tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15200917328259217902024-02-06T22:46:27.120-05:00kitchen to kitchenKatherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07190708326640007591noreply@blogger.comBlogger181125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1520091732825921790.post-81335602907723044142014-03-21T01:53:00.000-04:002014-03-21T01:53:54.416-04:00Stop Motion Apple Crisp<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As mentioned in the previous recipe entry for <a href="http://culinary-correspondence.blogspot.com/2014/02/apple-crumble.html">apple crumble</a>, I attempted to shoot the process for another stop motion experiment. I think I did a better job than attempt #1, but I've still got lots to learn. I didn't really innovate too much in the process of editing - I nested some sequences to color correct those in groups, but I only applied the fast color correction effect and adjusted input and output levels. Other than that, it's basically as shot. I also can't seem to figure out how to import it in the best way to set it to be the right frames per second - no matter how I try to set the speed/duration so that it will give me 30 fps, I end up with too many seconds and not the right 1:1 ratio of picture per frame. But I'm sure I'll figure that out eventually (feel free to comment with directions or links if you know!).<br />
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Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07190708326640007591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1520091732825921790.post-5506743158701476332014-02-20T23:21:00.001-05:002014-02-24T23:33:23.334-05:00Green beans<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I often over order with groceries (because with one person, ordering 3 vegetables for a week can be too much to cook), so I'm often scrambling to cook them before they're bad. I think it is really good and important to remember that a lot of food tastes really good done simply. The other night, I cooked flounder in coconut oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper, and it was great. I followed it with chips and guac and felt pretty thrilled about the whole thing. So while I completely endorse getting together a bunch of new and specific ingredients to try out a new recipe, I think we shouldn't feel so concerned about what to do if we don't have it all. Odds are in your favor that if you throw something in a pan with a fat (butter, olive oil, coconut oil depending on the flavor profile you're into) and sprinkle with salt and pepper, you'll end up with something edible and reasonably tasty. The corollary to that is to buy simple, fresh veggies and meat and fish so that they can stand alone well.<br />
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Tonight I heated up some fresh direct soup (meh, things like that remind me how much better homemade is) and then cooked some green beans to prevent them from spoiling over the weekend. I cooked them in the pan with butter and salt until they looked browned and a couple tasted still crisp but cooked (I'm fine with a range of textures usually). Then I served them with some goat cheese. It was great! And I mean that it met my standards for tasting good, being a positive contribution to my nutrition for the day, and helped reduce my produce drawer population boon. </div>
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Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07190708326640007591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1520091732825921790.post-69042458673520333442014-02-12T22:59:00.003-05:002014-02-12T22:59:55.429-05:00Apple Crumble<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'll be honest, <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/dave-lieberman/apple-crumble-recipe.html">this</a> was not my favorite recipe. After I made it, I read the comments (yes because I don't learn to do that first), and I noticed many people also found it too dry. Basically, probably not the way you want to go. But the apples turned out well, and when I first got it from the oven and ate it with greek yogurt, it was delicious. It has otherwise been nice to reheat and serve with greek yogurt for breakfast. I used my excess topping that I didn't put on the apples to make a granola pie thing by mixing in peanut butter and maple syrup. Take from all that what you will.<br />
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<u>Filling</u><br />
4 large Golden Delicious apples (about 3 pounds) [I used 4 or 5 smaller apples]<br />
1/4 cup sugar<br />
1 lemon, juiced [didn't have this, just sprinkled on some water]<br />
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour<br />
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon<br />
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<u>Topping</u><br />
1 cup walnuts or pecans, roughly chopped [didn't use this, but probably would be good]<br />
1 cup all-purpose flour [too much! probably use 1/2 cup]<br />
1 1/4 cups rolled oats [maybe start with 1 cup instead]<br />
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar<br />
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon<br />
Pinch fine salt<br />
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold butter, cut into small pieces<br />
Vanilla ice cream, for serving, optional [or greek yogurt, like I had]<br />
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Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.<br />
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Peel, core, and slice apples into 1/4-inch slices [I didn't peel them because I don't mind having peels involved]. Place apples in a large mixing bowl and toss with sugar, lemon juice, flour, and cinnamon. Pour into a lightly greased 9 by 13-inch baking dish, and spread out into an even layer. Set aside.<br />
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In another large bowl, mix together the nuts, flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon, and salt for the topping. Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, gently work in the cold butter until pea-sized lumps are formed.<br />
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Top apples evenly with mixture and bake until apples are bubbly and topping is golden brown, about 45 minutes, rotating once halfway through cooking.</div>
Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07190708326640007591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1520091732825921790.post-47766661785892451222014-02-12T22:48:00.001-05:002014-02-12T22:48:32.077-05:00Stop Motion Experiment!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I just made my first stop motion video! It's nothing fancy, obviously, but I'm so glad I tested the waters. One day, I'll use my roommate's good camera and have him help me set it up to be done correctly, but in the meantime, I don't think this is half bad! I made a few more that I've shot but not looked at or imported into Adobe Premiere, so hopefully I'll get to those soon.<br />
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Anyway, this was sort of trial and error. I set up my camera on a tripod and shot a picture with every step I did. Then I imported the pictures into Adobe Premiere (a la <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5yBaQuPi64">this youtube video</a> explaining what to do). Select everything and make a new sequence, which drops it into the timeline. You can ripple delete any frames you don't want in the final video. Then I shortened the speed/duration down to 10 seconds, which still feels a little slow. I did a brief color correct (a la <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrJaNHi1c08">this youtube video</a>) but still have much to learn on that front as the color is still off here, but I just wanted to get it done. Then I added in a title and exported it out to a quicktime before uploading to youtube. Et voila!<br />
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Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07190708326640007591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1520091732825921790.post-36676192982002857142014-02-12T22:42:00.001-05:002014-02-12T22:42:17.047-05:00Chocolate Chip Banana Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffins<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This is absolutely a mish-mash recipe. I even had two open on my computer, neither of which I committed to following in any way. One for <a href="http://allrecipes.com/recipe/october-oatmeal-pumpkin-muffins/">oatmeal pumpkin</a> muffins and one for banana muffins. Then I mixed them, used applesauce instead of something else, and threw in some chocolate chips. Muffins are great bases for whatever you feel like cooking with or just getting out of your pantry/fridge. Don't be afraid.<br />
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At any rate, these ended up being pretty good. I calculated the calories to be around 110 each (without chocolate chips). They were definitely not dry at all, and I love anything with bananas cooked in because they get so sweet and caramely.<br />
