Baking and motivation

I have had a hard time getting motivated to write this blog the last few weeks.  I have had finding work on my mind, as well as oh just a few current world events...  I've also been kind of frustrated with my photo taking ability.  I've been submitting some of my "good" photos to such sites as Foodgawker.com and Tastespotting.com but nothing is getting published because of "composition" issues (way to be vague!). Compared to some of the better food blogs, my pictures are fine but not exceptional and this is because they are not taken by a SLR camera so... I get it.  But I am allowed to stew and bake goodies to cheer myself up, right?

So, I have been baking a lot and wanted to share some of my favorites.  Baking has gotten me motivated to eat really well, go running and hiking and to give away most of my baked goods to friends, family and even prospective employers. So, I am feeling great.

Here are some of the delicious treats I've come up with in the last couple of weeks:

William Sonoma overnight cinnamon rolls

Made these when I stayed over at my sister's place - we finished 6 of them between three of us.  They were darn good!

before icing....

...after icing.

Blueberry muffins

And finally, I will share a recipe I adapted from The Naptime Chef for Oatmeal chocolate chip coconut cookies.  I have made two versions of these in the last week - one to share with some friends who needed a "pick me up" (made with cranberries instead of chocolate chips) and one to wow a prospective employer (chocolate worked here)!  They are really good, on the healthy side (I played around with adding applesauce instead of LOADS of butter and limiting granulated sugar...also substituting some whole wheat flour for the all purpose.)  They are still really good and virtually guilt free.  So enjoy!

Oatmeal chocolate chip coconut cookies:
1 c all purpose flour
1 c whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

½ c room temperature unsalted butter

½ c unsweetened apple sauce

1 c light brown sugar, packed

¼ c granulated sugar

1 tsp kosher salt

2 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1 c mini chocolate chips (or dried cranberries or raisins or nuts)

1 c sweetened shredded coconut

1 c oats

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line two baking sheets w/parchment paper or a silpat.

Blend flours and baking soda in a small bowl, then set aside.

In a mixer, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  Add salt.  With mixer on low, add eggs one at a time until each is blended.  Add vanilla.

Add flour in thirds until incorporated (scrape bowl as needed). Using a spatula, fold in chocolate chips, coconut and oats (separately).

Place rounded tablespoons full of batter 2 inches apart on cookie sheets.  Bake for 16-18 minutes until edges are golden brown (don’t overcook – they will firm up after cooking).

Makes 40-45 cookies.

What are some of your favorite sweet treats?  What gets YOU motivated - I'd love to hear your thoughts so feel free to share.

Chow for now!

Holidays spent snowbound - cooking, baking, eating and repeating

I just returned from NY, where I visited my mom and family for the holidays... little did I know that I would be stuck inside for three days while the plows took their merry old time getting the streets back to normal.  That gave me lots of quality time with mom to catch up, drink wine and make yummy food.

We started off with her meatballs (which are also "my" meatballs) which I always look forward to tasting.  Secret recipe - can't share, but I can tell you my friends with Italian roots think they are delicious!!
One night we had to cook using whatever ingredients we had in the house (due to 20 inches of snow on the ground), kind of like the show Chopped, but without the really random ingredients.  We had chicken, some vegetables, white beans... I thought a stew or chili might work, then I found this great, easy, comforting recipe for Chicken with White Beans that was fun to make and delicious, too!  Also I roasted one inch cubes of butternut squash with a little brown sugar, olive oil and salt and pepper.  It was so simple and tasty and the house smelled great! 

Chicken with white beans

When we were finally able to head out to the store, we had one thing in mind: BAKING!  Mom has had a bread maker in her house for a while and has never ever used it (I know, right???).  I wanted to show her how easy it was to make dough and form a French bread to bake in the oven.  Although it is time consuming, it was sooooo worth it.  I think she said "this is the BEST bread I've ever eaten." 

