In my mind. Of my mind. Lots to do and unload both in the physical world and the world that is within. Thankfully it's only February, so I can procrastinate just a bit more.
I'm eager to get my hands in the dirt and plant the hell out of some ignored planting beds. But first the snow has to melt. And stay melted.
I'm eager to finish our guest room, but first the water damage from a leak needs to be repaired. (Insert denial here.)
I'm eager for cooking outside, or simply being outside and enjoying it, but first we need some warmer temps, and again...for the snow to melt.
In the meantime, I'm getting as much outdoor time as I can stand. I'm eating lots of mason jar salads for lunch. I'm getting back to the gym. I'm baking less (well, spontaneous mug cakes aside) to pay penance for a butter-heavy winter. I'm trying.
I think we are all very ready to shake off the frost, wear fewer layers, and bring out the prettier parts of our wardrobe, the ones that skim and flounce rather than hug and shroud. I miss my toes. They've been buried under 2 (sometimes 3!) layers of socks for so long.
When I've gotten rid of a few mental cobwebs, I'll sit down and talk to you about my mason jar salads and my mug cakes. About my birthday in Philly where I ate all the things. And about how I'mbeyond ready to dash down to Delaware for John's birthday in April, where we can borrow bicycles from the hotel, sit around the fire pit at the hotel in the evening, walk on the quiet earl-spring beaches and otherwise enjoy the non-routineness of it all.
Until then, I'm sending you warmth. We need it!
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Oh, My: Pie!
Grossly overdue, but here I am to talk about the pie I baked for Christmas at my parents'.
This was my first foray into a true all-butter (as in no other fats--this broad don't mess with lard or shortening!) pie crust. Really, it wasn't as terrible as I feared, and was hugely successful and sinfully flaky and delicious. Another thing I can add to the "what took me so long?" list.
I made the crust ahead of time, knowing it would keep just fine in the fridge until I was ready. This saved me a huge amount of waiting around and work time on the day I needed to make the pie. With all the other holiday baking I had going on, anything I could do to economize on my time was certainly worthwhile!
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When the crust came together, it stayed rather crumbly, but that was exactly what the recipe said to expect. And so I simply balled it up, flattened it into two disks (the recipe makes enough for a double-crusted pie), and refrigerated them both for a few days until I was ready to get my pie on.
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The rolling-out is the tricky part. You've got to keep it from sticking to the rolling pin as well as the rolling surface, while also making sure it rolls into what loosely resembles a circle. Oh, and also you can't handle it too much or roll it too thin--that will cause it to tear*.
Then the next anxiety-ridden step was lifting the dough and molding it in the pie plate. Thankfully, I was able to lift and place it with no tears and no cracks. Whew! I decided on the simplest crimp for the crust, but even that took a bit of work to get the hang of--it's simply pinching the dough, but you have to make sure it holds correctly (you're pinching the "extra" dough that had been trimmed and left hanging over the edge of the pie plate). Just like using a piping bag, it took a little work (and practice on scrap bits) to get it right.
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By the time I was done, I was actually quite pleased with my very first pie crust! I mean...it looked like all the photos I had seen! Thankfully, the only step left for the crust was to pop it in the fridge while I worked on the filling. This crust simply bakes with the filling, so I didn't need to use pie weights to blind bake or anything. I didn't even need to prick vents in it. I like it: keep things simple!
The filling for this particular pie was apples and cranberries. Because the recipe used 3 Honeycrisps and 2 Granny Smiths, that's exactly what I used. As well as half a bag of fresh cranberries. Perhaps the best part was that once the apples had all been peeled and sliced, you mixed them with some lemon juice and spices and left them to macerate and give up quite a lot of juice! The juice was then caramelized on the stovetop and dumped over the apples and cranberries once they were placed in the pie crust. Oh my!
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I think next time I make this, I will use only apples (wasn't a huge fan of the tart cranberries), and I will not use all of the caramel juice. It never quite thickened up, and so when the pie was sliced into, a lot of the juice came running out. It was delicious, don't get me wrong! But I tend to like a bit more of a gelled pie--less gooey and more thick.
Now, I said earlier the pie crust recipe makes enough for a double-crusted pie. This is just a bottom-crust pie. So what topped it? Why, a delicious crumble!
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The crumble was just enough coverage to keep the apples from burning during baking while getting juuuust perfectly browned itself. Thank goodness it came out so well--I'm not scared off from making future pies! Which is good because come peak farmer's market season, it's gonna be a whole new ballgame.
*Should your crust tear, you can just use some of the extra scraps to make a little patch--once it's baked, no one will ever know.
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This was my first foray into a true all-butter (as in no other fats--this broad don't mess with lard or shortening!) pie crust. Really, it wasn't as terrible as I feared, and was hugely successful and sinfully flaky and delicious. Another thing I can add to the "what took me so long?" list.
