Keeping It Fresh Friday: Glazed and Grilled

So this meal doesn't follow many of my Friday rules.  It has pre-made elements and involves grilling, which I've been trying to avoid.  But you certainly can use it for roasting pork or chicken inside.  It's just delicious and while it was the last element of Mark's birthday meal, which fell on a Sunday, its certainly the kind of dish that you can use on a weeknight.  Its really that easy.  Obviously, you may want to adjust for a smaller family meal instead of the more party-sized proportion used here.

How to Make Orange-Cumin Glaze for Chicken or Pork:

Makes: about 3 1/2 cups of glaze, enough for a whole chicken or 10 pork chops

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. ketchup 

1 1/2 c. orange juice

3 T. Sriracha sauce

2 T. soy sauce

1 T. cumin

whole chicken, cut into parts, or 10 pork chops

1. Puree first 5 ingredients in blender or food processor until smooth.  Set aside 1 cup to be served on the side.  

2.  Grill chicken or pork, brushing with glaze.  

3.  Bring remaining glaze to a simmer over medium heat.  Serve alongside chicken or pork.

Recipe curtsey Cook's Illustrated magazine, June 2011.

"There's No Place Like Blueberries"

This is what my three-year-old had to say about my husband's birthday cake.  No, he hasn't seen Wizard of Oz and I have no idea where he heard this phrase.  He also said, "This is the awesome cake you make EVER!"

Originally called "Blueberry Hill  Cupcakes" by Bon Appetit, to me it is "Mark's New England Cake".  First of all, it was for my Connecticut-born husband's birthday.  More importantly, it combined those quitessential New England classic flavors: blueberry and maple.  However, once I was taking the hot cakes out of the oven, it occurred to me that I perhaps should be calling it "IHOP Meets Ace of Cakes".  It smelled exactly like blueberry pancakes.  So I was honestly quite relieved that no matter what it smelled like, it didn't taste like a breakfast course at all.  It was definitely cake.  That lovely summer kind of cake with a sweet frosting that hinted of maple.  I don't know if I would call it "the awesome cake I've made EVER" but it was pretty darn good. 

How to Make New England Summer Layer Cake:
Makes a 3-layer 9" cake

For Blueberry Cake
Ingredients:
 1 1/4 c. fresh blueberries
3 1/4 c. cake flour
1 1/4 c. sugar
1 T. baking powder
1/2 t. coarse kosher salt
1/4 t. baking soda
6 T. unsalted butter, melted
1/4 c. vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 t. vanilla extract
1 t. grated lemon zest
1 c. buttermilk
1 c. whole milk 


Maple Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)
1 c. fresh bluberries, for garnish
Fresh mint leaves, for garnish


1. Wash blueberries, drain and lay out on paper towels to dry.  Freeze for between 1-4 hours.  (This keeps them from bleeding into the cake too much.  Store-bought frozen WILL bleed and sink.  Do not attempt it.)

2.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cut out 3-9" circles of parchment paper for 3-9" cake rounds.  Grease pan bottoms with butter and lay down parchment.  Grease over the parchment and the sides of the pans.  Dust with flour inside the pans, taping out excess. 

3.  Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda into a large bowl.  Place butter and sugar inside bowl of mixer and, using whisk attachment, whisk together.  Add eggs one at a time, whisking to blend.  Whisk in vanilla and lemon zest.  Combine buttermilk and milk together in a bowl.  Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the mixing bowl, whisking to combine.  Add 1/2 of the milk mixture.  Add 1/3 of the flour and then the remainder of the milk.  Finish by adding the rest of the flour mixture. 

4.  Divide batter evenly between 3 pans.  Bake for about 45 minutes, until tester comes out clean.  Remove from oven.  Let cool for 5 minutes in pans.  Then invert cakes onto cooling racks.  Cool completely before frosting.

5.  Frost cake, using maple frosting and blueberries in between layers as filling.  Finish with maple frosting and blueberries and mint for top.  (I would use more mint than shown here, actually.  It gave a nice bright balance to the sweetness.)  Keep cake refrigerated once frosted.

For the Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Note: It is imperative that your butter and cream cheese are at room temperature.  To do otherwise results in uneven lumps.


