{houston readers} New Farmer's Market In Town

Fellow Houstonians, there is a new Farmer's Market coming to town and I wanted to share the info I have about it so far.  Highland Village will now have a farmer's market on Saturday mornings from 8 am to 12 pm starting tomorrow, Saturday, October 31.   If you are unfamiliar with the farmers markets in Houston, there are a couple on Saturday mornings and a few during the week, but in my opinion, there is definitely room for more.  Here is a little blurb about the new market!

A permanent covered structure (next to Jos. A Banks and across the street from Escalante’s Mexican Restaurant) will house up to 24 vendors. Seasonal growers will rotate throughout the year bringing the freshest goods of each season to Houston such as blueberries, figs, strawberries and peaches. A baker will bring fresh baked breads, desserts, brownies and pastries that will pair nicely with the organic coffee vendor. One unit will supply free-range beef, lamb, pork, goat, chicken and wild boar while several vendors will have a variety of free-range eggs. A soap maker will provide lotions and handmade goat’s milk soaps.
Unusual and anticipated features at the market include Queen Bee Marshmallows, a vendor selling 20 different varieties of handmade marshmallows, and Texas Wild, a vendor who owns his own shrimp boat bringing peeled and whole shrimp to the market.

Just thought I would share, and maybe I will see some of you there this Saturday (probably not though if you plan on going at 8).

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Tis the season to carve pumpkins and the saying, "One's man trash is another man's treasure," has quite possibly never been more true.  I am sure the majority of pumpkin carvers dig all that pumpkin goo out of the pumpkin, discard, and go on to carving the pumpkin.  Well, those precious little seeds can be quite the tasty snack if you are willing to deal with that pumpkin goo a little bit longer and clean them up. Enjoy.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Ingredients

Pumpkin seeds, cleaned with all pumpkin pulp discarded

Olive oil

Sea Salt

Step by Step

1.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2.  Pat seeds dry.  Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet.

3.  Lightly drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.

4.  Roast seeds for about 25 minutes until lightly browned.  After 10 minutes of browning, shake pan to toss seeds and make sure are sticking to the pan.

5.  Let cool.  Store in an airtight container until ready to serve.

Marathon Cookies

I have a new motto... If you can't do something yourself (or not crazy enough to try), bake for those who can.  My boss ran a marathon last weekend and my coworkers and I did our best to support her since we could not fathom doing anything like that ourselves.  I found these little energy cookies at 101 Cookbooks.  If you have not been there, you definitely should go.  Heidi focuses on all natural, healthy cooking and has been doing so for years.  She has a cookbook that is sold at Anthropologie... what a dream.  I saw that she came up with this little cookie (if you can call something that contains kidney beans a cookie) when she was also cheering someone on during a marathon and wanted to give them a few bursts of energy.   So if you find yourself with a marathon runner that you need to give some energy to, try these cookies.  You will not truly appreciate that these cookies are pretty tasty until you take a look at the ingredients list... chopped dates, kidney beans, anise seeds.... but trust me, they are pretty darn good.

Click here for the recipe at 101 Cookbooks.

For Violet!

Idag gjorde jag en beställning på cupcakes och oreo cupcake pops till ett födelsedagskalas. Jag ville testa Leilas recept på vit choklad frosting och cream cheese, eftersom jag inte tycker om när frostingen blir alltför söt. Många andra recept innehåller flera deciliter florsocker och det tycker jag gott att man kan vara utan! Den blev riktigt god tycker jag, så den kommer jag använda mig av fler gånger. Jag gjorde nästan en dubbel sats (alltså 400 g av både choklad och cream cheese) för att det skulle räcka till 12 st cupcakes, men det beror ju på hur mycket frosting man vill ha.


Leilas White Chocolate Frosting
-200 g vit kvalitetschoklad
-200 g philadelphiaost

1. Hacka chokladen och smält den i vattenbad (i en skål över kokande vatten). Låt svalna något.
2. Rör ihop chokladen med philadelphiaosten.

