INGREDIENTS
3 tbsp (45 ml)- vegetable oil
1- egg (medium)
1/2 cup (35 g)- fresh mint (chopped)
1/2 cup (35 g) fresh parsley (chopped)
2/3 cup (150ml)- milk
2 cups (280 g)- brown rice flour
DIRECTIONS
Combine the oil, egg, mint, parsley, and milk and whisk together.
Blend in the flour slowly and beat until you form a stiff dough.
Place the dough on a floured counter and roll out about 1/2 inch and cut into shapes with cookie cutters (or make flattened balls).
Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350F for 25 to 35 minutes or until golden brown.
RESULTS: Harper likes them a lot. They make her breath smell like mint. What more could you want?
Monday, June 30, 2008
Sunday, June 29, 2008
scones
Suz had me over for high tea a couple months ago and we made scones. I thought I'd make them for breakfast this morning for Syd and Jan. This is another from Mary Jo's cookbook.
8 oz (1 3/4 c) flour
1 TBS sugar
scant 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
3 Tbs unsalted butter
1 egg
3.5 oz (1/2 c minus 1 Tbs) milk
1/4 c raisins (optional)
1 Tbs sugar fro sprinkling.
Preheat over in 450. Have ready a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon sheet.
Beat egg. Remove one Tbs and save for egg wash. Whisk milk into remaining egg.
Sift together four, 1 Tbs sugar, salt, and baking powder. Cut butter into slices and rub into flour with fingertips.
Make a well in dry ingredients and add milk mixture. Mix together with your hand, and sprinkle in rasins. Once it's thoroughly moistened, scrape dough onto lightly floured surface. Knead lightly, 3 or 4 times. Pat or roll into a circle 3/4 inch think. Cut into seven 1/2-inch scones. Place on baking sheet, brush with egg wash, and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake for 15 minutes until lightly brown. Serve butter and jam or whipped cream. May be frozen and reheated.
RESULTS: These weren't as light and fluffy as Suz's, and I think it's because I forgot the butter and also warmed it up too much in the microwave, so by the time I got to it, the milk was already mixed into the flour, and I couldn't rub it in anyway because it was melted. But, it tasted fine, and wasn't chip-you-teeth hard.
8 oz (1 3/4 c) flour
1 TBS sugar
scant 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
3 Tbs unsalted butter
1 egg
3.5 oz (1/2 c minus 1 Tbs) milk
1/4 c raisins (optional)
1 Tbs sugar fro sprinkling.
Preheat over in 450. Have ready a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon sheet.
Beat egg. Remove one Tbs and save for egg wash. Whisk milk into remaining egg.
Sift together four, 1 Tbs sugar, salt, and baking powder. Cut butter into slices and rub into flour with fingertips.
Make a well in dry ingredients and add milk mixture. Mix together with your hand, and sprinkle in rasins. Once it's thoroughly moistened, scrape dough onto lightly floured surface. Knead lightly, 3 or 4 times. Pat or roll into a circle 3/4 inch think. Cut into seven 1/2-inch scones. Place on baking sheet, brush with egg wash, and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake for 15 minutes until lightly brown. Serve butter and jam or whipped cream. May be frozen and reheated.
RESULTS: These weren't as light and fluffy as Suz's, and I think it's because I forgot the butter and also warmed it up too much in the microwave, so by the time I got to it, the milk was already mixed into the flour, and I couldn't rub it in anyway because it was melted. But, it tasted fine, and wasn't chip-you-teeth hard.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
pasta with raw tomato sauce
It was about 95 degrees and humid as anything today, so the idea of turning on the stove or oven was unappealing to say the least. This recipe is from The Spoon and uses two of the things I have in abundance this week: tomatoes and basil.
Combine in a bowl and let rest in a cool place to allow the flavors to mingle for 30 minutes:
1 lb 2 oz tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped*
4 Tbls olive oil
10 leaves of fresh basil, chopped
2 cloves of garlic
salt and pepper
Remove the garlic and discard. Mix in 1 lb of pasta (use the kind with ridges, like penne or spaghetti rigatoni) and serve with Parmesan.
* to prepare the tomatoes, I put them in a pot of boiling water for 1 minute, then lifted them right out with tongs and put them in a bowl of ice water. The skin comes off very easily. I cut them in half and squeezed over the sink to get out the seeds, then chopped.
