Anyway, thanks for sticking around, blogging friends.  As you can see, my poor blog wasn’t a high priority for me this winter/spring.  I have been making and eating some amazing meals, but I haven’t been chronicling them enough, or at all.  I got an ice cream attachment for my mixer, and oh man, the world of homemade ice cream is a really amazing (and fattening) one.  Sadly it’s the one baked good/dessert that I can’t just send to work with Brad and be done with.  We actually eat the ice cream ourselves, and all of it at that!

This recipe, oh this recipe.  So this was one of the more involved ice creams I have made (although there has been talk of trying to make coffee oreo with homemade oeros.  I’ve done both, but separately), and it’s SO delicious.  I honestly don’t remember if I have had tin roof ice cream (or sundaes) before, but the flavor combination is pretty awesome.  Vanilla ice cream (and not that yellowy crap you might find at the grocery store, this has beans in it), homemade fudge ripple (again, another favorite), and chocolate covered peanuts.

I’ve gotten it down where I will make the base one evening, chill it overnight, churn it the next evening (or day, depending), and then chill that overnight, so that I have some really delicious and firm ice cream.  I still do love to go to the beach (Revere, don’t judge) to get ice cream at my favorite shop Twist & Shake (the owner is pretty awesome).  But nothing beats the homemade stuff.

I promise I am going to try to come around more often, I really will.

Tin Roof Ice Cream

Source: Brown Eyed Baker

¾ cup whole milk
¾ cup granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
1½ cups heavy cream
½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise
4 large egg yolks
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup Chocolate-Covered Peanuts (recipe follows)
Fudge Ripple (recipe follows)

1. Warm the milk, sugar, salt and ½ cup of the cream in a medium saucepan. With a sharp paring knife, scrape the flavorful seeds from the vanilla bean and add them, along with the pod, to the hot milk mixture. Cover, remove from the heat, and let steep at room temperature for 30 minutes.

2. Rewarm the vanilla-infused mixture. Pour the remaining 1 cup cream into a large bowl and set a mesh strainer on top. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

3. Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream to cool. Remove the vanilla bean, wipe it clean of any egg bits, and add it back to the custard. Stir in the vanilla and stir until cool over an ice bath. Chill thoroughly in the refrigerator.

4. When ready to churn the ice cream, remove the vanilla bean (it can be rinsed and reused). Freeze the ice cream in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. While the ice cream is freezing, chop the peanuts into bite-sized peanuts.

5. Fold the peanut pieces into the frozen ice cream as you remove it from the machine, and layer it with Fudge Ripple.

Chocolate-Covered Peanuts

4 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup roasted, unsalted peanuts

1. Put the pieces of chocolate in an absolutely dry heatproof bowl. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water to melt the chocolate, stirring until smooth. In the meantime, stretch a piece of plastic wrap over a dinner plate.

2. Once the chocolate is melted, remove it from the heat and stir in the peanuts, coating them with the chocolate. Spread the mixture on the plastic-lined plate and chil.

Mixing them in: Use a chef’s knife to chop the chocolate-covered block of peanuts into bite-sized pieces, then mix them into 1 quart of ice cream as you remove it from the machine.

Storage: Chocolate-Covered Peanuts can be stored for several months in an air-tight container, refrigerated at room temperature.

Fudge Ripple

½ cup sugar
1/3 cup light corn syrup
½ cup water
6 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Whisk together the sugar, corn syrup, water, and cocoa powder in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture begins to bubble at the edges.

2. Continue to whisk until it just comes to a low boil. Cook for 1  minute, whisking frequently. Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla, and let cool. Chill in the refrigerator before using.

Mixing it in: The Fudge Ripple should be thoroughly chilled, as it’s easiest to use when very cold. Just before you remove the ice cream from the machine, spoon some of the Fudge Ripple onto the bottom of the storage container. As you remove the ice cream from the machine, layer generous spoonfuls of the sauce between layers of ice cream. Avoid stirring the Fudge Ripple, as it will make the ice cream muddy looking.

Storage: Fudge Ripple can be stored for up to 2 weeks, covered, in the refrigerator.

