Author Archives: Emily

Our Best Bites

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best bites Our Best Bites by Sara Wells & Kate Jones is the first cookbook by this popular blogging duo.  Meeting my number one requirement for cookbooks, this one features great photos of every dish.  Recipes are clearly written and offer brief descriptions.  Chapters include: Appetizers and Drinks; Breads; Condiments, Spreads, and Garnishes; Breakfast and Brunch; Salads; Soups and Chilis; Meats; Pizza and Pasta; Side Dishes; and Desserts.  A nice feature of the book is its index of rollover ingredients, which will help keep you from wasting some of those less common ingredients such as blue cheese, buttermilk, and sour cream.  I’ve tried several recipes from this cookbook, but particularly enjoyed my dinner of Chili-Lime Steak and Stuffed Blue Cheese Potatoes.  Our Best Bites fans should check out Sara and Kate’s recently released sophomore effort, Savoring the Seasons with Our Best Bites.

Chili-Lime Steak

  • 1-2 pounds boneless steak (The authors suggest flak steak; I used fillets.)
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

For the rub, combine spices in a small bowl.  Add lime juice and olive oil and stir to combine.  Place the steak in a shallow dish.  Pour the spice mixture over the steak and then rub it in with your hands.  Allow the steak to stand for 15 minutes.  While the meat is standing, preheat your grill.  Place the steak on the grill over medium-high heat and cook for 5-7 minutes per side or until desired doneness is reached.  Remove from grill and allow to stand for 5 minutes before slicing.

Stuffed Blue Cheese Potatoes

  • 4 medium russet potatoes
  • 1-2 tablespoons shortening or vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup real butter, cut into chunks
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 ounce (1/4 cup) crumbled blue cheese
  • 1/4 cup milk or buttermilk
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • dash of pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 8 pieces bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
  • shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat over to 400F.  Wash and dry potatoes.  Rub them lightly with a bit of shortening or vegetable oil and place directly on oven rack.  Bake for one hour.  Remove potatoes and allow them to cool for 5-10 minutes.  Cut each potato in half to make 8 servings.  Scoop out the insides and place in a bowl.  Mash, and add butter, sour cream, blue cheese, milk, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Beat with a hand mixer until fluffy.  Carefully spoon mixture back into potato shells.  Place in a baking dish.  Return the potatoes to the hot oven and bake for 12-15 minutes.  Remove, sprinkle bacon and cheddar cheese over each potato, and bake an additional 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Make the Bread, Buy the Butter

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When professional journalist Jennifer Reese lost her job, she felt inspired to begin economizing and turned her eye to food.  Which items are cheaper to buy and which are cheaper to make?  When is the homemade version of a food healthier and tastier than the store bought version?  Is a store bought product ever superior to a homemade one?  Soon Reese’s curiosity morphed into a series of large scale undertakings, attempting new recipes and making forays into animal husbandry.  After a few years of experimentation, Reese was able to write Make the Bread, Buy the Butter: What You Should and Shouldn’t Cook from Scratch – Over 120 Recipes for the Best Homemade Foods.

Make the Bread, Buy the Butter is a fun read, even if you have no desire to make your own peanut butter, marshmallows, pastrami, or ginger ale.  Reese’s humor shines through as she describes her efforts to raise chickens, keep bees, and make cheese.  When analyzing each “make it yourself” endeavor, Reese gives a recommendation on whether she thinks the item is better to make or buy, indicates how much hassle is involved in the production process, and does a cost comparison taking in both the outlay of supplies and time.

Not sure you’re up for any of these projects?  Don’t worry about feeling guilty!  Reese is never preachy and fully recognizes that making your own food staples is not going to solve anyone’s financial problems.  In her introduction, she states that these projects are best left to people who enjoy “messing around in the kitchen.”  If that’s you, or if you wish that was you, you’ll likely find Make the Bread, Buy the Butter to be an amusing, enlightening read.

Amazing Brownies

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pioneer woman cooksThese chocolate-caramel brownies come from Ree Drummond’s new book The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food From My Frontier.  I’ve tried a couple of different, yet similar recipes, and so far this is my favorite.  Check out the book for set-by-step photographic instructions.

