TWD: Coconut Butter Thins

I was looking at my archives a few days ago and realized that almost all of the cookies I've posted about on here have been for Tuesdays With Dorie. Dorie's cookie recipes are so good. And I haven't had to do much thinking--just look in her Baking book for all my cookie needs.

Coconut Butter Thins. The name says it all.



I had to deviate a little from the original recipe because of some trouble I had with a similar recipe last year. I think it was just me because everyone else seemed to do just fine.

That being said, I cut out some of the butter to keep these cookies from spreading all over the place. And I didn't have any macadamia nuts, so I went with pecans. I left out the lime zest and coriander (for a reason you'll see when you scroll down.) Oh, and I went with forming the dough into logs and slicing them into rounds instead of squares.



I had a stroke of genius when I was thinking about Dorie's recipe for Coconut Butter Thins.

I thought to myself, "Hmm...what would go well with buttery coconut cookies?"

Then the little devil on my shoulder muttered something (with a full mouth, of course) that maybe if I sandwiched them with some dulce de leche the world would be a better place. He was right. Again.



I turned them into Alfajores. And believe me, you want to do the same.



Dulce de leche has many, many uses. And one of my favorites is as a filling. Especially for these little yummies.



For good measure, I added coconut to the dulce de leche. (First it had a quick spin in the food processor.) Oh--and I didn't have sweetened condensed milk when I made it, so I used 2 cups evaporated milk and 1 cup white sugar and let it simmer on low for a few hours. (A safer alternative and it tasted exactly the same.)




For the original recipe, be sure to visit The Barefoot Kitchen Witch. Jayne is the host for this week and chose a wonderful recipe and her post includes step-by-step photos along with a darling little helper.

This is the recipe as I made it:

Place 2/3 cup sweetened shredded coconut and 1/2 cup pecan in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped.

Add to the food processor:

1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup corn starch
1/4 tsp. salt
2/3 cup sugar

Pulse again to combine.

Scatter over the dry ingredients:

1 1/2 sticks of cold butter cut into 1/4" cubes

Pulse until it resembles cornmeal. Add the vanilla extract through the feed hole and pulse until the dough starts to come together.

Remove dough from the food processor. Form into two logs and wrap each log in waxed paper. Place in the freezer for about 45 minutes, or until dough is firm enough to slice.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment. With a sharp knife, cut the dough into 1/4" slices. Place the cookies on the lined baking sheets and bake for about 12 minutes, or until lightly golden. Cool on a wire rack.

Fresh Eggs

I have a super nice friend named Nat. Guess what? She has four chickens.

This is one of them. (I love, love, love this picture Nat took.)


What do lady chickens do? Lay some of these beauties...



She shared with me. Isn't she the best? When I showed my husband he forbade me from using them for anything other than eating. The yolks are so yellow and they taste so good.

My dream is to have a little, old, pioneer house of my own someday on a big plot of land so I can have chickens for fresh eggs and a goat so I can make fresh goat cheese. And we'll have a garden, too, with lots of strawberries and herbs. And I'll be in paradise.

(P.S. She also brought me a bottle of the best homemade lemonade ever. We drank that too quickly for a picture.)

Faux-caccia Bread

Don't you love the name of this post? My husband coined it last night as I was complaining that what I made was essentially thick, herbed pizza dough.



See? It doesn't look like what you'd normally call focaccia. Ah, well. Live and learn.

But, it was very good, I'll tell you. The kids and I were so hungry we ate a whole round warm out of the oven before dinner even started. I can't wait to have a sandwich on the leftovers for lunch today.

I will use a different recipe for the real deal next time, but if you are looking for a fast, easy substitute that only takes a few hours as opposed to 24 hours, then this is for you. (The recipe out of Baking With Julia seems to be more what I'm looking for.)



Faux-caccia Bread

1 Tbsp. active dry yeast (not instant)
2 cups warm water (105-115 degrees F.)
1 tsp. sugar
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. sea salt
4 1/2 to 4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
olive oil, for drizzling and pans
coarse sea salt, for sprinkling

Toppings: dried herbs, olives, sundried tomatoes, caramelized onions, shredded cheese, etc.

Stir the yeast and warm water together in the bowl of a stand mixer. Let it sit for 5 minutes until the yeast is dissolved, stirring occasionally as needed. Add the sugar, olive oil, and salt. Stir. Turn the mixer on and slowly add the flour until the dough comes away from the sides and is tacky to the touch, but not sticky. Let the mixer knead the bread for about 10 minutes, or until it is smooth. (You could also knead it by hand.)

