apuginthekitchen

Feb 7

Simple Chocolate Cupcakes/Cake

This is the easiest, totally fool proof recipe for chocolate cake or cupcakes. I have been using it for years, it never fails me. I tried literally hundreds of different recipes for chocolate cake and one day I noticed this on the Hershey’s cocoa can and decided to give it a try, well the rest is history it’s now the only recipe I will use when I make chocolate cake. The cake is moist and delicious, you use vegetable oil instead of butter and I suggest you use Hershey’s cocoa it always turns out perfectly. I will be posting a Valentines Cake recipe using this chocolate cake so consider this a preview of things to come.

Chocolate Cupcake

Makes: 2 9 inch round cakes or 24 regular size cupcakes

1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cups cocoa (I use hershey’s) the recipe doesn’t specify whether or not to use dutch or natural cocoa since its a hersheys recipe I use what they say to use.
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup vegetable oil (If you want to substitute melted butter for the oil its fine)
1 cup whole milk at room temperature
2 large eggs at room temperature and lightly beaten
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
2 teaspoons instant espresso coffee (Optional but recommended)
soft butter and flour to prep baking pans or you can use cooking spray

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two 9″ round baking pans, butter the bottom add a parchment round then butter bottom and sides and flour the pan or you can use cocoa powder instead of flour. If you are making cupcakes place liners in two 12 cup muffin tins. In large mixing bowl add your dry ingredients, flour, cocoa, sugar, salt, baking soda and baking powder and whisk to combine. Now add the wet ingredients milk, oil,eggs and vanilla do not add the boiling water yet. With hand held mixer beat for 2 minutes. Now add the boiling water with optional espresso powder, beat just until combined. Pour into your prepared pans (the batter is quite thin) and bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Let cakes sit in pans for 10 minutes then invert onto cake rack to cool. Use your favorite frosting or ganache. This recipe will make 2 9 inch cakes or 24 cupcakes. If making cupcakes pour batter into lined cup 3/4 full, leave room for them to rise. Bake for 15-20 minutes, depending on your oven, cake should spring back when lightly touched, Be careful not to over bake.

Feb 7

6 Comments

The Liebster Award

I am so honored and touched to have been awarded a Liebster Award. Suzanne from the wonderful blog “The Wimpy Vegetarian” is spreading the love and I will do the same. We bloggers are passionate about our chosen subjects in my case food and pugs. I want to thank Suzanne for noticing my blog and I want to pay it forward by awarding the Liebster to some blogs that I visit and I feel deserve to be noticed. Visit The Wimpy Vegetarian for some fantastic, mostly vegetarian recipes and really interesting articles.

Here are the blogs that I picked for Liebster Award, please visit them, you will love them as I do I am sure, and each one is most deserving of this award. Support our bloggers and spread the love! I chose 6 blogs I couldn’t pick just 5, I think each one is amazing and deserves recognition.

Copy and paste the award on your blog. Link back to the blogger who gave you the award in a post where you award the leibster to your favorites.There are a few rules around this award:

Pick your five favorite blogs with less than 200 followers who deserve to be noticed and leave a comment on their blog to let them know they have received the award.
Hope that the five blogs chosen will keep spreading the love and pass it on to five more blogs.

Feb 5

6 Comments

The Pugs – Izzy and Nando

I think its about time that I introduce my two pugs, Izzy and Nando. They are the pugs in the kitchen. Izzy will be 11 years old in April and Nando turned 11, November 2011. My daughter brought Izzy to me when she was only 9 weeks old a few months after my other dog died. I was very upset and said I would never get another dog, my daughter knowing me and my love of animals decided I needed another dog so she came home with Izzy one day. I always had big dogs and was a little scared of such a tiny one, she seemed so fragile, long story short it didn’t take long for me to totally fall in love with her. I wanted Izzy to have a doggie friend, I feel its important they there is canine companionship. So I proceeded to start looking for a friend for Izzy, looking online on Pet Finders and rescue groups. I came across a Pug rescue group in Long Island and registered with them, my preference was a young adult dog since Izzy was just a puppy. They told me it would probably be a year or so since I was so specific about what I wanted. I had no preference regarding gender or color, I didn’t care, but age was a factor. Four days later I got a call, they said that they had just gotten a young pug who was left tied to a pole on a street in Long Island and they said he would be a good match as he was only about 10 months old. I immediately said yes, never saw a picture, it didn’t matter to me. They told me they would bring him to me as they needed to inspect my home. The next day he arrived, sweet Nando. Izzy instantly loved him as did I. They are best friends and do everything together.

