Gingerbread Scones: Tea & Comfort

Gingerbread Scones
Adapted from A Taste of Home

Prep time: 20 minutes
Bake time: 15 minutes
Yield: 8 large scones or 12 smaller sized scones

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tbps. brown sugar
2 tsps. baking powder
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 cup cold unsalted butter
1/3 cup molasses
1/4 cup milk
1 egg, separated
Penzey's Vanilla Sugar for Sprinkling

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, ginger, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Cut in the butter until mixture is crumbly. In a small bowl, combine the molasses, milk and egg yolk until smooth; stir into the crumb mixture just until moistened.
2. Turn dough onto a floured surface; knead gently 6-8 times. Pat into an 8-inch circle; cut into 8-12 wedges. Separate wedges and place 1 inch apart on a greased baking sheet. Beat egg white until frothy; brush over scones. Sprinkle with vanilla sugar. Bake at 400 degrees F for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan to a wire rack. Serve warm.

Enjoy!

Hugs and high fives,
Kella

Fudgey Brownies: Part 2 of a Belated Series

Photo caption: Fudgey Brownies topped with local Caramel Apple ice cream and garnished with caramel sauce. Don't think about the calories, okay?

On Monday night, Dave and I looked at each other across the dinner table and said, "Wouldn't something sweet be nice?" My answer is unequivocably YES! Alas, neither of us had the motivation to go to the store for ingredients, so we did what we do best: we foraged in our pantry to see what we could create.

Luckily, I have two things going for me! 101 Best Brownie Recipes, a gift from my friend Beth D., and standard items such as sugar and unsweetened chocolate readily on hand.

If you're craving something chewy with a rich chocolate base and no more than 7 ingredients, then look no farther than the Fudgey Brownie recipe.

Fudgey Brownies
from 101 Best Brownie Recipes

Ingredients
4 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate (I prefer and use Ghiradelli's 100% cacao)
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup sifted flour
1 tsp. vanilla bean paste (or you could use plain old vanilla, but I've been turned on to the paste for a much richer vanilla flavor... and totally get rid of imitation vanilla, okay? That stuff is evil.)
1/2 cup chopped pecans (more nuts are better, but that's what we had in the freezer)

1. Preheat the over to 325 degrees F.
2. Melt chocolate and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir constantly to prevent burning.
3. Remove from heat and cool several minutes. While the chocolate is cooling, place sugar in a separate bowl and add beaten eggs, one at a time, blending after each addition.
4. Stir in chocolate and pour in flour a little at a time.
5. Add vanilla and pecans and stir to mix well.
6. Pour batter into a buttered and floured 9-inch square pan.
7. Bake at 325 degrees F for 30-40 minutes (mine took all 40).
8. Insert a toothpick into the center of the brownies to check for doneness. If the toothpick comes out clean, brownies are done.
9. Cool, cut into squares and serve.
10. Make about 9 hefty brownie squares.

Enjoy!

Hugs and high fives,

Kella

Lasagna al Pesto: Part I of a Belated Series

I'm woefully embarrassed that I only had one post in October, and I'm hellbent to improve my posting ratio in November, the month of plenty and giving gratitude. Sure, there are legitimate hold-ups from last month and even a real-life tragedy of a friend of mine and Dave's who died suddenly last month. I also have been working my booty off at two jobs I love, travelling to see family (Dad's 55th birthday, Grandma's impending sojourn to Arizona to escape another Missouri winter), caring for my new kitten Zelda (I'm officially the "crazy cat lady" with three cats), and figuring out how to plan for a wedding. Did I mention starting another Master's in January 2010? Yes, there's that too.

So, despite all of these very real, very good commitments, I've missed my blog, my writing schedule, my humble little audience, and also my creative outlet: the kitchen. I've kept cooking and baking last month, but I didn't feel up to the challenge of posting pics and then writing about what worked, and what didn't, until now.

