Gal 2 - April Cupcakes

Cupcakes

2 ounces cake flour (about 1/2 cup)
3/4 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup egg whites (about 5 large eggs)
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp grated lemon rind

Lemon Frosting

1/4 cup butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 Tbsp 1% milk
1-2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
Edible flowers (such as pansies or rosebuds) optional

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Place 16 paper muffin cup liners in muffin tins. Set aside.
3. Lightly spoon cake flour into dry measuring cup; level with knife. Sift together flour and 3/4 cup powdered sugar into a medium bowl. Repeat twice.
4. Beat egg whites and salt with a mixer at high speed until frothy (about 1 minute). Add cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form. Add 1/2 cup granulated sugar a Tbsp. at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. sprinkle flour mixture over egg white mixture, 1/4 cup at a time; fold in after each addition. Stir in vanilla and rind.
5. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. (I used a ziplock bag with a corner cut off. Also be sure you fill the liners from the bottom up without any air pockets as this batter wont settle!) Bake at 350 degrees for 18 minutes or until lightly browned. (I found this was too long!! Keep the cupcakes near the middle-top of your oven and watch them closely). Remove from pan, let cool completely on wire rack.
6. To prepare frosting, beat butter with a mixer at high speed until very fluffy. Gradually add 2 cups powdered sugar; beat at low speed until just blended. Add milk and lemon juice, beat until just fluffy. Add more lemon juice as needed to adjust the consistency. Garnish with edible flowers if desired.

I didn't have any edible flowers on hand, but I did have fresh strawberries! There is a little strawberry stand that sits just off the road not far from our house. They grow their strawberries right there beside and behind their stand. it opened last week and I thought fresh California strawberries would be just the right garnish!

These little spring beauties were the highlight of our Bible study the week I had snack!

March: Everyday Brownies

I, Gal 2, had planned on a cookie out of the cookie book for March. However, somehow, again life got busy. Instead I found myself scrambling for a dessert on Friday and made these fantastic everyday brownies. They truly are just the thing in a pinch! They also turned out wonderfully well.

"It's not as if I were short of a brownie recipe or two: I have over the years made them on easy autopilot; but I am no less grateful for this everyday, no-notice version. They are less extravagant - I use cocoa powder in place of the good-quality chocolate, and stud the mixture with a newstand's or convenience store's bar or two of milk chocolate - although to taste them, you would never, never guess. They ooze with such dark elegance and deep, deep chocolatiness.

This is the recipe you turn to when a child or colleague informs you last thing that you're expected to bake something for a bake sale tomorrow. You can just smile serenely and head for the cupboard. If you're working from a more restrained array, so are clean out of light brown sugar, and there's no chance to nip to a convenience store for the chocolate, then just use 1 1/2 cups regular white sugar and up the butter to 1 1/2 and the cocoa to a heady 1 cup.

A final note or, rather, nag: when I say cocoa powder, I do mean unsweetened cocoa; do not under any circumstance ever substitute drinking chocolate." - Nigella Lawson, Recipes from the Heart of the Home 

 

Ingredients

1 1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter

1 3/4 cups packed light brown sugar

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch salt

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

About 6 ounces milk chocolate, chopped into small nuggety chunks (or 1 cup chips)

Confectioners' sugar, to dust, optional
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Special Equipment

 Aluminium foil-lined baking pan or foil pan, about 13 x 9 x 2 inches

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Melt the butter over a gentle heat in a medium-sized saucepan.

When it's melted, add the sugar, stirring with a wooden spoon (still over a low heat) to help it blend with the melted butter.

Whisk together the cocoa powder, flour, baking soda and pinch of salt, and then stir into the pan; when mixed (this will be a very dry mixture, and not wholly blended at this stage), remove from the heat.

In a bowl or jug, whisk the eggs with the vanilla extract and then mix into the brownie mixture in the pan.

Stir in the chopped chocolate and quickly pour and scrape into a foil-lined baking tin or disposable foil pan, spreading the mixture with a spatula, and cook in the preheated oven for about 20 to 25 minutes (I baked them for 25 minutes; it was too long! They tasted great, but were cake-like.) It will look set, dark and dry on top, but when you feel the surface, you will sense it is still wibbly underneath and a cake tester will come out gungy. This is desirable.

Transfer the pan to a rack to cool a little before cutting into 16 pieces and dusting with confectioners' sugar. I love these gorgeously warm. But then again, I love them cold, too. Actually, when cold they are properly speaking more brownie-like: gooily tender within and moreishly chewy on top.

*Make Ahead Note: The brownies can be made up to 3 days ahead and stored in airtight container. Will keep for total of 5 days.

*Freeze Note: The brownies can be frozen for up to 3 months in airtight container, layered with baking parchment. Thaw overnight in cool place.

