Two Fun Things to Read

I came across two great reads today - an article on Gourmet magazine's website, and my friend Jenn's new food blog!

The Gourmet article is all about dispelling myths regarding foods traditionally viewed by Americans as taboo during pregnancy. It's well-written by a foodie who did some research, so please don't accuse me of trying to play doctor. I just think she makes some good points for those of us who have been or someday may be accused of caring "more about her hedonistic ways than the life of her unborn child."

Much more exciting than a magazine article is Jenn's new food blog!!! That's her beautiful Loaded Baked Potato Soup in the photo above. Please check it out - penned by the Dangerous Brownie herself. Jenn has some great budget-friendly ideas, weekly meal plans, and she even tallies her grocery spending for your voyeuristic consumer enjoyment. Her blog is the perfect combination of Southern belle and cutting sarcasm with a little bit of adorable dorkiness. Definitely bookmark this one!

Yesterday was my mom's birthday, and tonight was the birthday dinner, so I'll be posting soon with the recipe and a couple photos. Happy Birthday Mommy!

Restaurant Review: Sakura Garden

My friend Kristi and I met at Sakura Garden in South Windsor, Connecticut to sample their Happy Hour menu. Offered from 4-6 pm Monday through Thursday, prices range from $2-$4 for everything on the menu, including full size appetizers, sushi rolls, domestic beer, wine, and well drinks. Check out the full Happy Hour menu.

For $17 each, including tax and tip, Kristi and I each had a glass of wine and shared several courses.

Edamame

Seaweed Salad

Pork Dumplings

Eggplant Miso

Spicy Crunchy Yellowtail Tuna Roll

California Roll

I was surprised by how large the portions are. I assumed that the Happy Hour dishes would be scaled back to reflect the drastically reduced prices, but they were excellent portions. Especially notable was the Eggplant Miso, which was marinated in a rich and delicious miso sauce, then served in a steaming tower with a salad of carrot strings. The Spicy Crunchy Tuna Roll was also fantastic - flavorful with great texture, there may have been some chopstick jousting for the first piece.

As you may recall, I love eating out with Kristi, and Sakura Garden was no exception. Over drinks and Japanese food, we had a great time and some fantastic food.

Definitely check out Sakura Garden, whether it's for Happy Hour, lunch, drinks, or hibachi.

photo courtesy of Evergreen Walk

Breakfast Muffins

My mom cut a recipe out of The Hartford Courant for Breakfast Muffins. We decided they would be a great breakfast to grab and eat on the way to work.

Whenever I go to the trouble of baking, I want to make it worth my while. It’s rare that I turn the oven on and drag all the ingredients out for six muffins. Since we wanted three people to eat these muffins for a week plus have some to freeze, we opted to double the recipe. Through some synergistic cornmeal craziness, we ended up with way more than double the muffins the recipe promised to yield – 16 instead of 12!

Breakfast Muffins

adapted from Meal In A Muffin from The Hartford Courant

2 boxes Jiffy corn muffin mix

2 eggs

1 c. fat-free milk

1 c. chopped cooked ham

1 c. finely chopped onion

1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottoms only of muffin tins.

Stir first three ingredients to combine. Fold in ham, onion, and cheese. Allow batter to rest 10-15 minutes. Stir gently, then spoon batter into muffin cups.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

*Note: My sister said the batter picture looks gross, but I wanted to show you the thickness and consistency of the muffins. So hopefully you're not turned off by the photo!

If you’re questioning some of the directions, such as greasing the bottoms only of the muffin tins, I'd like to invite you to check out Bridget’s research on The Way the Cookie Crumbles. Through experimentation, she discovered that greasing the bottom only caused the muffins to rise much higher. The Jiffy box actually suggests resting the batter, and through my own trial and error, I have found that allowing muffin batter to rest before spooning it out helps the crowns rise much higher, producing muffins that are fluffier and less dense.

These muffins are a great breakfast on a busy weekday morning. I microwave mine for 20 seconds, wrap in a paper towel, and take along in the car. These muffins are very filling – I eat one in the car around 7:30 and I don’t get hungry again until 10:30. Next time, I might add some tasteless fiber powder to make them even more filling.

