It’s not that I haven’t been cooking, it’s just that I haven’t been posting. In the past few weeks I have made a few things, I tried a new pancake recipe, made some Ginger-Carrot-Pecan Cupcakes, made some Chai, bought some dilled green beans, a purple bell pepper (yes purple!), and just this morning made some whole wheat cinnamon pecan pancakes.
I’ll start with the most perfect looking pancake I have ever made:
I know its not “model perfection” but it does look pretty tasty. I’ve deemed it the best looking pancake because, well it is. Its almost perfectly round, with uniform solid color throughout. There aren’t any wierd little bubble holes, or pouring mistake lines in it. It looks just right.
I’m weird about food like that sometimes, leave me alone.
One weekend while a southern friend was visiting we went to the flea market which also includes food vendors. One of them was selling purple bell peppers. Yes PURPLE.
They were pretty weird. The taste was a mild pepper taste, kind of bland, but they sure did look nice!
If you’re wondering if the color is carried inside of the pepper, it is not :(, its white inside:
The purple color fades as you cook it as well. Rather disappointing.
Then there was my chai disaster:
Lets just say trying to use a coffee filter to filter out the spices didn’t work so well. I’ll let you know when I figure the recipe out, I’m trying to make chocolate chai. For now I’m going to stick with my tazo.
As for the green beans, the cupcakes and the new pancake recipe, you’ll just have to wait.
You’ve heard of cherry coke, there’s even vanilla coke, there are weird diet cokes, and random odd flavors that come out every now and then. This concoction you have to make on your own though.
Last year at an Italian festival nearby, there was a stand advertising, vanilla coke, cherry coke, and chocolate coke. I’m a coke addict so I had to see what was going on, and the lady at the stand showed me how to make it, and now I will share it with you!
Ok, its not that big of secret. If you haven’t figured it out yet, the ingredients are simple:
Pour in the coke.
Add some chocolate syrup and stir. (It has to be syrup, chocolate milk powder mix DOESNOTWORK. Believe me, I tried.)
I recommend adding ice, after mixing in the syrup, otherwise you get little chocolate globules floating throughout the drink.
Also don’t worry when it fizzes up when you add the syrup, its just what it does.
I made this salad a few weeks ago to take to a friends 4th of July barbeque (I’m really late, I know). I love basil, it is so tasty. I’ve got three plants growing in my back yard and I have more than I know what to do with!
I’ve always wanted to make my own pesto, and now I finally have enough fresh basil to do so! The recipe consists of a creamy buttermilk based dressing with garlic and pesto, mixed with noodles, fresh veggies and real mozzarella cheese chunks. Its really easy and really tasty.
I came up with this recipe by taking bits and pieces from all over the internet, and mixing in some of my own tastes! It has quite a few steps, but that’s only because I made my own pesto, but its relatively simple.
Ingredients
Dressing:
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoons rice vinegar
Pesto:
(or use 1 cup pre-made jarred pesto)
(this part is from simply recipes)
2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts or chopped walnuts
3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Salad:
1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup green beans
1 cup chopped zucchini (about one squash)
(if you prefer different veggies, use whatever you want!)
1/2 cup shredded fresh Parmesan cheese
1 big ball of fresh mozzarella, cubed (or a bunch of the little balls, shredded if that’s all you’ve got!)
16 oz your choices of pasta (I used fusilli, but was seriously contemplating some bowtie)
Boil the pasta according to the box directions, drain, and allow to cool.
Mix together the buttermilk, sour cream, mayonnaise and garlic, set aside to let those flavors meld.
Prepare the pesto.
Combine the basil in with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. Add the garlic, pulse a few times more.
Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Set aside.
If you don’t like crispy veggies, lightly steam the zucchini and green beans. Don’t let them turn to mush though, it’ll just make the salad a mess
Toss together the pasta, and other salad ingredients, reserving a handful of Parmesan, mozzarella and tomatoes to top the salad.
Just before serving mix together everything but the reserved ingredients. Top the salad with the reserved ingredients and a few whole basil leaves to make everything look pretty.
Yeah. I hate calling certain recipes perfect, because usually you then find one that is actually better. That and its up to the actual eater to determine whether something is perfect or not. I will share why I find these cookies to be so good though.
First, they are caramel-ey crispy. The bottoms are toasted just enough they get that delicious slightly browned crisp to them. Just above that though is a gooey chewy center, that has just the right amount of chew for an oatmeal cookie. Lastly, the little bursts of chocolate spread throughout are just the right amount.
Oh by the way you could use raisins instead of chocolate chips in this recipe. I just really don’t like raisins. Raisins and bananas, yes, two very popular fruits, that I just don’t dig.
