As I'm typing this, I'm planted on my sofa in front of the TV. I am an Olympics junky. There is something about the triumphs and spills of competition at the Olympics, and getting caught up in the stories behind the athletes who train for years for a singular moment that determines their place in the world. It never ceases to amaze me all the sacrifices these athletes make and the injuries and adversity some of them overcome to get to this point, all to have the chance to be crowned number one in their sport. It reminds me just how resilient the human spirit can be, that come what may, people have the ability to grow from hardship and not only survive but also excel.
Sadly, watching the Olympics can also make me wonder what I'm doing with my own life and consider what I have "accomplished" so far.
But at the same time, I do wonder what person I would become if I were "great" at something the way these athletes are. Would I be able to maintain any sort of humility and remember that all my abilities are really not my own but a gift? Knowing myself, there is a pretty good chance that I would forget all that and revel in my achievements. (I already forget and I don't even think I've accomplished that much.) Maybe what's truly admirable are those who stay humble when they have done so much.
NBC is showing the half pipe competition, and I'm waiting to see Shaun White *throw it down* (as the announcer would say) for the finals in the hopes of back to back gold medals. As you can imagine, with all this time in front of the TV, there isn't a whole lot of time to be baking (or doing much else), so I have no new recipe today. Instead I'm posting photos of cupcakes I made for a recent dinner, using the same recipe from my very first post, which has always proven to be a winner. (I really think it's the ganache that does it). I think I'll go back to enjoying watching the games now and just appreciating the amazing things these athletes can do.
Sorry about my cheesy title--I simply could not think of what to title this post. This may come as a surprise to some, but I love football. I know very little about the rules and strategy and all that (pretty sure I got touchdowns and field goals down), but I love the enthusiasm it creates in players and fans rooting for their team, and I love the white noise in the background as I fall asleep on the sofa when a game is on. I do really enjoy watching football games (especially teams that I care about), but sometimes, on a Sunday afternoon, the crowd noise, crunching sounds from the tackles and the refs' whistle just lulls me to sleep. It's a pretty close-to-perfect way to spend a lazy afternoon. Someone once said they should come up with an iPhone app with "football game white noise"--maybe there's already one that has it. That said, I am looking forward to watching the upcoming Super Bowl (and not napping through it), especially since I like the Mannings.
Now that I've set this all up, I have to tell you that my recipe for today probably wouldn't be considered tailgating-worthy by any means. While every foodie is putting together their Super Bowl party menus and food sites are channeling Super Bowl party tips with the big game just days away, today I am posting something completely irrelevant and a little...boring. I don't think people eat muffins while watching the Super Bowl, but I don't have any baking tailgating recipes. There also isn't anything particularly fancy about these muffins, but I like them because the recipe is fool-proof and easy to build upon depending on what you like (e.g. you can use wheat flour if you're more health conscious, add raisins, apple chunks, chocolate chips, different spices). You could probably use this for your next tea party or brunch. But if you're looking for a Super Bowl recipe, I'm pretty sure if you go to marthastewart.com, she'll have you covered.
Applesauce Spice Muffins
Adapted from epicurious.com
Makes about a dozen regular-sized muffins
Grease or line muffin pan. Preheat oven to 400F degrees.
1. Stir together in a bowl:
- 1-1/2 cups all purpose flour (or substitute 1/2 or 1 cup with whole wheat flour)
- 1-1/2 t. baking powder
- 1/2 t. baking soda
- 1/2 t. cinnamon
- 1/2 t. ground allspice
- 1/4 t. grated nutmeg
- 1/4 t. salt
2. Using and electric mixer on low or by hand, whisk in a separate bowl until combined:
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup brown sugar
3. Add to the mixture in #2, one at a time:
- 1 stick + 3 T. unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1 cup unsweetened apple sauce
4. Fold into the apple sauce mixture, one at a time:
- flour mixture from #1
- 1 cup pecans or other chopped nuts (walnuts, almonds)
5. Divide batter evenly among the muffin wells. Bake for approximately 20 minutes. Cool for a couple of minutes in the pan, then cool muffins completely on a rack.
(Epicurious includes a topping, which I forgot to use when I made this. It consisted of sugar, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg. Some reviewers of the recipe suggested using granola, which you can sprinkle on the top of each muffin before baking.)
It's hard to believe that after about five months from my last post, I'm finally back here. I've probably lost all my readers by now, so anything I write now could be going into some void or jumbled with all the other distractions the internet has to offer. Just a collection of random thoughts (pretending I can write) and experiments with baking, and hoping that there would be others out there who could find a little amusement in my deliberations and pretty pictures (if anyone bothers to read more than the recipe).
