Dried pineapple flowers are a unique and eye-catching garnish that can take your cake or cupcakes up a notch.  When I first saw them I thought they must be difficult to make but in reality, they couldn’t be much easier.  Essentially all you do is slice pineapple very thin and bake slowly at a low heat to dry them out.  Check it out!

Slice off the top and bottom of the pineapple with a large sharp knife.

Cut off the rind.  (Naked pineapple – teehee!  I’m super mature today.)

Pop out any of the eyes or seeds that remain.  Most vegetable peelers have a special little point that is meant for things like this, but you can also use a small paring knife or measuring spoon, as I did.

Slice the pineapple very thinly so that the slices are almost translucent.  Lay them out on a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.  Bake at 225˚ F to dry them out slowly.  Timing will vary, but a good starting point is 30 minutes, flip and then 30 more minutes.  I have made them a couple times now and it has taken me a bit longer than that.  Just keep a close eye on them.  You can also increase the temperature slightly to speed up the process and deepen the color, but if you do be very careful to avoid burning them.

Once the slices are shrunken and almost completed dried out, transfer them to a muffin tin so that the edges curve upward in the shape of a flower.  I find it best to let them sit overnight this way to retain the flower shape.

Source: technique from Martha Stewart

“Hummingbird cake?!  What on earth is that?”  Is that what you’re thinking right now?  That’s definitely what I thought the first time I ever heard the name.  Turns out, a lot of my coworkers felt the same way.  Almost every time I passed around the cupcake menu for birthday selections, the question was inevitable: what is hummingbird cake?  This cake is fresh and fruity with a definite tropical flavor, thanks to the combination of banana, pineapple, and coconut.  It is finished off with cream cheese frosting (a sure sign of something good) and if you want, dried pineapple flowers.  Most recipes I have seen also seem to include nuts mixed in to the cake or on top of the frosting, but I omitted them.  I’m still of the mind that many perfectly fine desserts are ruined by adding nuts.

Reading through the ingredient list, I knew immediately that I would love this cake.  I’ve been dying to try it and was ready to just make it just because when a coworker finally chose it from the list.  (Thanks, Chen!)  Apparently this cake seems to be traditional around Mother’s Day, though my attempts to research any real connection between the two were unsuccessful.  I am guessing it is simply because this tropical, fruity cake is so well suited for a springtime celebration.  The dried pineapple flowers are a nice touch and a lot of people commented on how neat they looked.  I plan to do a separate post on how to make them very soon.

Hummingbird Cupcakes
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Yield: approximately 24 cupcakes
Ingredients:
For the cupcakes:
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. salt
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
11 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1¼ tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/3 cups mashed ripe banana
2/3 cup crushed pineapple, drained
2/3 cup chopped walnuts, toasted (optional)
2/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

For the frosting:*
8 oz. cream cheese
5 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2½ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line cupcake pans with paper liners.  In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon; whisk together and set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter, vanilla, and sugar and beat until blended and smooth.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Mix in the mashed banana.  With the mixer on low speed, mix in the dry ingredients just until incorporated.  Gently fold in the pineapple, nuts (if using), and coconut with a spatula until evenly mixed.

Divide the batter between the prepared liners, filling each about ¾ full.  Bake for 20-22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool in the pans 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, combine the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer.  Beat on medium-high speed until well combined and smooth, about 2-3 minutes.  Mix in the vanilla extract.  Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar until totally incorporated, increase the speed and then beat until smooth.  Frost cooled cupcakes as desired. (I used an Ateco #829 tip to frost these cupcakes.)

*If you are big on frosting as I am, you may want to increase the quantities by 50%.  That is what I typically do for a batch of 24 cupcakes.  I usually end up with some left over, but I would rather have too much frosting than not enough!

Source: cake from Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes, frosting adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride

This is the time of year to embrace pears.  When the markets are not overflowing with an abundance of berries, peaches and plums or even crisp fall apples, citrus and pears seem to shine through the winter months.  I’m actually surprised I don’t eat pears more often because whenever I do, I love them.  They are so juicy and sweet.  Unfortunately their mild flavor and homely looks are easily overshadowed by the flashier seasonal fruits most of the year.  But this is a recipe that lets pears shine while also providing a healthy breakfast.  Oh yeah – and it tastes like pie (or cobbler, or crisp).

I’ve made a lot of different types of granola but I think this was the quickest and easiest of all the versions I’ve tried.  Thankfully, that did not translate to a mediocre outcome.  Ben and I both agreed that even on its own, this is very good granola and would be a great base recipe for all kinds of additions.  Layering the granola with warm spiced pears made for a wonderful breakfast.  And when Ben said, “I feel like I’m eating pie for breakfast!”, I had to agree.  The concept of this recipe could be adapted in tons of ways to accommodate different seasonal fruits and flavors but for now, I’m happy to let the pears take the starring role.

Pear Granola Breakfast Crisp
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Ingredients:
For the granola:
2 cups old-fashioned oats (not quick-cooking)
1 cup pecans, roughly chopped
½ cup ground flax seeds
4 tbsp. unsalted butter
3 tbsp. honey
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. kosher salt

For the pears:
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
4 medium pears, peeled, cored and sliced
2 tbsp. honey
½ tsp. vanilla extract
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
Pinch of coarse salt

Directions:
To make the granola, preheat the oven to 300˚ F.  Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.  Combine the oats, pecans and ground flax seeds in a medium bowl; set aside.  In a saucepan, combine the butter, honey, and brown sugar.  Heat until the butter is melted and the sugar has dissolved.  Stir in the vanilla and salt.  Pour the honey mixture over the oat mixture and stir well to coat.

Spread the oat mixture in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Stir well and return to the oven for 15-30 more minutes, until golden and crisp.  Allow to cool completely on the baking sheet.  (The granola will continue to crisp as it cools.)

To make the pears, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the sliced pears to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until some of the juices have been released from the pears and the edges appear slightly transparent.  Stir in the honey, vanilla, cinnamon and salt and toss gently until well combined.

To serve, add a layer of granola to serving dishes.  Top with warmed pears and sprinkle additional granola over the top.

Source: Spoon With Me

This is the time of year that most of us are craving a breath of fresh air, a bit more sunlight and some warmth in our lives.  If you are like me and believe that ice cream knows no season, then this ice cream can help answer your winter blues.  One of my girlfriends and I have been doing movie nights lately.  Once the kids are in bed we get together for a chick flick, girl talk and some sort of sweet treat.  Last week we watched 50 First Dates because I thought the tropical setting would go perfectly with the ice cream.  (By the way, I love that movie!  I’ve seen it so many times but it never gets old.)

I have been wanting to try this particular flavor combination for a long time.  What I actually did was take toasted coconut ice cream and marble it with pineapple sorbet.  I mean, I like coconut but probably not enough to eat plain coconut ice cream, especially when I could be eating chocolate instead :)  The addition of the bright and fruity pineapple sorbet was a nice counterbalance to the creamy coconut and definitely reminiscent of one of my favorite frozen drinks.  I think this would actually work well both ways; either layered together as I did, or simply with both the ice cream and sorbet bases added to the ice cream maker at the same time to give a homogeneous mixture of the two.  It really just depends on whether you would prefer blended flavors, or whether you might enjoy a bite of pineapple and then a bite of coconut.  Whatever floats your boat – just go with it!

Piña Colada Ice Cream
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Yield: about 1 quart
Ingredients:
For the toasted coconut ice cream:
1 cup dried shredded coconut, preferably unsweetened
1 cup whole milk
2 cups heavy cream, divided
¾ cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
5 large egg yolks
1 tbsp. light rum (optional) or ½ tsp. vanilla extract

For the pineapple sorbet:
2 cups fresh pineapple chunks
8-10 tbsp. sugar
½ cup water

Directions:
To make the toasted coconut ice cream batter, heat the coconut in a 10- or 12-inch skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and light golden brown.  In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, 1 cup of the heavy cream, sugar, and salt.  Mix in the toasted coconut.  Split the vanilla bean, scrape the seeds into the milk, and add the pot to the saucepan.  Heat until the mixture is warmed through.  Cover, remove from the heat and let steep at room temperature for 1 hour.

