Sweet Cornbread

Sweet Cornbread via Carlsbad Cravings

Malted Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Tart

Malted Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Tart via King Arthur Flour

The Best Lemon Loaf

The Best Lemon Loaf at Averie Cooks

Simple Drop Biscuits

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter + 2 Tbsp for pan

Method:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F and melt 2 Tbsp butter in a glass baking dish in the oven.  When butter is almost totally melted, remove pan to have ready for biscuits.

Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl.  Melt butter, mix with milk, and pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.  Mix until just moistened.  Drop by large filled tablespoons into the buttered baking dish, or use an ice cream scoop with a trigger mechanism for a rounder, more uniform biscuit.  Bake 8-12 minutes til biscuit tops begin to brown and the bottoms are golden brown.  Makes about 8 medium-sized biscuits.

Beer, Herb, and Cheddar Bread

Ingredients:

3 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp dried parsley (1 Tbsp fresh)
3/4 tsp dried rosemary (2 tsp fresh)
3/4 tsp dried thyme (1 Tbsp fresh)
1 1/2 cups or 1 bag shredded cheddar cheese blend
12 oz beer of choice

Method:

Combine flour, soda, and salt in a large bowl.  Add herbs and most of the cheese (reserve a good handful to top the loaf before baking) and combine once more.  Pour in beer slowly and mix all til just combined, making sure all flour has been incorporated.  You may need to turn the dough with your hands a couple times to do that.  Press dough into a greased loaf pan, stretching to the corners and leveling the top.  Cover with the remaining cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 45-60 minutes until loaf is browned and sounds hollow when tapped.  Cool before slicing and use a serrated knife.

Butternut Bread with Walnuts and Chocolate Chips

Ingredients:
*1 cup butternut squash purée
2 eggs
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp orange extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup roughly chopped walnuts
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease (vegetable shortening or butter) and flour one 8.5 x 4.5 x 2.5 inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl (KitchenAid mixer with paddle attachment), mix together the butternut squash puree, eggs, oil, water, orange extract, and sugars until thoroughly combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Stir the dry ingredients into the butternut squash mixture in two additions. Combine just until incorporated; do not over mix. Mix in walnuts and chocolate chips gently.  Pour batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 65-75 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

*I prefer to roast my own honeynut butternut squash for the best tasting bread.  Those little dickens can be hard to find, so you can substitute canned butternut, pumpkin, or sweet potato puree with similar, delicious results.

Chicken Corn Chowder in the Slow Cooker

• Ingredients:
• 1-1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
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• 12 ounces red potatoes, sliced and diced thin
• 1 sweet onion, diced thin
• 3 carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced thin
• 2 cups corn kernels, frozen, canned or roasted
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• 4 cups chicken broth or bone broth
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
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• 1/2 cup half and half (milk mixed with heavy cream)
• 4 tablespoons cornstarch
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

• 1 package of bacon, baked in the oven til crisped and browned, then diced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives or scallions
• shredded cheddar cheese
• a crusty, crackling baguette

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This will be a 7-8 hour event, with 3 hours of slow cooking the chicken, then 4-5 hours slow cooking the soup.

I started with putting uncooked chicken breasts in my slow cooker, then poured about a cup of bone broth on top of them. Take the 3 cloves of garlic and sprinkle/spread on top of the chicken. Add some salt and pepper on top, then close the slow cooker and cook on high for 3 hours. I turned my breasts twice while cooking because I can't let things alone, but it's not necessary to do that.

With about 20 minutes left on the breasts, I chopped up all the veggies. I used a bag of mixed baby potatoes, so there were red, gold, and purple in there. You can use all red if you like. I always dice onions and celery very small and thin, so that upon cooking they kinda melt away into the liquid, or at least you never bite into a big chunk. Usually I keep the shredded carrots on hand, because peeling and chopping them is just another thing that takes time. Whatever carrot shape you like works here -- shredded, waffle, or thin rounds.

When the chicken is done, put the breasts on a plate and shred with two forks. The goal is medium bite-sized pieces. You can leave some bigger pieces, because that's fun. However, refrain from turning it into confetti -- not really what we're going for.

