Bless Her Heart

Dear Brussels Sprouts Lovers: You were right, I was wrong...

I've spent my entire life loathing brussels sprouts. Every five years or so, I try a new recipe that someone 'highly recommended' but to no avail. They always end up bitter, soggy and too damned cabbagy. The Man and I would swallow down one, maybe two and our severe dislike would be reaffirmed and shelved for another five years.  I've been giving away the brussels sprouts that have been coming in our weekly produce delivery all month....but then a couple of things happened.  First, I kept hearing references to Paul Qui's brussels sprouts recipe at Uchiko.  I was captivated by his talents through the entire season of Top Chef, and was intrigued that so many of my friends, self-declared brussels sprouts haters, seemed to be swayed by the relative simplicity of the recipe at Uchiko.  Then, when we were in North Carolina, we were served a dish of hot, roasted brussels sprouts at my brother-in-law's house.  Our hostess that night, Erica, guided us to seek out the little crispy bits around the edges of the sprouts.  "That's the good stuff, right there...you don't know what you're missing!"  My interest was piqued, and I sought out a crispy-leaved sprout and popped it in my mouth.  I was converted that very second.  Didn't even take a moment to consider or think it over.  It was done.  I am a brussels sprouts lover. A brussels sprouts craver even.  I've realized that like most things, I just needed to leave them alone a bit and let them do their thing.  The simpler the treatment, the yummier the results.  A little salt, pepper and enough slow heat to caramalize the edges of the sprouts is really all you need. I've made them three times since we've been back, and I think I'll make them again tonight for with dinner.  I have a lifetime of sprout hate to make up for. 

Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts

(Adapted from watching Erica in the kitchen)

Preheat oven to 385 degrees

Trim the brussels sprouts and remove any yellow, damaged or discolored leaves.

Toss with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper

Place in a baking dish in a single layer

Bake for 30-45 minutes, removing from the oven every 10 minutes or so to turn the sprouts for even roasting. This can be achieved by simply shaking the baking dish. When they're ready the outermost leaves should be crispy and the sprouts should be tender but not mushy in the middle. Test with a knife at 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and add more salt and pepper to taste.

 

:: 30 Days with a Grateful Heart - Day 12 ::

Day 12 - Time in the Kitchen...

This time of year, when I spend more time in the kitchen cooking and baking for those that I love is so fulfilling to me.  I find myself counting down the days until our winter break, not because I'm tired of work, but because my mind is swirling with all of the things I want to make in the kitchen while we're home for the holidays. I'm grateful that my mama instilled a love of creating beautiful food in me at a young age, and I love that there is always more to learn.

PS.  This is a White Peony Tea GInger Cranberry bark inspired by the winter issue of Imbibe Magazine.  I made this batch for a holiday party. It's super incredibly yummy. If they grant me permission, I'll post the recipe here.

PPS. Today is a double post day.  Lots of gratitudes stacking up around here. :)

Gingerbread Stout Cake

This recipe creates a full-flavored, moist gingerbread cake that pairs perfectly with a cup of Irish Coffee, black tea or a glass of milk. Adapted from America's Test Kitchen.

Gingerbread Stout Cake

Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat the oven to 375 degrees

Pre-grease and flour a 12 cup bundt cake pan

Cake:

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour

2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

16 tbsp unsalted butter

2 tbsp ground ginger

2 tsp groung cinnamon

1 tsp ground allspice

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp finely ground black pepper

4 large eggs, room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

5 tsp peeled and grated fresh ginger

3/4 cup full flavored (not light) molasses

3/4 cup guinness stout

Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl.  In a small saucepan, melt the butter until just bubbling.  Add the ground ginger, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and pepper.  Cook for one minute on low heat, stirring continually.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.

In a large bowl, beat eggs, sugar and freshly grated ginger until thoroughly combined and a little frothy. Mix in melted butter mixture.  Make sure it is cool enough to not cook the eggs mixture.  Add molasses and the stout and mix thoroughly. Gradually add the flour mixture in batches, mixing after each addition.

Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan. Tap the pan around the edges to release any air bubbles.