I made the crust ahead of time, knowing it would keep just fine in the fridge until I was ready. This saved me a huge amount of waiting around and work time on the day I needed to make the pie. With all the other holiday baking I had going on, anything I could do to economize on my time was certainly worthwhile!
Then the next anxiety-ridden step was lifting the dough and molding it in the pie plate. Thankfully, I was able to lift and place it with no tears and no cracks. Whew! I decided on the simplest crimp for the crust, but even that took a bit of work to get the hang of--it's simply pinching the dough, but you have to make sure it holds correctly (you're pinching the "extra" dough that had been trimmed and left hanging over the edge of the pie plate). Just like using a piping bag, it took a little work (and practice on scrap bits) to get it right.
By the time I was done, I was actually quite pleased with my very first pie crust! I mean...it looked like all the photos I had seen! Thankfully, the only step left for the crust was to pop it in the fridge while I worked on the filling. This crust simply bakes with the filling, so I didn't need to use pie weights to blind bake or anything. I didn't even need to prick vents in it. I like it: keep things simple!
The filling for this particular pie was apples and cranberries. Because the recipe used 3 Honeycrisps and 2 Granny Smiths, that's exactly what I used. As well as half a bag of fresh cranberries. Perhaps the best part was that once the apples had all been peeled and sliced, you mixed them with some lemon juice and spices and left them to macerate and give up quite a lot of juice! The juice was then caramelized on the stovetop and dumped over the apples and cranberries once they were placed in the pie crust. Oh my!
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| Caramelizing the spiced apple juice. |
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| Almost ready for the oven! |
Now, I said earlier the pie crust recipe makes enough for a double-crusted pie. This is just a bottom-crust pie. So what topped it? Why, a delicious crumble!
The crumble was just enough coverage to keep the apples from burning during baking while getting juuuust perfectly browned itself. Thank goodness it came out so well--I'm not scared off from making future pies! Which is good because come peak farmer's market season, it's gonna be a whole new ballgame.
*Should your crust tear, you can just use some of the extra scraps to make a little patch--once it's baked, no one will ever know.
And as for that other crust left waiting in my fridge? I used up a few leftover ingredients in the pantry/fridge to make a lemon buttermilk pie with an orange cranberry jam sauce on top. MMM MMM!
Monday, January 12, 2015
Porridge is the best breakfast on a chilly morning!
This post is mainly for my mom, as she's often curious what I mean when I say I had some porridge for brekky.
What I really mean is that I had "complicated oatmeal." It's sort of like you can have tea or you can have Tea: the first is a simple cuppa, brewed up in a lovely ceramic mug and sipped while watching TV or having a workday morning brekky of cold cereal; the latter is more of an experience--a fancy teacup, perhaps with a saucer situation going on, and a little pitcher of milk rather than glugging some in from the carton in the fridge. Both drinking experiences start the same: water is boiled, tea leaves are steeped, and their deliciousness is ultimately consumed. The difference is what you make of the whole experience. Do I always want to, or have time to, set out a giant Tea spread to make the English gentry proud? Hell to the no. But when I do, I love to make a true experience of it. It's a reminder to slow down and enjoy things rather than shovel things in my mouth before rushing off to do my next task.
Likewise, there is oatmeal, and there is porridge. I'm going to sound like a math teacher here for a second, but bear with me: all oatmeal is porridge but not all porridge is oatmeal--think of those little ven diagrams or whatever you looked at in math class for these kinds of comparisons. To wit: porridge is basically just hot cereal--it can be oats, millet, barley...anything you cook up with a liquid and eat hot off the stove (or out of the microwave). Oatmeal is called oatmeal because it's made from oats. Quinoa is currently having a moment where it is leaping from dinner plates and finding itself served in the morning hours with fruit, almond milk, and tea (or Tea).
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So that aside, when I say I make porridge, I use oats, and so yes, I am having oatmeal. But "porridge" just sounds fancier and sets it aside from the instant stuff. I pour out these oats, not from a little brown paper packet, but from a box where I have to actually measure out each serving. (My favorite brand is above.) I dump the oats into a pot on the stove--if I'm making enough for me and John, I'll use my trusty 2-quart saucepan; if I'm making enough just for me, I'll use a cute little Corningware ceramic pan. Rather than cooking the oats in water (which never tasted good to me, and may be why I've always hated the over-sugared packet oatmeals), I cook them in milk--cow's or almond. Regular old cow's milk, of any percentage you like, makes not only a thick and luscious bowl of oats, but it also adds a subtle sweet flavor, much like the sweetness milk takes on when you steam it to add to your coffee. I've also used vanilla almond milk, and this, too, makes it feel like a special meal. The whole cooking process takes about 10-15 minutes, so again, not really the thing to do if you need to dash out the door, but if you've got the time, it is so well worth the effort. See? It's complicated oatmeal.
