12 posts tagged “recipes”
Originally published at caitlin childs (dot) com. You can comment here or there.
Most zucchini bread recipes are heavy on the sugar and oil, and taste a lot more like zucchini cake than bread. This recipe comes from the King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking cookbook and is much more like a traditional bread recipe. The flavor is complex and delicious and the consistency is dense and bready. Perfect for eating plain or spreading with your favorite butter, jam, or cream cheese.
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup unbleached white flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1-1/2 cups grated zucchini
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1 tablespoon lemon zest
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease a 9"x5" loaf pan. In a medium bowl mix together dry ingredients: flours, sugar, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. In a larger bowl or mixing bowl whisk the eggs milk and oil together. Stir in the dry ingredients until uniformly mixed then add the zucchini, walnuts, and lemon zest.
Bake for one hour, check the center with a toothpick, if it comes out clean
your bread is done, if not bake for a few more minutes and re-test. Let bread cool in pan for 15 minutes then run a knife around the edges and remove from pan to cool on a wire rack.
This is a recipe from my childhood. My step-granfather, who died when I was young, was a great cook. This is one of his recipes and I remember my mom making these when I was a kid. They're unique because this recipe doesn't just use orange extract or orange juice, it uses an entire orange all chopped up inside the muffins! Yum!
Ingredients:
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
3 1/3 cup flour
1 3/4 cup sugar
3 tbsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 orange, finely chopped, NOT peeled
1 1/2 cup milk
orange glaze
Beat the eggs for 5 minutes. Slowly beat in oil. Continue to beat 1 minute. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture, chopped orange, and milk to egg mixture. Mix until blended, then beat 2 to 3 minutes. Spoon batter into paper-lined muffin cups about 2/3 full. Bake at 350ºF 20-25 minutes or until muffins spring back when lightly touched. Remove from pans and cool on wire racks. Brush with orange glaze while still warm.
Glaze:
4 tbsp powdered sugar
4 tsp milk
1/2 tsp grated orange peel
a couple teaspoons orange juice
Combine sugar, milk and peel until smooth. Brush over muffins while still warm.
A note on chopping the orange: you'll need to chop the orange with it's peel on. This is a messy endeavor but you'll want to chop it into smallish chunks and try not to loose too much of the juice in the process. Just add it all in to the batter!
My holiday season baking hasn't really begun yet, but last night I got a craving for something swwet and spicy. Gingerbread is the perfect cake for the holidays, sweet, moist, fragrant and easy to make. Gingerbread is excellent served warm with vanilla ice cream or freshly whipped cream, butterscotch sauce would also probably taste great.
2 1/3 cups flour
1/2 cup shortening
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup dark molasses
3/4 cup hot water
1 egg
1 tsp cinammon
1 tsp groung ginger
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Pre-heat over to 325ºF. Grease and flour a 9x9 inch cake pan. Beat all ingredients in mixer until smooth and creamy. Pour into pan. Bake at 325º for 50-55 minutes until top is light and springy and a toothpick comes out clean.
This is one of those deceptively simply and endlessly creative recipes which can work for just about anyone. Butternut squash, in addition to being chock full of nutrients like beta-carotene, is also incredibly versatile, it can be made into both sweet and savory dishes easily depending on the spices you use. For this particular butternut squash soup, I flavored it similarly to the way I might flavor a pumpkin pie, with lots of cinnamon and nutmeg. I could just as easily have gone for a savory soup by adding onions, garlic, salt and vegetable broth.
ingredients:
1 butternut squash (about 2 pounds)
equal parts water and plain soymilk or milk
margarine or butter
cinnamon
ginger
nutmeg
maple syrup
Cut your squash in half lengthwise and place cut side down into an oiled glass baking dish. Poke several holes into the outer skin of the squash with a fork or knife. Roast in oven at 375ºF for 45 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool, and scoop out the flesh from the skin.
Add the squash pulp to a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. If needed, add some soymilk to the puree to help mix. Once the squash has reached a creamy consistency pour into a large saucepan and begin adding your liquids. There is no set rule as to how much liquid you should use, I like a somewhat thick soup while others prefer a less solid consistency. Once you have reached your desired soup consistency, add butter, maple syrup, and spices to taste.
