rainbow trout + asparagus + couscous

We made dinner the other night and, yet again, it was super delicious. We didn't use any recipes this time, but everything still came out really well. I LOVED the asparagus, and I think I would seriously forego most cookies to eat more of these asparagus. It's probably my favorite green vegetable, and adding cheese just seals the deal.

Rainbow Trout
2 filets rainbow trout
1 lemon
chopped walnuts
spices
olive oil
aluminum foil

I wasn't in charge of the rainbow trout, but I think I have a decent idea of what he did. The fish got olive oil, salt, pepper, dill, probably some other spices, chopped walnuts, and some lemon zest and juice. We put it in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes, I believe, until it was flaky.

Parmesan Asparagus
I made these, so I'm a slightly more reliable source for their recipe. I broke off the bottom of the asparagus spears and then put them in a bowl to mix with olive oil, salt, pepper, and some chopped garlic. I spread them on aluminum foil on a cooking sheet and then drizzled the rest of the mixture over it. I grated some parmesan cheese on top. That went in the oven for about 15-20 minutes. How long you cook this for really just depends on what texture you prefer.

Walnut Parsley Couscous
This isn't really a recipe, but I'll still tell you how it went. We made couscous (boil water, mix couscous and water in bowl, cover, and wait 5 minutes) and then mixed in some chopped parsley and walnuts (and salt because otherwise it doesn't taste like anything). 

pumpkin muffins

These were a special request of the boyfriend, and I just can't help but bake him whatever he asks for. I wasn't sure if I would like them much, but they were actually really delicious. I tweaked the recipe a bit, but overall its similar. It's a pretty moist muffin with a lot of pumpkin in it, so the texture is a bit different. I'm becoming more of a fan of allrecipes as a source for my recipes.

Here is the recipe for 12 muffins and I went ahead and changed it to what I did


1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/3 cups white sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs
15 oz (1 can) pumpkin
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup chopped walnuts [I only put this in 6 of them]


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 C). Grease three 12 cup muffin pans, or line with paper muffin liners.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, pumpkin, and applesauce, until smooth. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients and stir thoroughly to make a smooth batter. Stir the walnuts into the batter. Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

roasted garlic, thyme, and broccoli risotto

I admit it, I'm on a risotto kick. I can't help it. First, I had that absolutely delicious butternut squash risotto. I also had overbought, somewhat intentionally, risotto rice in bulk from Whole Foods, so it's just been looking at me from its clear IKEA food container on my teensy pantry shelf. Second, it's a little funny to me to realize that sometimes I can look in my fridge and truly have nothing to eat that constitutes any sort of meal in its own right (fruit, cheese, baguette, lunchmeat, whatever), but have 85% of the ingredients that I need (and 100% of the ones I deeply care about using) to make something considerably more complicated and time consuming, like risotto. Tonight, I peeked into my fridge and saw (yes, I'm going to tell you everything in my fridge):

1/4 bottle of white wine, creme fraiche, parmesan, feta, eggs, corn tortillas, a can of tuna, lemon simple syrup, a bag of unopened baby carrots, butter (three types), beer (Shiner light blonde - a 12 pack going on its 4th week in my possession even though I like it), salsa, mayo, mustard, jelly, unopened caramel syrup, and a jar of active dry yeast

And since I pretty regularly have scrambled eggs in a tortilla with salsa (dinner last night) or breakfast food (french toast and scrambled eggs for lunch today), I was feeling unenthused about another round of that ingredient combination. I remembered hearing about a thyme something-or-other risotto so I googled that and came upon a Jamie Oliver recipe, which I knew had to be the one. I didn't exactly have all the precise ingredients (as you can compare the ingredient list to my fridge, you'll see that I was missing onion/shallot [which is rather inexcusable], celery, fresh thyme, bread crumbs, and almonds), but I felt like I could substitute in things (or just pretend they weren't listed) and if it didn't work, I'd only have myself to blame. This is the best part of cooking for one: if it isn't perfect, you don't have to sweat it. You don't even have to eat it, but I usually do.

Luckily for me, I thought it turned out quite well and scarfed the whole thing down. Maybe a more ladylike version of scarfed, but not much more impressive as I have now gotten into the habit of sitting on my rug and eating at my coffee table while craning my neck to watch tv (with my new controller! I live in the 21st century!!). I must apologize for being so chatty. I'm reading Tina Fey's Bossypants and it is so totally hilarious I can't even not laugh like a lunatic, so it's good that I read it by myself in my solitary confinement studio apartment. Somehow reading that and being chatty are related.

