Bless Her Heart

Favorite Thing :: Our Zoku

For the most part, I've long since given up buying gimmicky kitchen gadgets.  I've learned to save my pennies for the better knife instead of the 'world's most perfect plastic garlic mincer'.  At first blush, the Zoku can seem like another superfluous kitchen took, and Lord knows I've bought my share of new fangled popsicle makers in all shapes and sizes over the years. I started seeing it show up in my favorite eye-candy kitchen catalogs a couple of years ago.  The price scared me off on more than one occasion.  I'm not gonna lie, these suckers are pricey.  Then last summer I got a gift card to one of the aforementioned kitchen stores for my birthday. I'll admit, I was swayed by the pretty pictures in the idea book...and hey...gift card...it's like free money, right? I had nothing to lose.  I bought the one that makes 3 popsicles for my birthday and The Girl loved it so much that we got her an individual one for Christmas.  That way we could remove the big one from the freezer during the months that we're not baking alive in the Texas heat. She makes them almost daily, but none of the rest of us feel the need to when the weather is mellow.  We've reached ridiculous temperatures this week, so we'll be swapping back out for the big one this weekend. The only downside of the Zoku is that it has to freeze for 24 hours before you can use it, so when we swap 'em out, The Girl will have to go a day without her afternoon homemade popscicle.  First World Problem. I know. I also know that I have friends that wanna know what the big deal is about this thing...and they're wondering if it's worth the chunk of change. Well. It's summer y'all...in TEXAS...and your kids can make their own. damn. popsicles.  In the amount of time it takes them to have a ridiculous argument with their sibling, or run through the sprinkler 3 times, or tell you how boredhotboredtiredhungrybored they are, they can go to the refrigerator, get out the juice or the Superfood, or kefir, or almond milk and make a popscicle. They can watch it freeze on the countertop, they can watch the timer tick down, they can think about which kind they'd like to make next. And in 7-10 minutes (seriously) their popsicle is ready.  It's like the reverse microwave that my brother and I used to fantasize about when we were melting in the heat when we were kids. It's the future! It's here! Freeze Ray! Okay, not really...but STILL!  All I know is that over the years, I have spent sillier amounts of money on stupider things in the name of trying to maintain sanity in the home with my children when it's 109^o outside. For whatever reason, the Zoku works for us, and my swelteringly sweaty-hot little heart is, you guessed it...grateful.  

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.

*30 Days with a Grateful Heart - Day 9

 
Day 9: My Girl's Hands

Today, I stood in the kitchen and watched my girl make brownies for her papa.  I watched her measure, pour, beat, scoop... What I love most is the way she steadies the side of the bowl...the way she grips the handle of the mixer.  Just the right amount of pressure to keep it all from toppling off the counter.  The kind of thing you pick up from watching, but also from repetition.  The years of "Can I do it mama? Can I try it mama? Is it my turn mama?" have earned her sure and steady hands in the kitchen.  

When I look closely I can see that her hands wear her worries.  Her fingers suffer first when she's nervous or uncertain. Test coming up?  Big Project? Performance? Confrontation? Difficult conversation? The condition of her fingers is a sure barometer.  All that goes away when we're cooking though. I love that the kitchen feels comforting to her. She leaves her worries behind and gets down to the business at hand when she puts on her apron.  Today it was working hands and humming tunes...beautiful.

Key Lime Pie with a Ginger Twist

Let me start by saying that this type of dessert is generally way too sweet for me, and I probably wouldn't have made it all except for that we had received more key limes than we knew what to do with from Farmhouse Delivery.  Couple that with the fact that The Girl really, really, really wanted to make a Key Lime Pie and since she did most of the work anyway, well...how could I resist?  We used gingersnaps for the crust rather than graham crackers.  Ginger makes it healthy, right?? It was a yummy crust but pretty chewy.  Maybe next time I'll use graham crackers but add some ginger powder or even better, minced ginger crystals.  I'll keep ya posted.

 
Key Lime Pie with a Ginger Twist

For the crust

• 1 1/2 cups of gingerbread snap crumbs
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 6 tablespoons melted butter

For the filling

• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 4 large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons fresh key lime juice, strained of seeds and pulp
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger juice

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Mix your crust ingredients in a medium bowl.  Once they are well mixed, press them into a 9" pie plate. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile:

Whisk together condensed milk and egg yolks in a medium bowl. Once they are combined nicely add the lime juice and ginger juice.  Pour the pie filling into the cooled crust and bake on the middle rack of the oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the pie cool completely. Transfer to fridge and allow to chill for at least 3 hours.  

