Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Baby Break
Life has been busy, as you can only imagine. My little girl is growing up so fast and requires a lot of my time. I can't wait until she is old enough for us to cook together and enjoy what we cook. I'm already day dreaming of making cupcakes with her and teaching her all my favorite recipes.
The cookies below were a special treat I made to enjoy during the small moments I have to myself. It was the perfect match to my cup of coffee and quiet time when Miss R is napping. I like having the small mini cookies instead of bigger ones because I can eat more than one and not feel guilty about it!
Tiny Chocolate Chip Cookies
from The Gourmet Cookbook
1 1/4 sticks unsalted and softened butter
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chip
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Beat butter, sugar, salt and baking soda together in a bowl until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add flour and mix at a low speed until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.
Drop a barely rounded 1/2 teaspoon of dough on to an ungreased baking sheet about 1 1/2 in. apart. Bake until golden brown, about 6-7 minutes. (NOTE: I only cooked it 5 minutes.)
Place on rack to cool.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Every Day Pasta
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Whoa baby!
What did I make to welcome myself back to the world of cooking and food? Blueberry coffee cake! After looking at my last post, it seems that blueberries have been a thing for me. I actually happened to have a ton of blueberries in the fridge this past week and needed a good way to eat through them. Also, ever since the pregnancy, I've somehow gained a sweet tooth that never existed before. The coffee cake came out sooooo goooood! It was a perfect treat in the afternoon while Miss Ruby was taking her nap. The recipe is based from one in my wonderful Gourmet cookbook. I cut the white sugar used and added blueberries to the regular coffee cake recipe. I think other additions would be great too! Instead of blueberries, you can also add bananas, apples, pears, chocolate chips...all would be very tasty!
Also, the pics are from my iPhone. I do have a better camera now, but taking and uploading from the phone is just too easy to pass up now.
Blueberry Coffee Cake
adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 sticks butter (cold, unsalted), cut into cubes
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 pecans, toasted and chopped
1 cup sour cream
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix together flour, 3/4 cup brown sugar, granulated sugar, and salt in a bowl. Blend in 1 1/2 sticks of butter with your fingers or with a pastry blender until the mixture looks like a course meal with small pieces of butter mixed through.
Transfer 3/4 of the mixture to another bowl and add cinnamon, remaining 1/2 stick of butter and remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar until crumbly. Add pecans and then refrigerate for 15 minutes. This is the topping.
In another bowl whisk together the wet ingredients- sour cream, egg, yolk, vanilla, baking soda. Add the remaining flour mixture until combined. Don't over stir! Batter will be sticky and stiff.
You can bake in a pan or in a muffin tin. Sprinkle the topping before baking. Bake until golden brown and center comes out clean. If doing muffins, bake about 20-30 minutes. If baking in a pan, it can take from 40-60 minutes depending on pan and your oven.
Cool for about 20 minutes before devouring!
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Preggers Blueberry Muffins
Monday, November 23, 2009
Changes are a-comin'!
While I was going through some old photos, I did find one recipe I never posted! My brother and his lovely girlfriend gave me a vegetarian cookbook last Christmas. It has an absolutely delicious recipe for a very versatile peanut sauce. It is perfect for summer rolls or a quick dinner, which is what I used it for. At the time, I bought these beautiful Chinese eggplants from the farmers market. What better way to use them but in peanut noodles!
Hopefully this post will be start (again) of more to come!
Chinese Peanut Sauce
directly from The New Moosewood Cookbook
1/2 cup good peanut butter
1/2 cup hot water
2 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs sugar
3 medium cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp cider vinegar
1 to 2 tbs minced fresh cilantro
cayenne to taste
salt to taste (if needed)
1) Place peanut butter in a small bowl. Add the hot water, and stir patiently with a spoon or a small whisk until uniformly mixed.
2) Stir in remaining ingredients and mix well. Cover tightly and refrigerate. Let it come to room temperature before serving.
for Peanut Noodles:
Toss peanut sauce with buckwheat (soba) noodles and your favorite veggies. I used sauteed Chinese eggplant, edamame, and roasted corn. It was very, very tasty!
Monday, July 20, 2009
Easy and Light for a Summer Evening
However, there is always time for a peach crisp! After the scone-baking, I decided to make something a tad easier. This is a great dessert for a summer evening. It was quick, simple, and delicious (especially with a scoop of brown sugar ice cream)! You can probably use the same recipe with any fruit. Also, who doesn't love a peach crisp in an apple dish?
Summer Peach Crisp
1 bag of organic frozen peaches (or fresh if you have them)...you need enough to put a layer and a half at the bottom of your medim-sized baking dish
4 tbs of cold butter, diced, some to butter the dish
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup old fashion oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbs cinnamon
pinch of salt
sprinkle of ginger and curry powder
Butter a medium-sized baking dish. Add about a layer and a half of frozen peaches, enough to not really see the bottom of the pan. In a separate dish, mix flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, curry powder, and salt. Sprinkle all over the top of the peaches. Lastly, add and evenly distribute the butter pieces to the top. Bake at 375 degrees for about 30-40 minutes, or until browned and bubbly. Serve warm with a dollop of ice cream.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Mishaps in Baking
Basic Scones
from Domino Magazine
1 lb all-purpose flour (I used whole wheat flour.)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 to 1/2 cup unsalted butter
4-6 level tsp baking powder
1 1/4 cups of whole milk
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Cut the butter into little pieces, and rub into the flour with the tips of your fingers as quickly as you can. Sift in baking powder; combine. Add milk and mix lightly into a spongy dough. Knead very lightly to make the dough smooth and roll out 1/2" to 3/4"thick. Cut scones and let it stand for 10 minutes. Brush with egg or milk before placing on to a greased baking sheet. Bake in the middle of the oven for about 10 minutes, then let cool.