Dark Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Brad was craving something sweet today, so I chose these chocolate crinkle cookies that I found on All Recipes. They're dark, rich and chocolatey. They're a little time consuming to make, since you have to let the dough chill for awhile, then you have to fuss with scooping them and rolling in powdered sugar, but they're worth the time and trouble. Good stuff!



Dark Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup powdered sugar

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together cocoa, white sugar, and vegetable oil. Beat in eggs one at a time, then vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low, stir the dry ingredients into the cocoa mixture. Cover dough, and chill for at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Sift powdered sugar into a shallow bowl. Using two spoons, drop dough by teaspoons into powdered sugar, one or two at a time. Toss to coat and gently shape into balls. Place on prepared cookie sheets, 2 inches apart.

Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Let stand on the cookie sheet for a minute before transferring to wire racks to cool.

Cornbread Pudding

Brad's mom made this cornbread pudding when my parents came to visit, and we all went nuts for it. It's a really simple comfort food, and totally hits the spot.

I served it tonight alongside some spicy broiled tempeh (this recipe, but broiled instead of grilled) and our favorite green salad with corn, hard-boiled egg and Coco's dressing. Yum! Great dinner, and quick to throw together, which I appreciate because I'm not feeling great today.



Cornbread Pudding

1 15-oz can whole kernel corn, drained
1 15-oz can cream style corn
1 cup sour cream (I used dairy-free)
1 8.5-oz corn muffin mix (I used the ubiquitous Jiffy)
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9 x 9 inch baking pan. Combine all ingredients, pour into pan, and bake for 45 to 50 minutes.

Pannekake - Norwegian Pancakes

Last night we went over to my Mother-in-law's house, and helped Brad's 13 year old brother make Norwegian pancakes, pannekake, for a class project. They had to pick a food from their family heritage, do a write-up about it, then prepare it and bring it to school for everyone to try.

Both Brad and I are Norwegian by heritage (at least partially), which is pretty cool considering that we're from completely different regions of the U.S. I haven't had much Norwegian food, and in fact I hadn't even heard of pannekake before, so I was excited to get to help out.

We used a recipe that Brad's great-grandmother used to make, just a few simple ingredients. They were really easy to cook, and even Brad's brother was able to take over after we showed him how to make a few. I told him that chicks dig guys who can cook. ; )

These were so delicious last night, so I got up early this morning and made a batch of them for the kids before school. I rolled mine up with strawberry jam, and they were sooooo yummy! I wish we had picked up some lingonberries last time we were at IKEA.









Pannekake

6 eggs
2 cups half-and-half or whole milk
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar

Whisk eggs and milk together, then whisk in dry ingredients. The batter will be thinner than a pancake batter, and there will be a few lumps.

Heat a crepe pan over medium-low heat. Grease with cooking spray, then add a scant quarter cup of batter to the pan, swirling to spread it evenly across the bottom. Cook for about one minute, until the top is mostly dry. Flip over and cook about 30 seconds on the other side. Remove to a plate, and continue with remaining batter.

Serve these rolled up with lingonberries and cream, jam, or syrup.

Tuesdays with Dorie - Florida Pie

It's Tuesday, and you know what that means: Tuesdays with Dorie! I have to tell you, I look forward to this all week. I'm having such a good time baking something new every week, and am always eager to see what's coming up the next week.

This week's recipe is Florida Pie, chosen by Dianne of Dianne's Dishes. I didn't have the cookbook handy when I first heard that this was the upcoming recipe, and I'd never heard of a Florida Pie before, so I did a quick Google search to see what it might be. I found such unappetizing things as a cream pie with pineapples, maraschino cherries and other canned fruits. Um...ick. So I was nervous. But when I pulled out the cookbook and found that Dorie's Florida Pie is a hybrid of coconut cream and key lime pies, I was delighted!

It was, as with most Dorie recipes I've made, much simpler than it looks. I used a store-bought graham cracker crust because I was taking the pie to my mother-in-law for Mother's Day, and didn't want her to have to worry about my pie plate afterwards. So that was easy! The coconut cream filling was also very simple, just coconut and heavy cream simmered together until they formed a fabulous, thick coconut cream. The key lime filling couldn't have been easier, and the pie only bakes for a matter of minutes before chilling. I used bottled key lime juice because my beloved citrus press broke awhile back, and frankly I didn't feel like juicing a ton of tiny little limes.

