Ah ha! As it turns out, not having pictures of my food is a lame excuse for not posting recipes and results. Its just not fair to you guys, faithful readers. My lonely picture is sitting to the right with no posts to represent it so, here we go.
While my boyfriend mutters around the apartment craving chocolate after dinner, much like a PMSing woman, I find myself craving the more carbohydrate based sweets. People who know me know that I spend time on the internet simply looking at pictures of cakes, muffins, scones and cinnamon buns. About a month ago I stumbled upon recipes for any kind of cobbler imaginable - most of them pretty easy, but one in particular has stood out and though is meant for peaches, I've modified it plenty of times and my favorite thing to use is strawberries. Despite my boyfriend's cries for chocolate, I inevitably come home the night after its made to find nearly the whole thing eaten.
Gooey Strawberry Cobbler
Filling:
- 1 large (either the large large or medium size is ok, depends on perference) container of strawberries (i like driscoll organics)
- 2 tbs cinnamon
- juice of half a lemon
- 1/4 cup sugar
Batter:
- 1 1/4 cups flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 cup milk
Preheat oven to 350. Start by making the filling - cut the tops off the strawberries and cut then into quarters. Place strawberries into a medium size bowl. Add sugar, lemon juice, and cinnamon. Stir to coat strawberries and leave to sit. The filling will juice out a bit.
Then in a larger bowl, combine flour, sugar and baking powder and stir to mix evenly. Then add milk and stir till barely lumpy.
Use either an 8 x 8 (or 9 x 9) or 13 x 9 (depending on if you want a thin later of batter or thicker - I prefer the 8 x 8 baking pan. Pour (or melt) a couple tablespoons of melted butter into pan, coating the bottom.
Then pour the batter into the bottom and DO NOT STIR. Then spoon strawberries, and drippings, evenly over the top of the batter. Bake for about 45 minutes.. sides and parts of top will brown and batter will look solid. Let cool for about 10-15 and then eat!
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Who Doesn't Love Muffins?
SORRY GUYS, THIS RECIPE DOES HAVE SUGAR!!! See Below
Recipe Courtesy of: Cooking Light
This recipe is slightly overdue, as we made it a few weekends ago. However, I am lazy, and kept forgetting to download the pics from Carolyn's camera. Similar to the Blueberry-Lemon Muffin recipe below, we made these in a bunt pan, not a muffin pan. So...I guess they are Strawberry-Orange Bunts.
Made for Sunday breakfast, as per usual, this was FANTASTIC!! Now, don't get me wrong, I really really liked the blueberry "muffins," but these were way better. We also accompanied them with a fruit salad, slightly different (because the produce stand didn't have any ripe pineapples), but still very good. We actually bought a pineapple, chopped off the top, and realized it was in no way ripe. Very disappointing, but you'll be happy to know that after letting it sit for a good week, it was delicious.
This recipe is also from Cooking Light. Don't let the name fool you, the recipes are not diet. In fact, I'm not really sure why they are called "Light," I guess because they are moderately healthy usually and show the calories in the footer. In case you want to know, in each muffin there are 184 calories, although, probably twice that much in a bunt.
You MUST get this cook book. Every single recipe I have tried has been fabulous, oh cook book, what won't you do? - This recipe is slightly modified, they actually call for you to blend the strawberries, but I like chunky things :)
Strawberry Orange Muffins
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups chopped strawberries
3 Tbsp butter, melted
1 1/4 cup sugar
One orange
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2) Combine first four ingredients. I grated the entire orange, then squeezed the fresh orange juice into the batter. Mix well.
3) Add the remainder of the ingredients and mix.
I think you can tell if a recipe will be good, by how good the batter tastes. This batter was F-ing amazing, I was psyched!!
4) Spoon into greased (I used cooking spray, it worked well) muffin/bunt tins.
5) Cook for approximately 20 minutes, or until they are golden brown and you can stick a toothpick in them and it comes out clean.
6) EAT!!
Man, these were good!!! And, they were so easy. My two favorite things - good and easy...We ate the muffins with a fruit salad made with strawberries, blackberries and mango. I put a little butter and strawberry jam on mine....amazing! Sitting out in the sun with a cup of coffee eating a yummy breakfast, what can be better? If you are ever in d-town on a Sunday morning, take a walk by the train station and you will see me (and maybe a few others).
