My Weekend Six

D

dawnnys

Well-known member
I made heirloom tomato jam, which turned out to be what I would say is a cross between very savory ketchup and caramelized pizza sauce. It tasted just like pizza! Heirloom cherry tomatoes, sauteed until hot, then put in a bowl of cold water and skinned. I strained the seeds out and reduced the whole thing down to a thick paste-like consistency over low heat after adding chopped onion, black pepper, a sprig of thyme, and a tablespoon of GRAPE SEED. The consistency is like tomato paste, but it is so much more - I can see many uses for this, and I used up most of my remaining cherry tomatoes, whose skin I find a little too tough to just eat as-is.

We had corn and zucchini pancakes again this morning. Topped with sour cream, soooo good. I just added shredded zucchini and corn off the cob to my regular pancake recipe.

Now that it's cooler, my daughter and I made a Scandinavian apple cake yesterday morning - an old recipe that I found in my stash of book-sale cookbooks, most of them church and local collections. It's basically the buttery apple cake I've made from the swap, with added cardamom, sour cream, and red current jelly. Good with strong coffee on a cold morning! Did I say "cold"? Shhhhh....

Must make zucchini chocolate muffins and pickled eggs from that same church cookbook soon!

Saturday dinner was leftover broccoli fettuccine Alfredo. To change it up a little, I made it Thai, with a little more white sauce, a little peanut butter, and a tablespoon of basil pesto that I made last week. I found an 8-oz package of grilled chicken breast at the dollar store(!!), so I added that too.

Tonight's dinner will be friends over for pot roast with mashed potatoes, tomato salad (getting slightly sick of tomatoes by now) and red chard from the garden. How can so few seeds produce so many greens!

 
Weekend Six

1. Brunch with friends at a place in the West Village today. (The same place that made us stand outside in twenty below zero to wait for our entire party to show up, two years ago, which made me vow never to return--but the friends like it, and J. is non-confrontational, so there you go.) A decent BLT with fried green tomatoes and good home fries. I only ate a few bites, so I asked to take it home. Got home to discover that the only thing that made it was the BLT--no home fries! Jerks! What kind of crappy policy is that? YOU DO NOT DENY A PREGNANT LADY HER LEFTOVER HOME FRIES. I would rat them out on Yelp, but I think the friends would find out. smileys/frown.gif

(Yes, I'm aware of how trivial this problem is in the grand scheme of things, but I paid for all of the meal and if I want to take it home, it should be implicit that I want whatever is left on my plate. But I don't think frugality is a virtue much prized in the West Village...) Grump grump grump.

2. Made a giant batch of Batali's bolognese sauce to stash in the freezer for winter.

3. Bought approximately 800 Tupperware-ish containers at Ikea for said sauce and other to-be-made winter staples. (It's my pioneer genes--in September, I get the itch to cram the freezer full of goods in case we are snowed in, which happens only every 25 years in NYC, I think.)

4. Suffered a mild case of pizza-box burn on Friday night, walking the five blocks back from the pizza place. (I know, I'm really reaching for things to list here, but it hurts!) Worth it, though--very good pizza with sausage, pepperoni, spinach, green peppers, mushrooms, cheese, cheese, cheese, sauce, good thin crust. It's the first pizza we've bought (instead of made) in about a year.

5. I was going to make Jacques Pepin's apple cake but was so intrigued by Dawn's Scandinavian cake that I'm hoping to tackle that, this week...

6. Sorta-FRC. Has anyone else read the Hannah Swensen mysteries by Joanne Fluke? (They're considered cozy mysteries, the kind I'm trying to write, so I'm plowing through the genre.) The recipes are driving me NUTS. They're so overwritten! If it's a stylistic choice to make the readers feel like they're peering over the character's shoulder into a treasured cookbook, it backfires, in my view, because the annotations tend to oversimplify directions and ingredients. And I confess that I abandoned this particular book after coming to a recipe for a cheese, pineapple, and cornflake casserole. Maybe it's a Minnesota thing (where the books are set), but...no thank you.

Clearly, switching to decaf hasn't made me less antagonistic. smileys/wink.gif

Oh! SandrainNY and I had a great lunch at Bar Boulud this week. smileys/smile.gif I am hoping to make that place a default brunch option... Wish me luck!

 
Weekend Six

Skipped work today and it feels good.

I have been buzzing around on Pinterest on and off today. That's where I came across the cranberry-pistachio bark.

I wanted to make the Garlic Love that Traca posted above, but I don't have a lime for the lime zest. smileys/frown.gif

Roasted chicken thighs, baked potatoes and salad for dinner tonight.

Trying to organize myself for a really busy week and weekend.

Martini and then bed.

 
Weekend six

I just ran away from my kitchen and dining table which I did not clean up last night after the holiday dinner!! I did actually put the leftovers away and run one dishwasher. Please don't make me go back.
Started on Thursday with honey-almond biscotti - very yummy.
Friday was shopping for everything and making cornbread.
Sat. made chicken soup.
Sun. Matza balls, stuffing, gravy, turkey, sweet potato casserole. Set table - it was beautiful (not so this morning.)
My d-i-l's parents made spicy morocan fish, several sides such as fried eggplant,string beans with pinenuts, and a really yummy jerusalem artichoke dish.

Okay - back to the kitchen...

 
Sure. REC Scandinavian Apple Cake

1 c vegetable oil
1 1/2 c brown sugar
3 eggs
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons sour cream
2 T water
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups chopped apples
3/4 cup red or black currant jelly thinned with a little water
Powdered sugar

Butter a 10-inch Bundt pan or one 9x13-inch sheet pan. Spray with Pam and then sprinkle the bottom and sides with a little flour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Blend together oil and brown sugar until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and baking soda, and spices. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture along with the sour cream, water, and vanilla, beating until the batter is smooth.