Kiss Me I'm Irish!

So this month I tried something very out of the ordinary for me-baking with alcohol.  I've used wine and liquors before in some cooking but not much baking. This yummy St. Patty's day recipe is all about being Irish with Guinness Draft beer and Bailey's Irish Cream. Put them together with cupcakes and you have Irish Car-bomb Cupcakes.

The cupcake is made from rich cocoa with some Guiness Draft mixed in. While this bakes it smells awesome and you can't taste the beer taste in the cupcakes at all. The beer really just gives the cocoa flavor some extra bold richness. For the ganache that was inside there was bittersweet chocolate and Bailey's cream. It is slightly sweet but very strong like dark chocolate. Mr. #3 loved this part the best.

To top it off you make a homemade butter cream frosting with Bailey's Irish cream to flavor and it comes out extremely sweet and creamy. It balances the bold intensity of the cocoa and ganache. Needless to say I may experience more baking with some alcohol. These cupcakes were amazing and went the fastest of all the desserts so far this year. It is a great balance of rich and sweet but be careful- if you make these for guests be sure to save some for just you after they leave! :)

Ta-Da! Enjoy this yummy treat!

2010 A Year of Gal 3 Favorites

In looking back over last year's menus, I have discovered the culinary talent that lies in our family is OUTSTANDING! There are so many wonderful memories and experiences from cooking your way through a year with family and so choosing my top menu favorites was flavorsome. :) So many choices, narrowed down to the very best.

APRIL

  This was super fantastic! Still I think this is my HOLY BATMAN! of the year. This Stuffed Flank Steak was so yummy, so savory and just so satisfying. Hasn't been made again but its definitely in the keeper recipe file.

MAY

  I love everything pasta and cheese-Mascarpone Lasagna was super good. I loved the gooey-ness of this dish and with added protein, like some good ground turkey this was a great come-home-to meal for our little family. 

JUNE

 This Baked Alaska was as much fun to make as it was to eat. I think my most favorite part of this dish was getting to make it as a family. Everyone chipped in and out came a masterpiece of dessert that I think should become a June tradition.

JULY

  

This Fruit Crostata was super sweet and melt-in-your mouth buttery! Made with and eaten with a friend this is a must have dessert on hand for when berries are in season!

AUGUST

 Again, sentimental about having family with me to make this Chicken Cordon Bleu...and feeling so Julie & Julia this makes the top list. The discovery of Gruyere cheese and making it with a brother only made this amazingly hearty entree that much more fun to eat.

SEPTEMBER

 September taught me many lessons, and one is to always enjoy the dessert no matter what happened to the main course. Apple Strudel that can be made in a big batch and frozen was a discovery carried on and enjoyed by many Holy Batman followers.

 OCTOBER

 Mr. #3 had a large say in October. The entire meal was delicious, including the pork that goes with the Cherry Brandy Sauce, but the sauce was our star. We have made it several times since to accompany other meat dishes with just as much success as the first time and will now be a sauce staple in our kitchen. Yumm-o!!!!

NOVEMBER

November, not being one of my proudest menus, again proved to be a dessert-centered month. I love desserts, as anyone reading this favorite list can tell, but this Chocolate Pound Cake was a showstopper! What a centerpiece for guests to eyeball as they eat their veggies and clean their plates to get to the main treat at the end.

DECEMBER

Rosemary Breadsticks...so simple and delicious. These could accompany any meal and were a great addition our simple soup night. These can become a once a week bread dish or even a "just bring bread" to a friend's dinner and you can be the favorite dinner guest!

Overall ladies we did a great job and 2011 can only get better!

Gal #3 February

This is a little late, and will be closely followed by the March cookie post...but alas here we are. February was a short and busy month for the #3 household but we managed to do several cookies...only one of which I will post about. The cookie book from Gal #1 is getting a lot of attention in this household and we have found an outstanding favorite for February's cookie.


Aunt Sis's Strawberry Tart

 I used my dad's homemade strawberry jam to make these cookies and boy was in at added extra!! The rich strawberry flavor with the buttery tart surrounding it was outstanding and they literally flew off the cookie sheet. The dough was simple to make and all that took a little more concentration was making the little moats in the middle for the jam to sit in.

These are a great Mr. #3 favorite and went very quickly...almost to the point where my Samaritan couldn't get them to their own home. These weren't a surprise for February's recipient but they were greatly appreciated by a women who has been undergoing a lot lately, both in work and in health. The red color added a smile for Valentine's Day but these could be made year-round.

Also made this month were the chocolate wafers from Gal #2 which were such a success that no pictures were taken...talk to Mr. #3 for complaints. March will prove to be a stretch and an exciting one...more catching up from Gal #3 to follow. Cheers Gals!

