Tuesday, June 10, 2008
puppy outlines
we recently went to a wedding in chicago and some friends and their adorable baby watched our dogs (and plants) while we were away. i know the pups had a good time because said friends have a lot of squeaky toys and laps ready to be warmed (or just sat on, since it's already 85 F here and there is no need for extra warmth). here at home we have laps, yes, and we have toys. but we do not and cannot have any squeaky toys. why? we have dachshunds. they are obsessive, crazy animals and our dog hoss wants more than just a summer fling with squeaky toys. i am told that on his visit to our friends' house, he played with their toys the entire time. without breaks, rest, food or water.
if you doubt this dachshund obsessiveness, i suggest you come over* and watch my dogs play with their noise machine or their laser beams. they are so crazy about their toys that they have learned to open knob-less cupboards to reach them. if you take the toys away, they will stay up at night staring at you while you sleep. i'm not kidding. it's so children of the corn...or whatever.
*i don't mean this literally, especially if i don't know you. i doubt anyone outside my small circle of people is reading this blog...but just in case, please don't come over unless i know/invite you.
craziness aside, these dogs are polite and they know when a thank you is in order. so i made this little card in illustrator and sent it to our friends in a grass paper-lined envelope (along with a bunch of bananas and a gift card to their favorite ice cream place - on thursdays you bring a banana and get half off a banana split!). i must point out that hoss' eye colors on this card are true-to-life and that yes, miles really does look like a baby doggy lion.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
a miniature tiramisu dessert - how can it not be #1?
so i entered a dessert showdown contest at work. there were no guidelines other than we had to provide 75 of the item we were making for the rest of my division to taste each dessert and vote on their favorite. helen and i decided we'd represent our office and i knew i'd make something i'd made a few times before with good reviews. these tiramisu cupcakes are what i'd call a winning recipe. or so i thought. i didn't win the showdown, but despite the heat and some kitchen disasters, people really liked them.
i like this recipe because it produce a fluffy, sponge-like cake and the frosting is so good, you'll want to eat it on everything in your pantry. and even though it has a lot of steps, it's pretty easy. it's even easier when you aren't making 50 (I cut these in half at the showdown so each person got half a mini-cupcake to judge).
the recipe starts out with a meringue. i love meringue for cookies and pie toppers, and i like it just as much as the base of a cake recipe. i also love that my kitchen-aid will whip up egg yolks in, literally, the blink of an eye. i recall those hand mixer days of yore when i'd spend at least 10 minutes (!) just beating 3 or 4 whites to the right consistency...
whip it, beat it
folding everything together (here's where i should have noticed the heat affecting my batter)
so now you've seen the batter, do you want the recipe? i came across this one through the cupcake blog (which, i must add, just shut down! ::sobs in cheerios::) and i've only seen it in a flickr album.
it's not a cupcake blog recipe, i don't think, but i'm not sure who to properly credit (becky, maybe?) also, this is the original recipe. when i referred to 9 yolks/whites above, it was because I did 1.5 of this to get more cuppie cakes.
tiramisu cupcakes
6 eggs, separated (allow to come to room temp)
3/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 c suagr, divided
3 tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp salt
1 c sifted flour (measure after sifting)
1. beat egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy
2. add half the sugar (1/2 c), 2 tbsp at a time, beating consistently until glossy and smooth, set aside
(meringue should form soft peaks, rub a bit of it between your fingers to be sure sugar has dissolved)
3. in a small bowl* beat egg yolks until thick and lemon colored (3-5 minutes)
4. gradually beat in the remaining 1/2 c sugar, water, vanilla, and salt
5. sprinkle flour over egg whites and add yolk mixture, gently fold together
6. fill muffin cups 2/3 full and bake at 350 F for 10-15 minutes (until toothpick comes out clean)
*one without soapy residue
such pretty, off-white cupcakes. they puff up nicely but come down just a bit as they cool.
stabbed and soaked with espresso syrup
here comes the tiramisu part. these already moist and delicious cupcakes get a heavy dose of espresso syrup which absorbs and adds important flavor to the whole dessert.
