Daring Bakers

I feel like celebrating! I have enjoyed watching others do their baking challenges and now I get to be a part of it. Wahhoooo! New friends, new ideas, great blogs. Ohhh! Uuumm, yes, the blog thing. Being new to the blogging world, it seems I have made a few boo boos. I was trying to get a few blog addresses to the side of my blog and somehow have posted the blogs as mainstay comments. How embarassing. Yeesh! Well, I am hoping that as I learn to become more proficient, the mistake blogs will make their way to the bottom of the pile and maybe no one will notice. I guess it isn't helping the matter that I feel the need to talk about it. BUT. . . .guess what????? giggle, giggle. . . I am a daring baker. Harray for me!

Google Reader (11)

Google Reader (11)

Cupcake lovers of the world UNITE! « quirky cupcake

Cupcake lovers of the world UNITE! « quirky cupcake

How to Leave in 24 Hours

On the way to Santa Fe you get a phone call. It's for your husband. You overhear snippets and wait patiently. There is interest in another script. Real interest. Driving talk turns on a dime from the grocery list (where you just added butternut squash in bumpy cursive) to the wisdom vs. craziness of dropping the day's plans and booking a flight to LAX. You sit quietly in the hot car, squinting at the blur of sunbaked sage along the highway while your husband thinks it over (and inside you are jumping, yelling, Why not? Let's go! This is everything you've dreamed of- script meetings, casting conversations- but, really, it's his call). You do your best to embody Zen detachment.

What do you think? he turns and asks. 

You just smile. He knows what you think. You've been bitching about being under-stimulated for weeks, getting all gloomy again. Then suddenly it's a go. You're leaving in twenty-four hours. You start picking through dirty jeans and shirts. Distracted by the early morning slant of sun warming the tumbleweeds, you leave the laundry to grab a camera. Five minutes later you notice the bowl of ripe tomatoes on the blue tiled counter. You can't just leave those. So you wash them gently, slice and toss them into a roasting pan with olive oil, herbs and cloves of garlic. You add a splash of balsamic vinegar. You slide the pan into a low-heat oven.

The house starts to smell like an Italian villa. You fold and iron and fold. You plug in your iPod Shuffle and choose 250 songs (no Sting). You think about Santa Monica and the last time you saw your son, Colin. You add some of his songs to your mix. Then you notice the roses you photographed this week (they have seen better days). You empty the pitcher. You get distracted by the beauty of the dead petals and dried leaves against the white garbage bag. You grab your camera.

You air out the luggage that has been in storage since May- sliding it into the bright afternoon sun (you'll have to tip it sideways later to scoot a frantic lizard back to his usual vertical perch on the adobe wall). You wonder if the tomatoes are done. It's been two hours. Or more. You peek into the oven and inhale the slow roasted garlicky dense tomato scent.

You try not to panic about what the heck you'll eat for the next week (staying at the one hotel where you could get a last minute reservation in your price range- there's no kitchenette, no microwave). You imagine bags of chips and jarred salsa dinners. You hope Real Food Daily will have choices that are gluten, soy, lemon, nut-blah blah blah- free. But you don't really care. Somehow it will all work out. Or maybe you're just deep in denial, you think to yourself. You breathe.

Then there's the last bit of autumn roasted green chile to think about. And half a bag of small gold potatoes. One big mother of a sweet potato. And one lonely uncooked organic burger. Might as well make a green chile stew before you hit the road.

So you heat some olive oil in a pot, toss in some chopped onion, garlic, and crumbled beef, and sprinkle said ingredients with cumin and chili powder and stir until browned, humming a K T Tunstall tune. You throw in cut up gold and sweet potatoes and the last of the chopped roasted green chile. You stir up some organic beef broth and pour it in. A dash of agave. You let the stew do its stew-y thing while you contemplate which pair of sneakers to wear on the plane- Rocket Dogs or Skechers? Tough call. You'll decide later.

There are toothbrushes and socks to be packed. But first, a glass of white table wine. Then a bowl of green chile stew.

This is the part of the movie when she looks at her husband sitting by the window, back lit by sweet light, and your chest aches in recognition. You see, the thing is, you always knew it. In your heart you just knew. Those movies everyone told you were fantasy? The on-screen or off-screen marriages that crackled with mutual admiration and no bullshit and you pined for that while those closest to you clucked in favor of sticking with your marital misery because - and I quote- No relationship is perfect and every marriage takes work?

Then why, Dear Reader- this time around, after twelve easy years- does it just keep getting easier? And life just gets more interesting? It's all about the risk. And trusting your gut. Whether it's making up a soup or reevaluating your career choice, or facing down familial opposition and sexual inertia because you actually believe in true love- it comes down to this. 