Lightly coat a large bowl with olive oil. Place the dough in the bowl and turn it over to coat it with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place until it doubles in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

Punch the dough down. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide it into thirds. Lightly cover the dough and let it rest for 20 minutes.

Generously oil three 8" or 9" round pans. Roll the dough into circles and place in the prepared pans. Let rise, covered, for another 1 1/2 hours, or until they double in size.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Use your fingers to dimple the dough. Drizzle olive oil over the tops of the bread. Sprinkle with desired toppings and coarse sea salt.

Bake for about 30 minutes. (Check after 20 mins.) The tops will be golden. Remove from oven and turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

TWD: Blueberry Crumb Cake

Guess what? I want back in with the Tuesdays With Dorie crowd. I felt this pang every Tuesday when I'd open my reader and see how everyone did with that week's recipe.

I'm not back on the official list yet, but I baked with the group this week anyway. You can check out Sihan's blog, Befuddlement, for the recipe.



I sort of have a thing for quick breads topped with streusel. That's basically what this cake is. A giant blueberry muffin topped with streusel. I used pecans instead of walnuts.



It's a pretty good cake. My little girl ate the crumb topping and left the blueberries and cake for me. (I would have done the same thing.)


In my book, this qualifies as both a breakfast and a dessert. That same little girl of mine said it was her "breakfast dessert", or as we call them, "second breakfasts." I think I'd like mine with a cup of herbal tea next time.

Check out the TWD blogroll to see how the other bakers did.

Next week: Coconut Butter Thins.

Oatmeal Molasses Bread

So I saw this funny thing somewhere on Twitter a few days ago. It was a website for a cookie diet. (Let me see if I can find it...ah, here it is. Click here.) I've been on that diet for a long time. It doesn't work. Cookies for every meal does not help you lose weight. I hate to burst your bubbles full of hope. However, cookies for every meal is very delicious. (Especially breakfast.) There are often trade-offs in life.

What else is good for breakfast? Homemade bread.



When I'm not feeding my family cookies for breakfast, then they're getting homemade bread. I know, I know. So June Cleaver, right? Well, more like Little House on the Prairie, but I don't wear long dresses and I have central air and a running water. And my husband doesn't kill animals for our dinner. Anyway...

Back to homemade bread. We love it. I don't know about you, but a 5 lb. bag of flour around Utah costs roughly the same as one loaf of bread. And one bag of flour makes about 8 loaves of bread. I'm just doing my part to save money on groceries so I can afford to buy more heavy cream.

The other day I was thinking about how I didn't have any honey in the house. My options were either to use white sugar or find another substitute. I chose molasses and dark brown sugar. Then I remembered back to Thanksgiving when I made some awesome Oatmeal Molasses Rolls. (I don't think I ever posted that recipe...) It was a winning recipe to be sure. And the translation to bread loaves was just fine.


Oatmeal Molasses Bread
(Make a half batch if using a KitchenAid type stand mixer. A full recipe works great in a Bosch.)

2 cups milk
2 cups water
1 cup old-fashioned oats
2 Tbsp. dough enhancer
2 Tbsp. vital wheat gluten
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup molasses
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1-2 eggs
1 Tbsp. salt
2 Tbsp. SAF yeast
7-8+ cups whole wheat flour (can use half white)

Spray 4 or 5, 8" loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray and preheat oven to 140 degrees for ten minutes and turn off.

Place the dough enhancer, vital wheat gluten, oil, molasses, and eggs in the bowl of mixer. Mix on medium speed until incorporated.

Place the milk, water, and dark brown sugar in a large measuring cup. Heat in the microwave until very hot--even boiling. Stir in the oats. Let stand until the temperature reaches 140 degrees F. Add to the mixer and beat until well combined.

With the mixer running, add 3 cups of the flour. Mix well. Add the yeast. Add the remaining flour a cup at a time until it starts to look more like dough than batter. (Switch to a dough hook if you aren't using a Bosch.) Keep adding flour a few tablespoons at a time until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl. Add the salt. Let the machine knead the dough for 12 minutes. If the dough clings to the sides while kneading, add a few more tablespoons of flour.

Oil a counter top or smooth surface. Pour kneaded bread dough out onto the oiled surface. Cut into four or five sections. (I weigh mine. Each loaf weighs about 600 grams.)