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I can't totally remember what I did, so here's the recipe for pumpkin oatmeal muffins with my notes:</div>
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1 cup flour [possibly I did 1.5 cups but I can't recall - you can always add more if it looks too wet]<br />
1/2 cup white sugar<br />
1 tsp salt<br />
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or apple pie spice or cinnamon/nutmeg/cloves/ginger)<br />
3/4 tsp baking powder<br />
1/2 tsp baking soda<br />
1/2 tsp cinnamon<br />
1/2 tsp nutmeg<br />
1.25 cups pumpkin [I think I used the full 15 oz can]<br />
1/2 cup milk [I don't think I had/used milk, just a self-serving size cup of applesauce]<br />
2 eggs<br />
1/4 cup maple syrup<br />
3/4 cup oats<br />
plus chocolate chips if you're into that<br />
plus sliced bananas if you're into that [I think I used 3?]<br />
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Spray muffin cups with cooking spray or put in liners.<br />
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Whisk all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, salt, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a large bowl until thoroughly combined.<br />
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Stir pumpkin puree, milk, eggs, and maple syrup into the dry ingredients until batter is smooth; fold oats into batter. Scoop batter into prepared muffin cups, filling them to the top.<br />
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Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 20 to 30 minutes; set aside to cool 5 to 10 minutes before serving.<br />
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Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07190708326640007591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1520091732825921790.post-50285313102946407332014-02-12T22:31:00.000-05:002014-02-12T22:31:56.850-05:00Grits!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Guys, I just wanted to let you know I've welcomed grits into my life with open arms. I never ate them much growing up and only realized how incredible they were while carb-loading on spring training trips when they were served with cheese at breakfast (oh, spring training was <i>the life!</i> row, eat, sleep, repeat). Now, I know they're not the healthiest thing, but really, they're not so bad. A serving is 1/3 cup and is 130 calories. Totally doable if it's your starch, and it's a pretty substantial serving. </div>
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There's a fancy pants food cart at work sometimes that serves grits for SEVEN DOLLARS. I got them once, and it was incredible. And then I though, oh hell no. I'm from the south! I will make this myself! And save that shit, I don't make mad money. So I ordered a container of quick grits that probably cost $3 and has about 20 servings, and now I make them for dinner or on weekends to go with a range of eggs, cheese, greens, and more. I make them on the stove, it takes about 5 min longer than eggs, and it really ups the ante and fills me up. Plus if I slip just a smidge bit of butter in the water before it cooks, they have a really great flavor. </div>
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Anyway, that's all. This is just a PSA that grits are good and you should probably have more in your life.</div>
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Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07190708326640007591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1520091732825921790.post-7055591542329127082014-02-12T22:26:00.000-05:002014-02-12T22:26:08.247-05:00Fantastic Peppermint Chocolate Cupcakes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Finally! A <a href="http://www.glorioustreats.com/2010/12/chocolate-peppermint-cupcakes.html">recipe</a> that is still up on my iPad browser so I can share the actual ingredients with you. Yay! Catching up is incentive to not get behind again.<br />
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But more exciting news: THESE WERE DELICIOUS. Like, everyone loved them. I loved them. I ran out of confectioner's sugar, so they were more cream cheese savory than super sweet, and that, I think, is the difference. Also, I added cinnamon to the cupcakes because I think all desserts taste better with cinnamon (or cardamon, or something).<br />
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So make these. Even if it isn't holiday time. They are super, extra, definitively worth it. Yumtown, population: these guys.<br />
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<u>Cupcakes</u></div>
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2 cups sugar</div>
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1 3/4 cups all purpose flour</div>
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3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa (best quality available) [I just used Trader Joe's]</div>
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1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder</div>
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1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda</div>
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1 teaspoon salt</div>
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1 teaspoon cinnamon [my addition]</div>
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2 eggs</div>
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1 cup whole milk</div>
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1/2 cup vegetable oil</div>
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2 teaspoons vanilla extract (best quality available)</div>
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1 cup boiling water</div>
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Line muffin tin with paper liners. Heat oven to 350*F.</div>
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In a large mixing bowl, stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.</div>
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Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Beat on medium speed for one minute.</div>
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Stir in boiling water (the batter will be thin, don’t worry, this is right).</div>
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Fill liners 2/3 full with batter. (I usually put the batter into a large measuring cup with a pour spout, and then pour the batter into the liners.)</div>
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Bake cupcakes for approximately 22-24 minutes.</div>
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Cool completely on wire rack before frosting.</div>
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<u>Frosting</u></div>
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1/2 cup (1 stick, 8 Tablespoons) butter, at room temperature</div>
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6 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature (about 3/4 of a regular block of cream cheese)</div>
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4 cups powdered confectioners sugar [I probably only used 3 cups]</div>
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1 teaspoon pure peppermint extract [didn't have this, I mixed in 4 crushed candy canes]</div>
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1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract</div>
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1 to 3 Tablespoons heavy cream, heavy whipping cream (or milk- although I do like the richness that cream adds)</div>
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Place butter in a large mixing bowl and blend slightly. Add cream cheese and blend until combined, about 30 seconds.</div>
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Add powdered sugar (a little at a time) and blend on low speed until combined. Increase to medium speed and beat until it begins to get fluffy. </div>
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Add vanilla and peppermint extracts. </div>
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Slowly add the heavy cream, a little bit at a time until desired consistency is met. (Don’t add too much if you want the frosting to stay in place when piped on cupcakes.)</div>
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Beat until fluffy, about 1 minute.</div>
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[I put 4 or 5 candy canes in a bag and beat it pretty much to dust using my rolling pin {you're welcome, neighbors} and then mixed that in at the end with a spoon, not the mixer.]</div>
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Use at once or keep refrigerated. (This frosting will keep well in the refrigerator for several days, but you may need to re-beat it for the best texture.) [I took these to work and transported the cupcakes and frosting separately so it wasn't a hot mess. I'm learning!]</div>
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To achieve the red stripe in the frosting: Before filling a large piping bag with frosting, add some red gel food coloring to a toothpick, and draw two (vertical) lines with the red dye on the inside of the piping bag. Then carefully fill the piping bag with frosting. Squeeze some frosting into a bowl until you begin to see the red stripe, then frost the cupcakes.</div>
