Is It The Thought That Counts? Probably Not...

Sorry...Bad blogger here...It has been a long time since I have posted and it is NOT because I haven't been thinking about it. I can't find my camera battery charger so my camera has been dead for a long time and my only way of taking pictures not is with my iPod or my phone (neither of which have the best quality in my kitchen lighting). Good enough answer? Probably not. I also had my last final training push before my 1/2 marathon, with that coming pre-race nerves, fidgetiness, and inability to concentrate on one thing at a time (I got a lot of cleaning done at home...if only it was thorough in one room rather than a little here and there...). Good enough answer? Not really.  My race went well and I finished pretty much spot on my goal. 2:00:25! 25 seconds slower than my goal, but in a 2 hour race, 25 seconds on my first 1/2 marathon is acceptable.

My lack of blogging hasn't meant a lack of cooking and baking, however. I mean, a girl has to eat, right?!

Apple-Cinnamon Bread

Chili with Homemade Yogurt
and Cornmeal Biscotti
(Biscotti recipe to come!)

Garlic and Herb
Sandwich Loaf

Granola Bars

Lots of Apples and Squash!
Soups, Barley Risotto (YUM!)

Sun-Dried Tomato and Herb
Sourdough

And then I made cake. My birthday cake, to be exact. Kyle was opposed to me making my own cake, but when I told him what I wanted, he thought it better that I do the baking.

My Birthday Cake!

When it came to conceptualizing what I wanted for a birthday cake, I knew I wanted an explosion of warm fall flavors. Pumpkin, apple, maple, a hint of cinnamon...So I made it. I got ideas from the Pumpkin Dream Cake on The Novice Chef blog, then adapted it a little and made it my own. The pumpkin and homemade apple sauce made a nice dense and very moist cake that held up very well, the only cinnamon in the recipe is in the frosting so it is a pumpkin cake with highlights of cinnamon, rather than the oft-done pumpkin-cinnamon combination. The pumpkin is definitely highlighted. The cake itself isn't overly sweet at all, though the frosting is very rich. And for decoration I used Sucanat, which is a raw sugar with all of the molasses still in it, giving it a sweet, bitter, warm flavor with a little crunch.

MY Pumpkin Birthday Cake

For the cake:

3 cups all-purpose flour (or cake flour. I used 1/2 and 1/2)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar

3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste)
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
1/2 cup homemade apple sauce
1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 300〫F.  Butter 2 9" cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment, then butter the parchment. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. In the bowl of a mixer, cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, then mix in vanilla, apple sauce, and pumpkin. The batter might look like a broken sauce, and that is fine. Stir in flour mixture in 3 parts and milk in 2 parts, beginning and ending with the flour. Divide evenly between cake pans and bake until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean with a few clinging crumbs (not sticky with batter), about 35-45 minutes. Let cool in the pans for 10-15 minutes before removing to cool on a wire rack.

For the Frosting:

12 oz cream cheese or neufchatel , softened
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
6 cups powdered sugar

In a stand mixer, cream together butter and cream cheese. Stir in maple syrup, vanilla, and cinnamon until combined. Add powdered sugar until combined and beat on high until smooth.

Assembly:

Trim cakes if needed. Assemble 2 layer cake with a heavy layer of frosting between layers. Apply a thin crumb coat to the surface of the cake and refrigerate cake and remaining frosting for 1/2 hour. Frost the cake generously (licking fingers if need be). Sprinkle top of cake with 1-2 TB of sucanat (optional, but recommended!)

Sorry for the picture quality (or lack there of). See excuse #1 above.

Slice, share, enjoy with a cup of coffee. Or a pumpkin ale. Or a big ol' glass of milk.

I am working on developing a bread recipe of my own, so you might expect to hear some venting about the process, and hopefully a final recipe that turns out just the way I want it.

Cheers!

Who Would Have Thought There Was Legacy In Cobbler?

