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General Tso's Chicken

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Mon, 04 May 2020 17:46:00 +0000

Ingredients:

for step one:

1 egg white, beaten (save yolk for future use)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup Shaoxing wine (Chinese cooking wine)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon Sambal Olek
1 1/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders, cut into bite-sized pieces

for step two:

1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

for step three:

3 cloves garlic, grated
1-inch knob ginger, grated
1 spring onion, whites, and greens chopped
3-4 tablespoons soy sauce
3-4 tablespoons chicken stock
2 tablespoons Chui Chow chili oil (or other chunky chili oil/chili crisp)
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon cornstarch

to serve:

hot white rice, steamed broccoli (I highly recommend making or at least starting the rice before you get started and keeping it warm until ready to serve)

Directions:

Step one:

Whisk together the egg white, soy sauce, Shaoxing, soy sauce, baking soda, corn starch, and sambal oelek until smooth. Add the chicken, toss to coat. Set aside.

Step two:

Whisk together the ingredients in step two's list in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Step three:

Whisk together the ingredients in step three's list in another medium bowl (I'm sorry, this recipe dirties a lot of bowls.)

Heat the sauce in a medium skillet until it begins to reduce. If it gets too thick or gloppy, whisk in small amounts of more stock. Turn off the skillet when cooked and set aside.

Step four:

Meanwhile, heat about 1/2-1 inch canola oil in the bottom of a large skillet. (if you haven't already, now is a good time to steam that broccoli)

Remove the chicken from the marinade (discard the marinade) and toss one at a time in the dry ingredients from step two. Toss to evenly coat. Repeat for all chicken. Fry the chicken in batches, as needed (we did 2 batches) until golden, about 3-5 minutes.

Drain in paper towel-lined plates. Return the sauce to heat and warm through..

Add the drained chicken to the skillet with the sauce, toss to coat.

Serve immediately with broccoli and hot rice.

My thoughts:

I have to admit, I didn't normally order General Tso's chicken back in the days when we ordered take out. It wasn't something I had growing up (we always got chicken chow mein and really good shrimp toast I recreated here-OMG 10 years ago-the 2-3x a year we got takeout) and only have had a couple of times as an adult. I have read a lot of books about Chinese food in America and Canada and Chinese-American take out and I think this is possibly the most iconic dish.

I've always had it in the back of my mind to make it but it seemed like a lot of effort. As it turns out, it was and we dirtied nearly every bowl in the house. However! It was totally worth it.

Normally we prefer chicken thighs but with the pandemic, all the store had was chicken breast tenders. Chicken breast is so bland, I always feel like it needs so much to be flavorful.
I realized it was the perfect time to make General Tso's Chicken! We had the time over the weekend, all of the ingredients are very basic Chinese-Pan-Asian pantry ingredients so my husband made it for our lunch. We couldn't find a recipe online that really looked like it worked, made sense, or had directions that weren't complete nonsense so we ended up coming up with this. No dried peppers or fancy ingredients required. Everything we used was from the "international" aisle of a chain supermarket.

It is very simple to make but does require a few steps and a lot of bowls. It's basically the same technique we've used when making other corn starch-based fried food but with even more flavoring in the "marinade" and it's all tossed in a thick, tasty sauce.

It was so good! Very fresh tasting and surprisingly light for being fried. The chicken stayed super crisp, even after being tossed with the sauce (thanks to my experience making these Thai-inspired nuggets, I knew cornstarch was the way to go) and the sauce was spicy and coated wonderfully.

Butterscotch-Mace Toasted Oat Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Thu, 30 Apr 2020 20:11:00 +0000

Ingredients:

1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg, at room temperature
3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground mace
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butterscotch chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Spread the oatmeal in a single layer and bake for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool.

Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or silipats. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, vanilla, and sugar. Add the egg, beat until fluffy.

Add the flour, baking powder, mace, salt, and oatmeal. Mix until well combined.

Fold in butterscotch chips. Place tablespoon-sized blobs of dough on the lined cookie sheet about 1/2 inch apart and bake for 12-14 minutes or until they look just "set" and the bottoms are just golden. Don't overbake! The center may still be slightly soft.

Carefully remove the cookies still on the parchment or silipats to a wire rack to cool completely.

Yield: about 1 1/2 dozen cookies (can be easily doubled)

My thoughts:

Another rainy, oddly chilly day here at home. Obviously, it's cookie time.

I have had the idea for a cookie that relied heavily on mace for its flavor for a long time. I had come across a mace sugar cookie-type recipe a while back and while it sounded tasty, I've realized that unlike my preferences for ice cream, I really do prefer a cookie with some chunks in it. Last week I read something where someone was talking about their mom's recipe for oatmeal scotchies which I had to google but turned out to be an oatmeal cookie with butterscotch chips. We were strictly a chocolate (and maybe on a rare occasion, peanut butter) chip family growing up and my husband grew up eating things like carob so this was not in my repertoire. Apparently, they are flavored with cinnamon, which I am okay with but am sort of eh about.

Why not make a new cookie using one of my favorite baking spices (mace!!!), my favorite oatmeal cookie technique (toasting the oats first for a nuttier flavor), and butterscotch (which I think should be the next big flavor in baking). Why not, indeed.

I'm so glad I did. I love mace, aka the lacy coating (aril) of nutmeg, and I don't think it gets enough attention. It's easy to skip it or sub in its friend, nutmeg, or leave it out altogether. Even google searches for "mace spice" comes up with nutmeg as the top result. It's a shame because mace has it's own unique flavor and is rather warm and peppery in a way I don't think other spices are. It's time to give it its due. It is a little pricy as spices go but a little goes a long way and it goes great in anything that uses any of the major baking spices (ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice) or in Indian, Caribbean, and Moroccan food (among other cuisines).

Split Pea Soup with Ham and Root Vegetables

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Wed, 29 Apr 2020 22:24:00 +0000

Ingredients:

16 oz dried split peas
1 1/2 cup cubed ham
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 large rutabaga
3 cloves garlic, sliced
2 parsnips, diced
6 cups ham or chicken stock
1-2 tablespoons herbs de Provence
1 bay leaf
freshly ground black pepper
sea salt

Directions:

Place the all ingredients in a 4-quart slow cooker. Cook on low 10-12 hours.

