04/30 2010

One of my favorite things to eat at the beginning of summer (or, you know, when strawberries start getting affordable) is strawberries, dipped in sour cream and brown sugar.

I realize this sounds surprising. A large majority of the people I’ve forced into trying this are extremely skeptical previous to biting into a sour cream- and brown sugar-covered strawberry. However all of them, without exception, have immediately announced that their lives have been changed drastically for the better having experienced it.

I first tried this at my uncle’s 40th birthday party, where I, similarly skeptical, was talked into trying one by my cousin, his daughter, Kathe. My life was changed drastically. For the better. I have been changing lives ever since.

The recipe is simple: you take however many strawberries you feel like eating, a small bowl of sour cream, and a small bowl of brown sugar. Dip the strawberry in the sour cream, and then the brown sugar. Then stick it in your mouth.

Hold on, I have to go eat some more strawberries.

04/28 2010
Confession for the week: most of the cooking I do involves the oven. I’m a baker, plain and simple; I love cupcakes, muffins, home-baked bread, layer cakes, popovers, cinnamon rolls - but mostly what I love about them is the making-of, as it were. The behind the scenes footage. The blooper reel. (Have I ever posted about my first attempt at an Angel Food Cake that resulted in a one inch thick layer of what appeared to be vanilla-flavored bubble gum? No? Well, that’s probably for the best.) I don’t actually like eating baked goods that much. I just don’t have enough of a sweet tooth to tear through a dozen cookies by myself, or even eat a whole piece of cake on my own. I know, I know, I should be ashamed of myself. What kind of baker doesn’t like baked goods? I’m an asshole. My mad oven skillz are wasted on me. But let me tell you, challah is another story. I love everything about challah, from start to finish. (Not the ultimate “finish” - in my world, food begins and ends in the kitchen, and poop is something entirely unrelated. You’re welcome.) From the whisking of the flour and yeast to the finished product, it is glorious. The dough is so aromatic and it rises so easily, so smoothly! The braided loaf is so unbearably adorable! The eggwash leaves the crust so delicious crispy and flaky, leaving the inside moist and chewy! At a certain point I stop running out of appropriate adjectives, and just collapse in a puddle of drool and ecstasy. We’re not going to talk about the time someone tried to tell me that challah is what you eat on Passover. So last week, when I had finally managed to rescue my baking sheets from the black hole of doom also known as my old apartment, I took the opportunity to bake some goddamn challah. Because I’m worth it. My favorite recipe (and I have tried a few) is a honey vanilla challah from a blog called Baking And Books. Honey-Vanilla Challah Ingredients: Makes 1 Loaf 1/2 tablespoon active dry yeast 4 tablespoons granulated sugar 1 teaspoon salt 4 1/4 to 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup of warm milk (whole is best, low-fat is ok too) 2 eggs + 1 for the glaze 4 tablespoons of olive oil + 1 teaspoon for greasing the bowl and another for the glaze 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 tablespoon honey In a large bowl using a whisk combine the yeast, sugar, salt and 1 cup of the flour. Add the warm milk, 2 eggs, 4 tablespoons of olive oil, then the honey and vanilla. (Add the olive oil first, then use the same measuring spoon to add the honey – residual oil on the spoon will make the honey slide right out.) Vigorously mix the ingredients until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl halfway through, about 3 minutes. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, switching to a wooden spoon when the dough becomes too thick for the whisk. Continue mixing the dough until it is too stiff to stir. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until soft and springy, about 4 minutes. If the dough is sticky, dust with flour 1 tablespoon at a time – just enough to prevent it from sticking to the surface. The dough is done when it’s smooth and small air bubbles show under the skin. If you press your thumb into it the impression should bounce back. This is a slightly firm dough, which is exactly what you want for easy braiding later on. Place the dough in a deep container greased with 1 tsp of olive oil. Turn the dough once to coat the top and cover with plastic wrap. Allow it to rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease it with non-stick spray. Gently deflate the dough by pressing your fingers into it, then turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into 3 equal portions, and roll each portion out into a smooth, thick strip about 20 inches long, with the ends slightly thinner than the middle. Lay these ropes side-by-side, not quite touching. Beginning in the middle and working towards you, braid the lower half of the three ropes. To braid, alternately move the outside ropes over the one in the center – left over, right over, left over -until you come to the end. Now go to the other side of your working space and braid the other half, this time moving the outside ropes under the center one. Braid tightly – you don’t want any gaps. When you finish braiding each side crimp the tapered ends together, then tuck them under. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and place the braided dough on your baking sheet, cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until almost doubled in bulk, 30 to 40 minutes. Just before the rising time has finished whisk together 1 egg and 1 teaspoon of olive oil, this is going to be the glaze for your bread. Gently brush the dough with a thick layer of it. Place the dough in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the bread is a deep golden brown and sounds hollow when you thump it on the bottom. Transfer to a baking rack to cool. Allow to cool completely before slicing – or at least wait until it’s warm, not hot – then enjoy!

