baking galore

Happy Friday the 13th!

I have found that when Brett is gone, I cook. This is bad for my waist but good for you who get new recipes and good for my friends who enjoy the tasty treats. Last weekend while he was away at drills I whipped up a batch of pumpkin spice muffins. Recipe courtesy of The Pioneer Woman. Since I knew I wanted to share them with the other Liquid Kids volunteers on Sunday I made mine in a mini-muffin pan and just reduced the cooking time. Without the cream-cheese frosting they are a great breakfast. I am sure they would be fantastic with it as well and might just have to try it when I whip up another batch with remaining pumpkin and milk I have. Hope you enjoy and stay tuned because tomorrow Bek and I are hosting a cake-pop party and I am sure there will be many stories and photos from that coming soon.

Muffin Ingredients:
• 1 cup All-purpose Flour
• 1/2 cups Sugar
• 2 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1-1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon Ground Ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg
• 1/2 t Salt
• 4 Tablespoons Butter - cut into pieces
• 1 cup Pumpkin Puree
• 1/2 cups Evaporated Milk
• 1 Egg
• 1-1/2 teaspoons Vanilla

Topping
• 2 Tablespoons Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg

Frosting
• 1/2 cups Soften Butter
• 4 oz Cream Cheese
• 1/2 lb Powdered Sugar
• 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffin tins.

Sift flour, sugar baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until it is fully incorporated. In a separate bowl, mix together pumpkins, evaporated milk, egg, and vanilla. Pour pumpkin mixture into the flour mix and fold gently until mixture is just combined.

Pour into a muffin pan 1/2-2/3 full. Sprinkle with remaining cinnamon/sugar/nutmeg mixture over each unbaked muffin.

Bake for 18 minutes if doing minis, 25 for regular size. Allow to cool in pan for 15 minutes then remove to cooling rack. Ice with cream cheese frosting.

(To make the frosting, mix all the ingredients on high until soft and whipped.)

ghost and ghouls of all kinds

Last weekend Brett and I were blessed with a number of tickets to 6 flags. What better time to use them then Halloween day. Roller coaster in the morning, Fright Fest at night! It was a blast! Bek, Simon and I went earlier and rode a bunch of coasters. Then Brett, Raf, and a few of our exchange students came later just in time to ride a few rides before the Halloween festivities started. Overall a good time and hope to maybe do it again next year.

Along the same Halloween lines, I thought I would share with you all the adorable candy ghosts Brett and I made for a fall party we went to. Growing up I use to make these ghosts every year with my mom and I look forward to continuing that tradition when I have children. Here are the instructions – easiest recipe in the world.

Ingredients:

Candy/Popsicle sticks

White almond bark

Chocolate chips

Layout a sheet of wax paper spayed lightly with nonstick spray

Melt the almond bark according to the instructions on the packages.

Set down a stick and drizzle on some almond bark roughly in the shape of a ghost

Use the back of your spoon to finish shaping it.

Place 3 chocolate chips for eye

Let cool and enjoy.

See, told you it was easy!

I will also throw in a few other pictures

Brett and I with 2 of our exchange students

My man - 5am before he left for a drill weekend

summer eats and travels

One of my favorite food bloggers, Matt Bites, posted this recipe for pasta with a fresh tomato sauce. It is very tasty without being heavy at all. A refreshing dinner for hot summer days.

Angel Hair with Fresh Tomato Sauce

garlic - Matt's recipe called for one clove but we both agreed that 1 or 2 more would be good
4-5 very ripe good size tomatoes (approx. 3 lbs?)
juice and zest of 1/2 a lemon
a bit of salt and pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
olive oil
1lb angel hair pasta

Mash the garlic or put it through a press, and then further mash it into a paste with a bit of salt.

Chop up 2/3 of the tomatoes. Grate the remaining tomatoes on the large holes of a box grater over a good size bowl. Reserve the pulp and juices but discard the skin.

Mix together the tomatoes, garlic, lemon juice and zest, salt, and pepper. Put aside until pasta is done - at least 10 minutes.

After making the sauce, boil the pasta according to direction. Drain and immediately toss with the tomato sauce. Sprinkle with basil, olive oil, and a bit of salt.

