Thoughts From the Kitchen

Not Your Average Chocolate Chip Cookie

2009-07-15T18:32:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love chocolate chip cookies? No one I know! For years I used the tried and true Tollhouse Cookie recipe and it is, of course, great. However, about six years ago I stumbled across this recipe on Allrecipes.com. It was posted by Debbi Borsick. Debbi named these "Award Winning Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies". I tend to stray away from recipes that use such hyperbole in the title, but the average 4.5 star rating (5000+ reviews as of this posting) made me give them a try. I haven't won any awards with them but I have gotten a lot of "these are the best chocolate cookies EVER"!

Everyone loves the soft texture and the intense vanilla from the pudding mix and the TONS of chocolate chips make them irresistible. Beware, this makes a lot of cookies. 4-6 dozen depending on the size of your cookies!!! You can just half the recipe if you don't need so many cookies. Somehow these never seem to go to waste at my house!

TIPS: Use REAL BUTTER. I refuse to use margarine or butter flavored shortening when I bake. YUCK! Fresh unsalted butter is the only way to go. Use a good quality vanilla. It makes all the difference in the world. I usually add a little extra vanilla to just about everything I bake...but that's just me.

Use a shiny cookie sheet with no sides when baking cookies. (Not the dark non-stick pans with the sides.) Use nice thick, cookie sheets. In fact, double up the cookie sheets. Rotate the cookie sheets in the oven half way through baking. This is a tip I picked up from reading Marcy Goldman's Passion for Baking. You will not believe how much better your cookies will rise and brown evenly. Invest in some good cookie sheets. You will be pleased with the results.

Use a cookie scoop for chocolate chip cookies (or any drop cookie). This will keep them uniform in size. Don't press the cookie dough down on the sheet.

Never. I repeat...NEVER put your cookies on a hot cookie pan. Your cookies will spread out too fast and you may end up with thin, burnt cookies. If you are short on cookie sheets, just run the warm cookie sheet under cool water before putting the next batch on to bake.

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 (3.4 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour and baking soda, set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Beat in the instant pudding mix until blended. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Blend in the flour mixture. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips. Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Edges should be golden brown.

Easy Pasta & Corn Salad

2009-07-15T18:00:00.000-07:00

This pasta salad is a staple at my cookouts (along with my potato salad). It is so easy, it's almost sinful--yet almost everyone seems to like it. I got this recipe from my mother-in-law, Marie. She got it from a friend, but I'm still going to call it Marie's Pasta Salad as an homage to her! Much like my mother's potato salad, this is usually a little of this and a little of that kind of recipe. However, I tried my best to give some rough measurements. Taste as you go and adjust seasoning accordingly.

MARIE'S PASTA & CORN SALAD

1 lb Ditalini Pasta (cooked al dente in generously salted water)

1 can of whole kernel corn (or 1 pkg frozen corn)

1 -- 1 1/2 cups of Mayo

1 tsp Garlic Powder

Kosher Salt to taste

Ground Black Pepper or more to taste

Drain the cooked pasta. Then rinse with cold water until pasta is completely cool. (If you mix this together when the pasta is hot, the mayo is going to curdle on you--ick!) Don't drain the pasta completely. Put it into a large mixing bowl while it is still fairly wet. The pasta will not soak up the mayo as much this way. Mix in the remaining ingredients. Season with the salt and pepper to taste. I tend to go heavy on the black pepper, but you might prefer less. You can make this pasta salad the day before. If you do, put a little more mayo in than you think is necessary. Otherwise you are going to have a dry pasta salad.

I think chopped tomatoes would be yummy in this but not many in my family like tomatoes...You can add anything your heart desires. The possibilities are endless, but as is this goes great with anything off the grill!

Fruit! Glorious Fruit!

2009-07-15T17:39:00.001-07:00

Here is the fruit display I made for our Fourth of July Cookout. Nothing is more refreshing on a warm summer day than a nice fruit salad (and the cold beverage of your choice)! This is really easy to do. I should have taken photos while I was cutting the watermelon but I wasn't thinking. However, it is pretty self explanatory. I just inserted a paring knife into the watermelon to make each v-shape and then separated the melon. You can draw a template for yourself if you want to keep it even. I just wing it though. Make sure before you open up the watermelon that you do make a slight mark on the top and bottom of one v-shaped cut. That way you can put the watermelon back together with a perfect fit. I always scoop out with a melon-baller and scrape out all of the unwanted rind the night before. I put the fruit in a large Ziploc bag and then put the watermelon back together, wrap it with foil and stick it in the fridge to keep it from shriveling.

When you are ready to serve just, open up the watermelon, throw the melon balls and additional cut fruit (I used fresh blueberries, strawberries and grapes) back into each half of the watermelon and you have a wonderful presentation. If it is a particularly warm day and you are serving outside, just throw some ice cubes in a tray underneath the watermelon and add a few cubes to the fruit. Keeps it nice and cool and yummy!

June Daring Baker's Challenge -- Bakewell Tart..er...pudding

2009-06-27T17:50:00.000-07:00

The June Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart... er... pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800's in England.

Jasmine and Annemarie tell us that like many regional dishes, there’s no “one way” to make a Bakewell Pudding, but most of today’s versions fall within one of two types. The first is the “pudding” where a layer of jam is covered by an almondy pastry cream and baked in puff pastry. The second is the “tart” where a rich shortcrust pastry holds jam and an almondy sponge cake-like filling.

The version we’re daring you to make is a combination of the two: a sweet almond-flavored shortcrust pastry, frangipane and jam.

I was intrigued by this challenge. Not only had I never made a Bakewell Tart...er Pudding, I have never even eaten one. This was definitely a challenge I could sink my teeth into. (Pun intended!) Some Daring Baker's chose to use homemade jam. I opted for the easy way out and used store bought jam. I went with a boysenberry and it turned out to be a very good choice.

The frangipane was interesting. I had no idea what to expect from it. Just as the recipe stated, it curdled a bit while mixing. No worries because it won't be curdled in the finished product. I tasted it before baking and it was quite tasty.

I really had no trouble with this recipe. The instructions were perfect. The crust came out flaky and tender. It was not too sweet and the jam with the spongey almond-flavored frangipane was surprisingly delicious. I suggest serving it warm with creme fraiche or fresh whipped cream on top. Just use the flavor jam that you love and you can't go wrong.

I will definitely be making this recipe again! Good Challenge Annemarie and Jasmine!

Shredding the butter with the box grater makes it easier to incorporate the butter into the flour without overworking.

The dough is slightly stick

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill.

Bakewell Tart…er…Pudding

Makes one 23cm (9” tart)
Prep time: less than 10 minutes (plus time for the individual elements)
Resting time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 30 minutes
Equipment needed: 23cm (9”) tart pan or pie tin (preferably with ridged edges), rolling pin

One quantity sweet shortcrust pastry (recipe follows)
Bench flour
250ml (1cup (8 US fl. oz)) jam or curd, warmed for spreadability
One quantity frangipane (recipe follows)
One handful blanched, flaked almonds

Assembling the tart
Place the chilled dough disc on a lightly floured surface. If it's overly cold, you will need to let it become acclimatised for about 15 minutes before you roll it out. Flour the rolling pin and roll the pastry to 5mm (1/4”) thickness, by rolling in one direction only (start from the centre and roll away from you), and turning the disc a quarter turn after each roll. When the pastry is to the desired size and thickness, transfer it to the tart pan, press in and trim the excess dough. Patch any holes, fissures or tears with trimmed bits. Chill in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 200C/400F.

Remove shell from freezer, spread as even a layer as you can of jam onto the pastry base. Top with frangipane, spreading to cover the entire surface of the tart. Smooth the top and pop into the oven for 30 minutes. Five minutes before the tart is done, the top will be poofy and brownish. Remove from oven and strew flaked almonds on top and return to the heat for the last five minutes of baking.

The finished tart will have a golden crust and the frangipane will be tanned, poofy and a bit spongy-looking. Remove from the oven and cool on the counter. Serve warm, with crème fraîche, whipped cream or custard sauce if you wish.

When you slice into the tart, the almond paste will be firm, but slightly squidgy and the crust should be crisp but not tough.

