Cookish Book: Bourbon & Bacon

I received a copy of Southern Living's Bourbon & Bacon: The Ultimate Guide to the South's Favorite Food Groups thanks to a giveaway on For the Love of the South. (Thanks, Amber!) I was surprised by this book in a few ways. It's a nice hardcover (no dust jacket) with lots of color photos, but it's a really handy size (about the size of a large-format paperback book). As soon as I got my hands on it, I thought what a great gift it would make. I several men in my life that I think are difficult to shop for, but this would easily please them, and with the holiday season approaching, I think you should give it a look for the bourbon-lovers in your life. It's really nice to flip through (I've left it on my coffee table since I got it because I really love the book design and I think others would enjoy flipping through it). I'm not a big drinker, but you can't go wrong with bacon, and there are several recipes I want to try: Sticky Bourvbon Toffee Pudding, Turtle Bourbon Pecan Tart, Bacon Popcorn, etc, I think this one might help you check off your gift list!

Cookish: What's for breakfast?

English Muffin Bread!

This bread really does have the bubbled texture of an English muffin and toasts up deliciously without your having to try to shape individual English muffins at home. The rise is not terribly long, so it really is possible to make the same day for breakfast (if you're like me, anyway, and have a husband who sleeps in much later than you do on the weekends!)

Recipe from Cook's Country (episodes of the Cook's Country TV show are now available on Amazon Prime!)

2 1/2 cups bread flour
2 1/4 tsps yeast
1/2 tbs sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups milk, heated to 120 degrees.

Whisk all dry ingredients together, then stir in the milk. Cover the bowl with oiled plastic wrap. Let it rise 30 minutes. Stir the dough and put it in a pan that has been greased and coated with cornmeal. Cover it again with greased plastic and let rise for another 30 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes, rotating halfway.

Cookish: What's for dinner?

This is a really easy and pleasing pasta dish: http://www.bhg.com/recipe/pasta/avocado-basil-pasta/

My adaptations are below:

• 8 ounces dried bow tie and/or wagon wheel pasta
  2 medium avocados, halved, seeded, peeled, and coarsely chopped
  6 slices bacon, crisp cooked, drained, and crumbled
  2/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
  2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
  1/4-1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup finely shredded Pecorino Romano cheese
  2 ears of corn, roasted, kernels cut from cob
  1 small tomato, chopped
  
  
  Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain
  
  
  Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine the rest of the ingredients, except the cheese. Add the hot pasta and toss to combine. Transfer to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with cheese. Makes 4 servings.
  
  

Cookish: What's for dessert?

Almond & Jam Tart-mmmm. http://www.chow.com/recipes/11931-italian-jam-crostata

This recipe is from chow.com and it works really well. It basically produces a giant shortbead cookie with jam and almonds. It reminds me of the Pepperidge farm cookies wih the jam in the middle.

I used plain ol' Smuckers strawberry for this--nothing fancy, though if you had fancy I am sure it would be even better. I did  use a little more than the 1/3 cup they suggest, just to get a nice even layer. It doesn't look like much, but the flavor definitely comes through. enjoy!

Cookish: Snacktime

Guacamole

3 ripe Haas avocados
1/2 medium tomato, chopped
juice of 1/2 lemon
grated onion
salt
pepper
garlic powder

Slice the avocados in half, remove the pit, and spoon the flesh into a bowl. If your avocados are not perfectly ripe, you can chop them, but if they're really ripe, they'll be pretty mashable just as they are. add the lemon juice (you can add more if 1/2 is not enough). Add salt, pepper, and a few shakes of garlic powder (or granulated garlic). Use your microplane grater and grate a couple teaspoons of onion juice in. (You can just add chopped onion, if you like. I don't really like chunks of raw onion, so this is my alternative.) Mash the avocados to the desired consistency and stir in the tomatoes. You can also add a few shakes of Tabasco. Serve with tortilla chips.