Ingredients:
The Creamed:
Unsalted butter, softened 285g (10 oz)(1.25 cups)(2.5 sticks)
Brown sugar 170g (6 oz)(3/4 cup)
Sugar 99g (3.5oz)(1/2 cup) The Eggs:
Eggs 50g (1.75 oz)(1 large)
Vanilla Extract 9g (1/6 oz)(1 teaspoon) The Dry Goods:
Wheat Flour 205g (7.25 oz)(1 1/2 cups)
Baking Powder 5g (<1/4 oz)(1 teaspoon)
Ground Cinnamon 4g (<1/4oz)(1 teaspoon) The Extras:
Rolled Oats 234g(8 1/3 oz)(3 cups)
Chocolate Chips 2 cups (or one standard sized bag 12oz I think)
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Whisk all the dry goods together in a bowl.
Beat together the eggs with the vanilla extract.
Mix the butter in a mixer alone until a smooth and consistent texture (aka if there are any cold butter lumps, work them out). Slowly add the sugar and beat until the mixture has lightened and increased slightly in volume.
Add the eggs slowly, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
Work in the dry goods slowly in three separate stages. When the dry goods are mixed in, stir in the rolled oats and chocolate chips with a spoon.
Spoon or portion, or using a 1 oz disher, drop the dough onto an ungreased or parchment lined cookie sheet 2 inches apart.
Bake 15-17 minutes (mine were 16) rotating halfway through.
Allow the cookies to cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet (or they’ll break when you try to remove them!) then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
Enjoy.
Ingredients:
The Creamed:
Unsalted butter, softened 285g (10 oz)(1.25 cups)(2.5 sticks)
Brown sugar 170g (6 oz)(3/4 cup)
Sugar 99g (3.5oz)(1/2 cup) The Eggs:
Eggs 50g (1.75 oz)(1 large)
Vanilla Extract 9g (1/6 oz)(1 teaspoon) The Dry Goods:
Wheat Flour 205g (7.25 oz)(1 1/2 cups)
Baking Powder 5g (<1/4 oz)(1 teaspoon)
Ground Cinnamon 4g (<1/4oz)(1 teaspoon) The Extras:
Rolled Oats 234g(8 1/3 oz)(3 cups)
Chocolate Chips 2 cups (or one standard sized bag 12oz I think)
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Whisk all the dry goods together in a bowl.
(these dry goods are before whisking)
Beat together the eggs with the vanilla extract.
Mix the butter in a mixer alone until a smooth and consistent texture (aka if there are any cold butter lumps, work them out).
Slowly add the sugar and beat until the mixture has lightened and increased slightly in volume.
Add the eggs slowly, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
Work in the dry goods slowly in three separate stages.
When the dry goods are mixed in, stir in the rolled oats and chocolate chips with a spoon.
Spoon or portion, or using a 1 oz disher, drop the dough onto an ungreased or parchment lined cookie sheet 2 inches apart.
Bake 15-17 minutes (mine were 16) rotating halfway through.
Allow the cookies to cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet (or they’ll break when you try to remove them!) then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
Enjoy.
The recipe has been modified from Alton Brown’s I’m Just Here for More Food.
I keep making all this stuff that I don’t really like. For example, bananas. Yes, I don’t like bananas, you can hate me now. I know I make quite a few things with bananas in them, like banana bread. What can I say, I cook for my friends, who really like bananas.
Oh and my monkey cookie jar does too.
These cookies are more like tiny cakes than a traditional crispy cookie. They’re moist, soft and slightly chewy, with just enough banana flavor (or at least I’m told).
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (300g)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda (2g)
1/4 teaspoon salt (2g)
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed (130g)
2 Tablespoons brown sugar (22g)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (2g)
1/2 cup butter (113g)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract (2ml)
1/4 teaspoon banana extract (2ml)
2 eggs
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 cup chopped walnuts, toasted (optional) (40g)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
Beat together the 3/4 cup (130g) of brown sugar and butter, vanilla and banana extract. Mix until light.
Add the eggs and mix until fluffy.
Mix in the mashed bananas.
Slowly add the flour mixture to the sugar, egg, butter, banana mix.
Fold in the nuts (I didn’t have any nuts, so no nuts this time)
Drop by the teaspoon onto a prepared baking sheet. Try to keep them as round as possible, the thin parts just burn.
Sprinkle the cookies with a mixture of the 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and cinnamon. (I forgot this step, oops.)
Bake 8-10 minutes until lightly browned on the edges. The tops of these will not brown.
Let them firm up on the baking sheet for a moment before transferring them to racks to cool.
Eat.
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (300g)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda (2g)
1/4 teaspoon salt (2g)
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed (130g)
2 Tablespoons brown sugar (22g)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (2g)
1/2 cup butter (113g)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract (2ml)
1/4 teaspoon banana extract (2ml)
2 eggs
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 cup chopped walnuts, toasted (optional) (40g)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Sift together flour, baking soda and salt.
In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons brown sugar with cinnamon, set aside.
Beat together the remaining 3/4 cup brown sugar, butter, vanilla and banana extract until light and fluffy.
Beat in the eggs, and then add the mashed bananas.
Slowly stir in the flour mixture.
Fold in the chopped nuts, if using.
Drop by the teaspoonful onto the baking sheet. Sprinkle with the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture.
Bake 8-10 minutes until lightly browned around the edges.