 So yes, when the garlic comes out, you just chop off the top and then squeeze out the soft, mushy roasted garlic cloves. This makes it look considerably neater than the process was and neglects to show that it was all over my hands, which I proceeded to happily lick off before washing them and continuing with cooking. It's amazing how garlic goes from insanely overpowering to pleasant and almost sweet after being roasted.

Since I rather significantly diverged from the real recipe and also made about 1/4 of it (which means probably more than 1 serving but shhh), I'll just post what I actually made instead of parading his recipe as if I actually followed it. I take this as a sign of my growing confidence in my ability to cook instead of my actually being a foolhardy dumdum to think that Jamie Oliver's recipe isn't God's wish for dinner.


.75 large head garlic, whole and unpeeled [or you know, whatever's lying around]
1 cup (or so) chicken stock [I boiled some water in a saucepan and threw in half a bouillon cube and used what I needed]
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
Some frozen broccoli [however much you want to eat, I cooked mine for a couple minutes first]
1/2 cup risotto rice [arborio rice, as I've learned]
1 wine glass worth of white wine [or just pour some in, like me!]
salt
dried thyme [sprinkle a few pinches]
black pepper
1/4 cup of creme fraiche
grated parmesan [okay, even I will not ever stoop to the sawdust stuff]

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Roast the whole garlic head on a dish in the oven until soft, about 30 minutes. [Yep, just stick it in there and let it hang out until it gets soft and will burn the heck out of your fingers.]

Heat the stock. In a separate pan heat the olive oil, garlic, and broccoli, and fry slowly for about 4 minutes. When the vegetables have softened, add the rice and turn up the heat.

The rice will now begin to fry, so keep stirring it. After a minute it will look slightly translucent. Add the  wine and keep stirring.

Once the wine has cooked into the rice, add your first ladle of hot stock and a good pinch of salt. Separate the roasted garlic cloves and squeeze out the sweet insides into the risotto. [If you are me, this will require you making a mess of several instruments in an effort not to burn your fingers before giving up and alternating between squeezing out the garlic and whimpering and then mashing it between your fingers into the risotto like a 4 year old with a banana.]

Add the thyme and black pepper to the risotto. Turn down the heat to a highish simmer, so the rice doesn't cook too quickly on the outside. Keep adding ladles of stock.

Remove from the heat and add the creme fraiche and Parmesan. Stir gently. Place a lid on the pan and allow to sit for 2 to 3 minutes. Eat as soon as possible while the risotto retains its perfect texture.

mini meringue cookies

I've been wanting to make meringue cookies for a while, ever since I found out that they were cream of tartar and egg whites. Why that so intrigued me to want to try it, I have no idea. But cream of tartar was one of the first things I bought for my new apartment, yet I just got around to making them because I realized I had a surplus of eggs.

I was surprised by how simple the recipe was. For the most part, it was pretty simple to execute as well. I had heard somewhere that eggs had a certain window of time that you can beat and whip them and then it was sort of impossible, so I got a little anxious about that. But not so anxious that I googled it and checked (what a dummy). Anyway, I seriously spent about 10 minutes trying to get stiff peaks. At first, I was using the whisk attachment on my cuisinart speed stick, but after at least 5+ minutes, my forearms and fingers got tired of pushing the button and holding it. That sounds incredibly wimpy, but you'll see what I mean. At that point, I switched over to the stand mixer and set it on the highest setting for another five minutes or so. Finally, I started seeing some mildly-stiff peaks (if you are generous), and I decided that I would use them, just in case it was going to go downhill from there. My know-it-all helpful and supportive boyfriend later pointed out that perhaps I just needed to do it for 15 minutes until truly stiff peaks formed, so I will try some other type of meringue dish (probably a pavlova from my Ina Garten book) and not give up until I get some peaks and then I'll let you know what the timeframe was. Also, why the heck didn't the recipe tell me? I think anytime it isn't going to be a pretty much instant result, a recipe should give you a heads up - hey, newb, this will take 5 minutes so don't start sweating bullets and hating yourself when it doesn't happen in 30 seconds. Don't worry, I got your back.