Vaniljcupcakes fyllda med hallon, samt creamcheese/vitchokladfrosting



Vaniljcupcakes fyllda med hallon, samt creamcheese/vitchokladfrosting



Oreo pops, några med vit choklad och några med rosa candy melts

In English:
Today I made cupcakes and oreo cupcake pops for a birthday party. I wanted to try out Leilas white chocolate frosting recipe made from white chocolate and cream cheese, since I don't like when recipes are too sweet. Many other frosting recipes require several decilitres of powdered sugar and I just think it gets too sweet! I think it turned out delicious, and I surely will use it again. I made a double batch (400 grams chocolate and 400 grams cream cheese) for 12 cupcakes, but it all depends on how much frosting you like on your cupcakes.


Leilas White Chocolate Frosting
-200 grams white quality chocolate
-200 grams philadelphia cream cheese

1. Chop up the chocolate and melt it in a double boiler. Let cool for a while.
2. Mix together with the cream cheese.

Magical Montenegro and Mujo.

My oh my. How quickly time flies. I returned to Aussieland last Thursday. It felt so strange; I was getting used to handling the Euro currency, driving on the "opposite" side of the road; the numerous cyclists; the different landscapes and the cold snap that left me wearing all my clothes at once. Home was dry, hot and brown. It hasn't rained since I left hubby tells me. And it looks like it. I yearned for the brilliant greens in northern Montenegro and in Germany. I have been very pensive and I look forward to Mitch returning next week so we can talk about our adventures.

How does one answer the question; "how was your trip"? I certainly don't have a one liner or a couple of words to describe it. There were lots of ups and downs; heaps of experiences; tears of joy and sadness and moments of sheer exhilaration. Anger too. The main thing is we did it and we are so much the richer for it.

Our travels saw us go to Croatia, Germany, Serbia and Montenegro. We spent one whole month in Montenegro and it was marvellous. But not for the usual touristy reasons. We stayed with relations up north, in the city and in the mountains and then with other relatives down on the coast in Tivat.

Montenegro is such a land of contrast. The landscape is breathtakingly beautiful. Gorgeous aqua coloured sea water set beneath the most rugged and tallest of mountains. No wonder the Turks were unable to conquer the people in this terrain. The population today is small. About 700,000, if that. The country is small in size too. It's not even 200 kilometres from the sea to the northern border with Serbia. Not your usual 200 kms though. There are lots of bends to negotiate. Monsterous mountains to climb. Crazy risk taking drivers to beware of. And lots of dodgy cars that may not make the stretch.

It was another world. Nothing like Australia. Yet Mitch and I became very attached to this economically and financially depressed country. But most of all we became attached to the people. These people were real. No one ever "hid" their feelings. I will never forget Rajka; she managed to laugh, cry, scream and sigh all in the one breath! No joke. There were never any fascades. You always knew how people were going because you could see it. It was sooooooo refreshingly honest and raw.

My uncle Manojle lives in Potrk. He is 82 years old. He lives with his bedridden wife, Stana, and his 55 year old son, "Mujo"(pronounced Mooyour). Mujo is his nickname. Unfortunately when he was very little Mujo had an accident with boiling hot water that scored his skin straight through to his kidney. He was lucky to live. He received a massive shock to his system and his growth was stunted. He never married. He lives in the family home in the hills and looks after his parents and tends to all the jobs around the house. He also milks the cows, makes yoghurt and cheese, bakes bread and does all the cooking for the three members of the household.

Whenever something is needed, he rings his brother who lives thirty minutes away by car and Mujo's shopping is bought home by either his brother or nephew. His sister,also a nurse, comes up regularly because their mother needs an injection from time to time. Mujo is amazing. He gets on with his "lot" in life and I never once heard a word of complaint from him. His mother has been bedridden since January and he can never venture far. Whenever she calls him, he carefully tends to her needs. He places her on the sofa during the day so that she is with the family and then he takes her to bed at night. Mitch and I have never seen anything like it. There certainly was no form of respite for Mujo.

Mujo did all the cooking while we stayed there. And it wasn't just us. We had other relatives who also stayed and lots of local people from the village who wanted to see these people from "Australia". Mujo handled everything and delegated jobs to willing helpers. Everyone respected him and everyone did as they were asked. The whole experience of seeing Mujo and his world was a very humbling one indeed.

