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Filtering by Category: baking

it will do

Andrea

Last weekend was the epitome of the perfect Spring weekend.  Saturday was kicked off with a trip to the farmer's market, where a lovely assortment of spring greens, asparagus, green onions and fresh eggs were purchased as we browsed the stalls, cup of coffee in hand.  After that was strawberry picking in the country, where Brian and I desperately tried to find enough perfectly ripe berries in the sea of green-tipped adolescents to make our 25 minute drive worth it.  ginger merge 4 Apparently the field had been picked clean by a gaggle of girl scouts the weekend before and hadn't quite recovered yet.  Now I have nothing against girl scouts, but when they clean out the strawberry field I am left with a few bitter thoughts in my head.  If you've been reading for awhile, you'll know that Virginia's strawberry season is short and I look forward to it all year long.   Luckily my momentary bitterness was nothing a strawberry frozen yogurt and a trip to the reservoir to let the dogs swim couldn't fix. ginger merge 3 On Sunday we continued our celebration of spring weekend by grilling out with friends.  Brian has been working to perfect ribs on our Big Green Egg grill for a year now, with a long hiatus in the middle for those cold winter months.  We thought that this weekend was going to be it, the moment when the ribs would come off the grill after spending hours smoking over low heat, perfectly moist and fall-off-the-bone tender. ginger 5 I anticipated telling you all about them and had their post written in my head.  It was going to be so perfectly coincidental that our first attempt at ribs on the Big Green Egg had been exactly one year prior, on the weekend of my graduation from UVA's M.Arch program, and that exactly 12 months of debates and research and a dozen racks of ribs later I would be sharing with you the perfect rib recipe.  Sadly, it isn't so. ginger merge 2 While their flavor was delicious, as it always is, the tenderness of the ribs just wasn't where Brian wants it to be.  We'll get there, I promise, and you all will be the first to know - after we call all of the friends whom we've been experimenting on to gleefully tell them that we have finally mastered ribs on the Big Green Egg and to please, please, stop by for another taste-test.   Until then, a recipe for ginger bundt cake with ginger-infused strawberries will have to do.  ginger 8 And it will do, I promise, because here's the thing about this cake - it. is. delicious.  I knew it would be a success as I was blending the farm-fresh eggs into the batter and it was turning the beautiful golden color you see above.  The texture was just what cake batter should be, and the color given to it by those vibrant orange egg yolks (which you just can't get from grocery store eggs) was so beautiful that I did a little dance after each addition.  The ginger-infused syrup for the strawberries is so perfect that I can't help but think of cocktail recipes that will utilize it all summer long. ginger 10 This cake fits right in at the backyard barbeque, nestled in between ribs on the grill and the last few games of Baggo.  It has a consistency similar to pound cake, and if you choose to forego the strawberries one could easily eat a piece with their hands without it crumbling to bits.  This would be very helpful if a second serving were desired after the backyard games had begun, which is not unlikely. I hope you'll give it a try this Memorial Day weekend, and if you do, be sure to save some for the next day.  For as good as it is on a sunny afternoon piled high with gingered strawberries and accompanied by a glass of white wine, its even better with coffee the next morning.  Trust me, it will do.ginger 12 The recipe for Double-Ginger Sour Cream Bundt Cake with Ginger-Infused Strawberries can be found here, or in the April 2009 Bon Appetit. The turbinado sugar I dusted on the inside of the bundt pan didn't stay crystalized like the pictures show in the magazine.  Instead the sugar melted and formed a perfect crust on the outside of the cake.  We loved it.   I substituted white whole wheat flour for the all-purpose and it was delicious. ginger 9
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sunday mornings

Andrea

The Sunday mornings of my childhood were lazily spent at the farm table in our kitchen under a classic stained glass lamp that still hangs in the exact same spot, over the exact same table.  The pantry door would be swung open wide, the small t.v. hidden inside providing the morning soundtrack - Sunday Morning with Charles Kuralt.  I'd fish through the stack of papers on the table until the Sunday comics surfaced, and after devouring those would peruse the classified ads, always looking for the perfect pet pony or a yorkshire terrier for my momma. cinn-2 The smells that accompanied these mornings were varied but always indulgent.  Sometimes we'd have flakey buttermilk biscuits with sliced ham and provolone, or my daddy would fry up eggs that we'd sop up with buttered toast alongside lil' smokies or pan-fried bacon.  And some mornings there were cinnamon rolls or even better, orange danishes.  Popped from a can, baked for 15-18 minutes and then slathered with glaze - those Sunday breakfasts were my favorites. cinn-merge-1 These days, now that I'm all grown up (some might argue with the truth of that, even me...) Sunday mornings are still somewhat lazy and indulgent. Saturdays are started early, sometimes with a long run, and always (during the season) with a trip to the farmer's market for breakfast and the week's produce before embarking on the day's agenda full of errands, chores and projects.  Saturdays are busy and productive, the perfect justification for the extra 30 minutes in bed on Sunday mornings and the indulgent breakfasts that typically follow once my feet hit the floor. cinn 6 And even better than my extra 30 minutes in bed is the fact that Brian typically requires an extra 2 hours in bed on Sundays, leaving me with the kitchen all to myself.  This is my baking time.  I wake up to a quiet house and kick the dogs out to the back yard to ensure that it remains quiet.  I clean up any leftover dishes from the night before while going through breakfast ideas in my head.  This is the time when new pancake, biscuit and scone recipes are realized.  This is the time when I finally get to try out a recipe I've had bookmarked for quite some time, one that takes me right back to my childhood even though the lamp, reading material and soundtrack have changed. cinn 8 These cinnamon rolls were delicious, certainly a step up from the canned variety although they take about 3 times as long to prepare.  I substituted spelt flour for some of the all-purpose and loved the extra flavor that the whole grains provided.  I've become a big fan of spelt flour lately, experimenting with Wiggs' cookies from on high (post to come soon) and these biscuits, with fabulous results.  I've noted my other substitutions below.   cinn merge 3 The original Cook's Illustrated recipe can be found here, via Leite's Culinaria.  I made a few exceptions [I can't help it!].  
  • I used 1 cup of spelt flour and 1-1/2 cups of all-purpose flour.  
  • I substituted turbinado sugar for all of the sugar in the dough (but still used confectioner's for the glaze)
  • I used 3/4 tsp baking soda rather than 1/2 tsp
cinn 14
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its in my blood

Andrea

When I was a little girl I spent a lot of time at my grandfather's house.  We were lucky enough to have him living just 2.1 miles from us, a distance I wouldn't think twice at running these days but didn't even dream of walking back then.  I never had the experience of having a teenager down the street sit with me when my parents went out with friends because Papa was so close - he was always my babysitter.  Staying with him was such fun.  I am his only grandchild so, of course, I could do no wrong.   key-lime-1 One of the best aspects of going to Papa's house was his well-stocked kitchen.  And by well-stocked I don't mean fresh produce, top-quality olive oils or a superb selection of dried fruits and nuts (my grandfather used his oven for storage and ate most of his meals at the local all-you-can-eat buffet).  Instead, he stocked all of the classic junk food that I wasn't allowed to eat at home - "t.v. dinners", Little Debbie cakes, KoolAid popsicles, frozen Snickers ice cream bars, Campbell's Chicken + Stars soup.  I'd run straight to the kitchen as soon as we arrived to see what goodies he had picked out especially for my visit (because of course, it was all about me). key-lime-2 My favorite treat, and his too, were the Danish Butter Cookies that were always on his counter.  You know the kind I'm talking about...blue tin, 5 or 6 different varieties of perfectly crunchy yet melt-in-your-mouth, bite-sized, sugar-topped, golden, butter cookies.  I loved them all, but my favorites were the squarish sugar-crystal topped variety - Papa saved them just for me and I ate them by the handful. key-lime-3 Papa was recently moved into a new assisted living facility that provides a more home-like environment than his last residence.  For some reason, when discussing his new home with my mother, I get images of him sitting in his wheelchair at a sunny window with a butter cookie tin in his lap.  I've had him, and those cookies, on my mind for the last couple of weeks.  It was only a matter of time before I searched out a recipe to replicate them, and only appropriate that my adaptation of them involved another of Papa's favorite flavors - key lime.  He is the 6th generation of Floridians in our family after all, making me 8th until I moved 5 years ago.  Key lime juice is practically in our blood. key-lime-4 The above picture is misleading...please don't follow its direction.  My first batch of these delights was baked on a cookie sheet with no grease, as the recipe specified.  The result?  Cookie shrapnel, as pictured below. key-lime-5 My trusty Silpat saved the day, as always.  I really don't know why I even bother to try baking without it, except that this time the recipe specified an ungreased baking sheet.  The recipe is wrong, and the Silpat is necessary.  Also, lean closer to the 1/4" dimension when slicing the log than the 1/8" - I think that thinness may have contributed to my first batch of shrapnel. key-lime-6 I sprinkled unsweetened coconut over the tops of my cookies (except for one batch, on which I forgot it and regretted it) and loved how the subtle toasted coconut flavor complimented the key lime.  Also, I really like citrus.  Really.  So if you don't, you might want to reduce your key limes to 4 instead of 6.   One last thing - these cookies are addicting.  If you don't want to eat all 36 of them I highly suggest that you share them with friends and co-workers.  Because if they are in your kitchen you will eat them.  I promise.  By the handful. key-lime-92 Key Lime Butter Cookies adapted from epicurious makes about 3 dozen cookies Ingredients:
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1-1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • zest of 6 key limes (about 3 tbsp)
  • juice of 6 key limes (about 3 tbsp)
  • course sugar or shredded coconut for topping (optional)
Method:
  1. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
  2. Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes in a stand mixer, 6 with a hand-held mixer. Beat in egg, vanilla, lime juice and zest.
  3. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture.  Mix until just combined.
  4. Form dough into a 12-inch log (2-inches in diameter) on a sheet of plastic wrap.  Roll dough log in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours.*
  5. Put oven rack in middle of oven.  Preheat to 375F.  Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or other silicon baking mat.
  6. Cut dough log into 1/4" slices, just enough to fill baking sheet with 1" between cookies.  Refrigerate the rest of the dough until ready to bake.  Sprinkle cookies with course sugar or shredded coconut.
  7. Bake cookies until edges are golden, 14-16 minutes.  You may want to rotate the cookie sheet midway through baking if your oven bakes unevenly, as mine does, or you will have some brown cookies and some golden.  Watch the cookies CAREFULLY.  Each of my batches took a slightly different amount of time and it doesn't take long for them to over-bake.
  8. Cool on sheets for 3 minutes, then remove to wire rack to cool completely.  Bake remainder of cookies on cooled cookie sheets.  Cookies will keep in an airtight container for several days, but don't count on them sticking around for that long.
*Dough can be chilled for up to 5 days or frozen (wrapped in a double layer of plastic wrap) for 1 month.  If frozen, thaw dough in refrigerator just until it can be sliced. key-lime-7
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baked oatmeal