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup plus 1/2 cup evaporated milk
  • One 18.5 oz box German chocolate cake mix
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
  • 1 cup finely chopped pecans
  • 60 caramels
  • 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Grease and flour a 9 x 9 inch baking pan.
  • Begin by pouring 1/3 cup evaporated milk into a bowl with the cake mix.
  • Add the melted butter.
  • Add the chopped pecans.  (I skipped this step, though I do have visions of later stirring chopped peanuts into the caramel for a Snickers-like experience.)
  • Mix the ingredients together.
  • Divide the dough in half down the middle.
  • Press one half of the dough into the bottom of the pan to make the first brownie layer.
  • Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until set, then remove it from the oven and set aside.
  • While the brownie layer is baking, in a double boiler, combine the caramels and 1/2 cup evaporated milk.
  • Stir occasionally until the caramels are totally melted and the mixture is smooth.
  • Pour the caramel mixture over the first baked layer, spreading it so that it’s evenly distributed.
  • Sprinkle the chocolate chips all over the top.
  • On a clean surface or sheet of wax paper, press the remaining brownie dough into a square shape slightly smaller than the baking pan.  (I thought this was the hardest step.)
  • Carefully set it on top of the chocolate chips. (OK, this was actually the hardest step!)
  • Bake for 20-25 minutes.  Remove the pan from the oven and let the brownies cool to room temperature.  Cover the pan and refrigerate the brownies for several hours to allow them to set.
  • When you’re ready to serve them, sprinkle them generously with the powdered sugar and cut them into large rectangles before removing them from the pan.

 

Chocolate Gingerbread with Bittersweet Glaze

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I recently made this gingerbread cake for a friend’s birthday.  It was my most successful attempt ever at making a glaze look pretty!  The recipe comes from The Best Quick Breads by Beth Hensperger.

3 oz. unsweetened chocolate

1/2 cup light molasses

1/2 cup vegetable oil

4 tbs. unsalted butter

2 1/2 cups flour

1 cup light brown sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. ginger

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. white pepper

1/4 tsp. salt

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

1 tsp. vanilla

In a double boiler, place the chocolate, molasses, vegetable oil, and butter.  Stir over low heat until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.  Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Grease a 9-inch springform pan or spray it with cooking spray.  In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, spices, and salt.  In a small bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk until foamy.  Add the buttermilk and vanilla extract.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the buttermilk-egg mixture.  Stir to combine.  Add the chocolate mixture.  Beat with a wooden spoon or electric mixer until smooth.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan.  Bake in the center of the oven until the top springs back when touched and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 35-40 minutes.  Set the cake on a rack and remove the springform sides.   Prepare the Bittersweet Glaze as directed.  Cool on a rack to set the glaze until time to serve.

Bittersweet Glaze

6 tbs. unsalted butter

4 1/2 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate

1 tbs. light corn syrup.

In a double boiler, combine the butter, chocolate, and corn syrup over low heat, stirring with a whisk until the mixture is melted and smooth.  Pour the glaze onto the center of the gingerbread and use a metal spatula or other tool to coat the cake in a few strokes, letting the glaze drip down the sides of the cake.

Cheddar Chive Muffins

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1¼ cups milk

¾ cup mashed potato flakes

1 egg

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons snipped chives

1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

In a saucepan, bring milk to a boil.  Remove from the heat; stir in potato flakes.   Let stand for 2 minutes.  Whip with a fork until smooth; cool slightly.  Beat in egg, oil and cheese.  Combine remaining ingredients; stir into potato mixture just until moistened (batter will be thick).

Fill greased muffin cups ¾ full.  Bake at 400F for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool 5 minutes; remove from pan to a wire rack.  Serve warm.

Makes 1 dozen.