I was in the mood to make something Indian, or Indian inspired, after some friends and I were driving around Cambridge, and ended up driving past Christina’s Spices in Inman Square.  I had never been to the actual spice shop, just the ice cream shop next door, and kind of wanted an excuse to go there.  I’d been trying to get to Penzey’s in Arlington practically forever, but a) actually knew where Christina’s is, and b) it’s kind of easier to go to Cambridge than Arlington from where I live.  And after reading reviews online I knew that they would most likely have the slightly obscure spices that I needed (black mustard seed?  who knew such a thing existed!).  And I was right.  Well, except for the black mustard seed, which they didn’t have, but I used brown and I have no idea what the difference would have been.

This delicious and hearty dish was a bit labor intensive, as Brad had to grind many a spice using a mortar and pestle (from Ikea, so the quality is so-so).  Had I owned a spice grinder that portion of the evening would have taken much less time.  But maybe would have been less authentic.  The sauce is hearty, spicy (but not TOO spicy) and just plain delicious.  So delicious in fact, that I am making this dish again this weekend in celebration of Brad and my father’s birthdays.  Brad turns 30 next week (and we’re going to New York to celebrate, I can’t wait to get out of Boston for a bit!), and my father’s birthday was last weekend.  My mother will make this cake, and now that I am in an ice cream phase, I am trying to figure out what ice cream to make with it.  I’m thinking either vanilla or perhaps a vanilla earl grey lavender ice cream.  We’ll see what happens.

It’s a great dish for entertaining though, as you can make it ahead and just keep it bubbling away on the stove.  Serve over some basmati rice with some naan, and you’ve got a great meal.

Chicken Vindaloo

Source: India Snacks

2 teaspoon cumin seeds, whole
1 teaspoon peppercorns, black
1 teaspoon cardamom seeds
1 cinnamon (3 in stick)
1 1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds, whole
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds, whole
5 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon brown sugar, light
10 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 large yellow onions, peeled and cut into; half-rings
6 tablespoon water
1 ginger, fresh (1-inch cube), peeled; and coarsely chopped
10 garlic cloves, peeled and coarsely; chopped (or less)
1 tablespoon coriander seeds, ground
1/2 teaspoon turmeric, ground
2 lb chicken breast (boneless), cut into; bite-sized pieces
8 oz tomato sauce
1/2 lb new potatoes, peeled and quartered

Grind cumin seeds, black pepper, cardamom seeds, cinnamon, black mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds together in a spice grinder. In a small bowl, combine ground spices, vinegar, salt, cayenne pepper and brown sugar. Set aside.

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Fry onions, stirring frequently, until they are a rich, dark brown. Remove onions with a slotted spoon and put them in a blender. Turn off the heat, but do not discard the oil. Add about 3 T water (or more if necessary) to the onions and blend until you have a smooth paste. Add this onion paste to the spices in the bowl. This mixture is the vindaloo paste.

Put the ginger and garlic in a blender. Add about 3 T water and blend until you have a smooth paste.

Heat the remaining oil in the saucepan over medium heat. When hot, add the ginger, garlic paste. Stir until the paste browns slightly. Add the coriander and turmeric. Stir a few seconds. Add the chicken, a little at a time, and brown lightly.

Add the vindaloo paste, tomato sauce and potatoes to the chicken in the saucepan. Stir and bring to a slight boil. Cover the saucepan, reduce heat to low and simmer for about an hour, or until potatoes are tender. Serve over rice.

I hope you all had a fantastic New Year!  It’s hard to believe that we’re already more than halfway through January, which sadly means my break between semesters is coming to a close.  I go back to school on Thursday, and I am only taking one class this semester, which will most likely seem like a cake walk compared to taking two at a time while also working full-time.

I’m hoping that I might have more time to blog, but I’m not going to make any promises that I can’t keep.  I have been cooking a lot, and one of my friends shares a similar love of technically challenging recipes (we made homemade ravioli last Friday, THAT was an undertaking).  When you have a cooking partner in crime it can definitely help make things seem less daunting.  Brad turns 30 in March, and after much back and forth, and with some inspiration from the lovely Julia Child, I’m hoping to put together a fantastic homemade celebration dinner.  That’s the plan, at least for the time being.

But that’s not what you came here for.  You came here for a recipe!  This cinnamon swirl bread is one of my favorites, and back in 2008 we received a few bread baking books for Christmas from both sides of our family (they knew we had gotten into bread).  This one is pretty easy to make, although no matter how many times I try, it never comes out as big and luxurious as a store-bought loaf of cinnamon bread.  But that’s also probably because while this recipe calls for two loaves, you could easily make one monster loaf.  But I like having two loaves, as nothing beats cinnamon toast in the morning with some good butter and a cup of delicious tea.  It helps get me through these awful winter months.

