baking under duress… the Daring Bakers and the ice storm of 2009!

We’ve talked about waiting until the last minute before, haven’t we? And you’d think I’d learn, wouldn’t you? Of course you would… but, alas, I do not. So here I sit on the eve before our post date… finishing up my write up for this month’s Daring Baker challenge.

Last month, as I was in the midst of my end of the month DB flurry, we had a little emergency arise and embarked upon an impromptu trip out of state. And… I missed the challenge.

This month, as I’m ramping up for my end of the month DB flurry of activity, the biggest and baddest ice storm in a decade hits the midwest. Of course it does. BUT… after some time without power, the house flickers back to life and I see the opportunity to seize the moment and make my tuiles.

But wait… what’s that dripping I hear? Oh, it must be the waterscape in the master bedroom. Except… that we have no waterscape in the master bedroom. No, it’s actually water that’s cascading out of my ceiling, over my dresser and down my walls, and soaking my carpet. That’s right, folks, it appears we’ve developed an ice dam and, consequently, sprung a little leak. And did I mention that the roads are still pretty treachorous outside? Yeah. Good times.

So, the afternoon that was meant to be spent playing with tuiles became the afternoon spent trying to secure roofers and contractors and insurance claim numbers. And tomorrow begins the process of putting our bedroom back together. And my afternoon of baking? Well, that became an hour of hurried progress, more aptly known as baking under duress!

This month’s challenge is brought to us by Karen of Bake My Day and Zorra of 1x umruehren bitte aka Kochtopf. They have chosen Tuiles from The Chocolate Book by Angélique Schmeink and Nougatine and Chocolate Tuiles from Michel Roux. This was a great recipe. It came together nicely and was easy to work with. And the possibilities are endless when it comes to the ways that you can work with these little cookies.

I opted for shaping my tuiles into simple, fluted cups… perfect for holding a little scoop of homemade vanilla bean ice cream (or Breyer’s… hey, we’re not picky!). I’d planned to dip the edges of my cups in chocolate, but – I’ll be honest – it was almost time for Lost.

Great choice of recipe, Karen and Zorra! Thanks for a wonderful challenge! Visit either of our host’s blogs for the recipe and check out the blogroll to see the rest of the Daring Baker interprestations!

Welcome, Year of the Ox

Tomorrow marks the first day of the Chinese New Year – the Year of the Ox – and the fifteen day celebration that ensues, celebrated by Chinese communities worldwide. Always looking for a reason to celebrate, we decided that we’d stay in on this otherwise grey day and make ourselves a treat in honor of the new lunar year.

I’ve always been intrigued by the Chinese zodiac and am always interested in reading the traits attributed to the twelve animal signs… analyzing myself against mine (tiger) and those around me against theirs. It’s sort of the same affinity I have for horoscopes.

These cookies were easy to pull together, but could have used just a wee bit more liquid to help keep them from being quite so crumbly. Next time I think I’ll either use a jumbo sized egg or add a little extra liquid. Use blanched almonds if you’re so inclined… I’m just lazy. Happy new year!

Chinese Almond Cookies
(adapted from Rosina’s recipe)
1 cup white sugar
1 cup butter flavored Crisco
2 3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
whole almonds (1 for the top of each cookie)

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together sugar and Crisco. Meanwhile, sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Add dry ingredients to the creamed sugar/Crisco and mix until mixture resembles cornmeal. Add egg and almond extract. Mix well.

Roll dough into 1 inch balls. Set them 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Place an almond on top of each cookie and press down to flatten slightly.

Bake in a pre-heated 325 degrees F oven for 15-18 minutes. Remove to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.

just us girls

Do you Facebook? It’s okay… you’re among friends… you can admit it. Here… I’ll go first.

::deep breath::

My name is Michelle. And I’m addicted to Facebook.

See? The first step is admitting you have a problem. I, for one, feel much better.

I like Facebook for a couple of reasons. One: I’m nosy. I like to know what other people are up to. I like to look at the pictures they post. And I really love the random status updates. Yes… I truly do want to know what you had for lunch and what you’re watching on tv. I can’t help it. Two: I love catching up with old friends. More and more of my high school acquaintances are popping up there and I’m having a grand time catching up with them.

Speaking of high school… having finally moved back to the area in which I grew up, I’m really enjoying the opportunity to spend time with my old girlfriends. As such, we’ve instituted a once a month girls day – getting together for lunch, movies, random girl talk… and chocolate.

January’s girls day found the girls converging on my house for chick flicks and frito pie. Clearly the afternoon wouldn’t have been complete without something containing copious amounts of chocolate, so I pulled this one from the overflowing file of recipes I’ve been waiting to try. Oh… I’m glad I did.

This bread is awesome. More like a cake in loaf form, I can tell you it’s wonderful by the slice (and slightly warm from the oven), but even better with a scoop of ice cream.  Oh, and don’t bother even thinking about cutting this recipe in half and only making one loaf… you’ll just have to go back to the kitchen and make a second one anyway. Thank you, Starbucks, for an awesome recipe!

Chocolate Cinnamon Crunch Bread
(recipe courtesy of Starbucks)
Batter
3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups granulated sugar
5 large eggs, room temperature
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups Dutch-processed cocoa
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cocoa-Spice Sugar Crust
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Dutch-processed cocoa powder
Pinch ground ginger
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pans and line the bottom of the pans with parchment paper.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar with the paddle attachment on medium speed, until light and creamy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating until each egg is completely incorporated before adding the next and scraping down the sides of the bowl several times.

Meanwhile in a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and baking soda. In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, water and vanilla. With mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture to butter, beginning and ending with the flour and beating just until blended. Divide the batter between the two pans, shake the pans to even the tops and set aside.