Early stages:

 Not exactly "stiff" peaks, but peaks enough for 10+ min tired Kat

 Obviously not a master piper, but I think the consistency of the meringues had an impact on their shape. 

But yeah, I need to work on my artistic skills... or total lack thereof

3 large egg whites (3 ounces or 90 grams)

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

3/4 cup (150 grams) superfine or caster sugar (if you don't have superfine sugar simply take granulated white sugar and process it for about 30-60 seconds in a food processor)

1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract



Preheat oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C) and place the rack in the center of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. You can form the cookies with a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) plain tip, or I often just use two spoons to make the cookies.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on low-medium speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat the whites until they hold soft peaks. Add the sugar, a little at a time, and continue to beat, on medium-high speed, until the meringue holds very stiff peaks. Beat in the vanilla extract. [I totally forgot to add the vanilla. Mine still tasted fine to me, but probably the vanilla adds something extra.]

Note: The meringue is done when it holds stiff peaks and when you rub a little between your thumb and index finger it does not feel gritty. If it feels gritty the sugar has not fully dissolved so keep beating until it feels smooth between your fingers. [Note: they fail to mention that this will take forever. Don't give up! I'll be better informed when I make my pavlova, I promise.]

Before placing the cookies on the cookie sheet, place a little of the meringue on the underside of each corner of the parchment paper. This will prevent the paper from sliding.  Transfer the meringue to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) tip [I have no idea what tips I have, but probably not that big and also I used one that I refer to as the starry one]. Pipe rounds of meringue in rows on the prepared baking sheet. Alternatively, spoon mounds of meringue, using two spoons, onto the prepared sheets. Sprinkle the tops of the cookies with a few shaved almonds, if desired. [Note: they don't spread at all, so feel free to go crazy filling up your baking sheet without worrying that you'll end up with a gigantic mass like you would with normal cookies.]

Bake the meringues for approximately 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours, rotating the baking sheet from front to back (about half way through) to ensure even baking. The meringues are done when they are pale in color and fairly crisp. (The meringues will release easily from the parchment paper.) Turn off the oven, open the door a crack, and leave the meringues in the oven to finish drying several hours or overnight. The meringues can be covered and stored at room temperature for several days.

Makes about 10 - 2 1/2 inch (6 cm) meringues
[I made about 40 of various sizes, all smaller than 2 inches.]

Nutritional Information (for 1/30 of the recipe)
21 total calories
0g total fat
5g total carbs
0g protein

guest: lemon chicken marsala

I had the treat of having this made for me for dinner last Sunday, and it was really yummy. He didn't follow  a recipe, but after looking up a chicken marsala recipe, it was very similar. Ours had zest, some juice, and slices of lemon in it, along with parsley, but otherwise, it is pretty similar to this recipe by Emeril. I really liked it, especially with the addition of the parsley and lemon. I could have licked that plate clean, but I behaved myself.

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon Essence, recipe follows
2 (6 to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in halves and pounded thin
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 tablespoons butter
3 cups sliced mushrooms (cremini, oyster, shiitake)
3/4 cup Marsala [we just used white wine I had in the fridge]
1 cup chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chopped chives, for garnish [we garnished with slightly cooked lemon slices and freshly grated parmesan]

In a shallow bowl or plate combine the flour and Essence and stir to combine thoroughly. Quickly dredge the chicken breast halves in the seasoned flour mixture, shaking to remove any excess flour.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until very hot but not smoking. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and cook the chicken breasts until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Add 1 tablespoon of the remaining butter to the pan and add the mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are golden brown around the edges and have given off their liquid. Add the Marsala wine and bring to a boil, scraping to remove any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

When the wine has reduced by half, add the chicken stock and cook for 3 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened slightly.

Lower the heat to medium and return the chicken breasts to the pan and continue to cook until they are cooked through and the sauce has thickened, about 5 to 6 minutes. Swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, add salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with chopped chives and serve immediately.

Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.
Yield: about 2/3 cup

iced oatmeal cookies

Delicious. Delectable. Delightful.