Roll up each piece and pinch the seam. Place in prepared loaf pan. Let dough rise in the slightly warm oven.

When dough has risen 1" above the pan, about 30 minutes, turn oven on to 350 degrees. Bake loaves until golden brown and internal temperature is about 180 degrees. This time can vary greatly. It usually takes mine about 30 minutes.

Remove bread from pans. Let cool on a rack.

Open Plan Kitchen

Last week I saw this kitchen from Rainer Spehl over at Blue Ant Studio. I really dig it.



Funny enough, it sort of reminds me of the kitchen I had in NY. (But in a fond way.) This kitchen has ten times more counter space.



There's just this part of me that loves exposed cupboard contents. (And I love that bread box and wooden bowls, too.)



I love this sink even though I love my own double sink so much.

Blue Ant Studio frequently posts pics of cool kitchens--like this and this and this and this.

You are so going to love Blue Ant Studio. It's a daily dose of happiness.

Side note: I was recently introduced to Blue Ant Studio by my friend and style maven, Azucar of The Jet Set. (Check out her other blogs Mid-Century Modern Utah and The Best of Provo Modern.)

(All images via Blue Ant Studio. Used with written permission.)

Marion Cunningham's Irish Soda Bread

When we lived in NY, my husband we had a lot of neighbors with Irish ancestry. There was a set of triplets of Irish descent whose mother made the most amazing Irish Soda Bread. The triplets attended the school where my husband worked. They would sell their mother's Irish Soda Bread to friends, neighbors, and their teachers for St. Patrick's Day. (It's a much bigger holiday in NY than it is here in UT.) I was thinking of that soda bread while I made Marion Cunningham's recipe from Baking With Julia.

I was intrigued that the recipe only called for four ingredients: flour, salt, baking soda, and buttermilk. That was all. The idea being that those four ingredients would have easily been found in a traditional Irish kitchen.

In past years, I've made more of what tastes like a giant, raisin-studded scone or biscuit. (Not that I'm complaining--we really go for that kind of thing.)

Marion Cunningham's recipe is much, much different. There's very little fat. In theory, you'd think that the bread would be tough. It's handled gingerly so that doesn't happen. The buttermilk makes it very tender.

The exterior was stunning--like artisan bread at its finest. I cut a thin wedge and tasted it. The result was something I wasn't expecting--it actually had a texture similar to yeast bread. It took me a few more (little) slices to make up my mind whether I liked it or not.

The verdict? I decided that I really liked it. And I think I want to make it again. And not just on St. Patrick's Day.

The recipe says that it will turn rock hard a few hours after it is baked. We found it to be perfectly fine--not that hard--even after two days. It's delicious toasted and buttered with a bit of jam. And it was the perfect companion to our St. Paddy's Day dinner.

You can watch the video of Marion Cunningham making Irish Soda Bread on PBS. (I guess if I'd watched it before I made it, I wouldn't have been so surprised with the result. And of course, her bread looks much better.)

Irish Soda Bread
From Marion Cunningham

4 cups of unbleached all purpose flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 and 1/2 teaspoons of salt
2 cups of buttermilk

Grease an 8 inch glass pie plate and set aside. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F and put the rack in the middle of the oven. (I used a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.)

Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl and add the buttermilk. Stir until everything comes together and then turn the dough out on a floured surface. Knead the dough for only a minute resisting the urge to do more. The dough should not be overworked. Form the dough into a disk about 6 inches across. Place in your greased pie dish. The dough won't touch the sides. Cut a cross in the dough about a half in deep all the way across and then bake for about 50 minutes until the slash widens and the bread is a nice golden brown.

Cool the bread on a wire rack until it is completely cool before slicing. Wrap the bread in a moist towel until ready to serve. You can keep this bread for a day wrapped and at room temperature but by the end of the day even the little amount of fat in the buttermilk will cause the bread to become pretty hard.

Cake Slice Bakers: Triple Lemon Chiffon Cake

This month for Cake Slice Bakers, we chose to make the Triple Lemon Chiffon Cake from Sky High: Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes by Alisa Huntsman.



Because I have a very good reason, I deviated slightly from the recipe and added strawberries.



The inside is a moist lemon chiffon cake filled with tangy lemon curd and a middle layer of fresh strawberries. Instead of Lemon Whipped Cream, I made a Strawberry-Cream Cheese Swiss Meringue Buttercream. (That's a mouthful, eh?)



