Mother's Day Baking

Sadly, it seems the only time I get to bake anymore is for an occasion  I miss baking just for the hell of it. When things were calmer at work I'd sometimes concoct a dream dessert and before I knew it, BAM, it was coming out of the oven preparing to be devoured. One day I hope to return to a more pleasant and care-free existence. In the meantime, my skills shall be kept alive by the fact that Mother's Day kicks off what I like to refer to as "Family Birthday-Holiday Season."

Because I enjoy giving gifts (and belting out "Happy Birthday" at full volume), this time of the year (May-August) isn't as unpleasant for me as it could otherwise be. In addition to Mother's and Father's Day, mother's birthday is in June and Father, Sister, and Grandmom round out the summer with their August trifecta of birthdays. If I didn't hate summer so much I'd plot to one day wed amidst it just to give myself a holiday to call my own (and more importantly, for which I could receive gifts). But alas, always a bridesmaid and never a bride, I shall resign myself to another summer of gift giving and baking. 

This year, Sister was absent from our Mother's Day festivities (and if you're wondering, yes, she was still the favorite despite being absent), so I found myself with a smaller audience for which to bake for. Since Mother's Day is a shared occasion amongst the women-folk, I had to be respectful of all dessert preferences. AS and Grandmom can't have chocolate and mother loves chocolate more than anything. I struggled with how to reconcile these competing interests, not wishing to make one chocolate-free dessert for the group since I'd just made this lemon cake for Easter. After giving it some thought my eureka moment happened. I'd make two desserts, but half both the recipes as to end up with an acceptable amount for our small group. It was a stroke of genius that I remain proud of. 

First up, for the woman that birthed me and has since had to put up with, as she likes to refer to it, "my strong-will and difficult personality," I created these:

One Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes

*Original recipe courtesy of Sophisticated Gourmet

Ingredients 

[Note: these measurements are for the half version I made (6 extra-large cupcakes), follow original for a larger batch]

For Cake

• 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
• 3/8 + 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1/8 cup + 1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/8 tsp baking powder
• 3/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 of 1 egg, room temperature
• 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1/8 cup canola oil
• 1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup boiling water

For Icing

• 6 Tbsps unsalted butter, melted
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder 
• ¼ cup milk
• 2 ¼ cups powdered (confectioner’s) sugar
• ¾ tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp light corn syrup

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and line muffin tins with paper liners. [I'd discovered my Sister's giant muffin pan in the basement while gathering supplies and thus decided to make 6 giant cupcakes/mini cakes....a little secret, I hate making cupcakes because then you have to icing them all individually, so the fewer cupcakes I ultimately have to icing, the better.]

2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together granulated sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt

3. Mix in half an egg, Greek yogurt, oil, and vanilla extract until smooth and combined

4. Bring water to a boil (this takes literally no time with such a small amount). Pour boiling water into the mix and slowly mix starting from the center. The batter will be liquidy, but this is normal

5. Divide batter evenly among the lined cups and bake for 15-19 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through, until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of each cupcake comes out clean

6. Allow cupcakes to cool for a few minutes in their tin post-bakng, then transfer to wire racks for the remainder of their cooling process. Let them cool completely before applying icing

7. While they're cooling, you can prepare the icing. Begin by combining the melted butter and cocoa powder in a stand mixture until smooth

8. Alternately mix in milk and powdered sugar, mixing at medium speed in between. Add additional milk if icing is too dry. Finish by adding vanilla extract and light corn syrup

9. Once cupcakes are cool, dress in icing and top with sprinkles (because I love any excuse to use sprinkles)

And for the woman who birthed my mother, I created these:

Lemon Tartletts

*Original recipe found here

Ingredients
[Note: I also went a little rogue in the portion size on these, although instead of halving the recipe, I made them in a slight smaller than normal muffin tin rather than the mini version called for in the original version]

For Tart Shells

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 egg white
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

For Filling

• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp butter melted 
• 2 tsp lemon zest
• 3 Tbsp lemon juice
• Powdered sugar (for dusting)

Preparation

1. Preheat over to 325F and spray muffin tin with Pam

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg white and blend well

3. Next, add flour and mix until well blended. (You can chill dough slightly at this juncture or just power through. I did the latter and it wasn't as sticky as I fear it would be). Divide dough into muffin cups and press into tart shells

4. For filling, lightly whisk eggs. Whisk in sugar and butter, lemon zest and juice. Mix well. Pour filling evenly into tart shells

5. Bake 15-20 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Remove pan to cooling rack for 5 minutes, then remove tartletts from pan and cool on rack. Cool completely before storing in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator

6. At serving time, give them a little dusting with powdered sugar and yell "TaDa" for dramatic effect!

Happy Mother's Day!