Dairy Delights

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June is National Dairy Month!    Why not try making your own dairy products with some of these items from the library’s collection:

Complete Guide to Making Cheese, Butter, and Yogurt at Home by Richard Helweg

Home Cheese Making by Ricki Carroll

The Home Creamery by Kathy Farrell-Kingsley

Homestead Blessings: The Art of Dairy Delights (DVD)

And it you’re like me and have a weakness for cheese, try some of these cookbooks:

Cheese, Glorious Cheese! by Paula Lambert

Grilled Cheese by Marlena Spieler

 

Behind the Kitchen Doors

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In honor of National Waitstaff Day (May 21), let’s take a look at books and movies set in the culinary world.

Waiter Rant by The Waiter – An account of a waiter’s life at an upscale New York restaurant describes his daily experiences with a series of outrageous customers and shares tips on such topics as getting good service and proper tipping etiquette.  This funny book will resonate with anyone who likes to complain about work.

Dishwasher by Pete Jordan – For the armchair traveler, this is the story of one man’s quest to wash dishes in all fifty states.

Under the Table by Katherine Darling – A chef describes her haphazard experiences as a student at New York City’s French Culinary Institute, a journey during which she and her classmates tackled a range of challenges from veal calves and fish heads to broken eggs and cutthroat teachers.

Cleaving by Julie Powell – The author of Julie and Julia describes how in the wake of a strain on her marriage she left town to immerse herself in the art of butchery, the laborious training she received, and her journeys throughout the world in search of the butchery practices of other cultures.

The Waitress (DVD) – Jenna is an unhappily married, pie-baking pro who dreams of leaving her husband Earl, but her plans are thwarted when she becomes pregnant.  Discovering a mutual attraction with the new doctor in town adds further complications.  Staring Keri Russell and Nathan Fillion.

Just Desserts (DVD) -  In this Hallmark movie, sparks fly when pastry chefs team up for the Golden Whisk Dessert competition, “the Olympics of desserts” and its $250,000 prize. With nothing in common, they’re determined to restrict the partnership to “just desserts”, but it isn’t long before this marriage of convenience threatens to turn into the real thing.

No Reservations (DVD) – Master chef Kate Armstrong runs the kitchen of an exclusive restaurant. When Kate’s sister is killed, her 9-year old niece Zoe comes to live with Kate, and Kate’s life is turned completely upside down. Nick Palmer is the newly hired sous chef, whom Kate perceives as a serious rival. Even as they clash, Kate is drawn toward Nick, eventually coming to the realization that Nick offers something that she needs both in her restaurant kitchen and her new life with Zoe. Starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Aaron Eckhart.

Mostly Martha (DVD) – Feel like a foreign film? This is the original German version of No Reservations.  Which do you like best?

Happy Birthday James Beard!

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From the James Beard Foundation:

Anointed the “dean of American cookery” by the New York Times in 1954, James Beard laid the groundwork for the food revolution that has put America at the forefront of global gastronomy. He was a pioneer foodie, host of the first food program on the fledgling medium of television in 1946, the first to suspect that classic American culinary traditions might cohere into a national cuisine, and an early champion of local products and markets. Beard nurtured a generation of American chefs and cookbook authors who have changed the way we eat.

Born May 5, 1903, James Beard who died in 1985, would have been 108 this year.  In commemoration, why not check out his classic, The Fireside Cookbook?  This facsimile edition of the 1949 original includes hundreds of recipes and charming illustrations.

Cinnamon Cookies

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Mixing up these ingredients will result in a very sticky dough.  Don’t let that worry you!  The end result will be a tasty, crumbly cookie.

2½ cups of flour

1½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup sugar

¾ cup oil

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Slowly mix in sugar and oil, add eggs, then vanilla.  Add flour mixture all at once and beat well.  Shape in to ½” balls, roll in sugar and bake at 375F for 10-12 minutes.

Cayenne Pretzels

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If you like things hot, try these pretzels!  I believe this was originally a Taste of Home recipe.

1 cup vegetable oil

1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 packages (10 oz each) pretzel sticks

In a small bowl, combine the oil, dressing mix, garlic salt, and cayenne.  Divide pretzels between two ungreased 15 x 10 x 1 inch baking pans.  Pour oil mixture over pretzels; stir to coat.

Bake at 200F for 1¼-1½ hours or until golden brown, stirring occasionally.  Cool completely.  Store in an airtight container.

Yields 3½ quarts.