Let the cookies cool a moment on the baking sheet before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
These nutrition facts were calculated using the recipe analyzer from Calorie Count at about.com, they are approximations, as in scientists have not evaluated this specific cookie for nutritional value, so use them as guidelines. Thanks!
Alton talks about six different kinds of baking in that book, the method used for the banana bread is the “muffin method”. This method you combine the wet items in a bowl, the dry in a separate bowl, then add the wet to the dry.
One of the things Alton does differently is he measures his ingredients by weight not volume, like professional bakers do. I’ve made the bread both ways, by using cups and tablespoons, as well as getting my awesome new scale out and measuring the ingredients by weight, both ways make a similar loaf.
This banana bread is simple and basic. It doesn’t have any frilly flavors like lemon, or poppy seed, and it doesn’t have any other fruits in it. Its just plain ole banana bread, a tasty staple.
I of course made a few minor changes. The first time I made it I didn’t have any oat flour, so I just replaced that with all-purpose flour. Lately I’ve been baking with whole wheat flour, so I’ve replaced the all-purpose flour with that. The whole wheat makes it thicker, and it eats like a meal. The original recipe also calls for nuts, but nuts are expensive, and many people I know can’t eat them for a variety of reasons, so I usually leave them out.
Ingredients:
Wet Works 1
Ingredient
Weight
Volume
Count
Prep
Overripe bananas
340 g
3 – 4
Sugar
210 g
1 cup
Dry Goods
Ingredient
Weight
Volume
Count
Prep
Whole Wheat Flour (or all-purpose)
220 g
1 2/3 cup
Oat Flour
35 g
1/3 cup
Baking Soda
6 g
1 tsp
Salt
6 g
1 tsp
Wet Works 2
Ingredient
Weight
Volume
Count
Prep
Unsalted Butter
113 g
8 tbs
1 stick
melted and cooled
Eggs
100 g
2 large
Almond Extract
6 g
1 tsp
Optional:
Ingredient
Weight
Volume
Count
Prep
Nuts (walnuts,pecans, or almonds)
1 cup
chopped
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F
Grease a loaf pan and line with wax paper.
Peel the bananas.
Mash them. The weight is a little more than what the recipe calls for. This made and OK banana bread, not great. The added banana makes the loaf a little wet when it comes out of the oven, just remember, less bananas means drier bread, more means wetter.
Add 210 grams (or 1 cup) of sugar.
In another bowl melt the butter (this is the butter unmelted).
Two eggs is pretty close to the 100 grams!
Add those to the butter.
Then add the butter/egg mixture (wet works 2) and the almond or vanilla extract to the banana mixture (wet works 1).
Next measure out the “Dry Goods”.
You’ll need 35 grams (1/3 cup) oat flour.
Then 220 grams (1 2/3 cups) of whole wheat or all-purpose flour.
Then 6 grams (1 tsp) each of baking soda and salt.
Add the combined “Wet Works” to the “Dry Goods” and stir until combined.
If you are using the nuts, add them now (I’m not so there aren’t any pictures).
Pour the batter into the pan.
Bake 50 minutes to an hour, or until a thermometer placed into the middle of the loaf registers 210 degrees F (100 degrees C).
Allow to cool on the stovetop for 15 minutes, then remove the loaf and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before slicing.
Store the bread tightly wrapped for upto a week.
Summary:
Ingredients:
Wet Works 1
Ingredient
Weight
Volume
Count
Prep
Overripe bananas
340 g
3 – 4
Sugar
210 g
1 cup
Dry Goods
Ingredient
Weight
Volume
Count
Prep
Whole Wheat Flour (or all-purpose)
220 g
1 2/3 cup
Oat Flour
35 g
1/3 cup
Baking Soda
6 g
1 tsp
Salt
6 g
1 tsp
Wet Works 2
Ingredient
Weight
Volume
Count
Prep
Unsalted Butter
113 g
8 tbs
1 stick
melted and cooled
Eggs
100 g
2 large
Almond Extract
6 g
1 tsp
Optional:
Ingredient
Weight
Volume
Count
Prep
Nuts (walnuts,pecans, or almonds)
1 cup
chopped
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F
Grease a loaf pan and line with wax paper.
Peel the bananas and mash them. The weight is a little more than what the recipe calls for. This made and OK banana bread, not great. The added banana makes the loaf a little wet when it comes out of the oven, just remember, less bananas means drier bread, more means wetter.
Add 210 grams (or 1 cup) of sugar.
In another bowl melt the butter (this is the butter unmelted) and allow it to cool. Add the two eggs and almond or vanilla extract.
Then add the butter/egg mixture (wet works 2) to the banana mixture (wet works 1).
Next measure out the “Dry Goods”.
You’ll need 35 grams (1/3 cup) oat flour, 220 grams (1 2/3 cups) of whole wheat or all-purpose flour and 6 grams (1 tsp) each of baking soda and salt.
Add the combined “Wet Works” to the “Dry Goods” and stir until combined. If you are using the nuts, stir them in now.