With Grandmom and Mother after they enjoyed my baked goods

2013: The Year of the Artichoke

For those of you that have been following my blog for a while now, you know that I love a good food of the year (FOTY). I explained how this process began last year as part of my 2012 FOTY triumph. Basically, I pick a food every year that I want to like but currently don't and spend the year learning to love it. 

This year, I picked the artichoke. Unfortunately, unlike last year, it took me some time to work up to it. My hesitation was driven partially by fear, but mostly by my absentmindedness whilst at market. Unlike some of the more popular fruits and veggies, artichokes are relatively hidden at market, making it difficult for me to remember that I want to try one! I took a baby step in the direction of artichoke eating with this yummy dip back in March, but still cooking with the real thing eluded me. Finally, last week, I remembered to buy a full artichoke. Let the experimentation begin! 

Buying the artichoke was just half the battle. I then had to decide what I wanted to do with it....the options runneth over. After spending some time on my idea boards (also know as Pinterest) I came up with my first artichoke recipe:

Stuffed Artichoke with Orzo and Veggies

Ingredients

• 1 medium artichoke (roasted)
• 1/4 cup orzo 
• 1/3 cup red bell pepper, diced
• 1/3 cup yellow bell pepper, diced
• 1/3 cup green bell pepper, diced
• 1/4 cup yellow onion, diced
• 1/4 cup mushrooms, diced
• 2-3 garlic gloves, halved
• Feta cheese (for sprinkling on top)
• Lemon juice (2-3 Tbsps)
• Olive oil (for drizzling)
• Salt and Pepper (to taste)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 425F

2. Wash and prep artichoke for roasting. I found this process to be super helpful for my first go-round at artichoke roasting. My spin on the process through photos:

Wash and prepare for cutting

Chop top of artichoke off

Gently spread out leaves and insert garlic halves

Place on a piece of foil and drizzle with olive oil and sea salt 

Wrap artichoke in two pieces of foil to avoid any leaks

Bake for 35 minutes or until tender

3. While artichoke is baking, cook orzo according to directions on package

4. Heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet or wok, then stir fry peppers, mushrooms, and onion until tender and onions are lightly browned

5. Toss cooked orzo with veggies and season to taste

6. Remove garlic cloves from artichoke once finished baking. Remove artichoke heart and spread leaves apart to create a hole in the middle of the artichoke

7. Fill artichoke with orzo-veggie mixture and top with feta before serving

Pure deliciousness ensued

FOTY 2013 officially conquered!

Take Me Home, Country Roads

This weekend my posse and I decided to get in touch with our country-side. While the tourists continued to infiltrate our fair city, we packed up and headed west to the mountains (at least by my Oklahoma-bred standards) of West Virginia to become one with nature. 

As is the case with many of my life experiences, this one was not without incident. On the way to the cabin we hit (ran over an already dead) deer. I was nothing short of hysterical. 

There was lots of fun once we got to the cabin though...it was the land of old timey wonders

And an indoor treehouse. Whatthewhat?!

Nothing like a good hike to greet the day

Amid the exploring and soaking in the gorgeous spring weather, there was also a fair amount of eating and drinking. By now, if you've read this blog with any regularity, it's likely you know where this story is going....and yes, I did break out a new recipe for the trip. 

Since I had to take into account the traveling and pseudo-rough atmosphere I didn't want to make anything needing too much care (ie: nothing with icing or that requires refrigeration/must be served warm). Enter, cookies. And not just any cookies. Instagram-find-courtesy-of-Sally's-Baking-Addiction cookies. Yes, they were wonderful. Sally hasn't failed me yet! 

