I had good intentions...

...to purchase beets at the grocery store and make a healthy salad. Really, I did. Then I found this recipe: Beet cake with cream cheese frosting.


It really is a beautiful batter and looks like a natural substitute for red velvet cake. The natural dye eventually cooks out, leaving a moist cake.

It really was delicious, but I would probably grate the beets on the smaller holes of the vegetable grater for the next batch; the pieces were a little too large for cake.


All in all, a good recipe. It reminds me of V8 fusion - a great way for me to get my veggies...with cream cheese frosting on top.

Christmas, snow and Florida!

Hello again? Miss me? I've taken a little vacation from...everything. So here I am with an update of recent culinary adventures.

My car looked like this during the blizzard on December 19th:


So, I made chocolate chip cookies and this...

Mug cakes in less than 5 minutes!

Microwave for 90 seconds, or a little less, and you have fluffy cake deserving of a snow day. I would probably subtract some sugar next time, but otherwise, a decent recipe.

A few days later, I made yeast rolls from a great book: Mama Dip's Kitchen. Mama owned a fabulous restaurant by the same name in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, which is a MUST visit if you are in the area. The book, unfortunately, does not list a few essential items including *cough* the oven temperature - so do yourself a favor and search on epicurious for yeast rolls.


Was my Christmas held in the freezing, snow-ridden, rainy, windy Maryland region? Heck, no! We flew ourselves down to Florida and enjoyed a lovely, green and warm Christmas. We even enjoyed champagne, beer and nibbles on the beach! I felt like Ina, without the assistance of her table-scape decorators. And sans hydrangeas and over-sized denim shirts.

My mother, who seriously needs to start her own food show, cooked up quite a feast Christmas evening.

Prime rib, asparagus, yorkshire pudding and buttery mashed potatoes. For dessert: ice cream sundaes with warm chocolate ganache.

Wow.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone. Friday looks to be an awful weather day, which means TONS of cooking!

Chi-town

*snore, snore*

*nudge*

"Jen, you were having that dream again."

"Huh?"

"You know, about the perfect city."

"Oh yeah, the one with the four food groups."

"Yeah, I remember. Hot dogs, deep dish pizza, beer and beef."

"Yup. It was beautiful...but I froze to death."

"Yeah, Chicago can do that to you."

That was my dream - and it came to reality for a short 48 hours. Ladies & Gentlemen -- I give you Chicago.

Now, I know what you're thinking. "Jen! You're a Baltimore girl! Born and bred!" Not entirely true, my friend. Let me explain.

When I was just a young bacon lover, my parents moved from Maryland to Alabama to Chicago. For one glorious (and freezing) year, we were locals. Back when metabolism was still working in our genes, we feasted on the local fare. I was too young to remember all this, but the impact was made - I became a foodie. Besides, I'm allergic to the local Baltimore fav, crabs.

So, my mom and I decided to go back to the place where it all began, foodie central.

We arrived in zero, as in 0, degree weather, on the hunt for prime rib. Lawry's met that need and exceeded it with accoutrements such as yorkshire pudding, mashed potatoes with gravy and a spinning salad bowl. Umm....yes!!! Despite the fact that the restaurant and poor servers are straight from the 50's, we had one incredible meal that kept us warm for the frigid four block walk back to the hotel. (It was so cold that we had to stop at the John Hancock building for a nightcap. Don't judge.)

The next day, we stopped for breakfast at a local favorite, Tempo cafe. My mom ordered a lovely three egg omelette with cheddar and asparagus. I ordered banana nut pancakes. Everything was incredible. The pancakes were incredibly fluffy and the skillet that came with my mom's food had perfectly crispy home fries. When you sit, you are greeted with a prune and orange slice, homemade orange marmalade and an over-enthusiastic waiter desperately trying to serve you coffee. It was local, fast, clean and delicious. It was so good that we decided to go here for breakfast both days.

When walking to or from Tempo, stop in More Cupcakes, located right down the street on Delaware Ave.