Jasmine’s notes:
• If you cannot have nuts, you can try substituting Victoria sponge for the frangipane. It's a pretty popular popular cake, so you shouldn't have any troubles finding one in one of your cookbooks or through a Google search. That said, our dear Natalie at Gluten a Go Go has sourced some recipes and linked to them in the related alt.db thread.
• You can use whichever jam you wish, but if you choose something with a lot of seeds, such as raspberry or blackberry, you should sieve them out.
• The jam quantity can be anywhere from 60ml (1/4 cup) to 250ml (1cup), depending upon how “damp” and strongly flavoured your preserves are. I made it with the lesser quantity of home made strawberry jam, while Annemarie made it with the greater quantity of cherry jam; we both had fabulous results. If in doubt, just split the difference and spread 150ml (2/3cup) on the crust.
Annemarie’s notes:

• The excess shortcrust can be rolled out and cut into cookie-shapes (heck, it’s pretty darned close to a shortbread dough).

Sweet shortcrust pastry
Prep time: 15-20 minutes
Resting time: 30 minutes (minimum)
Equipment needed: bowls, box grater, cling film

225g (8oz) all purpose flour
30g (1oz) sugar
2.5ml (½ tsp) salt
110g (4oz) unsalted butter, cold (frozen is better)
2 (2) egg yolks
2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract (optional)
15-30ml (1-2 Tbsp) cold water

Sift together flour, sugar and salt. Grate butter into the flour mixture, using the large hole-side of a box grater. Using your finger tips only, and working very quickly, rub the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Set aside.

Lightly beat the egg yolks with the almond extract (if using) and quickly mix into the flour mixture. Keep mixing while dribbling in the water, only adding enough to form a cohesive and slightly sticky dough.

Form the dough into a disc, wrap in cling and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes

Jasmine’s notes:
• I make this using vanilla salt and vanilla sugar.
• If you wish, you can substitute the seeds of one vanilla bean, one teaspoon of vanilla paste or one teaspoon of vanilla extract for the almond extract

Frangipane
Prep time: 10-15 minutes
Equipment needed: bowls, hand mixer, rubber spatula

125g (4.5oz) unsalted butter, softened
125g (4.5oz) icing sugar
3 (3) eggs
2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract
125g (4.5oz) ground almonds
30g (1oz) all purpose flour

Cream butter and sugar together for about a minute or until the mixture is primrose in colour and very fluffy. Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. The batter may appear to curdle. In the words of Douglas Adams: Don’t panic. Really. It’ll be fine. After all three are in, pour in the almond extract and mix for about another 30 seconds and scrape down the sides again. With the beaters on, spoon in the ground nuts and the flour. Mix well. The mixture will be soft, keep its slightly curdled look (mostly from the almonds) and retain its pallid yellow colour.

Annemarie’s notes:
• Add another five minutes or more if you're grinding your own almonds or if you're mixing by hand (Heaven help you).

Italian Wedding Soup

2009-06-17T07:21:00.000-07:00

Is it soup yet?

I was talking to my mom on the phone last night and somehow the conversation turned to Italian Wedding Soup. Although I don't think of it being "soup weather" this time of year, June is indeed "wedding season". Therefore, I declare that to be a good enough excuse for me to post this recipe! I've tried a lot of recipes over the years. Many people make it different ways but this is the combination that I like and everyone seems to love it when I make it. The great thing about this and soup recipes in general is that you can play around with the ingredients until you find the perfect balance for your own taste buds! Mangia!

ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP

Meatballs:

1 pound lean ground beef or ground chicken
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup grated Romano cheese
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon onion powder

2 teaspoons finely minced garlic

2 teaspoons whole milk

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Soup:

3/4 cup diced celery
1 cup finely chopped onion
3/4 cup diced carrot
2 tablespoons of olive oil
10 cups chicken broth
1 cup thinly sliced escarole (or more if you like)
1 cup uncooked Ancini de pepe pasta (or Orzo if you can't find Ancini de Pepe)
Ground White Pepper and Kosher salt to taste

DIRECTIONS:

In medium bowl, combine meatball ingredients and shape into 3/4 inch balls. Refrigerate until ready to use.

In large heavy-bottomed soup pot, saute the onion, carrots and celery in the olive oil over medium heat until the onions are translucent. Pour in chicken broth. Heat broth to boiling; add meatballs and escarole. Return to boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 15-20 minutes. Add pasta and season with pepper and bring back to boil. Boil for 6-8 minutes longer or until pasta is al dente. (Depending on the broth you use; i.e. homemade, regular canned, or low sodium canned, you may need to add salt.)

Serve with a little freshly grated Parmesan on top YUM!

If you want to freeze this soup, you should not add the pasta before freezing (it will soak up too much of the broth). Just thaw and bring to a boil an then add the pasta before serving.

My first Strawberry!

2009-06-16T13:20:00.000-07:00

My husband found our first ripe strawberry hiding under a leaf. Isn't it cute? I'm so proud!

Pillsbury Bakeoff Prize Pack Giveaway

2009-06-15T17:38:00.001-07:00

Okay, I just realized that I put the wrong deadline date for the Prize Pack give away. The deadline should have read June 12th (instead of May 12th DOH!). Soooo...since I goofed I will extend the deadline to this Friday, JUNE 19th!

Here's the scoop...

WHAT DO YOU THINK MAKES A WINNING RECIPE? To enter for your chance to win a prize pack all you have to do is send in what you think truly makes a winning recipe. You may respond in the comments section of this post. There is no wrong answer. We all have our own ideas about what makes a recipe special. Some may think its the best quality ingredients, while others may think its one that has been handed down from generation-to-generation. Two lucky TFK Readers will be selected at random to receive Pilsbury Prize Packs courtesy of MyBlogSpark. Prize Pack includes a Pillsbury Doughboy Doll (he's wicked cute!) and a collectors edition Pillsbury Bakeoff Recipe magazine.

Let me hear from you food lovers out there!

Cyndi

June 2009 Daring Cooks Challenge - Chinese Dumplings/Potstickers

2009-06-14T08:27:00.000-07:00

{Warning: Long post!}
June marks my first month as an official "Daring Cook". I must say I really had fun with this one. This month's challenge was hosted by Jen from Use Real Butter. She chose a great challenge, Chinese Dumplings/Potstickers. Jen has been making these since she was a kid and I can see why. They are absolutely delicious. It was time consuming, but so worth it. My husband and I loved these and even the kids had some.

I chose to make the Pork Potstickers with a Seasame Ginger Dipping sauce. Getting the pleating technique to make the dumplings was a little challenging but I think they looked okay. Not as pretty as Jen's. I have pictures below of the entire process, but if you would like a very helpful and detailed step-by-step guide with pictures, please take a look at Jen's post. I know it certainly helped me get through my first adventures with Chinese dumplings/postickers!

Pork Filling

Processing the Dough

The finished dough...

My attempt at pleating the dumplings...

Frying the Dumpings

The finished product!

The Challenge: Chinese dumplings/potstickers (aka gyoza in Japanese)Reveal Date: June 14th! Good luck, Daring Cooks - woohoo!

It's a basic concept: a filling inside a dough wrapper, sealed, and cooked. This delicious theme runs through many cultures and is among the more popular bites at Chinese restaurants - especially dim sum. The recipe I provide is based on my family recipe. There is a lot of wiggle room and I encourage you to explore. If you've made them before - great! Now try something different!

The process goes a little like this:
Well yes, you could purchase pre-made dumpling wrappers at the store (NO WONTON WRAPPERS - they have egg), but they are inferior compared to homemade. The whole point of this challenge is to make the dumpling wrappers by hand. So here is the one requirement: the dumpling wrappers must be made by hand. It isn't all that hard, it just takes a little time and practice. People usually get the hang of it after making about a dozen. **NOTE: I have a special recipe for gluten-free dumpling wrappers at the bottom of the post. They are another type of traditional dumpling and they are pretty awesome (although more finicky). Really delicious too, so you may want to have a looksee even if you aren't gluten-free. [EDIT 5/18/09:] I see that some have chosen to make the wrappers by hand. I don't recommend this method because the wrappers will be too thick and probably yield far fewer dumplings for the dough recipe. The point of rolling the dough is for uniformity of wrapper and to achieve a thickness that is otherwise difficult to attain by hand. Also, rolling is much faster than hand shaping. We're aiming for a delicate skin that does not dominate the dumpling.

