Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Martha Stewart Coconut Balls


Another Martha Stewart recipe :) These were super good although a bit messy to make!

Martha Stewart Coconut Balls


Ingredients

Makes 36.

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar, plus more for dusting
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups sweetened flaked coconut

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter with 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar until fluffy. Mix in flour and salt until they're just combined. Stir in coconut.
2.Roll dough into 1-inch balls; place 2 inches apart on a baking sheet. Bake until just starting to brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Roll the warm cookies in confectioners' sugar; let cool completely.

These are the adjustments I made:

1. I thought 1 inch balls were too big so I made them about 1/2 inch. The recipe made about 60 cookies instead of the suggested 36.
2. I only baked them for 15 minutes.
3. I let them cool for 5 minutes then rolled them in powdered sugar. I let them rest another 5-10 then rolled them again. If you just "dust" them the sugar gets moist and doesn't look all nice and pretty! I ended up using at least 1 cup of powdered sugar for the outside.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Icebox Shortbread Cookies


I used some candied orange for half the cookies and dark chocolate chunks for the other half. I also made my cookie roll a little smaller and ended up with about 50 cookies. The smaller seize cookies only took about 14-15 minutes to bake. This is a good basic recipe and the possibilities are endless. The next time I make them I want to try rolling the cookie logs in colored sugar before slicing them so they are a bit more festive.

Martha Stewart Icebox Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients
Makes 36

  • FOR THE SHORTBREAD
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup confectioners' sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for rolling

  • FLAVOR VARIATIONS (OPTIONAL MIX-INS AND COATINGS)
  • Mix in grated zest of 2 oranges and 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • Mix in grated zest of 2 lemons; coat with 1/4 cup poppy seeds
  • Mix in grated zest of 2 limes; coat with 1/4 cup cornmeal
  • Mix in 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots; coat with 1/2 cup finely chopped pistachios
  • Mix in 1/2 cup mini chocolate or peanut-butter chips
  • Mix in 1/4 cup finely chopped candied ginger; coat with 1/4 cup sesame seeds

Directions
  1. With an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt until smooth. With mixer on low speed, add flour, mixing just until a dough forms. Stir in desired mix-ins.
  2. Divide dough in half; place each half on a piece of floured waxed or parchment paper. With floured hands, gently roll each into a 1 1/2-inch-diameter log. Dividing evenly, sprinkle logs with desired coating if using, rolling log (to help coating adhere) and pressing in gently. Wrap logs tightly in the paper, and refrigerate until firm, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. (To store longer, wrap log and paper tightly with plastic wrap.)
  3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Unwrap logs; with a serrated knife, slice dough 3/8 inch thick (if dough crumbles, leave at room temperature 5 to 10 minutes). Arrange slices, about 1 inch apart, on baking sheets.
  4. Bake until lightly golden around the edges, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on baking sheets 1 to 2 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Christmas Cookies

Since I moved to DK, I started making cookies for the holidays to give to our family, friends and neighbors. Last year Mark was a huge help and this year I plan to get Mr. Twig involved in decorating some sugar cookies. A lot of the recipes are going to come from Martha Stewart this year. Don't laugh! Her kitchen peeps have some damn good recipes they come up with! I will try and share some of my favorites (and a few pics too!) and hopefully this will happen in a more timely manner than my Turkey Day recipes!

Friday, December 18, 2009

Zesty Broccoli Casserole

I did not take this picture but it looked so nice I borrowed it from the original recipe.

Yum yum yum. This was really well received by the fam and we loved it too!
Recipe from Cooking Light

Regular breadcrumbs can be used in place of the panko. If the broccoli florets are very large, cut them into bite-sized pieces.

Yield: 10 servings (serving size: about 3/4 cup)

Ingredients

  • 3 (10-ounce) packages frozen broccoli florets, thawed
  • Cooking spray
  • 1 1/2 cups fat-free milk
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 cup (4 ounces) fat-free cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup fat-free mayonnaise
  • 3/4 cup chopped onion (about 1/2 medium)
  • 1 (8-ounce) can water chestnuts, rinsed, drained, and sliced
  • 3/4 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
  • 2 teaspoons butter, melted

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°.