Ingredients:
16 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 c. unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 T. pure maple syrup
4 c. powdered sugar, sifted to remove any lumps

Place cream cheese and butter in bowl of mixer and whisk until smooth.  Add maple syrup.  Add powdered sugar gradually, whisking to fully incorporate after each addition.   Adjust the sugar until you get the right consistency for your taste.  I usually chill my cream cheese frosting for about 30 minutes so they aren't too soft to work with. 



Some notes on taking cupcake to layer cake and vice-versa:
This is not the first time I've come across a fantastic cupcake concept and really wanted to change it into a layer cake.  I just prefer a layer cake if I'm not traveling with it or trying to feed a large crowd.  They look classier and I love fillings. 

If you want to make cupcakes out of your cake recipes or cakes out of your cupcake recipes, here's some tips to keep in mind.  Cupcakes should be firmer than layer cakes.  Layer cakes can be much more moist and tender.  This quality in a cupcake will make it fall apart in your hand.  And you don't want a layer cake that's dry.  So...

When making cake out of a cupcake recipe, substitute the all-purpose flour for cake flour.  It will make for a more tender cake and softer crumb.  Vice-versa, if a cake recipe calls for cake flour, switch it out for all-purpose when making cupcakes. 

Some cake recipes just don't work well as cupcakes.  If you know one to be extremely moist, like my fantastic carrot cake recipe, then just don't try to make it into cupcakes.  Butter-based recipes are your best bets for cupcakes.  Oil-based are much moister, hence messier.

One 8" or 9" round equals a 8-10 cupcakes.  Give or take.  This is not a solid rule but often changes from recipe to recipe.  Most of my cake recipes are for 2-9" rounds so I can count on 18-20 cupcakes.  Yes, that means that if you must hit a certain number, make extra batter.

Cupcakes bake in 1/3 to 1/2 the amount of time cakes do.  Generally.  Use that as a rule of thumb, but rely on toothpicks or testers for done-ness.  However, don't open your oven to much before that target time.  That draft of cold air can cause the cupcake tops to falls. 

If you've got any other helpful cake-cupcake tips, please share!  I'm always looking to learn and improve.

New England Summer Layer Cake adapted from Blueberry Hill Cupcakes, Bon Appetit, June 2005
Maple Cream Cheese Frosting taken from www.joyofbaking.com

One can legally change a name. Can I legally change my birthday?

Mark had a birthday yesterday.  He always tells me that he hated having a July birthday as a kid.  All his friends were on vacation and he didn't have that classroom cupcake experience.  But I've decided that I would gladly take that as child in order to have the birthday dinners he has as an adult.  His birthday falls at the perfect moment when the best of summer produce is just hitting its peak.

I'll break down his birthday dinner this week into its three elements to do justice to each recipe.  The first one, Summer Vegetable Paella, is a great vegetarian dish that can certainly stand alone as a side.  And it makes a lot of food, as you might guess from the size of the paella pan.  We had enough for large side servings for all, leftovers for lunches for the week, and a large Tupperware to freeze for dinner later in the year.  (Again, a rice dish that freezes well.) Its not the speediest dish to make, what with chopping all those veggies.  Also, like all risotto or paella recipes, you must be watchful so it doesn't stick and burn.  But the end result is worth it.

This lovely, huge paella pan was a Christmas gift from my parents.  A case of getting exactly what I asked for, my mom bought it off my Amazon wishlist.  I didn't realize just how big it would be when I added it to my list (its 18 1/2").  It's too large for our stove top; it wouldn't get even heat from the three burners needed to hold it.  But it works on the new grill.  Paella is after all meant to be placed on a grill in the most traditional Spanish fashion.  But this lovely large pan allowed us to cooked the dish faster that we ever have in the past.  But I'm going to assume you don't have a large paella pan and will give the instructions for a stove.  Just use the largest pan you have; we used to use our wok for this one. 

How to Make Summer Vegetable Paella:
Serves: 8-10
Prep Time: 15-20 min.
Total Time: 1 hr.

Ingredients: 
good pinch of saffron strands
6 T. olive oil
1 zucchini, quartered and sliced
1 onion, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 yellow bell pepper, halved and sliced
1 red bell pepper, halved and sliced
2 t. paprika
1 1/4 c. arborio (short-grain) rice
2 1/2 c. stock, either chicken or vegetable
1 lb. plum tomatoes, chopped
6 oz. mushrooms, sliced
14-oz. can of chickpeas, in juices
salt and pepper


1.  Steep the saffron in 3 T. of boiling water.  In large pan, heat the oil and saute the zucchini, onion, garlic, and peppers for 5 min., stirring occasionally.  Sprinkle in the paprika and saute 30 sec. longer.