Fillings: the beauty of the Chinese dumpling/potsticker is that the filling is very versatile. That's why there are so many different kinds of dumplings when you go to dim sum. The two most common are pork and shrimp. You can make them with other ground meats (beef, chicken...) or vegetarian (tofu, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, glass noodles, Chinese chives - oh yum!). The important thing to keep in mind is that the filling needs to "stick" to itself or else you will make your life incredibly miserable wrapping up filling that keeps falling apart. I think if I were to make vegetarian dumplings, I would sauté the cabbage and mash up the tofu for a better cohesiveness. It's up to you how you want to fill your dumplings and I say - run with it! Just keep it cohesive and no big chunks of hard ingredients (they poke through the wrapper dough = disaster). I realize it may be tempting to dump all of the vegetables into a food processor and give it a whir, but I caution against it. You don't want a slurry, you want a mince. Practice your knife skills and be careful.

Special Equipment: A rolling pin - preferably not tapered.

Time: Prep for the filling takes me 30 minutes - longer if peeling and de-veining shrimp. It will depend on your proficiency with a good sharp knife. Rolling and wrapping several dozen dumplings takes me 1 hour by myself. My parents can crank through it in 30 minutes when one person is rolling wrappers and the other is wrapping dumplings. Might be fun to get a second person to help! Cooking: I have to cook mine in batches. When steaming, I can cook a dozen at a time in about 10 minutes. Potstickers: 15 minutes per 2 dozen determined by the size of your pan. Boiling - 6 minutes per dozen or so depending on size of pot. My own personal preference is for potstickers - mmmmm! But they are ALL good. Here is the recipe:

Chinese Dumplings/Potstickers

pork filling:1 lb (450g) ground pork4 large napa cabbage leaves, minced3 stalks green onions, minced7 shitake mushrooms, minced (if dried - rehydrated and rinsed carefully)1/2 cup (75g) bamboo shoots, minced1/4 (55g) cup ginger root, minced3 tbsp (40g) soy sauce2 tbsp (28g) sesame oil2 tbsp (16g) corn starch
OR
shrimp filling:1/2 lb (225g) raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, and coarsely chopped1/2 lb (225g) ground pork3 stalks green onions, minced1/4 cup (55g) ginger root, minced1 cup (142g) water chestnuts, minced1 tsp (5g) salt3 tbsp (40g) sesame oil2 tbsp (16g) corn starch
dough: (double this for the amount of filling, but easier to make it in 2 batches - or just halve the filling recipe)2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour1/2 cup (113g) warm waterflour for worksurface
dipping sauce:2 parts soy sauce1 part vinegar (red wine or black)a few drops of sesame oilchili garlic paste (optional)minced ginger (optional)minced garlic (optional)minced green onion (optional)sugar (optional)

Combine all filling ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly (I mix by clean hand). Cover and refrigerate until ready to use (up to a day, but preferably within an hour or two).
Make the dough, Method 1: Place the flour in the work bowl of a food processor with the dough blade. Run the processor and pour the warm water in until incorporated. Pour the contents into a sturdy bowl or onto a work surface and knead until uniform and smooth. The dough should be firm and silky to the touch and not sticky.[Note: it’s better to have a moist dough and have to incorporate more flour than to have a dry and pilling dough and have to incorporate more water).

Make the dough, Method 2 (my mom’s instructions): In a large bowl mix flour with 1/4 cup of water and stir until water is absorbed. Continue adding water one teaspoon at a time and mixing thoroughly until dough pulls away from sides of bowl. We want a firm dough that is barely sticky to the touch. [EDIT: 5/26/09] There have been two complaints posted about a dry dough and I realize that this rests in the problem of measuring flour which has a different density and hence weight for 2 cups depending on how you scoop it. That is why I also list the weight: 250g. Flour tends to settle over time, so when I scoop it out, I shake several cups' worth back into the container before taking a final scoop of soft, fluffy, flour and I get 250g for 2 cups. When you knead the dough, if it feels hard and dry, then you can add more water. [Warning: it will NOT be a soft bread dough, so don't expect it to be, but it shouldn't be a brick either.] It is perfectly fine to use more than the 1/2 cup listed in the recipe as everyone's climate and flours vary. Use your judgment - this is what being a Daring Cook is about. We are trying to cultivate a sense of intuition so that recipes are general guidelines from which you can expand your own style.
Both dough methods: Knead the dough about twenty strokes then cover with a damp towel for 15 minutes. Take the dough and form a flattened dome. Cut into strips about 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide. Shape the strips into rounded long cylinders. On a floured surface, cut the strips into 3/4 inch pieces. Press palm down on each piece to form a flat circle (you can shape the corners in with your fingers). With a rolling pin, roll out a circular wrapper from each flat disc. Take care not to roll out too thin or the dumplings will break during cooking - about 1/16th inch. Leave the centers slightly thicker than the edges. Place a tablespoon of filling in the center of each wrapper and fold the dough in half, pleating the edges along one side (see images in post for how to fold pleats). Keep all unused dough under damp cloth.

To boil: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add dumplings to pot. Boil the dumplings until they float.

To steam: Place dumplings on a single layer of napa cabbage leaves or on a well-greased surface in a steamer basket with lid. Steam covered for about 6 minutes.

To pan fry (potstickers): Place dumplings in a frying pan with 2-3 tbsp of vegetable oil. Heat on high and fry for a few minutes until bottoms are golden. Add 1/2 cup water and cover. Cook until the water has boiled away and then uncover and reduce heat to medium or medium low. Let the dumplings cook for another 2 minutes then remove from heat and serve.

I had so much fun with this one. I think I'm going to like being a Daring Cook!

Strawberries!!!

2009-06-08T06:06:00.000-07:00

As you can see, my little strawberries are getting bigger every day! Can't wait to taste one of those little jewels! Now I'm dreaming of all my favorite strawberry recipes. Of course, I know that I will only get so many from my own little plants. I will most likely save these for the family to snack on. However, I know I will be buying some fresh strawberries from my favorite produce stand soon.

One of my very favorite strawberry recipes is Strawberry Spinach Salad. It may sound like a bit strange at first, but believe me it is absolutely delicious. Even people who wouldn't normally eat spinach love this salad. Try this at your next cookout. Everyone will be begging for the recipe. Of course, whether you share it or not is completely up to you! ;)

STRAWBERRY SPINACH SALAD

Dressing:

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons poppy seeds

1 1/2 tablespoons minced onion
1/4 teaspoon paprika

Pinch of Salt

Fresh Ground Black Pepper to taste

Salad

2 bunches spinach, rinsed, towel dried and torn into bite-size pieces

4 cups sliced strawberries (1 qt)
1/4 cup blanched, slivered almonds

Directions:

Whisk all dressing ingredients together until combined. Cover and let sit for a half hour. (You can refrigerate if you like, but dressing should be served at room temperature for best flavor and consistency.)

Mix salad ingredients and toss with dressing immediately before serving. You can sprinkle some extra poppy seeds on top before serving.

Enjoy!

44th Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest--You Be The Judge

2009-06-05T10:58:00.000-07:00

For the first time in the contest´s 60-year history, Pillsbury has opened up online voting to determine 10 recipes among the final 100 that will compete for the $1 million grand prize! MyBlogSpark has sent a special invitation for Thoughts From The Kitchen readers to participate and chance to win prize packs featuring a magazine of past Bake-Off® recipes and a Pillsbury Doughboy giggle doll! (hmm hmmmm)

How does the You Be the Judge! voting work? Judges will select 20 recipes to be placed online at www.bakeoff.com in pairs for a period of two weeks for each pair. Consumers can vote for their favorite recipe in each pair. The recipe from each pair that wins the most votes will earn a spot in the final competition, April 11-13, 2010, in Orlando, Florida. Voting is limited to one vote per person per each pair of recipes. Voters must be registered members of www.pillsbury.com and 18 years of age or older as of May 1, 2009, to participate. The first pair of recipes was posted on May 14, 2009 and a new pair of recipes will be posted every two weeks (namely, May 28, June 11, June 25, July 9, July 23, August 6, August 20, September 3 and September 17, 2009). The voting period for the tenth and final pair of recipes will close at 11:59AM CDT on October 1, 2009. Visit www.bakeoff.com for the official rules.

WHAT DO YOU THINK MAKES A WINNING RECIPE? To enter for your chance to win a prize pack all you have to do is send in what you think truly makes a winning recipe. You may respond in the comments section of this post. There is no wrong answer. We all have our own ideas about what makes a recipe special. Some may think its the best quality ingredients, while others may think its one that has been handed down from generation-to-generation. Two lucky TFK Readers will be selected at random to receive Pilsbury Prize Packs courtesy of MyBlogSpark. Entry deadline is Friday May, 12th. Winners will be announced the following Monday.