It was perfect in every way. And didn't need any ice cream--just some lightly sweetened strawberries.



You can find the recipe HERE. (It's even printer ready.)

Strawberry-Cream Cheese Swiss Meringue Buttercream

1 cup pureed strawberries
1 lb. unsalted butter, room temperature
4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/3 cup water
5 egg whites
pinch cream of tartar
1/2 tsp. pure almond extract
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Beat the butter and cream cheese together with an electric mixer until fluffy. Chill until cold.

Place the egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer and fit it with the whisk attachment. Turn mixer on medium speed until egg whites are foamy. While the mixer is running start preparing the sugar syrup.

In a small saucepan, stir together sugar and water. Bring to a boil and let cook, without stirring, until it reaches 240 degrees F (234 degrees F if you live at 5,000 feet above sea level) on a candy thermometer.

When the syrup has comes to 235 degrees (sea level) or 230 degrees (high altitude), turn the mixer on high and beat the egg whites until they are stiff, but not dry.

Remove the syrup from the heat** (see note below) and carefully pour the syrup against the side of the bowl into the egg whites while the mixer is still running. Continue beating on high for 3-5 minutes, or until steam stops rising from the mixing bowl.

Turn the mixer down a bit and add the chilled butter/cream cheese mixture a spoonful at at time. Don't worry if it becomes curdled. Just keep beating it and it will come back together. When all the butter/cream cheese has been added, add the extracts, beat well again. Then add the strawberry puree. It will separate a bit--keep beating and it will come back together.

Use it immediately, or keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 or 3 days. It will also freeze well for about a month or so.

**The syrup should be cooked to 240 degrees F (sea level) or 235 degrees (5,000 ft. above sea level). In order to prevent over-beating of the egg whites, start beating them when the syrup is within 5 degrees of being cooked all the way--i.e. 235 degrees at sea level, or 230 for high altitude.**

By the way...

This is my reason:



Only I'm not 6 years old. I just couldn't bear putting 28 candles on the cake this year. Jeez. Or am I only 27? No. I'm 28. Dang. Well, that means my husband only has two more years to plan my CJane-esque 30th Birthday Gala. And I have two more years to plan my awesome cake. And that also means I'm two years away from actually being 30...whoa. (Deep breaths, deeeeeep cleansing breaths.)

Have a great weekend!

White Chocolate-Creme de Menthe Ice Cream

This year I swore up and down I was going to make a real Irish dessert on St. Patrick's Day. Instead, my daughter begged me to make green mint ice cream. I threw in the white chocolate to please me, and the green mint pleased her.

My husband was pleasantly surprised how much he liked this ice cream. My one suggestion is to use creme de menthe flavoring*, if possible. (Or a bit of the real stuff, if you have it. I don't.) Peppermint extract would be a decent substitute, but does border on making it taste like toothpaste if you use too much.



White Chocolate-Creme de Menthe Ice Cream

7 oz. good quality white chocolate, chopped (make sure it had cocoa butter in it!)
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3 cups whole milk
4 egg yolks
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 to 1 tsp. creme de menthe flavoring* (or 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract)
pinch of salt
a few drops green food coloring

Place white chocolate in a bowl. Heat cream in a 2 quart pan (or in the microwave) until it barely boils. Pour over the white chocolate. Put a plate on top of the bowl and let stand without stirring for about 5 minutes.

In the same pan, heat milk until very hot, but not boiling. While the milk is heating, whisk together egg yolks and sugar. Slowly add the hot milk to the eggs while whisking constantly. Pour the mixture back into the pan. Heat gently over medium heat until the custard thickens and registers 160 degrees F. on an instant read thermometer. (About 5-10 minutes depending on your stove.)

Pour the cooked custard through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl. Add the white chocolate mixture and whisk until smooth. Add the extract and a tiny pinch of salt. Taste and adjust if necessary. Add a few drops of green food coloring.

Let the custard base cool to room temperature. (You can use an ice bath for quicker cooling.) Chill until very cold. Churn ice cream according to manufacturer directions. Transfer to a plastic container with a tight-fitting lid and freeze until firm. Serve.



We all agreed that it tastes just like a cold, creamy After Eight mints.

