Playing House

Lasagna-Style Baked Ziti

2010-03-18T00:01:00.001-07:00

This dish is my new weeknight best friend. It's quick, easy, crowd-pleasing, and best of all, it's versatile.

The possibilities for playing with types of protein, veggies, and even pasta shapes are limitless. Want rotini with ground turkey, broccoli, and alfredo sauce? Penne with veggie soy crumbles, artichoke hearts, and arrabiata sauce? Or maybe rigatoni with asparagus, ground sausage, and mushroom marinara. See what I mean? It's like a game. How many combos can you come up with?

Lasagna-Style Baked Ziti
Adapted from Real Simple
Serves 4
Hands-on time: 10 minutes, Total time: 40 minutes
Printable Recipe

12 ounces ziti or other short pasta (about 4 cups)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 pound lean ground beef
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 26-ounce jar marinara sauce
1 bunch spinach, thick stems removed (about 4 cups)
1/2 cup ricotta
1/2 cup grated Parmesan (2 ounces)
1 cup grated mozzarella (4 ounces)

1. Heat oven to 400° F. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and return it to the pot.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the beef, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook, breaking up the meat with a spoon until it's no longer pink, 5 to 6 minutes.

3. Toss the pasta with the meat mixture, marinara sauce, spinach, ricotta, and ¼ cup of the Parmesan. Transfer to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, 2-quart souffle dish, or 4 large ramekins. Sprinkle with the mozzarella and remaining ¼ cup of the Parmesan and bake until the cheese melts, 12 to 15 minutes.

Blintz Souffle

2010-03-16T00:01:00.000-07:00

Every family has a signature food, right? The one dish that's always served at brunches, parties, and holidays, and that's always expected and devoured by everyone present. Blintz Souffle is my family's signature food.

I'm not sure where the recipe originated (Hi Nana! Remind me to ask you!), but all the women on my mom's side of the family are known for it, and I've been making it for years now too. To me, this dish is quintessential brunch (my favorite meal). I hope you make it, and I hope you like it.

Very Important Note: See that picture up there? Those are blueberry blintzes. Don't do what I did and use blueberry, or cherry, or even apple. Use cheese blintzes! My grocery store was out of cheese and I was in a pinch, so I used blueberry. But please, please use cheese blintzes if you make this, it makes all the difference in the world! If you do use a fruity flavor, omit the raisins and go light on the cinnamon sugar.

Blintz Souffle
Printable Recipe

6 tbsp (3/4 stick) butter, melted
6 large eggs
8 oz. sour cream (light is ok)
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. orange juice
1 tsp. vanilla extract
12 frozen cheese blintzes (optional but recommended: halve them)
handful of yellow raisins
cinnamon sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Pour melted butter into a 9x13 glass baking dish. Ensure that the whole bottom and all sides of the dish are coated with the butter.

2. Coat blintzes in the melted butter and arrange in the dish in 2 rows of 6 (or 6 rows of 2, however you want to look at it!).

3. Combine eggs, sour cream, sugar, orange juice, and vanilla extract in a blender. Pour over the blintzes and sprinkle the raisins and cinnamon sugar on top.

4. Bake for 45 minute or until edges begin to brown and your house smells heavenly. Cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Make ahead: Prepare through Step 3 up to 24 hours in advance, keep refrigerated until ready to proceed.

Maple Apple Pecan Crumb Pie

2010-03-14T00:01:00.000-08:00

Happy Pi Day! For my fellow non-geeks out there, Pi Day is March 14th, a holiday celebrating the constant 3.14..., the ratio of the circumference to the diameter of a circle.

It's become somewhat of a nerdy tradition to make a pie (or just eat some) to celebrate Pi Day. I'll take any excuse to bake (I even made a rustic fruit tart last year for Pi Approximation Day), so of course I seized this opportunity.

The fall-ish combination of apples, maple, cinnamon, and nuts might seem like an odd choice for mid-March. But Wendy picked it for our CCCP recipe club after finding herself with some fresh Upstate New York maple syrup (jealous!), so I was excited to give it a try. Besides, there aren't a whole lot of other exciting fresh fruit options for pie fillings in early spring (rhubarb soon though!).

So allow me to present to you, in honor of Pi Day 2010, Maple Apple Pecan Crumb Pie. It's every bit as warm and flavorful as it sounds, and it has shattered my belief that fall flavors have no place in March. The pie filling and topping both contain sucanat, non-refined cane sugar. I had never heard of it before, but found it easily in the bulk section of my local hippie market and it just may be my new favorite sweetener. It looks sort of like a cross between brown sugar and turbinado. If you can't find it, use brown sugar instead.

(before baking)

Feel free to use your favorite pie crust instead of the one I've shared here. I tried out The Pioneer Woman's recipe in my ongoing search to find a go-to, easy-to-work-with pie dough, and it was perfectly flaky and mild.

What kind of pie are you making today? Do you use butter, shortening, or both in your crust?

Maple Apple Pecan Crumb Pie
Makes one 9" pie
Crust adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks
Filling and Topping adapted from Charlie Cascio
Printable Recipe

Pie Crust
Makes two 9" pie crusts (use one now, freeze one for later!)

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups vegetable shortening
1 large egg
5 tablespoons ice water
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

1. Combine flour and salt in a large bowl

2. Add in the shortening. Using a pastry blender, gradually work the shortening into the flour until the mixture resembles tiny pebbles. This step should take 3 or 4 minutes.

3. Lightly beat the egg with a fork, then add it to the mixture. Add in the water and vinegar.

4. Stir the mixture together with a wooden spoon until just combined, then remove half of the dough from the bowl.

5. Place in a large ziplock bag (do not seal) and slightly flatten with a rolling pin. This makes it much easier to roll out the crust later. After flattening, seal the bag tightly. Repeat with the 2nd half of the dough.

6. Place both crusts in the freezer. Leave one in there for the next pie you make. Freeze the other one for 20-30 minutes or until chilled, then remove from the freezer and the bag and place on a lightly floured surface.

7. With a rolling pin, begin rolling the dough from the center outward. Be gentle and patient, it'll take a little time to get the dough completely rolled out.