Cookish: Dinner time

So, this "recipe" is not really exact. It was more an effort to use up some leftovers from the pasta spinach bake a little while ago. As such, I didn't measure anything, and you could change all of the amounts anyway, depending upon how many you're feeding, so here are just some general guidelines:

Ingredients
Pesto (I used a couple spoonfuls)
Toasted pecans (a handful, broken into pieces or chopped)
Whole wheat pasta (I had less than 1/2 pkg of egg noodles)
Cream cheese (a tablespoon or two, just enough to add some creaminess)
Chicken (I defrosted 3 boneless, skinless tenders)
Peas ( about 1/2 cup)
salt, pepper, red pepper, garlic powder (to taste)

I cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces, seasoned it, and sauteed til cooked through. Meanwhile, I cooked and drained the pasta. Then, I tossed everything together. Easy, tasty!

Cookish: Dinner time

Chicken Tortilla soup

1 28-oz can diced tomatoes, drained, liquid reserved
lemon (you could use lime, I just happened to have lemon)
1/2 onion
2 carrots
2 celery stalks
3 chicken tenders
5 cloves garlic
1 box chicken broth
cumin
chili powder
Sazon seasoning (optional)
salt
pepper
corn
tortilla chips
cheese
jarred jalepenos (reserve 1 tbs of liquid)
avocado
hot sauce, to taste

I've made tortilla soup many times and many different ways. It usually fluctuates based on what I have on hand. Here's what I did this time:

I heated a little oil in a large saucepan and sauteed 1/4 onion, chopped, and 3 whole garlic cloves along with the cumin, chili powder, and sofrito. Meanwhile, I used the tomatoes, remaining 1/2 onion, garlic, jalapenos, and lemon juice to make this salsa.

I added the liquid from the tomatoes, the tbs of jalepeno liquid, and the chicken broth to the pan, and added the carrots and celery. I allowed that to cook for a few minutes and then added the cut-up chicken, 1/4 cup of salsa, and corn. I would also add black beans to this, but I didn't happen to have any. I let that simmer for 15 minutes, added salt and pepper to taste, and voila! To serve, I topped with crushed tortilla chips, cheese, an extra squeeze of lemon, hot sauce,  and diced avocado.

Cookish: Dinnertime

Spinach Pasta bake
Adapted from This Recipe from Rachael Ray Magazine

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 lbs. baby spinach (I used frozen--a bag and a half)
• 4 tbsp. butter
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper
• sprinkle of nutmeg
• 8 oz. wide whole wheat egg noodles
•  Bechamel Sauce (see below)
• 5-6 oz. fresh goat cheese (1 pkg)
• 3 tbsp. prepared pesto
• 1 1/2 cups coarse fresh breadcrumbs

1. Defrost the spinach and squeeze out any moisture. 
2. In a large skillet, melt 2 tbsp. butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and stir until golden, about 1 minute. Stir in the spinach. Season lightly with salt and pepper and nutmeg; remove from the heat.
3. Preheat the oven to 400°. In a large saucepan of boiling, salted water, cook the noodles, stirring often, until al dente. Drain— but do not rinse—and return to the saucepan. Stir in the white sauce to coat.
4. Lightly grease an 8-inch square glass baking dish. Layer in half of the noodles and press with a spatula. Dot with half of the goat cheese, spread the spinach on top and press down. Stir 3 tbsp. pesto into the remaining noodles and spoon over the spinach. Dot with the remaining cheese. Cover snugly with foil and bake until hot and bubbling, about 35 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt the remaining 2 tbsp. butter over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs and cook, stirring, until golden and crisp, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. sprinkle  the crumbs on the baked pasta.
   Note: I think you could just use some panko and brown the top of the casserole with the crumbs on at the end of baking. I did like the fresh crumbs--I'd suggest adding them directly to each serving, and storing any extra in a ziploc outside of the fridge so they don't get soggy. 
   
   
   Bechamel
   • 2 tbsp. butter
   • 1 finely chopped shallot
   • 1/4 cup flour
   • 2 cups milk, warmed
   • 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
   • Salt and pepper

   DIRECTIONS:

   1. Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour for 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in warm milk; bring to boil and cook for 2 minutes, whisking constantly. Remove from heat and stir in parmesan and 1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper.