I can't wait to hear your answers.

My Little Container Garden

2009-06-04T16:53:00.000-07:00

This is the second year that I have tried container gardening. I tried planting tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and various herbs last year and I enjoyed it so much. In fact, I find it incredibly relaxing. I love waking up every morning and checking on my little plants. It is truly amazing to watch them grow every day.

This year for the vegetable containers I decided to plant Early Girl Tomatoes and Brandywine Tomatoes as well as Italian Peppers. Last Summer I enjoyed coming home every evening and snacking on fresh tomatoes from my little garden. There is nothing more delicious! The tomatoes you get in the supermarket are tasteless and the "squishy" texture really is off-putting--but a home-grown tomato is heaven in our mouth! I think my love of tomatoes can be traced back to my Dad. He is from Maydelle, TX (pop. 300 give or take), which is just outside of Jacksonville, TX--The Tomato Capitol of the World. He grew up growing them and eating them. Many times I've watched him slice up a tomato, sprinkle a little salt on it and savour all that juicy goodness. I love to do the same thing...only sometimes I don't even bother slicing the small early girl tomatoes. YUM!

I don't have a picture yet of my tiny herb garden but this year I chose to plant chives, basil, and oregano. I plant them in a long rectangular-shaped planter which is on my back deck. This makes it easy to just walk out my back door (which is in the kitchen) and take what I need. Its nice to have fresh herbs on hand. I use the chives in lots of things. I love to chop them up (or use my Pampered Chef cooking shears) and throw them in potato salad and just about anything that could use a mild onion flavor. I use the basil in my pasta sauce and I've learned to make pesto and love it! The oregano is a new thing for me this year. I would imagine I can find many uses for that as well. Fresh oregano will make a nice addition to the pasta sauce. I'm also imagining it finely chopped with some of the basil on top of some fresh-baked focaccia!

That funny looking clay pot with all the holes at the top right is my Strawberry Pot. I think it is adorable! It looks like I will have a good little crop of strawberries soon. This picture was taken last Saturday. Today when I looked at them I have some little green strawberries everywhere! I will be sure to update with another picture in the next couple of days.

Happy gardening to you...I am of to enjoy some pot roast that my hubby made for dinner with fresh corn on the cob and potatoes! (No...the veggies are not from my garden!)

Happy Memorial Day! Pass the potato salad...

2009-05-25T16:32:00.000-07:00

Today is the day we take time to honor our Country's soldiers past and present. It's also our official kick-off to summer. We always have a cookout for our family and friends. My husband mans the grill and I make the sides and desserts.

One thing you can always count on at my cookouts is potato salad. Its a recipe my mom passed down to me. Part of the reason I always wanted to be a good cook like my Mom is because of all the raves she used to get for her food. Practically the minute she walked in the door to any family gathering, people would start asking, "Sondra, did you bring your potato salad?". Her potato salad was legendary. I always helped her make it as a little girl and dreamt of people clamoring for my cooking.

When I say my mother passed the recipe down to me...I use the word "recipe" pretty loosely. The truth is there is no recipe. It is one of those, "a little of this and a little of that" kind of southern recipes. Its just something she made by memory and by taste. That was my favorite part, by the way...the tasting! I have actually adapted the "recipe" a bit over the years. I'll do my best to give you a recipe here. Potato Salad is really something that can easily be adapted to one's own taste. Mine is made with mayo and mustard, although my mom always used Miracle Whip. My mom always added bell pepper but I prefer to leave that out. Mom also always added chopped red pimentos. This actually adds nice color, but in my opinion brings nothing to the party, flavor-wise. You can make it creamy or chunky or somewhere in between. If you want it creamy (almost like the consistency of mashed potatoes) just mix it up while the potatoes are still hot. For a chunky potato salad you should use a waxy potato like a red potato and let your potatoes cool completely before mixing. If you like it to be a little of both (which I do), you can use 1/4 russet potatoes and 3/4 red potatoes and mix everything together when the potatoes are slightly warm.

I have to say, people do ask for my potato salad. In fact, a lot of people who don't usually care for potato salad find they like my version. Thanks Mom!

Sondra's Potato Salad

4 lbs of potatoes (1 lb russet/3 lbs red potatoes)

5-6 Large Hard Boiled Eggs, completely cooled and chopped

1 Small Onion, finely chopped

1 Large Green Bell Pepper, finely chopped (optional)

1 jar chopped pimentos (optional)

2 Large Dill Pickles, finely chopped

1 1/4 cups - 2 cups of Mayo

3 - 4 tblsp Mustard

Kosher Salt & Pepper to Taste

Directions:

Put all the potatoes with the skin on in a large stock pot full of generously salted, cold water. (You can boil the russet potatoes in a separate pot if the are considerably larger than the red potatoes.) Bring them to a boil and let boil for 2-3 minutes an then turn down to medium-low and simmer until potatoes are soft and can be pierced with a knife.

Drain potatoes in a colander and let the potatoes cool until just warm. The skin (or jackets) should come off easily. I use a paper towel to simply rub the skin off the potatoes. Cut potatoes into 2 inch cubes. Some of the russet potatoes will probably crumble, that's a good thing. Put the potatoes into a large mixing bowl. Add chopped eggs, onion, pickles, bell pepper and pimentos.

Add Salt and Pepper (go easy on the salt, you can add more at the end to taste). Add just enough mayo to make to your desired consistency. The amount will vary depending on the potatoes you use. Some people like their potato salad to be a little dryer, but I prefer mine nice and creamy but not soupy. Add mustard to taste and stir everything gently. Taste after mixing to see if you need to add more salt. Careful not to over salt. I prefer to let my potato salad to chill in the refrigerator overnight. This gives all the flavors time to develop. I like to garnish with either a sprinkle of paprika or from chopped fresh chives from my herb garden.

You can adjust this recipe for your own family's taste. Some people like to add celery. Let your own palate be your guide! Enjoy!

Banana Nut Cheerios®

2009-05-13T06:01:00.001-07:00

I am not a breakfast lover. I'd just as soon skip it most days. However, since I'm old now and its a well-known fact that you should never skip breakfast...I try to work it in. Usually I just grab a yogurt and/or a piece of fruit and that's that. This week while I was grocery shopping I stumbled on the new Banana Nut Cheerios® . Can I just say...YUM! They are my new breakfast fav! They have a really great banana flavor and are not overly sweet.

While I was eating them my baker-inclined brain was dreaming up all the possibilities of throwing these little jewels into some little baked goodie. I was thinking of some sort of variation on Rice Krispie Treats. Then I had a brain storm. I wonder if I could make a Banana Nut Cheerios® crust instead of a graham cracker crust for my next Banana Cream Pie??? The possibilities are endless! Leave it to me to take something perfectly healthy and whip it into something calorie laden!

I did go to the Cheerio's website and I found a few recipes. In the spirit of being more healthy, I think I'll try their Banana Nut Cheerios® Energy Bars.

Prep Time:20 min
Start to Finish:50 min
Makes:24 bars
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4 cups Banana Nut Cheerios® cereal
1 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1/3 cup roasted unsalted sunflower nuts
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla

Spray 9-inch square pan with cooking spray. In large bowl, mix cereal, cranberries, almonds and sunflower nuts.
In 2-quart saucepan, heat corn syrup, brown sugar and peanut butter to boiling over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla.
Pour syrup mixture over cereal mixture; toss to coat. Press firmly in pan. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows.

Counting My Blessings on Monday Morning

2009-05-11T05:28:00.000-07:00

How in the world did Monday come so quickly? Back to work. I am just going to hang on to thoughts of a lovely Mother's Day with my family and some nice weather. Yesterday was a beautiful day here in the Boston area (perhaps a little windy).

My sweet husband made a late breakfast for everyone and I got to spend some quality time with all my children at the dining room table. Sitting there looking at all of their sweet faces, I started to realize how much they are growing up. (Well, Codye is 19 and I'm quite sure he is convinced that he's TOTALLY grown up.) As a mother I can still look at those mature faces and see my little babies. They are all very special mother's day gifts to me. I am truly blessed.

My husband and I took a long drive and just enjoyed the sunshine. We also stopped at the local carnival to watch my little nephew (he's 3) ride some kiddie rides. As you can see, I snapped his picture on the merry-go-round. He waved at Auntie Cyndi and Uncle Joey each time he came around. Ooooh...I could just eat him up! While we were there, he refused to ride anything else. However, after we left he suddenly decided to ride every kiddie ride at the carnival! Little Stinker...

