kar in the kitchen

Breaking News

2010-02-23T22:21:00.000-08:00

New website! Please check out http://karinnewstrom.wordpress.com. Feedback welcome. Thanks!

2010-02-19T15:58:00.001-08:00

What a beautiful day! I took some time to enjoy it at the Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis. I think spring is on the way...!

A Perfect Breakfast

2010-02-18T09:02:00.001-08:00

Did you know that parfait means "perfect" in French? This morning, I ate a little granola and yogurt parfait and remembered when I had this breakfast. On our last day in Seattle this summer, we decided to try the Portage Bay Cafe. I wasn't too hungry, so I went for the parfait, which actually was ridiculously enormous (Britt enjoyed the same). Homemade granola, dried fruit, nuts, vanilla yogurt, honey, and mixed berry compote... it was amazing. They also had a table set up in the middle of the dining room as a "toppings bar," so we were free to add all the freshly picked berries we wanted (see berries in the background).

Dear Seattle: I miss you. Hope to see you soon!

The Cupcake Project

2010-02-12T18:53:00.001-08:00

Pictures taken today for a photography assignment. In case you're wondering, devil's food cupcakes with pink seven-minute frosting.

The aftermath (and, the ambient temperature of our apartment):

Oh, Summer...

2010-02-09T21:18:00.001-08:00

Summer, please return! Too much snow, not enough daylight.
On the bright side, it's almost time for the Olympics! :)

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-27T14:19:00.001-08:00

I hope everybody is having a wonderful holiday season! No food, but a couple seasonal pictures I snapped today. Happy holidays!

Recap: Pie-Stravaganza 2009

2009-11-29T10:42:00.000-08:00

Recap: I made three pies. Lemon meringue, pumpkin, and French silk.

I made the pies the night before Thanksgiving, but it's a little difficult to transport 3 pies. The meringue shifted slightly on the lemon pie, but still tasted good.

French silk for my mom. And me, too. Sadly, no chocolate curls, so cocoa powder had to suffice. I first came across the recipe on Amanda's Cooking. It's quite delicious.

Recipes for the lemon and pumpkin pie were from America's Test Kitchen. If anybody's interested in the recipes, leave me a comment and perhaps I'll get around to posting them.

Happy Holidays!

The Best Salad in the World

2009-11-29T09:38:00.000-08:00

Happy post-Thanksgiving everyone! I've had a bit of time off from school and managed to get a few pictures snapped here and there. Be sure to check back for a recap of Pie-stravaganza 2009.

There aren't too many salads that get me excited, but this happens to be one of them. I was put in charge of lunch that utilized leftovers and when I saw the key ingredient in the fridge (gorgonzola!), I knew that it was meant to be.

Quantities are up to you... use as little or as much as you like. For the dressing, I like to put a splash of extra virgin olive oil and half a splash of balsamic vinegar in the salad tossing bowl with some salt, pepper, and a bit of dried oregano. Whisk together then toss with your lettuce.

The Best Salad in the World (aka Apple Gorgonzola Salad)

...Now With Turkey!

Lettuce

Dressing (Recommendation: Balsamic Vinaigrette)

Apple, chopped, such as Granny Smith or Fuji

Crumbled gorgonzola cheese

Dried cranberries

Red onion, thinly sliced
Leftover Thanksgiving turkey

Salt and pepper

(If you're feeling fancy, throw a few almonds, pecans, or walnuts in the mix, as well)

Toss lettuce with dressing. Top with toppings. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on the turkey. Eat a large quantity.

Anti-Halloween Dinner: Chicken Marsala

2009-10-31T19:52:00.000-07:00

This post will feature no pumpkins, no desserts incorporating Halloween candy, and certainly no gory- and/or spooky-looking food of any kind. I am a Halloween grinch. Enough said.

Actually, one more thing to add: my mom's a Halloween grinch, too. Maybe it's because she's from England and didn't have it growing up. I think that's where I got it from. She "forgot" to get candy, so we enjoyed the evening with the outside lights off and shades drawn to ward off potential trick-or-treaters. We still got one, though.

Instead, we enjoyed a nice meal. It was lovely to get away for the weekend to visit my parents and I look forward to visiting my husband's family tomorrow. I didn't bring my camera home, but was able to snap a few pictures using my mom's camera. The lighting conditions were less than ideal, and thus, the picture qualities are less than stellar. Still delicious, though. And, you get to see my parents' new kitchen countertop.

Earlier today, I managed to catch my favorite television show, America's Test Kitchen, where they made garlic mashed potatoes using a slightly modified method. I was also carrying on a conversation at the time, so I didn't get the exact method and quantities, but I think I recreated it fairly well with the ingredients that were on hand. I also left out a lot of butter, but they were still delicious (especially with the Marsala sauce!). And, I should mention that my mom did most of the work on the chicken and also made a lovely side of broccoli (my favorite veg). Good job, Mom!

Chicken Marsala
Adapted from America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook
Serves 4

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
3 ounces pancetta or bacon, finely chopped
8 ounces white button mushrooms, sliced or quartered
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 1/2 cups sweet Marsala
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into three pieces and chilled
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees and adjust an oven rack to the middle position. Put flour in a shallow dish or pie plate.
2. Pound the thicker ends of the chicken breasts, or cut breasts into cutlets and pound to even thinness, if you prefer. Pat dry with paper towels, season with salt and pepper, then dredge in flour.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add chicken and cook each side until lightly golden brown. If going the cutlet route, you will need to do two batches and they will cook faster. When done, transfer to a platter in the oven to keep warm.
4. Add remaining tablespoon oil and return to medium-high heat until shimmering. Add pancetta and mushrooms. Cooking until the pancetta is crisp and mushrooms are brown, about 10 minutes.
5. Add garlic and tomato paste and cook 1 minutes. Add Marsala, being sure to scrape up all the browned bits on the bottom of the pan, and simmer until reduced and syrupy, about 8 minutes.
6. Stir in lemon juice and any accumulated chicken juice. Over low heat, whisk in butter once piece at a time. Off the heat, stir in the parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon sauce over chicken and serve.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Adapted from America's Test Kitchen

Serves 4

4-5 large red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into small-medium pieces

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons butter, plus more to taste

Half and half (or milk)

Salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter over medium-low heat and add minced garlic. Cook until pale golden and beginning to stick in clumps. Add the raw potatoes and half-and-half or milk and water in equal parts until all but covering the potatoes. Give a good stir and bring to a boil. Cook until potatoes are tender (about 20 minutes). Mash potatoes, adding more butter if desired, and season to taste.