Andrea

Its approaching 4 years since Brian and I packed up and moved to Virginia.  We came from North Carolina, but had only lived there for one year so were really still Floridians at heart.  Having spent the first 22 years of our lives in the Sunshine State we were new to the whole idea of seasons, or at least noticeable seasonal changes.  Each year I discover new subtleties in the transitions from one season to the next.  I'm getting good at knowing which flowers in my yard  will be first to wake from their winter slumber (snowbells) and which trees will show the first signs of life (plums).  I've even finally realized that just because the temperature reaches 70* one weekend in early March, it doesn't mean that we won't have snow two days later.  I know this, yet I'm still surprised each year. oatmeal-11 Even with all I've learned in the last four years, I’m still trying to get used to the radical temperature swings that Virginia sees when transitioning from Autumn to Winter and Winter to Spring.  Last weekend the highs were forecast to be in the mid-60's, perfect weather for getting seeds planted in the garden, yet when I woke up Sunday morning my bedside thermometer read 28*.  Since I knew what was to come later that day, I quickly called my walking buddy Christine (due any day now with her baby girl!!!) and rescheduled our stroll for the afternoon, when the weather would be more pleasant.  And then I crawled back in bed. oatmeal-2 Though it postponed my morning exercise, what this cold morning did afford me was longer snuggle time under the covers with Brian and our dogs, a large pot of coffee after finally making my way to the kitchen and the opportunity to make this recipe that I found at Seven Spoons some weeks earlier.  We all know that I love oatmeal (who doesn't? really?) so I was excited not only to discover Tara's lovely blog on Tastespotting, but to be introduced to it through a recipe that was so very perfect for me.  Oats, fresh fruit, almonds and pepitos and some of my favorite spices all baked together into a warm, satisfying breakfast...what's not to love? oatmeal-3 This dish was really delicious.  I substituted fresh strawberries for Tara’s frozen blueberries and added some orange zest because, well, I think everything is better with a bit of citrus.  There are endless possibilities of fruit and spice combinations, and I think you could even substitute some or all of the sugar for honey or maple syrup.  It would make for a great meal when you have a couple of  house guests but it also heats up exceptionally well the next day if you want to keep it all for yourself. oatmeal-5 Baked Oatmeal with Strawberries and Bananas original recipe from seven spoons Ingredients:
  • Softened butter for greasing the pan
  • 2 cups large flake rolled oats (not instant)
  • 1/2 cup slivered almonds
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1/4 cup pepitas, lightly toasted
  • 2 teaspoons flax seeds
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground clove
  • 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
  • zest from 1 medium orange
  • 2 cups milk (I used plain soymilk)
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
  • 3 medium bananas, diced
  • 1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
  • Coarse sugar, optional
Method:
  1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly grease the inside of a baking dish, 2-quart capacity.
  2. In a medium bowl, mix together the oats, almonds, brown sugar, pepitas, flax seeds, baking powder, orange zest, spices and salt. Set aside.
  3. In another bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, almost all of the butter (save about 1 teaspoon for drizzling over the finished dish), vanilla and maple syrup. Set aside.
  4. In the prepared baking dish, spread the diced bananas in an even layer, then scatter the strawberries over top. Pile the oat mixture to cover the fruit, but do not pack too tightly. Carefully pour the wet milk mixture over the oats.
  5. Drizzle over the reserved butter, sprinkle with coarse sugar, and bake for 35-40 minutes, until the oatmeal is puffed and set, with a golden brown top.
  6. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before serving.
oatmeal-4 In the Blog World... Meghann is hosting another Blogger Bake Sale  to raise money for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society!  Not only do I love Meghann because she is my cousin, but this girl is so incredibly inspirational.  I love reading about her accomplishments with running, fitness and healthy eating.  She's competed in many races and come up with some really great recipes.  Read about her first bake sale here - she raised $1320 for a great cause!!!  I'll be donating this and this, so be sure to check her blog on April 6th to place your bids!!!
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biscuit fear? conquered.

Andrea

I am a big fan of bread.  Such a big fan, in fact, that sometimes I will choose to have an extra piece after dinner in lieu of a second pour of wine, or even dessert.  In the last year or so I started dabbling with bread baking, lots of quick fruit breads, a few loaves of whole wheat, some scones, even some fabulous dinner rolls at Thanksgiving.  But biscuits have always frightened me, just a bit.  I’ve heard horror stories of folks attempting to make biscuits and ending up instead with pancakes, or worse, hockey pucks. cheddar-1 Because of this fear I am always amazed when I come across a really fabulous biscuitMother’s in New Orleans bakes one of my favorites, so good that Brian and I stop by the restaurant on our way out of the city to load up on the black ham variety to eat on the plane ride home.  (The unbelievable ham they produce has something to do with that stop as well...the last time we were there we bought a cooler just so we could bring a few pounds of it home with us.)  And then there are the cheddar biscuits at Red Lobster, a restaurant I haven’t been to since I was a teenager.  Even after my 10+ year absence from the establishment the memory of those golden lumps is still crystal clear. cheddar-2 When Foodbuzz contacted me a few weeks ago to find out if I would like to sample some Kerrygold products (yes!) all I could think about was cheddar biscuits.  After the chives popped up in the garden my intent was set - cheesy, chive-y buttermilk biscuits would be gracing our breakfast table, and hopefully they would be soft and flakey as well.  I decided that even if I failed at the texture, the power of delicious Irish cheese and fresh chives would carry them. cheddar-3 I found this recipe at Thibeault’s Table via Tastespotting.  It was easy enough, delicious, and though my batch didn’t turn out as beautifully as the photos accompanying the recipe, they weren’t pancakes or hockey pucks which relieved me greatly.  I was amazed by their lightness...prior to this experience my most recent biscuit-like endeavor was of the hearty oat variety (recipe will come, I’m still perfecting it) which, compared to these, sit like bricks in your belly.   cheddar-4 My technique needs some work.  The recipe didn’t call for a specific amount of cheese so I guessed, which may be the reason why my biscuits didn’t puff up quite as beautifully as the example.  Or it could be the fact that a bit of time passed before the ingredients pulled from the fridge were incorporated into a batter and then stuck in the oven...the problem with photographing as you go.  But the flavor was great, and Brian has requested that they be added to the permanent rotation for indulgent weekend breakfasts.  It seems like I will have plenty of opportunity to perfect the consistency. cheddar-5 And I have to say, the Kerrygold Dubliner cheese was excellent.  So good that the first block I bought was consumed with a loaf of crusty bread before ever making it into the biscuits it was intended for.  The Pure Irish Butter is also delicious, although I think it may be too soft for this recipe.  My batter was very sticky, which may have also contributed to the lack of puffiness.  But spread across the top of a fresh-from-the-oven biscuit?  Perfect. cheddar-6 Cheese + Chive Buttermilk Biscuits recipe modified from Thibeault's Table Ingredients:
  • 2 cups of all-purpose flour
  • 1 Tablespoon of baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 cup butter (I used Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter, unsalted), cut into 1/2" cubes
  • 1 cup shredded cheese (I used Kerrygold Dubliner)
  • 1/2 cup minced fresh chives
  • 1 cup of buttermilk
Method:
  1. Preheat oven to 450*.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda.
  3. Using pastry blender or fingers, cut-in the butter until the dry mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs.  Add the cheese and chives and mix well.
  4. Stir in milk and mix with fork until a loose batter forms.  Gently pat the ingredients together but do not over-handle.  
  5. On a lightly floured board, pat out dough until you get a 1/2" to 3/4" disk.  Cut with biscuit cutters (I used a jar lid, a glass would work too) and place on prepared baking sheet.
  6. Bake at 450* for 15-18 minutes.
cheddar-7 Oh yes, it was a weekend filled with indulgent breakfasts.  Is that bacon on my plate?!?  What?!?   I"ll be sharing another breakfast with you this week, but it is of the sweet variety and involves oatmeal.  Get excited, because it is fabulous.  :)  And its healthier than eggs, bacon and biscuits, so who wouldn't be excited? I hope you're all having a great week!
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a distant memory