It has been far too long since my last post, and no I didn't forget about it. I thought about posting a lot, even starting the writing but coming up with nothing "Breadland" worthy. And, to be quite honest, I haven't been cooking enough. I have been working a lot this summer, the apartment has been hot, and I haven't had much free time to thoughtfully and carefully put something together to "bring to the table" so to speak.

That doesn't mean I haven't been in the kitchen. I have been jamming! I made blueberry jalepeno and blueberry basil jams, as well as canning brandied peaches and a sweet and spicy peach barbeque sauce. A friend of mine has been selling them at her stand at the Farmer's Market for me, which has been a fun adventure.

Recently my parents have been looking for a cabin up north to have and use as a family. It is to be where family gathers in the summers, where games are played, company is enjoyed, and memories are made. Family is a big thing for us, and you can't blame us...I mean, our family is pretty flipping awesome...not to gloat or anything...anyway...

Joining the family legacy and food talks, my sister recently made my grandma's pickles. These just aren't any pickles though...they are Donna's Pickles. People remember them and drool, swoon, smile, and then crave them. Family recipes rock. Not only are they flavors that bring back memories, but it is a way to physically connect with someone you love. You are going through the same motions, smelling the same smells, tasting the same things, looking for the same cues, all from reading the same words on the same recipe card. How cool is that?!

Last year for my birthday I got a gift that brought tears to my eyes. My aunt had sent me my great-grandmother's cookbook. She wrote a beautiful note explaining its importance and identifying smudges on the pages. 

So today, with the day off and a kitchen-therapy day greatly needed, I baked from the very book that my great-grandma baked from. With local peaches and blueberries that I had frozen, I made a cobbler (it is September, after all...) and this is my new go-to cobbler recipe. It was delicious! Not too sweet but sweet enough, and the biscuit topping was perfectly crisp on the outside and oh-so-tender on the inside. It was simple and classic. And it is a family recipe.

I used the melted butter, rather than margarine, fat, or salad oil.

You better believe I sprinkled the top with cinnamon sugar!

In my favorite enameled cast-iron.

Served warm with my favorite vanilla bean ice cream

 That's how grandmas do it.

Ah, Summer...And Loads of Watermelon...

So summer. Yeah. It is hotter than heck, the humidity might drown you, your body never really cools down, there is always sweat dripping from somewhere, and you constantly itch from the bleeping mosquitoes...And I am loving it (except for the bleeping mosquitoes). As uncomfortable as it can feel, I find myself reveling in the feeling of heat after having snow in May. I actually have plants growing (and growing well) on my deck, my arms and legs are quite bronzed from the sun (although the tan line from my running shorts and tanks is pretty humorous...I could walk down the street naked and look like I am just wearing white shorts and a tank...but that will never happen...you're welcome...), and I am coming to appreciate the cool after the 6 month winter we had (thankful for an air conditioned bedroom to sleep in).

I even got up North to where my childhood summers were spent. I sat on the deck overlooking the lake, cooked in the kitchen where I used to mix Tang as a kid, sat on the dock that I used to jump off of and swim until I was forced inside for bed, I drove the pontoon to the other side of the lake and jumped in the water with my sister like we had loved to do between sessions of laying out in the sun and reading our summer mystery novels (Trixie Belden books were always my favorite). This time was different though. Kyle got to see "my up north" for the first time and I got to see it one last time before our family's property was sold. All but one of my cousins were able to make it and it was just like we were little, except we were the adults, the parents were grandparents, and the grandparents were great grandparents. It was a fun shift of times to be a part of. Bittersweet and beautiful.
There was a big family reunion (close to 100 people at my great-aunt and uncle's house on a different lake) and it was marvelous. So much family and so much love.

Best (and most hilariously entertaining) Family Ever.

Aside from trips to the lake, this summer has been full of summery food. Birthday cookouts, mixers with friends and new people, and grilling simply for the sake of not heating up an appliance in the already hot kitchen. One thing that I have been making for a lot of these cookouts is a watermelon salad. Now, don't get me wrong. I like watermelon, but I don't need it. I'm not one of those people who claim that watermelon is a necessary part of summer. Sure, I'll have a bite if it is there and I'll enjoy it, but that's all I really need. I don't go looking for it.

