Day 88 - Popovers

     It's been brought to my attention that some people are trying to leave comments, but I am not receiving them. Please make sure when you do post a comment that you scroll down to the bottom of the day's post and where it says 0 comments or 2 comments, click that.  'Post a comment' will come up.  Enter your comment in the box then you can preview it or post it.  You'll be asked to "Comment as:______ and pick an account or set one up if you don't already have one.  It's really pretty simple.  Also, you will have to type in a security word for spam purposes, and I moderate all comments before they are posted.  It sounds complicated, but I gave you play by play instructions.  This is important because of my upcoming announcement.  (DRUMROLL!)  In celebration of my 100th day of baking, I will be doing a giveaway here on the blog!  So, stay tuned for rules and requirements.
     I hope everyone had a wonderful, blessed Easter and were able to spend it with family and friends!  If you didn't celebrate it, I hope you had a really wonderful weekend and were able to spend it with people you really love and care about. 
     We had a quiet one here.  Yes, the Easter Bunny brought some treats to the teenagers, and brought an extra Cadbury Creme Egg for mom (I'm looking forward to when they go on sale tomorrow!).  Since our daughter was heading back to college today, I decided I'd surprise the kids and make them the strawberry (of course, strawberry!  It seems like those and lemons are really the only fruits I make things with.) blintzes they love so much.  It requires a good 2-3 hours of prep work between making the crepes, filling, and frying, but it's well worth it and I only do it 3 times a year at the most for those "special occasions".  I started putting all the ingredients together before the three of them woke up.  As they walked into the kitchen at separate times they saw that I was busy, but never even put two and two together or asked what I was doing which was odd, but I like flying under the radar.  So, the look on my son's face was priceless when I told him I was making them!  His jaw dropped, his eyes were huge and he was speechless.  He then ran over to me professing his love for his mother and wouldn't stop hugging.  It was very funny.  His sister just kept looking at him as if he'd lost it.
     Since it was a long morning in the kitchen, and I'm starting to feel feverish again (really thought I was kicking this bug), I decided to take it easy on the baking today and made popovers to go with the tri tip roast we had for dinner.  Having never made them before, I imagined that they'd bake up pretty high and would be delicious like the Yorkshire Pudding I had made years ago.  I found this recipe in my New Doubleday Cookbook, p. 662; authors, Jean Anderson and Elaine Hanna; publisher, Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc.; ISBN 0-385-19577-X.

     Popovers - makes 6

     1 cup sifted flour
     ½ teaspoon salt
     ¾ cup milk
     ¼ cup cold water
     2 eggs

     Preheat oven to 450ºF.
     Beat all ingredients in a small bowl with a rotary beater until just smooth.  Scrape bottom of bowl with a rubber spatula once or twice during beating. 

     Spoon into a well-greased muffin tin, filling each cup two-thirds.

Ok, not two-thirds, more like really close to the rim!

     Bake 40 minutes until well browned, puffed, and firm.

     (Note:  For dry, crisp popovers, bake 35 minutes, quickly cut a small slit in the side of each popover so steam can escape, and bake 5-10 minutes longer.)

     Serve immediately with plenty of butter.

With butter...YUM!!!

     I didn't use a small bowl or a rotary beater.  I used my Kitchen-Aid which worked just fine.  My rotary is making funny noises and me thinks it's time to retire it, especially since with funny noises comes a certain burning smell.  I filled the muffin tin just below the rim as you can see in the picture, and still had some batter left over, but I didn't want to completely fill them.  Also, I baked them for 35 minutes, thought they were becoming too brown, put a slice in the top (because I can't follow directions) and left them in for only another 5 minutes.
     We thought these were really good and earned 3½ rolling pins!   My rating system is on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best.  My husband didn't like the fact that they didn't have much flavor, but they're to accompany a meal and complement it, not detract from it.  They were really tasty plain, but quite delicious with the butter.   
     Happy baking!

