I always have such good intentions when I go grocery shopping. Something about the produce section of my local grocery just makes me want to run away and join an organic farming commune. Even though I love bacon, the piles of lettuce, peppers, and eggplant (oh my!) have me considering vegetarianism (ask my sister how her collegiate foray into vegetarianism went).
Though I have still not yet gone the way of Leo Tolstoy and Natalie Portman, I love to buy vegetables. The problem I have with good intentions is not that I don't buy fresh produce, it's that I sometimes don't use it up before it all goes bad. Red peppers are great for snacking, I tell myself, and there's a new recipe I want to try for potato soup. Unfortunately, my eyes are usually bigger than my stomach. And so, I travel down the road that is paved with good intentions.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
A Study Break
Seeing as I've just passed the hump of midterms, I've been casting around for a reason to celebrate. Luckily, I have two girlfriends who turned 21 yesterday.
Far from having the typical night of debauchery (it was a Monday night, let's remember), it was a celebration of cupcakes. While I usually don't bake during the week, I decided to pick up a box of devil's food cake on my way home from school.
Whipping up a batch of cupcakes...
and then adding some gooey caramel and whipped cream.
Study break, anyone?
Far from having the typical night of debauchery (it was a Monday night, let's remember), it was a celebration of cupcakes. While I usually don't bake during the week, I decided to pick up a box of devil's food cake on my way home from school.
Whipping up a batch of cupcakes...
and then adding some gooey caramel and whipped cream.
Study break, anyone?
Pancake Day
Mardi Gras, Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent. This day has many names, one of which is Pancake Day, referring to the old habit of using up all animal products, including eggs and milk, in the house before Lenten fasts begin.
Many meals are appropriate for Mardi Gras. To start, I pick the things I'll be giving up for Lent and get some last tastes in, or I aim to use up my stashes of these tempting foodstuffs already on hand. Hence all the chocolate being eaten at our house. Some years I've gone the New Orleans Mardi Gras route and made gumbo. Barbara Kafka includes a delicious recipe in her excellent book, Soup: A Way of Life. Mm, my mouth is watering.
This year my family has put in a request for pancakes: Cottage Cheese Pancakes. These light but satisfying cakes were made for me by my mother, as they were for her by her mother before that. The recipe is inscribed in the notebook that started me off cooking in my first real apartment. Unfortunately, the last time I opened the book to this page, the recipe had been erased by a mysterious clear substance spilled across the Cottage Cheese Pancakes page. Egg white? I don't know, but here is my attempt to put together the pieces so you can celebrate Pancake Day in style. (Note: You may use this recreated recipe with confidence; it has been kitchen tested and no one noticed any differences. Or maybe they were just too busy mm-ing and oo-ing to fit a complaint in between bites of moist, tangy pancake dripping with butter and syrup.)
Cottage Cheese Pancakes
1 c. flour
1/3 c. sugar
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 c. sour cream
1 c. cottage cheese
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
Combine dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately. Slowly add wet to dry. Stir until ingredients are incorporated, but allow the batter to remain lumpy. Cook as for pancakes, using between 1/4 c. and 1/3 c. per pancake and cooking until both sides are golden brown and pancake still yields when touched in the center. If the pancake is cooked so long it becomes firm, it is still tasty but less cheesy and moist. Serve with butter and top with maple syrup or jam.
Big A, Little A,
This is Pancake Day!
Toss the ball high,
Throw the ball low,
Those that come after
May say, "Heigh-ho!"
Many meals are appropriate for Mardi Gras. To start, I pick the things I'll be giving up for Lent and get some last tastes in, or I aim to use up my stashes of these tempting foodstuffs already on hand. Hence all the chocolate being eaten at our house. Some years I've gone the New Orleans Mardi Gras route and made gumbo. Barbara Kafka includes a delicious recipe in her excellent book, Soup: A Way of Life. Mm, my mouth is watering.
This year my family has put in a request for pancakes: Cottage Cheese Pancakes. These light but satisfying cakes were made for me by my mother, as they were for her by her mother before that. The recipe is inscribed in the notebook that started me off cooking in my first real apartment. Unfortunately, the last time I opened the book to this page, the recipe had been erased by a mysterious clear substance spilled across the Cottage Cheese Pancakes page. Egg white? I don't know, but here is my attempt to put together the pieces so you can celebrate Pancake Day in style. (Note: You may use this recreated recipe with confidence; it has been kitchen tested and no one noticed any differences. Or maybe they were just too busy mm-ing and oo-ing to fit a complaint in between bites of moist, tangy pancake dripping with butter and syrup.)
