirate and added a fantastic crunch to the dish. With such an amazing flavor, it seems a shame to wait until next Thanksgiving to make this again. I wonder where I can find sugar pie pumpkins in February? (I think this would be a more than suitable replacement for those chalky candy hearts most people eat that month....)

Honey-Phyllo Pumpkin Pie
A recipe from Martha Stewart Living November 2008
Serves 12

Fresh Pumpkin Puree
1 sugar pie pumpkin

Walnut-Oatmeal Streusel
3/4 cup old-fashioned oats
3 ounces (1/3 cup) finely chopped walnuts
7 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
6 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons honey

Pie
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
17 sheets phyllo, 8 1/2" by 13 1/2" sheets, thawed
6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
Walnut-Oatmeal Streusel
15 ounces fresh pumpkin puree or 1 15-ounce can solid-pack pumpkin
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
3 eggs
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch of ground cloves

To Make Fresh Pumpkin Puree:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the stem from 1 sugar pie pumpkin and slice the pumpkin in half. Place halves cut side down in a baking dish filled with 1" of water. Roast for 45 minutes, or until the halves can be easily pierced with a knife.

Let the pumpkins cool and then use a large spoon to scoop out and discard the pumpkin seeds. Scoop out the flesh and then puree it in a food processor or blender.

To Make the Walnut-Oatmeal Streusel:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Combine oats, walnuts, flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Melt butter and whisk in honey. Stir into oat mixture.

Spread streusel on a rimmed baking sheet lined with a nonstick baking mat. Bake, stirring occasionally, until light gold and crunch, 12-15 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet on a wire rack. Streusel will keep, covered, for up to 3 days.

To Make the Pie:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Fold a piece of foil lengthwise to make a 2"-wide collar and fit it around a 9" deep dish pie plate, extending it 1/2" above the dish. Combine granulated sugar and 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon in a small bowl.

Brush 1 sheet of phyllo with butter and generously sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar. Then sprinkle 2 tablespoons streusel over half the sheet. Fold the sheet in half from left to right. Brush top with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar. Gently scrunch right side, then fold back corners of left side to create a petal shape. Place phyllo in dish, pressing scrunched side into dish and tucking folded corners under (phyllo will not reach the center of the dish). Repeat 13 times, overlapping sheets when placing them in the dish.

Brush remaining phyllo sheets with butter, sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar, and fold into quarters. Press into the dish to cover the bottom. Brush with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar.

Cut a circle of parchment at least 16" wide and fit into phyllo pie shell. Fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until edges begin to turn gold, about 10 minutes. Remove pie weights, parchment, and foil collar. Continue to bake until crust is golden brown, 10-15 minutes more.

Transfer dish to a rimmed baking sheet. Mix pumpkin, brown sugar, honey, eggs, milk, cornstarch, vanilla, salt, nutmeg, remaining cinnamon, ginger, and a pinch of cloves in a large bowl. Pour into crust. Tent edges with foil and bake until center is set but still a bit wobbly, 60-65 minutes*. Let cool in pie dish on a wire rack. Sprinkle with streusel and serve at room temperature.

* I had to bake mine a lot longer -- about 35-40 minutes more, I think. I don't know if this was because I tented the whole pie with foil (I found it difficult to tent only the fragile crust) and that prevented it from baking, or if it was because Martha's original recipe was made for canned pumpkin pie.

pumpkin cupcakes

noreply@blogger.com (Dana) — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 06:24:00 +0000

THIS is why I got a new camera. Pretty picture, right? And let's be honest, we know it has nothing to do with my skills as a photographer because -- seriously -- I don't have any yet. That's OK though. Apparently, if you buy the right equipment and can manage to avoid a case of the shakes when you press the shutter button, a beautiful picture will magically appear.

Sorry, by the way, that it has taken me a month to figure that out. The camera and I went through an interesting "getting to know you" period. When the 40D showed up on my doorstop, I promptly brought it inside and placed it, unopened, in the middle of my floor. It stayed there for a week, in the company of its accessory friends, before I even dared to begin the long, uphill climb of the real photography learning curve. So far I've basically only figured out how to turn on the camera and the external flash. Fortunately, those two things, coupled with knowing how to compose a shot, were enough to get a few blog-worthy photos.