This recipe is well suited to any number of ingredient swaps. Some good combinations would be crumbled sausage with Monterey Jack cheese, or bacon with crumbled Gruyere. The original recipe called for chopped apples instead of onion, which I didn’t want to do. I was concerned the sweetness of the cornmeal combined with the sweetness of the apple would be overwhelming, and I love onions, so that was an easy switch.

April Goals

-Blog 1-2 times per week
-Eat more healthfully on weekends
-Go to yoga once a week
-Make homemade pasta

When I mentioned that I was planning to make monthly resolutions rather than just one New Year's resolution, I was serious. I've been trying to set goals for myself each month and systematically check them off my list. I did really well in January, but I wasn't as committed to my goals in February and March due to my job transition. As my sixth week of my new job winds down, it's time to get back to my goals and try to focus on them.

So, as you can see, I have a list of four goals for myself.

1. Blog 1-2 times a week.
Blogging has been tough since I've been away from home - I'm not in my own kitchen, can't use my husband's camera, and I've actually been eating a lot less lately. That being said, this blog is something I do for me - a place I can chronicle my successes and failures as I get more ambitious in the kitchen. I don't want to let it fall by the wayside just because I've been busy, so it's back on the goals list for April.

2. Eat more healthfully on weekends
I have been doing so well at eating healthy during the week. I have a small but filling breakfast, eat lots of fruits and veggies, very little meat, and drink tons of water. I've cut back big time on white foods and alcohol, and I gave up alfredo for Lent. Really, you would think I'd be losing weight, but I've had a lot of stress throughout the job transition, and if there's one thing The Biggest Loser has taught me, it's that stress can keep the pounds on. While I don't really need to lose weight, and the diet changes are purely due to my change in living circumstances, I definitely let my healthy eating fall by the wayside on the weekends - usually eating out every day, skipping breakfast, having dessert with every meal, and just generally being a pig. So, while my healthy eating goals aren't directed toward weight loss, they are definitely directed toward my own health, and I'm hoping I can curb some of my carb-bingeing tendencies!

3. Go to yoga once a week
Going to yoga once a week shouldn't be a problem. I love yoga, but had to stop going, and haven't been in a couple of months. So I'm really looking forward to getting going again - in fact, my first class is tomorrow morning!

4. Make homemade pasta
Last on the list is to finally make homemade pasta. I've been cooking with homemade pasta for years, but never attempted my own. I have some vague memories of standing on a kitchen chair and turning the crank on my grandma's pasta machine, but other than that, I've never actually made pasta myself. So I'm planning to give it a try. If you have recipe suggestions or favorite methods, please feel free to leave advice in the comments section of this post.

I'll try to keep you all posted on the progress of my goals - please feel free to share any monthly goals you've set for yourself. Sometimes, being held accountable for your goals makes it that much more likely that you'll complete them.

Underground Supper Clubs & Some Gossip

I'll start with the gossip. It's been brought to my attention that my comment about "changes in my personal life" may have been misleading. These are good changes, people! I got a new job and have been extremely busy with that. Training has taken me 600 miles away from my husband, so we are adjusting to the change. I'm sorry I haven't been blogging as much, but it's tough when you don't have your own kitchen to cook in or your husband's camera to pawn! I just wanted to clear that up.

One more housekeeping note: with this post, I will have 35 posts in the year 2009. This means that in the month of March, I've already surpassed all of my posting from 2008. So, thanks for reading my blog and giving me reasons to continue posting my food adventures!

As for the underground supper clubs, I read a great article on CNN about this new trend, and I find it fascinating. Basically, well-known chefs host supper parties at their home or another location. The events are secretive - diners sign up on a website, like Entre - so elusive, you need a password to view the website. A better site to look at to get a feel for the concept is Guerilla Cuisine, located in Charleston. Once diners have signed up, they receive an email that tells them where to go and when, sometimes with a menu. When they show up for dinner, they are served a meal, sometimes by a mystery chef they never see.

What's so cool about this is that the food is gourmet - local, seasonal ingredients are prepared with creative interpretations and beautifully plated. Typical menus are prix fixe, and one meal is served, as would be the case at a dinner party in someone's home. This is not a restaurant experience, more of a "foodie" experience.

