a whim gone great

we were walking up and down the aisle at Aldi (secret one to surviving college) slightly panicking. it was one of those moments where we had a great idea on whim, went through with it, and then remembered that ideas made on whims are not always successful. 


my roommate and i had the 'great idea' of bringing the story of stone soup to life. stone soup is an old folk tale we had both grown up hearing. there are several different variations, but the gist of the tale is that hungry strangers compel the people of a town into sharing their food. our idea was simple, make a big pot of stew and ask our friends to bring an item to add to the pot. but, we didn't really think about the logistics of:

how many people are actually going to come?
what if everyone brings weird things that will ruin the whole soup?
or what if everyone brings the same thing?

all of these questions hit us as we were trying to decide how much and what type of meat we needed (who knew there were so many options!) the fact that everyone one was coming over in a little over an hour did not relieve any pressure. our conversation as we were eyeing the meat section was something like this..."wow, meat is more expensive than i thought...did we really invite everybody...oh my goodness, what if this turns out terrible...i know it worked in the folk tale, but uhhh it might not work in the real world...if this flops we're going to have an apartment full of hungry people...bread, we need bread, lots and lots of bread."

fortunately, for us we got the folk tale ending we were hoping for. our friends came bearing potatoes, carrots, celery, tomatoes, green onions, and cilantro. everyone clustered around our small kitchen table chopping up their items and adding them to the giant pot of simmering beef stock, stew meat, and spices. it smelled wonderful. we sat around chatting as the soup 'stewed'. surprisingly, the soup turned out to be delicious. some of our guests went so far as to say it was the best they ever had. the night turned out to be a smashing success.
the morals we learned from a modern day folk tale?

great ideas made on a whim can be successful

there is noting better to build community than stone soup

and better yet is having left-overs for days (secret two to surviving college)

Stone Soup
Adapted from: Gimme Some Oven
Serves: 15-20

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons of olive oil
4lbs. beef stew meat
20 cups beef stock
5 bay leaves
2 (28oz) can diced tomatoes, with juice
2 1/2 Tablespoon worcestershire sauce
2 1/2 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
2 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
15-20 friends to bring vegetables to add

Directions:
1. In a large stockpot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the stew meat and cook, stirring frequently until well browned.
2. Add your remaining ingredients and bring to a boil and simmer.
3. Add friends ingredients, bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until the meat and vegetable are tender.

...and we're back

the nine hundred and twenty-four day silence is over. crazy how fast time has flown. it's seems like just yesterday i was calling my family to the table to see if my tuesday night cooking adventure was a success. now most tuesday nights i find myself eating on the go, over my textbooks, or my roomate's floor. while the 'atmosphere' may have compromised the cooking adventures have not. (CONFESSION: i may or may not of made mac'n'cheese from the box last week...it was for the first time since i've moved out so that counts for something, right?) but back to those cooking adventures. i've learned some valuable lessons like while cooking and freezing may work for some foods, it is not the answer for all foods. (don't freeze quiche) or be very careful in trying new recipes, because if they're a flop your stuck eating it for the rest of the week because throwing food out in college is not an option, and i most likely will not be able to eat a whole bag of potatoes before they go bad. somewhere between all of these 'adventures' i missed recording them. but tonight i decided no longer, so here's to breaking the nine hundred and twenty-four days of silence.


 Oatmeal Brown Sugar Muffins
Adapted from: Averie Cooks
Time: 30 minutes     Yield: 10 Muffins

Ingredients:
1 large egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup old-fashioned whole-rolled oats
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup syrup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup greek yogurt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray 10 of the 12 cavities of a muffin pan.
2. Add all ingredients in a large bowl and whisk until smooth.
3. Evenly distribute batter into 10 cavities of the prepared pan
4. Bake for 20 minutes or until tops are sent, spring to the touch, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
5. Cool muffins in pan on top of wire rack for about 10 minutes before removing and placing on a rack to cool completely.

Muffins will keep airtight for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Baking with Hayley

Last week I got to bake with one of my best friends Hayley. We grew up together living in the same small town and going to church together. Ever since we turned 15 we've been working at the same cafe/bakery uptown. She herself loves to bake and cook for her family, so why this is the first time we've ever baked with each other (outside of work) I don't know! We just both had a free afternoon the other day and decided to make the most of it! We made Cinnamon rolls and S'more Cupcakes; we made the cupcake recipe up ourselves! And it turned out to be smashing success, except we didn't let the ganache completely firm up before putting it in the cupcake so it seeped into cake a bit. But it still tasted wonderful! A few pictures from the afternoon:

Hayley punching down the Cinnamon Roll dough

Me making the Marshmallow Frosting

Cupcakes!

Torching the cupcakes. I've never used a torch before. Let's just say it was awesome and I'm putting it on my Christmas list!

Finished Product!