So perhaps you're considering upgrading your own camera? Well I'm utterly useless if you want to know something technical about digital SLRs, but I can tell you this: My old point-and-shoot took nice pictures. But they were just that -- pictures. The new camera takes pictures, but it also captures a moment. And those moments -- many of of them, at least -- are priceless. Take a look at this picture of the candles (click on it and view the big version). It's pretty, sure, but for me, it also brings to mind that chilly evening a few weeks ago that I spent curled up in my new arm chair with a blanket, a cup of soup, and nothing by candlelight in my apartment. That's what I want in a camera.

Our office manager had a birthday this week, and her only birthday treat request was that it come complete with the same vanilla bean cream cheese frosting I used on the red velvet cupcakes a few weeks back. No problem, since cream cheese frosting goes great with the pumpkin cake I had been wanting to try anyway. Last year I made Williams-Sonoma's pumpkin cakelets, so I wanted to compare them to Martha Stewart's pumpkin cupcake recipe. Martha's cupcakes were a breeze to throw together (I did them before work) and they had a great texture, but I didn't find them to be as flavorful as the Williams-Sonoma cakelets. They also shrank a little as they cooled, which isn't a huge deal, but something I find annoying nonetheless. Apples to apples, the Martha cakes are good, but the Williams-Sonoma cakes are even better. If you're looking for an autumal quick bread or informal dessert, head in this direction.

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting
Yields about 18 cupcakes

Cupcakes
Adapted from a recipe by Martha Stewart
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
4 eggs
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree

Frosting
Adapted from a recipe from the Cupcake Bakeshop
8 ounces (1 package) cream cheese, room temperature
2 1/3 tablespoon butter, room temperature
3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/3 tablespoon vanilla bean paste

To Make the Cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the egss, one at a time, and beat until well incorporated. Add the flour mixture in two batches, beating until just combined. Stir in the pumpkin puree.

Fill your cupcake containers a scant 3/4 full and bake until the tops spring back when touched and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Allow cupcakes to cool completely on a wire rack before frosting or decorating as desired.

To Make the Frosting:
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat together the cream cheese and butter until well blended. Add 2 cups of confectioners' sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla bean paste and beat until combined. Add the remaining cup of sugar and beat until well incorporated.

roasted root vegetables with rosemary

noreply@blogger.com (Dana) — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 08:54:00 +0000

Happy Birthday, Blog! One year ago today I made my debut in the blogging world with a recipe for Red Wine Cupcakes. Lots of cupcakes and 68 posts later, I still really love putting figurative pen to electronic paper and tracking my successes and failures in the kitchen. Since I started Dulcedo for a mostly self-serving purpose (no more of those "Did I make this recipe already?" moments), I am continually surprised by all the people who write in to say they like it too. Your comments and emails always make my day - thank you!

Even blogs deserve birthday presents, right? This year my blog is getting a big one: a Canon EOS 40D Digital SLR camera. OK, maybe it's really just for me, and maybe my purchase of it coincides with the gradual puttering out of the Canon PowerShot s300 Digital Elph I've been toting around for the last six years. The point is that there is a new camera coming, which means there are better blog pictures on the horizon. The bad news is I'll have to cut back on grocery purchasing to pay for it, so there will be fewer blog posts. Just kidding. (That would be ironic though, huh?) I expect I'll experience a fairly significant learning curve as I move from the playpen of point-and-shoots to the playground of digital SLRs, so I'll be sure to share the highlights of this trip into the high-tech camera world so you can learn a little about them too.

In case you were starting to wonder if I survive on cupcakes and cookies alone, here is a recipe for the healthy file. I suppose it would have been appropriate to make a cake for this post, but to be honest, I'd choose a fabulous vegetable dish over cake any day. Well, almost any day. Anyway, these roasted root vegetables are so delicious that I'm going to include them on this year's Thanksgiving Day menu. They're unbelievably simple to prepare and they aren't messing around when it comes to flavor. I've left Bon Appétit's original vegetable mix largely untouched in the recipe below, but you can alter it to suit what you have on hand or available at your local store. Consider rutabagas, turnips, fingerling potatoes, leeks, anise, sweet potatoes -- so many options! I actually used a mixture of parsnips, celery root, carrots*, Brussels sprouts**, and red pearl onions. Next time I'll omit the celery root, since it seems that's not my cup of tea, and add more Brussels sprouts and garlic cloves instead. Also, I used a high-quality olive oil and salt (a fancy sea salt from Williams-Sonoma) in this dish because the simple ingredient list really allows the flavors to shine.

