Ten on Tuesday

1.  In the de-cluttering process, I came to realize that we have more books than the Chino Hills Library.  We have the market covered on cookbooks and children's books. I have also come to realize that we own many things that do not have a home.  There is no "place" they belong; as such, they end up crammed in various places.  For the time being, this means they are going into storage.

2.  HGTV gave me this carpet stain removal tip that worked when Resolve and Spot Shot did not on two stains.  Make a paste of Borax, salt, and white vinegar.  Rub it into the stained carpet and let it dry overnight.  Vacuum up.

3.  I place way too much importance on the name of the street that a house is on.  My college roommate and I were enthralled with an apartment...until I realized it was on Suck Creek Dr.  No way was I going for that!  I realize in our house search that it still affects me.  I find myself already discounting houses if they are on a street whose name I don't like and preferring houses on streets with names I like, even if the houses aren't as nice or are more expensive. 

4.  Yesterday, I found a house with which I am completely in love.  It's so perfect!  Hopefully no one else thinks so.  We are going to tour it sometime this week.  All the more incentive to finish up the last few projects and officially list our house.  Have I ever mentioned to you all that I am impatient and that I am firmly in the camp of instant gratification?

5.  The letter of the week in Rebecca's class is "V."  We asked her what they learned about that starts with "v," and she replied, "victor."  She said they colored a picture of it.  When asked what a victor was, she said, "Preston and Chris' dad."  Indeed, our neighbor's name is Victor.  Somehow I think that is not who Chino Hills Christian Preschool had in mind.  But why didn't they just do a "violin" for this week?

6.  Rebecca has added preschool on Thursday, which is when her class has chapel.  After he first chapel last week, we asked her how it was and what they did.  She said, "be quiet."

7.  Last night, I made banana bread.  It was so delicious.  At 10:00, Ramy and I were eating pieces of it fresh and hot out of the oven and slathered in butter.  Here's the recipe:

Banana Bread

1 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups ripe, mashed, bananas (I actually zuzz mine up in the mini food processor)
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9x5 inch loaf pans. In a medium bowl and with an electric mixer at medium speed, beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring well. Add bananas and pecans, stirring just until combined. Spoon batter into prepared pans..Bake for 1 hour, or until a tester inserted into center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes; remove from pans, and allow to cool completely on wire racks.


8.  My favorite digital scrapbooking site hasn't released a new batch/kit since before Christmas.  Have I mentioned that I'm impatient?  I might have emailed them twice asking if there is anything new in the works.
 
9.  We have stuff scheduled for every weekend from now until June.  Wow.
 
10.  Last night, a commercial for Disaronno (amaretto) came on television.  Rebecca said, "I already know. You don't need to remind me."  "What?," we asked.  "Not to drink that stuff," she said.  I didn't know we had begun substance use education, but apparently she has picked it up somewhere.  But where?  From "Hank" (King of the Hill, which she sometimes watches with Ramy), she informed us. 

Boiled. Custard.

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/8 tsp. salt
8 egg yolks
6 cups whole milk
2 cups whipping cream cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1 1/2 cups whiskey (optional)


Mix sugar, flour, and salt in heavy 6-qt saucepan. Add egg yolks and mix well. Using wire whisk, stir egg mixture and slowly pour in milk and cream. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until custard is thickened and just coats the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from heat and let cool.  The custard will thicken as it cools. When cold, stir in vanilla, nutmeg, and whiskey.

Some more recipes

Because I always like to have my recipes on my own blog, I thought I'd include some that I'm doing for Christmas.

Martha Washington Candy

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
2 lbs. powdered sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla
1 lb. pecans, finely chopped
1/4 lb. paraffin wax
1 giant package semi-sweet chocolate chips


Mix together all ingredients except wax and chocolate.  Roll into 3/4 inch-size balls and place on a wax paper-lined baking sheet.  Allow to chill in freezer for 5-15 minutes. 

Melt wax and chocolate chips in drouble boiler and dip candy balls with a toothpick in chocolate.  Allow to rest on waxed paper until hardened.  Drizzle with additional melted chocolate, using a straw, to cover toothpick hole.

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie (from Butter Flavor Crisco)

3/4 stick Crisco® Baking Sticks Butter Flavor All-Vegetable Shortening OR 3/4 cup Crisco® Butter Flavor All-Vegetable Shortening

1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 3/4 cups Pillsbury BEST® All Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 (6 oz.) package semi-sweet chocolate chips (1 cup)
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans (optional)

HEAT oven to 375ºF.  Combine shortening, brown sugar, milk and vanilla in large bowl. Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until well blended. Beat in egg. Combine flour, salt and baking soda. Mix into shortening mixture until just blended. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.

Drop by rounded measuring tablespoonfuls 3 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes for chewy cookies, or 11 to 13 minutes for crisp cookies. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet on a cooling rack. Remove cookies to rack to cool completely.