My thoughts:

Is there anything more comforting to come home to than a bowl of soup? We went grocery shopping for the first time since 4/1/20 and I knew we'd both be exhausted and not feel like cooking.

This is the perfect soup to prep ahead. Last night I cut up all the vegetables and the ham and stored them in a reusable gallon bag. This morning I just put it all in the slow cooker, added the stock and spices, and left. It's a little different than some split pea soups--it has more vegetables which I prefer. I like a soup with some solid bits in it. It's great for quarantine too--ham always has far off expiration dates, split peas last for years on the shelf and not one of those vegetables is less than a month old. I also used Better than Boullion for the stock because I don't have any homemade on hand. I always buy it at Costco and it lasts forever. The perfect low effort-high reward dinner.

I served it with some take and bake bread from Aldi but if I had the energy, I think it would be great with cornbread.

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Spiced Applesauce Corn Muffins

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 21:11:00 +0000

Ingredients:

1/2 cup canola oil
1 1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup full-fat vanilla Greek yogurt
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup coarse cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch ground anise
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon mace
2/3 cup light brown sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Line or grease and flour 12 wells in a muffin tin.

In a large bowl, mix (using a mixer or a big spoon) all ingredients together until a thick batter forms. Divide evenly among the wells in the muffin tin. Bake 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the center muffin comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Cool on a wire rack.

My thoughts:

Matt's been working his way through the last few muffins we've made (orange-oatmeal, zucchini-walnut I made, and the sweet potato cornbread he made) so it was time to make a new batch.

I haven't made so many muffins in years! I was trying to think of some different flavors to keep it interesting and end up making these. I hate applesauce but my husband will eat it, especially when he isn't feeling well or if no fruit is really in season. We had a big jug of it in the fridge taking up a lot of room that he hasn't been eating lately. I really wanted to use up before it went bad. Applesauce is great in muffins because it keeps them really moist which I think helps them freeze better than muffins with a drier crumb. It's also great to have on hand for muffins because it's shelf-stable and thus always in-season unlike berries or even citrus or whole apples.

Matt had bought a 2 lb container of Cabot triple cream vanilla Greek yogurt by mistake and found it a little too rich so I thought that would be a good way to add some protein and flavor to the muffins and help us use it up. We are planning to go grocery shopping (hopefully for enough groceries for the next 3-4 weeks) this week so freeing up fridge and freezer space is really at the forefront of my mind. It's been 27 days since we've bought groceries so I know anything still in our fridge is getting pretty old! I hate waste so I'm in "use all the scraps" mode right now.

My first impulse was to use buckwheat flour in these muffins but apparently, we don't have any so I subbed in some cornmeal. It wasn't quite enough cornmeal that I'd consider them to be cornbread muffins but it adds a little extra oompf and substance to the muffins. Not to mention a light corn flavor and fiber.

Russian Mimosa Salad with a Twist

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Mon, 20 Apr 2020 21:26:00 +0000

Ingredients:

1 medium-large white potato
1 medium beet, cooked
4 eggs
1 8.8 oz can smoked sprats in oil (I used Riga brand), drained
1/2-1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
mayonnaise (about 1/2 cup, maybe more)
1 bunch spring onions, sliced, greens only (save whites for another use)
2-3 oz brick sharp white cheddar

Directions:

I strongly suggest you do the first step the day before you want to serve the salad but you can do it the morning of and serve it late in the afternoon or evening.

In separate pots, boil the skin-on potato, skin-on beets, and eggs until the vegetables are fully cooked and the eggs are hard-boiled. Allow to cool to room temperature then peel the beets and potato. Refrigerate the eggs, potato, and beet until cold (I really suggest doing this the night before), about 2 hrs. Peel and halve the eggs.

When you are ready to make the salad:

In a small bowl, mash together the sprats, horseradish and about a tablespoon on mayo. Spread on a dinner plate. (if you have a glass parfait or terrine bow--or want to make individual ones in smooth jars or glass bowls, that's great too, it's a very pretty layered salad)

Spread the sprats mixture with a thin layer of mayo (the easiest way was to place a 1/2 tablespoon-ish dollop in the middle and spread it with a butterknife like you were icing a cake).

Grate, using the finer side of a box grater, the potato over the sprat mixture to cover. Spread another thin layer of mayo over the potato, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Using the same finer side, grate the beet over the potatoes to cover. Spread another thin layer of mayo. Sprinkle the green onion over the beet mixture. Spread another thin layer of mayo. Finely grate the egg whites over the green onion layer. Spread another thin layer of may over the eggs. Finely grate the cheddar over the green onion layer. Finally, finely grate the egg yolks over the cheddar layer.

Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Refrigerate any leftovers.

My thoughts:

I came across two big cans of smoked sprats while putting away groceries. I think I must have bought them at the Russian festival or at the Polish market but I'm not too sure; normally I remember everything so I think I must have bought them a long, long time ago. I posted a picture of them in my stories on Instagram and my friend Olga (Mango & Tomato) suggested I use them to make mimosa salad, a Russian dish that is popular in springtime. It gets its name from the yellow blossoms of the mimosa tree which blooms in early spring which is mimicked in the grated yolk topping. It was full of ingredients that I liked (tinned fish, potato, hardboiled eggs) so I thought it was a great idea.

I read a lot of (English language) recipes for the salad and they were all pretty similar with some minor variations. A layer of tinned fish (salmon, mackerel, tuna were popular choices, a layer of cold potato, a layer of carrots, a layer of egg and a lot of mayo were in all of them. Some recipes called for grated pickle, some called for grated (then boiled!!) white onion, some called for shredded mozzarella (one for shredded string cheese!) or other mild cheese. Olga said she felt like her family used apple instead of carrot.

I've never had the salad before, although I have heard of it and seen pictures before. I thought I'd tweak it a bit more to our tastes and what we have on hand. I decided to flavor the fish a bit with horseradish, swap out carrots for beets and use spring onion for a fresher taste and easier preparation. I also used sharp cheddar rather than a mild white cheese because I thought it would go better with the other flavors.

It turned out wonderfully! As I discussed with Olga, I think my modifications kept with the Russian palate and possibly added a slight Jewish twist to the dish. It was very easy to make but time-consuming. I am very glad I made the potato, beets, and eggs yesterday so today I just had to grate and assemble because that alone took about 30 minutes. There was also no chance of the ingredients being too warm--you really want them quite cold so they grate well.