It’s also perfect for making into french toast for a lovely brunch.  In fact, we had just that this morning, with some home fries cooked up in bacon grease (there’s no other way to do it) and some thick cut peppered bacon.  It was delicious, if I do say so myself.

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Adapted from Peter Reinhart’s “The Bread Baker’s Apprentice”

Makes two loaves

For Christmas this year I got a food scale, and I got to play with it for this, which is why measurements are in both cups and ounces.

3 1/2 cups (16 oz) bread flour
4 tsp. granulated sugar
1 1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. instant yeast
1 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 large egg, slightly beaten
2 tb. butter (or shortening)
1/2 cup buttermilk at room temperature (I used powdered buttermilk, always works)
3/4 cup water at room temperature

Cinnamon Swirl Filling

1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tb. ground cinnamon

Stir together the flour, sugar, salt, yeast, and cinnamon into the mixing bowl of your stand mixer (you can also do this by hand, but I’ll be giving mixer instructions).  Add the egg, butter, buttermilk, and water.  Stir together with the paddle attachment until ingredients come together.  Adjust with flour or water if the dough seems too sticky or too dry and stiff.

Switch to the dough hook, and beat on low for about 6-8 minutes.  You want the dough to be tacky but not sticky.  If you have an instant read thermometer (a necessity in every kitchen if you ask me) the dough should be between 77 and 81 Fahrenheit.   Transfer dough to a large bowl that has been lightly oiled.  Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm draft free place (above the fridge is my go to).

Let the dough rise for about 2 hours, or until doubled.

Divide the dough into two pieces and form them into loaves.  In order to form into a loaf, shape the dough into a rectangle that is about 5 inches long and 6-8 inches wide.  Mix together the remaining sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle on the surface of the dough.  Roll up from the short side of the dough and roll up into a loaf shape.  Pinch the ends and slightly roll to even it out.  Place dough seam side down into a lightly oiled loaf pan.  Form the second loaf and then spray with oil (I use pam).  Cover lightly with plastic wrap and let rise a second time until at least doubled, or until dough comes close to cresting above the lip of the pan.

Let rise for at least an hour, if not more.  If your loaves are a bit small at this point don’t panic, mine never get to be very large but they still come out delicious and that’s what matters most, right?

Preheat the oven to 350.  Place loaf pans on a sheet pan (and remove plastic wrap) and make sure they are not touching.  Bake for 20 minutes and then rotate the pan.  Bake for another 20-30 minutes until they are golden brown on top.  They should make a hollow sound when you thump them on the bottom.

Immediately remove bread from pans and let cool on a rack for at least an hour (2 if possible) until slicing.  I know it’s hard to not want to slice right into the bread, but it’s sadly for the best.

It’s hard to believe that another year has passed already.  I feel like it went by in a blur.  So much happened last year: I changed jobs, started grad school (and survived my first semester!), made some fantastic new friends, spent a lot of time decorating my house (hard to believe we moved there a year and a half ago), and ate some amazing food.  I also have a new nephew to buy books for (what can I say, I want everyone to love reading as much as I do).

Since becoming besties with a couple that lives upstairs, Brad and I have become part of what we have called an informal supper club.  Our neighbors happen to love food just as much as we do, and we take turns having dinner in each others homes.  We also love to cook and bake together, and K happened to be my sous chef and taster extraordinaire when we were coming up for a recipe for my office’s bake off at our holiday party.  Sadly I came in second, but my Mexican chocolate cupcakes with salted caramel butter cream (I had no idea I could make a real butter cream!) were to die for.  At least in our eyes.

The holidays came and went in a blur (well technically New Year’s hasn’t happened yet), we had a flurry of parties to go to, final papers to write, and families to visit.  Once again we hosted Thanksgiving, and I feel that we get better at it each and every year.

I don’t ever make resolutions, as I believe that changing one’s habits should be an ongoing process that isn’t limited to beginning on every January 1st.  I have slowly gotten back into yoga (mostly for my sanity and lower back more than anything), and having a yoga buddy makes it even better.  I am hoping that 2011 will be a year of travel, I’m going to LA in March to visit one of my dearest friends, and Brad and I are hoping for an adventure this summer, to a yet to be determined location (we’re eying Europe at the moment).

