"Burger and Shake" Redux: the quicker, healthier way to get satisfied

Let me introduce you to a few of my new favorite instant meal time freezer staples: MorningStar Farms Mushroom Lover's Burger and Italian Herb Chik Patties.  Now, I know what you're thinking: "This gal's done lost her marbles!  She's gone to the green side!" No sir, I ain't no tree huggin' grass eater.  Just a mama with three unreasonably picky, growing kids and an (equally picky) handsome husband who needs has deemed healthy eating codependent with good eating.

  As afore mentioned, I'm a serial grocery shopper.  Some women are drawn to department stores and shoe boutiques, but my retail weaknesses are Save Mart and Grocery Outlet.  If you've got food, I'm coming to buy it and I want it C-H-E-A-P.  So it goes without saying that when I find stuff like veggie burgers on clearance at more than 50 off the sticker price, I'm filling my cart, and subsequently my freezer/fridge/pantry, like it's nobody's business.

  So, starving after the latest big box raid, I pile into the house with a screaming baby and a yappy 3 year old (the usual...) and a car full of stuff.  Unload, put baby in swing to sing her happy little nappy off, and think "What can I quickly prepare to eat that will fill me up but won't make me feel like a mega-mama??"  A quick perusal of the back of a box of MorningStar Burger patties allows that I can have warm fare in 2.5 minutes.  Toasting a frozen burger bun (always got at least an eight-pack in the ice chest) will take that up to 6 minutes.  Slapping on some A1, Grey Poupon, spinach and tomatoes brings the microwave-to-table total to 10 minutes for what might be a fantastic meal.  So I say, HECK YES I'm going give this a shot.  here's what I did...


Ingredients for The Best Veggie Burger I've Ever Had 

~~Microwave-to-table in 10 minutes or less~~

1 sesame seed bun
2 MorningStar Mushroom Lover's Burger patties
1 - 2 slices pepper Jack or favorite cheese
1 tbsp A1 (approximately, or enough for a thin smear across the bottom bun)
1 tsp Grey Poupon or your favorite mustard)
a bunch of baby spinach or your favorite leafy green
2 slices of tomato (garden fresh is best, Feng shui says!)
S & P (go light on or nix the S as the burgers are plenty well seasoned)

A plate (duh!)

Directions:

Toast bun to desired doneness (or just leave it alone, au naturale).  Place MorningStars on microwaveable plate and nuke 1 minute, flip and nuke for another minute.  Place cheese en center mass and heat until melted, about 30 seconds*

Prepare the bun, mustard on one side, A1 on the other.  Pile the greens onto the bottom bun, then the sliced tomato, season with S & P and double up those beautiful steaming hot mushroom patties.  Top, press down slightly, put your butt back and your head over your plate and mow that burger down!

*This all depends on your microwave.  You know what yours is like, so work accordingly.

Of course all of this burger talk begs the presence of a rich, creamy, ice-cold shake.  The kind that can only be produced from a pint of ice cream, a few chunks of ice and a gallon of milk... until now!  This is what I call the Emerald Shake and even though it tastes like you're drinking a jug of straight whipping cream, your hips will have only gained the happiness of staying in those skinny jeans you love so much.

<3 Emerald Smoothie <3 


1 ripe Hass avocado
5 chunks of ice
1/4 c 2% milk
2 packets of Splenda or 1 tsp regular white sugar
splash of lime juice if you've got it (keeps the avocado from browning)

Split the avocado open and spoon the flesh into your blender.  top with rest of ingredients, lid up and buzz until velvety smooth.  Serve with a straw in your favorite smoothie glass along side your new favorite veggie burger.  Ah, can you find a meal like this at In n Out??  I think not!  Enjoy!

If you're not full convinced that swapping a veggie burger for an all beef patty, check this out:

1 MorningStar Mushroom Lover's patty = 
Fat: 6 g
Calories: 110

1 Emerald Smoothie = 
1 medium Hass avocado: 50 calories and 4.5 grams of fat
1/4 c 2% milk: 30 calories and 1.2 grams of fat
2 packets of Splenda: 20 calories total
Total: 100 calories and 5.7 grams of fat

I added all the bells and whistles to my burger because that's how I'm used to preparing them, but really the MorningStars would be GREAT as the main protein portion of a meat-and-two-veg kind of meal.  And who can say no to a creamy smoothie?  I know I get weak in the knees just thinking of them.  Get FULL (not fat) and happy! :-)

Summertime Sorbet = YUM TIME!

First scoop of homemade sorbet was GOOD! 

A lot of people in my neck of the woods find themselves buried in fruit come Summer time.  Strawberries from March through the middle of June, peaches from late June through August and lemons as the weather cools off at the tail end of August.  We are truly blessed to have such a bountiful supply of fresh produce and don't get me wrong, I appreciate not having to pay high prices for good food.  But you can only can and pie so many fruits before your family (and friends) begin to look away when you enter the room (*whisper whisper* "She's bringing another cobbler!").

Fresh sorbet!