8. Using a nice, sharp spatula, loosen and lift the pie crust and carefully lay it over a pie pan. Using your hand, lightly form the crust so that it fits inside the pan and overlaps the edges.

9. Tuck the excess crust under, crimp the edges, or apply whatever decorative effects you like. Refrigerate until you're done making the filling and topping.

Filling
6 cups cored, peeled, and sliced apples (about 3 large apples cut into ¼-inch slices; if using organic apples, leave the skin on)
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ cup sucanat or honey
2 teaspoons cinnamon or apple pie spice
2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
⅓ cup maple syrup

In a mixing bowl, mix sliced apples with the lemon juice, and then add the sucanat or honey, cinnamon or apple pie spice, and flour and toss. Add the maple syrup and coat the apples well.

Maple-Pecan Crumb Topping
4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
⅓ cup whole wheat pastry flour
¼ cup sucanat (dehydrated cane juice)
⅓ cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon or apple pie spice
3 tablespoons maple syrup
½ cup chopped pecans

Place the butter in a mixing bowl with the flour and sucanat and blend with a fork. Add the oats and cinnamon; mix well. Add the maple syrup and pecans. This should be a crumbly paste.

Putting it all together:
Pour apples into unbaked pie crust. The apple filling should appear to be over the edge of the pie pan. Press mixture with a spatula to ensure there are no air pockets. Cover the filling with Maple-Pecan Crumb Topping and bake in a preheated oven at 400°F for 10 minutes; then reduce heat to 350°F, place a pie crust shield on the pie if you have one, and bake for 50 minutes more or until the apples are tender. Let pie fully cool so its juices will set up before serving.

Apple Anadama Coffee Cake

2010-03-12T00:01:00.000-08:00

Does this look like a chocolate cake or what?!

Sorry to disappoint the chocoholics out there, but this beauty couldn't be further from chocolate. On the bright side, though, this apple-molasses crumb cake is a hearty, wholesome, moist, and flavorful way to start (or end) your day. It's actually a take on Anadama Bread, whose name has a funny story behind it. The bread has white flour, cornmeal, and molasses in it, and the cake uses similar ingredients but adds grated apples and a layer of streusel for texture.

If you're looking to vary your breakfast baking routine a bit, I recommend giving this well-kept secret a try. While the ingredient list is deceptively long, the recipe is relatively basic and low-maintenance (well, except for the inverting at the end, but klutzy Amy can't help you with that one). Anadama!

Apple Anadama Coffee Cake
Adapted from the Macrina Bakery and Cafe Cookbook
Printable Recipe

For the batter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup semolina flour
1/2 cup fine whole-wheat flour (i.e. white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour)
1/4 cup cornmeal
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp kosher salt
8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup molasses
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and grated
2/3 cup buttermilk

For the topping:
2 tbsp unsalted butter, chilled
3 tbsp cornmeal
3 tbsp light brown sugar
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/3 cup pecans

1. Preheat oven to 325F. Grease a 9-inch square or round baking pan.

2. Combine flours, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt in a medium bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon and set aside.

3. Place butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and using the paddle attachment, mix on medium speed for 5-8 minutes. The creamed butter will become smooth and pale in color.

4. In a medium bowl, combine molasses, eggs, and vanilla extract and mix with a whisk. With the stand mixer on low speed, slowly pour the molasses mixture into the creamed butter and mix with the paddle attachment for about 2 min. At first the batter will look like it's separating, but don't worry. Add the grated apples and continue mixing on low speed for 30 sec.

5. Remove bowl from stand mixer. Alternate adding small amounts of the flour mixture and the buttermilk to the bowl, mixing with a wooden spoon just until the batter comes together. Pour batter into the prepared baking pan and spread evenly. Set aside.

6. Place all topping ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix with paddle attachment on low speed for 1-2 minutes. The topping will become coarse and crumbly.

7. Spread topping evenly over coffee cake batter and bake for 40-45 minutes. Test center with a skewer. It will come out clean when the cake is finished. Let cool for 20 minutes on a wire rack, then run a sharp knife around the sides of the cake to release it from the baking pan. Invert pan to remove the coffee cake, then place it, topping side up, on a serving plate. Leftovers can be wrapped in plastic and stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Brown Butter, Sage, and Green Apple

2010-03-10T00:01:00.001-08:00

Do you know the difference between a sweet potato and a yam?

Me neither. I did some research, and despite my view of myself as a relatively intelligent person, I keep confusing myself more on this issue. If you'd like to attempt reading an explanation, I'll hand it over to the Library of Congress. Even better, if you know the difference and want to explain it to me in an idiot-proof way, I would be much obliged!

This dumpling recipe called for sweet potatoes, so after a small grocery store panic attack, I bought the ones with the sign that said "sweet potatoes". They were the really light ones with light brown skin and yellowish flesh, not the dark orangey kind. For the record.

This was my 3rd time making gnocchi from scratch-- I've made potato and ricotta before-- and the third time was (*cliche alert*) definitely the charm here. Although time-consuming (save it for a weekend or special occasion), the gnocchi was pure heaven in a bowl. The addition of the green apple was a genius idea, and although there were a lot of flavors to contend with, everything came together brilliantly.

For another point of view and some gorgeous photos, take a look at Anne's version of the same dish.

P.S. A big heartfelt thanks to everyone who took the time to comment on my last post about a recipe difficulty rating system. My decision for now is to hold off. It would be a lot of work, and there seemed to be quite a few mixed opinions. However! I am planning a big site overhaul (transferring to Wordpress) over the course of the next 6 months (I'm graduating and will have more time to play!), and will most definitely revisit the ratings, and a time gauge, at some point during that process.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Brown Butter, Sage, and Green Apple
Serves 6
Gnocchi adapted from Marcella Hazan via the New York Times
Sauce adapted from Bon Appetit
Printable Recipe

For Gnocchi:
1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, sifted, plus up to 1/2 cup for kneading
2 tablespoons minced sage
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

For Sauce:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
6 tablespoons chopped fresh sage, plus whole leaves for garnish
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and grated

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pierce the skin of the sweet potatoes with a fork and place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake until tender, about 40 minutes. Allow to cool until comfortable to touch. Peel and pass through a ricer into a large bowl. Combine sweet potato puree, flour, sage, salt and pepper.