There's something to be said about fallow periods. Just resting, recuperating, taking a deep breath, maybe a nap and then pouring a cup of Harney & Sons organic passion plum tea with a smidge of honey. One of my favorite essays of all time is "Quitting the Paint Factory" by Mark Slouka, an article I read in Harper's when I was living in Tucson, Arizona for a couple years. I love what Slouka says about the beauty of being idle: "By allowing us time to figure out who we are, and what we believe; by allowing us time to consider what is unjust, and what we might do about it. By giving the inner life (in whose precincts we are most ourselves) its due."

I sometimes forget that we need to give pause, say grace in silence, offer up space and time before grand ideas and actions are realized. I feel like many other cultures and people understand this. They're not in an all-fire hurry to get to work, to take the requisite grab-and-go lunch, to beat rush hour, to grab the kids, to make dinner in 30 minutes or less, and to slump into the recliner or bed before a TV after an exhausting day of to-dos.

In many ways, I'm less busy than my counterparts. I have no children. I work from home at a job I adore. I can walk to the grocery store or lunch at Winslow's Home (thanks, Amy!) and pass a sweet gum tree that's turned a blazing, golden yellow. I definitely breathe and pause despite my reputation for being a caffeinated go-getter and Type-A planner who sometimes forgets about the almighty present.

So, I think lasagna is one of those meals that embodies the art of letting go and letting the oven do its part while I read a book (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies) or drink some wine. So, to all of you who are over-worked, in a hurry, feeling the approaching winter doldrums, or simply need a comforting dish to remind you why it's okay to slow down and breathe, I present an adapted recipe from Mollie Katzen's Enchanted Broccoli Forest: Lasagna al Pesto.

Time frame to bake
30-40 minutes to prepare
50 minutes to bake (assuming you have pesto on hand, be it bought or homemade)

Ingredients
a little olive oil for the pan
about 16 lasagna noodles (I used no-boil noodles when I made this, I recommend not doing that)
1 lb. fresh spinach
2 lbs. ricotta cheese
2 cups pesto
1/2 tsp. salt
fresh black pepper to taste
1 cup grated parmesan
2 lbs. mozzarella cheese, grated

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9 x 13" baking pan.
2. Bring a large potful of water to a boil. Add noodles and cook for 4-5 minutes. They should be undercooked. Drain noodles and lay them flat and straight on a table, counter or tray.
3. Thoroughly wash and dry the spinach. I never discard the stems, though Mollie Katzen recommends that you do. I think she says this to prevent bitterness, but I honestly cannot tell the difference, so I leave the stems alone. Finely mince leaves or seriously, just leave the whole leaf alone. It will work out just fine without mincing or stemming (tastes delicous, too!).
4. Place the ricotta in a large bowl and stir in the spinach, pesto, salt, pepper and 1/2 cup of the parmesan. Mix well. 5) Place a layer of nooddles in the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread about 1/3 of the filling over the noodles and don't stress if it's uneven. Sprinkle about 1/3 of the mozzarella on top. Follow with another layer of noodles, another 1/3 of the filling, and another 1/3 of the mozzarella. Repeat this pattern one more time with a third layer of everything (your pan will be mighty full). Top lasagna with one final noodle layer and the remaining 1/2 cup of parmesan on the very top.
5. Bake for 50 minutes and if the top is browning too fast, simply cover loosely with foil.

Enjoy!

Hugs and high fives,

Kella

Rowdy Baking Blues: Spinach-Rice Casserole

Last week was kinda crazy. I applied to Mizzou's Educational Technology Master's program, attended the Association for General and Liberal Studies annual conference in St. Louis, taught my part-time interdisciplinary community college class and prepared for our Habitat for Humanity service learning project for this upcoming Saturday, and managed to go to a winery to celebrate my good buddy Nicole's 30th on Sunday.

This week is no different. Work is awesome but busy with another conference (this one virtual), planning for new and improved resources, and keeping up with a burgeoning inbox, grading journals and projects before midterm, and eating delicious Spinach-Rice Casserole, which has fueled my long, long days for the past week. Cheesy, ricey goodness with plenty of greens, garlic, and onions. Yum.