  One thing at least my oldest son and I can agree on is that smoothies are good ANYTIME of the year, as many times a week as my blender can handle.  Our favorite combo is 60-70% strawberries and 30% other fruit (and vegetable when I can sneak it past him).  Even more so, we agree that sorbet is the bomb-diggity, especially when the clock ticks 9pm and it's still 95 degrees out.  Finding myself with an abundance of swiftly-ripening peaches, I turned to the internet for a good recipe I could throw into my little blue ice cream maker and up popped this jewel.  When I'm not fruiting it up, I'm an avid baker so I always have at least five pounds of sugar tucked away in my baking supply shop (the pantry) and if you like sorbet, so should you.  Now all you need is ripe fruit and shazam!  It's SORBET TIME!

Pretty flecks of REAL strawberry and peach amid ripe bananas

Lastly, the best fruit for any preparation is the kind that smells of what it is.  I spend a lot of my time sniffing through the fruit section at my supermarket, huffing strawberry fumes and pineapple exhaust.  If it don't smell good, it ain't gonna taste good neither!

Gotta have a little help when you make sorbet, donchaknaw?

~ The Recipe ~

Adapted from Curtis Aiken's Peach Sorbet found on Food Network (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/curtis-aikens/peach-sorbet-recipe/index.html) because I only like to make what I'm going to use (even simple syrup).

Ingredients:

1 c roughly chopped strawberries, frozen*
1 c roughly chopped ripe peaches, frozen
1 large ripe banana, roughly chopped or broken into chunks
1 c sugar (or half a cup of Splenda)
1 c water
Splash of juice (I used orange, but whatever you've got on hand is good)

Place half of each fruit into jug of a blender.  Bring water and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan; cook for about 5 minutes until all sugar is disolved and has thickened slightly.  Pour hot syrup over frozen fruit, cover and blend until pureed.  Add rest of fruit and splash of juice and blend until the consistency of a smoothie (add just enough juice to break down and loosen fruit).  Scoop a bit off the top and try; should taste a little too sweet and won't run off spoon.**  Freeze in ice cream maker according to manufacturer instructions (mine took about 10 minutes and actually got so thick the mixer stopped).  Remove to air tight container and freeze for at least 1 hour or until scooping consistency.  

* Freezing the fruit, instead of using fresh, helps this sorbet come together quickly, allowing for less time spent waiting for the final product.  Eating is the objective here, isn't it? :-)
** Tastes buds become slightly desensitized when eating cold foods, so making your soft mix "too sweet" will give it a better mouth feel and flavor when you go to eat it.

Serving suggestions: Straight up, scooped into a pretty bowl with a spoon on the ready.  Or if you're feeling breakfasty, try a sorbet mimosa: 1 champagne flute, your favorite bubbly and a scoop or two of this sorbet.  This idea is making my mouth water! :-)

p.s.  I've just enjoyed my first scoop and I've gotta say i really like it.  It's like an uber thick smoothie; there's still quite a bit of texture because I didn't blend it down all the way (which I prefer).  After about an hour and a half, the mix was still soft, so I took a fork and whipped it up a bit, to incorporate the frozen outer layer with the still gooey center.  Will try a scoop in an hour or so and let you know how that goes.

Pandan coconut waffles

This is a recipe for my friend Maggie, who also lives in a city that does not have these readily available to the masses at the local Grand Century/Asian strip mall (although her neck of the woods is a bit more dense in the Asian population) :

Adapted from an entry on Typology Central ( http://www.typologycentral.com/forums/home-garden-cooking/22639-i-m-drooling-right-now-pandan-coconut-waffles-recipe-inside.html 

)

This is a very simple yet satisfying recipe for Pandan Coconut Waffles. There are a few variations that you can adjust once you get the gist of it. I have a very picky eater in the house so he approves this one. So here it is, enjoy!

You can get pandan flavour in a bottle at any asian grocery store such as H-mart or Hong Kong market etc..

2 cup cake flour (you can use all purpose flour, but not self rising)
9-10 TBSP sugar (can vary depending on your sweet tooth)
1/2 TSP salt
2 TSP baking powder
3 eggs (separating the yolk and the egg white)
1 whole can coconut milk
1 stick of unsalted butter (melted)
1/2 TSP pandan flavoring
Butter spray to keep the waffles from sticking to the maker, even though it may say non-stick, don't take the risk of having to scrub later...

Directions

Turn on your waffle maker so it'll be hot and ready!

Dry Ingredients
Mix the cake flour or all purpose flour in a bowl along with salt, sugar and baking powder. Stir it evenly, if you're using cake flour, which is extra fine, you don't need sifting. Set aside

Wet Ingredients
Mix the 3 egg yolks in a bowl with 1 can coconut milk, melted butter and panda flavoring. Stir evenly and set aside.

