the secret ingredient is RAGE

Pumpkin Shortbread Bars with Cream Cheese Glaze

2011-02-04T12:39:00.003-05:00

Dear Megatron,

Wow! Our Olive Oil & Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies got lots of hits! Fame is surely nigh.

Here is a recipe I've been meaning to post since Thanksgiving. This year I made loads of pies, as usual, and cranberry sauce - all the obligatory elements. But it was our first Thanksgiving in our new house, and I felt like trying something new out. These bars are delicious. I know pumpkin makes everyone think of T-day, but I think desserts made with winter squash are just the thing as soon as there's a chilly bite to the air, and until the crocuses appear. Also, I *far* prefer the flavor of buttercup squash to pumpkin, or even butternut. But, to each his own squash.

Pumpkin Shortbread Bars with Cream Cheese Glaze

1 c flour
1/2 c butter
2 T sugar

1 c sugar
5 T flour
1/2 t baking powder
3 eggs
2 c cooked squash
1/4 c lime juice
1/2 t ginger powder
1/2 t freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 t salt

1 c powdered sugar
4 oz cream cheese
milk

walnuts, chopped

1. Using a pastry cutter, slice and dice the flour, butter, and sugar and press into an 8x8 pan. Bake in an oven preheated to 375 for about 15 minutes, or until just browning.

2. Mix custard ingredients well. Pour into pan atop warm shortbread and bake at 375 for about 30 or 40 minutes, or until set. Allow to cool.

3. Toast chopped walnuts on the stovetop in an ungreased skillet. Be careful not to burn these! Anyone who has done this before can tell you that if you look away at the wrong moment, suddenly every last one of your nuts is burnt to a crisp.

4. Cream powdered sugar and cream cheese. Add just enough milk to make the icing pourable - you still want it very thick.

5. Cut the bars into small squares and place then on wax paper or a baking sheet or something. Pour the glaze over them and then sprinkle nuts over that. If you like, grate a bit of fresh nutmeg over the top.

Um...we have to make...

2011-01-22T23:39:00.000-05:00

this. Immediately. Also, Miz Helen's Country Cottage invited us to share the cookie recipe on her Full Plate Thursday page. Neat. Lots of other great recipes on there too. If I wasn't so stuffed with Alex's lasagna right now, I'd need to go forage. I might anyway.

xo
L

Olive Oil & Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies, redux

2011-01-22T10:27:00.000-05:00

Good news! Lisa at Sweet as Sugar Cookies has invited us to post these cookies on her "Sweets for a Saturday" segment. This is exciting because her blog gets lots more hits than ours. :) Plus, she's got a recipe for chocolate biscotti on there. Nom nom nom. Oh, what's that, last ten pounds of baby weight? I didn't hear that. HUH? Your voice grows distant in the presence of cookies.

Love,

Linz

Olive Oil & Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-01-21T19:25:00.005-05:00

Dear Megs,

These are so good. Soooo good. Really, whatever cookies you're eating right now, these are better than them. For real. These are fluffy and gooey and melt-in-your-mouthy all at once.

Olive Oil & Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup olive oil
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 cups chopped pecans (optional but unless it'll kill you recommended)
sea salt, coarse

0) Preheat to 375.
1) In a small bowl, whisk together flour, soda, and salt.
2) In a larger bowl, "cream" olive oil and sugars. It will get soupy, but it won't really get fluffy like it does with butter. Add the eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly in between, and then add the vanilla. Now you can put the mixer on high for a minute, just to fluff the eggs out, but don't do it for too long because olive oil can turn bitter if overworked.
3) Add flour gradually.
4) Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.
5) Using your awesome cookie scoop that you got for Christmas, scoop out blobs of cookie dough onto ungreased cookie sheets. No need to flatten - these will melt into gorgeous little blobby puddles. Which actually sounds sort of gross, but you won't think so when it's cookies.
6) Sprinkle coarse sea salt on top of each cookie.
7) Cook for just long enough.
8) I defy you not to spoil your dinner.

Love,

Linz

THANKSGIVING

2010-11-25T09:54:00.002-05:00

Dear Meggy,

Turns out having a new baby and working full time is wicked time consuming. When I do make time for sweets, I lose steam on the photos and the posting. Here is a Thanksgiving pledge: I will photograph and post at least one dessert this weekend. This should not prove too difficult since I have already made 4 pies and pumpkin bars. Avanti!

How about you?? What's your excuse, full time job and Masters program or something? Pah! Show me the goods!

Loves,

Linz

Banana Cream Pie

2010-06-12T10:50:00.002-04:00

Dear Megs,

We have been remiss! I *know* you're baking. Where are the posts? And when are you coming to visit me and my darling little man? We miss you up here, and Avi needs to meet crazy old Aunt Megs, like, now. Ok? Ok. I'm so glad we settled that.

Last week, I made a banana cream pie to bring to a friend's barbecue. Now, as you know, on principle I am against pies that have something other than tart fruit as their main filling: cream pies, chocolate pies, mint pies, I'm against them. But, this friend being excessively fond of banana cream pies, I made one. And I must say, I might be a convert. The pie was beautiful, delicious, and very easy to make. I can also think of all kinds of tweaks that would turn this homey recipe into something a little fancier.

Loves!

Banana Cream Pie

Filling
6 T cake flour
2/3 c sugar
1/4 t salt
1 3/4 c milk
2 egg yolks, beaten
1 1/4 t vanilla
1/2 c whipping cream
3 bananas
1/2 lemon

Crust
18 graham crackers
6 T butter
1/4 c sugar

1) Pre-heat oven to 350. Mash the hell out of graham crackers, making crumbs as small as possible. Mix with sugar and melted butter. Use your hands to insure everything gets really well mixed. Press into a pie plate; the harder you press, the better the structure of your crust will be. Pre-bake for 12-15 minutes.

2) In a double boiler, mix flour, sugar, and salt. Add milk, and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Cook for 15 minutes longer, stirring periodically. Pour small amount of milk mixture over egg yolks and beat, then add that to the double boiler and cook 2 minutes (or so) longer. Do not let it boil! Remove from heat, add vanilla. Chill completely.

3) Fold whipped cream into cold pastry cream.

4) Sprinkle lemon juice over sliced bananas. Put a layer of banana on the cooled pie crust, top with cream, and top that with more bananas. Garnish with berries, whipped cream, lemon peel, or whatever you find pretty.

5) Nom nom nom!

A New Secret Ingredient?

2010-05-03T17:52:00.003-04:00

Dear Megs,

I just made the yummiest, most perfect thing ever. It didn't cook for *quite* long enough - still gooey in the middle - but I have to say, this is the most scrumptious thing I have ever had a hand in.

I might have to change the secret ingredient, though.

Love,

Linz

The Secret Ingredient is Passed Down

2010-03-07T19:43:00.009-05:00

Dear Linz,

What beautiful posts! From the éclairs to the croissants to the lemon doberge cake -- it’s all so beautiful! I think my favorite post, however, was about your grandmother's simple, perfect cornbread. Recipes are perhaps one of the best things to pass down between generations. Furniture breaks. Rings are stolen (*sigh*). But recipes last forever.

Sadly, I don’t have any of my grandmother’s recipes to share right now. Her cousin told us about a time when she pranked her playmates by filling cream puffs with cotton balls (ha!), but that was long before she was a grandma with grandma recipes. I hope to find some as my family and I sift through things in the coming weeks. In the meantime, here's her mother’s recipe for apple delight (essentially an apple crisp except for the fact that it’s not)

Great Grandma Jessica’s Apple Delight

¾ cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 stick butter
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
6 - 10 apples (I typically use Macintosh apples)

Soften butter to room temperature. Preheat oven to 350. Mix flour, sugar, butter, and cinnamon to form crumbly topping. Peel and slice apples to fill casserole bowl. If apples are dry, add 1/4 cup water. Sprinkle on topping. Bake 1 hour, until bubbly.

The last time I made it, I used my new Le Crueset mini-cocottes:

And topped it with homemade cinnamon ice cream:

Cinnamon Ice Cream

1 cup whole milk

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup pure maple syrup

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 cup heavy cream

½ tsp pure vanilla extract

½ tsp coarse salt

Prepare an ice-water bath; set aside. Combine the milk, sugar, maple syrup, and cinnamon in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture just begins to bubble and sugar has dissolved, 6 to 8 minutes. Add cream, vanilla, and salt; stir to combine. Pour mixture into a medium bowl set in the ice-water bath. Stir occasionally until cooled. Cover and transfer to refrigerator until chilled at least 1 hour and up to overnight. Stir mixture briefly; pour into an ice-cream maker and process according to manufacturer's instructions.