*I got the cool orange and purple carrots you see on top of the dish from Pike Place Market.

** They aren't a root vegetable, but if you want to use Brussels sprouts, prepare them by cutting off the ends, removing and discarding any yellow or loose leaves, and then rinsing the sprouts.

[This post was submitted for the October edition of The Heart of the Matter, a monthly blogging event focusing on heart health.]

Roasted Root Vegetables with Rosemary
Adapted from a recipe from Bon Appétit December 2001
Serves 8

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 pound red-skinned potatoes, unpeeled, scrubbed, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound celery root (celeriac), peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound rutabagas, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound carrots, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound parsnips, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
10 ounces red pearl onions
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 cup olive oil
10 garlic cloves, peeled
Kosher or other high-quality salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Position 1 rack in bottom third of oven and 1 rack in center of oven and preheat to 400°F. Spray 2 large, rimmed baking sheets with nonstick spray. Set aside.

Bring a medium-size pot of water to boil. Place the pearl onions in the pot and boil for 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the onions to a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking. Once the onions have cooled, remove them from the water and pinch the ends to remove the skins.

Combine all the vegetables in a large bowl (do not include the garlic). Add the rosemary and then pour the olive oil over the mixture and toss to coat. Season generously with salt and pepper. Divide vegetable mixture between prepared sheets. Place 1 sheet on each oven rack. Roast 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Reverse positions of baking sheets. Add 5 garlic cloves to each baking sheet. Continue to roast until all vegetables are tender and brown in spots, stirring and turning vegetables occasionally, 30-45 minutes longer. (Can be prepared up to 4 hours ahead. Let stand on baking sheets at room temperature. Rewarm in 450°F oven until heated through, about 15 minutes.)

Transfer roasted vegetables to large bowl and serve.

pumpkin oatmeal cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Dana) — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 04:26:00 +0000

Sometimes the business world is a rough-and-tumble place...and sometimes it is simply ridiculous. The nature of my position is such that, when an employee has a concern or suggestion, it usually finds its way to me. I'd love to tell you that most of these concerns are well founded, but that isn't quite the case...mostly because 50% of the concerns are born out of overworrying and and behaviors I would categorize as just short of hysterics. Case and point: There is an ongoing discussion in our office about the proper way to evacuate if there is a fire at the front of the office suite. Obviously I recognize that evacuation procedures are important, so I put in a request to the local fire department to have a marshal come out and make a recommendation. However, while I'm waiting for that person to show up, I have to deal with the third of our staff that is convinced that breaking the floor-to-ceiling windows and falling 25 feet onto concrete and glass shards is the best way to evacuate on the highly unlikely occasion that there is a fire in the front of our crackerjack-box-size office that has gone unnoticed long enough to prevent people from making a simple exit through the front door. I think Charles Darwin would have some interesting things to say about people who fail to notice a fire in 15' x 30' office. I won't bring that up, but when the fire department comes and explains why it's a bad idea to punch out a hole and feed a fire in a small space with loads of oxygen, all those glass-breaking tools ordered by the renegade third of the staff are going straight back to the supplier....

Fall's favorite flavor is arguably pumpkin, but you don't often see it in cookie form. The texture and consistency of pumpkin usually lends a cakiness to the baked goods that incorporate it, so when I saw Garrett's recipe for pumpkin cookies over at Simply Recipes, I was a bit skeptical. I'm not one for cakey cookies. However, I was in need of many dozens of autumnal treats for an upcoming meeting, so I decided to give the recipe a go. (Plus, I've been so busy with cupcakes lately that the cookie section of the blog was starting to look a little wimpy by comparison.)

I swapped out regular butter in Garrett's recipe for unsalted (and upped the salt) because I generally prefer it, and I cut the amount of pumpkin seeds in half because a full cup just seemed like too much in a recipe that also called for oats and currants. The cookies had a great pumpkin flavor, but my honest assessment on Day 1 was that I didn't like them. They were overly moist and cakey, with none of the delicious chew of a normal cookie. I was pretty sure that I could save them, though, so I left them uncovered -- for 2 days. And the result? Much better. Really good, in fact. The cookies retained their excellent flavor, but also developed that much-desired chewiness. Apparently age improves men, wine, and pumpkin cookies.

