Way back in my youth About 6 years ago, back when I had dreams of opening a restaurant, I became fixated on finding and testing pancake recipes. It was my Pancake Phase. I came out of it with some great recipes and little desire to ever eat pancakes again, though, as you can see, it sparks every once in a while.
I spent a lot of time mixing bowls of batter on an orange-laminated countertop, questing for a from-scratch version of Jiffy corn pancakes (their mix contains lard.) This is what I came up with (with much help from the internet, though now I can't find the sources.)
If I was ever to put this on a menu, it would be served with coconut-battered shrimp. Just throwing that out there...
P.S. Going on a little hiatus, but I shall return with a new design! Yep, I'm learning web design. Yep, it's taking up most of my brain's processing power. Be back soon (hopefully!) :)
P.S.S. "Recipe" for mango-corn-black bean salsa here.
Corn Pancakes
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 1/4 cups yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
heaping 1/4 teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons melted butter
Whisk together eggs and buttermilk. In another bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, sugar, powder, soda, and salt. Make a well in the center of dry, pour in wet along with melted butter, and whisk until just combined. Heat a lightly greased griddle over medium to medium-high heat, depending on your stove. The griddle is ready when a drop of water dances around the pan. Use about 1/4 cup batter for each cake. Flip when the batter starts to bubble, cooking both sides to a nice golden brown.
Soup, to me, is something to be thrown together from odds and ends lurking in the fridge and pantry. Which might be why I see a look of terror in Eli's eyes whenever I tell him soup's on. It's never terrible, no, but it tends to be bland, confusing, and there's always way, way more of it than we can (or want) to eat by the time I've finished tinkering.
This recipe is a rare exception.
the banana of the future! (article from boingboing)
alabama closes gulf coast waters to shrimping (article from daily kos)
"midnight dinners" (blog post from poor man's feast)
cheese nibbles (recipe from delicious:days)
Black Bean and Wild Rice Soup
makes about 4 servings
2 teaspoons oil
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 small white onion, diced
2 tablespoons wild rice
1/4 cup white rice
4 cups water or vegetable stock
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 cup salsa (I used the dregs of a container of Garden Fresh Gourmet brand)
salt, to taste
Heat oil in a medium pot, over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, and onion; cook, stirring regularly, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
Stir in rice and water or veg stock. Bring to a simmer and cook, partially covered, until rice and vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Add more water if needed. Stir in cumin and salsa, taste and season with salt, if needed.
What I've been up to in the kitchen this past week:
From the top, left to right:
I'd been looking forward to picking strawberries all year, so I was a little nervous when I put all of them into one project--"the quickest strawberry jam" from this gorgeous cookbook by Jamie Oliver. The mixture took well over an hour to thicken even a little, and the flavor didn't seem quite right. But...it set up (as much as quick jam can, I suppose) after a few hours in the fridge, and the strawberry flavor really started to come out. Success! 2 pounds strawberries and 1/2 a cup sugar. Crush the strawberries, along with sugar, with your hands in a large pot. Cook over medium for half an hour (or longer?) stirring and skimming off the foam occasionally. Pour into jars cleaned with boiling water. It's not properly canned, but it will keep for about a month in the fridge.
Pimento cheese made with greek yogurt instead of mayo. I wish I could eat this every day.
Jalapeno-cheddar bread. Christy and PJ!!! You missed the jalapeno-cheddar bread!!! Suckas!!! ;D
Corn and mango salsa. Tasty as a side, tasty mixed with couscous and stuffed into halved bell peppers, then roasted (about 20 minutes at 350.) Let's see, 2 ears of corn, cut off the cob (I usually just eat it raw, but you could boil for about 3 minutes and rinse with cold water), 1 mango, half a bell pepper, 4 green onions or about 1/4 cup red onion, a handful of cilantro, lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Threw in some leftover pico de gallo to make it more interesting (1 tomato, a few tablespoons red onion, a handful of cilantro, 1/2 a small jalapeno, seeded, a squeeze of lime juice, and salt.) Also tasty with a can of rinsed black beans mixed in.
*Not pictured, an amazing recipe for spaghetti and "meatballs" from the Daily Dish. (added 2 tbsp. nutritional yeast)
I'll be back tomorrow (?) with an actual recipe. (!)
xoxo
Hello all!
One reason I've been putting off this post is because I knew that I just couldn't let it pass without acknowledging the loss my constant kitchen companion, Lucy.
She taught me a lot about the kitchen, about food. Things like:
You may unwittingly arrange your dining room furniture in a vaguely stair-like pattern leading to the kitchen countertop. Once.
A kitchen without a beagle is a kitchen that needs a lot of sweeping.