Love you,

Megs

P.S. The top photo is of my great grandmother and great grandfather (remind me to tell you about their victory garden sometime). The other two photos are courtesy of my amazing roommate, Daniel Hernandez.

Lemon Doberge Cake

2010-03-07T15:18:00.002-05:00

Hi Megs.

This weekend I wanted to try something really pretty, so I decided to make a Doberge cake (pronounced doh-bash), which is a really popular cake in New Orleans. It usually has 6 thin layers, and the most common flavors are chocolate, caramel, and lemon. My choice was obvious. You know I'm a lemon fiend.

Everything was proceeding as planned. Then, while putting the cake in the fridge to set the layers and the filling, I dropped it. Oops. Oh well, it still tasted really good. When am I going to figure out how to make stuff that looks as pretty as it tastes?

LEMON DOBERGE CAKE

Lemon filling:
3 c sugar
3 T flour
juice and rind of 6 lemons
3 eggs, beaten
1 c water
3 T butter

Mix ingredients well and cook over medium heat, stirring periodically until mixture thickens to a custard/jelly. Chill completely.

Cake:
1 c softened butter
2 c sugar
4 eggs, separated
2 3/4 c flour
1/4 t salt
3 t baking powder
1 c milk
1 t vanilla

Preheat oven to 375. Butter 9 inch cake pans and line with wax or parchment paper. Cream butter and sugar. Add egg yolks one at a time, mixing thoroughly. Add sifted dry ingredients, alternating with milk. Add vanilla. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites. Put 3/4 c of batter in each pan, and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Repeat until all the batter is used.

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 oz softened cream cheese
1 lb (1 box) powdered sugar
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 t vanilla

Assemble cake by spreading generous layer of cooled lemon filling between each cake layer but not on top of the last layer. Frost top and sides with cream cheese icing. Do not drop.

Croissants!

2010-02-28T18:17:00.003-05:00

Dear Megs,

I made croissants this weekend! I've never tried one of these fancy pastry doughs before, and though it's kind of an all day endeavor, it's really not complicated or even hard. You just need to be around and deal with it every 45 minutes or so. However, for the amount of work it requires, it does seem like kind of a small return, so next time I make these, I will probably make several batches at once. More work, yes, but apparently the dough freezes well, and, these were DELICIOUS.

The recipe I used is from the Williams and Sonoma baking bible, The Essentials of Baking, which I love because it has lots of scientific explanations of baking stuff, about why things work the way they do and such. Mine didn't double in size when rising, which W & S attributes to the butter in the dough being too warm and making the layers stick together, but I don't think that was the case because they also say that the way to recognize the butter being to warm is that it oozes out the sides, which it didn't. But in the end it didn't matter because the result was light and flaky and so, soooooo good.

CROISSANTS

2 t active dry yeast
2 T sugar
3 T warm water
1 t salt
2 T cooled melted butter
1 c cold whole milk
2 1/2 c flour

1 c butter
2 T flour

1 egg
1 T whole milk

DOUGH
1 - Mix yeast, water, and a pinch of sugar until dissolved, let stand until foamy.
2 - Mix yeast mixture, the remaining sugar, salt, butter, milk, and 1/2c of flour with a wooden spoon (or your new Kitchenaid!) until blended.
3 - Add remaining flour 1/2c at a time, until just blended each time. Dough will be very sticky. Do not overblend, or it will lose some of that final lightness.
4 - Roll into a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 45 minutes or so.

BUTTER PACKAGE
1 - Use a rolling pin or the heel of your hand to warm butter and shape it into a 6x8 inch rectangle. This means you can't use room temperature butter, though that would be easier to shape; you need to be able to pick it up. As you shape, press the flour into the surface of the butter. If it gets too warm (oozy), stick it in the fridge for a few minutes until it has firmed.

LAMINATING
1 - The process by which you work butter into the dough for this type of pastry or for puff pastry is called laminating. The butter should be firm but pliable, the dough should not be allowed to warm enough to get sticky again.
2 - Place the chilled dough rectangle on your work surface with the short end toward you. Put the chilled butter package at the base of the dough rectangle, leaving 1/2 inch border of dough, and fold the top over, pressing dough together to seal.
3 - Roll into a 10x24 in rectangle, and then fold the bottom third up and the top third down as if folding a letter. Cover in plastic and return to fridge for 45 minutes. This is the first turn.
4 - Repeat last step 3 times for a total of 4 turns, and then return dough to chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.

CROISSANTING
1 - Roll the dough into a 9x18 in rectangle. Cut in half lengthwise, then cut each half crosswise into 4 squares, for a total of 8 squares. Cut each square in half diagonally.
2 - Butter your baking pans (no Pam this time - not after all that work!). Stretch each triangle to about twice its original length, and stretch the wide end of the triangle even further. Place the dough on the work surface with the point facing you and, grasping the wide end, roll dough toward point, turn the ends in slightly.
3 - Place on baking sheet about 3 inches apart. Cover with a dishtowel and allow to rise until doubled in size, about an hour and a half.
4 - Preheat oven to 425.
5 - Brush dough with egg/mild mixture and bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Coconut Cake

2010-02-21T19:14:00.003-05:00

Dear Megs,

My mom's birthday is this week! We had dinner over there on Alex's parents' last night here (they visited for a week) and I decided to turn it into a little b-day celebration for my mom, even though she cooked dinner.

The cake I made her may have the most gorgeous texture of any cake I have ever tasted. Moist and soft, velvety. Lovely. The cake is not overwhelmingly coconutty, despite its name. I've seen it with pastry cream between the layers, and was going to make lemon curd to fill it with, but got lazy and used a lemon cake syrup instead. Next time, though, I'll really drench the layers with it instead of brushing it on with a pastry brush before icing: it was too subtle. This is another recipe from the ever-wonderful Cotton Country Collection, modified slightly by me.

Coconut Cake

Cake:
1 c butter
2 c sugar
4 eggs, separated
1 t vanilla
1/2 t almond extract
2 2/3 c cake flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 c coconut milk
1/2 c cream

Preheat oven to 350. Cream the shit out of the butter and sugar - this means it should be ALMOST WHITE when you start adding egg yolks one at a time. Add the vanilla and almond. Sift cake flour, measure, and sift again with other dry ingredients. Beat into butter mixture, alternating with the milk/coco milk. Beat egg whites stiff and fold into batter. Bake in 3 greased 9 inch layer pans for 30 minutes. Cool on racks, remove from pans when nearly cool.

Lemon syrup:
1/2 c sugar
1/4 c water
juice of 1 lemon
zest of 1 lemon
1 t vanilla

Boil sugar, water, and lemon juice until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in zest and vanilla. Brush cake layers with cooled or slightly warm syrup.

Icing:
2 egg whites
1 1/2 c sugar
5 T cold water
pinch cream of tartar
1 1/2 t white Karo
1 t vanilla
grated unsweetened coconut

Combine all ingredients except for the vanilla and coconut in the top of a double boiler (or in a stainless mixing bowl, if you're me). Blend, then set onto the bottom of the double boiler (or saucepan, if you're me) in which water is already boiling. Beat mixture vigorously for 6-8 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Assemble cake, icing between layers. Icing will get progressively gooier. Ice the outside of cake and sprinkle with coconut. You *can* use sweetened coco flakes if you want, but these boiled icings are very sweet already, and the unsweetened adds a rich earthy flavor that manufacturers have somehow managed to pound out of sweetened coconut.

King Cake!

2010-02-16T13:03:00.004-05:00

Dear Megs,

This year I made my first Mardi Gras King Cake! Usually I order one from Gambino's, which used to be the best bakery in New Orleans, according to my mom. I don't know if it still is...Gambino got killed a few years back. Mob hit, I guess.