espresso syrup
1/2 c powdered sugar2/3 c water
5 tsp espresso powder (I use instant coffee packets and add an extra tsp)
1. heat water, sugar and coffee until boiling, stirring occasionally
2. remove from heat and cool completely
when cupcakes and syrup are cool, poke holes in each cupcake top and pour 1/2 - 1 tsp of syrup in each (i would do more for large cupcakes, but this is the right amount for minis)
frost me up, baby. it's ALL about the frosting
this is obviously my favorite part. it's also probably going to be yours if you already have an over-the-top obsession with cream cheese frosting. why? because this is tiramisu...which means mascarpone.
unfortunately, this is where disaster #2 came into play on this particular balmy spring night. for reasons beyond my knowledge, my first batch of frosting (including almost $10 worth of freaking cheese) went into the garbage. i whipped my ingredients up only to find a soupy mess. then i made a big mistake and added cold butter to my frosting to try and stiffen it up. i even, in trying to salvage this huge amount of goods, added some shortening (zero trans fat). i put the bowl in the freezer. i mixed and mixed and was left with a soupy, chunky mess. then i had a breakdown and threatened to back out of the showdown. it was so dramatic! husband came to the rescue with his calm nature and said he would buy more mascarpone and i would try again.
i did try again and was met with success. i have made this frosting multiple times before and had never once had a problem, so i blame the mess on two things: the heat in the kitchen and my use of cooking marsala wine. it was memorial day and i had forgotten to buy any marsala and the cooking wine was all i had. don't use that, ok? please, let me be clear. this frosting is so good when it taste all boozey and creamy at the same time. so use the real stuff!
oh sweet success. so many frosted cupcakes, so little time
mascarpone frosting
3 c mascarpone cheese
1 c powdered sugar
1/4 c marsala wine (the REAL stuff)
3/4 c heavy cream (go easy on this one)
1. blend together cheese, sugar and win until combined
2. slowly add the cream, 2 tbsp at a time, until fluffy (stop when you reach desired consistency)
3. throw frosting into a piping bag and frost each cupcake
to complete the cupcake and make it more authentic, you simply must dust with cocoa powder and sprinkle some chocolate shavings on top.
these are good. i know they can win contests. i haven't met a person yet who hasn't scarfed one down and thought about having a second, immediately. and trust me, i've tested this on a lot of subjects.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
mine.
it's true. i love mojitos. like, a lot. i even had them as one of two signature drinks at my wedding.
and there i go again, loving on all kinds of stuff...but for real this time. i like them basic, or with new fruits, even new flavors. give them all to me. what i have found, though, especially with that more, more! attitude is that i need to pair my mojitos with some food. any food will do, but i'm on a summer/healthy kick (minus the upcoming cupcakes i'll be posting about) so on this night of mojito imbibing, i made some tuna steaks and a sicilian potato salad.
oh yes, on this night i learned how to change my iso and while slightly grainy, these are flash free, indoor, evening photos. plus, i scored a free tripod from a friend and now the 66 million other versions of the same 'onion as still life' image might be considerably less in the future.
i'm so cool with my iso knowledge. thanks pw!
i'm feeling especially sleepy (lazy?) tonight so i'm just going to go ahead and link this yummy recipe for you. i'll give you 8 guesses as to where i might have found this. oh, you guessed rr june/july 08 on the first try? never mind then.
and yes, the above link includes the tuna steak recipe. these were good. i've been working on my fish consumption and all of the new recipes i've tried have really "hooked" me. ahaha. anyway.
husband and i enjoyed this so much that i made another batch of the potato salad for a bbq the next day. but on this particular night, we ate and i managed to consume three mojitos in a short amount of time (with dinner, maybe?) and was ridiculously happy for the next hour. then i fell asleep. i am so fun.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
just try and bite this gigantic muffuletta without making a messi am not kidding you, this sandwich is gigantic and messy and so delicious. and as i've said 800 billion times in the last two weeks, vegetables are so in this season. when i saw in my now treasured june/july 08 rr magazine this recipe for a vegetarian muffuletta, i went out and secured all of the ingredients posthaste. i knew i'd like it: grilled veggies, bread, olives. i think i was meant to be french. or greek? i don't know...but i could do the whole eating bread dipped in olive oil, with a side of cheese and olives. whoever does that all day, everyday - that's who i want to be.