2. Turn dough out onto floured surface; divide into 6 equal pieces. Rolling between palms and floured work surface, form each piece into 20-inch-long rope (about 1 inch in diameter), sprinkling with flour as needed if sticky. Cut each rope into 20 pieces. Roll each piece over tines of fork to indent. Transfer to baking sheet.

3. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add 2 tablespoons salt and return to boil. Working in batches, drop the gnocchi into the boiling water. Cook 10 seconds after the dumplings rise to the surface, about 3 minutes total. Transfer gnocchi to clean rimmed baking sheet. Cool completely. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)

4. Preheat oven to 300°F. To make the sauce, melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until butter solids are brown and have toasty aroma, swirling pan occasionally, about 5 minutes.

5. Add chopped sage (mixture will bubble up). Turn off heat. Season sage butter generously with salt and pepper.

6. Transfer half of sage butter to large skillet set over medium-high heat. Add half of gnocchi. Sauté until gnocchi are heated through, about 6 minutes. Empty skillet into an ovenproof bowl; place in oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining sage butter and gnocchi.

7. Divide gnocchi and sauce among shallow bowls. Sprinkle with grated parmesan and grated apple and serve immediately.

Deep Thoughts and a Self-Portrait

2010-03-08T14:05:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday! Sometimes when I'm feeling overwhelmed, stopping to write down my thoughts is the best thing I can do to diffuse my anxiety. Playing House is at somewhat of a crossroads (in a good way), and I want to share my thoughts with you if you'd like to read them, so here they are!

* When I first started blogging almost 2 years ago, I had no clue how to cook or bake. I was just a girl with a bunch of nice new stuff from our wedding registry that I wanted to learn how to use. Consistently since then, I've improved because of practice. Lots of practice. Taking time to follow recipes with new techniques, or new recipes with old techniques, has caused a slow and steady increase in my "I know what I'm doing" factor, and somewhere along the way I fell head-over-heels in love with all of it.

* I've noticed a trend lately that the recipes I've been making and sharing are getting increasingly more advanced. Please don't run away if you're a beginner; I have no intentions of abandoning my current mix of easy, moderate, and challenging recipes. But as time goes on, my desire to challenge myself in new ways has presented itself, and now that people out there are actually reading this, I care about staying true to what brought you here in the first place, while reconciling that with my evolving tastes.

* I've resigned from Craving Ellie in My Belly and The Daring Cooks and Daring Bakers. I wanted more freedom to pick challenges for myself, and didn't personally feel much of a sense of community in any of those groups. I'm so thankful for the skills and empowerment I've picked up through all 3 of the groups, and the handful of amazing blogging friends I've gotten to know through my involvement.

* In lieu of those groups, I've been cooking along with 3 dear friends (Anne, Sarah, and Wendy) in a collaborative recipe club (CCCP, Cross-Country Cooking Parade), and this is undoubtedly the niche where I feel the most comfortable at this point. We each pick a sweet and savory recipe each month that all four of us make and share our thoughts on. I've added a CCCP tag to the group's recipes that I post on Playing House, so you can see what we've made. I guarantee there will be a strong correlation between posts labeled CCCP and increased difficulty level!

* Here's where you come in: Would it be helpful for me to rate each recipe's difficulty? I'm happy to start using some kind of rating scale system, but there are 2 main drawbacks: what's hard for me might not be hard for you; and I don't want you to shy away from something I think is difficult just because it was a challenge for me. I'd love it if you would take a second to comment on this post and share your thoughts on a difficulty rating. Yay or nay?

Hi!

And as always, thanks for stopping by.

Hugs,
Amy I.

Quintuple Chocolate Brownies

2010-03-08T00:01:00.001-08:00

Recently we had dinner at our wonderful friends' house (hi Jake and Jessie!), and of course I offered to bring dessert. When I'm making dessert for a group, I usually take a poll to find out whether people are chocolate or non-chocolate dessert people.

Personally, I'm both, and I know there's a big gray area in there, but generally people instantly pick one or the other (almost always chocolate, in fact).

Before I go on, I know you're wondering, so here are the 5: unsweetened, semisweet, milk, cocoa powder, and white.

These brownies were so intense and dynamic and, well, chocolate-y. I think it's fair to say that I liked them as much as, if not more than, the infamous "Baked" Brownies I made last year. I almost didn't use the white chocolate glaze (even though I'm a white chocolate lover), since it wasn't completely smooth and was giving me a hard time, but I'm so glad I went ahead with it. The glaze, along with the chunks of walnuts and chocolate, added a textural dimension that went really well with the richness of the flavor.

Warning: not for the faint of heart.

Quintuple Chocolate Brownies
Adapted from Dorie Greenspan
Makes 16 brownies
Printable Recipe

For the brownies
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 tbsp strong coffee
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
6 ounces premium-quality milk chocolate, chopped into chips, or 1 cup store-bought milk chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts

For the glaze
6 ounces premium-quality white chocolate, finely chopped, or 1 cup store-bought white chocolate chips
1/3 cup heavy cream

1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 325F. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with foil, butter the foil and place the pan on a baking sheet. Sift together the flour, cocoa, and salt.

2. Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and add, in the following order, the butter, the two chocolates, and the coffee. Keeping the pan over low heat, warm just until the butter and chocolates are melted. You don't want the ingredients to get so hot they separate, so keep an eye on the bowl. Stir gently, and when the mixture is smooth, set it aside for 5 minutes.

3. Using a whisk or rubber spatula, beat the sugar into the chocolate mixture. Don't beat too vigorously, you don't want to add air to the batter, and don't be concerned about any graininess. Next, stir in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla. You should have a smooth, glossy batter. If you're not already using a rubber spatula, switch to one now and gently stir in the dry ingredients, mixing only until they are incorporated. Finally, stir in the milk chocolate chips and the nuts. Scrape the batter into the pan.

4. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted into the center comes out streaked but not thickly coated. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and let the brownies rest undisturbed for at least 30 minutes (you can wait longer if you'd like).