Whew! That's it. I should add that the men-folk in the house (my dad and husband) were slightly concerned about how strong the garlic would be in the potatoes based upon the smell of the initial garlic cooking. They were pleasantly surprised, as the initial cooking really mellows the garlic flavor. Give 'em a try!

It's been a while...

2009-10-08T08:20:00.001-07:00

Food blogging proves to be a difficult activity with grad school, rehearsals, concerts, work, and decreasing daylight hours. So, here's a short post on two unrelated topics:

A couple recent pictures of my horse, Bear. We went on a trail ride and it was fun.

All ready to head home...

Also, if you need a smile, be sure to check out My Milk Toof. It's adorable.

That's it for now. Food blogging resumes sometime in the future...

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

2009-09-16T20:17:00.000-07:00

Bananas pose somewhat of a problem for me. They’re nutritious. They’re conveniently portable and self-contained. They’re relatively inexpensive. However, I only like them just prior to becoming ripe. Once bananas become fully ripe (and reach the peak of deliciousness, I’m told by others), I can’t do it. It has mostly to do with texture, I think. Too mushy. And the taste. Too much banana. Too banana-y.

As a result, there are usually a number of brown bananas in the freezer, which end up in various cakes, muffins, and breads. Unfortunately, I don’t care for any of those (again, too much banana). Fortunately, I’m in the minority and can always find people to help me out. I’ve taken to making muffins instead of loaves, as they are more easily distributed and don’t end up all in one place (e.g., Jeff’s belly).

Using standard muffins cups and a greased 1/3 cup measure for scooping, this yielded more than 12 muffins. I’m guessing it probably would make about 15. Rather than make more regular muffins, I used a cookie scoop and a little tartlet pan to make 12 little muffin tops (or muffies, if you prefer), as we all know the best part of the muffin is the top, right? Some of my previous Perkins coworkers can vouch for my obsession with muffin tops (“Hey Alex—wanna share a muffin? I left you the bottom half…”).

Little muffies, all in a row...

As you can tell in the pictures, the oven has fairly savage hot and cool spots. It also lacks a window on the door and a light on the inside. I feel that adds more risk (and sometimes, more reward) to the cooking/baking process. I opted not to remove that risk by rotating the muffin pans halfway through baking. Be adventurous! Don’t rotate! Just kidding. Or am I?

And lastly, dear Rachael: I could not help but think of you while I was baking these. I contemplated making a cream cheese frosting, just like they had on the good days at the Norm, in honor of you. Miss you!

Muffin glamour shot!

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Adapted from The America’s Test Kitchen Family Baking Book

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon nutmeg

1 ½ cups whole or low-fat yogurt

1 tablespoon vanilla

2 large eggs

1 stick butter, melted and cooled

1 cup (or more) chocolate chips

3 very ripe bananas, cut into small pieces

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 2 12-cup muffin tins or one 12-cup tin and whatever you can find with which you want to experiment.

Whisk dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk the yogurt, vanilla, and eggs until smooth. Fold the yogurt mixture into the dry ingredients until barely combined. Fold in melted butter. Fold in chocolate chips and bananas, being careful not to over-mix.

Scoop batter into muffin cups using a greased 1/3 cup measure. Bake until golden and toothpick comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes (less is you make smaller muffins). If you’re feeling ambitious, rotate the pans halfway through baking.

Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, and then let cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before serving. These are best the day they’re made, but have enough moisture to keep a couple days.

Veggie Chicken Pizza

2009-09-13T10:29:00.000-07:00

This is my own take on my favorite pizza at work. It also was an opportunity to use up various leftovers in the fridge. The pizza that inspired this is topped with mushrooms, but mushrooms are not my favorite. If you like mushrooms, throw ‘em on. The sauce is so rich and creamy (with a little bit of melted cheese mixed in) that very little cheese is required on top. Unless, of course, you really love cheese.

This pizza smelled amazing and tasted even better. My husband’s response, upon first glance was, “I could eat a lot of that.” And he did.

Chicken Veggie Pizza

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon butter

½ cup cream

¼ cup finely grated parmesan or other hard cheese

Pizza crust of choice (I wrote about my choice here)

Cheese of choice (mozzarella or Italian blend)

Cooked chicken breast, sliced or shredded

Diced bell pepper, red onion, corn (fresh or frozen kernels)

Red pepper flakes, if you like spice :)

To make sauce: Slowly cook minced garlic in melted butter over medium-low heat for 5-7 minutes. Add cream and gently simmer until slightly reduced and thickened. Stir in cheese until smooth and remove from heat. The sauce will thicken upon standing, but will still be plenty spreadable.

Prepare pizza crust as directed. Spread with sauce, and then add cheese, chicken, vegetables, and red pepper flakes. Bake until cheese is spotted golden brown.

New camera in action: green beans!

2009-09-05T15:12:00.001-07:00

I just received a new power cord for my laptop. Hooray! So, I have another picture from my new camera to share.

Over the past few weeks, I've received several large quantities of green beans, courtesy of my mom's plentiful bean patch. I made stir fry earlier in the week and minced waaaay too much garlic and ginger, and that's how this recipe arose...

Green Beans with Garlic and Ginger
Serves 4

1 pound green beans, washed and ends trimmed (either left whole or cut into pieces)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced ginger
2 tablespoons butter (or olive oil, if you prefer)
Salt

Steam green beans until still quite crisp, 6-8 minutes. Drain off water if any remains. Push green beans to one side of skillet, melt butter over medium-low heat in open part of skillet, then add garlic and ginger. Cook until fragrant, then mix the beans, garlic, and ginger. Continue cooking until the beans reach the desired point of tenderness and the garlic and ginger are deliciously golden brown. Season with salt, if desired.

Adventures with Eggplant

2009-09-02T18:27:00.000-07:00

The computer issue has yet to be resolved, but I was able to get a few pictures of tonight's dinner uploaded.

There has been somewhat of a chill in the air in recent days here in Minneapolis. So, when browsing through options for the eggplant that came in this week's CSA, a baked pasta seemed apt. Rather than measuring the precise amounts of olive oil, cheese, and tomato sauce, I prefer to eyeball it. It saves time and dishes!

