Perfect Day

Nik's Perfectly Imaginary Ideal Day

10 a.m. Wake up (read horoscope, check email, play on twitter & Facebook, feed and walk puppy)

10 a.m. -11 a.m. lay about, reading magazines (Bon Appetit, Glamour, Essence, Lucky, Vogue, Town & Country) , smoking cigarettes and drinking coffee from the Starbucks
around the corner

11 a.m.-11:15 a.m. take a shower, get dressed and head over to the farmer's market to buy vegetables for the week

1:30 p.m. make lunch: fall fruit salad with candied pomegranate seeds, shaved beef tenderloin with lavender and sage on buttery focaccia and braised Belgian endive

2:00 p.m.-6:30 p.m. go home & nap (well, really just lay down with my eyes closed)

6:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. catch up on blogs, watch tv, return missed calls, confirm plans for the evening ahead

9:30-10:30 p.m. eat dinner, drink wine, beer, and plan the night's outfit

10:30-11:30 p.m. go to local wine bar, order tapas, and wait for gaggle of friends to arrive

11:30-2 a.m. go bar hopping, event crashing, and have a good time out on the town

No mention of work (because in the Perfectly Imaginary World, we're all independently wealthy) no mention of tasks (because we're all lazy SOBs) , no mention of anything at all whatsoever laborious (because it's enough hard work waking up in the morning!)

How I wish this was true!

The only part of this schedule I could muster today was lunch.

Brown sugar & cinnamon dusted steak, braised Belgian endive
& sauteed kale with caramelized pears

My favorite part of this meal was the endive. This was my first time making them for myself. I'd only had them raw in salads, savoring their bitter crunch alongside bits of briny olives, tangy sun-dried tomatoes, or creamy bleu cheese. A cousin to radicchio, a branch of the chicory family tree, cooking them with butter, sugar, and lemon mellows their bitter tang and softens them.

Braised Belgian Endive
Serves 4-6

3 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup brown sugar (doesn't need to be packed)
8 heads Belgian endive, browned or damaged leaves removed and halved lengthwise
1/4 to 1/2 cup chicken broth/stock or water
2 Tbsp lemon juice
Salt and ground black pepper

Melt the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. When the butter is melted, place the endive in the pan, cut side down. Cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes, lowering the heat if the butter starts to burn. Sprinkle in the brown sugar. Turn the endives over and brown the other side, about 3 to 5 more minutes. Turn the endive back over and add the chicken broth/stock or water, cover and cook until tender and the endives can be easily pierced with a knife, about 15 minutes. If the pan gets too dry, add a few more tablespoons of water.

Uncover and add the lemon juice and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Toss and serve.

Kale is a great fall leafy green to add to your table. Collards, escarole, and cabbage can all be substituted if you're not ready to venture out and try kale.

Caramelized Pears

6 Bartlett or Bosc pears
1 Tbsp butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water

Halve, core, and dice 6 Bartlett or Bosc pears. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Melt butter and sugar in skillet. Put pears in butter/sugar mixture and cook until they begin to brown, 7 to 8 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water. Cover; simmer until pears are tender, 5 to 10 minutes (depending on ripeness), adding more water if sugar begins to burn. Remove pears from skillet. Set aside.

Sauteed Kale
adapted from here (Thanks, Bobby)

2 pounds young kale, stems and leaves coarsely chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup water
Salt and pepper
3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the water and kale and toss to combine. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Remove cover and continue to cook, stirring until all the liquid has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add vinegar.

Toss in caramelized pears. Serve.

This perfectly real lunch is dedicated to Kalyn's Kitchen...this week marks the three year anniversary of Weekend Herb Blogging. Kalyn herself, is hosting the event this week. So, go on over and check it out!

Is It Chili In Here?

I need some food that will stick to my ribs. I've been eating junk lately and I'm ready to sink my teeth into some hearty food that will last me until snack time. I promise I'm going to stop eating candy for snack...as soon as Halloween is over...