5. Turn the brownies out onto a rack, peel away the foil and place in under another rack; it will be the drip catcher for the glaze. Invert the brownies onto the rack and let cool completely.

6. Put the white chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Bring the heavy cream to a boil and pour it over the chocolate. Wait 30 seconds, then, using a rubber spatula, gently stir until the chocolate is melted and the glaze is smooth.

7. Hold a long metal icing spatula in one hand and the bowl of glaze in the other. Pour the glaze onto the center of the brownies and use the spatula to nudge it evenly over the surface. Don't worry if it dribbles over the edges, you can trim them later (or not). Refrigerate the brownies for at least 20 minutes to dry the glaze.

8. Cut into 16 squares, roughly 2 1/4 inches on each side.

Chicken Tikka Masala

2010-03-05T00:21:00.000-08:00

Chicken Tikka Masala is one of my favorite dishes to order at Indian restaurants. In an effort to keep pushing myself with new techniques and flavors in my cooking, I took on the challenge of making it myself recently, fighting my innate urge to pick up the phone and order takeout. It's genetic. Thanks, parents!

Whenever I try making a complicated new dish from scratch for the first time, I usually use the Cooks Illustrated/America's Test Kitchen version of the recipe. Their scientific approach to testing recipes helps me feel like I'm in good hands, and I've never had a bad experience with the dozens of their recipes that I've tried.

While this recipe didn't at all replicate the dish I know and love from my favorite Indian restaurants (this was far more tomato-y), we still enjoyed it. The chicken, broiled in a thick coating of yogurt, garlic, and ginger, was the moistest and most flavorful chicken I've ever made. The sauce had just the right balance of heat, tomatoes, and spices. Served over basmati rice, this dinner made me a very happy girl. I'm just going to have to keep researching to find a recipe for the take-out version I know and love.

Chicken Tikka Masala
Adapted from Cook's Illustrated
Printable Recipe
Serves 4-6

Chicken Tikka
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon table salt
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts , trimmed of fat
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

Masala Sauce
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced fine (about 1 1/4 cups)
2 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 fresh serrano chile, ribs and seeds removed, flesh minced (leave ribs and seeds for a spicier dish)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves (optional)

1. For the chicken: Combine cumin, coriander, cayenne, and salt in small bowl. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with spice mixture, pressing gently so mixture adheres. Place chicken on plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes. In large bowl, whisk together yogurt, oil, garlic, and ginger; set aside.

2. For the sauce: Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until light golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, chile, tomato paste, and garam masala; cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, sugar, and salt; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cream and return to simmer. Remove pan from heat and cover to keep warm.

3. While sauce simmers, adjust oven rack to upper-middle position (about 6 inches from heating element) and heat broiler. Using tongs, dip chicken into yogurt mixture (chicken should be coated with thick layer of yogurt) and arrange on wire rack set in foil-lined rimmed baking sheet or broiler pan. Discard excess yogurt mixture. Broil chicken until thickest parts register 160 degrees on instant-read thermometer and exterior is lightly charred in spots, 10 to 18 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through cooking.

4. Let chicken rest 5 minutes, then cut into 1-inch chunks and stir into warm sauce (do not simmer chicken in sauce). Stir in cilantro if using, adjust seasoning with salt, and serve.

Cornflake Marshmallow Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-03-02T00:01:00.001-08:00

I'd like to put my social work education to work here for a minute and step up to advocate for the increased use of breakfast cereal in dessert recipes.

These cookies are insanely good. The textural combination of the cornflakes, oatmeal, and lightly toasted, squishy marshmallows combined with the butterscotchy chocolate flavor was dangerously addictive. I especially felt that the cornflakes were the key ingredient here. I usually choose to make brownies, bars, or cupcakes before cookies, but these have leapt past any cupcake on my list.

These cookies are based on a recipe that fellow Pacific Northwest food blogger Lorna Yee wrote as a recreation of the signature cookies from Momofuku Milk Bar. If you're looking for an interesting new twist on a basic chocolate chip cookie, take a chance on these guys.

Cornflake Marshmallow Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from The Cookbook Chronicles
Printable Recipe
Makes 24 cookies

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 ¼ cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
2/3 cup oatmeal
1 cup lightly crushed cornflakes (about 1 1/4 cup before crushing)
2/3 cup mini chocolate chips
3/4 cup mini marshmallows

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes on medium speed. Add the eggs and vanilla extract, and beat until combined.

2. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt and beat on low speed, just so the dry ingredients become incorporated. With a wooden spoon, mix in the oatmeal, crushed cornflakes, and chocolate chips.

3. Scoop and roll the dough into golf ball-sized spheres, and place on a parchment or silpat-lined baking sheet. Six will fit comfortably on one pan; they will spread. Lightly press down 4 mini marshmallows in the center of each ball of dough. Sprinkle tops with a touch of salt. Repeat with the remaining dough.

4. Bake for 9-10 minutes. The cookies will still look soft in the middle when you take them out of the oven. Allow them to cool directly on the tray for a few minutes before moving onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Giveaway Winner! The Silver Palate Cookbook

2010-03-01T13:48:00.000-08:00

Thank you so much to everyone who stopped by to enter the 400th post celebration giveaway for the 1st edition copy of The Silver Palate Cookbook! I loved reading every comment, clicking through to see your blogs, and hearing your stories. Big hugs to anyone who has taken the time to stop by here. Whether you stay for a minute or an hour, I appreciate it!

I'm pleased as punch to announce that the winner of the cookbook is commenter #4, sweet Ali of His Birdie's Nest! Congrats, Ali! Email me at playinghouseamy {at} gmail.com with your shipping info and the book will be on its way.

Spicy Chocolate Pudding Cake

2010-02-28T00:01:00.000-08:00

Have you noticed that it's become trendy recently to mix interesting flavors like chili, lavender, and especially sea salt with chocolate? Normally this isn't my cup of tea, but for Valentine's Day, I wanted to do something extra-special, so I made this chocolatey cake with a kick.

This cake is sinfully good. As it bakes, it separates into 2 layers: one saucy, one fudgy. The rum and spices add a bit of an adult bite that made it more interesting (in a good way) than straight-up chocolate cake. It was definitely Valentine's Day worthy. That Nigella Lawson sure knows what she's doing.