Fast forward to December 2008, Nando was not doing well, he had always been so healthy and I was so worried, he exhibited all the classic symptoms of diabetes so I took him to the doctor who confirmed my fears. My local vet had me change his diet, I always cooked for my dogs, neither had ever had dog food but following the advice of the Vet I put Nando on dog food, a special formula. He became worse, even with the insulin I had to give him every day his blood sugar levels were very high. Only 2 months after he was diagnosed with diabetes he became blind. I felt that something had to change, he was going down hill fast so I did some extensive research and found an integrative Veterinarian about 60 miles from my home. This Veterinarian practice is quite well known and the founder has been on TV and has a weekly radio show. The first thing they did was take Nando off of the dog food, the first ingredient was corn, not good for a diabetic. I began making Nando’s food which consists of steamed skinless chicken breast and raw vegetables ground in the food processor, some plain non fat yogurt and a half tsp of cinnamon. He immediately started improving, its now been over 3 years. Nando amazes everyone, when we go for his check ups his blood work up is better than Izzy’s. He is still blind but gets around the house and goes for walks outside, he is slow, but manages to walk around the block and sometimes further. He is a fighter and never ceases to amaze me.

Nando waiting for food

Izzy is not without health problems but does well, she is a real diva and fancies herself the Queen of the house.

The Queen on her pillows

Feb 5

4 Comments

The Solitary Cooks- Lets Bake, Bagels!

I want to preface this by saying, I have never made a bagel in my life. I knew they would probably be challenging but I have complete trust and faith in Chef Cynthia’s recipes. I was a bit scared going into it, fear of the unknown I guess. I have become comfortable with baking simple bread but a bagel, not so much. I was immediately confounded by the addition of VWF (vital wheat gluten), I had never heard of it before and wasn’t sure about its role in the bagel. I live in NYC and we know a good bagel when we bite into it. I usually run to the local bagel store when I need a bagel fix. This challenge intrigued me and making bagels is on my bucket list, so I dove in head first. I decided to cut the recipe in half and got all my ingredients together, I felt very organized. Thank goodness for the Chef’s detailed instructions with pictures even, but despite that I still ran into a snafu and it effected the outcome of my bagels. Don’t get me wrong, they are amazingly delicious they just aren’t very pretty. As I was mixing the dough I noticed it seemed dry, the instructions detail what the dough should be doing every step of the way and mine wasn’t doing it. I tried my own quick fix which really didn’t help, I added a little water and a pinch of flour to help the dough absorb the liquid but it was too much, too little, too late. I ended up with a dough that was too dry, over kneaded (I think) but the good news is I learned from my mistake. I still trudged forward, determined to make bagels. Because the dough was too dry it would not hold a shape very well. In the end, I made bagels, like I said before they are not pretty but they taste great and I feel as though I have accomplished something I have never done before. I plan on making them again using my new found knowledge. Thanks to “The Solitary Cook” for the hand holding and words of encouragement. I am determined to make a bagel as beautiful as hers.

The only one that looked like a bagel out of the bunch!

Feb 5

5 Comments

Shrimp Scampi

I was on the phone with my daughter last night and we were discussing food, what else, right?? She made Shrimp Scampi and it sounded so delicious that I had to have some too! I had 18 colossal shrimp just waiting to be eaten. These shrimp are the size of small lobsters, you don’t have to use shrimp that big but I do recommend a larger size shrimp. This took me about 25 minutes to put together and I plan on enjoying it with some bread and a glass of Rose’. You can of course eat this with Pasta which is fairly traditional, I would do a simple garlic and olive oil sauce for the pasta.