Bake for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool in pan on a wire rack for 20-25 minutes.  Turn out on the wire rack and allow to cool completely before glazing.

Glaze:

2 cups confectioner's sugar

1/4 cup ginger ale

1 1/4 tsp ground ginger powder

Place confectioner's sugar in a medium bowl.  With a fork, mix in the powdered ginger.  Gradually mix in the ginger ale until the icing reaches the consistency you would like for drizzling.  Using a large spoon, drizzle the icing along the top of the cake.  

 

Blueberry Buttermilk Bundts

Blueberry Buttermilk (Mini) Bundts

Recipe makes 5 mini (5") bundt cakes or one large 12" bundt cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour bundt pans and set aside.

Ingredients:

3 cups flour

1 ½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

¾ tsp salt

 

1 ½ cups of sugar

1 cup softened butter

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp lemon extract

1 1/3 cup buttermilk

1/3 cup sour cream

 

2 tbsp lemon zest 

1 ½ cup of blueberries

1 tsp flour

 

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream the sugar and butter.  Beat in the eggs one at a time. Mix in the extracts. Beat until light and fluffy. 

Add half of the flour mixture, half of the buttermilk and all of the sour cream. Mix until smooth.

Add the remaining flour mixture and buttermilk, mix until smooth.

In a small bowl toss the blueberries, lemon zest and flour. Fold this mixture into the cake batter.

For the mini bundt cakes, bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  For a 12" bundt cake, bake for 65-70 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  In both cases, allow the cakes to cool in pan for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely. 

 

 

Spicy Skillet Roasted Cauliflower

Spicy Skillet Roasted Cauliflower 

 Warning: This makes for some spicy cauliflower.  You can certainly alter the amount of red chiles and Sriracha to match your personal taste.  

Preheat oven to 500 degrees

 

Ingredients:

6 cups Cauliflower Florets (1"- 1 1/2" in size)

2 tbs minced garlic

3 tbs olive oil

2 tbs lemon juice

1/2 tsp Sriracha

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

1/2 tsp salt

black pepper to taste

3 tbs crumbled cotija cheese or grated parmesan

 

Coat the bottom of a large cast iron skillet or baking dish with a bit of the olive oil.  

In a small bowl, whisk together the remainder of the olive oil, lemon juice, and Sriracha. Toss the cauliflower florets with this sauce and then arrange them in a single layer in the skillet.  Sprinkle with the crushed red pepper, salt and black pepper.  

Place the skillet on the top rack of the very hot oven.  Bake for 15 -20 minutes, removing from the oven and turning cauliflower every 5 minutes or so to roast evenly. 

When the cauliflower is nicely browned and cooked to your liking, remove from the oven and sprinkle with the cheese.  Serve warm.

Mrs. Medford's Ginger Creams

Last month we ran away to the beach with one of my besties and her family for a weekend. While the kids were playing cards she whipped out a bag of cookies that her mother had made for them. They were dark and gingery, but light and spongy rather than a typical crunchy Ginger Snap.  Over the course of the next twenty minutes, we devoured them...leaving the kids to pinch the crumbs and fallen icing from the bottom of the bag.  These cookies have haunted me since our little trip away.  I'm a total sucker for a good cookie, but ginger cookies especially. So, I crossed my fingers and called up Jenny to ask her if she thought that her mother might share the recipe.  Not only did her mama oblige, but emailed the recipe within the hour. I know lots of folks who for whatever reason don't share their recipes, so I'm always grateful when people do decide to pass them on. Mrs. Medford not only makes a damn fine cookie, but gives in other ways as well.  She is an accomplished gardener and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. She contributes to their Mr. Smarty Plants column, appearing as a guest on the Wild Flower Hour on KLBJ Radio as well as on Central Texas Gardener on KLRU TV. I love that she shares her knowledge so generously...and lucky for us, she's shared her Ginger Cream Cookie Recipe. The world is a better place now that more people can make these cookies. :)

Mrs. Medford's Ginger Creams

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

 

Ginger Cream Cookies

Wet Ingredients:

1/3 cup shortening

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup molasses

1/2 cup water

Dry ingredients:

2 cups flour

1 tsp ground ginger powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

In a large bowl, mix the shortening and sugar until creamy, then add the egg and mix.  On medium speed, mix in the molasses.  Mix until smooth.  Add water and mix.