Dump all the things back into the slow cooker -- chicken, potatoes, celery, onions, carrots, and frozen corn. Pour the rest of the broth in. Sprinkle in the thyme, oregano, paprika, salt, and pepper. Give it a few tosses with a large spoon to mix the seasonings and the veggies. Cook on high for 5 hours, stirring every hour.

The last 30 minutes of cooking are when you add the last ingredients to make the soup thick and creamy. Stir the half and half, cornstarch, and butter in a small bowl. When it's totally smooth and combined, stir it into the crockpot. If your soup seems too thin, you can add little amounts of cornstarch to thicken it. Always go slow when adding things to thicken soups, and give it a few minutes rest to absorb and recheck. Your soup may thicken suddenly after a minute and could end up TOO thick if you added too much.

Now is a good time to cook the bacon in the oven. Carefully line a large pan with foil, making sure the foil comes up the sides of every side of your pan. That keeps bacon grease from leaking under the foil and making a mess. Lay bacon strips flat side-by-side, and cook at 350 for 20-25 minutes until brown and crispy. After baking, crumble or dice the cooled bacon for the top of the finished soup. This will be a lot of bacon -- save some for tomorrow! Also -- now is the time to chop your scallions or chives.

Serve hot chowder with crumbled bacon, chopped scallions, sprinkles of your favorite cheddar cheese on top, and a hunk of a crusty, crackling baguette on the side. Cool the leftover chowder and freeze in small containers to have simple meals ready for reheating later.

Pumpkin Sage Biscuits

• Ingredients:
• 1/2 cup pumpkin or butternut squash purée
• 2 cups unbleached white flour
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 Tbsp cane sugar
• 1/2-1 tsp salt (I used 1/2 tsp because I'm trying to lower sodium in our diets)
• 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, frozen
• 1 1/2 tsp dried sage (or go fresh!)
• 3/4 cup heavy cream or whole milk (I used milk)
• For the egg wash:
• 1 small egg
• 1 Tbsp milk

How to:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.  Using a box grater, grate the butter into the flour mixture.  Place this mixture in the freezer, bowl and whisk, while you prepare the wet ingredients.
2. In another bowl, mix the chilled milk/cream, pumpkin/squash purée, and finely chopped sage. Whisk together until smooth. In a third bowl, make the egg wash by beating the egg and 1 Tbsp of milk together.
3. Remove the dry ingredients from the freezer.  With a pastry cutter or your hands, make sure the grated butter is fully incorporated into the flour (it should look like bread crumbs).  Gently add the pumpkin/squash mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring just until the dough starts to come together. Using your hands, lightly knead the dough in the bowl, until uniform, but avoiding overhandling it.
4. Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour and press the dough out to 3/4 inch thickness. Using a 2 1/2 inch round or square cookie cutter, cut out the biscuits.  Place on a lightly buttered baking sheet.  Brush the tops with egg wash.  Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in a 400F oven, until golden on top.  Transfer the biscuits to a cooling rack and serve warm.

This should make about 12 biscuits.  Mine were a little thin and I got 15.  Make sure your baking powder and soda are fresh to get nice, tall biscuits.  Also -- handle the biscuit dough as little as possible -- the butter staying cold is also what makes great biscuits. 

I enjoyed these warm with turkey and white cheddar cheese as a sandwich, and also warm with butter and blackberry jam.  DIVINE.

Dark Gingerbread Cake with Orange Zest and Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 3/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup blackstrap molasses

1/2 cup honey

• zest of 1 large orange or 2 small
• 3/4 cup warm water
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• Frosting:
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 pinch salt
• 1-2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9x13 pan. Set pan aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, spices, baking soda and salt. Set aside.  In a large bowl whisk together coconut oil, sugar, and eggs until thick and pale. Stir in molasses, honey and orange zest.

Add the dry ingredients in thirds to the wet ingredients. Stir together until well incorporated. Add the warm water and gently stir until the mixture is silky smooth.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake cake for 35 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

While the cake bakes, make the cream cheese frosting. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, blend the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. Stop the mixer and add the softened butter. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat over medium speed until smooth and incorporated. Add one cup of powdered sugar and blend until incorporated. Add vanilla extract (and the paste from inside the scraped bean, if using) and remaining cup of powdered sugar if you're using it. Beat until frosting is smooth and silky.