The only problem I encountered was my meringue. I haven't made a meringue in years, and for some reason mine turned out kind of chunky. Huh. I don't know if I beat it too long, or not long enough (that's what she said :snort:), but I wasn't pleased with how it turned out. Not only was it chunky, but it also weeped like you can't believe. I mean, it didn't just weep, it sat itself down and had a full-on emotional cryfest, such that the edge of the crust was all goopy. It still tasted delicious, though, so I won't count it as a failure, but merely as room for improvement. Oh, and I opted not to add coconut to the meringue topping, and instead just sprinkled a little on top, where it toasted nicely as the meringue browned.



We ended up going out for lunch on Mother's Day, along with Brad's aunt, his cousin and her husband, his mom, stepdad and little brother, and we all had the pie for dessert. The pie was enjoyed by all, although I did learn that many of the people there don't care for coconut. But no problem, because we're heading back over this afternoon, and I had a cup and a half of key lime juice left, so this morning I whipped up three traditional key lime pies. One for us, one for my mother-in-law, and one for Brad's grandpa who was in the hospital and couldn't have any yesterday. Turns out he loves key lime pie, so he was sorely disappointed when he found that we would be having some at lunch. I couldn't resist making one just for him, and hope he'll be able to have some today. : )

Oh, and I should add that I will definitely make this pie again! I loved what the coconut cream layer added to the key lime filling. They went together beautifully, and made for an absolutely delicious pie. Success! Thank you, Dianne, for choosing this week's recipe!

I didn't get any pictures of the sliced Florida Pie, but here's a picture of one of my key lime pies instead.



Florida Pie

1 9-inch graham cracker crust (page 235), fully baked and cooled, or a store-bought crust
1 1/3 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups shredded sweetened coconut
4 large eggs, seperated
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup fresh Key (or regular) lime juice (from about 5 regular limes)
1/4 cup of sugar

Getting Ready:

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put the pie plate on a baking sheet lined with parchment of a silicone mat.

Put the cream and 1 cup of the coconut in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring almost constantly. Continue to cook and stir until the cream is reduced by half and the mixture is slightly thickened. Scrape the coconut cream into a bowl and set it aside while you prepare the lime filling.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl beat the egg yolks at high speed until thick and pale. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the condensed milk. Still on low, add half of the lime juice. When it is incorporated, add the reaming juice, again mixing until it is blended. Spread the coconut cream in the bottom of the graham cracker crust, and pour over the lime filling.

Bake the pie for 12 minutes. Transfer the pie to a cooling rack and cool for 15 minutes, then freeze the pie for at least 1 hour.

To Finish the Pie with Meringue:

Put the 4 egg whites and the sugar in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan and heat over medium-low heat, whisking all the while, until the whites are hot to the touch. Transfer the whites to a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, or use a hand mixer in a large bowl, and beat the whites at high speed until they reach room temperature and hold firm peaks. Using a rubber spatula, fold the remaining 1/2 cup coconut into the meringue.

Spread the meringue over the top of the pie, and run the pie under the broiler until the top of the meringue is golden brown. (Or, if you've got a blowtorch, you can use it to brown the meringue.) Return the pie to the freezer for another 30 minutes or for up to 3 hours before serving.

Pasta with Vodka Sauce

This was a quick dinner I threw together this evening. Since making the tofu-based creamy pesto sauce earlier in the week, I've been wanting to try a creamy tomato vodka sauce using the same technique. It worked really well, and it's fabulous to have a much lower-fat option for this dish, not to mention that it's another successful vegan adaptation. Go, me!

Pasta with Vodka Sauce

1 lb penne pasta
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup vodka
1 can tomato sauce (14 oz, I think)
1/3 block tofu
1 bunch fresh basil, sliced into thin ribbons
2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook several minutes, until onion is soft and translucent. Add garlic, and cook and stir for 1 minutes. Add vodka, and simmer for several minutes.

While onion mixture is simmering, place tofu and tomato sauce in a food processor, and pulse until smooth and creamy. Add to vodka mixture. Cover and simmer 10 minutes.

