My Baking Adventures

I’m a bit embarrassed to admit this, but I have missed the last 3 weeks of Tyler Florence Fridays. The excuses are just that – excuses. And would you really want to hear them?

I didn’t think so.

BUT, (and there is always a but) I did make Tyler’s Macaroni and Cheese and his recipe for roasted broccoli. So technically, since I made two dishes, I can be counted as only missing one week – right?

Yeah, my high school teachers loved my excuses too ~

First up – the mac and cheese. Somehow, I don’t think this is exactly what Tyler had in mind when he created this recipe. But in all fairness (to me), I had to make do with the ingredients on hand – and it still came out amazing. Isn’t that what really counts?

And the broccoli – well, my kids are certified broccoli lovers, so this will be a definite repeat. The lemon juice added that certain “something” that really perked up the flavor. I am a huge proponent of roasting vegetables – it gives them so much more flavor.

I did leave out the cheese, however, since we already had enough to go around.

You can find the recipe for the Mac and Cheese here, and the recipe for the broccoli follows below.

Broccoli with Parmesan and Lemon - Tyler Florence

3 heads broccoli (about 3 pounds)
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 lemon, juiced

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Trim about 1 inch off the ends of the broccoli stalks and cut the broccoli lengthwise into spears. Arrange the broccoli on a nonstick cookie sheet, drizzle with some olive oil and season with a little bit of salt and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper. Toss to coat evenly. Transfer to the oven and roast for 10 minutes.
Remove the broccoli from the oven and sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top and bake until the cheese melt and forms a crisp shell over the broccoli, about 10 minutes. Lift the broccoli out onto a platter with a spatula and drizzle with fresh lemon.

After dinner the other night, I was sitting in the kitchen with the kids wishing I had a biscotti to dip into my iced coffee.

And I’ll tell you, karma has a way of showing up at the most opportune times, because Sabrina looked me straight in the eye and said, “Wishing won’t make it happen, but baking it will”.

I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing out loud, because I always tell the kids wishing won’t make something happen. They have to MAKE it happen with their own hard work.

I just didn’t expect to have my words thrown back at me quite so soon. So what did I do? I had her help me get started on a recipe I’ve had bookmarked for several months now.

It comes from Gina DePalma, whom many of you might know as the pastry chef from Babbo – Mario Batali’s restaurant. She writes a weekly feature on Serious Eats, which I read religiously every night before bed. Yes, I’ll admit it – I go to bed every night dreaming of fabulous, inspiring things to create in the kitchen.

That’s the dreaming part – the reality is much, much different.

Much different.

Anyways, with my trusty assistant:

(see how excited she looks?)

I had the biscotti dough into the oven in no time flat. The house filled with the most amazing cinnamon sugar aroma – and I had the dough cut and rebaked just in time for me to tuck it in for the night.

The next morning, I had to arm wrestle Alexander for the container, because he had claimed first dibs for the biscotti to dip into his chocolate milk. But I persevered, and finally secured 2 cookies for my morning cappuccino.

These have a wonderful, lightly sweetened flavor, along with a pleasing crunch, thanks to the bit of cornmeal added to the dough – but I think what I liked best about them (besides the cinnamon/sugar flavor) is the fact that they aren’t tooth-breakingly hard. These are well worth the small time investment required – and I have already come up with several variations of the recipe.

A few notes about the dough: I used vegetable oil instead of olive oil; I formed the dough on the baking sheet with the help of an offset spatula, without using any additional flour; I sprinkled the dough with extra granulated sugar instead of the milk/sugar combo; and finally, I only baked them the second time for 15 minutes, so they wouldn’t get too hard.

Cinnamon Breakfast Toasts – adapted from  Gina DePalma

3 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light olive oil or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour, plus additional for rolling the dough
1/4 cup fine cornmeal or instant polenta
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Optional toppings
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon raw or demerara sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Place the eggs, sugar and oil in the bowl of an electric mixer. Using the whisk attachment, beat them together on medium speed for one minute, until light and foamy.