And then I found a watermelon in my fridge. It was left here after a grill out we had. "Sorry, watermelon", I thought. "You found yourself in the wrong fridge. I like you and all, but I'm just not that into you..."

And then, given my guilty nature, I felt bad. I looked for an appealing recipe for watermelon salad, found one, made it, and spruced it up. And enjoyed it. And have even PURCHASED a couple of watermelons since then to make it again. So I want to thank that watermelon for risking being a summery addition to a compost heap to reveal to me the wonders of what watermelon can become.

This was before I added the cucumber in a pretty ring around the outside of the bowl.

Watermelon Salad

8-10c Cubed Waternelon

1/2c - 3/4c Crumbled Feta

1-2TB Chopped Fresh Basil

1 Cucumber, peeled, halved, and sliced into thin half-circles

Mix it all up. Be careful with the watermelon because the more you handle it, the more it juices out and then you get a soupy mess in the bowl. It is best served right away the day it is made, but it can be kept for a day or two; drain off the juices in the bottom of the bowl before re-serving.

Notice that the amounts are quite variable. Make it to taste! You like basil? Add more. Not a feta fan? Use less. Most importantly, enjoy.

Just because I love how my variegated basil looks...

A Blonde Girl's Indian Rice and Lentils

I can't figure out for the life of me why this picture is sideways, but I can't turn it, so I invite you to tilt your head to the left and note the dark clouds on the bottom (right) of the picture and the moon right above them.

Its a rainy day and I have an hour before I have to get ready for work so it is a perfect moment to let my tomatoes roast in the oven and write a post. Last night the pup and I sat on the deck and watched the lightning come in from the south of us. It was awesome. We could see the moon and clear skies at the same time we watched lightning strike in the clouds every second or two. I don't know if the dog enjoyed it as much as I did (she was preoccupied watching birds flick in and out of the big maple right outside).

Anywho, it hasn't been a typical spring and summer for us here in Minnesota (but then again, being in Minnesota, crazy unpredictable weather is the norm, so I should leave it at that I guess). It has been dreary and stagnant. Stagnant is the only word I can really think of to describe the weather. Bits of sun, bouts of rain, but other than that, BLAH! So you can imagine how excited I was to see something happen in the skies, especially something so electric! When the rain moved in, I couldn't help but stand in it and feel the weather happen.

So given all of this "blah" weather, I have been craving some comfort food that sticks to me. As much as I would love to be craving a nice light summery salad with garden fresh herbs and a nice light zippy vinaigrette and a cheese/bread/meat platter, my body has been wanting comfort food. The flavor profile of the kabobs stuck with me, and with Indian food having lots of warm spices involved, I made more!! This time it was a rice and lentil dish that I made completely on a whim with no recipe to base it off of; just an idea. I made a big batch and comforted myself all week. It is a comfort dish that you don't feel completely weighed down and greasy after eating though, so you can feel good about it (and have another serving)! It is a stand-alone dish (best served with yogurt or raita, but would also be an excellent accompaniment to chicken, beef, fish, or grilled/roasted veggies.

A Blonde Girl's Indian Rice and Lentils

1 Celery Stalk, chopped

1 Carrot, chopped

1 White or Yellow Onion, chopped

2 Cloves Garlic, minced

1" Cinnamon Stick

2 Bay Leaves

1 (heaping) tsp Yellow/Sweet Curry Powder

1 tsp Turmeric

A Hefty Pinch of Ground Coriander

1c French Lentils, soaked at least 30 min and rinsed

1c Basmati Rice

1 Fresh Tomato, chopped

3 1/2c Water

1c Packed Spinach (or 1c blanched frozen spinach-kale would work well too!)

Salt, Pepper, and Red Pepper Flakes to taste

Saute celery, carrot, onion, garlic, cinnamon stick, and bay leaves in 2TB olive oil over medium-low heat for 3-5 minutes, until fragrant. Add the curry powder, turmeric, coriander, red pepper flakes, and pepper cooking for another 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly to keep spices from burning. Add rice and soaked (and strained) lentils. Cook for another 4-5 minutes. Add water and fresh tomato, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook until lentils and rice are fully cooked (15-20 minutes). Add spinach and salt/pepper/red pepper flakes to taste.

