creamy corn with cilantro

it shouldn't be all that surprising to hear how often we eat mexican food in my house. with all the burritos, tacos for breakfast and dinner, salsa, taco salad, rice, quesadillas, baked eggs, and fajitas, i am always on the lookout for something new to add to the mexican rotation. and in this case, another way to mix corn - one of my favorite vegetables, especially now, when it's finally in season - with queso fresco, one of my new favorite cheeses.

it seemed like every week i was buying a new bag of shredded taco cheese blend to go with whatever taco, burrito, quesadilla or other stuffed-in-a-tortilla americanized mexican dish i planned to make that week. one week i took a chance on a three dollar brick of queso fresco in my supermarket instead, and i've never looked back. it's dry, crumbly, perfectly salty, and even though it  gets really soft when heated rather than melt completely, it goes along perfectly with whatever you've stuffed into your tortilla. and mixed into this corn. 

creamy corn with cilantro
adapted from marzipan, who adapted it from gourmet
15 minutes, serves 6 as a side

notice most of the recipe measurements are approximations, simply because i eyeballed almost everything when i made this. aren't a huge fan of cilantro? (really?!) then reduce it, or skip it all together. like your corn on the thick side? reduce the cream. and add more if you like your corn thinner.

1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
about 3/4 cup chopped scallions (or green onions)

1 garlic clove, minced

about 2 cups fresh corn cut off the cob or one ten ounce bag frozen corn
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon cornstarch
about 1/2 cup queso fresco, crumbled
about 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, minced

1. in a large saute pan, heat the butter over medium heat until melted. cook the scallions until soft, about five minutes. add the garlic, corn, and season with salt and pepper. cook an additional five minutes.
2. in a small bowl, whisk the cream and cornstarch together until smooth and no lumps of cornstarch remain. add to the corn and simmer until thickened, about three minutes.
3. remove the pan from the heat and stir in the queso fresco and cilantro. serve hot.

coconut lime pound cake

when i was a kid, i loved reaching my hand into a box of chocolates, taking a bite, and seeing what i got. and in our house, boxes of chocolate only came once a year, at christmas in the form of a four piece whitman's sampler, so you had better pick a good one. each and every year, as hard as i tried to avoid the coconut, it felt like i always chose it first. and the only thing worse to a kid with braces was the chewy chocolate covered caramel.

lucky for me, i grew up and discovered true coconut goodness - pina coladas, coconut popsicles, samoas. and now i can add this cake to the list. it's the perfect bite of tropical goodness, when instead of lying on the beach drinking a pina colada, you're stuck at your desk at work, day dreaming about your next island getaway. the only thing better? a real pina colada, sitting on the beach, in mid february.

coconut lime pound cake
adapted from honey & jam and seven spoons
1 hr 15 min, makes 1 loaf

for the cake:
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups sweetened or unsweetened coconut
finely grated zest of one lime, about 1 tablespoon
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

for the glaze:
juice from one lime
1 to 1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

1. preheat your oven to 350F. spray an 8 by 4 inch loaf pan with nonstick spray and set aside.
2. in a small bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, and vanilla and set aside.
3. in a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. stir in the sugar, coconut, and lime zest. make a well in the center and add the egg mixture, stir until combined. gently mix in the melted butter.
4. pour the batter into the pan and bake about one hour, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
5. remove from oven, and cool in the pan five to ten minutes. invert and finish cooling on a wire rack.
6. when the cake is cool, make the glaze. place the lime juice in a small bowl. add one cup confectioners sugar and whisk until blended. make the glaze to the consistency you like - add more confectioners sugar to make the glaze thicker or water to make it thinner. drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake.

check out more sweet treats at sweet tooth friday and sweets for a saturday!

