Category Archives: Recipe

Mustard Roasted Cauliflower

As I’m sure we are all blown away by the wreckage on the news, internet, facebook, etc with the devastation in Haiti, it might makes us wonder about so many things in life.  One thing I’ve been struck by is the certainty of my blessings.  As I sat at the table last night eating dinner with my family, Ben shared about his lunch appointment that day and the first hand accounts of Mozambique orphans.   His client spoke of witnessing a four year old child raising his 18 month old sibling, all the while searching through the garbage dump for food, clothing, & basic sustenance of life.

Both of us looking at our girls with their pretty little heads adorned with piggy tails thinking the same thing…”you girls are blessed.”  Tears start to form as I look at my girls living in that condition and my heart breaks.  My girls who know nothing of trial, or pain, or anything evil.  Their innocence as they eat grilled cheese sandwiches and I think upon my comment about dinner before sitting down, “this is our humble dinner tonight, nothing fancy.”  But this humble dinner would be the feast for those orphans in the dump.

And as I left for a meeting that night, I wept in the car.  I wept thinking of the Haitian mothers who would never hold their babies again.  Little bodies being crushed by falling buildings.  Babies who would never hear their mother’s song, or feel the warmth of her touch, or the protection & love of their father, because they are now orphans.  And what do I do with this anguish?  I cry, I weep, I mourn.  I cry with the mother.  I cry with the father.  I cry with the child.

My friend once asked the question of herself and God.  When am I sinning?  When I laugh at what God cries at.  When I mock at what God scorns.  When I judge at what God is extending grace to.  So in this hour, I choose to cry for the broken, to scorn the flippant, to extend grace…and reflect upon how truly blessed I am.

Today I made this simple, mustard roasted cauliflower.  It reminded me of how something so meager can be very fulfilling.  And how it’s the little things in life, which are the most rewarding.  I hope you will find your little blessings to be thankful for and give blessings to the people in the wreckage.

Mustard Roasted Cauliflower  (printable recipe)

This is a simple meal for simple times and you can easily roast a couple of these slices then store some in the fridge for other uses.  I love the combination of the salt, mustard and sweetness of the roasted cauliflower.

1 head of cauliflower
2 Tb Olive oil (or more)

2T Dijon mustard
Fine sea salt

Preheat oven to 400 F –  Place the head of cauliflower on a cutting board, and slice it top-down into ¼-inch thick slices, some of which will crumble. Baste cauliflower with plenty of olive oil, dijon mustard and a bit of salt, spread it in a single layer on a heavy sheet pan (or two, if one looks crowded), and roast until golden brown and caramelized, turning bits and slices once or twice, about 25 minutes.

Split Pea Soup

One of the things I love about food is it’s ability to create emotions and stories (well I guess that’s two).  I’m sure we can all recall those certain foods, which caused stomach upset.  Or better yet are the foods we ate once and have endlessly tried to recreate or capture that moment again.

Split Pea was the former in my food story recollection bank for many years.  It was New Year’s Eve and I was seven years old.  Our church had a Talent Show and being the center of attention seeker I am, I had a performance in mind.  I practiced the song endlessly in my room, in the car and anywhere life found me.  Well, wouldn’t you know it, come New Year’s Eve Eve…I came down with the stomach bug.  No one else in my family did.

And somehow our good family friend offered to have me stay at their house, so my mom could attend the event.  I was in the second day of sickness, so I wasn’t feeling as bad or in need of my mom.  Although I was sad about missing out on the Talent Show, I was happy to spend the night at Mr & Mrs Sievert’s house.  That is until she said she made some split pea soup, which was rare because I was not a picky eater.  However, this was green mush that looked like what comes out of a body, not to be consumed.  It tainted my view of split pea for sometime.  But I’m glad to say that it all changed when my housemate made it in college using some ham from their family farm (does it get any better?).

What are some of your food stories or emotions?  Ones you’ve run away from, ones that resurfaced (like the split pea) and you enjoyed, or ones you’ve tried to recreate?

Split Pea Soup (printable recipe)

This is such a forgiving soup.  If you want to use some chicken or vegetable broth instead, go ahead.  If you want more vegetables or less, go ahead.  You can make it vegetarian easily, but I would recommend using some or all vegetable broth in place of the water, in order to give it that extra depth of flavor.  If you are needing to serve more than 10 people, simply increase the split peas and water amount (ratio of water to split peas–2 or 2 1/2 cups to 1 cup).