You can gussy this pie up with whipped cream, berries or a lime garnish.  I prefer the pie dressed plain with the accompaniment of a hot cup of coffee. Yum!

Strawberry Thumbprint Corn Muffins

As I continue on my journey to learn more about baking I turn once again to The SoNo Baking Company Cookbook by John Barricelli.  The Girl and I chose to give these muffins a try because they seemed like a quick and simple thing to bake after a long, hot day.  They did go together rather quickly...and they are SO good.  They have that familiar cornbread taste, but they are delicately moist and not crumbly at all. They will make a great addition to our breakfast rotation once I figure out how to get rid of some of the sugar. If you are thinking of dipping your toes in the 'learn how to bake' water, I highly encourage you to give this cookbook a gander.  I feel like I gain more confidence in the kitchen each time we make something from it.  

 
 
 
Strawberry Thumbprint Corn Muffins   

From The SoNo Baking Company Cookbook: The Best Sweet and Savory Recipes for Every Occasion by John Barricelli. Clarkson Potter (2010).

The addition of preserves in the muffins makes these corn muffins a real standout from the typical corn muffin. At the bakery we use our own homemade strawberry preserves. We bake these muffins in a square shape, but they can also be made in a standard round muffin pan, as written and shown here.

Makes 12 muffins

• 1 ½  cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• ¾ cup sugar
• ¾ cup coarse yellow cornmeal
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• ½ cup buttermilk
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• ½ cup sour cream
• ¾ cup strawberry preserves

1. Set the oven rack in the middle position. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a standard 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray, or generously butter with softened butter; set aside.

2. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, and cornmeal until combined.

3. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add the buttermilk and oil. Mix until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl halfway through. Add the sour cream and mix to combine.

4. Use a 2-inch (¼ cup) ice cream scoop to divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups.

5. Bake, rotating the pan about two-thirds of the way through, until the muffins are golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, 15 to 18 minutes.

6. Transfer the muffin pan to a wire rack and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Using your thumb or the back of a teaspoon, press down in the middle of each muffin, creating an indentation deep enough to hold 1 tablespoon of preserves. Spoon or pipe (fill a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip with the preserves and gently squeeze) 1 tablespoon of strawberry preserves into each indentation. Let cool for another 10 minutes. Use an offset spatula or table knife to gently lift the muffins and transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm.

Summer Distraction #128: Baking Cowboy Cookies

The Man had expressed a craving for Cowboy Cookies.  I had just received my first "I'm booooooooooooooooooored" from the Girl for the Summer of 2010.  Never needing much of an excuse to make cookies, I decided to hit two birds with one stone and make both of them happy.  "Grab your apron, Girl...let's make Papa some cookies"  And so we did...and all was good...and fun....  I'm holding on to the moment because who knows when that next exclamation of boredom will come, and if I'll be able to rise to the occasion. 

 
  
 
 
Cowboy Cookies

Makes about 30 cookies

2 cups all-purpose baking flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tbsp ground cinnamon

1 cup butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups oats (not instant)

6 oz. chocolate chips

3/4 cups sliced almonds*

1/2 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line baking sheet with parchment and set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder and cinnamon and set aside.

3. Beat together butter and the sugars on medium-high until creamy.  Add eggs one at a time, beating on medium.  Beat in the vanilla.

4. On a low setting, slowly add the flour mixture.  Beat just until completely mixed.  Beat in the oats, chocolate chips, almonds and coconut just until all the ingredients are incorporated fully.

5. Drop the dough onto the cooking sheets, 1/4 cup at a time.  If you have a nice ice cream scoop with a release lever, you can use that.  Make sure you leave about 3" of space between the cookies.  They will spread as they bake, and they need space.  I usually get six to a baking sheet.  You can store the dough in the fridge between baking batches.

6. Bake until the edge of the cookies are a nice golden brown color.  Baking time is between 15-19 minutes depending on your oven.  I usually bake them for 7 minutes, rotate the cookie sheet and bake for another 7-9 minutes.  When they're done in the oven, place the cookie sheet on top of a cooling rack for about 5 minutes.  Then transfer the cookies to the cookie rack and let cool completely.

*I think most people use pecans for Cowboy Cookies, but we're not really a 'nut family'.  Using sliced almonds stills gives a nice crunch (and protein), but dials back the nut factor and consequently limits the number of complaints to the kitchen.