You have this minute. 

This second.

So. 

What are you going to do with it?

Canning Peach Jam

Peach Jam to Drool For Recipe

By shandy
This recipe has won prizes and when you taste it. . .well, hording comes to mind. I was impressed with the depth of flavor and that the seasoning is perfect for me. Heat a large pot of water to boiling and dip your peaches in it for about 20 secs. for a quick peeling method. 8 cups of peaches is around 11 large peaches. This is one of the best jams I have made yet! : D


Ingredients
8 c. peaches, pitted, peeled, chopped the size of a pair of dice and slightly mashed
4 T. lemon juice, freshly squeezed
6 T. powdered fruit pectin
6 c. sugar
1 T. crystallized ginger, finely chopped
1/4 t. ginger powder
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/4 t. ground cloves
1/4 t. allspice
zest of 1/2 lemon


Directions
Sterilize the jars, rings and lids by using boiling water.
In a large saucepan over medium heat, bring the peaches and lemon juice to a boil. Add the pectin and return the mixture to a boil. Stirring constantly, slowly add the sugar. Stir in the crystallized ginger, ginger powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, allspice and lemon zest and continue to boil, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and skim any foam from the top of the jam. I always add 1/2 T. butter at this time to settle the foam.
Carefully pour the jam into the sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch space between the jam and the neck of the jar. Cover with the lids and screw on the bands. Process the jars for 15 minutes in a boiling-water bath.

I am standing here making dinner and stirring my peach jam. There is nothing quite like coming home from working all day to stressing about peaches spoiling and knowing that I feel like I am competing against time along with *also* knowing that my family is hungry for dinner and my peach jam may be prize winning but it will not do for dinner! I will NOT lose this fruit. How can I say that I have saved money by buying directly from the orchards then get home and let it go to waste and have to chuck it?? Well, this thought has been my competition. I so need to learn self control. You know, I say this now but if and when I go back, I will be on this hoarding thing again and self-control will have gone right out the window. My poor husband will actually try and get me to remember this rough moment in time of total exhaustion and I will look at him like he has lost his marbles! I mean really. All I will have to do is look at all this fruit that they are practically giving away and these fabulous recipes will be flashing before my eyes. That's it! Sad but true and right now I can't possibly look at another peach without feeling ill. My jars are pretty though.

Canning

Canning can be so frightening when it comes to getting started. I thought, okay, I did this once before. Granted, it was ten years ago. I was really young and I had a *lot* of support. I canned over 200 jars of fruit and tomatoes but everything was basic stuff. This time, I got the privilege of relearning how to can all by myself. On top of that, I went to Eastern Washington, Yakima to be precise, and got carried away. I couldn't remember all the cool places I went to when I first did this endeavor sooooo made the best of it and Larry, my hubby, and I went from tent and farm to tent and farm. I was so disappointed with the fruit we got because it just wasn't the perfect fruit I remembered getting the first time around. Then, I had these specific directions on where to go. You know, down this long bumpy driveway you will reach this old warehouse where only semi trucks come to *but* they will sell to the public. I couldn't remember where any of these places were. I can't feel to bad though. I still came home with, and yes I weighed each and every box, 350 pounds of peaches, nectarines, apples, tomatoes and sweet onions. I have been collecting jars for the last 5 years and boy am I glad that I did. I have learned to can everything. I can't see straight and I am cleaning peach juice off the ceiling in the kitchen. . .no idea how that got there, but the jars are soo pretty!

I think for a reference in the future, I am going to keep posting all my favorite recipes here for canning. I made this awesome Jamacan Rum Peach Jam and A Grand Prize Winning Peach Jam that is so good it just melts in your mouth with all this great flavor. Working full time and coming home to can for 7 or 8 hours for two weeks straight is what I call canning burn-out. But I did it. All I have left is half a bag of sweet onions and one box of apples. I made my first Stewed Italian Tomatoes, Chili Sauce, Pear/Apple Chutney, Pear Honey, Nectarines in Vanilla Wine Syrup, Seedless Blackberry Jam and Syrup and Spiced Peach Butter to name just a few things I accomplished in this time.

Beef + Mushroom Stuffed Acorn Squash

A hearty stuffed acorn squash recipe- comfort food for omnivores.

Yours truly has been stewing. Not in the culinary sense, Darling. I've been stewing about Sting, and how disappointed I am with the latest news (and Oy, the photo of him ducking his head, cringing in the back seat?) about him schtupping (okay, maybe he didn't actually schtup- who knows?-maybe he innocently indulged in some lap dances in a post-concert-suffering-from-exhaustion kinda way) at the exclusive brothel-slash-strip club Relax in Hamburg, Germany, while sans wife Trudie and his six children.