Of course, you have to have it with hot fudge sauce:

Hot Fudge Sauce I
Hot Fudge Sauce II
Hot Fudge Sauce III

*I use creme de menthe candy flavoring. Look for it in stores that sell candy making products. It's highly concentrated, so go easy. Add a bit and taste, then add more.

Happy St. Paddy's!

(image via marthastewart.com)

I dropped the ball this year. Last month I was going to try corning a beef brisket myself. The process takes a few weeks. (You can look here, here, or here for ideas in case you are interested.)

So, I'm doing our corned beef in the slow-cooker, which is a great way to do it.

Usually I just put the packaged corned beef brisket (plus the seasoning packet) and some onions in the slow-cooker on low for about 8-10 hours. Then I add the potatoes and carrots and cook it for another couple of hours. The cabbage (because I can't stand it--sorry, I can't) goes in after I've taken out my portion. :)

To go with it, I'll make a big loaf of Marion Cunningham's Irish Soda Bread from Baking With Julia by Dorie Greenspan. I've read reviews all over the web about this recipe, and people swear by it.

Yesterday, my husband's Aunt Khali gave me a recipe for a creamy parsley sauce that they made for their Irish dinner on Sunday night. I'm also going to make that. She says "it made the dinner." It comes from her dear friend, Liesa.

Liesa's Parsley Sauce

4 Tbsp. butter
1/4 cup flour
1 cup (or more) milk
1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
salt, to taste

Melt the butter in a saucepan. After it starts foaming, add the flour. Stir and cook for about a minute. Slowly whisk in the milk. Simmer for a few minutes. Remove from heat and add salt, pepper, and parsley. Serve warm over corned beef.
white pepper, to taste.

Sunday Night Dinner: Scallops with Wilted Spinach

Last night we ate the most delightful dinner at Aunt Robin's. The inspiration came from a menu in the March 2009 issue of MSL.

Scallops with Wilted Spinach (see below for her modifications)
Pasta with Spring Herbs (without Parmesan cheese)
Dorie's Florida Pie (my contribution)

Modifications:



Aunt Robin fried up a bit of bacon and used the rendered fat plus some butter for sauteing the scallops. She did this in batches, removing the scallops to a plate and scraping the fond from the pan to be used later in a pan sauce.

Once all the scallops were cooked, she added the fond back to the pan along with some mushrooms and sliced garlic. And then half a bottle of white wine was added to the pan. Once the pan was deglazed with the wine, we added 16 ounces of spinach and let it wilt in the liquid. The spinach was removed to a serving platter and the remaining sauce was reduced until syrupy. The scallops were arranged on top of the wilted spinach and the pan sauce drizzled over the top.

Local note: The scallops she bought came from the Market Street Grill Fresh Fish Market, which she says is one of the best places to buy fresh seafood in Salt Lake. Her other favorite place is Aquarius Fish Co.

(both images via marthastewart.com)

Recipe Correction: Pizza

I made a mistake on the pizza dough recipe! I just realized it as I went to make it today. I went back and changed it.

It read "2 envelopes (1/4 oz.) instant yeast".

It should have said "1 envelope (2 1/4 tsp.) instant yeast." Which is the same as 1/4 oz.

Sorry to anyone who made it and had it take over the kitchen or taste too yeasty.

Hazelnut-Toffee Cookies

These are very good cookies.



Hazelnut-Toffee Cookies
Original recipe by Lindsey Johnson

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt (more if you use unsalted butter)
2 cups toasted, skinned hazelnuts, coarsely chopped (see this post)
1 1/2 cups (about 8 oz.) coarsely chopped chocolate covered toffee candy bars (we like Daim the best)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Beat butter and dark brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat for another minute. Add the vanilla, beat well.

Whisk dry ingredients together. In two or three additions, mix the dry ingredients into the butter/sugar mixture.

Fold in the hazelnuts and toffee bars. Use a mini ice cream scoop or tablespoon to drop balls of the dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Gently flatten the tops of the dough.

Bake at 350 degrees F for about 6 minutes. (They won't be that brown and may look underbaked.) Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet.

Makes about 4 1/2 dozen.

Coconut Rum Cake

I love coconut cake. It's probably my very favorite. I usually only make it once a year for Easter. I made an exception this year. (I'm still making one for Easter.)


I made this for our Brazilian crowd for my MIL's birthday. (This is the last post about it!)

The Brazilian way to cut a cake is to cut a circle in the center, and wedges from the center out. This is the heart of the cake. (And the best part, I might add. It was even better the next day.)