Andrea

Last week, the lovely Whitney of Whitney in Chicago made granola.  I commented on her blog that it looked delicious, to which she responded "let me send you some!".  Yes please!  It arrived at the end of last week and was enjoyed as cereal with soy milk, on top of greek yogurt and, most commonly, by the handful while staring into my pantry trying to decide what to make for dinner.  That was my favorite way to consume it.  It is chock-full of pistachios and cranberries, along with almonds and coconut flakes.  Delicious.  Thank you Whitney! granola-6 Granola is one of those grocery store items that I hate to buy.  It is somewhat expensive and every time I pick up a box or scoop some into a bulk bag I think to myself  "I should just make my own!"  My good friend Beth sent Brian (my hubb) and I a batch for Christmas which was consumed quickly and similarly to Whitney's.  Since then I've had granola on my to-make list, and the arrival of Whitney's package secured its spot at the very top of that list. granola-1 As I've written before, its spring cleaning time.  I've been working through the containers of dried fruits and nuts in my pantry, cleaning out items that have been stored for far too many months to make room for new purchases.  Granola seemed like the perfect way to use up the small quantities of miscellaneous dried goods that I had left.  I dug around and found currants, cranberries, apples and pineapple along with walnuts, pumpkin seeds and a small amount of finely shredded unsweetened coconutgranola-2 As I gathered my ingredients I eagerly pulled up Whitney's recipe to make sure I had what I needed for the granola base.  One item on the list stirred a recent memory of a white, flour-like substance that I had been storing in a small gladware container.  It had been in the pantry for months and I had been trying to remember what it was.  I knew that I had opened a box of something, used a good portion of it and stored the remainder in this container for future use.  The only problem?  I hadn't labeled the container, and I had no idea what the substance was.  Just last week, during my initial cleaning out of the pantry I had stumbled upon it and, exasperated that I coudn't remember what it was, I threw it out.  Now I remembered.  Powdered milk.  And, of course, Whitney's recipe called for it.  And I, the non-labeler, had none. granola-3 I quickly decided that powdered milk must not be an absolutely necessary ingredient in granola.  My reasoning?  Everybody loves granola, including Vegans. And a granola that contained powdered milk would not be vegan so powdered milk must not be necessary.  This means that honey must not be absolutely necessary either but I chose to keep it in, because I do love honey.   For my kitchen sink granola (or should I say pantry shelf granola?) I decided to hop over to The Kitchen Sink, remembering that I had seen Kristin feature granola a few times on her blog.  And her recipe didn't require powdered milk.  Ding ding!   I modified the mix to include the items I had on hand, but the base recipe is the same.  And it is delicious.  Store-bought granola?  A distant memory. granola-4

Mixed Fruit Granola

recipe modified from the kitchen sink Ingredients:
  • 3-1/2 cups rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
  • 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup turbinado sugar
  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups mixed dried fruit (I used cranberries, currants, apples and pineapple)
Method:
  1. Preheat the oven to 375*.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.  In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients except the dried fruit.  Stir well to incorporate.
  2. Spread the mixture on the prepared baking sheet in an even layer.  Bake for 20-30 minutes, depending on how golden you like it (I baked mine for 20 minutes).  Stir every 10 minutes.
  3. Remove the granola from the oven and cool completely, in its pan on a wire rack.  Once the granola is cool mix in the dried fruit.
granola-5

In the Blog World:

Wiggs of The Beholder is hosting a fabulously fun contest!  Please check it out, and hang out for awhile to read her blog.  She is hilarious, and is going to give me swimmer abs by summertime.  I shall be forever grateful.  :) Jenn of Eating Bender just had her 1 year Blogiversary, and to celebrate is hosting a fun giveaway!  Congratulations Jenn! HangryPants is giving away a Lexan Healthy Juicer!  Fun!!! Have you been reading Kath's posts about her trip to Africa?  Amazing!

Happy Wednesday!

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a homemade...lemon yogurt cake

Andrea

I just had to go and say it, didn't I?  I had to shout from the roof tops (or at least my blog and maybe once or twice out my car window) that Spring had arrived.  That the time had come for running in shorts, lunches in the park and open windows while sleeping.  My glove box was reorganized as I giddily thought to myself "I won't be needing you guys 'till next November!", and  I even made myself a few smoothies...a meal/snack reserved for warmer days in our household.  lemon-1 I spoke too soon.  Imagine my surprise when I woke up Friday morning to a dusting of fresh snow on the ground.  So. Very. Disappointing. The unfortunate weather coincided with my Momma's arrival from Florida, where sunny 75* days have been the norm for weeks now.  The weekend plans that originally included vineyard tours, outdoor meals and grunt work in the garden quickly shifted to making a big pot of soup, going to the movies (twice!) and evening coffee in the den rather than white wine on the deck.   lemon-3 But there was still a race.  The glorious 8K that - while being cheered on by friends and family brave enough to weather the cold, damp air - my running buddy Kelly and I conquered in 49:15 with smiles on our faces.  Between mile 4 and the finish line Kelly commented that she was still able to smile, and wondered how far she would have to run before she stopped smiling.  I decided that I never want to know.  I like smiling while running.   lemon-7 One of the thoughts that kept me smiling through the race?  Cake.  I run so that I can continue to eat cake (and other wonderful baked goods of course, but cake is very near to the top of the list...).  Because, you see, the other important event that coincided with my Momma's visit to Virginia was my Momma's birthdaylemon-5 I wanted to make a cake that would remind us all of warmer days, in celebration of Momma's birthday and as a thank you for standing in the cold to watch me run.  Luckily, I stumbled upon a variation of this recipe in Molly's lovely book, A Homemade Life.   If you love Orangette you will love this book.  I anxiously awaited its arrival after pre-ordering it in January and have been devouring it since it landed on my doorstep.  It is written beautifully, of course, and each recipe I've read so far sounds delicious.  I thought I would have a hard time deciding which to make first, but knew instantly that this was the one when I found it.  Because, not only do I love lemon, but in the book this cake coincides with the story of how Molly met her husband.  It is such a great story, almost fairy tale-like, and if you haven't read it you should.  Right here. lemon-8 And this cake?  Its almost fairy tale-like as well.  I recommend that you make it as soon as possible, for the positive thoughts it invokes are sure to make Spring come a little bit faster. lemon-112 Lemon Yogurt Cake from A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenburg (of Orangette) Ingredients: Cake
  • 1-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 tsp grated lemon zest
  • 1/2 cup well-stirred plain whole-milk yogurt (I used Greek - Molly says NOT to use low or non-fat)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil, such as canola
Syrup
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
Icing
  • 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
  • 3 tbsp lemon juice
Method:
  1. Preheat oven to 350*.  Grease 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray.  Line the bottom of the pan with a round of parchment paper and spray it too.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.  Add the lemon zest and whisk to mix thoroughly.
  3. In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, sugar and eggs, stirring to mix well.  Add the flour mixture and stir to just combine.  Add the oil and stir well. Don't worry when it looks like an oily mess - just keep mixing until a smooth batter forms.  Pour into the prepared pan.
  4. Bake for 25-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
  5. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes.  Run a knife around the edge of the pan and invert onto wire rack.  Remove parchment paper.  Flip back over so that rounded top is up.  Set the rack over a pan or large plate.
  6. In a small bowl, whisk together the syrup ingredients.  Spoon the syrup slowly over top of warm cake.  Let cake cool completely.
  7. In a small bowl, combine the icing ingredients.  Whisk well so that sugar is completely dissolved.  Spoon the icing over the cooled cake.
  8. Cake can be served immediately, but icing will be set after about 1 hour.
lemon-10
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bridging the gap

Andrea

We're almost there!  The cherry and plum trees are starting to flower, the crocus and daffodils are up, gardens are being prepped for planting.  Daylight Savings Time means there is light when I leave the office, and I've been taking advantage of our lovely weather with evening runs both yesterday and today (I'm feeling very well-prepared for the 8K on Saturday!!!).  Spring is just around the corner and I couldn't be more excited.   The change in seasons has me craving lighter foods but also has inspired me to clean out my pantry, to use up the winter-worthy ingredients that are dwindling in quantity and make way for those that come with spring.   scone-1 Among the items found?  Crystalized ginger, dried cranberries, a bowl full of oranges.  Okay, so the oranges were on my table, not in the pantry, but to me they make the perfect bridge from winter to spring.  You see, I grew up in Florida, where winter citrus is abundant as are 80* December days.  I've never associated oranges with cold weather and probably never will.  And who doesn't think of warm, tropical places when biting into a juicy orange?  Anybody? The power of positive thinking will get you far and I am determined that my bowlful of cheery oranges will carry Virginia straight into Spring without another winter storm.  :) scone-2 On Sunday morning while perusing my pantry I was dreaming of baked goods, as is often the case, and thought of one I hadn't made in awhile.  Scones. scone-3 For years I wasn't a fan of scones.  Those I had tried were dry and crumbly, with nondescript flavors that left them completely unmemorable.  Until one fateful Friday morning when a friend shared her daughter's fresh-baked scones at an office meeting, and I was hooked.  Soft and supple, moist and flakey, the mix-in possibilities were endless.  I knew I had to have the recipe, and lucky for me she shared. scone-4 The basic recipe for these scones was given to me years ago and I've been trying different variations ever since.  Many different flours have made it into the experiments, all-purpose, bread, white whole wheat and whole wheat included.  The whole wheat pastry flour is my favorite.  It gives the scones the fluffier texture found when using the all-purpose, but leaves you with a happier conscience after having one for breakfast. scone-6 Citrus Scones with Cranberries and Ginger makes 8 scones Ingredients:
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 tsp orange extract
  • 3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
  • 4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1-1/2 tsp orange zest
  • 8 tbsp cold, unsalted butter, cut up
  • 1/2 cup sugar (I used turbinado), plus extra for sprinkling
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/2 cup crystalized ginger, chopped
Method:
  1. Preheat oven to 375*.  Spray a baking sheet with oil.
  2. Mix buttermilk with egg and extract, whisk smooth.
  3. Sift flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.  Add orange zest.  Stir to mix well.  Add butter and rub in with your fingers until the mixture looks like course bread crumbs.  Add sugar, cranberries and ginger and toss to distribute evenly.
  4. Add egg mixture and stir with a fork until a soft dough forms.
  5. Turn out dough on a floured board and give 5-6 kneads, just until well mixed and cohesive.  Flatten dough into disk about 3/4" thick.  Cut disk into 8 equal wedges.
  6. Bake on prepared baking sheet for 20-25 minutes until medium brown.  Let cool on sheet for 5 minutes before moving to wire rack to cool completely.
scone-7 For another Bella Eats scone variation, click here. Thank you all for the great feedback regarding future bella terra posts.  I'm really excited!  :)  I hope to answer all of your questions in posts over the next few months...you've given me some great ideas. And, a thousand Thank You's for all of your kind words and good thoughts towards Kelly and her recovery.  She is home and healing and we are all so thankful that she was wearing a helmet.  For those of you who doubt the importance of wearing one, read this post. Be sure to check out Heather's blog for an exciting Coconut Milk Product Giveaway!  I've been dying to try this stuff... And last...my new job is awesome!!!  I've only been there two days but I am LOVING it so far.  Yay!  :) Have a great Wednesday everybody!
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from scratch