RESULTS: Not the BEST tomato sauce I ever had, but it wasn't hot, and the kitchen wasn't hot, and there was very little clean up, so the ratio of healthfulness and taste to effort and inconvenience was reasonable. It just wasn't busting with flavor, although you could really taste the basil (and I liked being able to use my own), so I wouldn't make this with dried basil since that's so important in this dish. I only used one garlic clove, since my notes in the cookbook from when I made it last summer said "go easy on the garlic," but maybe it needs that second clove. I kept adding more and more pepper to try to get more flavor in it. But, like I said, it was cool on a hot day.
On another note, Harper came outside with me when I harvested the basil, and she caught the hugest cicada I have ever seen. It must have been a two-pounder. I was in Japan that summer that the cicadas took over so I didn't really get the cicada experience that everyone else did, but I can't even begin to imagine millions of those things. Maybe they were smaller since there were so many. I mean, this thing was HUGE. I halfway tried to get her to drop it, but frankly, I was sort of glad she was doing away with it before it decided it liked the looks of my herbs because they would be DONE for.
Combine in a bowl and let rest in a cool place to allow the flavors to mingle for 30 minutes:
1 lb 2 oz tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped*
4 Tbls olive oil
10 leaves of fresh basil, chopped
2 cloves of garlic
salt and pepper
Remove the garlic and discard. Mix in 1 lb of pasta (use the kind with ridges, like penne or spaghetti rigatoni) and serve with Parmesan.
* to prepare the tomatoes, I put them in a pot of boiling water for 1 minute, then lifted them right out with tongs and put them in a bowl of ice water. The skin comes off very easily. I cut them in half and squeezed over the sink to get out the seeds, then chopped.
RESULTS: Not the BEST tomato sauce I ever had, but it wasn't hot, and the kitchen wasn't hot, and there was very little clean up, so the ratio of healthfulness and taste to effort and inconvenience was reasonable. It just wasn't busting with flavor, although you could really taste the basil (and I liked being able to use my own), so I wouldn't make this with dried basil since that's so important in this dish. I only used one garlic clove, since my notes in the cookbook from when I made it last summer said "go easy on the garlic," but maybe it needs that second clove. I kept adding more and more pepper to try to get more flavor in it. But, like I said, it was cool on a hot day.
On another note, Harper came outside with me when I harvested the basil, and she caught the hugest cicada I have ever seen. It must have been a two-pounder. I was in Japan that summer that the cicadas took over so I didn't really get the cicada experience that everyone else did, but I can't even begin to imagine millions of those things. Maybe they were smaller since there were so many. I mean, this thing was HUGE. I halfway tried to get her to drop it, but frankly, I was sort of glad she was doing away with it before it decided it liked the looks of my herbs because they would be DONE for.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Spice Cake with... what?
It was my buddy Ross's birthday today, so I made, as per his request, a spice cake with avocado icing. It's green. The spice cake was betty crocker. Here's the avocado icing recipe:
INGREDIENTS
2 avocados, peeled and pitted
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 (16 ounce) package confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS
Combine the avocado and lime juice in a bowl; mix with a hand mixer about 2 minutes. Add the sugar in small amounts while continually mixing until smooth. Mix in the vanilla extract.
RESULTS: comments to this recipe noted that they thought it tasted more limey than like avocado, but I couldn't really taste the lime at all. It mostly tasted like sugar with a subtle hint of the creaminess of the avocado. I won't say it was my favorite icing, but it wasn't bad, either. The fat in avocado is supposed to be slightly healthier than the fat in dairy, which is what icing is usually made from I guess, so it's got that going for it. Definitely green. This batch of icing was plenty for a 13X9 sheet cake.
INGREDIENTS
2 avocados, peeled and pitted
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 (16 ounce) package confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS
Combine the avocado and lime juice in a bowl; mix with a hand mixer about 2 minutes. Add the sugar in small amounts while continually mixing until smooth. Mix in the vanilla extract.
RESULTS: comments to this recipe noted that they thought it tasted more limey than like avocado, but I couldn't really taste the lime at all. It mostly tasted like sugar with a subtle hint of the creaminess of the avocado. I won't say it was my favorite icing, but it wasn't bad, either. The fat in avocado is supposed to be slightly healthier than the fat in dairy, which is what icing is usually made from I guess, so it's got that going for it. Definitely green. This batch of icing was plenty for a 13X9 sheet cake.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
White Cheddar and Green Peppercorn Fondue
As one of my anniversary presents for our paper anniversary, Chris got me a cookbook called "the Fondue Bible." The one we tried tonight with Ian and Lauren, our good friends who are moving to Dallas tomorrow, was the White Cheddar and Green Peppercorn Fondue. We picked this one in part because it calls for beer, which we have, as opposed to white wine, which we didn't and couldn't buy because it's Sunday, and we live in a weird state.