2.  Mix in the rice and saute for about 1 min., just to slightly toast the rice.  Pour in the stock, tomatoes, and saffron.  Season with salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 min., uncovered, shaking the pan frequently and stirring occasionally.

3.  Stir in the mushrooms, green beans, and chickpeas with their juices.  Continue cooking for 10 min., then serve hot from the pan.

Adapted from Chunky Vegetable Paella, Mediterranean: Food of the Sun, 2005

Keeping It Fresh Friday: Not Your Boring Ol' Arroz Con Pollo

Another standby in our house is this Brazilian Orange Chicken with Rice.  I know it breaks a basic rule in our family, always eat fresh, by using boxed rice mix.  But its so good that I'm willing to make this concession.  Plus, its cheaper than trying to mix my own saffron rice mix, as you might know if you've ever bought real Spanish saffron.  It also freezes decently well, if you're looking to stock up a freezer for up coming busy times.  Just hold off on the cilantro until serving, so it doesn't wilt and brown in the reheating process. 

How to Make Brazilian Orange Chicken with Rice:
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 10 min.
Total Time: 40 min.

Ingredients:
1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2" pieces
1/4 c. olive oil
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 t. grated orange peel
1 c. water
1/2 c. fresh orange juice
1 c. yellow rice mix with seasoning packet (from 8-oz. box)
1/2 c. (packed) sliced pimento-stuffed Spanish green olives
1 c. chopped fresh cilantro
orange wedges


1.  Sprinkle chicken with ground black pepper. (Skip the salt this time; there is plenty in the seasoning mix).  Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add chicken, garlic, and orange peel; saute until chicken is lightly browned, about 3 min.


2.  Add 1 c. water and orange juice; bring to a boil.  Mix in rice, contents of seasoning packet, and olives; return to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, about 20 min.  Remove from heat; let stand covered for 10 min.


3.  Stir in cilantro.  Transfer to platter.  Serve with orange wedges, to be squeezed over dish as desired.

 Recipe from The Bon Appetit Cookbook, 2006

Toddler Time Activities: Dinosaurs

I'm not entirely sure that this fits my domestic theme, but my mom encouraged me to share some of the little things I've been doing to keep my three year old busy lately.  Hoping you find them entertaining or useful. 

We've put off preschool so far for N. because of our recent move.  He's ready and will start soon.  But until that day comes, I've been trying to work in some little activities for us to do.  With help from my mom, a retired early educator, we do monthly or weekly themes and work in little busy activities around them.  Our theme of late has been Dinosaurs!  Its a little early for the dino-stage, but that's what N. has really gotten into lately. 

So here's two easy-to-create activities for young children.  You can of course use the stuffed dino activity with any theme. 

How to Create a Paleontologist Dig:

Supplies:
Large tub
Cornmeal or play sand
Plastic dinosaur shapes (Michael's has dinosaur skulls and the foam hats)
Brush


Fill tub with cornmeal.  Hide dinosaurs in cornmeal.  Let your kid dig them out and brush them off as he finds them. 



How to Make Stuffed Dinos:
Supplies:
Craft felt 
Cookie cutters in dino shapes
Pen
Scissors
Stapler and staples
Cotton balls 


1.  Trace dino shapes into felt.  Create out two shapes for every one finished dinosaur.  Cut out shapes.  (Since N. is still too young to do this step, or to have the patience to watch me do it, I did it the night before.)

2.  Place two cut pieces together and staple around most of the shape, leaving a hole for stuffing.  You can have them help push down on the stapler with you.  (Yes, you can use hot glue, but this was a more hands-on way for N. to be involved.)

3.  Stuff shape with cotton balls to desired fullness.  Staple hole shut. 

4.  We made a Dinosaur Hunt game with our shapes.  One person hides them in a given area and the rest have to find them. 

Keeping It Fresh Friday: Summer At Its Peak

I don't have a complete meal for you today.  See, its summer, we live near a fantastic meat market, and Mark recently got a new grill.  So we're doing a lot basic grilled meat, paired with "its too hot to cook" sides that take advantage of the summer produce starting to become avaliable.  Its still a tiny bit early for peaches, tomatoes and corn, but here's some delicious and incredibly easy sides we've tried recently that let the best of summer really stand out.   So pair these with a favorite steak, chicken, fish or other main dish and enjoy.