Inside Out Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

Courtesy of Sally's Baking Addiction

• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 large egg (at room temperature)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsps dark chocolate cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsps milk (I used almond milk)
• 1 cup white chocolate chips

 Preparation

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, on medium speed, cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy
2. Add egg and vanilla and mix until combined
3. In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt). Whisk together, then add in 1/3 increments to the mixer bowl
4. By hand, stir in milk and folk in white chocolate chips. Dough should be sticky, but chill for at least 2 hours before baking. [I chilled mine overnight]
5. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350F and cover cookie sheet with parchment paper
6. Scoop out dough using a Tbsp, roll into a ball and place on cookie sheet about an inch apart
7. Bake for 10 minutes. Cookies will be soft, but allow to cool for at least 5 minutes on baking sheet before transferring to cooling rack

Similar to camping, I miss these cookies already

Lemony Goodness

Oh sweet blog how I've missed thee. Life has been running me ragged lately. I blame two things for this: 1) work is insanely crazy and 2) spring is here(ish)....I say "ish" because today I wore a scarf to work. For the most part, the weather has been absolutely divine and I'm working desperately to spend as many free moments outside soaking it in before wretched summer rears its ugly head. The only downside to this little game is that I have become terribly delinquent on my blogging. Blogger fail.  

Aussie loves spring too...and that we live so close to the park

I hate on the District a lot, but spring here is gorgeous

And with extra walks and park time comes and increase in nap time as well

For now I'm back for a brief moment before heading to the mountains of West Virginia for some fun away from the District this weekend. And, what better way to usher in Spring than with this recipe, based on the baking equivalent of spring..lemon and sugar. Light, fluffy, and delicious!

Lemon Burst Cookies

Ingredients

Adapted from Crunchy Creamy Sweet

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
• Juice and zest from 1 medium lemon
• 1 cup powdered sugar (for rolling)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 F

2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together dry ingredients (flour and baking powder) + lemon zest

3. In stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy

4. Next add eggs, one at a time and vanilla extract

5. With mixer on low speed, mix in dry ingredient until combined

6. Chill dough for at least 30 minutes then, using a tablespoon, scoop and roll the dough into balls. Roll in powdered sugar until fully covered

Dressed and sugar and ready for baking

7. Place on baking sheet, leaving 2 inches of space between them

8. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until puffed and bottoms just golden brown. Cool on sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer onto a cooling rack

These were super easy, so get baking quickly before summer comes and it's too hot to do anything!

Kickin' It in Kansas City

Long time no see! April is flying by in a crazy blur and I can barely keep up. One day it's Easter and the next thing I know the month is nearly half over. Whatthewhat?! 

I've never been much of a fan of April. I enjoy spring, I really do, but I also know what's lurking just over the horizon...the dreaded summer, which we got a little preview of with some near 90 degree days this week. Color me not amused and enter the return of my overwhelming desire to move to Colorado. That aside, so far April is my favorite month this year?! I blame this almost entirely on the slew of fun activities that abound for me this month. 

Backtracking for a moment, after spending Easter weekend at home with the fam, I was Kansas City bound during the first week of April. Because it would just be way too simple for TF and I to actually live/work in the same city [note sarcastic tone], he recently moved from OKC and started a new job in KC. Being the wonderful girlfriend that I am, I dropped in for a bit to help him get unpacked and settled in his new abode. The visit was not without isn't fun though, which included me getting to do what I love: practice my craft in the kitchen and a trip to my favorite KC dining establishment [see photos below]. 

TF "let me" unpack and organize the kitchen. It was actually pretty fun (I'm weird like that) because I got to find and play with all his fun kitchen gadgets, and the OCD person in me loves to organize. I'm fairly certain that if you combined my kitchen with his I would never stop cooking. It's like my version of a toy store...that and home depot (again, another weird quirk). Nonetheless, whilst unpacking I found some adorable little dishes with candles that you could light under them to keep the contents of the dish warm (like miniature buffet trays for one). I'd forgotten about making him get them during his Christmas raid of his mom's kitchen store and couldn't wait to try them out as part of my dinner concoction:

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Veggie Baked Burritos

Ingredients

Inspiration found here

• 6 whole wheat tortillas
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 1/2 cups frozen corn
• 1 medium sweet potato
• 1/2 cup of diced white or yellow onion
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 3/4 cup shredded cheese (I used a Mexican blend, but any kind would work)
• salt and pepper to taste
• olive oil (for basting)
• tomatillo sauce for topping (see when TF and I made it last year)