You might think that a bag of chocolate chips or a plate of homemade marshmallows is safe on the counter (even after you've smartly re-arranged the dining room) but you should probably just put them in the pantry, and a lock on the pantry. You may end up with teeth marks on the door, but that's okay. They add a certain lived-in charm to the place.
This trash can is ridiculously expensive, but totally worth it.
You may not even realize it, but you'll develop a special kitchen-dance comprised of a series of spins and high-steps, one you'll eventually have to un-learn because it looks completely ridiculous when you're not trying to avoid a puppy under-foot that's smashing its face into the corner between the dishwasher and the cabinet in search of a crumb or a precious piece of lint.
These mischeivous little creatures may cause you to curse their name on a fairly regular basis, but it's okay...you'll adore the crap out of them anyway.
Now, since you've indulged me, feel free to tell me about your pup (or your feline, or your cousin Steve's ferrets.) I would actually be delighted!
On to the recipe instructions!
(make sure you've got pre-rinsed quinoa)
This is something that's made its way into our mouths frequently as of late. I was trying to make soft gluten-free tortillas, but ended up with some sturdy discs that, once toasted, actually made a pretty great vehicle for beans and cheese and all the other little tasty bits that comprise a mexican pizza.
Here's what happened: I used this recipe. (Hers look softer.) Smooshed the dough in a tortilla press lined with a plastic baggie to keep the dough from sticking (it's really sticky.) Cooked a few tortillas, then transfered them to a cooling rack while I finished cooking the rest. Threw a few back on the griddle over medium heat, cooked until the bottom was getting nice and brown and toasty, sprinkled some cheese over the tortillas and let it melt. Off the heat, added some saucy black beans (this stuff freezes really well) and avocado, cilantro, sour cream, and slices of red bell pepper. Ate. Became addicted. That is all.
I really struggled with this one. Not that it was difficult, no, it's just that I have a butter (and therefore, cream) phobia that kicks in from time to time. So this pie was setting off all sorts of alarm bells in my brain from beginning to end, from the buttery chocolate wafer crust (considered using store-bought because I was short on time, but they looked anemic) to the caramel (barely considered using store-bought, but throwing butter into raging-hot sugar is too delightful) to the cream-cheesy, peanut-buttery mousse (if they sell ready-made peanut butter mousse at the store I don't even want to know about it.) But I suppose a decadent treat such as this is all well and good for a birthday, or the 13th anniversary of a 40th birthday. Even better, I only recently realized, for a birthday celebrated on Pi day, 3.14.
I hope you like pies, Dad, or you're in for years of birthday-dessert-hell :)
Love you!
Can we get a close up of that caramel?
O sweet caramel, would I were chocolate, that I might enrobe thee!
Snickers Pie (caramel from smittenkitchen, mousse from epicurious)
this is very rich, I'd say it would serve at least 12
20 Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup sugar
6 tablespoons butter, softened (I used 2 tbsp. salted, 4 tbsp. un-)
1/2 cup heavy cream, room temperature
8 ounces natural creamy peanut butter
8 ounces cream cheese, room temp
1/2 to 1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream, chilled
1/3 cup chocolate chips, melted
a handful of peanuts, roughly chopped
For the crust: grind wafers in a food processor; add melted butter and pulse until well-combined. Spread evenly across the bottom and up the sides of a 9" pie pan. Bake for about 5 minutes at 350; you'll know it's done when the scent of butter/chocolate is wafting from your oven (or toaster.) Set aside to cool.
For the caramel: Spread sugar evenly in a heavy 2-quart pan. Melt over medium heat, stirring occasionally to make sure it heats evenly. Once it's liquefied, cook to a deep copper color; just before it seems like it's going to burn/start smoking, stir in the butter until melted. Then turn off the heat and whisk in heavy cream. Pour a little over half of the caramel over your crust and transfer to freezer to firm up; pour the rest of the caramel into a glass jar and let cool. It will keep in the refrigerator for at least 2 weeks. You're welcome.
For the mousse: use an electric mixer to beat peanut butter and cream cheese until smooth. (If you're using natural peanut butter, the mixture may look a little curdly, but it will smooth out when you fold in the cream.) Beat in powdered sugar to taste along with vanilla. In a separate bowl, whip chilled cream to stiff peaks. Fold into peanut butter mixture in 4 additions. Spread over the chilled caramel crust, then drizzle melted chocolate over the top and sprinkle with chopped peanuts.
Serve chilled.
Oh, hi there.
So, I just realized that I gave you guys recipes for Bread That No Sane Person Would Ever Make and then disappeared for like 10 days.
Jeeeez...