I think this is served as a side dish traditionally but I served it as our lunch with some slices of rye bread.

It was very tasty! We both enjoyed it a lot. It had a lot of flavor and I think adding the beets, sharp cheddar and the horseradish was the way to go. It made for a more strongly flavored dish than it probably normally is but I felt like they really held up against the canned fish and pulled the whole dish together in a satisfying way. I can't say I want to make this frequently for a Monday lunch but it would be a great dish to take to a brunch or for a Russian themed dinner party. It was fun to eat, oddly not as heavy as you'd think with all the mayo and layers and really festive looking.

If I was making it for a party, I'd try to borrow a dish to make it in to showcase the layers or use a plate to lightly press down on the mixture to make it super smooth before grating the yolks. Mine was definitely on the rustic side.

Gaufre de Liège (Liège Waffles)

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Sun, 19 Apr 2020 22:54:00 +0000

Ingredients:

3/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon instant yeast (I used LeSaffre Saf-Instant Yeast Gold)
12 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
2 3/4 cups flour
2 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
pinch salt
2/3 cup Belgian pearl sugar

Directions:

About 3 1/2-4 hrs prior to when you want to eat waffles:

Warm the milk in a small pot (don't let it boil or become too hot, just take the chill off). Pour into the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle with yeast. Start the machine running slowly with the dough hook attachment. Slowly stream in the flour, sugar, salt, and eggs. Mix for about 5 minutes.

Add the butter, about 1/2 tablespoon at a time while the machine is running over the course of about 10 minutes until the butter is well-incorporated and a ball forms.

Gather the dough into a ball in the middle and cover with a tea towel for 1 hour 45 or until the dough doubles in bulk. Fold in the sugar with a spatula or giant spoon.

Divide into 10-12 even portions on a parchment-lined baking sheet and allow to rise about 45 minutes-1 hour. I ended up with 11 but they weren't exactly even. If I was a different person I would have weighed them and make them exactly even but one slightly big waffle is fine with me.

Preheat oven to 200. Place a ball in the middle of a hot, deep-welled "Belgian" style waffle pan and cook about 5 minutes or until golden brown.

Take great care removing the waffles from the pan, there is a lot of molten sugar! If you have a waffle fork, now is the time to break it out. I used a long pair of bamboo tongs. Place the waffle in the oven on a baking sheet to keep warm. Or eat them as they come out of the waffle iron. I don't judge.

Repeat for remaining waffles. Store leftovers at room temperature in an air-tight container. Reheat at 200 for about 5 minutes or until soft.

My thoughts:

When we were in Belgium almost 10 years ago (oy!) we, of course, tried Liège waffles. These are the waffles that are sold at little stands on the street, not the "Belgian" waffles we have here in the US. They don't have toppings--the better to showcase the caramelized sugar chunks--but come in plain (like these), vanilla and cinnamon flavored.

They were also sold as a snack, not breakfast. They are pretty rich, it's basically brioche in waffle form with added sugar but so tasty! They are named after the town they are from, Liège, in the French-speaking Wallonia region of eastern Belgium. They really were ubiquitous in Brussels when we visited, almost as much so as frites shops, and I am sure it is the same today.

When I was reading recipes in French when researching this recipe, I found a lot of references to it not being a "fair waffle" (Gaufres de foire) which, after doing some sleuthing, seems to be a flatter, rectangular waffle (similar?? the same as the Brussels waffle--gaufre de Bruxelles?? which is a whole other conversation) than the Liège waffle. This must be a very important distinction because nearly every French-language blog I read mentioned this very emphatically while no English language site did. There must be more confusion over what kind of waffle it is in France and Belgium. Here is it pretty clear. Liège waffles are the ones with the sugar and what we call Belgian waffles aren't really Belgian at all and are thick and fluffy.

When developing the recipe, I also noticed that the French language sites for the most part only had you do two rises, one short, one long and no overnight or refrigeration step. Nearly all of the popular American recipes had you refrigerating the dough (sometimes for over 24 hrs! Some for 24 hrs more than once!) and then letting it come to room temperature. I decided to error on the side of the Belgians here and assume they are correct. I feel like they'd know better and I have a sneaky suspicion that the Americans are trying to time the recipe so they could serve these for breakfast with minimum early morning effort.

I do not suggest having these for breakfast, they are snack waffles! Think of them like you would an ice cream cone on a hot afternoon. Personally, I started them after an early lunch.

If you can, use actual Belgian pearl sugar in this. Ikea often has Swedish pearl sugar so that is easier to source but Belgian pearl sugar is bigger and craggier. I purchased mine from Waffle Pantry which has the added bonus of having yeast in stock, which I know is a hot commodity in these pandemic times. It was here in about 3 days!

These are insanely good and I was very proud of my little waffles! I've literally wanted to make them since we came back but they seemed like a lot of work. As it turns out, they were actually pretty easy and since we can't leave the house, this was the perfect time to make them. The dough just tastes so good! I was a little worried because I don't make a ton of things with yeast and never make anything like broiche but these were absolutely perfect and way easier than I feared. I feel like I wasted a lot of years not making these waffles!

Smoked Sardine & Dandelion Greens Spaghetti

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Fri, 17 Apr 2020 19:55:00 +0000

Ingredients:

4.25 oz tinned smoked sardines in oil
1 onion, sliced into half-moons
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 large bunch dandelion greens, chopped (about 6 cups)
1/2 cup sliced cherry tomatoes (about 1/2 pint)
1/4 cup kalamata olives
salt
freshly ground black pepper
12 oz spaghetti

Directions:

Cook spaghetti according to package instructions.

Meanwhile, add the sardines (with the oil), onion, garlic and red pepper flakes in a large skillet. Cook until the onion is translucent. Add the greens and saute until they are starting to wilt. Add the remaining ingredients and saute around 5 minutes or until the greens are fully wilted and everything is cooked through. Add the drained spaghetti and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

My thoughts:

I really love dandelion greens so I was delighted to get a huge (huge! I couldn't hold it in one hand!) bundle of them in my local produce delivery. They were starting to get slightly wilted looking and I have nachos planned for dinner like a mature adult and I know I have other plans for tomorrow's meals so I thought I might as well make something with them for lunch. Why not whip up a pasta dish at 11 am?