Arrange broccoli in an even layer in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray; set aside.

Combine milk, flour, salt, and pepper in a large saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add cheddar and cream cheeses; stir until smooth. Stir in mayonnaise, onion, and water chestnuts. Spoon cheese mixture evenly over broccoli.

Place panko in a small bowl. Drizzle with butter, and toss. Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture evenly over cheese mixture. Lightly spray breadcrumb layer with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until mixture begins to bubble and breadcrumbs brown.


Creamed Corn

Great recipe for a special occasion but too heavy for every day eating. To lighten it up a bit cut the heavy cream down to low fat milk and add 1 tsp. flour to the milk before adding it to the corn.


2-10oz packages (566 g) frozen corn kernels thawed
1 cup (236ml) heavy cream
1tsp salt
2tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp black pepper
2tbsp butter
1 cup (236 ml) whole milk

In a skillet over medium heat, combine the corn, cream, salt, sugar, pepper and butter. Whisk together the milk and flour, and stir into the corn mixture. Cook stirring over medium heat until the mixture is thickened, and corn is cooked through. Serve hot.

I didn't forget exactly

Sorry I am just now posting up some more of the Turkey Day recipes! Blame it on the preggo brain :)

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Sweet Potato Casserole



Taken from Eating Well. I loved it! Not too sweet and the orange gave it a yummy twist. I think for every day eats we will stick to plain old sweet potatoes but definitely worth adding to the holiday dinner table or for another special occasion.

  • 2 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, (3 medium), peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1/2 cup low-fat milk
  • 2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Topping
  • 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
  • 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 4 teaspoons frozen orange juice concentrate (I subbed the juice from the orange I used for zesting)
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • pecan halves to add to the top (not part of the original recipe but I thought it really added a nice look and texture)
Preparation
  1. Place sweet potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook over medium heat until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain well and return to the pan. Mash with a potato masher. Measure out 3 cups. (Reserve any extra for another use.)
  2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat an 8-inch-square (or similar 2-quart) baking dish with cooking spray.
  3. Whisk eggs, oil and honey in a medium bowl. Add mashed sweet potato and mix well. Stir in milk, orange zest, vanilla and salt. Spread the mixture in the prepared baking dish.
  4. To prepare topping: Mix flour, brown sugar, orange juice concentrate, oil and butter in a small bowl. Blend with a fork or your fingertips until crumbly. Stir in pecans. Sprinkle over the casserole.
  5. Bake the casserole until heated through and the top is lightly browned, 35 to 45 minutes.

Southern Macaroni Pie

This is the real deal like my grandma makes. Truly Southern baked macaroni custard style pie at it's finest. Loved it. I will get a picture next time I make this but this recipe is too good for me to hold out on posting it.

8 ounces (226g) elbow macaroni, cooked according to package directions

1/4 cup (120g) butter

1/2-1 pound sharp or yellow cheddar cheese, grated (300-400g)

4 Eggs

2 1/2 cups (6 dl) evaporated milk (6dl whole milk plus powdered skim milk)

Salt and pepper, to taste


Directions

Preheat oven to 400 (204C). Place half of the macaroni in a deep casserole dish. Dot with half of the butter and sprinkle with half of the cheese. Repeat with a second layer of macaroni, butter and cheese.

Beat the eggs and half of the evaporated milk in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper and pour the mixture over the macaroni. Pour the remaining milk over the macaroni just until it covers the noodles.

Bake 30-35 minutes or until set.

Makes: 8-12 servings

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Turkey Day Menu


Today I am making Thanksgiving dinner to share with my Danish family. I am trying out a bunch of new recipes and if they turn out half as good as I think they will I promise to share. Amazingly I have not had to import anything to make dinner. Not even the pumpkin or pecans! Maybe the store imported them....hey but I just had to go down the street.