Recipe Courtesy of: Cooking Light
This recipe is slightly overdue, as we made it a few weekends ago. However, I am lazy, and kept forgetting to download the pics from Carolyn's camera. Similar to the Blueberry-Lemon Muffin recipe below, we made these in a bunt pan, not a muffin pan. So...I guess they are Strawberry-Orange Bunts.Made for Sunday breakfast, as per usual, this was FANTASTIC!! Now, don't get me wrong, I really really liked the blueberry "muffins," but these were way better. We also accompanied them with a fruit salad, slightly different (because the produce stand didn't have any ripe pineapples), but still very good. We actually bought a pineapple, chopped off the top, and realized it was in no way ripe. Very disappointing, but you'll be happy to know that after letting it sit for a good week, it was delicious.
This recipe is also from Cooking Light. Don't let the name fool you, the recipes are not diet. In fact, I'm not really sure why they are called "Light," I guess because they are moderately healthy usually and show the calories in the footer. In case you want to know, in each muffin there are 184 calories, although, probably twice that much in a bunt.
You MUST get this cook book. Every single recipe I have tried has been fabulous, oh cook book, what won't you do? - This recipe is slightly modified, they actually call for you to blend the strawberries, but I like chunky things :)
Strawberry Orange Muffins
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups chopped strawberries
3 Tbsp butter, melted
1 1/4 cup sugar
One orange
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2) Combine first four ingredients. I grated the entire orange, then squeezed the fresh orange juice into the batter. Mix well.
3) Add the remainder of the ingredients and mix.
I think you can tell if a recipe will be good, by how good the batter tastes. This batter was F-ing amazing, I was psyched!!4) Spoon into greased (I used cooking spray, it worked well) muffin/bunt tins.
5) Cook for approximately 20 minutes, or until they are golden brown and you can stick a toothpick in them and it comes out clean.
6) EAT!!
Man, these were good!!! And, they were so easy. My two favorite things - good and easy...We ate the muffins with a fruit salad made with strawberries, blackberries and mango. I put a little butter and strawberry jam on mine....amazing! Sitting out in the sun with a cup of coffee eating a yummy breakfast, what can be better? If you are ever in d-town on a Sunday morning, take a walk by the train station and you will see me (and maybe a few others).
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Fiesta with Paella and Sangria
Recipe Courtesy of Rachael Ray's 30 Minute Meals
It amazes me how many people have never tried/heard of paella. Not that I make it that often, but it is such a great meal, that it disappoints me that so many people have never had it. On top of that, it is not particularly difficult to make and always is a great crowd pleaser (plus, it looks like it takes a lot of time/energy to make). If you are unfamiliar with paella, just think of it as the Spanish version of jambalaya. If you are unfamiliar with jambalaya, I'm sorry.
The Wikipedia definition of Paella is: a rice dish, originally from Valencia (Spain) where it is traditionally eaten on Sundays.
Well, I think Wikipedia might have let me down a little with that one, but if you want the full definition from them, click here. To put it simply, paella is good. Very. Good.
This meal was one of those things that just happened. I think Carolyn and I were discussing paella on Friday and when deciding what to make for Saturday's dinner, it just seemed like a good idea.
Another point on this recipe, is that I got it from Rachael Ray. I personally love Rachael Ray. I know that a lot of people don't think too highly of her, because her food is often pretty elementary. But, I really like a lot of her recipes. Although, they do not always take exactly 30 minutes, they are quick, and often very yummy. I have gotten many successful recipes from her. This is one of them. If you look at the recipe on the Food Network website, you will see that I have made a few changes. However, this is the point of paella, you make it with what you have lying around (or get from Wegman's as the case may be).
"Perfect Paella"
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (I used slightly less and it certainly had a kick)
2 cups enriched white rice
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads
1 bay leaf
1 quart chicken broth or stock
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders, cut into thirds
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3/4 pound chorizo, casing removed and sliced on an angle
1 pound peeled and deveined large shrimp, 24 shrimp
1 cup frozen peas
2 lemons zested
Directions:
1) In a very wide pan or paella pan (we used a medium stock pot), preheated over medium high heat, add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, crushed garlic, red pepper flakes, add rice and saute 2 or 3 minutes. Add saffron threads, bay leaf, broth, and thyme and bring liquids to a boil over high heat. Cover the pan with lid or foil and reduce heat to simmer.