At some point, I lost any inspiration and motivation to continue, and started to think about what this was really for, especially since I didn't have too many readers. There were a few somewhat significant events (some really cool, some not as much) that diverted my attention, but I think I fell off the wagon on a few things, not just this blog. For example, I used to be a little bit of a runner, and ran a 10K last year--I might've written about it (I can't remember, it feels so long ago). And then the latter part of last year, one week off turned into two weeks, then a month, and then it was the holidays--and no running or working out ever occurs during that time of the year. But it appears last week was my week to get back on it. There was no particular reason, it was just a choice--kind of like when you feel unhappy, but if you make yourself smile even when you don't feel like it (though that can be very hard), you might feel a little happier after all. I baked up some cookies, started running again, even felt a little bit of renewed vigor at work, and knew it was time to channel some creative energy back into this site.
So here I am, back in the saddle at the beginning of a new year--hopefully for a while. I'm not much of a New Year's resolution type of a person, but I do have a few thoughts for the upcoming year that I hope to live by: (1) give more--Nicholas Kristof recently wrote in the New York Times that helping others really ends up helping ourselves (and I wouldn't mind a little help); (2) pray more--prayer in and of itself may not solve problems, but prayer to a God who loves us infinitely can give us the strength to endure; and (3) no regrets--I'd like to be able to say that I did everything I could in any given situation or circumstance. I'm sure I won't live up to these, but there is a goal to work towards. Oh, and what is this blog really for? I guess I decided it was enough to blog for no real reason at all.
On that note, here's a recipe for what is now my favorite oatmeal cookie EVER. Hope you try it because it's pretty awesome.
Chocolate [Chip] Oatmeal Coconut Cookies
Adapted from epicurious.com
Makes about 36 2-1/2" cookies
Preheat the oven to 375F degrees.
Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
1. Cream together with an electric mixer:
- 2 sticks unsalted butter
- 1-1/4 cup brown sugar
2. Mix in the following, one at a time, on medium-low speed:
- 2 large eggs
- 1-1/2 t. vanilla
- 1/2 t. baking soda
- 1/2 t. salt
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3. Stir in by hand:
- 2-1/4 cups oats
- 1-1/2 cups shredded coconut (unsweetened)
- 12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup chopped pecans
4. Roll balls of cookie dough around 1-1/2" in diameter and arrange on the baking sheet about 2" apart. Press down on each lightly to about 1/2" thickness. Bake for about 11 minutes, until lightly brown. Cool cookies on the sheet for about a minute, then transfer to racks.
In case you haven't picked it up by now, I'm kind of lazy. I applaud the return to simplicity but really all that means is that I don't want to put out a ton of effort when I bake or cook. I like things that are easy to make (but tasty), and I'll sacrifice presentation for convenience (unless I'm going to serve it to guests or something). Now that I've been baking and blogging for about 3/4 of a year, I realize that it's because I am so painfully slow when I bake and cook (and maybe even slower when writing my posts?!). When recipes include an estimated time to completion, without fail, I exceed that time period. I'm not even referring to Rachel Ray's recipes, which, as we know, take more than 30 minutes (I'm not docking her, I know few who can make a "real" full meal in under 30 minutes).
I can't really pinpoint what I'm doing inefficiently--although I do try to keep things tidy while I bake because I don't like to make a mess. Prep time (not including baking time) for something like chocolate chip cookies is rarely half an hour, as quoted. If I were to undertake a slightly more elaborate endeavor, say a chocolate cake with frosting, I could easily spend half a day in the kitchen. Making something like frosted cut-out cookies becomes a whole day affair.
For this reason, I love today's recipe (actually, what I mean is, I love the cookies you can make from this recipe). Again, it's "simple" but so appealing. Cinnamon and sugar is always a winning combination in my book (think cinnamon rolls or one of my favorite sugary cereals, Cinnamon Toast Crunch!). Plus I've been reading studies that cinnamon helps lower blood sugar levels, so these cookies can't be that bad for you (don't believe it). The recipe is from Sherry Yard, again, and it has an old-fashioned flair to it because it uses cream of tartar and baking soda, which predates the concept of baking powder. With prep time coming in at under 30 minutes, this will be a recipe I'll come back to in a pinch when I'm craving something sweet.
