Carrot cake is for lovers

I've discovered a new love: carrot cake! It wasn't a love at first, let me tell you. . .

I made this cake for my friend's husband's birthday. She gave me their "family" recipe that he loves because it's plain and simple. It was very easy to make, however getting it out of the pans was quite the task! So note to self: use parchment paper. I think carrot cake is usually sticky by nature, so Baker's Joy cannot be used by itself. The combination of Baker's Joy and parchment paper is key. I will remember this for next time.

The decoration was a combined idea (Jenni and myself) and I'm proud to say that I discovered that I'm not an idiot and can in fact created a simple shell border (see, on the bottom?) I was using the wrong tip in the past. . . haha. Good job. I'm excited to make another carrot cake so I can separate those carrots on top a little more. I got that idea from some web site. . . not sure where it was now that I think about it. But I just used a medium round tip for the carrot and the leaf tip for the tops. It was really easy! I like easy designs that look hard, don't you? So there you go.

I got to taste some of the cake (that stuck to the pan) and it was good, but I made another carrot cake with a different recipe a few days later that had ALL of the fixings. I put it in the freezer and will frost and decorate it later this week for Michelle. Perhaps I'll post a picture of that one too. But this recipe is DELICIOUS! I didn't use the buttermilk glaze, but I imagine it's fantastic. I also used a different recipe for cream cheese frosting (left over from the cake above). So for this new recipe, I just added raisins to it, a little less than a cup, but I would probably add a whole cup next time. And believe me, there will be a next time, and a time after that, and a time after that, and oh my gosh I love it so much.

Cupcake Fever

It was a friend's quarter-century birthday last week, and she's been begging for carrot cake since I last tried to make it for Easter.  You'll recall that at Easter I wanted to make cupcakes, but I had no cupcake pans (HOW?!) and so I made a bundt cake. After that tragedy I quickly bought some cupcake pans, and this time around I made the cupcakes I wanted.  Thanks to the best birthday present ever, Williams-Sonoma mechanical pastry bag, I used the super-large open star tip and swirled the cream cheese frosting on top for a fancy finish!

There is a story in here, although it's not about the baking.  It's about the cupcake pans.  In March when I discovered I had none I was amazed.  I couldn't believe I didn't have cupcake pans - but I decided maybe they had been my old roommates and were left with her in Boston.  On Monday when I went to bake these cupcakes I opened the under-stove drawer where my pans are, and there were no cupcake pans.  I've been doing some major house reorganization lately, so I checked in the cabinet with other pots and pans and baking sheets.  Not there.  Now, I was sure I had two cupcake pans, but I couldn't find them.  I opened the under-stove drawer one more time, and as I did this I accidentally pushed one cake pan over the back edge and into the scary dark abyss.  As I reached my hand back to get the lost cake pan, I heard it clink against something.  So I did some more digging.  And what did I find there??  FOUR cupcake pans.  The two I bought in March nestled snuggly on top of the two I couldn't find in March.  Apparently, the under-stove drawer is constantly stealing my cupcake pans.  But the good news is, now I can make FORTY-EIGHT cupcakes at once!!

Where did all the spinach go?

A few weeks ago, I signed up for Boston Organics, and it's the best thing ever. I'm not going to get into the details right now, but you can read all about it on their web site. The part I like the most is the whole surprise factor -- you get whatever is in season and available, including produce that you wouldn't normally pick out yourself in a store. Last week, among many beautiful other fruits and vegetables, I got a whole bunch of gorgeous spinach. That's right, GORGEOUS SPINACH. Now you may be saying to yourself, But Melanie, spinach isn't all that unusual, so what's the big deal? The big deal is that the only spinach I buy is baby spinach (for salads or this) or frozen chopped spinach (for lasagna, this, or just to cook up because it's cheap). Since my box came on Thursday, I have all of this food and decided that I should prioritize. I figured the spinach might not last as long as the cauliflower, carrots, and other items, so I used that first. I sauteed lots of garlic in olive oil first, then less than a minute later, started rough chopping the spinach and adding it to the pan, along with salt and pepper. While it was cooking, I drained and rinsed a can of chickpeas, and added it to the pan as well. I reheated some pilaf I had made a couple of days ago, and there you have it. . . a delicious lunch. I just wish there were more of it. There was SO MUCH spinach (before I cooked it. . . ) that it barely fit in my saute pan! So after I cooked it, it was a little disappointing (yet expected, but still. . . quite sad). But let me tell you, the little spinach that was there was SO tender and wonderful. Mmmmmmm!