Serve with yogurt/raita and toasted flat bread.

Confession: I did not take any pictures of this dish. Not because I didn't think it would be good, but I honestly didn't think it would be good enough to consider "post-worthy". Kyle told me that it was, so here is a post with no pictures of the recipe...tsk tsk tsk...

But I did take other pictures for you to gaze at so you don't just have to look at words!

My deliciously smelly sourdough starer! It is growing quite nicely with the cool humidity we have been having lately.

Our porch garden! A lot more flowers than last year. We had people over and were grilling so everything is moved around, but there are lettuce and spinach, cilantro, rosemary, sage, chocolate mint, and a variegated basil scattered among the flowers. They have been enjoying the myriad of weather conditions; rain, sun, warm, cool...everything is doing well!

Tomatoes that are roasting in my oven RIGHT NOW!! There were some over-ripe ones at work, so I nabbed them! Kyle made a big batch of awesome salsa that we froze, and now we will have roasted tomatoes to play with too!

Now that an hour has passed, I should get those tomatoes out of the oven and get myself ready for work. Have a pleasant evening and eat well.

Cheers!

Serve with yogurt.

Lemon-Ginger Kabobs with Spiced Rice. Roasted Potatoes too!

Let's just pretend it is nice outside. I mean, 65 degrees isn't bad, but I could really use some sun. I have a January mentality in June! Bring on the sunshine and lake trips!

Last week Kyle and I happened to have an evening to have dinner and it happened to be the only two hour chunk of time all week that was sunny. I had the day off and had dinner all planned out in my head. I was determined to use the grill, so thank goodness for the chunk of sunshine!

The Kabobs

2 Chicken Breasts, cut into 1 1/2" cubes/chunks/pieces/hunks

1/4c Lemon Juice

2 TB Canola or Olive Oil

1 Clove of Garlic, thinly sliced

1" Piece of Ginger, grated

1 Shallot, thinly sliced

1/4 tsp Ground Turmeric

1 TB Agave Nectar or Honey

2 tsp Fresh Basil, julienned

Large Pinch Kosher Salt

1/4 tsp Freshly Cracked Pepper

Red Pepper Flakes to taste

In a medium bowl, whisk all of the ingredients together (except for the chicken. Chicken is hard to whisk). Put un-whisked chicken into bowl with marinade. Cover, refrigerate overnight. 

1 Zucchini, cut into 1/4" disks

1 Onion, chopped into large wedges

1 Red Pepper, cut into 1 1/2" pieces

1 Yellow or Orange Pepper, cut into 1 1/2" pieces

1TB Lemon Juice

1 TB Olive Oil

1 Clove Garlic, pressed

Large Pinch Kosher Salt

1/4 tsp Freshly Cracked Pepper

Toss these goodies all together and let them sit for an hour or so while you get the grill started and open a bottle of wine or beer.

Skewer the veggies and chicken on soaked wood skewers or metal skewers in a creative and colorful way of your choosing. Grill for 15 minutes or so (until the chicken is thoroughly cooked).

Sneak Peek at the finished products. Kabobs served with rice and roasted potatoes.

The Rice

This is a pretty standard spiced basmati rice with almonds and raisins. Delicious with the marinated chicken and veggies.

1 tsp Olive Oil

1 tsp Butter

1" Cinnamon Stick

2 Whole Cloves

1c Basmati Rice

1 3/4c Water

1/2 tsp Turmeric

1/4-1/2 tsp Salt

1/8 tsp Ground Cardamom

Red Pepper Flakes, to taste

1/2c Raisins

1/4c Almonds, toasted and chopped

Heat oil and butter in a heavy skillet over low heat. Add cinnamon stick and cloves, stirring until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat. Cook for another 5 minutes. Add water, turmeric, salt, and cardamom, and red pepper flakes and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until the rice is tender (15-20 minutes). Discard the cloves and cinnamon stick. Stir in the raisins and toasted almonds.