And the amazing Cinnamon Rolls! (before the frosting)

Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients:
1 pkg. cook & serve vanilla pudding
2 c. milk
1 stick butter
2 beaten eggs
2 pkg. yeast (4 1/2 tsp.)
1/2  c. warm water
1/2 Tbsp. almond flavoring
6 1/2 c. flour
Directions: 
[1] Cook pudding and milk according to  package directions. Add butter to let melt, stir and cool. Add beaten eggs
[2] Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water. Add 2 Tbsp. sugar. When yeast is foamy, add to other mixture with almond flavoring.
[3] Stir in flour and salt gradually. Let rise 1 hour. Punch down and let rise for 45 minutes.
[4] Turn out and knead in 1/2 cup flour. Divide in half and roll out. Butter and sprinkle generously with sugar and cinnamon. Roll out and cut into slices. Let rise.
[5] Bake 15- 20 minutes at 375. Frost.

S'more Cupcake

Graham Cracker Yellow Cake Ingredients: 

1 c. unsalted butter

1 3/4 c. sugar

4 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

1 Tbsp. vanilla

3 c. cake flour (spooned and leveled) 

1 Tbsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 c. buttermilk

1 c. finely crushed graham crackers

Ganache Ingredients:

1c. Whipping Cream

12 oz. milk chocolate

Marshmallow Frosting:

8 large egg whites, at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon fine salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions: [1] Bring cold ingredients to room temperature. Butter should be soft enough to hold a thumbprint but still keep its shape. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar on high until light and fluffy, about 6 minutes.[2] Beat in 4 eggs plus 2 yolks, one at a time, until combined. Beat in vanilla extract.[3] In another large bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder, and salt. With mixer on low, add 1/3 the flour mixture to butter mixture, beating to combine.[4] Beat in 3/4 cup buttermilk, another 1/3 the flour mixture, another 3/4 cup buttermilk, and remaining flour mixture until just combined. Add crushed graham crackers. Mix.[5] Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.[6] Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan bring whipping cream just to boiling over medium-high heat. Remove from heat. Add chocolate (do not stir). Let stand for 5 minutes. Stir until smooth. Cool for 15 minutes. (Make sure the ganache is thick enough that it won't seep into the cupcake)[7]  After the cupcakes are done baking and have cooled, place them on on a baking sheet (they can be touching) and set them aside. [8] Fill a medium saucepan with 1 inch of water and bring it to a simmer over medium heat.[9] Place the egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar, and salt in the clean bowl of a stand mixer and whisk by hand to combine. Nest the bowl over the saucepan, making sure the bottom of the bowl is not touching the water. Heat the egg white mixture, whisking constantly, until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is hot to the touch (about 120°F on an instant-read thermometer), about 6 minutes.[10] Transfer the bowl to a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Turn the mixer to medium and whisk for 1 minute. Increase the speed to high and whisk until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 5 minutes more. Add the vanilla and whisk until just incorporated, about 1 minute.[11] Transfer the frosting to a large piping bag fitted with a 1/2-inch star piping tip and pipe it onto the cupcakes. [12] Use a kitchen torch to brown tops, watching carefully to avoid burning. [13] Serve immediately or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 hours.

It really works!

a couple of weeks ago i was talking to one of my cousins and he was telling me about a recipe he saw on pinterest for bread. the caption of it was something like "two ingredient bread, so good and easy!" turns out the two ingredients are self-rising flour and any type of ice cream you want.

that's it. now, i was pretty skeptical and thought it sounded like on of those "good ideas" on pinterest that in reality turn out to be a disaster. well, fast-forward to this week and a co-worker of mine sent me this two ingredient bread recipe and told me try it. so i decided, what's there to lose? that, and i wanted to see if it really worked. i was pleasantly surprised to find it actually did!

for all of you skeptics out there, this is why it works. ice cream is made up of eggs, dairy, fat and all that good stuff. when you combine it with self rising flour you have a bake-capable product and voila, two ingredient bread. however, i found that i didn't love the bread. it wasn't bad, it just wasn't my favorite. on the other hand, i had mixed reviews from my family  some loved it, some disliked it, and some felt how i did. i'm really glad i tried it, but i don't think i'll be adding it to my list of favorites.

Ice Cream BreadMakes: 8 x 4 loaf
Ingredients:
2 Cups Ice Cream, any flavor, softened
1 1/2 cups Self-Rising Flour
Directions
[1] Preheat your oven to 350 Fahrenheit. Spray and flour a 8 x 4 loaf pan, or line it with parchment paper.
[2] In a medium bowl mix the ice cream and flour together until just combined.
[3] Scoop into the loaf pan and smooth out.
[4] Bake for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick stuck in the loaf comes out with a few crumbs stuck to it.
[5] Remove from the pan and allow to cool.
* For best results..use full fat ice-cream!

Suprise 2X

i'm sorry. I've become a failure of a blogger and cook. my blogs have been inconsistent. my cooking has dwindled to one night every other week, and the things I've been making haven't been all that adventurous. I wish I could say I have these grand plans of doing better, but I can't. i'm growing up, and I don't have time every week (as sad as that sounds) to make a meal consistently. i'm not going to stop blogging and i'm most certainly NOT going to stop cooking...it just won't be as consistent. to make up for my lameness I made a surprise for all you faithful viewers who have put up with me these last few months. make sure you watch all of it because there's a surprise at the end ;)

potato cheese soup

sorry it's been a while since i last posted. the cord for my camera to get my pictures on to the computer went mia, but thankfully i found it last night. so here we go! the other night i made potato cheese soup. it was perfect for a sunless rainy day. i got the recipe from Renee's cookbook, but i added carrots to the recipe to give the soup some texture. my mom always made this soup for us kids growing up and i love it!