Remember the beans from last week (with those BANGING chicken wings and my grandma's cornbread)? Well, I turned those beans into chili for a chili cook-off at work.

I marinated ground chuck for 2 days in red wine and on day 2 added a paste of 1 whole habanero, tomato paste, and garlic.

Enter stage right: 16 oz of chicken stock, 4 diced Roma tomatoes and 45 minutes of simmering...

Remember: shredded extra sharp cheddar is our friend.
The result was an incredibly spicy melange of spicy beans and meat. Protein rocks.
It wasn't a mistake to put in a whole pepper, but next time I'll rethink that approach. It was a little too spicy.



Because I can't live without bread (I can totally live on bread alone) I made some apple & pear scones with blue cheese butter to accompany my chili.

Craptastic at it's finest. But I couldn't resist. You need to see the butter dripping down this piece of scone...

Oh, and happy 27th & a half birthday to me today!

Fall Into Healthy Holiday Cooking

As you may well know, I teach monthly cooking classes at Best Health at Hanes Mall in Winston-Salem. Part of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center (anyone remember when it was just called Baptist Hospital??) this health and wellness center helps you learn how to stay healthy and maximize wellness in the face of health challenges. There are anywhere from 3 to 4 classes a month and they're always FREE. All you have to do is register online or by calling the center. And it's FREE.

You even get a friendly reminder call the day before to confirm that you'll be attending. And it's FREE. And if the class is "full" (I say "full", because people always sign up, say they're coming and then don't come) your name is simply put on the waiting list and then voila! Did I mention that it's FREE??

My last class, entitled "Fall Into Healthy Holiday Cooking" featured some fall favorites with new and delicious twists. The following is a dinner menu that can be mixed, matched, and adapted for your holiday (or any day) meal preparations.


I try to take pictures of all of the finished food, but I don't make it sometimes.

I talk too much and take too long and people are hungry for the FREE samples, so I'm lucky if I get one picture in.


Lucky for YOU, I test all of my recipes at home before sharing them. I formulate and test. A dietitian calculates the nutritional info. Together we come up with the best tasting, most nutritional recipes known to man (ok, maybe not, but I'm allowed to say this here. This is my blog).

This last class, there were technical difficulties, and I didn't get to finish everything. A first, I think. I had butternut squash risotto on the menu and all I was able to do was roast the squash. So...not pretty cadmium-colored rice today.

But! Today's recipes are available to download at the bottom of this post. And if you're a Best Health member who has had the opportunity to come to one of my classes and are visiting, Welcome!

First, we have fall fruit compote. The picture was not that great. I post crappy pics like a champ, but not today. To see what it looks like, you can click here.

Before I forget, I got some of those Debbie Meyer green vegetable bags. Dude. They're awesome. I've had these apples and pears in this bag for six weeks and they're fine. Just fine. I did an experiment and I put some potatoes and onions that were on the verge in one and they still rotted, just more slowly. So, only put fresh produce in these.

Next up, creamy spinach. You need to try this spinach. Substitute Swiss chard, kale or escarole, if you like. Three little wedges of Laughing Cow cheese make this vitamin-rich plant decadent and filling. It surprised me, the tastiness of this recipe. I'm not sure why my food surprises me when it tastes good, but after I'm on the Food Network, that will all change...I'm sure...

Last is mustard & sage crusted pork tenderloin. I love mustard and sage together. I put it in my gravy, put it on my chicken, mix it together and make a spread for my turkey and brie sandwiches, shake it up in powdered form in a bag for flavored pretzels...it's something I do a lot. And it is so delicious. And now you can do it, too. I urge you to do it. Try it and then come back here and tell me that I was right.