Just before serving, add basil, parsley and pasta. Toss to coat. Serve hot.

Lentil Sloppy Joes

I'm not ashamed to admit it. Sloppy Joes are one of my favorite meals. They're tangy and delicious and just one of those all-around great comfort foods that I go nuts for. Not eating meat at home kind of rules them out, but I've seen where people have made them with lentils, so I gave that a try tonight.

My standard recipe for Sloppy Joes is different from Sloppy Joes I've had anywhere else. Every other Sloppy Joe I've tried has been spicy, where my Sloppy Joes are sweet and tangy. Other Sloppy Joes have bell peppers or other veggies, where mine just have onions. So maybe my Sloppy Joes are unconventional, but at least they're mine, right? And it's a great vegan meal!

They were a big hit with all four of us. Hooray! The kids were skeptical when I told them they were made with lentils instead of ground beef, but they changed their minds as soon as they tried the first bite. And Brad ate THREE of them for dinner tonight. So yeah, we like these.

Do you like how I got all fancy with the cheesy X? Hee hee hee...



Lentil Sloppy Joes

1 1/2 cups dried lentils
4 cups water
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
3/4 cup ketchup
3 Tbsp yellow mustard
1 1/2 Tbsp cider vinegar
3 Tbsp packed brown sugar
salt and pepper
hamburger buns

Combine lentils and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, and saute until it begins to soften, but not brown. Drain lentils and add to skillet, along with ketchup, mustard, vinegar and brown sugar. Add salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 10 to 15 minutes. If the mixture is too soupy, remove the lid and simmer an additional 5 minutes.

Serve on hamburger buns.

Weekly Menu - week of May 11

It's menu planning time again! Seriously, where does the time go? The weeks seem to be flying by lately! I'm planning a little early because we had intended to have leftovers this evening, but forgot to put away the leftover pesto pasta salad on Wednesday, so there are no leftovers left to eat. Bummer. So here goes!

Ok, this took me forEVER to plan. I have really been drawing a blank lately on things to cook, and didn't feel like repeating things we've already had this year, but I'm doing it anyway with the grilled tempeh, giant burritos, and korma sauce. Oh well. I can live with that. ; )

A friend of mine has proposed a challenge to a bunch of us, to go a whole week without eating out at all. I know "a whole week" doesn't sound like very long, but then I started thinking about all the times we stop to get a soda at a drive-thru, or pick up some breakfast on the way to class, or go out and grab some lunch instead of coming up with something at home. This may be more difficult than I thought. The challenge starts Monday. We'll see how we fare.

Friday - Lentil Sloppy Joes

Saturday - Pasta with tomato vodka sauce, French bread, salad

Sunday - eating out for Mother's Day

Monday - dinner with Brad's family

Tuesday - Spicy broiled tempeh, cornbread pudding, salad

Wednesday - Black beans and rice, cornbread

Thursday - Giant burritos

Friday - Kofta korma, flat bread

Saturday - Banana pancakes

Garlic Shrimp

This is a recipe for Spanish style garlic shrimp that my mom got while we were living in Spain back in the 80s. It's very fast to make, and incredibly decadent and fabulous. I almost didn't make it tonight because I was tired and didn't feel much like cooking, but now I'm SO glad that I did. You should have seen us eating this, oohing and ahhing and making other yummy noises like Bill Murray in What About Bob?

Be sure to serve this with lots of crusty French bread for sopping up the delicious sauce!



Garlic Shrimp

½ c olive oil
1/8 lb (1/2 stick) butter
1 head garlic
1 Tbsp crushed red pepper
5 lbs cooked, peeled shrimp
½ c cooking sherry or white wine

In a frying pan, melt the butter and olive oil together. When the butter has melted, add coarsely diced, peeled garlic and cook until garlic becomes soft. Add red pepper and shrimp; coat with garlic sauce. Stir until shrimp are warm. Add sherry or wine and simmer for 1 minute.

Candied Grapes

Update: I discovered, much to my dismay, that after about an hour, the grapes begin to shrivel up and release their juices, which melts away the candy coating. : ( So if you're going to make these, plan on eating them straight away. Bummer.