Baked Penne with Eggplant- Pasta alla Norma
Adapted from Molto Italiano, by Mario Batali

2 pounds small to medium eggplant, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound penne or other short pasta
2 cups tomato sauce (jarred is fine... and faster!)
1 cup toasted breadcrumbs
1/2 Italian cheese, such as grated Pecorino Romano, Parmesan, Grana Padano, or a preshredded cheese blend
10 fresh basil leaves, rough torn, or leaves from several fresh oregano sprigs
Extra cheese for grating

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9-by-12-inch baking pan with olive oil.

Bring salted water to boil for pasta. Cook pasta two minutes short of package directions, drain, and rinse with cold water. Drain well, return to saucepan, and toss with one cup of pasta sauce.

While the pasta is cooking, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat until almost smoking. Season the eggplant slices with salt and pepper and cook until golden brown on both sides, turning once. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.

Layer as follows:
1/4 cup tomato sauce
Half of the breadcrumbs
Half of the pasta
Half of the eggplant slices
1/4 cheese
Half of the cheese and basil or oregano
Remaining pasta
Remaining eggplant
Remaining sauce
Remaining cheese and basil or oregano
Remaining breadcrumbs
Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil

Bake for 45 minutes then let rest for 10 minutes. If the cheese and breadcrumbs brown too quickly, cover with foil. Plate up, grate cheese over each portion, and enjoy!

We have a problem.

2009-09-02T12:16:00.001-07:00

So, I have a new camera. It's awesome. I also just got back from an amazingly fun roadtrip. And now, I have a camera full of quite large pictures taken on the amazingly fun roadtrip.

Here's the problem: my computer is full. The power cord is also barely functioning. Once both of those situations have been remedied, blogging will resume. Hang tight! In the meantime, please check out my dear friend Britt's blog: Raccoon & Rain. We visited her on the roadtrip, which is a large part of why it was amazingly fun.

Vacation!

2009-08-22T23:45:00.000-07:00

Today's post is short:

1. I'm on vacation. Hooray!

2. I got a new camera. I made the best of my old Canon, but it stopped working earlier this week. However, I just so happened to see an amazing deal for a used digital SLR on craigslist the day before my camera decided to stop working. I swear, I had nothing to do with that.

3. Two pictures from somewhere in western North Dakota:

Beginner Photography Tips and My FAVORITE Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-08-19T17:18:00.000-07:00

I've had a few people ask about what kind of camera/lenses I use and my set-up. I decided now would be a good time to share my equipment and techniques. I will also share my favorite recipe for chocolate chip cookies! Hooray!

Disclaimer: I don't know anything about photography.

Here is the camera I use:
It's a Canon A85 Powershot. I received it as a Christmas gift when I was a freshman in college. I don't think they make this model anymore... So, no lenses involved.

Here's my "studio":
See all the sunshine? It's bright!

And, I know nothing about photography, but here's what I do:

1. Use natural light (no flash!).
2. Use minimalistic plates/backgrounds (I have two colors of plates and two colors of tag board: white and blue).
2. Use the macro setting.
3. Keep the camera still (easy if you have a tripod).
4. Adjust the photo. I use Picasa, which is very easy to use and free. I use it to crop, adjust the light and color balance, sharpen, and sometime slightly blur the background.

I usually shoot on the Aperture setting, but with this camera, the f-stop value doesn't seem to make a huge difference.

Here's a before picture that I took later in the day when it was a bit dark:

...And after a few Picasa adjustments:
This picture also features today's recipe! They are a bit flat in the above photo due to the extreme heat of my apartment, but they are simply the best in my book. They can range from gooey on the inside and chewy around the edges to chewy in the middle with crisp edges depending on how long you cook them.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
aka my Grandma Mildred's Chocolate Chip Cowboy Cookies

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening (or a second stick butter)
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 generous teaspoon vanilla
2 cups oatmeal
2 cups chocolate chips (I really love Guittard milk chocolate chips, as they are delicious but not outrageously expensive)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder together and set aside. Beat butter, shortening, and sugars until very fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until well incorporated. Add half dry ingredients, mix until incorporated, then repeat. Stir in oatmeal and chocolate chips.

Drop cookies onto cookie sheet using two spoons or a scoop and bake 9-12 minutes, depending on how done you like them. I prefer to take the cookies out around the 9 minute mark (they will look underdone) and let them finish cooking on the cookie sheet out of the oven.

Spicy Cucumber Salad

2009-08-13T12:52:00.000-07:00

As a result of our CSA, cucumbers have been accumulating in the fridge. Then, my parents came to visit and brought a cucumber from the garden. Something had to be done. I went through the fridge and found what I could and threw it together. This is what resulted:

Spicy Cucumber Salad

Makes 4 Servings

2 Cucumbers

½ Bell Pepper (any color)

1 Jalapeno

¼-½ Red Onion

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Lime Juice

Freshly Ground Black Pepper and Coarse Salt

Slice cucumber into quarter moons, approximately ½-inch thick. Dice bell pepper into medium dice and jalapeno into fine dice. Slice onion into large pieces. Toss all vegetables, then drizzle with olive oil and lime juice. Toss. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Spicy Coleslaw

2009-08-07T11:12:00.000-07:00

A large head of cabbage came in this week's CSA. So, I made coleslaw, and now we only have... 3/4 of a large head of cabbage. I think more coleslaw is in order.

I am not a huge fan of dishes where mayo is a key ingredient. When I saw Mark Bittman's take on coleslaw that uses a vinaigrette in mayo's place, I thought it would be worth a try. This coleslaw had a great bite to it (both in texture and flavor) and would recommend it to anyone with a surplus of cabbage.

Since we only had three people (which is one more than usual), I halved the recipe. I omitted the peppers and parsley, but the dish still had plenty of flavor.

Spicy Coleslaw
Adapt from Mark Bittman's How To Cook Everything: Simple Recipes for Great Food
Makes about 2 quarts

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons sherry or balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup olive, peanut, or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon sugar
6 cups cored and shredded cabbage
2 red bell peppers, stemmed, peeled if desired, seeded, and diced
1 cup diced scallions
Salt and black pepper to taste
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

Whisk the Dijon mustard and vinegar together in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in the oil. Add the sugar and whisk to dissolve.