Root Vegetable Galette
Creamy Spinach
Butternut Squash Risotto
Mustard Sage Crusted Pork Tenderloin
Fall Fruit Compote

I'm Bringing Smokey Back

I'm a joker.
I'm a smoker.
I play midnight poker. (OKnotreallybutI'msurekidsreadthisblogtoo)
I sure don't want to hurt no one.

But I sure put a hurtin' on this pork this weekend...





Me and my little stovetop smoker had a date on Saturday.

We brought along rosemary sprigs for skewers, vidalia onions, baby carrots, yellow squash, zucchini and citrus baked rice.

The pork tenderloin was cubed and marinated in orange juice, olive oil, fresh sage, and fresh lavender flowers.
I threaded the pork and veg on the naked rosemary sprigs and using a mix of cherry and alder woods, smoked them for 15 minutes before moving them to a 350 degree F oven to finish them.

For the rice, I added 2 cups of orange juice to 1/4 cup of reserved marinade. I added a slurry (cornstarch and water, to make it thick during cooking) and stirred it into 2 cups of long grain rice. I added another 1/2 cup water and baked the rice for 30-35 minutes.

Yum. If only every date I have could taste this good.

Remember, rosemary is a strong little lady who goes a long way when used a little. The same goes for lavender, as well. I'm in love with lavender right now. I'm going to ask my favorite butcher for a whole rabbit so I can pair it with some lavender.

I really don't like fall, but I think I might start to get into it if I start using cool herbs every week...

This is a submission to Kalyn's Weekend Herb Blogging. Only my 2nd time participating, I always enjoy reading and learning about new herbs every week.

It's Just What I Do...

When I go out and meet people socially, the icebreaker question (after "How are you doing today?") is "What do you do?"

Most often, I begin to answer this question with a sigh and a languid gaze to the ceiling. How do I tell these people "what I do?" I'm still trying to figure out how to make my answer short and sweet. I'm a chef, a writer, a butcher, a baker, a candlestick maker? Did mention the cooking classes. Oh, how about the catering?

All of that is my personal hang-up. I'm sure I can tell a captivating story about myself that will make people want to gather 'round the fireplace with mugs of brandy or buttered tea.

This prompts one of two responses:

a) the person wants to tell me about the last dinner they prepared and how good it tasted.
b) the person wants to tell me about a restaurant where they ate "amazing fried chicken."

It's always fried chicken. Never marinated tofu, Brussels sprouts, or baked fish with herb jus lie. ALWAYS fried chicken.

Also, people ask me what my favorite foods are or what my specialty is.
"Did you just not hear my litany of jobs? I do and make EVERYTHING." Nothing is off-limits. But when it comes to the end of the day and I look at my bare fridge (even though I have 7 different types of cheeses and no bread or crackers in sight) I revert back to my roots.

You know what it is...

It's been pretty lean around here (most everywhere else, I imagine) and the simpler the better is my mantra these days. I don't do one-pot meals, generally. I'm too modest to prepare expensive, luxurious food items right now. Sorry, porterhouse steaks! I'll see you later, escargot!

So here we have it: Black beans, fried chicken, and cornbread.





Normally, I'd prepare a pot of pinto beans complete with ham, bacon, and some smoked turkey wings. It's the cassoulet of the Southeastern U.S. But I didn't make them this time. Christy at Southern Plate did. Please check her out!

Someone gave me a bag of dried black beans and a bag of chicken wing flats (the part of the wing that isn't the drum). How frugal can you NOT be when people are GIVING away food?!

Once again, no real recipe here.

Nikki's Black Beans
Two 1lb bags, black beans
2 cups red onion, chopped
1 cup carrots, grated
1 cup celery, diced small
6 oz smoked ham, lower sodium
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 Tbsp white vinegar
Ground oregano
Ground thyme
Whole and ground cumin
Kosher salt

I soaked the black beans overnight (12-15 hours, approximately) and rinsed them throughly before adding them to a large stock pot. I added 10 cups of water and put the beans on high. While the beans were beginning to cook, I cooked the mirepoix (celery, carrots, onions) with the butter until everything was soft and translucent.