Andrea

I would love to continue to gush about you all and your amazing support but I'm afraid that you're going to get tired of me.  So I will simply say Thank You, and know that you know how much meaning there is behind those two words. The last couple of days have been emotionally trying but things are finally starting to calm down.  I hope that the future will be more certain tomorrow after I meet with potential new employers over lunch.  Yes, new employers.  I basically was laid off from my current position yesterday, although the exact terms have been unclear.  All I know is that my current employer does not have enough work to sustain two employees, and seeing as I am the one with much less time invested I was the logical cut.  We discussed the potential for part-time work, but mutually agreed that the amount of hours he could employ me (8-10 hours/week) were really not worth the frustration and hassle that would come with them.  My last day is Friday. I am very fortunate that my hubb's company is interested in bringing me on board to help them with a very busy project they have in the works.  We have a history...not only has my hubb worked for this architecture firm for the last 1-1/2 years but I also was employed by them while I was in graduate school. They are great guys who design beautiful buildings and I feel honored that they are eager to have my help.  We have a meeting scheduled over lunch tomorrow to discuss details, timing, terms etc., so until then I don't have much more information to give.  I can say that I am excited, a little sad but very hopeful.   In times like these I find comfort in my kitchen.  It may be poorly laid out, partly unfinished and lack any amount of counter space on which to work but somehow I still manage to find joy in creating delectable eats within its boundaries.  If you had peeked in my window anytime Sunday afternoon you would have found me amidst a cloud of flour, furiously scrubbing and chopping potatoes and finely slicing fresh red cabbage.  The potato salad recipe will come soon, but tonight I give you my first ever, from scratch, made on my own cake.  For my hubb on his twenty-seventh birthday, with love. cake-131 I found this recipe a few weeks ago when it popped up in my google reader after Tara had a little chocolate cake taste-off.  Any recipe with 1250+ reviews on Epicurious deserves at the very least to be printed and filed in my recipe drawer.  But this cake was lucky, for I had a very special occasion coming up that deserved a 1250+ review recipe, my hubb's birthday. cake-6 cake-8 I clicked through a few more blogs  that had featured this old-fashioned chocolate cake in the past, and decided that the raspberry filling option was just too good to pass up.  Don't worry, I emailed it to my hubb first for his opinion and he heartily agreed.  The filling did not disappoint.  In fact, we have some reserved in our fridge to top off vanilla ice cream, or maybe even some morning oats.   cake-7 cake-9 The recipe calls for two 10" x 2" round cake pans, but I had three 9" x 1.5" round pans to use.  I adjusted the cooking time and all was well, we just wound up with a taller finished product...which I think made it all the more grand and birthday-appropriate. cake-10 cake-1  I got a little carried away with the amount of filling between the dense layers.  My thinking was "the more the better!", and, "what a pretty picture it will make!".  However, when it came time to smear chocolate ganache across the entire outer surface the excess filling was problematic.  It oozed out and mixed with the frosting, making it difficult to get an even spread.  My advice?  Save the excess for vanilla ice cream. cake-14 This cake is excellent.  The kind of excellent that makes it worth the 4-hour prep time (with a lot of resting to allow for cooling between steps..and photography) and the extra mileage you tack on to your runs to make up for having not just one, but two slices.  The kind of excellent that leaves you dreaming of the endless possibilities this recipe permits just by changing the filling, or making cupcakes instead of a towering cake.  The kind of excellent worth sharing with very good friends while drinking champagne and celebrating a very special birthday. cake-15 Double Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Filling Makes 12-14 servings. Recipe from Epicurious via Seven Spoons and Smitten Kitchen Ingredients For cake layers:
  • 3 ounces fine-quality semisweet chocolate such as Callebaut
  • 1 1/2 cups hot brewed coffee
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 cups well-shaken buttermilk (for dairy free variation: mix 1 1/2 cups soymilk with 1 tablespoon cider vinegar and set aside to curdle)
  • 3/4 teaspoon vanilla
For ganache frosting: (halve this if filling with raspberry or other filling)
  • 1 pound fine-quality semisweet chocolate such as Callebaut
  • 1 cup heavy cream (or soy creamer)
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
  • 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter (or margarine)
For raspberry filling: (optional)
  • 2 10-ounce bag frozen raspberries, thawed
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Method: Make cake layers:
  1. Preheat oven to 300* F and grease two 10″ cake pans, or three 8″ or 9″. Line bottoms with rounds of wax paper and grease paper.
  2. Finely chop chocolate and in a bowl combine with hot coffee. Let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.
  3. Into a large bowl sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another large bowl with an electric mixer beat eggs until thickened slightly and lemon colored (about 3 minutes with a standing mixer or 5 minutes with a hand-held mixer). Slowly add oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture to eggs, beating until combined well. Add sugar mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined well.
  4. Divide batter between pans (pans should only be half full - if you use 8″ pans you will have some batter leftover) and bake in middle of oven until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes for 10" pans, 50 minutes for 8"-9" pans.
  5. Cool layers completely in pans on racks. Run a thin knife around edges of pans and invert layers onto racks. Carefully remove wax paper and cool layers completely. Cake layers may be made 1 day ahead and kept, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at room temperature.
Make frosting:
  1. Finely chop chocolate. In a 1 1/2- to 2-quart saucepan bring cream, sugar, and corn syrup to a boil over moderately low heat, whisking until sugar is dissolved. Remove pan from heat and add chocolate, whisking until chocolate is melted. Cut butter into pieces and add to frosting, whisking until smooth.
  2. Transfer frosting to a bowl and cool, stirring occasionally, until spreadable (depending on chocolate used, it may be necessary to chill frosting to spreadable consistency). I found that stirring this over a bowl of ice water did a great job of cooling it off quickly and evenly.
Make filling:
  1. Puree the raspberries in a food processor, blender or immersion blender. Press the puree through a fine-mesh strainer with the back of a spoon, removing the seeds. Heat the puree in a small pot with the sugar and cornstarch until mixture boils, stirring constantly. As it boils, it should quickly thicken. Let cool.
  2. Spread filling between cake layers, assemble, and spread ganache over top and sides. Cake keeps, covered and chilled, 3 days. Bring cake to room temperature before serving.
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a seasonal dinner

Andrea

Good evening, lovelies!  Have you all hopped over to Meghann's blog to check out the Blogger Bake Sale?  There are some amazing-looking baked treats up for sale, and all proceeds go to a wonderful cause, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  Bidding ends at midnight for Day 1 so be sure to get over there and place your bids before your favorite items get snatched up!  I've got two items up for sale, chocolate chip cookies and my own banana apple bread. This morning I woke up feeling really yucky.  I was nauseous and light-headed, and would have put-off work for a few hours had I not had so much to do at the office.  I dragged myself up, took a shower, made my breakfast then went straight back to bed.  After about 30 minutes I felt a little bit better and got moving again, and my hubb  brought me a glass of OJ to get something in my stomach.  I wound up packing up my breakfast and taking it to the office with me, eating it once my stomach felt not-so-flippy. Breakfast: 8oz of OJ, a toasted ezekiel muffin with TJ's crunchy peanut butter and sliced apples. [446 cal] 090209-b1 My hubb was such a sweetie and made me this gorgeous salad for lunch, complete with homemade vinaigrette!  He even took pictures...can you believe him?!?  I also was craving some soup, so I ran across the street to Revolutionary Soup for their Spicy Senegalese Peanut Tofu soup...YUM.  I must learn how to make this. Lunch:  fresh salad and spicy peanut tofu soup, along with a small whole wheat roll. [salad = 200 cal, soup = ???, whole wheat roll = ???] 090209-l1 My salad had:
  • baby greens
  • spinach
  • cucumber
  • yellow bell pepper
  • dried cranberries
  • slivered almonds
  • 3 tbsp roasted garlic hummus
  • homemade balsamic vinaigrette
Sadly, my stomach got all weird again about halfway through my salad so I couldn't finish it.  :(  I had a couple of iffy hours where I was willing time to go by so that I could go home and lay down.  I decided to eat a granola bar to settle my tum around 5:00, and it actually helped quite a bit.  But not enough for me to feel up for yoga at 6pm...I'm so sad that I missed it. Afternoon Snacks:  A Quaker True Delights bar while at work, a dried fig while cooking dinner. [162 cal] 090209-s1 090209-s2 When we got home I knew I wanted something warm and comforting.  Luckily I had some soup on the menu...  This weekend I managed to fit in 2 long hot baths, complete with bubbles, vino and the latest Bon Appetit magazine.  I also had the February 2008 issue of BA, which I hadn't had a chance to read last year because I was deeply entrenched in my graduate studies.  I held on to all of my neglected foodie magazines so that I could read them this year, during their intended month to take advantage of the seasonal recipes always featured.  I read about yukon gold potatoes, kale, meyer lemons and leeks.  My reading left me craving a hearty winter soup...and a lemon drop martini.  I fulfilled the first craving tonight, the second will probably wait until the weekend.  :) 090209-d5 090209-d1 Tonight's dinner isn't a recipe from BA, unfortunately...it probably would have turned out a bit better if it had been.  It was good, the flavors were spot-on, but the texture of the soup was a bit, well, gluey.  For lack of a better descriptor.  I believe the reason for the extra thick creaminess was my use of yukon golds, which in hindsight I think would be better suited to a chunky soup than a pureed soup.  Lesson learned.  I will definitely try this recipe again, just with a different type of potato. Dinner:  potato leek soup with kale and hearty oat biscuits. [437 cal] 090209-d3 Potato Leek Soup with Kale 226 calories, 7.4g fat, 1g sat fat, 37.5 carbs, 4.9g fiber, 9.2g protein makes 4 servings Ingredients:
  • 2 medium leeks, chopped finely
  • 1/2 large onion, about 1 cup chopped
  • 2 ribs of celery, chopped
  • 3 potatoes (next time, I'll use russet)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 cups of veggie broth
  • 4 cups chopped kale, loosely packed
  • salt + pepper
Method:
  1. Heat oil on medium.  Add leeks, onion, celery and potatoes, stir to coat with oil.  When veggies start sizzling, lower heat and cover pot.  Let the veggies sweat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally , until veggies are tender.
  2. Add veggie broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat back down to simmer and cover.  Let simmer for about 20 minutes until potatoes are starting to fall apart.
  3. Puree' soup in a blender until smooth and creamy.  Pour back in soup pot and keep warm on low heat.  Season with salt + pepper.
  4. Place chopped kale in large saucepan and cover with water.  Boil for 5 minutes, until kale is bright green and tender. Drain kale and add to soup.
090209-d2 I also made some hearty oat biscuits with the addition of sharp white cheddar cheese and scallions.  Again, flavors were great, but the texture was off.  The dough was wetter than normal...I'm thinking that in my slightly hazy/ill state I mis-measured something.  I'm going to hold off on sharing the recipe this time because I really want to work on perfecting it and I don't want to mis-lead you. 090209-d4 Dessert:  more beautiful grapes. [110 cal] 090209-d6 Alrighty, I'm feeling much better now but am ready for bed.  I really want to get up in the morning for my run so that I can keep my evening free for yoga, although that means I'll only be getting about 5.5 hours of sleep.  :(  There are not enough hours in a day!!!  How many hours of sleep do you get a night?  I feel really lucky if I get 7, but I'm usually closer to 6.  Not good... G'night!
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peanut butter date blondies - BSI!!!