I bought these smoked sardines back in the before times at Trader Joe's and I really like them! They have a subtle smoky flavor which really adds a lot of depth to the dish and helps balance out the bitterness and the greens. I will say it smells sort of fishy when you are making it but when you actually eat the pasta, it is just super savory. I don't know if you'd guess were sardines in there, they really just dissolve.

I had some tomatoes leftover from out last grocery shop over 2 weeks ago (how??) and I always have olives and spaghetti so it was easy to make this dish on the spur of the moment. It was a great pantry meets fresh ingredients recipe that I really enjoy making even when there isn't a pandemic.

If you don't have dandelion greens, feel free to use any robust green.

I jazzed up the leftovers and talked about it here.

Beef, Mushroom, Root Vegetables & Barley Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 21:33:00 +0000

Ingredients:

1 3/4 lb cubed sirloin
2 stalks celery, diced (greens too!)
2 medium carrots, sliced
2 parsnips, sliced
1 onion, diced
1 lb (6 caps) portobello mushrooms, cubed
8 oz button mushrooms, sliced
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 medium rutabaga, diced
1-quart beef stock
1 cup pearl barley
1 teaspoon nigella seeds (aka kalonji or charnushka) or caraway or fennel seeds
2 1/2 teaspoons paprika
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
superfine flour like Wondra or just plain flour

Directions:

In a large nonstick skillet, sprinkle the beef with flour then brown for 1-2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and saute until the beef is lightly browned on all sides but not fully cooked. Use a slotted spoon to scoop the meat and vegetable mixture into a 4 (it will be very, very full!) or 6-quart slow cooker. Add the spices, barley, and stock. Stir. Cook on low for 8-10 hrs. Add additional warmed stock to thin out the soup if desired.

Yield: a ton. Maybe 8-10 servings

My thoughts:

We made mushroom barley soup back in 2006 which was very good and reminiscent of what my husband used to get at the 2nd Ave Deli in NYC. Then I made a meaty version in 2013 (and served in a mug that broke long ago and that I miss) that was also delicious. I had been thinking about that soup a lot lately while we've been home self-isolated due to the coronavirus. We only have grocery shopped twice since 3/12/20 but our produce deliveries have started up again and we can add things to the box if we'd like. They had barley and some lovely local mushrooms so I thought I'd try yet another version.

This one uses rutabaga (aka swede, neep), a true underutilized stalwart of the kitchen. In the US they are often waxed so they last for nearly forever in a cool place. They are a cross between cabbage and turnips and add a peppery flavor and texture interest to the soup. I also used some parsnips I seriously believe I bought in February. Behold the power of the root vegetable!

This soup comes out the slow cooker pretty thick. It reminds me of what Rachael Ray used to call a "stoup" a cross between a stew and a soup. If you like more of a soup texture, add some (warmed) stock or broth to your bowl or the slow cooker (if you have room, I used a 4 quart and it is packed) before serving. That pearl barley really absorbs a lot of liquid and expands quite a bit. I kind of like it less soupy but it's up to you.

It is just so cozy!

Spiced Zucchini Muffins with Walnuts

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 18:39:00 +0000

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon mace
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
pinch salt
1 egg
1/2 cup canola oil
2 cups shredded zucchini (one medium zucchini)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Line or grease and flour 12 wells in a muffin tin.

In a large bowl, mix (using a mixer or a big spoon) all ingredients together until a thick batter forms. Divide evenly among the wells in the muffin tin. Bake 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the center muffin comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Cool on a wire rack.

My thoughts:

I realized that I have been posting here for 16 years and I've never posted a straight-up zucchini muffin recipe before. I've posted a chocolate version back in 2007 and in 2004 I posted both my then-boyfriend (now husband)'s zucchini bread recipe (so long ago that Blogger really didn't have much in the way of photo capabilities, I'm seeing) and what looks like the recipe we always made growing up as either bread or muffins but no recipe that straight up made a nice even dozen zucchini muffins*.

My husband loves zucchini muffins and since we are all stuck at home thanks to the coronavirus, I thought it would be a good time to make a batch. I had some zucchini left from my last trip for groceries on 4/1/20 and it looked great but who knows how long that would be true.

He likes nuts in his zucchini bread and nuts in quickbreads. I do not at all, as they remind me of coming across a baby tooth that fell out while you were eating but he is going to be the one eating the majority of these anyway so I added them. He likes to eat breakfast and I'd rather skip it and have an early lunch. Plus we had some walnuts in the freezer leftover from something or another that might as well be used.

We have a robust spice cabinet and he loves spice bread so I really went wild and even pulled out the mace but I think they'd be fine with just cinnamon and whatever else you have on hand. You can leave the nuts out if you'd prefer and I think the recipe would be fine as-is.

These are a pretty classic zucchini muffin but they do use a touch more zucchini than a lot of recipes, and the recipe make exactly 1 dozen. No more, no less, which is my ideal in a muffin recipe.

They freeze well. I find they defrost best in the fridge overnight.

*I've also made savory zucchini cornbread cheddar muffins (2012), carrot-zucchini bread (2006) and mini crookneck squash loaves (back in 2012 when we were still attempting to vegetable garden) over the years.

Sambal Oelek Chicken Lettuce Wraps with Radish Greens and Spring Onion

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Wed, 15 Apr 2020 03:27:00 +0000

Ingredients:

1 bunch radish greens, chopped*
1 spring onion, whites and greens chopped
1 lb ground chicken
1/2 cup sambal oelek
1 1/2 tablespoons (jarred) ginger garlic paste**
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce

to serve: one head Bibb lettuce

Directions:

Heat a small amount of oil in a large skillet. Saute the onions and green until the onions are soft. Add the chicken and saute, breaking up any large bits until very nearly fully cooked. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer, stirring occasionally until the chicken is fully cooked and most of the liquid has evaporated. Serve with lettuce leaves, for wrapping.

*other fresh, tender-ish greens would work well too--chard, dandelion, beet
**or the equivalent amount of fresh minced ginger and garlic mashed together

My thoughts:

I ended up with a truly obscene amount of lettuce of all kinds in my produce delivery. Normally they allow for substitutions but since things are strained due to the pandemic they don't allow them right now. Which is fine! I totally understand and am happy for produce delivery at all (if this had to happen, at least it happened in the spring when something is growing) but nothing else "salady" is really in season and we don't really eat a lot of salad or lettuce anyway.