Cottage Cheese Pancakes
1 c. flour
1/3 c. sugar
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 c. sour cream
1 c. cottage cheese
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
Combine dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately. Slowly add wet to dry. Stir until ingredients are incorporated, but allow the batter to remain lumpy. Cook as for pancakes, using between 1/4 c. and 1/3 c. per pancake and cooking until both sides are golden brown and pancake still yields when touched in the center. If the pancake is cooked so long it becomes firm, it is still tasty but less cheesy and moist. Serve with butter and top with maple syrup or jam.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Still my favorite brownie
Did you get your fill of chocolate over the weekend? I did. Chocolate truffles for Valentine's Day, and before that, a brownie extravaganza touched off by a few new recipes.
As far as brownie recipes go, I'm always in search of "the one," and every new recipe is measured against the one that's been my go-to since about 2005, which I found in The Gourmet Cookbook, and which was originally published in the pages of that magazine in an article by food writer Laurie Colwin. The recipe is supposed to be the one Katharine Hepburn's family always made, and it produces a confection as classic as you might expect with such a pedigree. In addition to being delicious, these brownies are economical. And, the method is simple. You will dirty exactly one pot making them and they will turn you from brownie mixes forever because they are that easy.
It's been a while since I've tried a new brownie recipe. While those new ones were delicious -- because it would be hard to find a bad brownie recipe -- they weren't any better. They certainly weren't easier. And they cost more. This one's still a keeper.
Katharine Hepburn's Brownies
Adapted slightly from The Gourmet Cookbook
1 stick (8 T.) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 c. sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1/2 c. all-purpose flour (the original recipe calls for 1/4 c., and if you like an extra fudgy brownie, I'd recommend that amount)
1/4 t. salt
Put a rack in the middle of oven and preheast oven to 325 degrees F. Butter and flour an 8-inch square baking pan, knocking off excess flour.
Melt butter with chocolate in a 2- to 3-quart saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat and stir in sugar, eggs and vanilla, then beat until well combined. Stir in flour and salt until just combined.
Pour batter into baking pan. Bake until a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center comes out with a few crumbs attached, about 40-45 minutes. Do not overbake.
Cool completely in pan on a rack, then cut into 16 bars.
As far as brownie recipes go, I'm always in search of "the one," and every new recipe is measured against the one that's been my go-to since about 2005, which I found in The Gourmet Cookbook, and which was originally published in the pages of that magazine in an article by food writer Laurie Colwin. The recipe is supposed to be the one Katharine Hepburn's family always made, and it produces a confection as classic as you might expect with such a pedigree. In addition to being delicious, these brownies are economical. And, the method is simple. You will dirty exactly one pot making them and they will turn you from brownie mixes forever because they are that easy.
It's been a while since I've tried a new brownie recipe. While those new ones were delicious -- because it would be hard to find a bad brownie recipe -- they weren't any better. They certainly weren't easier. And they cost more. This one's still a keeper.
Katharine Hepburn's Brownies
Adapted slightly from The Gourmet Cookbook
1 stick (8 T.) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 c. sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1/2 c. all-purpose flour (the original recipe calls for 1/4 c., and if you like an extra fudgy brownie, I'd recommend that amount)
1/4 t. salt
Put a rack in the middle of oven and preheast oven to 325 degrees F. Butter and flour an 8-inch square baking pan, knocking off excess flour.
Melt butter with chocolate in a 2- to 3-quart saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat and stir in sugar, eggs and vanilla, then beat until well combined. Stir in flour and salt until just combined.
Pour batter into baking pan. Bake until a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center comes out with a few crumbs attached, about 40-45 minutes. Do not overbake.
Cool completely in pan on a rack, then cut into 16 bars.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Distractions
Don't get me wrong: I always pay attention in class. I show up, I take notes, I raise my hand. But sometime between discussions of the travails of North Korean POWs and the carbon sink of Wisconsin, I got distracted.
I find myself obsessively Googling chocolate recipes. Not just any chocolate recipe - molded chocolates. My sister got me interested in making chocolates when she asked me to bring home chocolate molds from a trip to Paris last year. The trip to the kitchen supply store, complete with an entire candy mold section, was a life-changing experience. I got her some little heart molds - perfect for Valentine's Day.
I may blame this lack of concentration on the advent of Valentine's Day, but, as with many of the fairer sex, chocolate is a year-round preoccupation. But just so I can make up for any lost time in classes, I'll be sure to study the Geneva Conventions extra carefully - in between batches des petits bon-bons for my favorite valentines.
Monday, February 8, 2010
On My Own (sort of)
Since Anne Marie left for college when I was six years old, I've been fantasizing about what I'd be able to do when I got to college. I dreamed of eating ice cream for dinner, having Wonder Bread in the pantry, and even buying a microwave (!).