In a medium bowl, mix together all of the dry ingredients.

Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just incorporated.

Chill for one hour in the refrigerator.

Drop by teaspoon, a full 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet (I used a parchment lining). Bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes. Remove immediately from baking sheet and allow to cool completely before frosting.  Frost with Vanilla Butter Frosting (recipe below)

Vanilla Butter Frosting

3 tbsp soft margarine 

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp milk

In a medium bowl, adding one ingredient at a time, mix with a small whisk until smooth. 

Millet Muffins with Apple and Sliced Almonds

The one thing about having the kids home during summer break is feeling like they are looking for snack food constantly. My suggestions of "grab an apple" or "how about some nuts?" seem to only get me an eyeroll and a sigh. I realize that they are probably just bored, and are looking for a quick fix of chips or crackers so that they can return to their predictable summer ennui, but I'm feeling like we can't just go all day, every day eating packaged pantry food for snacks. This afternoon I decided that rather than have the constant "I don't feel like eating that" dialogue surrounding my suggestions, I would make muffins.  I know that everyone around here will eat muffins, and I know that I can add all sorts of ingredients so that I feel good about what they're eating. This recipe is amended from the Millet Muffins Recipe in Super Natural Every Day, the latest (superb) cookbook by Heidi Swanson of 101 Cookbooks.  The recipe can also be found in a recipe sampler she published online here. I love the light crunchiness of the millet and the addition of sliced almonds allows me slip in a little extra protein. The amendments to Heidi Swanson's recipe yield about 6 additional muffins, so you'll need an additional pan or to bake in batches.

Millet Muffins with Apple and Sliced Almonds

Amended from Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

Pregrease muffin tins if not using muffin liners.

Makes 18 muffins

 

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup unbleached all purpose flour

1/3 cup millet

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup greek yogurt

2 large eggs, lightly beaten 

1/2 cup melted butter, cooled

2/3 cup honey

zest of one lemon

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 cup apple, peeled and diced

1/3 cup sliced almonds

 

In a large bowl, whisk the flours, millet, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

In a medium bowl, mix together the greek yogurt, eggs, melted butter, honey, lemon zest and lemon juice until thoroughly combined and smooth.  

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just until all of the flour mixture has been incorporated. 

Gently fold the sliced almonds and diced apples into the batter.

Scoop the batter into the muffin tin, 1/4 cup at a time.  I use a 1/4 cup ice cream scoop and the batter is just thick enough that it works great.

Bake for about 15 minutes, rotating the pan/s about halfway through for even baking. Bake until the tops of the muffins are golden and starting to split a bit. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about five minutes in the pan. Turn out the muffins to finish cooling on a wire cooling rack. They are delicious eaten warm with (or without) butter and jam.

 

Peach Bundt Cake with Peach Glaze

Auntie, The Girl and I ventured out into the Texas heat yesterday to make a trip to the Farmers' Market. The market feels so abundant right now.  Every booth is overflowing with all manners of leafy green veggies, summer squash, peppers, tomatoes, herbs and flowers.  I had two main motivators for this trip: 1. Bread and Butter Pickles from Dai Due and 2. Peaches! We're going through Texas peaches over here faster than I can actually catch up with.  Every time I go to bake something up, the bushel on the counter has been depleted.  So, we went the market to try and find some peaches that we could bake up into a cake in the afternoon.  Lucky for us we found baskets of perfectly ripened peaches at the Lightsey Farms booth, where our friend Debi always greets us with her beautiful, beaming smile. We went straight home from the market and got to peeling those peaches.  The girl did most of the peeling, chopping and mixing, which gave me the opportunity to watch her work and take some pictures.  I just can't put into words how much I love watching her confidence in the kitchen.  I take entirely too many pictures of her hands, I think because I'm amazed at how deftly they move through their tasks when we're cooking.  She learns so quickly, and it translates directly to how her hands work...with purpose...I don't know why, but I just find that to be so beautiful.

