Cooking School - Week 1

A few months ago a gem of a Groupon popped up into my inbox - a 6-week professional cooking class at Prep Kitchen Essentials. I sat at my desk, impatiently waiting for my husband to sign onto Skype so that I could ask (see: beg) if I could spend the ungodly amount of money to attend this course. (note... the price was ungodly but it was 50% of.. umm.. whatever is double-ungodly!) My dear husband, without even thinking twice, said "Go for it!" Yay! I'm going to school!


My first class was this last Monday. Of course I was a big bone-head and scheduled my car to get maintenance done that day and was almost totally late to class but I made it! This week's class was taught by Rahm Fama who is a chef on Food Network's Meat & Potatoes. It was kind of exciting to be in a class being taught by someone that, not only is a chef by career choice, but is good enough to be on TV! Score! Rahm was a great teacher. I am sort of bummed he's not our normal teacher, but happy to have shared one class with him. Thank you, Chef!


Since this was week one we pretty much focused on kitchen basics and some knife skills. I am happy to say, I can now dice, julienne and bias-cut all vegetables in a mirepoix, as well as potatoes. I can also slice and dice kiwi, strawberries, apples and pears. Watch out vegetation - I am coming for you!


A few pictures to show my skills...

Perfectly diced carrots (Check out my knife!)

Perfectly julienned & diced onions

We have a week off for the Memorial Day holiday but I am super excited to go back and learn more in a couple weeks. 

On the syllabus for the next class.... Sauces, Stocks & Soups! 

On the edge of your seat.. I know.

Cheers to the Cook!

When Life Hands You Lemons....

... make Lemon Loaf!

My mother-in-law has an abundant lemon tree and last week she was nice enough to bring us a huge bag of lemons - correction - another huge bag of lemons. I love baking and cooking with lemons. It is such a versatile fruit - savory or sweet - delicious either way. 

Last week was also Teacher Appreciation Week. Those things are always off my radar somehow but a few co-workers mentioned it and I thought it would be nice for us to show Drew's day care teachers how much we "appreciate" (and worship) them dealing with Drew on a daily basis. 

I found a good recipe (fail-proof Williams-Sonoma!) and then have messed with it a bit over time. What is the fun of baking if you can't mess with things and make them your own?! As I mentioned before, I love baking with lemons but one of the things I frequently find is that the actual lemon in a recipe is pretty minimal. To make a loaf of banana bread you have to have 4+ bananas... but for lemon anything, you usually need only one. Until now!

My massive bowl of Lemons!

The finished batter tucked nicely into their greased/floured pans

Right out of the oven - beautiful!

The glaze takes this loaf from good to AMAHZING!

Lemon Bread

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

8 Tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

2 Tbsp. finely grated lemon zest... or more!

Top Secret Ingredient: I add 3-4 drops of yellow food coloring. I have to admit there is something about yellow lemon loaf that is just plain exciting. My mouth starts to pucker with anticipation of the sour-sweet of the lemons!

For the Lemon Syrup:

2 Tbsp. sugar

3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Directions

Preheat an oven to 350ºF. Grease and flour a 1-lb. loaf pan.

In a bowl, stir and toss together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until blended, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture along with the milk and lemon zest.

Beat until blended and smooth, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the lemon syrup: In a small bowl, combine the sugar and lemon juice. Set aside, stirring occasionally; don't worry if the sugar does not dissolve completely.

Remove the bread from the oven and transfer the pan to a wire rack. Using a fork, gently poke the top in several places. Stir the syrup, then slowly brush it over the hot bread. Let the bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn the loaf out onto the rack, top side up, and let cool completely.

Makes one delightful loaf. 

Note, I doubled this recipe for Teacher Appreciation; it works fine to double - no need to do separate batches. Yay! 

I wrapped these up nicely and gave them to Drew's teachers with some home-made Strawberry Jam and they were very excited. I am pretty sure there is nothing better than home-made treats.

Cheers to the Cook!

May the Fourth be with you...

Get it? Like May the Force be with you..? Force.. Fourth... Ha.ha.ha.