 
Russian Tea Cakes
 
1 cup butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup finely chopped pecans
Additional powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350°.  Cream butter and vanilla until smooth. Combine the 6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar and flour; stir into the butter mixture until just blended. Mix in the chopped pecans. Roll dough into 1 inch balls, and place them 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. When cool, roll in remaining confectioners' sugar. Wait 15-30 minutes, then roll them in the powdered sugar a second time. 

Ten on Tuesday

1.  Since Myrna (Ramy's eldest sister), Ed, and Jessica (AKA "my Jessica") have other family obligations on Thanksgiving, we had them over for brunch on Sunday.  It was a good way to kick off the week of Thanksgiving!  We had sausage balls, scrambled eggs, bacon, baked french toast, and coffee cake.

2. Apparently, I've never posted my recipe for sausage balls, but I'll correct that now!  Here ya go.

Bisquick Sausage Balls

3 cups Bisquick
1 lb. sausage (regular, hot, or a combination, as you prefer)
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese (I prefer extra sharp)

Preheat oven to 375° F.  Using your hands, mix (i.e., squoosh) together until all ingredients are fully combined.  Roll into balls (1 inch in diameter) and place on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.  Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Can be served hot or room temperature.

3.  None of the things I made for brunch was low in fat or calories.

4. On Friday, we went to Redlands to have brunch with my mom's cousin Linda and her granddaughter Nicole.  Unfortunately, I did not take pictures.  But we ate at my favorite place in Redlands, Martha Green's Eating Room.  They have a wonderful bakery!  Check it out next time you're in the I.E.!

5. It finally feels like November in Southern California!  I've been loving the cold(ish), rainy weather we've been having and the opportunity to wear things like sweaters and boots and coats!

6.  I watch little television that uses cognitive horsepower. I am a Bravo reality TV junkie.  I watch every incarnation of Real Housewives and Top Chef, plus Millionaire Matchmaker, Flipping Out, Rachel Zoe...the list goes on.  So please forgive me for that.  So, Rachel Zoe is pregnant.  Apparently she is five months pregnant.  And no one could tell, because she looked like THIS when the news broke that she's more than halfway through a pregnancy. 

7.  Speaking of the lives of the rich and famous, I am dorkily excited about the upcoming royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. 

8.  I am cooking Thanksgiving dinner.  Nothing I make will be low in fat or calories.  We are going to be one of the small percentage of Thanksgiving eaters who will not be having turkey.  I am the only person in my family who likes it, and it's just not worth it for me alone.  Still, I feel somehow cheated out of a nice classic golden brown bird to carve.   I'll make up for it by carving the pumpkin pie, I suppose (I'm also the only member of my family who likes pumpkin pie, but I'm willing to do that just for myself).

9.  Coming out of Target last week with Rebecca and Ramy, a young woman came up to speak to me.  Turns out it was a patient of mine from when I was at Casa Colina two years ago.  At the time, I saw her first on the inpatient unit where she was completely aphasic (i.e., couldn't speak a single word) after having a stroke.  (Yes, strokes can and do happen - not too infrequently - to young women).  Then she was at the Transitional Living Center for well over a year, and I got to see her make huge bounds in her recovery.  When I saw her last week, one would have never guessed that two years ago, she was completed incapacitated.  It made my heart smile.

10. I have lost the craft project that I intended to do with Rebecca for Thanksgiving.  It may require a massive search in the office/guest room/my closet.  Or maybe just a trip to Michael's to replace.

Daddy's birthday recap

On Saturday, Ramy played golf and then we headed out to South Coast Plaza to shop for shoes for our European vacation (let's hope not like European Vacation).  Unfortunately, despite being in the largest mall in Southern California, neither of us found what we were searching for.  I thought I might have been ill to have been there and shopping for shoes and actually not buy a single pair in Nordies or any of the other great shoe stores.  We headed home in defeat.  That evening, while Ramy was out helping his boss celebrate his lavish retirement on Saturday night, Rebecca and I were at home baking his birthday cake. 

Rebecca helped tremendously:

The recipe for this Four Layer Coconut Cake came from the Southern Living Our Best Desserts cookbook and turned out really well.  Very good!

I'll post the recipe at the bottom of this post.  It was a somewhat laborious task because of despite the help from my wonderful sous baker. 

On Sunday, we met up with Ramy's mom, his sisters Myrna and Theresa, and our niece Jessica for a Chinese buffet.  Luckily for me, they were Americanized enough to have orange chicken on the buffet, so I did not pay for food that I wasn't about to eat, which is what often happens at authentic Chinese places!  I gave Rebecca some sweet and sour chicken (minus the sauce) and told her it was chicken nuggets.  After she ate one, she said, "These chicken nuggets are kinda weird!"  She had no trouble eating the doughnuts though.  There was no signing of the birthday song, so Ramy and Rebecca were thrilled.  (Where do they get this?)  Afterwards, we went to another mall in search of shoes.  This time, Ramy found the ones he wanted, although we decided to order them online to save money, and I also found some I liked.  Success!