Perhaps I can make it up to you by sharing one of my favorite tofu recipes? Yes, I realize that last sentence may have any tofu-haters out there rolling their eyes and/or running away forever. But...if you like Thai food, give this recipe a go. It's restaurant-quality. Meaning, it does what it can to fill the gaping hole in my heart left behind by the beloved Thai of Athens...
...along with SPIIICYYYY BAAAASIIIL TOOOOOFUUU!!!!
Tofu in Coconut Sauce with Ginger and Lemongrass (from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone)
serves 4
1 pound firm tofu, drained and cut into 1/2" cubes 2 tablespoons oil, divided 8 shallots, thinly sliced, or 1 small white onion salt and pepper 1 bunch cilantro, the leaves plus a little of the stems, coarsely chopped and divided in half 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely minced 2 tablespoons lemongrass, finely minced, or grated zest of 1 lemon (I used lemongrass paste from a tube) 1 jalapeno, seeded and finely minced 1 (15-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk, plus water to make 2 cups soy sauce, to taste (I used about a tablespoon) Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet, add shallots, and cook over medium heat until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Season with a little salt, then add half the cilantro. Remove from heat and set aside. Heat a wok along with the remaining tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Add ginger, lemongrass, and jalapeno. Stir-fry for about 30 seconds, then add coconut milk/water and bring to a boil. Lower heat, add tofu, and simmer gently until the sauce has thickened a bit, about 10 minutes. Add soy sauce, season with pepper, then stir in shallot mixture and remaining cilantro. Serve over rice.
The best part of my job, by far, is the rare occasion that I get to go "batshit insane" with bread dough.
Like this:
I wanted to share these for a couple of reasons:
1. Maybe you, like me, have spent countless hours searching the internets for reliable decorative doughs (you crazy baker, you!) This is my offering.
2. This is an awesome lead-in to a pressing question of mine: anyone have a reliable miche recipe? Anyone? 'ello?
I'm looking for something sturdy that takes kindly to scoring. Bonus points for deliciousness. I wasn't happy with the dough I used for the rose miche--most of the boules turned out flat and bland, and blew out weirdly at the scores.
notes:
rose miche: miche with a 'dead rye' centerpiece. the dead rye is extremely easy to work with, and I was able to form the flower petals just like you would with gumpaste.
grapes and vines: light deco dough for the center, surrounding braid, and grapes. dead rye leaf and vine. i wrapped the ends of the vine around a dowel, slid the dowel out, et voila! they held their shape!
bullseye: dark and light deco dough rolled together into freeform loaf, very deep scores.
rose braid: dark deco dough. dead rye vine and flowers. mixed a very small amount of edible luster dust and vodka to paint highlights.
marble epi: dark and light deco dough rolled together into a baguette, then scissored.
sunflower: light deco dough for center, dark and light deco dough for surrounding braid. dead rye for leaves (floured and scored with knife). light deco dough for sunflower: pat a ball of dough into a flat circle, use scissors to make cuts all the way around almost to center, then turn cut sides facing up. later painted insides of petals with luster dust/vodka.
cornucopia: so. much. fun. instructions found here.
painted braid: light deco dough, painted with espresso.
poppy fougasse: light deco dough, eggwashed and dipped in poppy seeds.
Light Decorative Dough (from wild yeast)
makes 1500 grams
875 grams bread flour
481 grams water
9 grams fresh cake yeast (3.5 grams instant)
13 grams salt
44 grams milk powder
39 grams sugar
44 grams butter, softened
Use dough hook to mix all ingredients until gluten is well-formed, about 10 minutes. Refrigerate until ready to shape.
Dark Decorative Dough (from wild yeast)
makes 1500 grams
828 grams bread flour
45 grams cocoa powder
486 grams water
9 grams fresh cake yeast (3.5 grams instant)
13 grams salt
44 grams milk powder
39 grams sugar
44 grams butter, softened
Same method as for light decorative dough.
Dead Rye Dough
makes all the dead rye dough you'll ever need
750 grams rye flour
500 grams simple syrup
Mix using hook until dough is well-formed. Can keep at room temperature or refrigerate for long-term storage. Keep dough well-covered so it doesn't dry out.
a.k.a. ratatouille, sort of. An authentic ratatouille would contain zucchini (not a fan) and be sauteed (not as easy).