Last year when our friend Mary was visiting us in Japan, we went to Kamakura, a town about 20 minutes away, home of the Great Buddha and a ton of amazing shrines. There must have been some kind of kids' festival going on, because there were a bunch of kids dressed in traditional kimonos, and special kid-related street vendors. One of them was selling candied grapes...just like candied apples you can get at the fair, but these were made with jumbo purple grapes on a lollipop stick. I'd never seen anything like that, and thought it was just about the coolest thing ever. Of course I bought some for the kids, and one for me, and they were delicious. And fun! I've been wanting to try making them myself ever since.

Here's a picture of my sweet girls with their grapes in Kamakura last year!





I couldn't find giant grapes anywhere, but my mother-in-law gave me a lovely pack of fairly large green grapes the other day, so this morning I picked up some lollipop sticks and set to work.

They were really fun to make! The only issue I had was that I added green food coloring to make the candy green, since it was going on green grapes, but didn't realize that the grape flavoring I bought was purple. So the candy turned brown. Oh well, at least it tasted good, right? Next time, though, I'll either leave the flavoring out, or just color the candy purple from the get-go. I think purple candy would have looked pretty on the green grapes.

I should also add that these look like caramel grapes, not candied grapes, but that's only because the stupid grape flavoring turned the stuff brown. The coating is like a hard candy, not caramel. Anyway, just to clarify. ; )





Candied Grapes

1 bunch large purple or green seedless grapes
1 pack lollipop sticks
2 cups sugar
1 cup corn syrup
1 1/2 cups water
food coloring
1/2 tsp grape flavoring

Wash and thoroughly dry the grapes. Gently push a lollipop stick into the stem end of each grape. Set aside. Spray a large sheet of aluminum foil with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, water and food coloring (if desired). Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. When mixture reaches 300 degrees, remove from heat. When bubbles subside, add grape flavoring, stirring to combine.

One at a time, dip grapes in candy mixture, turning to coat. Stand on end on prepared foil. They will harden up fairly quickly.



And here are some truly hideous lollipops I made with some of the leftover candy mixture. It was hardening up really fast at that point, so I gave up after a few.

Pesto Pasta Salad

At my favorite pizza place in Seattle, Pagliacci, they make not only the best pizza I've ever had, but also this amazing creamy pesto pasta salad with peas and artichoke hearts. Tonight I attempted to recreate it at home.



I wanted a lighter version of a creamy pesto sauce, given that there's already so much oil and nuts in pesto, plus I didn't want to use any dairy products, so instead of mayonnaise, I used tofu. It's the first time I've used tofu in that capacity, and I was thrilled with how great it worked! I put about a half cup of prepared pesto (yes, I was lazy) in my food processor, and about 1/3 of a block of tofu, then whirled it all together. Easy peasy!

Creamy Pesto Pasta Salad

1 lb small pasta shells
1/2 cup prepared pesto
1/3 block tofu
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 can quartered artichoke hearts, drained

Cook pasta, drain, and rinse with cold water to cool.

While pasta is cooking, place pesto and tofu in a food processor, and process until smooth and creamy.

Toss pasta with pesto sauce, peas and artichoke hearts. Chill at least 2 hours before serving.

Pasta with Roasted Corn, Garlic and Zucchini

For dinner Tuesday, I made this recipe that I saw on the Food Network the other day. I thought it sounded really good, but neither Brad nor I cared for the corn in it. I'm posting the recipe anyway, with my modifications, so I'll have it for next time I want to tweak it. Next time I think I'll omit the corn and replace it with some other veggies. I bet some broccoli would be good!

Pasta with Roasted Corn, Garlic and Zucchini

1 pound farfalle pasta
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 ears roasted corn, cut from the cob
2 medium zucchini, chopped
1/2 cup diced red onion
1 cup vegtable broth
1/3 cup roasted garlic cloves
1 bunch fresh basil, torn
Salt and ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wrap corn and garlic separately in foil and roast in preheated oven for about 1 hour. This can be done in advance on a prep day.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and reserve 1 cup of the cooking water. Transfer pasta to a large bowl.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add corn cut from cob, zucchini and onion and saute for 3 minutes, until golden brown. Add broth and roasted garlic and bring to a simmer. Simmer 5 minutes. Pour mixture over pasta, add basil, and toss to combine, adding cooking water, if necessary, to moisten pasta. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

I've been tagged

Grace from A Southern Grace has graciously (har har) tagged me with something called "Look What I Made." I'm supposed to list five recipes that I've tried from other blogs.