Ingredients

  • 1 yellow onion, medium chop
  • 3 cups cubed ham, (I bought ham steaks from Costco, which is sold in three round slabs, 98% fat free but tasty)
  • 4 large carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/8 inch slices
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 cups yukon potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch cubes or chunks
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 2 1/2 – 3 cups dried split peas
  • 8-10 cups cold water
  • 2 bay leaves
  • salt & pepper to taste

Preparation

  • In a dutch oven or large stock pan, add cubed ham & chopped onions over medium heat.  Cook, stirring occasionally.  If your meat or onion is sticking to the pan, then add olive oil.  I didn’t need any, because of the condensation from the meat & onion.  Cook until onions are softened and the some of the ham browns a bit.
  • Add minced garlic, cook for 30 seconds while stirring.  Then, add the carrots, potatoes & salt and cook for 1-1 1/2 minutes.  Add the dried split peas and pour 6 cups of cold water on top.  If the peas & vegetables are not completely covered by water, keep adding one more cup of cold water until they are covered.  Add the bay leaves.  Cover & cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until soup begins to bubble.  Once it bubbles, turn heat to low and simmer–keeping it covered.  You can still stir occasionally and checking to see if you need to add more water.  It will take about an hour to an hour and a half to cook to completion.
  • The soup will be done once the split peas turn to mush.  Season with salt & pepper to taste.  Discard the bay leaves and serve warm.  This makes enough for 8-10 servings, so leftovers are a given for a family of four.  Once the soup is refrigerated, it will congeal and you can simply add some water to reconstitute it.

Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes

Today is my little big girl’s third birthday.  She came into our room at 6:00 to greet us with her sweet, “Good Mornin’!”  Unfortunately, daddy informed her that it wasn’t waking up time and needed to go back to bed for a little bit longer.  After about 45 minutes she came back in where we welcomed our birthday girl.  I pulled her up into bed with me and retold her birth story as she stared off into space (which means she’s listening–just trying to picture it).  We also cuddled while looking through photos and I couldn’t help but think, “three years ago at this very moment I was in transition getting ready to push my firstborn out to meet him or her.”

And I would definitely say she’s one of my greatest accomplishments.  She brings excitement, new perspective, wild imagination, enormous honesty and a heck of a lot of fun.  So when you’re almost three year old has been planning on having Rainbow Sprinkle Cupcakes for her birthday for almost three months now…what does a mama do?  Go and buy the confetti cake mix from the store?  NEVER!  There are certain compromise-‘ables’ in the kitchen…ice cream, box brownies, take & bake pizza and more.  However, when it comes to most baked items (aside from the brownies), I feel like buying something from the grocery bakery or especially from the box would be wrong for myself.

I only apply this to me and not anyone else, because it’s more of a standard I’ve somehow put upon myself.  But probably the bigger reason is wanting to give a ‘from scratch’ gift to the people I love.  It’s my way of letting them know I’ve taken my time to cook or create something unique & special (and yummy, because isn’t that one of the biggest reasons) for them.

Well, there was a picture in a cupcake book of a Rainbow Sprinkle Cupcake, which my oldest salivated over.  And since I know she was thrilled when she got an ice cream cone at her grandparents house, I suggested a Rainbow Sprinkle Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes for her birthday.  Her eyes lit up even more and today it was everything she (and I) dreamed of.  These were actually quite delicious cupcakes.  So just because you’re over the age of 24, don’t overlook the taste, the airiness and the delicate appeal of Ice Cream Cupcake Cones.

Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes (printable recipe)

This recipe is adapted from Perfect Cupcakes.  I was originally going to make only six of these for the kids, while making a more “adult” dessert using the Meyer Lemons I have in the fridge.  And you know, I’m glad I didn’t, because these are some pretty good cupcakes.  I know the cake flour is essential to this, because it has the lowest gluten content among flours.  But the texture combination of the airy cupcake, creamy buttercream and crunchy & chewiness of the cone is really well-rounded.  Like I said, they’re not just for kids. **Disclaimer: 9/20/10 These cupcakes should be made the day of or else you will end up with quite soggy cones.  As for filling the cones, be sure you don’t overfill them, because they will erupt everywhere.  I fill my 2/3 full; however, I have a reader who recommends 1/2 full.

Cupcakes

  • 1 1/2 cups (180 g) cake flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup (120 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (120 g) granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2/3 cup (170 g) whole milk
  • 1/4 cup (30 g) multi-colored confetti sprinkles
  • 12 cupcake sugar wafer cones

Vanilla Buttercream

  • 3 cups (490 g) powdered sugar
  • 1 cup (250 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 tablespoon heavy whipping cream