This recipe comes from the same cookbook as the lemon squares I posted a month ago and it's the perfect recipe for this time of year. I made these today in honor of my neighbor's pumpkin carving party, but they're great for every occasion. I should also note that this recipe can easily be made vegan as it only require one egg. I usually use Ener-G Egg Replacer, as long as it's well mixed it usually works fairly well it most baking recipes.
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 to 2-1/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
about 1/3 cup sugar
Preheat oven to 350ºF (175ºC) In a large bowl combine oil and sugar. Add egg, beating well. Stir in molasses, 2 cups flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and ginger. If necessary add a little more flour to make a firm dough. Shape dough into 1-1/4 inch balls by hand and roll in 1/3 cup sugar (I usually use coarse raw sugar crystals for a better presentation.) Place 3 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 12-14 minutes until golden brown and tops crack. Remove immediately and cool on wire racks. Makes about 45 2-1/2 inch cookies.
In addition to the sweet potato gnocchi I made last night, I also tried out a new cake recipe, this one from the sometimes fabulous, sometimes questionable cookbook How It All Vegan. My mom has a different recipe which I plan on trying out some other time just to compare, but this one turned out to be pretty excellent. Sinfully chocolatey and nice and gooey, the perfect way to finish a good meal.
1 cup flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup soy/rice milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
Sauce:
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 cups boiling water
Preheat oven to 350ºF. In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, cocoa, and salt. Add the sugar, margarine, milk, and vanilla and mix gently until just mixed. Spread in a lightly oiled 9"x9" cake pan and set aside.
In a medium bowl mix together the 3/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup cocoa powder. Sprinkle evenly on top of the cake mixture. Then carefully pour the boiling water over the top. Do NOT Mix. Bake for 40 minutes. To serve scoop out portions and serve warm with ice cream.
3 midsized yams or sweet potatoes
1 12oz container of ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2t salt
2 3/4 cup flour
Roast the yams/sweet potatoes in the oven at 425º for about 1 hour until you can easily stick a fork into them. Then remove their skins and mash the yams in a large bowl. Add the ricotta, parmesan, and salt until thoroughly mixed. Then add the flour a half cup at a time. Per Meredith's suggestion I used a pastry blender to cut in the flour and it worked quite well. You should end up with a nice light dough once all ingredients are mixed in.
From there turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and separate into 6 balls. One at a time roll out the balls into 20 inch long snake-like rolls and cut one inch pieces with a knife. Each roll should make about 20 gnocchi.
Cook your gnocchi in boiling water (for pastas I always add salt and olive oil to my water before bringing it to a boil) in small batches for about 5 minutes each. The gnocchi will float to the surface when cooked. Drain them and set them aside while cooking the rest.
To serve I sauteed my gnocchi in a half olive oil, half butter coated sautee pan and added fresh sage from my garden for a little extra flavor and colour. I also added toasted pine nuts and fresh tomatoes from also my garden before serving.
Years ago my mom clipped this recipe out of a newspaper. While I love finding new recipes, I've always liked to have my recipes vetted by friends before I'll give them a shot so I've never been adventurous enough to try new recipes sight unseen. This recipe however, is proof positive that I should try to branch out more because it's been a staple of every summer party my family has ever thrown.
It has the added benefit of taking almost no time at all to make, being good for virtually any occasion, and storing well for several days of lunch time snacking. I made it on Saturday before going to a fantastic barbeque thrown by my friends Scott and Meredith.
1 box couscous (10 ounces)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime or lemon juice
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
8 green onions (1 cup chopped)
1 medium red or green bell pepper
1 medium tomato
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup frozen corn kernels
2 cans black beans, drained
1. Bring 2 1/4 cups water to a boil and stir in couscous. Cover the pot and remove it from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile in a large bowl stir together the olive oil, lime juice, vinegar, and cumin. Chop the green onions and enough of the green tops to make 1 cup. Pour them into the bowl. Seed and chop the bell pepper into bite sized pieces and pour into bowl as you go. Do the same for the tomato and then add the chopped cilantro.