The creator of this little game, Farida of Farida's Azerbaijani Cookbook, says that "this is a great opportunity to give kudos to the fellow foodies whose recipes we used and inspire them to post more of their yummies. A way to say thank you for what they do. I also think this tag will help us discover some interesting recipes and blogs out there. There are a lot of delicious recipes hidden somewhere in the archives, and this tag may actually give them another chance to shine." Let's do this.

I don't have a lot, in all honesty, because until recently most of my recipes have been from cookbooks, or allrecipes.com, or they were just things that I grew up watching my mom cook. But here are some bloggers' recipes that I've made:

Cinnamon Rolls from Joy the Baker

Crispy Sage & Brown Butter Pasta from Technicolor Kitchen

Cabbage Rolls from sweets, savories, etc.

Asian Noodle Salad from The Pioneer Woman

And most recently, Coconut Milk Dal from Chocolate Shavings

Be sure to check out their blogs and see what they've got going on!

And because I'm a lameass spoil sport, I'm not going to tag anyone just now. I'm still fairly new to the exciting world of food blogging, and aside from the lovely Grace who graces (har har) my blog with comments on almost everything I make (thank you! I love your comments and they always make me laugh!), I don't e-know enough other food bloggers to tag them. But I'll file this away for the future, and I'll tag people with it then. ; )

Tuesdays with Dorie: Peanut Butter Torte

So. Not the most exciting Tuesdays with Dorie recipe for me this week. Elizabeth of Ugg Smell Food chose the Peanut Butter Torte. Brad hates peanut butter, and I'm reluctant to spend time and money making something that it's fairly certain he won't enjoy. Beyond that, I've had peanut butter pie once before, and as excited as I was about it, I didn't really care for it. I should probably add, though, that my one experience with peanut butter pie was about 24 years ago, when I was 8 years old and we had gone to Magic Mountain for the day, and stopped at Marie Calendar's on the way home. I was so stoked to try some peanut butter pie, but it was just.....eh. When I tried the peanut butter filling of this torte, it tasted much like that peanut butter pie I had nearly a quarter of a decade ago, so I was less than thrilled.



The torte was surprisingly easy to make. I'm not typically a fan of multi-part recipes, but in spite of that, this was really simple to put together. I halved the recipe and made it in a 6-inch springform pan, which it fit nicely. It wasn't a towering, majestic torte like the one pictured in the book, but it was still attractive and impressive. I think that if someone saw it in a dessert case, they'd definitely buy it, so I give the torte points for that!

I felt that the crust could have used more Oreos. I didn't even attempt to bring my crust very high up the edges, but even so, the bottom was patchy in spots. I didn't stress about it, however, because it was going to be covered with the peanut butter filling anyway, so no big deal.



I made the torte, minus the ganache topping, on Saturday night, and added the ganache Sunday afternoon. Shortly after that it was time for taste testing. And. Well. Brad didn't like it, and neither did the kids. I wasn't expecting Brad to like it, so no big surprise there, but I really thought the kids would love it. They each tried one bite, then said "no, thank you", and pushed their plates away. Bummer.

As for me? Well, I thought it was ok. I'm a big lover of most things peanut butter and chocolate, but this just didn't do it for me. It was good, don't get me wrong, but it wasn't as great as I've come to expect from Dorie's recipes. I didn't care for the cinnamon in the filling. Even though it was just a tiny bit, I didn't like how it tasted. I had been afraid, upon trying a taste of the filling, that the torte would be too salty, but it was balanced out by the crust and ganache, so that wasn't a problem. I honestly can't really put my finger on why I didn't like it. I just didn't. :sigh:

They can't all be winners, right? And maybe I could take it to my Anthropology final tomorrow and sell it by the slice. ; )

Oh, and seriously? 6 to 8 servings for the whole recipe? Are you kidding me? I made a half batch, and it would easily make 8 generous servings. I honestly can't imagine eating 1/6 of the whole recipes. Whoa.