I hope you all have a fantastic New Year!  I’ll be doing what I do best, eating a delicious meal with friends, drinking some good champagne, and watching fantastically trashy TV to ring in the new year.  Happy 2011!

I realize that it has been close to 2 months since my last post.  I have been struggling with what to do about my blog these days.  As you might remember, life has changed quite a bit for me this summer, new job, new friends, and grad school started last week.  I have still been cooking, but haven’t been as good about documenting it as I was in the past.

I feel like I am at a crossroads with my blog, and I am trying to figure out where to go.  I started this blog 2 years ago as a project, a hobby, something to pour my energy and creativity into.  I had just gotten married, and as anyone who has anything to do with planning a wedding knows, it can be time consuming and once it’s over you can be left with a feeling of, “well what now?”.  So I decided to start a food blog.  It was a learning process, my photography was pretty bad in the beginning (not that it’s magazine quality now), and I had yet to really find a voice as a blogger.

After that first year we bought a condo, which was a great place to focus my energy and creativity.  It’s grown so much, and for the time being I am truly happy with the decor, so I don’t need to focus as much time into that.  I am a person who craves projects (although I don’t always finish them quickly, take my quilt I have been working on for close to 2 years, the good news is that it is so close to being finished!), because I like having things to do.  Just ask Brad, I’m not one to sit around doing nothing for days on end (unless it’s a vacation from work, then I definitely can sit around and do nothing but read).

Right now school will be the focus of my energy.  Working full time and going to grad school part time at night is definitely going to be a challenge, but a welcome one at that.  I am hoping that when I am done I will be able to have the skills to someday down the road run some sort of community arts organization, a true collaboration of my artist within and my desire to work for the arts in a different way than being a traditional artist.

So for now I am going on a bit of a blog hiatus.  I will still continue to read my favorite blogs and keep up with what is going on in the blogging world (as well as the world of the home cook/foodie), but I think I will not be spending as much of my time hunting for new recipes to try and share with the world.

I wasn’t sure what would come of this project, and it made me break out of my regular cooking shell and try new things.  Some were successful, others were complete failures (and not necessarily shared with my readers).  I wasn’t sure if anyone would actually read my blog besides my mom and friends, but people did.  And they commented, which I also really appreciated.  So here’s to seeing where the road takes me, and who knows, maybe we will meet again sometime in the future!

P.S. I just discovered that I never posted the recipe for s’mores cupcakes, so I am going to share them below.  They are easy, awesome, and a total crowd-pleaser, so make them, immediately.

S’mores Cupcakes

Source: Macaroni and Cheesecake

3/4 cup dutch processed cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup warm water
3/4 cup low fat buttermilk
3 tablespoons canola oil or applesauce
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with foil liners or squares of foil for the rustic look; set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, sift together cocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add eggs, warm water, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla, and beat until smooth, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl to assure batter is well mixed.

Spoon batter out evenly among muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full. Bake until tops spring back when touched, about 20 minutes, rotating pan once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Marshmallow Fluff Frosting

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups confectioner’s sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
16 oz. tub of marshmallow cream (or fluff, if you are from New England)

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter on high until light and fluffy. Add the confectioner’s sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, and beat until fluffy each time

Beat in the vanilla until incorporated. Add the marshmallow fluff and beat until creamy.

Pipe the frosting on the cooled cupcakes using a large ziploc bag with the end snipped off (a la Sandra Lee).  Top the piped frosting with crushed graham crackers and an individual piece of hershey’s chocolate.

One thing that I have been playing around with a lot this summer is finding good summer salads.  We eat dinner with our neighbors quite a bit (we live in a fantastic loft community and have made some great friends here), and one night they brought over this salad from Whole Foods that I decided to try to recreate.  It was super simple, but full of great summer flavors, like cucumbers (my favorite!), olives (again a favorite), cubed feta, tomatoes, and onions.  And it was all in Italian dressing, so you can’t get much easier than that.  Not only is it easy, but it’s a huge hit, and also makes a big batch, with lots for leftovers.