Grilled Turkey. This will be the 3rd year we have done it this way. Our oven is way too small for a turkey plus everything else and a bowl grill works perfect as an outdoor oven. Oh and I considered myself lucky to find a "large" 10 pounder this year. I usually brine it in a salt and citrus bath overnight and then put white wine, onions and apples inside when she goes on the grill.
Sweet Potato Casserole. This year I am doing a healthier version with pecans instead of marshmallows.
Creamed Corn. I have never made this successfully without using fresh corn. However finding fresh corn in Denmark in November is like asking to win the lottery.
Bread Dressing. I collect odds and ends of bread and put them in the freezer to make this. I make it often throughout the year so it is a tried and true family fav.
Southern Macaroni Pie. Custard style mac and cheese. I have tried to recreate my grandma's but since she does it without measuring I have been winging it and not with the best results. I found a recipe in the Augusta, GA, newspaper I am going to use this year. Forget trying to find this on any of the major recipe sites. They all do the cheese sauce version.
Broccoli Casserole. Try making this without Campbell's Condensed Cream of Mushroom soup. I dare you! I found what I think will be a winner of a recipe that doesn't call for anything remotely similar. I can't wait to try it.
Pumpkin Cheesecake. I have never made a REAL cheesecake from scratch before. I made it last night and it looks beautiful. Hopefully it will taste even better. It even has fresh pumpkin since there is no such thing as canned pumpkin here.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Brussel Sprouts on a Stick

Growing up I had never seen fresh brussel sprouts (rosenkål in Danish). Then I moved to Denmark and they are everywhere! Sadly Mark can't stand them so I don't get the opportunity to eat them often. However, our food box last week happened to have some nice fresh ones still on the stalk! I don't know what or how or where I thought they grew, but I didn't quite imagine this.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Graham Crackers

In Denmark (and most of the rest of Europe I think) there is no such thing as graham crackers. Which has been a bit problematic for making deserts such as cheesecake. My friend Amber who is in France suggested I try the plain LU cookies. I used them in below recipe for Banana Rum Cream pie last night as a test run. Overall they will work but I think they are a bit too heavy and buttery to be a perfect sub. However if you are desperate they are perfect! Next time I am going to add some Marie crackers (slightly sweet but not too sweet cookies). I also want to try some cinnamon crackers I have found at Fotex.

Anyone else had any success with subbing for Graham crackers?

Banana Rum Cream Pie



From my DZ sis Julie Miller. This was our November baking challenge. Some notes:
-Graham crackers. See above post about subs.
-Crust. This recipe was written for a US 9" pie dish. I needed more for the slightly larger one I had. I ended up using about 2 cups of cookie crumbs.
-Rum. Use real rum if at all possible. Rum flavor will work but it loses some of the ooomph.


Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs (9 large graham crackers)
- 5 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tsp. curry powder
- 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 1 tsp. lemon zest
- 1 cup chilled heavy cream
- 4 tsp. dark rum
- 2 or 3 ripe bananas

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat to 350. Stir together crumbs, butter, curry powder, cinnamon, and 2 tbsp. brown sugar with fork until combined well. Reserve 1 tbsp. of this mixture to sprinkle over top of pie. Press remaining mixture evenly onto bottom and up the sides of the pie plate. Bake crust for 10 minutes and cool completely on wire rack for 20 minutes. In large bowl, beat together cream cheese, zest, and remaining 6 tbsp. of dark brown sugar with electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. In another bowl, beat cream with rum with cleaned beaters until it holds soft peaks. Gently fold 1/3 of whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture to lighten, then fold in remaining whipped cream gently but thoroughly. Thinly slice the bananas and arrange evenly over the bottom of the crust. Spread filling over bananas and sprinkle remaining crumb mixture over pie. Chill pie, loosely covered, for at least 20 minutes.

Friday, October 23, 2009

Beets

These are some beets I got the other week in our food box. How absolutely gorgeous!! I was so sad to eat the last of them. We ate them raw on salad, in a carrot and beet salad and roasted.

Monday, October 19, 2009

Double Chocolate Muffins


This recipe is amazing if you love chocolate! They have a true muffin texture and are not cupcakey. These are seriously some of the best muffins I have made in a loooong time.

I slightly modified this recipe from the one I found here Diana's Desserts

Double Chocolate Muffins


3 ounces 70-80% dark chocolate (for melting)
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream (9 or 18% creme fraiche)
1/2 cup milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 100g (standard size) bar of 70-80% dark chocolate broken into small pieces to add to muffin mixture

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 C). Line muffin cups with muffin or cupcake liners. You can either use the jumbo or the standard size muffin pans. I prefer the standard size.