3. While the egg mixture is beating, whisk together 2 cups of the flour with the cornmeal, salt, baking powder and cinnamon until thoroughly blended. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and beat them together until a thick dough is formed. Remove the bowl from the mixer, and discard the whisk. Use a spatula to fold the remaining 1/4 cup of flour into the dough. Let the dough sit for five minutes so the flour can absorb the moisture from the eggs.

4. While the dough is sitting, lightly grease a cookie sheet with non-stick vegetable spray, line it with parchment paper, and lightly grease the parchment.

5. Flour your work surface and fingers, and divide the dough in half. Roll each half into a log, about 1 1/2 inches wide and place the logs on the prepared cookie sheet, evenly spaced. The dough will be tacky, but easy manage; you can continue to shape the logs them after placing them on the cookie sheet.

6. Use a pastry brush to brush away any excess flour. If you want add a bit more sweetness to the toasts, brush them with the milk and sprinkle the raw or demerara sugar on top.

7. Bake the logs for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they are puffy, golden brown and firm to touch. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and turn the temperature down to 300 degrees. Let the logs cool for 15 minutes on the tray.

8. Use a serrated knife to slice the logs on the bias about ½ of an inch thick and lay them flat on the cookie sheet. Return the slices to the oven and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until the slices are browned and toasted. Allow the toasts to cool completely and store them in an air-tight container.

While I was on vacation in Oregon last week, I made a conscientious effort to limit my baking. I didn’t want to go crazy with desserts, because I knew that whatever wasn’t finished up would inevitably get thrown out when we left.

Of course, this rule didn’t apply to the Great Pie Failure of ’09, which had a one-way ticket to the trash can.

But you know, a chocoholic like myself can only go so long without a fix, so I broke down and baked up a half recipe of Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies, which I found on the inside of the Baker’s Chocolate box.

And you know what?  They were pretty darn good.

Of course, I would have liked them a whole lot more if I had brought them home with me. But somehow, and I’m not pointing fingers (DAD!!) the bag of cookies was mysteriously transported from the plane to a certain someone’s car (DAD!!).

And I haven’t seen them since.

Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies

1 pkg. (12 oz.) BAKER’S Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chunks, divided
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. CALUMET Baking Powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup chopped PLANTERS Walnuts

PREHEAT oven to 375°F. Microwave 1 cup of the chocolate chunks in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2 min. or until chocolate is almost melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted; set aside. Mix flour, baking powder and salt until well blended; set aside. BEAT butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat until well blended. Stir in melted chocolate. Add flour mixture; mix well. Stir in remaining chocolate chunks and the walnuts. Drop heaping tablespoonfuls of dough, 2 inches apart, onto ungreased baking sheets. BAKE 10 min. or until cookies are puffed and feel set to the touch. Cool on baking sheets 1 min.; transfer to wire racks. Cool completely. Yield – about 2 dozen cookies.

Just in case my lunacy isn’t fully evident, here is a photo of me and part of my crew on our way home from Oregon.

And yes, we sat that way for the entire flight.

Hey, those dogs make excellent lap warmers!

We’re back in Vegas – and the forecast for the next two days? Rain. That’s ok, it’s a nice change from staring at the beach all last week.

Just kidding.

I don’t know about anyone else, but whenever I am in a different city, I always check out the prices of food in the markets. And I was shocked by the prices of certain items in Oregon. For example, an 8 oz box of Philly cream cheese – I normally pay $1.50 for one, sometimes even $1 when they are on special. In Oregon, that same box was $3.09. I did a double take, then a triple take, then got close enough to make sure that I wasn’t reading the tag for another product. I could understand that price if we had been in a major city, such as New York, but this was Newport, Oregon. Not exactly a bustling metropolis. (Disclaimer: No offense is implied to the city).

Anyways, Sabrina had the idea to make zucchini bread while we were in away, which sounded great – until it came time to make it.  She was suspiciously busy with Club Penguin, so before the zucchini went bad and turned on the other vegetables in the fridge, I shredded it up and made muffins.

