I hate it when life gets in the way of baking. A flat tire and a nor'easter drained my energy, and I've been knitting much more than I've been baking. So many friends are having babies who require little hats to keep their heads warm!
Tomorrow, however, I plan to bake a yummy chocolate cake for Thanksgiving. If the results are as good as I hope they will be, I will post the recipe and some pictures. Happy Tofurky day, folks!
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
You might also call these "blondies", particularly if you use white chocolate chips. This was one of the first desserts I ever made on my own; I've been making them regularly for over fifteen years! All of my attempts to veganize them have failed to live up to the original, but if you try them first with Earth Balance and Ener-G in place of butter and eggs, you won't miss the original. :)
1/2 cup (one stick) butter, softened
1-1/2 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1-3/4 cups flour
1 cup (6 oz.) chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the bottom of an 8"x8", a 9"x9", a 7"x10", or a 9"x13" pan* with shortening and set aside.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and beat for about two minutes, until light and fluffy. Beat in salt and baking powder. Stir in flour, then stir in chocolate chips. Batter will be very thick!
Spread batter in prepared pan and bake for about 25 minutes. Let the pan cool on a wire rack for about 10 or 15 minutes before you cut the bars.
*The size of the pan determines the thickness and quantity of the bars. I generally use a 7"x10" pan, but really any pan works just fine.
1/2 cup (one stick) butter, softened
1-1/2 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1-3/4 cups flour
1 cup (6 oz.) chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the bottom of an 8"x8", a 9"x9", a 7"x10", or a 9"x13" pan* with shortening and set aside.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and beat for about two minutes, until light and fluffy. Beat in salt and baking powder. Stir in flour, then stir in chocolate chips. Batter will be very thick!
Spread batter in prepared pan and bake for about 25 minutes. Let the pan cool on a wire rack for about 10 or 15 minutes before you cut the bars.
*The size of the pan determines the thickness and quantity of the bars. I generally use a 7"x10" pan, but really any pan works just fine.
Cheesy Peasy Rice
I found some Minute rice in the pantry, and I had to experiment with it. As I was cooking, I thought of all my friends who have kids. I'm thinking this dish might be fun for the young ones, because it's so colorful, and the flavors are familiar. Enjoy!
2 cups water
2 cups Minute white rice
2 cups frozen peas
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour
1/2 cup milk
6-8 slices American cheese*
salt and pepper to taste
dash each of nutmeg, mustard powder, and paprika
In a large saucepan, bring water and peas to a boil. Stir in rice, then cover the pan and turn off the heat. Let stand for 5 minutes, then give the dish a stir and replace the cover.
In a small saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Stir in flour until smooth. (This is called a roux.) Slowly stir in milk. Keep stirring for about 5-10 minutes, until the sauce thickens.** Break up the cheese slices and add to the sauce. Add seasonings. Stir until cheese is melted and sauce is smooth.
Now pour the saucy cheesy goodness all over the rice and peas. Stir gently until combined, then serve it up to the kiddies. (Or, if you're like me, inhale the stuff out of a bowl while you sit on the couch and watch House.)
Serves 6 as a side, or 4 as a main dish. Leftovers are best reheated on the stove, as microwaving may cause the butter and milk in the sauce to separate.
*I use Kraft Deli Deluxe, because it's cheese, not "cheese food product". I can't vouch for the quality of any other slices. You may also use 4 ounces of your favorite shredded cheese, but I've noticed that the slices produce a smoother sauce. It's your call.
**Before you add the cheese, just take a whiff of the butter-flour-milk mixture. This is what love smells like. It makes my French heart go pitter-pat.
2 cups water
2 cups Minute white rice
2 cups frozen peas
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour
1/2 cup milk
6-8 slices American cheese*
salt and pepper to taste
dash each of nutmeg, mustard powder, and paprika
In a large saucepan, bring water and peas to a boil. Stir in rice, then cover the pan and turn off the heat. Let stand for 5 minutes, then give the dish a stir and replace the cover.
In a small saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Stir in flour until smooth. (This is called a roux.) Slowly stir in milk. Keep stirring for about 5-10 minutes, until the sauce thickens.** Break up the cheese slices and add to the sauce. Add seasonings. Stir until cheese is melted and sauce is smooth.
Now pour the saucy cheesy goodness all over the rice and peas. Stir gently until combined, then serve it up to the kiddies. (Or, if you're like me, inhale the stuff out of a bowl while you sit on the couch and watch House.)
Serves 6 as a side, or 4 as a main dish. Leftovers are best reheated on the stove, as microwaving may cause the butter and milk in the sauce to separate.