That evening, we did the birthday cake and candles routine, and Rebecca presented her hand-made card to Ramy. 

What is Ramy doing? 

All in all, it was a low-key kind of birthday, which is exactly the Ramy likes it.  We'll be going out with some friends this weekend, but they aren't really supposed to know that it is his birthday. 

Four Layer Coconut Cake

Cake:

3 cups flour

2 2/3 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups butter, softened

1 cup milk

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. coconut extract

1 tsp. vanilla extract

5 large eggs

2 cups flaked coconut

1 1/2 cup coconut shavings (found in health food stores, dried fruit section, or in bulk section)

Preheat oven to 400° F. Beat first 6 ingredients at medium speed in a stand mixer until blended.  Add extracts, beating well,  Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until just incorporated after each addition. Stir in flaked coconut. Pour batter into 4 greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans.  Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks, and let cool 1 hour or until completely cool.

Meanwhile, reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Arrange coconut shavings in a single layer in a shallow pan. Bake 8-10 minutes or until toasted, stirring occasionally.

Coconut Filling:

2 cups sugar

2 cups whole milk

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 cup flour

4 cups flaked coconut

2 tsp. vanilla extract

Cook first 4 ingredients in a large saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly 12-15 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat and stir in coconut and vanilla.  Let cool 30 minutes or until completely cooled.  Spread between layers of cooled cake, leaving a 1/2 inch margin around edges.

Frosting:

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/4 tsp. coconut extract

Beat whipping cream and extract at high speed until foamy.  Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until soft peaks form. Spread on top and sides of cake.  Sprinkle toasted coconut on top and sides of cake, pressing gently to adhere. 

Some recipes

Do you have certain go-to recipes that you use over and over?  Do you have them practically, but not quite, memorized?  Then do you spend 20 minutes searching for the recipe either on the internet or in your recipe file?  Yeah.....me neither.  But if I did, and if I had a blog, I think it would be a good idea for me to put them on my blog so that I could find them more easily, and other people could too.  Kind of like this....

(Oh yeah...I'd also tag the recipes so that in the cool sidebar thingie to the right, I could just click on "recipe" and be able to find all my posts that have recipes in them.)

Cheese Straws
1 jar (5 oz) Kraft Old English cheese spread
1 stick butter, softened
1 1/4 cups flour
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (I'm a pansy, so I barely do the 1/4 tsp.)

Preheat oven to 395°F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.  (Paper may ignite at 400°)

Add cheese spread, softened butter, and cayenne pepper into a mixing bowl and beat at high speed until fully combined.  Add in flour gradually and mix with a dough hook attachment.  Additional flour may be needed in certain weather conditions.  Dough should be moist but not sticky.

Press through cookie press fitted with a star tip into long logs.  Cut into 2-3inch pieces.  Bake at 395° for 14 minutes or until golden brown.  Allow to cool on baking sheet.



This is my favorite coffee cake recipe.  Soooo delicious.

For cake:
1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 (8-ounce) container sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

For streusel:
1 1/4 cups chopped pecans
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3 Tbsp. butter, melted

For glaze:
3/4 cup confectioners sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp. whole milk

Preheat oven to 350°.  Generously spray a 12-15 cup bundt pan with nonstick baking spray with flour.  Sprinkle pan with granulated sugar as though you are flouring the pan with the sugar.  Tap out excess sugar.  Set pan aside.

In a large bowl (or the bowl of an electric stand mixer), cream together butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar, for 3-5 minutes.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add sour cream and vanilla, beating until combined.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add to butter mixture, beating just until combined. Spoon half of batter into prepared pan.

In a small bowl, combine pecans, brown sugar, and melted butter.  Sprinkle half of pecan mixture evenly over batter in pan.  Top with remaining cake batter, and sprinkle with remaining pecan mixture.  Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

In a small bowl, combine confectioners' sugar and milk, stirring until smooth.  Drizzle over cooled cake. 




This was the cake I made for my birthday this year. I garnished it with mint and fresh orange slices.

Fresh Orange Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting (Adapted from Paula Deen's Best Desserts magazine)

For cake:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsps. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 cup fresh orange juice
2 Tbsp. orange zest (freshly grated)
3 large eggs
1 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 3 (9-inch) cake pans with nonstick baking spray with flour.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Add oil, orange juice, eggs, and sour cream. Beat at medium speed with a mixer until smooth. Pour into prepared pans and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.

For frosting (makes about 5 cups):
1 cup butter, softened
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 Tbsp. orange zest (freshly grated)
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
8 cups confectioners' sugar

In a large bowl, beat butter, cream cheese, and orange zest at medium speed with a mixer until creamy. Add orange juice, beating until combined. Gradually add confectioners' sugar, beating until smooth.

