the metropolitan cooking & entertaining show

yesterday i went to the metropolitan cooking & entertaining show in downtown dc.  bobby flay, paula deen, and rachael ray were there, but sadly i didn't have eleventy billion dollars to spare to see each of them

... so we snaked around the convention center and tried about a million samples

rachael ray was on stage when we arrived

we went to a few workshops

we learned about (and got to taste) different olive oils

there were lots of interesting displays in the convention center hallways.
this one was my favorite

paula deen was on stage towards the end of the afternoon

this is the closest we got to her

we also went to a chocolate workshop where we got to taste different hot chocolates from ACKC Cocoa Bar.  it was interesting to learn about how the different ratios of cocoa liquer, cocoa butter, and sugars affect the taste (and bitterness) of the chocolate.  sadly i forgot to take pictures of this presentation.

it was a great day, and i made it out of there only spending $15 on some delicious pound cakes (which are patiently waiting in my freezer because i'm avoiding carbs.  it's kind of torture)

if you missed it this year, don't worry.  the show will be back next november.

see you there!

  

things that taste good thursday

duck sauce.

 spring rolls just aren't the same without it.

breakup brownies

according to this article, breakup season is upon us.  to help you weather the storm, lets make something out of bittersweet chocolate that will fill you with regret.  you know you should stay away from these, but you'll keep coming back for more.

 have i covered all the breakup metaphors?  ok let's get started.

get yourself a 9-in square baking pan

flip it over and lay wax paper on top.  cut out corner squares evenly with sides of the pan

flip it back over and set the paper in the pan - it's now perfectly lined with wax paper

butter the paper and set aside

get some good quality bittersweet chocolate

coarsely chop it

add your chocolate and 2 sticks unsalted butter to a double boiler and let it start to melt

in the meantime, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.  set aside

in a large bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, and vanilla

once chocolate and butter have melted, add to egg/sugar mixture

whisk until combined

add dry ingredients

whisk until fully combined

pour into prepared lined baking pan

give it a few shakes to even it out, and stick it in the oven

let cool on a wire rack

when completely cooled, invert, remove wax paper, and cut into squares

devour.

breakup brownies.  (via epicurious)

ingredients

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter

8 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), coarsely chopped

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

optional:

5 ounces walnut pieces, coarsely chopped (1 1/2 cups)

method

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan (2 inches deep) and line bottom and sides with wax paper, then butter the paper.

Melt butter and chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until smooth.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.

Whisk together sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl, then pour in chocolate mixture, whisking until combined well. 

Whisk in flour mixture, then stir in [optional] walnuts and transfer batter to baking pan.

Bake until top is shiny and set and sides have begun to pull away slightly (a wooden pick or skewer will not come out clean), about 35 minutes, for fudgy brownies; or until wooden pick or skewer comes out clean, 50 minutes to 1 hour total, for cakey brownies.

Cool brownies completely in pan on a rack. Invert onto a cutting board, remove paper, and cut into squares.

while these may not cure your breakup blues, it is proven that chocolate releases endorphins (happy chemicals) in the brain.  while the relief may be temporary, it's worth it.  you know what else releases endorphins?

exercise.

 you'll need about 100 crunches and 30 min of cardio for each brownie you eat.

here's to a happier and healthier you!

things that taste good thursday

envelope glue.

personally, i prefer hallmark.  sweet, yet tangy.

pumpkin cupcakes

there is so much hype surrounding martha stewart that i almost didn't believe her recipes could be that great.  i love it when i am wrong

start by whisking together flour, baking soda, baking powder,
coarse salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice

get 2 sticks of butter

melt in microwave and let cool

in a large bowl combine sugars, eggs, and cooled butter

 just whisk together 

add the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth

grab yourself a can of pumpkin

dump the whole thing in

whisk until combined

fill lined muffin tins about halfway and bake for 20-25 min

cool on wire rack and get started on your frosting

this frosting is 2:1 (instead of the usual 1:1) cream cheese to butter ratio

make sure they are room temperature and beat until light and fluffy

add 2 cups confectioners sugar, some cinnamon and nutmeg, and beat

lazy girl's icing technique:  just stick the cooled cupcake in and give it a little twist

there might be a little spot like this when you lift it out

but you can just smooth it over with a spatula. 