Enjoy!


Here are some pictures from our trip to Virginia for the 4th. My goal for this summer is to visit as many states around our area as we can.

We stopped in hersey just to grab a bite to eat. I hope to go back soon and do the chocolate tour!

Finally made it to Virginia!

eggs in a nest

This dish is a fun twist on hashbrowns and eggs. If I remember correctly the original recipe that I read just used potatoes for the nest part but these lend themselves so nicely for adding in whatever is extra in your kitchen.

eggs in a nest

3-4 medium potatoes (cleaned, peeled and shredded)

1 large carrot peeled and shredded

1 small onion shredded

anything else laying around (squash, pumpkin, zucchini) cleaned, peeled, and shredded

chopped garlic

1/6 c flour

1 egg

2-4 more eggs for in the nest

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425° F. Lightly coat a baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

2. In large bowl combine all ingredients but only 1 of the eggs.

3. In extra-large nonstick skillet (or two regular skillets) heat some oil over medium heat. To make a pancake, divide mixture in half and spoon both halves of potato mixture into skillet; evenly press and round edges with back of spatula to form two pancakes. Cook 4 to 5 minutes each side or until golden brown, turning once. Transfer to prepared baking sheet.

4. With the back of a wooden spoon or a 1/4-cup measure gently press each pancake, slightly off-center, to make a 3-inch-diameter depression, deep enough to hold an egg. Pour one egg in each nest (Brett was extra hungry so we made him a larger pancake with two eggs as you can see in the picture). Place pancakes with eggs in oven, being careful not to tilt baking sheet. Bake, uncovered, 10 to 12 minutes or until eggs are cooked through. Transfer pancakes to serving plates. Makes 2 servings.

the wonders of pumpkin

Our garden is all planted. It rained forever after we planted it and I was scared that the garden would get rained out. But other than an overwhelming about of weeds, things seem to progressing beautifully.

The evening following our garden planting the girls all went over to Bek's apartment and she made a fantastic parmesan risotto. She put roasted pumpkin, pine nuts, and spinach in it. In America, or at least everywhere that I have been, we tend to only eat pumpkin, and squashes in the fall. Bek has inspired me to work these gourds into my meals more often.

So here I present to you the fantastic risotto that Bek served us and I later recreated for my husband, and a fun little recipe I found for "Pumpkin Pie Squares".

Pumpkin, Spinach, and Pine Nut Risotto

Ingredients:
1 cup Arborio rice
2-3 cup vegetable or chicken stock
½ butternut pumpkin, cubed
1 onion, diced
1 glove garlic, chopped
1 piece ginger, chopped
1/2 c pine-nuts
1 bunch spinach, roughly chopped
1 cup parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Place garlic and ginger in a saucepan with a little olive oil.
2. Add the cubed pumpkin, cooking until soft. Remove and set aside. (I actually cooked this in a separate pan so I could be cooking the rice at the same time)
3. Add onion and a little oil to a fry-pan and saute.
4. Add rice and fry for a further 2-3 minutes with a little butter.
5. Gradually add stock, stirring until absorbed but still moist before adding more stock.
6. While risotto is cooking place pine-nuts on a tray and bake at 350°F for about 5 minutes or until they turn a golden color.
8. When rice is cooked turn off heat and add all remaining ingredients including pumpkin, and parmesan.
9. Leave for 5 minutes before serving.


Pumpkin Pie Squares

yellow/orange squash of some kind - acorn, butternut, pumpkin (we used the other half of the butternut squash from above and ate as dessert)
honey
cinnamon
sugar

1. Cube the squash into bit size pieces.
2. Roll the cubes in honey and a dash of cinnamon until well coated. Spread as a single layer on a foil lined pan.
3. Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes - until really soft
4. sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar - serve warm

Rafael with the tiller

the boys working the dirt

Our pretty garden

(pictures stolen from Sim's facebook)

candy mushrooms

My dear friend Rebecca told me about a meringue mushrooms recipe she found on allrecipes.com around Christmas time. She took them to a party as a white elephant gift. I kept meaning to make them but just never got around to it. This past weekend Rebecca and I made a deal. She was going to try my bread recipe that she had been meaning to get around to and I was going to make these mushrooms.