A few of my favorite servings are thus:
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These can all also be mixed and matched. And I've recently gotten into savory porridge as a fabulous new idea for breakfast for dinner (or a nice brunch option). I cook it the same way (using milk on the stovetop), but then I will cook a sunny-side-up egg and plop it on top and season the oats with salt, pepper, and whatever other savory spices speak to me.
I hope this inspires you to make some complicated oatmeal and start the day nice and warm!
What I really mean is that I had "complicated oatmeal." It's sort of like you can have tea or you can have Tea: the first is a simple cuppa, brewed up in a lovely ceramic mug and sipped while watching TV or having a workday morning brekky of cold cereal; the latter is more of an experience--a fancy teacup, perhaps with a saucer situation going on, and a little pitcher of milk rather than glugging some in from the carton in the fridge. Both drinking experiences start the same: water is boiled, tea leaves are steeped, and their deliciousness is ultimately consumed. The difference is what you make of the whole experience. Do I always want to, or have time to, set out a giant Tea spread to make the English gentry proud? Hell to the no. But when I do, I love to make a true experience of it. It's a reminder to slow down and enjoy things rather than shovel things in my mouth before rushing off to do my next task.
Likewise, there is oatmeal, and there is porridge. I'm going to sound like a math teacher here for a second, but bear with me: all oatmeal is porridge but not all porridge is oatmeal--think of those little ven diagrams or whatever you looked at in math class for these kinds of comparisons. To wit: porridge is basically just hot cereal--it can be oats, millet, barley...anything you cook up with a liquid and eat hot off the stove (or out of the microwave). Oatmeal is called oatmeal because it's made from oats. Quinoa is currently having a moment where it is leaping from dinner plates and finding itself served in the morning hours with fruit, almond milk, and tea (or Tea).
So that aside, when I say I make porridge, I use oats, and so yes, I am having oatmeal. But "porridge" just sounds fancier and sets it aside from the instant stuff. I pour out these oats, not from a little brown paper packet, but from a box where I have to actually measure out each serving. (My favorite brand is above.) I dump the oats into a pot on the stove--if I'm making enough for me and John, I'll use my trusty 2-quart saucepan; if I'm making enough just for me, I'll use a cute little Corningware ceramic pan. Rather than cooking the oats in water (which never tasted good to me, and may be why I've always hated the over-sugared packet oatmeals), I cook them in milk--cow's or almond. Regular old cow's milk, of any percentage you like, makes not only a thick and luscious bowl of oats, but it also adds a subtle sweet flavor, much like the sweetness milk takes on when you steam it to add to your coffee. I've also used vanilla almond milk, and this, too, makes it feel like a special meal. The whole cooking process takes about 10-15 minutes, so again, not really the thing to do if you need to dash out the door, but if you've got the time, it is so well worth the effort. See? It's complicated oatmeal.
A few of my favorite servings are thus:
- Brown sugar
- Jam/compote
- Fruit butter
- Honey
- Chopped nuts
These can all also be mixed and matched. And I've recently gotten into savory porridge as a fabulous new idea for breakfast for dinner (or a nice brunch option). I cook it the same way (using milk on the stovetop), but then I will cook a sunny-side-up egg and plop it on top and season the oats with salt, pepper, and whatever other savory spices speak to me.
I hope this inspires you to make some complicated oatmeal and start the day nice and warm!
Monday, January 5, 2015
2015: The Year to Keep Rolling
I started a lot of good habits in 2014: I joined a gym, I completed ambitious races, and I made a commitment to better eating habits.
And so in 2015, I hope to further these endeavors and continue building my body back up. I realize that while, no, I haven't totally let myself go, I am entering an age where it will be harder to get fit, to lose weight, and to maintain healthy choices if I don't lay out some hella foundations now.
I've been impressed (and depressed) to see friends who have had kids grow with their babies, and then snap back pretty immediately. I mean...what the hell? I have no kids, and don't look that good! Then I realized the snap-backers were healthy and fit before kiddos, so of course their bodies remembered what to once they were no longer a human garden. I need to be that girl.
Of course, as I've increased my running distances and goals, I've realized I really do need to integrate a more rounded (pun intended) approach to my overall health. Joining the gym as my outdoor running season came to a close means that I can build up the muscles I don't use as actively when running--aka my entire upper body. I need my midsection to become more of a power house to carry me over long distances; I need my back to be strong to maintain my posture and form while running (and perhaps even more so when I'm at my desk at work or logging hours in the kitchen I won't be aching at the end of it); I need my arms to be stronger and leaner to propel me during bursts of speedwork, but I am also fighting the good fight against the lady-wobbly-arms. Oh gosh, when I forget to pose in the "skinny arm" stance in photos, I kick myself.
