Posted By Lindsay on March 22, 2009
I love quick, refreshing meals. Ones that you feel took virtually no time to prepare, yet are still just as satisfying as the 4-hour-long fancy schmancy dinner. It almost feels like cheating.
This dish is just that. A cheaters’ dinner. A summertime tease. It’s got all the fresh and exciting flavors of summer, but something you can eat while the air is still brisk. We’ve had a few 70+ degree days here in Nashville the past couple of weeks. It’s funny how one warm day can change your entire mindset. I’m in summer mode now, and no 30-degree nights with our heat running can change that.
Fusilli With Peppers, Zucchini, and Feta
Makes 4-6 servings. Recipe from Delish.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 lb baby bell peppers, seeded and quartered lengthwise (or regular bell peppers, sliced into 1/2" thick slices)
1 large red onion, halved and cut into thin strips
16 oz. long fusilli pasta
2 zucchini, cut into 2-inch sticks, 1/4-inch thick
1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved
6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Directions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium heat in a 5-quart Dutch oven; add peppers and onion and stir to combine. Cover pot; cook 10 minutes, stirring often.
Add pasta to boiling water; cook according to package directions. While pasta cooks, add zucchini and olives to onion mixture and cook uncovered, 10 minutes, tossing frequently, until vegetables are tender.
Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Add pasta to vegetables and add feta cheese, black pepper, and reserved cooking water; toss. Transfer to a pasta serving bowl.
Posted By Lindsay on March 20, 2009
Something different for dinner. This soup had an amazing flavor, we were left wondering where it came from. Extremely simple ingredients produce an incredibly complex broth, paired with a bag of mixed frozen seafood (shrimp, scallops, and calamari), this is definitely something we’ll make again (and we don’t say that often).
Not only is it delicious, it’s easy too. Easy enough that I can cook it all myself while Taylor coats himself (and the bedroom) in paint. Not only cook it, but manage to clean it up at the same time, usually a feat only Taylor can accomplish (sorry, but I’m not as adept at multi-tasking as he is. When I cook, I COOK. And that’s it.) You have to love recipes that require very little slicing and dicing, but rather, just opening a can and dumping it in the pot. Awesome.
Mexican Seafood Posole
Makes 4 servings. Recipe from Epicurious.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups (or more) bottled clam juice
1 (15-ounce) can white hominy, drained, rinsed
1 cup salsa verde (tomatillo salsa), medium or mild
2 tablespoons finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes in oil
1 tablespoon finely grated lime peel
1 pound mixed seafood (shrimp, scallops, calamari rings)
4 tablespoons chopped cilantro, divided
Directions:
Heat oil in large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; stir about 30 seconds. Add 3 cups clam juice and next 4 ingredients to skillet; simmer 5 minutes. DO AHEAD Can be made 4 hours ahead. Cool slightly. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, then cover and chill. Bring to simmer before continuing.
Add seafood and 3 tablespoons cilantro to simmering broth, adding more clam juice to thin if necessary. Simmer until seafood is just opaque in center, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Divide among bowls; sprinkle with remaining cilantro.
Posted By Lindsay on March 17, 2009
Happy St. Patrick’s day to you! I’ve had these on my mind for quite some time now, I’ve been plotting and scheming and planning my creme de menthe tactics, and this green-loving holiday seemed like the perfect time to make them. I’m warning you, if you are in the least bit hungry or craving anything even remotely sweet right now, don’t read any further unless you have the time to run to your kitchen and bake these right now. There is no avoiding it, you won’t be able to resist these.
I’ve had a cupcake realization – coconut milk just might be the best thing ever. While many of my cupcakes call for soymilk, including the original Rich Chocolate Cupcakes these are based on, I substituted coconut milk in this time. The result is a moist and fluffy cake, with an incredible depth of flavor. Rich and slightly nutty, but not in any way coconutty (great for those of us who aren’t particularly fond of the white stuff contaminating our truffles), there is something about the coconut milk that brings out the best in any chocolate flavor. And for these, I splurged and got some of the Special Dark cocoa powder, which explains why my cupcakes came out of the oven almost a midnight black.
The frosting is a rich and minty swirl of green mint and dark chocolate mint buttercreams, topped with an andes mint (my favorite – and the inspiration for these cupcakes). The flavor comes from Creme de Menthe flavor oil (can be purchased in an itty bitty jar here: http://www.bakeitpretty.com/item_321/Candy-Flavoring.htm), but that little jar goes a long way. A few drops of it in the frosting was more than enough minty flavor for a dozen cupcake swirls.