Rewarm the coconut-milk mixture.  Set a fine mesh sieve over a bowl and strain the coconut-infused liquid into the bowl, pressing down with a spatula to extract as much flavor as possible.  Return the strained milk mixture to the now empty saucepan.  Discard the coconut and vanilla bean pod.  Wipe out the now empty bowl and add the remaining 1 cup heavy cream to the bowl.  Replace the mesh strainer over the bowl.  In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks.  Slowly pour the warm coconut-infused mixture into the bowl with the egg yolks, whisking constantly.  Return the mixture back to the saucepan.  Stir constantly over medium heat until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula, reading 170-175˚ F on an instant read thermometer (do not go above 180˚ F!)  Remove from the heat and pour the custard through the strainer into the bowl with the heavy cream.  Mix in the rum or vanilla.  Let cool, then chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator.

To make the pineapple sorbet batter, combine the pineapple, sugar and water in a blender or food processor.  Puree until completely smooth.  Chill thoroughly in the refrigerator.

To finish the ice cream, freeze both the coconut ice cream batter and the pineapple sorbet batter in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.  Alternatively, freeze the batters one at a time in an ice cream maker and spread in alternating layers in a freezer-safe storage container.

Source: adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

This recipe is from the early months of the blog.  It has been buried deep within the archives and disguised with one of the worst photos I have ever taken.  But because this soup is what made me realize that not all tomato soup is as disgusting as what comes in a can, it needed to be rescued and reintroduced.  This is one of my very favorite soups, and when paired with a grilled cheese panini on fresh homemade sourdough, it just doesn’t get much better.  Even though my temporary heartburn currently makes all soup an unpleasant experience, I just couldn’t go the whole winter without enjoying this meal at least once.  And even though most of us are ready for the cold weather to make a speedy retreat, I know better.  It’s going to stick around for a while longer with little bursts of warmth in between.  When one of those blustery days shows its ugly face, be ready.  You can make this soup with a grilled cheese, sit inside nice and cozy and wait out the cold just a little bit longer.

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup
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Ingredients:
3 lbs. ripe tomatoes, halved with seeds scooped out
¼ cup plus 2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. kosher salt
1½ tsp. black pepper
2 tbsp. butter
2 cups chopped onion
6 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp. red pepper flakes
1 (28 oz.) can whole tomatoes
2 cups fresh basil leaves, torn
1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
4 cups low-sodium chicken stock

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400˚ F.  Combine the tomato halves, ¼ cup of olive oil, salt and pepper in a large bowl; toss well to combine.  Spread the tomato halves out on a large baking sheet.  Roast the tomatoes for 45 minutes.

In a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat, combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil with the butter and heat until the butter is melted.  Add the onions, garlic and red pepper flakes to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly soften, about 7-10 minutes.  Add in the canned tomatoes, roasted tomatoes, basil, thyme and chicken stock.  Bring the mixture to a boil.  Lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, 40 minutes.

Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until completely smooth.  (Alternatively, you can use a blender or food processor.  If you do, be sure to vent the steam and be very careful not to spill the hot liquid!)

Source: passed on by Baking Blonde

Is that a child’s plate you see above?  No, it was mine.  But this meal was made with my little boy in mind.  You see, we have reached the difficult stage of toddler eating behavior.  (Well, truth be told, we reached it quite some time ago.)  I have spent way too many hours stressing about and over-analyzing his behaviors, all to come to the conclusion that he is a normal toddler and this is just part of it.  We have learned that he is not actually picky but the food battles we encounter with him are about control.  It’s even more obvious when we see him eat anything under the sun if my dad is the one feeding it to him.  We have all sorts of strategies to get through our meal times with him.  While we always make him try a few bites of what we are eating, we don’t want meals to become a negative experience due to force feeding attempts.

Even though my little man has shown quite varied tastes in general, one typical toddler thing about him is his love of chicken nuggets and fries.  Since I’m not about to pull a bag of fries or nuggets out of my freezer, this meal is my alternative.  It is one of a handful of meals that I can make and know with certainty that all three of us will be eating it without complaint or drama.  That kind of peace is so valuable, it makes me want to put this on the menu every week.  The baked oven fries seen above are an ideal compliment to the chicken strips, not because of taste but also because they bake at the exact same temperature on the opposite oven rack.  It’s like these two things were meant to be made together!

Crispy Baked Chicken Fingers
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Ingredients:
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
2 tbsp. canola oil
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
3 large egg whites
1 tbsp. water
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. minced fresh thyme or ¼ tsp. dried
Cooking spray
1½ lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into ¾-inch wide strips

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 475˚ F.  In a large skillet, toss the panko with the oil.  Toast over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 8-10 minutes.  Transfer the toasted crumbs to a shallow dish or pie plate.

In a second shallow dish, whisk together the flour, garlic powder, salt, and cayenne pepper.  In a bowl, whisk together the egg whites, water, mustard and thyme.

Spray a wire rack lightly with cooking spray and place over a rimmed baking sheet.  Working in batches, dredge a few pieces of the chicken in the flour, then the egg whites, and finally the breadcrumbs to coat, shaking off the excess between each step.  Lay the coated pieces on the prepared wire rack and repeat with the remaining chicken.

Spray the tops of the chicken pieces lightly with the cooking spray.  Bake until the chicken is cooked through, 10-12 minutes.  Serve warm.

Source: America’s Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook

Rice krispie treats will forever be a favorite dessert item of mine.  Throughout my entire childhood, I don’t think I ever experienced any flavor other than the traditional vanilla version.  The snazziest I encountered was a red- or green-colored version at the holidays through the magic of food coloring.  Believe me, I still love the classic flavor to this day, but I am very grateful that the blogosphere has introduced me to other wonderful varieties such as cookies and cream, black and white, and caramel cocoa crispy bars.  You can imagine my excitement as a butterscotch addict when I encountered this version.  Peanut butter and honey are mixed into the cereal layer, and the top layer is a mixture of chocolate and butterscotch.  As you might have guessed, this flavor combination makes them irresistible.  In fact, I had to call my girlfriend that lives about 30 seconds away and have her take some off our hands before we plowed through them all on our own.  Being the wonderful friend that she is, she was happy to help us out.  That is what friends are for!

Peanut Butterscotch Chocolate Crispy Bars
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Yield: 30-36 bars
Ingredients:
6 cups puffed rice cereal
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup honey
1 cup sugar
12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
12 0z. butterscotch chips

Directions:
Combine the puffed rice cereal and the peanut butter in a large mixing bowl (do not mix yet).  Set aside.  Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.

Combine the honey and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.  Cook, stirring occasionally, just until boiling.  Immediately remove from the heat and pour the hot mixture over the peanut butter and rice cereal.  Mix well with a spoon or spatula until the peanut butter is completely melted and all ingredients are evenly combined.

Press the mixture in an even layer in the prepared baking pan.  Combine the chocolate chips and butterscotch chips in a heatproof bowl set over a bowl of simmering water.  Heat, stirring occasionally until completely melted and smooth.  Pour over the cereal layer and smooth with a spatula.  Cover and chill until the top layer is set before slicing into bars.

Source: Pennies on a Platter

Just as much as I appreciate a quick and simple meal, I also really enjoy making more involved meals when I have the opportunity.  For me, so much of the joy of cooking is in the process.  I love spending time in the kitchen, taking care in each step to make a meal the best it can be.  This year, as a birthday gift to myself, I made this paella to share with friends.  Just the chance to prepare this dish and the challenge of trying something new and involved was exactly what I wanted.