take a bite

... with your razor sharp t-rex teeth

the great thing about this cupcake batter is that you only need 1 tool - a whisk.  

simplicity is so underrated.

pumpkin cupcakes

ingredients

2 cups flour

1tsp baking soda

1tsp baking powder

1tsp coarse salt

1tsp cinnamon

1tsp ginger

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp allspice

1cup packed brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree

method

in a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice.  set aside

in a large bowl, whisk together brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, and eggs.  add dry ingredients and whisk until smooth.  whisk in pumpkin puree.

line muffin tin and fill cups about halfway.  

bake at 350 for 20 to 25 min.  

this made exactly 2 dozen moist, delicious, cupcakes for me.  i did not alter the recipe at all.  

if it ain't broke...

however, martha didn't provide a frosting recipe for these so i made my own:

extra cream cheesy frosting

ingredients

2 8-oz blocks cream cheese, room temperature

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups confectioners sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

method

beat cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy

add remaining ingredients and beat well

wasn't that easy?  most cream cheese frostings call for a 1:1 cream cheese to butter ratio, but for this i did 2:1.  i think the extra cream cheesiness complements the cupcakes and spices quite well. 

to-do list

no time to cook or bake this week!  but here are a few things i have up my sleeve:

pumpkin cupcakes
pumpkin bread
pumpkin cheesecake
crack casserole (yes, crack.  it's addictive)
stuffed mushrooms
sweet corncake (aka cornmeal spoon bread)
the most amazing lasagna ever
tuscan stuffed tomatoes
parmesan crusted chicken
chipotle shrimp
shelly mcmuffins
chocolate chip cookies
breakup brownies

any special requests?

as they say, a blog post is no good without pictures.  so here's one of the lemon bar flag i made for 4th of July.  a cool, refreshing treat for a hot summer day.  already a distant memory.  i miss summer!!

whoopieee!

pumpkin is october's only redeeming quality.  ok maybe halloween too.

but not the shorter days or the cold weather.

  this weekend i made pumpkin whoopie pies to treat my early onset of seasonal affective disorder.

warning: this is not the prettiest recipe.  but i promise it's one of the tastiest.

start with brown sugar, white sugar, pumpkin, and oil

mix well.  looks kinda barfy

add eggs 1 at a time

mix well after each addition

add vanilla, mix well

in a separate bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda,
ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt

combine with a whisk

gradually add to the bowl of barf

once it's all in mix until just combined.  looking better.

now take a pastry bag (or ziploc with end snipped off) and pipe 2-in spirals
(that kind of look like doodie)

stick them in the oven for 11 min, peel off parchment paper and cool on a rack

in the meantime, get some softened cream cheese and a stick of unsalted butter

mix them up

add some cinnamon and mix some more

add confectioners sugar and keep mixing until combined

now you have your filling

plop some onto the flat side of one of your doodies

and squash another doodie on top

i made some itty bitties too.  they are cute and fun

pumpkin whoopie pies

ingredients

pies:

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

1 can pure pumpkin puree (Libby's)

3 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground ginger

1 TBS cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground nutmet

1/4 tsp ground cloves

filling:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

8 oz. (1 block) cream cheese, softened

2 dashes of cinnamon

3 drops vanilla extract

1lb (16 oz) confectioners sugar

method

preheat oven to 350

combine sugars, oil, & puree in large mixing bowl

in separate bowl, combine dry ingredients with a whisk

gradually add dry ingredients to wet, mix until just combined

with a pastry bag or ziploc with end snipped off, pipe approx. 2-in spirals onto parchment lined baking sheet

bake for 11 min

for filling, mix softened butter & cream cheese.  

add cinnamon and vanilla.  mix well.

add confectioners sugar.  mix well

when whoopie pies are cooled, add filling to flat side of one pie.  press flat side of another pie on top.

*notes:  my pictures and the original recipe call for cutting 3-in squares of parchment paper.  this is so you can hold the pastry bag still and rotate the squares.  also helps keep the pies a uniform size.  i found it easier to move the pastry bag and hold the squares still.  next time i will just put one sheet of parchment paper on the cookie sheet and not worry about cutting out squares.  it took extra time and didn't seem totally necessary.  original recipe here.

these whoopie pies were pretty easy (even the piping!) and 

super tasty