And the truth is, I love going to the gym! I love using the machines. The monthly fee makes sure I am guilted into going at least 2 days a week (though ideally, I'd love to be there 3-4 days during my off-season). What is hardest is running on the treadmill. Because I knew I would hate it, I set myself very moderate goals for treadmilling it in my off season: run 2 miles at the start of every workout. 2 miles is my limit, guys. It's pretty much like adapting the marathon motto and shrinky-dinking it to miniature size: I run the first mile with my head and the last with every shred of heart I have. It is the slowest damned 2 miles I have or will ever run. But it is important. I have already far outrun my mileage last winter, which I hope is a stab in the dark at maintaining my baseline running fitness. What I am most hoping to see results from is the ability to set a consistent speed. I'm still monkeying around with what is most comfortable while still presenting a challenge, and trying to find what is most similar to my road speed. I truly hope that when I again hit the pavement, I'll have better stamina and better form. Because I don't have to worry about avoiding pot holes, cars, intersections, or changes in incline, I have been able to focus on keeping my form true for the duration of the robotic runs. Coupled with the strength training I am subjecting the rest of my body to, I am both eager and nervous about getting back into my seasonal training, as March 14 is the start of race season. I've got some good PRs to beat, and I think this will be the year I really impress myself.
I should also say I'm not expecting to come out of this a fitness champion. My middle will still be flabby and somewhat like an inner tube. I loathe ab workouts. I've yet to find one that doesn't make me want to cry from boredom or pain. I know those are exactly the workouts I should suffer through, but I just can't. When I run, the tiredness and pain feels good because I enjoy their cause. My my arms get the crap beat out of them from weight lifting, I love that ache because I enjoy its cause. I can't find a cause to justify the abdominal discomfort. Which is unfortunate because the discomfort of tight pants is pretty intense. The discomfort of not liking myself in a bikini anymore is fierce. So I use a few of the ab machines at the gym until I want to cry and then just cross my fingers and hope the rest of the exercise I am doing will make up some of the difference.
I've also been eating better...ish...betterish. I sometime wish I didn't love food so much. It would make things so much simpler. But I do love food. I really do. And so instead of cutting myself off, I'm just trying to have a healthier attitude about that intense devotion to meats and butter and cheese and sugar. I hope in 2015 to master the art of the salad-as-meal. I've already stepped up my breakfast and snack game, so if I can transition to salad-meals as my workplace lunches, I'll be gaining good ground. With the help of Blue Apron and feeling more confident in my savory cookery, dinners have been getting healthier, too. Thank goodness for my better breakfast choices--it really is true that if the first food decision you make is a good and considered one, the rest of your choices will follow suit. Or will at least be balanced if you "accidentally" eat 2 extra slices of pizza for lunch. I'm only human!
2015 is also the year I hope to shake off all the bad things that came about in late-2013 and persisted through much of 2014. I will very soon (by month's end) be getting my second tattoo, an idea I have been planning on for a while, but was finally struck with inspiration on my way home from work one day in early September. And so getting the tattoo will symbolize the true fresh start for me, and will be something I can point to as a physical reminder that I am strong, and that I can keep rolling on.
Stay tuned, friends, for my progress.
In other news, we get our second Blue Apron delivery this week, and I have quite a few holiday baking adventures to write about, too. Which is good cuz I'm taking a bit of a baking hiatus (see above about bettering my relationship with food), but am glad for things to write about and pretty pictures of tasty treats to share.
Happy January, y'all.
And so in 2015, I hope to further these endeavors and continue building my body back up. I realize that while, no, I haven't totally let myself go, I am entering an age where it will be harder to get fit, to lose weight, and to maintain healthy choices if I don't lay out some hella foundations now.
I've been impressed (and depressed) to see friends who have had kids grow with their babies, and then snap back pretty immediately. I mean...what the hell? I have no kids, and don't look that good! Then I realized the snap-backers were healthy and fit before kiddos, so of course their bodies remembered what to once they were no longer a human garden. I need to be that girl.
Of course, as I've increased my running distances and goals, I've realized I really do need to integrate a more rounded (pun intended) approach to my overall health. Joining the gym as my outdoor running season came to a close means that I can build up the muscles I don't use as actively when running--aka my entire upper body. I need my midsection to become more of a power house to carry me over long distances; I need my back to be strong to maintain my posture and form while running (and perhaps even more so when I'm at my desk at work or logging hours in the kitchen I won't be aching at the end of it); I need my arms to be stronger and leaner to propel me during bursts of speedwork, but I am also fighting the good fight against the lady-wobbly-arms. Oh gosh, when I forget to pose in the "skinny arm" stance in photos, I kick myself.