Snickerdoodles
Adapted from Sherry Yard's The Secrets of Baking
Makes about 2-1/2 dozen cookies
1. Sift together the following in a bowl, then set aside:
- 1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 t. baking soda
- 1/2 t. cream of tartar
2. Using a mixer on medium, cream until color becomes lighter:
- 1 stick unsalted butter, cut in 1 inch cubes
3. On medium speed, mix in until smooth:
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1-1/2 t. cinnamon
- 1/8 t. salt
- 1-1/2 t. vanilla
4. Scrape down the side of the mixing bowl, then fully incorporate (but don't over mix):
- 1 large egg
5. Add in the flour mixture from #1, mixing on low, until dough is even. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
6. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees, and arrange the rack to the lower third of the oven. Line two cookies sheets with parchment paper.
7. In a small bowl, mix together by hand:
- 1 T. cinnamon
- 2-1/2 T. sugar
8. Removing the dough from the refrigerator, roll the dough into one-inch balls. Coat each ball with the cinnamon and sugar mixture from #7. Place each ball about 2 inches apart on the baking sheet.
9. Bake each sheet individually for approximately 13 minutes. Cookies should be dry on the outside.
10. Allow the cookies to cool for about 10 minutes, then serve (or save some to store).
I don't know what it is about the French, but have you noticed that everything in French sounds so much better? For example, Chocolate and Zucchini has wonderful recipes, but it is the French slant (including her periodic lessons on French idioms relating to food), that gives it a certain, well, dare I say, je ne sais quoi. Or think of the word souffle, and one can only respond with a monosyllabic "oooh" in awe. The French have kind of mystified food, and even their most basic dishes can seem humble yet refined at the same time. Movies are made about French food (Ratatouille, Julie and Julia...), with the message that French food is attainable yet underscores just how enlightened their cuisine really is.
This was brought to mind recently when some friends and I had an excursion to the city this past weekend and had dinner at a quaint French place called Cafe Claude. It's tucked away in an alley, and the average passerby would easily pass by it. Once inside, we were transported away from the city bustle, and it wouldn't take too much imagination to think we were in Paris--if it weren't for our entertaining, yet French-accent deprived, waiter. I can't remember what my dish was called, but I remember the taste vividly--the melding of the rare tuna steak with an onion and bacon infused cream sauce, that left me extolling its qualities and completely satisfied. Bacon (and butter) really does make everything better.
In honor of my French food experience, I'm going to share the chocolate souffle a friend and I made (having two people make this the first time really helps to make it less intimidating). With the exception of one or two that were slightly amiss, they came out rather fetching, and tasted the way you would imagine a souffle should--a little dreamy. I've actually been waiting to make this again before posting it here, since some of the souffles did fall and I had only my iPhone with me to take pictures, but I decided to go ahead and post this anyway. I think Julia Child would approve.
Chocolate Souffle
Adapted from Sherry Yard's The Secrets of Baking Makes 6 8-oz. ramekins
Coating the ramekins:
- 2 T. unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup sugar
Lightly brush the ramekins with the melted butter, and coat completely with sugar. Set aside.
Souffles:
Preheat oven to 425F, with rack in the middle.
- 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 3 large egg yolks, room temperature
- 2 T. corn starch (though Sherry Yard suggests potato flour)
- 8 large egg whites, room temperature
- pinch of cream of tartar
- 1/4 cup sugar
- powdered sugar
1. Chop the chocolate into 1/4 in. pieces, and place in a medium heatproof bowl.
2. Heat the heavy cream until boiling, and pour over the chocolate. After about 1 minute, stir the chocolate and cream until all of the chocolate is melted. Set aside.
3. Whisk egg yolks with corn starch in a small bowl, and set aside.
4. Using an electric mixer, whip egg whites until large bubbles form. Add the pinch of cream of tartar. Continue to whip until soft peaks form (egg whites begin to cling to the beater). Slowly add in sugar, while whipping. Stop whipping once the egg whites can stand up (medium peak stage).
5. Stir the egg yolk mixture into the chocolate mixture from #2 using a spatula.
6. Gently fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the combined mixture from #5, then fold in the rest. Be careful to not deflate the egg whites.
7. Fill each of the ramekins to the rim with the batter. Run a knife around the inside wall of the ramekin to create a pocket of air, which will help the souffle rise straight (we forgot this step!).
8. Place filled ramekins on a baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes. The sides should be dry. Gently (and quietly!) remove the souffles from the oven, dust with powdered sugar and serve immediately.
(the sunken souffle!)