The sangria came out of the fact that we had a bottle of "good" $6 wine, about 2 bottles worth of "rifle" wine (wine that was in a bottle shaped like a rifle), and fruit.
This is the recipe that we came up with:
Sangria
Ingredients:
2 Lemons
Approximately 2 bottles of red wine
1 Grapefruit
1 Lime
1 Apple
3 shots Triple-Sec
Approximately 1 cup tonic water (or other fizzy drink like club soda or Sprite)
Directions:
1) Slice fruit.
2) Mix together in pitcher.
I feel like pretty much any fruit would work, that was just what we had. It actually tasted really good (and very similar to Sangria I've had in restaurants). I think technically, you are supposed to let it sit for at least 2 hours, but we drank it right away. As the night wore on, we just kept adding more wine, triple-sec and tonic water. I definitely felt pretty "winey" by the end. Oh, and the fruit is super tasty to eat also....mmmm....
It amazes me how many people have never tried/heard of paella. Not that I make it that often, but it is such a great meal, that it disappoints me that so many people have never had it. On top of that, it is not particularly difficult to make and always is a great crowd pleaser (plus, it looks like it takes a lot of time/energy to make). If you are unfamiliar with paella, just think of it as the Spanish version of jambalaya. If you are unfamiliar with jambalaya, I'm sorry.The Wikipedia definition of Paella is: a rice dish, originally from Valencia (Spain) where it is traditionally eaten on Sundays.
Well, I think Wikipedia might have let me down a little with that one, but if you want the full definition from them, click here. To put it simply, paella is good. Very. Good.
This meal was one of those things that just happened. I think Carolyn and I were discussing paella on Friday and when deciding what to make for Saturday's dinner, it just seemed like a good idea.
Another point on this recipe, is that I got it from Rachael Ray. I personally love Rachael Ray. I know that a lot of people don't think too highly of her, because her food is often pretty elementary. But, I really like a lot of her recipes. Although, they do not always take exactly 30 minutes, they are quick, and often very yummy. I have gotten many successful recipes from her. This is one of them. If you look at the recipe on the Food Network website, you will see that I have made a few changes. However, this is the point of paella, you make it with what you have lying around (or get from Wegman's as the case may be).
"Perfect Paella"
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (I used slightly less and it certainly had a kick)
2 cups enriched white rice
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads
1 bay leaf
1 quart chicken broth or stock
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders, cut into thirds
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3/4 pound chorizo, casing removed and sliced on an angle
1 pound peeled and deveined large shrimp, 24 shrimp
1 cup frozen peas
2 lemons zested
Directions:
1) In a very wide pan or paella pan (we used a medium stock pot), preheated over medium high heat, add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, crushed garlic, red pepper flakes, add rice and saute 2 or 3 minutes. Add saffron threads, bay leaf, broth, and thyme and bring liquids to a boil over high heat. Cover the pan with lid or foil and reduce heat to simmer.
2)In a separate nonstick skillet, over medium high heat brown chicken on both sides in 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan. Season chicken with salt and pepper.
3) Add peppers and onions to the pan and cook 3 minutes longer.
4) Add chorizo to the pan and cook 2 minutes more. Add mixture to rice.
5) After about 13 minutes, add shellfish to the rice pan, nesting them in cooking rice. Pour in peas, scatter lemon zest over the rice and seafood, then stir and cover the pan again. Stir rice and seafood mixture and lift out bay and thyme stems.
6) Turn heat up to medium high and cook for a few more minutes, you want to develop a crusty bottom of the rice. I'm not sure the exact time here, but just keep an eye on it and turn it off when the bottom is crunchy, not burnt.
The sangria came out of the fact that we had a bottle of "good" $6 wine, about 2 bottles worth of "rifle" wine (wine that was in a bottle shaped like a rifle), and fruit.
This is the recipe that we came up with:Sangria
Ingredients:
2 Lemons
Approximately 2 bottles of red wine
1 Grapefruit
1 Lime
1 Apple
3 shots Triple-Sec
Approximately 1 cup tonic water (or other fizzy drink like club soda or Sprite)
Directions:
1) Slice fruit.