When we go on our somewhat annual trip to Charleston later this summer (I know I’m asking for it, going in August), I hope to hit up their fantastic farmer’s market and make lots of salads to have with dinner.  No one wants to spend their entire beach vacation cooking (unless that is what you really like to do on vacation) in the kitchen.

As usual I know I have dropped off the face of the earth, but I have been busy with my new job, playing tons of tennis around the Metrowest area, and just trying to relax and do as much as I can before I start school in the fall.  I also happen to have a new toy, just in time for my birthday…

In a completely out of left field move, Brad surprised me with an Addams Family pinball machine for my birthday, which happened to be last week.  Now let me just say that we don’t do surprises at all, so this one was HUGE.  Not only have I a) wanted a pinball machine for AGES, and b) wanted this particular one for at least 5 years, but c) I am impossible to surprise, since I am the eternal planning queen.  So I was completely surprised when two weekends ago I was told to “make myself decent” because something or someone was coming to our house.  When the truck pulled up I was NOT expecting what was inside.

All I have to say is that I love it, it’s all I ever wanted, and I currently have our all time high score of something like 132 million points.  Which was no small feat.  I’m afraid we might end up with a collection someday…which isn’t really a bad thing, when you think about it.

I am hoping to not disappear so much in the coming weeks, but can’t promise anything (big work event in a few), but I do have another summer salad (watermelon and feta!) and some amazing s’mores cupcakes coming soon(ish).

Cucumber, Tomato, Feta and Olive Salad

2-3 cucumbers, skin on and sliced however you prefer
1 good size jar of pitted kalamata olives, rinsed
1 yellow onion, sliced thin
2-3 tomatoes, sliced however you prefer
1 package of feta that isn’t crumbled, cut into 1 in. cubes
1 whole bottle of your favorite Italian dressing (mine happens to be Newman’s family recipe)

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients.  Let sit for a few hours before serving.  You can drain the dressing for serving, or just use a slotted spoon (which is what I happen to do).  Enjoy!

Summer has also finally arrived here (both officially and in terms of weather)!  We had a slow start to June, which was unfortunate, considering that May was gorgeous.  We never have nice springs here in New England, and this year seemed to be the best one I can remember in a long time.  Let’s hope that we can continue the momentum and have a fantastic summer.  I’m looking forward to random beach days!

This recipe for chocolate whiskey pots de creme comes from Tartelette, who happens to be a woman named Helen, who lives in Charleston (my favorite!) by way of France.  If you don’t know her site, you should, as her pictures are to die for.  Mine does her recipe no justice, but she seems to have an amazing array of serving pieces.

The recipe is actually quite easy, and amazingly delicious.  I had to borrow some whiskey from some neighbors of ours, as I am not generally a brown liquor kind of girl (I am trying to expand my horizons).  The result was not overpowering at all, and the chocolate wasn’t too rich or sweet.  I definitely recommend this recipe, and I am pretty sure I used the whites to make either meringues or angel food cake.  Since I don’t have an ice cream maker I always end up wasting yolks when I make angel food cake, so now I can actually use all of the egg when making something that requires egg whites!

This is also a great entertaining recipe, since you can make it well in advance and you really have to do nothing to serve them except for take them out of the fridge!

Chocolate Whiskey Pots de Creme

Source: Tartelette

6 large egg yolks
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup whole milk (I had 1% and it still worked fine)
1 cup heavy cream
6 oz bittersweet chocolate
3 tablespoons to 1/4 cup Irish whiskey (I used the full 1/4 cup and didn’t think it was too overpowering)

Place 6 to 8 ramekins into a roasting pan and set aside. Preheat oven to 350F and position a rack in the center.

In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the honey for 2-3 minutes.

In the meantime, bring the milk and cream to a simmer in a large saucepan set over medium high heat. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate to the mixture. Slowly whisk until the chocolate is completely melted. (return over low heat if it needs a bit more heat to dissolve). Slowly pour the chocolate mixture over the egg yolks and honey, whisking constantly until both mixtures come together. Add the whiskey and stir briefly.

Divide the chocolate batter evenly among the ramekins. Pour hot water into the roasting pan so that it reaches halfway up the sides of the dishes. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the cream appears just set. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before eating.

