Jan
27
2012
We got snow in October. OCTOBER! And, since then, we’ve had just a small dusting. Lucky for me, I happened to bake for this month’s challenge–a “snow day treat”–on the day we got that dusting. It was cold and icy and even though I wasn’t the one who had to walk the dog, I wanted to warm up with some hot chocolate.
So I had my hot chocolate and thought about how tasty the stuff was. Dutch process cocoa, creamy milk and a pinch of cayenne pepper topped with fluffy melted marshmallows. Uh, that sounds like a delicious beverage CUPCAKE!
I actually made these twice. The first time I used a buttercream that incorporated marshmallow fluff. It was absolutely delicious but someone in our house, who shall remain unnamed but is not me and is not a cat or a dog, didn’t like that it didn’t have enough marshmallow flavor. So, I switched recipes to one that was far more inspired by the method for making homemade marshmallows. Still good, definitely more hot chocolate-y, but not as rich. And the second frosting starts to crust so eat them just after icing while it’s still spongy and soft.
What’s Baking January: Hot Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the cupcakes
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoons hot chocolate mix
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
For the frosting
- 2 large egg whites
- 1/2 cup sugar
- scant 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
For the cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350F. Line 12 standard muffin cups.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, 1/4 cup cocoa, hot chocolate mix, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and until fluffy. On low speed, beat in dry ingredients alternating with milk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients.
Fill prepared liners 2/3 full with the batter. Bake at 350F for 15 minutes or until center is set. Remove cupcakes from pan and let cool.
For the frosting
Place egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer. Set over a saucepan with simmering water. Whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved and whites are warm to the touch, 3 to 4 minutes.
Transfer bowl to electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat, starting on low speed, gradually increasing to high, until stiff, glossy peaks form, 5 to 7 minutes. Add vanilla, and mix until combined. Use immediately.
1.4
http://ourshareoftheharvest.com/2012/01/27/whats-baking-january-hot-chocolate-cupcakes/
Tags: baking, chocolate, cupcakes, dessert, frosting
Jan
20
2012
The perfect pizza crust is an elusive animal. It needs to be kinda crispy on the outside, chewy and soft on the inside, not go limp when sauced and topped and have a pleasing taste that isn’t bland but doesn’t compete with the other ingredients. Texture is the biggest component for me but Greg likes a thinner pizza with a good crispiness while I like a big crust-to-toppings ratio (seriously, half the time I’d rather just have breadsticks, as fat as that sounds).
Well, I can’t say there’s no better crust out there but we’re pretty smitten with this version from Williams-Sonoma. It’s from their Bride and Groom Cookbook which is sweet because it fits both me and Greg just fine. It’s pretty soft but not super bread-y or thick. We topped it with chopped chicken, caramelized onions and smoked Gruyere cheese for a sweet-salty-smoky combination that we couldn’t get enough of.
Chicken, Caramelized Onion and Gruyere Pizza
Crust adapted from Williams-Sonoma Bride and Groom Cookbook
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water (about 110 degrees F)
- 1 envelope (2 1/2 teaspoons) active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
For the Pizza
- 1 recipe Crust
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 large sweet onion, sliced very thinly
- 1 cup chopped cooked chicken
- 1 cup smoked Gruyere cheese, shredded
- 1 tsp dried oregano
Instructions
For the Crust
Combine the water, yeast vinegar and olive oil in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Mix on low speed just until blended.
Add 1/2 cup of flour and mix just until blended.
In a separate bowl, combine the remaining flour, the sugar and the salt then add mixture to the wet dough in the mixer bowl in 3 batches, beating until well-blended after each addition.
Increase mixer speed to medium and mix for 2 minutes longer--the dough should be pulling away from the bowl in a ball.
Place the ball of dough in an oiled bowl and turn the ball to coat all sides with oil. Cover with a clean towel and place in a warm dry spot to rise for 30 minutes.
Work the dough slightly with your fingers, not punching it down but working out some of the larger air bubbles. Reform the ball and cover again, letting it rise for another 10-15 minutes.
For the Pizza
Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.
Stretch the crust dough out on a pizza stone or baking sheet to make an 11- to 12-inch disk then roll the edges to make the crust edge.
Brush on olive oil and sprinkle garlic evenly over the crust dough. Set aside.
In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt the butter then add the onion slices. Continue to cook the onions, stirring often at first then more frequently, until they are very soft and golden brown.
Sprinkle the caramelized onions and chopped cooked chicken evenly over the crust dough. Then, sprinkle the cheese over top every thing and top with the oregano.
Bake at 450 degrees F for 13-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden brown.
1.4
http://ourshareoftheharvest.com/2012/01/20/chicken-caramelized-onion-and-gruyere-pizza/
Tags: cheese, chicken, onions, pizza
Jan
18
2012
My very first experience with food photography wasn’t for the blog or Facebook or even practice shots (uh, have you seen the first few posts? There was little practice). No, the first photo I remember taking of food was a plate with a basic split chicken breast, a pile of Lipton’s seasoned rice and some reheated frozen peas with butter and salt. Why did I capture, for all time, this most mundane of dinners? Because this was the first dinner my roommate Noelle and I made as real out-on-own college women the first night in our apartment. It was monumental enough that I used a real 35 mm film exposure to freeze that culinary moment in time. Yes, I’m old enough to have used a film camera in college.
Noelle and I went on to make many meals in that kitchen (amid all the Slimfast and Coronas) but that was 2003, before most of today’s food blogs were in existence and we didn’t own any cookbooks (needed the counterspace for all the Slimfast and Coronas). So, when we had kitchen questions or needed a recipe, we turned to our moms.