Now I know there are lots of quicker versions of paella out there, but I wanted to go for the real thing.  I saw this recipe in a magazine last summer and immediately knew that it was the version I wanted to make when I got around to trying it.  Despite the multiple steps involved, this actually took less time than I expected.  Now I’ve never had paella in Spain so I can’t compare, but this turned out even better than I was hoping for.  My only disappointment was that the texture of the rice seemed a bit creamier than is typical of paella, and I know that is due to the fact that I didn’t use bomba rice because I couldn’t find it anywhere.  I’m already looking forward to trying again with the correct type of rice, and maybe with other combinations of protein besides just seafood.  If you enjoy cooking for the sake of cooking, I definitely recommend paella.  It is fun to make and the final product is something to be proud of.

Seafood Paella
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Yield: 4-6 servings
Ingredients:
¼ tsp. crumbled saffron threads
1 cup clam juice
1 small yellow onion (about 4 oz.)
2-3 ripe tomatoes (about 12 oz.)
¼ cup plus 2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped plus 4 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole
½ tsp. smoked paprika
Kosher salt
12 large (31-40/lb.) shrimp, peeled with tails intact and deveined (shells reserved)
1 lb. mussels, rinsed
1¾ cups Spanish bomba rice
12 sea scallops
1 lemon, cut into wedges

Directions:
In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, toast the saffron over 30-60 seconds.  Remove the pan from the heat.  Finely crush the saffron threads with the back of a spoon.  Add the clam juice to the pan and return to the burner.  Bring to a boil.  Once the mixture reaches a boil, remove from the heat, cover, and set aside to infuse.

To make the sofrito, halve and peel the onion.  Grate the onion halves on the largest holes of a box grater to get about 1/3 cup of onion puree.  Cut the tomatoes in half horizontally.  Grate the tomato halves on the box grater down to the skin to get about 1¼ cups juicy tomato pulp.  Place a 14- to 16-inch paella pan over medium-low heat.  Add ¼ cup of the oil to the pan.  Once the oil is hot, add the onion to the pan, stirring occasionally, until it softens and darkens slightly, about 4 minutes.  Stir in the tomato pulp, chopped and whole garlic, paprika, and ¼ teaspoon of salt.  Cook the mixture in the center of the pan, stirring frequently, until it’s deep, dark red and very thick, 30-40 minutes.  Adjust the heat as needed, taking care not to let it burn.  If the mixture starts to stick, add a bit of water and scrape to deglaze the pan.

While the sofrito is cooking, add the shrimp shells to a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shells are dry and pink, 2-3 minutes.  Add 5 cups of water to the pan and bring to a boil.  Pick through the mussels to find the 12 smallest.  Remove the beards if present, and reserve in the refrigerator.  Add the remaining mussels to the pot with the boiling water.  Cover, reduce the heat to low, and and simmer for 10 minutes.  Strain the broth into a 2-quart measure, discarding the shells and mussels.  Add the saffron-clam broth and 1½ teaspoon salt to the shrimp-mussel broth.  Measure out 5¼ cups of the broth, reserving the remainder.

When the sofrito is finished, add the rice to the paella pan and cook briefly over medium heat, stirring constantly to combine, 1-2 minutes.  Spread the rice evenly over the pan, increase the heat to high and slowly add the 5¼ cups broth, trying to keep the rice in an even layer.  From this point on, do not stir the rice.  Bring to a boil and then adjust the heat to maintain a vigorous simmer, repositioning the pan as necessary so it bubbles all the way to the edges.  Simmer vigorously until the rice appears at the level of the broth, about 8 minutes.

Arrange the reserved mussels in the pan, spacing them evenly.  Reduce the heat so the broth maintains a more moderate simmer and after another 5 minutes, arrange the shrimp in the pan, pressing them into the rice.  Continue to simmer until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender but still firm, about 5 minutes more.  The rice needs to simmer for roughly 18 minutes total.  (If the broth seems to be evaporating too quickly, cover loosely with foil or add a bit more broth or water, ¼ cup at a time as needed.)

While the paella cooks, lightly season the scallops with salt.  Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the scallops and cook until nicely browned on both sides and just cooked through, 2-3 minutes per side.

When the rice is done, arrange the scallops on top of the paella.  Check for any caramelized rice sticking to the pan by using a spoon to feel for resistance on the bottom of the pan.  Check in multiple areas, especially the center.  If none of the rice is caramelized, increase the heat to medium-high and cook, moving the pan around, until you hear a good deal of cracking and feel resistance, about 1-2 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat.  Cover with foil or a dishtowel and let rest 5-10 minutes.  Arrange lemon wedges around the perimeter of the pan and serve.

Source: Fine Cooking, June/July 2010

Everyone deserves a celebratory drink now and then, even pregnant women.  That is what mocktails are for.  In other words, cocktails minus the alcohol.   I have had a great virgin mixology book sitting on my shelf largely unused but now I am taking advantage.  Just about anything is more exciting than my old standby – ice water, with a wedge of lemon if I’m getting really crazy.   This particular beverage includes pomegranate juice and soda, white grape juice and frozen blueberries for a sweet-tart dose of antioxidants.  Realistically of course, this still tastes mostly like juice but the addition of pomegranate soda (I used Izze) helps kick it up a bit.

Even if you personally have no use for mocktails, it is still nice to have some recipes available in case you host guests that abstain from alcohol for any reason.  The recipes are typically sized for a single serving, but can be easily multiplied.  Another nice thing about this particular book is that they have little notes about how to “de-virginize” a drink for someone who would like to enjoy an alcoholic beverage.  This flexibility is especially nice when serving a mixed crowd, some who want the real stuff and some who don’t.

Pomegranate Blueberry Mocktail
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Ingredients:
¼ cup fresh or frozen blueberries
3 oz. pomegranate soda
3 oz. pomegranate juice
2 oz. white grape juice
Lemon slices, for garnish

Directions:
Add blueberries to a tall glass and mash slightly.  Fill glass with ice, if desired.  Combine the soda, pomegranate juice and white grape juice.  Pour the mixture into the glass with the blueberries and garnish with a slice of lemon.

*To de-virginize, add 1 oz. vodka and ½ oz. pomegranate liqueur.

Source: Preggatinis by Natalie Nelsen

The night I made this soup for dinner, I was completely exhausted.  I’m not exactly sure why, but if I had to guess I’d say maybe it has something to do with the combination of full time job plus toddler son plus the third trimester of pregnancy.  I was thisclose to scrapping it and going for something like a grilled cheese or a bowl of cereal.  But, I’d already bought the ingredients and I knew this was more nutritious than anything else I might throw together.  I didn’t want to waste the ingredients, and I really try to stick to my meal plans, so I rallied and made the soup.  Not only did it taste far better than I expected, it was so quick and easy it really didn’t require much more effort than grilled cheese.  We were both nuts about this soup and it will be making many reappearances on our future weekly menus, especially during weeks when I know I will be busy and tired.  Win!

Tortellini Soup
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Yield: 3-4 servings
Ingredients:
1 tbsp. olive oil
½ cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp. dried oregano
1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes, with juices
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
9 oz. tortellini, any variety (fresh or frozen)
3 cups fresh baby spinach, loosely packed
Salt and pepper
Grated Parmesan, for serving

Directions:
In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add the onions to the pan and cook until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes.  Add in the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, just until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Mix in the oregano and diced tomatoes.  Add the broth to the pot.  Bring the mixture to a boil.  Add the tortellini to the pot and cook according to the package directions.  One minute before the tortellini is fully cooked, stir in the spinach.  Remove from the heat.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve warm with grated Parmesan as desired.