Allow cake to cool in the pan for 20 minutes. Remove from the pan and place on wire rack. Allow to cool completely before frosting the cake.  This cake can be stored, well wrapped in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days.

Carbonnade (Flemish beef and beer stew)

Ingredients:
2 lb. beef chuck, cut into 2″ x ¹⁄₂″-thick slices

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

¹⁄₄ cup flour

4 tbsp. unsalted butter

4 slices bacon, finely chopped

6 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced lengthwise

2 cups Belgian-style ale, like Ommegang Abbey Ale

1 cup beef stock

2 tbsp. dark brown sugar

2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

3 sprigs thyme

3 sprigs parsley

2 sprigs tarragon

1 bay leaf

Bread, for serving

Steamed vegetables

Season beef with salt and pepper in a bowl; add flour and toss to coat. Heat 2 tbsp. butter in a 6-qt. Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add beef; cook, turning, until browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate; set aside. 

Add bacon; cook until its fat renders, about 8 minutes. Add remaining butter, garlic, and onions; cook until caramelized, about 30 minutes. Add half the beer; cook, scraping bottom of pot, until slightly reduced, about 4 minutes. 

Return beef to pot with remaining beer, stock, sugar, vinegar, thyme, parsley, tarragon, bay leaf, and salt and pepper; boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, covered, until beef is tender, about 1 ½ hours. Serve with bread and steamed vegetables.

Autumn Chicken Pot Pie Recipe

Filling:
6-8 pearl onions
1 cup shredded carrots
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger
2 cups chicken broth
1 medium Granny Smith or Honneycrisp apple, peeled, sliced in thin, small chunks
1/4 cup dried cranberries
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 cups cooked pulled or roasted chicken
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

To make filling: Drop pearl onions into boiling water for 30 seconds; drain and peel. Steam pearl onions and carrots until tender.

In large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Whisk in flour and ginger until smooth. Reduce heat to low and gradually whisk in chicken broth.

Preheat oven to 450°F

Stir in pearl onions, carrots, apples, cranberries, lemon juice and chicken. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Stir in salt and pepper. Spoon filling into deep, 10-inch ceramic or glass pie dish.

Cover filling with a premade pie crust. Trim and crimp edges. Use small knife to cut several slits in center of pie. (Alternatively, make decorative cuts in pie crust before setting it on top of pie.)

Set pie on baking sheet and place in oven on middle rack. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 400°F and continue baking for an additional 20 minutes, or until pie bubbles around edges and top is nicely browned. Serve piping hot.

For added flavor, serve with goat cheese crumbles.

Turkey Chili with Pumpkin and Black Beans

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped (5-6 pearl)
• 1 medium sweet yellow pepper, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained, or 1 small can tomato paste
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1-2 tablespoons fresh chopped flat parsley
• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Cubed avocado, shredded cheddar, sour cream, or thinly sliced scallions, optional for serving

Saute onion and pepper over medium-low heat til softened and slightly browned.  Add garlic and cook all for another 2-3 minutes.  Push all veggies to side of pan, heat to medium, and brown the ground turkey in the pan, occasionally breaking apart the turkey and stirring the vegetables in.

When turkey is browned completely, stir in beans, pumpkin, tomatoes or paste, and chicken broth.  When well combined, add seasonings.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.  

Serve over rice with desired toppings and a side of cornbread.  For extra heat, top with your favorite hot sauce or buffalo sauce.

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Fall Time Is The Best Time

Well hello!  It's been a nice four month break!

Since last posting, I have been busy.  Busy doing too many things other than cooking and baking!  So now that all that nonsense is basically over, we're now in a rental house that has a really big kitchen.  It's the biggest kitchen I've ever had in a house.  There are so many cabinets, literally every kitchen gadget/appliance/pan that I own fits somewhere.  This is a new feeling for me and I enjoy it.