2) Mix together in pitcher.
I feel like pretty much any fruit would work, that was just what we had. It actually tasted really good (and very similar to Sangria I've had in restaurants). I think technically, you are supposed to let it sit for at least 2 hours, but we drank it right away. As the night wore on, we just kept adding more wine, triple-sec and tonic water. I definitely felt pretty "winey" by the end. Oh, and the fruit is super tasty to eat also....mmmm....
Friday, May 18, 2007
Heart Attack on a Plate
Now that it is summer, I find that I am less likely to feel like making comfort food (read bread, Italian, etc.), which would normally serve as staples on this blog. The grill is my best friend for the next few months (aka Ode to Barbecue written earlier) and if I am not inspired to make anything more exciting, the usual solution is "well, we can always grill something." I went to Costco and bought a 16 pack of Boca Burgers and a 12 pack of super tasty chicken-mozzarella-tomato-basil sausages. Between these two items (which are conveniently healthy) I am always in possession of a quick meal. However, as you probably know, it is very easy to put in a small amount of effort and turn a basic meal into a very yummy one.
A trip to the grocery store with John and my sister (Sarah, who is visiting for a few days) found us standing in front of the "rib" section for oh, about 20 minutes, deciding if we wanted ribs for dinner, and if we did, did we want pre-cooked (eh), pork (mmm...) or beef?? Well, ultimately, we decided that it wasn't worth it for a quick post-climbing meal. I suggested that we make some spruced up burgers - so that is what we did. And here is what we made (sorry, no pics really, I didn't have my camera with me):
Barbecue Bacon Burgers
Serves 4
Ingredients:
4 hamburger patties (obviously, you can make your own and use whatever quality you want - next time I think I will opt for buffalo meat burgers - also turkey would be good)
4 buns
4 oz sharp cheddar (I suggest Cabot Seriously Sharp)
8 pieces of bacon
Barbecue Sauce
If you have any suggestions how to make these even better, let me know, but I find that these few ingredients mesh quite well!
Cooking Directions:
I'm not sure I will bother with a step by step process, its pretty straight forward, but oh well.
1) Grill burgers and bacon at the same time (this is good to do with a few people, that way, one person can be in charge of the bacon, and one in charge of the grill).
2) Cut the cheese into thin slices, so that you have approximately 3 slices / burger. When the burgers are almost done, put cheese on them to melt.
3) Put burgers on bun (toasted if you like). Pat grease off of the bacon and pile on burgers. Squeeze on some bbq sauce.
4) Enjoy!!
I think that the two key points to make these super delicious is a) use some good quality sharp cheddar - I am partial to Cabot, because it is great, and I love Vermont...
b) use good quality bbq sauce. If going to the super market, I really like the Original "Sweet Baby Ray's," however, when at home, I use "Jeff's Cuisine BBQ Sauce." Chef Jeff has a little restaurant in South Norwalk, CT which is AMAZING!! And, his bbq sauce is just as good - apparently you can order it online, good to know :)
Seriously, if you are ever in CT, you must check it out (54 North Main Street, Norwalk, CT), its cheap and friendly and delicious!
In keeping with the barbecue/CT theme, my second recommendation of the day will be to eat at Bobby-Q's Restaurant. Located in Westport, CT, this place has some of the best ribs I have ever eaten, PERIOD. I have eaten ribs all over the country (including Texas, Memphis, etc) and their dry-rub St. Louis style ribs come in #1. So, if in CT and need dinner (a rack of ribs plus side for $18 is definitely enough for two, maybe three people), visit Bobby-Q's, you won't regret it. Maybe I will drag my friends to CT sometime soon for some eating...
Well, now that I am drooling, I hope you will try these burgers out - like I said, if you have your own take on this, I am always looking for suggestions. And, if in Connecticut, have some good Yankee barbecue and save some for me please.
A trip to the grocery store with John and my sister (Sarah, who is visiting for a few days) found us standing in front of the "rib" section for oh, about 20 minutes, deciding if we wanted ribs for dinner, and if we did, did we want pre-cooked (eh), pork (mmm...) or beef?? Well, ultimately, we decided that it wasn't worth it for a quick post-climbing meal. I suggested that we make some spruced up burgers - so that is what we did. And here is what we made (sorry, no pics really, I didn't have my camera with me):
Barbecue Bacon Burgers
Serves 4
Ingredients:
4 hamburger patties (obviously, you can make your own and use whatever quality you want - next time I think I will opt for buffalo meat burgers - also turkey would be good)
4 buns
4 oz sharp cheddar (I suggest Cabot Seriously Sharp)
8 pieces of bacon
Barbecue Sauce
If you have any suggestions how to make these even better, let me know, but I find that these few ingredients mesh quite well!