Spicy Chocolate Pudding Cake
Adapted from Nigella Lawson
Serves 4-6
Printable Recipe

Butter for greasing pudding dish
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon red chili powder
1 cup superfine sugar
1/2 cup best-quality cocoa powder
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup dark rum

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 8-cup pudding or soufflé dish. Set aside. In large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, chili, superfine sugar and 1/4 cup cocoa powder. In small bowl, mix milk, vanilla and oil. Pour into flour mixture. Mix by hand for thick smooth batter.

2. Spoon batter into pudding dish, and smooth the top. Pour 3/4 cup water into a small pan. Set over high heat, and bring to boil. In small bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup cocoa with brown sugar, making sure there are no lumps. Spread evenly across the batter. Pour boiling water over it, and top with rum.

3. Bake pudding until top is a bubbling sponge and center is wobbly and liquid, about 30 minutes. To serve, spoon out portions that include some of the top and chocolate sauce beneath. If desired, accompany with vanilla ice cream.

Hamantaschen

2010-02-25T00:01:00.000-08:00

Hamantaschen are a traditional cookie that is eaten during the Jewish festival of Purim, which is coming up this weekend. They're sweet, triangular, and filled with jam or other fruity goodness.

My husband Andy has been making this recipe since he was little. It was sweet watching his eagerness to show me each little step of his mother's recipe, regressing back to the inner child version of himself. We officially decided that this was our 1st Annual Hamantaschen-Making Party (I wish I could call it Hamantaschenstravaganza or something fun like that, but it doesn't exactly roll off the tongue). I'm excited to make this a yearly tradition!

For more background on Purim and the symbolism of the triangular cookie, head over to my friend Julie's hamataschen post from last year, she summed it up nicely.

We used blueberry and apricot preserves, raspberry jam, and I experimented with nutella and a few that have chocolate and/or peanut butter chips. I'll always like the fruity ones best though. They're traditional, and I think they taste better with the cookie part too.

Does your family have a favorite holiday cookie recipe?

Hamantaschen
Makes about 2 dozen
Printable Recipe

Dough:
2 large eggs
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Juice & grated rind of 1/2 an orange
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

Filling:
Jam, preserves, or pie filling of your choice

Egg wash:
1 large egg

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Add dough ingredients in the order above to a large bowl and beat until combined.

2. Optional: wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm it up.

3. Grab a large handful of dough and roll out on a well-floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness. Use the rim of a drinking glass to cut circles in the dough, and return the scraps to your dough pile.

4. Place 1 tsp. of filling in the center of each circle. Fold sides over 3 times to form a triangle, and press gently to seal. Do not pinch. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

5. Repeat with remaining circles and remaining dough. If dough gets too soft, refrigerate it for 15 minutes. When you have formed all the cookies, beat an egg in a small bowl. Use a pastry brush to brush each cookie lightly with the beaten egg.

6. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and cool completely before serving.

Baked Chicken Meatballs

2010-02-24T00:01:00.004-08:00

I mention this a lot, but I'm really grateful for the close friends I've made through blogging, most of whom I've bonded with over our common love of (ok, obsession with..) making and eating food.

Three of my best e-buddies and I have recently formed a little secret society-- the Cross-Country Cooking Parade, or CCCP (ha!), and cooking/baking along with my friends has brought me so much joy already. These meatballs were one of the first things we made together.

I've had them on my radar, like most of the recipes from Smitten Kitchen, since Deb posted them last year, and they were an easy meal to throw together on a weeknight. One recommendation: if you make these, make sure that the bread is torn into teeny, tiny pieces before you soak it. I didn't tear mine small enough, so the otherwise delicious meatballs were filled with relatively large chunks of moist bread, which was not ideal.

Also, I omitted the pancetta since we don't eat pork, but next time I'll try crumbling some extra-crisp turkey bacon into the mix; I think that would add excellent flavor.

Baked Chicken Meatballs
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen, originally from Gourmet
Printable Recipe
Serves 4, or more as appetizers or sliders

3 slices Italian bread, torn into small bits (1 cup)
1/3 cup milk
3 ounces sliced pancetta or Canadian bacon, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 small garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 large egg
1 pound ground chicken
2 tablespoons tomato paste, divided
3 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

1. Preheat oven to 400°F with a rack the upper thirds. Soak bread in milk in a small bowl until softened, about four minutes.

2. Cook pancetta, onion, and garlic in one tablespoon oil with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a large skillet over medium heat until onion is softened, about 6 minutes. Cool slightly.

3. Squeeze bread to remove excess milk, then discard milk. Lightly beat egg in a large bowl, then combine with chicken, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, pancetta mixture, bread, and parsley. Form 12 meatballs and arrange in 4-sided sheet pan.

4. Stir together remaining tablespoons of tomato paste and oil and brush over meatballs (the paste/oil does not mix in any cohesive manner, but just smoosh it on and run with it) , then bake in upper third of oven until meatballs are just cooked through, about 20-25 minutes.

#400 and a Giveaway!

2010-02-22T13:56:00.000-08:00

Post #400? Already? Wow. Instead of writing a whole new sentimental post, I'm going to invite you to travel back in time to Post #300. It's still my favorite post of all time, and it still completely expresses how I feel about this whole blogging thing.

Now on to more practical matters! You might recall that a few months ago, I received a generous gift of a giant box of cookbooks from a relative who had no need for them. A few of them were duplicates of books that were already on my shelf, so I decided to share them with you. First I gave away The Joy of Cooking, and made an awesome new blog friend in the winner. Hi Grace!

This week's giveaway is for the classic Silver Palate Cookbook. This particular version is a first edition and is about the same age as I am, but it's like new. The pages are crisp and it may never even have been opened before I flipped through to check its condition. I can't wait to pass this along to one of you!

To enter: Leave a comment on this post by noon Pacific Time on Monday, March 1st.

You can say anything, tell me who you are, where you're from, what you like to cook, how you found Playing House, share your favorite recipe, or just say hi! I'll choose the winner Monday afternoon using a random number generator.

Thanks for reading!

Hugs,
Amy I.

