I am moving!

As I have mentioned before, I am quite annoyed with the spacing problems on this blog. Knowing that the appearance of my posts is going to wrong hardly encourages creativity. Also, while I love cooking, and I really really do, it’s not my entire life (I am not a professional cook after all). I have other projects, interest, passions and hobbies. As a rather chatty individual, I want to be able to share these experiences with you, not just the ones that occur in the kitchen. I decided to take care of two birds with one stone and I’ve been working for a few months now on my new blog. I hope you will continue to follow my adventures there!

youngscholarslife.blogspot.com.

Edamame Salad with Crisp Steak Bits

Update: My new blog is coming along wonderfully! I can’t wait to share it with all of you. For a reminder as to why I’m switching blogs, go here. I’m currently in the process of uploading my recipes to the new site and then I’m going to activate it in time to chronicle my big move. Stay tuned!

This salad is deceptively attractive. I saw pictures on the Cooking Light website and thought, “wow, what a great, healthy option”. Unfortunately, it looked way better than it tasted. The texture of the cucumbers and edamame was just weird and bf didn’t really like the dressing. Anyway, I thought it was a good effort. In the name of sharing, I will show the recipe and how I created it.

Edamame Salad with Crisp Steak Bits

from Cooking Light Magazine

• 3 cups frozen shelled edamame
• 2 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 1/2 cups chopped seeded English cucumber (about 1)
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 8 ounces flank steak, cut into small pieces
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

First, I mixed together the soy sauce, fresh ginger, mayo, mustard, vinegar and sesame oil to create the dressing. A few notes: I would definitely reduce the amount of sesame oil, it’s really not my favorite. Also, ginger can be annoying to peel and chop, not to mention how to save extras? Ginger comes in those giant pieces that look like troll fingers and no recipe actually needs that much ginger. I have a great trick to fix that problem!  Freeze the ginger with the skin still on in a plastic baggy. Then when you need it, just chop of a piece, slice of the skin and chop it up. Not only does the ginger still smell amazingly fresh, but it chops and skins easily. It’s really and awesome solution.

Then, I sliced the tomatoes in half, chopped the cucumber and green onions, and shelled the edamame. I poured the dressing over the veggies and tossed.

Next, I tossed the cut up steak bits with some salt and pepper. I heated up some vegetable oil in a skillet and then added the steak. As you can see, it gets very smokey, so I had to put the fan on. Also, it sprays oil EVERYWHERE. So cleaning the stove before I cooked was definitely a fool’s errand. I cooked the steak until it was crispy and brown through the center.

While I was making the salad, I also boiled some corn. I served the salad with the steak bites on top. It looked really nice right? Have you ever made any dishes that look great and really fail in the taste department? I hope I’m not the only one!

Toasted Chickpea and Apricot Salad

This salad is perfect for a (unbearably hot, straight-from-Satan’s Lair) summer night. Yup that’s right. D.C. is miserable right now. Luckily, I found this salad in the recent Cooking Light and I loved it! It’s pretty similar to this salad, (which bf liked better since he doesn’t really like fruit in his salad), but I loved this one!

Toasted Chickpea and Apricot Salad

adapted from Cooking Light Magazine

• 2 16 ounce cans of chickpeas, rinsed, drained, and patted dry
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
• 1 teaspoon grated orange rind
• 1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 of a red onion, sliced thinly
• 4 large apricots, pitted and sliced
• 1 bag of arugula and mixed greens, rinsed thoroughly
• 4 ounces crumbled feta cheese

First, I rinsed my chickpeas in a strainer and patted them dry with paper towels. (I used two 16 ounce cans of chickpeas, it was a little more than the recipe called for, but I think the amount turned out right). I then put the chickpeas in a baking dish, added two tablespoons of olive oil, the cumin and coriander, and stirred everything together with a spoon until the chickpeas were coated. I then baked the peas for 20 minutes at 450 degrees.

While the chickpeas were roasting, I combined the orange rind, the orange juice, the vinegar, salt, pepper and the rest of the olive oil in a large bowl. I whisked it all together using a fork.

I then sliced up four apricots and half of a red onion and tossed them with the dressing. I let the mix sit for about 5-10 minutes while the peas finished roasting.

When the peas were done, I added them to the bowl, along with the arugula. I then sprinkled the feta on top and mixed again.

All done! Super easy, 20 minutes start to finish. Would go great with some crusty bread. Yum!

