Ananas Cosmosus or pineapple

So I don't even remember when I made this cake because I do it so often. I takes about 10 minutes and everyone loves it. So I was wondering about the orgin of its name because come on it tastes nothing like an apple. So piña is the spanish word for pine as in the pine tree we know and love and kill each year to place in our homes on a day the catholic church picked to celebrate Christ birth because it coincided with the pagan holiday of Yule. Anyways I digress. The apple part comes from, you guessed it the juicy fruit the apple. I guess they are both fruits but come on. Pineapple. I wish it had been more interesting.

This is almost fool proff to make since the cake is dense and requires very little mixing skill. If you have an arm you'll be able to make it. I negate the mixer half the time. I use a skillet and it works fabulously but if you do not have one a cake pan will work just fine.

Making the pan schmear
8 Tbsp (1stick, 4 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1-1/2 Tbsp honey
1/2 tsp dark rum( pour with heavy hand)
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla paste or pure vanilla extract
Kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, combine the butter, honey, rum, brown sugar, and vanilla and beat until smooth and well blended. Spread half a cup of schmear over the bottom of a 9-inch silicone cake pan or caste iron skillet ( I spread a little more than half). Slice pineapple into quarters and arrange in circles on the bottom of the pan.

Making the cake
1-1/3 cups cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
8 Tbsp (1 stick, 4 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla paste or pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp milk

Sift the flour and baking powder together and set aside.

Put the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle and mix on low speed to combine, then beat on medium speed for about three minutes, until light and creamy. Stop to scrape down the sides of the mixer when necessary and continue mixing. Mix in the vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until the first one is fully incorporated before adding the second and again, stop and scrape down the sides when necessary. Beat in the milk. Add the flour mixture in 3 batches, beating until well combined.

Put the batter into the pan and spread gently over the pineapple. Bake for 15 minutes. Rotate the pan for even browning and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Let the cake in the pan cool on a cooling rack for 20 to 30 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the cake, invert onto a serving platter, and serve warm.

Nutella is like crack, sweet chocolate crack

So mostly everyone who is anyone has heard of nutella by now. Its chocolaty goodness is unmatched, I still remember my first time. I shared a crepe with my friend Erica in Paris, We had been out at the bars and on our way home decided to try the world famous french crepes. Now I dont remember much else about that night besides sitting on the bed with her in our hotel room and saying "best crepe ever" about 100 times. Ever since I like to keep a jar handy for bread, icecreams, and hell sometimes I just take a spoonful. Anyways..

These nutella cookies are divine. The nutella taste is not very strong but gives the cookie and unbelievable moisture.

Nutella cookies
makes about 2 dozen

ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour (9 oz)
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup chocolate hazelnut spread (Nutella) (I prob put like 2/3 cup)
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips.
2/3 cup chopped, toasted hazelnuts

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Cream the butter with the Nutella and both sugars. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and stir until it is incorporated, then stir the chocolate chips and hazelnuts. Drop by tablespoons onto cookie sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool on cookie sheet for a few minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Magical Boozy blueberry brownies

You must know that when the frequency of posting is increased my frequency of studying is decreased. Also after two weeks learning about nutrition, hunger, fiber, and binge eating I am sorry to admit that all I want to do when I leave class is eat. And not health food, it makes me want to eat junk food. I tried a virtual fix on food gawker with no avail.

So besides food I have another vice, beer. Cooking and alcohol have always gone well together, it seems to bring a depth that is lacking without libation. So for the some bakesale ( I admitingly dont remember what it was for) I made these stout blueberry brownies.

These are a little different than the normal brownie I like to make. These are cakey brownies but with a rich chocolate background making up for the lack of fudge factor. I added in blueberries because hell, they are in season and they are good.

Stout blueberry brownies:

makes about 2 dozen brownies

prep time: 15 min

bake time:20-30

ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into cubes
8 oz. dark bittersweet chocolate bar(s), chopped – I used 70% dark trader joes has a nice one.
3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup cane sugar
1 1/4 cups Stout beer, room temperature and foam skimmed off (I used Young's double chocolate stout)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/8 cup powdered sugar for dusting

directions:

Preheat the oven to 375° and grease a 9 x 13 baking. Mix the flour, cocoa powder and salt together. Set aside.