So I was trolling for suggestions and someone suggested lettuce wraps. Perfect! Normally they are not my bag but I had some ground chicken, some pantry sauces and spring onions from the delivery. I added the radish leaves to add a little extra value to the dish and they ended up being really good! They were attached to radishes but last week I got radishes with greens attached and the greens wilted overnight and the radishes got soft quickly so I thought it was better to divest them of their greens the same day of delivery and use them right up. They are sort of peppery so they added some flavor too.

It was super flavorful dish and one I would totally make again. I think the meat would be great tossed with ramen-type noodles or served over rice too.

Potato, Cauliflower and Spring Onion Gratin

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Mon, 13 Apr 2020 03:03:00 +0000

Ingredients:

2 1/2 lbs Yukon Gold Potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 medium head cauliflower, chopped
4 tablespoons butter
1 bunch (4) spring onions, greens, and whites chopped*
ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon paprika
salt
freshly ground black pepper

4 oz sharp cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons shredded parmesan
3 tablespoons toasted bread crumbs

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425. Butter a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the potatoes and cauliflower and some salt. Boil until the vegetables are tender. Drain and mash until fairly smooth in a large bowl.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a pan. Add the onion and saute until soft. Stir into the potato mixture. Mix in the spices. Scrape into prepared pan. Dot with small amounts of extra butter (if desired) and sprinkle with cheese and bread crumbs. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.

*not scallions or green onions, these are small white onions with thick, wide greens attached

My thoughts:

Can you believe I've had this cauliflower since 3/12/20? It was in perfect shape too. That was the day I did my first big shop heading into what I thought would be a long period of self-quarantine (and it was/is!). I never dreamed I'd be eating on my first Easter at home and not at my parents' house.

We still wanted to be festive so we came up with this idea for a cauliflower-potato garden. Then I remembered the spring onions I got last week in our produce delivery. I love spring onions, they have such a sweet onion flavor and the greens cook up so well. This was a great use of them, they keep the whole mixture from being too bland and gave it well, the taste of spring. Using mashed potatoes and cauliflower was just as tasty as potatoes au gratin or scalloped potatoes but with none of the worrying if the potatoes are going to be fully cooked before it is too brown or not. Here, the hot mash went right into my vintage Pyrex fully cooked and directly from the stove so all we had to do was brown it. It did use a bit of butter but the mix was firm and creamy enough it didn't need an egg or milk which, while we didn't eliminate them on purpose--they just weren't necessary, was an ingredient saving move during a time when we are trying not to shop.

Chicken, Olive and Hard-boiled Egg Empanadas

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Sun, 12 Apr 2020 00:42:00 +0000

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 onion, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground chipotle
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 bay leaf
1 lb ground chicken
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1/2 cup halved pimento-stuffed olives

3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
10 frozen empanada wrappers, defrosted (we used Goya)

Directions:

AT LEAST 3 HOURS BEFORE YOU WANT EMPANADAS:

Sauté spices, onions, and shallot until golden. Add the ground chicken, brown. Add olives, tomato paste, and a couple tablespoons water. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated. Refrigerate, covered 3 hrs to overnight.

Three hours later..
Preheat oven to 425.

Stir the egg into the chicken mixture. Place the wrappers on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Put 1/4 cup filling into each wrapper, leaving a 1/4 inch margin. Pierce the tops with a fork. Fold the top over the filling, use the tines of a fork to seal firmly, using a bit of water on the edge if needed. Brush with milk or beaten egg if desired. Bake for 18 minutes.

Note: You may have some filling leftover. I suggest you heat it up with some rice for an easy lunch.

Tip: Some of our wrappers were split when we took them out of the package; if it happens to you, don't despair, just press the pieces back together.

My thoughts:

When Matt went to the grocery store on April 1st, he picked up some empanada wrappers. We are totally the type to only make our own wrappers but we weren't sure what the flour situation was going to be and he thought making empanadas might be a fun project.

I was a little nervous about using the wrappers, I always have the worst luck when it comes to using short cuts, my Jell-O from the box doesn't set but my plain gelatin made with freshly sieved juice comes out just fine. But these were fine! They came out of the package a little worse for the wear but we were able to patch them back together and proceed.

Since were are quarantined, we did have to make do a bit with what we have and used ground chicken for the filling (it was actually very good, just take care to use good paprika) instead of beef, did a milk wash instead of using an egg, and we didn't have fresh peppers so we doubled up the ground spices.

The result? Very satisfying! I remember the first time I had an empanada. I was in high school and it was a language arts fair. I was there with some members of my French class and we got to sample food from around the world. The empanadas from the Argentinian booth were so good! They had olives and hard-boiled eggs in them (I had scarcely had an olive back then, my dad had a very limited palate and we all had to cater to him) which are two of my favorite things and I've thought of them often. Baltimore still doesn't have many empanada places but there were really none back then. I really have thought of them often over the years.

If you use the wrappers, these are very quick to make. It's only waiting for the filling to cool that takes a bit. They are very flavorful thanks to the spice mixture and the olives. The perfect homemade snack or dinner.

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Kale Soup with Lemon, Dill and Leeks

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Thu, 09 Apr 2020 21:06:00 +0000

Ingredients:

3 cloves garlic, sliced
2 leeks, whites and greens, chopped
2 carrots, sliced into coins
2 stalks celery (and greens), chopped
1 big bunch kale (I used Red Russian kale), torn into bite-sized pieces
juice and zest of one lemon
3 tablespoons chopped dill
10 cups chicken or vegetable stock
freshly ground black pepper
salt

4 oz farfalline or other small pasta

Directions:
In a large stockpot, saute garlic, leeks, carrots, and celery until the carrots start to soften. Add the kale, zest, lemon juice, dill, stock, and spices. Stir. Simmer until the carrots and kale are tender, 1bout 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain. Stir in the finished soup. Serve.

My thoughts:

I don't love kale but I can accept some varieties of it more readily than others. Red Russian kale is prettier and more tender than what is generally simply labeled as "kale" which can be a little tougher than I'd prefer in a green. Of course, you can use that kale in this soup but it might take a little longer. I do love a bitter green--give me rapini, dandelion greens, beet greens, collards, any chard any day but there is something a little one note about kale.