A good recommendation for deep dish pizza? Pizano's Restaurant. I ordered

a classic with sausage and fresh mozzarella. Pair it with a Fat Tire beer, and you, my friend, have the perfect meal. The sauce was incredible and really fresh. New York pizza has NOTHING on this.

And how could we leave without hotdogs? We feasted on chili-cheese and Chi-town dogs with crinkle fries and an antacid shake.

*Sigh*

I thought I could only dream about such a place, but I'm glad it exists and is only a short plane ride away.

Much thanks to the greatest tour guide, my momma!

Rookie mistake.

There are few things that make me happier than my mom's cooking...especially when she volunteers to bring the main course. I had a lovely lunch with her, my step-daddy-o and the boyfriend. We decided to invite the 'rents over for a simple, hearty lunch since we have been recently smacked with freezing temperature. They also brought a lovely poinsettia!


My mom brought a delicious and spicy chili with a hint of cinnamon. Wow. I made my favorite Trader Joe's cornbread muffins with honey and curry as well as pan seared green beans.


For dessert, I decided to try a cupcake recipe from Gourmet.


Mini Vanilla Cupcakes with Dark Chocolate Ganache. Yummy, right? Yes, but there's something missing. They lack height. Umm...what happened?

Then, I suddenly heard my 8th grade home economics teacher scream in my ear, "Check the expiration date on the baking powder, dummy!"

*Slap on the forehead*

Great.

And that's it, ladies and gentlemen. Baking powder that was expired by ONE MONTH from today's date. They still tasted VERY yummy, but were probably slightly denser because of the lack of rise.

That'll teach me a lesson.

"You'll shoot your eye out!"

"Fra-GEE-Lay. That must be Italian!"

"I think that says FRAGILE, dear."

"Oh."

In case you don't know me personally, you simply don't understand my love of the greatest movie of all time, A Christmas Story. I look forward to watching it every Christmas and try my darndest to ONLY watch it during the month of December. I slip and sometimes watch it in July. Oh well.

Sauteed red cabbage is featured during the movie and really got me in the mood for the sweet, tangy flavor. I'll search for recipes this week and hopefully find a favorite soon.

Thanks to Dad for this lovely leg-lamp night-light.


And thanks to my cousin, Stephanie, for giving me this leg-lamp in a box Christmas ornament last year. Push a button on the back, and it recites memorable lines from the movie.

They have only added to my obsession.

Rest in Peace

I have been in mourning this week for two kitchen items that have crossed over to the other side. How am I to live without my griddle and food chopper? The griddle died during pancakes the other morning. It tried desperately to revive after only one batch was finished, but it slowly deteriorated after that moment. Within ten minutes, the little red light flickered one last time and slowly dimmed to nothing.

In an act of pure emotion over the death of the griddle, the top of the chopper flung itself from the top of the counter. It was found a few moments later, cracked in half. (Actually, I dropped the top when I was taking it out of the dishwasher).

Despite all the trauma, I've manager to whip together some Trader Joe's pumpkin waffles and crispy hash browns.


Oops...not enough batter.

I'll deal.

Ahhh...

I did it; I finished teaching my first college-level course in speech communication. And how do I celebrate, you ask? Well, we start with a pound of bacon and...gotcha! No bacon tonight, but I will catch-up soon, I promise. Tonight, we feast on tacos and beer.

Spicy-spicy chicken tacos, to be exact. First, marinade boneless chicken thighs in your choice of Mexican spices - but not, for crying out loud, not Chi Chi's dry rub - that's just criminal. If you cannot find a decent spice mix in the grocery store, improvise to your liking with these ingredients:

- chili powder
- cumin
- salt
- oregano
- salt
- onion powder
- garlic powder
- touch of cinnamon and clove

Mix together with A LOT of hot sauce and olive oil, marinade the chicken for 24 hours, grill on both sides, finish in a 325 degree oven and you'll get this...

DELICIOUS.

Add to a corn taco shell with black beans, corn and tomato salsa, a few slices of avocado and a squirt of lime. *Sigh* My very sad excuse for a local grocery store did not have any decent avocados in stock. Still, it was very tasty.