Strawberry Shortcake

One of our favorite desserts this spring has been strawberry shortcake.  I'm quite fond of this recipe.


Strawberry Sauce:
2 pints fresh strawberries, washed, hulled, and sliced
1/2 cup sugar
Juice of one lemon

In a medium-sized bowl, combine ingredients.  Using a whisk, pastry blender, potato masher, or other such device, mash the strawberries to desired consistency.  Stir and refrigerate until ready to serve.


Scones:
2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. cold butter
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 vanilla bean (or 2 tsp. vanilla extract)
1/2 cup heavy cream or half-and-half

Glaze:

1 egg
2 Tbsp. cream
Sugar


Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly grease a scone pan or place baking stone in oven to preheat.

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Stir to blend.  Cut in cold butter with a pastry blender or two knives until the mixture is coarse crumbs. In a separate bowl, whisk 1 egg with vanilla and cream or half-and-half.  Scrape the seeds of the vanilla bean and add to liquid mixture.  Stir the liquid mixture into the flour mixture just until combined.

On a floured surface, knead the dough a few times.  Pat into the scone pan or pat into a circle and cut into biscuits or triangles.  Place dough in the scone pan or place cutouts on a cookie sheet or baking stone. 

Whisk together the egg and cream for glaze and brush.  Sprinkle with granulated sugar (sanding sugar looks pretty).  Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until lightly browned.  A toothpick inserted into the center of a scone should come out clean.  Cool on racks.

Split scones and spoon strawberry mixture over the bottom.  Put the top of the scone on top of strawberries and top with whipping cream.  Garnish with additional strawberry slices or mint sprigs.

Italian Wedding Soup

In celebration of our recent cold(ish) and very rainy weather, I decided I needed to make some new soups for dinner.  Tonight, I hobbled together several different recipes for Italian Wedding Soup.  It is delicious!  It's actually for our dinner tomorrow night, but now I'm really looking forward to it!

Here's the recipe that I ended up with, after I took bits and pieces and adjustments from about 5 different recipes of the soup. 

Italian Wedding Soup

For the meatballs:
1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 lb. ground turkey
2/3 cup fresh white or sourdough bread crumbs
2 cloves minced garlic
3 Tbsp. fresh chopped flat-leaf parsley
3 Tbsp. fresh chopped basil
1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

For the soup:
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup carrots, diced
1 cup celery, diced
3/4 cup red onion, diced
8 cups chicken stock (homemade is best, but if using boxed/canned, go with low-sodium)
1 cup water
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups orzo pasta
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 to 1 1/2 cups fresh baby spinach, washed, trimmed of stems, and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Place all meatball ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly with a fork or clean hands.  Roll into bite-size meatballs (1 in. in diameter), which do not have to be perfectly round.  Place meatballs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.   Bake for 30 minutes or until completely done and lightly browned.

While the meatballs are cooking, heat olive oil in stockpot over medium heat.  Add carrots, celery, and onion and cook 6-8 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.  Add chicken stock and wine, cover, and bring to a boil.  Cook on full boil, covered, for 8 minutes.  Add the meatballs, parmesan cheese, parsley, and spinach and cook for 1 minute until spinach just wilts.  Taste to determine whether additional salt and pepper is desired.

Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle with additional parmesan cheese.

Pumpkin spice cake recipe

Last weekend at Nordstrom Cafe, I had a little slice of heaven in the form of pumpkin spice cake.  Now, since I happen to be in a state of adoration of anything made with pumpkin, it was a hit before it came to the table.  The spice cake part of it just made it even better. 

My dad and I were pumpkin pie aficianados.  The problem with most pumpkin pies, my friends, is that they simply do not have enough of the spices.  You need to generally start with twice as much as is in the recipe, taste test, and go from there.  My dad's favorite kind of cake was a spice cake with caramel icing (for me, it's second place).  So, as you can see, I really needed that pumpkin spice cake.  It was really a tribute to my father, right?  I knew he'd be disappointed in me if I didn't have some.  It did not disappoint, but I knew I could do better.

So I searched various cookbooks and online recipes and then baked the heavenly creation today.  Here it is.

Pumpkin Spice Cake Recipe

3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
3 eggs (or 2 extra large eggs)
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. fresh ginger, grated
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. fresh nutmeg, grated
1/2 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Grease and flour 9x13 baking pan.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffly (about 3 minutes).  Add the eggs, mixing after each addition, until fully incorporated. Add the pumpkin puree and vanilla and mix well. 

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.  Add the fresh ginger into the buttermilk.  Add the flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to the creamed mixture, beginning and ending with the flour, mixing on low, just until fully incorporated.  Pour into the prepared pan.  Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center of the cake comes out clean.  Cool completely before frosting.