Pour the batter into the pan and bake 50 minutes to an hour, or until a thermometer placed into the middle of the loaf registers 210 degrees F (100 degrees C). If you stick a toothpick in the loaf it may come out gooey. Don’t worry this will set-up as it cools, if you wait for it to come out clean, the outside of the loaf will burn. The bread is fine as long as the inside reaches 210 degrees F.
Allow to cool on the stovetop for 15 minutes, then remove the loaf and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before slicing.
In the past week I have made two different types of baklava. One traditional style with sheets of phyllo and nuts, another with phyllo, nuts, and a custard.
The traditional name for custard baklava is Baklava Muhalabiyya in Arab cuisine, and Galaktoboureko in Greek cuisine. There is a difference between the two, the greek custard contains eggs, where the Arab custard does not.
Seeing the custard baklava got my brain wheels a turning. What would happen if I combined the traditional nut baklava with the tasty new custard baklava that I found?
The results are mixed. The custard in the baklava I created is only okay for a day or two, whereas nut baklava usually gets better with age. Add to that fact the forgetting of the dish on food day at work, and not having the will to actually eat an entire pan of the stuff, leads to kind of runny sugar syrupy, custard lumpy, but the nuts and the top phyllo still tasty as can be.
So that recipe is a half fail at the moment.
Because that was slightly a fail, and I still had plenty of phyllo left over, I mad a smaller pan of traditional nut Baklava, but only with pecans instead of walnuts or pistachios. Its my Baklava, I’m using pecans if I want to.
It is best if you make the syrup first. It needs to be cool when you pour it over the just out of the oven baklava. If it is still warm when poured, instead of cooking and bubbling when it hits the hot dish, it will just soak into the phyllo and make it soggy.
Ingredients:
1 c sugar
1 c honey
1 1/2 c water
2 tbsp lemon juice
Combine all of the above ingredients in a heavy saucepan.
Bring mixture to a boil, stirring so the sugar dissolves.
Boil for about 5 minutes, without stirring until it forms a thick clear syrup.
Set aside to let it cool completely, not moving it or moving it as little as possible.
6 cups of whole milk
1 c semolina flour
3 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
1 c white sugar
1/4 tsp salt
6 eggs
1/2 c white sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Bring the milk to a boil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
In a medium bowl whisk together the semolina, cornstarch, 1 cup of sugar and salt so there are no clumps.
When the milk comes to a boil, gradually add the semolina mixture, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.
Cook stirring constantly until the mixture thickens and returns to a full boil.
Remove from heat and set aside.
Beat the eggs until the yolks are broken and slightly mixed.
Add 1/2 c up of sugar,
and whip until thick and pale about 10 minutes. (10 minutes here people, I’m not kidding.)
(Before – dark yellow, After – light yellow)
Stir in vanilla.
Fold the whipped eggs into the hot semolina mixture, cover lightly with plastic wrap (to keep from getting that nasty milk film on the top of it), and set aside to cool.
Nut Filling:
1 lb walnuts finely chopped or coarsely ground, or pistachio (I used pecans, because I like pecans, but walnuts or pistachios are traditional)
1/4 c sugar
1-2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
There are many different blends for Baklava fillings, search the internet and experiment to find one that you like. According to a taste tester, this one has an apple pie flavor because of the cinnamon and cloves.
Finely chop the nuts, by hand, by blender, or food processor. Use whichever method you have available and are comfortable with. I don’t have a cutting board yet, so I put my blender to use. (Living in different houses and using what they already have leads to having a blender, but not a cutting board.)
Mix together the chopped nuts, sugar, cinnamon and cloves.
You will need:
Approximately 1/2-1 cup clarified butter (see below)
A pastry brush
One package of phyllo dough
Clarified Butter
To make clarified butter for this recipe melt two sticks of butter in a microwave safe bowl, do not stir while the butter is melting. Otherwise you will have to wait for the butter to separate.
When the butter is done melting there should be three layers, a fluffy white layer on top, a translucent yellow layer in the middle, and thick white fatty looking layer on the bottom.
Skim the foamy layer off the top, using a spoon and a paper towel.
When the majority of the foamy white stuff has been skimmed off the top, carefully pour the translucent yellow liquid into another bowl, making sure none of the white goop on the bottom goes with it.
This translucent yellow liquid is the clarified butter.
It helps to read up on Baklava and working with phyllo dough before starting, this is a very handy guide written by an at home Baklava baker.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Set up your working station:
Setting up the work station is important. Phyllo dough dries out very quickly so you have to work just as fast. The basics of what you will need are phyllo dough, clarified butter, pastry brush, a damp towel, plastic wrap and a water spritzer. Have both or either filling close at hand as well.
Note that most of the images below are from my nut only Baklava, using a 9 × 9 inch glass baking dish. The images with the 9 × 13 inch baking dish are from my custard/nut combination. I had my roommate take the pictures this time too, so you get to see both hands! (And no, those are not my pajamas, really…)
Roll out your phyllo dough onto the waxy sheet that comes with it, or onto some wax paper. Cover with the damp towel and plastic wrap.
Brush down the dish you are making this in with the butter.