Day 50 - St. Patrick's Day Cupcakes

          We aren't Irish here, but since my daughter was going to a party at a friend's house and needed to bring some food with green to share, I figured I'd make some cupcakes.  I had high expectations - thought they would look picture perfect when they were sliced in half, that they would taste unlike anything anyone has ever eaten, that the frosting would be delicious and fluffy, and that it would sit atop the cupcake with a perfect swirl.  My husband is always telling me to go into everything with no expectations, especially when it comes to our childrens' athletic activities.  That way I'm not emotionally attached to the outcome, say of a baseball game should there be a loss, and there are no disappointments.  I suppose expectations could apply to cupcakes, too.  But I've watched 'Cupcake Wars' and that other show, 'DC Cupcakes' (I think), and they almost always have perfectly tasting and looking cupcakes.  Ok, I know they do this for a living and they are masters in their craft, but why can't I know exactly how to do everything right the first time I try it?  It's not too much to ask, is it?

     I adapted recipes from two cookbooks for this; one for the cupcake itself and one for the frosting.  The cupcake recipe came out of The New Doubleday Cookbook, p. 802; authors, Jean Anderson and Elaine Hanna; publisher, Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc.; ISBN 0-385-19577-X.  The frosting recipe was from The Fannie Farmer Cookbook, Thirteenth Edition, p. 602; author, Marion Cunningham; publisher, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., a division of Random house, Inc.; ISBN 0-394-56788-9.

     Basic White Cupcakes - will make 18 cupcakes

     2½ cups sifted cake flour

     1 tablespoon baking powder

     ½ teaspoon salt

     2/3 cup butter 

     1½ cups sugar

     1 teaspoon vanilla

     3/4 cup milk

     4 egg whites, at room temperature

     green food coloring

     muffin cups

    

     Preheat oven to 375ºF.

     Sift flour with baking powder, and salt, and set aside.  Cream butter until light, gradually add 1¼ cups sugar, continuing to cream until fluffy.  Add vanilla and at a low speed, mix in dry ingredients alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry and adding about one third of the total at a time.  In a separate bowl beat egg whites until frothy, slowly add remaining sugar, and beat to very soft peaks.  Fold into batter just until blended.

                                        

  Spoon one third of the batter into another bowl.  Add 5 drops of food coloring.  Mix until well combined.  If a darker green is desired, add more food coloring by drops of two, and then mix thoroughly.  Repeat if necessary.  Drop one tablespoonful of white batter into each muffin cup.  Smooth flat with a knife.  Drop one tablespoonful of green batter gently on top of white, being careful not to mix the two colors together.  Smooth out the green with a separate knife.  On top of the green batter, gently drop one tablespoonful of white batter.  Smooth flat with a knife. 



Third layer of batter added; white on top of green.

Muffin cups should be 3/4 full.  Place cupcakes in oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until tops are a little golden brown or an inserted toothpick comes out dry.  Cool on wire racks and cool completely before frosting.

     Seven Minute Peppermint Frosting
( Just so you know, I definitely made adaptations to this frosting recipe which I suggest you DO NOT follow because they don't work.  Below is the exact recipe as it is in the book.  I'll share my mistakes at the end.)
    
     1½ cups sugar
     ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
     1/8 teaspoon salt
     2 egg whites
     ¼ cup water
     ½ teaspoon peppermint extract

     Mix sugar, cream of tartar, salt, egg whites, and water in a pot or bowl over simmering water.  Beat steadily over low heat with a rotary or electric hand beater until the frosting stands in peaks, about 5-7 minutes, no more.  Remove from heat and continue to beat until thick enough to spread.  Add the peppermint extract before spreading.

Yes, those are white chocolate morsels you see in there with all the other ingredients.

     I really wanted some peppermint white chocolate frosting on these babies.  Yeah,... no.  My frosting definitely didn't turn out the way I had expected it to.  It may have been the 1 cup of white chocolate morsels I put in the pan over the heat with the other ingredients or it may have been that I left out ½ cup of sugar only because I ran out (duh! who runs out of sugar during a 365 day baking challenge?!).  I also thought that not having that ½ cup of sugar wasn't going to make that much of a difference because I had added the chips and thought the sugar should be decreased anyway.  What a mess.  I cannot tell you how frustrated I was becoming.  At the end of 5 minutes over the heat, the frosting was runny, and not peaking as it should have been.  It wasn't anywhere close.  So, do I add powdered sugar, flour, or cornstarch to thicken it?  I had NO idea.  The powdered sugar seemed the most logical, but I really didn't think I needed to add anymore sweetness and was nervous about that powdered sugary taste.  The flour and cornstarch?  Looking at other frosting recipes, I didn't see one that contained either of those.  So, the most logical thing to me?  Add a WHOLE container of Betty Crocker White Whipped Frosting!!  WOO HOO!!  No, I'm not saying woo hoo because it worked (remember, we people from New England can be very sarcastic at times).  My frosting adaptations can be labeled as another 365 day mishap (how many am I up to now?).  Oh well, I guess if you don't make mistakes, you can't learn from them.  I'm just extremely disappointed what I didn't learn from this was how to fix the frosting.  Adding a can of ready-made frosting didn't do it, but I have to admit, it did make it a little less runny.  You can see from the picture that the frosting is flat on top of the cupcake.  Oh well, c'est la vie!  They still tasted good.