Source: slightly adapted from The Well-Fed Newlyweds via Tasty Kitchen

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!  I know a lot of you probably did at least some of your celebrating over the weekend, but just in case you still wanted to make a fun and festive treat for your sweetie, kids, friends or neighbors, here is one more idea.  I purposely saved these for today because they really are an simple last minute option.  Now, I know what you’re thinking – they look complicated.  But, they require only four ingredients, all of which are probably in your house right now.  And despite their looks, they are actually very simple to make.  The best kind of holiday treat – easy and impressive!  The batter does need to chill for one hour, so that gives you just enough time to write out sweet little love notes to stick inside.

The thing with these cookies is that they are all about timing.  You really only want to bake 3-4 at a time because once they come out of the oven, there is a short window for shaping.   Immediately out of the oven the cookies will be too soft to pick up, not to mention too hot to handle, so you need to wait briefly before peeling them off the parchment (20-30 seconds).  If you wait too long, the cookie will be too stiff to shape but not to worry – you can pop them back in the oven for about 15 seconds to get them flexible again.  I would just expect your first cookie or two to be an exercise in trial and error until you find exactly what works best for you.

You may want to write some fortunes or sweet notes (or jokes, like me :)) that are personalized for a particular loved one.  In that case, I recommend placing them on separate bowls for cooling, and then using a particular combination of dipping chocolate and sprinkles so that you know exactly which cookies are meant for a certain person.  These are certainly not exclusive to Valentine’s Day, and would be adorable if made to coordinate with a party or shower theme as favors.  I’ve never been all that fond of the taste of fortune cookies and usually only take one to read the fortune, not for eating.  These taste slightly better than the usual but for me, the point of these is really the novelty and not so much the taste.  Anyway, I hope some of you decide to whip these up for your special someone.  I’ll bet it brings a smile to their face!

Fortune Cookies
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Yield: about 20-24 cookies
Ingredients:
For the cookies:
½ cup all-purpose or bread flour
½ cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract (or ½ tsp. vanilla plus ½ tsp. almond extract)
2 large egg whites

For decorating (optional):
Melted chocolate or colored candy melts
Sprinkles

Directions:
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, vanilla extract and egg whites.  Process until completely blended and smooth. (Alternatively, you can use a blender or even a bowl with a whisk – just be sure there are no lumps in the batter.) Place in a covered container and chill for 1 hour.

While the batter is chilling, cut small strips of paper and write fortunes on them.

Fold up so that they will fit inside the shaped cookies.

Preheat the oven to 400˚ F.  Trace 3 or 4 3-inch circles on a piece of parchment paper.*  Flip the paper over and place on a baking sheet.

Spoon 1 teaspoon of the batter into the center of each of the drawn circles.  Gently spread the batter to fill the traced circles.

Bake for 5-6 minutes, until the cookies are just lightly browned around the edges but still light toward the the centers.

Let the cookies sit about 20-30 seconds before removing them from the parchment.

Working quickly, place one of the folded fortunes in the center of a cookie and fold the cookie over into a semi-circle.  Gently bend the cookie over the edge of a bowl or cup to bend in half.  Let sit to cool on the edge of the bowl while baking and shaping the remaining cookies.  If the cookies on the sheet become too stiff to work with, return to the oven for 15 seconds so that they become malleable again.  Repeat this process with the remaining batter, baking 3-4 cookies at a time.

Dip a portion of each cookie in melted chocolate or candy melts and sprinkles as desired.  Let chocolate set completely before packaging and serving.

*If you do not have parchment paper, you can also use a silicone baking mat sprayed very lightly with a bit of cooking spray, rubbed around in an even layer.  Another option is to use a plain baking sheet sprayed and rubbed lightly with a bit of cooking spray.  In this case, a thin metal spatula will be necessary to help remove the cookies from the baking sheet.  With both of these methods, you will have to eyeball the size of the circles and be careful not to spread the batter too thick or too thin.

Source: adapted from Cooking Light via Our Best Bites

Are you looking for a show-stopping dessert?  Something light and fresh?  Look no further.  These individual berry charlottes fit the bill.  I have always, always wanted to make a charlotte.  They are so beautiful and seemingly complex.  A dessert filled with mousse, topped with fresh berries and tied with a bow is right up my alley.  Over a year ago I purchased a regular charlotte mold as well as individual ring molds with this goal in mind.  What took me so long?  For one thing, I’ve never been extremely fond of lady fingers.  Up to this point the only kind I had tried were store bought, and those are nothing to write home about.  Mostly, I had just built these up in my head so much that I didn’t think the real life result would live up to my idea of them.

Finally, inspired by Valentine’s Day coming up and the fresh berries at the store, I decided it was time to get over my anxieties and just go for it.  I am so, so glad I did.  These individual desserts were lovely, light and refreshing.  It turns out homemade lady fingers are worlds better than the purchased variety.  (Though, don’t forget the step of sprinkling powdered sugar on them before baking!  They look much prettier than without the sugar.)  I am really excited to try more varieties of charlottes when other fruits are in season.  I think they would be an ideal Valentine’s Day dessert, but even more they call to mind an elegant bridal or baby shower.

On a related note, I must say how thrilled I am that my son is learning phrases like “ladyfingers”, “blackberry mousse” and “raspberry mousse”.  I have a very sophisticated two year old :)  He loved everything about these, the mousse in particular.  And I loved watching him enjoy it!

Individual Berry Charlottes
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Yield: 4-5 individual charlottes
Ingredients:
For the ladyfingers:
3 large eggs, separated
½ cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted, plus more for sprinkling
1/3 cup granulated sugar
½ cup all-purpose flour

For the blackberry mousse:
½ cup strained blackberry puree
2 tsp. granulated sugar
½ tsp. gelatin
1½ tsp. cold water
½ cup heavy cream

For the raspberry mousse:
½ cup strained raspberry puree
2 tsp. granulated sugar
½ tsp. gelatin
1½ tsp. cold water
½ cup heavy cream

Fresh berries, for serving

Directions:
To make the lady fingers, place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.  Beat on medium-high speed until foamy.  Gradually add the sifted confectioners’ sugar, and continue whipping the egg whites until a stiff, glossy meringue forms.  Transfer the meringue mixture to a medium mixing bowl.  In the empty mixer bowl, now fitted with the flat beater, combine the egg yolks and granulated sugar.  Beat on medium speed until thick and pale yellow.  With a spatula, fold the egg yolk mixture into the meringue until smooth and blended, taking care not to deflate the egg whites.  Gently fold in the flour until no streaks remain.

Preheat the oven to 375˚ F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.  Transfer the batter to a pastry bag fitted with a plain round tip.  Pipe the ladyfingers onto the prepared baking pans, about 3 inches long and 1 inch wide.  Additionally, pipe small rounds for the bases of the charlottes (about 2½-3 inches in diameter).  Sprinkle additional confectioners’ sugar over the piped ladyfingers.  Bake until light golden, about 10 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking.  Let cool on the pans 10-15 minutes, then remove the ladyfingers and cake bases to a wire rack to cool completely.  (Yield: approximately 36 ladyfingers plus 4 cake bases)

To make the blackberry mousse, combine the blackberry puree and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Bring to a boil.  While the mixture is heating, combine the gelatin and water in a small bowl to soften.  Once the fruit puree reaches a boil, remove from the heat.  Stir in the softened gelatin mixture.  Let cool to room temperature.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form (be careful not to overbeat!)  With a spatula, gently fold in the fruit puree until well mixed and no streaks remain.

To assemble the charlottes, place a cake disk inside the bottom of each 3-inch ring mold on a flat plate or baking sheet.

Line the edges of the mold with upright ladyfingers, flat sides facing toward the center.

With the blackberry mousse in a pastry bag fitted with a large plain round tip, pipe some of the mousse so that it comes approximately halfway up the height of the ladyfingers.  Transfer to the freezer to let the mousse set, about 30 minutes.