We also made coconut macaroons.  Er...they were supposed to be macaroons but were more of a meringue/macaroon hybrid, dubbed so eloquently by my writer of a mom as "meringue-aroons."  I think I may have to go trademark that name so don't steal it. Anyway, they were light, airy and crunchy on the outside and chewy and coconut-y on the inside.  We could have finished off the whole tray of them, but tried to have some constraint.

I am back in LA now and in the 36 hours that I've been home I made my carrot soup, Italian bread and a great pasta salad for my friends who JUST had a baby boy.  I am so glad I do what I love for a living and can't wait to do it more often.  If you know anyone in LA having a small party or who might be interested in a personal chef, please pass my info on! :)Dd you cook anything fun over the holidays?  Feel free to share with us here!
Chow for now! http://www.chowfornowchef.com

In a Key Lime state of mind

It all started with my cousin sharing a link to a great baking blog after she made home made thin mint cookies.  I started perusing the site and stopped short when I saw a recipe for Graham Cupcakes with Key Lime Cream Cheese Frosting.  I knew I had to make them!

I happened to pick up a bag of key limes at the grocery store to make a key lime pie for a lunch I'm going to this week and I knew I'd have leftover limes... what better to make with those limes than CUPCAKES!

Key limes are smaller, thinner skinned, seedier, juicier and more acidic than regular limes.  They are not exclusive to the Keys in Florida but they were brought there years ago. I've never cooked with them and have always wanted to try them.  What a treat!

The cupcake recipe is below.  Stay tuned for my key lime pie pictures in a day or two.

Graham Cupcakes with Key Lime Cream Cheese Frosting

CUPCAKES
1 cup flour
1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick butter, room temp.
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup milk

Mix flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder, and salt. Beat in butter gradually. Beat in sugar and mix thoroughly. Beat in eggs, then vanilla and milk until just mixed. Pour into lined cupcake pan. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out almost clean. (Check after 15 minutes so they don't get over cooked).

FROSTING
4 oz. cream cheese
1/2 stick butter, room temp.
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 T key lime juice (approx 2-3 limes)

Mix together ingredients with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Frost cupcakes. Top with a lime slice and a sprinkle of crumbs.  Makes 12 cupcakes.

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They do taste as good as they look.  :)

A hint: I used a coffee grinder to grind the graham crackers down to fine flour-like crumbs for the batter, but you could also just place a few cookies in a ziplock and roll a rolling pin over them.  It's just as effective. 

What should I do with the remaining limes (if I have any?)  Perhaps a cocktail?  Do you have a favorite lime flavored dish or drink that you'd like to share?

Chow for Now!  :)

Mmmmmmmm. Cake.

I know I said I was going to make cake yesterday but didn't get around to it.  Today, after scouring the interweb for a "great" sheet cake recipe and only finding only "ok" or unrated recipes on the usual sites, I consulted my trusty "Joy of Cooking" for help and boy did Joy come through for me.

I made what is listed as "1-2-3-4 Yellow Cake" in my edition but is also called "Four egg yellow cake" in more updated editions.  Hollah!!  It came out great!  I made the batter as called for but instead of using 3-8x2 round pans used one 13x8 pan.  I didn't put all of the batter in - left about 2 cups of the batter out but I probably could have fit it all in, cooked it a little longer and it would have been fine.  I am envisioning this cake as THE cake for my sister's baby shower in a couple of weeks. Two-13x8s layered with strawberries and homemade whipped cream... YUM!  No pictures becuase I didn't ice it and it looks sort of naked but trust me it tastes great.  It's light, fluffy and has a distinct vanilla taste with a tiny undertone of almond.

So, speaking of Joy of Cooking, in class this week we were given a handout with the Top Ten Books for Future Chefs (this list was originally published by "Working World" magazine in 2005 so there are probably some others to add).  I am happy to say I've read or own three of the ten (starred below) and have put in a request to the LA Public Library to hold some of the others for me.  Drum roll please.....

Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell
Becoming a Chef by Andrew Dornenburg and Jaren Page
*Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain
*The Joy of Cooking by Irma Rombauer
Larousse Gastronomique, A Culinary Encyclopedia
Le Guide Culinaire by August Escoffier
*The Making of a Chef by Michael Rulhman
Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child
On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee
The Professional Chef, published by the Culinary Institute of America

Also recommended by my prof is The Soul of a Chef by Michael Rulhman.  I LOVED Anthony Bourdain's book - he's such a smart ass and tells it like it is. 

Do you have any favorite cookbooks that you use often or do you rely solely on the internet for recipes?  What are some of your favorite websites for finding new and interesting recipes?  I probably go to http://www.foodtv.com/, http://www.epicurious.com/ and http://www.myrecipes.com/ most often.

Happy Sunday - enjoy the Oscars!!

Chow for now. :)

I'm about to gain some serious weight....

Class was really fantastic tonight because we finally got to COOK!  Last week we were split up into teams of four, or in our (Team 3's) case, five chefs.   Typically an executive chef, sous-chef, prep cook and dishwasher makes up a team.  Each team gets an oven, a microwave, a prep table and we all share the various kitchen tools and supplies.  Tonight was OBVIOUSLY our first night in the kitchen. I didn't see anyone running with knives but it was definitely a free for all.    I really had no idea how well our team would work together (four woman, one man, age range 18 to 50-something, many different ethnicities and backgrounds) but I was very proud of our outcome. I felt like we all put a ton of work in and did a nice job together.  It can be hard to give up control in the kitchen so this is a new goal for me

In each class going forward, Chef Debbie will lecture a bit, set up a demo and then send us in to the kitchen to fend for ourselves.  Each team gets a total score of up to 5 points based on certain criteria set for each dish we make.  Although she didn't tell us, I am 99% sure we got all 5 points.  We rocked.

Now...to go back to the beginning of class.... today's lesson was quickbreads.  Chef showed us how to prepare an amazing coffee cake layered with apples and cinnamon.  Then she gave us a bunch of recipes - went over each one and sent each team on their way with one recipe to create for a grade. Our team got the "Country Biscuits" recipe.  I think they tasted good, but I would probably add more green onion.  For all the pretty colors and textures, there wasn't the punch of flavor I would have expected.

Country Biscuits

2.5 lbs of all purpose (AP) flour
3/4 oz salt
2 oz sugar
2 oz baking powder
14 oz unsalted butter, cold, 1/4 in dice
24 oz whole milk
3/4 c cheddar cheese, sharp, grated
2T green onion, thinly sliced
1T dried thyme [our team used dill as the kitchen was out of thyme]

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees 
• Sift the dry ingredients together making sure they are evenly blended 
• Combine the butter with teh dry ingredients, cheese, onions and thyme. The mixture should look  mealy; do not overmix. 
• Add milk and stir until mixture is just holding together. 
• Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surfacel knead until it forms one mass, approximately 5-6 kneadings.  If dough is too dry, add milk as needed until the dough holds together. 
• Roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/2 in.  Cut with a floured bscuit cutter and place the biscuits on a parchment lined sheet pan. 
• Bake until tops are light brown, sides are almost white and the interiors are still moist (approx 10-15 minutes).  Cool and eat!

At the end of class we all got to sample each team's product: blueberry muffins, lemon poppy seed muffins, cream scones and apple sour cream coffee cake.  I may be biased but I think our biscuits came out close to the top when comparing every one of the quickbreads to it.  This is a feat for me because I am NOT a baker.  I guess this is what teamwork is all about!

Team 3's biscuits - came out pretty good - what do you think?

In class we also talked a bit about Chino Farm (or Chino Nojo)  Here's a review.  This farm supplies some of the most amazing west coast restaurants with their produce (Alice Waters' Chez Panisse for one).  Chef nearly drooled when telling the class about the experience so now I want to go visit.  It's not to far down in Rancho Santa Fe.  Anyone up for a road trip?!

My bed is caling out to me.   Chow for now!  :)