Directions

  • Preheat the oven to 350.  Place the wafer cones in the muffin pan.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter & sugar until well blended.  Beat in the egg and vanilla until light.  With the mixer on low speed, gradually add half of the flour mixture, then the milk and then the rest of the flour mixture until well blended.  Fold in the confetti sprinkles into the batter.  Using a small ice cream scooper/cookie dough scooper, divide the batter evenly among the 12 cupcake cones.
  • Bake the cupcake cones for 20-25 minutes.  When you press lightly in the middle of the cone, they should spring back.  Let them cool on a cooling rack until they’re completely cooled.
  • Meanwhile, start the buttercream while the cupcakes are cooling.  Combine butter and powdered sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer.  Mix on low speed at first to avoid powdered sugar from flying everywhere, then turn to medium.  Beat for about 2-3 minutes.  Add the vanilla and mix until combined.  Then, add the heavy whipping cream and beat for an additional 2 minutes.  If you want to add food coloring, do so now.
  • Prepare a pastry bag fitted with a star tip.  Turn down the opened end of the bag one inch down.  Using a rubber spatula, fill the bag with the buttercream.  Twist the bag, in order to keep the frosting from squeezing out.  Pipe the Vanilla Buttercream onto the cupcakes and sprinkle with additional confetti sprinkles.

Cinnamon-Almond Danish Rolls

The summer I got engaged I got hired to work in a bakery.  I was one Math class short of getting my A.A. degree, which seem to be taking much longer than intended.  But it’s because my major path kept changing and I wasn’t going to go into debt taking university classes aimlessly.  And since I had thought about going into catering or do something with the Patisserie world, what better way to find out than get a job in the field–right?

I wholeheartedly encourage getting a job in the field before spending the money.  It helped me in my pathway of self-discovery, work ethic and respect for the doughnut maker.  That’s right, the “time to make the doughnuts” guy or gal.  In non-specialized bakeries (ones that do just about everything), when you apply for a job without any work experience you will start at the bottom.  In this instance, it’s the doughnuts.  This means getting to work at 2:00 am, sluggishly weighing the flour, heating up the dispiscable vat of oil, taking the yeast doughnuts out of the proof box…all the while standing in the far back, next to 500 degree ovens, where the only person you converse with from 2am-9am is…YOURSELF.  By day two on the job, I no longer judged the people my manager spoke of during the interview who quit in the middle of their shift (I never became one of them though).

However, the day before my first day of ‘Time to make the doughnuts,’ I had already committed myself to providing breakfast goods for a college student conference.  I was a bit stressed thinking about starting my job, getting my body adjusted to a weird sleep schedule, moving out of my house that week, and being the perfectionist I am about what I produce in the kitchen.  Luckily, Ben reassured me that he could take care of the cinnamon rolls I was making.  I went over how long they needed to be in there a couple times and all the other steps.  I was a bit nervous, but went to bed at 7:00 pm on a Washington summer day (meaning the sun doesn’t set till 9:00pm).  I awoke around 10:30 a bit disoriented, wondering if it was time to get ready.  Not only was I confused about the time, but I had a bad dream about my cinnamon rolls and hurried downstairs.

When I got downstairs I began to panic.  The table was empty.  The counter was empty.  The top of the fridge was empty.  The fridge was empty.  My cinnamon rolls were no where to be found.  I was worried, enraged, baffled and about 1/4 awake.  And let it be known, I am NOT, in any way, shape, or form the person you want to wake in the middle of the night or too early in the morning.  I need my space and as my good friend Hilary said to another roommate, “No, Kamille’s not mad at you…just don’t talk to her in the morning when she first wakes up.”  Well, as I’m searching on the main floor for some answers, I notice some people are in the living room watching a movie.  I slide open the gigantic door to find eaten cinnamon rolls.  I flip.  I absolutely flip and am ready to attack.  I don’t quite remember what I said, but I do remember hearing from Ben what Hilary said, “Ben…Kamille woke up, started rambling, had death in her eye, and–she was SCARY!”

I went back to bed and started my first day with ease.  But what I learned later was my cinnamon rolls got burnt in the oven, so Ben took care of it (like he said he would).  He went and got bagels & cream cheese (the next time I made scones for the college students) while I was the night of living dead towards my friends.  He offered the cinnamon rolls to be eaten for anyone who enjoyed black bottom cinnamon rolls.

There were three other things I learned from that experience.  One is “let it go” (enough said).  Two, I’m still great friends with Hilary and this is a picture of loyalty & love.  And three, my outlook on doughnuts has forever been tainted (Apple fritters go in at 3 oz each and come out of the vat of grease at 6 oz) and that’s not a bad thing.  However, my view on danishes & cinnamon rolls have not.  So why not combine the two and indulge in flaky, buttery goodness.  But make them when you’ve volunteered to bake for say…24 people.

Cinnamon-Almond Danish Rolls (printable recipe)

The recipe is adapted from The Great Scandinavian Baking Book.  The author offers two Danish dough recipes to choose from, so I chose the quick method.  You don’t have to fold in the butter using this method, but a food processor instead.  And the dough had the flakiness I was desiring in a Danish dough.  This is also a two part recipe.