Happy 50th Birthday!

Here's a 50th birthday cake I made for one of the directors at work. The cake, filling, and frosting were the same that I used for Rachel's graduation cake. It luckily all came together in time for the party, but of course there had to be a little drama -- nothing too bad, just a little typical madness on my part.

I first had four flowers on the top of the cake. There were the three red ones you see, but they were separated more and I put them in the cake at a bit of an angle. In the middle, I had a white flower of the same variety. Well it was really obvious to me that the flower display wasn't all centered. . . BIG problem, right? It was also just awkward and empty-looking. I had time to fix it, so I thought about my options. Option 1: going to get more (smaller) flowers to fill in the gaps. Option 2: not using flowers at all. Option 3: taking the flowers out and putting them back in. While it was risky, I chose option three. I had more frosting in the fridge so I could fix the top, and I had time, so I figured I'd give it a shot.

I had the flowers in these little white cones inside the cake (so the flowers go into the cake more easily and can sit in a little water). They were a pain in the BUTT to take out. They were in there really good (nice, Mel) and were now slippery from the frosting (the cones AND my fingers that is). I somehow managed to do it, but certainly not neatly. The whole top of the cake cracked all the way across, cake itself came out through the holes the flowers were in, and it was just a big old mess. This made me a little nervous. . . I was able to fix all of it with more frosting, but that's not to say I didn't have a minor heart attack. I decided this time instead of putting the flowers in the cake at an angle that they would look better if the stem went straight down into the cake and the flowers sat more flat-ish on top. I thought that just three flowers would work and fit better than the four, so that's what I did. And then it was done. And it tasted yummy. And that was all. Happy Birthday.

incredible, edible

On New Years' Day I made a wonderful brunch with my friend AY, who taught me how to crack an egg with one hand.  Today, while watching Ace of Cakes, I learned some more interesting tidbits about eggs from Chef Duff.  Apparently, salmonella lives on the outside of the eggs, so shells are especially bad - for more than just the unneeded crunch factor.  Also, though, if you crack your eggs into a bowl (he used a metal one, this might be important) and let them sit for a bit, the shells will sink to the bottom and stick to the bowl.  He's so cool!

More orzo, please!

So speaking of orzo, I have to share a deliciously easy meal with you. It's my version of "risotto."

I cook up some orzo in vegetable broth. When it's almost done, I run some frozen peas (because you know I have lots of those hanging around!) under hot water to just thaw them a bit. Back to the orzo, I reserve about a ladle of the broth, and strain the rest. I put the orzo back in the pot I cooked it in, with the reserved broth, peas, and a little butter, and heat it up a bit. I then add salt, pepper, parmesan cheese, and a little milk. Sometimes I'll even add some freshly grated nutmeg. I keep it on medium-low heat while stirring to see if I need more milk. And that's it! I know it's more of a side dish than a "meal," but sometimes that's just what you need.

Chicken-Orzo Salad with Goat Cheese

A schoolfriend of mine has recently gotten a subscription to Cooking Light, so on Thursday before our kickball game she invited me over for dinner.  She made this great tasting salad with tomatoes, arugula, peppers, red onion, basil, oregano, grilled chicken and orzo.  She did a great job, although it was both of our first time with Orzo, so we made it up a little.  It was a delicious dinner, and definitely something I can't wait to make again.

Unfortunately, we lost miserably.  Although I don't think it can be blamed on the salad.

Yogurt, kids.

Okay. So without naming names for the benefit of a certain search engine (except for Thermos, all right), here's the deal with the yogurt and making my own:

1) Once upon a time I was shopping for who-knows-what when I saw a yogurt maker I wasn't even looking for. It was a French one, which made me think back to the glorious yogurt AISLE (yes, a whole AISLE, pure heaven) at the grocery stores in France, so I knew this thing had to be good. I am not keen on machines and gadgets, and generally think they're a waste of money and space, but this purchase was no luxury. I eat yogurt ALL THE TIME, so I knew that making my own would save me money in the long run. So I bought it and then let it collect dust for a good 11 months. One day I thought, this is stupid that I keep buying it every single week while I have a perfectly good machine waiting for me at home. I busted it out and learned how to make it. It was easier than I had imagined, and I was a fool to wait so long. A fool.