Anyway, King Cake isn't really cake, it's a sweet yeast bread that's really more like a breakfast bread or a danish of some sort. Iced with a simple confectioner's glaze, sprinkled with colored sugar. Num! After baking, you stuff a plastic baby in there somewhere, and the person who gets the baby has to bring the next cake or host the next party, depending on how you do it. New Orleans people have a very specific idea of what the baby is supposed to look like, but I had to make do with eBay and accidentally ordered these giant babies that are totally wrong. Oh well. Next year. There are lots of recipes online, but I decided to go with the simplest one, here. Glad I did! It was light and moist and wonderful and delicious. You should make one, but ignore the comments on that site - they aren't supposed to be extravagant or decadent or, well, cake. The secret to a good king cake, says my mom, is that king cake isn't very good. She said mine was better than Gambino's, but she has to say that. She's my mom.

Incidentally, here's what became of the baby:

Loves,

Linz

Simple, perfect cornbread

2010-02-13T16:58:00.004-05:00

Hi Megs,

I thought today you could use a dose of comfort food. Wish you were here to share this with me! Sorry the picture sucks. I still haven't bothered to read the manual to my camera and figure out the low light settings, so I really shouldn't take pictures for the blog at night. Maybe when I finish my PhD I'll get around to figuring it out...

So, Alex and I bought half a pig from a local farm this winter, and I'm telling you, I'm never going back to store-bought. No guilt, no weird processing, no horrifying conditions. Just piggy. Delicious, delicious piggy. So anyway, we've been eating more pork than usual. The other night I decided to make chili, but instead of ground beef I used ground PORK, and instead of kidney beans I used local cattle beans, which seem to be exactly like kidney beans in every way except they're spotted red and white. Also, since it's a small company there's always a rock in there somewhere, which adds some excitement to dinner.

Anyhoo, I was wishing for bread and decided to whip up a batch of cornbread. Now, I feel like lots of people (and restaurants) mess cornbread up because they won't get out of its way. The whole point of cornbread is that it's got simple ingredients and it's easy to make. Cornbread is - and should be - country. This is a recipe I got from my mom, who got it from her mom, and so on. I'm not sure they would even call it a recipe - it's just how you make cornbread, and once upon a time, everybody just knew how to do it.

CORNBREAD
1 c cornmeal (I REALLY prefer coarse, which gives cornbread its great texture, but to each his own)
1 c flour
1 c milk (or buttermilk, or yogurt, or whatever dairy product you have lying around)
1 egg
1/4 c sugar
1/4 c oil (any one will do, but I usually use some kind of veg oil)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
extra oil for skillet

Put some oil in a cast iron skillet, and place the skillet in the oven while it preheats, to 350 or 400. Doesn't really matter which. Mix ingredients in a big bowl (no need for a beater, a wooden spoon or spatula will easily do the trick), and pour the batter into the hot oil in the skillet. Bake until done. Eat too much of, preferably with butter.

Blondies for Grown-Ups

2010-02-07T22:54:00.003-05:00

Dear Megs,

Today I had to make a dessert to bring to a Super Bowl party (WHO DAT!!!!), and was inspired by a blondie Alex got yesterday at Scratch Bakery, but I wanted to sex it up a little. So I added a few things. These were delicious, but in the future I won't melt the butter before mixing, because though I like a gooey bar-cookie, these were a little too gooey. Serious yum, though.

BLONDIES FOR GROWN-UPS
2 sticks butter (melted)
1 1/2 c dark brown sugar
1/2 c sugar
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
1/2 t almond extract
1 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
2 1/2 c flour
1/4 c cognac or bourbon (I used Hennessy)
1/2 c toffee chips
1 c dark chocolate chips (I was out, so I used 4 squares of semi-sweet baking, chopped coarsely)
1 c chopped pecans
zest of 2 oranges

Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour (I used Pam baking spray, my new love - it's so easy) a 9x13 baking pan. Mix butter and sugar (cream butter and sugar if you decide not to use melted butter). Add eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly. Mix in extracts and booze. Mix in salt, baking powder and flour, then fold in nuts, candy, and orange zest. Bake for 30-45 minutes, depending on how gooey you like them. I tried 30, until the middle was just set, but after eating one, I stuck them back in the oven for 15 minutes. They were still really moist and rich even after that.

Love, Linz

Eclairs with Blood Orange Cream and Cognac Ganache

2010-01-30T20:44:00.005-05:00

Dear Megs,

Today I had several new accoutrements to put to use, and I decided that, since I didn't sleep too well last night, I did not have the wherewithal for actual work. So, I decided to try making éclairs, which seem so fabulous that I thought they'd be hard. They aren't!

You don't need these:

Or this:

to make éclairs, but they do make things easier. And kitchen toys are fun.

Eclairs with Blood Orange Cream and Cognac Ganache

Pastry
1/4 c unsalted butter
1 c water
1/2 t salt
1/2 t nutmeg
1 c flour
3 large eggs
Preheat oven to 400. In a medium saucepan, bring butter, salt, and water to a boil over med-high heat. Reduce heat to med, and add flour and freshly grated nutmeg. Stir well with a wooden spoon, smushing the flour mixture against the sides of the pan to break up lumps. It will seem like it doesn't need more cooking, but do this for 2 minutes anyway. It's ok if some sticks to the bottom.
Remove pan from heat and scrape dough into a different bowl (like, say, the bowl of your new stand mixer, with the paddle attachment) and add eggs at room temp one at a time. Beat continuously as dough separates and then comes back together.
If you want that eclair shape, you'll need a plastic bag or pastry bag fitted with a jumbo star tip. Otherwise just put some dollops of dough on a heavy baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake 45 minutes or so, until dough is light and poofy and golden brown (if desired, brush with lightly beaten egg for shine).

Cognac Ganache
4 square bittersweet chocolate
1/2 c heavy cream
1 t light corn syrup
1 T cognac
Scald cream without allowing it to boil. Remove from heat, and add chopped chocolate, corn syrup, and cognac. Wait a few moments, then stir until smooth.

Blood Orange Cream
1 c whole milk
3 large egg yolks
1/4 c sugar
2 T cornstarch
1/8 t salt
1/2 t vanilla
zest of 1 blood orange
1 c heavy cream
1 T powdered sugar
1 t vanilla
Scald the milk without allowing to boil. At the same time, whisk yolks and sugar until pale. Add cornstarch and salt, continuing to whisk. Pour the hot milk into egg mixture slowly, continuing to whisk. Return to saucepan, ever whisking, for several minutes, or until cream thickens considerably.
Remove from heat and transfer to a clean bowl; whisk in vanilla and orange zest. Chill in fridge for about an hour.
Beat cream, powdered sugar, and remaining vanilla until stiff. Remove pastry cream from fridge and whisk to smooth. Beat about 1/3 of whipped cream into the pastry cream, then fold the rest in to lighten the cream.

Assemble by gently cutting pastry in half, plopping filling in the middle, and spooning warm ganache over the top. Refrigerate.

2009-12-15T09:58:00.003-05:00

Dear Megs,

For some reason I cannot get around to posting. You are putting me to shame.

First there was the Maine apple crisp with chèvre and black pepper ice cream that never got posted. That was pretty fab, if I do say so myself. Then, when you were here, there was the nutmeg and almond crusted pork roast with the pomegranate cream sauce. That was outrageous. We really outdid ourselves that time. Then, I made some autumny hint-o-pumpkin sugar cookies, which were very delicious. Instead of icing them with buttercream as usual, I used an eggnog glaze and sparkling sugar. Pretty. Then there was Thanksgiving! Alex and I got a local turkey this year. It was a whole different animal than the typical store turkey. I'm never going back. I also went on a pie rampage, and made the following: pumpkin, french apple, pecan, lemon meringue, and banana cream. The latter in particular was a stunning treat. Then, last weekend, I went on a holiday baking rampage and made 2 kinds of fudge, lemon-espresso shortbread, and more sugar cookies.

What's my new allergy to posting, then? TBD.

LOVES,

L

Gingerbread Greatness

2009-12-14T22:41:00.009-05:00

Linds,

I'm in such a Christmas-y mood these days. Well, at least when there's a paper to be written or a toilet to be scrubbed (holiday happiness is an acceptable reason to procrastinate). This week, I expressed my cheer through a gingerbread bundt cake and some gingerbread-that-isn't-actually-gingerbread ornaments. Please send some pichas of your own holiday loveliness!