Andrea

Sunday afternoon baking sure makes the day go by quickly (and tulips make the day more lovely!)  :) bsi-5 I was really excited when Sarah picked dates for this week's secret ingredient.  I'm a big fan of dates.  Especially dates filled with peanut butter.  You've probably seen them pop up on my blog more than a couple of times.  I also like dates paired with bananas, hence my morning pancakes.  :)  For my actual BSI submission I wanted to find a way to pair two of my favorite ingredients, PB and dates, into a baked good.  I first thought of peanut butter date cookies, but after a quick internet search discovered that Tina had already made a similar recipe.  I really try to be original for BSI, coming up with my own idea and own recipe, so I crossed the PB date cookies off the list of possibilities.  That led me to the next idea on the list, peanut butter date blondies. bsi-1 I'm relatively new to the world of blondie baking, in fact I've only made blondies two other times and both were inspired by VeggieGirl recipes.  I spent the early afternoon researching blondie recipes to be sure that I had the right ratios of flour, fat and liquid to get the right consistency. bsi-2 bsi-3 bsi-91 I used natural sweeteners (turbinado sugar and the dates, of course) and whole wheat pastry flour to make the recipe a bit healthier than some of the others I was looking at.  But don't let that fool you, they still aren't light in calories.  Next time I'll experiment with replacing some of the butter with yogurt, and maybe add in some applesauce.  Also, eliminate the egg yolks?  But overall, I am very happy with the result.  The rest of the batch is going to my co-workers and my hubb's co-workers.  Unhealthiness problem solved.  :) bsi-41 The sweetness of the dates complements the saltiness of the peanuts perfectly.  I thought about adding semisweet chocolate chips to the mix, even had them portioned out and ready to go in the mixer, but decided at the last moment that they might overpower the dates so I left them out.  I'm so glad I did.  The dates are subtle and delicious and would have been lost with the addition of chocolate. bsi-6 My inspiration came from here and here.  Enjoy! Peanut Butter Date Blondies makes (16) 2" square blondies [250 calories, 12g fat, 4.8g sat. fat, 31.6g carbs, 2.7g fiber, 5.3g protein] Ingredients:
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), room temperature
  • 1/2 cup natural, crunchy, unsalted peanut butter
  • 1 cup turbinado sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1-1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 cup roasted, salted peanuts, chopped
  • 8 medjool dates, chopped
Method:
  1. Preheat oven to 350*.  Spray 8x8 square baking dish with oil.
  2. In stand mixer, blend butter and peanut butter until creamy.  Add sugar and blend until combined.
  3. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition.  Add vanilla extract.
  4. In separate bowl, sift together flour and baking powder.  
  5. Add dry ingredients to mixer and blend until just combined.
  6. Fold in peanuts and dates.
  7. Scrape batter into prepared pan and spread, smoothing top.
  8. Bake for 30-32 minutes, until edges of blondies are beginning to brown.  Cool in pan on rack.  Let cook completely before cutting.
bsi-71
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there will be cookies

Andrea

I didn't have a food blog in the summer of 2008, so I feel like I missed out on the David Leite's  Chocolate Chip Cookie fun that I've read about in the archives of a few of my favorite blogs, like Orangette and The Kitchen Sink.  Now, I love a good chocolate chip cookie.  Who doesn't?  But I've seen plenty of recipes out there claiming to make the best chocolate chip cookies ever, so I was skeptical that this one would be any different from all the rest.  I was intrigued, however, by the large amount of chocolate in the recipe...1-1/4 pounds for only 18 cookies!  That, my friends, is a lot of chocolate.  Also, the recipe called for the sprinkling of sea salt on the tops of the cookies just before baking...hmmm.  I am a big fan of sea salt caramels, so this seemed like a touch that would agree with me nicely. 090119-cookie-1 Typically I would take a recipe like this and try to healthify it, using natural sweeteners and substitutes for the refined sugar, oil and white flours.  But it had been awhile since I'd made a full-fat, high-cal decadent cookie, and this seemed just the recipe to indulge on.  And it helped to know that I would be sharing the 18 resulting cookies with 12 friends and co-workers tomorrow during the inauguration ceremony.  I followed David Leite's instructions almost completely, but did have to make two substitutions.  The first was to use ghirardelli chocolate bars chopped into 1/2" pieces instead of chocolate disks.  The second was to replace the cake flour.  I scoured the shelves on the baking aisle at Whole Foods and found no such flour.  I decided to substitute the whole wheat pastry flour I had at home and hope for the best. 090119-cookie-2 A warning:  the dough requires 24 hours of refrigeration before baking.  I made the dough last night and of course sampled it, which made me all the more excited to come home from work tonight to bake the cookies.  Its kind of nice, the phasing of the recipe.  You get all of the mess out of the way the first night and are left with the simple pleasure of balling dough and pulling perfectly golden cookies from the oven the second night. 090119-cookie-3 090119-cookie-4 These cookies are worth the 24-hour wait and the extensive blogger hype.  Totally worth it.  They are perfectly crisp around their golden edges, soft and chewy in their centers.  The sea salt adds an unexpected depth that heightens the flavor of the chocolate while at the same time reducing its richness...a quality that makes it even easier to finish the entire 5" mammoth cookie all at once.  In case you missed the link above, here is the recipe and the article it accompanied. So tomorrow, as we welcome our new president and toast the changes to come with a group of friends, there will be cookies.   I can't think of a better way to celebrate. 090119-cookie-5 Here's a recap of my other eats for the day, although who wants to read about them now that I've introduced cookies to the mix?!?  Especially when its a day full of repeats...  Breakfast:  the standard oat bowl.  I know, I know.  But I love it and its very filling and that's good enough for me. 090119-b11
  • 1/2 cup oats, 1 cup water, pinch of salt, dribble of vanilla, sprinkle of cinnamon
  • 1 mashed ripe banana
  • 1 tsp ground flax seeds
  • 1 dried fig, chopped
  • 1 tbsp natural peanut butter
Lunch:  leftover veggie soup, 3 Back To Nature Multigrain Flax flatbreads, 2 tbsp hummus. 090119-l11 Snacks:  my Oikos is back!!!!!  1 blueberry Oikos and a tangelo.  Sadly, I didn't actually eat the Oikos 'cause I just wasn't hungry enough.  The tangelo was excellent though. 090119-s11 Dinner:  leftover veggie soup with some bulgur added to it and a hearty oat biscuit.  So good, and this is the last of it.  :) 090119-d1 090119-d2 Dessert:  a cookie.  Of course.  :) And I'm off.  Have a great Tuesday, everybody!  Happy Inauguration!!!
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the way food should taste