I bought a new fall cookbook -- $3.99 from Ollie's -- "Quick and Easy Autumn".  I want to say these are the same authors that put together the crock pot cookbooks that are spiral bound.  I used them a lot growing up, because my mother loves a good crock pot recipe.  ANYWAY.  My four-year-old loves all the illustrations in this book and really really really wanted to make something.  Disclaimer -- almost nothing in this book is healthy, which is okay for today.  Page 40 of the "Snacks and Appetizers" section was a winner for limited ingredients and no actual cooking or baking -- Creamy Pumpkin Spread!

Creamy Pumpkin Spread
(I would rather call it Pumpkin Cookie Dip)

8oz cream cheese softened
7oz marshmallow fluff
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Mix all these things together.  I put it all in the mixer because cream cheese can be lumpy and the fluff is sticky.  I even have a silicone spatula and STILL the fluff was getting the best of me.  But in the end it was all okay, and it was fluffy, creamy, orange, and speckled with cinnamon and nutmeg.  It may also be a little soupy, so chill it in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours before you eat it.

And what do you eat it with?

COOKIES.  Shortbread, ginger snaps, and graham crackers!  I thought this would be a good time to look at the fancy cookies in the grocery store, the stuff no one seems to buy.  I found some great ones.

Verdict -- the ginger thins are my favorite because they are delicate and crisp.  My husband loves crunch of the French shortbread.  But overall, we love both cookies with the pumpkin spread.  Feel free to spread or dip!  My husband suggested making them mini ice cream sandwich-style and freezing them.  He's a genius.

Also good dippers could be Biscoffs, waffle cookies, anything almond, something with caramel, and definitely graham sticks or crackers.  And now that I'm thinking about it, you could literally go nuts with this recipe and add nuts or chocolate chips.  My favorite chips for baking are the Enjoy Life semi-sweet mini chips:

We don't have allergies, we just love them.  Excellent flavor, perfect teeny size.

Enjoy!

Granola Bars

I'm going to try the Pioneer Woman's granola bar recipe at some point.  I like the use of molasses and wheat germ in these.  My variations will be apricot cashew, raisin cinnamon pecan, and cherry almond (maybe with coconut).  I will likely add pumpkin seeds and split the wheat germ with flax seed meal.

Granola Bars via The Pioneer Woman

Muffins Two Ways

Today is muffin day:

Bakery-Style Blueberry Lemon

Brown Sugar Banana Clementine

And off I go to bake!

Refrigerated Doughs

Ahhh... the world of refrigerated doughs.  I have experimented in the past with different doughs from the freezer and fridge sections in the grocery store with sad results.  I used to think it was me, but I have come to realize that it is likely the ingredients and the way the dough was processed.  But I'm always up for a new baking adventure, so I saw a new brand in the grocery store and went for it.

Wewalka makes four types of doughs that are rolled in parchment paper and sold in colorful tubes -- croissant, puff pastry, bistro pizza, and family-style pizza.  We tried the croissant and puff pastry dough over the last two days.

Because my children are 2 and 4, the first meal involved nitrate-free beef hot dogs "pigs in a blanket"-style.  I cooked the hot dogs completely, then rolled them in the dough triangles.  For best results, cool the cooked hot dogs before wrapping and don't take the dough out of the fridge til you are absolutely ready to wrap.  Doughs like these depend on the butter in the dough to make the flaky layers, so putting super hot meat in there or leaving it out to get warm will change the texture, as the butter will melt.

They baked at 350 for about 15 minutes and came out perfect!  I wish I had thought to take a picture. Perfectly puffed, golden brown, and the triangles were just the right size to wrap a whole hot dog. And the dough TASTES great!  No rubberiness or chemical aftertaste.  One package has 6 croissant triangles, for 6 pigs in a blanket.

Dinner the next night was perfectly imagined by my husband and perfectly timed for the Outlander premier last night.  We took the meat mixture from my cottage pie and wrapped it in the puff pastry dough.  High fives for that idea.  Same lessons apply from the croissants -- protect the butter in the dough by keeping it cold til ready to use, and cool the meat before loading up the dough.  We wrapped it in a log shape, sealing seams with an egg wash, then Eric tenderly egg washed the whole thing.