     The inside of the cupcakes were cool, but they didn't turn out the way I had them pictured in my head.  Yes, I am my worst critic and a perfectionist, I suppose.  My kids liked them and the feedback from my daughter's party was good.  I'll get there.  It's just going to take practice and patience.

     My rating system is on a scale of 1-4 with four being knock-your-socks-off delicious.  These St. Patrick's Day cupcakes were given a 3 rolling pin rating despite the flat frosting.  It still tasted good, more pepperminty than chocolaty.  So, save yourself some trouble, and use the recipe for the frosting as I posted it or... you can always use the canned kind, too.

     Happy baking!

Day 49 - Fudgy Peppermint White Chip Marshmallow Brownies

          I went to the Body World exhibit today with my daughters and found it very fascinating.  I've always been amazed by the human body and the intricacies of it.  If I didn't become so light-headed from hearing of people's pain and the sight of blood, I might have had a career in the medical field.  Then again, I always wanted to be dressed for work in a really nice suit and have a huge corporate corner office in Manhattan, too.  Anyway, while going through the sections of the exhibit, there were quotes on display, and this one really resonated with me:

 "We don't see things as they are.  We see things as we are."

The Talmud

With so much of our upbringing and outside influences clouding our views, it becomes impossible to see the truth in things.  Consequently, we each have our own beliefs as to what is or isn't true.  People experiencing the same situation will each come away with a different version of what happened and their own point of view.  Just something to think about as you're washing dishes today.

     Well, I have to tell you, those fudgy peppermint white chip marshmallow brownies were truly chocolaty.   And yes, these are a mouthful to say and a mouthful to eat.  I adapted the recipe from The New Doubleday Cookbook, p. 849; authors, Jean Anderson and Elaine Hanna; publisher, Doubleday, a division of Random House; ISBN 0-385-19577-X.  I saw the recipe for Fudgy Saucepan Brownies and decided that I needed to give them some ompf!

     Fudgy Peppermint White Chip Marshmallow Brownies

     3/4 cup butter or margarine
     4 (1-ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
     1 teaspoon peppermint extract
     2 cups sugar
     4 eggs
     1½ cups unsifted flour
     ½ teaspoon salt
     1½ teaspoons vanilla
     1 cup white chocolate chip morsels
     1 cup miniature marshmallows

     Preheat oven to 375ºF.  Grease a 9" X 9" X 2" pan.
     Melt butter and chocolate in a medium saucepan over lowest heat.  Add peppermint extract.

  Pour mixture into mixing bowl.  Mix in remaining ingredients in order listed, beating well after each addition.

  Pour batter into pan and bake for 40 minutes. 

Cool pan of brownies to room temperature and cut into 16 squares.

      My rating system is on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the absolute BEST!  The family and I decided that these should receive a 3 rolling pin rating.  I must tell you that I have to disagree with my husband and son who said they were dry.  I find that very bizarre because mine was not dry at all.  I have absolutely no idea why they thought that.  I was thinking these couldn't be any more moist.  Can't you see in the picture how moist they are?  Weird!  I was really glad that I added the mint.  It was subtle, but tasty.  The marshmallows...well, they were another story.  They disappeared.  The kids asked me a few times, "Where are the marshmallows?".  They must've melted and made the brownies chewier and sweeter.  You have my permission to leave them out because I don't really think using them made much of a difference anyway.  I really liked the brownies and there are a few still left, but tomorrow I will show restraint and not nibble their edges or be sucking up the crumbs.
     Happy baking!
 