Add some lovely beer to the mix and you have one of my favorite meals.

Cheers!

Christmas gifts?

No peeking!

Thanks to a recent candy making class at the Cake and Wedding Cottage, I will try to re-create the CUTEST little "cupcakes" I have ever seen: cupcake bites.

Imagine a little Christmas bag with a few of these candy coated creations in red and green or blue and white. (Imagine my belly full of these when I have to "dispose" of the rejects - yikes!)

Thanks, Bakerella! Love your ideas!!

I'm back!

I'm allowed to take a break, too. Not from food, of course. No big whoop - let's talk.

First things first - here are the recipes I talked about in a previous blog:

Cranberry-orange ginger chutney

For my grandmother's cornbread dressing...well...the recipe seems to change a little every year. Here are the basics:

- one bag cornbread stuffing mix (just the cubed, dried bread)
- 4 slices white bread (preferably pepperidge farm)
- 1/2 of a large onion cut in small pieces
- 1 stalk of celery cut in small pieces
- 1 stick of butter
- buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- s&p and poultry seasoning to taste

Add the bread to a large bowl while cooking the onion and celery in the butter.

*Note the lovely kitchen appliances; I'm cooking at my mom and step-dad's house.*

Add the onion and celery mixture to the bowl of bread and mix with the eggs and enough buttermilk to slightly moisten the mixture. Add s&p along with poultry seasoning to taste. Add to a greased baking dish. Place cubes of butter to the top. Cook at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until crunchy on top.


We also found an Alien egg...



Ahh! Where's Ripley when you need her?!! "Game over, man! Game over!"

Back to reality...and maple-pumpkin pie. My mom thought of a cute idea to add the filling to individual graham cracker shells, which was perfect. They were incredibly cute and easy to carry around instead of a large pie.

Maple-pumpkin pie (adapted from a Wegman's recipe)
- 1/2 of a large can or small can of pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 3/4 cup good maple syrup (Sorry, couldn't resist the Ina-ness)
- 1 cup of heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon of flour
- 3 eggs
- dash of salt
- dash of vanilla
- seasonings, to your liking: ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg

Either use 12 individual graham cracker bowls, with a bit left over, or fill a regular 9 inch pie shell.

Mix ingredients together, add to crust(s), bake at 350 degrees. For individual pies, 20-35 min. For large pie, 50-60 min. (Just make sure the filling stops wiggling)

What a great Thanksgiving celebration. I'm very fortunate and thankful for my family and friends...and bacon.

Oh, oh! Although I forgot to take a picture of it (blonde moment), I did make eggnog "waffles" Black Friday.

I took the remaining white bread from the dressing and added it to a mixture of:

- eggnog
- 1 egg
- cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg
- orange zest
- touch of brown sugar

Drench the bread in the mixture and add to a waffle iron. You can also add it to a griddle to make french toast, if you do not have the iron. Add syrup to the finished product -- or -- the remaining orange-ginger cranberry sauce. yum

Thanksgiving #1

The madness is finally over, and *plop, plop, fizz, fizz* we are recovering (with the help of Mr. Antacid) from the first round of culinary indulgence. My mom started with a dry rub on a pork shoulder and let it cook for 10 hours in the oven on 275 degrees. When we woke up at 8 am, we were greeted with an incredible smell and fall-off-the-bone tender meat. It turned into pulled pork sandwiches with bbq sauce and coleslaw.

The other main event was another great alternative to the traditional turkey: fried chicken. Buttermilk, flour (seasoned, of course), grease and voila!

We ended up with chicken breasts the size of Paris Hilton's dogs.

Along with the usual mashed potatoes, asparagus and biscuits, my mom whipped up two other incredible side dishes: shrimp and corn chowder and pumpkin gratin. Here are the recipes for both:

Chowder

Gratin

Substitute shrimp for the lobster in Ina's recipe, if you wish.

We also made lovely profiteroles for dessert. Here is a good recipe: profiteroles.