So yes, I'm a fan of these. I ate probably the equivalent of 3 or so cookies before they even made it out of the bowl (oops), and I've had two this morning already because they are just so darn good. The dough was good, the cookies were good, and the iced cookies were good. It's an all around tasty recipe. And simple! The biggest time commitment was baking all 30 of them over the course of about 4 batches. But definitely, absolutely make these. They are soft and spicy and so satisfying.

I played with my icing drizzling techniques. Instead of drizzling over the cookies on the parchment paper, I held each cookie over my icing bowl and used a spoon to drizzle it over that, making it only slightly less messy but giving me more control over the designs. Like a four year old, I played with it, and while I can admit that the criss-cross drizzle looks the best, I still had fun making all the other designs and blobs.

Yield: 30 3-inch cookies (with a 2 tablespoon or #40 scoop) [I just used my tbsp spoon and made big scoops]

Butter for baking sheets [I used the Pam baking spray]
2 1/2 cups + 1 tablespoon (8 1/4 ounces or 231 grams) old fashioned oats
1/2 cup (2 1/4 ounces or 65 grams) whole wheat flour
1 cup (4 3/8 ounces or 125 grams) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoons (20 grams) baking powder
1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking soda
2 teaspoons kosher salt [I used 1 tsp regular morton salt]
1 cup (8 3/8 ounces or 238 grams) dark brown sugar [I used regular]
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces or 100 grams) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon (2 grams) cinnamon
1 teaspoon (2 grams) freshly grated nutmeg
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs

Icing: [I made 1/2 this recipe to ice all my cookies]
2 1/4 (9 1/2 ounces or 270 grams) cups powdered sugar
5 to 6 (75 to 90 ml) tablespoons whole milk [I used fat free]
1 tablespoon (6 grams) cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt**

Preheat oven to 350°F with racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Rub two baking sheets with butter.

In a food processor, grind 1/2 cup of oats to a fine powder, then add remaining oats and grind them all together until it resembles coarse meal, with only a few large flakes remaining. [I did this using my cuisinart smart stick grinder/chopper attachment and it worked well. I didn't mind having some bigger pieces mixed in.]

Sift dry ingredients into a large bowl, pouring back any bits of grains or other ingredients that remain in the sifter.

In a small bowl, whisk butter and eggs until combined.

Using a spatula, fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

Scoop balls of dough about 2 to 3 tablespoons in size (I used a #40 cookie scoop, which scooped 2 tablespoon-sized balls) onto cookie sheets about 3 inches apart. Bake for 16 to 20 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through. When tops are evenly brown, take them out and transfer them to a cooling rack. Repeat with remaining cookie dough. Let cookies cool completely before icing.

In a bowl, whisk icing ingredients together until smooth. It should have a honey-like consistency. Drizzle the frosting over the cookies. Let the frosting set for 30 minutes (or more; it took longer at my place but by the next day, was fully firmed up) before eating. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week.

Nutritional information (for 1/30 of the recipe, including 1/2 recipe icing)
165 total calories
7g total fat
25g total carbs
2g protein

pretzels

One of my roommates made pretzels a few times in Bulgaria, and they were so so delicious that I've been wanting to try them out myself. I couldn't get a hold of her and the recipe she used, so I tried this one from, where else, SK. It turned out pretty well and was easy to make. I used whole wheat flour for 2 of my 5 cups of flour, and I think it may have made them a bit tougher and chewier than the average pretzel. Next time I'll probably just stick with straight white flour. They don't last very well, so I recommend getting them eaten within a day or so, not that it should be so hard. On most of mine, I sprinkled sea salt, but I made a cinnamon sugar mixture that I dusted over a few and it was pretty tasty. Even better, I had (and still have) leftover cream cheese frosting from the coconut cupcakes, and the cinnamon pretzels dipped in that are quite a treat.

Oh, and I mixed it with a wooden spoon as she mentioned doing, which worked well except for the wooden spoon that I broke in the process. It was probably old, but watch out!

 heart shaped pretzel stains!

Makes 16 full-sized or 32 miniature

2 cups warm water (100°F to 110°F)
1 tablespoon + 2 tablespoons sugar
1 packet active dry yeast
5 to 6 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons canola or other neutral oil
1/4 cup baking soda
1 large egg
Coarse or pretzel salt

Vegetable-oil cooking spray

1. Pour warm water and 1 tablespoon sugar into bowl of electric mixer fitted with a dough hook* and stir to combine. Sprinkle with yeast, and let sit 10 minutes; yeast should be foamy.