And the truth is, I love going to the gym! I love using the machines. The monthly fee makes sure I am guilted into going at least 2 days a week (though ideally, I'd love to be there 3-4 days during my off-season). What is hardest is running on the treadmill. Because I knew I would hate it, I set myself very moderate goals for treadmilling it in my off season: run 2 miles at the start of every workout. 2 miles is my limit, guys. It's pretty much like adapting the marathon motto and shrinky-dinking it to miniature size: I run the first mile with my head and the last with every shred of heart I have. It is the slowest damned 2 miles I have or will ever run. But it is important. I have already far outrun my mileage last winter, which I hope is a stab in the dark at maintaining my baseline running fitness. What I am most hoping to see results from is the ability to set a consistent speed. I'm still monkeying around with what is most comfortable while still presenting a challenge, and trying to find what is most similar to my road speed. I truly hope that when I again hit the pavement, I'll have better stamina and better form. Because I don't have to worry about avoiding pot holes, cars, intersections, or changes in incline, I have been able to focus on keeping my form true for the duration of the robotic runs. Coupled with the strength training I am subjecting the rest of my body to, I am both eager and nervous about getting back into my seasonal training, as March 14 is the start of race season. I've got some good PRs to beat, and I think this will be the year I really impress myself.
I should also say I'm not expecting to come out of this a fitness champion. My middle will still be flabby and somewhat like an inner tube. I loathe ab workouts. I've yet to find one that doesn't make me want to cry from boredom or pain. I know those are exactly the workouts I should suffer through, but I just can't. When I run, the tiredness and pain feels good because I enjoy their cause. My my arms get the crap beat out of them from weight lifting, I love that ache because I enjoy its cause. I can't find a cause to justify the abdominal discomfort. Which is unfortunate because the discomfort of tight pants is pretty intense. The discomfort of not liking myself in a bikini anymore is fierce. So I use a few of the ab machines at the gym until I want to cry and then just cross my fingers and hope the rest of the exercise I am doing will make up some of the difference.
I've also been eating better...ish...betterish. I sometime wish I didn't love food so much. It would make things so much simpler. But I do love food. I really do. And so instead of cutting myself off, I'm just trying to have a healthier attitude about that intense devotion to meats and butter and cheese and sugar. I hope in 2015 to master the art of the salad-as-meal. I've already stepped up my breakfast and snack game, so if I can transition to salad-meals as my workplace lunches, I'll be gaining good ground. With the help of Blue Apron and feeling more confident in my savory cookery, dinners have been getting healthier, too. Thank goodness for my better breakfast choices--it really is true that if the first food decision you make is a good and considered one, the rest of your choices will follow suit. Or will at least be balanced if you "accidentally" eat 2 extra slices of pizza for lunch. I'm only human!
2015 is also the year I hope to shake off all the bad things that came about in late-2013 and persisted through much of 2014. I will very soon (by month's end) be getting my second tattoo, an idea I have been planning on for a while, but was finally struck with inspiration on my way home from work one day in early September. And so getting the tattoo will symbolize the true fresh start for me, and will be something I can point to as a physical reminder that I am strong, and that I can keep rolling on.
Stay tuned, friends, for my progress.
In other news, we get our second Blue Apron delivery this week, and I have quite a few holiday baking adventures to write about, too. Which is good cuz I'm taking a bit of a baking hiatus (see above about bettering my relationship with food), but am glad for things to write about and pretty pictures of tasty treats to share.
Happy January, y'all.
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Blue Apron Adventures
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Last week we cooked our first three meals using the Blue Apron delivery service. As I commented in an earlier post, we will not subscribe for weekly deliveries, but will have one delivery per month. Between the cost ($60 for three meals' worth of ingredients and recipes), plus the amount of work necessary for each meal (about an hour of prep and cook for each meal), we just don't have the ability (or patience) to keep up with weekly deliveries right now. But it'll be a fun adventure one week out of the month for sure.
Each meal arrives beautifully packaged and organized in a way that pleases my OCD: spices and additives are pre-measured and labeled for the meals they are intended for; meats come packaged; vegetables come labeled for their destined meals. I love the cute little baggies and bottles the ingredients are in! It's so satisfying to lay everything out. Each meal also has a generously sized recipe card that lists all the ingredients you'll need and also has photos with each cooking step.
The first meal we made was the gnocchi with sausage, which also had savoy cabbage and was cooked in a vinaigrette sauce.