Either using an electric hand mixer or bring out your fancy KitchenAid mixer, using the whisk, beat the egg white on Med/High until it turns into a white stiff consistency, almost like whipped cream. Do not over beat. This is what will make the waffle very light and airy  Set Aside

Now, with the dry ingredient bowl, slowly add the wet ingredient in and stir gently with a spatula. Once the wet is completely mixed in, slowly add the egg white by folding it gently. DO NOT STIR at this point, you just want to fold it in by pushing the spatula to the very bottom of the bowl and push up then fold over until all the egg whites are folded in.

Now it's ready for the waffle maker. I'm sure you can handle it from here.

Challah at yo' baker! Finally, a good, light loaf of egg bread

I'm sure I did this wrong, but here's my attempt at a six strand braid.  Looked like it worked... kind of.  

There's something about a fresh, fluffy, hot loaf of home made bread that makes me want to get up and dance.  Even more so, I LOVE the process: blooming the yeast, shaping the dough, watching said dough transform from pale and smooth to golden and glossy.  I'll admit, it's a long process that takes time and patience, but if you're into baking in any capacity, you won't regret putting forth just a little more effort than usual.  Faintly sweet, light, airy and everything anyone would want from a loaf of good ol' egg bread, this challah (or challot, if you decide to make more than one!) will find your hot little hand raiding the bread box for the very last crumb.

More good news about this bread?  It's just as fantastic 2, 3 and 4 days after baking as it is fresh out of the hot box.  It's moist, but not dense.  Chewy, but not tough.  I just luuuuurrve it!


Warning to all bubbes and challah purists: this recipe is adapted from a Jewish cookbook and, as such, was written to make a traditional loaf.  I prefer a flakey/tender crust, so I used melted butter instead of an egg wash.  Also, I don't braid my challot, I roll it around, form it into a loaf and slap it into a couple of greased loaf pans.  To each his own, I say!  If you know you like something a certain way, be your own chef/baker.  With that said, here we go!

Adapted from "Jewish Home Cooking" by Arthur Schwartz

Ingredients:

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (Gold Star brand from Smart and Final is cheap and fantastic)
1 c warm water - no more than 110 F
1/3 c granulated sugar
4 1/2 - 6 c all purpose flour
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 c canola oil
2 tsp salt
3 tbsp butter, melted

My tool box (again, to each his own...):

Kitchenaid stand mixer, fitted with dough hook
1 c glass liquid measuring cup
1/4 - 1 c dry measuring cups
1/4-1 tbsp measuring spoons
Rubber/silicone spatula
Dough scraper (silicone) - aides greatly in gathering all of the dough from the sides of the work bowl
Flimsy paper plates (the cheaper, the better)
Silicone baking mat (like a Silpat)
MOST importantly: muh clean and nimble little hands!

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine yeast and water; stir to combine.  Add sugar, stir to combine, then add 1/2 cup of flour.  Mix again.

Stir in eggs until well incorporated then stir in one more cup of flour until moistened through.  On medium-low speed, beat in the oil and salt.

Beat one cup of flour in at a time until dough starts to pull away from sides of work bowl but is still very sticky, should take an additional 2-3 cups of flour at this point.  At this point, it's all about feeling: if the dough is too wet, it'll stick all of your hands when you try to remove it from the bowl.  Beat in 1/2 c additional flour until the dough starts to climb up the dough hook and pulls completely away from the bowl.

Remove every last bit of dough from the work bowl, form into a rough ball and dip into extra flour.  On a lightly dusted work surface (I lined my tile counter with an extra large silicone baking mat), knead the dough until it springs back at you if you poke it, no less than 10 minutes (this goes a lot quicker than you think, so work it!).  Pull dough over itself until a smooth ball is formed and place in your biggest well oiled bowl.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to rest in your fridge for at least 3 hours, at best over night.*  Dough should be double, if not triple its original size.

After the dough's done taking a nap and is still ice cold**, you can either split it evenly into 3 balls, roll them into snakes and throw them into a standard braid, or you could be lazy like me and split the dough in two and slap it into well greased glass loaf pans.  Either way, let the shaped dough rest, loosely covered with a clean dish towel, at room temperature for  at least 40 minutes.  Some where close to the middle of this time, set your oven for 350 F.

When dough has doubled its size, it's fully risen and ready to go.  Bake for 20 minutes, rotate all exposed surfaces with foil and bake additional 20 minutes or until you get a hollow sound when the top of the loaf is tapped.  De-pan and enjoy immediately with a pat of butter or skip the formalities and rip into that loaf like you've never had bread before!!  Enjoy!!

*If you are in a hurry, you can allow the dough to do this first rise in a warm, draft free place (my garage is plenty warm enough during the summer months) for about an hour or so.  The cold rise allows the glutens you've developed via kneading to super relax, which will in turn produce a SUPER airy and light inside and crisp flakey crust.
**I found that the dough kept its shape and was easier to work with when formed straight out of the fridge.