If you haven't guessed, May 4th is Star Wars Day. Admittedly, I am not a big Star Wars fan but I couldn't pass up the chance to make cupcakes with pictures of Yoda on them. I was going to try to actually create Yoda on each cupcake but I didn't prepare well enough & didn't have anything to make his ears out of. 


For next year I am already brainstorming ways to do Princess Leia using Oreos as her buns. Yes.....


Ok... so I didn't know what flavor they would have eaten in Star Wars... so I decided to make a simpel Chai Spice cupcake with Cream Cheese Frosting. The original idea was to dye the frosting green, like Yoda. But then my sous chef found a container of green sugar and after much deliberating we decided to change course and just use the colored sugar instead.


Then we decided that festive cup cake toppers were a must. 

Happy Star Wars Day, everyone!

Chai Spice Mixture (adapted from Dessert First)

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamon

Combine the spices together in a small bowl.

Chai Cupcakes (adapted from Dessert First)

Makes about 36 mini cupcakes

• 1 1/2 cups cake flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons chai spice mixture
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg plus 2 egg whites
• 1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a mini muffin tin with cupcake liners.

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl. Stir in the chai spice mixture.

Cream the butter and sugar together with mixer on medium speed until soft and creamy.

Add in egg and egg whites, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition to combine before adding the next.

Add in the flour mixture and milk mixture in three alternating additions, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Beat just to combine each addition before adding the next.

Using an ice cream scoop or a spoon, fill each cupcake liner about 3/4 full with batter. Bake in oven for 13 to 15 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until a toothpick inserted in the cupcakes comes out clean.

Let cupcakes cool in tin on a wire rack until cool before decorating.

Note: These cupcakes are super light & airy. It is best not to over-fill the cups or you could end up breaking the cupcake top if over-handled once it comes out of the oven.

Cream Cheese Frosting 

• 8 oz block cream cheese, room temperature
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• (Optional: 1/2 tsp vanilla)

Beat cream cheese with mixer on medium until smooth – about 1-2 minutes. Add in powdered sugar. Beat until completely mixed. Mix in vanilla, if desired. 

Cheers to the cook!

(and Happy Birthday, Mom!!)

Peanut Butter Brownie Bites

You know what the best invention was? Peanut Butter
You know what the second best invention was? Brownie Bites


You are cordially invited to the marriage of the two best inventions ever... Peanut Butter Brownie Bites!


Roughly adapted from a blog post on Baked Perfection but with a few tweaks here and there. 
Normally I do not use boxed anything... I am sort of a snob about it. But for these, I wasn't sure how a normal brownie batter would work out so I just sucked it up and used a box mix. (Don't tell!)

This is my crazy sous chef... he demanded I photograph him.

Prepare the brownie batter per the directions on the box but instead of making them in a 9x13 pan, make brownie "bites" in a mini muffin tin. I cheated and lined my mini muffin tin with little paper liners. I definitely think that mini cupcakes, brownies, muffins, etc. look better if they are liner-free but it is a work night and I am just that lazy today! So, paper liners it is. Scoop batter in the liners until they are about 3/4 full. 

My homage to Jackson Pollock... I'm just messy

Bake according to the box's instructions - but definitely start to watch them a couple of minutes early. Over-cooked brownies are no bueno! Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean (or mostly clean if you like them super gooey!)


Once the brownies are out of the oven, take the back of a teaspoon and push a "sink hole" in the middle of each brownie. This creates a nice well for all your peanut butter goodness!

This is where I sort of digressed from the Baked Perfection recipe - I'm wild that way. I mixed a cup of peanut butter and about 1/3-1/2 cup of powdered sugar in a bowl. This gives the peanut butter 2 things - a sweater taste (sort of like Reese's) and a firmer texture. I then scooped it all into a frosting bag & piped little blobs of the PB magic into each brownie "well." 

The finishing touch - a sprinkle of mini chocolate chips. 

 And there you have them! 

Amahzing! (and pretty easy too!)
Cheers to the cook!

SoCal Ragnar 2012: Recap

Our dear, beloved Ragnar Relay has come and gone... sigh..


I  know I've mentioned it before but Ragnar was sort of the focus of my life for the last few weeks. Trying to work in running every night - juggling a toddler schedule, 2 soccer games, making dinner, the occasional cleaning spree or laundry event made running sometimes hard and frustrating, but it all paid off and we had a great race. 