Mujo adored Mitch. Mitch certainly pulled his weight around the place. I was very surprised actually. Mitch went up in the hills with my cousins and cut and carried wood all day. He helped with cutting grass, raking and collecting to form hay bales. He worked on a number of occasions and they were all blown away by this Aussie boy who was happy to help them with their chores. Far from what they expected. It was only later, they told me they expected this boy from Australia was going to be a "cool" kid with designer labelled clothes, attached to his ipod and expecting to be served. Gosh how I laughed. Because along came Mitchell and he is none of those things. To use their words; "he was one of us", and they adored him.

Mujo was always careful to prepare and have good food for his "Mitchko". He would get up at 4am sometimes to prepare the bread dough for proving and sometimes he would also make these donut type balls called "kroffne". Mitch loved them and he would gobble them up with jam or his newly found favourite food "Eurocrem", sort of like Nutella. I watched Mujo as he watched his Mitchko eating the freshly made kroffne's. Mujo was beaming. We shall never forget him.



Mujo's Kroffne

I'm afraid a little baking knowledge is required because in this part of the world there are no recipes or exact measurements. Mujo created this dish purely based on the look and the feel of the dough. Good Luck.

bread flour
milk
water
sunflower oil
fresh yeast
2 eggs

Dissolve the yeast in some warm water. Add to the flour along with the beaten eggs, milk and a little oil.

Work to a smooth but stickly consistency. Rest till rises.

Mujo set aside for 2 hours. He says the rising shall depend on the quality of the flour.

When risen, place onto a well floured bench and knead. Knead till workable.

Roll out. Using a scone cutter; cut out round shapes. Allow to sit while bringing a large pot of oil to a hot temperature.

Place in only enough kroffne that will float on top of the oil. Turn with a fork till brown all over. Remove from oil. Keep warm while cooking the rest.

Mujo recommends making one on it's own; opening it up and seeing how well it is cooked before cooking in batches.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

These cookies really need no introduction.  If you have the love that I do for Reese's peanut butter cups, you are probably not reading this because you have already left for the store to buy the ingredients.  And yes, they are that good.  I put my own little twist on them with the second batch.  I used the new dark chocolate Reese's cups and it's hard to say which one is better.  I loved the dark chocolate ones and they were the favorite among most of the tasters, but Mr. Hungry preferred the ones made with regular Reese's.  So my advice is to try both... you will be glad you did.

• Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
• Adapted from Real Simple, October 2009
• Makes about 24 cookies
• Recipe Notes
• As I mentioned earlier, I made two batches of these.  I made one with regular peanut butter cups, but I used dark chocolate peanut butter cups for the second batch.  Both were delicious.  I have also found a new love for parchment paper.  They have made perfect cookies for me lately, and I have to admit I was notorious for burnt edges in the past.  But if you are one of those master bakers, you might have your own method for perfect cookies.  And in general, everyone's oven can be a little bit different so find what suits you best.  
• Ingredients
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 12-ounce package small peanut butter cups, coarsely chopped (regular or dark chocolate)

Step by Step

1.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

3.  Whisk flour, baking soda and salt in a medium sized bowl.  

4.  In a separate bowl, beat the butter and the sugar until creamy.

5.  Add the egg and vanilla and combine until creamy.
6.  Gradually add flour mixture until just combined.
7.  Fold in the peanut butter cups.
8.  Using a tablespoon, drop mounds of dough about 2 inches apart. 
9.  Bake until edges become slightly brown, 12 to 15 minutes.
10.  Transfer to a baking rack to cool.

Tortillas

Cinnamon Sugar flour tortilla chips with fruit salsa

I'm not Mexican, or Hispanic of any kind, so I'm not an expert on tortilla making. But I am a person who consumes tortillas. I think it is a good policy to know how to make some of the foods I buy. One reason for this is because there may be a day it won't be available at my local grocery store. Another reason is that I can decide if I want to keep buying it, or I can choose to make it from scratch from now on. It's a good feeling knowing how to make things, especially those things that come out much better than store bought.

My oven broke. Very sad for me, but alas, it will be repaired soon. Nevertheless, I had to decide what to talk about on my radio show on BTO. Anything that involved an oven was out. Last time I talked about flatbread and how wonderful it is. Elena did mention corn tortillas during that discussion, but I didn't know much about making them then. Now I do. I wanted to know how to make them, and now I want to share how wonderful it is to make them!

