Monthly Archives: August 2010
yogurt cheese – everyday food challenge
Everyday Food Challenge, Issue 13. I made cheese.
So over on my 37 Things List, I have making mozzarella cheese on the list of things I want to accomplish. Does making yogurt cheese count? Probably not, but this was super easy. To make it, you’ll need a little time for the yogurt to separate. I left it in the fridge over night and about a cup of liquid drained from the original two cups of plain yogurt. The magazine suggested using the yogurt cheese as a baked potato topping by just mixing in some blanched minced garlic and a couple of tablespoons of finely chopped chives. It tasted like a more decadent french onion dip. I bet it would be even more over the top with the addition of caramelized onions. I’ll save that for another day, perhaps a swanky coctail party. Who wants an invite?
snickerdoodle blondie
I’m going to keep this very short.
Stop whatever you are doing. Seriously, stop. Click this link to get the Snickerdoodle Blondie recipe from Beantown Baker. Make them, eat them (or rather devour them), then come back here and let’s discuss in the comments section what we have all just experienced. You probably already have the ingredients, and it all comes together very quickly. So go! Do it! Now!
five senses friday #12
As I’ve mentioned before, I borrowed this idea from another of my favorite blogs. She uses it weekly as a way to sit down and reflect on what the past days have been like for her. I think that’s a pretty cool idea. I hope that you’ll feel free to share you five senses in the comments section, or on your own blog.
- seeing: the late summer blooms of my garden.
- tasting: the amazing spinach & artichoke dip pizza from Urban Eats. one of my new favorite lunch-time destinations in downtown Akron.
- hearing: On Melancholy Hill from the Gorillaz. it’s a sort of new sound for them.
- smelling: fresh air. what a calming relief it is to open up the windows at home in the evening. hey there Mr. Fall, we’ll see you soon.
- feeling: stunned at the level of hate and fear mongering among some of my fellow citizens as displayed in the past week.
mini deep-dish pizzas
So you all know that I’ve been cooking my way through all of the issues of Everyday Food Magazine beginning with issue #1. I’ve worked through the first twelve issues and decided that today I’d post an Everyday Food Challenge Fast Forward.
Ever since I received the newest issue, #75, I’ve been wanting to try my hand at the Mini Deep-Dish Pizzas. It went pretty well. I probably should have used a ball of real pizza dough rather than unroll the Pillsbury variety. When stretching the dough out, it got rather thin. But no worries, after they baked in the muffin tins in a screaming hot 450 degree oven for just 12 minutes, they came out perfect. The crusts browned nicely and the cheese got all gooey. My favorite part of the recipe was the pack of mini pepperoni that I found at the store. They were perfect for these scaled-down italian delights. After you make these, you’ll never go back to those silly frozen pizza rolls. The recipe is not on-line yet, so you’ll have to step away from your computer or smart phone and pick up a copy of Everyday Food magazine at your local news stand. It’s totally worth it. There are a bunch of other great recipes inside like the Baked Gnocchi with Ricotta and Marinara, Cuban Red Beans and Rice, and a stunning Nectarine Upside-Down Cake.
Update: Here’s the link to the mini-pizza recipe. Thanks to blog reader Kath!
mocha custards – everyday food challenge
Something sweet and simple takes center stage for my Everyday Food Magazine Challenge this week. We’re up to issue #12 and the recipe that I selected is the Mocha Custard. I’ve never attempted a traditional custard. The tempering of the eggs has always sort of intimidated me. I was always worried that I’d end up making chocolate scrambled eggs. This recipe calls for gelatin in the place of eggs. It was a snap to assemble with minimum time on the stove top heating the cream and melting the chocolate. I’d say prep time ran about ten minutes. The long wait was the three hours chilling and setting up in the fridge. It’s totally worth it. This is my second recipe this summer that’s called for instant espresso. Two weeks ago I used it in the Cappuccino Brownies. It’s a fantastic ingredient that adds a real depth of flavor. Definitely worth the price, and great to have in the pantry. Finally, who couldn’t resist making some homemade whipped cream and shaving a few curls of a dark chocolate candy bar with sea salt?
Coming up later this week, it’s an Everyday Food Challenge Fast Forward. Featuring a recipe from the current issue on news stands now. You should probably just run out and get it now.
five senses friday #11
Here’s my little week in just five senses. I hope you’ll share some of your five senses in the comment section. Enjoy your weekend.
- seeing: the tops of lots of buildings in downtown akron.
- tasting: smoked goat cheese from the Ornery Goat that we picked up at the farmer’s market in kent.
- hearing: for the price of a cup of tea by Belle and Sabastian (thanks for the recommendation Greg).
- smelling: triple citrus cupcakes fresh out of the oven.
- feeling: better about myself after getting out and doing a bit of hiking this week. nearly 5.5 miles.
PS & BTW, I’m kind of in love with the patterns and colors of the shingles on the church steeple below.
jalapenos – everyday food challenge
Today’s Everyday Food Challenge brings two issues together just south of the border. I visited the downtown Akron Farmer’s Market on Friday and picked up a basket of jalapeno peppers for a recipe from issue #11 and found that I had purchased so many that I could also make a recipe from issue #73. So what was cooking in my kitchen this weekend? Empanadas and Stuffed Jalapenos. And it was my first time making each of them. First up, the empanadas. So you know how I always say how simple and quick these Everyday Food magazine recipes are? Well this one was a little more complicated. There was dough making involved. I took a bit of a short cut and made my dough in a food processor as opposed to by hand as the recipe instructed. I think that may have saved me several minutes. But then there’s the dough resting time, and the rolling out, then the stuffing, followed by the suggested freezing. I have to say, the final result was quite tasty. I also ended up with quite a bit of the filling left over. I plan adding it to some rice later this week for a quick spanish rice dinner.
While the empanada recipe was quite involved, the stuffed jalapenos were a breeze. After fried mozzarella sticks, jalapeno poppers are my favorite appetizer. Since these aren’t fried, this recipe is a lot better for you. And I suppose you could make them even healthier by using reduced fat cream cheese and cheddar. I didn’t, but you could. The most effort that you’ll put into this recipe is cutting and seeding the peppers. After that, it’s a quick 10 minutes in the oven. I added a few minutes of broiling time after the bake to get a bit more color and crust on the cheese.
Finally, congratulations to Sarah (aka theGIRL) for winning the contest from last week. Your cookbook is on its way. Sixteen comments and #16 was randomly picked the winner. If you didn’t win this time, stay tuned. I’m sure that there will be more give aways in the future.
five senses friday #10
After a bit of an absence, five senses friday is back. If you’re new to the blog, I borrowed this idea of summing up a week from the fabulous Abby Try Again, who borrowed it from another blogger. I hope, after you read mine, you’ll take a moment to comment and share your five senses from this week. Or maybe even just one sense. I’m sure that you’re not senseless. Warm wishes to you for a swell weekend. There are farmer’s markets, bicycle riding and a dear friend’s birthday in our weekend.