but not to sidetrack here. husband and i loved this sandwich. i know, because after consuming the leftovers the next day, i received an email from him: "i could eat one of these everyday". before we move to the recipe, my two tips: don't skimp on any of the ingredients because they are all important and try to do as rr says and put everything in a big bread bowl..not these individual things i used. i'm thinking they might be a little easier to eat. maybe not, but worth a try...unless you don't mind having your entire face covered in pesto.
but not to sidetrack here. husband and i loved this sandwich. i know, because after consuming the leftovers the next day, i received an email from him: "i could eat one of these everyday". before we move to the recipe, my two tips: don't skimp on any of the ingredients because they are all important and try to do as rr says and put everything in a big bread bowl..not these individual things i used. i'm thinking they might be a little easier to eat. maybe not, but worth a try...unless you don't mind having your entire face covered in pesto.
spinach pesto and spicy vegetable & olive salad
this is what it all started with. i saw "olives and marinated vegetables" in the recipe and i was sold. cheers to husband for whipping these two toppings up...even if i did have to explain how to use the food processor. twice.
veggies grilling and the start of the end: the hollowed bread slice
this is before it got serious. everything seemed so simple, so neat...so easy. my hands (nay, forearms) were still clean.
grilled vegetable muffuletta (rr june/july 08)
1 eggplant, sliced 1/2 in thick
1 zucchini, sliced 1/2 in thick on an angle
1 red bell pepper, quartered lengthwise
1 large portobello mushroom cap
1 red onion, sliced 3/4 inch thick
salt and pepper
1/2 c olive oil
6 ounces baby spinach
1/3 c pine nuts
2/3 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
1 cup pickled vegetable salad
1/2 cup pitted olives
1 8-9 in round loaf crusty bread
1/4 lb sliced provolone cheese
1. brush the first five vegetable ingredients with 1/4 c olive oil and salt & pepper
2. grill veggies over medium-high heat until charred on both sides, turning once
3. in a food processor, puree spinach, pine nuts and parm-reg cheese, season with salt and pepper
4. drizzle with 1/4 c olive oil while machine is running and transfer to a bowl when combined
5. in a food processor, pulse the pickled vegetables and the olives into a coarse relish salad
6. slice the top quarter off of the bread and scoop out the insides
7. spread the half the pesto on the bottom and layer with half the grilled vegetables
8. repeat with another layer of veggies and pesto
9. top the grilled vegetables with provolone and the olive & vegetable salad
10. set the top of the bread in place and firmly press down; cut into wedges to serve
**obviously, I did not make the whole bowl and chose to do this my own crazy way. if you're serving 4 or so, the bread bowl is probably a good way to go. anyway, my point is: my pictures do not follow the instructions above.
a sequence of ridiculous assembly photos - totally out of control
it was at about the photo on the bottom left that i started to wonder how i would ever be able to eat this. i continued to shove more grilled vegetables into the bread crescent and knew i would need 10-12 napkins for this one meal. husband, on the other hand, was not concerned. bigger hands? bigger mouth? i'm not sure, but he was ready for it.
the final touch - trying to fit olive & veggie salad onto this overloaded sandwichit really isn't a muffuletta without the olive salad. it's true. i looked it up. that's what this baby is all about. so if you don't like olives and you've made it this far thinking you could go without: you're wrong.
well...you probably could make this sans olive salad, but don't you dare run around calling it a muffuletta.
i'm not sure why this last photo has such a yellow tint. and there you have it! with all of these goodies, you won't miss the missing meat and you'll be sure to have a great time trying to figure out how to open your mouth wide enough and bite down just right so as not to push all of the fillings out the other side. good luck!
i've been cooking up a storm and posting like all i do is work in the kitchen. i promise, i've been doing other things. making other things. but, i'll be honest, i have been taking some crafting downtime...i'm not sure why. maybe because spring means so much tasty produce that i just have to get my paws on everything colorful and fresh. i'm easily persuaded by good looking food...who can blame me?