First I made flour tortillas. Flour tortillas are not that much different from the flat bread I talked about last week, pretty basic. You do need to roll them pretty thin to resemble tortillas. But it's easy and they make great chips. I fried these babies up, sprinkled them with cinnamon and sugar and served them with fruit salsa. This dish is a real crowd pleaser. I think I'm going to make this for an appetizer for Thanksgiving dinner.

corn tortillas

Then I made corn tortillas. I am so happy I decided to make these. These are extremely easy as well. 2 ingredients, that's all it takes.Masa Harina which is corn flour, and water. You almost don't need directions, mix to make a dough, roll them up, cook them and they're done.

They have a great fresh corn taste, much better than store bought. My plan is to become a pro at making these. Never again will I have to run to the store for tortillas, with the Masa Harina in the cupboard, I will be ready at a moments notice to make these scrumptious treats.

Flour Tortillas

Ingredients

2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tablespoon softened butter- or lard if you have it

3/4 cup water

Whisk dry ingredients together in bowl. Mix butter or lard into the dry ingredients with your fingers or 2 knives until it resembles cornmeal. Add water and mix until a dough forms.

Place on lightly floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, just a few minutes. Then divide the dough into 12 equal portions. This is an easy task when you divide it into 2, then divide that one in half, then in thirds. Roll the portions into a ball.

On the floured surface, use a rolling pin, (or something that resembles a rolling pin) to roll out the dough into a thin round tortilla, about 6 inches across. If the dough is too sticky, use a little more flour. Repeat until you've rolled out all of the dough balls.

Preheat a sturdy pan to med high to high heat, or use a griddle. (I used a griddle on the highest heat it would go which was 400 degrees.) You want the pan hot enough so it blisters the tortilla to form little brown dots on the surface.

Cook the tortillas one at a time in a dry pan. (on my griddle I could do 2 at a time.)

On the first side cook 1 minute or so. Then flip it over and cook for about 30 seconds on the second side. Don't cook them too long, or your tortilla will become hard. If you aren't getting any color on them, (the little brown spots) you need to turn up the heat.

I made chips of mine by cutting them into triangles using a pizza cutter, then frying them in hot oil for just a minute or 2 until crisp. Then I sprinkled them with a mixture of cinnamon and sugar when just out of the oil. I flipped them over and sprinkled the other side as well.

Alternately, you can brush the tortillas with some butter, and sprinkle with the cinnamon and sugar mixture then cut into triangles with a pizza cutter and bake them in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes, or until crisp.

Fruit Salsa

This recipe is really just the fruit of your choice, try to use fruits that complement each other while being different, (i.e. sweet and tart) mixed with a little jam to bring the flavors together, some sugar if you think it needs it, and some lemon to keep the fruit from browning. Here's what I used this time.
1 apple
2 kiwi fruit
some strawberries
about 1 tablespoon of jam (whatever flavor you like that you think would meld well with the fruit)
1/2 lemon

Dice up the fruit into small bits. Add the juice of the 1/2 lemon. Add the jam and stir. Taste it to see if you think it needs anything else, it may need sweetener, add sugar or honey or whatever you choose. Let it sit in the fridge for an hour or so to let the flavors meld and serve.
This is wonderful the next day on yogurt or cereal.

Corn Tortillas

Since this recipe is only 2 ingredients, it's best to use good Masa Harina. I used the Bobs Red Mill brand which can be purchased at a health food store, or some grocery stores. Mexican or Hispanic markets will carry other brands as well. Try to get a brand where the only ingredients are corn and lime.

There are directions on the back of the package of the Bobs Red Mill brand, that's what I followed. I will put them here with some notes.

2 cups Masa Harina
1 cup water
a little salt (optional)
Mix them together in a bowl until a dough forms. Add a little water if necessary. Shape into 14 balls. and cover with moist towel to prevent from drying out. (they mean this, it does dry out pretty quick, but it's also forgiving. If you add a little water you can rehydrate it again easily.)
Place 1 ball between sheets of plastic (a gallon size heavy duty freezer bag cut in 2 pieces works well for this and is stronger than plastic wrap) and flatten into 6 inch disc. If you have a tortilla press, by all means use that. You will get more consistent results. I don't have one so I used a rolling pin. You want to get them pretty thin (especially if you are making them into chips) but if you are using for a taco or something else, reasonably thin is fine. The more you do this the more you will get the hang of it and how thin you want them to be.
You can work the dough over and over again if needed. Corn does not have gluten in it, so it's not like a typical dough where it would get tough if overworked.
Continue to roll out the tortillas and keep them on a plate between 2 damp towels. Or you can roll them out and cook them as soon as you roll them. Then roll another and cook it, etc.
Cook on a preheated dry griddle, or sturdy pan on medium high to high heat, one side for one minute, then flip to other side and cook for 30 seconds more. They should be pliable when done. If they are crisp, you've cooked them too long. Store them in a tortilla holder, or between 2 towels.
Tortillas freeze well and thaw quickly so it's a good idea to make more than you plan to eat and keep them in the freezer for the future.