I shall share a short recap in pictures. 

This is our team - A Case of the Runs - pre-race, aptly located in front of the port-o-potties. It was about 5am.

The Start Line. It was 5:15am so everyone had to wear their reflective vests and headlamps. 

  

 Me (center w/o bib) with about half our team at Exchange 3

Our most stylish runner, by far!

My husband... who makes running 5 miles look like a walk from the living room to the kitchen. And, yes... his legs really are that white. 

Probably the most unflattering picture of me... and notice I'm not exactly running... It was 110 degrees off the pavement so I was walking at this point. Notice I have water, Gatorade and Mark has 2 ice bags for me. It was ridiculously hot. I want no comments about my outfit not matching, either. It did match. And it was bright and cheery! 

Skip ahead about 25 hours and here we are on beautiful Coronado Island - finished with the race. I am on the left end - I  was runner #12 so I had just finished my last leg about 10 minutes before this. Thus the sweaty glow and stellar outfit choice. Notice our very cool medals (they double as bottle openers!)

Our celebratory lunch at Pizzeria Luigi on Golden Hill in San Diego. The pizza is worth doing the race for. Delish!

It was a great race and our team did great! Everyone is so pumped that we're putting together a team to do the NorCal race in September.


But for now... amidst the running... back to food! 


photo credit: Erin & Roger McCraner

It's Peanut Butter & Jelly Time!

Did you know there is a National Peanut Butter & Jelly Day? There is! And we missed it... it was April 2nd. How could I have missed such an important day? Easy... I was working and all that other stuff that diverts my attention from national holidays. Sheesh! 

So tonight while Mark was at his soccer game and I was milling around the kitchen with a hankering for something that wasn't a goldfish cracker (Drew's fav) I came across my jug-o-peanut butter (marked with a "baking only!" disclaimer on it) and was inspired to do something fancy with it. 

I was a bit hesitant to go down a path with something that may-or-may-not resemble a crispy treat because, truth be told, I suck at making crispy treats. I can never seem to get the mallow to crispy ratio correct and they're always dry and bleh. But since I was home alone I figured I could give it a whirl. If I blew it completely, I could easily get rid of the evidence before Mark returned home.

 Since we're celebrating PB&J day, I figured peanut butter was a given and obviously marshmallows since we're going to crispy town.. but WAIT! no crispies! I forgot... I threw them away because they were stale. Damn you, air! 

But what was in my cupboard was even better! Triple Berry O's from Trader Joe's. YES! These have little berry bits in them - a perfect "jelly" to my peanut butter. This was divine intervention if I've ever seen it. God must have wanted me to have PB&J treats! 

What?! He did!

Adding the mallows to the melted butter.

Mixing the mallows up - this actually took much longer than I thought it would...I figured I was doing something wrong. But apparently it just takes a while.

Adding peanut butter to the melted mallows.

Mixing in my cereal and berries. The berries definitely add a good flavor to these!

I used a loaf pan but you could easily use an 8x8 pan as well.

Waxed Paper with a bit of non-stick spray on it is the best way to press your cereal & mallows into the pan without sticking. If you use your hands it will be a mess... I know this from previous experience.

The finished treats. Look at all those little berry bits - so colorful and tasty!

I have to say, these turned out pretty well considering it was completely unplanned. I feel more whole now that I have officially observed National PB&J Day. I will definitely need to request my calendar be updated with all national holidays - not just the "day off" kind. There will be no discriminating here. 

I read somewhere that April 7th is No Housework Day - I can definitely get behind that one!

Cheers to the cook!

PB&J Treats (adapted from RiceKrispies.com)

• 2 Tbsp Butter 
• 8 oz Marshmallows
• 1/4 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
• 3 cups Triple Berry-Os

Melt butter in medium sauce pan over low heat; add marshmallows & stir constantly while melting. Once marshmallows are completely melted, remove from heat, add peanut butter and mix well. Add cereal to mallow/peanut butter mixture and stir so cereal is covered with mixture. 

Empty sauce pan into a greased loaf pan - you can also use an 8x8 pan. Using a greased piece of waxed paper, press cereal mixture into greased pan. Cool completely. Remove from pan & cut into desired size.