Potato Cheese Soup
SERVES: 4
 Ingredients:
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/4 c. finely chopped onion
1 c. boiling water, lightly salted
2 medium-sized carrots, diced
Milk
3 Tbsp. butter, melted
2 Tbsp. flour
3/4 tsp. salt
Pepper
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
Directions:
[1] Add potatoes and onion to boiling water. Cover and cook until tender, about 20 minutes.
[2] Meanwhile cook carrots in microwave or over stove until tender.
[3] Mash tender potatoes and onions lightly; do not drain.
[4] Add milk to make soup about 5 cups.
[5] Blend butter, flour, salt, and pepper. Stir into potato mixture.
[6] Cook and stir until mixture thickens, then add tender carrots and cheese. Cook until cheese is partially melted. Serve immediately.

family dinner

my brother, Jesse, just graduated last sunday from his jockey program and came back home for a week off before he heads to Maryland (read more here). it's been great having him around! last night we had a family dinner with the whole family minus Jon & Kali, because they're having too much fun in Argentina or New Zealand...wherever they are in the southern hemisphere! (read more here).  anyways, i had the pleasure of making dinner for everyone last night! i made skillet chicken and ravioli, parmesan zucchini and a baguette on the side, with double-chocolate swirl pound cake for desert. lucky for us, the weather was beautiful so we were able to eat outside. it was so much fun sitting out on our back deck with the family, laughing and sharing over supper. my family loved the meal. however, i adjusted the recipe for the skillet a bit, because turns out our local IGA doesn't have such delicacies as frozen ravioli (i didn't have time to make my own). i used  tortellini as a substitute, which worked out fine. the recipe also called for mushrooms, which i was hesitant to put in because i am not that big of a mushroom fan, but i decided to give it a go. i'm so glad i did because i absolutely loved them! the mushrooms were also my dad's favorite part of the dish and my brother, who feels the same way on mushrooms as i do, loved them too! lesson learned: try the foods you don't like because they might just surprise you! the dessert was really good too, but my only complaint would be, as usual, double the glaze!

Recipes:

Skillet Chicken Ravioli
TIME: 30 minutes SERVES: 4 (i doubled this recipe for my family)
Ingredients:

Kosher salt
1 9-ounce package small cheese ravioli
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 1/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
Freshly ground pepper
8 ounces white mushrooms, halved
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, basil or a combination

Directions: 

[1] Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the ravioli and cook as the label directs; drain, then drizzle with olive oil and toss.
[2] Meanwhile, season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken; cook, undisturbed, until beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring, 1 more minute. Transfer to a plate.
[3] Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in the skillet. Add the mushrooms and cook, undisturbed, until browned in spots, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and continue to cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 more minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, garlic and vinegar and cook until the tomatoes begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Return the chicken to the skillet, then add the ravioli, broth and parmesan; bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through, about 4 minutes. Top with the parsley.

For the Parmesan Zucchini all i did was saute the zucchini and sprinkle parmesan on top when they were tender. Delicious and easy way to cook zucchini.

Double-Chocolate Swirl Pound Cake

TIME: 1 hour 26 minutes SERVES: 16

Ingredients: 

1 3/4 cups sugar 
1/3 cup canola oil 
6 tablespoons butter, softened
2 large eggs 
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
9 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2 cups) 
3.4 ounces whole-wheat pastry flour (about 3/4 cup) [ can substitute for all-purpose]
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup light sour cream 
1/4 cup 2% reduced-fat milk 
1 teaspoon canola oil 
1 ounce chopped bittersweet chocolate
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
Baking spray with flour

Glaze: [double this]
2/3 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons 2% reduced-fat milk 
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:

[1] Preheat oven to 350°.

[2] Combine first 3 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, beating until incorporated. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.

[3] Weigh or lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level. Combine flours, powder, soda, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Combine sour cream and 1/4 cup milk. Add flour mixture and sour cream mixture alternately to butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

[4] Combine 1 teaspoon canola oil and chopped bittersweet chocolate in a microwave-safe dish. Microwave at HIGH for 1 minute, stirring every 20 seconds until smooth. Stir in 2 tablespoons cocoa. Remove 2 1/2 cups vanilla batter; add to chocolate mixture, and stir.

[5] Using 2 ice-cream scoops or 2 large spoons, add batters alternately to a 10-cup Bundt pan coated with baking spray; swirl.

[6] Bake at 350° for 50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes. Remove from pan; cool on wire rack.

[7] Combine powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons milk, 1 tablespoon cocoa, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla, and 1/8 teaspoon salt; stir until smooth. Drizzle glaze over cake.