In the evening we had my mother-in-law and sister-in-law and family over for a little Mother's Day dessert. We picked up some cheesecake from BJ's Wholesale Club (that's like Sam's Club to all my friends back home.) It was delicious! I enjoyed the dessert but most of all I enjoyed the company. I miss my Mom & Dad VERY much and get really homesick for my East Texas roots sometimes. However, God has blessed me with a truly wonderful bunch of in-laws.

So, today I am counting my blessings and thinking I should do that more often!

When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,

When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,

Count your many blessings, name them one by one,

And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Count your blessings, name them one by one,

Count your blessings, see what God hath done!

Count your blessings, name them one by one,

Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.

Johnson Oatman, Jr., pub.1897

Back AGAIN...No really I am

2009-05-08T05:53:00.000-07:00

Well I knew that it had been quite some time since I posted to this blog. Now that I see the date of my last post, I realize that it has been NINE months! Yikes! Of course, the last post declared my intent to start blogging faithfully. Would you believe me if I said I really, really mean it this time?!

I can actually thank my friend Lorri, whose blog ("She Wood" Time) inspired me to blog again. Her posts reminded me how much I love not just baking and cooking, but how the kitchen is the heart of my home and family. I love cooking for my family and with my family. I don't need to make the latest gourmet recipe to have something to write about. Sometimes a ham and cheese sandwich with the kids can be more delicious than a filet mignon from the fanciest restaurant.

Much has happened since my last blog. Most significantly...I turned 40! {Insert gasps of horror here!} Somehow I thought it would be much more painful than it was. In all honesty it didn't bother me one bit. I'm more comfortable in my own skin than I have ever been. I have a few more gray hairs and wrinkles, yes. But I'd like to think I've also gained a little knowledge and wisdom along the way. (A girl can humor herself in her old age, can't she?)

I've collected many cookbooks since my last post. It's an addiction. I admit it. My obsession started as a little girl. My mother had this wonderful cookbook that was put together by some East Texas high school's home economics dept. in probably the 1960's. I just loved thumbing threw it. My all-time favorite recipe for "Red Velvet Cake" is contained in this cookbook. One can immediately see that the recipe is a family favorite due to the red food coloring stains on this dogeared page. My mom started me off with a Betty Crocker cookbook when I got married and then I found my prized possession--The Cake Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum. The recipes truly live up to the name. Now I own all of her cookbooks and even follow her blog. I am SO excited that the long-awaited sequel to The Cake Bible, Rose's Heavenly Cakes, will be coming out in September. I have already pre-ordered on Amazon.com and cannot wait until the UPS man/woman delivers it to my door!

One of my favorite recipes from The Cake Bible is the All-American Chiffon Cake. It is simple but so delicious. Chiffon cakes seem to have gone the way of the dodo bird and the weekly church social, but I still love them. They are light and usually not cloyingly sweet. Rose recently posted a video from her PBS days which contains the recipe for this cake (link provided above). The recipe works just as well with lemon instead. It is definitely a great dessert for a Mother's Day Brunch if you should be so inclined. (Kids, are you listening???)

Back from the abyss...

2008-08-01T05:44:00.000-07:00

I am back and blogging again. After taking quite a long hiatus from my blog, I think I'll give it a crack again. My keyboard is dusty but I think I can manage...

Spring came along and life just seemed to get busier and busier. I was unable to keep up with my Daring Baker's challenges. Perhaps in the Fall I can beg them to take me back. That's when I really start getting into baking mode anyway. Not to say that I haven't baked lately, but it is certainly a more rare occasion in the Summer. Its kind of hard to bake when it's already 90 degrees in the kitchen. (No central a.c., bleh!) We have cookouts for family and friends pretty often so I do sneak in a little baking for those.

Last week I made a chocolate cake. I used the Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake recipe from Southern Cakes: Sweet and Irresistible Recipes for Everyday Celebrations by Nancie McDermott. This is my latest go-to chocolate cake recipe. It is so moist and delicious. I just don't tell anyone about the secret, "I beg your pardon..." ingredient! My youngest son gave me this cookbook for Mother's Day and I just cherish it. The recipes are fabulous but most of all I cherish it because of the sweet thoughtfulness behind the gift. My son is 13 so I consider it notable that a 13-year-old boy put thought into a gift for his Mom at all!

Since my last post I've found a new little hobby. I am now officially a container gardener! I planted some tomatoes, eggplant, banana peppers and cherry peppers in some containers this year and they proudly sit on my patio. Oh, yes I also have some herbs...basil, chives and rosemary. I'm really enjoying my little garden. Its very relaxing. I picked my first tomato and banana pepper last week. I'll have to take some pictures and post them. I'm quite proud. It really is relaxing to go out on the patio every morning and tend to those little containers. It is truly fascinating to witness the growth of each vegetable (although a tomato is technically a fruit I suppose) every day.

My son's football practice starts today. I love to watch him play but I sure don't love getting him to practice Mon - Fri from 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm for the entire month of August. Once school starts, practices slow down a bit. Sigh...I already feel Summer slipping away. Nothing is shorter than a New England Summer (or is that nothing is longer than a New England Winter).

Okay, time to go to work. I will write more later. No really...

Sunday Baking & My New Favorite Magazine

2008-02-04T17:03:00.000-08:00

We had a small group over for the Super Bowl. I didn't want to go to crazy with the menu because I wanted to relax and watch the game. We ordered a 3 Ft long Sub and put out a cheese and pepperoni tray. I made a simple layered mexican dip and some guacamole. For dessert I made Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies, Lemon Bars and Reeses Peanut Butter Bars.

The Chocolate Cookies are a family favorite. The recipe is simple but makes a wonderful cookie. I found the recipe at AllRecipes.com a couple of years ago. I've provide a link so that you can give it a try.

The Lemon Bars were from Rose Levy Beranbaum's, Rose's Christmas Cookies. The recipe is quite lengthy. I don't have time to post, but will definitely post later. These were by far the best lemon bars I have ever made. The recipe is quite simple. The base is just shortbread with a nice lemon curd on top. (The lemon meringue pie inspired me. What can I say?) They were nice and tart and looked beautiful. (Alas I took no pictues.)

My husband actually made the Reese's Peanut Butter bars. The were from a box. (Shhhh.) He saw them in the Wholesale Club when we were picking up the Sub. I must admit. They were good!

As far as the game itself goes...SIGH. Let's just say that we were not so happy with the results!

MY NEW FAVORITE MAGAZINE

Okay. Probably many of you already subscribe, but I just got my first issue of Cook's Illustrated. I absolutely loved it. I read it from cover to cover. The articles are truly amazing. I got fabulous tips on everything from a pot roast to selecting the best cutting board. The website is also great. I love the recipes from the Test Kitchen. I can't wait for the next issue!

This weekend I hope to bake something interesting. Not the same old thing. We'll see what I can come up with.

Daring Baker's Challenge - Lemon Meringue Pie

2008-01-28T04:20:00.000-08:00

I completed my first Daring Bakers Challenge this weekend. (Yes, I did procrastinate until the very end.) January's Challenge was a Lemon Meringue Pie. Many thanks to Jen at The Canadian Baker for hosting this challenge. I really enjoyed my "LMP" experience. I have never made a lemon meringue pie so this was indeed a challenge.

I must admit that I was a little nervous after reading some of the troubles that other DB's had with this recipe. However, there were also plenty who reported baking a perfect LMP. I was really worried about getting a runny filling. If I weren't making this for the DB Challenge, I might have modified the recipe a little. However, I wanted to stick to the DB rules. I followed the recipe exactly as written.

The crust did not turn out quite as well as I would have liked. I don't believe that it was due to any fault with the recipe. I made my crust in my new food processor. I have never used the food processor for a pie crust before. I may have over-processed a bit. I used all the water as directed. The recipe called for you to sprinkle the water over the dough and let it rest. With my usual crust recipe, I add water as needed. My crust also shrank a bit as you will see in the picture below. I always roll my crust out between two sheets of waxed paper, put it back into the refrigerator to chill again. Then I lay my crust over the pie pan and let it rest for 10 minutes before I crimp the edges. I think with that minor change, I would have avoided the shrinkage. The crust was not pretty, but it was tasty.