Gingerbread Bundt Cake
(adapted from Gramercy Tavern Gingerbread)
1 cup Guinness
1 cup dark molasses (Grandma's yellow label)
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 T ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
3 large eggs
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter bundt pan and dust with flour, knocking out excess. Bring stout and molasses to a boil in a large saucepan and remove from heat. Whisk in baking soda, then cool to room temperature. While the mixture cools, sift together flour, baking powder, and spices in a large bowl. Whisk together eggs and sugars. Whisk in oil, then molasses mixture. Add to flour mixture and whisk until just combined. Pour batter into bundt pan and rap pan sharply on counter to eliminate air bubbles. Bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out with just a few moist crumbs adhering, about 50 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack 5 minutes. Turn out onto rack and cool completely.

Gingerbread-that-isn't-gingerbread Ornaments
1 cup ground cinnamon
4 T white glue
1/2 - 1 cup water

Mix cinnamon and glue. Gradually add the water. Stir until a ball of dough forms. Roll out with rolling pin 1/4 inch thick and cut with cookie cutters. Poke a hole and let dry at room temperature for 1 to 2 days, turning over every 6-8 hours.

My apartment smells great.

Loves!
Meg

2009-11-25T10:52:00.006-05:00

Dear Linds,

I had such an amazing time in Maine. I wish I could spend every day drinking coffee and cooking with you. It was so - well - needed.

Things have been a little crazy since I got back to Brooklyn. In fact, I've been so busy these past few weeks that I haven't had time to cook and - get this - successfully finished off all the yummy food I froze for the winter months. The soups. The chili. The coq au vin. All delicious. All gone. To fill the newly found freezer space, I decided to make a huge batch of butternut squash and apple soup this weekend. It was super easy and made at least three quarts of healthy, flavorful goodness.

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

2 T butter
2 T olive oil
4 cups chopped onions
2 T curry powder (heaping tablespoons if you love curry as much as I do)
5 lbs butternut squash (squash is most flavorful when it's small & feels heavy for its size)
1.5 lbs Macintosh apples
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup high-quality apple cider

Warm the butter, olive oil, onions, and curry powder in a large stockpot uncovered over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until the onions are tender. While the onions are cooking, peel and cube the squash and apples. Add the squash, apples, salt, pepper, and 2 cups of broth to the pot. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook over low heat until the squash and apples are very soft (about 40 minutes). Puree the contents of the pot with a hand immersion blender. Add the apple cider. Check the salt and pepper and serve hot.

Loves!
Megs

Some things are best told through butter: Part Two

2009-11-01T12:03:00.005-05:00

Dear Linds,

I miss you. I've been missing a lot of people lately. Thankfully, I'm going to see you in less than a week (eek!), but some people, like my little sister, live too far away for a weekend visit. I made her these sugar cookies to send a little love her way:

(It's supposed to look like the United States, with a made-up flight path between our respective locations)

Here's the recipe for the sugary buttery loove:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp sale

1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened

1 1/2 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350F. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In large mixing bowl, cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients, mixing just until blended. Refrigerate the dough for on hour before rolling out and cutting your cookies. Bake until golden around edges, about 12 - 15 minutes.

Loves!

Megs

This isn't better than bacon or pomegranates~

2009-10-20T15:14:00.001-04:00

But I love it:

'Green Box' Product Promo (Pizza Box) from Green Box on Vimeo.

I'll tell you what's better than bacon.

2009-10-20T10:12:00.002-04:00

Pomegranate season.

Whaddya got for me with pomegranates? Let's make something gorgeous. Speaking of which, have a gorgeous post to get around to one of these days...using fall Maine apples and a certain ice cream maker...

LOVES!

Question: What's better than bacon?

2009-10-19T21:34:00.004-04:00

Answer: Uncured. Smoked. Wild. Boar. Bacon.

(especially on a baguette with goat cheese)

Loves,

Megs

Chili for the Chill

2009-10-07T12:17:00.005-04:00

Dear Linz,

My sister and brother-in-law came for a visit this past weekend, so we decided to venture out to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's Chile Pepper Fiesta. I'm so glad we did. Despite the occasional (but torrential) downpour, we had a great time tasting different chocolate/chili combinations, drinking beer, and, well, eating chili!

All that chili eating made me wonder if I ever shared my favorite chili recipe with you. It's super yummy and freezes beautifully. I strongly encourage you and A to make up a batch and freeze it in preparation for the cold - er - chilly days ahead.

Ingredients:

1T vegetable oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 pounds lean ground turkey
1/4 cup chili powder
2 bay leaves
1+ T unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes
3 cups broth (I use chicken, but beef would probably work better)
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
3 15-ounce cans cannellini beans, rinsed, drained

Directions

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onions; sauté until light brown and tender. Stir in oregano and cumin. Increase heat to medium-high. Add turkey and stir until no longer pink, breaking up with back of spoon. Stir in chili powder, bay leaves, cocoa powder, salt and cinnamon. Add tomatoes with their juices, breaking up with back of spoon. Mix in stock and tomato sauce. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add beans to chili and simmer about 10 minutes longer. Discard bay leaves. Serve with cilantro and sour cream.

Loves,
MEgs

Oh, hey.

2009-09-12T16:33:00.001-04:00

Lemon "Funfetti-will-I-get-sued-for-this?" Cupcakes

2009-09-12T12:04:00.003-04:00

Hi Megs.

So, I forgot to take pics of these what with all the kiddo-birthday-craziness. But they were really excellent. Usually I don't care too much for Martha's cupcake recipes (sorry, Martha!), because they are super SUPER rich and sort of seem to me to defeat the very purpose of cupcakes...light and moist, springy like cake, *never* heavy...because there's so much butter and so many eggs in each recipe. Her cupcakes are like a heart attack in a paper cup. And you taste that in each bite.

Then I found this useful tip on Our Best Bites blog (Kate is her name?), where she reminds you that if you are going to put this much friggin' butter in a cupcake, you have to beat the everloving crap out of it. That is to say, cream butter and sugar until your arm is numb and the resulting mixture looks like marshmallow fluff. It worked! The cupcakes were decadent but light, super moist - and they STAYED moist for days. Thanks, Kate.

Then, because the kids wanted "Funfetti," I dumped a thing of ice cream sprinkles into the batter before baking. They melt in the oven and the resulting cuteness is just what kids want. I made the buttercream frosting Kate lists - but I put in only one stick of butter. I hate when a frosting is so rich that biting into it makes your spine tingle.

Sorry, no pics. Will bake something marvelous soon and overphotograph it to compensate.

Love,

Linz

Some things are best told through butter. . .

2009-09-11T13:56:00.003-04:00

I'm going to be an aunt!!

Random Update

2009-09-02T13:51:00.008-04:00

Dear Linds,

Your ice cream looks like some real blueberry deliciousness, and I bet the lemon and mint enhanced the flavor beautifully. I'm ok with the texture of my custard based ice creams, but I always feel like they taste too much like custard and not enough like the key ingredient (whatever that may be). I found a recipe for key lime ice cream that sounds amazing and doesn't require eggs. Maybe I'll stop by Steve's Authentic Key Lime Pies down in Red Hook and ask if he'll lend me some of his.

What kind of cupcakes did you end up making for the twins?? I'm in need of a good lemon cupcake recipe myself.

Sigh.

I had a recipe "fail" the other night. As you know, there have been a lot of changes in my life this year. I don't do well with change, so I'm trying to be positive and think of these changes as an opportunity for growth. So far I've grown in little ways. I started eating salads with my lunch, and balsamic chicken with quinoa for dinner instead of bowls and bowls of different, yummy, carb-filled pastas (my go-to lunch and dinner for years). I also just finished a top-down hardcore scrubbing of my apartment. I even went so far as to purchase new used furniture for my bedroom so that my living space will foster concentrated study instead of procrastination.

So - er- back to the recipe fail. As a part of my Megan-overhaul, I dreamed of canning copious amounts of foods that I could pull out and quickly whip into a warm comforting meal during the winter months. In my excitement, I forgot to do the simplest of things: measure. I'll spare you the details, but suffice it to say that my dream dinner of marinated baby artichokes with sausage and thyme will not be the subject of a blog post anytime soon.

Loves,
Megs

2009-08-22T11:24:00.003-04:00

Dear Megs,

I almost forgot! The other day, I made blueberry-lemon-mint-vanilla ice cream. I used this recipe, substituting orange zest for lemon, and doubling the amount of blueberries without changing any other proportions. It is a traditional custard ice cream, and though it's delicious, I would have preferred a lighter texture for a summery blueberry dessert. I should have made it more a sherbet-type deal, left out the vanilla bean and eggs, and added a ribbon of lemon syrup or something to lighten it up.

