orange cranberry muffins

sometimes i want a muffin for breakfast. a plain old, nothing too crazy muffin. but i've had my fair share of bland muffin recipes. so i substituted half the white sugar for brown and doubled the suggested amount of cranberries and tripled the orange zest. they're perfectly flavorful.

what? you don't like cranberries or oranges? just remove them and add whatever you'd like - cinnamon, nuts, blueberries, anything else you can think of.

and yes, i used up the last of my valentine's day and easter cupcake papers.

i'm on the lookout for a good pistachio muffin recipe. i've looked online - there are a lot of variations out there, but none of them are really grabbing me. recommendations?

cranberry orange muffins
adapted from joy of cooking

2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup dried cranberries
zest from one navel orange
2 eggs
1 cup milk or cream
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup melted butter

1. preheat the oven to 400F and line a muffin pan with paper liners.
2. sift the flour, baking powder, and salt. mix in the cranberries and zest and evenly coat with the flour mixture.
3. in a separate bowl, mix the eggs, milk/cream, sugars, butter, and vanilla.
4. make a well in the flour mixture and add the wet mixture. mix just until combined.
5. divide batter between 12 muffins and bake for 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
6. let cool in the pan for ~10 minutes, remove, and serve warm or cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

pasta with tomato almond pesto & homemade garlic bread

last weekend (or was it the week before?) i caught america's test kitchen's "saucy italian favorites" show. i love a good pesto, but i was surprised to see them make a Sicilian pesto ofrom fresh tomatoes and ground almonds instead of pine nuts. it was really really good and really really easy. and another reason to fire up my food processor.

pasta with tomato and almond pesto
adapted from america's test kitchen

1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds
2 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup basil leaves
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon salt
pinch red pepper flakes
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 pound pasta, cooked according to package directions

1. mix almonds, tomatoes, basil, garlic, salt, and red pepper in a food processor for 1 minute until smooth.
2. stream in olive oil to the tomato mixture.
3. mix sauce into cooked pasta. mix in grated parmesan.

homemade garlic bread

1 loaf italian bread
1/2 stick unsalted butter, room temp
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
6 cloves minced garlic
salt & pepper

1. preheat oven to 350F. slice bread in half horizontally.
2. mix the butter, cheese, and garlic together. season with salt & pepper.
3. spread butter evenly onto both sides of the bread. put the loaf back together, put on a baking sheet, and bake about 10-15 minutes.
   

chicken & vegetable stirfry with soba noodles

the grocery store was all out of the usual lo mein noodles i use for stirfry and since we had rice last week, i wasn't in the mood for it again. i'm not an asian food connoisseur by any stretch of the imagination, so it took me a while in the aisle to find a substitute. and i settled on soba noodles. and i was pleasantly surprised. lo mein might have competition in my house.

so the noodles were set but i wanted something different for the stirfry - not the usual soy sauce and sesame oil. i wanted broccoli & beef but with more vegetables. so that's exactly what i made. and with chicken instead of beef.

chicken & vegetable stirfry with soba noodles
adapted from steamy kitchen's broccoli beef, serves 2

1 large chicken breast, thinly sliced
1/2 pound broccoli florets
6 carrots, cut into matchsticks
1 cup sugar snap peas
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water

for the marinade:
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon dry sherry
1/2 teaspoon corn starch

for the sauce:
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon dry sherry
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 cup chicken broth

1. stir together the marinade. pour into a resealable bag and add the chicken. massage the marinade into the chicken through the bag. marinade for 10 minutes.
2. blanch the broccoli by cooking in boiling water for 2 minutes. rinse in cold water and set aside.
3. stir together the sauce and set aside. start the water to cook the soba noodles. cook and drain according to directions on the package. do not rinse and set aside.
4. heat a large frying pan or wok over high heat and add the vegetable oil. add the chicken and cook until completely cooked.
5. add garlic to the pan and cook about thirty seconds, or until fragrant.
6. add the sauce, broccoli, carrots, and peas and stir to coat. add the dissolved cornstarch and cook 3-4 minutes until the sauce boils. stir in the noodles to coat in the sauce and serve.

pineapple sorbet

ice cream season is finally here!

my ice cream maker sits in the back corner of my cupboard for six months out of the year. sure, i can make ice cream in december, but that would be too weird. can you imagine - it's 15 degrees out and i'm making ice cream!? december is time for cookies and brownies and other oven required goodies. but now, now is the time for frozen fruit, dairy, and sugar. and what better way to kick it off than with pineapple!

my only complaint about this recipe - it doesn't have enough sugar in it or it needs some vodka or something. it freezes too hard making it almost impossible to scoop. it isn't impossible, just really hard.

jason loves soft serve ice cream, so we always have a bowl when it comes out of the ice cream maker...