Cookish: Snacktime

I call this recipe Crack Corn, though Paula Deen has her own name for it. Click here for Paula Deen's caramel corn recipe

The recipe works really well. You need about 8 quarts of popped corn. I pop 3 bags of light butter microwave popcorn, because it is easy. I usually use 2 1/2 bags of it, approximately, which is a little less than 8 quarts, but it works out well. I also usually add some peanuts when I have them on hand. Fair warning: only make this when you have a crowd coming over. It's virtually impossible to stop eating this, so you really don't want to be the only one in the house--this is not exactly health food, folks.

Cookish: Something Sweet

It's fall; time for caramel apples! I adapted the recipe from Chow: http://www.chow.com/recipes/12223-basic-caramel-apple. Sorry for the odd measurements; I cut the recipe in half and had to make some substitutions due to what I had on hand.


INGREDIENTS

• 4 large apples
• 4 chopsticks or craft sticks
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 7/8 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup  corn syrup
• 1/8 cup molasses
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Wash the apples under hot water to get off any wax coating, then dry thoroughly. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside. Set the apples stem side up, and push the sticks down into the apple cores; set aside. Prepare an ice water bath by filling a bowl halfway with ice and water.
2. Combine the remaining ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook until the mixture registers 250°F on a candy thermometer, about 10 minutes. [I lost my candy thermometer, so I just went with the ice bath test: http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/candy/sugar-stages.html You're looking for "firm ball" stage.) Immediately dip the bottom of the saucepan in the ice water bath and let it chill until the bubbles have subsided, about 1 minute. Stir until stiff caramel from the bottom is incorporated into the warm caramel on top. Remove from the water bath.
3. Dip the apples one at a time into the caramel, rotating once to coat 3/4 of the way up the sides. Lift the apple straight up from the caramel, letting the excess drip back into the pot until the drips have slowed, about 10 to 15 seconds. Flip the apple so the stem is facing downward and let the caramel set, about 10 to 15 seconds more. Place on the prepared baking sheet, stem side up, and repeat with the remaining apples. (If the caramel gets too hard to coat the apples well, set the pan over low heat and rewarm, stirring constantly, until the caramel is loose and pourable.)
4. Refrigerate the apples until set, at least 10 minutes. The apples can be made and stored in the refrigerator up to 1 day in advance.

NOTE: I was taking these to a party, so I wanted slices instead of the whole apples. First, I cut the apple and dipped just the slices. Don't do this. The caramel only sticks to the peel, not the inner part of the apple. So, dip the whole apple, and then slice it. That's your best bet. 

Cookish: Something Sweet

Sorry for the lack of posts lately! Life has been very busy. But I have a special treat for you. Do you (like me) love Girl Scout cookies? Of course you do. And are Samoas your favorite? Of course they are; you have good taste. Do yourself a favor and make these: http://bakingbites.com/2009/02/homemade-girl-scout-cookies-samoas-bars/

It's really pretty simple and the result is delicious! (I know, I made them last night.) They recommended dipping the bottoms in chocolate as well as drizzling on top, which is probably the better way to do it, but I'm lazy. I just did the drizzle--delish!

Cookish: What's for lunch?

Continuing with lunches to take to work or school, here's a dish that can be eaten hot or cold.

Peanut/Sesame Noodles
Ingredients
2 tbs peanut butter
1 tbs tahini
2 tbs soy sauce
1/4 tsp chili garlic sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1 tbs rice vinegar
1 tbs honey
1/2 pkg whole wheat spaghetti
up to 1 cup pasta cooking water
1-1 1/2 cups shredded chicken
1 pkg broccoli slaw
sesame seeds

Mix the first 9 ingredients together for the sauce. Boil the noodles, setting aside 1 cup of the boiling water before draining. Toss the pasta, chicken, and broccoli slaw together. Add enough water to the sauce to make it the consistency of heavy cream. Toss with the other ingredients. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and eat, or refrigerate for lunch the next day.

Cookish: What's for Lunch?

Well, I am back in school now, so I have been looking for things to make for lunch that are good to eat cold or room temperature (access to a microwave is now limited for me!). One of the first things I went to was pasta salad: easy to put together and eat for a week. Here is the latest incarnation:

Ingredients

2 ears of corn, roasted my favorite way, kernels cut off the cob

1 large, ripe tomato, chopped

1 can black beans, rinsed

sliced carrots

1/2 box rotini pasta, cooked & cooled

tomatillo salsa, to taste (1/4-1/2 cup)

salt & pepper

Toss all of the ingredients together and there you go! You can certainly add onions if you are a fan. I don't even really like tomatoes, but since I was going for a quasi-Mexican dish, I figured they were appropriate, and they really were delicious.