That said, it is delicious, and would be a wonderful winter dessert, paired with a lemon tart or a Quaker lemon pie, something with a really bright flavor.

Loves!

Linz

Birthday Cupcakes 1

2009-08-22T09:13:00.002-04:00

Dear Megs,

I LOVE your jam. Also am feeling inadequate since we have been *buying* our blueberries, and we live in Maine, for Heaven's sake. That said, pretty soon, we're headed over to the greenway, where there are an astonishing amount of wild blackberries. We shall see what comes of that. Last summer I made blackberry cupcakes with mocha frosting (delish), but if we get enough this summer, I think jam is in order.

So, here is the problem with the internet, and why we really need to start making up our own recipes more often. I was looking up lemon cupcakes (that's what Ian and Emma want for their birthday), and here is what I found:

Perfect Lemon Cupcakes

Cake:
1 package lemon cake mix
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup oil
4 eggs
1 small package lemon instant pudding

Horrible. Will update with the recipe I actually USE.

Love you,

Linz

Blue

2009-08-18T13:48:00.003-04:00

Dear Linds,

I miss you so thought I'd write a blue post to match my blue mood. . .

The women of our family used to pick blueberries at least once each summer, but the tradition faded as my sisters and I grew up and became more interested in boys than berries. Until recently. Last week, I went picking with my mom and older sister. I then made jam to "preserve" our memory of it. (please forgive the pun)

I wish I could remember what I did because it's my best jam to date. I *think* the recipe went something like this:

6 cups blueberries
3 cups sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
10 or so basil leaves wrapped in little cheesecloth package
(please note that I did not use pectin)

I threw everything in the pot and stirred occasionally until it reached the desired consistency (remembering that it would jell a little more once it cooled). I then removed the basil, poured the warm jam into sterilized jars, and sealed them in a water bath for five minutes.

Loves,

Lazy Summer

2009-07-29T15:19:00.004-04:00

Dear Linds,

How is Paris? And Sylvain?? Brookyn is sleepy and sweaty. I am too. Yet, despite the thermometer, I still don't feel like it's summer. I guess that's what I get for starting my coursework in July. . .

Anywho - I did have one summer night. The Kronos Quartet was playing in Prospect Park, and, to honor the occasion, I made buckets of pulled pork. I wanted to show you its shredded goodness, but it had already been inhaled when I finally thought to photograph it:

I miss you.

Loves,
Me

2009-06-15T11:28:00.005-04:00

Dear Linds,

Bacon Peanut Brittle is my new cure-all.

In the past few weeks, I've found myself making and eating copious amounts of this stuff. So far, I've found that it helps with hangovers, random stomach aches, dizzy spells, broken hearts, and a wavering (dis)belief in god. I mean, something this good has to have some sort of g-o-d in it. Here's the recipe, courtesy of Al Dente:

2 cups sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 T ground ancho chili
Pinch cayenne pepper
2 cups bacon, cooked and chopped into .5" pieces (about 1.5 pounds)

1 cup roasted, salted peanuts
2 T unsalted butter, divided
1 tsp baking soda

Measure all ingredients in advance so that they are ready to mix into the sugar mixture before it hardens. Butter a baking sheet with about ½ tablespoon of the butter and set aside.

Boil sugar and corn syrup over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is bubbly and a pale golden brown. Add the ground chili and cayenne and cook for 2-3 minutes longer or until the sugar mixture has reached the hard-crack stage, about 300ºF on a candy thermometer.

Take off the heat and, working very VERY quickly, stir in the remaining 1 ½ tablespoons of butter and the baking soda. Add the peanuts and bacon and mix well. Immediately pour onto the prepared baking sheet, smooth with a spatula and let cool.

Break the brittle into pieces and ENJOY!

Love,
Megs

Beignets!

2009-06-10T23:25:00.002-04:00

2009-06-04T09:56:00.002-04:00

Dear Megs,

Help! I am almost done with the baby blanket I've been working on, and I think I'm going to start the hat that matches the yellow scarf I made (the one you made for me). What is Yarn Over? How is it done? Also, what do you think is the best way to sew all these squares together securely for the blanket? In my place, would you use a drop of superglue to secure the knots? Or do they tend to stay put on their own?

On the menu today (in preparation for company this weekend): tabouleh, pink grapefruit and mint sorbet. :)

Love,

Linz

2009-05-27T12:03:00.002-04:00

Dear Megs,

Love,

Linz

Alex thinks he's died and gone to heaven...

2009-04-30T11:35:00.005-04:00

Dear Megs,

I have been on a baking rampage. I warned you this would happen. I've been luxuriating in my freedom by cleaning, baking, and reading novels that are strictly unrelated to my studies. I have been outrageously wifely.

So I started with a simple bread. I love making bread, but sometimes one simply does not have the energy for the process. The bread machine is good for this, but I still like to bake it in the oven once in a while. I am a huge fan of the NY Times' recipe for No-Knead Bread. I recommend making it once straight up to see what the consistency is supposed to be like. Then, you can change it around. I have not yet managed to screw it up, no matter what changes I make to the recipe. Substitute wheat, rice, or corn flour, add seeds or herbs, anything goes and it makes a beautiful loaf every time. This time I added anise, caraway, sesame seeds, and golden raisins, and rolled it in oatmeal during its last rise. It is DELISH. With the bread I made a lamb stew in the crock pot, and an apple berry pie, which I took out of the oven too soon. It is really yummy, but the apples aren't soft enough and the juice is thin instead of thick and caramely.

Next day, I went in for brownies and mocha cookies (these last are inaptly named, because there's no chocolate in them, just coffee). Both recipes came from The Cotton Country Collection, which is a Junior League cookbook from Monroe, Louisiana. You should own this cookbook. It is absolutely my favorite - for anything and everything. Alligator meat or lemon fondue, it's all in there, southern style. The brownies are PERFECT. I mean, really really perfect. And the cookies are not too sweet, but melt in your mouth. You can eat a dozen before you've noticed. Let me know if you'd like the recipes.

I feel fulfilled and excellent. Heading by bike to the post office today; must get these goodies out of the house before I eat them all!

LOVES!

Linz

You tart!

2009-04-26T00:09:00.002-04:00

Dear Megs,

I PASSED. You know this, but I am slowly, slowly, beginning to feel like a different person, like a normal person. I am still not sleeping normally, and I don't have the immense sense of relief I thought I would have. But, I know deep down that this was a challenge I will never have to face again. So, today I made some tarts.

I tried this other recipe for the crust, called "rich tart pastry" in the Williams and Sonoma baking bible, but the crusts ROSE and that meant that I couldn't fill them. Stupid. So I reverted to a regular butter pie crust (with a tbs of sugar). Easy, delicious. I used a tart cream recipe from an old cookbook called Pamela something-or-other's A-Z Pies and Tarts, which is a great book. The cream was FABULOUS - i made a key lime cream and then topped it with fresh fruit. I made a lime glaze, too, but then I tasted it and it was lovely, but really tart and I didn't want it to detract from the beautiful flavor of the cream and fresh fruit, not to mention the butter crust.

If I make this again I will use a regular glaze, because I do think it's pretty, but then again what is prettier than fresh fruit (almost) in season? Strawberries and kiwis are so SO good right now, you should go buy some.

These were GORGEOUS and yummy, way easier than their beauty would indicate. Specific recipes available upon request. I would mail you some, Megs, but I'm not sure how they would fare, even overnight, out of the fridge.

It was so SO SO SO great to see you this week. I'm sorry I was monopolized by everyone. I love you,

Linz

Yogurt!

2009-04-15T23:30:00.002-04:00

Dear Megs,

Can you read my posts yet? Anyway, just saw this great article in the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/15/dining/15curi.html?em

It's about yogurt. You know I've been making my own yogurt for years, and it's hard to go back. It's SO easy. The author of the article talks about stuff you can do for better flavor and consistency, but really, you can stir a spoonful of starter or yogurt into cold milk as well, and it will yog just fine. Not as well, but fewer steps.

Maybe this is gross, but I haven't had a woman-bacteria-related-problem even once since I started making my own yogurt. Kill the middleman, is what I say. Homemade yogurt has none of the preservatives or thickeners, and you will always know if your starter doesn't have active cultures, because your milk won't yog. Also, if you do heat up your milk, don't let it get too hot because if it boils, it will kill whatever growy bits in the milk that allow it to interact with the bacteria and become yogurt.