2. Add 1 cup flour to yeast, and mix on low until combined. Add salt and 4 cups more flour, and mix until combined, about 30 seconds. Beat on medium-low until dough pulls away from sides of bowl, about 1 1/2 minutes. Add another 1/2 cup flour, and knead on low 1 minute more. If dough is still wet and sticky, add 1/2 cup more flour (this will depend on weather conditions); knead until combined, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a lightly floured board, and knead about ten times, or until smooth.

3. Pour oil into a large bowl; swirl to coat sides. Transfer dough to bowl, turning dough to completely cover all sides. Cover with a kitchen towel, and leave in a warm spot for 1 hour, or until dough has doubled in size.

4. Heat oven to 450°F. Lightly spray two baking sheets with cooking spray (parchment paper, ungreased, also works). Set aside. Punch down dough to remove bubbles. Transfer to a lightly floured board. Knead once or twice, divide into 16 pieces (about 2 1/2 ounces each) or 32 if making miniature pretzels, and wrap in plastic.

5. Roll one piece of dough at a time into an 18-inch-long strip. [I find the pretzels much easier to roll on an unfloured board, oddly enough, but see what works for you.] Twist into pretzel shape; transfer to prepared baking sheet. Cover with a kitchen towel. Continue to form pretzels; eight will fit on each sheet (you may need a third sheet if making miniatures). Let pretzels rest until they rise slightly, about 15 minutes.

6. Meanwhile, fill large, shallow pot with 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil. Add baking soda (and step back, it foams up quickly) and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Reduce to a simmer; transfer three to four pretzels to water. Poach 1 minute on each side. Use slotted spoon to transfer pretzels to baking sheet. Continue until all pretzels are poached.

7. Beat egg with 1 tablespoon water. Brush pretzels with egg glaze. Sprinkle with salt. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool on wire rack, or eat warm. Pretzels are best when eaten the same day, but will keep at room temperature, uncovered, for two days. Do not store in covered container or they will become soggy.

* These days, I mix all of my bread doughs by hand, with a wooden spoon. I find it a fantastically easy process, and not very hard to stir by hand. No need to mix for several minutes, just a minute or so after it looks combined. To save even more dishes, I rinse out the bowl, oil it and use it for proofing the dough. And you thought making bread wasn’t simple!

butternut squash risotto

I have had the recent incredibly good fortune to start dating someone that I not only really like, but who is a very good cook. The night I made the honey apple challah bread, he came over and made some delicious homemade granola bars. Last week, we went to a farmer's market and picked up some squash and decided to make a butternut squash risotto topped with chicken. It was crazy good, and I mean it. I was even lucky enough to get the leftovers. We just used an allrecipes recipe, and by we, I mean I read it and occasionally helped get stuff together while he cooked. It really was pretty straight foward, though, and I really want to make some risotto again because it was very yummy.

I only took a picture at the end because, you know, I'm trying not to come across as the total nut that I am. That said, he still thinks I'm ridiculous for taking pictures of all of my food. The good news is that it isn't so ridiculous that I can't still sneak in one or two pictures without feeling too silly.

2 cups cubed butternut squash
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 onion, minced
1 cup Arborio rice
1/3 cup dry white wine
5 cups hot chicken stock [we probably only used 3 or so cups]
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and ground black pepper to taste

As per some of the allrecipes comments, we decided to roast the squash in the oven for a while first. Set the oven to 400 degrees, place the squash on foil on a cookie sheet, and cut them in half. I believe he rubbed them with some olive oil and cinnamon before putting them in the oven. It took about 30 to 40 minutes to soften them up. We let them cool (and helped the process by sticking them in the freezer for a bit) and then scraped out the insides into a bowl and mashed it up further.


Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook and stir for 2 minutes until the onion begins to soften, then stir in the rice. Continue cooking and stirring until the rice is glossy from the butter, and the onion begins to brown on the edges, about 5 minutes more.

Pour in the white wine; cook, stirring constantly, until it has evaporated. Stir in the mashed squash and 1/3 of the hot chicken stock; reduce heat to medium. Cook and stir until the chicken stock has been absorbed by the rice, 5 to 7 minutes. Add half of the remaining chicken stock, and continue stirring until it has been absorbed. Finally, pour in the remaining stock, and continue stirring until the risotto is creamy. Finish by stirring in the Parmesan cheese, and seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.

