Archive | September, 2008

Mittens to match

10 Sep

Here’s Lulu, proudly displaying her new pair of mittens.  I wanted to escape the road construction in front of my house so I finished the last one at the coffee shop this morning.

These will match the hat I made in August.  I’m working on a scarf for myself so the mittens were on the back burner for a bit.  It’s getting chilly, so I thought I should finish them before the snow shows up.  The pattern is free from Elizabeth Durand.  It’s a great pattern with two different sizes available.  She asks that if you use the pattern to also make at least one pair for a favorite charity.  I think I will be dropping some off at the local mitten tree. 

I was surprised by how quickly they knit up.  I made the first of the pair in one evening.  The other took two mornings at the coffee shop.  Probably could have done it in one morning, but there are lots of nice distractions there.  I don’t mind the distractions because when I’m there I don’t have to listen to those excavators.

SHF – the cure for procrastination

8 Sep

Why wait for Sugar High Friday to bake cupcakes when you can bake them on Monday?

I’ve been following (and enjoying) foodbeam for a while now.  So when Fanny, as guest host of SHF, asked us to bake cupcakes, I figured a making a batch was the least I could do.

 

Angelfood with a strawberry filling, topped with swirly white frosting.

I sorry to say, but I think by son is going to be disappointed when he gets home from school today.  He has strict rules on what a cupcake should be – devilsfood chocolate with white butter frosting and no filling.  My daughter on the other hand is thrilled with my decision. 

My grandmother made the best angelfood cakes that ever existed so naturally I used her recipe.  I wish I could tell you it’s a secret family recipe, but I’m fairly sure it’s from Betty Crocker.  I know one key to success is using eggs that are not at the peak of freshness.  Although, I doubt this is an issue with most grocery store eggs. 

For the filling I used a strawberry jam and simply swirled it in with a skewer.  Once the cupcakes were cooled, I topped them with a glossy meringue style frosting.

 

Angelfood Cake

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

1 1/4 cup sifted cake flour

2 cups sugar

1 3/4 cups egg whites (about 12)

1 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until frothy.  Add sugar (2 tablespoons at a time) until soft peaks form, but still moist and glossy.

Add salt, vanilla, and almond extract.

Sift about 1/4 of flour mixture over white.  Fold in.  Repeat folding in flour by fourths.

For the traditional tube cake – bake in ungreased 10 inch tube pan for 35 – 40 minutes.  Invert pan to cool.

For my cupcakes – put liners in cupcake pan and spoon in batter.  Top with teaspoon of strawberry jam and swirl gently with bamboo skewer.  Bake 20 minutes and cool on rack. 

Swoopy, swirly, marshmallowy, wonderfully sticky frosting

3 egg whites

pinch of salt

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup light corn syrup

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Combine egg whites,salt, sugar, and corn syrup on bowl and whisk together.  Place bowl over pan of simmering water.  Gently whisk until mixture reaches temperature of 130 degrees and sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat and beat with hand mixer until the icing is cooled, white, and fluffy.  Beat in vanilla.

dinner and a hike

7 Sep

Yesterday we were invited to a friend’s house for the evening.  They have an amazing property out in the country with cows grazing nearby and deer running over the hills.  The kids had a great time leading us on a hike through the prairie while picking apples and flowers along the way. 

When we made it back to the house we sat down to a supper with our choice of chicken and noodles with bits of carrots and corn or a cheesy cauliflower (we opted for both).  Along with that, homemade applesauce and bread.  I brought a dip with home-fried tortilla chips. 

Yesterday afternoon I was pressed for time so I was looking for something to share that was quick to make.

I’m sure there is nothing easier than making your own tortilla chips.  That is aside from buying a bag, but where’s the adventure in that? 

I cut plain flour tortillas into wedges and fried them in hot oil in shallow pan until they were golden on the edges then I flipped them to cook thoroughly.  This takes a matter of seconds rather than minutes.  Then they drain on a paper towel and get a sprinkle of kosher salt. 

 

 

The dip is adapted from the Southwestern Cheese Dip from Sara Foster’s, The Foster’s Market Cookbook.  It’s spicy and cool at the same time thanks to a mix of jalapeno and sour cream. 

Southwestern Cheese Dip

1 cup mayo

3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

3/4 cup sour cream

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 jalapeno, roasted, seeded, and chopped

One 4 oz. can chopped green chili peppers

1 roasted red bell pepper, peeled, cored, seeded and diced

3 scallions chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

3/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

The peppers can be roasted over a flame for a couple of minutes or in a 450 degree oven for 20 minutes.  If you are cooking them in the oven be sure to turn them a couple of times.  After they cool they peel easily.

Combine the ingredients and stir until well blended.  Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.  That’s it, just stir it up and put it in the fridge.

bitter disappointment

5 Sep

I made lime-zucchini and also orange-zucchini marmalade.  I’m trying to stick with the positive side of this, but let’s be realistic.  While I conquered my fear of canning, I was left with something that I thought tasted pretty bad.  The spouse thinks the lime is great and has been using it on crackers.  My dad thought the orange was good so I sent some home with him.  I have accepted once and for all that my mouth doesn’t do well with the bitter side of citrus.  This is something that I first realised when eating grapefruit.  While everyone else says it’s delicious, I taste acid.  Not yummy citrus acid - it’s bitter, bad acid.  It’s official, I will not be making marmalade anymore.   The good thing is that my canning was successful, so a new window has opened to make lots of sweet delicious fruit jams.

Mom’s Tornado Brownies

2 Sep

Earlier this year an F5 tornado ripped it’s way through my parents “neighborhood” (they live in the country).  My brother lived nearby and snapped this picture of the tornado heading straight towards him with his cell phone.  Then he headed to his basement.

My parents were lucky to have only minor damage, but most of their neighbors lost everything.  The process of  cleaning up and rebuilding is still ongoing.  My mom has been sharing all kinds of treats with the crews of people who are helping out.  These brownies have been a favorite.  She has been raving about them so much that I couldn’t take it anymore and I had to make them. 

Today was the day and they are worth all the raving.  Fudgy chocolate, gooey marshmallow, crunchy pecans – thank goodness there’s only an 8 x 8 pan.

Mom’s Tornado Brownies

1/2 cup butter cut into pieces (plus more for pan)

12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (divided)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon espresso powder disolved in 1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup AP flour

1 cup miniature marshmallows

1/2 cup chopped and toasted pecans (toast in a 350 degree oven on a cookie sheet for 8-10 minutes, stirring half way through)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter an 8 inch square baking pan and line with parchment.  Be sure to leave an overhang on the parchment and butter the parchment as well.

In a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, combine butter and 1 cup of the chocolate chips.  Stir occasionally, until they are just melted.

Remove bowl from heat and stir in sugars and salt.  Then add eggs and the espresso vanilla mixture.  Fold in the flour until just combined.  Spread batter evenly in prepared pan.  Bake until a toothpick insterted in center comes out with moist crumbs attached (about 35 minutes)

Remove from oven and sprinkle with the rest of the chocolate chips, then marshmallows and nuts.  Bake until chocolate is shiny and marshmallows are puffed (about 5 minutes)  Cool completely in pan. 

Once they were cool I put them in the fridge for a bit before cutting.  It seems to help them hold their shape as I cut.

why Iowa’s so great

1 Sep

Every corner of the US has it’s own special treat –

Here’s ours

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

sweet corn

Each variety has it’s own character.  Today it’s Bodacious.  Grilled with the husk on and covered with butter and salt.  Time to grab the napkins and dig in.

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