[This post submitted for Sugar High Friday's October challenge: Spices.]

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
Adapted from a recipe by Garret McCord
Yields about 4 dozen cookies

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 1/3 cups old-fashioned oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cardamom
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1 cup dried currants

Preheat the oven to 350° F. In a medium-size bowl, combine the flour, oats, baking soda, salt, cardamom, and cinnamon. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla, and pumpkin puree and beat for another 3 minutes. Add the flour mixture in two additions and beat until combined. Fold in the pumpkin seeds and currants.

Using a 1.5" - 1.75" scoop, drop dough 2 inches apart on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake for 15-17 minutes. Allow to cool on the sheet for a minute or two to set, then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely. Store, uncovered, between layers of parchment or wax paper for up to 5 days.

red velvet cupcakes with vanilla bean cream cheese frosting

noreply@blogger.com (Dana) — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 06:55:00 +0000

In our family room at home there are two moss-green chenille chairs. In many ways, their outward appearance -- seemingly brand new -- conceals their history. These chairs, in addition to those surrounding the kitchen table, are the only chairs left that were in the house when I was born. Despite their good condition, it's easy to look at them now and think they don't belong. The green and harvest gold 1970s decor they once matched has long since been replaced with a country blue motif, but judging them by color and style alone overlooks the important role the chairs have played in our home. They've held grandmas cradling babies and served as walls for childhood blanket forts. They've been places of retreat for reading, for napping, for relationship ending, and for relationship mending. And for the past 19 or so years, they've dutifully flanked the Christmas tree, alternately holding presents and people during holiday gatherings.

As we remodel the kitchen and add on to the house, bringing new furniture in and taking old furniture out, I find that I have a renewed appreciation for these misfit chairs. They'll soon resign their post in the living room for newer pastures elsewhere, but I'm glad to know they'll still be available for afternoon naps, evening chats, and the holiday gatherings that develop in a new room of our home.

Kenny Chesney has a great song that traces his life through the moments experienced in a blue rocking chair. Though the moments he sings of are fictional (presumably, since he is from Tennessee and the song is about a chair on the beach), I think the sentiments are strikingly similar:

There's a blue rocking chair sitting in the sand
Weathered by the storms and well-oiled hands
It sways back and forth with the help of the winds
It seems to always be there, like an old trusted friend

I've read a lot of books, wrote a few songs
Looked at my life - where it's goin', where it's gone
I've seen the world through a bus windshield
But nothing compares to the way that I see it
To the way that I see it
To the way that I see it when I sit in that old blue chair

From that chair I've caught a few fish and some rays
And I've watched boats sail in and out of Cinnamon Bay
I let go of a lover that took a piece of my heart
Prayed many times for forgiveness and a brand new start

I've read a lot of books, wrote a few songs
Looked at my life - where it's goin', where it's gone
I've seen the world through a bus windshield
But nothing compares to the way that I see it
To the way that I see it
To the way that I see it when I sit in that old blue chair

When I decided I was going to make a red velvet cupcake, my first task was to figure out exactly what red velvet cake is supposed to be. Many people complain that it is nothing more than a yellow cake with red dye, that it isn't chocolately enough, or that it doesn't have any noticeable flavor, but after much consideration, I decided that red velvet cake is supposed to be like that initial whiff of cocoa you smell when you first open the cocoa container -- light but distinct. Therefore, a high-quality cocoa would be in order. The next decision was equally important: Would I follow tradition and use gobs of red food coloring, or experiment with natural products like beet juice to turn my cake red? After reading a few reviews about the so-so results of using beet juice, I opted to squash my inner baking conscience and throw artificial color into my batter.

You wouldn't even believe how many red velvet cake recipes I read before settling on this one. Thankfully, though, my time was well spent. This cake turned out wonderfully moist with a distinguishable cocoa flavor. The red color was festive and traditional, but deep enough to prevent it from looking shockingly artificial. I was similarly pleased with the frosting. It pairs well with the cake, but it isn't so sweet that your teeth want to stage a revolt (to borrow a phrase from Deb).