To make the raspberry mousse, combine the raspberry puree and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Bring to a boil.  While the mixture is heating, combine the gelatin and water in a small bowl to soften.  Once the fruit puree reaches a boil, remove from the heat.  Stir in the softened gelatin mixture.  Let cool to room temperature.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form (be careful not to overbeat!)  With a spatula, gently fold in the fruit puree until well mixed and no streaks remain.

Fill a pastry bag fitted with a large plain round tip with the raspberry mousse.  Pipe a layer of the mousse into the center of the charlottes, leaving at least ½-inch of exposed ladyfingers to act as a rim for the berry topping.  Transfer the charlottes to the refrigerator to chill the mousse until ready to serve.

Before serving, gently remove the ring molds from the charlottes.  Tie a decorative bow around the outside of each cake.  Top with fresh berries and serve chilled.

Source: adapted from Cannelle et Vanille

Lobster is without a doubt one of my very favorite foods.  It is something I don’t eat frequently, given that I live in Indiana and good quality lobster in these parts is a bit pricey.  Every once in a while, maybe once or twice a year, I make lobster tails at home for a special meal.  Since lobster is one of those foods that is frequently associated with Valentine’s Day, and consequently lots of stores will have sales on lobster this weekend, I thought I would share some tips on how to prepare it at home.  I’ll give the usual disclaimer that I am certainly no expert in this area, and as with many things, there are lots of different ways you can do this.  What I show here is my personal preference.

Of course the most important thing is to start with good quality lobster, something that was recently caught (and flown in, if you are landlocked like me).  The beauty of lobster, like so many good quality seafoods, is that a very simplistic preparation is often the best option to highlight the flavor of the meat.  Steaming lobster is another popular cooking method, but I like to broil it.  There is really no recipe required here because all you need is lobster tails, salted butter, and lemon for serving.

If you would like to serve your lobster with clarified butter (and I think that you should), making it couldn’t be easier.  Basically, you melt salted butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat.  When the butter is fully melted, there should be a layer of butterfat solids floating on top.  Skim that off with a spoon and discard.  And there you have it!  Clarified, or drawn, butter.  Once I have skimmed the solids, I like to leave the drawn butter over low heat to keep it warm until the lobster is ready to serve.

To prep and cook the lobster, first preheat the broiler.  Place an oven rack at the second highest position.

Cover a baking sheet with foil and place the lobster tails on the pan.

Use a pair of kitchen shears to cut a slit up the center of the shell, doing your best to cut the shell and not the meat (it’s not a big deal if you do cut the meat though.)

Carefully open the shells along the midline cut you made, taking care to avoid scratching yourself (the shells can be very sharp!)  When the opening is large enough, gently separate the lobster meat from the inside of the shell with your fingers.  When the whole segment of meat has been peeled away from the shell, lift it up and out of the opening so that it is sitting on top of the shell.  Brush the lobster meat lightly with melted butter.  Place under the broiler and cook until the meat is opaque and cooked through, 6-9 minutes (depending on the size of the lobster tail).  Serve immediately with fresh lemon wedges and drawn butter.

Yum.

Have you ever tried a chocolate sugar cookie?  Up until last week, I had not.  Holy cow, have I been missing out.  They are wonderful…they hold their shape while baking, but are still nice and soft when you take a bite.  And so chocolatey, the whole house ended up smelling like chocolate the day I baked these.  It was heavenly.  Normally I am quite restrained around all the baked goods I make, but I could not keep my hands off of these and neither could Ben.  I will warn you now that the batch of dough is on the small side.  Of course the yield depends on the size and shape of the cookie cutter you use, but I am almost certain I will double the batch from now on.  It’s always better to have too many chocolate cookies than not enough, right?  ;)

These little square cookies reminded me of postage stamps, so I decorated them like that.  And I made them 25¢ – a nicer number than what stamps actually cost these days.

Chocolate Sugar Cookies
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Ingredients:
¾ cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
6 tbsp. (3 oz.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup confectioners’ sugar
1 large egg
½ tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
In a small bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder and salt; whisk to blend and set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar.  Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.  Blend in the egg and vanilla.  With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated and no streaks remain.  Form the dough into a disc, wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, 1-2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 325˚ F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.  On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough out to about ¼-inch thickness.  Cut out desired shapes with cookie cutters and place cut outs on the prepared baking sheet.  Bake 10-12 minutes, just until set.  Let cool on the baking sheet about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  Decorate as desired.

*Note – The yield of this recipe will depend on the size and shape of cookie cutter you use, so an accurate estimate is not possible.

Source: Martha Stewart

When I did my main royal icing tutorial, I did not cover how to make a spotted background or how to do marbling.  I’ve had quite a few questions about it since then, so I thought I would do a quick step-by-step of the process.  One thing that is great about cookies with the marbling effect (like the hearts seen here) is that it looks so nice on its own, no additional detailing is required afterward.  This means the decorating process takes significantly less time because once the icing dries, the cookies are finished.  I made these in a couple of hours during a snow day last week.

First, gather all your supplies together.  Have your royal icing made in all the colors you plan to use.

Pipe the border…

Be sure to have all your thinned icing for flooding ready to go at the same time.  As much as possible, try to make all of the colors of flooding icing approximately the same consistency.

Start out by flooding the cookie as usual.

Drop dots of the second icing color into the just-flooded cookie.  (If you are going for a dotted background rather than the marble effect, stop here – you’re done!)

If you do want to marble the colors (or in this case, make little hearts), drag a toothpick through the center of the dots.

Voila!   (When the colors are so contrasting as seen here, they may sometimes bleed into each other.  I actually think it looks cool for the marbling effect.)

I love this one :)

This was my absolute favorite.  I really wish I had thought of that design before the very last cookie.

Sweet!

I’m showing you this recipe right now so you have ample time to plan ahead.  Make it this weekend as breakfast in bed for your Valentine.  Or, if you aren’t into Valentine’s Day, just make it anyway for someone special.  Or, hint around this week so your special someone makes it for you :)  This recipe was a breakthrough in our household.  You see, I’ve never been a fan of French toast.  Though it does taste yummy, the texture has always been a deal breaker for me.  Who wants a plate of eggy, soggy toast made soggier with syrup?  Not I.  But, Ben has always loved French toast so I try to keep an eye out for recipes.

While browsing around the recipes on Williams Sonoma’s website, I saw a few variations on stuffed French toast, and I was intrigued.  That sounded like something I could get on board with.  Yummy tasting toast plus delicious filling?  The only issue remaining was how to remedy the super soggy texture.  I referenced the basic French toast recipe in The New Best Recipe.  Of course, ATK has a great strategy for preventing too much of the egg mixture.  Adding flour to the mix helps the right amount of egg mixture to soak in – just enough that the bread is tender with good flavor, and a nice crisp exterior.  This was a huge hit with our family.  Me, the former French toast hater, Andrew, who had never tried French toast before, and Ben who loved it so much he talked about it for days (weeks?) afterward.  I’m really excited now because this has opened up a new breakfast realm for me.  I have so many ideas for filling and flavor variations that the only problem now is deciding which to try next.

Strawberry Stuffed French Toast
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Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients:
For the filling:
1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
2 tbsp. sugar
4 oz. cream cheese, softened

For the toast:
4 thick slices bread, such as challah or soft Italian bread
1 large egg
¾ cup milk
2 tbsp. melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. salt
Unsalted butter

Maple syrup, powdered sugar and additional fresh strawberries for serving

Directions:
To make the filling, combine the sliced strawberries and sugar in a medium bowl.  Mix well and set aside to macerate for about 15 minutes.  Stir in the cream cheese until well blended.