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[I mostly failed at this because I was lazy and just swirled in red food coloring to the frosting and then frosted. Whatever, pink is still festive and communicates the point.]</div>
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Top cupcakes with some crushed candy canes (they will ”melt” after a bit, so they need to be served right away) or a small piece of peppermint bark (I used a little peppermint Andes candy).</div>
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Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07190708326640007591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1520091732825921790.post-26884381623706209032014-02-12T22:10:00.002-05:002014-02-12T22:10:20.606-05:00Pumpkin Apple Muffins<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Who likes substituting and making things up as they go?! I do. Whenever I make muffins, I throw a bunch of stuff in there, just to use up ingredients that are on their way out and to get interesting flavor combinations tested out.<br />
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I honestly can't remember what recipe I used for these, so<a href="http://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/144769/LIBBYS-Pumpkin-Muffins/detail.aspx"> here's one</a> I found that looks about right, and then I just added in some diced apples because why not? Also there this <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2006/10/promise-keeper-pumpkin-eater/">SK recipe</a>, so I'm sure that's delicious as well.<br />
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Our adopted kitty, Jonesy. He's aggressively cuddly and hangs out with me while I cook. He's the best behaved street cat on earth.<br />
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3 cups all purpose flour<br />
1 tbsp + 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (usually cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger, cloves, etc)<br />
2 tsp baking soda<br />
1.5 tsp salt<br />
3 cups sugar<br />
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin<br />
4 eggs<br />
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I likely used melted butter instead - I prefer fats & sugars whose existence I understand)<br />
1/2 cup water or orange juice<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 350 degrees<br />
<br />
Combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.<br />
Combine sugar, pumpkin, eggs, oil, and water in a mixing bowl. Beat until blended.<br />
Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture - stir just until combined.<br />
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Fill muffin cups 3/4 full.<br />
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. </div>
Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07190708326640007591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1520091732825921790.post-15935646663235371732014-02-09T22:00:00.001-05:002014-02-09T22:00:54.125-05:00Christmas Cupcakes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Super simple, just wanted to make some cupcakes to take to work that were Christmas-y. Plus I love using food coloring (ask my mom - I used to make awfully colored pancakes as a kid, you're welcome for helping with brunch) and seem to always have a lot of holiday sprinkles in stock.<br />
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Trader Joe's cocoa powder provided the recipe for this one, and then I just made basic frosting to go with. I think I did a basic butter and powdered sugar frosting, but must have added a bit of milk and vanilla to have the consistency (less stiff). But potentially that's just an effect of my proportions and/or food coloring.<br />
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Trader Joe's "The Greatest and Easiest Chocolate Cake"<br />
3 1/3 cup flour<br />
1 1/3 cup cocoa<br />
3 cups sugar<br />
1 tbsp baking soda<br />
1 tsp salt<br />
12 oz butter<br />
3 cups buttermilk (I likely used regular milk)<br />
5 eggs<br />
1 tsp vanilla<br />
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees<br />
Grease and flour two 9" round baking pans or line cupcake cups with liners<br />
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Place all ingredients in electric mixer bowl and beat on high speed for 3 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl once during mixing. Pour into prepared pans or cupcake cups [I like to pour into a measuring cup with spout to make this easier to use a measuring cup to scoop and pour - mostly for neatness sake]. Bake cakes for about 55 min or cupcakes for 20-25 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean.<br />
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Let cool before frosting; otherwise, they will make the frosting melty and make a mess.<br />
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<br />
[I usually don't use all the frosting, so perhaps use half the recipe for starters]<br />
<br />
2 sticks butter, at room temperature<br />
3 cups confectioners’ sugar<br />
1 teaspoon salt<br />
1 teaspoon vanilla extract<br />
2 tablespoons whole milk<br />
<br />
In a large bowl, or in the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter, confectioners’ sugar, and salt. Beat on low speed until combined, about 2 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula, then increase speed to medium high and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Stop mixer, add the vanilla and milk, then continue beating 3 minutes on medium high on a stand mixer, or 5 minutes on a handheld mixer.<br />
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Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07190708326640007591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1520091732825921790.post-85161396823628415632014-02-09T21:49:00.003-05:002014-02-09T21:49:41.890-05:00Steamed Clams + Pasta<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
These were on sale at FD for $0.49/each a while back, so I got a half dozen to test out cooking clams. I'd never done it before, and I think I'm safely far from pro. This meal ended up so-so, but I can easily blame that on lack of skill and not recipe fault. Hard to say. It wasn't that they weren't good - it was just less sauce than I expected for the pasta, and possibly I have no idea how to cook clams.<br />
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Of course I can't find the exact recipe I used, but having looked over several that seem similar and familiar, I think we can rough out what went on. I'd say <a href="http://savorysweetlife.com/2010/04/steamed-clams/">this recipe</a> I'm looking at on Savory Sweet Life looks like a tempting one to consider, so we'll go with that and assume that's what I followed except I poured it all over pasta.<br />
<br />
3 tablespoons butter<br />
3 cloves fresh garlic, minced<br />
1/2 cup dry white wine or dry Vermouth<br />
2 pounds of clams (Littlenecks or Manilla), rinsed and cleaned<br />
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped<br />
*optional 1 small lemon cut into wedges<br />
<br />
Melt butter in a medium pot over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes until garlic is fragrant but not burned. Add wine and increase heat to medium-high until wine is brought to a simmering boil. Add clams and cooked covered for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until clams have opened. Discard any clams still closed. Add parsley and give the pot a quick stir. Transfer clams and broth to a large serving bowl, serving with lemon wedges on the side.<br />
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Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07190708326640007591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1520091732825921790.post-69476788673744835872014-02-09T21:26:00.002-05:002014-02-09T21:26:35.385-05:00Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A while ago, I made these cookies to take in to work. I can't remember if there was an occasion or not, nor can I find the bookmarked recipe. So am I helpful or what?! The moral of this post is that doubling chocolate is always good and everyone likes cookies. I'm pretty confident I just made a basic chocolate cooking recipe with cocoa powder and then mixed in chocolate chips.<br />
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Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07190708326640007591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1520091732825921790.post-69002730830931185262014-02-09T21:13:00.001-05:002014-02-09T21:13:46.704-05:00Chili Stew (?)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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With my FreshDirect, I'm trying to order meat on occasion when I think I'll have a night to attempt to cook it and am brave enough to try (I mess up veggies or baked goods, whatever; I mess up meat or fish, yikes). A while ago (December, to be honest), I ordered some kind of meat and did a wild attempt at my dad's (grandmother's) chili. It turned out in no way like chili because of how much I changed from the original recipe, but it was meaty and warm and edible (sales pitch!). Anyway, it worked for me, especially with some cheese on top, and I had enough for several meals, to which I added polenta several times. I love chili because it ages so well and you can freeze it and the flavors get better. It's a great way to branch into meat cooking because it doesn't threaten me with risky self-assessment of done-ness and is delicious.<br />