Just a couple of tips for making these cupcakes successfully: As mentioned, using high-quality cocoa is important. I chose Scharffen Berger, and though I winced at the price when I pulled it off the grocery store shelf, I really do think it made a positive difference in the taste of the cake. Furthermore, be sure to sift your cake flour, cocoa, and buttermilk, too, if you use the powdered version. Otherwise you may end up with smallish lumps in your baked cupcakes. Additionally, these cupcakes bake up exceptionally well in souffle cups. You'll want to fill them 3/4 full because the batter doesn't rise until near the end of the baking time. Since the internal structure is already developed by the time they rise, they don't overflow and tend to have domed tops. Finally, I noticed some color separation in my first batch of these cupcakes, so I added the note about stirring each cupcake with a toothpick just before sending the batch into the oven. The subsequent batches made this way came out with a much more uniformly red color.

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting
Makes about 30 cupcakes

Cupcakes
Adapted from a recipe from The Confetti Cakes Cookbook by Elisa Strauss & Christi Matheson, via The New York Times and Smitten Kitchen (whew!)
3 1/2 cups cake flour, sifted
1/2 cup unsweetened, high-quality cocoa (not Dutch process), sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 cups canola oil
2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) red food coloring, or 1 teaspoon red gel food coloring dissolved in 6 tablespoons of water
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar

Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting
Adapted from a recipe from the Cupcake Bakeshop
24 ounces (3 packages) cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
8-10 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste

To Make the Cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Whisk together the cake flour, cocoa, and salt in a medium-size bowl. Set aside

Place oil and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater and beat at medium speed until well blended. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add red food coloring and beat slowly to combine. (Take care -- it may splash.) Add vanilla. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the buttermilk and beginning and ending with the flour. Beat until just combined.

Place baking soda in a small dish, stir in vinegar until dissolved, and add to batter with machine running. Beat for 10 seconds.

Fill your cupcake containers of choice 3/4 full. Give each cupcake a quick stir with a toothpick just prior to baking to ensure even coloring throughout. Bake for 25-30 minutes* or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack before frosting or decorating as desired.

*For 4-ounce souffle cups, which are slightly larger than the wells of a standard cupcake pan.

To Make the Frosting:
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat together the cream cheese and butter until well blended. Add 8 cups of confectioners' sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla bean paste and beat until combined. Add more sugar until you reach your desired consistency and sweetness.

old-fashioned chocolate cupcakes with coffee butter frosting

noreply@blogger.com (Dana) — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 06:43:00 +0000

On Saturday afternoon, my apartment bore all the signs: The blinds were shut tight and the TV was off. There was a stack of dirty dishes in the sink, a pile of rumpled clothes on the floor, and I was planted face down on the couch, surrounded by a smattering of tissues -- clear evidence of a dating situation gone wrong. With my head buried ostrich-style between the cushions (because that obviously makes the real world go away), I wondered how I could have so grossly misjudged someone who was clearly not worth the space he takes up on this earth. For the next day, from that same relative position on the couch, I tried to understand how my sure-to-be-a-good-thing chef could have actually been a sure-to-be-going-straight-to-hell jerk. (I also pondered whether my dates were beginning to parallel the financial markets; the jury is still out on that one.) Finally, at some unknown hour on Sunday evening, I pulled myself up off the couch, washed the mascara stains off my cheeks, and started to clean up my disaster area of a living space. And as my pity party began to morph into a pissed-AT-him party, I did what any self-respecting baker would do: I made cupcakes.

(...and hoped that he'd accidentally shut his nether regions in the oven door.)

A simple description today for some simple cupcakes. I think, to date (no pun intended), I've tested out 3 different chocolate cake recipes on this site, and this one is, by far, my favorite. It is distinctly chocolately and exceptionally moist. Be careful, though, not to be overly generous when dispensing your batter into the cupcake liners. These cupcakes will nearly double in size in the oven, so failure to remain within the recommended fill level will result in an oven full of overflowing cupcakes. (Let's pretend, for my ego's sake, that I did not learn this the hard way.) Though both the cake and the frosting contain coffee, only the frosting carries the flavor, so even if you're not a coffee lover, the cake is worth a try.

Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cupcakes with Coffee Butter Frosting
Makes 24 cupcakes

Cupcakes
Recipe from Cheryl at Cupcake Bakeshop
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup cocoa powdered, sifted
2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
1 1/2 cups milk
2 teaspoons vanilla

Coffee Butter Frosting
Recipe from Cupcakes by Susannah Blake
3 sticks plus 4 tablespoons butter, room temperature
6 2/3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
8 teaspoons instant coffee or espresso, dissolved in 4 tablespoons boiling water
Grated bittersweet chocolate for garnish

To Make the Cupcakes:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cocoa powder, and espresso powder in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside.