To prepare the toast, carefully slice a pocket into the center of each slice of bread, taking care not to cut all the way through to the other side.  Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  In a shallow baking dish or pie plate, whisk together the egg and milk.  Whisk in the melted butter and vanilla.  Stir in the flour, cinnamon and salt and whisk until smooth.  Fill the pocket of each slice of bread with some of the filling mixture.  One or two at a time, place the filled slices of bread in the egg mixture, soaking about 30-40 seconds per side.  Remove the bread and allow the excess batter to drip off.  Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining bread slices.

Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the heated skillet and swirl to coat.  Add the filled slices of toast to the skillet in a single layer.  Cook until light golden brown and crisp, about 1-2 minutes per side.  Repeat with the remaining slices of bread, adding more butter to the skillet as needed.  Serve immediately with maple syrup, powdered sugar and fresh strawberries as desired.

Source: heavily adapted from Williams Sonoma and The New Best Recipe

Sometimes a meal is so good, I have to share it with you right away. This is one of those times. When given the choice, I’ve never been one to choose thin crust pizza over regular, but hey, it’s still pizza and I’ll eat it if it is available. As soon as I saw a recipe for thin crust pizza in the latest issue of Cook’s Illustrated, I was intrigued. After all, these are the same people who created the recipe for the best traditional pizza dough ever.

The process for this dough is interesting. The dough is mixed up using ice water, and then refrigerated for 24 hours-3 days. The cool temperatures prevent over-rising and keep the crust, well, thin. Although it does require a bit of planning ahead, it is actually quite flexible since there is a two day window of when you can use the dough. I went ahead and made a full batch of dough, and froze half of it at the same time that I baked this pizza. Now we have an extra dough ball all ready to go. Guess what’s on the menu again this week?

The recipe also includes a basic pizza sauce that is delicious and extremely easy to make. Really, it takes less than 5 minutes. The yield is enough sauce for 3-4 pizzas, so that is saved in my freezer as well. You can certainly use whatever toppings you like, though it is important to use a light hand so that you don’t overwhelm the thin crust. I used the basic cheese topping suggested in the magazine (my favorite anyway) and loved it so much, I doubt I’ll try many variations.

Thin Crust Cheese Pizza
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Yield: 2 13-inch pizzas
Ingredients:
For the crust:
3 cups (16½ oz.) bread flour
2 tsp. sugar
½ tsp. instant yeast
1 1/3 cups ice water
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1½ tsp. salt

For the sauce:
1 (28 oz.) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. oregano
¼ tsp. ground black pepper

For topping:
Olive oil, for brushing
½ cup (1 oz.) finely grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded whole-milk mozzarella

Directions:
To make the dough, combine the flour, sugar, and yeast in the bowl of a food processor* fitted with the metal blade. Pulse just to combine. With the machine running, add the ice water through the feed tube and process just until the dough is combined and all dry ingredients are incorporated, about 10 seconds. Let dough rest for 10 minutes.

Add the oil and salt to the dough. Process until the dough forms a smooth, tacky ball that clears the sides of the bowl, about 30-60 seconds. Remove the dough from the bowl, knead briefly on a lightly oiled work surface, about 1 minute. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 24 hours and up to 3 days. (After the period of refrigeration, the dough can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and frozen for later use.)

To make the sauce, combine all ingredients in a food processor. Blend until smooth, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a bowl or container and refrigerate until ready to use.

One hour before baking the pizza, adjust an oven rack to the second highest position and place a baking stone on the rack to preheat. Preheat the oven to 500˚ F. Remove the pizza dough from the refrigerator and divide in half. (If you plan to freeze a portion of the dough, this is the time to wrap in plastic, place in a freezer bag and freeze for later use.) Form each half into a ball and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Spray the dough balls lightly with cooking spray. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour.

To assemble the pizza, transfer a dough ball to a well floured work surface. Flatten into an 8-inch disk, leaving a slightly thicker edge around the rim. Using your hands, gently stretch the dough to a 12-inch circle. (I needed to use the rolling pin a bit to get my crust thin enough.) Transfer the dough to a well floured pizza peel and stretch to a 13-inch circle. Lightly brush the thicker edge of the disk with olive oil. Spread ½ cup of the pizza sauce over the dough. Sprinkle evenly with the grated Parmesan and the shredded mozzarella. Carefully transfer the pizza to the preheated baking stone. Bake until the cheese is bubbling and slightly browned, 10-12 minutes. Let cool about 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

*This dough can also be made in a stand mixer or by hand. Keep in mind, the idea is to avoid warming the dough, so a food processor or mixer is optimal.

Source: Cook’s Illustrated, January & February, 2011

My birthday was this week.  If you have been reading my blog a long time (or at least, since my last birthday) then you may remember that I like to make my own birthday cake.  For me, it’s an opportunity to make something new and fun, and spend some time playing in the kitchen.  You also may remember that for me, choosing what cake to make is an agonizing decision.  It doesn’t need to be, but I always make it into a big deal and I simply cannot make the choice myself.  This year I wrote down a list of all my potential cakes, numbered them, and asked Ben to choose a number.  And so I present to you this year’s winner, neapolitan layer cake.

As it turns out, this was a wonderful cake choice.  Every year growing up our nanny would bake each of us the birthday cake of our choice.  It was always simple, from a box with canned frosting, but it was what I was used to and I loved it.  My choice for as long as I can remember was strawberry cake with vanilla frosting, and it was delicious.  When it turned out that this cake was the winner of Ben’s random decision, I was happy because it is basically a much more involved version of that basic strawberry cake.

Baked goods such as this with several components are my favorite kind to make.  I love the complexity, and the ability to work on one part at a time, as I have time, and then see the whole thing come together into one awesome cake.  This includes layers of chocolate, vanilla and strawberry cake, as well as strawberry Swiss meringue buttercream frosting.  Three separate cake layers are baked and then torted to create six thin halves.  I only used one of the vanilla halves here.  If you decide to go that route, you might consider halving the amount of vanilla batter and then avoid ending up with an extra layer of cake – that’s probably what I will do next time.  This time I used a thin smear of vanilla buttercream between the cake layers to help them stick together, but next time I think I will use strawberry jam as was done in the original recipe.  That is mainly for appearances, as I felt the layer of frosting between the cake layers made the inside a little less visually impressive.  I really wanted to accent the top of the cake with chocolate and strawberry Whoppers, but my store didn’t have the strawberry kind in stock and I didn’t feel like making an extra trip just for that.  But I think it would look super cute!

This was very well received by the friends that came over for my birthday dinner.  It’s a fun, whimsical cake that made me feel more like a kid and less like I’m getting closer and closer to 30 :)  And as you can see, my little buddy enjoyed a little extra frosting during the decorating process.  He loves to help me in the kitchen, particularly when there is frosting involved.

Neapolitan Layer Cake:
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Ingredients:
For the chocolate cake:
¾ cup plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
6 tbsp. dark cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
¼ cup vegetable or canola oil
1 large egg
½ cup black coffee
½ cup buttermilk
1½ tsp. vanilla extract

For the white cake:
2 large egg whites
1¾ cup all-purpose flour
1½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup very cold water
½ tsp. vanilla extract
¼ tsp. almond extract

For the strawberry cake:
1¼ cups plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1¼ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
1½ oz. strawberry gelatin
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs
½ cup milk
1½ tsp. vanilla extract
¼ cup sweetened strawberry puree*

For the filling:
Easy vanilla buttercream or good quality strawberry jam

For the strawberry buttercream frosting:
1½ cups fresh strawberries (8 oz.), rinsed, hulled and coarsely chopped*
4 large egg whites
1¼ cups sugar
3 sticks (1½ cups) unsalted butter, at room temperature

*To make the strawberry puree, process partially thawed frozen strawberries with a bit of sugar in a blender or food processor until smooth.  If using sweetened frozen strawberries, no additional sugar is necessary.