Using a double boiler, melt the chocolate bar pieces, milk chocolate and butter together until fully melted. Go slow so you don't burn the chocolate

In a very big bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar together until slightly frothy. Very slowly, pour in the chocolate mixture while whisking the eggs. If you go too fast, you’ll have scrambled eggs, so take your time.

When your chocolate mixture and your eggs are combined, whisk in the Guinness. Fold in the flour mixture very slowly, making sure not to over-mix. You want to see some crumbly bits still in there. Fold in berries.

Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish, top with the cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips and bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove the baking dish and let cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar.

movin' to the country gonna eat me a lot of peaches

It's peach season again. And man do I love peaches. The thing about peach pie is that it can be too sweet. Too much mush and dulce and not enough of anything else. Ok this is starting to sound the the Betty White muffin sketch so I'm going to move on.

I made peach bars recipe from Annie's Eats a great cooking blog. The wonderful thing about them is they nestle the super sweet peaches in between a shortbread crust that mellows is out just a bit. You could replace the peaches with any in season fruit and it would work. They also travel and serve better then their pie cousin. The only thing about these babies is they are a little dry so you might want to pair them with ice cream or drizzle the top with some condensed milk. Although I had a few people eat them plain and they seemed to like them just fine. So full speed ahead on these babies.

Peach Crumb Bars

Ingredients:
1½ cups sugar, divided
1 tsp. baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
¼ tsp. salt
Zest of half a lemon
16 tbsp. cold, unsalted butter cut into small pieces
1 large egg
5 cups peeled, chopped peaches (about 5 peaches)
5 tsp. cornstarch
Juice of 1 lemon
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375° F. Grease a 9 x 13″ pan; set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup of the sugar, the baking powder and flour. Mix in the salt and the lemon zest, and stir together with a fork. Cut in the butter and egg until the largest chunks are about pea-sized. The mixture should be crumbly without much loose flour. Spread about half of the dough mixture in an even layer over the bottom of the prepared pan and press down firmly to form the bottom crust.

In another bowl, stir together the remaining sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and nutmeg. Gently mix in the peaches with a rubber spatula until combined. Sprinkle the fruit mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble the remaining dough over the top of the peaches.

Bake for about 45 minutes or until the top is slightly golden brown. Cool completely before cutting into squares and serving.

Ode to Moosewood

Have you heard of Moosewood restaurant. Because your about to fall in love with there cookbooks. They use a simple concept: shop local, use fresh ingredients and your work as a cook is minimal. I have never made something out of their books that hasen't gone on my "Make to impress" list.

One of my teachers Dr. Pust brought this Gazpacho in during a night coarse on Global health I was taking with him. I was not too excited because to be honest I don't like gazpacho. But this was different. I devoured the first bowl and went for a second. It was fresh and crunchy, a little bit of spice and the summer vegetables were a perfect blend.

So it was no surprise when he brought me the recipe and it was the telltale page of a moosewood cook book. They had the power to turn me.

Gazpacho:
20-30 min prep 2 hours to chill about 6-8 servings

Ingredients:
4 cups cold tomato juice ( i used 6 cups one large bottle)
1 small, well minced onion'2 cups freshly diced tomatoes
1 cup minced green pepper
1 diced cucumber
1 bunch copped radish
4-5 stocks celery
3 scallions/green onions chopped
juice of one lemon
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 tbs. wine vinegar
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. tarragon
dash of cumin
1 tsp. honey
2 cloves crushed garlic
2 tsp. olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
Tabasco to taste

Combine all ingredients and chill for at least 2 hours. Eat and eat and eat.

Mama mia: Roasting Italian roasting peppers

So I go to a farmers market almost every Sunday to pick up what I can for the week. While Arizona has a long growing season (see year round) we are some what limited on variety. So I was very please to see Italian roasting peppers on my favorite farms table. Why is it my favorite farm you ask? Because the farmers are 20 something and hot.

You have probably eaten an Italian roasting pepper and not known it. An Italian beef sandwich will usually feature them. They are tasty and sweet. I mixed mine up with some white beans, parsley, garlic, and olive oil for a dip and froze the rest. If you freeze them leave the roasted skins on, it keeps them from getting freezer burn.