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Here's my dad's recipe, which I can attest to being delicious. The recipe as he passed to me is in spreadsheet format with stages separated into numbered sections. Welcome to why I'm an excel nut.<br />
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<u>Ingredients for A (Stage 1)</u><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />
3.0<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Red chilies or Jalapeno [fresh] chopped<br />
3.0<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Green Anaheim or Ordinary<br />
3.0<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>tbsp.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Cumin seed<br />
6.0<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Cloves of Garlic-chopped<br />
3.0<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Onions-chopped<br />
4.0<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>lbs.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Beef [chili cut]<br />
2.0<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>lbs.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>pork sausage<br />
2.0<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>tbsp.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>cooking oil<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />
<u>Ingredients for B (Stage 2)</u><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />
3.0<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>oz<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Jar of chilipowder [Gerhard]<br />
1.0<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>tsp.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Oregano<br />
2.0<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>tbsp.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Paprika<br />
2.0<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>tbsp.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Vinegar<br />
0.5<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>cup<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>boiling water<br />
2.0<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>can<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>beef stock<br />
1.0<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>can<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>jalapeno chopped<br />
2.0<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>14oz<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> can tomatoes<br />
1.0<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>pc<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>chopped celery<br />
1.0<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>tbsp.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Worchester<br />
0.5<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>cup<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>beer<br />
6.0<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>cloves<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />
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<u>Ingredients for C (Stage 3)</u><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />
0.5<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>cup<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>beef broth<br />
2.0<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>tbsp.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Mesa corn meal<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Salt and Pepper<br />
<br />
Pinto or Kidney beans<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />
<u>Instructions</u><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />
A Lightly brown meet cook for 30 min<br />
B Cook for 45 minutes<br />
C Cook for 30 minimum 30 minutes<br />
D Beans on side or mix some<br />
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Now what that all means, obviously, is that you put all of the ingredients in A together in the pot and lightly brown the meat and then cook for 30 minutes. Once that's happened, add in all the B ingredients and cook for 45 minutes. Then add in C ingredients and cook for at least 30 minutes. You are then free, in step D, to do what you wish with the beans.</div>
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Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07190708326640007591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1520091732825921790.post-17827488897227581582014-02-09T20:57:00.002-05:002014-02-09T20:57:26.593-05:00Belated Return of the Prodigal Blogger<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hi! I've been out of the loop for almost a year (egads!), but I've thought of you often. And I've been taking pictures ever since I started cooking again, so I'm sitting myself down to catch up tonight. I'm planning on buying a domain and making a new website for all this, but in the meantime, I ought to just keep on with it as is.<br />
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I did finally get an apartment and then eventually get my all my stuff to it. But I didn't really get to cooking again until I committed to a FreshDirect membership. New Yorkers, you have to do it. Unless you live in an amazing neighborhood with great groceries, in which case, I hate you and don't bother. But for the rest of us who live in aptly named "food deserts", FreshDirect is a godsend. As it is, I'm waiting on my most recent order to show up between 10-11:30 tonight, at which point a very nice delivery man is going to bring me a couple boxes of food directly into my kitchen. All for $10 delivery fee per month! You can't beat it. No, they're not endorsing me, I'm just that thrilled. If not for FD, I'd be grumpily lugging bags home from Trader Joe's once a month and otherwise continue my steady diet of raisin bran from the corner bodega. It wasn't good, folks.<br />
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So here's a live picture of the kitchen. I love the open shelving so I can see my beloved kitchen treasures: retro blue kitchenaid mixer, grandmas nesting mixing bowls, Bulgarian bowls, and basic ikea dishware. However, they're a pain to keep clean and now often feature cat hair, so envy me only insofar as you also wish you had to clean everything you use every time.<br />
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Otherwise, that's about the majority of the kitchen (and, to be honest), living room. I've got a cabinet of spices, basics, and baking goods, and a lower cabinet of pots and flour and sugar. Glamorous NYC life!</div>
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It's not much in terms of provided storage, but the extra shelves help a lot and with the kitchen also being the living room, I at least have space to move and use the table. And I'm more than happy to have this over a tv and other comforts. It's kitchen or bed for me the few hours I spend here. </div>
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On to the cooking! </div>
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Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07190708326640007591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1520091732825921790.post-9548531059012217252013-04-01T00:12:00.003-04:002013-04-01T00:12:56.398-04:00I'm the worst.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I really wish I could post more often, but I pretty much don't cook at all any more (thanks Trader Joe's and Amy's frozen meals for keeping me fed on weeknights!).<br />
<br />
Right now I'm living in a sublet with limited cookware/appliances, working a lot, and was icked out by a couple mouse sightings, so I just haven't been cooking at all.<br />
<br />
Hopefully I will soon-ish get a lease for an apt with a friend or two and be more at home again [finally], and then I will certainly get back into cooking and posting. I miss it [and my Austin apartment/kitchen] <i>a lot</i>. NYC has a lot of great qualities, but housing is not one of them. Wish me luck! :)</div>
Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07190708326640007591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1520091732825921790.post-3462856337913987752012-12-21T23:44:00.001-05:002012-12-21T23:44:15.160-05:00iced gingerbread cookies<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Looks like my posts/recipes are out of chronological order. I suppose it doesn't matter too much. I'm letting my phone connect to google plus so I can access my cooking phone photos via blogger directly without having to download them and take up memory I don't have available on my grandpa of a computer, but g+ seems to be willy nilly picking them and not going in any order. As you wish, google.<br />