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate in the microwave on medium-high heat for 25 second intervals, stirring in between, until smooth. Set aside.

In a large bowl of an electric mixer, cream sugar and butter. Beat in eggs, then add sour cream and milk. In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Pour flour mixture into butter mixture and stir together by hand. Stir in melted chocolate, then chocolate pieces.

Fill each muffin cup just to the edge of the baking cup. This will give you that nice muffin top look. Bake for about 20 minutes for standard-sized muffins or 25 minutes for giant muffins, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer muffins to wire rack to cool completely. Muffins are best eaten fresh.

Makes 6 giant or 12 standard muffins.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Speaking of Hot Sauce

We can not live without this in our house.
If you don't know it and you love hot sauce then RUN to your nearest Asian market and ask for sriracha. This is the brand we prefer, but there are many others out there to choose from. Mark loves it so much I think he would eat it on pasta for his dinner every night.

Black Eyed Peas and Cornbread


Finally the dish that this blog is named after! Yum yum YUM!

Beans: I used half a bag of dried black eyed peas. I either let them soak in water over night or I boil a pot of water and let them soak for about 6-8 hours. When you are ready to cook them, add 1 large cube (I use Knorr) of pork bullion. When I have them, I will use some large pork bones with a bit of meat on them. Either way, the beans need some porky pig love. Bring to a boil and cook over med low for 45 min-1 hour.

We prefer to eat the beans over brown rice with some diced raw onion. I put a small pat of butter on, Mark likes Sriracha pepper sauce, and Twig likes his with ketchup. A dash of Tabasco or Texas Pete is also pretty common.

Now for the corn bread...I use a slightly modified recipe from Better Homes and Garden New Cookbook. The original recipe is great as is which I why I include it with my modifications.

As a side note: If I was only able to bring one cookbook with me no matter where I lived, I believe it would be this one!

BHG Cornbread *(my modifications)

Ingredients

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup cornmeal
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons sugar *(I only use 1 tbs sugar)
  • 2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt*(I use 1/4 tsp salt)
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 cup milk* (I use 1 cup Buttermilk)
  • 1/4 cup cooking oil or melted butter
  • Honey (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400F. In a medium bowl stir together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

2. Add the 1 tablespoon butter to a 10-inch cast-iron skillet, a 9x1 1/2-inch round baking pan, or an 8x8x2-inch square baking pan. Place in the preheated oven about 3 minutes or until butter melts. Remove pan from oven; swirl butter in pan to coat bottom and sides of pan.

3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine eggs, milk, and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened. Pour batter into hot skillet or pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cut into wedges or squares. Serve warm. If desired, drizzle with honey. Makes 8 to 10 pieces.

Corn Muffins: Prepare as above, except omit the 1 tablespoon butter. Spoon the batter into 12 greased 2-1/2-inch muffin cups, filling cups two-thirds full. Bake in the preheated oven about 15 minutes or until light brown and a wooden toothpick inserted near centers comes out clean. Makes 12 muffins.




Sunday, September 27, 2009

Blomkåls gratin (Cauliflower Soufflé)

This is a traditional Danish recipe I modified to use as the September Cooking Challenge with my Surfing Sisters ladies. I love it and it is one of my favorite Danish inspired dishes! Keep in mind it isn't a true "French style" Souffle. So you don't need a special souffle dish to make it. Any casserole dish with at least 2 inch sides will do. I only use cauliflower and leave out the ham. I plan to try the version with broccoli sometime in the next couple of weeks. I added that substitution for our challenge so I know there are a whole lot of cauliflower haters out there and I didn't want to leave them out.




Blomkåls gratin (Cauliflower Soufflé)

75 g(1/2 cup) flour
4 dl ( 1 ¾ cups) milk
25 g (1oz. Or 1 ¾ Tbsp.) butter
4 egg yolks
4 egg whites
½ tsp. Salt
¼ tsp. Pepper
400g (2 cups) fresh cauliflower (or broccoli) florets
150 g (5.5 oz.) cut strips of ham (can leave this out for vegetarian option)
unseasoned breadcrumbs


Place milk in a thick-bottomed saucepan and add flour. Stir briskly with a whisk until the flour is dissolved. Over low-medium heat continue stirring until the mixture thickens, then add the butter. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Add one egg yolk at a time and stir well between each. Cut cauliflower into small florets. Add the cauliflower, salt, and pepper to the milk and flour mixture.