dulce de leche brownies

remember the dulce de leche i made a couple weeks ago in my slow cooker? it's sole purpose was to end up in these brownies. a couple months after i started this blog, my cousin steve started his own blog dedicated to food. whereas i tend to steer clear of relatively complicated recipes most of the time, steve almost revels in them. he kicked off his blog with his own version of the alton brown smoker, a smoker built from terra cotta pots, a hot plate, and grill grate. but it doesn't stop there - there's strawberry rhubarb pie and italian style pizza. but what really gets me is his mexican - frijoles refritos and arroz a la mexicana & pork chile verde enchiladas - and these brownies.

these brownies are perfectly chocolatey, gooey, and rich. the sweetness of the dulce de leche is perfect with the not too sweet brownies. definitely a great combination.

which brings me to my next dilemma: what to do with the cup of dulce de leche i have left??
 
dulce de leche brownies
adapted from david lebovitz
1 hour, serves 9

8 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 cup cocoa powder
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1 cup dulce de leche

1. preheat your oven to 350F. line an eight inch square pan with aluminum foil, and make a foil sling, ensuring the ends hang over the sides, so the brownies can be lifted out of the pan. grease the foil with non stick spray and set aside.
2. melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat and add the chocolate. stir frequently until the chocolate is melted. remove from heat and whisk in the cocoa powder. add the eggs one at a time, then the sugar, vanilla, and flour, mixing after each addition.
3. put about half of the brownie batter into the pan. using about half of the dulce de lech, drop spoonfuls of dulce de leche in the brownie batter. drag a knife through the batter to make dulce de leche swirls. top with the remaining brownie batter, the rest of the dulce de leche, and swirl again. 
4. bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the center is firm. cool completely in the pan. use the foil sling to pull the brownies out of the pan and slice to serve.

great northern cornbread

along with those amazing peanut butter cookies, we had a huge spread of food for jason's birthday a couple weekends ago. i made another batch of homemade pickles and our good friend chris smoked pork and made cajun corn. this cornbread is the perfect accompaniment for barbecue - and i bet it would travel really well, also making it perfect for camping.

and if you're still buying cornmeal sold by a quaker, get out of that rut and into stone ground cornmeal. the difference is unbelievable. believe it or not, it's cheaper than the quaker in my grocery store.

great northern cornbread
adapted from baking illustrated
30 minutes, makes 9 servings

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup buttermilk
2/3 cup milk

1. preheat your oven to 425F. grease a nine inch square pan and set aside.
2. in a large bowl, whisk the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. make a well in the center and set aside.
3. add the eggs, buttermilk, and milk to the well. stir just until combined. add the melted butter and mix until combined.
4. pour the batter into the pan and bake, uncovered, about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
5. let cool completely in the pan before cutting and serving.

secret recipe club: minted pineapple lime agua fresca

this month, i have not one, but TWO recipes for the secret recipe club! since it's been abnormally hot and dry here - highs above 90 and 14+ days without rain - and from what i hear, it's hot everywhere, we could all use a nice, cold beverage. or a cold drink, if you live in our house.

i adapted this from paige's blog, recipe paiges. while her adaptation sounded great - pineapple juice + lime juice + seltzer - i couldn't help but add some mint and swap the seltzer for plain old water. with water, instead of carbonated seltzer, this keeps for a couple days. which is perfect when your husband is in orlando for the week and you're sipping this agua fresca on the patio for a couple evenings. and the mint. my mint is going crazy, so i seem to find any excuse to add it. and it adds an extra boost of refreshing.

what's the secret recipe club? it's a much better version of secret santa. each month participating bloggers are assigned another participating blogger to make a recipe from. you pick the recipe, adapt it as you wish, make it, and blog it on the same day as the other participating bloggers. click to find out more information or join.

minted pineapple lime agua fresca
adapted from recipe paiges, who adapted it from real mom kitchen, who adapted it from betty crocker
30 minutes, serves 4

if you don't like pulp in your pineapple juice, pour it through a fine mesh sieve first.