If you don't cook with alcohol, just leave it out. Or you can use 2 tsp. or so of rum extact, but leave the amount of the water the same.



You have two options with this cake--you can go the homemade route, or use the shortcut method of doctoring a cake mix. (Either works fine--it's the only time I really use a cake mix for anything.) For this post, I'm using the easy, cake mix version. (The other recipe makes three 9" or 8" layers, so make only a half recipe.)


Coconut Rum Cake (Doctored Cake Mix Version)

For cake:

1 white or yellow cake mix (not prepared)
1 stick butter, cut into 8 pieces
Coconut milk to replace the water, reserve excess for icing (1 can should be enough)
3 eggs
2 cups sweetened or unsweetened, shredded coconut, divided (1 cup for the cake, 1 cup for topping)

For syrup:

¼ cup dark rum
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup water

For glaze:
2 tbsp. butter
About 2 cups powdered sugar
Reserved coconut milk

Place 1 cup of the coconut in a food processor. Process until finely chopped. Add the cake mix. Pulse. Cut the butter into 8 pieces. Add to the cake mix. Pulse until it looks like cornmeal. Add the coconut milk and eggs. Process until smooth and thick. Bake as directed. (I used one ten inch pan.) Let the cake cool on a wire rack.

As the cake is cooling, bring the sugar, rum, and water to a boil.. Let cool slightly. Place the cake on a serving platter and poke holes with a wooden skewer or fork in the top of the cake. Brush or drizzle the rum syrup over the cake and let it sit for about 15-30 minutes.

Prepare the glaze by whisking together the butter, powdered sugar, and coconut milk until it's runny enough to drizzle.

Toast the remaining 1 cup of coconut in a 350 degree oven until golden brown.

Drizzle the glaze over the cake and sprinkle with toasted coconut. Serve.

Jicama and Black Bean Salad

This salad was a great compliment to some tasty enchiladas we made for dinner last night. And it also lends itself to variation. Could you add tomatoes? Sure. What about a jalapeno? Why, of course. Don't like cilantro? Add parsley. I think the possibilities are endless.


Jicama and Black Bean Salad
by Lindsey Johnson

1 small jicama, peeled and cut into 1/4" dice
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed well
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4" dice
1 cup yellow corn
4-5 green onions, sliced, white and tender green parts only
Juice of 1 lime
1-2 tsp. grapeseed or other flavorless oil (like canola)
coarse salt and black pepper, to taste
pinch of chili powder
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Combine the jicama, black beans, red pepper, corn and green onions in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together lime juice, oil, salt, pepper, and chili powder. Pour over the veggies and stir to coat. Just before serving, add the cilantro.

Makes 4-6 servings as a side dish.

Banana Sour Cream Muffins

Need an idea for your Saturday breakfast?



My little guy peeled a mushy banana and it fell apart in his hands. He sobbed for me to fix it. And because sometimes life hands you mushy bananas that won't stick back together, you have no choice but to make muffins.

I looked to my favorite recipe for Blueberry Muffins to make this recipe. Don't be tempted to skip out on the cinnamon and sugar topping for these muffins. They need it.



Banana Sour Cream Muffins

For muffins:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup melted unsalted butter
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mashed bananas (about 1 large)
1 tsp. vanilla extract

For topping:
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup (or so) sugar
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin or line it with paper baking cups.

In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, lightly whisk egg and add sugar. Continue whisking until thick. Add the melted butter in two or three additions. Whisk in the sour cream in two additions, followed by the mashed banana. Add the vanilla.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients; gently fold with a spatula, being careful not to overmix.

Divide the batter between the muffin cups. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean and the tops are lightly golden.

While the muffins are still warm, dip the tops in the melted butter and then into the cinnamon and sugar. Let cool completely on a rack.

Makes 12.

Lunch Today: Lentil Soup with Potatoes and Kielbasa

Back in September when I first posted the recipe for The Best Lentil Soup, KJ left a comment saying she likes to add kielbasa to her lentil soup. A light bulb went off. We haven't gone back.



When I made a big pot of lentil soup this week, I added a few potatoes, too. That recipe just keeps getting better.

Chocolate Mint Cookies

And yet another post full of sugar and carbs...

Am I ruining your diet? Sorry...I gave up on being thin a long time ago. (That's a blatant lie--I still have high hopes.)

Mint and chocolate. Who's with me? It's a good thing, right? Especially for a Friday?