In a separate small bowl or measuring cup, combine the milk and vanilla. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating 30 seconds after each addition.

Add the flour mixture to the mixer bowl in 3 additions, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the flour. Ensure that the batter is thoroughly combined, but do not over mix.

Fill your cupcakes containers of choice 1/2 to a scant 2/3's full. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack before frosting or decorating as desired.

To Make the Frosting:
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat together the butter, dissolved coffee or espresso, and half of the confectioners' sugar until combined. Add the remaining confectioners' sugar and beat until light and fluffy.

sicilian pasta with shrimp & almond cream

noreply@blogger.com (Dana) — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 05:43:00 +0000

I made this recipe before the Olympics and I'm just now posting it. Isn't that terrible? But what was it about the Olympics that was so captivating this year? Despite my relative lack of interest in watching sports on TV -- except Notre Dame football, of course (*cough*GoIrishBeatMichigan*cough*) -- I found myself glued to the television every night for two weeks while the athletes were competing. Track cycling quarter finals? I'm on it! Badminton at 3am? Count me in! Sometimes I even found myself staying up late to watch athletes from countries that I'm not entirely sure I could locate on a map. Seriously -- Burkina Faso? Djibouti? (Don't lie -- you know you wouldn't do any better.) Apparently I wasn't alone, though, since two-thirds of the American population tuned in. I think for me, this was the first Olympics where I was really able to understand -- and even relate to -- the kind of effort it takes to be successful at that level. With so many make-or-break, almost-doesn't-count moments, I could barely tear myself away. What kept you watching this year?

Those of you who subscribe to the Williams-Sonoma catalog might have noticed a reference to this recipe in one of the recent issues. It wasn't immediately obvious to me why Williams-Sonoma would choose this recipe for their catalog, so I decided to find out for myself. Plus, I was intrigued by the title of "Almond Cream" for what was clearly a tomato-based dish. I was delighted to discover that recipe is just like my other Williams-Sonoma favorites: simple, fresh, and completely delicious -- and not to mention cream free. However, before I can credibly sing its praises, I have to confess that I made a mistake in the cooking process. As I was typing this up, I realized that I used almost twice as many tomatoes as the recipe calls for. Deal breaker? No, not by a long shot. The sauce had great depth and I loved it, but I'm sure it didn't have the almond flavor it was supposed it. No matter -- this is definitely a recipe I'm willing to make again.

Sicilian Pasta with Shrimp & Almond Cream
Adapted from a Williams-Sonoma recipe
Serves 4

6 tablespoons slivered almonds
1 1/4 pound ripe tomatoes, seeded
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1 pound short, wide tubular pasta, or medium shells
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup white wine
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined with tails intact
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

In a large bowl or in the base of an immersion blender, combine the almonds, tomatoes, olive oil, water and the 1 tsp. salt. Using an immersion blender, blend until the mixture is almost smooth, with just a few chunks of tomato remaining, about 3 minutes. (Alternatively, pulse in the bowl of a food processor.) Set aside.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook according to the package instructions until al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving 3/4 cup of the cooking water. Set aside.

In a large, deep sauté pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the wine and cook until slightly reduced, about 1 minute. Add the almond mixture, stir until well combined, and cook until the sauce has thickened, about 3 minutes. Add 1/2 to 3/4 cup of the cooking water and the shrimp. Cook until the shrimp are pink and cooked through, 3-4 minutes. Add the pasta and stir to coat with the sauce. Garnish with the parsley and serve immediately.

éclairs

noreply@blogger.com (Dana) — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 05:27:00 +0000

"Binder clips in my hair," I thought. That's how I got here -- binder clips in my hair.