The recipe came from Martha Stewart’s website – and I have to say, these are the best zucchini muffins I’ve ever made or had. They were light and tender, and very flavorful without being overwhelming. I ate two before I realized what I had done.

And I knew they REALLY were good when my dad asked for seconds. We even brought them back on the plane, and he swiped the bag with the leftover muffins to take to his house instead of letting me bring them to my house.

That’s ok, I know where he lives………….

A few notes about the recipe: since I only made half the recipe, it would have required using 1 1/2 eggs. Which normally isn’t a big deal, but since my mom only buys egg in jumbo size, I used 1 whole egg. Which proved to be quite fortuitous, since when I cracked it open, it was a double yolk. Also, I left out the nuts, and used vanilla extract instead of almond.

Zucchini Bread (or muffins) – adapted from Martha Stewart

2 cups finely grated zucchini (about 2 zucchini)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed dark-brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat two 4 1/2-by-8 1/2-inch loaf pans with nonstick spray, line with parchment paper, and spray paper. Combine zucchini, sugars, oil, and eggs in a large bowl and mix until combined. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Fold in nuts and extract. Divide batter between loaf pans. Bake until a tester inserted in the middle of each loaf comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Cool 10 minutes on wire rack. Invert, and remove parchment paper. Cool completely on rack.

We are nearing the end of our Oregon vacation – and I think this little friend has enjoyed her stay most of all:

She almost got voted off the island, though, because she wouldn’t stop barking at everything – us, the furniture, the washing machine, the other dogs -you name it, she barked at it.  I swear, that dog has a screw loose.

Look at her face – she is just about to bark again. I’m surprised I was able to get a shot with her mouth closed.

Oh, but I have good news – remember the huge pie failure I had the other day? Wellllllll……….. I took the leftover pie dough, rolled it out (using a can of Pam!), cut it into circles, then tucked the circles of dough into a muffin pan. I filled the centers with peach jam – and here’s what I ended up with:

Less work and more delicious than the pie I attempted:

I also made a blackberry and raspberry version – they were exceptionally delicious as well.

Speaking of delicious, Sabrina has been doing quite a bit of cooking while we’ve been here – and she treated us to her homemade hash browns. She grated 3 russet potatoes, squeezed them dry with a towel, then put the shreds into a bowl and seasoned them with salt and pepper.

She formed the potatoes into little cakes on a baking sheet:

Baking them is much easier than frying – and healthier too.

Ready for the 425 degree oven:

After 15-20 minutes, flip them, return to the oven, and continue to cook until crispy and golden brown.

Looks good, doesn’t it? Wait until you see the soup she made!

Today, I think we are headed to Portland – I’ve never been there, and am curious to see what it’s like. And besides, I’ve heard about all the great bakeries in the city!

AAAAAAAHHHHH! I am such a failure!

Let’s start from the beginning. You may vaguely remember this story from a few days ago:

When we arrived in Oregon last Wednesday, the first thing we did was go grocery shopping. While wandering the store with my dad, he picked up a raspberry pie. I promptly scolded him and said something to the effect of, “Don’t buy that, I’ll make you a pie.” And being the supportive, wonderful father he is, he put the pie back, and waited patiently for his pie.

Last night, I attempted the pie.

Inspired by this recipe from Gourmet, I combined fresh raspberries and strawberries, and mixed them with the sugar, cornstarch, and tapioca.

I used my standard pie crust recipe – and it was a bit of a challenge to make the dough, because I usually use my pastry blender to make it. Well, I don’t have access to my stuff, so I had to do it the old fashioned way – by hand. Truly by hand, mind you. But it came out just fine, and I might even make pie dough again that way.

I used the leftover dough to make chocolate chip turnovers for the kids.

But let’s get back to the pie.

Since I didn’t have a rolling pin, I created the crust as best I could – which translated to flattening pieces with my hands, and piecing them together on top of the filling. I tried to explain to the kids that we were going for the *rustic* look, but Sabrina wasn’t convinced. She wasn’t sure what I was trying to accomplish.