1/4 cup sugar
small bunch of fresh mint
2 cups pineapple juice
2 1/4 cups water, divided
1/4 cup lime juice
frozen pineapple juice for serving

1. add the sugar and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan. bring to a boil, remove from heat, and add the fresh mint. cover and let sit for about 30 minutes. strain the syrup.
2. in a pitcher, mix the cooled syrup, pineapple juice, 2 cups water, and lime juice. 
3. serve over frozen cubes of pineapple juice.

secret recipe club: breakfast tacos

it's time again for the secret recipe club! each month, when my i receive my assigned blog, i click the link, and the first thing i do is read the about page. i like to see where people are from, what their background is. how are we alike? do they live near me? what do they do for a living? the basics, really.

and then i start reading through posts to find inspiration. i start by going back as far as i can in the history. and then i look through the posts in the same month i am cooking from them. that way, i get the best of both worlds - reinvent an old recipe and cook something that fits in with the time of year.

this month, it was amber's blog, bluebonnets and brownies, that reminded me how great breakfast tacos can be. and since cilantro and tomatoes are in season now, i added some fresh pico de gallo and cilantro for a kick. i made these from some leftover roasted potatoes one saturday morning, but these could certainly fill in for a weeknight meal - or leave out the bacon for a meatless meal!

what's the secret recipe club? it's a much better version of secret santa. each month participating bloggers are assigned another participating blogger to make a recipe from. you pick the recipe, adapt it as you wish, make it, and blog it on the same day as the other participating bloggers. click to find out more information or join.

breakfast tacos
inspired by bluebonnets & brownies
45 minutes, serves 4

4 slices thick cut bacon
leftover roasted potatoes
spicy black beans
pico de gallo
4 eggs
3 tablespoons whole milk or half & half
queso fresco
avocado
fresh cilantro
small corn or flour tortillas

1. cook the bacon in a skillet until crisp. remove the bacon to drain. do not discard the fat in the pan.
2. cut the roast potatoes into small, bite size pieces. cook the potatoes in the reserved bacon fat over medium heat until crisp. remove from the pan and keep warm.
3. wipe out the pan with a paper towel. spray with non stick spray and heat over low heat. scramble the eggs and milk together in a small bowl. season with salt & pepper and cook until soft.
4. warm the tortillas in the microwave. build your taco in whatever layer you like (potato, beans, bacon, egg, avocado, cilantro, queso fresco).

mushroom marsala fontina flatbread

when it's this hot, it has to be something pretty good for me to turn on the oven. which brings me to one of the most underutlized tools in my kitchen: the toaster oven. 

i bought a pack of premade flatbreads at the market last weekend for a dollar. topped with vegetables and cheese, they make the perfect quick, meatless meal. [not feeling mushrooms? tomatoes are finally in season. top a flatbread with sliced tomato, slices of fresh mozzarella, and fresh basil. perfection.]

mushroom marsala fontina flatbread
30 minutes, serves 2

2 cups sliced mushrooms
small red onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
splash (2-3 tablespoons) dry sherry
8 ounces fontina cheese, grated or thinly sliced
2 premade flatbreads, about 8" by 8"

1. coat the bottom of a sautepan with olive oil and place over medium-low heat. saute the mushrooms and onions until starting to soften, about five minutes. add the garlic and saute an additional five minutes until really soft and the onions are starting to caramelize.
2. add the sherry to the pan and cook until thickened.
3. divide the mushroom and onion mixture between the two flatbreads and spread evenly.
4. cover the mushrooms and onions with fontina.
5. toast in a toaster oven for about 5 minutes, or broil in a conventional oven for a few minutes, until the cheese melts and the edges are crunchy.

peanut butter chocolate chip cookies

this is a year of big birthdays. i kicked it off with the last birthday of my twenties. then my dad turned "double nickels" with my mom following a couple months later. and now it's jason's turn.