Holy Brown Sugar! (or Soft Brown Sugar Cookies)

I have to start this post by saying, don’t try this dough. If you do, you won’t want to make the cookies, but instead gobble up the entire bowl of deliciousness.

My second note is that my cookies look nothing like the ones in the picture on the blog where I found the recipe. I tried cooking them different times, different tray levels in the oven and different size dough balls and nothing worked. I’m just now wondering if it’s maybe stale baking soda? I’ll have to try. Don’t get me wrong, they are freaking delicious. Like, melt in your mouth, heaven on earth, richly decadent amazing. They just aren’t the prettiest cookies. No beauty awards here. I”m going to try it again though. If I get it right, I’ll let you know.

Soft Brown Sugar Cookies

from Gooseberry Patch Cookbook via Scraps of Life

Cookies:

2/3 c. butter, softened
1-1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla extract
2-1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 c. sour cream

Frosting:

1/4 c. butter
1-1/2 c. powdered sugar
2 T. Milk

First, I started by mixing together the softened butter and the brown sugar.

Then, I added the eggs one at a time and beat in between each addition. I also added the vanilla and beat again.

In a separate bowl, I whisked together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Next, I added half the flour and mixed everything together with my hand mixer. I then added the sour cream and mixed again. Finally, I added the rest of the flour and mixed for the last time.

Using a tablespoon measurement, I scooped balls of dough onto parchment paper-covered trays. Clearly, I didn’t leave enough space. I found that you want just barely a tablespoon, any bigger and they expand way too much. Also, the cookies really stuck to the parchment paper once they were done so I’ll spray the paper next time. One final note, the original recipe said bake for 8 minutes. Mine definitely needed 10-11 and even then they were leaning towards the still-squishy side. Once the cookies had cooled for a few minutes, I removed them to wire racks.

For the frosting, I started by melting the butter. You then want to cook it until it just begins to turn brown. I was sort of nervous about this step, but it’s pretty obvious when it begins to brown. You start to see tiny little brown flecks, almost as though someone has sprinkled cinnamon in the butter. At this point, I turned off the heat.

I then added the powdered sugar and mixed until there weren’t any large clumps of butter.

Next, I poured about 4 teaspoons of milk, although I think my frosting could have used another 1/2 teaspoon or so, and stirred. You want it to be spreadable.

Finally, I experimented with the frosting. I tried some cookies with lots and some with little. I think a little dollop is best because the frosting is rich and isn’t shy about the butter. Next time, when the frosting is thinner, I’m going to try doing a super thin layer, rather than blobs. Can I just say, I really hate this picture. It looks like weird eyeballs, eggs, or at worst, breasts…..Ok, I apologize for that rant. Don’t mind my photography skills, try these cookies!

Chicken Fricassee

Remember when I told you about my awesome new little recipe book from my friend? (See post here). I tried another recipe last night and it was a big hit…again!

Chicken Fricassee

• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2-1 onion (depending on the size)
• 1/2 of a green pepper
• few shakes of garlic salt
• chicken tenders (I used about 6, you want about 2 chicken breasts)
• 1 8 oz can of tomato sauce
• 2 bottles of beer (any kind is fine)
• potatoes (peeled and cut into large chunks)- I think I used about 8 medium size yellow potatoes, I will probably use a few less next time
• green olives, as many as you want

I started by chopping up the onion and green pepper. (Actually, I peeled the potatoes first, cause it takes me FOREVER to peel potatoes if they are small). I then cooked the pepper and onion for a few minutes until the onion is translucent.

Then, I cut up the chicken tenders into thirds (because my were really large and I wanted them to cook evenly). I then added the chicken to the pot and cooked for about five minutes, or until the chicken was cooked through.

Next, I added the tomato sauce, the beer and the olives and cooked for another five minutes. I used the large green olives stuffed with pimento. Note: next time I will definitely slice up the olives first. Some bites had a little too much olive and some bites needed a small slice of olive.

After five minutes, I added the potatoes and brought the whole thing to a boil. I then covered the pot, reduced the heat to a good simmer and let the pot cook for 30 minutes.

While the potato and chicken mix was simmering, I cooked some quinoa to serve under the fricassee and boiled some corn to serve on the side. Yay for the first corn of the season!!!! I then served the fricassee over the quinoa with the corn on a separate side plate. It was delicious. Bf added a little pepper and I added a little salt and it was delicious!