Add the cabbage, peppers, and scallions (reserve some for sprinkling on top, if desired). Toss with the dressing. Season with salt and pepper to taste and refrigerate for an hour up to 24 hours (I served right away). Toss with parsley just before serving.

A successful experiment: blueberry fritter bread!

2009-08-05T13:49:00.000-07:00

For my very first job I worked as a hostess and cashier at a bakery and restaurant. There were many delicious things (cookies, artisan bread, pies!) but the most popular item they carried was fritter bread. Fritter bread was available in a wide variety of flavors and eaten both fresh and as amazing French toast. Fritter bread was pricey back then and even more so now—fetching $5.99 a loaf. I recently got the idea to try making my own with no-knead dough from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. This is also my first attempt at (almost) step-by-step photographic documentation… the light’s not great in the kitchen—apologies!

I adapted the blueberry compote recipe from She Simmers. I ended up with about twice as much compote than I needed, but the extra is delicious in plain yogurt (here’s an opportunity to make your own, if you haven’t tried it yet) or on ice cream. If you don't want the extra, half the compote ingredients.

And, without further ado:

Blueberry Fritter Bread

1 pint blueberries, washed but still wet

1/2 cup powdered sugar (more if your blueberries need it)

1 pound no-knead Artisan bread dough (challah, brioche, or boule dough)

Splash milk, cream, or lemon juice and additional 1/4 cup powdered sugar for glaze

Put wet blueberries in small saucepan. Add 1/2 powdered sugar. Stir to combine. Heat over medium-low heat until thick and syrupy, stirring occasionally. Carefully sample to check sweetness balance and add more sugar if necessary.

Transfer half of compote into a large bowl and let cool until warm, but not hot. Enjoy the other half on pancakes, yogurt, ice cream, etc.

While the compote is cooking, pat bread dough to roughly ¾-inch thickness on floured surface.

With a bench scraper or knife coated with cooking spray, slice the dough into small pieces.

Add the dough pieces (separate as you add them to the bowl if stuck together) to the compote bowl and gently stir until all the dough pieces are coated with compote. Transfer mixture to a greased loaf pan and let rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Bake in a 400 degrees for 40-45 minutes, until crusty on top. If in doubt, bake a little longer. There’s a lot of moisture in the dough and compote and you want to make sure it bakes all the way through.

Let cool in pan for 15 minutes then turn out onto wire rack. Let cool completely (if you can wait. I couldn’t). Gradually add milk, cream, or lemon juice to ¼ cup powdered sugar until a glaze consistency is reached. Drizzle onto bread.

There you have it!

See those blueberries? They're in the bread! That slice didn't last long...

Get creative with the filling- try raspberry, blackberry, strawberry, or apple. If you have any bread left over, I highly recommend French toast or bread pudding. Or, make two loaves and save one for later!

Easy Homemade Pizza

2009-08-02T16:37:00.000-07:00

Pizza is my favorite food. It is also near the top of my husband's list. As a result, pizza is consumed fairly frequently in our apartment. When we first moved to Minneapolis, there was a takeout place a few blocks away that had a pretty good deal on Mondays, so we'd have a weekly pizza. There were always a few frozen pizzas stashed in the freezer for times of emergency. Then, I discovered Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.

Since then, we have not looked backed. We no longer get takeout or buy frozen, although we do occasionally go to Punch, although that's a different kind of pizza, so it doesn't really count.

I used to only like pepperoni on my pizza. Pure and simple. I've branched out a bit and now like a number of things, but stay far away from olives. We always have pepperoni, onions, garlic, and a pepper of some sort on hand and that's what goes on the weekly pizza.

I par-bake the crust before topping to prevent a soggy crust. I choose to bake the crust on a cookie sheet on a pizza stone. I have attempted several times sliding the pizza directly on the stone with varying levels of success (and failure) and feel safer using a cookie sheet.

The crust is crisp on the bottom and edges, with a good chew and airy crumb. It takes perhaps a bit longer than getting takeout, but it's far cheaper and tastes unbelievable better. Try it. You may never buy pizza again.

(The Artisan Bread in 5 recipes can be found here.)

Easy Homemade Pizza
Cornmeal
Approximately 1 lb. no-knead boule dough (or olive oil dough, if you prefer)
Pizza sauce of choice (make your own or use store-bought for a short cut... I like Trader Joe's)
Cheese
Toppings of choice (I like pepperoni, onions, peppers, garlic, and dried oregano)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Sprinkle a nonstick cookie sheet or a cookie sheet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray or brushed with olive oil with cornmeal. Pat or roll the pizza dough to approximately 1/4-inch thick (more or less, depending on how you like your crust). If dough resists stretching, let rest and try again a few minutes later. Let rise until dough loses its chill and becomes slightly puffy. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove and top with sauce, cheese, and toppings. If using fresh herbs (such as basil and oregano) wait to put them on until the last minute or two or when it's out of the oven to preserve the flavor. Bake the topped pizza until the cheese is melted and golden and the crust is browned.

PS- See the pepper on the pizza? I grew that! Well, I planted the pepper plant in my parents' garden. I think that counts.

Stained Glass Cake

2009-07-30T22:18:00.000-07:00

And now, the post some of you have been waiting for...

Wednesday was my husband’s birthday. Happy birthday, buddy! When he first laid eyes upon this recipe, he immediately declared, “That’s what I want for my birthday cake.”

“Are you sure?” I asked. “It doesn’t even have chocolate in it.” He replied, “It looks fruity and light. That’s what I want.”

Okay. No chocolate for me.

News about this cake spread before the birthday celebration, creating an air of anticipation prior to the unveiling. I was worried about the cake sticking to the springform pan, so I let the birthday man have the honor (and the risk) of unmolding and slicing. The springform ring came off just fine, but it was a little tricky transferring the slices to plates. And the taste? Well, I'm not a big fan of Jell-O, and it certainly wasn't chocolate, but it was tasty. I think it was well received by all in attendance.

A few notes:

-Rather than purchase a can of pineapple juice, I opted to buy pineapple chunks in natural juice. It was about the same price, contained the exact amount of juice necessary, and I got to enjoy some delicious pineapple chunks, too. Mmmm… nature’s candy.

-I was somewhat distracted when preparing the crust and accidentally put ¾ cup sugar in the crust, rather than ¼ cup. It still worked out just fine and I don't think anybody noticed. Until right about now. Whoops, the secret is out.