Quick Method Danish Pastry (printable recipe)

Ingredients

  • 3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch slices (think a pat of butter)
  • 2 packages active dry yeast (4 1/2 teaspoons)
  • 1/2 cup warm water, 105 F to 115 F
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream or undiluted evaporated milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground cardamom (optional)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt (in baking always use table salt, unless otherwise indicated)
  • 2 eggs, room temperature
  • 1/4 cup sugar

Measure 3 1/2 cups flour into a food processor with a steel blade.  Add the 1/4 inch slices of butter to the flour.  Process the mixture until the butter is about the size of kidney beans.

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water.  Let stand 5 minutes.  Stir in the cream or milk, cardamom (if using), salt, eggs, and sugar.  Turn the flour-butter mixture into the wet mixture, and with a rubber spatula, mix carefully just until the dry ingredients are moistened.  Cover and refrigerate 4 hours, overnight, or up to 4 days.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured board or surface; dust with flour.  Pound and flatten to make a 16-to 20-inch square.  Fold dough into thirds, which will make 3 layers.  Turn dough around and roll out again.  Fold from the short sides into thirds.  This should make a square  (If not, don’t worry too much about it).  Repeat folding and rolling again if you’d like (which I did).  Wrap and chill the dough 30 minutes or as long as overnight.

Cinnamon-Almond Danish Rolls

Ingredients

One batch of Quick Method Danish Pastry

Filling

  • 1/2 cup softened butter
  • 1 cup light or dark brown sugar, packed
  • 1/3 cup sliced almonds (the original called for 1 cup chopped pecans)
  • 1-2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1 slightly beaten egg

Icing

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 3-4 tablespoons hot coffee

Place paper cupcake liners in 24 muffin cups.  Roll pastry out on a lightly floured surface to make a 20-inch square.  Spread with the butter.  Sprinkle with the brown sugar, almonds, cinnamon & cardamom.

Roll up jelly-roll fashion (remembering to roll tight enough so the ending circle will fit inside muffin tin).  Cut into 24 slices.  Place slices with the cut side up in each muffin cup.

Let rise in a cool place for 30 to 45 minutes, or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 375 F.  Brush pastries with beaten egg.  Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until puffed and golden.  Mix the powdered sugar with coffee.  Drizzle the icing over the hot pastries.  Serve warm.


Posole

…and my daughter LOVES dinner.  When my oldest was a baby and young toddler she loved food.  The only food she rejected by 11 months was broccoli (still does & I still serve it).  I could count on her to fill mama’s affirmation piggy bank when it came to dinner time with her moans of glee.  When she turned 18 months, I thought I had it made because she never turned to the dark side (a.k.a. the food refusal face) and I must be doing something right.  She ate veggies and I rarely gave her sweets, then it was around 22 months or so and little by little…another food was on the banned list.

Now as we celebrate her birthday week (turning three or “free”), she continues to throw a curve ball during dinner time.  As I wait for her to say something like, “This is too gross for me!”  She says, “I like my Posole!”  Yes, I train my daughter in all things food.

A.) Don’t buy eggs with cracks…to which she continued chanting in the store to check-out.

B.) “Add a little cardamom & nutmeg”…she says this during pretend play (or was it while teaching a baking class about cardamom to her papa & auntie?)

C.) I say, “this is Posole, it’s part of your heritage,”…to which she replies, “more pork.”

And to that I say, “Eat more pork and make yourself some Posole!”  It’s like eating pockets of tamales in stew form…doesn’t get much better.

Posole (printable recipe)

Recipe is adapted from Gourmet.  As I said, I find the hominy reminiscient of the cooked masa found in tamales.  This is not overly spicy.  If you avoid spicy food, then add sour cream as dairy lessens heat.  Plus, my 13 month old & almost 3 year old ate it asking for seconds & then some.

Ingredients:

2 dried guajillo chiles

2 dried New Mexico chiles

2 cups water

2 teaspoons dried oregano, preferably Mexican

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/2 can of stewed tomatoes, chopped

1/2 yellow onion, coarsely chopped (3/4 cup)

2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1-inch cubes (I used about 24 oz)

2 (29 oz) cans white hominy, drained & rinsed

Directions:

Stem and seed chiles.  Combine with 2 cups water in a small saucepan, bring to a simmer, and simmer until softened, about 15 minutes.

Transfer chiles, with cooking water, to a blender.  Add remaining ingredients except pork and hominy and blend until smooth (use caution).

Transfer chile puree to a 4-quart heavy saucepan, stir in pork, and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.

Add hominy and simmer, covered, until pork is tender, about 30 minutes more.  Skim fat from sauce and season posole with salt to taste.  Serve with sliced cabbage, corn tortillas, sliced radishes, lime wedges, sour cream, fresh cilantro, or tortilla chips.