Whatever.

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Gluten-Free Goddess in Newsweek? Rock on.

We just returned from our weekly Saturday jaunt into Santa Fe- to shop at Whole Foods, Trader Joe's or Wild Oats, depending on our mood and our menu plans. Today's mini road trip was a tad more exciting than our usual gluten-free shopping extravaganza, however, because today we stopped by Borders and picked up a copy of the September 17th Newsweek magazine- the one featuring an excellent article on celiac disease, titled Waiter, Please Hold the Wheat by Anne Underwood.

Steve turned to page 62- to see if the buzz we'd heard was true (as I was busy fumbling in my over-stuffed shoulder bag trying to locate my reading glasses with no success). How cool is that? he said, pointing to the resource box and reading aloud, Browse more than 200 creative recipes and cooking tips from an experienced gluten-free chef.

Whoa, said I (ever the eloquent wordsmith). Pretty darn cool. Gluten-Free Goddess blog makes good.

Big congrats go to the chic and hard working Kelly Courson of CeliacChicks, the totally fab Heidi Collins, Alice Bast, and Vanessa Maltin of the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness, and Shauna James Ahern, author and blogger at Gluten Free Girl- all featured in the article, which by the way, Dear Reader is one of the better mainstream pieces on celiac disease this gluten-free goddess has read. And I'm not prejudiced. Really.

Pick one up and see for yourself.

Sunbutter Cookies

Here's an easy gluten-free cookie recipe made with sunflower butter- a post-modern peanut-free take on those retro peanut butter cookies your Aunt Lizzie used to make. You know, with those jars of Skippy peanut butter (or was it Jif?).

Instead of using traditional peanut butter in this recipe, I used sunflower butter, which has a golden nutty flavor not unlike peanut butter, but slightly different. Kinda like peanut butter's wacky and cute brother. You know, slightly nutty. Fun. Like a bright new bike.

And they taste so good you just might want some more. Now, please.

I adapted this recipe from a peanut butter cookie recipe (submitted by Erin Smith) to Beyond Rice Cakes, an easy, fun cookbook (especially for teens and students) by Vanessa Maltin, director of outreach and programming at the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness.

Karina's note: I've edited this recipe to give it more moisture.

Sunbutter Cookies Recipe

These tasty nibbles are gluten-free, grain-free, milk-free, peanut-free and soy-free. Phew. Did I miss anything? Oh yeah. And they're tender-scrumptious.

1 cup natural sunflower butter, stirred

1 cup organic light brown sugar, packed

2 organic free-range eggs, beaten

2 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon bourbon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

A small pinch of sea salt

*See options below for add-in ideas.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the sunflower butter, light brown sugar and beaten eggs in a mixing bowl. Add vanilla, baking soda and salt; mix well with a wooden spoon.

Pull off pieces of the dough with oiled hands and roll into 1-inch balls. Place the balls on a foil-lined or parchment-lined baking sheet. Using a fork, press the balls slightly to make a criss-cross pattern- making the cookies roughly 1 1/2 inches.

• Note: If the dough is not stiff enough to do this, wrap and refrigerate for an hour to stiffen the consistency.

Place the baking sheet into the center of a preheated oven and bake for 9 to 10 minutes, until they are golden and set. They will be soft until they cool. Cool the sheet on a rack for a minute or two before removing the cookies to a cooling rack.

This recipe- as is- makes about 12 cookies. If you add 1/3 cup of optional add-ins, it makes a few more. Or you could just make bigger cookies. Whatever makes you happy.

Add-in Options:

• Try raisins, as suggested by reader Tricia- thanks Tricia!

• Semi-sweet chocolate chips, or gluten-free white chocolate chips.

• Chopped walnuts, pecans, cashews or macadamia nuts.

• How about pine nuts- for a more "grown-up" cookie?

Notes:

Reader Daisy reports- this recipe works without eggs; use your favorite egg replacer. She also mentions using these cookies crumbled as a crumb crust for cheese cake or pies. Hungry yet?

Good Karma Meatloaf Pie with Dill Mashed Potato Crust

Got leftover meatloaf? Make a shepherd's pie, Baby.

 

Yeah, I'll just say it. If you like comfort food you're gonna love this meatloaf pie recipe with a mashed gold potato crust. It's simple, hearty comfort food. Because I'm a home-style cook. I'm no chef. I know my way around a kitchen but eviscerating a chicken? No thanks. I've never been attracted to truffles. I could care less about honing my knife skills.

My soul is built for comfort not for speed.