-9 crackers, crushed, equaled 1 ½ cups of crumbs for me.

Stained Glass Cake

From Cook's Country, June/July 2009

12 graham crackers, crushed to fine crumbs (about 1 ½ cups)

¾ cup sugar, divided

5 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

3 (3 ounce) boxes Jell-O

4 ½ cups boiling water

¾ cup pineapple juice

1 envelope unflavored gelatin

2 cups heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

For the crust: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Stir cracker crumbs, ¼ sugar, and butter in bowl until crumbs resemble wet sand. Press into bottom of 9-inch springform pan and bake until edges are golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

For the filling: In 3 separate large bowls, whisk each box Jell-O with 1 ½ cups boiling water until dissolved. Pour into 3 loaf pans or pie plates (I used cake pans) and refrigerate until set, about 4 hours. Once set, cut into ½-inch cubes and keep chilled. Combine ¼ cup pineapple juice and unflavored gelatin in bowl. Microwave, stirring occasionally, until dissolved, 1 to 3 minutes. Slowly whisk in remaining pineapple juice. With electric stand mixer set on medium-high, whip cream, vanilla, salt, and remaining sugar until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low and slowly add juice mixture until combined. Gently fold Jell-O cubes into cream mixture. Scrape into prepared pan and refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours or up to 2 days.

Whoa, sunshine!

I recently learned that my blog has somewhat of a following among my husband’s family. Thanks for reading!

Fruit Tartlets

2009-07-29T21:22:00.000-07:00

I bet you’re wondering what I was going to do with all that lemon cream… weren’t you?

Well, wonder no longer.

I really like Michel Roux’s book, Pastry: Savory and Sweet, because the dough recipes are intended to be mixed by hand. I used to think that a food processor was required for making pastry dough, but now I know my hands are perfectly suitable.

Pâte Sucrée

From Pastry by Michel Roux

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

Scant ½ cup butter, cubed and slightly softened

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

Pinch of salt

2 medium eggs, at room temperature

Mound the flour on a counter and make a well. Put in the butter, powdered sugar, and salt, and mix together with your fingertips.

Gradually draw the flour in the center and mix with your fingertips until the dough becomes slightly grainy.

Again, make a well and add the eggs. Work them into the flour mixture, using your fingertips, until the dough begins to hold together.

When the dough is well amalgamated, knead it a few times with the palm of your hand until smooth. Roll the dough into a ball, wrap in plaster wrap, and rest in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours before using (I let rest overnight).

When the dough is rested and you are ready to use it, unwrap and roll out on a lightly floured counter to a 1/16-1/8 inch thickness.

For the rolling out, I used my set of 1/8 inch dough planers on a Silpat Nonstick Silicone Baking Mat to reduce the need for flour. Prick with a fork and place in freezer for 10-15 minutes, then bake at 350 degrees for approximately 10 minutes.

Once the tartlet shells were cool, I filled them with lemon cream and topped with blueberries, cherries, and strawberries.

Goal for future posts: in-progress, action photographs.

Lemon Cream

2009-07-28T21:26:00.000-07:00

I recently purchased a set of tartlet tinsand have been waiting for an occasion to use them. With berries in season and friends coming over for dessert on Thursday, I decided now is the time. I was debating what kind of filling to make for the tartlets, when I came across this recipe. It was straight-forward and relatively simple. It is very tasty by itself and I'm looking forward to tasting it in the tartlets!

Lemon Cream
from Tartine

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
3/4 cup sugar
Pinch salt
1 cup (2 sticks) cool butter

Whisk together all ingredients except the butter and heat in a double boiler over medium heat. Whisk constantly until the mixture thickens and hits 180 degrees (about 10-12 minutes). Remove from the double boiler and cool to 140 degrees. (At this point in time, I ran the mixture through a strainer to remove any curdled egg.) Using an immersion blender in the bowl or a regular blender, add butter 1 tablespoon at a time with blender running until incorporated. Store in an airtight container refrigerated for up to 5 days.

Make-It-Yourself Ice Cream Cake

2009-07-27T21:23:00.001-07:00

I love cake. Who doesn't? Apparently, a number of people, some of whom were present at my birthday celebration. I love ice cream and thought an ice cream cake would be an agreeable solution.

This was an exercise in improvisation and quick-thinking. Some things did not go as planned, but overall, it was beyond delicious. A word of caution: dunking the frozen pan into hot water will work a little too well. Then, melted ice cream will drip all over the floor from the sink to the kitchen freezer, then you will realize there is no room in the kitchen freezer. Subsequently, you will run downstairs, getting melted ice cream on all door handles and light switches, with a trail on the floor. Thankfully, there will be room in the downstairs freezer.

Obviously, there is a lot of room of creativity and personal preference. Here's what I did:

Make-It-Yourself Ice Cream Cake
Small batch of brownies, chopped into chunks
Approximately 1/4 gallon vanilla ice cream
Approximately 1/4 gallon peppermint bonbon ice cream
Jar of hot fudge topping
Approximately 1 dozen Oreos, chopped into small pieces
Whipped cream

Work vanilla ice cream with a wooden spoon in a bowl until soft and creamy (or, if you are lazy, throw it in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment). Fold in brownies. Spread into bottom of bundt pan or mold of choice and freeze until hard. Warm hot fudge until just spreadable; spread on ice cream and sprinkle Oreo pieces over fudge. Freeze until hard. Work peppermint ice cream until soft, then spread on top of fudge layer. Again, freeze until hard. Just prior to serving, wrap a hot towel around pan to loosen the cake or dunk very (very!) briefly in warm (not too hot!) water. Slice and serve with whipped cream.

Pound Cake

2009-07-25T07:35:00.001-07:00

I love summer for many reasons. No school, no blizzards, and strawberries! (There are other reasons, too, but those are probably the top three.) I picked up a nice pound of strawberries at the store and wanted to make a dessert to highlight them, so I opted for a simple pound cake. I've made Greenspan's pound cake before, which was delicious, of course, but tried a new recipe. This recipe is a little different in that it requires cake flour, the butter is melted, and a food processor or blender is suggested to combine all the ingredients. It turned out very moist and buttery with a fine crumb and a well-browned crust. Be sure to save enough to you can toast it and eat it for breakfa... err, a snack after you've eaten a well-balanced, nutritious breakfast.