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 cup butter, room temperature
2 Tbsp. sorghum molasses or pure maple syrup
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 tsp. fresh nutmeg, grated
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

After cake has cooled, beat together the cream cheese and butter for 2 minutes.  Mix in molasses or maple syrup.  Sift powdered sugar and nutmeg and add while mixture is beating on low speed.  Add in pecans and mix by hand until fully incorporated.  Spread on cooled cake. 

Magic Fruit and Veggie Cupcakes

I pulled this recipe out of the last Food Network magazine and just got around to making them today. Rebecca gave them a thumbs up! She ate 4 mini-muffins. They're good for cleaning out the pantry and crisper, and you can substitute for most of the ingredients.

This is the magazine recipe (my changes)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp. soy flour (I just did another Tbsp. of wheat flour)
2 Tbsp. wheat germ
1/2 cup bran flakes cereal or old-fashioned oats (or a combination - I did 1/2 cup whole grain oats and 1/2 cup rolled oats)
1/4 cup ground flax seeds
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1 large egg
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar, plus more for topping
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp. whole milk (I did 1/3 cup heavy cream and 1/3 c. plus 1 Tbsp. skim milk)
3/4 cup grated or finely chopped vegetables (carrots, zucchini, and/or spinach - I did all zucchini)
3/4 cup grated or finely chopped fresh or dried fruit (apples, pears, pineapple, and/or raisins) (I did 1/4 cup applesauce, 1/4 cup grated pears, and 1/4 cup chopped dried cranberries)

Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a 24-cup mini muffin pan with paper liners or mist with cooking spray.

Whisk the flours, wheat germ, bran flakes/oats, flax seeds, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl; set aside. Beat the egg and brown sugar in a medium bowl with a wooden spoon until smooth. Add the olive oil, vanilla, milk, vegetables, and fruit and mix well. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just until blended.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, filling each cup about three-quarters of the way. Sprinkle the tops with brown sugar if desired (I desired). Bake for 20-24 minutes. Remove from the pan and cool on a rack.

Chocolate pound cake

Last weekend, I made a chocolate pound cake for Ramy's birthday (I told you, he wants it low-key). So I tried out Paula Deen's recipe. It was a hit! He wanted no icing or glaze. I topped mine with some fresh whipped cream, and it was great. I think adding a simple white glaze would have made it prettier and would have been a nice addition.

Here's the recipe:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
3 cups cugar
6 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 tsp. baking powder
3/4 cup cocoa (I used dutch processed)

Preheat oven to 325°. Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan.

Cream together butter, cream cheese, and sugar. Add eggs, two at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla. In another bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and cocoa. Add half of flour mixture to cream mixture, beat until incorporated. Add remaining half of flour mixture and beat until fully incorporated. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 1 hour, 15 minutes. Bake for an additional 15 minutes if necessary, but do not open oven door to check cake for at least one hour into baking time.

A couple of my tips:
1) For this and other pound cakes, I like to use the Pam Baking spray. It stays a little stickier than if I grease with Crisco and flour on my own. So after I've sprayed the pan, I sprinkle granulated sugar all over the pan before pouring in the batter. It makes the crust on the outer edge of the cake extra crunchy and delectable.

2) Have you ever made a pound cake and cut into it and saw a spot in the middle of the cake that looked still wet, like it wasn't really done? That's probably not the case. That usually happens when the butter (and cream cheese) and sugar haven't been creamed long enough. I cream the butter and sugar (and cream cheese, if in the recipe) on high in my Kitchen Aid mixer for 4-5 minutes. It makes for a fluffier batter without that dense center.


I also made a chicken and wild rice casserole for dinner this week. Some of the rice still ended up being crunchy, despite the fact that I had actually combined all the ingredients and it had been sitting in the fridge all day before I baked it. So there should certainly have been plenty of time for the rice to absorb the liquid. C'est la vie. Ramy suggested (very kindly) that next time I should cook the rice in the rice cooker separately and then just bake the chicken and pour the sauce over both.

The mothership

Attention, please. Stop whatever you are doing and make this macaroni and cheese. Tonight. Right now, in fact.

Macaroni and cheese is one of those classic comfort foods that is made a thousand different ways and that everyone prefers in a style similar to the way their grandmother made it. It is also a dish that has been mocked by ridiculous boxed versions that start with some kind of powder and taste like Wite Out. If you're going to make mac-n-cheese that way, just step out of the kitchen and order a pizza instead.

Eternally searching for better and better versions of macaroni and cheese, I recently tried this version from The Pioneer Woman:

It was so good I hoarded it in the refrigerator and tried to pretend there weren't any leftovers. I only made a few very minor changes to Pioneer Woman's recipe:

1) I salted the water in which the pasta was cooked, because it's just the best way to flavor any kind of water and then you don't need to add extra salt at the end.

2) I used half sharp cheddar and half mozzarella. I planned on topping it with some parmesan, but my microplane was in the dishwasher being washed, and I couldn't be bothered to wait.