Meyer Lemon-Cranberry Scones

I have been thinking a lot about New Year’s Resolutions of late and whether I want to participate in them. I read recently on Simple Mom blog, where she renamed resolutions as “goals.” Now that’s my kind of anti-resolution, yet wanting to participate sort of thinking.  As I have personal goals within my physical, mental, emotional, & spiritual being, there are also those goals, which aided in the advent of this blog.  I have a couple, or a few, or…well maybe a few times a couple times a few more cookbooks in my library.  And as I love food, there are so many tastes I haven’t experienced.  But even more, as an avid baker & cook, there are even more foods I have yet to handle myself.

To say browsing through a cookbook to untouched foods is a bit daunting is an understatement.  Seriously, where does one begin?  Especially, considering food is ever evolving while your budget is not.  All of this aimless wandering got me thinking about people and their bucket lists.  The typical bucket list encompasses the places yet traveled or adventures yet conquered.  And although I have places yet traveled and adventures yet conquered…it is the food yet melded, the dough yet risen, the desserts yet tamed in my red kitchen.  Life is too short and I feel it only necessary to create a Baking Bucket List (more on this list later).

There are many categories in the baking world I have made many of, while other categories are completely lacking.  One category that I know quite a bit about is…scones, which is good for me and you.  Because if you stick with me on this, you will be happy at the end of eating them.  I remember volunteering to make a breakfast item for a bunch of college students many years back.  I intended to make cinnamon rolls (long story for another post), but it didn’t work out, so I bought this tiny, modest scone cookbook (before food blogs & quick recipe find).  Only pictures of scones lie on the cover, while the rest are drawn.  It goes to show that great cookbooks aren’t all about the pictures.  These scones were have a hint of Meyer lemon, subtle tartness from the cranberries, richness from the cream & butter and sugary crunch from the turbinado sprinkled on top.

Meyer Lemon-Cranberry Scones (printable recipe)

This recipe is inspired from the Cran-Orange Scones found in my trusty scone book, Simply Scones. This dog-eared cookbook warrants fantastic scone results and has never failed me yet.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup chopped fresh or thawed frozen cranberries, drained

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons Meyer lemon juice, freshly squeezed

2 tablespoons heavy cream (you could substitute whole milk)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

zest of one Meyer lemon (for more flavor, add more zest)

coarse sugar for sprinkling & heavy cream for glaze

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400F.  Put parchment paper or silpat sheet liner on a baking sheet, set aside.

In a small bowl, stir together the cranberries & 2 tablespoons of the sugar.  Let stand about 5 minutes.  Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together the flour, remaining 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder & salt.  Cut the butter into 1/2 inch cubes and distribute them over the flour mixture.

In another small bowl, stir together the eggs, juice, heavy cream, vanilla & Meyer lemon zest.  Add the egg mixture to the dry mixture and combine using a fork.  After the mixture is 3/4 combined, add the cranberries to the dough.  Combine the rest until all of the dry mixture has been combined with the wet, forming a cohesive mound.  Being careful you don’t over mix or over handle.

Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface, or directly onto the parchment and gently pat it into a 9-inch diameter circle.  Cut about 1/8 inch into the dough, creating 8 slices (see image above), but not cut through the whole way.  Lightly brush the scones slices with cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar.  Bake for 25-27 minutes.

Remove baking sheet to a cooling rack and leave for about 5 minutes.  Cut all the way through the initial cuts and serve warm as is.

Quicky Sticky Biscuits

I recall a moment in time when our dear friend Hilary asked Ben, “Benny, what would be your top 10 books of all time?”  Now, as my husband is a an avid reader as aforementioned, it would seem difficult to find a top 10.  In fact, he just told me yesterday that he checked out the most books from the library than anyone else in his whole elementary school (back when he was in elementary school).  But, he quickly named one off the top of his head (which is another hard thing for my introverted husband to do…he’s more methodical about his ideas & words), 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

If I could summarize what it is that he likes about it (as do I), I would say it’s a book of self-discovery put into action.  It helps you find out who you are, what you are capable of and putting it into practice.  This is huge for Ben.  And as I’ve been married to him for 7 1/2 years now and a mother of two, I have SO appreciated this philosophy on life.  It helps with focusing on the areas of life which are important, but not urgent.  An example of this would be setting a date night with Ben, because although the dishes, laundry & bills are the urgent items in life…having uninterrupted time with my spouse is important for the long haul.  It’s learning to not live life putting out the fires (searching at 5:00 what to make for dinner, searching for a snack 20 minutes too late as your child (or you) screams their head off).