Cooking Directions:
I'm not sure I will bother with a step by step process, its pretty straight forward, but oh well.
1) Grill burgers and bacon at the same time (this is good to do with a few people, that way, one person can be in charge of the bacon, and one in charge of the grill).
2) Cut the cheese into thin slices, so that you have approximately 3 slices / burger. When the burgers are almost done, put cheese on them to melt.
3) Put burgers on bun (toasted if you like). Pat grease off of the bacon and pile on burgers. Squeeze on some bbq sauce.
4) Enjoy!!
I think that the two key points to make these super delicious is a) use some good quality sharp cheddar - I am partial to Cabot, because it is great, and I love Vermont...
b) use good quality bbq sauce. If going to the super market, I really like the Original "Sweet Baby Ray's," however, when at home, I use "Jeff's Cuisine BBQ Sauce." Chef Jeff has a little restaurant in South Norwalk, CT which is AMAZING!! And, his bbq sauce is just as good - apparently you can order it online, good to know :)
Seriously, if you are ever in CT, you must check it out (54 North Main Street, Norwalk, CT), its cheap and friendly and delicious!
In keeping with the barbecue/CT theme, my second recommendation of the day will be to eat at Bobby-Q's Restaurant. Located in Westport, CT, this place has some of the best ribs I have ever eaten, PERIOD. I have eaten ribs all over the country (including Texas, Memphis, etc) and their dry-rub St. Louis style ribs come in #1. So, if in CT and need dinner (a rack of ribs plus side for $18 is definitely enough for two, maybe three people), visit Bobby-Q's, you won't regret it. Maybe I will drag my friends to CT sometime soon for some eating...
Well, now that I am drooling, I hope you will try these burgers out - like I said, if you have your own take on this, I am always looking for suggestions. And, if in Connecticut, have some good Yankee barbecue and save some for me please.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Totally Mexcellent VIDEO!!
I felt that it was high time I shared my all time favorite DIY televsion show, the Post Punk Kitchen!
I don't have television or internet--and most of the time I'm glad--however I do miss having the ability to google-video these episodes any time I want.
If you live in the NYC area you can likely view the PPK on local cable access.
For your viewing pleasure, my favorite PPK episode (well, tied for 1st with the VD [valentine's day] episode).
The PPK's "Mexcellente Episode"
I don't have television or internet--and most of the time I'm glad--however I do miss having the ability to google-video these episodes any time I want.
If you live in the NYC area you can likely view the PPK on local cable access.
For your viewing pleasure, my favorite PPK episode (well, tied for 1st with the VD [valentine's day] episode).
The PPK's "Mexcellente Episode"
Sunday, May 6, 2007
Blueberry Lemon "Muffins" w/Fruit Salad
Muffin Recipe Courtesy of: Cooking Light
Blueberry-Lemon "Muffins"
It has become something of a tradition for me to stay over at my friend Carolyn's on Saturday night and make breakfast with her on Sunday morning. Depending on our mood, we usually like to carbo-load and go for something tasty like blueberry waffles or "Feathered Eggs" (another post will come later on that one). Whatever we make, Sunday morning breakfast is something I have come to love, we have juice, coffee, yummy food and good company. A perfect start of a Sunday.
This morning, however, we were inspired by the gorgeous weather to make something more "seasonal" or "summery" if you will. Carolyn had mentioned a fruit salad and I found a recipe in Cooking Light (see side bar on left) for "Blueberry-Lemon Muffins" - we had blueberries in the freezer from last weekends waffles. We took a trip down the road to the Doylestown Produce Stand (super cheap, if you are in D-town and need produce you should go, its right by the train station) and then got flour at Wawa and baking soda at CVS (quite the little adventure).