In another small bowl, whisk together the sugar, cinnamon, cocoa, ginger and cloves. Sprinkle the surfaces of both batters with the sugar, dividing evenly.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool completely, run a thin knife around the sides to release the breads and remove from pans.

One hundred and one!

I used to be so good about birthdays and anniversaries – always on time with celebratory cards and phone calls. Even managing, on occasion, to plan a get together or a night out with the person or people celebrating the day. And always they were good times.

Funny thing that, as life has gotten increasingly insane, I’m not so on my game any more. Heck, I’m not even sure if I can FIND my game any more. I call it a win if I can manage to fire off “HAPPY BIRTHDAY” in a text message, knowing that if I wait to call it’ll certainly be three days later at some inappropriate hour.

One would think I’d plan ahead. And I try. I can’t tell you how many cards have gone unsent – not because I didn’t buy them, but because I simply never got around to signing and sending them. Maybe I’ll just start sending them off as soon as I buy them – pre-dating them for whatever occasion – so that at least they make it out the door. (I do have quite the arsenal of all occasion cards standing by, though!)

And, of course, this doesn’t just apply to others. I had big plans for my blogiversary… and then October came and went without celebration. I had big plans for my 100th post… and then that came and went, too. That one actually slipped my mind… and then I was so inspired by my spiced vanilla milk post it passed right by me.

So. That brings us to this post. Number one hundred and one. Not what most people celebrate but, really, the only thing I have left right now. After all, number one hundred and two doesn’t quite have the same ring, yanno?

We’re going savory with this one… an easy, thirty minute chili recipe that’s really pretty awesome. And… for those of you still sticking to that new year’s resolution diet… pretty healthy, too! Modified slightly from the girl everyone loves to hate… our own Rachael Ray. Now… go take advantage of of that extra time that you saved on dinner and get caught up on something you’ve been putting off.

Black Bean Chili with Green Onion Corn Cakes
(adapted slightly from Rachael Ray)
2 pounds ground beef sirloin, 90 percent lean
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 to 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
3 tablespoons dark chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 cup beef stock or broth
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (8 1/2-ounce) package corn muffin mix
1/2 cup milk
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon vegetable or corn oil
3 scallions, thinly sliced
butter, for greasing griddle pan

In a large deep skillet or pot, brown ground beef in oil over high heat. Season meat with salt and pepper, then add Worcestershire sauce. Reduce heat to medium high when the meat is browned and crumbled, then add onion, garlic, and jalapeno. Season veggies and meat with chili powder and cumin. Cook veggies and meat together 5 minutes. Stir in broth and scrape up pan drippings. Stir in diced and pureed tomatoes and black beans. When the mixture comes to a bubble, reduce heat to simmer and stir in cilantro, optional.

Mix together corn muffin mix with milk, beaten egg, vegetable oil and scallions. (Batter will be thick.) Heat a nonstick skillet or griddle pan over moderate heat. Nest a pat of butter into folded paper towel and wipe hot pan surface with it to lightly grease. Pour corn cake batter into the hot griddle pan or skillet in 3 or 4-inch rounds. Cook 2 or 3 minutes on each side, until golden. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining batter.

To serve, top bowls of chili with green corn cake toppers. Eat the chili and corn toppers as you would a pot pie, grabbing some of the corn cake with each spoonful of chili.

goodnight, moon…

Look out your window… it’s a perigee Moon. Tonight, the Moon’s orbit around Earth is not a circle; it’s an ellipse… with one side 50,000 kilometers closer to Earth than the other… bringing the Big Cheese as close to the Earth as it will get this year – a mere 360,000 kilometers away.* (It’s particularly bright tonight, and try to catch it as it sinks to the horizon in the morning… you’ll notice it looks bigger than usual.)

What better way to end a cold night under a full moon than with a glass of warm milk? Not just any warm milk, but spiced vanilla milk. Sweet, comforting, relaxing… a cup of this leaves me wanting a soft pillow and a warm bed. In fact, I think I’ll head there now… sweet dreams!

Spiced Vanilla Milk
1 cup milk (skim works fine)
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
ground nutmeg and cinnamon to taste

In a large mug, stir together the milk, vanilla and sugar. Heat in the microwave on full power for 1 minute and 30 seconds or until hot (be careful not to overcook). Stir in nutmeg and cinnamon. Serve hot.

*Source: NASA

finding comfort

I think there’s a lot of comfort to be found in food. A less than profound statement, by the way, for anyone  who knows me. In any case… when life gets crazy, or stressful, or sad… you can probably find me rummaging around in the kitchen looking for something to eat with my feelings. Anger with a side of chocolate cake? Perfect. Grief with an extra helping of mac and cheese? Yes, please. Stress with a drizzle of fudge sauce? Mmmmm….

Sure, there are probably better… healthier… ways to channel that energy, but… I am what I am, and I like food. So, it’s no surprise that after one of the most difficult weeks in, well… ever, I found myself fixated on waffles. Not for breakfast, mind you. Oh no. Waffles. With butter and a healthy drizzle of syrup filling in all of those beautiful little waffley dimples. For dinner. Ohhhh yeah.

This little food fix didn’t solve any of the world’s problems, nor did it erase away the events of the past week. But it brought a little bit of peace to my world and, right now, that’s priceless. And… bonus… the recipe makes plenty so that we were able to freeze enough for breakfast later in the week. Comfort food that keeps on giving… what more could a girl want?

Classic Waffles
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
4 tablespoons white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups warm milk
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat waffle iron to desired temperature.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking powder, sugar and set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs. Stir in the milk, melted butter and vanilla. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture and beat until blended.

Ladle or pour the batter into a preheated waffle iron. Cook until golden and crisp. Serve immediately.