To this, I added the white vinegar, and a few dashes here and there of the oregano, thyme, and cumin. I used whole seeds and freshly ground cumin. I added this mixture to the now simmering beans and stirred. I let the pot cook for an hour. I added more oregano, thyme and cumin after tasting a few of the beans.

I also added salt. How much salt? I don't know. Maybe 1/4 cup, a small palmful. And my hands are not that big. After another hour, the water had been cooked away and the beans were thick and flavorful.

You'll be seeing these beans later on in the week. I hope you're impressed...Stay tuned.

Fried Chicken
adapted from myself & Sunny Anderson

2 cups orange juice
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 lbs chicken wing pieces
Water
2 eggs
3 Tbsp Sriracha Hot Sauce
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
Canola oil, for frying

In a large bowl, whisk together orange juice and vinegar until combined. Add chicken pieces and enough water to coat and soak 1 hour in the refrigerator. Chicken should be completely submerged in mixture.

In a large pot, heat oil until a deep-fry thermometer reaches 325 degrees F. Line a sheet tray with paper towels and/or a wire rack.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, Sriracha and black pepper. In a plastic container (like Tupperware), put a lid on and shake together flour and cornstarch. Drain chicken from brine and dip in batches first in egg mixture then shake in flour mixture to coat. Set on wire rack to let coating sit for 10 minutes to set. In 2 batches, fry chicken until golden brown cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes, depending on the size of the pieces. Remove from oil to drain on paper towel-lined sheet pan.


One more time. Mmmm!

Nikki's Grandma's Cornbread

4 Tbsp butter, cold
1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
1 cup fresh corn kernels
water, as needed

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Put butter in a cast-iron skillet and place in the oven. Combine the cornmeal and flour, then mix in the egg and milk. Add water slowly, until the mixture is pourable (like thick pancake batter). Stir in the corn kernels. Take the hot pan from the oven, pour some of the melted butter into the batter, then pour the batter into the hot pan. Place back in the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the outer crust is golden brown. Serve hot, with whole, cold butter.

How Not To Make Cinnamon Rolls

Today's adventure was my first foray into gluten-free baking. I am fascinated with substituting ingredients to make them taste and feel like the original ingredients.

My task: cinnamon rolls


They didn't turn out at all how I expected. I probably did something wrong. The cinnamon-soynut filling seeped out during baking and there wasn't enough sugar and it poured out when I flipped the pan over, and I didn't grind the cinnamon fine enough...it was just sloppy...the whole kit and caboodle. I'm posting it anyway, because as far and few between that my failures are, I mess up, too.



Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls
adapted from here
Serves 8 or 9

INGREDIENTS
2 Tbsp Smart Balance light
1/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup non fat milk, 100 degrees F
1 packet yeast (about 1 tablespoon)
1 egg or 1/4 cup eggbeaters
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup potato flakes
1 cup corn starch
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 teaspoons xantham gum
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

TO SPRINKLE ON BOARD COVERED WITH PLASTIC WRAP
1 - 2 tablespoons sugar

FILLING
1 cup Splenda brown sugar blend
1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
1/3 cup roasted soy nuts

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In medium bowl, combine Smart Balance and sugar. Mix well. Measure warm milk and add yeast to milk. Whisk well to fully dissolve

Add milk/yeast to sugar mixture. Add remaining ingredients. Mix very well, being sure to remove all lumps. The dough will be soft and squishy.
Take a piece of plastic wrap and lay it out so it covers a 13 1/2" x 13 1/2" square. Sprinkle sugar on the wrap. Lay ball of dough on top of that. Then pull out another sheet of wrap and gently lay over the dough. Pat the dough down into a square shape. Lift the top wrap up and then reposition it. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough in between the two layers of wrap. Occasionally you'll have to lift and reposition the wrap. Make sure that when you're done you've got approximately a 13 1/2" x 13 1/2" square of dough.