Now that I've moved into my first apartment, my take on good food is a little different. Though most students my age eat one or two meals out every day, I find that I'd rather go home at the end of the day and relax in the comfort of my own kitchen.
Though my sister is the expert in the field of all arts domestic, I'm learning what it means to be "cooking for one" - myself. Luckily, with Anne Marie in on the scheme, we're both in for some delicious meals ahead.
Now that I've moved into my first apartment, my take on good food is a little different. Though most students my age eat one or two meals out every day, I find that I'd rather go home at the end of the day and relax in the comfort of my own kitchen.
Though my sister is the expert in the field of all arts domestic, I'm learning what it means to be "cooking for one" - myself. Luckily, with Anne Marie in on the scheme, we're both in for some delicious meals ahead.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
What to do with all that snow
When the novelty of playing, sledding, shoveling and driving in those beautiful flakes wanes, do something new with them. Make winter ice cream!
We tried the recipe from the back of the potholder my five-year-old made for me for Christmas (with help from Grandma), shown below.
The recipe was about as good as any snow ice cream recipe probably is, which is to say that this exercise is more about the process than the result. Nothing wrong with that.
So you collect a big bowl of snow, maybe a quart. [Edited to add: Need I stipulate that this must be immaculately clean snow? Just in case, This Must Be Clean Snow. Now don't say I didn't tell you!] Stick it in the freezer while you whip 1/2 c. heavy cream with 4 T. sugar and 1 T. vanilla extract. You can get all Breyer's fancy and use real vanilla beans, but I recommend you keep this at the preschool level and save those beans for a good rice pudding or for real churned homemade ice cream in the summer. (Have hope; summer will come, someday.)
Then add the whipped cream mixture to your snow, being careful not to splash on any toys that may be strewn about.
Fold the whole mass together until pretty well mixed or you are tired. According to the recipe, the next step is to place the bowl in a snowbank until firm. This sounded too gimmicky for aforementioned five-year-old, or maybe he was just tired from playing out there all afternoon. So we used the freezer.
We tried the recipe from the back of the potholder my five-year-old made for me for Christmas (with help from Grandma), shown below.
The recipe was about as good as any snow ice cream recipe probably is, which is to say that this exercise is more about the process than the result. Nothing wrong with that.So you collect a big bowl of snow, maybe a quart. [Edited to add: Need I stipulate that this must be immaculately clean snow? Just in case, This Must Be Clean Snow. Now don't say I didn't tell you!] Stick it in the freezer while you whip 1/2 c. heavy cream with 4 T. sugar and 1 T. vanilla extract. You can get all Breyer's fancy and use real vanilla beans, but I recommend you keep this at the preschool level and save those beans for a good rice pudding or for real churned homemade ice cream in the summer. (Have hope; summer will come, someday.)
Then add the whipped cream mixture to your snow, being careful not to splash on any toys that may be strewn about.
Fold the whole mass together until pretty well mixed or you are tired. According to the recipe, the next step is to place the bowl in a snowbank until firm. This sounded too gimmicky for aforementioned five-year-old, or maybe he was just tired from playing out there all afternoon. So we used the freezer.
Serve for dessert to everyone who has eaten a good dinner.
Friday, February 5, 2010
My sister cooks.
This blog came very close to having an excellent name: The Chef and I.
Mary thought of it, sometime after I, at a very late hour indeed, volleyed the idea of a joint cooking blog. I made sure to include several disclaimers in my suggestion so she would have plenty of avenues for backing out. But she ignored these and came back with a great title.
As it turned out, each assumed she herself was the "I" and the other sister was the "Chef."
Apparently Chef Andi thought of a blog first, though. The domain name was already taken.
Back to the drawing board. Truffle Pig? Taken. Truffle Pigs? Nope. My sister cooks?
Done.
And now enough of this jabber and on to the food. Welcome! Here you'll read of two sisters and our kitchen capers, our culinary adventures, and the recipes that have made it into our "Keepers" files. Go ahead, settle in. My sister is cooking, so it's bound to be delicious.
Mary thought of it, sometime after I, at a very late hour indeed, volleyed the idea of a joint cooking blog. I made sure to include several disclaimers in my suggestion so she would have plenty of avenues for backing out. But she ignored these and came back with a great title.
As it turned out, each assumed she herself was the "I" and the other sister was the "Chef."
Apparently Chef Andi thought of a blog first, though. The domain name was already taken.
Back to the drawing board. Truffle Pig? Taken. Truffle Pigs? Nope. My sister cooks?
Done.
And now enough of this jabber and on to the food. Welcome! Here you'll read of two sisters and our kitchen capers, our culinary adventures, and the recipes that have made it into our "Keepers" files. Go ahead, settle in. My sister is cooking, so it's bound to be delicious.
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