Chocolate Stout Cake

The original chocolate stout cake donut served on Father's Day, 2011

I originally made this cake as a way to use at least part of a bottle of chocolate bock my husband had deemed unpalatable.  As a lover of all things vanilla, he felt it was "just too chocolatey".  The plan was to serve it after a scrumptious lunch at Farmer Boys on Father's Day, which worked out quite nicely as a rich back drop to our greasy spoon affair.  Between this and the lemon yogurt cake I made for my dear old husband, we each savored the sweetness of each other's company until the last crumb was devoured.

Although the chocolate bock lent a nice flavor, I much prefer the smooth, almost coffee like taste of Guinness, but really you can use what ever dark stout beer you like.  This is a simple cake to prepare which can be decorated however you please, but is best enrobed in melted semi-sweet or dark chocolate just to make sure people know what flavor is boss.  Serve this up with a shot of espresso and maybe a dollop of freshly whipped cream and you've got a dessert that'll make the biggest chocolate fan sing!

A fantastic start to a gorgeous cake!

Chocolate Stout Cake
Adapted from Tracey's Culinary Adventure, who adapted it from Bon Apetit

Aaaaah... the good stuff!

Chocolate Stout Cake
adapted from the Barrington Brewery in Great Barrington, MA via Bon Appetit (via Smitten Kitchen)

1/2 cup stout (I used Guinness) 
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 tbsp granulated coffee*

Stout, coffee and a stick o' butter = YUMMERINO!

Whisking everything together

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoons baking soda
3/8 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/3 cup sour cream**
3 ounces semisweet chocolate1 tsp vegetable oil


To make the cake: Preheat oven to 350 F.  Spray a round spring-form pan well with cooking spray and dust with flour.***

In a large saucepan set over medium heat, combine the stout and the butter.  Stirring occasionally, bring the mixture to a simmer.  Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the cocoa powder and coffee granules until the mixture is smooth.  Set aside to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt together.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the egg and sour cream until well blended.  Add the slightly cooled stout mixture to the bowl and beat to combine.  Add the flour mixture all at once and beat briefly on low speed to begin to incorporate.  Remove the mixer bowl and use a rubber spatula to fold the batter to finish incorporating the dry ingredients.

Transfer the batter to the prepared spring-form pan.  Bake for 30-32 minutes, rotating pan 180 degrees at the 15 minute mark for even baking.  Center of cake should spring back when gently pressed.     Transfer the pan to a wire rack and allow to cool for 10 minutes then turn the cake out of the pan and set it on the wire rack to cool completely. 


Microwave semi-sweet chocolate in a glass measuring cup for about 30 seconds increments (each microwave is different so set the time and stay close by) until most of the way melted through.  With a smooth, mix in oil until well incorporated into chocolate and forms a smooth glaze.  Immediately pour over cooled chocolate sponge, allowing excess to pour over from edge to edge.  For a garnish, zest an orange over the ganache and sprinkle some coffee granules over the center.  Serves 8.  

Velveteen chocolate stout batter

This bad boy is ready to load into the magical hot box! 

*Decaffeinated coffee granules are great for those of you who are sensitive to caffeine
** I used mayonnaise instead because that's what I had on hand.  Could not taste the difference.  


*** The best way to do this is to dump about a cup of flour into the greased pan, shake, roll and wiggle the pan until all surfaces are covered, then invert the pan over the flour container and tap out the excess powder.  

Ginger snaps: a spicy snappy sugar cookie

This is going out to one of my followers who is a BIG fan of these tasty morsels.

Gingersnap Cookies:  In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy (about 2 - 3 minutes). Add the molasses, egg, and vanilla extract and beat until incorporated. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Add to the butter mixture and mix until well combined. Cover and chill the batter for about 30 minutes or until firm.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place about 1 cup (200 grams) of white granulated sugar in a medium sized bowl. When the dough has chilled sufficiently, roll into 1 inch (2.5 cm) balls. Then roll the balls of dough into the sugar, coating them thoroughly. Place on the baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches (5 cm) apart and, with the bottom of a glass, flatten the cookies slightly.  Bake for about 12 - 15 minutes or until the cookies feel dry and firm on top.  (The longer the cookies bake, the more crisp they will be.) Cool on a wire rack.  Makes about 4 dozen cookies. Gingersnap Cookies: 3/4 cup (170 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature* 1/2 cup (105 grams) dark brown sugar 1/2 cup (100 grams) white granulated sugar 1/4 cup (60 ml) unsulphured molasses 1 large egg 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 2 cups (260 grams) all purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 2 teaspoons ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves Garnish: 1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar *If using salted butter, do not add extra 1/4 tsp of salt mentioned later in ingredient list.

Salmon croquettes: a GREAT way to sneak veggies into picky petes

Serves 4

2- 5 ounce cans of salmon or tuna in water, drained
1 large egg
2 tbsp finely minced white onion
1 small carrot, finely shredded on a box grater
3/4 c dry bread crumbs
Salt and pepper
1 medium lime*
1 tbsp vegetable oil

Combine first five ingredients in a medium bowl.  Gently stir with a fork just to combine, adding just enough of the bread crumbs to bring the mix together (should take a scant 1/4 c).  Season to taste with s and p and a sprinkle of lime juice (this part is entirely up to you on how much is added).