Before you knock the humble casserole, consider its origins. While it's believed the English legitimized the word "casserole" by defining it in 1708, the casserole has been with us since prehistoric times. I believe casseroles will be with us many more years to come since it's a dinnertime staple and liberator of home-cooks, often women, everywhere. And, to be honest, I think the modern version of the casserole is far more appealing than mud-encrusted Beggar's Chicken of China. Then again, I've never tasted mud-encrusted anything, so maybe I'm missing the point.

Yet, I think the casserole does what Charles Baudelaire mentioned in 1863 in The Painter of Modern Life: "Modernity...to extract from fashion the poetry that resides in its historical envelope, to distill the eternal from the transitory..." Lyrical words for a dish that often gets ridiculed by foodies and chefs, but I still hold steady that there's something lovely about baking a meal in one dish, often from left-overs, without sacrificing taste or lots of time. And in our economic times, I'm sure casseroles are as popular as ever.

What I'm proposing is a return to savory, rustic cooking. Food that showcases the ingredients and ingenuity of the maker just as much as the presentation. And while I've sometimes been made fun of for learning how to cook, at my last job I was chastised for baking cookies since it was assumed that such an action was decidedly un-feminist and unprofessional, I continue to bake because there's something incredibly fun to see disparate ingredients transformed into a tastier whole.

So, to working professionals, men and women alike, vegetarians, and people who love a "hot dish" redolent of garlic, spinach, and cheddar, this dish is for you.

Spinach-Rice Casserole
Adapted from Mollie Katzen's Moosewood Cookbook


4 cups cooked rice (brown or white, you make the call)
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 cups minced onions
10-16 oz. fresh spinach, washed
2 tsp. salt
1 head of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. nutmeg (I recommend freshly grated nutmeg)
1/2 tsp. cayenne
black pepper, to taste
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard made with white wine
2 beaten large eggs
1 cup lowfat milk
2 cups grated cheddar
1-2 tsp. paprika
1-2 tbsp. olive oil

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Oil a 9x13-inch baking pan with 1-2 tbsps. olive oil.
2) Heat the butter in a deep skillet. Add onion and saute 5-8 minutes ~ until soft. Add spinach, salt, and garlic, and cook about 5-7 minutes more over medium heat, stirring frequently. Add this mixture to the rice, along with the seasonings and mustard. Mix well.
3) Beat together eggs and milk, and stir this into the spinach-rice mixture, along with the grated cheddar.
4) Spread into the prepared pan and dust with paprika. Bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes ~ until heated through and lightly browned on top.






Enjoy!

Hugs and high fives,
Kella

Mmmm, Baked Bacon.

This week has been a blur. Last weekend Dave and my friend Elie took me camping in the Ozarks for my 31st birthday, and on Saturday it rained biblical proportions on a tent that was downright sinful (and soggy).

Despite the downpour, life was still good. We found a greasy spoon diner in Osage Beach called Kay's Home Cooking--home of the all-you-can-eat breakfast, no kidding--and drank hot, plentiful coffee, ate biscuits and gravy, Western omelets, French toast, and sausage links until we were about to burst. S'mores, grilled steak, roasted carrots & garlic, and biscuits on a stick were also a part of Dave's campfire cuisine prior to the Kay's orgy. His food was decidedly more tasty and healthy, and our hike down to the Lake helped burn off a S'more or two until we headed in town for Kay's.

Ultimately, dear readers, there is something you should know: Dave is the cook in our relationship; I am the baker. And boy howdy did he cook last weekend. Elie was expecting hot dogs (and I was too), but Dave wouldn't hear of it. He even roasted a surprise baked apple that was quite delicious.


So, I let Dave continue cooking when we got back from the Ozarks. On Tuesday night, Dave made dinner--BLTs with a twist. Dave baked the bacon at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes, paired the center-cut bacon with sourdough I had bought from a local bakery, patio tomatoes I grew on our front porch (they're still growing and supplying us with late-season goodies), Boston leaf lettuce, and Hellman's mayo to make my favorite sandwich of all time. The sandwich that was, and will forever be, the figurative apple Eve gave to Adam if Adam were a vegetarian and that apple were a tasty pork product. I know pigs are sentient, intelligent creatures, but as long as there are BLTs, I will no longer trek in vegetarian cuisine despite all of the Molly Katzen cookbooks I own (and love).