I think this gives me a good start to the holiday season, and a good reason to consider joining Merritt Athletic Club...again.

Craziness!

I have been endlessly testing recipes and shopping for four upcoming Thanksgiving meals in the next six days. The first is tomorrow, hosted by my mom. I'll be helping her tonight and in the morning to prepare for the meal and will post information (and hopefully pics) on Sunday. I will also be shopping for the remaining three meals and will cook the following:

- orange cranberry relish

- maple pumpkin pie bites

- my grandmother's cornbread dressing

More detailed recipes to follow, hopefully sometime during the crazy week of family fun.

Until then, check out some of my favorite food sites:

Bakerella

EpiCute

Cake Wrecks

Food Network Humor

A BLT without the 'L'??

*Gasp!* It's true! Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, gather 'round and watch as the bacon lady whips up a BLT without lettuce!

Alright, here's the truth - I don't enjoy the taste of lettuce. So, there. I love almost all other vegetables, but lettuce? Rabbit food. Honestly, some spinach would be nice, but you would end up with BS, and get snickers before finishing the acronym.

I prefer BAT's (stop snickering) bacon, avocado and tomato. Don't laugh yet - let me put some citrus mayonnaise on the bread for you. Not expecting that, were you?


Mix orange zest, a squirt of lemon and your favorite mayo for a perfect topper.

I've also been in the mood for some beef and broccoli, but the delivery guy (along with the pizza guy) can't seem to understand the calling system outside my apartment, so I decided to come up with my own recipe.



Crispy Orange Beef and Broccoli

- flank steak
- broccoli
- brown rice (cook according to label instructions)
- fresh ginger
- sesame oil
- bottled spicy orange sauce
- oil for frying
- corn starch
- s&p

Cut flank steak against the grain into very thin strips. Add to zip-up bag with enough cornstarch to cover and mix. Set aside. Use the back of a spoon to remove the skin from ginger. Grate about a 1/2 tbs. per serving. Add the remaining ginger (not grated) to the rice while cooking.

Blanch broccoli and set aside. Add oil to pan, enough to cover about half of the flank steak strips and turn to medium heat. Add strips to hot oil and cook about a minute on each side. Transfer to paper towels to drain.

Add a little bit of sesame oil to a new pan and add broccoli and s&p to taste. Add enough spicy orange sauce to cover broccoli without drowning the florets. Add crispy beef strips and broccoli to top a bowl of the ginger scented rice (remove the ginger before serving). Add some sesame seeds and enjoy!

Rainy night

It has been cold, rainy and windy for the past few days in MD. I needed a meal tonight to warm me up (since I didn't want to turn the heat on - lest I get a huge electric bill). Some roasted garlic mashed potatoes and curried corn bread muffins would do the trick.

To start, remove most of the white, paper skin of a whole head of garlic. Cut it in half, add olive oil, salt & pepper. Add to a 350 degree oven. Leave it alone for about an hour until it turns golden brown. Pop the garlic cloves out of the skin.


During this time, prep the muffins by adding muffin tins to a muffin pan. I took a box of Trader Joe's cornbread mix and followed the ingredients label. I then added 2 tablespoons of honey and 2 teaspoons of curry powder (more of less, depending on the type). Fill muffin tins and place in oven. Bake for 15 - 20 min on 350.

Start chopping potatoes for the mashed potatoes. I prefer yukon gold. Cut them into quarter-sized slices and add to salted, boiling water. Let them cook for 15 min., or until tender.

Add drained potatoes back to the pan and add a few tablespoons of butter, a little bit of milk and chicken stock. (The amount depends on the potato and how much you decide to cook). Smash potatoes with the roasted garlic and mix.

Take muffin out of tin, add butter and enjoy.

Thanksgiving side and pie: test 1

Isn't it a pleasure to find fresh, beautiful produce in a grocery store? You know, the quality that you would expect to find in a road-side farm stand. I certainly take advantage of the grocery store more now since daylight savings time ended, resulting in farmers closing their stands earlier. During a recent trip, I found gorgeous carrots that turned into one of my favorite recipes: carrot noodles.