Homemade Laundry Detergent

A few months ago I made my own laundry detergent, and I am super happy about it! Yes, this is a baking blog, and this subject is off topic, but it's something I really like to spread the word about.

Making your own laundry detergent has many advantages. The biggest of them all is how much money you save. A typical American brand of detergent, Tide, costs about 20 cents a load. Homemade detergent costs 2 cents a load. Big difference. Also compared to Tide, it works equally as well. I have been using mine solely for months now and I haven't noticed a difference in the quality a bit.

The second reason I love it so much is it really cuts down on my consumption of using plastic. I used to buy liquid detergent. Of course, it comes in a plastic container. I wanted to cut back on my usage of these plastic vessels. I know they are recyclable, but recycling takes energy. I just want to cut back where I can, where it's easy for me. And since I'm the do it yourself type of a gal, this seemed like something I wanted to do. I saved my last bottle of said detergent, and now I fill it up when I need more. (from the bucket I made it in.)

Another plus is the ingredients are relatively easy on the environment, especially compared to a typical in store brand.

It's really easy to make, and when you make it you won't have to make it again for months.

I found the recipe at The Simple Dollar. I did re write the recipe below, but I recommend you go to his website, he has a step by step detailed guide to making it here as well as the cost breakdown and a comparison test he did with both detergents.

I will speak about the details of the ingredients. He uses soap, plain soap. I used Fels Naptha. It's a bar soap used specifically for laundry. If you use another brand make sure it isn't a brand that has a bright color, or has moisturizing cream or oils in it.

Another ingredient is Borax. This is easy to find at most grocery stores in the laundry aisle. He claims it's optional, I used it.

The next ingredient is Washing Soda. Washing Soda is very close to baking soda but not the same. it's processed differently, and a few atoms away from baking soda. More about that here at Planet Green. Usually it's made by Arm and Hammer, it's in a yellow box and reads, "Super Washing Soda." For the locals, the only place I've found that carries it, is the Fred Meyer store in Lacey, I think most Fred Meyers carry it because I've seen it at different locations. It is located in the laundry aisle next to the Borax and Fels Naptha. I've asked the Yelm Food Co op to carry it, but they told me their distributors don't have it available. I've also asked Safeway, but haven't received an answer.

The Recipe
1/2 cup Borax
1 cup washing soda
1 bar soap
3 gallons of water
First thing, put about four cups of water into the pan and put it on the stove on high until it’s at boiling, then lower the heat until it’s simmering.
While it’s heating up, take a bar of soap and cut it up into little bits. I found a lot of success using our box grater, which resulted in a ton of little soap curls.
When the water is boiling, start throwing in the soap. I recommend just doing a bit at a time, then stirring it until it’s dissolved.
Stir the soapy water with a spoon until all of the soap is dissolved. Eventually, the water will take on the color of the soap you added, albeit paler.
In the end, you’ll have some very warm soap soup.
Next, get out your large container and add three gallons of warm tap water to it.
To this bucket add a cup of the washing soda, the Borax the soap solution you made and stir.
Let the soap sit for 24 hours, preferably with a lid on it. At this point I poured the soap into the old detergent bottle I saved, and stored the rest in other containers I had. You may also store it in the bucket you made it in, covered. Then add it as needed in the detergent bottle.
The soap after sitting for a while may become seperated, mine did, in the storage bottles. I do shake the detergent bottle a little before using. If the soap in the storage bottles seperates, just use a long spoon the stir it up.
More links on making your own detergent

Stretcher talks about using homemade detergent with HE machines

10 different recipes for homemade laundry detergent

Orange choc!