Lay in the first layer.
If your phyllo sheets are larger than your dish (like below) lay one side into the dish with part of it hanging over the edge. Spread butter onto the portion on the bottom of the dish with the pastry brush. Fold over the extra edge then brush that with butter as well.
Go lightly with the butter, you don’t want to drown the sheets of dough.
Continue building layers like this brushing each one lightly with butter before adding the next until there are 8-10 layers of dough in the dish.
If your dough is longer than your dish, but not twice as wide, alternate sides that the dough folds over on. That way there is the same number of layers on each side, and your desert isn’t lopsided.
If you notice your damp towel is getting a little too dry, and your phyllo is becoming brittle, spritz the towel with water lightly. If you soak the towel it will get the phyllo wet and it will stick together.
Pour in your filling, and even it out (for both the custard and the nuts). I wanted more than one layer of nuts, so I reserved about half of them for later.
Lay another layer of dough on the filling and brush with butter. Be careful if you are using the nut filling, it is easy to tear the dough at this point, especially if you are using a sticky brush, since it doesn’t stick to the nuts very well. The dough sticks very well to the custard though, and I didn’t have any problem with tearing at this layer.
If you do tear the dough (which is likely), just piece it back together the best you can and brush it gently with the butter. I have found it didn’t matter too much with tearing except the top layer, but that is only because I wanted a pretty top layer.
Add about 8-10 more layers, brushing with butter between each, as directed above.
If you are just using one layer of filling you can stop at this point. If you are using more than one continue, adding another layer of filling, then another 8-10 layers of dough, and so on, until you have as many layers as you would like, or until you run out of filling.
I don’t recommend having multiple layers of the custard. The dough in the middle is likely to become soggy and ick, it works best with one solid layer in the middle of flakey dough.
You can add as many layers of dough at a time you would like, its your Baklava. Most recipes I found recommended 8-10 and I found it worked well in mine.
When you get to the very top layer of dough, using a nice solid piece of phyllo press it onto the top of the dish. If like in my case, your phyllo is larger than your dish, lay what would be the extra in the dish and brush with butter first, or trim a sheet to the proper size. Lay over the larger piece to cover the entire dish with one solid piece of dough.
Using a VERY sharp knife carefully slice through the top layer of dough.
Do not cut through the bottom layer. If you only have one layer of filling (like with the custard) only cut through the top layer. If you have multiple layers slice through them, but not the bottom one. The cuts make the top bake golden and crispy and pretty, and leave space for the sugar syrup to flow through the entire dish. Cutting directions can be found on this site.
Spritz lightly with water
Bake 40-45 minutes if you have a custard filling, and 30-35 for a nut filling. I have seen recipes that have you bake the phyllo for up to an hour. Take the Baklava out of the oven when the top is golden brown and crispy looking. The custard does need to be in the oven for at least 40 minutes though so that the custard can cook long enough to set.
Immediately after removing it from the oven pour the sugar syrup over it making sure to pour some on all of it getting into the corners and along the edges.
Allow the dish to cool completely. COMPLETELY.
When cool, using a sharp knife, slice through the baklava, following the cuts already made, slicing all the way through to the bottom.
The custard Baklava is best eaten within the first day or two. After that it gets soggy and liquid-y.
On the other hand the nut baklava gets tastier with age. I’m not sure how long until it goes bad. It never lasts very long.
I made this smoothie this morning to hide a bunch of stuff I didn’t want to taste. I’m suffering from my second spell of illness in the past month. It has not been fun. (It’s also why I haven’t been posting, who wants to eat something a sicko ate?)
My dad gave me some anti-viral elderberry extract to help me get better, and stay better. Its not that it tastes bad, its elderberry extract, its just stronger than strong. Usually when you think of extracts you think of little bottles of alcohol-y fruit flavored liquids you add to things you are cooking or baking. Not this stuff, this stuff is almost as thick as honey, and as dark as molasses. Usually I take a spoonful of the stuff and pour it right down the back of my throat. This morning my brother’s magic bullet sitting right next to the bottle of extract was calling to me.
I am not vegetarian, let alone vegan, but I know many people who are. I bought this really awesome cookbook for a really awesome friend who blogs on a really awesome pet blog, and I couldn’t help but go through it before sending it on its way. It was hard not photocopying the whole thing, but I restrained myself and pulled only a few recipes out.
The cookbook was Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, writting by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. If you haven’t seen this book, pick a copy up for yourself. These authors’ other books are awesome as well.
I was vegetarian back in the day (I won’t say how long ago, that just makes me feel old). I was young and had no idea what I was doing beyond not eating meat. It became a pain in the butt because I was young, dependent on my parents yet, and my dad was big on making roasts for dinner, so I eventually stopped.
Living on my own was the next time I came close to being vegetarian. I didn’t do it on purpose, it was just easier and cheaper to make meals without as much meat, or with no meat at all.
Since buying this book for my friend, I’ve become re-interested in vegetarian and vegan foods. They are healthier, cheaper, and you’re helping sweet furry cuddly animals. I could probably be vegetarian again one day, but it would be some serious work to be vegan. I love egg and dairy products too much, I don’t know if I could live without cheese (no matter how much I’ve found out its really not good for you).