A few months ago I had the distinct "pleasure" of interviewing another round of candidates for our office manager position. (We all know how well that temporary employee turned out.) One of the interviewees -- a sullen girl, just a year younger than me -- was particularly memorable. To say she interviewed poorly would be an understatement. Slouched in her chair, decidedly underdressed, and without pen, paper, or appropriate questions, I was just about to usher her out of my office when she caught me off guard: "How did you get where you are?" she asked. "You look about my age -- how did you get your position?" I thought about it for a moment and then gave her a short summary of my work experience. This answer seemed to satisfy her, but it didn't satisfy me, so I continued to think about her question long after the interviews were over and a delightfully cheerful new office manager was hired (not the aforementioned girl, of course). The answer didn't hit me until a few weeks ago. I was sitting in my office on a sticky and hot Thursday evening. The rest of the staff had gone home hours ago, but I was chipping away at a particularly important and time-consuming project. In a brilliant stroke of conservationism, our landlord must have decided that no one works after 7:00 p.m., and therefore it must be OK to turn off the air conditioning at night. As I sat there in my squeaky desk chair with 8 binder clips from the office supply cabinet keeping my hair off of my now sweaty neck and face, it occurred to me that that's why I am where I am -- a willingness to tackle the extra project, attend to that last detail, and push forward long after my peers have laid their work down for the night.

I think it was nearly midnight when I finally packed up my things to head home. Though I was bleary-eyed and ravenously hungry, I couldn't help but smile. The project I had just finished would help ensure that a local nonprofit would soon receive a grant payment large enough to cover all their administrative costs for the next year. Is there a better way to spend an evening?

It’s the end of another month and time for another Daring Bakers challenge. The August recipe is for Pierre Hermé’s chocolate éclairs. I’m not wild about éclairs – I’m not likely to choose one out of a pastry case if there are other options – but I was still enthusiastic about giving these a try, especially since I got to make them in ~~Mom and Dad’s~~ my new ovens back home in IL. I found this challenge to be easier than the first, and quite a bit more fun because it didn’t contain as many tedious steps. To suit my own tastes, I substituted Pierre’s vanilla pastry cream for the chocolate pastry cream called for, but made no other alterations to the original recipe.

I thought my éclairs turned out perfectly acceptable -- my top rating for any éclair since I’m not a big fan of them to begin with. The vanilla pastry cream earns 5 stars and the éclairs themselves were quite pretty to look at. I should note, however, that they did deflate quite a bit after they were removed from the oven, perhaps due to the high humidity level in the house when I made them. Therefore, instead of sawing them in half before filling, I had to use two whole baked éclairs just to get one final filled éclair (not a big deal since there are only 3 people here to eat them all anyway).

The recipe below is rewritten and reorganized for clarity.

Éclairs
Makes 20-24 éclairs

Cream Puff Dough
A recipe from Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Hermé
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour
5 eggs, room temperature

Vanilla Pastry Cream
Adapted from Desserts by Pierre Hermé
2 cups whole milk
1 plump, moist vanilla been, split and scraped, or 3 teaspoons of vanilla extract
6 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch, sifted
3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and cut into 3 pieces

Chocolate Sauce
A recipe from Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Hermé
4 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup water
1/2 cup crème fraîche or heavy cream
1/3 cup sugar

Chocolate Glaze
A recipe from Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Hermé
1/3 cup heavy cream
3 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
4 teaspoons (1 1/3 tablespoons or 20 grams) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces, at room temperature
7 tablespoons chocolate sauce, warm or at room temperature

To Make the Éclairs:
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan, bring the milk, water, butter, sugar, and salt to the boil. Once the mixture is at a rolling boil, add all of the flour at once, reduce the heat to medium, and stir the mixture vigorously with a wooden spoon. Do not worry if a slight crust forms at the bottom of the pan. Continue stirring for 2-3 minutes more until the dough is soft and smooth.

Transfer the dough into a bowl of a mixer fitted with the flat beater. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, beating until well incorporated. The dough should be thick and shiny and, when lifted, it should fall back into the bowl in a ribbon. The dough should still be warm.

Fill a large pastry bag fitted with a 2/3 inch plain tip nozzle with the warm dough. Pipe the dough onto the baking sheets in long, chubby fingers, about 4 1/2 inches long. Leave about 2 inches of space in between each dough strip to allow them room to puff.

Slide both the baking sheets into the preheated oven and bake for 7 minutes. After the 7 minutes, slip the handle of a wooden spoon into the door to keep in ajar. When the éclairs have been in the oven for a total of 12 minutes, rotate the sheets 180 degrees. Continue baking for a further 8 minutes, or until the éclairs are puffed, golden, and firm. The total baking time should be approximately 20 minutes. Allow éclairs to cool completely before proceeding.