Nutritional Information (for 1/4 of risotto recipe)
355 total calories
13g total fat
46g total carbs
9g protein

coconut cupcakes

I saw this coconut cake recipe in my Ina Garten book, barefoot contessa at home, and I wanted to try it out. Of course, I made it into cupcakes, what else? I also used unsweetened instead of sweetened coconut because that was all I could find. It seemed to work fine, but I guess I don't have much to compare it to. I'm sure sweetened would be better, though.

I made 1/2 the cake recipe for my 12 cupcakes and 1/2 the icing recipe, but it should have been 1/3 the icing recipe because I still had a lot leftover. But who can't find uses for cream cheese frosting? Not I.

cake/cupcakes [original recipe makes 2 layer cakes, 1/2 recipe makes 12 cupcakes]
3 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
2 cups sugar
6 extra large eggs, at room temperature
1.5 tsp vanilla extract
1.5 tsp almond extract [I didn't have this so I just used vanilla]
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 cup milk
4 oz sweetened shredded coconut

frosting [original recipe is for a 2 layer cake, 1/3 recipe decorates 12 cupcakes]
1 pound cream cheese at room temperature
2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract [again, I just used vanilla]
1 pound confectioner's sugar [I used 2 cups]
6 oz sweetened shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. For cakes, grease pans and line with parchment paper. For cupcakes, put in cupcake liners.

With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar for 3-5 minutes until light yellow and fluffy.

Add eggs one at a time, scraping down bowl during mixing. The mixture may look curdled; don't be concerned.

In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With mixer on low, alternate adding dry ingredients and milk in increments to batter. Mix until just combined. Fold in coconut.

Pour batter evenly into pans and smooth top with a knife. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes [less for cupcakes] until tester comes out clean. Cook on baking rack for 30 minutes and then turn it over to finish cooling.

For frosting, combine cream cheese, butter, and extracts on low speed in a mixer. Add the confectioner's sugar and mix until just smooth (don't whip).

Nutritional Information for cake [for 1/24 of original recipe or 1 cupcake]
258 calories
14g total fat
30g total carbs
4g protein

Nutritional Information for frosting [for 1/36 of original recipe or 1 cupcake icing]
122 calories
8g total fat
13g total carbs
1g protein

white chocolate oatmeal cookies

Winter makes me want to bake. Also, I think I have finally orchestrated people for me to pawn off my baking onto, which makes me much more excited to do it, knowing it won't end up in my garbage bag again. On a bit of a cookie run lately, I decided to make these white chocolate oatmeal cookies from SK. I couldn't find fleur de sel in the grocery store (and didn't see it at Whole Foods today either), so mine weren't salted. They still got good reviews from everyone I gave them too, though. I liked them. They were a bit crispy, but warmed they were heavenly soft. They did taste pretty good, even though I'm not the biggest white chocolate fan.

The full recipes makes 24ish large cookies. They really spread out when they bake, whether you press them down or not. Make sure you space them out well, otherwise you end up with a big Pangaea-esque cookie map on your baking sheet. Oh, and just go ahead and use parchment paper, it's the best for cookie making without frustration.

 Lesson: more spacing, otherwise you end up with a Pangaea-like mass of cookies. 

Cookie world isn't really the worst, though...

I actually made the full recipe this time. It made about 24 large cookies.


1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon table salt
14 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

6 ounces good-quality white chocolate bar, chopped (not “white chocolate” chips; they’re almost always artificial. I am adamant about this.)

1/2 teapoon flaky sea salt (like Maldon or fleur de sel) (for sprinkling on top)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and table salt in a medium bowl.

Beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Scrape down bowl with rubber spatula, then add egg and vanilla and beat until incorporated. Scrape down bowl again. Add flour mixture gradually and mix until just incorporated and smooth. Gradually add oats and white chocolate and mix until well incorporated.

Divide dough into 24 equal portions, each about 2 tablespoons. Roll between palms into balls, then place on lined baking sheets about 2 1/2 inches apart. Using fingertips, gently press down each ball to about 3/4-inch thickness.

Sprinkle a flake or two of sea salt on each cookie

Bake until cookies are deep golden brown, about 13 to 16 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack to cool.