Eftersom jag älskar kombinationen apelsin och choklad så var jag bara tvungen att testa att göra sådana cupcakes! Så jag gjorde en apelsincupcake efter Leilas recept fylld med bitar av nougat samt en apelsinchoklad-cream cheese frosting gjord med Valrhonakakao. De blev fantastiskt goda enligt mig, särskilt frostingen. Sen var jag även tvungen att använda mitt nya kameraobjektiv som är helt otroligt bra! Jag köpte också ett nytt kakfat på Panduro idag, kunde inte låta bli!

In English:
Since I love the combination of orange and chocolate I had to try to incorporate this into a cupcake. So I made an orange cupcake from Leilas recipe filled with pieces of nougat and a frosting made from orange, chocolate and cream cheese. I think they turned out delicious, especially the frosting! I also had to try out my new camera lens, which is absolutely amazing! I also bought a new cupcake stand at Panduro today, I couldn't help myself!

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Cranberry & Fig Breakfast Cookie

So I am not silly enough to think that I have enticed all of you with this post, but I do know if you are a lover of figs like I am, you are very interested.  There is not a real fine line with figs... you usually love them or are scared of them, at least in their raw form.  I myself very much look forward to this time of year when figs are in the grocery stores and are reasonably priced.  I found this recipe a long time ago in some sort of health magazine.  They pitched these little breakfast cookies as a great snack or breakfast after a good run or workout.  Now I have to admit I made these for breakfast this week and I have no intention of going on a good long run before I have one.  However, they are a healthier version of one of my favorite muffins.  And back to those of you who are not a fan of figs, I would still encourage you to try this cookie because they are not overly figgy (yes, I said figgy), but the fruit adds great natural sugar.  The bites of sweet fig and tangy cranberry make this cookie such a perfect breakfast treat.

Cranberry & Fig Breakfast Cookie
Recipe Notes
If you cannot find figs, feel free to substitute more cranberries.
Ingredients
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 large eggs
1/4 cup finely chopped figs
1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unprocessed bran OR old fashioned oatmeal
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 cup sliced almonds
Step by Step
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.  Combine first 3 ingredients in a large bowl.  Stir in chopped figs, cranberries and vanilla.
3.  Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife.  In a separate bowl, combine flours, bran, baking soda, cinnamon and allspice, stirring with a whisk.
4.  Add flour mixture to egg mixture, stirring just until moist.  Gently fold in almonds.
5.  Drop a 1/4 cup of batter 4 inches apart on 2 nonstick baking sheets.  Bake in two batches for 12 minutes each or until almost set.  Cool 2 minutes on pans.  Remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Can you tell I'm ready for the cold weather?  One day last week, there was about an hour of cool breezes here in Houston and with all this talk of the first days of fall I had to make soup. Sure, the cool breeze had dissipated by the time I had even bought the ingredients from the store, but that didn't stop me.  I simply cranked down the air conditioning and enjoyed this wonderful soup.

Before I had ever made chicken noodle soup, I had quite the misconception that you must slave over the stove all day to produce a great batch.  Quite the contrary with this recipe I adapted from Rachael Ray.   I know she is quite the controversial topic in the food world, but you can't argue with her good recipes such as this one.  I did a little adapting, but have to say I might have already found my favorite chicken noodle soup recipe on the first try! You can put it together very quickly and the addition of the fresh herbs at the end, makes this a hearty yet fresh soup. Enjoy!

Chicken Noodle Soup

Adapted from Rachel Ray, Food Network

Servings: 4 large bowls, 6 regular bowls

Recipe Notes

If you have not heard me say this before, I am quite the salter.  I will just say I added quite a bit of salt to this and leave it at that.  My suggestion is that you wait till the soup is almost finished and taste and add salt slowly till it is to your taste.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons (2 turns around the pan) extra-virgin olive oil

2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped

1 parsnip, peeled and chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

2 ribs celery, chopped

2 bay leaves, fresh or dried

3 teaspoons of salt

1 teaspoon of pepper

10 cups good quality chicken stock (2 boxes)
1 pound (the average weight of 1 package) chicken breast tenders, diced
1/2 pound wide egg noodles
A handful fresh parsley, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons of fresh dill, chopped

salt and pepper

Step by Step

1.  Place a large pot over moderate heat and add extra-virgin olive oil. 
2.  Work close to the stove and add vegetables to the pot as you chop, in the order they are listed.