3) I used freshly cracked pepper, because I think it makes all things better. And I also couldn't be bothered to get out a measuring spoon to measure out the dry mustard, so I have no idea how much I put in.

Cinnamon Rolls (and GO VOTE!)

Okay, I know no real way to tie these two things together, but don't forget to VOTE today, if you haven't already done so. We sent our ballots in a couple of weeks ago, so no standing in the poll lines for us. There are a lot of important things at stake, so citizens, do your civic duty and VOTE! (And if you're not sure who to vote for, just vote a straight Democratic ticket, and all will be well, okay? And vote No on California Propositions 4, 8, and 9 and Yes on Prop. 5).

So while you're waiting on all the returns to come in so that we can celebrate this historic election night, you might want to have some snacks. This is a great recipe (if I do say so myself) that I adapted from a Paula Deen recipe in a moment of desperation for something sweet. It now bears almost no resemblance to Paula's recipe, but I actually think it is better. And it is really easy!

Easy Mini Cinnamon Swirls

6 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 cup pecan, finely chopped
Two 8-oz. cans of refrigerated crescent rolls
1 egg white
32 pecan halves

Glaze:
2/3 cup confectioners' sugar
4 tsp. milk or heavy cream

In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, vanilla extract, and confectioners' sugar until fluffy. Fold the pecans into the mixture.

Separate 1 can of dough into 4 rectangles. Firmly press the perforations to seal. Pres or roll each piece of dough to form a 7x4 inch rectangle and spread each with about 2 Tbsp. of the cream cheese filling to within 1/4 inch of the edges. Starting at the short end, roll each rectangle tightly into a cylinder. Repeat with the other can of dough and remaining filling. Place on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and chill until firm, about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350° while the rolls are chilling. Remove from the refrigerator and cut each roll into 4 slices. Place 1/2 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, combine the egg white with 1 tspoon water. Brush over the swirls. Press one pecan half gently onto top of each swirl.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, until light brown.

While the swirls are baking, combine the glaze ingredients in a small bowl. Cool the swirls for 3 minutes on wire racks placed over a sheet of waxed paper. Drizzle the icing over the warm swirls.

Back in Cali

This was us with Molly and family at the Pumpkin Patch.

And here's the Girl Posse (minus Lisa, who was off being operatic), from our cookout Saturday night.


So we are home again, in Southern California. We had an uneventful flight. Rebecca slept most of the flight, and she didn't have any ear trouble (I was worried, because she is having an allergy attack and has been stuffy and snotty). Ramy's sister Myrna picked us up at LAX (we flew out of Ontario, but back into LAX). I was able to get all three suitcases unpacked yesterday afternoon while Ramy took Rebecca to see his mom. Went to the grocery store and we were all pretty tired and went to bed early. Rebecca was asleep by 7:30 (which was 9:30 Central time). Today, I woke up early and got some work done on my internship applications while Rebecca slept. Then she woke up in a really good mood and was content to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Little Einsteins while I did even more work! Hallelujah! (Or, as Rebecca says, "Hi-dee-doo-dah!" We went to Trader Joes and cleaned up in the kitchen. Then I made some really delicious pumpkin bread and pumpkin muffins. I guess it is kind of like doing a rain dance in hopes of rain - if I cook and bake fall things, then hopefully it will cool off and actually be like fall! As it is, temps are in the high 80s still and we're wearing shorts. Bleh.

Here's the recipe I use for the pumpkin bread/pumpkin muffins. This recipe will make two loaves of pumpkin bread or a loaf of bread and 12 muffins, or 24 muffins.

3 cups sugar
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup vegetable (I use canola) oil
4 eggs
2 cups pumpkin puree
2/3 cup water
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg (or 1 tsp. of the jarred stuff)
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1/4 cup brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two loaf pans. Mix sugar, applesauce, and oil with mixer. Add eggs and blend. Add pumpkin and blend. Add water and blend. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg and add slowly, mixing just until fully incorporated and not lumpy. Stir in chopped nuts. Fill pans equally. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake loaves for 1 hour or until golden brown. (If making muffins, cook time will be approximately 30-35 minutes).

Talkin' on the phone

Rebecca loves to walk around with the phone in hand. She will carry it around and then mutter to the phone (I suppose that is what she thinks I am doing) and then burst out into laughter. However, if there is actually someone on the phone, then she mostly just stares at the phone (probably trying to figure out how to get Grammy or Daddy or whoever out of the little box) or smiles and lays her head on the phone as if she is loving on it. She's also a big fan of pressing buttons, so she's apt to hang up on people abruptly.

