Boxes and baked beans…and more boxes

20. June 2011 · 18 comments · Categories: Baking, food, recipes, Savory, Side dishes · Tags: ,

If you couldn’t figure it out, I’m currently up to my ears in boxes.

I was going to use this post to show you pictures of our new apartment and cop out from baking something and posting about it. You see, my apartment is currently in shambles. Boxes are covering 87.5% of my floor space and there’s barely even room to walk, no less bake.

But then I remembered I baked my family’s favorite baked bean recipe a month ago and didn’t post it because the pictures weren’t much to look at.

But since the 4th of July is fast approaching, I thought this recipe would actually be quite appropriate. Please don’t judge the taste of the recipe by the pictures. Beans just don’t photograph well. I promise you this is the best baked bean recipe you’ll ever have.

This recipe has no annoying overnight bean soaking. No hours spent over the stove stirring. This recipe is so simple, you won’t believe how it could result in such a delectable product.

I hope that this will be an addition to your summer barbeques this year!

And now, I’ll leave you with a picture of Nate thoroughly excited about our new living room…I can’t wait til we’re all moved in!


Minnesota Style Baked Beans
Recipe from a family friend

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Serves 8

3 cans (16-20 oz. size) beans: lima, butter beans, red kidney, etc., drained
1 can (28 oz.) navy beans, with pork
3 large onions, chopped
½ lb. bacon in 1” squares (plus ½ lb. cooked ham or sausage
if for main dish)
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1/3 ketchup
¾ c. brown sugar
2 tbsp. spicy mustard

1. In heavy skillet, brown bacon on medium flame, stirring constantly. Add additional meat if used. When all meat is browned, push to one side and pour off all fat but glaze at bottom of pan.

2. Saute onions in fat on low heat until soft, about 10 min. Add vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar and mustard. Stir well and simmer.

3. Add about ¼ of beans to a slow cooker or heavy dutch oven. Add ¼ of meat, alternating until beans and meat used up. Stir well. Cover and bake for 1-2 hours at 300. Add more ketchup if dry.

Corn off the cob: fresh corn cakes.

14. June 2011 · 15 comments · Categories: Brunch, cooking, Dinner, food, recipes, Savory, Side dishes, vegetarian · Tags: , , ,

As the weather gets warm, I get the urge to eat fresh vegetables.

Maybe it’s because they sit enticingly on displays at the supermarket and fruit stands in nyc, or maybe it’s because I get so thirsty when it’s hot out that I crave juicy things.

Either way, I have no problem giving in to what my body asks for…especially when it’s healthy.

The corn this time of year, specifically, beckons me each time I go to get groceries. I’ve bought it twice in one week  now, and although I could eat corn on the cob at every meal, it begs to be made into something else. Plus, I have to think of Nate, who may not enjoy eating the same thing for 3 meals in a row like I do :)

It just so happens that on my daily perusal of other food blogs, I came across a recipe for fresh corn cakes. Both Nate and I love cornbread, and I figured the sweetness of the corn would make a delicious little cake.

I altered the recipe I found a bit, preferring cilantro to basil. Rather than making a whole salsa, I chopped up some fresh avocado and mixed it with lime juice and some more cilantro and served up some Trader Joe’s salsa on the side. The whole thing came together fairly quickly and can pretty much be made with items in your pantry. In fact, although it may not be quite as fresh tasting, I venture to say that frozen or even canned corn could be used in this recipe for corn cakes all year long.

Although I served these with dinner, they’d be just as well-suited for a summer brunch along with some sausage and bacon.


Fresh Corn Cakes
Adapted from EzraPoundcake

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Makes 12-14 cakes

3 ears corn, shucked
1 cup flour
1/2 cup cornmeal (if you can only find cornmeal mix, skip the baking powder)
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
salt and pepper
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp buttermilk*
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
canola oil for frying

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Line a baking sheet with tin foil.

Cut the corn from the cobs into a large bowl, and scrape the stripped cobs wit hthe back of a knife (or a spoon) to release the juices into the bowl.

Place 2 cups of the corn kernels into a food processor, and pulse several times, until the corn is slightly pureed but still chunky. Scrape into the bowl with the remaining corn kernels.