Directions:
To make the chocolate cake, butter and flour the edges of a 9-inch round pan, shaking out the excess flour.  Line the bottom with a round of parchment.  In a small bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt; whisk to blend and set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the sugar, vegetable oil and egg.  Beat on medium speed until smooth, about 1-2 minutes.  With the mixer on low speed, blend in half of the dry ingredients, beating just until incorporated.  Blend in the coffee, buttermilk and vanilla just until smooth.  Beat in the remaining dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated.

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake, rotating halfway through, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack and let cool in the pan for 20 minutes.  Run a knife around the edges, then turn the cake out onto the rack and let cool completely.

To make the white cake, butter and flour the edges of a 9-inch round pan, shaking out the excess flour.  Line the bottom with a round of parchment.  In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt; whisk to blend and set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites on medium speed until foamy.  Increase speed to medium high and continue to beat until stiff peaks form.  Transfer the egg whites to another bowl and set aside.  In the bowl of the electric mixer now fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the sugar and butter, and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.  With the mixer on low speed, beat in half of the dry ingredients just until incorporated.  Blend in the water, vanilla and almond extracts.  Beat in the remaining dry ingredients just until incorporated.  With a silicone spatula, stir in about a quarter of the egg whites to lighten the batter.  Gently fold in the remaining egg whites, until the batter is smooth and no streaks remain.

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake, rotating halfway through, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack and let cool in the pan for 20 minutes.  Run a knife around the edges, then turn the cake out onto the rack and let cool completely.

To make the strawberry cake, butter and flour the edges of a 9-inch round pan, shaking out the excess flour.  Line the bottom with a round of parchment.  In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt; whisk to blend and set aside.  Combine the sugar, strawberry gelatin and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer.  Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.  Beat the eggs into the sugar mixture one at a time, mixing well after each addition.  With the mixer on low speed, add half of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix just until incorporated.  Blend in the milk and vanilla extract.  Add in the remaining dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated.  Blend in the strawberry puree.

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake, rotating halfway through, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack and let cool in the pan for 20 minutes.  Run a knife around the edges, then turn the cake out onto the rack and let cool completely.

To make the frosting, place the strawberries in a food processor or blender.  Puree until completely smooth.  Combine the egg whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water.  Heat, whisking frequently, until the mixture reaches 160° F and the sugar has dissolved.

Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer** fitted with the whisk attachment.  Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form and the mixture has cooled to room temperature, about 8 minutes.  (The bowl should be cool to the touch.)

Reduce the speed to medium and add the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, adding more once each addition has been incorporated.  If the frosting looks soupy or curdled, continue to beat on medium-high speed until thick and smooth again, about 3-5 minutes more (or longer – don’t worry, it will come together!)  Blend in the strawberry puree until smooth and completely incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

To assemble the cake, torte each of the cake layers horizontally into two thin halves.  Place one of the chocolate layers on a cake board or cake platter.  Top with a very thin layer of the vanilla buttercream or strawberry jam.  Place a layer of the strawberry cake on top.  Again, cover with a thin layer of vanilla buttercream or strawberry jam.  Top with a layer of the white cake.  Cover with a thin layer of the vanilla buttercream or strawberry jam.  Repeat the process with the remaining layers of chocolate and strawberry cake.  (For a taller cake, you can use the remaining layer of white cake.  Otherwise, you can wrap tightly and save for later use or discard.)  Frost the top and sides of the cake with the strawberry buttercream.  Transfer remaining buttercream to a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip for detailing as desired.

Source: adapted from Sweetapolita

Do you have a favorite kind of bread?  Personally I am a lover of all carbs, bread in particular.  French baguettes, ciabatta, focaccia, brioche, bagels – you name it, I love it.  But if I were to choose my very favorite type of bread, it would be sourdough.  Strangely, sourdough is the one kind of bread I have not made at home since becoming comfortable baking with yeast.  As you may know, sourdough requires a starter to give it that slightly sour flavor.  I’ve made many breads that require a sponge or starter, but the starter for sourdough is a bit different.  It’s not the kind of thing you make once, the day before you make the bread, and only the exact amount you need.  You make it at least a week in advance, and even then you don’t use all of it so the rest can be stored and used again later.  It occasionally needs to be fed to maintain it.

Previously, I was slightly intimidated by the whole process.  It seemed too involved, high maintenance, whatever – I just wasn’t feeling it.  But you know what?  I was really not feeling the sourdough-less house, and I hate to go buy something I could make myself.  What to do then?  Learn how to make sourdough, starter and all!  And I’m sure it will come as no surprise – it’s not a big deal.  It’s really easy.  And so delicious.  So I’m here to demystify the process for you, because everyone should have fresh sourdough in their lives.  I’ll start by telling you about this sourdough primer at King Arthur Flour.  It is thorough and informative and can answer nearly any question you might have about sourdough.  I’ll give a basic overview here but for more in depth detail, definitely check their site.  Let me also say there are lots and lots of ways to make starters.  None of them are right or wrong.  This is just the method I chose based on the time available to me and the outcome I wanted.

Making a Sourdough Starter
You can make your own sourdough starter easily with ingredients you probably already have on hand.  Once you have it mixed up, it sits out at room temperature for about a week to attract wild yeasts and allow the fermentation process to occur, giving it that classic “sour” taste.  This is a basic sourdough starter and can be used in any recipe that calls for it.  Keep in mind that all sourdough starters may vary slightly in consistency, so the amount of liquid or dry ingredients in a bread recipe may need to be altered slightly to account for these differences.

Sourdough Starter
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Ingredients:
2 cups warm water
1 tbsp. sugar or honey
1 tbsp. active dry yeast
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Directions:

Pour the water into a 2-quart glass or ceramic jar or bowl.  Stir in the sugar or honey to dissolve.  Stir in the yeast.

Gradually whisk in the flour.  Cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel or dishcloth (not plastic wrap) and place it in a warm area.  (My kitchen in the winter definitely has no warm location, but my starter was just fine.)

Let it develop 2-5 days, stirring once a day due to the separation that will occur.  When bubbling has subsided and a sour aroma has developed, stir once more and refrigerate until ready to use.

Storing and Maintaining Your Starter
Once your starter is stored away in the refrigerator, it only needs to be replenished once every two weeks or so.  I put a little note to myself in my calendar as a reminder to either bake with or feed my starter.  You should feed your starter each time you remove a portion for use in baking, but if it has been two weeks and you don’t intend to bake with it immediately, simply remove a cup of the starter and discard.  For every 1 cup of starter removed, replace with 1 cup of flour and ½ cup of water.  Stir to blend, and let sit at room temperature for at least 12 hours before returning to the refrigerator.

(Please see the sourdough primer if you are interested in freezing or drying out your starter for later use.)

Making Sourdough Bread
Once your starter has developed, it is ready for use in bread, pancakes, and more!  Here’s how I make basic sourdough bread.

Sourdough Bread
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Yield: 2 large round loaves
Ingredients:
1½ cups lukewarm water (100˚ F)
4 tsp. active dry or instant yeast
1 tbsp. honey
1 cup sourdough starter
5½-6 cups bread flour, plus more as needed
1 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2½ tsp. salt
1 tbsp. bread flour mixed with 1 tbsp. yellow cornmeal

Directions:

In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk together the water, yeast, honey, and sourdough starter just until smooth.

Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until slightly increased in bulk and bubbly, about 1 hour.

With the flat beater attached to the mixer and the mixer on low speed, mix in 3 cups of the flour, the butter, eggs and salt.  Increase the speed to medium-low and mix until smooth, about 1 minute.  Add in 2 more cups of the flour and beat for 2 minutes.

Switch to the dough hook.  With the mixer on low speed, add the remaining flour, ¼ cup at a time, until a very soft dough forms that pulls away from the sides of the bowl.  Knead on low speed, adding a tablespoon of flour if the dough begins to stick, until the dough is smooth and elastic, tacky but not sticky, about 6 minutes.