Peanut Butter Torte

1 ¼ c. finely chopped salted peanuts (for the filling, crunch and topping)
2 teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoon instant espresso powder (or finely ground instant coffee)
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
½ c. mini chocolate chips (or finely chopped semi sweet chocolate)
24 Oreo cookies, finely crumbed or ground in a food processor or blender
½ stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Small pinch of salt
2 ½ c. heavy cream
1 ¼ c confectioners’ sugar, sifted
12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 ½ c salted peanut butter – crunchy or smooth (not natural; I use Skippy)
2 tablespoons whole milk
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate finely chopped

Getting ready: center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch Springform pan and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.

Toss ½ cup of the chopped peanuts, the sugar, espresso powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and chocolate chops together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Put the Oreo crumbs, melted butter and salt in another small bowl and stir with a fork just until crumbs are moistened. Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the spring form pan (they should go up about 2 inches on the sides). Freeze the crust for 10 minutes.

Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a rack and let it cool completely before filling.

Working with a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, whip 2 cups of the cream until it holds medium peaks. Beat in ¼ cup of the confectioners’ sugar and whip until the cream holds medium-firm peaks. Crape the cream into a bowl and refrigerate until needed.

Wipe out (do not wash) the bowl, fit the stand mixer with the paddle attachment if you have one, or continue with the hand mixer, and beat the cream cheese with the remaining 1 cup confectioners’ sugar on medium speed until the cream cheese is satiny smooth. Beat in the peanut butter, ¼ cup of the chopped peanuts and the milk.

Using a large rubber spatula, gently stir in about one quarter of the whipped cream, just to lighten the mousse. Still working with the spatula, stir in the crunchy peanut mixture, then gingerly fold in the remaining whipped cream.

Scrape the mouse into the crust, mounding and smoothing the top. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight; cover with plastic wrap as soon as the mousse firms.

To Finish The Torte: put the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Leave the bowl over the water just until the chocolate softens and starts to melt, about 3 minutes; remove the bowl from the saucepan.

Bring the remaining ½ cup cream to a full boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate and , working with a a rubber spatula, very gently stir together until the ganache is completely blended and glossy.

Pour the ganache over the torte, smoothing it with a metal icing spatula. Scatter the remaining ½ cup peanuts over the top and chill to set the topping, about 20 minutes.

When the ganache is firm, remove the sides of the Springform pan; it’s easiest to warm the pan with a hairdryer, and then remove the sides, but you can also wrap a kitchen towel damped with hot water around the pan and leave it there for 10 seconds. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Spicy Basil Cheese Bread

Look what my sweetie made! We had some incredible leftover bread from the pan bagnat I made earlier, so Brad threw these together in less than ten minutes. Aren't they beautiful? He wasn't going off of a recipe, just off the cuff, and they totally hit the spot.



For lack of a more creative name, we're dubbing these:

Spicy Basil Cheese Bread

2 soft sandwich rolls
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried oregano
4 slices provolone cheese
fresh basil leaves
crushed red pepper
fresh ground black pepper

Preheat broiler.

Split sandwich rolls horizontally. Place cut-side up under broiler for 1 minute, just to lightly crisp, but not brown them. Remove from broiler. Brush cut surfaces with olive oil, and sprinkle with oregano. Place back under broiler for 1 to 2 minutes, until edges begin to brown lightly. Remove from broiler again, and top with cheese. Place back under broiler just long enough for the cheese to begin melting. Remove from broiler (yes, again), and top with basil leaves, as little or as much as you want. Return to broiler, and broil for 1 to 2 minutes, or until cheese is melted and basil begins to wilt. Sprinkle with red pepper and black pepper. Serve warm.

Pan Bagnat

I've been wanting to make these sandwiches for ages. I've seen them in countless cookbooks, and they always looked so fresh and satisfying, so I picked up the ingredients today to make them for lunch. I don't often plan out lunches ahead of time. Tuesdays and Thursday after class, we usually go somewhere quick for lunch on our way home (or not so quick, if we decide to skip out of Chemistry early), and on non-class days, we typically just forage and come up with something from what we have one hand. Today, though, I decided to splurge a little and buy ingredients specifically for lunch.