Place remaining bread crumbs in a shallow dish, shape 1/2 cup balls of fish mixture into round cakes about 1/2 inch thick and place on top of crumbs. Bury the patty in the crumbs, being very gentle so as not to break the delicate cake.  At this point, you can make all the cakes, put them on a plate wrapped in plastic and keep them in the fridge until you're ready to fry them up.  Or you can...

...  Heat the oil in your largest frying pan over medium low heat; once a sprinkle of bread crumbs sizzles in the oil, the pan is hot enough.  Should be just enough oil to lightly coat bottom of pan.  Gently place croquettes into hot oil and fry 3 minutes or until lightly golden and crispy.

To plate (serving suggestions):  Place a scoop of white rice on a rimmed plate with a some corn sprinkled over it.  Place one or two croquettes along the side and sprinkle all with roughly chopped cilantro.  Squeeze some lime juice over all, concentrating on the fish cakes.  Garnish with lime wedge.

Really and truly lemon cake

Have you ever had a lemon cake that smelled, looked and promised to be, but fell devastatingly short?  Being a fan of the lively cadmium citrus, I've been in search of a slice of cake that would make my taste buds sing and dance at the same time.  My hubby loves lemon cake so much that we chose to have our wedding cake flavored as such, which is a lot to say because he doesn't really care for citrus products at all. My son is known to eat lemons straight up, just slice it open and go to town on it.  So much so that my father in law planted a tree in his front yard that produces a bumper crop of semi-sweet fruit every season.  Just think copious amounts of plump, juicy orbs perfect for 50:50 lemon to sugar lemonade that'll cool you right off on the hottest of Summer days.  So it may come as no surprise that lemon cake is high on my list of "to perfect" (as in to craft until it's up to my standards) recipes.

  Thanks to Ina Garten of Food Network fame, I've discovered a wonderfully tart, dense but not too heavy and tender cake that is sure to please the most diehard lemon fanatic.  I prepared it as a poke cake since the glaze permeates the sponge and infuses the best lemon flavor that way and just for good measure, I used a canned butter cream frosting to carry over the heady citrus notes.  If you are a purist and you have all the time in the world, you can be my guest and make the frosting from scratch, too, but I err on the lazy side sometimes.  That and I'm in denial about how many sticks of butter it takes to make a good frosting, so there...  Try this out for your next birthday, tea party, simple snack or even wedding cake.  I promise, you won't be disappointed.

Adapted from Ina Garten's recipe for Lemon Yogurt Cake via www.foodnetwork.com 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 6 ounces container vanilla yogurt *
• 2 ounces mayonnaise *
• 1 1/3 cups sugar, divided
• 3 large eggs***
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

For the glaze *

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

*I used the rest of a can of lemon frosting left over from another cooking project, which suited this cake well as its uber-sweetness countered the tartness in the sponge.  Haven't tried the glaze, and will try it next time, but I would not reccommend doing both glaze and frosting.  Unless you have that big of a sweet tooth.  

* The original recipe asked for 1 cup of whole fat plain yogurt, but I only had a 6 ounce cup of low fat vanilla, so I made up the rest of the 8 ounces (1 cup) with mayonnaise.  I would dare to use up to 1/2 cup of mayo, but wonder if I can go even as far as to use a whole cup to match the fat content of the full fat yogurt.  All this if I wasn't being conscious of the calories and fat content of the cake in its entirety, of course. 

*** Again, this is what I had on hand.  The recipe actually asked for extra large eggs, which I'm sure would yield an even more tender crumb, but I think the cake came out fine with the large eggs.  Use what you've got, as long as the differences are minimal.  

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease and flour the pan.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it's all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.

Remove cake from oven and perforate thoroughly with a long barbecue skewer.  Slowly pour lemon syrup over length of cake while it is still piping hot.  Make sure liquid is soaked into sponge before de-panning to a metal rack to cool for at least an hour before frosting

OR

When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. Cool.

For the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice and pour over the cake.

Ginger Ale: My Next Quick Kitchen Project

Looks just like store bought, right?

Went to the supermarket the other day in search of the latest and greatest fresh produce and set my sights on the best thing in the whole world (when it comes to grocery shopping): the clearance rack.  On this particular day the squat little shelf was positively loaded with all sorts of goodies: 4 lb bags bursting-full with ripe roma tomatoes, emerald and ruby bell peppers bundled in sets of 3 and 4 and sacks of dirty Russets, each item mine for hardly a pittance.  Then I spied a jewel in the corner of the top rack, hiding amid the wealth of earthly goodies: a quart sized bag brimming with large, knotty fingers of ginger.   Ah, the things I could do with this spicy rhizome,  akin to the cuisine of every culture from Asia to America and I had enough to make my favorite dishes (ginger chicken, Pho Bo, etc.)