Eli's mom always brings basketloads of tasty edibles when she comes for a visit. The visit before last, she brought these gorgeous tomatoes and that incredibly jewel-toned eggplant from the Spartanburg farmer's market. I'm pretty sure it was a hint to make this. But we never got around to it, and these beauties sat forlornly on the counter for a couple of days after her departure. One afternoon I woke up feeling frisky and went into the kitchen completely unarmed with any sort of research or recipe; into the cast iron pot those tomatoes and eggplant went, along with a bell pepper, a haphazardly chopped onion, a few hacked cloves of garlic, pinches of spices, and a couple glugs of olive oil. Then into a searing oven went that cast iron pot, resulting in some beautifully roasted vegetables with enough succulent juices to coat a bowl of pasta cloaked in parmesan. It was sooo good.
Ratatouille
1 eggplant, cubed into 1" pieces
2 tomatoes, cut into eighths
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
olive oil
dry oregano, dry basil, salt and pepper, to taste
Preheat oven to 375.
Toss vegetables, a few splashes of olive oil, and spices in a cast iron pot or any sort of roasting pan until well-combined. Cover and bake until veggies are tender and juices are bubbling, about 45 minutes to an hour, depending on your oven. If you want to caramelize them a bit and reduce the juices, uncover for the last 15 minutes of baking.
I'm tiptoeing my way into the realm of recipe development and finding it, at times, to be somewhat difficult and frustrating. Tonight I thought I had solved the recipe for vegan banana oat cookies, but no. Not quite. So close.
Sometimes, though, things just fall into place. 6 cups leftover macaroni + those last four carrots in the crisper bin + almond milk + a few other odds and ends= sneaky macaroni success!
Can those four little carrots make a guilty pleasure such as macaroni and cheese feel a little less indulgent? Why yes, yes they can! And! Bonus feature! If, say, you really prefer extra-sharp white cheddar, your mac and cheese will still manage to emerge bathed in a comforting shade of orange, just like the boxed stuff from your childhood. Yes!
I'm hoping that on the next go 'round, I'll be able to somehow make a roux without butter--I dunno--reduce almond milk, add flour? Is this just a case of the 4am crazy-brains? We'll see...
Regardless, this recipe is good enough to share here and now. It's extremely creamy and subtle, with the almond milk and carrots lurking meekly in the background.
Sneaky Mac and Cheese
8 ounces peeled and trimmed carrots (about 4 small), cut into 1/4" slices
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups milk (I used half almond milk, half cow's)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
salt and pepper, to taste
6 cups cooked macaroni (3 cups or 3/4 pound dry)
6 ounces shredded cheddar cheese (about 1 1/2 cups) plus more for topping, if desired
Preheat oven to 350. Spray a casserole dish or 9x13 pan with no-stick.
Bring 1/4 cup water to a simmer, add carrots, cover. Simmer for about 5 minutes, or until tender. Transfer to a blender along with 1 1/2 cups milk; blend until carrots are pulverized. Set aside.
In a large saucepan (large enough to contain all ingredients), melt butter over medium heat until it is gently sizzling; stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly, for about a minute. Stir in carrot/milk mixture and cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened. Season with salt and pepper, being cautious with the salt since the cheese will do most (possibly all, depending on your tastes) of the work in the sodium department. Stir in cooked macaroni and shredded cheese until well-combined. Pour into prepped pan, sprinkle with cheese if desired, and cover with foil.
Bake for 15-20 minutes with foil on, then another 5-10 without to lightly brown the cheese.
This is a simple dish, if you let it be.
No-boil noodles, a jar of salsa, four cans of beans, and some cheese.
Done.
Or you could make things complicated by making your own noodles--pictured are noodles that were made from a standard egg noodle recipe, but with masa harina subbed for half the flour. They just needed a little extra water and some coaxing (via folds and passes through the pasta roller) to smooth out.
You could make your own salsa.
You could throw in some fancy cheese. (You may notice some decidedly un-fancy cottage cheese in the pic--I didn't want to go to the grocery store!)
You could...um...well...not sure how you could fancify beans.
But...
I think we've made this dish enough times that I can say with confidence:
keep it simple.
Mexican Lasagna (from Eli ♥)
1 package of no-boil lasagna noodles or regular lasagna noodles, cooked according to package instructions
4 (15-ounce) cans of beans (I used a mixture of pinto, kidney, black, and cannellini)
24 ounces salsa (used Pace)
cumin, to taste (used about a tablespoon)
shredded cheese, to taste (used about a pound of monterey jack and sharp cheddar)
Preheat oven to 375.
Drain and rinse beans, then combine with salsa and cumin. Spread a layer of this mixture in the bottom of a casserole dish or 9x13 pan that's been sprayed with no-stick. Top with a layer of lasagna noodles, then beans and cheese, noodles, etc...ending with a layer of beans and cheese.
Cover with foil and bake for about 45 minutes, or until bubbly. Remove foil near the end of baking time to let the cheese brown a bit.