Andrea

Last night the hubb and I indulged ourselves with a decadent dinner at a local French tapas restaurant, Zinc.  We'd never been before, but heard from a friend that their food was delicious and we should really try it out.  We weren't disappointed.  We ordered 4 small dishes to share, along with 2 desserts (we were at a French restaurant...who can resist?!?).  The first to come out was a roasted beet salad.  Beautiful roasted beets tossed with gorgonzola and red onion in a tasty French vinaegrette over baby mesclun greens.  Delicious for sure, but easy enough to replicate at home.  Second up was the Endive Gratin, perfectly ripe endives smothered in a bechamel sauce and baked.  Good in concept, not remarkable in reality.  Third, Grouper with a Lemon Caper Beurre Blanc...oh.my.goodness.  Thats all I have to say about that.  And forth, Croque Madame.  At this point in the meal I almost melted under the table.  Yum.  For dessert, a Lavender Crème Brûlée and a Poached Pear filled with Mascarpone and smothered with Chocolate Sauce. Does anybody else hear angel's singing?!?  Both desserts were delicious, and I was excited to try the crème brûlée because I've been thinking about incorporating lavender into some of my baked goods.  It was lovely and subtle...just like lavender.  :)   Our personal favorite was absolutely the Croque Madame.  While thoroughly enjoying his cheesey, eggy, hammy, doughy dish, the hubb looked at me and said "why don't we cook like this at home more often?".  To which I replied "because its not very good for you, all the cheese, cream etc."  to which he nodded and said "yes but, its the way food should taste!".  :)   I woke up this morning still on a high from our decadent meal and feeling inspired to make crêpes for breakfast.   090118-b1 I received this little crêpe pan, along with a crêpe-making lesson, from my stepfather for Christmas many years ago.  Surprisingly, it hadn't been used in a few years and I decided that this was the morning to take it out of retirement. 090118-b2 Crêpes are really quite easy to make and can be filled with either savory or sweet combinations.  We chose sweet this morning.  I'm inspired now to make one of my dinner crêpe recipes soon though...  I used this Alton Brown recipe for the batter. Breakfast: 2 french crêpes filled with PB & Co Dark Chocolate Dreams peanut butter and beautiful sliced strawberries. 090118-b4 090118-b5 After my lovely french breakfast I went to my favorite Vinyasa Yoga class at Studio 206.  Class was fabulous as usual, and I left feeling all gushy and dreamy.  :) Lunch:  the last of the leftover roasted squash + potatoes on bulgur, along with 3 Back to Nature Multigrain Flax flatbread crackers. 090118-l1 The Back To Nature crackers are REALLY tasty...this was my first time trying them and I'll be buying them again. For dinner tonight we went over to our friend Amy's house where she had whipped up a fabulous pot roast.  We brought some homemade veggie soup (similar to this post) that my hubb made along with some hearty oat biscuits that I made.  At the end of the evening we traded leftovers so that we'll all have some variety instead of eating the same thing for days.  It worked out quite well! Dinner:  1 small bowl of pot roast, 1 small bowl of veggie soup, 2 hearty oat biscuits. 090118-d3 I used Erica's recipe for the hearty oat biscuits, but made a few modifications. Hearty Oat Biscuits Ingredients:
  • 2 cups of rolled oats
  • 2 cups of white whole wheat flour
  • 4 tsp baking powder
  • I'll add 1/2 tsp salt next time too
  • 4 tbsp honey
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 cups soymilk
Method:
  1. Preheat oven to 450*.
  2. Grind oats in food processor.  Add the flour and baking powder and pulse for 10 seconds.
  3. In separate bowl, dissolve the honey in the vegetable oil.  Add the milk and whisk to combine.
  4. Add dry ingredients to wet and stir with a fork until a soft dough forms.
  5. Drop biscuits on a greased cookie sheet.  You should get 8-10 palm-sized biscuits.
  6. Bake for 15-18 minutes.
090118-d2 090118-d1 This recipe is really great and so fast to whip up.  Like I mentioned above, next time I will add a bit of salt.  I also think that adding rosemary or chives would be really tasty, and maybe a bit of sharp cheese.   Alrighty, I'm exhausted and have to work tomorrow.  :(  So sad.  I hope you all had a fabulous weekend!
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birthday blondies

Andrea

Friday is my dear friend Beth's birthday.  Beth and I met the summer before I started graduate school when she was an intern at the architecture firm I had been working for.  We became fast friends because we shared many interests:  design, food, running, yoga.  We swapped recipes and design ideas for two years before she moved to Philadelphia to take a job with a fabulous firm.  I miss her.  She was the person who first introduced me to brussels sprouts and kale, both of which I now can't live without. She also introduced me to figs.  I owe her many thanks for bringing dried figs into my life. These fig almond blondies are for Beth.  Happy birthday dear friend. brownies-1 brownies-2 090114-blondies-1 This recipe comes from VeggieGirl.  I said last night that Jen @ Running With Food can cook...well, VeggieGirl can bake!!!  This is the second blondie recipe I've tried of hers, and it is definitely a winner in my household.  I will be holding both her Fig Almond Blondie and her Pear Pistachio Ginger Blondie recipes near and dear for a long time. Fig Almond Blondies adapted slightly from VeggieGirl's Fig Almond Blondie recipe makes 16 blondies Ingredients:
  • 6oz plain Greek yogurt
  • 1/4 cup applesauce
  • 1 cup turbinado sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp blackstrap molasses
  • 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour (next time I will try whole wheat pastry flour)
  • 3/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1 cup sliced almonds
  • 10 dried Turkish figs, chopped
  • soymilk, as needed
Method:
  1. Preheat oven to 350* and spray 8x8 cooking pan with oil
  2. In a large bowl, mix the yogurt, applesauce, sugar, vanilla and molasses together.
  3. In the same bowl, add the flour, baking soda, almonds and figs.  As the mixture combines it will thicken, add a splash of soymilk as needed to help mix.  Don't add too much!!!
  4. Spread batter into greased 8x8 pan and smooth the top.
  5. Bake for 32-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  6. Remove pan from oven and place on wire rack to cool. Allow to cool completely before cutting.
090114-s21 A quick recap of today's eats so far... Breakfast:  Oats!  I'm so in love with my normal combo, I just can't get enough!  This morning I stepped it up an extra notch by adding dried figs.  Yum!  The fig seeds added perfect little bits of crunch. 090114-b1 Lunch:  Leftovers!  I know I promised another wrap, but when I opened the fridge this morning and saw a perfect lunch-sized portion of leftover pot pie and collard greens, I couldn't resist. 090114-l1 Snack:  1/2 cup Fage 0% and 5 lovely strawberries.  I have to say, I'm really loving the Fage.  Its making me miss my Oikos less and less each day... 090114-s1 Tonight the hubb and I are going over to our friend Amy's house for dinner, which is why I'm posting a bit early.  I'm making a quick lasagna recipe that I'm really excited to try and can't wait to share the results with you tomorrow! Be sure to check out Oh She Glows for a fabulous Honest Foods Giveaway! Have a great night!  :)
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a sweet potato kind of day

Andrea

You're going to say it isn't possible...but it is.  I found another use for the cranberry ketchup.  :)  Today at work I was fretting a bit about the fact that the batch of cranberry ketchup (CK) I made last month is nearing its 4-week birthday.  Now I don't know for sure that it will go bad on its 28th day in existence, but that was the rough estimate I was given when I asked sweet Erin of Care to Eat for the recipe, and I didn't want to take any chances of wasting a single drop.  I was also thinking about baking because, well, I think about baking a lot.  The two thoughts eventually converged and I began to think about ways I could incorporate the CK into a baked good other than simply smearing it across the top (which is an excellent way to use it, don't get me wrong).   090112-bread-6 I've loved the different swirl breads I've seen pop up over the holidays, but have never attempted one myself.  I thought about banana bread with a cranberry swirl...yummy for sure, but I had no overly ripe bananas on my counter.  Cinnamon bread with a cranberry swirl?  I couldn't find or come up with a plain cinnamon bread recipe to modify.  Sweet potato bread with a cranberry swirl?  Now we're talking, I just happened to have a baked sweet potato sitting on the top shelf of my fridge.  But wait...Sweet Potato Apple Bread with a Cranberry Swirl?  Ding Ding Ding! 090112-bread-11 090112-bread-2 I started with the recipe I came up with for BSI: SWEET POTATO a couple of months ago.  This batter is a bit thicker than typical bread or cake batters, so I wasn't really sure how to incorporate the cranberry swirl in.  The hubb helped me wing it...we just cut 6 slots in the top of the bread batter in the short direction of the pan, then pulled a knife across the long direction.  As you can see, it looked like a big mess.  At this point I wasn't sure what I was going to get after it spent 50 minutes in the oven.  I'm still a very novice baker and am definitely learning by doing, or actually learning by taking plenty of chances that often result in big messes. 090112-bread-3 I was pleasantly surprised when I peaked in the oven after 45 minutes and all seemed well.  And the smell...oh. my. goodness.  It took me right back to the holidays.  I gave the bread an additional 5 minutes to set up then pulled it, placing it on a rack in the pan to cool for 10 minutes.  It fell a bit after sitting, I'm sure the cranberry goo contracted as it cooled and lost air bubbles, causing the bread to cave in a bit.  I was absolutely terrified to flip the pan and release the loaf. 090112-bread-4 Another pleasant surprise...it released perfectly. 090112-bread-5 After letting the loaf cool on the rack without its pan for 40 minutes, I couldn't resist slicing it to see how successful our swirling method had been. 090112-bread-7 I wouldn't call it a swirl, per se, but the CK added a lovely touch to the sweet potato apple bread, both visually and orally.  I will DEFINITELY be making this recipe every year, along with the cranberry ketchup.  :) 090112-bread-8 Sweet Potato Apple Bread with a Cranberry Swirl Ingredients:
  • 1 medium baked sweet potato, mashed (about 1-1/2 cups) 
  • 1/2 cup turbinado sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp apple sauce
  • zest from 1 orange
  • 1 cup peeled, chopped tart apple (pink lady, granny smith, etc.) 
  • 1-1/4 cup white whole wheat flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1-1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 cup of cranberry ketchup* or other cranberry preserves
Method:
  1. Preheat oven to 350*.  In a small bowl, mash the potato and add the brown sugar, applesauce, orange zest and egg.  Mix well.
  2. Add the chopped apple to the wet mixture.
  3. In a larger bowl, sift the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
  4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and gently fold together.
  5. Pour batter into greased loaf pan.  Smooth top of batter, than cut 1/2-inch deep slits in batter across short direction of pan.  Pour cranberry ketchup of preserves into slits, then drag a knife across long direction of pan to pull preserves through batter.  Do not overwork.
  6. Bake for 50-55 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool in pan for 10 minutes.  Remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack.
*  If you would like the recipe for cranberry ketchup, please send me an email.  The recipe is directly from a cookbook and I am not comfortable with publishing it on the blog.  Thanks!  Oh!  The hubb and I did have dinner tonight too.  And it was a lovely dinner, it just got overshadowed by dessert as so many great meals do (in my world anyway). Dinner:  Roasted Pork Tenderloin and Veggies.  It doesn't need much of an explanation, the pictures speak for themselves.  Although I do want to say that the tenderloins are from our favorite local pig farmer, Babes In The Wood.  So so so good. 090112-d1 090112-d2 090112-d3 I hope you all had a fabulous Monday!
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coconut mango white chocolate bread pudding