The filling seemed to come together beautifully. It thickened up quite nicely. It stayed thick even after adding the lemon juice and butter. The recipe instructed to let the mixture come to a boil after adding the tempered egg yolks then remove from the heat. I do believe if I had cooked the mixture for a few minutes extra this might have helped the filling to stay thick and firm up while baking. The taste of the filling was very, very good. It was very tart (which is a good thing for LMP).

I really had no problems with the meringue. It had the perfect flavor to compliment the tart lemon. The meringue did not weep on me either.

Overall, this is a very good recipe. I will probably try it again and try to get a better result with crust and the filling. I saw too many Daring Bakers show a perfect LMP to give up on this recipe. I had a great time trying this recipe. I look forward to trying new recipe each month and baking things I might never try otherwise.

Thanks again Jen. This was a great challenge!

Lemon Meringue Pie from "Wanda's Pie in the Sky" by Wanda Beaver

(Makes one 10-inch (25 cm) pie)

For the Crust:
¾ cup (180 mL) cold butter; cut into ½-inch (1.2 cm) pieces

2 cups (475 mL) all-purpose flour

¼ cup (60 mL) granulated sugar

¼ tsp (1.2 mL) salt ⅓ cup (80 mL) ice water

For the Filling:

2 cups (475 mL) water

1 cup (240 mL) granulated sugar

½ cup (120 mL) cornstarch

5 egg yolks, beaten

¼ cup (60 mL) butter

¾ cup (180 mL) fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon zest 1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract

For the Meringue:

5 egg whites, room temperature

½ tsp (2.5 mL) cream of tartar

¼ tsp (1.2 mL) salt

½ tsp (2.5 mL) vanilla extract

¾ cup (180 mL) granulated sugar

For the Crust: Make sure all ingredients are as cold as possible. Using a food processor or pastry cutter and a large bowl, combine the butter, flour, sugar and salt. Process or cut in until the mixture resembles coarse meal and begins to clump together. Sprinkle with water, let rest 30 seconds and then either process very briefly or cut in with about 15 strokes of the pastry cutter, just until the dough begins to stick together and come away from the sides of the bowl. Turn onto a lightly floured work surface and press together to form a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 20 minutes.

Allow the dough to warm slightly to room temperature if it is too hard to roll. On a lightly floured board (or counter top) roll the disk to a thickness of ⅛ inch (.3 cm). Cut a circle about 2 inches (5 cm) larger than the pie plate and transfer the pastry into the plate by folding it in half or by rolling it onto the rolling pin. Turn the pastry under, leaving an edge that hangs over the plate about ½ inch (1.2 cm). Flute decoratively. Chill for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line the crust with foil and fill with metal pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden. Cool completely before filling.

For the Filling: Bring the water to a boil in a large, heavy saucepan. Remove from the heat and let rest 5 minutes. Whisk the sugar and cornstarch together. Add the mixture gradually to the hot water, whisking until completely incorporated. Return to the heat and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture comes to a boil. The mixture will be very thick. Add about 1 cup (240 mL) of the hot mixture to the beaten egg yolks, whisking until smooth. Whisking vigorously, add the warmed yolks to the pot and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in butter until incorporated. Add the lemon juice, zest and vanilla, stirring until combined. Pour into the prepared crust. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming on the surface, and cool to room temperature.

For the Meringue: Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Using an electric mixer beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar, salt and vanilla extract until soft peaks form. Add the sugar gradually, beating until it forms stiff, glossy peaks. Pile onto the cooled pie, bringing the meringue all the way over to the edge of the crust to seal it completely. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden. Cool on a rack. Serve within 6 hours to avoid a soggy crust.

More Simple Pleasures Part II and other thoughts

2008-01-22T11:49:00.000-08:00

Well, my husband was on a roll last week. On Wednesday night I came home to "Enchilada Lasagna" courtesy of Alton Brown's delicious recipe. This was a tasty little casserole that was just perfect on a cold Winter's night. As if that weren't enough, Joe also whipped up Emeril's "Kahlua Flan". OMG...that was delicious. It was creamy, rich perfection. I snapped some pictures and might add them later. My photography skills are still not quite up to par so I'm not sure they are worth posting.

Sunday was a No Bake Day

Shock of all shocks I did absolutely no baking this weekend. It was a very relaxed weekend of a little shopping and a little football watching. (Hooray Pats!) I rarely have a weekend where I do no cooking whatsoever, but this was one of them. Sadly, I have procrastinated on my Daring Baker's Challenge as well. I will most definitely be completing that this weekend.

Super Bowl Sunday Menu

I am beginning to think about what will be on the menu for Super Bowl Sunday. I was thinking some Southwestern Fare as an homage to the Arizona venue. Of course, I could go the opposite way and think of New England dishes in honor of the Patriots. (I am a Texas Transplant to the Boston area. I've been here almost 9 years. My husband is a life-time, die-hard Pats fan. Somewhere along the way, I became a pretty big fan myself. It's sort of a "When in Rome..." kind of thing.) I certainly could go for some good New England Clam Chowdah! I have a recipe from the Union Oyster House in Boston and it is to die for. I'm sure I'll decide on a theme by this weekend.

What I'm Reading

I have just finished reading A Passion For Baking by Marcy Goldman. Some might find it odd for me to say that I "read" a cookbook. Those of you who love to cook/bake and find new recipes know what I mean. I love to find cookbooks like Marcy's, Rose Levy-Beranbuam or Alton Brown's, etc. There is so much more in these books than recipes. I love the advice, wisdom and oftentimes wit of these authors. They don't just tell you how. They tell you why. Of course, there are plenty of people who aren't interested in why. But for those of us who or somewhat possessed with baking the perfect loaf of bread, or cake or whatever it may be--the knowledge and practical advice gleaned from these author's is priceless.

A Passion For Baking or Just plain Nuts?

As I have previously posted, I have literally researched the cookie making process in the past several months. While, I have always gotten compliments on my cookies. I wanted my cookies to be "perfect". While I don't feel I've achieved perfection, I am getting closer. I have made adjustments from the mixing process to the cookie sheets I use and every step in between. To some, a cookie is a cookie. Not to me. To me it is a science and an art form. That can be said for baking in general. I have learned so much about bread making and cake baking over the last few years. I've baked bread and cakes with success in the past but now I understand why there were a few disastrous results along the way and how to avoid them in the future.

I have unearthed some wonderful food blogs recently. I do believe I stand to learn just as much from the practical experiences of some of these very talented bloggers as I have from my ever-growing collection of cookbooks. There's a whole community of wackos out there just like me. We look at new Kitchen Aid mixers and food processors the same way my husband looks at a shiny Mustang Cobra. Walking into Williams-Sonoma give us that same rush a five-year-old feels upon entering Toys R' Us. We sit and think about a recipe and mentally prepare ourselves to bake it as though we were participating in some Olympic event.

Crazy? Perhaps.

If lovin' food is wrong...I don't wanna be right!

Simple Pleasures

2008-01-15T18:24:00.000-08:00

Sometimes its the simple things in life that make me smile; a good hair day, finding a forgotten $5 bill in my coat pocket, a new pair of shoes--you get the drift. Today my husband's thoughtfulness and sense of culinary adventure created one of those simple pleasure moments.

Joe was at home today and was in the mood to cook. This doesn't happen too often. He is actually a very good cook. He just doesn't usually have the inclination. I had planned on having pork chops for dinner. He decided that the same old boring pork chops wasn't what he wanted. So instead of suggesting we order out, he found one of Emeril's recipes for Smothered Pork Chops. He had his inspiration and was ready to conquer the world (or at least the kitchen). He only had to call me a couple of times to ask where to find some of the ingredients he needed.

But wait...it gets better. My dear sweet husband decided to make some dinner rolls! He found the recipe all by himself and did not phone me for any assistance whatsoever. I must say I was thoroughly impressed. He has never made bread before. He was not afraid of yeast. He even kneaded the dough by hand. The rolls were wonderful. I must say that I am impressed. Many an experienced baker have not fared as well with their first experience with yeast!

I asked him if I could snap some pictures so that I could brag about him on my blog. The kids and I are not opposed to him cooking every week night! The pork was cooked to perfection and included a little sausage and potatoes. The sauce that they were smothered in was divine. The rolls melted in your mouth. Thanks Joey! You made my day.

The kids cleaned up and I settled in to peruse my latest Amazon.com purchase, A Passion for Baking by Marcy Goldman. I want to bake everything in the book so far. However, a recipe for Popcorn Bread immediately caught my eye. You make popcorn flour by putting some freshly popped popcorn in the food processor for this recipe. I can't wait to try this one! I'll definitely post about it once I do!