Everything you'll need for a refreshing drink

Three days later, I was in the kitchen whipping up something for dinner.  I had set Sydney in her crib where she was unhappily "taking a nap" (safely screaming her healthy little lungs out); she had been on me all day long and while I was enjoying the bonding time, being glued to the couch is not my m.o.  Then it occurred to me that I had two liters of something I never thought I'd be making at home: crisp and fizzy pale-hued ginger ale.  I unearthed the emerald plastic 2 liter from the freezer, undid the lid slowly and slightly to check for pressure, but nothing happened; to be honest, it looked flat.  Assuming the best and anticipating a quick cool drink, I twist the lid of and  BANG!  Let's just say, everything in the kitchen including from ceiling to floor was saturated in sticky ginger sugar water.  So much for sitting down with a plate of hot food and chilly pop.  Time to revisit the drawing board...

Ginger, lemon juice, and lemon zest "slurry"

  I've been intrigued by this sweet peppery elixer for a while now, although I've mostly only had the store bought stuff that's widely available to the masses.  One day my hubby brought home a four pack of Bundaberg Ginger Beer and my lips have been smacking after that bitey gingery spice ever since.  On the occasion that I had all of this ginger to spare, I decided to search for a recipe and try my hand at a home brewed version. To follow is a pleasantly simple recipe and directions for what might be your very own first bottle of home brewed ginger ale.  If done carefully, but not enough to pull your hair out, you'll find the results to be pleasantly sweet with just enough bite and flavor from the ginger that warms your throat all the way down while cooling you off in the most superlative way.  Just do your self a favor and take off the lid with WAY more caution than I did (like, go outside, don some safety goggles and duck for cover.  Juuuuuuuust kidding).  Happy brewing.

Combining water with the sugar, yeast, grated ginger and lemon.  Get ready to shake and shimmy that bottle!

Adapted from a recipe by David B. Fankhauser
( http://biology.clc.uc.edu/fankhauser/cheese/ginger_ale_ag0.htm )

Equipment: 
Microplate or fine-hole grater
A 2 - liter plastic soda bottle (NOT glass, which might shatter all over you as pressure builds inside)

Spouted pouring vessel (like a large measuring cup)

Measuring spoons (1/4 teaspoon and 1 tablespoon, to be exact)

Medium funnel
Fine mesh strainer/sieve

Ingredients: 
1 c white sugar*
1/4 tsp baker's yeast (the dry granulated stuff.  Got mine in bulk from Smart and Final for a wallet-load less than what you spend at the supermarket)
1 lemon (about 1/4 lb in weight), zested and juiced
Filtered water**

* I used what I had on hand, but the original recipe asked for cane sugar. I imagine brown sugar could be used too, and that it would give the ginger ale a color similar to that of the store brand stuff.  Never tried it, but plan to and will let you all know.
** Again, I used what I had on hand, but the recipe asked for "cold, fresh pure water".  I've heard it said that the cleaner the water, the better the final product, but I'm cheap and lazy and yeah.  So there.

Directions:

1.  Measure sugar and yeast, pour into clean dry bottle and shake to combine.
2.  Grate approximately 1.5 tablespoons/2 inches of peeled ginger into pouring vessel (I eye balled, but you can measure if you really want to be that careful).  Add lemon juice and zest and swish to combine then pour into soda bottle via funnel.
3.  Fill bottle with water, leaving at least 2 inches of head space.  This is your insurance policy against over flowing while the yeast and sugar do their magical thing and create carbonation.
4.  Shake until sugar is mostly dissolved (will look like cloudy dish water); place in warm location (i.e. top of fridge, most used bathroom, etc.) for at least 24 and no more than 48 hours or until you can't press the sides of the bottle in at all.
5.  Refrigerate at least 4 hours or until very cold.  THIS is where caution should be used in opening the bottle as there is no telling how much pressure has built up inside.  Just like opening a regular soda bottle, crack it open a tiny bit, turning the lid slowly while watching for bubbles/carbonation.  If you see anything crazy happening, quickly tighten lid and carefully try again.

Recipe yields 2 liters (after filtering)

Tomato and Onion Smothered Tofu: A Childhood Favorite

I'm friends with a lot of people who are all about the meat and potatoes which is all fine and dandy, but I get REALLY bored of that old regiment.  As a kid, I was always the one to reach for the plate of steamed veggies first or scoop up more pineapple and tomatoes than fish from my mother's sweet and sour seafood soup (ooookay, I'll blog that one... some time).  But, many years later, I married one of my meat and potatoes friends and have had three kids with him, one of which practically abhors anything green just like his father.  Much to my chagrin.  I've pureed and hidden veggies in the various cookies and cakes I've made for my kids, but the amount of sugar and fat in those recipes doesn't do much to boost their fiberous counter parts.