I decided to make one batch of the special flavors of cupcakes from the cookbook, the orange pudding cupcakes, and a batch of plain golden cupcakes with chocolate frosting. The initial results weren’t as amazing as I expected. Right out of the oven they were a little dry, and more earthy than sweet tasting.
I decided to use my friends as food guinea pigs though, and fed them a few too see what they thought. All of my taste testers thought they were great and were really surprised when I told them that they were vegan. They didn’t agree with me at all about the flavors. Since there was such a consensus about how great they were I had to try another one.
They taste better the next day! They became moister and the sweet flavor associated with cupcakes were there. So if you make these and aren’t overly impressed as soon as they come out of the oven, frost them, and let them sit and develop their animal free cupcake-y goodness.
Orange Pudding Cupcakes
These are some tasty citrus cupcakes. I used orange buttercream frosting instead of the ganache used in the recipe in the book. These were light, and I didn’t want to overpower them with a big blob of chocolate on the top (even though chocolate orange is the awesome!). I also didn’t have any marmalade on hand, so I just omitted that part.
3/4 c soy milk
1/2 c fresh squeezed orange juice
3 tbsp tapioca flour, cornstarch or arrow root
1/4 c plus 2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp of turmeric for color (optional)
1 tsp finely grated orange zest
Whisk together the soy milk, orange juice, tapioca flour, sugar, vanilla and tumeric (if using) in a small heavy bottomed saucepan. (I used a spoon because I’m once again house-sitting and am whiskless, and its a nonstick saucepan.) I used cornstarch because that is what I had on hand, but I think one of the other choices would work better, the cornstarch left the pudding starchy tasting (but still good).
Cook over medium heat for about 2 minutes, until the mixture is warm and steaming, whisking occasionally.
When the mixture is warm, reduce the heat to low, and stir constantly for 5 minutes as the mixture thickens. When the pudding becomes too thick for a whisk switch to a fork (or like me stick with the spoon).
When the mixture is sufficiently thick and pudding-y, turn off the heat and fold in the orange zest, mixing for another minute.
Transfer the pudding to a bowl and let cool for 10 minutes until the mixture stops steaming. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour, it will continue to thicken as it cools.
Next make the cupcakes:
1/3 c canola oil
3/4 c granulated sugar
3/4 c soy milk
1/2 c fresh squeezed orange juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp finely grated orange zest.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.
Measure out the flour in a small bowl.
In a large bowl combine the oil, sugar, soy milk, orange juice, and vanilla.
To that mixture add 1 tbsp of flour from the flour in the bowl and mix until combined. This will help emulsify the mixture.
As you can see in the picture before adding the flour, there are large blobs of oil dispersed throughout, after mixing in the flour, there are still drops of oil, but they are smaller and more evenly dispersed.
Sift together the remaining flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet in three batches, mixing well after each addition until smooth.
Fold in the orange zest and mix to distribute.
Fill each cupcake liner 2/3 to 3/4 of the way full. (I love my silicone muffin tray by the way.)
Bake for 20-22 minutes at 350 degrees F. The tops should spring back when touched, and a toothpick come out clean when inserted into the center of a cupcake.
Remove from the muffin tin and cool completely on a baking rack before filling with the pudding, or frosting.
Orange Buttercream Frosting
1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup margarine, softened
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a small bowl combine the margarine and shortening until well combined.
Add the confectioners sugar in about 1/2 cup additions.
After each addition of sugar, add a splash of orange juice and beat well with mixers on medium speed.
Add the vanilla and beat for another 3-5 minutes until the frosting is smooth, creamy and fluffy. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. (I put mine in a plastic ziplock bag.)
Assemble
Fit a pastry bag with the widest tip possible, and fill the bag with pudding (use common sense when doing this). Or take a plastic ziplock bag and fill with pudding. Using scissors snip of a corner of the bag to create a poor mans pastry bag.
Using your finger, poke a hole in the top of each cupcake and kind of squish the cupcake around so there is room to pipe pudding into the centers. (High tech I know!)
Pipe the pudding into the cupcakes. Do this by sticking the bag as far as you can into the cupcake, and squeeze the pudding in while supporting the cupcake with your other hand. You want to fill them up as much as possible, don’t be afraid if a little comes out the top of the cupcakes.
When all of the cupcakes are filled use your finger to wipe off access pudding (or a knife if you’re sanitary like that or are feeding them to other people).
Pipe the orange buttercream frosting ontop of the cupcakes decoratively. Or just use a knife or spatula and slap some on there, they’ll taste good either way!
Set the cupcakes in the refrigerator to set the frosting. Eat. (They taste best the second day after the orange and sweetness has had time to soak through the entire cupcake.)