Last night, Rebecca ate 14 strawberries for dinner and pretty much nothing else. As soon as she sees the container of strawberries, she exclaims, "MMMMMMmmmmmmmmm!" And then she freaks out wanting them in the few seconds it takes me to wash them and cut the end off. This morning, she wanted to eat my cereal for breakfast. Since I use skim milk and she needs whole milk (plus I don't want her to have artificial sweetener), I did a little bowl of multigrain cheerios with whole milk for her, while I had my rice chex in skim milk. That little stinker totally knew I was trying to fake her off! At first, she took bites of her cereal, but then she realized her bites were coming from a different bowl than mine. So then I tried getting a spoonful of hers and then dipping it down into my bowl. She fell for that a couple of times before she was on to my game. Finally, I poured her cereal into my bowl when I was done with mine and then took miniature bites of it (gag! whole milk is too white and too slimy!) and she would eat it a bit more then. But then she wanted to feed it to herself, which just didn't work too well. So I made up some greek yogurt for her with wheat germ and cinnamon in it and she ate about 1/2 cup of it and fed it all to herself. She is doing really well with using a spoon, so long as it isn't too runny. The greek yogurt is thicker than regular yogurt, so it is more conducive to toddler self-feeding. Plus it has a little more protein in it.

Rebecca goes to the pediatrician on Friday for her 18 month checkup. Wonder if she has gained any weight in the last 3 months. I really don't think so, although she may be a bit heavier to go along with the tiny bit taller she has gotten. Her fall wardrobe will be interesting, because she really still needs 3-6 month sizes in the waist but for fall she will need 12-18 month sizes for length. Thankfully Grammy can fix everything.

I am roasting a chicken in the crockpot downstairs, and it smells so good I can't even take it. I'm going to use it to make chicken spaghetti for dinner tonight and chicken vegetable noodle soup for lunches this week.

This is the recipe for chicken spaghetti:

2 cups cooked chicken (a store-bought rotisserie chicken works wonderfully, or roasted chicken breasts does great too)
1 chicken bouillon cube
2 cans cream of chicken soup (or 1 can cream of chicken, 1 can cream of mushroom - I use the healthy request that has less fat and sodium)
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
1 small red onion, diced
3 cups dried spaghetti, broken into 2-3 inch pieces
2 cups chicken broth (homemade is always better, but boxed/canned works fine too)
1 tsp. seasoned salt
1/8 to 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
1 additional cup sharp cheddar cheese

Bring pot of water to boil. Add chicken bouillon cube and broken spaghetti. Cook according to package directions. Drain spaghetti and mix with remaining ingredients, other than the additional cheddar cheese. Cover and freeze up to six months; cover and refrigerate up to 2 days; or top with remaining cheese and bake immediately at 350°F for 45 minutes until bubbly. If cheese on top begins to get too brown, cover with foil.

Snuggle time

I caught a really sweet daddy-daughter moment the other night. Ramy was laying in bed watching tv, and Rebecca snuggled up to him. It was so sweet, I had to snap some pics.

We had a nice weekend here. Friday, we ate dinner at my favorite Italian restaurant in La Verne. Then we went over to hear a colleague of Ramy's who was playing in an oldies band. Rebecca thoroughly enjoyed it! She was rocking and grooving to the music. Where she got that, I have no idea! Saturday, we ate breakfast at Carrow's and then went to Costco and other random stuff. I exchanged a pair of pants for Rebecca at Gymboree and spent the rest of my Gymbucks. She spied the apple purse that goes with their new line, and it had to come home with us. Saturday night, Ramy was in the mood for Lucille's Barbecue. Since that place gets mobbed with people on the weekends, we got there around 5 p.m. and immediately got seated. Then we walked around in Brea Mall for a bit, came home, and watched The Great Debaters (Denzel Washington). What I saw of it was a really great movie, but I'll admit that I fell asleep on the couch while we were watching it. Sunday, we went to mass at 9:00 (so annoying in the cry room) and then got breakfast at Panera Bread and went grocery shopping. We went out in the afternoon and I got my new super-cool cell phone. For dinner last night, I made pesto pasta and shrimp for Ramy and pesto pasta and chicken for me and Rebecca.

Today, Rebecca and I laid around at home. Ramy came home and had lunch with us, which is always nice. I got my review back from the LLU IRB on my dissertation project. Luckily, all the things they asked for are super-easy - just clarifications or other really simple stuff. The changes will take all of 15 minutes, and then I just have to resubmit and should be good to go. I expect to get the official approval in a few weeks, but the full IRB basically just rubber stamps whatever the committee says is good to go. So that's a huge relief! Now I just have to hear back from the University of Redlands IRB and we'll be rocking. And of course I have to get my comp paper done. And propose my dissertation. And apply for internship. But, yeah, things are going along well, even though I'd really like to fast-forward a few months.