Easy Pound Cake
from The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book

1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups (8 3/4 ounces) sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and hot

1. Adjust an over rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 8 1/2 by 4 1/2-inch load pan. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl.

2. Process the sugar, eggs, and vanilla together in a food processor (or blender) until combined, about 10 seconds. With the machine running, pour the hot melted butter through the feed tube in a steady stream until combined, about 30 seconds. Pour the mixture into a large bowl.

3. Sift one-third on the flour mixture over the egg mixture and whisk to combine until just a few streaks of flour remain. Repeat twice mroe with the remaining flour mixture, then continue to whisk the batter gently until most lumps are gone (do not overmix).

4. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smoother the top. Wipe any drops off the side of the pan and gently tap the pan on the counter to settle the batter. Bake the came until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 50 to 60 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking.

5. Let the cake cool in the pan to 10 minutes. Run a small knife around the edge of the cake to loosen, then flip in out onto a wire rack. Turn the cake right side up and let cool completely, about 2 horus, before serving.

Variations: Citrus zest and juice can be added, or almond extract and slivered almonds can be added at the same time as the sugar, eggs, and vanilla into the food processor.

Well, that's all for now. I'm off to a wedding, so I'm going to take tomorrow off. Enjoy the beautiful weather and eat some strawberries!
Another thing I love about summer: Going to weddings and hearing my husband singing Gilbert and Sullivan in the shower (with the female parts in glorious falsetto!).

Dinner Party!

2009-07-23T21:17:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things to do is have friends over for dinner, drinks, and a board game or two. Our guests brought a delicious salad with tomatoes and cucumbers, and I prepared chicken piccata, garlic mashed potatoes, roasted beets and carrots, and baked a baguette. Also, I learned that I have a talent for Scategories.

And for dessert? I’ll keep that a secret until tomorrow.

This recipe comes from my favorite food magazine, Cook's Country. Simple, straight-forward recipes plus hints, tips, taste-testings, and equipment ratings... with lots of pictures!

Chicken Piccata

Adapted from Cook’s Country, December/January 2009

Notes: I skipped brining the chicken and omitted the capers. Some boneless, skinless chicken breasts are injected (“enhanced”) with a saline solution, so be sure to skip the brining if that’s the case. The sauce will smell really strong while reducing, and while it will have a lot of flavor, it will not be overpowering in the finished dish.

For the chicken cutlets, I sliced boneless, skinless chicken breast in two horizontally, starting at the thick edge of the breast. Pound to about ½-inch thick. No mallet? Use a skillet; that’s what I do. Two chicken breasts (cut into 4 cutlets) were enough for four, although the recipe suggests 8 cutlets for 4 people.

½ cup salt

½ cup sugar

8 thin-cut boneless, skinless chicken cutlets (about 1 ½ pounds)

Pepper

¼ cup flour

4 tablespoons butter

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons drained capers (unless you don’t care for them!)

1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

½ cup white wine

4 strips zest (each about 2 inches long)

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Whisk 4 cups cold water, salt, and sugar in large bowl until salt and sugar dissolve. Add chicken and refrigerate, covered, for at least 15 minutes but no longer than 30 minutes.
Pat cutlets dry with paper towels and season with pepper. Spread flour in shallow dish. Dredge one side of each cutlet lightly in flour; transfer to large plate. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until foaming subsides (I used a regular stainless steel skillet). Cook 4 cutlets, floured-side down, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook until just cooked through, about 1 minute on second side. Transfer to clean platter and tent with foil. Repeat with additional tablespoon butter and remaining cutlets.
Add garlic and capers to empty pan and cook over high heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add broth, wine, and lemon zest and simmer until reduced to ½ cup, 8 to 10 minutes. Return chicken and any accumulated juices to pan to heat through, about 30 seconds. Off heat, stir in remaining butter and lemon juice.

Meet Bear the Horse

2009-07-23T11:32:00.000-07:00

You may have read that I have a quirky horse named Bear. Bear is great, and if you met him, you'd love him. What makes him quirky, you ask? Here are two examples:

Example #1. He loves dogs. And cats. He likes to smell them and bury his nostrils in their fur. Dogs and cats don't always like him, though, because he's big.

"Puppies!," thinks Bear; "Ahhhh!," think puppies

Close-up on Bear's intense look of adoration.

Example #2. Here is his recently invented move for scratching those hard to reach places:

Apparently, he's taught at least one other horse how to do this.

So, now you know a little bit more about Bear. Food blogging resumes tomorrow.

Currant "Thunder Bombs"

2009-07-22T22:00:00.000-07:00

Having never seen nor tasted a currant before, I had no idea what to do with the currants that came in a recent CSA box. Then, I saw Pioneer Woman's recipe for Individual Raspberry Cobblers. Aha! These were super easy and even more delicious. Although, I have to say, I do prefer her suggestion of the name "thunder bombs," so I decided to stick with it.

Note: When I turned out the thunder bombs from the muffin tin, a significant amount of currant topping (or bottoming, depending on your perspective) stuck to the muffin cup. As a result, these are less than beautiful. Serve with vanilla ice cream to compensate for any aesthetic deficiencies.

Currant Thunder Bombs
Makes 24 thunder bombs
Adapted from the Pioneer Woman

2 cups self-rising flour

Note: I read you can substitute 2 cups flour, 4 teaspoons baking powder and 1/8 easpoon salt for self-rising, but didn't try it.

2 cups sugar
2 cups milk
2 stick butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Approximately 2 cups currants
Sugar to sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour with sugar, then whisk in milk. Whisk in melted butter and vanilla. Pour 1/4 cup batter into greased muffin tins. Divide the currants evenly among the muffin cups and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until golden brown and crisp around the edges. Let cool slightly in pan, run knife around edges, and invert. Retrieve the rest of the currants from the cups return to rightful place on top of thunder bomb.

(I told you these weren't beautiful.)

Ignorance is bliss…

2009-07-22T12:18:00.001-07:00

Knowing nothing about blogging or photography has made my first week of food blogging fun, exciting, and filled with trial-and-error. I’m ~~not entirely sure~~ have no idea what I’m doing, but I’m having fun doing it. I am thrilled, yet baffled, that each day’s picture has been published on either foodgawker, TasteSpotting, or both. Thank you, both websites, for directing so many people here since I started last week. I'm having trouble believing that this page has been loaded about 4,500 times thus far (although I'm sure a fair amount of those can by attributed to my lovely mother. Hi mom!). I’d like to welcome and thank everyone who has stopped by this past week and encourage you to visit often! I look forward to learning more about everything and sharing that everything with you. So once again, thank you!