So, dear readers, try baking your bacon sometime. We're not sure if it's any healthier for you, but the bacon is crispy, which is my favorite, and still tender.

And since fall is finally upon us, I hope to go apple picking this weekend so I can make an apple pie. I think, thanks to my friends Jane H. and Joni, that I know the trick to flaky, lovely pie dough too. So, stay tuned for more ovenly goodness.

Hugs and high fives,
Kella

If the Stars Were Mine, I'd Bake You Mint-Filled Brownie Cupcakes

Tonight was a relaxing little jazzy interlude from a busy day. I got my hair cut at Lemon Spalon, met Dave at home with cupcakes from The Cupcakery, had a lovely laid-back Qdoba dinner, and then walked with Dave to browse music at Vintage Vinyl on The Loop. I came away with two CDs I've been dying for by a jazz artist I just love: Melody Gardot.

We came home and twirled around the kitchen to "Our Love is Easy" as the Mint-Filled Brownie Cupcakes I baked for the class I teach on Monday and Wednesday nights did their thing in our little gas oven. I turn 31 on Thursday, and I believe birthdays should always be celebrated. Another year of life is another year of life, and for each year I'm given, I'm eternally grateful.

So, I'd like to wrap my baked goods in ribbons and give them all to you, loyal readers and dear friends. Here's to another year of life, love, and learning! Thanks for supporting me along the sweets-filled journey.

Mint-Filled Brownie Cupcakes
Adapted from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes

Makes 2 dozen cupcakes

Ingredients
16 oz. semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
6 large eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder, sifted
24 small chocolate-covered peppermint patties (Hello, York!)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners. Place chocolate and butter in the top pan of a double boiler--not in the pan of simmering water. Stir occassionally until just melted, 4-5 minutes.

2. Remove bowl from heat. Whisk sugar and salt until mixture is smooth; whisk in eggs. Stir in flour and cocoa until smooth, but don't overmix.

3. Spoon 1 heaping tbsp. of batter into each lined cup. Place one patty on top, pressing into batter. Top with 2 tbsps. batter, covering patty completely. Bake, rotating tin halfway through, until the cake tester comes out with only a few moist crumbs (um, I use toothpicks... doesn't everyone?). In other words, bake the cupcakes for about 35 minutes. Transfer tin to a wire rack and cool completely before removing cupcakes.

Enjoy!

Hugs, high fives and 31 birthday candles,
Kella

Chocolate Chip Cookies: Sometimes Traditional is Beautiful

I'm all for experimentation in art, jazz, love, and life, but sometimes plain old vanilla ice cream, chocolate chip cookies or a simple shot of amaretto are flavors I crave. I don't think one has to always muddle lime basil in her salsa or make goji berry-flaxseed-chocolate chip cookies to make traditional fare taste great, though I will admit little fusion tips and tricks like these amuse me.


Sometimes, though, it's easy to understand why some tried-and-true recipes are just that: unflappable, honest, and incredibly comforting. Great bakers know that you don't have to be exotic to create delicious food. There's something beautiful about the simplicity of high-quality ingredients.


So, in tonight's post, I want to pay respect to the unfussy Chocolate Chip Cookie. You are simple, you are humble, but oh-so good when you come straight from the oven. And now that fall is settling in, let's fire up the ovens and bake.



Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies
by Mark Bittman, How to Cook Everything
Makes 3 to 4 dozen

Time: About 30 minutes

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract (pure... no imitation, folks)
2 cups premium chocolate chips (I like Ghiradelli)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Use an electric mixer to cream together the butter and sugars; add the eggs one at a time (this is key!) and beat until well blended (smooth, baby, smooth!).
3. Combine the dry ingredients--flour, baking soda, and salt--in a bowl and add them to the batter by hand, stirring to blend. Stir in the vanilla & then the chocolate chips.
4. Drop by teaspoons or tablespoons onto ungreased baking sheets and bake until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Cool for about 2 minutes on the sheets before using a spatula to transfer the cookies to a rack to finish cooling. Store in a covered container at room temp for no more than a day or two.