In the mean time, here's to simple pleasures!

True confessions of a scratch baker...

2008-01-13T16:25:00.001-08:00

Okay, usually I frown on boxed cake mixes. I'm a cake elitist. Why settle for a cake made from a mix when it's not that much more trouble to just bake it from scratch? BUT...today I made a cake from a box and it was very good . Delicious even! There! I said it.

Indulge me while I explain. As I said in my previous post, I got a gift certificate from Williams-Sonoma for Christmas. Right before Christmas I bought a new Nordicware Bundt pan. (To make our traditional Christmas Morning Monkey Bread.) So as I was browsing through W-S to see what kitchen doo-dad or nifty spice I might like to purchase, my gaze settled on a box of Double Chocolate Bundt Cake Mix. It boasted all natural ingredients and Guittard chocolate inside. I made sure no one was looking...and then quietly made my purchase.

We were invited to my mother-in-laws for lunch today and I wanted to bring dessert. I decided it was time to bring out the box of cake mix (which I had been hiding in the back of my kitchen cabinets). The mix called for me to add my own eggs, butter and milk. That was promising. My daughter helped me make it. We tested the batter and knew his would be a tasty cake. I added a little of my own glaze made with powdered sugar, vanilla and milk. (I had to add some sort of homemade touch to ease the guilt.)

The cake looked beautiful and it was rich and delicious. Very intense chocolate flavor. I'm not sure I would buy the mix again simply for the $14.95 price tag. However, the Guittard chocolate bits and cocoa would certainly be expensive to purchase on their own. It certainly is no ordinary mix. The ingredients were high quality.

Monster Cookies revisited

2008-01-13T15:56:00.000-08:00

I decided to give Paula Deen's Monster Cookies another shot. The first time I made them, I didn't get them quite right. I had a problem with them browning too fast on the bottom. However, one of my Christmas presents was a gift certificate to Williams-Sonoma. Oh my how I love that store! One of the things I purchased was some good cookie sheets. I can't tell you what a difference that has made in my cookie baking experience.

I've done a lot of research on cookie baking. (I know...I have no life.) I realized that my cookie sheets were part of the problem early on. The optimal cookie sheet (so I've read) should be shiny and have no sides. All my cookie sheets were dark with sides. I improvised for a while by flipping the cookie sheets over and lining them with aluminum foil. This did help them to cook more evenly. However, the new cookie sheets really took my cookies to a new level. Perfectly browned without burning on the bottom.

I've also learned to take my time and be patient. I now chill my drop cookies in the fridge after putting them on the baking sheet. I make sure to never put cookies onto a warm cookie sheet either. (No chance to let cookies spread too quickly.) I always use a cookie scoop to make sure my cookies are uniform in size. (The ones I purchased from Pampered Chef are great.)

Anyway, the cookies are very tasty. They are chewy and moist. They were a hit with everyone. Even my 21-month-old nephew! You can find the recipe on the Food Network website. http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_32570,00.html

The only change I made was to use a 1/2 cup of M&M baking bits instead of 1/4 cup M&M's & 1/4 Cup semi-sweet morsels.

Playing catch up

2008-01-10T06:40:00.000-08:00

I never got around to posting my Sunday Baking results. No pictures to post either. I'm a bad blogger...

By the way, my Banana Bread from Saturday turned out very nice. Rose's recipe called for cake flour. This resulted in a very tender crumb. As written, the recipe is baked in "Texas" sized muffin tins. I don't have any of those so I decided to just go with loaf pans. I doubled the recipe and made 2 loafs. The loafs were a bit thin so I could have just made one loaf. However, when I make this recipe again I will definitely make them as muffins. The delicate bread tends to fall apart when sliced so I think a muffin would be a better way to serve. Any way you serve it, it is a wonderful recipe. Of course, I've never met a Rose Levy Beranbaum recipe I didn't like!

Now for Sunday. I baked up a nice batch of Emeril's Macaroni and Cheese. http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_34027,00.html My family really loved this recipe. There were four different kinds of cheese and a little pancetta. It will be a new "go to" mac n' cheese recipe in our house from now on. I did end up adding about 1 cup more half and half to the recipe (after reading the recipe reviews) and would suggest others do the same. This is not a creamy mac n' cheese. It's more of a "gooey" mac n' cheese. (Hopefully, I'm not confusing you with these highly technical culinary terms!) I have to say it. Emeril really did take mac n' cheese and KICK IT UP A NOTCH!

The only other baking I did this weekend was soft pretzels. I'm afraid I have created a monster. My husband and children now expect hot pretzels for football watching! (Scroll down to see pictures of pretzels from another Sunday's Baking.) I found a recipe on Allrecipes.com and have adapted to our preferences. The original recipe can be found here: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Buttery-Soft-Pretzels/Detail.aspx

When I first started making these I had a few problems with my pretzels browning correctly. I adjusted the baking temperature to 425 and instead of dipping in the warm baking soda/water mixture, I boil the pretzels. I basically am baking them the same way I make bagels. Traditionally, pretzels are dipped in a 6% lye solution before baking. Since I don't have any lye around the house and I'm a little bit nervous about cooking with such a caustic ingredient...I decided to boil them. You won't have the same shiny and smooth texture you get when you buy pretzels in the mall, but the taste is even better. I have a feeling that if I tried an egg wash instead of brushing them in melted butter, the appearance may be preferable. I may try it this weekend with a few and see.

Here's the Recipe as I have adapted for my family:

Soft Pretzels

INGREDIENTS

4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 3/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
5 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour or Bread Flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup baking soda
4 cups boiling water
1 tsp molasses (optional)
1/2 cup melted butter (unsalted)
1/4 cup sea salt, for topping

DIRECTIONS

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

Stand Mixer Method:

Mix flour, 1/2 cup of sugar, and the salt on low. Slowly add yeast mixture and oil and mix on low to medium speed using dough hook until dough forms a ball. If dough is too dry add a teaspoon of water. Mix on medium with dough hook for 4-5 minutes. Dough should be smooth, elastic and slightly tacky.

Hand Method:

In a large bowl, mix together flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center; add the oil and yeast mixture. Mix and form into a dough. If the mixture is dry, add one teaspoon of water. Knead the dough until smooth, about 7 to 8 minutes.

Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (230 degrees C).

When risen, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope and twist into a pretzel shape. (Place each pretzel on a lightly floured surface or Silpat.)

Bring the water, baking soda, and molasses to a boil. Carefully drop pretzels into the boiling water and boil on each side for 2 minutes. Place pretzels on a baking rack and let them dry (you can pat dry with a towel). Brush the pretzels with melted butter and sprinkle with sea salt.*

Bake on greased baking sheet on middle oven rack for 7-8 minutes, until browned.

Serve with mustard, nacho cheese, or your families favorite dipping sauce.

(*Alternately you can roll the pretzels in a cinnamon and sugar mixture before baking.)

If you decide to try them, be sure and let me know how they turn out!

Enjoy!
Cyndi

My New Toy!

2008-01-05T19:08:00.000-08:00

There she is! My new 12-Cup Kitchen Aid Food Processor. I tested her out today. So far I'm loving it. Tomorrow I'll try to find more things to bake/cook just so I can used it again.

I baked a couple of loaves of Banana Bread this evening. I haven't tasted it yet but it smells divine. It was from Rose Beranbaum Levy's Bread Bible. I'm sure it will be delicious. You can never go wrong with a recipe from Rose.

Christmas 2007

2007-12-29T11:41:00.000-08:00

My nephew, Matthew. (He's watching Rudolph on TV and pretending he's the Elf that's directing the Elf Choir!) -->

<-- Haylie and my niece, Gina

<-- Justin and me!

My father-in-law playing Christmas Carols! -->

Everyone enjoying Christmas Carols -->

A few of the goodies I made for Christmas Eve. Chocolate Chip Cookies, Chocolate Chocolate Chunk Cookies, Biscotti, Peanut butter Temptations, Snickerdoodles, and a Kentucky Butter Cake.

It was a marathon baking/cooking week for me. I was so busy that I really forgot to take pictures of the finished products. Oh well...I did snap a quick picture of some of the treats before everyone arrived.

I sent my guests home with a pan of (unbaked) cinnamon rolls with instructions for baking on Christmas morning. Everyone loved them and appreciated having something sweet and gooey on Christmas morning.