Oh yeah, I made a really good cake today. It's one from the Pioneer Woman. But like most things, I can't just make the recipe the way they call for it to be done. I have to tweak it a bit. Here's the recipe, as I made it:

Yogurt-Marmalade Cake
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup of plain yogurt (I used whole milk yogurt, because that's what I had, but she uses lowfat)
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. prepared orange marmalade
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
Zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup Canola oil
1/2 cup prepared orange marmalade
1/4 cup yogurt
Zest of half an orange

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour loaf pan. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a separate bowl, mix together yogurt, sugar, 2 Tbsp. marmalade, eggs, vanilla, lemon zest, and canola oil until just combined. Pour over dry ingredients and mix by hand until just combined. Pour into loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes. Remove and allow to cool slightly. Remove from pan.

While cake is cooling, pour 1/2 cup marmalade into pan. Heat until melted, stirring occasionally. Add yogurt and orange zest to pan and turn off heat. Stir to combine, then pour slowly over the top of the cake, allowing icing to pool around the sides.

Rebecca enjoyed a good day yesterday with Nanny Rebecca. They met up with Nanny Rebecca's cousin and her little girl, who is a month younger than Rebecca. So they had a nice little playdate. She also took a 3 hour nap for Nanny Rebecca. How do I never get those long naps from her? I could get so much done!!! I worked on my dissertation comp paper yesterday and met my friend Julie (whose due date is today!) for lunch. Last night, Ramy took Rebecca to visit his dad. Rebecca was a sweet girl and patted his arm and blew him kisses. I stayed at home and made fresh corn chowder for tonight's dinner. Then we got ice cream at Dollar Scoop Night at Baskin Robbins.

This chowder is soooooooo good! I can't wait for us to have it for dinner tonight with sandwiches. Here's the recipe:

8 medium sized ears of corn
4 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp. flour
3 cups chicken stock (homemade is best, but low sodium chicken broth will work fine too)
2 medium-sized red skin potatoes (about 3/4 lb), cut into 1/4 inch pieces
2 tsp. minced fresh parsley
2 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/3 cup shredded white cheddar cheese

Cut kernals from 4 ears of corn (about 3 cups of kernels); set aside. Working over a bowl, grate remaining 4 ears of corn on the large holes of a box grater. Scrape pulp from cobes (about 3/4 cup) using the dull side of a knife; set aside.

In a large pot over medium-high heat, cook bacon for about 6 minutes or until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper-towel lined plate.

Add onion to pot and cook for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until golden brown. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add flour and stir constantly for 2 minutes.

Whisk in chicken stock/broth. Add potatoes, parsley, milk, and grated corn and pulp. Bring to a boil. Reduce head to medium-low and simmer for about 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Using a potato masher, press down on the potatoes 4 to 5 times. Stir in cooked bacon.

Add whole corn kernels and heavy cream and cook an additional 5 minutes, or until corn is tender but still crunchy. Stir in salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Ladle chowder into bowls. Top each serving with a little cheddar cheese, dividing equally.

Orange Brownies

I made these Orange Brownies for our dessert yesaterday for our cookout. Really good with homemade ice cream! They're from Paula Deen's Just Desserts cookbook.

Bars:
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
4 eggs
2 teaspoons pure orange extract
1 teaspoon grated orange zest

Glaze:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon grated orange zest

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13x9x2-inch pan. Stir together flour, granulated sugar, and salt in a bowl; add butter, eggs, extract, and zest. Using a handheld electric mixer, beat until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until light golden brown and set. Remove from oven and pierce entire cake with a fork. For glaze, mix all ingredients together and stir until smooth. Pour glaze over cake. Cool and cut into squares.

Pesto

By the way, I've been making pesto quite a lot lately, and can I just say that it is incredibly good? Great as a dipping sauce for french bread or sesame breadsticks, slathered on top of some fish, as a spread on sandwiches, and as a dressing for pasta salad.

Here's the recipe I've been doing (roughly, because I don't measure anything)

2 garlic cloves, peeled
2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup - 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Into the bowl of a food processor, add the garlic, basil leaves, parsley, pine nuts, salt, and pepper. Pulse until finely chopped. With the blender still running, slowly pour in 1/2 cup of olive oil. Check for a thick, yet smooth consistency, adding more oil if necessary. Transfer to a bowl and stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan.

Homemade vanilla pudding

In an attempt to make sure Rebecca is getting enough calcium (since she abhors cow's milk), I have taken to making vanilla pudding for her. Because the packaged mixes have so incredibly much sugar and sodium, it's all homemade for her. I've perfected the recipe, and I have to say - I'll never go back to a pudding mix!

1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/8 tsp. salt
2 cups whole milk
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 Tbsp. butter
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

In a small saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add in milk; cook and stir over medium heat until thickened. Reduce heat and continue cooking and stirring for 2 more minutes. Temper the egg yolks (stir in a small amount of hot milk filling into egg yolk, stir and return all of egg mixture to pan), stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil, cook and stir one minute longer. Remove from heat. Add in butter, vanilla extract, and ground nutmeg. Cool in pan 15 minute, stirring every 5 minutes. Transfer to serving dishes, cover and refrigerate. May be served slightly warm or cold. Refrigerate leftovers.