But! We are all making do with what we have right now thanks to the coronavirus so when I ended up with a ton of kale from my produce delivery (no subs allowed right now) I knew I had to use it up. To jazz up the kale I tossed in some lemon juice, the last of the dill we bought last week and a ton of very tasty leeks.

The leek greens and the celery leaves are perfectly edible and tasty so I always add them in. They had a ton of flavor!

Chicken Jalfrezi Sandwich, Quarantine Style

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 18:02:00 +0000

Ingredients:

for the chicken:

1 15-oz can jalapeño and habanero diced tomatoes
1 1/2-2 lbs chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1/2 large red onion, sliced
1/4 teaspoon ground roasted cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons garam masala
salt
freshly ground black pepper

for the flatbreads:

1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
pinch salt
1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
2/3 cup very cold water

garnish: chopped scallion or green onion greens

Directions:

THE NIGHT BEFORE you want to make these, place all the ingredients for the chicken in a marinating container or resealable bag and refrigerate it.

THE NEXT DAY:

Saute all of the ingredients of the chicken mixture in a skillet until fully cooked and the liquid has reduced.

Meanwhile, put the flour, baking powder and spices in the bowl of a stand mixer or large bowl. Whisk to combine. Add remaining ingredients and mix with a dough hook until a ball of dough forms. Add flour if the mixture is too wet, if too dry, add more cold water.

Place the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Allow to rest 5 minutes. Divide into 4 equal balls. Dust a clean, flat surface with flour. Roll out each ball to about 5-6 inches and about 1/4 inch thickness. Allow to rest for 5 minutes.

Heat a couple tablespoons of oil in a large skillet.

Pan fry for 1-2 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Repeat for remaining dough.

Top with chicken mixture, fold and eat immediately.

Serves about 4.

My thoughts:

A while back we were watching the not very good The Stranger miniseries on Netflix. It was largely forgettable but, at least for me, for one scene. One character picks up another character in his car. The guy gets in, holding some messy looking sandwich. When asked, he announces that it is a chicken jalfrezi sandwich rather triumphantly. I couldn't get it out of my head. Chicken jalfrezi seems to be a more popular takeout (or, I guess, takeaway) option in the UK and Australian than it is here in the US. I've come across mentions of it in many Britsh and Australian tv shows and books but I don't see it on menus locally very often. I don't know why not, it's not terribly spicy and is simply a mix of spices, chiles, tomatoes, and chicken. I had never come across a mention of a chicken jalfrezi sandwich before though! I'm not entirely convinced it wasn't something made up for the show for some bizarre reason.

Now that we are all stuck at home, I have even more time to cook, especially during the day when I am a little more awake and energetic. So today was the day! I didn't have fresh peppers to use so I subbed in some very spiced canned tomatoes with jalapeño and habanero (but you can use plain tomatoes and fresh peppers if you have them) and to make it more quarantine and weeknight-friendly, instead of making actual naan to wrap it in, I made a yeast-free spiced flatbread. Since you marinate the meat the night before and just cook it through, the whole dish took me about 30 minutes to make, including starting from scratch with the flatbreads. The chicken part is nearly entirely hands-off. I can't say this is the most authentic food I've made but it is delicious and fun way to jazz up boring chicken.

If I had some plain yogurt or raita, I might have drizzled that on but I think it was very flavorful without it. The flatbreads were very tasty and sturdy enough to contain all of the juicy filling.

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Triple Orange Oatmeal Muffins

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Tue, 07 Apr 2020 18:27:00 +0000

Ingredients:

2/3 cup milk
1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (I used Cara Cara oranges)
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1/3 cup canola oil
1/4 cup candied orange peel (optional)
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch salt
1 tablespoon (or more!) fresh orange zest

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Line or grease and flour or line one 12 well muffin tin. In a large bowl, mix together the oatmeal, egg, oil, milk, juice, zest and sugar. After it is thoroughly mixed, add in the flour, salt, and baking powder. Stir to combine. Fold in the orange peel. Divide evenly amongst 12 muffin wells. Sprinkle with additional oats (strictly for appearances) if desired.

Bake 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the center muffin comes out clean.

If you used liners, remove the muffins on to a wire rack. If not, place the whole tin on the rack.

Cool completely.

Yield: 1 dozen muffins

My thoughts:

A little over a week ago my husband made sweet potato cornbread muffins to have for breakfast and he just ate the last ones he had frozen today. I know everyone is jumping on the bread baking train and I love bread as much as the next person but it uses so much flour! We have a good amount here thanks to always having a pretty well-stocked pantry in non-pandemic times but I don't know if I want to devote so much to it to one thing, at least not yet. Muffins use a lot less flour (especially if you also use oats or cornmeal in them) and I think they freeze better than bread.

I bought a lot of cara cara oranges back in early March but I think I overestimated how much fruit my husband might eat over the course of the first few weeks in self-quarantine. It's nearly a month now and while they are still good--not moldy and they're tasty-- but the skin has started to look a little dried out so I thought it was best to use them up. I zested four of them and juiced them. I had some candied orange peel leftover from some recipe development work I did and I think it adds an extra punch of orange flavor (citrus notoriously "bakes out"--you can combat this with lots of zest but it always helps to have some extra oompf) but if you don't have it, don't worry about it, add some extra zest if you can.

These are very filling muffins with a surprisingly light crumb and a sweet kiss of orange. I recommend keeping around 3 days' worth at room temperature and freezing the rest until you are ready to eat them. I suggest defrosting them overnight on the counter (this is safe for bread products, not meat!) or I hear that they defrost quickly in the microwave.

Deviled Ham Toasties

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Mon, 06 Apr 2020 20:28:00 +0000

Ingredients:

2 English muffins, halved

1 tablespoon Dijon

I can (4.25 oz) Underwood deviled ham spread*
2-3 tablespoons minced red onion
1 tablespoon dill relish (or chopped pickle spear)
1/4 shredded sharp cheddar

Directions:

Toast the English muffin halves and spread with mustard.

In a small bowl, stir together the ham, onion and relish. Spread over the muffin halves, sprinkle evenly with cheese and broil 1-2 minutes until brown and toasty. Serve immediately.

*Homemade would be fine too.