After eating one of these last night, Taylor and I soon realized that had it not been 9:30 at night, and had we not had a reasonable sense of self control, we just might have eaten the entire dozen right then and there. They are that good. In fact, here we are at 9:28 am on St. Patrick’s day morning, and I just might have to sneak one of these for breakfast.
Dark Chocolate Creme de Menthe Cupcakes with Buttercream Swirl
Ingredients:
1 cup coconut milk
1/3 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup dark cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 Andes mints, halved on the diagonal
For Frosting:
1 cup butter or margarine, room temperature
2 tablespoons soymilk, divided
1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar, divided
2 ounces dark chocolate, melted
creme de menthe flavoring
green food coloring
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin pan with paper liners.
Whisk together the coconut milk, sugar, oil, and vanilla extract and beat till foamy. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add in two batches to wet ingredients and beat until no lumps remain (or very few remain).
Pour into liners, filling each with 1/4 cup of batter. Bake 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.
For frosting, cream butter until smooth and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add 1/2 tablespoon soymilk and mix to combine. Remove half of butter mixture to another bowl and set aside. Add 4 drops of creme de menthe extract and a few drops of green food coloring to remaining butter mixture, along with 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar. Beat until combined. Add remaining sugar 1/4 cup at a time and mix until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Spoon frosting into one half of a piping bag, set aside.
Move remaining half of butter mixture back into the mixing bowl. Slowly add melted chocolate, and beat until fluffy and incorporated, 3-5 minutes. Add remaining 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, a little bit at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add 3 drops creme de menthe flavoring, and more soymilk if needed. Beat until fluffy. Spoon into other half of piping bag, and pipe onto cooled cupcakes. Top with halved mints and enjoy!
Posted By Lindsay on March 15, 2009
After our delicious Valentine’s day dessert of caramelized bananas, I’ve had caramel and banana on the brain. It’s such a rich and satisfying combination, one that I thought would translate perfectly into cupcakes.
However, I had a dilemma. A sugar dilemma. My fear of sugar may have delayed these delicious cupcakes longer than necessary. A few bad experiences with cooked sugar and I’m scarred for life. So no way was I going to attempt to make my own caramel for these cupcakes.
Eventually, though, I decided that there was no need to actually make caramel, when there are plenty of commercial ice cream sauces available. Simply open the jar, drizzle, and done. No cooked sugar needed. Perfect!
I also picked up a little bottle of caramel flavoring, again with the idea of avoiding cooking caramel myself. I added a few drops of the potent stuff to the batter. Nothing intense, but just enough to give the cake that much more depth of flavor.
My buttercream separated just a bit… I got overzealous with the softening of the butter, and once butter has been partially liquefied, well, you really can’t un-do it. I have realized, though, that I had been putting way too much sugar in my buttercream. Using a higher proportion of butter to sugar, adding more soymilk, and then whipping the heck out of it makes a much lighter, fluffier, and slightly less-sweet buttercream. I’m getting better at it, but I’ve still got a ways to go before I’ve mastered the ‘perfect’ frosting.
And psst! This cupcake recipe has been entered in the Cupcake Hero: Banana contest for the month of September (see the entries). Wish me luck! More info about Cupcake Hero.
Caramel Banana Cupcakes with Easy Caramel Buttercream
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups plain soymilk
2 1/8 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/8 cups sugar
1/2 cup mashed ripe banana
1/2 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
For Frosting:
1 cup butter or margarine, room temperature
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons soymilk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2-3 tablespoons caramel topping
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350º. Line muffin tin with paper cupcake liners.
Combined apple cider vinegar and soymilk in small bowl. Stir well and set aside (the mixture will curdle).
In a bowl, mash banana with canola oil until incorporated. Add extracts and mix well.
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the curdled soymilk and banana mixtures to the dry ingredients and stir until smooth.
Fill each muffin cup with 1/4 cup of batter. Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a cupcake comes out clean.
Let cool in the pans for 5 minutes, then remove and place on a wire rack. Cool completely before frosting.
For frosting, whip butter with electric mixer until fluffy. Add sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add milk, vanilla, and 2 tablespoons caramel, and beat 3-5 minutes until thick and fluffy. Add more sugar if needed to achieve proper consistency. Spread or pipe onto cooled cupcakes. Drizzle with remaining caramel and enjoy!
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