  Enter tofu, one of my all time favorite proteins.  I love it almost any way you can dish it up, from the gorgeous desert of silken tofu steeped in amber ginger sugar syrup found at Vietnamese fast food establishments to deep fried cubes stuffed with black fungus mushroom and onions (don't knock it til you try it!).  I'd take a plate of tofu over a hunk of chicken or steak almost any day!  The dish I'll be "preparing" for you today is one my Mummy dearest taught me to LOVE.  It's the vegan answer to spaghetti, best served over a bed of freshly steamed Jasmine rice with a generous drizzling of Sriracha hot sauce over top.  And for all you mamas out there, this is a great way to get your tykes to eat their veg and love them too; each serving packs a mega dose of lycopene rich tomatoes, antioxidant mega star onion and creamy, nourishing tofu.  Ah yes, be prepared to dazzle 'em with this goody goody gum drop!

Ingredients:

2 c vegetable (or your favorite) oil, for deep frying

8 ounce firm tofu, sliced half an inch thick
1/2 c corn starch
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tbsp white sugar
3-4 medium Roma tomatoes (or about 1.5 lbs of your favorite tomatoes), roughly chopped*

1/4 c ketchup

1/4 c chicken broth 

1 tbsp fish sauce
1-2 tsp of Sriracha hot sauce

1. Drain tofu, slice 1 inch thick along length and layer between paper towels on a cutting board or some kind of flat dish.  Place another flat dish on top and weight down with something heavy (a couple cans of soup, for instance); set aside.

2. Heat oil in medium sized high sided frying pan or deep fryer over medium heat.  Pour corn starch onto a large flat plate; dredge slices of tofu, front and back, alternately until all slices are lightly dusted.  When oil has begun to bubble**, carefully slide tofu in and fry, 3 or 4 at a time (or as many as can fit without touching), stirring and flipping occasionally, until golden and crisp, about 4 minutes.  Process all tofu in the same manner and drain on paper towels.

3. In a medium sized heavy bottomed pot, heat olive oil.  Saute onions until translucent and slightly golden.  Stir in garlic, sugar and tomatoes; continue to saute until tomatoes are falling apart.  Stir in ketchup, chicken broth, fish sauce and Sriracha (if using).  Bring to a slow boil.

4. Quarter fried tofu slices and nestle into tomato onion sauce.  Cover and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes or until tofu has absorbed some of the sauce.

Serving suggestions: Dose a couple strips of tofu and the juicy tomato sauce over a bed of freshly steamed Jasmine rice.  Garnish generously with chopped cilantro and scallions and have a bottle of Sriracha hot sauce and a some fresh ground pepper on the ready for a spicy kick!


*Can also use canned diced or whole tomatoes.  Drain from juices before adding them in step three.  Remaining juice can be added as alternative to chicken broth for an extra saucy end product.  I've done this when tomato prices are too-much-and-thirty-cents a pound.  
**There are several methods of checking the oil for the correct temperature for deep frying: 1. Use a thermometer (350 F), 2. When small bubbles begin to break the surface of the oil, toss in a chunk of bread.  If it immediately floats to the top and bubbles collect around it, the oil's ready for frying, or 3. Insert tip of wooden chopstick into oil in center of the pan (where the heat is the highest).  When bubbles collect, oil is ready for frying.

Urban Spoon

Check out my reviews on Urban Spoon.  I'm a supporter of local/mom and pop type establishments and really hope to boost their business through my reviews!

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My First Almost Perfect Attempt at Macarons

I know the secret to perfect macarons: Italian, NOT French meringue.  Such a simple thing, yet so much less pulling out of hair.  Yes, my friends, sugar syrup will save your macaron-eating soul.  Recently, I had my second baby shower in preparation for Baby #2 to enter the world and since I had such a good time, I thought I'd treat my ladies to something their sweet tooth would not soon forget.  Sadly, my neck of the woods does not offer these little darlings in such a gorgeous variety that would be available in, say, San Francisco or Sydney.  What is a foodie to do?

My last attempt was actually pretty successful, although the batch produced (plain almond cookies with strawberry jam infused buttercream) was almost too sweet even for my taste.  I've solved this dilemma by subbing in a healthy dose of gorgeous mahogany cocoa powder for some of the confectioner's sugar and filling each little tender crisp cookie with a heavenly coffee flavored buttercream.  A shot of espresso in cookie form.  NIRVANA!

This recipe is based on a true tutorial by Another Blogger (http://www.myfoodgeek.com/2007/06/08/almost-foolproof-macarons/).  No offense, but I found a lot of errors in the recipe and thought I'd bring it to light for you lovely readers out there.  'Cause none of us likes to waste ingredients as precious as sugar and almonds and eggs, donchaknaw.


Ingredients:

For the macarons: 

120g egg whites, divided (about 5 large eggs)
35g sugar
150g sliced raw almonds
20 g cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
150g powdered sugar

For the sugar syrup:
150g sugar and 50g water


For the Coffee Buttercream: 
3 tbsp milk/water, heated 30 seconds at a time until hot
4 tbsp instant coffee granules 
1 stick butter, at room temperature
3 c confectioner's sugar

The Tools You Might Use (not in order of appearance):

2 heavy gauge aluminum half sheet pans

1 or 2 silicon baking mats (such as Silpat).  Parchment paper is also a fine substitute, although I would not recommend wax paper 

Stand mixer with whisk attachment (not necessary, but is MUCH easier on your arms and back when you're whipping the heck out of some egg whites and sugar)

You can use a hand mixer or even a conventional wire whisk if you're crazy and into that kind of pain and frustration

Food processor (such as the Ninja blender system, which is *cough* what I used and LOVE for many such applications)

Digital postage scale, for weighing all the ingredients.  This really does make a difference as far as accuracy goes.