My thoughts:

I saw this tweet from Helen Rosner about the comments on an article about deviled ham and realized I had never tried it before. I tracked down the article and she was right, the comments were super heartwarming. Who knew some many people had such love for canned deviled ham? I had actually made homemade deviled ham years ago and ham salad, which is similar but I had never had the canned version. We just weren't canned meat (beyond tuna) family growing up. My husband's Jewish and I can't think of anything more trayf than a canned ham product so it wasn't a family dish for him either. I became a spam fan as an adult so I am certainly not above a canned processed meat product.

We discussed canned deviled ham and when my husband went to the grocery store last week, he picked us up two cans. They are wrapped in paper which endeared them to me. I love it when you can find Lea & Perrins wrapped in paper, it looks so festive. He bought Underwood brand (are there other brands? Hormel maybe?) because that is what the article said was best. What better time to try canned deviled ham than during a pandemic.

I read all the comments sharing how they (or their family members) served the deviled ham. So many recipes from dips to deviled ham deviled eggs to all sorts of sandwiches. The ones that sounded best were the broiled ones. Pepperridge Farm white bread was mentioned more than once and I actually have some but I thought another suggestion--English muffins would be better--sort of like the old fashioned "crab toasties" you see in community cookbooks. So I cobbled together what I thought we'd like--mustard instead of mayo, dill pickles, red onion, cheddar and broiled us up lunch.

You know what, it was pretty tasty. Super savory (and salty, maybe don't serve this with chips) and really good with the mustard and pickles. I'd totally eat this again.

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Banana Leaf Wrapped Kalua Pork (Grill Method)

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Sun, 05 Apr 2020 02:00:00 +0000

Ingredients:
1 3 lb pork butt roast
1/4 cup Alaea salt (Hawaiian sea salt)
freshly ground black pepper
applewood chips
defrosted frozen banana leaves (I buy Goya brand)

Directions:

Dry off the pork roast with paper or cloth towels and rub with the salt.

Smoke at a higher heat (approximately 300 - 325 degrees) for 4 hours using the snake method (we have a Weber) until the roast is nicely browned. Check on it periodically to make sure the temperature stays around 300-325 in the grill but you can be pretty hands-off.

Wrap in banana leaves and wrap again tightly in foil.

Preheat oven to 300 and roast for 3 hours or until the pork roast is at least 200 degrees. Remove from oven and let rest for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and leaves and shred.

My thoughts:

I bought a pork butt at Aldi and my husband brought home banana leaves from his trip to Weis so he suggested we make kalua pork. Normally we make it in the instant pot (recipe here) and it's quite good but this was so much better. It took all day but we are self-quarantining and have nothing but time. I'd think the results are more like the real thing which is cooked in a pit than the slow cooker or instant pot versions.

It was so tender! It had a great smoky flavor and you really could taste the herbal banana leaf. We served it on white rice and with a side salad. Totally worth the time and it took virtually zero effort. Plus there are tons of leftovers!

Dandelion & Dill Chicken Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Fri, 03 Apr 2020 16:22:00 +0000

Ingredients:

2 cups cubed (cooked) chicken breast
3/4 (loose) cup dandelion greens, coarsely chopped
1 stalk celery, diced
1/4 cup chopped red onion
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
3 tablespoons minced fresh dill
1 1/2 teaspoon dill pickle relish
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
salt
freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

In a medium bowl, stir together all ingredients until evenly distributed. Refrigerate until ready to eat.

Yield: about 4 servings

My thoughts:

Another day (day 22, actually) of making all our meals from scratch! I roasted a chicken yesterday. It was pretty small but I had enough to make chicken salad with it. When my husband went to the store Wednesday he picked up some fresh dill. He used some in rice but we made sure to have some leftover. It's too early in the year to grow herbs outdoors and I don't get enough sunlight for indoor herb gardening so I want the dill to last. Dandelion greens are some of my favorites, they have a light peppery herbal bite that is so good in creamy sandwich salads like this one. I got mine in my weekly local produce delivery (I signed up for again now that things are actually in season in our area) but if ever there is a time to forage, it's now. If you don't have dandelion greens, try arugula or watercress. It's so tasty and satisfying and good way to sneak in a little extra vegetables at lunch time.

Borscht with Pot Roast and Cabbage

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Tue, 31 Mar 2020 18:29:00 +0000

Ingredients:

1 lb leftover pot roast, chopped (or other cooked stew/roasted beef)
1 carrot, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 onion, diced
2 cups (loosely) coarsely chopped cabbage
2-3 cups cut up roasted beets
2 bay leaves
1/2 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon black caraway (aka nigella, charnushka, kalonji) or try caraway seeds
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
8-9 cups beef stock*

sour cream to serve

Directions:

Heat a small amount of oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Saute the celery, carrot, onion, and cabbage until the onion is translucent and the cabbage starts to wilt. Add the remaining ingredients. Simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes. Divide into bowls and top with a dollop of sour cream.

*I used a mix of the juices/leftover broth from making pot roast and water because I don't have more beef stock and we are here under quarantine.

My thoughts:

It's getting a little late in the year for hot, meaty soup but it's actually quite chilly and damp out and self-quarantine lends itself perfectly for soup.

Sunday I made pot roast and rather than add flour to thicken the gravy, I sliced up half the meat and served with a drizzle of juices and all of the solid vegetables. Then I saved the rest of the meat in the broth/juices that were left and used them as the base of this soup. No better time than a pandemic than to make the most of what you have!

There are a ton of borscht recipes out there from all over Eastern Europe and they vary quite a bit. Years ago I made summer chilled borscht that was very good but I realized when looking in my fridge trying to make a bunch of disparate ingredients come together into something, and noting that i had a ton of beets and cabbage that I had never made a meaty borscht. If not now, then when? The seasonings in borscht seem to vary a bit so I used what I had on hand. Feel free to use whatever herbs you have on hand. I think it was delicious as-is. It was very filling but not heavy feeling thanks to all of the vegetables. I had flavored the pot roast very simply so it added a deep beefy flavor but no jarring spices.

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Marble Cake for an Anniversary under Quarantine

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Wed, 25 Mar 2020 20:48:00 +0000

Ingredients:

for the cake:

2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt
1/2 cup olive oil (or canola or vegetable)
1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup water
1 tablespoon cocoa

for the icing (optional)
4 oz brick cream cheese, at room temperature
1 oz butter, at room temperature
2 cups confectioners sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour an 8x8 inch baking dish. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Pour in the wet ingredients, whisk until the batter is smooth. Scoop out 2/3 cup batter. Place in a small bowl. Whisk in the cocoa.