It baked at 425 for 18 minutes, and when I went to pull it out of the oven, I swooned.

Look at this brown beauty!  I could hardly wait to slice into it!  So I did -- with a serrated knife, so as not to mangle it:

Amazing.  In hindsight, I could have stuffed all the meat mix in there -- we conservatively tried with half, to make sure the dough would close.  There's totally room for more in there.  Good thing I have one more roll of croissant dough!  And I was so excited to bake this, I forgot the cheese.  When have I ever forgot the cheese??  So the next one gets cheese.

So we celebrated the Outlander premier festively with this!  Yay to Outlander being back on TV... gives me something to look forward to every week.

Chocolate Chip Gelato

One of the things I have in the kitchen that I don't use as often as I should is my KitchenAid ice cream bowl.  It's a bowl that fits on your mixer, which you freeze a day ahead of time and then mix ice cream in.  It has a special ice cream paddle attachment that comes with it and a recipe book.

Home-made ice cream is great because you get to control the quality of the ingredients and pick your mix-ins.  The first time we used the bowl, Eric made amazing (and organic!) pumpkin pecan ice cream that we enjoyed with marshmallow topping.  YUM.  I think we had it in July or August, so we were nowhere near pumpkin time (I blame pregnancy cravings).

Tonight I made simple chocolate chip gelato.  Gelato is a creamier version of ice cream -- denser because less air is whipped into it.  The higher fat content with the added cream is where the creaminess comes from.  It's rich and delicious!  All this required was milk, cream, eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, and chocolate chips.  As usual, I like to use organic ingredients where possible.  I used this recipe from Allrecipes, then added about a teaspoon of vanilla extract and a cup of chocolate chips at mixing time.

The gelato base is cooked, cooled for 3-4 hours in the fridge, and then added to the frozen ice cream bowl for mixing.  After 20-25 minutes of slow stirring, the gelato is finished.  It has a soft-serve consistency, and if you're impatient, you can totally eat it now.  However, if you can wait about 6-24 hours, put the whole mixing bowl back in the freezer for firmer gelato.

The eggs and vanilla gave an overall effect of french vanilla ice cream, which I love, but some people may not love.  I'll have to experiment with other recipes to find one that doesn't taste so much of eggs.  And likely involving hazelnuts.  But in the meantime, I have home-made chocolate chip gelato.  Buon appetito!

Blueberry Super Smoothie

1/2 cup fresh or thawed frozen blueberries
1/2 banana
1/4 cup creamed coconut
1/4 cup pureed sweet potato
about 2 cups ice
cold water as needed

Blend all ingredients until smooth and ice is completely crushed.  Add water 2 tablespoons at a time for easier blending.

Buttermilk Drop Biscuits

I am pretty good at baking a lot of things, but biscuits from scratch is not one of them!  I watched a good tutorial recently about making cut out biscuits, which was very enlightening, but I was still afraid to try it.  Then I came across a wonderful drop biscuit recipe from Outlander Kitchen and thought, it seems so simple... I could probably do this.

I followed her recipe exactly, using 2 cups all-purpose flour instead of 1 cup all-purpose and 1 cup cake flour.  I also clabbered whole milk with lemon juice instead of using buttermilk.  This is also the first time I put my cast iron griddle pan in the oven and probably the first time I've ever baked anything at 475 degrees F.

Note that my pan has ridges in it -- but it made no difference.  The biscuits baked PERFECTLY and did not stick one bit.

After baking -- minus one because Eric had to taste-test right out of the oven.  He was bowled over! Perfect, tender, buttery, restaurant-quality biscuits.  It was a great side for a beef stew I made in the crock pot.

Mrs. Bug's Buttermilk Drop Biscuits from "The Fiery Cross" via Outlander Kitchen

Eeleen's Hummus

My great grandmother's favorite hummus recipe:

1 15oz can of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2 Tbsp sesame seeds
3 Tbsp plain yogurt
2 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp soy sauce
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cumin
1 clove minced garlic
1 green onion, chopped fine

Process beans and sesame seeds til smooth.  Add all other ingredients and process again til smooth. Serve on crackers or as dip for vegetables.