If you've ever been part of one of these supper clubs, I'd love to hear from you. I'd also be extremely interested in finding a supper club in Ohio or Connecticut. Do some digging to see if a supper club may be available in your area. It sounds like a fantastic way to meet new people, experience amazing cuisine, and step out of your dining out comfort zone.

(The photo above is courtesy of CNN's website)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Hope your St. Patrick's Day was fantastic! I haven't been able to post in a while due to some changes in my personal life, but I thought this would be a great meal to share with you.

I love the Americanized version of St. Paddy's Day fare - corned beef, boiled potatoes, carrots, and cabbage. Tonight, I put together a delicious dinner that didn't require much effort at all.

I cooked the corned beef last night, following the directions on the package. The meat came with a spice packet, which I used when I boiled it. I thought it imparted nice flavor and saved me some time and effort. My mom and I wrapped it in foil and stored it in the fridge overnight. We sliced it while it was cold and then heated up the slices. I made all the side dishes tonight, and that was definitely the way to do it.


Parsley Dill Potatoes

3 large baking potatoes, peeled
2 tsp. butter
1 tbsp. parsley
1 tsp. dill seeds
salt & pepper to taste

Halve potatoes lengthwise, then halve each piece lengthwise again. Chop the potatoes into chunks - I got 5-6 pieces from each quarter. Place potatoes in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook potatoes until fork tender. Strain potatoes and move to a bowl. Toss with butter, parsley, dill, salt, and pepper.

For the buttery carrots, I boiled six handfuls of carrots in an inch of water. I strained them, then added a pat of butter and a little salt. I cored a head of cabbage, then chopped it into ten pieces. I placed them in a steamer basket and boiled water under it for steamed cabbage. Lastly, I made sauteed onions by slicing onions into 0.5" wide half moons and sauteeing in cooking spray.

My mom opted for a St. Patrick's Day sandwich - American cheese, corned beef, sauteed onions, and steamed cabbage piled high on wheat bread. Yum!

It's a lucky day, so I'm reflecting on my good fortune, and I feel so lucky for all I have. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Shapes

After I adopted a soldier, I decided I wanted to send him treats in the mail. I wanted to send something that would stand up to shipping and last as long as possible so they would (hopefully) still be fresh when they got there. I thought chocolate chip cookies would be a nice homemade treat.

I haven't done much experimenting with chocolate chip cookie recipes. I typically use the Nestle recipe - with one variation.




I add one box of instant vanilla pudding to the dry ingredients before I mix the cookie dough. This makes the cookies stay soft for a longer period of time. They puff up nicely and stay puffed.

My pan was 12" x 17" - too large for one batch of cookies. I did some calculations based on the information on the bag of chocolate chips, and decided multiplying the recipe by 7/3 would be the right amount.



It worked out well. Once my giant batch of cookies was mixed, I dumped it all out onto the pan.

I spread the cookie dough out with a spatula as evenly as possible and baked according to the recipe directions.


To cut the cookies into shapes, I used a heart-shaped cookie cutter. I sent the cookies out the week before Valentine's Day, hoping they would get there in time.



In order to cut them out, I pressed the cookie cutter down, then slid a spatula underneath. I kept the cutter in place and lifted the whole thing to a rack to cool.


The cookies were large - my increased recipe made about 12 hearts. I cut up the "crusts" and Andrew and I ate them for three days!


I wrapped the cookies individually in plastic wrap. The ones that were shipped, I also wrapped in bubble wrap so they wouldn't get crushed. You could use this method for any shape - the cookies are scrumptious and festive.

Molten Lava Cakes: Take 2

You may remember that after the failed lava cakes from Valentine's Day, I was determined to do better with the three unbaked cakes I had leftover. For the recipe, check the link.

I baked five minutes, checked them, then three minutes, checked them, then two minutes, checked them, and finally two more minutes. So let's see...that's 12 minutes total. Funny how those last three minutes made all the difference. This round of lava cakes were...molten! Hooray!

Muffin-palooza

After the success of my experiment freezing my Banana Carrot Muffins, I decided to bake several different kinds of muffins for easy weekday breakfasts.

A coworker of mine has a family farm in Pennsylvania, and every time she visits, her mom loads her up with fruits and veggies to freeze. Last week, Joyce gave me two gallon size Ziploc bags of shredded zucchini and two vacuum-sealed bags of blueberries. I decided to work with both of these for my weekend baked good blitz. I will post on the Zucchini Bread I made later - today, we're all about muffins!