Perfect Pound Cake

2010-02-21T00:01:00.000-08:00

This Perfect Pound Cake recipe comes straight from my Foodie To-Do list (my collection on the sidebar ----> of links to recipes from other food blogs that I can't wait to make).

In addition to giving me an excuse to practice my cake-removal-from-bundt-pan technique, this recipe gave me a chance to break out my secret butter extract. Yes, it has 3 sticks of butter AND some butter extract. That's the one and only Pioneer Woman for ya!

I know you're dying to know how I came to have a secret bottle of butter extract. It came inside the big supply kit I bought for my cake decorating class, and I hid it in a bag on an out-of-the-way top shelf, never thinking I'd have a use for it. Oh, the stigma of butter extract. Glad I finally had a chance to let it see the light of day.

This cake was indeed perfect, although next time I'll grate in some lemon zest. I brought it to a dinner party and it was devoured with the highest praise. A really simple, classy dessert that's perfect for a rustic picnic or elegant high tea. I love that kind of versatility.

Perfect Pound Cake
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks
Printable Recipe

3 sticks Butter, room temperature
3 cups Sugar
5 whole Eggs
1 teaspoon butter extract/flavoring
2 teaspoons lemon extract/flavoring
3 cups All-purpose Flour
1 cup Sprite, 7-UP, Or Sierra Mist

1. Preheat oven to 325F.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl with a handheld mixer), cream butter until smooth. Add sugar, 1 cup at a time, mixing after each addition. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing after each addition. Add butter and lemon extracts and mix well.

3. Add flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add soft drink, then mix together until combined. Scrape sides of bowl, then mix briefly.

4. Pour into a well-greased Bundt pan and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, until the cake is no longer jiggly.

5. Remove cake from oven. Allow to cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes. Invert pan onto cake stand or serving dish until cake drops out.

Baklava

2010-02-18T00:01:00.000-08:00

To cap off the February Daring Cooks challenge, I made Baklava. I can't think of an easier or more fun way to wow your dinner guests than to make a big batch of this sweet, flaky, nutty Greek dessert.

I enjoyed the process of making this so much because I found the layering and brushing and more layering really hypnotic and meditative. But I tend to zone out when I'm in the kitchen anyways. Now that I think about it, for this recipe, it actually helps to pay close attention since you have to keep track of how many layers you've made!

The end result of this recipe (from fun new-to-me food blog Elly Says Opa!) was out of this world. The ease of preparation-to-impressiveness ratio of this recipe was especially high. This one has already been added into my regular rotation, and I can't wait to make it again!

Baklava
Adapted from Elly Says Opa!
Printable Recipe
Makes approximately 24 pieces

Pastry
1 lb. walnuts (replace 1/4 of the walnuts with shelled unsalted pistachios if desired)
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1 16 oz. package phyllo dough, thawed
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted

Syrup
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 cup honey
1 cinnamon stick
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1. Toast the walnuts, either in a dry skillet or a 300 degree oven, until fragrant. In a food processor, combine walnuts, cinnamon, and cloves, until walnuts are finely chopped. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Grease a 9×13 pan. Line the bottom of the pan with one layer of phyllo dough. Using a pastry brush, coat the phyllo with melted butter. Add another layer of phyllo, and brush with more butter. Continue this process until you have layered 7 sheets of phyllo.

3. Spoon 1/4 of the nut mixture evenly over the top. Repeat the process of the phyllo/butter layering again, but this time use 5 sheets of phyllo. Continue the layering of the 5 sheets of phyllo and 1/4 of the mixture of walnuts. Finish off with 7 layers of buttered phyllo, and brush the top with butter. Using a sharp knife, cut your baklava into triangles.

4. Bake for about 50 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

5. To make your syrup, combine all the ingredients and bring to a low boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Pour the hot syrup over the cooled baklava. Allow to rest for at least 20 minutes before serving.

Spinach & Feta Borekas

2010-02-17T00:01:00.000-08:00

Borekas (also known as burek, borek, and a handful of other spellings/ pronunciations) are a Mediterranean hand-held snack made from puff pastry or phyllo wrapped around a filling of cheese and meat or veggies.

This recipe is a mother-in-law original (hi Ma!), and was my husband Andy's contribution to our Mezze dinner party for the February Daring Cooks Challenge. This particular version is just like a hand-held version of spanakopita.

I'm going to let Andy explain why this is more of a method than a precise recipe:

Although my mom is pretty modest, and would never claim this in public, she's actually the BEST COOK IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD (Amy comes in a close second.) Every now and then I'll call her up and ask for a recipe for one of my childhood favorites, like these borekas.

Now, as a computer programmer and general mad scientist, I like things to be pretty precise. My mom, however, cooks entirely by look and feel. We always joke about how this makes communicating recipes difficult:

ANDY: So how much filling do you put in each one?

MOM: Oh, you put in a little spoonful...not too little, not too much.

ANDY: Okay, and then how long do you cook them for? How hot should the oven be?

MOM: Well, you put them in for a while, and then you look, and then when they're done, you take them out.

So, in the interest of being as precise as possible, I use exactly 1.5 tablespoons of filling, and bake until the top of the Boreka reaches approximately Pantone 132 PC. Much better.

Have fun playing around with the fillings. This version is Andy's favorite, but I prefer broccoli and feta or potato and cheddar!

Borekas
Printable Recipe

1 10-ounce package frozen spinach
1 package crumbled feta
Your favorite spices & seasonings. Garlic salt is our favorite.
1 package square puff pastry (we've had the best luck finding these at ethnic markets- latino or mediterranean).

1. Place spinach in a colander in the sink to thaw. As it thaws, squeeze as much moisture out of it as possible, about once every 15 minutes for an hour until very little moisture remains. Combine spinach with feta and seasonings in a medium bowl.

2. Preheat oven to 350F. Place a scant spoonful of the spinach feta mixture in the center of a puff pastry sheet, and fold the sheet diagonally in half. If you can't fold it all the way, remove a bit of the filling. Press the edges together to seal. Repeat with remaining puff pastry sheets and filling.

3. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Place borekas on the baking sheet and bake until golden brown, about 20-30 minutes.