As we approach the New Year, our family is writing up a Mission Statement, in order to live in the Important, but not Urgent.  We are seeking to know what is best for our family and what aligns with our values, dreams & beliefs and not some other family.  Our mission statement will give us direction for our long term goals and help us navigate in our short term goals.  It is also mailable, because visions change course and we need to adaptability.  I not only want to create a haven for Ben & the girls (and other children we might be blessed with), but also for people outside of it.  For our extended family, friends, and the stranger & neighbor who we barely know.  My life has been richly blessed by people who extended kindness, grace & overwhelming care when I needed it most.  And sometimes it was surrounding a dinner table with food, while other times it was around a dinner table with a listening ear & loving embrace.

I hope you would be encouraged by the people who have done the same for you, or how you have been that person in times of need.  May 2010 bring you clarity of perspective, dreams to dream & a dinner table open for an invitation.  Maybe these Quicky Sticky Biscuits will cut through the awkwardness and create a yummy slice of hospitality.

Quicky Sticky Biscuits (printable recipe)

Recipe is adapted from the book, Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey by Jill O’Connor.  These biscuits are not for the faint at heart.  They are rich & buttery and they’re not ashamed to show it.  If you’re looking for something light or watching your figure, be warned, as these biscuits will blow your 2010 resolution diet out the window.  BUT, they are definitely amazing and worth bringing to a family brunch (so you won’t be tempted to eat too many).

For the Sticky Pecan Sauce:

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup dark corn syrup

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted

For the Biscuits:

4 cups bleached all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 cup (2 sticks) very cold or frozen unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces

1 1/2 to 2 cups cold buttermilk (I used 2 cups)

For the Topping:

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, melted (depending on how rich you want them, use 1/4 cup for less rich)

POSITION A RACK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE OVEN AND PREHEAT TO 425F.  Grease a 9×13 inch pan with softened butter or spray with nonstick cooking spray.

TO MAKE THE SAUCE: Combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, and butter.  Melt over low heat.  When the butter is melted, increase the heat to high and bring to a gentle boil.  Cook, uncovered, until the mixture thickens, 3-5 minutes.  Stir in the chopped nuts.  Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly.  Set aside.

TO MAKE THE BISCUITS: In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Cut the butter into the flour with a pastry blender (if you don’t have a pastry blender than use two butter knives to cut the butter).  Blend until most of the mixture looks like coarse crumbs, with some of the bits of butter the size of small peas.

MAKE A SHALLOW WELL IN THE CENTER OF THE FLOUR MIXTURE AND POUR IN 1 1/2 CUPS OF THE COLD BUTTERMILK (I used the whole 2 cups at this point).  Use a fork to blend the buttermilk into the flour to create a soft dough.  If the dough seems too dry as you are stirring it, add the remaining 1/2 cup buttermilk.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead a few times to make sure it comes together.  Pat the dough into a 3/4 inch thick rectangle.  Use a sharp chef’s knife or bench scraper to cut the dough into 12 square biscuits.

TO MAKE THE TOPPING: In a small bowl, stir together the granulated sugar and cinnamon.  Brush the tops of the biscuits with some of the melted butter and sprinkle with some of the cinnamon-sugar.  Place the biscuits, evenly spaced, cinnamon-sugar-side down, into the pecan syrup-lined pan.  Brush the tops (once the bottom) of the biscuits with more melted butter and sprinkle with a little more cinnamon-sugar.

BAKE THE BISCUITS UNTIL GOLDEN BROWN AND PUFFY, and the sticky pecan sauce is bubbling around them, 15-17 minutes (it took more like 23-25 minutes for me).  Cool slightly, then place a large serving platter over the top of the pan and invert it.  Remove the pan and allow the pecan sauce to fall around the biscuits.  Use a small spatula to scrape any residual syrup from the pan onto the biscuits.  Serve immediately (but they taste pretty darn good hours later).

Swedish Tea Ring (Vetekrans)

What was Christmas morning like in your family growing up?  Waking up at the crack of dawn, scurrying to see what booty hung from the stockings, and a candy frenzied gaze after all the gifts were opened might be a typical American memory of a not too distant past.  There’s also the spiritual side in the retelling of the Christmas story.  Where a young girl, chosen by God, is to carry the Savior of the world in her womb.  Having found favor with God, but is in the least of finding favor with her fellow neighbors, as I’m sure they snickered and cringed as she passed since the idea of a virgin birth was less than plausible for them.

As the only daughter, middle child between two brothers, Christmas morning turned from the coveted, “let’s just open our presents,” to drawn out expectation, but not due to a spiritual exercise.  My father turned the one morning of glory into a full fledge DMV line.  We would awaken bright and early with “OOO’S & AWWW’S” and running to our parents bedrooms to waken them from their slumber, in hopes of opening our presents.  My mom would shuffle into the living room with half opened eyes & gingerly sit on the couch.  On the other spectrum was our dad.  Although he would rarely eat a full course breakfast the other 364 days of the year, he thought Christmas morning was the perfect morning to do so.