On my weekly Target run, I decided to invest in some "high-tech" photography equipment: a piece of blue tag board, a white plate, and a tripod (on sale!). Oh, and I bought a lemon at the grocery store to make chicken piccata tomorrow night (more on that, later...).

I think it looks rather striking, don't you?

So, what do you think? Comments, suggestions, questions?

PS- If you haven't figured it out by now, I like the color blue.

PPS- I bet you're wondering, if she likes blue so much, why isn't the background blue? I figured if I have kitchen towels to match my pistachio KitchenAid, my blog probably should, too.

Simple Summertime Strawberry Daiquiris

2009-07-22T06:30:00.000-07:00

To mix things up a bit, today's post has nothing to do with carbs. All this week, I've had the pleasure of hosting a good friend who just returned from studying in Vienna. She had a long first day back at work and it was a very warm day, so I thought strawberry daiquiris would be just the thing. I typically tend to not measure things, so here's my best approximation:

Simple Frozen Strawberry Daiquiris
for Miranda

For 1 serving:
1 cup ice
1/4 cup strawberries, hulled
1-2 ounces white rum, depending how strong you like it
Splash of lime juice
Sugar to taste

Here's the easy part: blend all ingredients until smooth. That's it! If you want to get fancy, garnish with sugar on the rim and a lime slice or strawberry. If the mixture is too thick, you might need to add a little extra liquid (soda water, simple syrup (if so, reduce or eliminate the initial sugar), lemon-lime soda, etc.).

Variation: Peach daiquiri (my favorite!): Use canned peaches instead of the strawberries and lime juice. Use the juice in the can, and if it's sweetened, eliminate the sugar. Of course, you could use fresh peaches, but that's a few extra steps and you will need to add extra liquid of some sort. Or, do mix peach and strawberry. Or, any other fruit. Get creative!

Breakfast potatoes!

2009-07-21T06:53:00.001-07:00

One of my favorite things to make on weekends is a batch of breakfast potatoes (or home fries, or cottage fries, or b-pots, or whatever you'd like to call them). They're perfectly crisp on the outside, light on the inside, and go well with just about anything for breakfast. My husband also likes to slice some brats and cooks them up with these potatoes for a quick, masculine dinner.

Home Fries
Adapted from America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (russet potatoes work just fine, too!)
1/4 vegetable oil (I use a little less)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter (I replace some with bacon grease. Yum!)
1 onion, chopped fine
Salt and pepper
Minced fresh herbs, if desired (such as thyme and/or flat-leaf parsley)

1. In a large microwave-safe bowl, toss the potatoes with the oil Cover tightly with plastic wrap and microwave until potatoes are tender, but not falling apart, 5-10 minutes, shaking the bowl to redistribute every 3 minutes (careful- it will be hot!). Remove the plastic wrap (watch out for steam) and drain thoroughly in a colander.

2. Melt the butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat (I find that a nonstick works best for developing a crust on the potatoes, but a regular skillet works just fine, too). Add the potatoes to the skillet and distribute evenly over the pan. Cook undisturbed until golden brown on one side, about 5 minutes. Carefully turn to ensure even browning and add onion to skillet. Continue cooking, turn every few minutes until well browned and the onion is softened, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Add herbs, season to taste, and serve immediately.

Easy Peanut Butter Brownies

2009-07-20T07:16:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, you just have to have chocolate. I had one of those days last week. I made a dish with some spice in it for dinner, and I wasn't in the mood to exert a lot of effort in order to get chocolate. I just wanted to eat it. And soon. Fortunately, I had one box of brownie mix tucked away in the cupboard and I did not have to wait long for gratification. Does this even count as a recipe? I doubt it, but it was just what I was craving.

Cheater Peanut Butter Brownies

Brownie mix, prepared as directed
Peanut butter

Prepare brownie mix and spread into pan. Glop peanut butter all over the brownie mix. Take a knife to swirl throughout. You'll end up with lovely pockets of thick peanut butter throughout. Bake as directed on the package and devour half the pan.

Variations:
If you are slightly more patient, you could warm the peanut butter slightly, spoon or pipe it into neat rows, and make a more uniform/beautiful marble pattern. I've heard you "eat with your eyes first," but my tummy wanted chocolate immediately.

PB & J Brownies: Same as above, but glob and swirl your jam/jelly of choice as well.

What's your favorite go-to in a chocolate crisis?

No-Knead Herb Baguette

2009-07-19T08:19:00.000-07:00

Here is something else made from the same no-knead dough as the focaccia I wrote about in the last post. Easy and delicious!

No-Knead Herb Baguette

Note: If you're making the bread dough from scratch, you can mixed the herbs right into the dough.

Approximately 1 lb. no-knead boule dough
Flour
1-2 tablespoons herbs of choice, minced (I used thyme and oregano)
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Pat/roll the dough into a rectangle about a 1/2-inch thick. Drizzle olive oil over the dough and sprinkle on the herbs. Starting at the long end of the rectangle, roll up and pinch the edge shut. Tuck under the ends of the loaf. Let rise about 20-30 minutes, sprinkle with flour, score the loaf, and bake for 15-20 minutes with your preferred method of steam, if desired.

A Birthday of Baking: Rosemary Focaccia

2009-07-18T21:40:00.000-07:00

Today was my birthday. I celebrated by visiting my parents and doing some baking. About an hour or so into my baking, my mom asked, "Is this really what you want to be doing on your birthday?" I replied, "Yes, as long as I don't have to clean up." She replied, "Sounds good," and went back to washing dishes. She told me I could count the dish washing as a gift. Thanks, mom! :) Later on, my husband's family came over for dinner and we had a delicious meal and a wonderful time.