The inside goodness pre-wrapping. It also works great to eat just like this if you want to skip the tortilla altogether (I did this on day 2 as this recipe clearly makes a ton)

Preparation

1. Pre-heat oven to 425 F
2. Poke a few holes in the sweet potato, wrap in a slightly damp paper towel, and microwave on high for about 6-8 minutes (this is probably my favorite trick for cooking a sweet potato quickly)
3. Meanwhile, combine corn, onion, black beans and spices in a large skillet or wok (you know I love to use a good wok) and warm through 
4. Once the sweet potato is done, peel and dice it before adding to the skillet/wok. Adjust spices as desired to make sure it has the right amount of flavor/spice 
5. Next, place the tortillas on a place and cover with a damp paper towel. Microwave on high for about 30 seconds.This helps keep the tortillas from cracking when you roll them in a minute
6. Fill tortillas one at a time with veggies/beans, topping with a row of cheese. Then roll and place opening flap side down on a cookie sheet covered with foil. Top with a thin layer of olive oil. Repeat as necessary
7. Bake at 425 F for 15 minutes, turning half way through and topping the now top side with a thin layer of olive oil. At the end, broil on HIGH for just under a minute to crisp the tortillas into a perfectly golden, crunchy shell
8. Once done, plate and top with a layer of tomatillo sauce and serve with your favorite Mexican side item....naturally, we went with queso (which we are finally getting close to perfecting the recipe on, at which point there will be cheers of joy and I will share our masterpiece)

I conclude this post with some of my fav pics from my time in KC. Enjoy!

One of my instant favorite places, the City Market. HUGE farmers market + lots of homemade treats, all insanely cheap. My giant piece of baklava was $1

Since we didn't get to celebrate our birthdays together, TF and I did belated birthday meals. My choice: the Beer Kitchen, for their amazing fries [parm and truffle oil here, last time we got sweet potato]. Love this place.

And the best mac and cheese known to man. Did I mention that this place is within walking distance of TF's abode?! 

And just in time for the playoffs, part of my birthday present included this amazingly comfortable Thunder shirt

Lastly, because I remain proud of my handiwork, I present the bookcase/TV stand that I constructed on my own....although to be fair, I'm somewhat of a closeted craftswoman :)

Springing into Easter

Despite the constantly fluctuating temperatures, Easter time has come again. One day it's winter and the next it's spring. I know I'm going to regret thinking this come July, but sometimes I wonder if it will ever be warm again. Not only is winter refusing to leave, but Easter also decided to show its face early this year?! No wonder I never know what day it is!

After I decided to accept that Easter was coming whether it was warm or not, I then had to turn my attention to more important things...deciding what new treat would I make for Easter dinner?! Similar to my friends and co-workers, my family has developed certain expectations when it comes to my cooking. Thus, while part of me wants to go bigger and better than the time before, the other part of me doesn't want to fail. Ah the conundrums that come with being a pseudo-perfectionist. Putting fears of failure aside, I turned to my beloved Pinterest for inspiration. 

It didn't take long. Nothing says spring to me like lemon. It's cool, light, and refreshing. The perfect accompaniment to a warm spring day. I'd initially planned to make these, but I spent much of Saturday soaking in a rare spring day in the District with Mother and Sister and wasn't up to a task that grand. To compromise, I used the lemon and buttercream combo as inspiration for this:

Lemon Cake with Lemon Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients

Cake [original found here]

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsps baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup plain greek yogurt
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 tsps zest lemon zest
• 2 Tbsps fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

Frosting [original found here]

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 3 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
• Juice and zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp salt
• Extra lemon for zest and slices to top finished cake if (optional)

Preparation1. Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees and prepare two 8x8 square pans for baking

2. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt 

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together yogurt, sugar, eggs, lemon zest and juice, vanilla extract and vegetable oil

4. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mixing just until evenly mixed but be careful not to over-mix

5. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 28-30 minutes, or until a fork comes out clean

6. Let cake cool completely before putting together with frosting

7. To prepare frosting, combine butter, sugar, and salt and beat until well -combined

8. Add lemon juice, zest, and vanilla and beat until creamy (approx 5 mins)

9. Once cake is frosted as desired, top with some additional lemon zest and 3-4 thin lemon slices

Now if only spring would hurry up and get here...