You might be thinking that a breakfast of ham, eggs, toast, coffee & orange juice, which Kenny the Bear eats regularly (Richard Scarry), is a splendid Christmas morning meal.  You would be right if it wasn’t the prelude.  Not only did my dad insist on eating Denny’s Grand Slam prior to opening presents, but personal hygiene tied for first on Christmas morning.  When he woke up, he headed to the bathroom to shower, neatly comb his hair, clothe with a belt and put on some socks.  Meanwhile, us kids, all under the age of 10 salivated at all the presents. But once he was done with his hygiene, he would head to the kitchen to make & eat his breakfast.  No matter how much we tried to rush him, he would not budge.

With us on his heels, watching that final drop finish off his fork, we ran to the living room mumbling about our slaughter.  However, my dad liked to teach us about anticipation & patience by saying, “Not yet, I need to get the camcorder out.”  Now, we had one of those heavy duty kind, which my dad had to get just the right lighting, put it on the tripod, and connect it with the TV to see the final product.  Finally, it was time to begin.  But when the present opening actually started, my dad instituted the following rule, ‘We take turns opening presents, no two people at the same time, and say thank you for every gift received.’  I can still recall my older brother Willy’s friend Steve calling to see what he got for Christmas.  Willy said, “I dunno, we’re not done opening our gifts yet…yeah, I know, by this rate we’re never gonna make it to San Diego (we went every year to my Aunt’s house).”

And now, as I experience Christmas on the other end, being the parent watching my girls experience the joy of what lies beneath the green/red wrapping…I can understand some of what my dad gave to us on Christmas morning.  He taught us to slow down & to avoid the consumerist spirit, which lie so deep in my seven year old body.  It was a gift to know that it’s okay to breathe in what I was being given and appreciate it; rather, than just throw it aside and search for more hidden treasure to rip to shreds.  This is one tradition I hope to pass down to my girls.  Well, the slowing down when it comes to opening the presents part, but not the four course breakfast eaten beforehand…instead, we’ve instituted the Vetekrans for Christmas morning.  And that’s what I love about family traditions…you can keep some, throw some out, and create new ones altogether.  **We’re also throwing out the camcorder.

Vetekrans (printable recipe)

This recipe is taken from The Great Scandinavian Baking Book.  This is a refrigerator yeast dough, which is also a no-knead.  This is a perfect sweet bread to have on Christmas morning, New Year’s or some other brunch where you don’t want to spend all your time with kneading & proofing.

Ingredients

2 packages active dry yeast (one packet is 2 1/4 teaspoons)

1 cup warm water, 105 to 115 degrees

1/2 cup melted butter

1/2 cup sugar

3 slightly beaten eggs

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

4 to 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup softened butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

3 tablespoons hot coffee or milk

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Directions: In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water and let stand for 5 minutes.  Stir in the 1/2 cup melted butter, 1/2 cup sugar, the eggs, salt, cardamom, and 4 cups of flour until dough is smooth (I used about 4 1/2 cups).  Cover and refrigerate 2 to 24 hours.

Turn dough onto a floured board and roll out to make a 20-to 24-inch square.  Spread with a thin layer of softened butter right to the edge.  Mix 1/2 cup sugar and the cinnamon and sprinkle over the butter.  Roll up like a jelly roll.

Grease a baking sheet or use parchment and place the roll on the sheet, shaping it into a ring.  Pinch ends together to close the circle.  With scissors, cut almost through the ring at 1/2-inch intervals.  Turn each piece so that the cut side is exposed.  Let rise until almost doubled.

Preheat oven to 375.  Bake for 20 – 25 minutes or until just golden.  While ring bakes, mix the glaze ingredients.  Brush while hot with the glaze.

Gingerbread Man Pancakes

This morning as I was nursing my youngest in bed, I heard my oldest tell Ben, “Pancakes?!  Eat pancakes for breakfast?”  There are so many reasons why pancakes were a bad idea.  One we’re leaving today to stay the night in Seattle to fly out tomorrow to Arizona.  Two there was still packing to be done.  Three I have a house to clean up.  Four, well, four is that pancakes take more time than say cold cereal.  But, yes there’s a but, I haven’t made pancakes in a while and doing something a bit special on such a unroutinized day would balance our life out a bit.  Plus, a day of traveling typically means eating food that isn’t the most appetizing.

I was determined to make some pancakes for these adorable monkeys, but NO BUTTERMILK.  We have pre-vacation fridge, also known as post-vacation fridge.  It’s that fridge where you don’t buy any perishables the week before you leave, so they don’t go bad while you’re gone.  Hence, welcoming you to the same fridge upon your arrival.  So, I wasn’t about to buy buttermilk last weekend when I didn’t have a need for it on my menu…only the basics.  But now on pancake morning, there is no buttermilk.  Sure, you’re saying, “Kamille, just mix some lemon juice or vinegar with whole milk,” but that didn’t sound too appealing and then I would have to wait for it to thicken.