last year we spent his 29th birthday in boston, in the middle of a week long road trip through the adirondacks, vermont, new hampshire, gloucester mass, boston, the cape, and newport rhode island. it was a whirlwind. and because we were out of town, i promised him we would have a big party for him this year.

which brings us to last weekend's 30th birthday bonanza - a week before the actual day - since we're spending his birthday weekend in new york/new jersey for one of my favorite people's engagement party. when i asked him what kind of cake he wanted me to make for his birthday, he had one simple request: peanut butter cookies. good ones.

most peanut butter baked goods i have high hopes for and am usually disappointed, as they don't taste peanut buttery enough for me. not these cookies. these suckers are perfect. perfectly chewy. perfectly crunchy. and perfectly peanut buttery. make these cookies now. i don't care if it's your birthday or not. shouldn't we celebrate every day like it's our birthday??

peanut butter chocolate chip cookies
adapted from use real butter, who adapted them from martha stewart's cookies
1 hour, makes 3-4 dozen

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 1/4 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup milk chocolate chips

1. preheat your oven to 350F. line two sheet pans with parchment paper and set aside.
2. cream the butter and sugars with a mixer until light and fluffy. beat in the egg, vanilla, and salt. add the peanut butter and mix until everything is evenly incorporated.
3. mix in about half of the flour, then the baking soda, and the remaining flour. stir in the chocolate chips.
4. drop by rounded tablespoons onto the parchment lined sheets, about two inches apart. bake for 11 to 13 minutes, or until the edges are golden. the cookies will puff up a bit while baking, but flatten out while they cool. let cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. store in an airtight container.

check out more sweet treats at sweet tooth friday!

crockpot dulce de leche

i finally conquered dulce de leche! without boiling cans, tending milk on the stove for hours, or turning on the oven. pour a couple of cans of sweetened condensed milk in your slow cooker, set it to low, stir ever hour or so, and in about six hours you've got rich, creamy dulce de leche. yes, it really is that easy.

crockpot dulce de leche
6 to 8 hours, depending on how many cans you use

as many cans of sweetened condensed milk as you'd like

1. open your cans of sweetened condensed milk and pour into a slow cooker. 
2. cook on the low setting, six to eight hours, stirring every 45 to 60 minutes, until it's at the color and consistency you like.
3. let cook & store in the refrigerator.

easy english muffins

last weekend, between barbecues, fireworks, lazy drives for ice cream in the thing, yardwork, and 90+ degree days, i decided it was time to bake something yeasty. [and check something off the list at the same time!]

english muffins have been on my to bake list for a while now, back when i didn't realize how easy it is to get all the nooks and crannies and the toasty brown crunchy crust. the process is obnoxiously simple, if you've ever made a standard loaf of bread before - 

make bread dough. let it rise.
form dough into six rolls. let them rise.
preheat a griddle to medium-low and cook each side to get the crust.
finish cooking them all the way through by baking in the oven.
smother with homemade butter and jam. wish tomorrow wasn't a weekday.

the verdict?? "wow, these look like actual english muffins. like i drove to the store and bought a package....wow and they taste like english muffins! no way, you didn't make these?!" i think he likes them.

next time i'm making twelve.

english muffins
3-4 hours start to finish, makes 6 muffins
click here to get the recipe at brown eyed baker

normally i'd tell you how i adapted the recipe to fit my needs - adjust quantities of this, change the baking time of that. but this recipe is almost flawless exactly as it is.

strawberry rolls

this is the last post of strawberry week! be sure to check out the other sweet treats here. 

most sunday mornings i get up first, make myself some coffee, pour a bowl of cereal/fruit with yogurt, and watch the food network for an hour or so. last weekend, i caught claire robinson pulling picture perfect blueberry strudels out of the oven to finish her elaborate weekend brunch. as much as i love all things strawberry, raspberry, and blackberry, one berry i've never really cared for was the blueberry. it does absolutely nothing for me. luckily i had a box of puff pastry dough sitting in the freezer and a few cups of fresh strawberries left and the strudel was mine!