Fine mesh sieve 

A bunch of cheap, flimsy paper plates

Probe thermometer with digital screen (looks like this: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/5710116/?catalogId=51&bnrid=3120901&cm_ven=Google_PLA&cm_cat=Cooks_Tools&cm_pla=Timers_Thermometers&cm_ite=All-Clad_Oven-Probe_Thermometer&adtype=pla)


Rubber spatula


Gallon sized zip top baggie


**To be honest, this is my personal laundry list of success with macarons.  You can probably make substitutions according to what's available in your kitchen, but I can't speak for how well things will turn out.  Macarons are creatures of environment, sensitive to harsh temperatures and conditions.**

Directions - Cookies:

1. Preheat oven to 320 F.  Place a smal bowl onto the plate of a postage scale and carefully separate egg yolks from whites by gently passing the white through your fingers.  Pour into work bowl of stand mixer and hand whip until frothy*.  Place bowl onto stand mixer and whip on medium speed until tripled in volume and stiff peaks form (about 10 minutes total).
2. Combine granulated sugar with water in a small heavy bottomed sauce pan and bring to boil over high heat.  Reducing heat, bring to 180 F on probe thermometer.  Sugar and water will combine to form a viscose light amber syrup.  Remove from heat.  
3. Reduce speed of mixer to lowest speed, continuing to whip eggs while streaming in sugar syrup.  Small beads will form on sides of bowl and along spines of the whisk, but will not harm the meringue.  Continue to whip for another 2-5 minutes or through out the next step.  
4. Grind almonds, powdered sugar, cocoa powder and salt to a fine flour consistency in the bowl of a food processor.  Sift onto paper plate to ensure even grind; replace any unground meal and pulse until all is the same consistency.  
5. Remove meringue to a clean bowl, being careful to avoid the sugar crystals (I did this by way of a rubber spatula, dipping directly down into the center of the meringue away from the crystalized edge of the work bowl).  Gently fold almond/sugar/cocoa into meringue using a rubber spatula until completely combined; batter should be a very sticky pancake batter consistency.
6. Place silicone mat onto doubled up half sheets* Place zip top bag onto a vessel big enough to hold it open and scrape as much batter in as possible.  Gather bag opening, pushing batter into one corner and twist bag into a tear drop shape.  Snip 1/4 inch off corner and pipe 1 1/2 inch circles directly onto silicone mat.  
7. Rap cookie sheets with piped batter against counter once or twice by dropping from a height of about 1 inch or so.  This will settle batter firmly against silicone mat, allowing pied/feet to form in final baked product.
8. Allow batter circles to rest in a cool dry place for at least 20 minutes, or until you can touch the tops without any batter sticking to your fingers.  This may take up to 40 minutes and depends on humidity and drafts in the room you're using.  A fan set to low a couple feet away will expedite the drying process.   
9. Bake for 6 minutes, turn sheet around 180 degrees and cook for an additional 6 minutes.  Cookies will puff up more than out, with little bubbles/feet forming around the edges against the pan.  Let cookies cool on silicone mat on a cooling rack for 20 minutes before carefully peeling them off.  Inside should be moist while outside is crisp and dry to the touch.  

Buttercream:

1. Dissolve coffee granules into hot milk/water and set aside to cool slightly.  Whip butter on medium speed until creamy and lightened in color.  Beat in sugar, 1 cup at a time, scraping sides continually.  Drizzle in dissolved coffee and continue to whip until well combined and slightly aerated.  
2. Spoon into a 1 gallon zip top baggie, squeezing into one corner.  Twist corner of bag until all frosting is gathered into it and snip about 1/4 inch off.   

Finally, time to fill the macarons:

Flip all cookies so that moist side is up.  Match according to size, 2 per cookie.  Pipe buttercream concentrically onto one side, all the way to the edge and gently sandwich adjoining cookie on, twisting to assure adhesion.  Eat immediately with a cup of ice cold milk or hot cappuccino or store for up to 3 days in an air tight container.  Mine NEVER last more than 2 days, since they all end up in my belly too quickly.  

Look what you get to eat, now!!!! 

Macarons and chocolate/vanilla pinwheel cookies: a special gift received by each person at my recent baby shower. 

This recipe produces a gorgeous little cookie, tender-crisp on the outside, moist and brownie-like inside.  Cocoa powder and a touch of salt do wonders in balancing out the uber-sweet of the confectioner's sugar, while the coffee buttercream finish the flavors off in a rich note.  Try this one out, ya'll; I think you'll find the results to be a rather fine pay-off for any long cooking day.  Enjoy!