fruitcake 2008

this year's fruitcake is in the oven as i'm typing it.  i've made a few changes from last year's recipe, so here is the new one.  

2 cups packed dark brown sugar

3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

3 cups all-purpose flour (i used organic, unbleached)

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon ground nutmeg, fresh if possible

scant 1 tablespoon allspice

scant 1 tablespoon ground cloves

1/2 tablespoon ground ginger

zest of 2 oranges*, finely chopped

1/2 cup calmyrna figs, chopped

1/2 cup mission figs, chopped

1/2-1 cup dried cranberries, chopped if necessary

1/2-1 cup dried blueberries

1/2-1 cup dried sour cherries, chopped

1/2-1 cup dried strawberries, chopped

1/2-1 cup prunes, chopped

1/2-1 cup dried pears, chopped

1/2-1 cup dried apricots, chopped

3 cups dark rum

1 cup walnuts, chopped

1 cup pecans, chopped

soak chopped fruit in rum for at least 24 hours, in an airtight container at room temperature.  

grease and flour two tube pans, and line bottoms with parchment cut to fit.  preheat oven to 225 degrees farenheit.  

cream together butter and sugar until lightened in color and fluffy.  add eggs and beat until combined.

in a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and ginger.  

beat flour mixture into butter mixture until well-combined.  stir in fruit (which will have plumped considerably), nuts, and orange zest.  divide between two pans and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, one to two hours.  the idea is to bake slow to get rid of some moisture that will be reintroduced in the form of rum during aging.  

remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for ten minutes.  while cooling, lay out a layer of cheesecloth that has been soaked in rum.  flip fruitcake right side up onto cheesecloth.  sprinkle approximately two tablespoons of rum onto surface and wrap tightly in parchment.  seal in an airtight container.  let age for at least two months, sprinkling with rum every five days.  

*i tried using a spice grater rather than a zester, to see if it would grate so fine that i wouldn't have to chop the zest.  it worked great and produced so much juicy zest that i only used one orange.  but, if using a zester, the resulting zest will be bigger and drier, so use two oranges.  

spicy black bean dip with goat cheese

inspired by stephanie over at http://crockpot365.blogspot.com!

-1 big can + 1 small can black beans (because thats what i had)
-4-5 cloves garlic
-1 tsp grains of paradise (which i used because i had them, NOT essential! this is a kind of pepper. you can substitute ground black pepper).
-1 tbsp potlatch seasoning (or sub 1 tsp cayenne and 1 tsp chili powder. potlatch is available at williams sonoma and is our favorite spice blend! it also includes paprika, crushed red pepper, and oregano, i think.)
-2 tsp salt or to taste
-several dashes tobasco. i used garlic tobasco.
-2 tbsp olive oil.
-2 tbsp lemon juice

-5-6 oz. goat cheese

drain beans and rinse well. combine all ingredients (except goat cheese) in food processor and process until smooth. stop the machine and taste a few times and adjust and fiddle with your spices if necessary. layer half the mixture in a small casserole dish. crumble half the goat cheese and layer evenly over the bean mixture. repeat.

bake at 350 until cheese is melted and golden and beans are heated through. (mine is still in the fridge. i'll update this later)

ETA: this didn't turn out as well as i'd hoped, but i think i just left it in the oven for too long and it got pretty dry. next time i might just microwave it (covered) for a several minutes and then stick it under the broiler to finish it off. this had potential to be delicious but fell short.

Peanut Butter Frosting

1 stick unsalted butter, room temp
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 cups powdered sugar
3-4 tbsp milk
2 tsp vanilla
pinch salt (if desired)

combine pb and butter, blending until fluffy. add remaining ingredients and whip until light and fluffy, adding more or less milk depending on the thickness you want!