Confetti Cake with Fudge Frosting

First, I want to apologize for my absence this week. I made a rice pudding which I wanted to write about, but frankly, it was so disappointing and looked so unappealing (there were definitely references to bathroom behavior by my bf. Yes it was that bad looking), that I didn’t even take any final pictures. Maybe, one day when I’m bored, I’ll bring out my half-done photos and discuss it. Plus, I had friends over last weekend and cooked up a storm, so I just wasn’t in the mood to cook this week. (I made my goat cheese and asparagus quiche, the lemonade layer cake, and a green bean recipe. I forgot to take pictures of the green beans though, so I’ll have to make it again and document). Alas, I had nothing to really write about until now.

When I get sad about going to California and leaving my bf (which is often), I do my best to console myself by thinking about the things I am looking forward to having around. First on the list, being close to my family again (no offense guys but being able to attend and watch Giants games on the television is a close second).  Part of my thinking-about-family time includes planning all of the nummies that I want to make for them. (If you haven’t heard of the word nummies, you need to hop on the bandwagon pronto).

 

Fabulous Pink Cake

This cake is my recent obsession.  I have two nieces who I’m particularly fond of and I will finally be around to celebrate their birthdays. Look at the cake below and tell me that doesn’t scream “little girl birthday cake”. I have visions of three little round tiers with pink frosting and edible white pearl accents. Way over the top? Most definitely. But if a little girl birthday isn’t the occasion for over-the-top-ness, I don’t know what is. So my mission: Find a way to create this cake and this frosting and then make it in three small tiers. Due date: December 16. I know I have started a really long time in advance, but I figure one I get the tiers right, it can be recreated for any holiday. Fourth of July with red and blue sprinkles and white frosting: awesome. Halloween cake with orange and black sprinkles: check. Christmas with red and green sprinkles, with white frosting and holly accents: most definitely. I am obsessed, I know.

Step one: make the cake with sprinkles. This was my task last night. I decided, since I have so much time between now and my due date, that I can afford to take it one step at a time and make sure I get them right. (Plus, I didn’t have any powdered sugar, so I couldn’t go with my usual frosting methods and had to try something new).

First, I made the vanilla cake (from a box, gasp! I know, how could I?). But seriously, those box mixes are mighty delicious. I sprinkled a bunch of sprinkles into the batter before I poured it into the pan. Not the best idea. They all sort of sunk to the bottom while the oven finished heating up (my oven has been wacky lately and takes forever to get hot). So next time, I’m going to try sprinkling them on top of the cake once it’s in the pan and then letting them sit for just a minute so they can sink into the batter, but not to the bottom.

These were the only multi-colored sprinkles I had in my pantry, so I used them. They taste good and expand nicely in the cake, but they are too big. So you end up with spots of color and then pieces with no color at all. Maybe, I didn’t use enough, but I don’t think so. Next time, I’m definitely going to try the multi-colored sugar sprinkles (you know, the ones that are nice and tiny). Also, this type of sprinkle has brown sprinkles in them, which is weird once you have brown frosting on the cake. It makes it look like there was some sort of frosting debacle. But, I consider this test run a success because I can make the cake better next time.

I baked the cake at 350 for about 30 minutes until I could insert a toothpick and it came out cleanly.

Next up? Frosting. Once the cake was cooled, I put the sugar, light cream and butter in a sauce pan and brought the mix to a boil was stirring constantly. Then, I turned down the heat to medium and cooked the mix for two minutes (while stirring).

Then, I added the chocolate chips, stirred until smooth, and turned off the heat. I poured the vanilla in, stirred again and let the frosting cool for about ten minutes. The frosting is REALLY rich. They aren’t kidding when they say fudge. I probably would use a little less chocolate chips next time, although the chocolate monster that is my bf would disagree, he loved the frosting.

Once the frosting had cooled a bit (it doesn’t have to be totally cool, just not hot or warm. More lukewarm), I poured it on the cake and let it sit. I was really worried because the frosting was rather runny, but once it cools and hardens, it was perfect.

As you can see from this photo, the sprinkles were all clumped at the bottom, but boy was it delicious!

 

 

Frosting Recipe:

• 1/2 cup salted butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup cream (or light cream)
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Baguette with Butter Bean Puree, Arugula and Parmesan

There are really only so many times one can have pasta or chicken or meat. I definitely have a certain type of recipe I like, but I really have been making an effort to branch out recently. With that experimentation, there are bound to be major flops. Luckily my balance between success and failure has been pretty good, but it hasn’t stopped bf from occasionally being skeptical. When I told him we were having this “sandwich” for dinner and then showed him the recipe, he said “where’s the sandwich?” Let’s just say he was less than enthusiastic about my idea. But he was kind enough to give me the benefit of the doubt and try it anyway. We both thought that the dish was amazing, definitely something I’d make again. It’s incredibly easy, less than 15 minutes from start to finish, and healthy too!