Carolyn's Sunday Fruit Salad
Makes approximately 4-6 servings
Ingredients
1 Pineapple
1 Mango
1/2 pint blackberries
1/2 pint raspberries
Pretty easy, cut up and toss together. You can sprinkle a little sugar over it if you want, but I don't think it needs it. This is a great combo of fruits. The key is to make sure that your mango and pineapple are ripe (mango should be squishy to touch and the "butt" of the pineapple should smell sweet). The one "problem" that Carolyn and I found was that the mango and pineapple are so close in color that it is kinda hard to tell which one you are getting.
Blueberry-Lemon "Muffins"
This recipe is slightly adapted because we had a bunt pan, not a muffin pan. If makes 6 small bunts, probably about 12 muffins.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt
1 1/2 cups blueberries (recipe called for 1 cup, but I like blueberries)
1 cup buttermilk (I used regular, it was fine)
3 tablespoons butter melted
1 tablespoon lemon zest (I used one lemon's worth)
1 large egg
Cooking Spray
Cooking Directions
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2) Lightly mix together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir in blueberries.
3) Make a well in the center and add the rest of the ingredients. Stir well.
4) Grease/spray pan and spoon in batter. Cook for approximately 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean (we used a chopstick, but you can also use a piece of spaghetti or likewise).
I made a lemon/sugar glaze to put over them, but you can easily sprinkle sugar on them before cooking. These were delicious!!! Moist and very flavorful, a perfect thing for such a nice day. They were also very very easy to make. Next time you crave muffins, forget the mix and give these a try. Trust me, you will definitely taste the difference.
Friday, May 4, 2007
Some Thoughts
Selah (Killing Time in the Desert) posted the following question in response to my BBQ post - "Can you think of three foods where any two of them is a delicious combination, but three of them together is a bad combination??"
This is quite interesting, I haven't given it too much thought, but please feel free to comment. There are lots of funny things that go well together...flavors balancing and whatnot (fig and prosciutto, blueberry and lemon, pear and brie...and many others), cooking is a fabulous thing.
I also thought I'd post a pic or two from my Utah trip, it was a blast!
This is quite interesting, I haven't given it too much thought, but please feel free to comment. There are lots of funny things that go well together...flavors balancing and whatnot (fig and prosciutto, blueberry and lemon, pear and brie...and many others), cooking is a fabulous thing.
I also thought I'd post a pic or two from my Utah trip, it was a blast!
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Dessert! or "Why My Pants Don't Fit"
I decided this week that my vegan post would be devoted to some good old fashioned food porn. That's right folks--food porn. I'm talking lick your screen yummy looking cupcakes, pies, etc...
Some might say that baking is my all consuming hobby--I like to think that work, breathing, or social activities detract from my real life's work: desserts.
My favorite recipes as of lately are:
-a killer (and messy) lemon cake--you can easily add raspberries to create a vegan breakfast danish
-double chocolate cupcakes (see pictures below)--these are based on a recipe that I blatantly stole from VwV.
and finally, the old fail safe: chocolate mousse pie.
-Whenever I make chocolate mousse pie (or before I was allergic, peanut butter cup pie), I think of the ridiculous out of the way trips that Georgia and I used to take to Grandma's Pie Shop--I think it was out in NY some where. If you don't remember G, just put it off to prolonged sugar exposure.
And with that, on to the pictures (culled of course from other internet sources).
Pics followed by a quick PB mousse recipe and maybe chocolate cupcakes too...
RECIPES:
Are you drooling just yet?
Cupcakes--this recipe consists basically of the cake part of Isa Chandra Moskowitz's NYTimes featured "fauxstess" cupcakes:
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 (heaping) Tablespoons dutch processed powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup vanilla almond milk (any non dairy will do but i love the way am works in this)
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cups pure maple syrup (none of that Mrs. Butterworth's garbage)
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 350, line 12 muffin tins with cupcake liners, spray the liners with canola cooking spray.
In a medium sized mixing bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powders, baking powder, baking soda and salt. (I don't have a sifter-i toss everything in and whisk it for a minute)
In a large mixing bowl combine all the wet ingredients-again, I go low tech--grab your whisk/big fork/etc and go nuts.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet in 2 batches, mixing as you go. Beat for about a minute more.
Use a wet ice cream scoop (I use my 1/4 cup measuring cup) to fill the cupcake liner about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for about 20 minutes, until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack.