My mom acquired this recipe from a woman name Elaine in Mustique, who taught her how to make this sweet and savory dish. This is my mom's recipe, with my additions in red.

-Make long strands of carrot with vegetable peeler.

- Simmer carrots in chicken stock, or water with chick buillion cube til tender. I used stock.

- Drain liquid and keep noodles warm on another plate.

- Add couple tablespoons of butter to pan (I used olive oil)....add a bit of chopped onion (I added garlic) and saute til tender.

- Add carrot noodles back to pan.

- Add small amount of white wine, butter and 1/2 and 1/2, or heavy cream (I used heavy cream).

- s & p to taste.

Enjoy!

I love the tender, pasta texture of the carrots with the simple sauce. Obviously, the recipe can be "healthified", but what is a Thanksgiving without an indulgent amount of tryptophan? I consider it a natural version of tylenol pm, so I can fall asleep by 8 and wake up at 4 for the black friday specials. Look out, JC Penney, here I come!

I'm also working on pumpkin pie recipes for Thanksgiving. Here is the first batch of pumpkin maple pie. The filling was delicious, but the crust? Meh. I'll start working on a ginger cookie crust. The final recipe should be posted soon!

jambon

Darn you, Food Network. I was perfectly happy with my grocery store purchases until you decided to air episodes that dealt with cooking ham. The southern woman in me emerges when you mention smoked ham, and much like the Hulk, nothing else can satisfy the appetite that consumes me. I have to run to the grocery store at 10 p.m. wearing crocs (good grief), my glasses and the "dirty-hair" ponytail. Praying that no one I know spots me, I run to the meat section, pick up the ham, bread 'n butter pickles and tomatoes. My mission was clear: ham sandwich.

I bought a small quarter ham, placed it in a shallow pan (hey, that rhymed!), covered it in aluminum foil and cooked it low 'n slow at 275 degrees for 45 minutes. Then, I poured a layer of dijon mustard on top along with a mixture of ginger, Dr. Pepper, brown sugar, nutmeg and tabasco on top. I took the aluminum foil off and let it cook for the last 15 minutes uncovered.


Mmmmm....can you smell it?

I had to force myself to leave it alone for a half hour for it to cool down so I could make the wonderful sandwich.

Aww yeah.
Beeeutiful!

After letting it cool in the fridge overnight, I removed the last of the spiral sections, and stored some for sandwiches later. The other half was made into ham salad by placing it into a food processor with a few of the bread 'n butter pickles. Add mayo, dijon mustard and pepper and voila! Yummy new sandwich delight. The last large hunk of meat and bone were placed in the freezer for delicious bean soup during the winter.

Note: the photos of the author gnawing on the remaining bone were removed from this page because it would make the reader jealous. Thank you.

Ben's Cookies - Test 1

The first recipe was ok. The cookies looked and smelled a lot like Ben's cookies, but the texture was a little too dry. The flavor was slightly off as well. I did enjoy the candied ginger with the dark chocolate, but will omit the added nutella that I added to the recipe. (I couldn't help myself.)


Round 2: slightly less flour and higher oven temperature to achieve the crispy outside and cake texture in the middle.

#1 fan

I am the #1 fan of my mom's cooking - and for good reason! Look at this magnificence...

*Insert Homer Simpson droul noise*

While some at work complained today about the upcoming holiday season and spending time with annoying family and eating awful food, a vision of last year's beef wellington popped in my head. "Haha! Enjoy your green bean casserole whilst I devour tender steak, sauteed mushrooms and crispy puff pastry!"

Just the sight of this photo gets me excited about the holidays and all the opportunities my mom has to use her culinary talents. She just...gets it. Cooking makes sense to her. It's easy, rewarding, demanding and fulfilling at the same time. That woman knows her flavor profiles. She is the MacGyver of food. Give her a half-empty jar of peanut butter, 2 packets of splenda, oreo cookies, lemon zest and a paperclip -- you'll have Thanksgiving dinner in 15 minutes. I kid you not.