3/4 c soy milk
1/2 c fresh squeezed orange juice
3 tbsp tapioca flour, cornstarch or arrow root
1/4 c plus 2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp of turmeric for color (optional)
1 tsp finely grated orange zest
The cupcakes:
1/3 c canola oil
3/4 c granulated sugar
3/4 c soy milk
1/2 c fresh squeezed orange juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp finely grated orange zest.
Orange Buttercream Frosting:
1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup margarine, softened
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Make the pudding:
Whisk together the soy milk, orange juice, tapioca flour, sugar, vanilla and tumeric (if using) in a small heavy bottomed saucepan.
Cook over medium heat for about 2 minutes, until the mixture is warm and steaming, whisking occasionally.
When the mixture is warm, reduce the heat to low, and stir constantly for 5 minutes as the mixture thickens. When the pudding becomes too thick for a whisk switch to a fork.
When the mixture is sufficiently thick and pudding-y, turn off the heat and fold in the orange zest, mixing for another minute.
Transfer the pudding to a bowl and let cool for 10 minutes until the mixture stops steaming. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour, it will continue to thicken as it cools.
Next make the cupcakes:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.
Measure out the flour in a small bowl.
In a large bowl combine the oil, sugar, soy milk, orange juice, and vanilla. To that mixture add 1 tbsp of flour from the flour in the bowl and mix until combined. This will help emulsify the mixture.
Sift together the remaining flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet in three batches, mixing well after each addition until smooth.
Fold in the orange zest and mix to distribute.
Fill each cupcake liner 2/3 to 3/4 of the way full. (I love my silicone muffin tray by the way.) Bake for 20-22 minutes at 350 degrees F. The tops should spring back when touched, and a toothpick come out clean when inserted into the center of a cupcake.
Remove from the muffin tin and cool completely on a baking rack before filling with the pudding, or frosting.
Orange Buttercream Frosting
In a small bowl combine the margarine and shortening until well combined. Add the confectioners sugar in about 1/2 cup additions. After each addition of sugar, add a splash of orange juice and beat well with mixers on medium speed.
Add the vanilla and beat for another 3-5 minutes until the frosting is smooth, creamy and fluffy. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.
Assemble
Fit a pastry bag with the widest tip possible, and fill the bag with pudding (use common sense when doing this). Or take a plastic ziplock bag and fill with pudding. Using scissors snip of a corner of the bag to create a poor mans pastry bag.
Using your finger, poke a hole in the top of each cupcake and kind of squish the cupcake around so there is room to pipe pudding into the centers.
Pipe the pudding into the cupcakes. Do this by sticking the bag as far as you can into the cupcake, and squeeze the pudding in while supporting the cupcake with your other hand. You want to fill them up as much as possible, don’t be afraid if a little comes out the top of the cupcakes.
When all of the cupcakes are filled use your finger to wipe off access pudding (or a knife if you’re sanitary like that or are feeding them to other people).
Pipe the orange buttercream frosting ontop of the cupcakes decoratively. Or just use a knife or spatula and slap some on there, they’ll taste good either way!
Set the cupcakes in the refrigerator to set the frosting. Eat. (They taste best the second day after the orange and sweetness has had time to soak through the entire cupcake.)
Last night I went and hung out with Amy. She has been busy, busy, busy making chocolates for gifts for Christmas. She was already in the middle of finishing up the cherry cordials when I got there.
Cherry cordials are something you have to pay attention to while you’re making them, so I left her to her chocolatey ways. Instead I helped her mom dismember some retarded quilt squares that were put together backwards. We also decided the menu for dinner on Christmas Eve.
Christmas Eve Menu:
Honey Baked Ham
Green Beans
Summer Corn
Twice baked potatoes
Pizza wreath
Cranberry Mint Punch
Corn Bread
And dessert provided by me, Peppermint Cheesecake (and its no-bake!). I’ll be making this Sunday night so if you would like to make one too here is a list of things you will need:
Oreo Cookies (or chocolate cookie crumbs), butter, unflavored gelatin, 16 oz cream cheese, sugar, water, milk, peppermint candy, heavy cream, and milk chocolate candy bars, some beaters, and a springform pan.
about 12 oz of crushed peppermint candies (candy canes or starlight mints, or other hard peppermint candy)
a 9 × 13 pan lined with wax paper.
Melt 1 lb of the brown melting chocolate until smooth.
Spread into the bottom of the lined pan so it is a uniform thickness. Work quickly before the chocolate sets.
Place pan into the refrigerator until the chocolate has hardened.
While the chocolate is cooling in the fridge, melt the white chocolate.
Take the pan of brown chocolate out of the fridge and spread the white chocolate ontop of the brown chocolate.
Sprinkle the crushed peppermint candies ontop of the white chocolate before it hardens, using your hands to press the crushed candy into the chocolate if needed.
Place in the refrigerator until cooled.
Remove from the refrigerator and peel away the wax paper. Break the large sheet of peppermint park into smaller manageable pieces.
Here is a simple recipe version of Amy’s Cordials, the amounts are not exact, you kind of just go along as you’re making them until you’re out of one ingredient or another, or have made as many as you want to (at least thats how we’ve done it).