Makes: Two large or 4 smaller servings

12-18 fresh large shrimp peeled and deveined

1 large garlic clove peeled

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tsp lemon zest

pinch of sea salt

Clean and devein your shrimp. Lay them on paper towels to dry (Its important that they be as dry as possible) I pat them dry then lay them on fresh dry paper towels for 15-30 minutes.

Peel your garlic clove and slice, place in mortar with a pinch of sea salt and smash it, add some of the olive oil and mix it up. Place shrimp either in bowl or ziplock bag, pour the garlic and oil from the mortar onto the shrimp, add the rest of the oil and the lemon zest. Refrigerate for 30 minutes Smoosh the bag around to make sure the shrimp are coated with the marinade.

Preparing the dish:

4 tbs butter

juice of 1 lemon

handful of parsley chopped

splash of olive oil

Turn broiler on and position rack in second rung closest to the flame. Heat skillet so that its very hot. Place some shrimp (I do 6 at a time) in the very hot pan and sear them just about a minute or less on each side (this will depend on the size of the shrimp). Immediately remove to a plate and add more shrimp. Continue until all the shrimp are seared. They will not be cooked through. You may have a little olive oil and garlic left from the marinade. I just dumped it in the skillet after the shrimp were cooked and quickly browned the garlic and poured it over the shrimp.

You will either need an oval gratin pan or a baking dish. Add the butter, splash of olive oil and lemon juice and place in the oven for a few minutes so that the butter melts. Remove from the oven place the shrimp in the baking pan or pans, spoon some of the butter/olive oil/lemon juice on top of shrimp and place them in the oven for 5 minutes. Remove, check for doneness. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley, a pinch of sea salt and some pepper.

Feb 4

Turkey Burger Parmigiano Slider

Turkey Parmigiano Sliders

This is my daughters recipe, and it’s so tasty and easy to make I asked her if I could post on my blog. She juggles a full time job, 2 young children and is renovating a new house. Honestly, I don’t know how she does it and still manages to cook a delicious home cooked meal almost every day. Wonder Woman, I think. These little burgers take only minutes to prepare and I think just about everything you need is already either in your freezer, refrigerator or pantry. These are a big hit with kids, and perfect for game day or any day for that matter.

Makes: 8-10 depending on size

1 lb ground turkey
2 eggs (one to mix into turkey the other to dip the burgers in)
small handful parsley chopped
1/4 cup parmigiano + more to sprinkle on burgers before broiling
1 cup bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste
splash of milk to mix with egg for dipping burgers
8 oz fresh mozzarella thinly sliced

Mix ground turkey, egg, and parsley, refrigerate while you prepare the bread crumbs. Whisk the egg and milk, mix the breadcrumbs with the cheese season with salt and pepper.

Form turkey into small patties,beat the egg and milk and dip each burger in egg first then bread crumbs.Fry in olive oil until golden brown and cooked through.

Turn oven on broil

Slice your rolls, spoon a little tomato sauce on each side of roll, put a patty on, top with fresh mozzarella and a sprinkle of parmigiano on each side and place in broiler until cheese melts.

Feb 3

4 Comments

Game Day – Something Sweet

It wouldn’t be a super bowl party without the something sweet, at least in my opinion. I don’t want to be chained to the kitchen and miss the game so I am planning a do it yourself Ice Cream Sundae buffet, with 3 different flavors of ice cream, some hot fudge, brownies, a pot of espresso (for affogato) and an array of different toppings. Everyone can tailor their sundae however they want it. I made some home made caramel popcorn today, if you have never had popcorn on or in ice cream you definitely should. It’s amazing, I first tasted it last summer when a local pastry chef/business owner introduced me to popcorn ice cream. I was blown away!