Ingredients:
8oz old white cheddar cheese, grated
4oz Gruyere cheese, grated
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 clove garlic, halved
1/2 cup beer (we used a lager) at room temp
2 tsp freshly squeezed lime juice
1 Tbsp grainy mustard (we used just a squirt of that golden mustard)
green peppercorns, coarsely ground (we just used normal peppercorns)
1. In a bowl, combine cheeses and flour. Mix to coat cheese with flour.
2. Rub the inside of the fondue pot with the cut side of the garlic, and discard garlic. Add beer and lime juice; bring to a simmer over medium heat. (this doesn't take long at all) Reduce to medium-low.
3. Add cheese by handfuls, stirring constantly after each addition with a wooden spoon in a figure-eight motion until all the cheese is melted.
4. Stir in the mustard and mix well. sprinkle with peppercorn. Serve with french bread or sourdough, lightly toasted pita, pretzels, gherkins, pearl onions... (we did french bread and granny smith apples)
RESULTS: I think I prefer this to our normal recipe. I like the cheddar, and the beer made for a less sour fondue than wine. Definitely something I would recommend trying for you cheese lovers out there (sorry Bethie!)
It's harder than I thought to figure out what color my parachute is, but I think I'd be perfectly content being the person to does the graphics and layout for cookbooks, especially the more arty ones with the big color photos. What an awesome job. Probably would have to live in NYC, though, which would not suit me very much.
Ingredients:
8oz old white cheddar cheese, grated
4oz Gruyere cheese, grated
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 clove garlic, halved
1/2 cup beer (we used a lager) at room temp
2 tsp freshly squeezed lime juice
1 Tbsp grainy mustard (we used just a squirt of that golden mustard)
green peppercorns, coarsely ground (we just used normal peppercorns)
1. In a bowl, combine cheeses and flour. Mix to coat cheese with flour.
2. Rub the inside of the fondue pot with the cut side of the garlic, and discard garlic. Add beer and lime juice; bring to a simmer over medium heat. (this doesn't take long at all) Reduce to medium-low.
3. Add cheese by handfuls, stirring constantly after each addition with a wooden spoon in a figure-eight motion until all the cheese is melted.
4. Stir in the mustard and mix well. sprinkle with peppercorn. Serve with french bread or sourdough, lightly toasted pita, pretzels, gherkins, pearl onions... (we did french bread and granny smith apples)
RESULTS: I think I prefer this to our normal recipe. I like the cheddar, and the beer made for a less sour fondue than wine. Definitely something I would recommend trying for you cheese lovers out there (sorry Bethie!)
It's harder than I thought to figure out what color my parachute is, but I think I'd be perfectly content being the person to does the graphics and layout for cookbooks, especially the more arty ones with the big color photos. What an awesome job. Probably would have to live in NYC, though, which would not suit me very much.
Big Batch Vegetable Soup
From Martha Stewart:This basic soup can be made with any combination of fresh or frozen vegetables, so it will taste a little different each time. The recipe can easily be doubled or even tripled.
Ingredients
Serves 8.
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 2 cups chopped onions or thinly sliced leeks (whites only)
* 1 cup thinly sliced celery
* 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
* Coarse salt and ground pepper
* 3 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) reduced-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
* 1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, with juice
* 1 tablespoon tomato paste
* 8 cups mixed fresh or frozen vegetables, such as carrots, corn, green beans, lima beans, peas, potatoes, and zucchini (cut larger vegetables into smaller pieces)
Directions
1. Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add onions or leeks, celery, and Italian seasoning; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions are translucent, 5 to 8 minutes.
2. Add broth, tomatoes and their juice, tomato paste, and 3 cups water to pot; bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, and cook, uncovered, 20 minutes.
3. Add vegetables to pot, and return to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, until vegetables are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, as desired. Let cool before storing.
RESULTS: I love soup, but Chris hates the idea of a liquid meal, so when I make soup it's pretty much just for me. Since I've recently become more or less completely disgusted with canned soup, I've been making more of it for myself and then freezing it into lunch-sized portions to bring to work with me. It's been working out well. Things I like about this soup: you can use whatever's in season and whatever is plentiful, so it's really flexible. Things I didn't like about this soup: It's just really basic. There's nothing special about it. It's a good basic soup, but it is basic.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
It's flooding down in Iowa
A coworker sent me this extensive slideshow of the University of Iowa's flooding. They had some warning that the river was going to jump its banks, so all the art was boxed up and moved to safer areas, and even the books on the bottom floors of the library were moved. Don't worry, Bloomington is still doing well. Most of the Indiana flooding has been to the north, where it rained more and it's much much flatter country.
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