I almost always have a batch of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day's master recipe on hand. When I go to my parents' house, I usually make it for them. Today, I made some focaccia with the dough and some freshly-picked rosemary from my mom's herb pot I planted for her. Focaccia is one of my favorites and tastes even better with fresh rosemary. Here's my version:

Rosemary Focaccia

Approximately 1 lb. of no-knead boule or olive oil dough
Several sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves picked and roughly chopped (dried can be substituted in a pinch)
Extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt (like kosher or sea) and black pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Roll or pat the dough into a circle about a 1/2-inch thick on a cookie sheet greased with olive oil. Let rise approximately 20 minutes (the dough should no longer feel cool to the touch and be slightly puffy). Drizzle the olive oil on top of the bread and use a pastry/silicon brush to evenly spread it. Sprinkle with the rosemary, coarse salt, and freshly-ground black pepper. Dimple all over with your fingers (this is the fun part!). Bake 15-20 minutes, depending on how large the focaccia is and how brown you like it. Just keep an eye on it and take it out when it looks perfect. Enjoy!

I will post more things that I baked today in the next few days.

No-Knead Challah

2009-07-17T11:18:00.000-07:00

One of my first memories of cooking that ended in utter failure was making french toast. I was in elementary school and had scaled down a recipe to make a smaller batch. Under the salt quantity, I had merely written "1/8." Now, at this stage in my life and culinary experience, it did not occur to me that 1/8 of a teaspoon was a likely amount of salt for french toast batter. Instead, I put in 1/8 cup. Whoops. I didn't realize the mistake until serving time. I was so excited because, visually, everything looked delicious. I was so proud of my creation! Then, we all took a bite. And that was all we took. My brother tried giving his piece to our beloved dog who ate everything. Well, almost everything. The dog tried one bite then proceeded to drink his entire water supply.

Anyway, we still like french toast. My dad recently told me he read the challah makes the best french toast, but he had never heard of it. I used to work at a bakery that made challah on rotation, but had never tried it for french toast. So, I decided to bake a loaf to bring with for my visit this weekend to make french toast for brunch!

I am a big fan of the book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. I'm guessing that most everybody is familiar with the method, and if you're not, I highly recommend popping over to their website to check it out. I made a half batch of their challah dough and make half into their strawberry danish recently feature on the website and the other half into a braided loaf. Compared to the other wet, no-knead doughs, this one was so easy with which to work! I was very pleased with how the loaf turned out. It smelled wonderful, but I didn't even taste it! I wanted to save it for french toast... more to come...

Upcoming posts: shredded chicken tacos, easy peanut butter brownies, and pesto!

An Introduction... with Pasties!

2009-07-16T09:06:00.000-07:00

I did it. I started a blog. Now, I don’t have to spend all my time reading others’ blogs, but I can write my own! Anyway, a brief introduction, then a recipe (two, actually!):

My name is Karin, but you can call me Kar.

I am a grad student and live here:

And am married with one "child":

Now, living in the city and being a full-time student is not conducive to horse-ownership, so he (Bear, actually, is his name) is at “boarding” school- earning his keep by teaching horse-crazy little girls how to ride. I have many pictures of him and will share some as time goes by.

If you’d like to say “hi!,” I’d love your comments—please leave a link to your blog so I can visit and do the same! Tips and advice are very much welcome!

Now, on to the food. For an early birthday present, I received this book from my husband. The pictures are beautiful and I couldn’t wait to try something out. I decided on Cornish Pasties for three reasons:

My mom is from England, so I feel a special connection with British food.
A number of years ago, my now-husband had a pasty for lunch at our favorite pub in Minneapolis and he still talks about it.
I had all the ingredients! Well, almost. No rutabaga for me.

This seems like a slightly-involved recipe, but it wasn’t too bad. I made the filling and the dough in the morning, rolled and assembled about an hour before dinner, then put in the fridge until baking time.

Cornish Pasties

From Pastry, by Michel Roux

My notes and additions are in italics throughout. I ended up with 7 pasties, but only baked two. I wrapped the others in plastic and put them in the freezer to enjoy at a later date without all the effort!

1 lb pâte brisée

1 lb chuck steak, cut into 5/8 inch cubes (I used slightly less)

3 tbsp peanut oil (I used vegetable)

1 ¼ cups beef stock

1 potato, cut into ¼ inch dice

1 rutabaga, cut into ¼ inch dice (I substituted a carrot sliced into half-moons)

1 onion, thinly sliced

Salt and pepper

Eggwash

Filling: Heat oil in a deep skillet and lightly sear beef. Pour off the fat, then add the stock and cook gently for about an hour until the meat is meltingly tender. (At this point, I seasoned the beef with salt, pepper, and a little Worcestershire sauce for good measure.) By now, the stock should have evaporated almost completely. If not, reduce over medium heat. Tip the beef into a bowl and let cool.

Cook the potato, rutabaga (or carrot), and onion in salted water until just tender. Let cool in the cooking water, then drain and mix with the beef (NOTE: reserve some cooking water). The mixture shouldn’t be too dry; if it is, add 2-3 tbsp of the cooking water. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for several hours. (The filling can be made a day ahead.)

To assemble, roll out the dough to a 1/16-1/8 inch thickness (I used my 1/8 inch set of dough planers). Using a 5 ½ inch cutter or plate as a guide, cut out 6 disks (NOTE: I thought 5 ½ inches would be too small to hold enough filling for a dinner serving, so I used a slightly larger template, about 6 ½ inches. I cut and assembled the pasties one at a time, so the pastry wouldn’t warm up too much to make it difficult with which to work. I also managed to get 7 pasties out of this recipe.) Spoon the filling into an oval in the middle of each disk, and brush the borders of the dough with eggwash. Fold up the sides of the dough to make a raised pasty and bring them together, pinching hard with your fingertips in about a dozen places all along the crest to seal the pasty completely. Place on a baking sheet (I lined mine with a Silpat) and brush with eggwash. Refrigerate for about 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the pasties for about 25 minutes until deep golden; if necessary, in crease the oven setting to 400°F for the last 5 minutes. To enjoy the pasties at their best, serve at once.

Since I had the oven on, I decided to roast some vegetables, as well. Here’s a simple recipe:

Roast Vegetables

Vegetables, cut up. I used CSA beets and a turnip, along with a couple carrots.

Salt and pepper

Olive oil

Rosemary, if desired

Grana Padana cheese, if desired.

Preheat oven to 425°F. Place vegetables in a baking dish large enough to fit in a single-layer. Drizzle with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss to coat evenly. If you’d like, throw in some rosemary. Bake for about 45 minutes to an hour, stirring every so often. They are done when they are browned and tender. Grate a little hard cheese on top for extra flavor. Enjoy!