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I made<a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/gingerbread-boys-and-girls-recipe/index.html"> this recipe</a> a few nights ago because I had some free time, and I felt like doing something that might make me feel a little more in the Christmas spirit. I had made gingerbread cookies a few weeks ago when I first got to NYC and had time to kill during Hurricane Sandy, and they turned out really well. I used a different recipe for these, and they were a lot drier. They crumbled from dough to rolling. I gave up on rolling and just balled them up and flattened them out, hence their plain jane shape. Then I was grateful for our funky oven and having a dish of water to keep them moist; otherwise, I'm sure they'd have been dry and terrible. Luckily they turned out okay, and once I put the icing on, I was surprised that they were actually pretty good. A stroke of luck and sugar. I decided to decorate them in Christmas colors as well as good luck cookies for my roommate's finals! I'm pretty sure she nailed them, and I'll take a point or two of credit from the snacks. :)<br />
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3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar<br />
1 stick butter or margarine, softened<br />
2 large eggs<br />
1/4 cup molasses<br />
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting work surface<br />
2 teaspoons ground ginger<br />
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda<br />
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon<br />
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg<br />
1/2 teaspoon salt<br />
<br />
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1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted<br />
1 to 2 tablespoons milk<br />
Food coloring, as desired<br />
*I loosely measured and then added milk and sugar until I got a consistency that was spreadable but would harden after a bit<br />
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Using an electric mixer at low speed, cream the sugar and butter until thoroughly combined. Add the eggs and molasses and mix until combined. Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and combine with a spoon or spatula.<br />
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Remove the dough from the bowl and wrap in plastic wrap; place in the refrigerator until firm, about 1 hour.<br />
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.<br />
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Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Allow the dough to sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes, until pliable. Take about 1/2 cup of dough at a time and roll onto a floured board until about 1/8-inch thick. Cut out with gingerbread boy and girl cookie cutters. You can re-roll the scraps. Using a spatula, transfer the cookies from the board to the prepared cookie sheets.<br />
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Bake for 10 minutes, until just beginning to brown at the edges. Transfer to wire racks to cool.<br />
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To make the icing, combine the confectioners' sugar and milk. Divide the mixture into thirds; leave 1/3 white, and color 1/3 green and the final third red. Decorate piping eyes, mouths, buttons, and bow ties.</div>
Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07190708326640007591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1520091732825921790.post-54850350642582763882012-12-12T23:41:00.001-05:002012-12-12T23:42:12.056-05:00Pumpking Cinnamon Rolls<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm sticking with my pumpking typo as a thing. What of it?!<br />
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Anyway, in our fall cooking festivities, I ventured to try <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2012/10/pumpkin-cinnamon-rolls/#more-9172">SK's pumpkin cinnamon rolls</a>. It was a little challenging at moments, but teamwork is great help, and they were tasty. I didn't get a strong pumpkin flavor, but it was good. Plus it felt fun and fancy to have made them by hand. Also, I think my yeast wasn't great because it didn't rise as it should have, so I think that explains some discrepancies between her pictures and mine.<br />
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Fair warning: this is pretty involved and took me quite a few hours over the course of an afternoon and a morning. Just know what you're getting yourself into.<br />
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<br />
<br />
<u>Dough</u><br />
6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter, to be divided<br />
1/2 cup (120 ml) whole milk, warmed (but not over 116 degrees)<br />
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (from 1 .25-ounce or 7 gram envelope yeast)<br />
3 1/2 cups (440 grams) all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling out<br />
1/4 cup (packed) (50 grams) light or dark brown sugar<br />
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar<br />
1 teaspoon (6 grams) table salt<br />
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon<br />
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg<br />
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom (optional)<br />
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger<br />
2/3 cups (160 grams) pumpkin puree, canned or homemade<br />
1 large egg<br />
Oil for coating rising bowl<br />
<br />
<u>Filling</u><br />
3/4 cup (packed, 145 grams) light or dark brown sugar<br />
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar<br />
1/8 teaspoon table salt<br />
2 teaspoons (5 grams) ground cinnamon<br />
<br />
<u>Glaze</u><br />
4 ounces (115 grams) cream cheese, softened<br />
2 tablespoons (30 ml) milk or buttermilk<br />
2 cups (240 grams) powdered sugar, sifted<br />
Few drops vanilla extract (optional)<br />
<br />
<b>Make your dough: </b><br />
Melt your butter, and hey, if you’re melting it in a little saucepan, you might as well brown it for extra flavor. Once the butter has melted, keep cooking it over medium heat for a few additional minutes. It will become hissy and sizzle a lot, then take on a nutty flavor as golden bits form at the bottom of the pot. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.<br />
<br />
Combine your warmed milk and yeast in a small bowl and set aside. After five to seven minutes, it should be a bit foamy. If it’s not, you might have some bad yeast and should start again with a newer packet.<br />
<br />
In the bottom of the bowl of an electric mixer combine flour, sugars, salt and spices. Add just 1/4 cup (or two-thirds of; leave the rest for assembly) of your melted/browned butter and stir to combine. Add yeast-milk mixture, pumpkin and egg and mix combined. Switch mixer to a dough hook and run it for 5 minutes on low.<br />
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Scrape mixture into a large oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside for 1 hour in a draft-free place; it should just about double.<br />
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While it is rising, line the bottom of two 9-inch round cake pans (8-inch round should work too, as does an 8-inch square) with parchment paper and butter the sides of the pan and the paper.<br />
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<b>Assemble buns: </b><br />
Scoop dough onto a very well floured surface and flour the top of it well. With a rolling pin, roll the dough to an approximately 16×11-inch rectangle. Brush reserved melted/browned butter over dough. Stir together remaining filling ingredients and sprinkle mixture evenly over dough. Starting on a longer side, roll the dough into a tight spiral. It’s going to make a mess because the dough is crazy soft and some stuff spills off the ends; don’t sweat it. It will all be delicious in the end.<br />
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Here’s how to cut cinnamon rolls without squishing their pretty spirals: With a sharp serrated knife, using absolutely no pressure whatsoever (only the weight of the blade should land on the dough) gently saw your log with a back-forth motion into approximately 1-inch sections. When a soft dough like this is rolled, it tends to grow longer, which means that you’ll have the option to either make more buns (say, 18 instead of 16) or just cut them a little larger (in generous inches).<br />
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Divide buns between two prepared pans. You can sprinkle any sugar that fell off onto the counter over them. Cover each pan with plastic wrap and let rise for another 45 minutes.<br />
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If you’re doing this ahead of time, you can now put them in the fridge overnight. In the morning, leave them out for an hour to warm up and finish rising.<br />
<br />
15 minutes before you’re ready to bake them, heat the oven to 350°F. Meanwhile, you can make the glaze. Beat your cream cheese until it is light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Drizzle in milk until you get the consistency you’re looking for, either thick enough to ice or thin enough to drizzle.<br />