And we were rewarded handsomely! What a wonderful sandwich! So pretty! So satisfying! So easy! We ate them out on the back patio while we studied for our Anthropology final and our sweet dog Gretel happily played in the sunshine.

While it may seem like a lot of stuff, the ingredients in this are actually simple. A lot of it you may already have on hand in your fridge and pantry, so if you do, make up a few of these, and you'll be glad you did. They'd be great, too, to make ahead of time for a brown bag lunch or a picnic. I think they may become a staple for us.



Pan Bagnat

soft sandwich rolls
olive oil
garlic, minced
tuna, preferably packed in olive oil (ours was packed in water)
Roma tomatoes, sliced
red onion, sliced
hard boiled egg, sliced (I left this out since we didn't have any ready)
Kalamata olives, pitted
fresh basil
lettuce
red wine vinegar
salt and pepper

Split the rolls horizontally. Drizzle liberally with olive oil. Top with garlic, tuna, tomatoes, onion, egg, olives, basil and lettuce. Splash with a little vinegar and season with salt and pepper.

Place the tops on the rolls, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for several hours, up to 12.

Coconut Milk Dal

I've only had lentils a few times, and have never cooked them myself until tonight. I've been meaning to try them for a long time, as they're so good for you, so cheap, and so filling, so I finally got to it tonight. I found this recipe for Coconut Milk Dal on Chocolate Shavings, and made a few modifications to it for our dinner.

It was really delicious, although it was soupier than I had expected. Next time I make it, I think I'll reduce the cooking liquid by about 1 cup, but it was still very good this way. The original recipe called for red lentils, and I only had...whatever kind they had at Target. ; ) I guess brown? I'm not wise enough in the ways of lentils to know what kind I bought, but they worked!



I served it with flat bread, my go-to recipe of late. I love this stuff, and it's so fast and easy to make...just 3/4 cup beer and 2 cups flour mixed up and kneaded a few times, then stretched/patted/rolled out and baked for about 10 minutes. You can't beat that!

Coconut Milk Dal

1 cup dry lentils
5 cups water

1 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp shallots, finely diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
6 curry leaves
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp salt
1 cup light coconut milk

Combine the lentils and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil, garlic, shallots and jalapeno. Saute 3 to 4 minutes, until soft. Add curry leaves, red pepper and coriander. Stir and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Add the salt and coconut milk, and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add the cooked lentils and liquid. Simmer for several minutes.

Curry Soba Soup

I've talked before about how much we love our Japanese curry. I still have about a dozen packs of ready to serve mild pork curry from Coco's, and two boxes of curry base for making my own. Now that I know that we can buy the curry base online or in stores (hooray!), I'm trying out other recipes I can make with it. Tonight's experiment is curry soba soup. I based it on a recipe I found on about.com, but instead of using udon, which I don't particularly care for, I used soba noodles. And of course I left out the meat.



The results? Well, the kids didn't like it. They would have rather just had regular curry with rice, so that was a bust. Brad loved it, however, so I guess this will be something that we just make for ourselves, and not for the kids. I haven't tried it yet (I had a late lunch and I'm not hungry yet), but it smells fantastic, and I'm sure I'll enjoy it, too.

Another thing I'd like to try making with curry base is curry bread, but outside of that I'm not sure what else I can do with it. Suggestions are welcome, if anyone has ideas! Really, though, this stuff is awesome the way the kids like it, just made into gravy and served with rice, so I'm not complaining.



Curry Soba Soup

4 servings boiled udon noodles
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 small onion
1 carrot
7 cups vegetable stock
1/2 tsp salt
3oz. Japanese curry base
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp water

Dice onion and carrot. Heat a large pan over medium-high heat, add oil, and saute the onion and carrot until soft. Add vegetable stock and curry base. Bring to a boil. Whisk together corn starch and water, and slowly pour into the soup, whisking constantly, to thicken. Add soba noodles and heat through. Serve hot.