On that note, I am new to the grill.  Yes, sad but true.  Until we had a gas grill, I really just wasn't interested in lighting a charcoal grill for a weeknight meal.  So in the meantime, I have learned some great advice for how to get around grilling meat, on a stove and in the oven.  I'll talk another day about how to best enjoy steaks year round, even without a grill.

How to Make Minted Peach and Tomato Salad:
Serves: 4-6
 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 T. balsamic vinegar
1/2 T. lemon juice
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
2 large peaches
4 lbs. various tomatoes 
2 stalks celery
2 T. fresh mint leaves


1. Whisk together olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, half the salt and half the pepper in a small bowl.  Set aside.


2. Halve and pit peaches.  Cut into slices.  Slice tomatoes in 1/2" rounds.  Cut celery into 1/4" pieces.  Coarsley chop mint.


3.  Arrange peaches, tomatoes and celery on a serving plate.  Sprinkle with remaining salt and pepper.  Add mint to vinaigrette.  Pour over salad and serve.




How to Make Lime-Cilantro Corn:
Serves: 4

Ingredients: 
4 ears of corn
2 limes
1/2 bunch of cilantro
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

1.  Shuck corn.  Cut kernels off the cob.  Juice the limes and add to the corn.  Chop the cilantro and add.  Drizzle with olive oil, adjusting to taste.  Season with salt and pepper.  Either refrigerate until serving or serve immidiately.



How to Make Muddled Ginger Lemonade:
Serves: 1, multiply recipe by guest

Ingredients:
1/2 lemon, cut into wedges
1/2" piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
4 sprigs fresh mint
1 1/2 t. honey
1-2 oz. water, still or bubbly (I used San   
     Pelligrino)
Ice

1.  Muddle lemon, ginger, mint and honey in a glass with a muddler or the handle of a wooden spoon.  Stir in water.  Top with ice.


Yes, you can make this a cocktail by adding alcohol of your choice.  We used bourbon. 


Minted Peach and Tomato Salad adapted from Martha Stewart Living, 2011
Fresh Corn adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine, June 2011
Muddled Ginger-Mint Lemonade adapted from Martha Stewart Living, 2011

Quickly Change a Room with Pillows

You know those little things that bug you but still take years for you to get around to doing something about it?  Ah, yes, this was the story of our couch throw pillows.  I love our red couch set but have always hated the mod style pillows that came with it.  They just weren't us.  But they were free (well, for the low price of a couch set) and replacing throw pillows isn't cheap.  So they stayed that way for over two years.  That is until now. 

New house and I had finally had enough of the old pillows.  But instead of replacing them outright, I decided to re-cover them, a decision I'm now glad I made.  The cost of fabric to cover all four pillows came out to about what a single new pillow would have cost me.  I ordered my fabric from Buy Fabrics, http://www.buyfabrics.com/, a discount sight that specializes in upholstery and drapery fabrics.  $6/yard is a steal for upholstery fabric.  So hurray for bargain DIY!

Truthfully, I was hesitant to start on the project.  The material had me totally intimidated.  I had never worked with upholstery before and even though I had everything I needed, it took me weeks to start.  Two weeks, it just lay there, as it had when it first arrived in the mail.  I got around to cutting the fabric and it stayed like that in the craft closet for another week.  Finally, I had an early start to a morning, company coming soon, and the nerve to get the project finished.  Irony is that once I started actually sewing, I was done in under 2 hours.  And that includes slip stitching all four pillows, while stopping frequently to referee two small boys.  The pillows look great and it was so easy that I started looking around the house for where else I could add more throw pillows. 

So here's some very basic instructions for sewing throw pillows.  You'll be amazed at how pillows can completely change the look and feel of a room.  The directions I give are for a cover that is not removable.  If that is something you wish, it is a little more complicated to add a zipper seam or an envelope closure but still in the beginners realm.  But if like me, your fabric is dry clean only, I recommend this method.  You'll need to clean the whole pillow anyway, so why not take the easy route?

How to Sew Throw Pillows:

Supplies:
Pillow insert or throw pillow to be covered
Two pieces of fabric, cut to 1-3" larger than pillow, based on desired "fullness", 
       the smaller the extra allowance, the fuller the pillow will look
Heavy weight thread in matching color
Heavy duty sewing needle

1. Place fabric squares, right sides facing each other, and pin along edge.  Sew along three sides, about 1/4" from edge, or using the footer as your guide.