They ended up being easier than I thought to make and the results are so fun.

Meringue Mushrooms

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
4 ounces chocolate confectioners' coating

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 225 degrees F (110 degrees C). Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
2. In a large glass or metal bowl, use an electric mixer to whip egg whites until foamy. Add cream of tartar, salt, and vanilla. Continue whipping until the whites hold soft peaks. Gradually sprinkle in the sugar so that it does not sink to the bottom, and continue whipping until the mixture holds stiff shiny peaks.
3. Place a round tip into a pastry bag (or I used a plastic bag with the corner cut off), and fill the bag half way with the meringue. To pipe the mushroom caps, squeeze out round mounds of meringue onto one of the prepared cookie sheets. Pull the bag off to the side to avoid making peaks on the top. For the stems, press out a tiny bit of meringue onto the other sheet, then pull the bag straight up. They should resemble candy kisses. Do not worry about making all of the pieces exactly the same. The mushrooms will look more natural if the pieces are different sizes.
4. Dust the mushroom caps lightly with cocoa using a small sifter or strainer.
5. Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until the caps are dry enough to easily remove from the cookie sheets. Set aside to cool completely.
6. Melt the coating chocolate in a metal bowl over simmering water, or in a glass bowl in the microwave, stirring occasionally until smooth.
7. Poke a small hole in the bottom of a mushroom cap. Spread chocolate over the bottom of the cap. Dip the tip of a stem in chocolate, and press lightly into the hole. When the chocolate sets, they will hold together. Repeat with remaining pieces. Store at room temperature in a dry place or tin.

5 minute bread

Five-Minute Artisan Bread

From Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery that Revolutionizes Home Baking by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois (Thomas Dunne Books, 2007). Copyright 2007 by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois.

Serves 4

* 1-1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast (about 1-1/2 packets)
* 1-1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
* 3 cups warm water
* 6-1/2 cups unbleached flour, plus extra for dusting dough
* Cornmeal

In a large plastic resealable container, mix yeast and salt into 3 cups lukewarm (about 100 degrees) water. Using a large spoon, stir in flour, mixing until mixture is uniformly moist with no dry patches. Do not knead. Dough will be wet and loose enough to conform to shape of plastic container. Cover, but not with an airtight lid.

Let dough rise at room temperature, until dough begins to flatten on top or collapse, at least 2 hours and up to 5 hours. (At this point, dough can be refrigerated up to 2 weeks; refrigerated dough is easier to work with than room-temperature dough, so the authors recommend that first-time bakers refrigerate dough overnight or at least 3 hours.)

When ready to bake, sprinkle cornmeal on a pizza peel. Place a broiler pan on bottom rack of oven. Place baking stone on middle rack and preheat oven to 450 degrees, preheating baking stone for at least 20 minutes.

Sprinkle a little flour on dough and on your hands. Pull dough up and, using a serrated knife, cut off a grapefruit-size piece (about 1 pound). Working for 30 to 60 seconds (and adding flour as needed to prevent dough from sticking to hands; most dusting flour will fall off, it's not intended to be incorporated into dough), turn dough in hands, gently stretching surface of dough, rotating ball a quarter-turn as you go, creating a rounded top and a bunched bottom. *Touch it as little a possible because you want to keep as much air in it as you can.

Place shaped dough on prepared pizza peel and let rest, uncovered, for 40 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough or refrigerate it in lidded container. (Even one day's storage improves flavor and texture of bread. Dough can also be frozen in 1-pound portions in airtight containers and defrosted overnight in refrigerator prior to baking day.) Dust dough with flour.

Using a serrated knife, slash top of dough in three parallel, 1/4-inch deep cuts (or in a tic-tac-toe pattern). Slide dough onto preheated baking stone. Pour 1 cup hot tap water into broiler pan and quickly close oven door to trap steam. Bake until crust is well-browned and firm to the touch, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven to a wire rack and cool completely.

eat your veggies - tomato & zucchini gratin

Brett and I both want to eat a bit healthier and that included eating more vegetables. One of our favorite veggie dished is the following Tomato & Zucchini Gratin.