Remove top piece of wrap. Combine filling ingredients. Spread evenly across dough's surface. Leave a 1/2" sugar free edge. Otherwise, all the sugar spills out.Use the bottom piece of wrap to lift the edge of the dough and start to roll it up forming a long cylinder. Start with the sugary edge, which will be the center of your roll and roll toward the sugarless edge. Cut off or trim up the irregular ends of your "log". Then cut into 8 or 9 slices of similar size, about 1 1/2" wide. Combine 1/2 cup Splenda brown sugar blend, 1/2 cup soynuts, 1/4 cup agave syrup and pour it into the bottom of a greased round glass pie pan. Place rolls on top of this mixture.

Bake approximately 20 minutes, until tops are lightly browned.

Combine powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk to make glaze. The amount of milk you use will depend on how thick you want the glaze to be. Stir until all lumps are dissolved. Drizzle over warm rolls if desired.


I was so disappointed in the outcome of these rolls, I didn't bother with a glaze. The dough soaked up my sugar/agave topping and it didn't come out ooey and gooey like I expected. And the actual roll tasted bland.

C'est la vie. Or c'est la cinnamon rolls.

Another Green Borough

When I first started this blog, I knew it was going to be about food, but I wanted to post about the cool and fantastic things I sometimes get to do, too.

Back in January I posted about a hotel stay in Greensboro, NC: The Proximity Hotel. At the time, it was vying for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. Read about my luxurious stay here.

Well, today, it was awarded platinum LEED certification.

This calls for a celebration. Well, the celebration consists of me re-posting about this awesome hotel and it's even more phenomenal restaurant, Printworks Bistro. I love that place. If I ever have a visitor that wants to have a great meal in a stunning atmosphere, I'd take them there.
Read my restaurant review here.

Better yet, read about the Bistro's phenomenal executive chef. It'll bring a smile to your face. Click here.

From January 2008:

Printworks Bistro is a restaurant in the newly opened Proximity Hotel in Greensboro, NC. What drew me to the restaurant/hotel was an article in the News & Record about how Proximity is hoping for a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. This
hôtel particulier is sustainable, using recycled materials for its building, solar panels to generate energy for heat, and other energy/earth saving ideals. I try to keep green whenever I can, and any establishment that I can find that is doing it's part to save the world from destruction is high on my list.

Outback on the Farm Winner

Randomly chosen by the Random Number Generator, congratulations to Lynsey Petree. The Outback on the Farm tickets are yours. You've received an email confirmation of your win. And apparently, Friday is your birthday, too. What a nice way to spend it!

Thanks to everyone for playing. Just because you didn't win, doesn't mean you shouldn't check out the event. For details, click here.

Busy , Busy Little Bee

I've been a busy little bee this week. I'm adjusting to my new schedule and just trying to enjoy my life. I've been pushing it pretty hard here lately, and it's starting to catch up with me. I had eye strain earlier last week and I couldn't go to sleep because I wasn't tired, but I couldn't keep my eyes open because they hurt...there were hard times going on over here!

I haven't been too inspired as of late to create in the kitchen. I've been busy with this and this and this and this (omg, do I even have time to go to the grocery??)

So, I'll leave you not with food porn (oh, but maybe it is and I'm being modest??), but with a little sampling of what I've been banging out this week.

Enjoy.

New York cheddar biscuits.

Coffee cake muffins with brown sugar/cardamom streusel and a quick bread that I didn't make

Chocolate chunk cookies

Chocolate chunk cookie dough

Apple galette. The same one that put me in the weeds.

Caramelized onion, tomato, spinach, and havarti frittata

Tomato, zucchini, red pepper, and havarti galette

Mixed berry scones (strawberry, cherry and cranberry)

Triple espresso brownies

Tomato, spinach, red pepper, Parmesan galette

Win FREE tickets to Outback on the Farm

The Winston-Salem Jaycees present
Outback on the Farm
An event benefiting
The Children's Home of Winston-Salem.