Among that advice and those recipes, Noelle’s mom, Colleen, blessed us with a chicken noodle soup recipe to die for. It makes use of dark leafy greens that add vitamins and an interesting vegetable contrast to the typical celery and carrots while cream of chicken soup elevates the stanard broth with a rich taste and velvety texture (I used the homemade cream of chicken I posted yesterday.
All in all, it’s hearty, healthful soup that just hits the spot on a wintry day. And it’s easy enough that two college apartment dwellers can whip up a batch!
Colleen’s Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 3 ribs celery, diced
- 2 large carrots, diced
- 2 medium onions, diced
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 1/2 cups cream of chicken soup (2 10-ounce cans, if you have to)
- 4 cups cooked shredded chicken
- 10 ounces chopped kale or spinach, blanched (fresh or frozen is fine)
- 2 cups egg noodles
Instructions
Combine the broth, celery, carrots, onions and garlic in a large pot or Dutch oven. Bring to boil then simmer about 15-20 minutes or until vegetables are somewhat softened.
Stir in the cream of chicken soup until thoroughly combined. then add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
Bring to a boil then simmer 20 minutes. Serve hot; reheats well.
1.4
http://ourshareoftheharvest.com/2012/01/18/colleens-chicken-noodle-soup/
Tags: carrots, celery, chicken, greens, healthy, kale, onions, soup, spinach, Winter
Jan
17
2012
Cream of Crap. That’s how condensed cream of whatever soups are jokingly referred to in the foodie world yet these pantry staples end up in lots of tried-and-true recipes. Not wanting to forgo all of these comfort food recipes just because Campbell’s adds coloring, inexplicable flavorings and MSG to their product, I test-drove a homemade version that includes basically chicken stock, milk, flour and common spices.
The result was thick, flavorful, creamy, and easily applied to a variety of recipes calling for cream of crap chicken. I made a double batch, using half in a chicken soup recipe (posting later this week!) and freezing half for another day. By using homemade stock, I believe I can make this at home without all the extra, well, crap, for even cheaper than the canned stuff retails.
Hello, comfort food. Nice to see you again.
Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth or stock
- 1 1/2 cups milk, divided (I used skim but any would work)
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
- Dash of paprika
- 3/4 cup flour
Instructions
In medium-sized saucepan, boil chicken broth, 1/2 cup of the milk, and all the seasonings for 3 minutes.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 cup of milk and flour. Add to boiling mixture and continue whisking briskly until mixture boils and thickens.
1.4
http://ourshareoftheharvest.com/2012/01/17/homemade-cream-of-chicken-soup/
Tags: chicken, soup
Jan
13
2012
My birthday was last week and Greg had planned an awesome trip to Virgina wine country for 2 relaxing days in a hotel complete with spa treatments for me, nice dinner reservations and successive tasting tours at 3 nearby wineries. Sounds like a blissful and romantic way to forget about welcome turning 30, right?
Until we both got super sick. We made a pretty great time out of it considering most of the day was spent catching up sleep between the fever and chills, the wine tasting was pretty much devoid of the “taste” part for Greg and my facial was equally as useful for loosing up the mucus in my sinuses as it was for giving my skin the glow of a still-29-year-old.
Luckily, the bug took it easy on me and I was well enough to enjoy some amazing food and wine. Greg was a little worse for wear. So, when we got home, I dropped the birthday girl act, put on my dutiful wife apron and brewed up a big vat of minestrone soup–full of nutrient-packed veggies, lean protein beans, filling pasta carbs and that no-fail get-well ingredient, homemade chicken stock. A tremendous amount of flavors and textures contribute to this soup, making it so satisfying as meal even though it’s incredibly low in fat and calories and all that goodness just melts down your sore throat in a swirl of tasty, hot, healing broth.
After several bowls of this home-grown medicine, hubby is finally on the mend and we can enjoy those souvenir bottles of wine 
“Get Well Soon” Minestrone Soup
Inspired by Minestrone Thickened with Bread from Williams-Sonoma Bride and Groom Cookbook.
Ingredients
- 1 pound pasta shells
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 small (1 large) yellow onions, diced
- 3 stalks celery, diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 cups loosely packed chopped spinach or kale
- 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, with liquid reserved
- 1 cup sliced savoy cabbage
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 1 14-ounce can cannelini beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 14-ounce can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- Salt and pepper
- Grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Prepare pasta shells according to package directions, removing from heat and draining while the pasta is still slightly firm (it will soften further once in the soup and you don't want it to get mushy.) Rinse the pasta with clean water to remove residual surface starch. Set aside.
Meanwhile, in a large Dutch oven or pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add onions, celery, carrot and bay leaf and saute until vegetables are beginning to be tender, about 5-8 minutes. Add thyme and garlic and saute another 1-2 minutes.
Add spinach/kale, drained tomatoes and cabbage and saute another 4 minutes or until greens are wilted.
Add stock and reserved tomato liquid and adjust heat to high; bring to a boil then return heat to low to simmer about 30-40 minutes.
Add beans and salt and pepper to taste and simmer another 10-15 minutes. Add cooked pasta shells and heat through, about 1-2 more minutes.
Serve with grated Parmesan, a sprinkling of fresh ground black pepper and some crusty bread.
1.4
http://ourshareoftheharvest.com/2012/01/13/get-well-soon-minestrone-soup/
Tags: beans, carrots, celery, dinner, greens, healthy, onions, soup, spinach, vegetarian, Winter