You can judge how much ice cream to buy or make depending on how many guests you will have. For the brownies, I discovered this recipe from “The Solitary Cook” and it can be found on Food52, its called Brownies to the Power of Four and they are hands down the best brownie I have ever had. Set up a dessert buffet with whatever you plan on serving, bowls and utensils and let your guests serve themselves whenever they want. My dessert buffet will consist of:

Ice Cream (vanilla bean, chocolate and dulce de leche)

Brownies

Pot of hot espresso

caramel popcorn, hot fudge, roasted chopped hazelnuts and almonds.

Fruit platter for those watching the waistline

Everything but the ice cream can be set up on the table, I put the hot espresso in a thermal carafe.

The Brownies recipe courtesy The Solitary Cook http://thesolitarycook.wordpress.com/author/thesolitarycook/

Makes 12 , 16, or more, depending on how large you cut them

8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped (I like ghirardhelli or guittard)

3 ounces unsweetened chocolate

1/4 cup cocoa powder, not dutched

6 ounces butter, 1″ chunks

5 large eggs

1 3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 3/4 cup unbleached flour

3/4 teaspoons sea or kosher salt

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or white chocolate chips

1 cup toasted nuts (optional) or peanut butter swirled in after panning mixture (also optional, but damn good)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9″ x 9″ baking pan with parchment and grease or spray the sides.
Measure chopped semi-sweet chocolate, unsweetened chocolate, cocoa powder, and butter into a large heatproof bowl and set over simmering water. By melting the cocoa powder into the other chocolates and butter, you get a much better mix with it, and its flavor is deeper. Stir occasionally until all ingredients have melted. Remove from heat and stir to thoroughly blend.
While chocolates are melting, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract. When chocolate mixture is ready, whisk in the egg mixture. Set or hold a sieve over the bowl and measure the flour and salt right into it. Sift into the bowl, pressing any lumps through with your fingertips. Use a good stiff spatula to stir everything together just until blended.
Now gild the lily. Add the chocolate chips of your choice and your nuts if using them. Once everything is nicely blended, scrape the batter into your pan. Spoon in peanut butter if using, and use the tip of the spoon to swirl it in. Bake for 30-35 minutes. When done, the surface should be shiny and the brownies still tender to the touch. A toothpick test is useless; if you bake them until one comes out clean, they’ll be dreadfully overbaked, and that would be so sad.

When done, cool on a rack until completely cool. Wrap securely with plastic and leave at room temperature overnight. To depan, run a small spatula around the edge and invert the pan onto a sheet of parchment. Place a cutting board larger than the brownies on top of the bottom. Carefully turn right-side-up. Cut into 12 equal pieces, or more. They’re fantastic served slightly warmed with your favorite ice cream.

Brownies photo by The Solitary Cook

Caramel popcorn is really easy to make, I used microwave plain (unflavored) popcorn and made the caramel which didn’t take more than 20 minutes. Popcorn is always a great game day treat, I will always put several bowls out for my guests to enjoy, the caramel popcorn I am putting on the dessert buffet. To make it you will need:

1 bag microwave popcorn (follow package directions) dump it into a bowl, sort out any un-popped kernels and place in a 200 degree oven to keep warm

The caramel:

2 tbs salted butter

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup Lyles Golden Syrup 0r Karo clear syrup

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp sea salt to sprinkle on popcorn before it goes in the oven.

Add the butter and melt on medium/high heat now add brown sugar and lyles syrup, stir to combine and when it comes to a boil add the sweetened condensed milk, stir and place candy thermometer in pot you need the temperature to reach 238 degrees. When it reaches the proper temperature remove from heat and add the vanilla. Take the popcorn out of the oven and immediately pour caramel onto the popcorn, mix well and quickly. Dump it onto a silpat lined baking sheet, spread it out and sprinkle with sea salt. Place back in the 200 degree oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes. You should stir occasionally breaking up big chunks. Remove from oven and let cool, break up any large chunks and place in air tight container until you are ready to use.