Make it! Eat it with the granola you made (first post ever...I made an extra thrilling batch 2 weeks ago), and reap benefits!

Love,

Linz

PS Next I will try homemade crème fraîche and homemade buttermilk. Mmmmmm.

2009-04-15T13:36:00.004-04:00

Dear Linz,

Is all the studying and writing finally getting to you? I'm very concerned after (not) reading your two previous posts; they are showing up as gibberish. Was this purposeful or merely the internet Gods sabotaging our one means of communication? Please write back soon.

Love,
Me

PS

2009-04-14T21:35:00.002-04:00

My mom added the "yay," not Goethe. Also, the last blog kept eating the line where I said, I *needed* the yay, because look at me.

Home stretch

2009-04-14T21:22:00.005-04:00

Dear Megs,

I am in the home stretch. Still haven't baked anything, or anything, for ages. But a week from tomorrow I'll be ABD, if all goes well. I've written about 30 pages (2 essays) since Friday at 5, and I have to finish up the draft of essay 2 and then cut each essay down to 3000 words. Ach.

For tonight, though, I've been working almost 12 hours (weellllll, I showered and took the dog for a run etc etc), and even though it's only 9h30, I'M STOPPING. My writing is starting to seem jumbled to me now, and I guess it's best if I finish up this last essay in the morning.

Here's a quote from Goethe that my mom sent me today:

Whatever you can do, or think you can,

begin it.

Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.

Yay!

She added the yay. I needed to hear it, though. Here's what I look like right now:

Love,

Linz

Bundthead. . .

2009-04-13T21:48:00.005-04:00

. . . or at least that's what my dad called me. I made a lemon bundt cake for three reasons:

1. It was Easter and we needed something sweet and spring-y.

2. I wanted to use your lemon zester.

3. I like saying "bundt." Try it. It's fun. It reminds me of the many hours my high school friends and I spent trying to pronouncing NOFX as a single syllable. Good luck with that one ;)

Loves,

Meg

I have my copy!

2009-04-07T19:32:00.002-04:00

Buyout! And reading 4/4

2009-04-02T21:10:00.006-04:00

Dear Megs,

No baking recently, with exams approaching fast. But, I want to tell everyone (all 9 people who read this, that is) to go out immediately and get a copy of Alex Irvine's new book, Buyout. Better yet, call your local bookstore and make sure they have it. I like to use a dose of shame, when I call (you know, he's local), though that's not entirely fair because everyplace I called had it already. It's good, and there are good reviews out there if you don't want to believe his wife.

I think this cover is so great. Love the subversiveness of the black title; love the chilling column of text: every man has a price. There was one stupid review at the Portland Phoenix where the reviewer said something about how Alex should have done a better job of making us understand why the bad guys valued money above human life. Um, hello? If Alex - or anyone - could make us understand why *anyone* valued money above human life the Nobel people would be holding on line 2. But evil, or, not even evil, just the uglier side of human nature, always seems incomprehensible to those who believe in the Golden Rule. Bad guys are caricatural? Um, hello? Ever heard of the mafia? How's that for caricature. Yes, I used a period instead of a question mark there on purpose. That said, the mafia certainly exist(ed) and no one needed too much of a psychoanalytical explanation of how or why. Hitler? The sheer magnitude of his evil makes him more of a caricature than any other (except for all the killing). And yet, a human. How to explain this? ALEX! GET TO WORK.

*sigh* that felt good. It's been a while since I had a good rant. So, I know *you* can't come, Megs, but Alex is reading at the Maine Festival of the Book on Saturday, April 4. 12h30 pm. At the Abromson Center on USM's campus. Directions on festival website. EVERYONE COME!

Love,

Linz

2009-03-31T17:03:00.007-04:00

Dear Lindz,

You'll never guess what I made.
Give up?
I'll tell you.
Mascarpone ice-cream.
Yum.

I found the recipe on a great website called Not Eating Out in New York. The results are pretty fantastic, and now that you're opening your wedding gifts (like that gorgeous ice-cream maker), you can make it too! The recipe is as follows:

1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup mascarpone
3/4 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
1/2 tsp vanilla

In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks with the sugar until fluffy and lighter in color. Set aside. Combine the milk and cream in a medium saucepan and just bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

While beating the egg yolk mixture, pour in a small spoonful of the hot milk mixture and continue to beat. Repeat process with a larger spoonful, while beating, then repeat (be careful not to spill any of the milk mixture like I did). Next, scoop all the egg yolk mixture into the hot milk mixture. Return heat to medium-low. Cook about 8-10 minutes longer, stirring frequently with a spatula to scrape all corners of the bottom of the pot. Do not let boil. The custard should be just thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, but have no lumps.

Chill the custard 4 hours or overnight. Whisk in the mascarpone and vanilla until smooth in texture. Follow your ice cream maker’s instructions to churn into ice cream. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze.

If you can resist the temptation, the flavor of the mascarpone is more pronounced after a few days in the freezer. And it is especially yummy when you add tiramisu inspired ingredients like cocoa powder and *a-hem* chopped ladyfingers.

Loves!
Megs

2009-03-22T21:01:00.004-04:00

Dear Lindz,

All I can say is - LOVES!

*BIG hug*,

Megs

Alex's birthday

2009-03-22T14:24:00.004-04:00

Dear Megs,

So, this may be a long blog...I have lots of news and pictures. Just a warning. Also, your whoopie pies are gorgeous. I *did* grow up on them, but the frosting is a funny question. I do think they are probably better with buttercream frosting, but the traditional frosting is wetter and lighter than a buttercream. Alex says it's almost like twinkie frosting, but I'm not sure I can follow him down that road.

So, Alex's party was nice, and I spent the first half of the day in frenzied preparation for the surprise party I had planned - Mediterranean inspired dinner, cake, ice cream, the works. Then I lopped the tip of my right index finger off and spent the rest of the day in the emergency room. We had pizza at the party, and I bought 2 tiny cakes from Two Fat Cats, which is where our wedding came from. Red Velvet and German Chocolate.

The cake I had made was only half completed, so I decided when I got home to make half a cake. It was beautiful; I wish I had had the presence of mind to take a picture of it last night, but I had lost a lot of blood and was not thinking clearly.

This was a regular genoise yellow cake, and I made a pink grapefruit curd filling with blueberries and a pg buttercream frosting. It was very good. Here are all three together:

I had managed to make the tabouleh part of the dinner, and we had that as a prelude to the pizza, with cheese and olives. Anyone who loves tabouleh should never buy it again. It is very easy to make and SO yummy fresh. If anyone care for a (n approximate) recipe let me know.

Despite my weakened state, I let Alex sleep late this morning (his actual birthday) and made a lovely breakfast of blueberry pancakes, which we ate with pink grapefruit curd instead of syrup. It was thoroughly gorgeous. I used this insane recipe from The Cotton Country Collection, a junior league cookbook from Monroe, LA, and my favorite and most oft-used cookbook. It calls for 2 TABLESPOONS of baking powder. These shits are fluffy.

As for my finger, we had just opened some wedding gifts; the offending article was the Henckel's hollow blade 5 inch santoku knife. It's a great knife. There was not even a whisper of resistance when it cut off the end of my finger and part of the nail. *sigh* I'm a dumbass.

Love,

Linz

Let's make whoopie!

2009-03-22T11:11:00.003-04:00

Dear Lindz,

Earlier this week, the New York Times profiled one of my favorite treats, the whoopie pie. I'd be lying if I said I grew up with them (as I suspect you did), but I've been making and loving whoopie pies for about a year now. I can't get enough of them because, unlike cupcakes, whoopie pies have the perfect ratio of frosting and cake in every bite. Yum.

Anyway, the article prompted me to make a batch for my parents' visit on Friday. Here's a picture of the result:

I developed my own recipe for the raspberry buttercream frosting, but used Martha's recipe for the cake:

The Pie/Cookie/Cake

1 3/4 cups all purpose flower

3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp coarse salt (I recommend using table salt instead)

1 T unsalted butter

1/4 cup vegetable shortening

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 large egg

1 cup whole milk (I used 2%)

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

You know the drill - sift together the dry in a separate bowel, cream the butter/shortening and sugars, add the egg, add half the dry, add the milk and vanilla, add the remaining dry. Spoon rounded tablespoons of the batter onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper and bake in a 375 degree oven for 12-14 minutes, or until the cookies spring back when lightly touched. Cool on wire racks.