Andrea

I've mentioned that my family is very attached to the city of New Orleans and all that comes with it...food, music, architecture, people and culture.  One of our favorite food traditions when we visit is to stop in the Palace Cafe for their famous  White Chocolate Bread Pudding.  After one visit my stepfather decided to create his own version of one of our NOLA favorites.  We had it this year (and most years) for Christmas Day dessert. bread-6 Coconut Mango White Chocolate Bread Pudding Ingredients:
  • 2 tbsp melted butter
  • 4 large eggs
  • 3 cups unsweetened coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup rum
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp ginger
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1-1/2 cups diced mango
  • 1/2 cup shredded coconut
  • 4 oz white chocolate
  • 6 cups cubed day-old crustless bread
Steps:
  1. Melt white chocolate in coconut milk on stovetop over medium-low heat.  Set aside and allow to cool slightly.
  2. Whisk eggs and add to white chocolate mixture. (you want the white chocolate mixture to be cool enough so as not to scramble the eggs...)  Add all spices and whisk together.
  3. In large buttered baking dish combine the cubed bread, mango sliced and coconut.  Pour the chocolate mixture over the bread mixture and let soak for 30 minutes.
  4. Bake at 350* for one hour.  Serve with rum sauce.
Rum Sauce Ingredients:
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup rum
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
Steps:
  1. Combine run, sugar and 1-1/2 cups of cream in medium saucepan.  Bring to a simmer and remove from the heat.
  2. Dissolve the cornstarch in the remaining 1/2 cup of cream.  Add to the rum mixture.
  3. Return to heat and simmer for 4 minutes.
bread-1 You will probably need two medium-sized loaves of bread...Italian is what we typically use.  If you remove the bread from its packaging and sit out over night it will be sufficiently stale the next morning.  Remove all crust and cut into 1" cubes. bread-2 bread-3 The recipe is really quite simple  and the combination of flavors is absolutely perfect.  I actually made this for my co-workers for breakfast once and they were very, very happy... bread-4 bread-5 I hope that some of you will try it and let me know what you think!
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holiday gift boxes

Andrea

Hello bloggies!  Thank you for all of the lovely comments about my cranberry apple holiday pie...it was a big hit at the office holiday party last night!  This was my first time using all butter in the crust instead of a combination of butter and lard (I just can't bring myself to buy a tub of lard anymore, even if it does produce a heavenly crust!!!).  It tasted great, but the bottom of the pie was really hard to cut.  Any ideas why?  Would it be the difference in using just butter and no lard?  Maybe I should have bought a veggie oil shortening to substitute instead... Any suggestions you have are much appreciated!  :)  I read a great article in the NY Times Dining & Wine section about the importance of butter in baking, if anybody is interested the article is here.  I'm dying to try this recipe that they provided too! We had an awesome dinner over at my boss' house last night.  Salmon, green beans, risotto and a beautiful salad.  I don't have any pictures as it was a small gathering and neither my boss nor co-worker know about the blog.  That's going to be a theme in this post, I've been running around like a crazy woman and haven't had time for meal pictures.  Don't worry though, I'll make up for it with holiday treat photos!  :)  Other than dinner last night and a lovely breakfast at our friend Amy's house this morning you wouldn't be interested in my eats these last couple of days anyway, especially since my breakfast yesterday consisted of marshmallows, hot cocoa, and more marshmallows!  :) The hubb and I were really busy yesterday making boxes for our friends and co-workers.  I decided a week or so ago that I wanted to do something really simple for everybody, so picked out a couple of recipes from Good Things Catered and  A Kitchen Story.  These two ladies have some awesome recipes to share, so be sure to check out their blogs!  Of course, the gift boxes wound up being far from simple but we had a great time working on them together. We started with marshmallows Saturday night.  Katie's recipe is perfect, I didn't change a thing.  A note of warning if you want to double the recipe (which I did), still make the recipe in individual batches.  One batch will completely fill your mixing bowl by the time it is done, so you'd never have enough room for two. m7 marsh-3 Make sure to be quick with getting the marshmallow goo from your mixer to the pan and smoothing it out, it starts to harden pretty quickly.  After we had our batches settled in their pans (we made 2, one vanilla flavored and the other peppermint), we let them sit overnight to set.  In the morning, I released the marshmallow from the pan to cut it into little 'mallows. m1 I tried several different methods of cutting, and didn't have any knives that worked for me.  The hubb suggested that I use my stainless steel scraper, and it was perfect.  The key is to push the blade straight down through the marshmallow, don't pull it through like you would cut a cake.  The 'mallow is just too sticky and it deforms if you try to pull a cutting utensil through. m6 They turned out beautifully, and are so amazingly good.  You've never had a marshmallow if you've only had the store-bought variety...these are 100 times better. m2 m4 m5 After cutting the marshmallows (and eating quite a few!) we moved on to dark chocolate bark with cherries and walnuts.  Four batches of bark.  I've never made bark before so I followed Kristin's recipe exactly, the only thing I changed was my method of melting the chocolate.  We used a double boiler on the stove top rather than the microwave. b1 The chopped cherries, walnuts and crystalized ginger were perfect compliments to the dark chocolate. b2 The chocolate-y goodness spread out nicely on the sheet pan, but at this point I was still skeptical of how the bark would turn out.  I was worried that when we cut it into individual pieces it would shatter into much smaller pieces than I was hoping for. b33 But it came out perfectly.  I was shocked at how easy it was to cut and how nicely it sliced into small pieces.  And the flavors are amazing together, not too sweet. b4 We also made hot cocoa with Katie's recipe, although I was in such a rush at that point that I wasn't taking any pictures.  Nothing too exciting though...other than the vanilla sugar.  It turns out vanilla sugar is pretty hard to find in Charlottesville, especially in the quantity that I needed (16 cups, I made 4 batches of cocoa).  And the small amounts you can find are expensive, I found out why when I bought vanilla beans to make my own vanilla sugar.  The beans are $5 each!!!  I bought 4, and then read after the fact that Katie recommends 1 bean per 2 cups of sugar, so I actually needed 8.  That coupled with the fact that you really need 1-2 weeks for the vanilla flavor to seep into the sugar and I only had 6 days before needing to make my cocoa means that my hot cocoa mix isn't nearly as vanilla-y as it should be. I'll definitely be trying this recipe again next year and will follow it properly because I think it has the potential to be amazing. We packed all of our goodies up in recyclable packaging - brown paper boxes, shredded paper grocery bags and paper ribbon.  I had to use cellophane baggies for the marshmallows and bark because I couldn't think of anything else that would be as pretty... box-3 box1 box2 box4 box51 This was so fun.  I love doing projects like this with my hubb.  It probably took us two full days with all of the candy making, shopping for ingredients + materials and assembly of the boxes, but it was so worth it.  We've had great reactions from our friends and had such a great time putting the gifts together! Ok lovelies, I'm off to another holiday party tonight, this one is for the hubb's office.  And tomorrow morning, at a VERY EARLY 5am, we are loading the car up with luggage, presents and dogs for our 13 hour drive to FLORIDA!!!  YAY!   Have a fabulous evening...  :)
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cranberry apple holiday pie

Andrea

Hello my lovelies!  Today has been a whirlwind, and my eats are definitely not worth even mentioning as they were all eaten in a rush between making much more interesting things in the kitchen.  I'm rushing off to a holiday party tonight at my boss's house, for which I am bringing one of my favorite pie recipes.  I thought I would share it with you this evening, and hope to post the other fun holiday treats that the hubb and I made today, tomorrow.  Have a lovely evening! Cranberry Apple Holiday Pie This is the first pie recipe I ever made on my own.  I started with a recipe I found in an old cookbook of mine that I don't even have anymore, but have modified it over the years.  Its the perfect holiday pie and always a big hit. 081220-pie-5 081220-pie-6 081220-pie-8   Cranberry Apple Pie Ingredients for the filling:
  • zest of one orange
  • 3 tbsp fresh orange juice
  • 2 large, tart apples
  • 1 cup of cranberries
  • 1/2 cup golden raisins
  • 1 cup turbinado sugar
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp quick-cooking tapioca
for the crust:
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 10 tbsp butter, cut in pieces
  • 1 egg mixed with 1 tbsp water for egg wash
  • turbinado sugar for sprinkling
Steps
  1. For the pastry, sift the flour and salt into a bowl.  Add the butter and cut-in with a pastry blender or rub in with your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs.
  2. With a fork, stir in just enough iced water to bind the dough.
  3. Gather into two equal balls, wrap in parchment paper and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
  4. Preheat oven to 400*F.
  5. Combine orange zest and juice in a medium-sized bowl.  Peel and core the apples and add them to the orange mixture.  Stir in the cranberries, raisins, sugar and tapioca.
  6. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one ball of dough about 1/8 inch thick.  Transfer to a 9 inch pie tin and trim the edge.  Spoon the cranberry apple mixture into the shell.
  7. Roll out the remaining ball of dough to a circle about 11 inches in diameter.  With a serrated pastry wheel, cut the dough into 10 strips 3/4” wide.  Lay five of the strips across the pie in one direction, and lace the other five strips perpendicularly to the first five.
  8. Brush the top of the dough strips with the egg wash and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
  9. Bake for 45 minutes until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling.
081220-pie-1 081220-pie-2 081220-pie-3 081220-pie-4 081220-pie-7 What is your favorite holiday dessert?
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peppermint eggnog scones - BSI!!!