Filed under: dessert Tagged: chocolate, dairy, easy, whiskey ]]> http://pickyeatings.wordpress.com/2010/06/21/chocolate-whiskey-pots-de-creme/feed/ 4 Lindsey chocolate whiskey pots de creme ingredients chocolate http://pickyeatings.wordpress.com/2010/05/31/homemade-tortilla-chips-and-black-bean-corn-salsa/ http://pickyeatings.wordpress.com/2010/05/31/homemade-tortilla-chips-and-black-bean-corn-salsa/#comments Mon, 31 May 2010 14:52:45 +0000 Lindsey http://pickyeatings.wordpress.com/?p=598 ]]> I know I have been severely lacking on the posts lately, and really I have no excuse, seeing as I am not currently employed.  Well until next Monday.  I have been painting a TON (14 foot high walls means lots and lots of paint, tape, and trips to the Home Depot, which is conveniently down the street), and have sort of been neglecting other parts of my life.  The good news is that my main living room wall is done, and looks great.  I’m still working on the magnetic chalkboard wall in the kitchen, which requires a million coats of paint.  I will be sure to share it when it’s done, as it will be quite the achievement.

Now that summer is officially here (well, not really, but it sure feels like it), I have a great summer party recipe for you.  One day Brad and I were waiting for some friends who we were going to dinner with, and we needed a snack, but had nothing to eat.  We discovered that we had a ton of corn tortillas leftover from another meal, and he set out to find out how to make them into chips.  Well I am really glad he did, because homemade tortilla chips are so delicious and way less bad for you (we bake them), and actually pretty easy to make.  So no more store-bought bags for us.  I’ll be requesting he make them all the time this summer.

We recently had a LOST finale viewing party (although only one of the guests actually stayed to watch LOST) and I figured a great starter would be these chips paired with an easy and delicious black bean and corn salsa that my mom had shared with me a few years ago.  It involves both canned corn and beans, and fresh veggies like onions, peppers, and cilantro.  The two together are great, and I definitely plan to make this combo many times over the course of the summer.  It’s also super easy to double, and everyone generally loves it.  So go out and make it for your next party, I promise it will be a hit!

Homemade Tortilla Chips

Corn tortillas
Olive oil
Kosher salt

Preheat oven to 400.  Brush tortillas with small amount of olive oil, and sprinkle with salt.  Stack a few in a pile and cut into sixths (depending on size of tortillas, we use smaller ones).  Arrange on a baking sheet and bake for anywhere between 5-10 minutes.  We don’t set the oven, just kind of watch them to make sure they brown properly but don’t burn.  If they are slightly brown they will be crispier, which I prefer.  Serve immediately, or store in an airtight container.

Black Bean Corn Salsa

16 ounces canned black beans
16 ounces canned corn
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup chopped scallion
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped orange pepper
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
3 TB olive oil
1 TB ground cumin
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup chopped tomato

In large bowl, combine beans, corn, cilantro, scallion, red onion, orange pepper, lime juice, olive oil, cumin, salt and pepper to taste.  Cover and chill at least two hours, up to overnight.  Just before serving, stir in tomatoes.

Filed under: appetizers, sides Tagged: beans, citrus, corn, easy, light, mexican ]]> http://pickyeatings.wordpress.com/2010/05/31/homemade-tortilla-chips-and-black-bean-corn-salsa/feed/ 4 Lindsey Chips and Salsa chips black bean corn salsa http://pickyeatings.wordpress.com/2010/05/17/chocolate-beet-cake/ http://pickyeatings.wordpress.com/2010/05/17/chocolate-beet-cake/#comments Mon, 17 May 2010 14:36:55 +0000 Lindsey http://pickyeatings.wordpress.com/?p=591 ]]>

I know what you’re thinking.  Chocolate beet cake?  I dismissed the idea as soon as it was presented to me.  As you probably know by now, I am not a big fan of vegetables.  But I decided to take a second look, and I am glad I did.  Because the cake was not as weird as I thought it was going to be.

This cake was made for the always wonderful Cake Day, which you might remember from last year.  Last year the fabulous Kelley and I made this beauty, which was wildly popular, so we knew it would be hard to follow up this year.  So we decided to go off the beaten path, and went with the chocolate beet cake that Kelley discovered online.  It was simple, but had rave reviews, and seemed completely appropriate for a Cake Day celebration.