Gal 2's February

February evokes visions of valentines day. Valentines evokes visions of hearts and, of course, chocolate. What better cookie for February then, but a chocolate wafer? I did a little improvisation and made hearts instead of plain circles.

This was an easy recipe except for one thing: rum extract. It's not a staple in my pantry, so I did have to make a special trip. Luckily it wasn't hard to find. After adding the amount called for, which I thought was a lot, I panicked. The cookie dough smelled... well it smelled a LOT like rum. It was really strong and I was afraid the taste would be overpowering. After making an emergency phone call to Gal #3, who assured me it would be fine, I chilled the dough and baked my cookies the following day.

Perfection! These are very thin and crisp, the perfect mate for a cup of piping hot tea or coffee. I also liked that while intensely chocolate, they are not overly sweet. The best use I found for these cookies however was mentioned nowhere in the pages of the cookbook; homemade ice cream sandwiches!

Admittedly, and obviously, I did not bake during the month of February. I got really hung up on the part where after you bake a cookie, you do something with it. I didn't know what to do, who to give them to, if or how I would keep it a secret. After reading Gal #3's January post I got inspired! Forget the giving away part, just bake and see what happens.

So that is what I did during February, and oh the many adventures my cookies had. So, from here on out that's what my year of cookies will be. A new cookie recipe each month, and chronicling their adventures throughout the month. 

Adventure number one: book club. These cookies were the stars of the squadron book club meeting I hosted in February. Adventure two: growth group. It just happened to be my week to take snacks to our church small group, and so along with a cake these cookies were devoured. Adventure number three: a Valentine's surprise. I delivered a bag (complete with a cut out paper heart Valentine) to one of my neighbors on the morning of valentines day. Adventure four: a trip to Europe. I sent a bunch with Mr. #2 to share with his crew. And finally, I of course ate plenty at home and discovered the ice cream sandwich use! Did I mention that these cookies make around 6 dozen with one batch of dough? Gotta give these a try gals! 

*Note  I am hoping to take pictures of the cookie adventures next month! Happy baking :) 

The Best of 2010

This post has been in the works for some time now ... and finally it is finished! Enjoy :)

I looked back at all the menus we complied last year. There are some great memories there, particularly of being together to make the some of them!

I created a 'best of ' list by pulling one or two things from each month. The reasons are different, but they all stood out to me for a reason. Here goes:

April: Apple Turnovers.

I chose these because they have become a staple at our house. In fact, we made some of these just two days ago. They are so handy to have in your freezer; I've pulled them out as dessert for last minute company more than once. They are also a wonderful dessert for one, which happens frequently around here.

May: Mini Lasagnas with Corn (and sausage).

I chose these because after the addition of turkey sausage they were a hit! Another recipe that can be made ahead and frozen as well as a meal for one. I'm sorry to say I haven't made this recipe since, but I am going to print it out and have one less meal to think up next week. :)

June: Baked Alaska.

 This dessert wasn't hard to make... but it sure was time consuming. I picked it because who doesn't like pound cake, ice cream and meringue? I also picked it because it is so delightfully retro! I haven't made it since last June, but it's an impressive piece to have tucked away in your kitchen arsenal.

July: Broccoli and Bow Ties / Summer Fruit Crostata.

 I have made broccoli and bow ties as my dinner when Mr. #2 is away. This is so easy and I LOVE brocoli and pine nuts. The fruit crostata I loved. Haven't made it since, but I'm counting down to the fresh summer produce this year.

August: Chicken Cordon Bleu.

 I loved this one (and so did the Mister)! I also loved getting to make this together. We've made this a few times, it's really filling and different, but still easy enough for the weeknight.

September: Baked Potato Wedges.

 I just made these again last week. I'm such a rosemary lover and these are really easy. Bonus- potatoes go with almost anything.

October: Garlic Mashed Potatoes / Pepper-Crusted Pork Loin with Cherry-Brandy Sauce.

 The mister around here LOVES mashed potatoes, so we have them quite often. It was nice dressing up/changing our normal and admittedly boring mashed potatoes. The pork loin was WOW! This is definitely "company" food, I'd even go so far as to say this would be worthy of a major holiday.

November: Chocolate Pound Cake.

 I loved this recipe for so many reasons. Obscene amounts of chocolate, it was the first time I'd made a pound cake, it's pretty easy but very pretty, and did I mention the obscene amounts of chocolate? This is another great "company" recipe because it feeds a lot and, as I said before, looks fantastic! (It also made the whole house smell amazing while it cooked!)

December- Cheesy Rosemary Breadsticks.

 Who doesn't like bread with a meal? These are an easy way to "dress up" plain carbohydrates. I think they go with everything, but I particularly think they pair nicely with Italian cuisine and a fresh salad.