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| Ingredients for gnocchi night. |
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| Just about to plate the completed dish. Yum! |
The second of the two meat meals was stewed chicken with vegetables and latkes. We enjoyed this meal on the first night of Chanukah, which John appreciated because he had been jonesing for some latkes like whoa. Ask and ye shall receive, I suppose. This preparation probably took the longest. There were a lot of vegetables to prapre: chop half an onion, grate the other half; grate potatoes for the latkes; chop carrots and celery; quarter mushrooms; chop herbs. John manned the chicken once all the prep work was finished so I could work on the latkes.
This was the only meal we fully worked on together, simply because it required so much work. It was fun to cook something new together, and was also a dream because we had separate work stations thanks to our kitchen's generous counter space.
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| The chicken stewing away once we had everything added to the pot. |
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| Getting ready to make me some latkes! Goy ahoy! |
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| Little latkes, all formed and ready to be fried up. |
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| Here's the composed meal. The latkes are topped with thyme-infused creme fraiche. |
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Our Blue Apron profile is set to send us a mix of meat and vegetarian meals, and this box had a seasonal pasta dish as the veg option. The fresh pasta was mixed with carrots, Brussels sprouts, and chestnuts for a nutty and delicious meal. The finished dish was topped with poppy seeds, granulated honey, and the chopped mint and parsley.
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Our next delivery is set for the week of January 5, and I figure it will be a very welcome sight after holiday overindulgences and rich foods. It will be a relief to have a box of fresh and healthy things come right to our doorstep. I'll write about that experience as well. Can't wait to see what they send!
I'll be back later this week with some writeups on my holiday baking adventures, including my first pies and my latest macaron flavor.
Until then, happy end-of-holidays.
Sunday, December 21, 2014
Cupcakes, Two Ways
This week I made two cupcakes I had been dreaming of for a looong time. YUM YUM YUM
First up, carrot cupcakes. Last year, I thought of the perfect cupcakes for Jeanette's birthday:carrot cakes!
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I hate nuts in my baked goods. I find it infuriating when they eek into chocolate chip cookies or are hunked into cakes. I do love their flavor, however, so if I must use them, I chop them up reaalllllyyyyy tiny. That way you wind up with a subtle crunch throughout rather than a patch of "Dear God! Frigging pecan!
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The wet team here includes brown sugar, canola oil, and an egg. It gets all smooth and caramely when you whisk it together before adding the nuts and pouring the whole shebang into the dry ingredients. Lovely.
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So here's where it gets a bit interesting. John, Jeanette, and I are fans of comedian Patton Oswalt, and he has a funny bit about feeling overweight and being presented with a buffet at a fancy Hollywood party. In the end of the bit, encouraged by Brian Dennehy, Patton pretty much says, "Screw it! Sprinkle some fries on those cupcakes!" An idea was born: cupcakes with fries sprinkled on them would be Jeanette's birthday cupcakes. Then I had to figure out how to make them, but also how to make them yummy. Then, I had it: carrot cupcakes already have a vegetable in them. So why not use a waffle-cup sweet potato fry to top the cupcake! Yaaasssss.
So that is exactly what I did. And let me tell you: it was an amazing combination. Between the sweet-but-nutty cake and the sweet cream cheese frosting, the fry on top really kinda married the flavors perfectly. I figured the concept would frighten and would be lost on our colleagues in the office, and so I brought only two fries to top my and Jeanette's cupcakes. We definitely got a few raised eyebrows, but as everyone watched us clearly enjoying them, I sort of wished I had brought enough for everyone to try if they wanted to. The cupcakes got such rave reviews, and in fact, were demanded to make a repeat appearance, so maybe next time I'll do just that.
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Here's my fully assembled cupcake, which I photographed on Jeanette's windowsill at work. I then realized the lighting is perfect there, and I want to do ALL my food photography in front of these ivy-covered windows!
My next cupcake adventure involved packing up a mobile bakery and heading down to Tara's house. She is quasi-confined to her house while caring for her dog, who recently had emergency surgery last week. The pup is doing just fine, but is still on pain medications and antibiotics, and so we didn't want to leave her alone in the house for more than a little while (we did pop out to Wawa to get some salads for lunch. Salads, knowing we'd be inhaling cupcakes.).
After getting the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook, I'd been fantasizing about their green tea cupcakes. Tara is the biggest green tea drinker of all my friends, and so I knew they'd be a perfect treat to share with her. And what better time than when we were planning a hermit kind of day to be with the canine patient?
The cake is chocolate and infused with milk-steeped green tea. The resulting taste was very nearly chocolate ice cream! It wasn't quite brownie-ish, and it wasn't quite regular-chocolate-cakeish. Then Tara hit it on the nose: chocolate ice cream!