At this point you can do several things: sprinkle with confectionars sugar, frost, drizzle with icing...My favorite presentation is to make a pink icing (i use cherry juice for coloring) and i put a dot of icing on the cupcake and a cherry on top.
PB Mousse Pie (currently working on a pb alternative for this baby).
1 bag dark vegan chocolate chips
1/4-1/2 cup all natural peanut butter (trust me you don't want the salt and extra sugar from Jif etc...)
1 package silken tofu
1 pre-prepped/baked pie crust (I buy parbaked whole wheat crust, sprinkle with cinnamon and bake).
Melt the chocolate chips in a glass bowl set atop a pot of boiling water (or a double boiler), use a rubber spatula to stir while you're doing this. As the chips melt toss in your pb and stir (PB is a matter of taste so do a bit at a time and taste test).
Drain the silken tofu and toss into a blender--pour your all melted choco-pb mixture in and start blending. Go until you have a nice creamy mixture. Pour into prepped (and cooled) pie crust and toss in the fridge. I like to add a coating of cinnamon to the top but it's not necessary--you can likely eat this after 20 minutes, but i leave for at least two hours. This was my old roommate Gianpaolo's absolute favorite--I think of him whenever I send the recipe around.
Happy eating!!
Alli
Some might say that baking is my all consuming hobby--I like to think that work, breathing, or social activities detract from my real life's work: desserts.
My favorite recipes as of lately are:
-a killer (and messy) lemon cake--you can easily add raspberries to create a vegan breakfast danish
-double chocolate cupcakes (see pictures below)--these are based on a recipe that I blatantly stole from VwV.
and finally, the old fail safe: chocolate mousse pie.
-Whenever I make chocolate mousse pie (or before I was allergic, peanut butter cup pie), I think of the ridiculous out of the way trips that Georgia and I used to take to Grandma's Pie Shop--I think it was out in NY some where. If you don't remember G, just put it off to prolonged sugar exposure.
And with that, on to the pictures (culled of course from other internet sources).
Pics followed by a quick PB mousse recipe and maybe chocolate cupcakes too...
RECIPES:
Are you drooling just yet?
Cupcakes--this recipe consists basically of the cake part of Isa Chandra Moskowitz's NYTimes featured "fauxstess" cupcakes:
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 (heaping) Tablespoons dutch processed powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup vanilla almond milk (any non dairy will do but i love the way am works in this)
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cups pure maple syrup (none of that Mrs. Butterworth's garbage)
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 350, line 12 muffin tins with cupcake liners, spray the liners with canola cooking spray.
In a medium sized mixing bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powders, baking powder, baking soda and salt. (I don't have a sifter-i toss everything in and whisk it for a minute)
In a large mixing bowl combine all the wet ingredients-again, I go low tech--grab your whisk/big fork/etc and go nuts.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet in 2 batches, mixing as you go. Beat for about a minute more.
Use a wet ice cream scoop (I use my 1/4 cup measuring cup) to fill the cupcake liner about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for about 20 minutes, until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack.
At this point you can do several things: sprinkle with confectionars sugar, frost, drizzle with icing...My favorite presentation is to make a pink icing (i use cherry juice for coloring) and i put a dot of icing on the cupcake and a cherry on top.
PB Mousse Pie (currently working on a pb alternative for this baby).
1 bag dark vegan chocolate chips
1/4-1/2 cup all natural peanut butter (trust me you don't want the salt and extra sugar from Jif etc...)
1 package silken tofu
1 pre-prepped/baked pie crust (I buy parbaked whole wheat crust, sprinkle with cinnamon and bake).
Melt the chocolate chips in a glass bowl set atop a pot of boiling water (or a double boiler), use a rubber spatula to stir while you're doing this. As the chips melt toss in your pb and stir (PB is a matter of taste so do a bit at a time and taste test).
Drain the silken tofu and toss into a blender--pour your all melted choco-pb mixture in and start blending. Go until you have a nice creamy mixture. Pour into prepped (and cooled) pie crust and toss in the fridge. I like to add a coating of cinnamon to the top but it's not necessary--you can likely eat this after 20 minutes, but i leave for at least two hours. This was my old roommate Gianpaolo's absolute favorite--I think of him whenever I send the recipe around.
Happy eating!!
Alli
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