To Make the Pastry Cream:
Bring the milk and vanilla bean (pulp and pod) to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cover the pan, turn off the heat, and allow the milk to infuse for at least 10 minutes or up to 1 hour. Remove the pod and reheat the milk until it is hot but not boiling. [If using vanilla extract instead of vanilla bean, add the extract to the milk and heat until hot but not boiling.]

In a separate, medium-size saucepan, whisk together the yolks, sugar, and cornstarch. Whisking constantly, drizzle 1/4 of the hot milk over the yolks. When the yolks are warm, whisk the remainder of the milk into the yolks until incorporated.

Place the saucepan with the yolk mixture over medium heat and, whisking vigorously, bring the mixture to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, whisking constantly, and then remove the pan from the heat. Press the cream through a sieve into the small bowl. Let the cream sit for 5 minutes, then whisk in the butter. Cover the cream with a piece of plastic wrap—pressing the wrap against the cream’s surface—and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. Pastry cream can be made up to 2 days in advance. Rewhisk before serving.

To Make the Chocolate Sauce:
Place all the ingredients into a heavy‐bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to low and continue stirring with a wooden spoon until the sauce thickens, about 10‐15 minutes. When the sauce it done, it will coat the back of your spoon.

To Make the Chocolate Glaze:
In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove pan from the heat and slowly begin to add the chocolate, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or spatula until melted. Stir in the butter and then the chocolate sauce until incorporated. Allow glaze to cool and thicken briefly until it reaches a spreading consistency. Use immediately.

Assembly:
Slice the éclairs horizontally, using a serrated knife and a gently sawing motion. Set aside the bottoms and place the tops on a wire rack over a piece of parchment paper.

Spread or pipe the warm glaze over the éclair tops. Allow the tops to set. Meanwhile, fill the éclair bottoms with the pastry cream. Once the tops have set, place the glazed tops onto the pastry cream and wriggle gently to settle them. Serve immediately.

icebox cake

noreply@blogger.com (Dana) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 10:45:00 +0000

Here I sit, just 30 minutes left to a year, an age, I will miss. I’ve always been the nostalgic type, the type to appreciate the present and then miss it when it’s gone…sometimes even before it’s gone. It’s a good quality, but one that keeps me awake at moments like this, watching the minutes tick by on the clock. Only 24 left. Kenny Chesney’s “Back Where I Come From” floats out of the speakers as I type. This was a big year for me. I moved thousands of miles away from everything I hold dear to a place I knew nothing about, all in pursuit of a dream that I just can’t shake. I don’t have any regrets, but the sacrifice is steep, and times like these are when I'm most aware of what I've chosen to give up. I suppose it's no surprise that I just booked a flight home. In a perfect world, that's where I'd be right now, asleep in my bed, knowing the next day would bring kisses and hugs, celebration and cake.

Today is my 25th birthday.

Icebox cake is simple to make, but here are a few tips to help you turn out a cake that is both tasty and pretty: Use a rotating cake stand to assemble your cake. Mine is made by Ateco and is a little pricey at $75 (Thanks, Santa!), but Wilton makes a cheaper version. Also, when you are adding the layers of wafers, lean over the cake so you are looking directly down at it and can align your wafers correctly. This will keep your cake from looking like the leaning tower of Pisa when you are finished. Finally, keep your whipped cream in the fridge while you are assembling your cake (i.e., assemble near the fridge so you can just reach in and grab two scoops of cream for every layer). Sloppy cream = sloppy cake. Enjoy!

Icebox Cake
A recipe from The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook, via Smitten Kitchen

3 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 (9-ounce) packages Nabisco chocolate wafer cookies
Unsweetened cocoa or chocolate shavings for garnish

In a large bowl, beat cream, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form.

On a flat serving plate, arrange 6 cookies in a circle, and then place 1 additional cookie in the center of the circle. All the cookies should be touching, but not overlapping.

Spread 1/2 cup whipped cream on top of the cookie layer making a 7-inch circle. Repeat with remaining cookies and cream, making 11-12 layers of cookies and ending with a layer of cream (11 layers will leave you with a few cookies left over for garnish; 12 will not). Cover with a cake dome and refrigerate at least 8 hours.

To serve, dust top lightly with cocoa powder or chocolate shavings.

Yes, I made a wish!