 

Day 47 - Lemon Chess Pie

          In honor of Pi (pie) Day, it is only fitting that today's recipe should be a pie.  I didn't even know until last week that there was such a thing; pi day, not pie, silly (that I'm well aware of!).  My son came home with a field trip form saying his 8th grade class was going to the park to celebrate it last Friday.  A math field trip of course, and that they would be eating pizza (pies), and different kinds of pie.  They were also going to do some different pi type events, such as finding the circumference of the park.  Needless to say, the boy wasn't that excited about it, but it turned out to be a beautiful day and he was outside instead of inside a classroom which I'm sure was a plus. 
I did a little research on good ol' Wikipedia to find more about March 14.  Gee, Pi Day today, the Ides of March tomorrow, St. Patrick's Day on the 17th and Poultry Day on the 19th, who can handle it?

Pi Day is a holiday commemorating the mathematical constant π (pi). Pi Day is celebrated on March 14 (or 3/14 in month/day date format), since 3, 1 and 4 are the three most significant digits of π in the decimal form. In 2009, the United States House of Representatives supported the designation of Pi Day.^[2]

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I wonder if Hallmark sells cards for Pi Day, too?

    

     I made a lemon chess pie and also made the crust from scratch.  This one comes from The New Doubleday Cookbook, p.766, 783; authors, Jean Anderson and Elaine Hanna; publisher, Doubleday, a division of Random House; ISBN 0-385-19577-X.

     Lemon Chess Pie

    

     1 recipe Flaky Pastry I

     Flaky Pastry I

     1¼ cups sifted flour

     ½ teaspoon salt

     1/3 cup vegetable shortening or lard, chilled

     ¼ cup ice water

      Place flour and salt in a shallow mixing bowl and cut in shortening with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal.  Sprinkle water over surface, 1 tablespoon at a time, and mix in lightly and quickly with a fork, just until the pastry holds together.  Shape gently into a ball on a lightly floured pastry cloth, then flatten into a circle about 1" thick, evening up the rough edges.  Using a lightly floured, stockinette-covered rolling pin, and short, firm strokes, roll into a circle about 3" larger than the pan you plan to use.  To transfer pastry to pan, lay rolling pin across center of pastry circle, fold half of pastry over pin and ease into pan; press lightly.  Seal any cracks or holes by pressing dampened scraps of pastry on top.  Trim pastry so it hangs evenly 1" over rim, roll overhang under even with rim and crimp or flute.

    

                                         

     Filling

     1½ cups sugar

     2 tablespoons flour

     Finely grated rind of 2 lemons

     5 eggs

     Juice of 2 lemons

     1/3 cup melted butter or margarine

    

     Preheat oven to 325ºF.  Make pastry as directed and fit into a 9" pie pan; do not bake.  Mix sugar, flour, and rind.

Then beat in eggs, one at a time.  Stir in lemon juice and finally the melted butter, adding a bit at a time and beating well after each addition.  Pour filling into pie shell and bake about 1 hour until puffy and golden (filling will seem unset). 

Cool pie to room temperature (filling will settle and thicken).  Serve at room temperature.

     I have to say that everybody loved this!  My rating system is from 1-4 with 4 being the best and this lemon chess pie earned a rating of 3½ rolling pins.  It was deliciously lemony.  It had just the right amount of tartness to go with the perfect amount of sweetness and reminded me of lemon meringue pie without the meringue.  Oh, and by the way,  I didn't use the stockinette-covered rolling pin.  My regular lightly floured one worked just fine.

     Happy baking!

Day 45 - Apple Oatmeal Bars

     I laughed a lot today.  Life is good.  I have all three of my children at home for a week.  I can't possibly imagine what it will be like when it is just me and my hubby in the home alone (oh, and the dog, and my sous chef cat).  I will definitely miss all of it, even the arguments.  They are growing up so quickly.
     Today it's Apple-Oatmeal the New Doubleday Cookbook, p. 852; authors, Jean Anderson and Elaine Hanna; publisher, Doubleday, a division of Random House; ISBN, 0-385-19577-X.

     Apple Oatmeal Bars

     1 cup sifted flour
     ½ teaspoon salt
     ½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
     1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
     1 cup uncooked quick-cooking oatmeal

     Filling
     2½ cups finely chopped or thinly sliced, peeled apples
     ¼ cup sugar
     ¼ teaspoon nutmeg

     Preheat oven to 400ºF.
     Sift flour with salt and add brown sugar. 

Using a pastry blender, cut in 1/3 cup butter until the size of small peas; mix in oatmeal.  Pack half the mixture into a well greased 9" x 9" x 2" pan; top with apples and sprinkle with sugar and nutmeg. 