Muhammara

2010-02-15T00:01:00.000-08:00

Some people like their food dry, but I'm all about complementing the flavor and texture with dips and sauces. I especially like trying and making new ones, and muhammara is my new favorite.

I've been wanting to make this tangy blend of red peppers and walnuts for a long time, and was so excited to have the opportunity during the February Daring Cooks challenge. Use pomegranate molasses unless you absolutely can't find it; that's the key to authenticity here. This dip was definitely the hit of the party, and couldn't be easier to make. You literally throw all of the ingredients in the food processor, give it a whirl, and you're done.

What's your favorite dip or sauce?

Muhammara
Adapted from Bon Appetit
Printable Recipe

1 12-ounce jar roasted red bell peppers, drained
1 cup walnuts
1/3 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons pomegranate molasses or fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Pita chips, warm pita bread, or veggies for serving

1. Blend all ingredients except pita chips in processor until coarse puree forms. Season with salt.

2. Transfer to bowl; serve with chips, pita, or veggies.

Daring Cooks: Mezze

2010-02-14T00:01:00.000-08:00

The 2010 February Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Michele of Veggie Num Nums. Michele chose to challenge everyone to make mezze based on various recipes from Claudia Roden, Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Dugid.

Mezze is the Mediterranean version of a small plates meal. I love meals like this: dim sum, tapas, etc. I adore being able to have smaller portions of a wide variety of foods, especially when it involves any combination of bread, cheese, fruit & veggies. I've actually made a mezze spread before (check it out), but have definitely never made pita, so that was the most exciting part for me!

Michele asked us to make pita and hummus from scratch, and then to go nuts with the rest of the meal, giving us complete creative freedom. Thanks, Michele!

On the menu:
Fresh pita

Lemon hummus

Muhammara (roasted red pepper, walnut, and pomegranate dip)

Assorted veggies, cheese, crackers, nuts, and olives

Borekas

Baklava

For the pita and hummus recipes, and to see what my fellow Daring Cooks came up with this month, head over to the Daring Kitchen.

Because this challenge had so many unique elements to it, I have a series of posts planned this week with more detailed photos and recipes. Stay tuned!

Blueberry Gooey Butter Cake

2010-02-11T00:01:00.000-08:00

While visiting my best friend in St. Louis last month, I was introduced to Gooey Butter Cake, a local specialty. Even though I didn't get to try it when I was there, I came home with an insatiable curiosity. It sounded over-the-top sweet (hello cake mix, butter, cream cheese, and powdered sugar!), but I couldn't resist the urge to make it.

When I tried the cake fresh out of the oven, it was too sweet for my tastes (and I enjoy a good dose of tooth-achingly sweet). But like many baked goods, an overnight rest in the refrigerator did a world of good. The sweetness mellowed out, the texture firmed up, and while it was still a once-in-a-lifetime kind of rich, it was actually enjoyable. My addition of blueberries to the bottom layer made all the difference.

If you've been reading for a while, you know that my one of my favorite things to do with my baked goods is feed them to Andy's coworkers. This one got rave reviews. Here's the email he sent out the morning it arrived at his office. Isn't my husband witty?

From: Andy I.
Sent: Friday, February 05, 2010 9:11 AM
To: --- Everyone
Subject: FAQ about the cake in the kitchen

Q: Gooey what now?
A: Gooey Butter Cake. Apparently it’s big in St. Louis

Q: Is it for the faint of heart?
A: NO! This cake is intense. Really intense. It’s good, but for the love of lemonade, be careful!

Q: Is my wife an evil genius?
A: Most definitely.

Q: Is it healthy?
A: Yes. It has blueberries.

Enjoy!
--Andy

Blueberry Gooey Butter Cake
Printable Recipe

Bottom layer:
1 box yellow cake mix
1 stick butter (8 tbsp), softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup frozen blueberries, not thawed

Top layer:
1 8-oz package cream cheese, softened
1 lb powdered sugar (~3 1/2 cups)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Prehead oven to 350.

2. Using a stand or hand-held mixer, combine all ingredients for bottom layer except blueberries. Once combined, gently stir in berries.

3. Grease a 9x13 baking pan well. Spread bottom batter in the bottom. It will be thick and difficult to spread.

4. Wash and dry your mixing bowl. Using a stand or hand-held mixer, combine all ingredients for top layer and spread on top of the bottom layer.

5. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until edges are light golden brown. Cool completely before serving. Optional: chill overnight before serving.

Stir-Fried Chicken with Sweet Chili Sauce

2010-02-10T00:01:00.000-08:00

My cookbook collection has swelled to enormous proportions recently, almost outgrowing its home. Poring through my books to find just the right recipe to suit my mood is one of my greatest pleasures, but often time just doesn't allow that. On weeknights, I've been grabbing the Steamy Kitchen Cookbook more and more.

Every recipe I've made so far from Jaden's book has been exceptional. This one was perfectly simple for a weeknight, and felt light and healthy too. Serve it over steamed rice for a one-bowl meal.

Stir-Fried Chicken with Sweet Chili Sauce
Adapted from The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook
Printable Recipe

Cornstarch Slurry: 2 tsp soy sauce and 1/2 tsp cornstarch
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into thin, pinky-sized pieces
1 tbsp vegetable oil
3 shallots, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 tsp fish sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 c sweet chili sauce
1 small handful basil leaves (Thai or sweet Italian), about 1/4 c

1. In a large bowl, make the cornstarch slurry by stirring together 2 tsp soy sauce and cornstarch until the cornstarch has dissolved. Add the chicken and toss to coat well. Marinate for 10 minutes at room temperature.

2. Set a wok or large frying pan over high heat. When a bead of water sizzles and evaporates upon contact, add the oil and swirl to coat. Add the chicken slices in 1 layer and cook for 2 minutes, flipping halfway. Remove chicken from the wok, keeping as much oil in the pan as possible. The interior of the chicken will still be raw, it will get added back to the wok soon to finish cooking.

3. Lower heat to medium and add shallots and garlic to the pan. Stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add bell peppers and continue to stir-fry for 1 minute, until peppers are softened but still have a nice crunch to them. Pour in the fish sauce, soy sauce, and chili sauce and stir well. Add the chicken back into the pan and let the entire thing simmer for 2 minutes. The chicken should be cooked through (cut into a piece to check) and the sauce should be glossy and thickened. Turn off the heat and stir in the fresh basil leaves.