3. Pour the frozen corn into a colander and rinse to soften slightly. Drain and add to bowl. Stir everything in bowl together then drain and rinse the black beans in cold water, making sure to rinse and drain thoroughly before adding to vegetable mixture.
4. Fluff your couscous with a fork, making sure to break up all chunks before adding both couscous and vegetable mixture into a large serving bowl. Stir with a wooden spoon to mix couscous and vegetable thoroughly and to coat with dressing. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve at once of refrigerate until ready.
Way back in the sixties my mom saved up points and got herself a free Betty Crocker cookbook. Her copy is well worn and contains recipes not found in the new Betty Crocker cookbook they put out now. I suppose when I move I will have to try to ebay myself a copy of the old school book because I'd hate to loose so many classic recipes.
Pie is a staple in my family. I know lots of people are afraid of making pie (or at least their own pie crust) but I've grown up on homemade pie and have been completely spoiled for anything but pie from scratch. So in an effort to encourage others to make their own pie crusts I have begun shopping myself out as a pie crust instructor, so if you know me, and you want to learn how to make pie, holla.
10 inch one crust pie (note: I use this recipe for all of my pies, even the 9 inch ones)
1-1/3 cups flour1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
3 to 4 tablespoons of cold water
10 inch two crust pie
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup shortening
7 to 8 tablespoons of cold water
Measure flour and salt into a bowl. Cut in shortening thoroughly. Sprinke in water, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing until all flour is moistened and dough almost cleans sides of bowl (note: extra water may be needed, add one teaspoon at a time until little dry flour remains in bowl. Gather dough into ball (for two crust pie, separate dough into two equal halves) wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.
Some notes on rolling out your crust: roll out your chilled dough on a throoughly floured surface (preferably a pastry cloth) using a floured rolling pin. Don't be afraid to use some force in rolling out your dough but be sure to maintain an even thickness, rolling out the thicker areas more than the thinner ones. You want your crust to form a rough circle and you may need to re-flour both your pastry cloth and rolling pin during this process. Keep a cup of cold water handy in case your dough tears. In case of tears, you can use the water as a paste and patch the tear together again (dab both edges with water from your fingertip and smooth sides together.)Once your dough is large enough fold gently into quarters and ease into ready pie pan. Unfold, center in pie plate, and fill with whatever filling you like. If you are using a two crust recipe, follow the same process for rolling out the top crust and place gently on top of your pre-filled pie. Fold both edges of the pie over and inwards and pinch with fingers to form a traditional edge. Cover with strips of tinfoil and bake according to recipe.
Many of my recipes are old favorites passed down from my mother's side of the family, but some are slightly newer. This recipe, for example, comes from a 1983 cookbook simply entitled, "Cookies." The book is now falling apart from use and two of my very favorite recipes in the book face each other on pages 82 and 83. The first one I'll share is one I made just recently when I was hit with a sudden craving for lemon bars. The recipe requires chilling for at least 4 hours though, and my sudden craving was sadly delayed until the morning after my baking adventure. My coworkers reaped the benefits of this when I brought two plates of lemon squares in to the office that day.
One thing to note about this recipe is the ease; lemon squares always seemed so delicate to me, so I was pleasantly surprised to discover how easy to make this recipe is, especially when considering how impressive your accomplishment will seem to everyone you share them with.
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 cups flour
1 cup butter or margarine
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 1 thoroughly squeezed lemon)
powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350°. In a small bowl combine 1/2 cup powdered sugar and flour. Using a fork or pastry blender, cut in butter or margarine until mixture is crumbly and size of small peas. Press mixture evenly in bottom of ungreased 9x13" baking pan. Bake 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, beat together eggs, sugar, baking powder, salt, lemon peel, and lemon juice until fluffy. Pour over hot crust. Bake 20 to 25 minutes longer until no imprint remains when touched lightly in center. Cool in pan. While hot, sift powdered sugar over top. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight before cutting. (This is an important step!)