<br />
<b>Finish your buns: </b><br />
Remove the plastic and bake buns for 25 minutes, until puffed and golden and the aroma brings all the boys to your yard is like a snickerdoodle. Transfer pans to wire cooling racks and drizzle/schmear with cream cheese glaze, then have at them.<br />
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Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07190708326640007591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1520091732825921790.post-70001807190242991742012-12-12T23:35:00.000-05:002012-12-12T23:35:37.848-05:00Pumpking Beer Bread<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This was one of the first recipes I cooked for my now-boyfriend when we first started hanging out this summer/fall. It was starting to cool off, and stores were stocking up delicious fall treats for October. We decided to have a fall cooking weekend, so I pulled up <a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2012/09/12/pumpkin_beer_bread_with_pumpkin_and_pumpkin_ale_you_can_t_lose_.html">this pumpkin beer bread recipe</a> a friend showed me and decided to give it a whirl. Very yummy. I'm giving the recipe as I originally found it, but I made it a second time and doubled all the spices and really liked that better. </div>
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Also I keep mistyping Pumpking instead of just pumpkin, so I'm officially just going with it and dubbing this bread Pumpking Beer Bread. King of the pumpkin beer breads. Why not?</div>
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[as I mentioned before, I doubled all the spices the 2nd time I made it because I love delicious spices]<br />
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<br />
Oil or butter for greasing the pan<br />
1¼ cup all-purpose flour<br />
½ cup whole-wheat flour<br />
1 teaspoon baking powder<br />
½ teaspoon baking soda<br />
½ teaspoon salt<br />
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon<br />
½ teaspoon ground ginger<br />
Pinch ground nutmeg<br />
Pinch ground allspice<br />
3 tablespoons unsalted butter<br />
1 cup pumpkin purée<br />
1 cup brown sugar<br />
2 large eggs<br />
1 cup pumpkin ale<br />
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1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch loaf pan. Combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice in a large bowl.<br />
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2. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat (or in a medium bowl in the microwave). Remove from the heat. Stir in the pumpkin and brown sugar, then stir in the eggs. Finally, stir in the pumpkin ale. Add the pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients and stir just until combined, then transfer the batter to the greased pan.<br />
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3. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool thoroughly, then slice and serve. (Leftover pumpkin bread can be wrapped in foil or plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to a few days.)<br />
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Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07190708326640007591noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1520091732825921790.post-20662947549279718412012-12-12T23:29:00.000-05:002012-12-12T23:29:19.660-05:00Brownies<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I've been negligent. But I've also been cooking a little bit lately, and I wanted to get my last bits of Austin cooking endeavors up on the blog. I know you've all been waiting with bated breath (at this point, I'd make some joke about my mom being the only one reading this, but I know she doesn't, so...).<br />
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I think this was a Joy of Cooking brownie recipe. Or maybe Smitten Kitchen. Either way, it was simple. Theoretically, it was easy, but it still took me three attempts to get it right. I think for one (or all? It was a couple months ago), I used <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2010/01/best-cocoa-brownies/">this SK recipe</a>. The first time, I accidentally used rancid butter. The whole time, I could tell that things smelled/tasted funky, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Finally, after a beautiful batch of brownies came out of the oven, I connected the dots and realized it was terrible. I even tried to eat a bite, and it was so bad I just had to throw it all away. I can't remember what trick I pulled on the 2nd batch that I ruined, but eventually, I made a simple batch of brownies. Huzzah!<br />
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Nice totally sick filter from my hipstamatic. </div>
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Yes, I admit to using it. I love the way the pics look except that the downside is that you have to think ahead and pick the filter first. That means I use the same one pretty much always. </div>
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Because you noticed/asked/cared.</div>
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10 tablespoons (140 grams) unsalted butter<br />
1 1/4 cups (250 grams) sugar<br />
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (65 grams, though some brands may weigh more) unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-process)<br />
1/4 teaspoon salt (or a heaping 1/4 teaspoon flaky salt, as I used)<br />
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract<br />
2 large eggs, cold<br />
1/2 cup (65 grams) all-purpose flour<br />
2/3 cup (75 grams) walnut or pecan pieces (optional)<br />
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Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Line the bottom and sides of an 8×8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or foil, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides.<br />
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Combine the butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt in a medium heatproof bowl and set the bowl in a wide skillet of barely simmering water. Stir from time to time until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth and hot enough that you want to remove your finger fairly quickly after dipping it in to test. Remove the bowl from the skillet and set aside briefly until the mixture is only warm, not hot. It looks fairly gritty at this point, but don’t fret — it smooths out once the eggs and flour are added. [Note, many people who have tried this recipe have found that this step works just fine in the microwave. Couldn't test this because we don't have one, but it sounds like it would work.]<br />
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Stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring vigorously after each one. When the batter looks thick, shiny, and well blended, add the flour and stir until you cannot see it any longer, then beat vigorously for 40 strokes with the wooden spoon or a rubber spatula. Stir in the nuts, if using. Spread evenly in the lined pan.<br />
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Bake until a toothpick plunged into the center emerges slightly moist with batter, 20 to 25 minutes is Medrich’s suggestion but it took me at least 10 minutes longer to get them set. Let cool completely on a rack. (I go further and throw mine in the fridge or freezer for a while; it’s the only way I can get them to cut with clean lines.)<br />
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Lift up the ends of the parchment or foil liner, and transfer the brownies to a cutting board. Cut into 16 or 25 squares.<br />
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Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07190708326640007591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1520091732825921790.post-8142498312599861392012-08-21T01:11:00.001-04:002012-08-21T01:11:51.507-04:00purple potatoes three ways<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Well, to be totally frank, I made the potatoes sort of three ways and then turned one into one that I already had, so I really mostly ate them two ways: roasted and mashed. And they are so good that way. The third way, that semi-involved a recipe that I mostly didn't follow, was fork-mashed and with a zesty flavor profile as per this SK <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2008/04/fork-crushed-purple-potatoes/">recipe</a>. I didn't quite have everything on-hand to make it, so when it didn't seem stunning, I just made them creamy and mashed and delicious. While they look like a weird purple yogurt when mashed, they taste pretty yummy, so I don't mind. They were also delicious roasted. What vegetable isn't delicious roasted? I have yet to meet it. It's such a simple and elegant solution to any veggie "problem," and I never have any problem cleaning a plate full of roasted vegetables. They just hit some flavor spot that my mouth is a big fan of and my conscience feels great about.<br />