We also got bonus points for the fact that we made the cake during the hottest weekend of the year so far, and in the middle of a boil water order for the Greater Boston area.  We made do, and still made this lovely cake.  People were a bit hesitant to eat it at the celebration, which I can understand, especially since it did not have any special decorations, or even any frosting.  Besides, Linden had made pop rocks cupcakes, what can possibly beat that?

The consensus was that the cake was quite good.  A little lacking on the chocolate flavor, if you ask me, but then again by now you should know that I love my chocolate.  Brad liked it quite a bit, he tends to like more classic tasting cakes that aren’t so overpowering in flavor.  Although I would maybe like to top this with some sort of frosting, just to give it a bit more something extra.  But you definitely can not taste the beets, they just lend an earthy flavor and make the cake quite dense and moist.  It was fairly easy to make, although we apparently had monster beets, as we had enough to make at least two cakes.

Chocolate Beet Cake

Source: Straight From the Farm

1 C. margarine or butter, softened, divided
1 1/2 C. packed dark brown sugar
3 eggs at room temp
2-3 oz. dark chocolate
5 medium beets (2 C. pureed) *Our beets were giant, so we probably only needed 2-3
1 t. vanilla extract
2 C. all-purpose flour
2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. nutmeg
confectioners’ sugar for dusting

To make beet puree, trim stems and roots off beets and quarter them.  Place in heavy sauce pan filled with water.  Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer for 50 mins or until the beets are tender.  Drain off remaining liquid and rinse beets in cold water as they’ll be too hot to handle otherwise.  Slide skins off and place beets in blender.  Process until a smooth puree forms.  Let cool slightly before using in cake.  I like to make the puree ahead and store it in the fridge, sometimes up to several days in advance.

In a mixing bowl, cream 3/4 cup margarine and brown sugar. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Melt chocolate with remaining butter in the microwave on high in 20 second intervals, stirring each time until smooth. Cool slightly. Blend chocolate mixture, beets and vanilla into the creamed mixture.  The batter will appear separated so don’t fret.

Combine flour, baking soda , salt, cinnamon and nutmeg; add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Pour into a greased and floured 10-in. spring form pan. Bake at 375 degrees F for 60-70 minutes  or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes before removing to a wire rack. Cool completely before dusting with confectioners’ sugar.

Anyway, on to food.  Even though I have been pretty busy lately, it doesn’t mean that I have not been making fabulous new things.  In fact, I have quite a few recipes to share in the coming weeks.  This one is an instant favorite, and some friends of mine gave me the recipe.  It comes from Hannaford (as in the supermarket), and they have magazines with tons of delicious recipes in it.  He knew Brad and I like to grill (and we share our grill), and it had tons of burgers and grilled pizza (my new favorite way to make pizza).  We decided to try this one, and invite our friends over to see how it came out!

We all agreed it was really delicious, and it actually looked the same as the picture in the magazine.  It also happened to be during our boil water order, so grilling seemed an easy way to be able to cook without having to wash too many dishes with water that has been boiled.  In case you didn’t hear, the greater Boston area had to boil water for a few days because a pipe broke and we were being supplied with reserve water.  Not so fun, especially on the hottest weekend of the year thus far.

These burgers are super easy, and super delicious.  They are also enough for a meal on their own, you don’t really need any sides.  The magazine also had a recipe for blue cheese dressing, but I was lazy and used bottled stuff.  And it definitely didn’t disappoint.  I will be definitely making these all summer long.

Buffalo Chicken Burgers

Source: Hannaford

1 1/2 lbs. ground chicken (I used 2, and made 5 burgers)
5 Tb. Hot sauce (Frank’s!)
1/4 tsp. old bay seasoning
1/2 tsp. paprika
pinch cayenne pepper
4 whole wheat bulkie rolls, split
4 leaves lettuce
Chunky blue cheese dressing

Preheat grill to medium high.

In a large bowl, combine chicken, 1/4 cup of the hot sauce, old bay, paprika, and cayenne pepper.  Mix until evenly blended.  Form into 4 or 5 patties.

Place burgers on grill and cook undisturbed for 6-7 minutes until well-marked.  Flip burgers and cook for another 5-6 minutes until cooked through.  Brush the tops of the burgers with the remaining hot sauce.

To assemble, place a lettuce leaf on the bottom of each roll, top with a burger, and put blue cheese dressing on top, and top with the other half of the roll.  Serve immediately, with additional hot sauce on the side.