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I also decided it would be more fun to make tiny cupcakes rather than a dozen regular-sized ones, so I packed up my mini-tin and my piping bag. The batter came together in a rather interesting way. I had to cream together the butter and whatnot as usual, but then I had to add in half of the milk-and-tea mixture and beat the dough until creamy and smooth. Then I added in the rest of the milk-tea and beat it until smooth, loose, and without lumps. I've definitely slowly added in the wet ingredients before, but can't recall doing two separate and full incorporations. Would it have come out differently had I added it all at once? I doubt it would have, but hey--the directions are there for a reason!
And here's where I need to credit myself: we totally forgot to set a timer. After chatting at the kitchen table for a few minutes, we realized this. I then had to go based on looks alone--and wouldn't you know it, I grabbed them just in time. I do think I let them go just a few minutes too long, as the cake did get a bit dry by the time I got home with the leftovers. But all things considered, at least I didn't set the oven on fire for forgetting them completely!
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After filling all 24 mini molds, I had a little batter leftover, so Tara grabbed a 6-muffin tin, and I was able to get 4 regular-sized cupcakes in addition to the minis. As you can see, they baked up just fine!
While the cake had 3 teabags' worth of tea in them, the frosting is really where the green tea flavor came out--starting with a run-of-the-mill buttercream recipe, you then add in a healthy dose of matcha powder, which gives both a beautiful soft green color (no food dye needed!) and an incredibly grassy flavor and aroma.
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I used a large star tip to frost them, which made them look like
adorable little Christmas trees. Unintended bonus festive points!
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Thanks to Tara for providing the fresh ingredients and her kitchen to this production! For anyone who thinks we upped our counter game, sorry, Charlies: it's still all fake butcher block over here at the Cottage. haha
Later this week, I'll have a breakdown of my mega-baking for Christmas (ye gads, I need to down to business on that!), as well as a breakdown of our first week of cooking Blue Apron meals: we've done two, and have one more to go, which we will probably do on Monday or Tuesday evening.
First up, carrot cupcakes. Last year, I thought of the perfect cupcakes for Jeanette's birthday:carrot cakes!
I hate nuts in my baked goods. I find it infuriating when they eek into chocolate chip cookies or are hunked into cakes. I do love their flavor, however, so if I must use them, I chop them up reaalllllyyyyy tiny. That way you wind up with a subtle crunch throughout rather than a patch of "Dear God! Frigging pecan!
The wet team here includes brown sugar, canola oil, and an egg. It gets all smooth and caramely when you whisk it together before adding the nuts and pouring the whole shebang into the dry ingredients. Lovely.
So here's where it gets a bit interesting. John, Jeanette, and I are fans of comedian Patton Oswalt, and he has a funny bit about feeling overweight and being presented with a buffet at a fancy Hollywood party. In the end of the bit, encouraged by Brian Dennehy, Patton pretty much says, "Screw it! Sprinkle some fries on those cupcakes!" An idea was born: cupcakes with fries sprinkled on them would be Jeanette's birthday cupcakes. Then I had to figure out how to make them, but also how to make them yummy. Then, I had it: carrot cupcakes already have a vegetable in them. So why not use a waffle-cup sweet potato fry to top the cupcake! Yaaasssss.
So that is exactly what I did. And let me tell you: it was an amazing combination. Between the sweet-but-nutty cake and the sweet cream cheese frosting, the fry on top really kinda married the flavors perfectly. I figured the concept would frighten and would be lost on our colleagues in the office, and so I brought only two fries to top my and Jeanette's cupcakes. We definitely got a few raised eyebrows, but as everyone watched us clearly enjoying them, I sort of wished I had brought enough for everyone to try if they wanted to. The cupcakes got such rave reviews, and in fact, were demanded to make a repeat appearance, so maybe next time I'll do just that.
Here's my fully assembled cupcake, which I photographed on Jeanette's windowsill at work. I then realized the lighting is perfect there, and I want to do ALL my food photography in front of these ivy-covered windows!
My next cupcake adventure involved packing up a mobile bakery and heading down to Tara's house. She is quasi-confined to her house while caring for her dog, who recently had emergency surgery last week. The pup is doing just fine, but is still on pain medications and antibiotics, and so we didn't want to leave her alone in the house for more than a little while (we did pop out to Wawa to get some salads for lunch. Salads, knowing we'd be inhaling cupcakes.).
After getting the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook, I'd been fantasizing about their green tea cupcakes. Tara is the biggest green tea drinker of all my friends, and so I knew they'd be a perfect treat to share with her. And what better time than when we were planning a hermit kind of day to be with the canine patient?
The cake is chocolate and infused with milk-steeped green tea. The resulting taste was very nearly chocolate ice cream! It wasn't quite brownie-ish, and it wasn't quite regular-chocolate-cakeish. Then Tara hit it on the nose: chocolate ice cream!