Dot with remaining butter and cover with remaining oatmeal mixture, pressing down lightly.  Bake 45-50 minutes until tan on top.  Cool upright in pan on a wire rack and cut into bars.

 

     The rating system on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best is what I use for my recipes.  The family has discussed and decided these were worth a 2.  The bars were just kind of ok.  Unfortunately, there was no wow factor.

     Happy baking!

Day 41 - Shepherd's Pie

     (Just so you know, I'm having font issues.  I wanted to use a different font for the recipe, but it is a heck of a lot smaller than I'd like it to be because I can barely read it.  I attempted to fix it, but have not had much luck because it just reverts to what I originally used.  Now I'm frustrated and I'm going to bed.)
     P90X this morning - the cardio DVD.  Well, after I became motivated enough to do it and stopped putting it off, I started it around 11:00, but it was technically still morning.  At times, I wasn't really enjoying myself, especially the two times I really thought I was going to pass out. Seriously.  I have to admit though, I am very glad that I did it.  Now I could use a nap.
    
Tonight's dinner is from The New Doubleday Cookbook, p.176; authors, Jean Anderson and Elaine Hanna; publisher, Doubleday, a division of Random House; ISBN 0-385-19577-X. 
     I make this dish at least two, if not three times a month.  The family likes it a lot, especially the two boys (my husband and son) because it is a really good meat and potatoes dish.
  I found this on http://www.whatscookingamerica.net/ regarding the history of the Shepherd's Pie in the 17th century,

English women were baking pies long before the settlers came to America. The pie was an English specialty that was unrivaled in other European cuisines. Two early examples of the English meat pies were shepherd's pie and cottage pie. Shepherd's pie was made with lamb and vegetables, and the cottage pie was made with beef and vegetable.   Both are topped with potatoes.

     Shepherd's Pie
     1 large yellow onion, peeled and chopped fine
     1 sweet green pepper, cored, seeded, and coarsely chopped (optional)
     2 tablespoons beef or bacon drippings or cooking oil
     1¼ pounds ground chuck
     1 beef bouillon cube
     ½ cup boiling water
     1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water
     1¼ teaspoons salt
     ¼ teaspoon pepper
     1 tablespoon steak sauce
     3 cups hot seasoned mashed potatoes


     Preheat oven to 400ºF.  Saute onion and green pepper in drippings in a large skillet over moderate heat 10 minutes until onion is golden.  Add beef and saute, breaking meat up with a spoon, about 10 minutes, until lightly browned; drain off fat as it accumulates. 


Boiling potatoes and browning the meat with the onion and green pepper.

Dissolve bouillon cube in water, add to cornstarch mixture, then stir into skillet along with salt, pepper and steak sauce.  Heat, stirring, 1-2 minutes.  Spoon into an ungreased 1½-quart casserole,

spread potatoes over surface and roughen with a fork.

(Note:  Recipe may be prepared to this point ahead of time, cool, cover, and chill.  Bring to room temperature before proceeding.) 
Bake, uncovered, 25-30 minutes, then broil 4" from heat 2-3 minutes to brown.

     I confess.  That biscuit you see on the plate is not something I baked.  I feel very guilty about that because I'm doing a baking blog and I go out and by Pillsbury Grands.  I had a recipe out so that I could make some homemade biscuits, but then I started digging through my coupons and planning today's shopping trip and that took longer than I expected.  It was well worth it though;  I went to the store with $111.00 cash and my total came to $112.41, so I had to use my debit for that $1.41.  I saved $158.09 - 59%!  I suppose this could've gone on my couponing page, but I'm here, so this is where it is.

     I have to say that the pictures don't really do the dinner justice.  It is a lot tastier than it appears to be.  I like to add about a 1½ tablespoons of A1 Steak Sauce even though it only calls for 1.  It definitely adds more flavor.  I also put about 3/4 cup shredded cheddar/monterey cheese into the potatoes when I'm seasoning those.  It was greasier tonight; more so than usual because I mistakenly picked up 85% lean ground beef instead of the 90%-95% I normally buy. 

     I have a rating system of 1-4 with 4 being the best.  The rating for the Shepherd's Pie:  3½ rolling pins.  There is never that much of this left over when I make it, but if there happens to be, it's even better the next day as leftovers. 

     Happy baking!