Baguette with Butter Bean Puree, Arugula and Parmesan

from BrokeAss Gourmet 

• 1 15-oz. can butter beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for garnish
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 small handful fresh basil leaves or about a tablespoon of basil
• juice and zest of 1 lemon
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 very fresh baguette, sliced lengthwise
• 1 cup (packed) fresh arugula
• 2 oz. fresh Parmesan

First, I put the beans, olive oil, garlic, basil and juice of the lemon in my mini-cuisinart.

I blended the mix until it was smooth and then added some salt and pepper and mixed again.

I sliced the ends of the baguette, then cut the baguette in half and then sliced both pieces length wise. I then spread a generous amount of the bean spread on each piece of the baguette.

Then I placed several pieces of arugula on top of the bean spread, drizzled olive oil on top of the arugula, and finally sprinkled the lemon zest and Parmesan on top. Then we each dug in! The sandwiches seem like they aren’t a full dinner, but the beans are so rich that I was stuffed and couldn’t even finish my second piece!

 

I Will Have My (Birthday) Cake and Eat It Too!

Today is my second favorite day of the year, a very close second behind Christmas. I am one of those obnoxious people who makes a huge deal out of their birthday. I guess because there are 4 birthdays in my family in one week (no that’s not a typo, there is one on the 21st, the 22nd, the 24th and the 28th) and my birthday has always fallen on Memorial Day weekend, it just kind of became one big weekend of combined celebration. While I can’t always celebrate with my family on my b-day, I still maintain the weekend approach. I apologize to everyone, I know that’s annoying. This year, I have a wonderful weekend planned, with theater, dinner out with my wonderful bf, brunch with friends and even a massage. But of course, no birthday is complete without a wonderful cake. While I really appreciated my bf’s offer to make the cake, I also wanted it to taste yummy, so I politely declined and insisted that I enjoyed the baking process as well as the eating (which isn’t a lie, I really do).

Here are some highlights of my day before I get to the main attraction. In addition to some wonderful presents, my parents sent me these gorgeous flowers. I also had delicious pancakes and bacon this morning. Probably my favorite breakfast ever.

This picture does a better job of showcasing the incredible lilies. Seriously, these things are gigantic and make the entire apartment smell beyond fantastic. Anyway, I will get to the point…This cake is definitely one of my favorites. It’s an amazing combination of sweet and tart. Even bf who doesn’t like lemon loves it, and I mean loves it. I am the first to admit it’s not the prettiest thing. It won’t be gracing any magazine covers or anything, but when it comes to taste, this little guy hits a home run.

Lemonade Layer Cake

from Cooking Light 

Cake:

• 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
• 6 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
• 3 tablespoons thawed lemonade concentrate
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 large egg whites
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/4 cups fat-free buttermilk
• Cooking spray

Frosting:

• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
• 2 teaspoons thawed lemonade concentrate
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 8 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

I started by putting the softened butter, lemonade concentrate, lemon peel, sugar and vanilla in a big bowl. Using my hand mixer (while day dreaming about a standing mixer), I combined these ingredients.

Then I added the two whole eggs and the additional two egg whites and mixed together again. A quick tip about separating eggs: you can buy a little do-hickey thing to do it for you, but I find that it doesn’t work very well. Nothing compares to the old tried and true method of pouring the egg into your palm, letting the whites run through your fingers, and GENTLY tossing the yolk back and forth between your hands until all of the whites have fallen into the bowl below.

Next, I put the dry ingredients (baking powder, baking soda, salt and flour) in a separate bowl and whisked together. The whisking is an important step in this cake for two reasons. 1) It makes sure the baking powder and soda are dispersed evenly and thus the cake rises evenly. 2) It brings air into the dry ingredients resulting in a fluffier, lighter cake.

Then, I added 1/3 of the dry mixture to the big bowl and mixed it together. After it was mixed in, I added 1/2 of the buttermilk and mixed again. I added another 1/3 of the flour, mixed, then the rest of the buttermilk, mixed, and finally the last 1/2 of the flour and mixed again. The resulting batter is on the left. It’s incredibly light and fluffy, which is exactly as it should be!

I poured half of the batter into each greased 9 inch pan. Another tip: after spraying the pan, gift it a sharp smack against the counter. This step will reduce the bubbles in the spray.