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Pecan Roll Monkey Bread

Now that I am looking over my first page, it has hit me just how cruel I have been to anyone that has looked at this blog page. I can not possibly, in clear conscience, show a picture of one of my favorite bread desserts without also giving the recipe. This breakfast bread can be refrigerated over night. Go ahead and sleep in, pull it out of the fridge, bring to room temperature, and bake as the instructions show below. The Bourbon in the caramel topping is awesome!

So here it is:

Ingredients
For the Dough:
PROOF:
1 packet (2 1/4 t.) active dry yeast
1 c. warm water (100-110 degrees)
WARM; ADD:
3/4 c. whole milk
1/2 c. buttermilk
3 T. sugar
2 T. unsalted butter, room temperature
5 c. all-purpose flour, divided
1 1/2 t. kosher salt...okay I am on a kosher kick. Regular salt is fine.
FOR THE FILLING---
SOFTEN AND BLEND:
3/4 c. unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. cinnamon
TOAST AND CHOP:
1 1/2 c. pecans; divided
For the Caramel Topping ---
COMBINE; ADD:
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. heavy cream
1/4 c. pure maple sytrup
1 T. bourbon
1 t. kosher salt (I know, again with the Kosher salt - you can use regular salt)
Remaining Pecans

Directions
BUTTER A 12-cup Bundt pan; set aside.

PREPARE dough and filling.

PROOF the yeast for the dough in warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer for 5 minutes, or until foamy. (You can proof in a regular large bowl to do this recipe if you do not have a stand mixer but your arm will fall off working the dough.)

WARM the milk to 100 degrees in a saucepan over low heat while yeast is proofing. Add warmed milk, buttermilk, 3 T. sugar, 2 T. butter, 3 1/2 cups flour, and salt to the proofed yeast. With a paddle attachment, mix on low speed until combined, then increase speed to high; beat for 2 more minutes.

SWITCH to the dough hook and add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of flour. Mix on low speed until incorporated, then increase speed to medium. Mix for 5-7 minutes, or until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. (It will still be stuck to the bottom of the bowl, so don't worry.) Cover bowl with plastic and let dough rise in a warm place for 1-1 1/2 hours, or until doubled. Butter a Bundt cake pan.

SOFTEN 3/4 cup butter for the filling in a bowl in a microwave for 30 seconds. Use a hand mixer to blend in the sugar and cinnamon; set aside (do not chill).

TOAST pecans in a nonstick skillet until golden and fragrant; chop and set aside. While dough rises make caramel topping.

COMBINE brown sugar, cream, maple syrup, bourbon, and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-low heat (DO NOT STIR, and keep an eye on it--there's a tendency for it to boil over).
Simmer for 10 minutes, then pour 1 cup caramel into the prepared Bundt pan. Set aside.

ONCE the dough has risen, hook your fingers under the edges to release the dough from the bowl. Scrape it onto a well-floured surface, sprinkle flour over the top, and press gently to remove air bubbles. Divide the dough in half and roll one portion into a 10 x 16" rectangle.

SPREAD half of the filling onto the dough,and sprinkle with 1/2 c. pecans, pressing them lightly into the dough. Cut each rectangle into thirds and roll the rectangles long ways - jelly-roll style- into logs. (Remember that you want minature cinnamon rolls to pile on top of each other in the bundt pan.)

TRANSFER to a baking sheet, freeze 10 minutes, then slice into 1" rolls with a serrated knife.

ARRANGE rolls in the prepared pan in circles, building two layers. (Another words, pile the minature cinnamon rolls on top of each other all the way around the Bundt pan.) Cover with foil that's been coated with non-stick spray, then let rise for 1 hour; preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake bread, covered with foil, for 30 minutes, then remove foil and bake an additional 25-30 minutes. Allow the bread to rest for 15 minutes.

MEANWHILE, bring the remaining caramel to a simmer, then add the remaining 1/2 c. pecans. Invert bread onto a plate, then drizzle with caramel.

A LONG PROCESS, but great eating. Soo many people enjoy this when I make it. I love the aroma I get in the whole house. Yum! :D

How To Make Roasted Green Chile Sauce

Fire roasted green chile, fresh from a roadside roaster.

How to make a roasted green chile sauce New Mexico style? First you start with bags of fresh roasted Hatch chiles.

The Fall Equinox is right around the corner. And in our small corner of the world that means only one thing- it's chile roasting time. New Mexicans are passionate about their state's most distinctive crop. Smoky, spicy and sweet all at once is the best way I can describe the complex flavor of New Mexican roasted chiles.

Roasters are ubiquitous now- along the roadsides and in parking lots- stoking their fires outside Whole Foods and Walmart alike, turning barrels of fresh Hatch chiles over open flames. The aroma is enough to make you weep.

With spicy chile happiness, that is.

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