Ariadne auf Naxos Opening Night Party Menu

BYOB

Pigs in Blankets (as per my husband's request)
Bean Dip (don't know what kind yet)

Sausage Lasagna
Green Salad w/cranberries, nuts, and gorgonzola
Garlic Bread

Liz DeShong's Blueberry Grenadine Pie (SO excited to try this!!)
those cookies from 2 posts ago (SO much chocolate to use up!!)
S'mores!

healthier version of those last cookies

in place of the oil, substitute 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce and 1/4 cup oil. the results are cakey. very yummy.

chocolate chip cookies made with oil

these are TO DIE. the only thing i would change would be to add a little butter-flavored extract in addition to the vanilla.

3 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar (i used dark brown)
1 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla
3 cups chopped hershey bars, plus another 1 cup to roll dough in.

preheat oven to 350'.

whisk together flour, salt, and bakng soda. in another bowl whisk together sugars, oil, egg, and vanilla. add flour mixture to sugar mixture and stir until blended. stir in chopped chocolate.

line your baking sheet with parchment paper. form dough into balls using a tablespoon. add chocolate chunks to any 'empty' spots. bake for 8-9 minutes. cool for 2 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack.

bye-bye studio artists party

on the menu...

-yummus hummus
-baked spaghetti
-chocolate chip cookies
-oatmeal raisin cookies
-chocolate bread pudding
-pumpkin pie bread pudding

all made with ingredients i had on-hand! yes, it's a LOT of sweets- but that's what i do!

chocolate bread pudding

2 pkgs hamburger buns, cubed
5 cups milk
1 stick butter, melted and cooled
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 bag semi-sweet choco chips
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs, beaten
1 tbsp vanilla

combine all ingredients (except buns) over low heat until well-combined. put a layer of buns in the bottom of a pan, moisten with a cup or two of the custard mixture, and a handful of chocolate chips, and repeat until buns, custard, and chips are gone! bake at 350' for about 40 minutes.

i haven't actually tasted this yet, so it may need some tweaking!

lasagna made with what i had on-hand

1 box whole wheat lasagna noodles
2 small things fat free ricotta
2 eggs
1/3 cup parmesan cheese, + more for top
1 bag fat free cheddar cheese (or mozzarella if you can find it F.F.)
2 jars whatever tomato-based sauce you like
1/3 cup pesto
1 lb lean turkey sausage
2 cloves garlic, chopped

combine the ricotta, parm, and eggs. take the sausage out of it's casings and brown on med. heat. season with s&p. add in the garlic and saute a minute, then stir in the sauce. put a very thin layer of sauce in the bottom of your dish. put a layer of noodles, a layer of sauce, a layer of ricotta mixture, a layer of the cheddar, and a layer of the pesto.. repeat twice. on your top layer of noodles, put just a layer of sauce (make sure all the noodles are covered!), more cheddar, and a bit more parm. bake at 375 for 45 minutes to an hour, or until you can stick a knife in and the noodles are soft. make sure to let it sit at least 10 minutes after you take it out of the oven so it can congeal a little.

like most lasagna i've ever made, i kind of made this up as i went along. it turned out delicious though! i was quite skeptical of the whole wheat lasagna noodles, but in the end they are so covered in cheese and sauce, it's really not noticeable if they're a tad rubberier than regular noodles. i had pesto that needed to be used up, hence it's appearance in this recipe. and the cheddar was the only cheese beau could find that was fat free.

rice pudding

this is good. really good. i don't even love rice pudding that much, but this... is delicious.

3 cups day-old short grain white rice
4 cups skim milk, divided
2/3 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt (or to taste. i always add extra.)
2 eggs, beaten
1 tbsp pure vanilla
1 cup raisins, if you like raisins. i don't, unless they're enrobed in chocolate.
1 tbsp butter

combine rice, 3 c of the milk, sugar, and salt in a large saucepan and cook on medium until thick and creamy, about 15 minutes. pour in remaining cup milk, then eggs, vanilla, & butter (& raisins if you like em). cook 2-3 more minutes until combined and thick.

adapted from a stellar recipe on allrecipes.com!

vegetarian chili 2

okay, this is really just the bean soup i mentioned a few days ago, with a few minor changes.