Pumpkin Oat Muffins

The kids and I made these pumpkin oat muffins for breakfast this morning. They were, like most muffin recipes, very quick to mix up and stick in the oven. I tweaked the recipe a bit because I didn't have a couple things it called for, but they still turned out well, and it was fun to cook with the kids!

I don't usually care for oats in muffins. I think it makes them too dense and chunky, but it works really well in these. The oats just disappear into the muffin, and you can't even tell they're there, but it's great to sneak in their health benefits where you can. The muffins are hearty and filling, but not dense.



These would also be good if you substituted chocolate chips for the raisins, but I was shooting for something a little healthier today. ; )

Pumpkin Oat Muffins
Modified from Sesame Street: C is for Cooking cookbook

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp allspice
1 egg
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup fat-free sour cream
1/4 cup low-fat ricotta cheese
1 cup uncooked oatmeal
1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 12 muffin cups.

Whisk together dry ingredients, except for oatmeal and raisins, in a small bowl. Whisk together wet ingredients in a large bowl. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Gently stir in the oatmeal and raisins, just until incorporated.

Divide batter among muffin cups. They will be slightly more than 3/4 full. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove to a cooling rack.

Store in a covered container for up to 3 days.

Weekly Menu - week of May 4

Well, since I'm sick and bored, I'm going to go ahead and plan next week's menu, starting with tomorrow so I don't get confused and forget to cook something. The Navy Reserves have finally, FINALLY completed Brad's paperwork so he can start drilling this weekend. It's been a long time coming, considering he first started working on this back in November, when he was still Active Duty. Grrrrr. We've been stressing about this since January 1st rolled around and he was 100% civilian, with no income and no health insurance. The income we've managed without, but the lack of health insurance has been incredibly worrisome, so I'm glad that'll be taken care of this weekend. What a relief that none of us got really sick in the past 4 months!

Anyway, all that is to say that Brad won't be around on Saturday, and will be leaving Friday evening to head on down to New Orleans, where he'll be drilling, so I'm going to re-work my menu around that. On Saturday I'm going to let the kids decide what they want to cook, which will probably be something from their beloved Strawberry Shortcake & Friends cookbook. ; )

Next week we have finals, and the schedule is all screwy. Monday we have Anthropology in the mid-afternoon, Tuesday we have Chemistry in the evening, then I have Sociology Wednesday evening, and Brad has Biology Friday evening, so this will mess with our dinner plans. I swear, we've gotten so spoiled with neither of us working, and all the flexibility that affords us in regards to cooking!

So here's the plan, tentative as it is.

Friday - Kids' night to cook: Macaroni & cheese

Saturday - Curry soba soup

Sunday - Coconut milk dal, flat bread

Monday - Pan Bagnat

Tuesday - Pasta with roasted zucchini, corn and garlic, French bread

Wednesday - Pesto pasta salad, bread sticks

Thursday - Garlic shrimp, green salad, French bread

Friday - Leftovers

Bored

I'm sick today, and bored out of my mind. One can only lie in bed for so many hours before she begins to lose her mind, after all. I missed the last day of class before finals, which is a huge bummer for me. I've enjoyed this so much, my first semester back in college after an 11 year hiatus, and I hate to miss even one day. Ah well, at least it was a fairly nothing day, it seems. Brad and I have two classes together, and he said that our beloved Anthropology prof only lectured for ten minutes, and Chemistry wasn't even worth attending because we're so far ahead (both with more than 100% in the class), and there are practice finals we can take online, so it seems I didn't miss much. In Sociology, the professor wasn't planning to lecture more than 20 minutes, either, so I should be OK there, too. Still, though...it freaking sucks being sick.

So here's something to keep me entertained right now. No cooking for me while I'm sick (and I had planned on leftovers today, anyway), so this will suffice. I found this on A Southern Grace.

1. Go to www.flickr.com. (I used photobucket.com instead)
2. Type your answer to each question in the “search” box.
3. Using only the first page, pick an image.
4. Copy and paste the html into your blog.

1. What is your first name?



2. What is your favorite food?



3. What high school did you go to?



4. What is your favorite color?



5. Who is your celebrity crush?



6. Favorite drink?



7. Dream vacation?



8. Favorite dessert?



9. What do you want to be when you grow up?



10. What do you love most in life?



11. One word to describe you?