So after perusing the Gourmet Cookbook I found this Gingerbread Pancake recipe.  It required no buttermilk, but sour cream (which I had).  They were a bit more fluffy & thick than your typical buttermilk pancakes, but delicious all the same.  I recommend plopping them on the hot griddle, then spraying your spatula and pressing them down a bit.  Then, once you flip them, press down again.  By themselves, they don’t pop; however, once you add maple syrup & butter…let’s just say everything Christmas morning magic in your mouth.  Well, I’m off as I need to finish the last details of packing and to 60 degree weather we go.  Merry Christmas!

Gingerbread Pancakes (printable version)

This recipe comes from Gourmet cookbook.  My oldest woke up saying she wanted pancakes and I needed to make something without buttermilk, since we didn’t have any on hand.  I think these were the perfect pre-Christmas compromise.

Dry Ingredients:

1 cup unbleached flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Wet Ingredients:

3 tablespoons molasses (not blackstrap or strong flavored kind)

1 cup sour cream

1 egg

2 tablespoons whole milk

2 tablespoons melted butter, plus more for brushing the griddle

Preparation

Heat your griddle or skillet, brush with butter or spray.

In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients and set aside.  In a small bowl, combine all wet ingredients.  Add wet ingredients into the large bowl with dry ingredients.  Stir until just combined.

If you want to make gingerbread man pancakes, spray or grease inside of cookie cutter before you put the batter inside (or you’ll have one sticky mess).  Put the greased cookie cutter onto griddle and add some batter trying to smooth it evenly, so none of the griddle is visible.  Cook for about 1 minute and then take your spatula and flip the pancake (with cookie cutter still attached) over. Gently push the batter down, in order to ensure cooking on the bottom.

Using a kitchen towel (since the cookie cutter is hot) jiggle the cookie cutter off the gingerbread man pancake and cook for a bit longer.

These pancakes by themselves aren’t very sweet at all, but definitely flavorful.  So when you add the butter & maple syrup (because isn’t that what pancakes are about?) they’re a knock out.  Plus, you can change up the cookie cutters and little people will love them.

French Lentil Stew

This is one of those throw em’ in their type of stews. I guess it’s technically not a stew under classic definition, but I feel like it’s more hearty than a soup. So that’s what I’m going with & I’m stickin’ to it. I made this for Ben’s birthday meal, because the meat dish just wasn’t happening as I, a) didn’t have any beef in the house & b) it was already 4:00 for a 5:30 dinner.

I combined a couple techniques from various parts of my culinary files within my head & one thing led to another…a creation was birthed. I liked the idea of adding tomato paste to my mirepoix (diced up carrots, onions & celery) and cooking it to create a depth of flavor. It reminded me of one of my favorite creamy tomato sauce recipes from Cooks Illustrated. I added red wine & saffron as well to create more than your run of the mill lentil soup (remember I was going for a stew here). After more little tricks, I would say I created one heck of a dish.

This is also a perfect Monday night, winter is here & we’re trying to eat semi-healthy in the holiday season sort of meals. Serve with some crusty bread and you’re eating like the peasants who served the king (because really the peasants ate more healthily anyway…just look at history).

French Lentil Stew (printable recipe)

You could easily use all vegetable stock for this and it would be just as great, or use beef broth for an added depth of flavor.

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 celery, small dice
  • 1 medium yellow onion, small dice
  • 1 carrot, small dice
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • pinch of saffron
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1/2 cup red wine
  • 1 can (14 oz) stewed tomatoes
  • 2 carrots, peeled & sliced into 1/8 inch circles
  • 1 leek, thoroughly cleaned & chopped
  • 3 cups vegetable stock
  • 2 1/2 – 3 cups chicken broth
  • 2 cups french lentils

Preparation:

Have your onion, carrot, celery & garlic mise en place via diced. Heat olive oil in dutch oven over medium heat. Add mirepoix and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add garlic & salt and stir. Cook for additional 1-2 minutes, till onions are soft & mixture is fragrant.

Add leeks & carrots, cook an additional 2-3 minutes, stirring to pick up browned bits.

Add saffron & tomato paste. Stir and increase heat to medium-high. Continuously stirring to cook tomato paste for about 1 1/2-2 minutes to deepen color of the paste. Add wine & cook while stirring for 2 minutes. Add the stewed tomatoes.

Add both vegetable & chicken stock. Stir to combine. Add your french lentils & lower heat to medium. Cook for an additional 30-45 minutes. Adjust flavoring with sea salt & pepper. Serve with the remainder red wine & crusty bread.