*I use Kraft Deli Deluxe, because it's cheese, not "cheese food product". I can't vouch for the quality of any other slices. You may also use 4 ounces of your favorite shredded cheese, but I've noticed that the slices produce a smoother sauce. It's your call.
**Before you add the cheese, just take a whiff of the butter-flour-milk mixture. This is what love smells like. It makes my French heart go pitter-pat.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Biscuits!
I don't know where I got this recipe, or how much I have tweaked it, but these are still the best biscuits I've ever made. I copied the text here from my old MySpace blog. Fun times.
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
6 tbsp butter
3/4 cup buttermilk
Heat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar into a large bowl. Cut in butter until coarse crumbs form. Gradually mix in buttermilk with a fork to make a soft dough, kneading as little as possible. Roll dough to 1/2-inch thickness on a piece of parchment paper or a floured surface and cut into 2-inch rounds. Bake on a cookie sheet for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 9-12 biscuits. (I cheat and bake my biscuits on a piece of parchment paper. Can you tell I love parchment paper?)
***
All you carb-counters can kiss my bread-fed butt, because biscuits are good for your soul, and these biscuits in particular are it. Slather 'em with butter, melt some cheese on 'em, or eat 'em by themselves . . . yum. For all the non-American food I enjoy, there is nothing like a good old-fashioned Southern biscuit.
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
6 tbsp butter
3/4 cup buttermilk
Heat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar into a large bowl. Cut in butter until coarse crumbs form. Gradually mix in buttermilk with a fork to make a soft dough, kneading as little as possible. Roll dough to 1/2-inch thickness on a piece of parchment paper or a floured surface and cut into 2-inch rounds. Bake on a cookie sheet for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 9-12 biscuits. (I cheat and bake my biscuits on a piece of parchment paper. Can you tell I love parchment paper?)
***
All you carb-counters can kiss my bread-fed butt, because biscuits are good for your soul, and these biscuits in particular are it. Slather 'em with butter, melt some cheese on 'em, or eat 'em by themselves . . . yum. For all the non-American food I enjoy, there is nothing like a good old-fashioned Southern biscuit.
Couscous, or what I'm probably having for dinner tonight.
Couscous is some pretty awesome stuff. It's just little bits of semolina pasta from North Africa, but it's versatile and tasty. I've made both sweet dishes and savory dishes with couscous, and here is one of my favorites of the latter type. You can jazz it up however you want, but this is how I most often enjoy it.
1 cup water
1 vegetable bouillion cube
1 packet Goya Sazón, tomato & cilantro flavor
about 1 tbsp olive oil
about 1 tsp dried basil
about 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
about 1/8 tsp ground mace
1 can sweet peas, drained
1 cup uncooked couscous
Place water, bouillion cube, Sazón, oil, spices and vegetables in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When the water boils, stir in couscous, turn off heat, and cover saucepan. Let sit for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork and serve.
One-pot, quick, easy and VERY tasty!
1 cup water
1 vegetable bouillion cube
1 packet Goya Sazón, tomato & cilantro flavor
about 1 tbsp olive oil
about 1 tsp dried basil
about 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
about 1/8 tsp ground mace
1 can sweet peas, drained
1 cup uncooked couscous
Place water, bouillion cube, Sazón, oil, spices and vegetables in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When the water boils, stir in couscous, turn off heat, and cover saucepan. Let sit for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork and serve.
One-pot, quick, easy and VERY tasty!
Hello, world!
It all started about an hour ago when a friend from high school (I won't talk about how long ago we were in high school) asked me if I was a chef or a professional blogger. I am neither, of course; I'm a victim of the recession (read: laid off) who's applying for grad school and trying to find a new job.
But I do love to cook and bake, and it has been a dream of mine to compile all of my favorite recipes. Instead of killing more trees, however, I'll drag myself into the 21st century and compile them here. That way, my family, friends, and maybe even some strangers can benefit from my adventures in the kitchen.
I may also include some personal thoughts, links to current events, etc. I find I'm not a "rules" kind of person, so anything goes!
Happy baking!
P.S. The movie Clueless came out when I was in high school.
But I do love to cook and bake, and it has been a dream of mine to compile all of my favorite recipes. Instead of killing more trees, however, I'll drag myself into the 21st century and compile them here. That way, my family, friends, and maybe even some strangers can benefit from my adventures in the kitchen.
I may also include some personal thoughts, links to current events, etc. I find I'm not a "rules" kind of person, so anything goes!
Happy baking!
P.S. The movie Clueless came out when I was in high school.
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