Anyways, I brushed it with egg wash, sprinkled it with sugar, and sent it to bake while we had dinner.

Here it is, fresh from the oven:

It looks like an amoeba – don’t you think?

Well, my dad and I dug in, and after the first bite, we looked at each other, and paused. I knew what was coming, but I could sense he didn’t want to hurt my feelings. So to let him off the hook, I spoke first, and said, “This isn’t very good, is it?”

And his words, verbatim, “This is the worst dessert you’ve ever made.”

In my defense, the crust was great. Light, crispy, and perfectly flaky. The filling was another story. It was tasteless, bland, watery – and a HUGE disappointment.

The moral of the story here? He should have bought the pie from the store.

Or maybe I need a better pie recipe.

Since I haven’t uploaded the photos of the pie from last night, I want to share a dip/spread that I made last week. Now that I’ve gotten the hang of cooking dried beans, and soup season is behind us (for right now), I had to find something to do with the bags of beans in my freezer.

I put the little gray cells in my head to work, did a quick recipe search, and guess what I came up with?

Cannellini Bean Hummus!

I love hummus, but haven’t been able to make it in years because of (….wait for it…..) Sabrina’s allergy to garbanzo beans. Can’t figure out why they bother her, but that’s another story.

I tried this recipe, which came from Cooking Light – and while it was good, it definitely needed more flavor. I doubled up on the lemon juice and seasonings, and I still think it could have used more. Perhaps a clove of garlic (or two) would have given it that “punch” I was looking for.

My next move with those beans? Falafel – with homemade pita bread. I can’t wait!

White Bean Hummus - Cooking Light

1/4 cup chopped green onions
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons tahini (sesame-seed paste)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 (19-ounce) can cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained
1 garlic clove, peeled

Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor, and process until the mixture is smooth.

Good Friday morning to you! It’s another lousy day at the beach – here, I’ll prove it to you:

Ha ha – gotcha, didn’t I?

Now, I should be posting Tyler Florence Fridays, but instead, you will get photos from our trip to the Aquarium yesterday.

The Aquarium had some really neat exhibits. I couldn’t get too many photos because the lighting wasn’t the greatest.

Sabrina asked if we could adopt an otter – you know, we can just convert the swimming pool to salt water – that shouldn’t be a problem, should it?

I love this next picture – the light coming into the shark tank:

We saw Stingrays:

And sharks:

And kids in a shark mouth:

And then when we came home, Sabrina and my mom made stuffed shells for dinner:

Too bad I don’t have any photos of the finished product – we ate them all!

And today, I HAVE to make a pie for my dad – he tried to buy a raspberry pie at the market, but I stopped him. I mean really, would you let your parents buy a pie? As if!

I’ve got fresh raspberries, blueberries, cherries – did I mention how nice the produce is here? Hmm, I guess that’s because it didn’t have a long journey to the market.

There was a heavy dose of sarcasm there.

Now we are off to the Undersea Garden, the perhaps Historic Nye Beach. It’s shaping up to be another beautiful day!

Well, we’ve escaped the asylum known as Las Vegas – and have landed in the tranquil beach community of Newport, Oregon. I feel like I’ve gained 5 years of moisture back into my skin over the past few hours – the humidity here is at 76%, compared to Las Vegas’ level of 6%.

Oh, and did I mention the best part? The high temp here is 62 degrees, whereas Las Vegas is at 110 degrees, with temps expected to go higher by this weekend. Yeah, I’m not missing it at all.

My parents were brave enough to have ALL of us – which means the kids and our dogs – so yesterday was a bit circus-like getting everyone settled. But I made a nice dinner, plus chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin cookies for dessert. After all, I have to earn my keep, right?

So while I don’t have any pictures to show right now, we do have several exciting trips planned – I’ll definitely be posting those later.

We’re off to the beach right now to collect sand dollars and sea shells!