The Frosting

1 cup of frozen raspberries

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

1tsp vanilla extract

1 pound box of confectioner's sugar

Puree the raspberries and strain out the seeds. Mix the raspberry puree, butter, and vanilla. Slowly add the confectioner's sugar until you reach the desired consistency (I used the whole box).

Please tell Alex I say, "Happy Birthday!" And PLEASE post pictures of THE CAKE.

Loves!

Megs

BACON!

2009-03-17T17:55:00.001-04:00

Dear Linds,

Wish you were here . . .

Loves,

BACON!

2009-03-17T17:21:00.001-04:00

Dear Megs,

http://www.baconsalt.com/

!!!

Loves!

L

2009-03-16T22:56:00.004-04:00

Dear Lindz,

Our weekend upstate was good, but it didn't include enough cooking! I'm itchin' to go to CT and make bacon cookies or pulled pork or gnocchi. All of which are on my to-do list. Here's a picture of my brother-in-law and me during my most recent trip home:

My sister bought an entire branch (?) of brussels sprouts at the store, so Andrew and I decided to help my mother overcome her lifelong distaste for the little cabbage. My mother loved it, but Molly was wholly uninterested in the process:

As to Alex's cake, I think all of your ideas sound great. I tend towards the traditional, so I would probably make a blackberry filling or use Cook's Illustrated's recipe for foolproof chocolate frosting (I can email it to you). The recipe is pretty basic, but the results are impressive (the secret is corn syrup because it creates a beautifully glossy frosting that doesn't harden or deflate) . I wish I could celebrate with you!

Loves!

2009-03-15T23:18:00.002-04:00

Dear Megs,

Alex has requested a yellow cake for his birthday, but as to frosting, he has said I should "surprise him." Should I put some poo in there? That would surprise him.

No, really. Ideas for jazzing it up? I had been planning a flourless chocolate with bacon praline crumble, blueberries, and whipped cream, but that will have to be for another day. I was also going to make a skull and crossbones stencil and confectioner's it on there (he's turning 40), but that, too, will wait. Anything over 40 is fair game for fatalistic symbolism, if you ask me. I'll probably feel different about that in 8 years or so, though...

How was upstate? Miss you, and LOVES!

L

2009-03-11T21:10:00.002-04:00

PS Your "poor" pickles look beautiful, and so do the cookies. When I use my cookie cutter, the messages will no doubt be rude. :)

Third time's the charm

2009-03-11T18:32:00.004-04:00

Dear Megs,

I believe I have perfected the Orange Mocha Cupcake. Perhaps this is ridiculous; I'm sure there already exists a perfectly lovely recipe for this exact thing. That said, I made this up and am terribly proud of myself. Before I get into that, though, here are some new things in my life that brightened up this rainy day for me.

So, the cupcakes. This time I followed the rules. I was foolish not to do so before, as I think I overmixed the batter. These guys are light and airy - almost too light, if there is such a thing. They just melt in your mouth. The flavor is not as chocolaty as #2, but a little more mocha-y than #1. A lovely balance. I decided on dark chocolate ganache to frost, which is not only a less in-your-face flavor than buttercream, but is also SHINY!

Orange Mocha Cupcakes 3

2c all-purpose flour
1/2 t salt
1/2 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1/2 c cocoa
1/2 c butter
1 c sugar
2 eggs
1/2 c oj
2 t instant coffee
1/2 c oil
1 t vanilla
1 c cream
1 T orange zest

1) pre-heat oven to 350
2) whisk dry ingredients (minus sugar) together.
3) cream butter and sugar; add eggs and vanilla.
4) dissolve instant espresso in OJ. on low speed, mix dry indredients into wet, alternating flour mixture with oil/oj/milk. stir in zest.
5) bake in standard muffin tins for 20 minutes.

2009-03-10T22:19:00.008-04:00

Dear Linds,

Here's a poor picture of my poor pickles. The first bite was good (to be honest, it was a little exciting), but the aftertaste of the vinegar was too strong. Maybe next time I'll buy good vinegar and ingredients that are "supposed" to go together.

Moving on - Tonight I made some of my very yummy butter cookies for Justin's mom's birthday. They say "HAPPY BDAY," and I bought her a cookie cutter to go with them (she expressed that she wanted one after my "MERRY XMAS" cookies this December). Do you ever use the one I sent you? You should. It's fun. When I'm not making them for other people I like to write little messages like "EAT ME" or "BITE ME." I know it's childish, but I've always been a sucker for a good pun. . . I'll probably make you some that say "CONGRATS" when you finish your orals. I hope this one will do for now:

2009-03-08T20:52:00.002-04:00

Dear Megs,

Well, you are just going to have to make Justin do it for you, because I want pictures of those pickles.

We did not make ravioli...yet. That's for after the orals.

Today I bought this book, which holds the secrets to the science of baking. First thing I'll read, um, after the orals. And then I will be queen.

Loves!

L

2009-03-08T20:18:00.002-04:00

P.S. Did you make ravioli too? I think I see a press in your photo.

2009-03-08T17:34:00.003-04:00

Dear Linds,

Your cupcakes are beautiful! I must apologize because I am unable to document my own culinary adventure (I'm borrowing J's computer and he restricted my access to iPhoto). I was feeling a little sour this weekend, so I decided to make something that matched my mood - pickles! I sifted through a handful of recipes, but had to make up my own because I'm too lazy to go out and buy ingredients not already in my cupboard.

To make the pickles, I first washed and quartered one pound of kirby cucumbers. I removed some of their excess moisture content by "sweating" them for about an hour. I then boiled 1.5 cups white vinegar with 1T dill weed, 1T kosher salt, 1T black peppercorns, .5T mustard seed, and 4 cloves of garlic. After about three minutes of simmering, I poured the mixture over the cucumbers and added half a cup of ice to help cool it down.

I'll let you know how they taste after a few days in the fridge.

Loves!

Megs

Orange Mocha 2

2009-03-07T22:44:00.005-05:00

Dear Megs,

I tried again. This time, instead of powdered cocoa, I used unsweetened baking chocolate. I also added oil, and another egg. The result was a sublime, but dense, boucher sort of dessert. Way richer than a cupcake should be, and denser. But still delicious and worth making. More chocolaty, and less espresso flavor; the flavor of the first try was nicer, actually, unless you want a real chocolate punch and aren't going for the true mocha flavor.

Moist and rich, but crumbly and not cakelike as a cupcake should be. Still really worth eating. Very chocolaty. The espresso flavor will probably make its comeback in this dessert tomorrow or the next day, but by then the density will have consolidated. The orange flavor remained gentle, but noticeable, and lovely. Next try I think I'll go back to cocoa, and just add oil. I'll update. Oh, and also, I may try leaving out the baking soda. Here's the new recipe for these (and by the way, I made a dark chocolate buttercream frosting, but if I make these again, I'll probably go for a VERY dark ganache frosting):

Orange Mocha 2

1/2 c butter
1 c sugar
3 eggs
2 t vanilla
1/4 c oj
1/2 c espresso
6 oz unsweetened baking chocolate
1/3 c oil
2 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
2 T vinegar
1/2 t salt
2+ c cake flour
1 T orange zest

2009-03-06T23:37:00.003-05:00

Dear Megs,

Is it sad that I'm really excited about the new vacuum cleaner I bought today?

Loves,

L

2009-03-05T20:45:00.003-05:00

Dear Megs,

Alex pronounced for the chocolate frosting. He said it had a unifying effect on the other flavors that the vanilla did not have, though I still think the vanilla is prettier.

By the way, I'm going to keep making this recipe until it's perfect. Next time I'll try chocolate squares instead of cocoa, and milk and oil. I don't think it needs a whole nother stick of butter. But I'll find out.

Loves!

L

Orange Mocha Cupcakes

2009-03-05T16:47:00.006-05:00

So, after much facebook input on these little guys, i decided to ice half of them with vanilla and half with chocolate. The flavor of the cake is really nice and subtle, but you can see even in the pictures that they are a bit dry. Does that mean an extra stick of butter was required? Or milk? The liquids I did use were thin ones: espresso and orange juice. I must have needed something with a little more staying power.

That said, I congratulate myself on a fine first effort. Plus, I like taking pictures of little armies of cupcakes, marching forth.

Here's the recipe I made up, but if you make this, add lard or butter or something.