Roasting:
1. Coat peppers in olive oil and spread in a single layer on a baking sheet
2. Broil on low checking every 3 to 5 min
3. Turn when one side is blacked/browned
4. Enjoy how you see fit.

Blueberry muffins with lemon glaze

These are good. I mean it. They are fluffy and light not too sweet and great warm out of the oven. After my first week back at school I'm tired and worn out, so into the kitchen I go.

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, beaten*

1 cup buttermilk*

½ cup melted butter or 1/2 cup vegetable oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups blueberries

For the glaze:
½ cup powdered sugar
3 tbsp. lemon juice

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Sift dry ingredients together in a large bowl. If you are the kind of person that skips this step dont. The muffins will not be as fluffy with out this step. In another bowl, whisk eggs, buttermilk, butter or oil, lemon juice and vanilla. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in liquid ingredients, mixing quickly.

Fold in blueberries. Spoon batter into greased muffin cups, almost to the top of each cup, and bake for 20 -30 minutes, or until golden brown.

In a small bowl, whisk powdered sugar and lemon juice until it is the consistency of thin icing. Brush each muffin top with about 1 tsp. of the glaze.

Are you rich enough? Are you tough enough wooo?

The chocolate oatmeal almost candy bar
with strawberry modification

Its been a while I know. As in months and only one post I know. I am going to try to get these recipes up as soon as possible and start baking again after a 2 month break of traveling through Mexico and Guatemala. I got a lot of ideas and am looking foreword to getting back to my roots.

So these bars my roommate found through foodgawker.com one of my favorite sights to re-live my chubby childhood days. They are rich, I mean rich, Macaulay Culkin Richie Rich style. I added strawberries because they never hurt.

Zee Oatmeal Layer:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 sticks ( 8 ounces ) unsalted butter-at room temperature
2 cups (packed) light brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup walnuts

Zee Chocolate Layer:
1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

How Does it work:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9X13 inch pan.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon(I always add more).
3. Beat the butter on medium speed until it is soft and creamy. Add the brown sugar and beat for 2 minutes, then add the eggs one at a time, beating for a minute after each egg goes in. Beat in the vanilla. You want it light and fluffy, cloud like. Mix in dry ingredients.
4. Set aside 1 1/2 to 2 cups of the mixture, then turn the remaining dough into the prepared 9X13 pan. Set aside while you prepare the next layer.
5. Set a heat proof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water(or if you have a double boiler, yah) . Put the condensed milk, chocolate chips, butter and salt in the bowl and stir occasionally until the milk is warm and stir in the vanilla and 3/4 cup walnuts.
6. Slice strawberries and place on crust.
6. Pour the warm chocolate over the oatmeal crust, then scatter the remaining oatmeal mixture over the top. Don't try to spread the oatmeal, and don't worry about getting the topping even.
7. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the chocolate layer is dull and starting to come away from the sides of the pan. Cool and chill in refrigerator for 1 hour then cut it up

Eat up.

Chili Brownies

To start the blog off I thought I would make lemon bars. It's heating up here and it seemed like a good idea. They turned out kinda wonkie great taste but just didn't congeal. So I went to a trusted recipe from a friend and fellow baker Abby Limmer. These brownies once tasted don't seem out of the ordinary but then the end note hits and your tongue warms up and you wondering if your having an allergic reaction. Nope its the chilies. For this batch I used chili de arbol( or tree chilies) since I am familiar with their heat. I would suggest you taste as you go to get the desired amount of zing. Enjoy!

Chili Brownies
Ingredients:
4 oz baking chocolate(I also added a bit of coco)
1 1/3 cup butter
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups sugar
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon (to taste)
1/4 tsp cayenne (to taste)
1/8 cup regular red chile (NOT chili powder)

Directions:
Melt the chocolate and butter together in a double boiler and set aside to cool. Beat the eggs until they are light yellow and then add the rest of the dry ingredients. When the butter chocolate misture has melted and warmed add it to the egg mixture, mix well.

Put brownie mix into a buttered 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for 30 mins or until a knife or toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center of the pan.

You can always at some chocolate chips, shredded chocolate, I was even thinking a little candied ginger.

Hope you Enjoy!