I served the kabobs and rice with a cucumber tzatziki sauce, but plain yogurt would have been delicious as well. I also made some roasted red potatoes with capers, red peppers, shallot, and garlic, and after roasting tossed in some blue cheese. Yum. 

We enjoyed our meal together on the porch (first time this summer!!). While we were out there, our neighbor's mother commented on the fact that the two of us had actually managed to have a meal together. That was kind of funny...Even she-who-does-not-live-here-but-I-guess-is-here-often-enough-to-know-what-goes-on-and-what-our-schedules-are knows that we don't get a meal together very often. That made us appreciate it that much more. 

ALSO! I am making my sourdough starter again! This past fall and winter I got away from making my sourdough at home (new schedule and defeated attitude both played a role), but I have truly missed my own sourdough loaf. I am excited to be bringing that part of me back to the surface because I truly love doing it. There will be bread in coming posts, as well as the delicious food that I eat with it.

No Recipe, But a Summer (Mostly Running) Update.

School is out. I have a three month break from 7:30a.m.-4p.m. shenanigans and the daily hilariously adorable one-liners. As much as I love my K-2nd graders, having some down-time (and adult time) is quite nice. Of course I have to stay busy though...I go crazy with too much sitting around time, so I picked up two part-time jobs. One of them is at the Food Co-op in town which is low-key and fun. A place I enjoy and a mission I stand behind paying me? Okay. The other is at a new restaurant in town as a server and weekend baker for the breakfast goers and early-morning golfers. It will be fun to get back in a professional kitchen and see how different kitchens function. The restaurant won't start for another week, but I started at the co-op a month and a half ago during the school year. That meant I was working 7 days a week for a month and a half, with 14 hour days scattered in there. Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining. If anything, I am expressing my sheer amazement that I was able to do that and still train and run (though not as much or as long as I might have otherwise wanted). 

Over Memorial Day weekend, I ran the Med-City Marathon Relay in Rochester, MN. I knew going in that I was the least experienced runner on my team (the others being my 6th grade cousin who has a few half-marathons under his belt...another being my uncle who has been running marathons since college, and the other being Kyle's sister who is a speedy little runner and is a half-marathon veteran and is training for her first full marathon). I was excited to just get out there and run and test myself, not compare myself to others. I ended up with the longest leg of the relay and it was a good run. I ran through tree-covered trails, through residential streets, through parks and over a bridge to my finish line. It was a cool day (in the 40s and misty/raining) but there were people who sat outside just to cheer the runners on. They kept a smile on my face and my feet a little lighter.  Because of the cold weather, I was sure to thank a good handful of them because they were choosing to stand in the less than ideal weather  to encourage and support other people on their runs. I give them and the race-day adrenaline credit for the ease of my run, where I surprised myself with a PR! My leg of the race was 6.8 miles and I averaged 8:29 minute miles (if the distance was correct on the course). My 10k time was 9:10 minute miles.

It felt great. 

And did I mention we got 7th place out of 98 relay teams?

Now that my schedule has opened up a few mornings each week and a few evenings each week, I am excited to train for my half-marathon. I have my goals set, my training schedule established, and now it is up to me to make it happen. 

I love running because it is purely up to me to make what I want happen. There are other factors, but when it comes down to it, it is me and only me that can achieve my goals, get through the mental aspect of it, and come out stronger on all levels. And the great thing is, anyone can do it. Start at whatever level/ability you are at, and it is your choice to get stronger or not. You make the journey what you want it to be and you get out of it what you decide. I will never be elite, but I will be the strongest I can be.

I had an idea of what was going into this post, but it turned out completely different. Keep your eyes and ears out for my next recipe that I will put out this week. Kabobs, rice, potatoes, grill....there is your preview...

Until next time, be well and eat well!

Treat Your Mother

Last weekend was Mother's Day.  I worked until 4 on Sunday and was excited to make the trip to my hometown to surprise my mom and have dinner. I called my brother to finalize plans, let my dad know what we wanted to do, and we were ready for action.