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So... so much for a recipe. Here's some pics of roasted purple potatoes and squash (some with olive oil and spices, some with olive oil and cinnamon sugar). And some other veggies that got roasted and eaten <strike>straight off the foil </strike>in a dignified manner.<br />
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iphone hipstamatic or nice olympus picture?</div>
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I honestly can't decide which is better, which is frustrating...</div>
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Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07190708326640007591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1520091732825921790.post-4851511123245258852012-08-21T01:04:00.003-04:002012-08-21T01:04:42.941-04:00paleo salmon salad<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
My friend, a rower/teammate who is now a workout trainer in Colorado, recently got hooked on the paleo diet. She posted about this <a href="http://paleogirlinthecity.com/blueberry-salmon-salad/">salmon salad</a> in her blog (about working out and eating paleo), and while it struck me as a strange combination of ingredients, she was really enthusiastic about it so I figured I'd give it a try. I didn't have blueberries or coconuts and subbed in dried cranberries for cherries, but man! It was delicious! I am impressed and very happy that I tried it. I'll be stocking up on canned salmon now so that this can be a go-to for me as well. Give it a try!<br />
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Apologies for the pictures - I snapped a couple on my phone, but the quality was sub-par (and worse than they normally turn out) plus the color scheme here was a bit rough to manage well. Don't let appearances fool you! You want to eat this.<br />
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<br />
1 can of salmon (wild salmon has a great omega 3 to omega 6 ratio btws)<br />
½ cup blueberries [didn't have on hand]<br />
¼ avocado<br />
¼ cup unsweetened coconut flakes (the BIG kind, not the shavings) [I didn't have this]<br />
2 Tbs golden raisins<br />
2 Tbs dried cherries [I used cranberries instead]<br />
dash o’salt, pepper, and onion powder<br />
hefty drizzle: olive oil and balsamic vinegar<br />
<br />
Basically, just mix it all together and enjoy! Also, I bet this would be pretty good if you put it on top of lettuce like a chicken salad or if you weren't paleo, mixed with quinoa or cooled pasta or something. I don't know, but it seems pretty flexible and is really just satisfying.<br />
<br />
<u>Nutritional Information (full recipe with my version of ingredients):</u><br />
427 total calories<br />
28.3 g total fat [but it's all good fat - salmon, avocado, olive oil]<br />
0 g cholesterol<br />
20 g total carbs<br />
5 g fiber<br />
10 g sugar<br />
22.5 g protein</div>
Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07190708326640007591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1520091732825921790.post-27488558890531783842012-08-21T01:02:00.005-04:002012-08-21T01:02:58.235-04:00Spicy Roasted Pepper Sauce<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I saw this<a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2012/08/charred-pepper-steak-sauce/#more-8840"> recent post</a> on Smitten Kitchen about a roasted pepper sauce, and because I still had a plethora of veggies laying around (down to potatoes, a squash, and maybe a couple peppers or something), I thought I'd wing this recipe with what I had to use up all my peppers. I appreciate peppers, but I'm not a huge fan, so I wasn't really eager to just eat them raw or in anything else because that's just not what my taste buds liked. I haven't, in the course of the week, really found a use for it yet - but I think that is more because smoky, spicy, pepper flavor isn't my bag and not because this isn't totally delicious and worth having on your food.<br />
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how cute beyond cute are those little guys?</div>
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also, I think they are the spiciest ones, so big things in small packages, etc.</div>
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<br />
Yield: 1 2/3 to 2 cups steak sauce.<br />
<br />
1 red bell pepper, small was suggested [I had 3 tiny peppers, 2 small green bells, and 1 larger yellow bell pepper]<br />
2/3 cup canned or fresh tomato purée<br />
1/4 cup orange juice [I used lemonade because that's what I had]<br />
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce<br />
2 tablespoons olive oil<br />
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar<br />
1 tablespoon molasses [I didn't have any so I used syrup]<br />
3/4 teaspoon table salt or more to taste<br />
1 teaspoon ground mustard [I just used some dijon]<br />
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger [didn't have]<br />
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper<br />
1/4 teaspoon onion powder [didn't have]<br />
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice [didn't have]<br />
<br />
Preheat your broiler. Place your pepper on a baking sheet and cook it under the broiler until all sides are charred, turning with with tongs as needed. Don’t skimp on the charring as this skin will add a fantastic flavor dimension. Mine took about 15 minutes, but I have a terrible broiler [I think mine were in there for like 45 minutes, but I just had them in the oven at 400 with other veggies to roast]. Yours might only take 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer pepper to somewhere to cool until you’re able to handle it, about 15 minutes.<br />
<br />
Tear open the pepper and remove the seeds and membranes with your fingers or a paring knife [mine were so soft this was crazy easy]. Add the pepper (with its skin) to the blender along with the remaining ingredients. Puree mixture until as smooth as possible. Transfer mixture to a small saucepan. Simmer it gently over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring from time to time. It will yield a fairly smooth that can be used as is, but if you’d like a smoother consistency, you have two options: running it back through the blender or food processor again (I got a smoother blender after the fibers had cooked down more on the stove)[this is what I did] or pressing it through that fine-mesh sieve (I started doing this, then decided it wasn’t worth the trouble).<br />
<br />
Store in an airtight jar in the fridge for one week, though I suspect it will keep for two.</div>
Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07190708326640007591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1520091732825921790.post-90394971020902458812012-08-21T01:00:00.002-04:002012-08-21T01:00:30.356-04:00Muffin Bread Pudding<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As I did not eat up all my muffins from the other day and they got sort of stale, I wanted to see if I could make them into a bread pudding, which I've never made before. According to Joy of Cooking, you can't make muffins into bread pudding, so that made me sad, but I decided to google it before I gave up. SK didn't have anything, but I found a couple random blogs that had recipes, and <a href="http://wegottaeat.com/provision/recipes/muffin-bread-pudding">this one </a>seemed to match what I wanted to do most similarly. The cinnamon in it was really nice, so I would maybe add a bit more next time because I liked it so much. Looking over the recipe, I really didn't even use a lot of what it had, but I got the basics and it turned out pretty well. More cinnamon would have been good, and I guess I could have cooked it for longer, but it was tasty. Especially with some Blue Bell homemade vanilla ice cream, which will always be my love of loves for simple desserts.<br />
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<br />
1/4 cup sugar<br />
2 eggs, slightly beaten<br />
2 cups milk<br />
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon<br />
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg<br />
1/2 tsp almond extract [didn't have]<br />
6 muffins, crumbled (about 4-5 cups) [I only have 5 muffins]<br />
2 Tbl butter, melted [didn't use and didn't even see until now...]<br />
1/2 cup raisins (optional) [didn't use]<br />
1/2 cup slivered almonds, chopped [didn't use]<br />
<br />
1. preheat oven to 350 f. spray or lightly butter a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan.<br />
2. beat together sugar, eggs, and milk in a medium size bowl.<br />
3. beat in cinnamon, nutmeg, and almond extract.<br />
4. add crumbled muffins to the pan. carefully toss with optional raisins.<br />
5. pour melted butter over muffins. add milk mixture and sprinkle with almonds.<br />
6. bake for about 45 minutes until top is crusty and pudding looks set and is firm to the touch.<br />
7. cut into slices while in the pan. serve plain or with suggested accompaniments.</div>
Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07190708326640007591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1520091732825921790.post-8020997809481474562012-08-10T00:58:00.000-04:002012-08-10T00:58:01.676-04:00blueberry peach muffins<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