Andrea

I've been trying to find a way to use up the eggnog in my fridge.  I've had two 1/2-cup size mugs this season and am pretty much at my limit.  Eggnog is one of those special holiday treats that I crave as soon as the weather turns cooler and the Christmas decorations come out, but once I've had a mug or two I am DONE.  I hate to waste, especially expensive items, so I've been racking my brain to come up with a use for it before it spoils.  Last weekend I remembered my favorite scone recipe given to me by a friend years ago.  It uses buttermilk, and I thought that eggnog would make an excellent substitution because they have such similar consistencies.  Problem solved! I'd add some dry cranberries, a few bits of chocolate and Poof!  Holiday Scones. Then, on Monday, I read the lovely Ashley's blog over at Sweet + Natural and discovered that she had picked PEPPERMINT as this week's BSI!!!  Brilliant.  Out go the cranberries and chocolate, in comes the peppermint.  I now give you... Peppermint Eggnog Scones!!! bsi-8 Ingredients:
  • 3/4 cup eggnog plus a little extra
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1-1/2 cups unbleached bread flour
  • 1-1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
  • 4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 8 tbsp cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
  • 1/2 cup turbinado sugar
  • 40 starlight peppermints, pounded to bits to equal about 1 cup
Steps:
  1. Preheat oven to 375*
  2. Mix eggnog with egg and extract, beat until smooth with a fork
  3. Put flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl.  Stir to mix well.  Add butter and cut in with a pastry blender or rub in with your fingers until the mixture looks like fine bread crumbs
  4. Add sugar and peppermint bits, toss to distribute evenly.
  5. Add egg mixture and stir with a fork until a soft dough forms.  Add a splash of eggnog if needed to bind dough.
  6. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured board and give 5 to 6 kneads, just until well mixed.
  7. Flatten dough to 3/4" thick circle and cut circle into 8 wedges.
  8. Place wedges on an ungreased, parchment paper covered (VERY IMPORTANT!) cookie sheet.
  9. Bake for 20-25 minutes until medium brown.
bsi-1 bsi-2 bsi-3 This is why the parchment paper part of the process is SO IMORTANT.  When the scones first came out of the oven they looked like this... bsi-4 The hubb and I thought we'd leave them on the sheet for a few minutes until the peppermint hardened and then we would just pop them off the sheet.  WRONG.  The peppermint is like glue...those scones weren't going anywhere after being out of the oven for just one minute.  So, back in the oven they went to soften the peppermint. bsi-5 Once the peppermint softened after a few minutes we brought each scone out of the oven individually and put them on parchment paper on the drying rack.  I'm dreading scraping off the cookie sheet...we may just be buying a new one because I don't know how we're going to get the hardened peppermint off of it... bsi-9 Theses scones are soooooo good.  I love the texture of them, they are a little softer than scones you get in bakeries.  They have more of a biscuit-y texture than the dry, crumbly texture typical of the classic scone. bsi-10 The peppermint is perfect.  The eggnog doesn't come through as much as I had hoped, which might be a good thing since the peppermint is pretty strong. bsi-11 They are so festive visually and in flavor, they'd make a great addition to a Christmas baked goods gift. bsi-12 bsi-131
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trader joe's and daily eats recap

Andrea

Hello!!!  So so so sorry I've been m.i.a. the last couple of days...  Monday night I was at work late trying to prepare for my project meeting in Raleigh on Tuesday, and Tuesday I drove 4 hours each way to Raleigh and back so was completely exhausted by the time I got home at 9pm.  I have LOTS of catch-up to do, but before I get into my eats I wanted to report about My First Trader Joe's Experience!!! I stopped at a brand new store in Richmond on my way home from Raleigh.  I'm excited because this store is right next to a huge shopping area that we visit every now and then only about 50 minutes from our house, so I think we'll be able to make Trader Joe's stops every couple of months at least!  The store was a lot smaller than I expected, and I didn't realize that they carry mostly Trader Joe's brand, which explains the smaller store. You all gave me such GREAT suggestions and I was able to get most of them!  I didn't get any frozen stuff because I had a bit of a drive ahead of me and knew it would probably thaw, but I did stock up on wine and non-perishables, and a couple of cold things 'cause I bought a TJ's cold bag!  Here's my loot... tj-1
  • brown rice pasta
  • canned beans
  • canned soup (organic split pea, veggie chili and lentil veggie)
  • cranberry apple butter
  • pumpking butter (!!!)
  • edamame hummus (!!!)
  • fat free balsamic dressing
  • multigrain tortilla chips
  • dark chocolate covered candy cane joe joe's (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
  • soyaki sauce
  • sweet chile sauce
  • twigs, flakes and clusters cereal
  • pomegranate and blueberry flakes and clusters cereal (!!!)
  • soy sauce
  • crunchy peanut butter
  • harvest grains mix
  • pumpkin spice granola (!!!)
  • korma simmer sauce
  • masala simmer sauce
tj-21 Not pictured:
  • pizza sauce
  • vodka sauce
  • active dry yeast
  • cranberries
  • hearts of palm
  • vino!!!
I'm so excited to try out all of these new products!  Especially since I've been reading about most of them on your blogs for months now!  I broke into the dark chocolate covered candy cane joe joe's on my way home from Richmond...oh. my. goodness.  Those beauties are little pieces of heaven in cookie form.  I don't have a picture since I was driving and it was dark, but I'm sure I'll be featuring them in the next week!  :) Now to back track a little, all the way to Sunday night.  My hubb was kind enough to make an AWESOME meal while I was working on my BSI: GINGER round-up post. Sunday Dinner:  Homemade Chicken Veggie Soup with Homemade Veggie Broth...YUM!!!  I'll post the recipe in a separate post later today, this post will get way too long if I include all my recipes too!  I also made whole wheat bread for the very first time without a bread machine!!!  I'm quite proud because the loaves turned out beautifully. 081207-d7 081207-d8 081207-d6 I made two loaves, so I sliced one and put it in the freezer for later. 081207-d9 Sunday Dessert:  Becca's award-winning Ancho Ginger Applesauce!  :) 081207-d10 Snacks:  I of course snacked on some of the baked goods I made throughout the day. I think I wound up eating two of VeggieGirl's Pear Pistachio Ginger Blondies and one of Jessica's Chocolate Gingerbread Bars.  No pics...sorry!  I need to get better about my baked good / snack consumption...I've been going a little overboard.  :( Monday Breakfast:  Toasted Ezekiel Cinn Raisin Muffin w/ 1 tbsp almond butter and sliced banana, the rest of the banana on the side. 081208-b1 Monday Lunch:  1/2 a leftover enchi-rito and a spinach salad with yellow bell pepper, cucumber and lite ranch dressing. 081208-l2 081208-l1 Snacks Monday:  My lunch calories were a little light (surprising I know, but the enchirito really isn't bad for you!) so I was hungry for this beautiful pear a couple of hours later.  I also grabbed one of the chocolate gingerbread bars that I brought into the office to share with my co-workers. 081208-s1 081208-s3 And because I was in the office until about 8:30, I ate 1/2 of this Clif Builder's Bar at 6:30 to keep myself from eating more choco. gingerbread bars... (iphone pic, sorry!) 081208-s2 Monday Dinner:  My hubb came to the rescue again with a fabulous quiche!!! I'll post this recipe later too...it was SO YUMMY!  And I was starving by the time I got home so I had 1/4 of it, along with a glass of chardonnay (no pic...). 081208-d2 And for dessert a molasses clove cookie (see what I mean about the sweets!?!?!?) 081208-d3 We're almost there!!!  Thanks for hangin' in there for this LONG post!  :) Tuesday Breakfast:  Toasted Ezekiel Cinn Raisin Muffin with 2 tbsp PB...I wanted to make sure I wouldn't get hungry on my drive and be tempted by a Starbucks baked goodie!  Also, a banana.   081209-b1 I managed to get PB all over myself while driving.  It was dark and I had no idea until the sun came up...pathetic.  :P Tuesday Morning Snack:  I stopped at Starbucks for a grande non-fat chai latte about halfway through my morning drive. 081209-s1 Tuesday Lunch:  We all went out to a fantastic Vietnamese restaurant where I ordered grilled tofu on lemongrass vermicelli noodles.  It was AMAZING but I have no pictures because it was definitely not appropriate to pull out my iphone with the entire team of architects and engineers present.  It was sooooo good though... Tuesday Afternoon Snack:  My hubb was so sweet and made me a very special trail mix to snack on during my long drive...he even took the pictures for me so that the note stayed a surprise.  He's the best!!!  :)  I had a handful of the mix on my way home. 081209-s2 Tuesday Evening Snack:  One glorious dark chocolate covered joe joe... 081209-s3 Tuesday Dinner:  Leftover quiche and a spinach salad with hearts of palm, red bell pepper, cucumber and lite ranch dressing.  And a much-needed glass of cabernet after my long day. 081209-d1 081209-d2 Whew!!!  Thanks for sticking with me!  I'll be back later tonight to post today's eats and the two dinner recipes I promised.  I feel so out of the blog loop because I haven't read any since Sunday!!!  I hope to get caught up tonight...  Have a great day!  :)
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