anyway...i did make one crafty thing recently. literally, one item.
husbands sister, my sister-in-law, (whom i refer to normally as just sister) graduated from college a week or so ago. a little card with her school colors went into the mail to congratulate her. didn't i luck out in finding that perfectly matching paper for the envelope liner? yes, i would say so.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
up close and personal with a versatile and healthy saladi got a little macro lens crazy and shot the ingredients for this salad as close as i could get. i'm pretty into veggies, though, so these insanely close shots are a-ok with me.
i first had a version of this dish at a house warming gathering years ago. the host was just about my favorite person and she could have served almost anything and i probably would have loved it. everything about her was (and i'm sure still is) so cool and chic and effortless. i pretend i'm like that when i whip up variations of this salad. i say variations because you can put whatever you like in with the wheat berries and dressing and i'm guessing it will always be great.
i don't have and don't use a standard recipe, so i'll do my best to offer up the necessary info. this "recipe" comes from a variety of web searches; play around with it until it suits your tastes. (i'm kicking myself for not even writing down exactly what i did for today's salad!)
wheat berry salad
i first had a version of this dish at a house warming gathering years ago. the host was just about my favorite person and she could have served almost anything and i probably would have loved it. everything about her was (and i'm sure still is) so cool and chic and effortless. i pretend i'm like that when i whip up variations of this salad. i say variations because you can put whatever you like in with the wheat berries and dressing and i'm guessing it will always be great.
i don't have and don't use a standard recipe, so i'll do my best to offer up the necessary info. this "recipe" comes from a variety of web searches; play around with it until it suits your tastes. (i'm kicking myself for not even writing down exactly what i did for today's salad!)
wheat berry salad
10-15 grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
a few stalks of broccolini, sliced into 1 inch pieces
a few handfuls of string beans, sliced into 1 inch pieces
3-4 scallions, sliced (white to medium green portions)
1/4 finely chopped red onion
3 tbsp olive oil (+1tbsp for cooking)
3 tbsp balsamic, red whine or champagne vinegar (you choose!)
1-2 tbsp lemon juice
few shakes of dried dill
salt & pepper
(you can add a few shakes of sugar if you find the dressing too tart)
1. add wheat berries to a large pot of boiling water, cook for 45 minutes to an hour, uncovered, until soft
2. drain wheat berries and rinse with cold water, shake in a colander to remove all excess liquid
3. blanch broccolini and bean pieces*
4. in a large bowl combine tomatoes, broccolini, beans, scallions and cooled wheat berries
5. saute red onion in olive oil until soft, allow to cool
6. in a small bowl combine red onions, vinegar, lemon juice, dill, and s&p
7. slowly whisk in the olive oil with the rest of the dressing ingredients
8. pour dressing over wheat berries and veggies and toss to combine
*i totally used the same boiling water the wheat berries were in...dropped the veggies in, scooped them out...it didn't seem to effect the cooking of the berries one bit
veggies and cooked wheat berries - so close you can lick your screen and taste them
i love this salad because it's hearty (a good sized portion fills you right up) and so tasty. i also love that you can use almost any vegetable...try colored bell peppers, thinly sliced carrots, diced cucumber, zucchini...whatever your garden or grocery store has to offer (not plums). it also keeps wonderfully - the berries won't get soggy and the flavor of the dressing on the veggies is even better on day 2.
it seems i need a few white dishes for picture purposeswe ate this with some balsamic chicken that i didn't really like. husband enjoyed it, but this is my blog and he only gets one post for the month of may.