Salted Caramel Popcorn

Feb 2

6 Comments

Game Day-What To Eat? Beef Kebob on Grilled Flat Bread

Beef Kebobs on Flat Bread

Every day until the big game day on Sunday I am going to post a easy to make, tasty recipe that will satisfy. This is a beef Kebob, I used organic, grass fed beef, some grated onion then formed it onto sticks and grilled on the stove top sprinkled with some sumac for a little Middle Eastern Flair and topped with a simple chopped cucumber and tomato salad dressed only with fresh lemon. Simple, portable and delicious and easily made in advance. You can make these and just keep them wrapped in foil in a warm oven. The flat bread I grill on the stove top, directly on the burner on a medium flame (You cannot do that on an electric stove) turning to heat and slightly char the bread, it takes less than a minute so you can do this to order or make a batch wrap in foil and keep warm in the oven. You can also top this with yogurt or crumbled feta along with the salad.

Serves a crowd at least a dozen kebobs

2 lbs ground beef (preferably organic grass fed)

1 onion grated on the largest grate and drained of juices

2 egg yolks

salt and pepper to taste

sumac (optional) to sprinkle on meat after cooking)

2 small cucumbers diced

2 tomatoes diced

1 cup chopped parsley (optional)

juice of 1 lemon

salt and pepper to taste

Grate the onion and drain, I squeezed it in a double paper towel. Put the onion in a mixing bowl, add the beef, egg yolks and some salt and pepper, Mix well. Refrigerate for 1 hour

If you are using bamboo skewers submerge in water while the meat is resting in the refrigerator. Dice the cucumbers,optional parsley and tomatoes, add the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.

Form meat onto skewers whatever size you want, heat your grill and place meat skewers onto grill. You want the meat cooked medium done. Let grill 3-4 minutes on each side turning over once. Test for doneness, just poke with your finger it should feel firm but not dry.

Remove from heat and tent with foil while you prepare your bread. Grill the bread either on the burner or in a pan, brush with olive oil and lay kebob onto bread, sprinkle with a little sumac (optional) and spoon some of the cucumber and tomato on top.

Feb 1

6 Comments

Featured Recipe – Caramelized Apple Jam

Delicious Caramelized Apple Jam-photo by Bevi

Apples are the harbingers of fall and winter and this jam packs on the flavor of my favorite fall and winter fruit. I first tasted this jam at the food52 cookbook party in September, actually it was not this jam exactly. This is Bevi’s recipe, the jam I had was made by her daughter who produces delectable jam and preserves under the name “Maiden Preserves”right here in Brooklyn. She tweaked her daughters recipe just a bit, and made this delightfully delicious apple jam. Bevi is a food consultant and very active cook on food52, you can see her 55 other recipes by following this link: http://www.food52.com/users/8894_bevi

I made this jam, and believe me its easy to make, I cut the recipe in half and it worked perfectly. I didn’t process the jam, but if you are able to do so, I highly recommend making this entire recipe so that you have plenty on hand. It makes a wonderful homemade gift if you can bear to part with a single jar, its that good!

Makes 6 half pint jars of jam

12 nice sized apples – a firm variety such as Granny Smith, peeled, cored, and chopped into I” pieces

6 to 7 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3 cups sugar

2 cups fresh apple cider

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

seeds from 1 vanilla bean

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons Calvados (Optional)