Cookish: What's for dessert?

Oh yes, these happened. I call these SugarBomb Cupcakes. These are the Chocolate, Peanut Butter Cookie Dough, Toasted Marshmallow Cupcakes from Joy the Baker. Her photos are much better than mine--go check them out. Also, I had an issue with the frosting. You'll see that hers stays in a nice swirl. Mine started in a swirl, but quickly collapsed. Once you toast them, they form a crust on top, so they don't drip anymore, but it was impossible to frost them and get them in the oven before the swirl collapsed. I'm not sure why. I don't have an electric stand mixer, so I put the whisk attachment on my hand mixer, and it took much longer than 5 minutes, and maybe I should have beaten it even more. The whisk is definitely smaller than the one on a stand mixer, so maybe it didn't incorporate the air as quickly? They were still delicious, but I wanted them to look like Joy's! And they are a LOT of sugar. Next time, I think I will do the cupcakes with the frosting and leave out the cookie dough. And beat the frosting longer, maybe with the regular hand mixer beaters and not the whisk attachment. The cupcakes are awesomely decadent and impressive, though. Highly recommended!

Cookish: What's for dinner?

Thai Noodle Bowl with Shrimp

*adapted from Rachael Ray Magazine

Ingredients

• 4 oz. rice noodles
• 1 can (13.5 oz.) coconut milk
• 1 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tbsp. thai green curry paste
• 1 lb. peeled, deveined medium shrimp, cut in half
• 1 pkg of stir-fry veggies*
  hot sauce to taste
• Salt and pepper
• Cilantro and lime wedges for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook noodles; drain. In same pot, bring 1 cup water, coconut milk, soy sauce and curry paste to a simmer. Add veggies and shrimp and cook until shrimp are opaque and veggies are crisp-tender. I cut the shrimp in half to make them cook faster and make it seem like there are more shrimp! (but you can leave them whole if you prefer.) Season with salt and pepper and hot sauce. Divide noodles among bowls and ladle soup on top. Garnish with cilantro and lime wedges.

   *I used a package from the refrigerated section that contained broccoli slaw, sugar snap peas, carrots, and broccoli. But you can use any veggies you like.

Cookish: Party Time

Desserts at my cousin's bridal shower

I threw a bridal shower for my cousin J. We were going for finger food, so cake balls seemed like the perfect dessert. This was my first time making them, and they were a huge hit!

I got the recipe from Bakerella. It's a box of cake mix and a tub of frosting and some coating. Ooh, tough, right? ;) I used red velvet cake + cream cheese frosting + white coating and chocolate cake + chocolate frosting + chocolate coating. I purchased CandiQuick candy coating to coat the cake balls. It worked okay, but here's the thing: it's not less expensive than chocolate chips, you'll need more than one package, it's not that easy to work with, and it doesn't taste that good. SO, when I ran out of coating, I melted some white chocolate chips with some vegetable oil (per package directions). Worked like a charm. Easier to work with and hardened up just fine.

These are so easy. Do yourself a favor and make some!

Cookish: Side Dish!

Corn.

'Tis the season, folks. Let's not get into how corn is in nearly EVERY SINGLE THING we eat and is kind of evil...fresh corn on the cob is still delish.

My new favorite way to cook it? Courtesy of Tyler Florence.

You just stick the cobs in their husks in the oven and roast away. That's it. No boiling a pot of water. You don't even need a pan, people. It's a beautiful thing.

It comes out so delicious. You can make yourself a fancy compound butter, or use some lime and chile, or just slap some butter on there and eat it. Use the husk as the holder once you peel it back.

That, my friends, is the taste of summer.

Cookish: What's for dessert?

This recipe is slightly adapted from SmittenKitchen. If you do not currently read that blog, please do. Deb is fantastic, and I completely trust her recipes.

Deb's recipe is for a 9-in tart pan. I adapted it for my 11-in tart. I did not increase the filling, so mine is not as full as hers, but I liked the filling-crust ratio.

