Warm Your Bones: Beef Stew
Even when I’m under the weather, I like to cook. It feels normal, and sometimes the steam and heat in my little kitchen help to clear my system. This afternoon, I gave this beef stew recipe a try. My dad has a wonderful beef stew recipe, but I neglected to ask him for it the last time I was home. Of course, I searched marthastewart.com for her beef stew recipe, and this one had some flavor elements that I really enjoyed.
I like the use of tomato paste instead of actual tomatoes here- it gives a rich, concentrated tomato flavor and doesn’t make the stew watery. I also enjoyed the flavor of the balsamic vinegar. The stew has just a short list of ingredients, but it definitely left us wanting more. You probably have most of them on hand already.
The days are only going to get colder.. try this one out soon!
*Find the recipe here.
Classic Sick Day: Chicken Soup
Here I am. Sick, sick, sick. I usually don’t get sick – it’s not really my thing. But I am, and all I could think about making for myself was chicken soup. I didn’t have my grandmother’s recipe on hand for chicken corn soup, so I found this recipe from Martha. It was just what I needed. As usual, I opted for chicken breasts instead of the whole chicken- they were cheaper and less work for me in the end. The soup was tasty and light, and will be helping me through this sickness for the next few days. I’m definitely keeping this one on file. Hopefully, the next time I make this soup, I’ll be healthy.
*Find the recipe here.
Throwback Recipe: Blackened Catfish
I made this recipe ages ago, but I never had the chance to post about it. I love fish, but the commissary has a terrible selection, so it’s rare that we find good fish. I’m actually thinking about switching to a new grocery store because of it! On this occasion, I found two decent pieces of catfish and tried out a recipe for a blackened spice rub.
The spice rub was very easy, and very flavorful. There was a nice bite from the cayenne pepper. The fish goes right under the broiler until blackened, but be sure to check on it so it doesn’t burn up completely. In the meantime, I made a saute of corn, spinach and tomatoes to pair with it. An easy, fresh dinner to throw in the mix between autumn’s hearty soups and stews.
*Find the recipe here.
Tuesdays With Dorie: Regrets
Unfortunately, I won’t be participating in this week’s TWD.
Why? Three main reasons:
1. My nights have been a little busy lately. I just started a new job, and the Phils are in the Series!
2. I can’t make it to the grocery store until tomorrow.
3. My house is in Cupcake Overload! See the entries on the Phillies cupcakes – two people just shouldn’t consume that many cupcakes in such a short amount of time.
I’ll be back next week, of course!
Make Ahead Meals: Spinach and Proscuitto Lasagna
Some days are busier than others. The day I made this lasagna for my husband, I was running around the house, trying to get ready for work, had a towel on my head, and still managed to get the meal in the fridge and out of the house on time. How? Because it’s insanely easy. No cook lasagna noodles, frozen spinach, jarred pasta sauce (I used homemade because I had some pre-made in the freezer), a little proscuitto and cheese, and you’re done. You can refrigerate for up to a day or you can freeze for up to three weeks. Great for entertaining, and easy to double if you have more than four guests. Or just leave it in the fridge with a Post-It for your husband, like me..
*If you’re freezing, I’d recommend putting aluminum foil underneath it, freezing it for a day, and then removing it from the pan to freeze for the remaining time (don’t want to keep a good pan hostage for weeks!).
**Find the recipe here.
Sweet and Easy: Buttermilk Waffles
A quick and delicious way to start your day: Martha’s buttermilk waffles. I think waffles are even easier than pancakes- you don’t have to watch them or flip them- the waffle maker does all the work. Great with butter and syrup or fresh fruit topping.. or try out some of Martha’s toppings!
World Series Cupcakes: Part Two!!
Here they are: the finished product. I’m very happy with how these cupcakes ended up. This was my first fondant experience, and I know I’ll be working with it again!
To start things off, Kath (my adorable mother, who didn’t really know what she was getting into) started making a quick batch of buttercream. My favorite vanilla buttercream is also a Magnolia Bakery recipe- very simple, and produces delicious results every time.
While I colored the fondant (sorry, no pictures of the coloring process- it left my hands very sticky and covered with food coloring!), Kath iced the cupcakes. I used Wilton Icing Colors: red, blue, yellow and brown. It might seem odd to have double icing, but the fondant needs something to stick to.
These cupcakes have been a long time coming, and I wanted to make them each special, so every cupcake is a little different. To make the designs, I rolled out the colored fondant with a fondant rolling pin and cut out the shapes with a small, sharp knife. Some of them were easier than others!
For those of you that have been waiting to see these cupcakes for a few days (or months), I hope that they live up to your expectations! I’m so proud of our Phils and glad that I could celebrate them in this way. I know they’ll do an amazing job this weekend during their home games – after all, there’s only one October. Go Phils!
*If you have a question about how I made a specific cupcake, please comment and I’d love to explain it!
World Series Cupcakes: Teaser!
The cupcakes are finished and looking lovely, thanks to the helpful hands of my Mom! A full post to come later tonight… keep watching!
World Series Cupcakes: Part One
About one year ago, I made a promise to my best friend, Sean, that I would bake him special Phillies cupcakes if his beloved team ever made it to the World Series. At the time, I wasn’t a Phillies fan myself, and unfortunately, the Phils didn’t make it to the Series last year. Here we are in 2008, and I am now a die-hard fan and our team is playing Tampa Bay in the Series tonight. Funny how things change!
I want to go all out for these cupcakes, so this morning, I started the process. The cupcakes are made with the vanilla cake recipe from Magnolia Bakery– my very favorite! I also made fondant for the first time. I found the recipe from Zoe at Zoe Bakes. She provides step-by-step instructions that are very helpful for first-timers, like me.
The primary ingredient of the fondant, of course, is sugar. Tons of it!
What makes sugar into fondant? The addition of a little gelatin, water, vanilla, glycerin and corn syrup.
My KitchenAid mixer was freaking out a little because the fondant was so thick. It took some elbow grease to get all of it out of the mixer and onto the counter. Since I don’t have a silicone baking mat, I taped some parchment paper to the counter instead- I didn’t want to use my cutting boards because I knew this would be a messy job.
After lots of kneading (reminiscent of bread-making before I had my mixer), I came up with this nice little ball of fondant. Soon, this little ball of sugar will be Phillies cupcake art. The final product is coming soon- keep watching!
Tuesdays with Dorie: Pumpkin Muffins
It’s been a pumpkin kind of week around here. I’m so glad that Kelly picked out Dorie’s recipe for pumpkin muffins – I’ve been itching to do some baking with pumpkin puree.
I fiddled with Dorie’s recipe a little bit, replacing one cup of the all-purpose flour for whole wheat. I also omitted 1/4 cup of sugar and the spices because my grocery store only had sweetened, seasoned pumpkin puree. I went without the seeds, as well – I meant to save a few pumpkin seeds from this weekend’s carving activities, but Nick and I ended up eating them all!
I really enjoyed the consistency and flavor of the muffins. They’re denser than I expected, but in a good way. I’m so glad it’s fall.. I’m loving the TWD picks this month!
*Sorry for the lack of pictures! I’ve been busy nursing the husband back to health.
**Tuesdays with Dorie is a group of bloggers baking through Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From My Home to Yours.