Where the Simple Life meets Downtown Winston-Salem:
Listen to the cows moo, the bands play, and the bonfire crackle while enjoying s[mores and a chicken & steak dinner catered by Outback Steakhouse.

To win TWO tickets to this event, leave a comment below. Please include your name.
If you post as anonymous, I won't know who you are!

I'll choose a winner by the Random Number Generator.

Comments will be closed at 3 PM on Wednesday, Oct 8th.
And the winner will be posted shortly thereafter.

To purchase tickets visit www.outbackonthefarm.com

This is friggin' SWEET!

Ok, so you've completed the Omnivore's Hundred, right? And you've seen or completed the Vegan's Hundred, too?


OK, so Cakespy developed a Sweet 100 which is by far infinitely cooler than any other 100 list out there. I mean, it's sweets?!

There are links to most everything on the list, just in case one or two are completely foreign to you.

If you'd like, feel free to follow the same guidelines:

1) Copy this list into your site, including the instructions!
2) Bold all of the sweets you've eaten--or make them a different type color.
3) Cross out any of them that you'd never ever eat.

4) Consider anything that is not bold or crossed out your "To Do" List.
5) Optional: Post a comment here linking to your results--or just post a comment letting them know how many you've tried or what you're going to try next!

Nik's Sweet 100: 71/100--not bad considering my crazy nut allergy.

1. Red Velvet Cake
2. Princess Torte I don't like marzipan. Oh, and I'd probably die if I ate it. Sorry, European people.
   
3. Whoopie Pie That's what you get...for making whoopie...
   
4. Apple Pie either topped or baked with sharp cheddar
   
5. Beignet
   
6. Baklava Pre-allergen days
   
7. Black and white cookie the 1st thing I ever ate from Starbucks
   
8. Seven Layer Bar (also known as the Magic Bar or Hello Dolly bars)
   
9. Fried Fruit pie
   
10. Kringle They use nuts in their facility, right next to the fruited items
    
11. Just-fried (still hot) doughnut Didn't I mention I live 2 blocks from the original Krispy Kreme?
    
12. Scone with clotted cream
    
13. Betty, Grunt, Slump, Buckle or Pandowdy
    
14. Halvah Those pesky little nuts again...
    
15. Macarons
    
16. Banana pudding with nilla wafers The only way to eat banana puddin'
    
17. Bubble tea (with tapioca "pearls")
    
18. Dixie Cup
19. Rice Krispy treats
    
20. Alfajores
    
21. Blondies
22. Croquembouche
    
23. Girl Scout cookies I'll have been a Girl Scout 18 years on the 30th of this month :)
    
24. Moon cake
    
25. Candy Apple I am not partial to these. I like the softer, caramel ones better.
    
26. Baked Alaska
    
27. Brooklyn Egg Cream
    
28. Nanaimo bar
    
29. Baba au rhum
    
30. King Cake I make these every year. I put a red jelly bean in mine so that the kids won't freak out.
    
31. Sachertorte
    
32. Pavlova
    
33. Tres Leches Cake
    
34. Trifle
    
35. Shoofly Pie
    
36. Key Lime Pie (made with real key lime)
    
37. Panna Cotta
    
38. New York Cheesecake
39. Napoleon / mille-fueille
    
40. Russian Tea Cake / Mexican Wedding Cake
    
41. Anzac biscuits
    
42. Pizzelle
    
43. Kolache
    
44. Buckeyes
    
45. Malasadas
    
46. Moon Pie This is a Southern classic eaten with a Dr. Pepper (with peanuts in the bottom).
47. Dutch baby
    
48. Boston Cream Pie
49. Homemade chocolate chip cookies
50. Pralines
51. Gooey butter cake
52. Rusks
    
53. Daifuku
    
54. Green tea cake or cookies
    
55. Cupcakes from a cupcake shop Mrs. Pumpkin's & Dewey's Bakery qualify, I think
    
56. Crème brûlée
    
57. Some sort of deep fried fair food (twinkie, candy bar, cupcake)
58. Yellow cake with chocolate frosting
59. Jelly Roll
60. Pop Tarts
61. Charlotte Russe
    