Add flour, cornmeal, onion, cilantro, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper to the corn. Stir to mix.

Add the eggs, buttermilk and butter, and stir just to combine (do not overmix).

Place a large skillet over medium heat. Add just enough oil to barely cover the bottom and heat until sizzling hot.

One heaping Tablespoon at a time, scoop the batter into the skillet. Cooking in batches of 4 to 5 to avoid overcrowding, fry the cakes 1 to 2 minutes per side, until golden brown.

Drain on the lined baking sheet, and place in the oven to keep warm while cooking the remaining corn cakes. Serve warm topped with a heap of chopped avocado tossed with lime and cilantro.

*If you don’t have buttermilk, mix 2 Tbsp milk with 1 tsp vinegar and let sit 5 min or until slightly curdled

A sophisticated update on a childhood favorite.

10. June 2011 · 14 comments · Categories: Brunch, cooking, food, recipes, Savory, vegetarian · Tags: , , ,

Who, as a child, didn’t enjoy grilled cheese sandwiches? Apparently my friends all associate these with my house because my mom used to make them for me and my friends for lunch when we had a playdate. For sleepovers, she always made banana chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast.

While I still love a good grilled cheese (although I can’t even remember the last time I had one), I got the idea for this recipe from a blog I love, called Heat Oven to 350, and thought it sounded like a delicious, grown-up alternative to that American classic.

Rather than individually wrapped slices of processed American cheese, this version uses high quality cheddar, fresh apple slices, and  rosemary. The resulting combination is simple, yet tastes sophisticated. It’s a grown-up treat, and i bet kids would love it too!

Plus, it took less than 10 minutes to make…can’t beat that! And after taking his first bite, Nate proclaimed it delicious, and has since asked me to make it again less than a month later :)

Apple Rosemary Grilled Cheese
Adapted from Heat Oven to 350

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makes 2 sandwiches

Ingredients:

4 slices multigrain bread
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp apple butter
1/2 Granny Smith Apple, thinly sliced
1 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
2-3 ounces extra-sharp white cheddar cheese, depending on how cheesy you like things

Spread butter over one side of each of the 4 pieces of bread.

On the other sides of 2 slices, spread the apple butter, then sprinkle with rosemary. Top with cheese.

On other sides of the other two slices, spread a little butter, and then place apple slices. Put two sandwich halves together.

Cook in a large skillet over medium heat for 1-2 minutes on each side or until both sides are golden brown. Serve immediately.

The best cookie I ever ate…

06. June 2011 · 25 comments · Categories: Baking, cooking, Dessert, food, recipes · Tags: , , , , ,

…I know that’s a bold claim. And perhaps it’s just because these fresh, citrusy cookies were just what I was in the mood for, but I still think I’d venture to say that these cookies are without a doubt AMAZING.

I guess it really depends on what kind of cookies you like. These are chewy, crispy, sweet, tangy, buttery and delicious. I think that includes an adjective for everyone’s tastes :)

I first decided to make these cookies because we ran out of desserts in my apt, and Nate MUST have a dessert after dinner each night. I wanted to make a cookie, but didn’t want to buy any new ingredients because a) I was lazy and b) we’re moving soon and I’m trying to purge my pantry/fridge/freezer.

These cookies were perfect on all accounts. I just about used up my sugar and flour, and in addition, I got rid of two lemons on the verge of going bad, and a lime I happened to have laying around.

Although I don’t recommend doubling the recipe, as I did (it made so many cookies I was rolling little cookie balls and taking pans in/out of the oven for over an hour!), these are super easy. These are perfect to make and take along to your next cookout.


Chewy Lemon Lime Sugar Cookies
Adapted from My Baking Addiction

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makes 24-30 cookies

Ingredients:
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Zest of one large lemon (or 2-3 limes, or a combo), finely minced
4 tbsp fresh lemon juice (or 1/2 lime juice)
1/2 cup sugar for rolling cookies

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Using a mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until smooth and very fluffy.

Beat in egg, vanilla extract, juice and zest.

Gradually blend in the dry ingredients. Refrigerate until stiff.

Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and roll in sugar. Place on lined cookie sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly browned.

Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.

