East Coast Baking with My Best Buddy: Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies

This week I've been staying with friends in Washington, D.C. The great thing about my job is I can work from anywhere (thank you coolest job ever!). I'm so grateful that I made the decision to leave last Friday to see Lara, my future sister-in-law, and Jenna, my best friend in the whole wide world. On Sunday night Jenna and I thought it would be fun to do some baking in her cute Constitution Avenue apartment, so we got busy making Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies. [Please click on the hyperlink for the recipe, por favor, and just add one cup dried cranberries to make this receipe extra tasty!]

This week we also managed to dine at some delicious eateries across DC: Etete, fantastic Ethiopian (I recommend the peppered beef and collard greens), Rasika, the best lamb chops with mint chutney I've ever tasted in my life (hello, chocolate samosa), and Teasim's (in Dupont Circle) cutie pie salmon, edamame, cucumbers with pickled ginger and vinegar, and brown rice bento boxes. While St. Louis has some great places to eat, I was so excited to experience Ethiopian, Japanese and Indian in a city that has some incredible chefs and good eats.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I'd also like to give thanks for my mom and dad, sisters and brother, my granddad, grandpa and grandma, my adorable and wicked smart 8-year-old nephew, the love of my life Dave, his family, our friends (we are so lucky to have so many... thank you for making life fun!), and the cute little fuzzy creatures (aka, my three cats) who share the ups and downs of our lives.

While I won't be responsible for baking or roasting a turkey tomorrow, I do want to give a shout-out to all of you who will be. May tomorrow's meal be a great reminder that we all slow down, give thanks, and enjoy a delicious slow-cooked (or baked) meal.

Hugs, high fives, and Happy Thanksgiving!
Kella

Giving Thanks One Sugar Cookie (and House) at a Time

I love the renowned food blogger Terry of Blue Kitchen. I e-mailed him at the beginning of my humble little baking blog waaaaaaaay back in February 2008 (doesn't sound that long ago to me) and he gave me great advice on the same night I e-mailed, even told me he had lived in St. Louis for awhile. I was smitten! What a terrifically generous and kind blogger, I thought. Then, I discovered Terry's endorsement of a fantastic nonprofit organization, Drop In and Decorate. I thought, what a really generous and kind blogger, and then I began to drool at two of my favorite things combined into one artful, cheerful place: community action and baking. Terry's link to Drop In and Decorate planted a seed in my mind: I wonder if my students would be interested in such a project... ? The answer: YES!

At the community college where I teach part-time, there's a terrific service learning coordinator there by the name of Donna Halsband. Donna supports and promotes all things service learning. She too is generous, kind and really helpful. For those who are new to service learning, let me briefly explain what it is all about. Service learning asks students to determine a problem in their community, brainstorm ways to influence or change that problem, and to do hands-on service projects to address the problems they've highlighted and then to reflect on what they've learned in the process.

To me, service learning is what education is meant to do: instill courage, creativity and compassion in the community at-large, connect students to the bigger picture, and remind others that inaction doesn't have to be our default setting. We can truly get up, stand up each and every day, in small and big ways.

This semester, my interdisciplinary class, IDS 101, at St. Louis Community College identified two problems in our community of St. Louis, Missouri: affordable housing and curbing (heck, eliminating!) domestic violence. As a result we've completed two service-learning projects that I'm incredibly proud of: a Drop In and Decorate sugar-cookie-baking-and-decorating extravaganza for Safe Connections, a St. Louis organization that empowers women and teens who have experienced sexual and physical abuse, and an all-day Habitat for Humanity build in the JeffVanderLou neighborhood.

I also have to give HUGE shout-outs to my amazing and generous friend Nicole Hunt and Holly Cunningham, owner of Hollyberry Baking Company. My students kept gushing about how cool it was to bake in a real, honest-to-goodness commercial bakery. I couldn't agree more, and I'm so happy (and thankful) that you let us "borrow" your kitchen last Sunday. Thank you!



So, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I want to give a huge shout-out to my students: Adam, Adrienne, Alex H., Alex M., Amber, Brett, Caitlin, Chinara, Ed, Inam, Jessica, John, Kristin, Kris, Leyda, Liz, Randi, Ryan and Sean. You baked a 100 cookies a week ago. You helped a mother and daughter put the finishing touches on their new home in mid-October. The tulip tree you planted will shade their home for years to come.

Every Monday and Wednesday night I'm grateful for the time I spend with you and the lessons I take away from your personal stories and experiences.

Maybe sugar cookies and tulip trees don't solve the big problems (global warming, poverty, violence, injustice), but I think these things are a step in the right direction. There's something intensely satisfying knowing that our hands and bodies (and minds) can effect change.

So, on that note, work it!

Hugs and high fives,
Kella

P.S. If you'd like to know the recipe for the sugar cookies we baked last Sunday, click here. Same goes for the royal icing.

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