62. An "upside down" dessert (Pineapple upside down cake or Tarte Tatin)
63. Hummingbird Cake There are pecans/walnuts involved again
    
64. Jell-O from a mold
65. Black forest cake The 1st cake I ever made in culinary school. Kirschwasser is our friend.
    
66. Mock Apple Pie (Ritz Cracker Pie)
67. Kulfi
    
68. Linzer torte
    
69. Churro
    
70. Stollen Stolen? You better give it back!
    
71. Angel Food Cake
72. Mincemeat pie
    
73. Concha
    
74. Opera Cake
75. Sfogliatelle / Lobster tail
    
76. Pain au chocolat
77. A piece of Gingerbread House Just a piece? How about the whole thing...
    
78. Cassata
    
79. Cannoli
    
80. Rainbow cookies
    
81. Religieuse
82. Petits fours
    
83. Chocolate Souffle
84. Bienenstich (Bee Sting Cake)
    
85. Rugelach I'll be making this at Simplyummy this fall...I know it.
    
86. Hamenstashen
87. Homemade marshmallows
    
88. Rigo Janci
89. Pie or cake made with candy bar flavors (Snickers pie, Reeses pie, etc)
    
90. Divinity
91. Coke or Cola cake
92. Gateau Basque
93. S'mores
94. Figgy Pudding
95. Bananas foster or other flaming dessert
96. Joe Froggers
97. Sables
98. Millionaire's Shortbread
99. Animal crackers
100. Basbousa

We Pump Our Fists, Not Our Gas

I'm not going to weigh in on the national crisis that is America. At least not here, I won't. I think It's pretty shitty when you can't find gas after visiting 9 different fueling stations. Yeah...I said shitty. I've never cursed on this blog before. Well, there's a first time for everything and today feels like a day that I should remember past items and brush off new ones.

I feel as if I've been blogging so long, I can refer to recipes and things I did earlier in the year and introduce them to the audience I have now.

I had a leftover can of pumpkin from my last cooking class and I didn't know what to do with it except make my famous pumpkin loaf. Ok, it really isn't famous (yet) but when compared next to Starbucks pumpkin loaf, mine was chosen 100% of the time.

Ginger pumpkin cake with butterscotch marshmallow frosting

This particular cake was a little eggy. I added the extra egg whites from the marshmallow frosting to the batter. A second batch of cakes with added cake flour (to absorb the egg whites and make to the cake fluffier) came out even more delicious than before. I took it to work (where this pic was taken) and I do believe it was a hit. Not as awesome as the blueberry sour cream lavender ice cream & chocolate lavender cake, but eaten nevertheless.

I've been enamored with making marshmallows ever since Molly of Orangette made them in Bon Appetit. Why they were featured during the blazing hot summer, I will never know...but I'm going to let that go.

I dislike adding artificial things into my food and I've been searching for a marshmallow recipe made with egg whites and maybe just a little corn syrup. And good leaf gelatin...not the powdered stuff.

I must have crappy search skills, because I couldn't find a decent recipe anywhere.

So I made up my own!

Butterscotch Marshmallow Frosting
adapted from Tyler Florence & Professional Baking by Wayne Gisslen

1 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
5 egg whites, at room temperature (or equivalent powdered egg whites)
pinch of cream of tartar or scant squirt of lemon juice
1 pkg Jell-O Instant Sugar Free/Fat Free butterscotch pudding
2 cups fat free milk

In a small pot over low heat, combine sugar and water. Swirl the pot over the burner to dissolve the sugar completely. Do not stir. Increase the heat and boil to soft-ball stage (235 to 240 degrees). Use a candy thermometer for accuracy. Wash down the inside wall of the pot with a wet pastry brush.