Back before Christmas, I bought a bag of Andes Creme de Menthe baking chips. I've been saving them and saving them. Then I got a craving for mint. I opened the bag to see what they looked like and how I might want to use them. They were practically microscopic...a little bit of a disappointment. I wanted big chunks.

Oh, well. I decided the only thing to do was make cookies. (That's usually the answer when disappointment rears its head.) I added milk chocolate chips so there were at least some pockets of melted goodness in each cookie.



Chocolate Mint Cookies

1 cup (8 oz.) butter (can do half butter, half shortening)
1 cup dark brown sugar
2/3 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. baking soda
2 cups Andes Creme de Menthe chips
1 cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Whisk together the dry ingredients. Set aside.

With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture in three additions, being careful not to overmix. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, fold the Andes chips and milk chocolate chips into the dough.

Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of dough onto the prepared baking pans. Flatten the dough slightly. Bake for 6-8 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking time.

Makes approximately 5 dozen.


See what I mean? Don't you think Andes mints I chop myself would be better? I want big chunks, not tiny ones. But in any case, the cookies are really good. And just minty enough to satisfy a craving for mint.

Strawberry Sherbet

Back in 2004, the folks at Cooks' Illustrated included a recipe for Fruit Sherbet in their May/June issue. I let the idea of that recipe simmer for almost 5 years before trying it. Before I made the Blackberry-Strawberry Sherbet, I made plain Strawberry Sherbet using that recipe as a guide. I served it last month for my mother-in-law's birthday party.

To say that I loved this recipe is an understatement. If I could eat Strawberry Sherbet every single day until my last day on earth, I would never, ever tire of it. (My friends know I don't exaggerate.)

I like to think of myself as a connoisseur of ice creams, sorbets, and sherbets. (Because let's face it, I am.) Oh, maybe you've noticed that I disproportionately post ice cream recipes over anything else. But I can't help myself. Some people buy shoes excessively. I make ice cream.

I used one pint of strawberries and it worked perfectly.



Strawberry Sherbet
adapted from Cooks' Illustrated

1 cup sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
1 pint (16 oz.) strawberries, rinsed well and cut into quarters
3/4 cup water
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons vodka
1 cup heavy cream

In a non-reactive saucepan, cook strawberries with sugar, water and salt over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves and the strawberries soften. (About 3 or 4 minutes.) Remove from heat and puree in a blender or food processor.

Strain the puree through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl. Add the lemon juice and vodka. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator or freezer to chill until very cold, about 40 degrees F. (Don't let it freeze.)

When the strawberry puree is cold, using a whisk, whip the heavy cream in a separate bowl until soft peaks form. While whisking constantly, add the puree to the cream in a slow, steady stream against the side of the bowl.

Immediately start ice cream machine and pour the puree/cream mixture through the feed hole. Churn until the sherbet has the texture of soft-serve ice cream.

Transfer to a plastic container and press plastic wrap onto the surface of the sherbet. Freeze until firm, about three hours. Serve.

Makes about 1 quart.

How-To: Parmesan-Herb Pan Biscuits

This recipe originally comes from my trusty Land o' Lakes cookbook. They are simple, fast biscuits to make and go great with soup.




Parmesan-Herb Pan Biscuits
adapted from Land o' Lakes

1/3 cup butter
2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh herbs
1 Tbsp. sugar
3 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup milk

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Place butter in a 9" square baking dish and place in the oven to melt. Remove pan from oven until ready to use.

Combine dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Make a well in the center and add the milk. Stir until the flour and is just moistened and starts to form a ball.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead ten times.





Roll the dough into a rectangle that is 12" by 4".


Cut the dough into twelve 1" strips.



Dip each strip into the melted butter in the pan.



Arrange the biscuit strips in the pan.





Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown.



Makes 12.
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Full Recipe:

Parmesan-Herb Pan Biscuits
adapted from Land o' Lakes

1/3 cup butter
2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh herbs
1 Tbsp. sugar
3 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup milk

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Place butter in a 9" square baking dish and place in the oven to melt. Remove pan from oven until ready to use.

Combine dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Make a well in the center and add the milk. Stir until the flour and is just moistened and starts to form a ball. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead ten times.

Roll the dough into a rectangle that is 12" by 4". Cut the dough into twelve 1" strips. Dip each strip into the melted butter in the pan. Arrange the biscuit strips in the pan.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Makes 12.