I baked both cakes at 350 for 20 minutes, or until you can insert a toothpick and remove it cleanly. Then, I let the cakes cool in the pan on wire racks for 10 minutes.

After ten minutes, I cut around the sides of the pan with a knife and laid a piece of parchment paper over the top of the pan. Then, I put the rack over the parchment paper (upside down) and flipped all three pieces together so that the pan is upside down on the parchment paper and the rack. With a few taps to the back of the pan with a knife or your palm, the cake should come right out. The parchment paper is helpful when you go to plate the cake. The top is always a little sticky because the cake is so light, so the parchment paper keeps the cake from sticking or sinking into the rack.

The frosting has to be in the fridge for an hour before you spread it on the cake, so I always start while the cakes are baking. First, I combine the cream cheese, lemon peel, vanilla and butter until it is smooth.

Then I added the powdered sugar slowly (about a cup at a time), mix and then add more. This way you don’t end up with powdered sugar all over the kitchen and your clothes. Once the frosting is done, cover the bowl and put it in the fridge for an hour.

After the frosting is cooled, place one of the cakes on whatever plate you want. (Keep in mind the cake should stay in the fridge when you are done serving so you want a plate or dish that will fit). Then cover the top of the first layer with frosting. I know it seems like there isn’t enough frosting, but I swear you’ll have extra, so don’t be stingy with this layer.

Then place the second cake on top.

Next, frost the sides of both and the top of the second layer.

Finally, cut in and enjoy!

Chocolate Mug Cake

This past weekend I was going out of town and so I was avoiding going to the grocery store at all costs. I really didn’t want to go buy food, only for it to go bad. This logic is flawless, but my sweet tooth wasn’t having any of it. I had heard about mug cakes before and decided the time was right to give them a shot. I found this recipe by searching online. It was good, certainly an easy, last minute option. But I can’t help but thinking it could be better. Sure some fresh whipped cream or ice cream would have helped a lot, but I think if I had cooked it for about 30 seconds less, or even put a little less flour in the cakes, they’d be better. But in a pinch, this is a great option.

Chocolate Mug Cake

from Food.com

• 4 tablespoons flour (cake flour)
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, any kind
• 1/8 teaspoon baking powder (a pinch!)
• 1/8 teaspoon salt (a pinch!!)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 2 -3 drops vanilla (optional)

I started by whisking together the dry ingredients for one cake. One bummer about this cake is that you really need to make one cake at a time. Although, I really shouldn’t complain, it takes about 5 minutes max.

I then added the egg and mixed the ingredients together until it was nice and gooey, like this.

I then added the other liquid ingredients and mixed together until the batter was smooth. Then I poured it into a large mug and microved for 2-3 minutes.

I cooked mine for just under three minutes. I always err on the side of caution when it comes to cooking or baking. I never want to make anyone sick, so when I am cooking something for the first time, I’d rather it be dry than undercooked. I sprinkled a little powdered sugar on top of my cakes, but I think less cooking time and some ice cream would make this treat perfect!

Pasta with chicken, artichokes, kalamata olives and tomato sauce

So after my big personal success last week, I was feeling confident about my ability to go with the flow in the kitchen. I was going out of town for the weekend, so before I left, I decided to use some of the ingredients I had sitting around the house. It was a gigantic, enormous success! If I do say so, I am very proud of myself! Not only was this dish amazing, but I made it up! You should definitely try it.

Pasta with lots of nummies

• 1 box of pasta, around 14 ounces
• 1 can of diced tomatoes, 14 ounces
• about 12 ounces of tomato sauce
• 1 box of frozen artichoke hearts
• 1/2 cup of white wine
• 15-20 kalamata olives, sliced in half
• 1/2-1 onion, chopped
• a few cloves of garlic, diced
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1.5-2 chicken breasts

I started by cooking the chopped chicken breast in olive oil until the pieces were browned and cooked through. I then removed the chicken to a plate and heated up the other tablespoon of olive oil in the pan.

I then added the onion and cooked for a minute or two before adding the artichoke hearts. I continued to cook the onion until it was just slightly browned. Oh, and about this time I started cooking the pasta.

I then added the garlic and cooked for about 30 seconds before adding the white wine. I then let the whole mix simmer for a few minutes in the wine.

I then added the tomatoes, sauce, olives, and chicken and let the whole thing simmer for another 5-10 minutes.

I then served the sauce over the pasta and boy was it delicious!!!