Fold the chopped apples into the batter, then pour half of the batter into pan, followed by half of the currant jelly; repeat layering until all ingredients are used up.

Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, depending upon the size of the pan, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Sprinkle the top with sifted powdered sugar when cake is cool.

 
What's the hurry? I think of the cleanup as ":party afterglow" and it's okay if it lasts a long time

Sounds like a wonderful holiday.

 
I think of it more like "party hangover." smileys/wink.gif

Which is why I feel the need to clean it all up the same night! One hangover is enough!

 
But then, if you're really hungover the next morning,and it looks like nothing happened

Aren't you disoriented? "Did I really even have a party? Did I dream it? OMG, did I really say that to her?"

Somehow I find the morning wreckage reassuring.

 
My weekend six-ish, the cupcake edition

After lots of internet searches, making a list and checking it twice, I drove up to a bakery supply store just south of SF. Angels sung upon entering compared to the 2 stores here. And when I saw the prices I said, Hallelujah and can I get an Amen! (in my head.)

I got fondant, the butterfly push cutter I came for, plus a daisy, dragonflies, etc. I got diso dust, pearl dust, crystal sugar, bigger piping bags, a couple new tips, several grease proof cupcake liner options (I plan to use matte chocolate brown for party), clamshell cupcake containers for what won't fit in my normal carrier, cake boards, cake box, but...there was so much to resist!

Forgot and had to get high ratio shortening locally though.

Saturday I treated myself to a cake turntable. For years I've resisted the real deal metal ones due to lack of space. Found this Wilton Trim-N-Turn Ultra Rotating Cake Stand (click here) at Michael's & used a this day only 40% coupon (score!) and got some Wilton brushes and more pearl dust.

Last night made about 30 butterflies as a test drive. Super easy working with the fondant.

Today trying out an icing and cupcake recipe.

So far the jury is out on the icing. I tried this icing: Buttercream Dream Icing (click here) because it was 2/3rds butter 1/3 shortening to see if it would stand up to a warm day. I halved it, and sifted the sugar b/c I was concerned about lumps - seemed a bit wet for piping so added almost as much again (non-sifted in case that was the issue). Used only 1 t vanilla and added 1/4 t almond as I'd read it cut the greasy taste, which before doing so IMHO this was. Adding the additional sugar and the almond extract seemed to help some. Note I did not use the high ratio shortening in this which I've heard helps with the greasy mouth feel, but will on the batch for the party. Film at 11.


Just took these
Perfect Vanilla Cupcakes (click here) out of the oven. I tried the pre-heat to 400F and then lower to 350F once in the oven trick to see if it would make them dome. It did! They are cooling now.

More to come.

 
This is the one new thing I made - it was a success.

This is a Nick Malgieri recipe. I have never gone wrong with one of his recipes. If you google
honey almond biscotti you will find it several times. This was from food.com

Honey Almond Biscotti
By TommyGato on August 11, 2003

Photo by Strwbrrykisses
7 Reviews Prep Time: 20 mins Total Time: 1 hrs 10 mins Servings: 48 About This Recipe
"I love the honey flavor of these biscotti as much the almond aroma while they bake. Based on "Biscotti Napoletani" from Nick Malgieri's book, Great Italian Desserts, the three flavoring ingredients are just honey-almond-cinnamon. They're wonderful in this pure form but I mention the optional ingredients since they please my American tastebuds. Since there's no butter or egg, these biscotti are exceptionally light--imagine a crisp, honey almond toast. They're different but definitely worth trying."
Ingredients
2 cups flour 3/4 cup sugar 3/4 cup unblanched whole almonds ( ground fine in a blender or food processor, raw or roasted) 3/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon salt (optional) 3/4 cup unblanched whole almonds ( roasted) 1/3 cup honey 1/3 cup lukewarm water 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional) or 1 teaspoon vanilla (optional) Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare a baking pan 13-15 inches long with either cooking spray and foil or parchment.
Combine honey and water, stirring to form a solution; stir in almond extract and/or vanilla if desired and set aside.
Combine the dry ingredients (including the ground and the whole almonds) and stir for a minute or so to combine.
Add honey-water and stir until all the ingredients are incorporated into a thick dough.
Divide the dough in half and form or roll into 2 logs about 12 inches long (they'll spread out as they bake so place well apart from each other in the pan)--Tip: Lightly moisten your fingers with water to prevent the dough from sticking to them. It's easier to shape the logs.

Page 2 of 2Honey Almond Biscotti (cont.)
Directions
Bake at 350°F for about 30 minutes; they should be well risen, firm, and a dark golden color. It is important that the logs bake a half hour or very close to it.
After cooling for 5-10 minutes, slice the logs diagonally at 1/2 inch intervals with a sharp knife.
Place the biscotti on their sides and bake about 15 minutes at 300°F until lightly colored and dry.
If they need to bake longer than 15 minutes, turn them over to avoid over-browning the side on bottom.
Allow to cool in the pan and store in a tin or tightly closed container.
(Note: I usually buy raw almonds and roast them myself in a 300°F oven for 15-20 minutes, stirring after the first 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature before using in a recipe).
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1 (17 g)

Servings Per Recipe: 48

Amount Per Serving % Daily ValueCalories 64.1 Calories from Fat 20 32% Amount Per Serving % Daily ValueTotal Fat 2.3g 3% Saturated Fat 0.1g 0% Cholesterol 0.0mg 0% Sugars 5.2 g Sodium 19.0mg 0% Total Carbohydrate 9.9g 3% Dietary Fiber 0.6g 2% Sugars 5.2 g 21% Protein 1.5g 3% © 2012 Scripps Networks, LLC. All Rights Reserved. http://www.food.com/68711
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