Playing Host

I did it. This weekend I took the plunge and opened my home to guests (and by guest I mean friends of course). For Bax and I this was a pretty big and rare occurrence, we don't open our home to just anyone. Mostly this is due to the fact that while I enjoy the idea of entertaining (it's something I aspire to take on as an adult with an immaculate kitchen), my apartment is so tiny and I feel bad making people cram into it (I also don't believe that many could even fit inside if they wanted to). Alas, even with that caveat, the time finally came for me to open my home to a select few (after much analysis of the seating/space situation I decided 6, including me, was about the max) to not only see where most of the recipes on here transpired, but also to meet the elusive Baxter! 

Bax was all abuzz when I told her the news, which I was glad about as things like this can go either way with her (she has very strong opinions and is not afraid to let them be known). Since I love appetizers as dinner more than actual dinner (I like the ability to sample multiple things), everyone brought an app or dessert plus a beverage of their choosing (because the only thing I may in fact love more than food is wine) for an evening of basketball, food, and girl time. 

Bax's one request in having company was that they pay her in belly rubs. They obliged and she loved every minute of it. 

Perhaps my favorite part of gathering together friends is the opportunity to pull some new recipes out of the hopper (or off my Pinterest boards). Keeping with the app and dessert theme, I decided to try out one of each.

First up, a healthy twist on spinach and artichoke dip. I lamented the other day about my failure to conquer my current food of the year (the artichoke), so while I was happy to be incorporating it into a recipe, I already liked artichoke in this form so I don't technically count it as a step towards artichoke domination. Soon, though, I'm promising myself soon. 

Healthier Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Ingredients
Original recipe courtesy of Skinny Taste

• 1 jar (14 oz) artichoke hearts in water, drained and chopped
• 1 box (10 oz) frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed
• 1/4 cup chopped scallions
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 cup fat free Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup light mayonnaise
• 2/3 cup Parmigiano Reggiano
• 1/2 cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
• salt and fresh pepper to taste

Preparation

1. After spinach has thawed (don't defrost in microwave, just leave it sit out at room temperature for a couple hours), squeeze out as much of the water as possible. I used this amazing invention/Christmas present (see below) but paper towels also work

Best invention ever.

It spins water out in a flash! 

2. In a food processor, combine artichoke hearts, spinach, garlic, and scallions. Blend until coarsely chopped

3. Combine, in a large bowl, spinach/artichoke mixture with the remaining ingredients. Dump mixture into crock pot, smoothing so that it evenly covers the bottom of the crock pot

This would probably be better in a smaller crock pot, it looked a little lost in mine

4. Cook in crock pot on high for 2 hours. [I chose this method of cooking because I wanted to just serve it out of the crock pot so it would stay warm]. You can also bake in the oven at 375 F for 20-25 minutes

Ready to eat

For the closing course, I dug into the stash of rolos that I had in the cabinet from my first foray into rolo baking a few weeks back and pulled a recipe from my favorite baking blog to create these:

Rolo Stuffed Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients

Brought to my life courtesy of Sally's Baking Addiction

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, softened 
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar [if using salted peanut butter, reduce to 1/4 cup]
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup creamy unsalted peanut butter
• 1/4 tsp salt [omit if using salted peanut butter]
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 + 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 24 rolos

Preparation

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter with sugars

2. Add egg, peanut butter, salt, and vanilla extract. Mix until combined

3. Mix in baking soda and flour, mixing until dough becomes moist and a dough ball is formed

4. Chill dough for at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, unwrap rolos and cover cookie sheet with parchment paper

5. Once dough is chilled, scoop out 1 1/2 Tbsps of dough, create a pocket/hole in the middle of it, and insert rolo, gently molding dough around it to form a ball

6. Bake at 350 F for 9 minutes. Cookies will appear slightly underdone, but remove from oven and allow to cook completely on wire rack

*My aside is that I prefer this version of peanut butter cookies over the one above, so I may try that recipe with rolos at some point, but these were still another wonderful incorporation of rolos into my life!