Monday, May 19, 2008
shrimp and noodles in spicy coconunt brothoh, rachel ray. i do love her magazine. easy recipes without the verbal yum-o after every sample. but i'm not sure how authentic this recipe is. the meal was pretty good and the shrimp was nice and flavorful...but the broth was just meh. not bad, but nothing to write home about.
maybe it was my ingredients. i did choose "lite" coconut milk...and before you even have time to think it, yes, that is jarred ginger there. i promise, i'm big on fresh stuff. but the grocery store (you know, the one that doesn't carry plums...) didn't have any. none! the bin for fresh ginger appeared to have been empty for weeks. so i bought this jarred stuff, which was next to where the fresh stuff should have been and i moved on with my life.
also, my friend helen claims that this rooster sauce is in no way authentic to real asian cuisine. this might be true, since i've only seen it in americanized chinese restaurants...but i happen to like it for spiciness. plus, i'm pretty sure that's authentic fish sauce i used and that has to win me some major points.
so on with it. this recipe is from my current rr (june/july 08). it has the most easy, decent sounding recipes in one magazine that i've seen for a while now. page after page, there are things i'm ready to try. i did cut this recipe in half, as it makes for 3 meals, she says.
shrimp and noodles in coconut broth
1 13.5 oz can coconut milk
half 14.5 oz can chicken broth
1/2 tbsp asian fish sauce
1/2 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tsp chopped ginger
1 tsp ht chili sauce
1/2 tsp fresh lime juice
1 lb raw shrimp, shells & tails removed
1 bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped
3/4 pasta noodles, cooked
1. bring the coconut milk and broth to a simmer over medium heat
2. stir in fish sauce, garlic, ginger, chili sauce and lime juice, cook for 2 minutes
3. stir in the shrimp and cook until opaque
4. stir in the cilantro and remove from heat
5. serve shrimp and broth over cooked noodles
I wouldn't go all YUM-O on this dish...but it wasn't bad. I just needed more from the broth. i think the full fat coconut milk would have helped and more flavors from the ginger and garlic.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
a neatly stacked pile of dark chocolate chip cookiesi'm lucky. i have a husband that enjoys taste testing random foods, does the dishes, takes out the trash and, on occasion, isn't afraid to step into the kitchen for some actual food preparation. he often cooks on the stove top or in the toaster oven - eggs and tuna melts could be considered his specialties. (his eggs always stay sunny side up and the yolks break open all over my toast...i'm not so good at that part so he usually makes my eggs for me.) occasionally, he will make dinner. not like, some noodles and sauce. he'll make a three course meal (champagne risotto and crab legs was once whipped up as a surprise dinner for me.) and, on rare days, when i haven't baked in weeks he will tie on his apron and make himself a sweet treat.
i usually come out to find him elbow deep in flour and sugar, carefully measuring and making a bit of a mess. then i poke around, tell him his butter isn't soft enough or that he should use a different bowl...just generally bugging him. then i get booted from the kitchen and have to wait until the batter is ready. he brings me spoonfuls and i relish in the fact that cookie dough just came my way and i didn't have to lift a finger.
ok, yes, he's a nice guy. husband is doting and loving and all that jazz. but, i'm going to be honest here. his track record in the baking arena is not so good. in the past his cookies efforts have resulted, multiple times, in a pancake like food stuck to my good cookie sheets (he swears they were separated when they went in the oven). yes - one giant, thin cookie mess that can only be consumed by chipping away at it and eating the crumbles.
oh, but not this time!
i usually come out to find him elbow deep in flour and sugar, carefully measuring and making a bit of a mess. then i poke around, tell him his butter isn't soft enough or that he should use a different bowl...just generally bugging him. then i get booted from the kitchen and have to wait until the batter is ready. he brings me spoonfuls and i relish in the fact that cookie dough just came my way and i didn't have to lift a finger.
ok, yes, he's a nice guy. husband is doting and loving and all that jazz. but, i'm going to be honest here. his track record in the baking arena is not so good. in the past his cookies efforts have resulted, multiple times, in a pancake like food stuck to my good cookie sheets (he swears they were separated when they went in the oven). yes - one giant, thin cookie mess that can only be consumed by chipping away at it and eating the crumbles.
oh, but not this time!
this time the stars were aligned and the butter was the right temperature and husband's cookies came out golden and perfect. soft on the inside, just a bit crunchy on the outside...and lots of melty chocolate. we ate them and he took pictures of them like an old blogging pro. he stacked them up for their photo shoot and got closeups from all angles.
soft kronchand i took a picture of my own. yum! three cheers for husband, who has seen baking success with his hershey's special dark chocolate chip cookies (recipe can be found on the back of the bag).
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