i don't work with puff pastry or phyllo dough much at all. when i saw and heard claire say she used phyllo dough, i assumed it was the same as puff pastry (which i conveniently already had in the freezer). the main difference? where phyllo is made up of multiple sheets of unleavened dough stacked together, puff pastry is one sheet of unleavened dough folded multiple times with a layer of chilled butter between them. what does this really mean? phyllo and puff pastry can't be used interchangeably and still get the same results.

so while my strawberry strudels aren't really strudels, they sure are tasty. 

strawberry rolls
inspired by claire robinson on five ingredient fix
1 hour, makes 4 strudels (serves 4 to 8)

see how much dough i have in my rolls? i used a whole sheet of puff pastry per roll instead of half a sheet, as written below.

3 cups strawberries
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons corn starch
pinch of salt
2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed

1. combine the strawberries, sugar, corn starch, and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. simmer until thickened, about three minutes, stirring frequently. cool completely.
2. preheat your oven to 400F. line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. lay one sheet of puff pastry on a work surface and cut in half. working with one half at a time, place one quarter of the cooled strawberries in the lower third of the puff pastry, leaving at least an inch border around the sides and the end. fold the bottom up and over the strawberries and fold in the sides to cover the strawberries also. gently roll the puff pastry up to form the roll. place seam side down on the baking sheet. continue with the remaining puff pastry.
4. use a sharp knife to cut a few vents in the tops of the rolls. bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown and the pastry is cooked throughout. cool for 15 to 20 minutes and serve.

strawberry sour cream ice cream

when i visited my parents a few weekends ago to make jam with my mom, she wanted to be sure we tried her strawberry ice cream - made from the same homegrown berries - before we left. not only was it the perfect shade of pink, but it was completely solid. when i was finally able to scoop it, the ice cream had an odd texture, almost brittle. rather than being smooth and creamy, it was harsh and brittle. sure, the flavor was great, but the texture was all wrong.

which brings me to this. sour cream ice cream. yea, it also sounds odd. but let me tell you, i've seen this recipe everywhere. and once you get the first taste, it's understandable why.

not only is this ice cream super simple to mix up [a base of sour cream + heavy cream means there's no custard to screw up] and only dirties three dishes, but the sour cream adds just enough tang to balance out the sweetness of super ripe berries soaked in sugar. it's the perfect mix.

and since i don't care much for chunks or bits of fruit in my ice cream, i blended it until completely smooth. feel free to blend to your desired chunkiness.

want to keep your ice cream from getting freezer burnt? use wax paper. i store my homemade ice cream in round plastic food storage containers or glass bread pans. for the plastic containers, i trace the top of the container on wax paper and cut it out. fill the container with ice cream, smooth out the top, and place the wax paper over the ice cream. push the wax paper down so it covers the surface completely. as you scoop ice cream and put the container back in the freezer, make sure the wax paper covers all of the exposed surface. for the bread pans, cut a strip of wax paper the width of the pan. fill the pan with ice cream, and lay the wax paper over the top, completely covering the surface. this is great for sorbets, gelatos, and other frozen desserts.

strawberry sour cream ice cream
adapted from annie's eats, who adapted it from david lebovitz
makes 1 1/2 quarts

1 pound fresh strawberries, rinsed, hulled and sliced
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vodka
1 cup sour cream
1 cup heavy cream

1. in a medium bowl, toss the strawberries with the sugar and vodka. cover and let stand at room temperature, about one hour, stirring occasionally.
2. transfer the berries to a blender and add the sour cream and heavy cream. blend according to your preference - smooth for no chunks of berries, chunkier for chunks of fruit in your ice cream.
3. chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour or overnight.
4. freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

check out more sweet treats at sweets for a saturday & sweet tooth friday!

2011.08.15 this was one of tea and scones' selections for the secret recipe club!