Sorry I do not know what types of molds she had or what brand fondant she used. All of her supplies came from the Hartville Chocolate Factory though, so I’m sure if you call them they can give you the details! (I’ll also update this with a link to the information when I get it from amy later.) When you initially mix the fondant, it looks like a thick powdered sugar/water mixture. When it sets up with the cherries inside the chocolates though, it turns into a delicious cherry flavored liquid.
Ingredients:
Melting Chocolate
Fondant
Maraschino Cherries
Drain the maraschino cherries, reserving the juice. Slice the cherries into halfs or quarters (depending on the size of the cherries). Dry them the best you can with a tea towel or paper towels (be careful of towel fuzz!).
The fondant that Amy had was a 1 to 5 ratio of cherry juice to fondant, so for each 5 teaspoons of fondant powder, she added 1 teaspoon of cherry juice.
Melt the chocolate. Spoon a small amount of chocolate into each mold. Using a paintbrush brush the chocolate up the sides of each mold. Set in the freezer a minute or two to quickly set the chocolate. If the shell on the sides of the mold is too thin for your liking, add another layer of melted chocolate, and quickly freeze again.
Place a piece or two of cherry into each hardened cherry cordial mold. Top carefully with a small amount of fondant and allow the fondant to flow to the bottom of the cups.
When the fondant has settled, top with melted chocolate. Set in refrigerator to cool until solid.
I am a cookie making machine. This is the fourth type of cookie I have made in the past week (Chocolate Mint Snappers, Jelly Thumbprints, and some Peanutbutter cookies that are coming soon).
These are light, citrus-y, with just the right amount of crunch to them while still being delightfully chewy. The flavor is reminiscent of fresh squeezed orange juice that tickles your tongue. They’re just the thing to perk you up in the middle of a dreary, dark, cold winter.
Ingredients
Cookies:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
zest of 2 oranges
1 3/4 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Rolling Sugar:
1/4 cup sugar
red and yellow food coloring (or orange)
(or 1/4 c orange colored sugar)
Orange Glaze:
1/2 c powdered sugar
2 tbsp orange juice
Directions
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar.
Add the egg and orange zest.
Combine the flour, salt and baking soda in a small bowl, and add in parts to the wet mix. Mix until just combined.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth (but work quickly and don’t add too much four or the cookies will be tough).
Cut the dough in half and shape into 2 rolls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap in waxed paper and chill the dough logs in the refrigerator over night, or at least 4 hours, until very firm.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Mix together the powdered sugar and orange juice to make a glaze.
Add a couple drops of food coloring to the 1/4 c of sugar, and stir, stir, stir, stir. Stir until there are no blobules of food coloring left and the sugar is orange in color. (It works really!)
Retrieve the dough from the refrigerator. It should have flattened a little into an oval shape on its own. If it hasn’t, thats ok too. Carefully unwrap from the waxed paper and roll in the colored sugar. Don’t be afraid to pat the sugar into the dough.
Slice the dough 1/4 inch thick, and arrange on a cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes until the bottoms of the cookies are very lightly browned.
If at any point the dough is difficult to slice, stick it in the freezer for a minute to re-firm it.
Transfer the cookies to cooling racks while still hot, and brush with the orange icing you prepared earlier. (Slide some wax paper under the rack to catch drips.)
These cookies are a holiday staple in my family. I can’t think of a year that someone didn’t make at least one batch of these cookies.
The original recipe calls for apricot jam or preserves to fill the cookies, but any flavor can work. I have found in the past that jam or preserves are best, jelly is too runny and has too much sugar in it. Last time I used grape jelly the fruity dots caramelized or escaped the cookie and ran all over the baking sheet. My favorite is raspberry and strawberry preserves.
This recipe makes about 7 dozen cookies.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
2 tablespoons lemon juice (I used the juice from half a lemon)
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest (I used the zest from one whole lemon)
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup apricot preserves (or strawberry, or raspberry, or peach, or …)
Directions
Start by zesting and juicing your lemon (if you’re using the real stuff).
Add the butter, sugar, and cream cheese to the mixing bowl. To soften the butter and cream cheese, I zap each for 30 seconds on high in the microwave (watch them so they don’t melt!).
Cream these three ingredients together until smooth and creamy (and tasty!)
Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the lemon juice and lemon zest.
Mix until smooth and liquid looking. There will be a few blobs of cream cheese left, but it should be mostly uniform looking.
Combine the flour and baking powder.
Stir into the cream cheese mixture about 1/3 at a time, until just combined.
You’ll have to switch over from the mixer to a spoon and man power towards the end of adding the flour.
Cover and stick in the refrigerator or freezer until firm (it depends on how much time you have to make these). Do not skip this! You’ll be covered in sticky dough if you do.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Roll level tablespoonfuls of dough into balls, and place them 2 inches apart on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick spray. The original directions say to use ungreased sheets, but my cookies stuck. Keep the dough in the fridge or freezer while the cookies are baking. This keeps the dough firm and easy to roll into balls.
Stumble It! | Comment
If you haven’t seen this book, pick a copy up for yourself. These authors’ 