Confession for the week: most of the cooking I do involves the oven. I’m a baker, plain and simple; I love cupcakes, muffins, home-baked bread, layer cakes, popovers, cinnamon rolls - but mostly what I love about them is the making-of, as it were. The behind the scenes footage. The blooper reel. (Have I ever posted about my first attempt at an Angel Food Cake that resulted in a one inch thick layer of what appeared to be vanilla-flavored bubble gum? No? Well, that’s probably for the best.)

I don’t actually like eating baked goods that much. I just don’t have enough of a sweet tooth to tear through a dozen cookies by myself, or even eat a whole piece of cake on my own. I know, I know, I should be ashamed of myself. What kind of baker doesn’t like baked goods? I’m an asshole. My mad oven skillz are wasted on me.

But let me tell you, challah is another story. I love everything about challah, from start to finish. (Not the ultimate “finish” - in my world, food begins and ends in the kitchen, and poop is something entirely unrelated. You’re welcome.) From the whisking of the flour and yeast to the finished product, it is glorious. The dough is so aromatic and it rises so easily, so smoothly! The braided loaf is so unbearably adorable! The eggwash leaves the crust so delicious crispy and flaky, leaving the inside moist and chewy! At a certain point I stop running out of appropriate adjectives, and just collapse in a puddle of drool and ecstasy.

We’re not going to talk about the time someone tried to tell me that challah is what you eat on Passover.

So last week, when I had finally managed to rescue my baking sheets from the black hole of doom also known as my old apartment, I took the opportunity to bake some goddamn challah. Because I’m worth it.

My favorite recipe (and I have tried a few) is a honey vanilla challah from a blog called Baking And Books.

Honey-Vanilla Challah

Ingredients: Makes 1 Loaf

  • 1/2 tablespoon active dry yeast
  • 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 1/4 to 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup of warm milk (whole is best, low-fat is ok too)
  • 2 eggs + 1 for the glaze
  • 4 tablespoons of olive oil + 1 teaspoon for greasing the bowl and another for the glaze
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon honey

In a large bowl using a whisk combine the yeast, sugar, salt and 1 cup of the flour. Add the warm milk, 2 eggs, 4 tablespoons of olive oil, then the honey and vanilla. (Add the olive oil first, then use the same measuring spoon to add the honey – residual oil on the spoon will make the honey slide right out.) Vigorously mix the ingredients until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl halfway through, about 3 minutes. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, switching to a wooden spoon when the dough becomes too thick for the whisk. Continue mixing the dough until it is too stiff to stir.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until soft and springy, about 4 minutes. If the dough is sticky, dust with flour 1 tablespoon at a time – just enough to prevent it from sticking to the surface. The dough is done when it’s smooth and small air bubbles show under the skin. If you press your thumb into it the impression should bounce back. This is a slightly firm dough, which is exactly what you want for easy braiding later on.

Place the dough in a deep container greased with 1 tsp of olive oil. Turn the dough once to coat the top and cover with plastic wrap. Allow it to rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease it with non-stick spray. Gently deflate the dough by pressing your fingers into it, then turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.

Divide into 3 equal portions, and roll each portion out into a smooth, thick strip about 20 inches long, with the ends slightly thinner than the middle. Lay these ropes side-by-side, not quite touching.

Beginning in the middle and working towards you, braid the lower half of the three ropes. To braid, alternately move the outside ropes over the one in the center – left over, right over, left over -until you come to the end. Now go to the other side of your working space and braid the other half, this time moving the outside ropes under the center one. Braid tightly – you don’t want any gaps. When you finish braiding each side crimp the tapered ends together, then tuck them under.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and place the braided dough on your baking sheet, cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until almost doubled in bulk, 30 to 40 minutes.

Just before the rising time has finished whisk together 1 egg and 1 teaspoon of olive oil, this is going to be the glaze for your bread. Gently brush the dough with a thick layer of it. Place the dough in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the bread is a deep golden brown and sounds hollow when you thump it on the bottom. Transfer to a baking rack to cool. Allow to cool completely before slicing – or at least wait until it’s warm, not hot – then enjoy!