Orange Mocha Cupcakes

1/2 c butter
1 c sugar
2 eggs
2 t vanilla
1/4 c oj
1/2 c espresso
1/2 c cocoa
2 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
2 T vinegar
1/2 t salt
2 c cake flour
1 T orange zest

1) There is a cake protocol to follow, but I didn't do it because I'm lazy. Here's my way: Preheat to 350. Mix wet ingredients together while espresso is brewing.
2) Mix dry ingredients with wet ingredients.
3) Add espresso. Mix.
4) Bake.
5) I used regular old buttercream frosting, and the recipe is on the side of every box of confectioner's sugar, so I needn't repeat it here.

2009-03-05T11:15:00.003-05:00

Dear Linds,

I think Bubby was on to something ~ real womanhood requires roasting. It's not difficult, but we rarely do it. Why do you think that is? Is it fear of ruining a $10 ingredient? The time involved? Lack of a family to consume it? At least Jim Purdue is doing something to help the roasterphobic.

Now. The shoes. I think we should make a matching superhero themed apron, take some photos, and declare you the blog mascot. What do you think?

Loves!
Meg

2009-03-04T21:39:00.002-05:00

Dear Megs,

Tonight I used my crock pot for the first time! Bubby gave it to me a few years back, after I met Alex, when, having decided that since I'd caught myself a man I was now worthy of real womanhood, she started giving me all kinds of kitchen gifts. Crock pot, meat grinder (for good Jewish chopped liver), garlic press, etc. I am astonished by how easy and marvelous it was. I have never made a roast before, and now I shall never stop making them. Lovely. I took a picture but it sucked. I need a big light. Anyway, I made drop biscuits to go with the roast and Alex whipped up a gravy while I poured myself some wine and finished my chapter in Disruptive Acts: The New Woman in Fin-de-Siècle France, by Mary Louise Roberts. She's a great cultural historian, and her books are really interesting.

Speaking of astonished, I can't imagine how you have refrained from commenting on the SHOES.

Loves,

L

The Shoes

2009-03-04T09:10:00.000-05:00

I told you they were ridiculous:

2009-03-03T21:38:00.004-05:00

Dear Megs,

Hm. Impressive baked goods for a family of foodies. Well, maybe a dessert that looks pretty and has to be built, like these FAB shortbread cookies I made once, maybe topped with lemon curd and fresh raspberries? With lavender, somehow? Or the lemon loves? Or, Sugar Plum Blog (she is great) has lots of recipes for truffles. They seem easy but they're really beautiful. And then again, nothing beats PIE. Or flourless chocolate cake with sour mash whipped cream...

So, today I was thinking about how if we are going to be real food bloggers, we have to make our own recipes, as you said. I never have done this with baked goods; I'm a recipe follower. So I decided to see if I could make banana bread - good banana bread - with no recipe. It worked, and it's good! Banana bread is not something I ever make, so I feel this means I have some fundamental grasp of what baking is all about. Next I will try cake, but I realize now that making up a recipe maybe doesn't mean much, because there are only so many different ways to make a cake. The basic kind, I mean.

I won't bother posting the recipe I wrote, because, as a New York Times columnist who was trashing Gwyneth Paltrow's blog put it, who needs another recipe for banana bread? But here's the pic; if it seems to be floating it's because apparently you can't photograph food at night and I had to stick it right under a lamp.

Loves!

L

2009-03-03T20:36:00.004-05:00

Dear Linds,

Of course you must unpack immediately. I've always given my apartments a good cleaning during finals week, so it seems perfectly reasonable that you should have to unpack a house in anticipation of your orals. If you need any home organization ideas, you might want to check out Ikea Hacker. There are a number of why-would-you-waste-your-time-on-that projects, but there are some real gems as well.

I'm eager to try out Martha's recipe - with salt. But I'm still on the fence about recipes that call for a sprinkling prior to baking. Although the crystalline bits enhance the flavor and make you feel just the right amount of pretentious, I don't know if I like it. Last week, for instance, I made some crisp oatmeal cookies and sprinkled half the batch with sea salt before putting them in the oven. While the shiny little crystals were pretty appealing (I mean, who doesn't like sparkles?), I forgot to pay attention to the butter and oats. That is, I was eating the cookies for the salt. . .

Now I need a bit of advice. I am going to a friend/former boss/current co-worker's home for dinner this week, and I'd like to bring something. He's a bit of a wine aficionado, so I'd prefer to bake instead. What is a safe, but impressive crowd pleaser for a family of foodies??

I miss you.

Love,

Meg

New shoes

2009-03-02T22:56:00.001-05:00

PS I surpassed myself in shoe ridiculousness today, which is really saying something. I'll post a pic when I can dig my camera out of the wreckage.

xo

L

2009-03-02T21:59:00.002-05:00

Dear Megs,

Unpacking is proceeding apace. I know I said I was basically going to leave it unfinished until after the orals, but I just can't. Alex and I are both working during the day and house-ing at night. We've totally rearranged and GOD! how many books we have! I mean, I knew this, but still. That all said, once we're done it'll really look like grownups live here; I'm very excited. However, unpacking all the bejillions of books makes me realize how well read I actually am - and feel all the stupider for it because I don't seem to remember shit.

As for coffee cake, I thought your cake was delicious. I think you're right that they are usually less cake-y, but that was a really good go at it as far as I'm concerned. I recently made a l emon coffee cake from a Martha Stewart recipe, but I didn't use Meyer lemons, and there was something weird about it. I detected a chemical-y aftertaste that my mom didn't notice until I mentioned it, but then did. Also, Martha (yes, we're on a first name basis since she went to the slammer) calls for coarse salt in the topping but I found that that produced these strange pockets of saltiness that were mildly unpleasant. It is not impossible that I simply did it wrong; advice would be appreciated. I would add a picture, but, despite the weird aftertaste, the cake did not last long.

One good thing about moving: I saw a lot of you last week. I miss you.

Loves!

Linz

2009-03-01T15:09:00.004-05:00

Dear Linds,

Today is your first official day in Maine. I hope that you and Alex take a break from unpacking and do something special to mark the occasion.

Here's a picture of the coffee cake I made for moving day:

It was good, but, as I said yesterday, a little too dry and cake-y for my taste. Do you have a fave coffee cake recipe? I suspect I'll be trying this again in the near future.

Loves,

Meg

2009-02-20T22:04:00.002-05:00

Dear Meg,

I hope you bake something beautiful this weekend, because I don't have time to. I'm reading a book called The Hysteric's Revenge: French Women Writers at the Fin-de-Siècle, which is *not* as fun as it sounds. Then I'm going to pack. Maybe then I'll share a bottle of wine with myself. Or two.

Make something pretty, and take a picture of it?

Loves!

L

New blog!

2009-02-17T13:02:00.005-05:00

This blog has several purposes: 1) to help two friends stay in touch through a common love for FOOD; 2) to share everyday ways to cut out the middleman in the foods we consume every day and lead healthier lives (except for the booze); and 3) to share our inspiring stories of BUTTER and BACON in desserts, and to become better cooks.

I really should be working, but I was so excited that, with no posts, we got one follower (my husband Alex, who has his own blog here), that I had write something. While I'd like to write about how preparing for my orals is making me want to tear out my hair or chew through my own leg, instead I'll talk about the granola I've been making!

Reasons to make your own granola: 1) that shit is expensive; 2) most commercial cereals have LOADS of hidden sodium and ingredients no one can pronounce; 3) for the ones that don't, see reason 1; 4) you get to make it exactly how you want it.

The recipe is extremely approximate; you can put whatever you want in there, in whatever quantities. But, if I were you, I wouldn't keep it on the windowsill. Here's what I put:

1 thing of original or steel cut oats.
About a cup (maybe more?) each of chopped walnuts and pecans
About half a cup of slivered almonds
1/8-1/4 cup of wheat germ
1/8-1/4 cup of ground flax seed (good for women!)
Some brewer's yeast
Just enough molasses (iron!) or make caramel (sugar and water, boiled until it turns brown)
1/8-1/4 cup of course brown sugar (or palm sugar, or honey, or whatever)
Dried cranberries
Raisins

Preheat oven to 350.
Stick all ingredients (except for dried fruits) in a huge bowl and stir until it clumps.
Spread in an even layer on a cookie sheet.
Bake until browned.
Put back in huge bowl; add fruits; stir.
Put in jars.