1/2 red onion, finely chopped (because that's what we had on hand)
garlic to taste
1 lg. can CRUSHED tomatoes (so much better than diced!)
1 15 oz. can fat free refried beans
1 " can kidney beans
1 can black beans
1 " can pinto beans
1 can water
1 bottle beer (i used yuengling black & tan)
1 packet mccormick chili seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

saute onion & garlic in a bit of EVOO until onion is translucent. add remaning ingredients. bring to a boil, then simmer on low for at least an hour.

i can't wait to eat this with ff hot dogs or tortilla chips!!

oh, and P.S., the baking-soda-at-gas-neutralizer did NOT work. or maybe i just didn't use enough?

4th of july party!

tomorrow is the 4th, and it'll be our 2nd annual party. last year we had a good 40-50 people! i have a tendency to cook too much food, so this year i'm trying to be prudent and only making one batch of everything. well, maybe not ONE batch, but not 5 batches. even though i said we were only doing burgers and dessert, but i can't resist the temptation to make other goodies if i have the ingredients on hand. so, i've been a busy bee and made:

-hummus. about a half-gallon of hummus, actually.
-pesto pasta salad w/sun dried tomatoes, green onions, and parm.
-8 pounds of hamburgers!
-kahlua brownie trifle.
-patriotic fireworks cake. mostly a novelty cake, but hopefully it'll taste yummy in the jello-and-cool-whip sense.

bean soup

this is adapted from a weight watchers recipe. i can never just follow someone else's recipe to the letter! it's still WW friendly.

1 vidalia onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (15 oz) can pinto beans
" " black beans
" " white beans
" " kidney beans
" " fat free/vegetarian refried beans
1 (30 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 bottle beer, whatever you have on hand.
2 c water
salt and pepper to taste
***1 tbsp baking soda- this will neutralize the, um, gassifying? effects of the beans.

saute onion and garlic in 2 tbsp olive oil. add remaning ingredients and simmer for at least 30 minutes. the alcohol needs to cook off or it will be too beer-tasting.

ETA: okay, i've had 3 servings of this soup today. it is so delicious, and filling, and healthy. HOWEVER, next time i will not use trader joe's diced tomatoes... the chunks are too big. i just like a suggestion of tomato, or else it's too much like chili. or i may just use tomato paste and extra stock or water.

wedding cake!

a friend asked me to bake a wedding cake for her dad and his new bride; a challenge i happily accepted! they need cake for 200. yesterday i baked a total of thirteen cakes- 6 sheet, 2 tiers comprised of 3 layers each, and 1 left over. they are:

-mocha almond chocolate chip cake with almond buttercream (the actual wedding cake and 3 of the sheet cakes), and between the wedding cake layers is whipped cream icing
-lemon cake with lemony buttercream (3 sheet cakes). i like to give a non-chocolate option, because some people don't like chocolate!  can you imagine?  

total came to $165 for all the ingredients and supplies... of course, if i were a 'professional', i'd get all my ingredients at cost, and already have supplies. i imagine if i were a pro, it'd cost at least 2/3 less than what i spent.  my total time spent working was about 16 hours.

the friend i did this for offered to pay me, and i told her she didn't need to (but could if she wanted to). even if she doesn't, i learned a LOT in the last 2 days, and that might be as good as getting paid! 

for example, i learned to NOT use skim milk in my buttercream. for the first batch i did, and it was thin and had no body, and i ended up covering it up with the better buttercream that i made later. for the next 2 batches, i used half and half, and it's gorgeous. i also learned that chopsticks make great stakes to keep the layers from sliding around, and they're free.

most importantly, this experience solidified for me that this is what i want to do. and if it's meant to be, someday we will have a professional kitchen in our home, and there will really be a Yellow Bowl Bakery! the thought of someday having a business is TERRIFYING to me.

i took a few pictures of the process.  will post later

baking day...

tomorrow i'll spend the day baking with the other opera wives... on the menu so far:

frito candy (chocolate, sugar, peanuts, pretzels, and yes, fritos!)
blueberry crumble- a martha recipe
peppermint chocolate cake (as per request of a friend)
" " cupcakes

i'm really looking forward to it. if any of it survives the night, it'll be given to the cast of Un Giorno di Regno to celebrate their opening on friday.