My mom bought some fruit while she was in town visiting me (yay for mommies), but sadly, I couldn't eat it all before it started getting too soft for my liking. So I baked it! Best solution to handling overripe fruit. This time I went with a Joy of Cooking basic muffin recipe and threw in the rest of my blueberries and two peaches (which I know are peaches thanks to some helpful identifying advice from a friend - peaches, nectarines, apricots, my brain can't keep them straight). They weren't the best muffins I've ever made - I used half and half (my mom bought it and I'll never use it otherwise), so maybe that was why? Or maybe because I used oil instead of butter, and I don't love oil? Or probably I overmixed it because it was smooth. I'm not sure but I just wasn't crazy about the texture. The fruit is yummy, though, of course, and my friends liked them enough to eat them, so problem solved.<br />
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<br />
2 cups all purpose flour<br />
1 tbsp baking powder (make sure its not clumpy, I keep finding them in my finished products)<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
1/4 tsp grated or ground nutmeg (I also add some cinnamon and cardamom, why not?)<br />
2 large eggs<br />
1 cup milk or cream<br />
2/3 cup sugar or brown sugar<br />
1/4 to 1/2 cup (1/2 to 1 stick) butter, melted, or 1/4 to 1/2 cup oil<br />
1 tsp vanilla<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.<br />
<br />
Mix flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg together. In another bowl, whisk eggs, milk, sugar, butter/oil, and vanilla. Mix together with a few light strokes, just until the batter is moistened but not overmixed and smooth. Add in cut up fruit. Pour into muffin tin.<br />
<br />
Bake for 17 minutes (longer with fruit) until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for 2-3 minutes before removing from pan. Serve warm with some butter, and it's delicious!<br />
<br />
I've found that when I keep baked goods, it is actually better to not seal them fully because they get soggy sometimes. But it depends on a lot of things. </div>
Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07190708326640007591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1520091732825921790.post-76896693601001882182012-08-10T00:46:00.000-04:002012-08-10T00:47:56.439-04:00fried okra<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
From my big veggie jackpot from volunteering, I still have a lot to get through before they go bad. Actually, I'm sad because I had to throw out the mysterious greens (no one, not even my mom, could identify them!) and a couple peppers. But I hope I'll get my eggplants before they go bad and I think the squash and potatoes won't go bad before I get to them. Anyway! I had a bag of okra that I didn't know how to handle, so I consulted Irma in the Joy of Cooking. There weren't too many options, and I wasn't really in the mood for stewing (or have any proteins to make anything more exciting), so I went fried. Not healthy, I know. I don't know if I didn't do something exactly right because they were still sort of crunchy and not as coated as the couple times I've eaten them in restaurants, but they can't have been too bad because I ate them all. With ranch. (Now I feel a little nauseous and guilty.)<br />
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I don't know how much okra I had, but it used most of the coating.<br />
<br />
1/2 cup cornmeal<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
1/2 tsp garlic or onion powder<br />
1/4 tsp cayenne<br />
1/8 tsp ground black pepper<br />
1/2 lb whole okra<br />
1/4 cup flour<br />
1 egg beaten with 1 tsp water<br />
vegetable oil<br />
<br />
Mix cornmeal, salt, powder, cayenne, and pepper.<br />
<br />
I cut the okra into little slices, but Joy of Cooking says whole. Do as you please.<br />
<br />
Dredge okra in flour. Dip that into the egg water mixture. Dip into cornmeal. Heat oil to 365 degrees F in a large skillet (I don't have a thermometer). Add okra to oil in batches, frying until golden, about 2 minutes. Remove okra with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. </div>Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07190708326640007591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1520091732825921790.post-40172812142695959132012-08-02T01:04:00.000-04:002012-08-02T01:04:10.681-04:00squash, zucchini, and eggplant rice gratin<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As you can see in the last entry, I have quite a few veggies on my hand. In an effort to cook with them and waste as little as possible (advice, please!), I wanted to make something that would use quite a few tonight for dinner. <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2012/07/31/zucchini-rice-gratin/">This recipe</a> took me about 2 hours and involved me being pretty darn hot in my kitchen for a lot of it (when I'm cooking, I just keep my a/c off and the windows open and fan on; save the electricity costs and I'll be hot regardless). The biggest "failure" of the recipe was the rice - but that is because, try as I might (and I do, oh I do), I am so bad at cooking rice. Every time I read someone's foolproof recipe and try my darndest to follow it exactly, but it still burns. At best, it's a bit soggy and I'm just thrilled it doesn't taste like burned popcorn. Tonight was more of a burned night. So that brought the dish down a bit to have slightly crispy, burnt popcorn flavored rice. One day I will prevail!<br />
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I love love love roasted veggies, though, and I could probably have eaten them all right off the sheet after the oven (so good), so that part of the recipe went well. I didn't have enough cheese for it to be really cheesy, so I added in a bit of my whole organic yogurt instead of cheese to the egg mixture and then just grated some cheese on top. I also didn't have tomatoes (I sure as heck wasn't going to buy more veggies), and so while that certainly changed the recipe, I don't think it was really a negative effect. I wouldn't recommend using the cast iron skillet to cook it in, but I just was overrun with dirty dishes and didn't care. I am sure the recipe as she has it is delicious and one day I hope to make it. But this was good and different, and I enjoyed giving it a try in between crying over the Olympics (I'm just such a sucker for sports).<br />
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<br />
1/3 cup white rice, long-grain is suggested but use whatever you prefer<br />
5 tablespoons olive oil<br />
1 1/2 pounds zucchini (about 3 medium), sliced 1/4-inch thick<br />
1/2 pound plum tomatoes, sliced 1/4-inch thick<br />
Table salt and freshly ground black pepper<br />
1 medium onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced<br />
3 garlic cloves, minced<br />
2 large eggs, lightly beaten<br />
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves<br />
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, divided<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 450°F. Cook the rice according to your favorite method. The package directions work in some cases, but check my notes above about adjustments I find I have to make. If you cook the rice in a large, wide-ish covered skillet, it might cook even faster but you’ll have the chance to use it again (and save on dirty dishes) when you need to cook the onions in a bit.<br />
<br />
While rice cooks, coat two large (or, if you have the same pitifully small oven as I do, three smaller) baking sheets each with a tablespoon of a of olive oil (a bit less for smaller pans). Spread zucchini and tomato slices on the baking sheets in as close to a single layer as you can. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Roast tomatoes for 10 minutes and zucchini for 20. Flip zucchini halfway through; it’s not worth the messy effort for the tomatoes. Leave oven on.<br />
<br />
Heat large, heavy skillet (such as the one you used to cook your rice) over medium heat. Once hot, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, heat oil, then add onions, garlic and 1/4 teaspoon salt to pan. Cover and reduce heat to low, cooking onion until limp and tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Stir occasionally.<br />
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Combine onion mixture, rice, eggs, thyme, half of your grated cheese and a half-tablespoon of olive oil in a bowl. Add a good amount of freshly ground black pepper. Use the remaining half-tablespoon of olive oil to coat a shallow 2-quart baking dish. Spread half of rice mixture in bottom of dish. Arrange half of roasted zucchini on top. Spread remaining rice mixture over it and please don’t worry about being neat about this; dinner will be “rustic” tonight! Arrange remaining zucchini on top, then tomato slices. Sprinkle with remaining grated cheese and bake until set and golden brown, about 20 minutes. Each oven varies, but I find mine does the very best browning when the dish is on a rack near the top of the oven.<br />
</div>Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07190708326640007591noreply@blogger.com0