Form the dough into a ball and transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1½-2 hours.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.  Sprinkle generously with the flour-cornmeal mixture.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface.

Divide the dough into two equal portions and form each into a tight, oval loaf.  Place the loaves on the prepared baking sheet, several inches apart.  Sprinkle the tops with flour and gently rub in.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in the refrigerator, 8-12 hours.

Place a baking stone on the lowest oven rack and preheat the oven to 450˚ F.  (If you don’t have a baking stone, use an overturned baking sheet.)

Using a thin sharp knife, make three slash marks over the top of each loaf.  (Oops, my knife wasn’t quite sharp enough!)   Place the baking sheet on the heated baking stone and bake for 10 minutes.  Reduce the oven temperature to 400˚ F and continue to bake until the loaves are golden brown, 25-30 minutes more.  Let cool completely on a wire rack before slicing and serving.

Source: starter and sourdough basics from King Arthur Flour, bread from Williams Sonoma

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – one of the things I love the most about food blogging is all of the great friendships I have made.  I have met a lot of really wonderful people through the foodie community, and this is proof.  A month or so ago my friend Courtney approached me about the possibility of throwing me a virtual baby shower.  How sweet is that?  I was thrilled about the idea, so she took charge and rounded up my food blogging girlfriends.

Everyone contributed a different dish for the baby shower – some sweet, some savory, and a mocktail as well!  I feel blessed to have so many wonderful friends willing to take the time to participate, and I am blown away by what a fantastic job they all did!  Delicious food and truly beautiful presentations.  I have included a photo and brief description of each dish, but please visit the blogs of the ladies to get more details and the full recipes for all these amazing creations.

Ashley of Delish made this lovely mock-champagne punch with ginger ale, pineapple juice and white grapefruit juice.  I’m definitely a cocktail girl and I have been missing them the last month or two so this is a perfect way to feel like I get to enjoy a celebratory drink with the rest of the girls.

Shawnda of Confections of a Foodie Bride made these gorgeous pink corn blinis with crab and avocado crema.  This is right up my alley.  I’ve never had blinis before but I can tell that this combo would be fantastic.  They look so fresh and light.  I will definitely be trying these in my own kitchen!

Amy of Sing for Your Supper made these adorable little chicken salad bites.  Chicken salad seems to be the quintessential bridal or baby shower food.  I don’t know why.  Probably because it is delicious!  I love the presentation in the little phyllo cups so that guests can enjoy a bite or two without committing to a full sandwich.  The radish garnish is beautiful as well.

Elly of Elly Says Opa! made these stuffed mushrooms as her contribution.  Her version includes pancetta, goat cheese and cream cheese – yum, yum, and yum.  In my opinion, and as has been proven time and time again at my parties and get togethers, not many appetizers are as addictive as stuffed mushrooms.  They are nearly always the first thing to disappear and it seems you just can’t make enough.  Great choice, Elly!

Nikki of Pennies on a Platter made these baby hummus sandwiches.  I suppose if there were any food more typical of showers than chicken salad, it would be finger sandwiches.  Who can resist such cute, dainty little bites?  I love that these are hummus and veggie sandwiches rather than something more standard like deli meat – plus, pregnant women shouldn’t be eating deli meat anyway!  I tend to eat hummus as a dip but I have just recently discovered the wonders of hummus and veggie sandwiches, so I am thrilled to see them here.

Josie of Pink Parsley Catering made these pimiento cheese fritters with sweet-spicy red pepper jelly.  I’ve never tried pimiento cheese before, but according to Josie it is a must-serve food for showers in the South.  I know I wouldn’t be able to resist fried cheese with a kick to it, and the pepper jelly for dipping is a perfect accompaniment.  I can’t wait to try these in my own kitchen!

Chelle of Brown Eyed Baker made these puff pastry tartlets with mushrooms, caramelized onions and gruyere.  They are elegant yet simple, and would be a welcome addition at any party.  Basically, she took several of my very favorite things (puff pastry, caramelized onions, gruyere = swoon) and combined them all into one fabulous appetizer.  Way to go, girl – I love them!  These will definitely be making an appearance at my next party.

Tara of Smells Like Home knows the way to this pregnant woman’s heart.  It is through my stomach, by way of chocolate – specifically chocolate malt sandwich cookies.  I’ve mentioned many times my love of chocolate cookies, so taking two chocolate cookies and sandwiching them with chocolatey filling?  Yeah, I’m all over it.

Shanon of The Curvy Carrot made these dainty little pink velvet cake truffles.  Shanon is one of my best friends in real life, as well as a talented blogger herself.  Since she knows me better than almost anyone, she knows red velvet is my favorite flavor of cake.  With that in mind, she made this pink velvet spin that is perfect for a baby girl shower.  Since we are friends and coworkers, I did have the opportunity to try these and I can tell you, they are fantastic.  Every bit as delicious as they look.

Kelsey of Apple a Day made butterscotch blondies with chocolate ganache.  This girl knows me well, so she combined two of my favorite things in one dessert – butterscotch and chocolate.  But not just chocolate – ganache, my favorite form of chocolate.  These little bars would be sure to disappear in no time with such an irresistible combination of flavors.

Lauren of Lauren’s Kitchen made this unbelievable brownie cheesecake trifle.  Brownies, cheesecake spread, strawberries and Oreos?  Holy yum.  I am so glad I do not have gestational diabetes because I’m really going to have to try this, stat.

Courtney of Cook Like a Champion and the wonderful hostess of this virtual shower made this positively stunning strawberry champagne ruffle cake.  If this is not the perfect cake for a baby girl shower, I don’t know what is.  Pretty, pink, and ruffled – it looks just like so many of the little outfits waiting in my little girl’s closet :)

Baby Girl and I say THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!  I feel extremely lucky to have such gracious and talented friends who are eager to welcome this little one!

As it turns out, I make quite a lot of vegetarian meals.  It’s not because I’m trying to go veggie – it’s mostly unintentional.  I have noticed looking at our recent meal plans that I cook meatless meals more than half the time.  More than anything I think it is just because I like to plan menus that have plenty of variety and have some healthy meals to balance out the less than healthy dishes.  I certainly feel lucky to have a husband who is so willing to eat just about anything I make, and never complains one bit about missing the meat.

This was my first time trying soba noodles.  I’ll admit I have been a bit hesitant to try them before because I had no idea what they would taste like and they look like, well, health food.  Not the kind of health food that tastes good naturally but the kind you have to force yourself to eat.  I mean, they are buckwheat noodles.  Even while they were boiling they smelled like health food.  I was very pleasantly surprised when I tried the dish and it was good…really good.  The noodles mostly tasted like regular noodles with a slightly nutty flavor.  The dish was both filling and nourishing.  And, it makes great leftovers.  If you’re looking for a way to introduce yourself to a new ingredient, or if you are already a fan of soba noodles, give this a try.  I’m looking forward to trying them in more recipes to come.

Sesame Soba Noodles
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Ingredients:
For the dressing:
½ cup reduced sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp. sesame oil
2 tbsp. canola oil
2 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
4 green onions, chopped
¼ cup cilantro, chopped

For the salad:
1 lb. soba noodles (or whole wheat pasta)
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced thin
1 cup shredded red cabbage
2 carrots, peeled and shredded
1½ cups edemame, shelled and cooked
Toasted sesame seeds, for serving

Directions:
To make the dressing, combine the soy sauce, sesame and canola oils, vinegar, garlic, green onions and cilantro in a small bowl.  Whisk well to blend.

Cook the soba noodles according to the package directions.  Drain well and rinse with cold water.  Transfer the noodles to a large mixing bowl with the vegetables.  Pour the dressing over the top and toss well so the noodles and vegetables are well coated with the dressing.  Serve cold or at room temperature and sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds.

Source: Aggie’s Kitchen via Tasty Kitchen Blog