3.  Add bay leaves and salt and pepper. 

4.  Add stock to the pot and and raise heat till soup comes to a boil. 

5.  Add diced chicken tenderloins, return soup to a boil, and reduce heat back to moderate. Cook chicken 

two minutes and add noodles. 

6.  Cook soup an additional 6 minutes or until noodles are tender and remove soup from the heat.

7. Stir in parsley and dill, remove bay leaves and add additional salt and pepper to taste.

8. This is a thick soup. Add up to 2 cups of water if you like chicken soup with lots of broth.

Ever seen one of these before?

I hadn't... It's a parsnip.  I was worried I was going to have to search the ends of the earth for what I thought was some fancy schmancy ingredient, but there it was at my local grocery store... amongst all the other produce I buy daily. If for some reason it is not at yours, I wouldn't sweat it... just add an extra carrot.

This went perfectly with mini cheese toasts.

Ham & Swiss Pizza

Should I change the name of this site to “The Little Kitchen Pizzeria… and the Occasional Cookie”?  I seem to be stuck in a rut… well, I don’t consider it a rut at all, but it seems like the Little Kitchen has become a broken record of pizzas and friends in the kitchen (which have been some of my favorite cooking times).  I am more than okay with this and I hope you are too.  But don’t worry, I will spin out of my pizza making frenzy eventually and continue to broaden my horizons.  

For now, I must share two new great pizzas that I discovered with my friend Mary.  I like to think I was ahead of the curve on this pizza thing because just this month, every magazine I have read (Real Simple, In Style, Food Everday, etc.) has a whole section on making pizza at home.  I guess I should say Bon Appetit was really the one ahead of the game because their May issue with Giada’s pizza is what started me down this wonderful road.  I have continued to use the same crust, but I have tried all these new toppings and these two pizzas came from Real Simple this month.  I thought both of them were delightful and the tomato olive pizza was a fresh alternative with no cheese (even though I have to say the slices of brie we added to half the pizza were my favorite part).  Most of these articles I have been reading about pizzas have all used store bought dough.  If my homemade dough is what is keeping you from trying pizzas, you should definitely start with store bought dough and find one you like…. Too bad I’m already partial to the homemade kind...Enjoy!
Ham & Swiss Pizza
Adapted from Real Simple, October 2009
Ingredients
flour, for rolling out pizza dough
1 pound pizza dough, thawed if frozen
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 shallots, cut into very thin slices and separated
12 sprigs fresh thyme
kosher salt and black pepper
1/2 pound thinly sliced deli ham
1/2 cup swiss or gruyere cheese (2 ounces)
Step by Step
1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2.  Sprinkle a clean surface with flour.  Roll our pizza dough into a rectangular shape that will fit a baking sheet.
3.  Cover baking sheet with parchment paper.  Transfer pizza dough onto baking sheet covered with parchment paper. 
4.  Lightly brush with dough with olive oil.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
5.  In a medium bowl, toss shallots, thyme, remaining olive oil and a 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. 
6.  Top the dough with ham, cheese and shallot mixture.  
7.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until crust is crispy and browned. 

Tomato, Olive & Scallion Pizza

Tomato, Olive & Scallion Pizza

Adapted from Real Simple, October 2009

Recipe Notes

We added thin slices of brie to half of this pizza just to try it out.  (Honestly, I was having a hard time trusting we could make a tasty pizza without any cheese).  The slices of brie paired perfectly with the olives and tomatoes, but it turns out this pizza was delicious without the cheese as well.

Ingredients

1 pound pizza dough, thawed if frozen

2 beefsteak tomatoes (about 1 pound), thinly sliced

2 scallions, thinly sliced

1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved

2 tablespoon olive oil

kosher salt

black pepper

brie, thinly sliced (optional)

• Step by Step
• 1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• 2.  Sprinkle a clean surface with flour.  Roll our pizza dough into a rectangular shape that will fit a baking sheet.
  
  3.  Cover baking sheet with parchment paper.  Transfer pizza dough onto baking sheet covered with parchment paper. 
  
  4.  Top the dough with the tomatoes, scallions and olives.  If using slices of brie, add on top of tomatoes.  Drizzle with the oil and sprinkle with kosher salt.  Top with a 1/4 teaspoon of pepper.
  