Baking with an old friend :)

02. June 2011 · 14 comments · Categories: Baking, Cake, cooking, Dessert, food, recipes · Tags: , , ,

Have I told you how much I love long weekends? :) Nate and I took the 3-day weekend opportunity and headed down to PA to visit his mom and get some R&R.

One of the nice parts about vising Nate’s mom is that my childhood friend, Nicole, lives only about an hour drive from her. So when we get a long weekend, I can take half a day and go spend time with her, her husband and her new ADORABLE baby boy, Luc. He is a seriously cute baby.

Nicole loves to cook but told me that she hasn’t had that much experience with baking and was hoping to bake something with me. She’s been asking me this for a while but the last couple times I visited, we just didn’t have time.

But this time we prepared ahead of time. She wanted to bake a big cake for her hubby. She said he loves dark chocolate and caramel, so I scoured the internet for some cakes that made use of this flavor combo and came across this recipe from the blog Sugar Pies.

I copied the recipe below exactly from their site. It was good…not the best cake I ever had. But I think it could get there with the following changes:

  1. Triple or quadruple the amount of Caramel Cream Frosting. It didn’t even make enough to go between the layers and on top and sides of cake. I think this is because it was supersweet and it would have been overkill with the ganache.
  2. Third or halve the Chocolate Ganache, and don’t spread it but simply allow it to cover the top and drip down the sides of the cake.
  3. Definitely pop the cakes in the freezer before icing them, and again before pouring on the ganache.
  4. Serve the cake at room temperature.

Personally, I think it would be perfect with the cake completely frosted with the Caramel Cream Frosting and then with a thin layer of ganache on the top and dripping down the sides.

I’ll give it this, though- it’s quite impressive/massive looking. I think it could look even more impressive with the changes I made with the ganache dripping down the sides :)

Caramel Cream Cake
Adapted from Sugar Pies Food

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Makes one 9″ 3-layer cake

Caramel Cream Cake

1/2 pound unsalted butter, softened
2 1/2 cups sugar
5 large eggs, separated
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
4 tsp. cocoa powder
1 cup buttermilk
5 tsp. strong coffee
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°. Cut parchment paper circles to fit bottoms of 3 9-inch round cake pans. Grease and flour bottoms and sides of pans.

In mixer fitted with whisk attachment beat the butter on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the sugar and egg yolks and beat until incorporated. Sift together the dry ingredients and add to the mixture alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Add the coffee and vanilla and beat well.

In a clean bowl and with a clean whisk, beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Gently fold into batter. (Note: If you have only one bowl for your mixer, beat the egg whites first and transfer them to another bowl while you mix the batter.)

Divide the batter evenly among the 3 pans and bake for 30 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes then remove from pans and allow to cool completely on wire racks. When completely cool, ice with Caramel Cream Frosting.

Caramel Cream Frosting

1 pound confectioner’s sugar
2 tsp. cocoa powder
1 egg yolk
8 tbs. unsalted butter, softened
1 tbs. strong coffee (liquid)
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Sift together sugar and cocoa. In a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg yolk until pale on low speed. Add the butter and beat well. Add the liquids and the sugar/cocoa mixture and beat until light and fluffy.

Spread frosting between layers of cake and on top and sides. Place cake in refrigerator or freezer to chill thoroughly and allow frosting to set.


Whipped Chocolate Ganache

2 cups heavy cream
16 oz. good bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 tsp. instant coffee crystals

Place chopped chocolate and coffee in large heat proof bowl.

Heat heavy cream in saucepan until it begins to simmer. Pour over chocolate and allow to sit about 10 minutes to melt the chocolate. Stir with rubber spatula and then whisk chocolate until it is smooth.

Set bowl over another bowl filled with ice water and beat chocolate with electric mixture until about the consistency of sour cream (about 3-10 minutes depending on temperature). Be sure not to over beat the chocolate. You just want it nice and spreadable but not too liquid.

Remove cake from refrigerator and place on wire rack set over baking sheet. Pour chocolate over cake and using offset spatula spread the chocolate over top and sides of cake.

Return cake to refrigerator or freezer to allow the chocolate to set up then allow cake to come to room temperature to serve.

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