2) To simplify: Heat up milk to a certain temperature. Cool down milk to a certain temperature. Add starter (some yogurt) to milk without killing the bacteria. Incubate for several hours (this is where the machine was used) at a certain temperature until it becomes yogurt (bacteria, yum!). Refrigerate yogurt for a few hours before eating. Try not to wolf it down all at once because it will be so much better than the crap that's sold in the store. And that's it. I did this almost every week for several months.

3) Then the machine started going sour on me (pun intended). It was a model that made the yogurt in eight individual servings. The four cups in the center of the heating element were always curdling before the four cups on the ends were even done. Something was wrong with the heating element and there was nothing I could do to fix it. Just to be doubly sure it was that and not user error, I made another batch. I ended up keeping the good half and throwing away the overheated half. Remember the nursery rhyme about Little Miss Muffet? Well, once the curds and whey separate during the yogurt-making process, there's no turning back and the affected batch is ruined.

3a) Out of this mistake, there was one time where I thought, hey, I'll strain it and make labneh.

3b) Creamy, smooth, mild, nice texture. Success. I'd do it again instead of wasting a ruined batch.

4) So I threw out the machine with much regret. I had gotten my money's worth out of it, but I was disappointed that it died on me so soon. Sure, I was using it just about every week, but it was for less than a year. See what I mean about machines? Not worth the hype. I vowed to not buy another one, but instead find a better method. Now that I was familiar with the process, I thought, now it's time to experiment and branch out. What did people do before these machines were made? I consulted my cookbooks for the answer. They used other incubation devices: the pilot light on a gas stove, a heating pad wrapped around the bowl, a double-boiler-type insulation method, even naked in a covered bowl on the kitchen counter. There are so many methods that don't require extra stuff (hell, even a heating pad isn't exactly a staple for a lot of people). The best one I heard was from dear old Pops speaking from personal experience: a Thermos. A Thermos!

5) Here's a hint: use one with a wide mouth. (You definitely don't want to use one that's meant for beverages.) I went through the same steps as before, only now using my new incubator. And the biggest surprise? The end result was even better than before, both in terms of taste and texture. So, I thought I had a loss, but instead I really won. This is the way I've been making it ever since. So easy. And there's less stuff I have to clean (8 cups, 8 lids).

6) One of my friends who bakes her own bread (and no, I don't mean she does it using a machine) encouraged me by saying once you get the basics down and you know how long the different steps take and you do this on a weekly basis, it's really not so bad. And she's right. It gets easier and easier the more you do it and refine your technique. Starting it is the more difficult thing, but you've just got to jump in at some point and learn from your mistakes.

Those are the basics. If you ever want real and more complete directions, you know how to reach me. (I have a phobia of writing anything of substance on the interwebs.)

B is for Burrito

Are you sitting down?  I cooked something tonight!  Granted it was just a simple burrito (or two....or three....) but damn if it wasn't good.  And as I cooked it I thought, you know who should hear about this??  M and M!

My burritos are pretty simple, but I swear there are two secrets that make them all the better.  First I cook some rice, usually brown boil-in-bag rice.  When that's done I put it in a pot with a can of black beans, mix it up and leave it on a low burner.  In a skillet I grill up some veggies, tonight I used a red and green pepper, yellow squash and eggplant.  Here is secret number 1, I cut the veggies rather large to grill them.  Tonight I used some avocado oil instead of evoo (because I had it) and then I sprinkle on some store bought Burrito seasoning.  Once the veggies are grilled, I scoop some out onto a cutting board and then I chop them up small.  I find that grilling them bigger keeps in some more flavors, and then chopping them small helps make them fit in the burrito.  

I take my tortilla and put on some sliced cheese, tonight it was colby jack.  Then a scoop of rice-bean mix, and some chopped veggies on top.  Here the key is to pile things up right along the center of the tortilla.  Now to roll it, followed by secret number 2.  First I fold in two ends, say the right and left sides, only a little.  Now I start to roll from bottom to top - be forceful, get all that filling inside, and keep watching the ends making sure they are tucked inside.  Secret number 2 is to immediately wrap it in aluminum foil and pop that sucker into a pre-heated 300 degree oven.  This allows the cheese to melt, everything to get warm and toasty, and the burrito is less likely to come unrolled when you go to eat it.  Totally simple, totally delish!  

Let's go Red Sox!