It didn't work out.

My mom plays in the symphony orchestra in the city 15 minutes from where I live. Apparently there was a concert on Mother's Day. When my dad found out he uneasily said "Umm...You might want to call Annie about that...". After we finally took my mother's schedule into account (who would have thought of that...), we had a plan. She and my brother would come to me after her concert which would be right when I was getting off of work. Perfect.

We started the afternoon at the dog park so my pup could run around and we could get some fresh air. Then we headed to dinner at a new barbecue place in town (my mom loves barbecue ribs and is somewhat of a connoisseur). It was a good dinner made fabulous by the company of my mom and brother. We followed dinner with a walk to a big park a handful of blocks from my apartment to play Bocce Ball and eat a picnic dessert. "What was for dessert?" you ask? That was my Mother's Day gift to her.

Hint for what I made for dessert...

Gone are the days of making Mother's Day coupon books, paper flowers, cards, and other crafts guided by my elementary school teachers. But now are the days of being able to bake delicious things for the people I love. I spent my Saturday afternoon in the kitchen preparing for Sunday's dessert. I chose to make chocolate tarts for a few reasons, among them being the fact that I love them and they are a truly decadent and rich dessert that we don't get to have everyday, but mostly because my mom loves chocolate. There was a time, however when chocolate just didn't make her mouth dance like it always had.

Speaking of chocolate, here is a cake I made for a friend's bachelorette party a few weeks ago.
It has nothing to do with this post, other than chocolate...
Chocolate-Glazed Yogurt Chocolate Cake...darn was this good...

When my mom was in chemotherapy four years ago, her tastes changed quite a bit. Things she had loved before just didn't taste right to her, chocolate included. In the many gift and care packages my mom had received during her time in treatment, she never ate any of the many expensive chocolate bars that people gave her; they all went to me and the rest of my family. While this tasted awesome to us, it was hard to take something from my mother that she had once loved, but the side-effects of treatment for her illness had led her to dislike enough to completely pass it up.

This Mother's Day, I was going to give her all of that rich chocolate that she hadn't cared for when she was sick, but deserved now. This is a pretty standard French chocolate tart recipe, and I had a lot of fun making them, as I hadn't made them in a while.

Chocolate Tartlets

Pastry:

1 1/4c All-Purpose Flour

2TB Sugar

1/2tsp Salt

7TB Butter, chilled and cubed

3-6TB Water, ice cold

In a small bowl, whisk flour, sugar, and salt. Cut in the butter until it resembles a coarse crumb and no pieces of butter are larger than pea-sized. Sprinkle in the cold water (start with 3 TB and add more as needed) and toss just until the dough sticks together. DO NOT OVER-WORK THE DOUGH. Divide into 6 equal portions, wrap each in plastic and press into round disks. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. 

Preheat oven to 375〫F. Roll and trim the dough pucks to fit 4" tartlet pans. Fill dough-lined pans with pie weights and par-bake shells for 15 min. Cool on a wire rack.

Chocolate Filling:

1 1/4c Heavy Cream

8oz Semi-Sweet or Bittersweet Chocolate, finely chopped (I used a combination of the two)

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

2 Eggs, beaten

Beat eggs in a small bowl and set aside. In a small saucepan over low-medium heat, bring cream just to a simmer. Remove from the heat and whisk in the chopped chocolate and vanilla until smooth. Whisk a small amount of the chocolate mixture into the eggs, then whisk the tempered eggs into the pan with the rest of the chocolate mixture, whisking until smooth. 

Pour the chocolate filling into the pastry shells and bake for 13-15 minutes, until most of the filling is set and the center jiggles slightly. Cool on a rack. Chill and remove from tartlet pans before serving.

Absolutely Perfect.

I can't explain how much I love my family. In the past four years since my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer, she has not only kicked it in the rear, but she has done so much more than most people can dream to do in their normal lives. She has traveled, lived, given, taught, and loved. I had more than enough to be thankful for this Mother's Day, and a day spent with my mom made me so unbelievably grateful to have such a spectacular woman in my life.