INGREDIENTS
An onion
a couple of cloves of garlic
Roma tomatoes
A few zucchini/squash
Grated cheese - such as Parmesan or Romano
Some olive oil
Breadcrumbs

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350°
1. Slice the onion thinly and sauté in a bit of olive oil.
Chop or thinly slice the garlic and sauté with the onions.
2. While the onions are cooking, slice the tomatoes and zucchini super thin. I love my mandoline, which make this so easy.
3. In a greased baking dish, layer half the zucchini, the onion mix and the tomatoes.
Sprinkle some cheese and a little salt and pepper, and then add the second layer of all.
Top with some more cheese, salt, and pepper.
Put a fine layer of breadcrumbs over the top and drizzle a little olive oil over.
4. Cover and bake for 20-30 minutes.
Uncover and bake 10 more minutes.
Let the gratin cool for about 30 minutes and then enjoy.

We like the gratin best when it is only warm and I know that some people prefer it cold.

limoncello jello

Brett and I had some sparkling wine left over from our New Years celebrations last night and I remembered a recipe I had seen a long time ago for wine gelees. Basically, really pretty jello shots made with wine. While looking for that recipe again I stumbled across this fun idea for making orange jello. I made mine with alcohol because that was the whole point of looking for a recipe but these could easily be made with sprite, fruit juice, or even just water.

Cut a couple of oranges in half and remove all the insides making sure not to tear the rind.
I used clementines because that is what we had.
Put the orange halves on a cooking sheet or in muffin trays - to help them stay balanced.

Mix flavored jello with 1/2 cup of boiling water and stir until dissolved.
Add 1 cup wine. (I also have a large bottle of lemonchello in my fridge that Brett and I brought back from Italy so I added a couple of splashes of that - hence the title)

Pour the jello mix into the orange halves and refrigerate until set.

Slice the oranges and there you go.

broccoli cheese soup

I made broccoli cheese soup the other night and we ate it with some crusty sour dough bread. Brett loved it and the leftovers were just as good if not better then the first night.

INGREDIENTS
• 2-3 T of butter
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 (16 ounce) package frozen chopped broccoli
• 4 cups chicken broth – set aside ½ cup
• ½ a “loaf” of Velveeta
• 2 cups cheddar cheese
• 2 cups milk or half and half
• Some minced garlic - I used a lot :)
• 1/3 cup cornstarch

DIRECTIONS
1. In a stockpot, melt butter over medium heat. Cook onion in butter until softened. Add the garlic and cook a few minutes.
2. Stir in broccoli, and cover with chicken broth. Simmer until broccoli is tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Reduce heat, and stir in cheese cubes until melted. Mix in milk.
4. In a small bowl, stir cornstarch into ½ c chicken stock until dissolved. Stir into soup; cook, stirring frequently, until thick.

popovers

Today marks 6 months of Brett and I being married. I thought it would be fun to make something special for breakfast and stumbled across a recipe for popovers. Being me, I then had to go brows for a couple more recipes to compare before starting the cooking process. The recipe I ended up using if from Allrecipes.com but with a couple of twists on my part (of course). They sell popover pans but since I don’t have any I just used large muffin tins. If you have a popover pan by all means, use it instead.

INGREDIENTS
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Grease a 6-cup muffin tin. I sprayed mine with pam.
2. In a medium bowl beat eggs slightly, Beat in flour, milk and salt until just smooth; being careful not to overbeat.
3. Put a dab of butter in the bottom of each muffin tin and set the pan in the oven to preheat for a moment before filling with batter. Be careful because your butter will burn if you leave it in the oven to long.
4. Remove pan from oven and fill cups ½ - ¾ full.
5. Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes. Decrease oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 20 minutes more or until dark brown. (Mine took 17 more minutes) Immediately remove from cups and serve piping hot.

I added about ¼ t onion powder and ½ t Italian seasoning to the flour before mixing in. These popovers turned out perfect and were amazing just by themselves.

A couple of recipes I found make a sweeter version by adding some vanilla and sugar to the mix and then spreading the popover with jam or dipping in cinnamon an sugar. I hope to try that soon and will report on how they turn out.