Crust:

42 gingersnap cookies, coarsely broken
1/3 cup salted butter, melted

Filling:
1 10-oz bag, plus 1/4 cup, Nestle dark chocolate chips
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 large egg yolks
1 large egg
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbs all purpose flour
1/8 tsp ground black pepper

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
Pinch of salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon

For crust:Preheat oven to 325°F. Finely grind gingersnap cookies in processor. Add melted butter and process until moistened. Press crumb mixture firmly onto bottom and up sides of 11-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom.Use a measuring cup or glass to help press in the crust. Place pan on rimmed baking sheet.

For filling:
Combine chocolate and heavy whipping cream in heavy medium saucepan. Whisk over low heat until chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove saucepan from heat. Whisk egg yolks, egg, sugar, flour,and spices in medium bowl to blend. Very gradually whisk chocolate mixture into egg mixture until smooth and blended. Pour chocolate filling into crust.

Bake chocolate tart until filling puffs slightly at edges and center is softly set, about 20 minutes. Transfer to rack. Cool tart in pan 20 minutes. Gently remove tart pan sides and cool tart completely.

Cut tart into thin wedges and serve. Delish!

Cookish: What's for dinner/party?

The following is adapted from This Recipe on CookingandMe.com.

Chickpea Patties

(I am reluctant to call these falafel because they didn't really have the texture I associate with Falafel. I think that is because falafel is made with chickpea flour, but I am not sure.)

Makes 16-20 small-ish patties

Ingredients:
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder1/2 tsp chilli powder
4-5 cloves minced or crushed garlic
small bunch parsley, chopped
1/2 medium onion, chopped
juice from 1/2 lemon
3 tbsp plain flour + more for dredging
Salt to taste

Oil for pan-frying

Transfer the drained chickpeas with rest of the ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth and dry. You should be able to shape them easily into small discs. If the mixture is too moist or sticky at this stage, add more flour. Mine stayed kind of loose and I was not sure how they would fry up, so I scooped small balls with my cookie scoop and rolled in flour before flattening into patties, but next time I think I might just add more flour when blending.

Preheat your oil. Deep-frying frightens me a bit, so I just pan-fried, adding a good bit of oil to the pan and frying one side, then flipping and frying on the other. Drain on paper towels and serve with Tzatziki sauce (see below)

These were pretty good, but I would have liked them a bit firmer and with a bit more zip. I think I will add some cayenne or more chili powder next time. I am also curious if I could bake them instead of frying.

Tzatziki sauce (adapted from this recipe on allrecipes.com)

• 32 ounces plain yogurt
• 1 large cucumber, peeled, deseeded, and shredded
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• salt to taste

Place a strainer lined with a paper towel over a small bowl. Place yogurt in the strainer and drain at least two hours (up to overnight). Peel the cucumber, cut in half, and use a spoon to scrape out seeds. Grate on the medium holes on a box grater. squeeze out the liquid before adding to the yogurt with the other ingredients. Enjoy!

Cookish: What's for dinner?

Spinach and mushroom quiche

1 pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and liquid squeezed out

1/2 pkg (4 oz) mushrooms, chopped

2 cloves garlic

oil

salt

pepper

5 eggs

1 cup milk (I used 1/3 heavy cream and 2/3 skim milk, because I needed to use up the heavy cream, but use what you have)

1/2 cup-1 cup mozzarella cheese (or shredded cheese of your choice)

parmesean cheese, for sprinkling on top

1 pie crust.

You'll need these

And this.

Blind bake your pie crust at 375 for about 20 minutes.

This picture should be rotated the other way. It is a pie crust filled with pie weights for blind baking. (I use dried black beans as pie weights--just don't try to cook them after!)

While this is baking, saute the mushrooms and garlic, adding the defrosted spinach when the mushrooms are nearly done. Season with salt and pepper.

Saute it up!

Mix up 5 eggs and milk.

Can't make quiche without breaking eggs.

Add cheese to egg and milk mixture.

Remove crust from oven. Add mushrooms and spinach.

Pour eggs on top. Sprinkle with parm.

Turn oven down to 350 and return quiche to oven.

Bake about 30 minutes or until center is set; Eat up!