Store in air-tight container for up to 3 days.

Pistachio Pound Cake

 Ever since I made the decision to start blogging about food I've been a bit overwhelmed with the million-dollar question - what do I cook? I've been pinning things here and there... ripping recipes out of my favorite magazines... But one night I was reading my most current Bon Appetit magazine and told my husband about this recipe for Pistachio Pound Cake. His head popped around the corner from the kitchen and he said, "make that!" So I did. Welcome to my first official blog post as a "food blogger"! (Cue marching band, cheerleaders & Blue Devil fly-over!)

The recipe is from the section of the magazine where people write in to the BA editors & ask them to get recipes from restaurants - this recipe is from The Tasting Room in Houston, Texas. The amazing chef that concocted this deliciousness is Chef Raymond Vandergaag. Well done, sir!

This is a pound cake which means it is dense but sweet and buttery and just tasty all-around. The citrus and the pistachios really add a great flavor & crunch to the already-amazing cake. My only critique of the recipe was that, in my opinion, it could have used a bit more pistachio. Alas, to each their own. 

And now, for our more visual readers, on to the picture portion of our show.

The citrus mise en place - fresh lemon & orange juice; lemon & lime zests. Well worth the effort.

The dry ingredients - it's important to mix them all up ahead of time so you don't get any big clumps of baking soda in your mouth. Honestly - few things are grosser.

Whipping butter really does make a difference - it becomes much lighter and incorporates into the recipe much smoother. I used to skip that step all the time.. what a bone head!

The finished batter - it's all thick and delightful. Even at this stage I knew this was going to be amah-zing.

Batter into the pan, sprinkle with 1/4 cup of pistachios before heading into the oven.

The finished product. By the way - I hate silicone pans...

This was as far as I got before I had to try it! Holy cats!

Pistachio loaf showing it's good sides... which would be all of them. There is a crust that forms on the top that adds a special little crunch to the loaf. It's life changing... really.. it is.

As I said, there was virtually nothing I would want to change about this recipe with the exception of maybe a bit more pistachios in the batter. The recipe calls for 1 cup, divided (1/4 cup goes on top) but I think if you are a fan of the pistachio... throw another handful in the batter. Live life on the edge!

As per my normal routine when baking goodies, I cut the loaf up, ate a piece right away... just to make sure it wasn't poison... It's what all responsible bakers do. Then I put 2 pieces in a container for my dear husband to eat with his coffee at work. Then, I wrapped the remainder up and took it to work. I cannot have things like this in my house because I would end up calling in sick to work, brewing a pot of coffee and just laying on the kitchen floor eating the entire thing. So, in efforts NOT to have to wear stretchy pants for the rest of my life, I take all treats to work and make everyone there eat them. (See why it is so important that I make sure the baked goods are not poison?!) I'd like to report that everyone that tried this was just so impressed with my baking skills. And the best part is they know it is because of my skill that the loaf was so good... not because it was a great recipe...but because I was amazing enough to follow the directions and execute it flawlessly. Right? 

Ok, enough of my babble. See below for the knock-your-socks-off recipe. Oh - did I mention someone actually offered to pay me to make them a loaf? It is true! I said no to the money... so we're bartering instead. I will have a new hand-made desk tchotchke by next Friday!

Enjoy!!

Ingredients

• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 2 cups all-purpose flour plus more
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 5 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
• 2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
• 1 cup* shelled, unsalted pistachios, coarsely chopped, divided    

* or more!

Preparation

• Arrange a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 325°. Coat a 9x5x3" loaf pan with nonstick spray. Dust pan with flour; tap out excess.
• Whisk 2 cups flour, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2–3 minutes. Add sugar; beat until well incorporated, 1–2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating to blend between additions. Add juices and zests; beat until well combined (mixture will look curdled), 2–3 minutes. Add dry ingredients; reduce speed to low and beat just until blended. Fold in 3/4 cup pistachios. Pour batter into prepared pan; smooth top. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup pistachios over.
• Bake cake, rotating halfway through, until a tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 1/2 hours. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely in pan. Run a sharp knife around sides to loosen; unmold cake.