  5.  Bake until crust is crisp and edges are browned, 15 to 20 minutes.
  

Homemade Cookie Cake

One of my best friends, Lea, does not like cupcakes.  I know, I know, it took our breath away too when she admitted this to me and a few friends, who couldn't imagine a world without cupcakes.  Well, her birthday is today and I still had to find a way to celebrate with a sweet treat, so I decided to try my hand at a homemade cookie cake.  This is my first attempt and I think it turned out pretty darn good.  I know some of you food purists would be appalled to know that I used pre-made cookie dough, but I did make a homemade buttercream icing, which makes all the difference if you ask me.  If you are in a hurry and don't like to mess with things like a kitchen full of powdered sugar dust or a piping bag, you could just buy the pre-made icing that already has a fancy tip on it (I know, I know... shoot me for all my shortcuts!).

Happy Birthday Lea!

Homemade Cookie Cake
Recipe Notes
I have started cooking all of my cookies (and cookie cakes) on parchment paper.  I have found it to be the most fool proof way to produce perfectly cooked cookies with no burned bottoms.  If you have a different method, feel free to use it.  And the best part, you just crumple it up and your clean up is finished.
Ingredients

1 tube of refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough (two if you want an extra large cake)

parchment paper

flour

for the icing

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature

3 cups powdered sugar

2 teaspoons milk

food coloring

Step by Step

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees (or whatever temperature prepared cookie dough package says)

Lightly flour a rolling pin and a piece of parchment paper so that dough will not stick to either.

2.  Using a rolling pin, roll out cookie dough into desired shape on a piece of parchment paper.  Make sure that dough is evenly rolled for best baking.

3.  Transfer parchment paper with cookie dough onto a baking sheet.  Bake for 10 to 20 minutes, depending on thickness and shape of dough.  Remove when edges are very slightly browned.

4.  Allow to cool completely. Using the edges of the parchment paper, transfer the cookie cake onto the surface that you will be serving from.  Gently loosen cookie cake from parchment paper with a spatula.  Slip parchment paper out from underneath the cake.  If cookie cake is sticking to paper, try tearing the parchment paper and removing half from one side of the cake and half from the other. 

5.  Ice the cake with buttercream icing and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Step by Step for Buttercream Icing

1.  Cream the butter on medium speed until light and fluffy. 

2.  Gradually add the powdered sugar, then add the mild and blend until smooth. 

3.   Add  food coloring until desired color.

Hi-hat!

Idag bakade jag till ett födelsedagskalas. Det önskades hi-hat cupcakes och vaniljcupcakes fyllda med blåbär och vit chokladfrosting. Hi-hat cupcakesen blev mycket snyggare än sist jag gjorde dem. Övning ger färdighet antar jag! Jag testade också mina nya spritstyllar. De var toppen, men jag känner att jag behöver öva lite mer för att bli bra på att spritsa. Det är inte min starkaste sida om man säger så..

Hi-hat cupcakes (klicka på bilden för större bild)

Vaniljcupcakes fyllda med blåbär och vit chokladfrosting (klicka på bilden för större bild)

The Little Kitchen That Could... hosts lots of visiting cooks!

I believe my Little Kitchen has proved it can handle lots of big projects... cooking a dinner party for 8, cupcakes that use every bowl in your kitchen, and the constant grind of almost daily cooking.  But now, it has definitely accomplished a new feat... 4 cooks in the kitchen! Sure there was lots of shimmying by each other, and a little ducking and dodging as cookies were coming out of the oven and pizzas were being created, but it might be the best evening the Little Kitchen ever had.

I have been waiting to have a group over for pizzas and college friends in town was the perfect opportunity.  I had also been drooling over the Reese's peanut butter cup cookies in Real Simple this month so voila, the menu was made.  The chicken pesto pizza is one of my favorites and the detailed recipe can be found here.  Our other pizza was something my friend Lea whipped up, which was the chicken pesto pizza with a few jazzed up ingredients.  She used pesto, chicken, parmesan, minced garlic, thinly sliced tomatoes, fresh spinach leaves and topped with a little mozzarella cheese! yum, yum, yum... Glad you could join me girls! Oh, and I'll be back with the cookie recipe!