Orange Blueberry Muffins

2010-02-08T14:02:00.000-08:00

I have a newfound appreciation for oranges. Citrus fruit is at its peak here in the wintertime, but in the past I've always shunned oranges in favor of my beloved lemons.

Recently I've been buying a lot more fruit, and as I've been looking around grocery stores for the best-looking produce, I've given oranges another try. I'm happily realizing that there's such a huge variety of types (shapes, sizes, and colors) to play with. I'm sure my little orange friends will keep me entertained until spring rolls around.

I made these muffins with one of my new favorites, cara cara oranges. They're delicate, thin-skinned, and resemble pink grapefruit on the inside. I also used the blueberries we picked last summer, which is always a special treat. These muffins are incredibly light; the texture was among the best of any muffin I've made. Also, like many of Dorie Greenspan's recipes, they're really versatile, so feel free to play with your fruit.

Orange Blueberry Muffins
Adapted from Dorie Greenspan
Makes 12 muffins
Printable Recipe

Grated zest and juice of one orange
About 3/4 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons honey
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/3 cup sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking power
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (not thawed)
Turbinado sugar, for topping (optional)

1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 400F. Grease a regular 12-cup muffin pan with non-stick baking spray or line with paper liners. Place the muffin pan on a baking sheet.

2. Pour the orange juice into a large glass measuring cup or a bowl and pour in enough buttermilk to make 1 cup. Whisk in the eggs, honey, and melted butter.

3. In a large bowl, rub the sugar and orange zest together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and the fragrance of orange is strong. Whisk in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and, with the whisk or rubber spatula, gently but quickly stir to blend. Don't worry about being thorough. The batter will be lumpy and bubbly. Stir in the blueberries, and divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.

4. Bake for 20-25 minutes. If you want to top the muffins with turbinado sugar, sprinkle on after the muffins have baked for 10 minutes. When fully baked, the muffins will be golden and springy to the touch and a tester inserted into the center will come out clean. Allow to cool on a rack for 5 minutes before removing the muffins from the pan.

E-Book for Haiti

2010-02-07T22:10:00.001-08:00

My friend Lauren over at Celiac Teen has done something incredible, and I want to make sure you all know about it. Lauren has gathered recipes from over 70 food bloggers (including me!) around the theme of "home" and compiled them into an e-book to benefit earthquake-ravaged Haiti. All proceeds will go straight to the Canadian Red Cross, who will distribute them appropriately where needed.

Source: Celiac Teen

I'll let Lauren do most of the explaining, but please consider purchasing the book (it's downloadable, in pdf format). To get more information, to purchase the e-book, or just to tell Lauren how awesome she is, head over to Celiac Teen.

Green Papaya Salad

2010-02-04T00:01:00.000-08:00

When I was planning my most recent Daring Cooks challenge, this salad immediately popped into my head to serve on the side.

It's another one of our favorite Thai dishes, but I feared that it would be time-consuming and high maintenance. Happily, I was wrong! The biggest time saver was the pre-shredded green papaya and carrot mixture that I bought at our local Asian market. Since the manual labor was already done for me, this came together in literally 2 minutes.

If you've never had this delightful salad before, it's tangy, spicy, and radiates freshness. I wasn't familiar with palm sugar before I made this salad. I found it in a heavy solid round block at my Asian market, and found that the best way to handle it was to grate it with my Microplane.

Do you know any other interesting recipes that use palm sugar?

Green Papaya Salad

Adapted from thaitable.com

Serves 2

Printable Recipe

1 1/2 tablespoons palm sugar

Juice of 1 lime

2 cups green papaya, shredded

10 green beans, halved

1 clove garlic

1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce (or soy sauce for a vegetarian version)

2 chile peppers

5 cherry tomatoes, halved

2 tablespoons peanuts, crushed

1. Crush garlic, tomatoes, green beans, and chiles with the back of a spoon in a large bowl just enough to bruise.

2. Whisk together fish or soy sauce, lime juice and palm sugar, and add to the bowl.

3. Add green papaya and toss well. Top with crushed peanuts.

Lemon-Almond Meringue Tart

2010-02-02T00:01:00.000-08:00

While poking around my mom's [drool-worthy walk-in] pantry on a recent visit home, I spotted a torn-out magazine page peeking out between 2 cookbooks on a shelf. I felt like I was in some kind of slow-motion, magical movie scene where time stands still and I find the most perfect recipe ever.

Maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit, but I grabbed the Cooking Light page with the lemon meringue tart recipe and tucked it in my Oregon-bound suitcase. With my mom's permission, of course; I could never do anything sneaky or subversive in her house. Or anywhere. Yeah.

This tart wasn't quite as lemony as the lemon tart I made last year. Although the lemon was indeed more subtle, the unique crust and the light-as-air meringue made up for that missing tang, and the 3 layers played well together. If you like lemon meringue, but don't want the heavy pie crust overload, you'll love this tart.

I had the best time baking this tart with my friend Michelle in her newly renovated kitchen. Thanks, M! Can't wait to do it again.

Lemon-Almond Meringue Tart

Adapted from Cooking Light

Printable Recipe

1/2 cup blanched almonds

3 tablespoons brown sugar

36 vanilla wafers

1/4 cup butter, melted

Cooking spray

1 (10-ounce) jar lemon curd

3 large egg whites

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup water

1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. Combine first 3 ingredients in a food processor; process until finely ground. With motor on, drizzle butter through food chute; process until blended. Press about crumbs into the bottom and up sides of a 9-inch tart pan coated with cooking spray. Bake for 10 minutes or until toasted. Cool.

3. Preheat broiler.

4. Spread curd evenly onto crust. Place egg whites and salt in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until soft peaks form. Combine granulated sugar and 1/4 cup water in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook, without stirring, until a thermometer registers 250°. Pour hot syrup in a thin stream over egg whites, beating until stiff peaks form. Spread egg white mixture over tart. If desired, use your spatula to make small decorative peaks. Broil 30 seconds or until lightly browned.