 


Peach Bundt Cake with Peach Glaze

Pre-butter and sprinkle with flour, One 10" bundt cake pan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cake Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 cup of unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

6 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract

1/2 cup greek yogurt

1/2 cup peach puree (1-2 peaches pureed in blender or food processor)

2 cups peaches, peeled and diced (about 6 peaches)

Glaze Ingredients:

2 cups confectioner's sugar

3-4 tbsp peach juice (strained of any pulp)

1. In a medium bowl, combine sifted flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, lightly beating after the addition of each egg.

3. Add the vanilla and almond exracts and beat.

4. Add the yogurt and peach puree and lightly beat to incorporate.

5. Add the flour mixture in three separate batches, mixing after each addition. 

6. Gently fold in the peaches

7. Pour batter into pre-greased bundt pan, and smooth the top.

8. Place the pan on a baking sheet and bake, rotating the sheet about two-thirds of the way through the baking time, until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 60-70 minutes. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes.  Invert the pan on the rack to turn the cake out; let cool completely on the rack.

9.To make the glaze: In a small bowl, whisk the peach juice into the confectioners' sugar, adding the juice gradually, so that the glaze is just liquid enough to pour easily but still opaque.  Place a sheet pan under the cooling rack.  Spoon the glaze over the cooled cake, allowing the excess to drip onto the baking sheet.  Allow the glaze to cool completely for 30 minutes, then serve.

Chocolate, Chocolate, White "Chocolate" Cookies

Chocolate, Chocolate, White "Chocolate" Cookies

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees

Line baking sheets with parchment or silicone baking mat

Makes between 20-28 cookies depending on the size you choose

 

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups of Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

 

1 cup butter (room temperature but firm)

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup cocoa powder (Natural, Unsweetened)

 

1 cup white chocolate chips

3/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

 

In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda and salt and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugars until creamy.  Beat in the eggs one at a time until incorporated. Add in the vanilla and mix. Beat in the cocoa powder until just mixed.  Add the flour/baking soda/salt mixture slowly and continue to beat on a low speed until you have a thick cookie batter.  With a mixing spoon, fold in the bittersweet and white chocolate chips.

Using a 1/4 cup ice cream scoop or 1/4 cup measuring cup, portion out the dough on to the pre-lined baking sheets.  Flatten the dough mounds a little bit with your finger tips. Make sure to leave ample space between your cookies because they will spread while they're baking.

Bake 10-12 minutes or until a little crispy around the edges.  Remove from oven and place baking sheets on cooling racks for 5 minutes. Transfer the cookies to the wire rack to cool completely.

*Note: If you like your cookies crispier, allow them to bake a few minutes longer.  These are instructions for gooier, chewier cookies.

 

Baked Summer Squash and Tomatoes with Pesto

Last week's basket from Farmhouse Delivery was chocked full of delectable summer vegetables but truthfully, I was feeling a little uninspired by another round of zukes and yellow summer squash. However, one night several of my friends (who also received similar baskets) started Facebook talking about what they were going to do with theirs.  Their dishes sounded so good! Nothing like a little food talk to get re-inspired. I had a little pesto in the fridge and a hunk of gruyere...simple flavors that layer nicely with squashed when baked up together.

Baked Summer Squash and Tomatoes with Pesto

Serves 4 as a side

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Ingredients

1 large zucchini

1 large yellow summer squash

2 medium tomatoes (ripe)

1/3 cup basil pesto

1 cup gruyere - shredded

salt and pepper

Pre-grease the bottom and sides of a 3 quart baking dish with oil, butter or pesto.  Slice the zucchini, yellow summer squash and tomatoes in 1/4" rounds.  Fill the baking dish in single layer, overlapping each row a little bit. Once the baking dish is full brush the tops of the vegetables with pesto. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Spread the gruyere evenly over the vegetables.

Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until the juices are bubbling at the edges and the cheese is a crisp golden brown.  Serve warm.