2.  Turn inside out.  Insert pillow gently, tugging into all corners. 

3.  Slip stitch open seam.

Personal Touch on a Trend in DIY Home Decor

We recently moved and have a house with lots and lots of white walls, that I can't paint, as we rent.  So I've been searching for ways to bring life to our walls without spending serious cash.  Particularly on rooms like a bathroom.  The current trend in affordable decorating is to simply frame fabric squares for an instant collection, bringing color to lifeless walls.  Sign me up for that!  But of course, I  had to go complicating that just a little.  All for the sake of the personal touch.  It did also give me something to do while watching TV in the evening. 

Sashiko is a traditional style of embroidery from Japan.  It started as a way for fishermen wives to add strength to clothing.  They would sew simple running stitches in repeated symmetrical patterns.  Its simpler than most embroidery and also has that geometrically balanced quality that I love.  And being Japanese in origin, I felt justified in including it to our Asian themed master decor.

I purchased pre-printed samplers from this cool site, TaDaa Studio.  This site offers more than just sashiko samplers.  I will definitely be ordering their chalkboard cloth sometime in the near future.  Shop their site at: http://www.tadaastudio.com/.  And why buy patterns instead of drawing my own?  After trying to draw my own pattern for the cover of Mark's notebook, I learned that its okay to let someone else do it for me.  It was just too complicated trying to get them perfectly straight and symmetrical on my own.  I don't include instructions here, but if you are seriously interested, I recommend ordering sampler kits, which will include instructions.

Keeping It Fresh Friday: Umami-ful Portobello Sandwich

I know I did sandwiches last week, but my parents are visiting this week and I'm posting this in honor of my dad.  My dad loves mushrooms and so do I.  Portobellos, in particular, offer a great vegetarian option that still satisfies the way meat does.  This is one of the rare family favorites that we make about once a month.  Repeats don't happen a lot in our house.  New recipes are how I combat kitchen tedium but this is one meal that we regularly make.  Its just that good. 

I think its all the Umami-ness going on in this sandwich.  Umami is the Japanese term for the 5th flavor, which we translate to savory.  In the West, we have only four: salty, sweet, bitter and sour.  We don't have a word for the fifth flavor like the Japanese do, but we instinctively know Umami. If you like seafood, rare meat, mushrooms, truffles, ripe tomatoes, spinach, green tea, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, olives, wine or Parmesan than you know what umami is, or at least your taste buds do.  Obviously, since we love this meal, we love umami. 

The reason this meal takes 45 or so minutes is the inactive time in which you roast the garlic.  However, the mayo can be made up to a day in advance, just chilled until used.  If you're short on time, you can saute some garlic instead of roasting it.  But if you have the chance, I really recommend the roasted.  It really takes this sandwich to a different level. 

How to Make Portobello Mushroom Sandwiches with Roasted Garlic and Basil Mayonnaise:

Serves: 6
Time: 45 min.

Ingredients:
2 garlic cloves, unpeeled
Olive oil for drizzling
1 c. mayonnaise
1/3 c. minced fresh basil
1 t. plus 3 T. balsamic vinegar
6 T. butter, divided
1 lb. portobello mushrooms (about 5), stems trimmed, cut into 1/4" slices
1 lb. loaf of ciabatta, pain rustique, or focaccia, halved horizontally
1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 large tomato, thinly sliced

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place garlic in small ovenproof dish.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Cover tightly with foil and roast until tender, about 30 minutes.  Cool; peel and mash. 

2.  Mix mayo, basil, 1 t. balsamic vinegar, and mashed garlic in small bowl.  Set aside.

3.  Melt 4 T. butter in large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add mushrooms and toss to coat.  Drizzle with remaining 3 T. balsamic vinegar.  Cook until tender, stirring often, about 5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  (This can be made up to 2 hours in advance.  Let stand at room temp. and rewarm over low heat before continuing).

4.  Preheat broiler.  Spread remaining 2 T. butter over cut sides of bread.  Broil bread, buttered side up, until golden brown, about 2 minutes, watching closely!  Spread desired amount of mayo over toasted sides of bread.  Arrange mushrooms in an even layer over bottom half of bread.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Arrange tomato slices in single layer on top.  Cover with top half of bread.  Cut into 6 slices and serve.

Adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine, 2008