6 half pint jam jars, with lids and screw tops, properly sterilized

Place the lemon juice in a large bowl. Peel, core and chop 3 apples at a time and thoroughly mix them into the lemon juice until all the apples are prepared and covered with lemon juice. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
In a very large jam pot or enamel Dutch oven, place 2 and 1/2 cups sugar and 1/2 cup of the cider over a medium high flame. Stir constantly to dissolve the sugar, and continue cooking to boiling. Reduce the heat and continue to stir, producing a light caramel colored syrup. This will take anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes.
Immediately add the apples, the rest of the cider, the apple cider vinegar, the vanilla bean seeds, and the honey to the jam pot. (If you want to add Calvados, do so now.) Bring the mixture to a rolling boil, then reduce the heat and cook, stirring often, for about 30 minutes. Keep the mixture simmering. The apples will retain their shape throughout the cooking process, but become soft.
In the meantime, put the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and a tablespoon of water in a 2 or 3 quart saucepan over medium high heat. Stirring constantly, make a much darker caramel syrup – quite brown in color, being careful to not burn yourself as you prepare the caramel syrup. Pour this syrup immediately into the apple mixture, and stir the mixture well. Allow to cook for another 15 minutes, stirring constantly.
Take a potato masher, and smash about 50% of the apples in the mixture – retaining some pieces for chunkiness, but allowing half of the mixture to take on a jam-like texture. At this point, almost all liquid should be evaporated.
Fill jam jars and process in a hot water bath according to your preferred instructions. I process for 15 minutes. Take out of the hot water bath, wait for the “ping” sound that indicates that the jams are sealed, and allow jams to sit for a day. Any jam that does not have a secure seal should be placed in the refrigerator.

Feb 1

2 Comments

Basmati Rice With Bayberries (Zereshk Pollo)

Served with Roasted Chicken

I learned Persian cooking years ago and am dredging up some of the recipes that I made many moons ago. Zereshk Pullow or Basmati Rice with Bayberries is one of many traditional Persian dishes. One thing you will find when learning the cuisine of Iran is that recipes vary from family to family and region to region. This is how I was taught to make it. Persians cherish their rice dishes and one thing that separates rice cooked in the Persian way from most other methods of preparation is what is called “Tahdig” its the crisp crust that forms at the bottom of the pot when you are cooking the rice. The rice is par cooked and steamed. Zereshk pullow is basmati rice laced with bayberries and layered with yogurt infused with saffron. I always served with roast or braised chicken. I was taught two ways to make this dish, one you serve the chicken separately and the other method is to layer shredded roast chicken and steam it along with the rice. I prefer it on the side so that is what I am featuring in this recipe.

THE YOGURT MIXTURE

3/4 of a 35.3 ounce container of plain yogurt. I like to use 2% or full fat yogurt

generous pinch of saffron

salt to taste

THE RICE

3 cups basmati rice

1 cup zereshk or if you cannot find them use dried unsweetened cranberries

2 tbs butter divided

Pour the rice in a bowl and run cold water on it rinsing until the water is pretty clear. Add more water to cover the rice add a tbs of salt and let rice sit for an hour.

Add the yogurt to a bowl and mix in the saffron and salt. Stir well and refrigerate for 30 minutes so that the saffron infuses the yogurt.

NOTE: I like to use a non stick pot to ensure that the tahdig comes out nicely if you don’t have a large non-stick pot just make sure that the bottom of the bottom of the pot is well oiled when you add the rice.

Add water to a large non stick pot and salt it well at least a tbs. Bring to a rolling boil. Drain rice and add to the pot stirring well. You are par cooking the rice so it only takes 10-15 minutes. Drain rice into a colander and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Let the rice sit for about 15 minutes. During that time take the yogurt out of the refrigerator. Once the rice is drained sccop out approximately 2 cups and put into a bowl, add about 1/2 cup of yogurt and mix well. Add the Zereshk to the remainder of the rice, make sure they are distributed well. Dry your pot and coat the bottom with some neutral oil, add 1 tbs of butter and when the butter has melted add the rice mixed with the yogurt, spread evenly in the bottom of the pan. Now add a third of the rice mixed with the berries, on top of that a layer of the yogurt, then another layer of rice etc… ending with a layer of rice. Place a tbs of butter on top of the rice. Lay a paper towel or thin tea towel on top of the pot and place the lid on securely. Turn heat to high and let it build up steam for 5 minutes, lower heat to medium and steam for 40-45 minutes. You will notice that you can smell the rice and the towel will be damp.

I like to serve with roasted chicken and drizzle the pan juices onto the rice for added flavor.

To dislodge the tahdig all you have to do is put some cold water in the sink, sit the pot in it for 30 seconds and then invert onto serving platter.