04/26 2010
Sometime last week my fiance and I had over my best friend for dinner and we fixed a lovely little meal of potato au gratin, a simple romaine salad, and pesto chicken. Not pictured is the potato au gratin because that was gone before I ever thought to pull out my camera. But the pesto chicken spent enough time out in the open and smelling up the place to get a photo of, so here we are. Pesto chicken is super easy and pretty dang good and looks kind of fancypants, so it’s pretty much the holy grail of foods: easy, yummy, can trick your guests into thinking you put work into their meal. All I did was chop up some boneless, skinless chicken, mix it up with some pesto, let it marinate for about a half hour (I’ll admit that this step was just to assist in the timing of dinner and probably had no real effect on the taste), and then saute it up in a bigass frying pan. No oil is needed because the olive oil in the pesto is just the right amount, hurrah.

Sometime last week my fiance and I had over my best friend for dinner and we fixed a lovely little meal of potato au gratin, a simple romaine salad, and pesto chicken. Not pictured is the potato au gratin because that was gone before I ever thought to pull out my camera. But the pesto chicken spent enough time out in the open and smelling up the place to get a photo of, so here we are.

Pesto chicken is super easy and pretty dang good and looks kind of fancypants, so it’s pretty much the holy grail of foods: easy, yummy, can trick your guests into thinking you put work into their meal. All I did was chop up some boneless, skinless chicken, mix it up with some pesto, let it marinate for about a half hour (I’ll admit that this step was just to assist in the timing of dinner and probably had no real effect on the taste), and then saute it up in a bigass frying pan. No oil is needed because the olive oil in the pesto is just the right amount, hurrah.

04/23 2010
Plums are coming into season! Here is a horrible confession: I thought I hated plums until about this time last year, when my fiance finally made me taste a plum for the first time. It was a shocking experience, and now we go through several pounds of plums a week during that shining, glorious time in spring when they’re in season. I like to just eat them raw, but I’m hoping to attempt a batch of plum jelly.

Plums are coming into season!

Here is a horrible confession: I thought I hated plums until about this time last year, when my fiance finally made me taste a plum for the first time. It was a shocking experience, and now we go through several pounds of plums a week during that shining, glorious time in spring when they’re in season.

I like to just eat them raw, but I’m hoping to attempt a batch of plum jelly.

04/11 2010

We’re moving, Tumblr!

Our new place will have better lighting and a much bigger kitchen, so this blog will hopefully be much more happenin’.

In the meantime, au revoir - I have to go calm the cat down before she runs headlong into a wall in panic.

01/26 2010

Tonight I made homemade hot chocolate. It was super fun, especially since I got to use a big knife and burn my tongue. Burning things = good cooking.

I used 3 cups of a milk, 6oz of semisweet baking chocolate, whatever honey I could manage to get out of the honey bear (good god, it’s like giving birth, I swear), a splash of vanilla extract, and some salt. Almost all of the photos are of the chocolate. Blame my fiance.

The steps are:

  1. Chop up some chocolate. I recommend not letting it sit in your cupboard for nearly a year, as it can shatter everywhere in a manner that might scare your cat. You want pretty small pieces so you don’t have to stir forever to get it to melt.
  2. Heat up the milk on the stove, at low heat. Or, if your stove sucks hardcore (I’m sensing a story), medium heat. Stir it a lot so it doesn’t stick to the bottom. If you don’t, do not come crying to me. And believe me, you will be crying.
  3. Toss in all the ingredients except for the milk, because um DUDE it is in there already.
  4. STIR IT UP, preferably while dancing about delightedly and singing about hot chocolate.
  5. If you are me, immediately take this opportunity to burn your mouth on the scalding hot chocolate.
  6. If you are not me, blow on it a lot and see if it tastes good. Feel free to add whatever at this point. If it’s too sweet add vanilla (no, really, trust me). You can also add exciting things like cinnamon or rum at this point. If you are gross and like rum. (Gross.)
  7. DRINK IT!

You’re welcome.

01/25 2010

Cereal balls

  • 2c crushed cereal (I used crispix :D)
  • 6tbsp honey
  • 1/2c peanut butter, either kind

Mix the ingredients. Form into balls. Stick in the fridge. Eat whenevs.

* FANCYPANTS TIPS BECAUSE I AM TOTALLY FANTASTICO: measuring honey is a total pain in the ass, but luckily there’s a trick to it and I know what it is. Take whatever you’re going to be measuring the honey with - measuring spoon, shot glass, whatever - and pour some oil into it. Make sure the whole inside has a thin coating of oil, and then go ahead and dump the oil right back into the container. The honey will gloop right out like a cute little poop, and you won’t have to fight with it! :D HOW’S THAT FOR A VISUAL, EH.