I always make Monkey Bread for my kids on Christmas Eve Morning. This year I saved some of the cinnamon roll dough to use in my monkey bread. This made it so much better than the canned biscuit dough that the recipe calls for. I will definitely make it that way from now on.

For Christmas Dinner our tradition is beef tenderloin. I served it with fresh green beans, roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes (everyone likes their potatoes cooked different ways), canned green peas (for my father-in-law) and homemade bread. The meat was very good and we all enjoyed it thoroughly. Of course, the cleanup is always the worst part!

The day after Christmas I stayed in my pj's and did NOTHING! I was so tired, but it's all worth it. I try really hard to provide memorable Holiday's for my family. In my mind, food is always an important part of our traditions.

A Daring Baker is born...

2007-12-20T09:31:00.000-08:00

Well, here we go again. I snapped this picture from my office window this morning. Looks like we got another 4-5" today. No one is too happy to see it. Especially my father-in-law who spun out on 128 this morning on the way to work. He ended up stuck in a snow bank and had to be towed home. I think he wanted to go back to bed and start all over!

I do have some good news to report today. I am going to be a Daring Baker! What does this mean? Well, the Daring Bakers is a group of bakers (professional and home bakers) that challenge themselves each month with a new baking endeavor. The challenges are generally something that one normally wouldn't bake on a regular basis (thus the challenge). Each Daring Baker then does a write up on their personal blogs and posts their results and pictures. I can't wait to find out what January's challenge will be.

You can check out the Daring Bakers here.

http://daringbakersblogroll.blogspot.com/2007/07/welcome.html

Sunday's Baking

2007-12-17T08:07:00.001-08:00

It was a great snowy day to stay in and do some baking. I made a plate of peanut butter cookies for the Patriots game snacking. (GO PATS! 14-0). I also tested out a new cinnamon roll recipe. I always my co-workers baked goodies for Christmas. I wanted to test this one out before handing out as gifts. They were FABULOUS if I do say so myself! ;) The recipe was tauted as a Cinnabon Clone. The recipe lived up to it's name. They were every bit as good as those over-priced rolls you get in the Mall. So, I'll be baking several more batches this week.

This is the week where I go into Hyper Baking Mode! I bake for co-workers but I also do a lot of baking for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. We always have a Christmas Eve party with friends and family. We usually have about 15-16 people in all and more food than you could ever imagine! Then on Christmas day I cook a tenderloin for the immediate family and my in-laws. It's a lot of work but I enjoy every minute of it.

Saturday Night Doo Wop

2007-12-17T07:42:00.000-08:00

We took my in-laws to a "Holiday Doo Wop Concert" at the Berklee Performance Center in Boston on Saturday. It was an early Christmas gift for my father-in-law as he LOVES Doo Wop.

Even though this genre of music is way before my time, I enjoyed myself thoroughly. The headliner was Johnny Maestro and the Brooklyn Bridge. I'll tell you. Even at 68 years old that man has some of the best pipes I have every heard! I snapped a couple of pictures from my cell phone. As you can see, the quality is not to great but there's Johnny singing his heart out. He is know for hits like, "Sixteen Candles", "The Worst That Could Happen", and "Blessed is the Rain", etc.

Others performing were, Emil Stucchio and the Classics. (Claim to fame, "'Til Then"), Speedo and The Cadillacs ("Gloria" and "Speedo"), The Chantels ("Maybe", "Look In My Eyes"), and Frankie Ford the New Orleans Dynamo ("Sea Cruise"). My hats off to all these performers. They all still sound great and put on a fabulous show. These groups don't just stand there and sing. They most definitely PERFORM!

Joe and I hope the kids takes us to a 80's concert when we're 60. Maybe Jon Bon Jovi will still be belting out "Livin' on a Prayer" and Def Leppard will be there with gray hair and false teeth!

Let it Snow!

2007-12-17T07:06:00.000-08:00

It was a very snowy weekend here in New England. Thursday was a complete zoo. Luckily I got out of work before 1:00 and only have a 5 minute commute (which was 45 minutes that day). Many of my co-workers were on the road 4 and 5 hours trying to get home. Below are some pictures of the snow on Thursday. We probably got around 10 inches. Sunday's storm brought even more along with some sleet and rain. Our Christmas decorations are buried in the snow. We may not find our little inflatable Santa until Spring!

Sunday's Baking

2007-12-09T16:50:00.000-08:00

First up were some Roasted Pecans coated with sugar and cinnamon. This was for my husband. He loves pecans. My Dad sends me some every year, fresh off his pecan trees in East Texas. They always come in handy for holiday baking.

Next up was some home-made soft pretzels. Everyone begs for these on Sunday's. They don't always come out too attract (kind of gnarly looking actually), but they are so tasty. Half of them were plain and the other half is cinnamon and sugar. They all went in minutes!

Lastly, a batch of Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. These are always a crowd-pleaser. They smell so wonderful when they're baking.

It was a nice day of a little relaxing, a little baking, a little football and of course a few loads of laundry. Not a bad Sunday.

The icing on the proverbial cake is the Patriots are 13-0 baby! Woo Hoo! Go Pats!

I Survived the Sleepover

2007-12-09T09:11:00.000-08:00

Well, Haylie turned 11 yesterday. She requested a "Slumber Party" this year. I reluctantly agreed. Because I was once an 11-year-old girl, I understand that there is not much slumber involved in a slumber party. We kept the number of invitees to six. All but one was able to make it, so Haylie was happy.

The girls did actually go to sleep somewhere between 1:30 and 2:00 a.m. They woke up full of energy at around 7:30 a.m. I fed them some cinnamon rolls for breakfast and they went down to run around and scream a little more until around 11:00 a.m. All in all it was a good time and the girls were all sweet and well-behaved. Haylie took a little nap around 4:00 on Saturday afternoon. I think she was pretty wiped.

I needed a nap myself. Slumber Parties are a lot of work, but I survived!

Sunday's Results...

2007-12-02T17:58:00.001-08:00

I thought I'd share the final results from 'baking day'. I did make Paula Deen's Monster cookies. Kudos to Paula. They are delicious. They are loaded with peanut butter, oatmeal, chocolate chips, M&M's, and raisins! Everyone thought they were yummy.

My next endeavor was to make bagels. I have never attempted before so I started with a small batch. Lo and behold, they came out pretty good. The shapes are pretty 'rustic', but overall they look pretty good. I will definitely attempt again. I made 4 plain ones, 2 sugar & cinnamon, and 2 "everything" bagels. My husband and I shared a sugar & cinnamon one. Tasty! Nice texture, too. It was much easier than I expected.

Well, time to fold that last load over laundry. (Sigh...Sunday is also 'laundry day')

Cyndi

Sunday Baking

2007-12-02T08:00:00.001-08:00

When the weather starts to turn cold and my husband is downstairs watching football all day, Sunday's are usually my "baking day". I keep the cookies and football fare flowing for them. He thinks it's because I'm such a thoughtful wife. Of course, I am! (wink, wink) However, I also do it because it is therapeutic. I can just putter around in the kitchen all day and forget about the trials and tribulations of day-to-day life. Not to mention the fact that there's no better stress relief than taking your frustrations out on some bread dough.

I love to cook, but my passion is definitely baking. I've loved being in the kitchen since I was old enough to stir. Some of my favorite childhood memories are helping my mother with the holiday baking. I'm originally from Texas and my Mom is a fabulous southern cook. I'm a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to baking and I have Mom to thank for that. She always thought it a sacrilege to show up at a family gathering with a store-bought confection. No desserts from a box either! It's just as easy to make it from 'scratch'. I have certainly adopted that philosophy.

Today I think I'm going to make some of Paula's Deen's Monster Cookies. I saw her make them yesterday and they sure do look tasty. I'll probably make a batch of chocolate chip cookies as well. Maybe oatmeal raisin as well. Who knows? I start with an idea of what I want to make. Sometimes I make more than I originally planned and sometimes less. It all depends on how the day goes.

The day is bitter cold and perfect for baking. We are supposed to get our first real snow of the season tonight. Winter is indeed upon us. We have all the Christmas decorations up and even some presents ready to be wrapped and put under the tree. (Another thing I need to do today while cookies are in the oven!)

I'm off to bring my Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer upstairs. (My kitchen is far too small to keep it up here.) I'll tell you. That mixer is worth it's weight in gold. I would never make cookies again without it. Time to preheat the oven and get started.