Whip the egg whites until you get very stiff peaks (you can turn the bowl upside down and they don't move). Gently fold them into the mixture. Do not stir or mix. This can deflate the egg whites. Butter the sides of a 2 liter (2 quart) baking dish. And coat with breadcrumbs. The pan can be round or square-ish and preferably glass or ceramic. Pour in the batter.

Place in a preheated oven 175 C ( 350 F) and bake for 1 hour. Try and resist opening the oven door to avoid deflating the souffle!

Serves 4.

Angel's Work in Progress Grain and Veggie Burger

One day about a month ago I decided to dive in and try and create my own veggie burger recipe. I scoured other recipes online for inspiration and finally came up with a list of ingredients I wanted to include.

This recipe turned out very tasty though I have some improvements I want to try when I make future batches, I think next time I might add some soy or curry powder. Or try using some cooked brown rice. I tried my best to keep track of my measurements but I suggest tasting a bit before you add the egg. The recipe made 20 medium sized patties. I froze the leftovers and I can attest to the fact that they reheat really well. At least heating them on a pan. I also read you can take them straight from the freezer and put them on a hot grill. Haven't tried that one yet though! If anyone tries this recipe please let me know how they turn out or if there were improvements you made.


Angel's Work in Progress Grain and Veggie Burger

1/4 cup green lentils
3/4 cup red lentils
3/4 cup Bulgar
2 carrots, shredded
1 red onion, diced
1 sweet red pepper, diced
1 celery rib, diced
1 can crushed or chopped tomatoes, drained
1 can chickpeas, drained and mashed
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
2 eggs
1 Tbs. olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
3 1/2 cups water

Cook the lentils in 3 cups water plus the salt for 30 min or until nice and mushy. Remove from heat and add Bulgar and the other 1/2 cup water to the lentil mixture. Allow to sit for 30 min. The mixture should be very stuff. Add the carrot, celery, tomatoes, and onion. Mash the chickpeas with a fork and then add. Add the bread crumbs and olive oil. Add remainder of the seasoning and taste test to make sure the seasoning is where you want it. Once you are satisfied, add the eggs. The mixture should be firm and easily make patties that will hold together. But not too dry. Use water or breadcrumbs to adjust. Let the mix cool in the fridge for about 20 min. You can either choose to cook them in olive in a pan or line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Bake at 390F for 20-25 min.

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Blue Ribbon Apple Pie

I have started a monthly cooking and baking challenge with my girls at http://surfingsisters.com/ For the first baking challenge, I picked an apple pie recipe from Cooking Light magazine. We all follow the same recipe (allowing for a few substitutions of course) and share pictures and talk about how our pies turned out on our forum.

I really liked this recipe especially the filling. It was basic and no frills and the flavor of the apples really came through. I also thought the pie crust was good for a "lightened up" version. This was my first attempt at making any type of fruit pie so my crust shaping skills need a little work. My substitution was various apples from my garden. I used a mix of green, red and pink ones. 6 cups of apples may seem like a lot but it really worked well.

My tip for crust making...freeze the shortening and the butter then use a cheese grater to grate them into the flour. It makes it so much easier to work by hand. I don't have or use a pastry cutter and with this method I don't see that I need one.




Blue Ribbon Apple Pie

Yield 10 servings (serving size: 1 wedge)


Ingredients
  • Crust:
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup chilled butter or stick margarine, cut into small pieces
  • 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
  • 1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar
  • 5 to 7 tablespoons ice water

  • Filling:
  • 2 cups thinly sliced peeled Granny Smith or other tart apple such as Newtown, Pippin, or Crispin (about 1 pound)
  • 2 cups thinly sliced peeled Braeburn or other all-purpose apple such as Empire (about 1 pound)
  • 1 cup thinly sliced peeled Rome or other firm baking apple such as Baldwin or Winesap (about 1/2 pound)
  • 1 cup thinly sliced peeled McIntosh or other tender apple such as Gravenstein or Jonathan (about 1/2 pound)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Cooking spray
  • 2 teaspoons fat-free milk
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Preparation
To prepare crust, lightly spoon 2 cups flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine with 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl; cut in butter and shortening with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add vinegar and enough ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork until dough is moist. Divide dough in half. Gently press each dough half into a 4-inch circle on heavy-duty plastic wrap, and cover with additional plastic wrap. Roll one half of dough, still covered, into a 12-inch circle; chill. Roll other half of dough, still covered, into an 11-inch circle; chill.