...and freeze the rest for later



pineapple sorbet
from the ultimate ice cream book

1 pineapple, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped (about 3 pounds)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
juice from one lime

1. add the sugar and water to a saucepan and heat over medium heat until the mixture is clear. remove from heat and cool to room temp.
2. blend the pineapple, cooled syrup, and lime juice until smooth.
3. chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
4. mix well before churning in your ice cream maker according to the directions. i had to process mine in two batches since it didn't fit in one. be careful - you don't want it to overflow.
5. eat immediately for soft serve or freeze for a couple hours and serve.
   

raspberry pots de creme

i'm intimidated by custard. or pots de creme. whatever you want to call them, they've always scared me a bit. i've seen vanilla ones. chocolate ones. fruit flavored ones. i watched america's test kitchen make creme caramel. and melissa d'arabian make spiced butterscotch. and talk about how easy they are to make. and how the water bath is critical. so last weekend, when i needed a celebration dessert i also just happened to see this post for raspberry pots de creme. perfect.

they were easy. very easy. but i'm not quite sure if i don't like custard or if i did something wrong. i'm thinking the latter since the flavor itself was great.



i'll try again, when i get up the courage. and it will be a chocolate or caramel or other super sweet flavor. maybe i jumped the gun and skipped the foundational flavor and skipped straight to something unique.

raspberry pots de creme
find the recipe at Showfood Chef

italian eggs for dinner

i had an idea.

sometimes ideas are good, sometimes not so much. and this one, to be honest, i wasn't quite sure how it was going to pan out.

about once a week, i make breakfast for dinner. it almost always includes eggs and usually it's some form of breakfast burrito/taco or huevos rancheros. this time, i wanted to go italian. (and as jason points out, it's been night three of italian food here. i'm not complaining.)

i think the first time i had a poached egg was a year ago and i absolutely love them. so poached eggs are in. i didn't want pasta, but lots of vegetables. and the flavors of italy - at least italy in america. so i got to work building a sauce or base for the eggs.

tomatoes. cheese. onion. garlic. bread. basil. ah, almost forgot the basil. a couple eggs and it was perfect.



i started with a base of sauteed onions, garlic, and carrot (i almost always add some minced or grated carrot to pasta sauce now too. it adds a nice flavor - not like carrot at all - and it's a good way to add a little vegetable into a pasta dish). then added a can of diced tomatoes. i simmered the mixture until it started to thicken and the tomatoes broke down. stirred in some cubes of mozzarella i had left over from something else and some basil. then i cracked in the eggs. yep, directly into the simmering sauce. and it worked. it took a little longer than i expected (and mine were overcooked a little - i wanted the yolks to be runny). a little salt, pepper, and parmesan and it was perfect. especially with some italian bread to dunk in the sauce.



and if you think runny eggs sounds odd, it was really good. one of my eggs was completely cooked through, but the other was fairly runny. the best was a piece of egg with runny yolk and a scoop of the tomato mixture on a bite of bread. definitely a keeper. but next time i may poach the eggs separately and serve it on top of the tomato mixture.

italian eggs for dinner

1 tablespoon butter
1 medium onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, finely diced
28oz diced tomatoes
~1 teaspoon italian seasoning
~1/4 cup basil, finely sliced
however many eggs per person you'd like (i did two)
olive oil
grated parmesan cheese
salt & pepper
italian bread for serving

1. melt the butter and a roughly equal amount of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium low heat. saute the onion, garlic, and carrot until the onion turns translucent, about 8-10 minutes.
2. add the diced tomatoes and italian seasoning and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes start to break down and the sauce has thickened, about 10 minutes.
3. mix in the basil. make a well with a spoon in the sauce and crack and egg directly into the sauce. repeat with the rest of the eggs. season tops of the eggs with salt & pepper. cover the pan and cook until eggs are to your liking (check by tapping the yolk with the spoon you're using to mix the sauce. if it's bouncy, the yolk is still runny. tap the whites to see if they're set too).
4. use a large spoon to scoop the eggs and sauce into a bowl. sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve with italian bread.

brown sugar poundcakes with brown butter icing

...or she didn't have the baby yet, so let's eat cupcakes.

you see, she thought she was going into labor last friday morning. she wasn't far enough along, so the doctor sent her home. all weekend i waited. i slept with the phone next to me, just in case. but nope, it didn't happen.

so what a surprise when i heard her come in to the office monday morning. and by the end of the day, still nothing. not a thing. we were all expecting her to come back in on tuesday. and hey, if the woman still hasn't had the baby, she may as well eat cake.

but at 4:00 tuesday morning, i got the text - 8lbs 6oz! finally!

so mamacita, these cupcakes are for you. sorry you missed them. i'll make another batch to welcome you back in june.



for the cakes, i used all dark brown sugar because i like the butterscotchy/molassesey flavor of the dark rather than the light brown sugar, but use whatever you like (or have on hand).

after ferociously licking the whisk after making the icing, i decided it's absolutely divine and would make an awesome buttercream with a relatively plain - i'm thinking white - layer cake.

brown sugar poundcakes with brown butter glaze
adapted from Martha Stewart's cupcakes, makes 12 cupcakes

for the cakes
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
1 cup + 2 tablespoons dark or light brown sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
6 tablespoons buttermilk

for the glaze
1/2 stick butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon milk

1. preheat the oven to 325F and line muffin tins with paper liners.
2. cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. add eggs, one a time, until incorporated.
3. mix in baking powder and salt. alternate adding flour and buttermilk until everything is incorporated.
4. fill muffin tins 3/4 full. bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
5. cool in the tin for 10 minutes and then remove. cool completely before glazing.
6. while waiting for the cupcakes to cool, make the glaze. start by melting the butter over medium heat in a pan that is not nonstick. cook until the butter turns a nutty amber color, 6-10 minutes. pour off the browned butter (try not to get all the black sediment - it just tastes burnt) into a glass or heat proof bowl. add the sugar, vanilla, and milk. mix until smooth.
7. when the cupcakes are cool, glaze them. turn the cupcake upside down and dip into the glaze. swirl the cupcake as you pull it up and out of the glaze (to get the relatively flat top). eat immediately or let sit out for an hour or so for the glaze to dry.