Pour the vanilla batter into prepared pan. Scoop spoonfuls of the chocolate batter on top in a polka dot pattern and swirl with the tip of a knife.

Bake 35 minutes or until a toothpick in the middle of the pan comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes then turn out on a wire rack and cool completely.

If icing:

Mix together the icing ingredients until smooth. Spread on cooled cake. Decorate as desired.

Alternatively, sprinkle with confectioners sugar, glaze or make a simple buttercream using all butter instead of cream cheese.

My thoughts:

We are spending our 15th wedding anniversary at home on our 13th day of self-quarantine for the coronavirus/COVID-19. We got married at a courthouse in front of no witnesses so I guess it is sort of fitting to celebrate alone together! We had plans to go out for a seafood dinner but as Maryland has closed all restaurants and businesses and we have already been avoiding contact for the past two weeks (we haven't been anywhere but our own house in 13 days) we don't really have any choice but to be at home.

I've already made one cake from pantry ingredients last week that was very good so I was inspired to make another. I'm trying to ration out our butter and eggs so making a "wacky" or "crazy" cake that doesn't use dairy or eggs and minimal other ingredients made sense. I had cream cheese leftover from making a cake for my parents' anniversary last month so I iced it but it would be great with just powdered sugar or a simple glaze.

I had made "wacky" cake a few times before last week, it's an old fashioned concept from days of rationing and Depression that's incidentally vegan and we seem to know more than our share of vegans but I had always made a chocolate version like the one I posted last week. I wasn't sure how it would be in a vanilla cake. To make it a little more festive, I made it a marble cake. I'm super pleased with how it came out. It's very moist with a light crumb yet very flavorful. It's simple to make and am 8x8 square cake is perfect for small gatherings.

One Bowl Pantry Chocolate Snack Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Thu, 19 Mar 2020 19:56:00 +0000

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup light brown sugar (can sub regular or dark)
1/3 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt
1/2 cup olive oil (or canola or vegetable)
1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup water
2 tablespoons cold brew coffee concentrate (optional or replace the water with brewed coffee)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a 8x8 inch baking dish. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Pour in the wet ingredients, whisk until the batter is smooth. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake 30 minutes or until a toothpick in the middle of the pan comes out clean. Cool, in pan, on a wire rack. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar. Slice and serve.

My thoughts:

This is a riff on Depression and wartime era "wacky" or "crazy" cakes that were made without eggs or butter as a cost and resource cutting measure. They rely on acidic ingredients and baking soda to make the cakes rise. Snack cakes were pretty popular in that era when a lot of baking was done at home. Snack cakes aren't mean to be fancy, decorated celebration cakes, they are a simple cake meant to be tucked into lunch boxes and served at casual get-togethers. They were the precursor to the packaged Hostess and Tastykakes we are familiar with today.

Since we are all stuck at home thanks to Covid-19 and many people are cooking from their pantries I thought an easy no butter, no eggs, no skill, no perishables cake was in order. The cake has a surprisingly rich flavor thanks to a high cocoa ration and a splash of coffee. Perfect for a little pick-me-up and who doesn't need that right now? It's pretty adaptable--I listed some substitutions above--normally I make it with canola oil but our reserves are getting low and I have lot more olive oil on hand. Feel free to add some spices and make it your own!

It's so moist and rich tasting, no one would know you made it with odds and ends off the shelf.

Check out what else I've been making during self-isolation on my new blog, Cooking in Isolation.

Peanut Butter Reese's Pieces and Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Mon, 16 Mar 2020 19:50:00 +0000

Ingredients:

1 2/3 cup flour
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 1/2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
1 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
8.5 oz Reese's Baking Peanut Butter Cups and Reese's Pieces Candy
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350. Line 2 cookie sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, cream the butter, peanut butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and combine thoroughly. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix until a very thick dough forms. Fold in the chips. Form cookies by dropping 1 heaping teaspoon of dough two inches apart.

Flatten slightly then bake until light brown, about 14 minutes. Slide them out on the baking mat on to a cooling rack and allow them to cool 1-2 minutes on the baking mat/parchment on the wire rack before removing them to cool directly on the wire rack.

Yield: about 1 1/2-2 dozen cookies

My thoughts:

If there is ever a time I needed a cookie it's now. We have been self-quarantining since Thursday thanks to the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and I'm trying to look it as a chance to become even more creative with my cooking. I've been stocking up the last few weeks and organizing what we already have. While I bought the usual canned goods and frozen vegetables, I also made sure to stock up on butter, flour, and sugar so I could give us a treat. We had picked up these chips back in the fall at HersheyPark (they are also available online and in stores) and never did anything with them. What better time than now? If you don't have the chips on hand, you could sub in Reese's Pieces and chopped peanut butter cups or even M & Ms or just chocolate chips. It's very versatile! Make do with what you have.

If you'd like to follow along with what I'm making while in quarantine, check out my new daily blog, Cooking in Isolation, where I'm sharing what I'm making, recipes and tips.

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Steelhead Trout Salad with Horseradish and Arugula

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Fri, 13 Mar 2020 13:38:00 +0000

Ingredients:

1/2 lb cooked steelhead trout
1 hard-boiled egg
1/4 cup minced arugula
1/4 teaspoon prepared horseradish
3 tablespoons mayo
3 tablespoons minced red onion
3 tablespoons minced celery
1/2-1 tablespoons nonpareil capers

Directions:

In a small bowl, mix all ingredients until evenly distributed. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

My thoughts:

I made the steelhead trout recipe I posted earlier this week when my husband wasn't feeling well and basically just eating bananas and yogurt so I had a lot leftover. I'm trying not to waste food (even more so as we are clearly heading into quarantine of some sort (check out my getting-ready-for-quarantine cart here) so I repurposed the leftovers into this salad. I love what I call "sandwich salads" (see also: tuna salad, fake crab salad, smoked salmon salad, chicken salad, egg salad etc) and they are a great way to jazz up leftovers. I stretched the trout a bit by adding a hard-boiled egg and was delighted by the results. It added some welcome flavor and texture interest. The arugula added some sharpness and made me feel like I was eating some vegetables and the horseradish gave it some assertive heat. All in all, a delight.