Preheat oven to 450°.

To prepare filling, combine apples and lemon juice in a large bowl. Combine 1/2 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, 3 tablespoons flour, cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Sprinkle over apple mixture, tossing well to combine.

Remove 1 sheet of plastic wrap from the 12-inch circle; fit dough, plastic-wrap side up, into a 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray, allowing dough to extend over edge of plate. Remove top sheet of plastic wrap. Spoon apple mixture into crust. Remove 1 sheet of plastic wrap from the 11-inch circle, and place dough, plastic-wrap side up, on top of apple mixture. Remove top sheet of plastic wrap. Press edges of dough together; fold edges under, and flute. Cut 6 (1-inch) slits into top of pastry using a sharp knife. Brush top and edges of pie with milk; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon granulated sugar. Place pie on a baking sheet; bake at 450° for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375° (do not remove pie from oven). Bake an additional 45 minutes or until golden (shield crust with aluminum foil if it gets too brown). Cool on a wire rack.

Southern Pepper Steak

Made this recipe for Pepper Steak from the Southern Food Section on about.com. Not bad, though next time I plan to add some crushed red pepper and a bit more soy sauce. I forgot to take a picture before we dived in, but I will add one next time I make it.

  • 3 tablespoons butter or oil
  • 1 1/2 pounds round or flank steak
  • 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced onion
  • 1 cup diced celery
  • 2 cups canned tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3 large green bell pepper
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup cold water

Preparation:

Heat butter over medium high heat, brown meat, which has been cut into 1/4-inch wide strips. Brown the meat in 2 or 3 batches so that each batch just covers the bottom of the skillet without crowding. Remove meat and set aside. Reduce heat, saute onions for 5 minutes. Return meat to skillet, add remaining ingredients except peppers, cornstarch, soy sauce and water. Add peppers, which have been seeded and cut in 1/2-inch strips, simmer covered for 10 minutes. Blend cornstarch, soy sauce and water in small dish; stir into meat mixture. Cook until thick and clear, about 1 minute.
Pepper steaks serve 6.


*I am making a concerted effort to post more recipes since I got a little nudge from Stephanie the other day.*

Friday, July 3, 2009

Chocolate Cupcakes


I decided to make some cupcakes to celebrate Patrick's birthday at dagpleje (daycare). I used this recipe, Chocolate cupcakes from the Joy of Baking website. They were good, but I think they should have been a little bit sweeter. I think next time I will try Magnolia's Chocolate Cupcakes since the Magnolia Bakery is famous for their cupcakes.

I topped them with....

Buttercream Icing

130g room temp butter
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3 Tbs. milk

Cream the butter with an electric mixer until fluffy. Slowly add the sugar, then the vanilla. Add the milk until desired consistency. May need more or less depending on how thick you want the icing. Refrigerate and can be stored up to 2 weeks. To use after storage, allow to warm at room temp for about 10 minutes then rewhip with mixer.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Update

I have been cooking and experimenting a lot since I made any serious posts on this blog. The problem has just been a lack of time to actually photograph and sort out measurements for my recipes. One of my summer projects is to get better at this so that I can have more than a couple of things on here.

Some things to look forward to:

New and greatly improved Pizza Recipe. Including Grilled Pizza!
My experiments with Bulgar
How we are learning to eat Fish (even though we don't really like it!)
Low Fat Banana Bread
Grilled Chicken Marinades
Corn Bread
Chili

Found Em!



I had been having some serious cravings for black eyed peas but none were to be found. Then one day I stumbled into a Chinese market near Nørreport Station and Voila! They had bags of dried black eyed peas!

Den Kinesiske Købmand
Nørre Voldegade 54
København