Muffin #1 - Blueberry Crumble

I found an awesome blueberry muffin recipe on AllRecipes.com. Stuffed with fresh blueberries and topped with a sweet crumb topping, these muffins really live up to their moniker - they're "to die for!"

One thing I love about AllRecipes is the way you can adjust the quantity of the recipe to what you need. I increased the given yield of 8 to 16, then made some alterations. Below is the exact recipe I used.

Blueberry Crumble Muffins

adapted from AllRecipes

Muffins

3 c. all-purpose flour

1-1/2 c. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. baking powder

2/3 c. canola oil

2 eggs

2/3 c. milk

3-1/2 c. frozen blueberries, thawed

Topping

1 c. white sugar

1/2 c. butter, cubed

1 tbsp. cinnamon

2/3 c. flour

Preheat oven to 400. Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.

Mix all topping ingredients together in a small bowl. Combine with a fork and set aside.

Mix dry muffin ingredients together. Combine oil, eggs, and milk in large measuring cup. Add to the flour mixture and stir gently to combine.

Fold in the blueberries.

Fill muffin cups, top with crumb mixture. Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes or until done.

Makes 18 large muffins.

As you can see in the photo above, if you double the muffin recipe, it's definitely not necessary to double the crumble recipe too. I had more than half of the topping left over after I had generously piled it on all the muffins.

I added WAY more blueberries than the recipe called for. I wanted to use everything that was in the vacuum-sealed bag, because I was not in the mood to come up with another blueberry recipe.

I was nervous about the bright purple batter, but amazingly enough, once the muffins were baked, the purple color had miraculously disappeared. I'm not sure how that's even possible, but you can see the pictures for yourself.

These muffins are fantastic. The sweet crumb topping is counteracted by the tartness of the blueberries, the muffin is light and delicious. I will definitely make these again.

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Muffin #2 – Banana Walnut

About two weeks ago, I rescued two brown bananas from their fated meeting with the garbage disposal and froze them so that I could repurpose them as banana nut muffins – one of Andrew’s favorites, and mine too.

My mom has a great banana bread recipe, but it's extremely dense, so I didn't think it would work well for muffins, which I expect to be fluffy and light. I went a-Googling and found Tyler Florence's recipe for Banana Nut Muffins.

Banana Walnut Muffins

adapted from Tyler Florence's recipe

2 c. all-purpose flour

1-1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2 overripe bananas

1 c. brown sugar

3/4 c. (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2 eggs

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

2/3 c. walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 375 and grease your muffin tins. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisk the bananas and sugar together for three minutes (I went up to 6 on the KA Mixer)

Add the melted butter, eggs, and vanilla and beat another minute. Fold in the dry ingredients gently - only stir until they are just incorporated. Fold in the nuts.

Spoon the batter into the muffin tins and bake for 18-20 minutes.

Makes 12 medium-sized muffins.

We really enjoyed these muffins as well. I subbed walnuts for the pecans Tyler's recipe called for and didn't add the additional two mashed bananas for texture. The muffins have plenty of banana flavor, and I much prefer walnuts paired with bananas anyway. I'll save this recipe for the next time I want to make banana muffins instead of banana bread.

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Muffin #3 - Corn

I have yet to attempt "homemade" corn muffins. I used a Jiffy mix to make the corn muffins. After mixing the ingredients according to the instructions, I always let the muffin mix sit for 15 minutes or so before baking them. This seems to allow the batter to rise a bit, and my muffins are always a bit fluffier when I let the batter rest.

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I've posted on the best way to freeze muffins in the past, but here are my instructions again.

Cool muffins completely. Wrap each muffin tightly in plastic wrap. Put all muffins into a gallon Ziploc bag or an airtight container. When you're ready to eat a muffin, take it out of the freezer a couple hours prior to desired consumption.

Do NOT thaw muffins in the microwave - it's okay to reheat them, but don't attempt to thaw them this way. Baked goods frozen and thawed using this method are always even yummier than they were when they went into the freezer.

A Little Bit Selfish...

Today is my birthday!

We are going out for Italian tonight to a great spot down in Chagrin Falls - Joey's Restaurant. Perhaps a review is in store?