I also decided it would be more fun to make tiny cupcakes rather than a dozen regular-sized ones, so I packed up my mini-tin and my piping bag. The batter came together in a rather interesting way. I had to cream together the butter and whatnot as usual, but then I had to add in half of the milk-and-tea mixture and beat the dough until creamy and smooth. Then I added in the rest of the milk-tea and beat it until smooth, loose, and without lumps. I've definitely slowly added in the wet ingredients before, but can't recall doing two separate and full incorporations. Would it have come out differently had I added it all at once? I doubt it would have, but hey--the directions are there for a reason!
And here's where I need to credit myself: we totally forgot to set a timer. After chatting at the kitchen table for a few minutes, we realized this. I then had to go based on looks alone--and wouldn't you know it, I grabbed them just in time. I do think I let them go just a few minutes too long, as the cake did get a bit dry by the time I got home with the leftovers. But all things considered, at least I didn't set the oven on fire for forgetting them completely!
While the cake had 3 teabags' worth of tea in them, the frosting is really where the green tea flavor came out--starting with a run-of-the-mill buttercream recipe, you then add in a healthy dose of matcha powder, which gives both a beautiful soft green color (no food dye needed!) and an incredibly grassy flavor and aroma.
Later this week, I'll have a breakdown of my mega-baking for Christmas (ye gads, I need to down to business on that!), as well as a breakdown of our first week of cooking Blue Apron meals: we've done two, and have one more to go, which we will probably do on Monday or Tuesday evening.
Savory Adventures: Sometimes I Also Cook Dinners!
In my previous post, I mentioned I've been toiling away in the kitchen making fancier-than-usual dinners. The first was a recipe from Ree Drummond's The Pioneer Woman Cooks website: her at-home rendition of orange chicken. We just happened to have some chicken thighs in the freezer, and also happened to have OJ in the fridge, so it was kismet.
The recipe was easy and came together quickly. The only thing I did differently was that I didn't deep fry the chicken. I still coated them in cornstarch and egg whites as prescribed, but I then simply pan fried them in a thin layer of oil rather that dropping them into a few inches of very hot oil. I'm still too nervous to deal with a pot of hot hot hot oil. Someday, but not this day. I did, however, double-fry the chicken pieces just as the recipe requests. The only difference was a slightly less crunchy finish to the chicken, but that was all. It was absolutely delicious!
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Things start out by soaking cut-up chicken thighs in whipped egg whites and some corn starch. While that's sitting, you make the very easy and very delicious sauce in a non-stick pan. Ree wisely points out that since the sauce is sticky, you want to use a nonstick pan so the only thing it glues itself to is the chicken!
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The sauce is made of OJ, corn starch, water, and spices. You just cook it down for a few minutes, then add corn starch whipped with a little water to thicken it. While that was working, I was cooking the chicken on another burner. I heated some oil and dropped in about half of the chicken pieces (I didn't want them to stick together and make a big old clump). Once everything had been fried up once, I dropped them in again (again, in two batches), to get a slightly crispier finish on the battering. From there, I simply dropped them into the sauces and mixed it around to coat.
Ree's recipe makes enough for 4 servings--using 4 thighs--but since we only had two thighs, I simply halved the recipe (which was really simple to do--halving it didn't leave me with any bizarro measurements like 1/16 tsp or anything like that!).
This was fun and simple, and I will definitely incorporate this into our usual dinner rotation. Chicken thighs are typically cheaper cuts of meat, so it'll be an excuse to buy them and actually enjoy eating what is decidedly not my favorite part of the chicken.
The recipe was easy and came together quickly. The only thing I did differently was that I didn't deep fry the chicken. I still coated them in cornstarch and egg whites as prescribed, but I then simply pan fried them in a thin layer of oil rather that dropping them into a few inches of very hot oil. I'm still too nervous to deal with a pot of hot hot hot oil. Someday, but not this day. I did, however, double-fry the chicken pieces just as the recipe requests. The only difference was a slightly less crunchy finish to the chicken, but that was all. It was absolutely delicious!
Ree's recipe makes enough for 4 servings--using 4 thighs--but since we only had two thighs, I simply halved the recipe (which was really simple to do--halving it didn't leave me with any bizarro measurements like 1/16 tsp or anything like that!).
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| John picked up ginger beer because he thought the spice (while Mexican/Jamaican and not Asian) would play nicely with the spices and flavors happening in the meal. He was right, but it had too big a bite for me to drink more than half. |
This was fun and simple, and I will definitely incorporate this into our usual dinner rotation. Chicken thighs are typically cheaper cuts of meat, so it'll be an excuse to buy them and actually enjoy eating what is decidedly not my favorite part of the chicken.
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