So, thanks mom. You are a great cook and wonderful company.

Except when you get into the liquor cabinet.

Actually, you are a lot of fun when you get into the liquor cabinet.

Let's raid the liquor cabinet together, mom.

cookie-palooza!

A few friends from my trip to London invited me to a reunion this January. Fortunately, they are foodies, so I know that many wonderful recipes are in store. In preparation, I'm attempting to recreate the cookies from Ben's Cookies in Oxford which I mentioned in an earlier blog. http://www.benscookies.com/

These culinary delights bring back some great memories - including eating three white and dark chocolate chunk cookies for lunch one day. The antioxidant powers are amazing, I'm sure. The ginger chunk cookies were a big hit as well.

I'll be testing different recipes in the next few weeks to try and find one that meets the standards of these incredible cookies. Keep your fingers crossed that I will start testing this evening - after the Charlie Brown special, of course.

"To alcohol! The cause of - and solution to - all life's problems." Homer Simpson

Baltimore beer week has come and gone, but the celebration of all things malt, yeast and hops is still celebrated in my house. I'm one of those strange women that enjoys a good pint at the end of the day, compared to the glass of wine that seems so stereotypical. Sure, a nice glass of heavy red wine, such as shiraz, is great, but I'm happier with a lager. I especially love to order beer at dressy occasions just to get looks. I imagine on-lookers thinking, "My word! That nicely dressed woman is ordering a lager! She best sip that out of a glass. So help me if she doesn't raise her pinky whilst drinking!"

Beer, to me, is a great celebratory drink and fits any occasion and mood. Let's discover the beer moods of Jen:

Mood: "It's summer!" *sunburn* Beer: Red Stripe
Mood: "It's fall!" *allergy sneeze* Beer: Sam Adams Oktoberfest
Mood: "I need to relax." *snore* Beer: Blue Moon
Mood: "St. Patty's Day!" *green dye overload* Beer: Smithwick's
Mood: "You're driving, right?" *hiccup* Beer: Dogfish Head 90 minute IPA

And, I personally like serving beer with food more than wine. Go out and buy some Flying Dog In-Heat Wheat Hefeweizen and pair with Indian food. Fabulous. My new favorite pairing is a mix of two wonderful items of the season: Blue Moon's Harvest Moon Pumpkin ale and curried pumpkin seeds.


This unassuming pumpkin turned jack-o-lantern was the inspiration for this pairing -- a fall version of peanuts and beer. After his surgical procedure, I whipped up this recipe from the goodies waiting inside. Muwa haha

Curried-Cinnamon Pumpkin Seeds

- seeds from a medium pumpkin
- tsp of curry
- tsp of cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp of ginger
- 1/8 tsp of nutmeg
- 1 tbs olive oil
- pinch of salt
- pinch of sugar

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Thoroughly wash seeds to remove pulp and dry completely under paper towels. Combine seeds and all ingredients in a bowl and mix. (note: feel free to add/delete spices according to your taste) Add more olive oil if needed to incorporate ingredients.

Add to cookie sheet and WATCH in oven. The seeds should take no longer than 20 minutes to brown. Stir in pan once the first side browns.

Once lightly brown, remove from oven and place seeds in a bowl to cool.



Cheers to fall.

It just feels like a big hug.

I adore comfort foods. Honestly, who doesn't? The term "comfort food" gives us the opportunity to indulge using the excuse that food will make things all better. It's like a band-aid and kiss on a boo-boo. Bad day? What bad day? All gone!

I needed some comfort the other day, and while the calorie police were probably ready to knock on my door, I knew that nothing would satisfy that need like breakfast at dinner. I resisted the temptation of cheesy grits and hash browns - Lord, help me - but bacon, yes, the bacon is always included. The result? Runny egg, bacon and cheese sandwiches.

I toasted two honey wheat rolls from Yia Yia's Bakery http://www.yiayiasbakery.com/ and added thick-sliced pepper bacon, provolone cheese and eggs fried in...bacon grease. Oh, snap!

Enjoy, bacon lovers, enjoy.