This will help prevent sugar crystals from forming around the sides (and falling in and causing a chain reaction on your face. Hot sugar+ skin=NO joke) . Prepare your egg whites.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip the eggs whites on low speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar lemon juice, increase the speed to medium, and beat until soft peaks form.

With the mixer running, pour the caramel syrup in a thin stream over fluffed egg whites. Beat until the egg whites are stiff and glossy.

Prepare Jell-O pudding mix by whisking in the fat-free milk. Fold in the egg white/caramel meringue.

May be kept fresh for 3 days, covered in refrigerator.

Just in case you forgot what it looks like.

The original pumpkin loaf. I made it for a coffee seminar at my store back in January.
Never have I ever seen people clamor for free food like they did that day.

Ginger Pumpkin Cake
see below for quantities

2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cake flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups pumpkin puree or 1 (15 oz) can pumpkin

Combine sugar, vegetable oil, and eggs in a large mixing bowl; mix well. Sift dry ingredients into a separate bowl; stir into oil mixture, beating well. Stir in pumpkin puree and ginger. Pour batter into cake pans. Bake at 350° for 35 to 40 minutes. Turn out onto racks to cool.

Acceptable cake pan sizes:
2 greased and floured 9-inch round layer cake pans
1 9X13 baking dish
2 18-count muffin pans

G' mornin' Sunshine!

Today was not a good baking day in the House of Nik. Well, not at my home, but at work.

I got behind and I had to hustle to put everything in the oven to be DONE by 6:30 am. I spent too much time slicing apples (and talking...but that's nothing new). And, instead of turning the top oven ON, I turned it to COOL. I didn't figure this out until 6:10 a.m.

I had biscuits, scones, brownies, galettes, and cookies all to bake. I wanted to cry on the inside. Oh, and did I mention the 18-egg frittata I had to finish off?

Everything got done, but my savory galettes (zucchini, red pepper & havarti/ zucchini, tomato & cheddar) both looked like crap. The only redeeming quality about them was that they were cooked. I didn't fold the sides up enough. But the dough I have been using isn't anything I made. It was leftover from the previous baker. And I can't wait to use it all up. It crumbles and doesn't roll out very well.

My apple galettes turned out great, though. Very pretty. I should take pictures next time I go to work. Maybe even video. Don't tempt me...

Well, the cheddar biscuits were light and fluffy and the frittata smelled amazing when I was cutting into it. Caramelized onion, tomato, spinach & havarti. The best part of my job is leaving to go home with a hot cheddar biscuit slathered with 3-onion cream cheese and bacon in my hand. Mmmmm.

Today, I didn't go home with a biscuit, but I went home inspired to make something simple and yummy for breakfast.

Herbed Egg Croustades with Country Grits

There's no recipe (well, I'm not in the mood to formulate one) but these are very simple. Usually made with bread, I used tortillas, because I didn't make any bread this week. Sorry, Jeff and Zoe. I've seen them made with puff pastry and phyllo dough as well. Bread is more simple and a special trip to the store isn't required.

Cut crusts off bread and roll flat with a rolling pin. Using a large biscuit or cookie cutter, cut out a circle of bread. Discard or set aside bread pieces. Brush each circle with butter and place into muffin tins. Bake in oven for 5-10 minutes, just until crispy.

Meanwhile, crack eggs into a medium bowl. Add cheddar, herbs, salt and pepper. Whisk to combine. When croustade shells are finished, remove from oven and pour egg mixture into each cup, making sure each is filled evenly. The eggs will puff up, so don't overfill.

Return croustades to oven for an additional 10 minutes or until eggs are cooked to desired consistancy.

One more time. With feeling.