Le Chocolat Chaud

I know that it would seem strange to have hot chocolate in the middle of April especially since we've been enjoying the sunshine and gardening on our balcony. But this weekend the weather turned typically Oklahoma-Springy, cool and rainy. This is my kind of weather though. I love to sit by the window with a good book and a mug of this hot chocolate in my hands.

A few months ago I came across David Lebovitz's book, The Sweet Life in Paris. It had been out for a few months before then, but I could never get a copy of it no matter where I looked (even Amazon seemed to be out). I brought it home and devoured it in one sitting like a pint of Ben & Jerry's ice cream. Fantastically witty and extremely insightful, my only regret is that I hadn't been able to read it before going to Paris. Definitely check it out if you're looking for a funny read with some amazing recipes interspersed throughout.

I've made this recipe several times with amazing results. My favorite version that I made was with a stick of cinnamon boiled in the mixture. So yummy and will be a constant companion when fall and winter rolls back around here. It's best to use best ingredients you can find and afford. With only three ingredients, you will notice a difference if you don't. Enjoy!

Le Chocolat Chaud
Recipe by David Lebovitz

2 cups milk (I used skim; the book says to use whole or low fat)
5 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (I used bittersweet to help cut down on the sweetness)
Pinch of coarse salt

1. In a medium saucepan, warm the milk, chocolate, and salt. Heat until it begins to boil.
2. Lower the heat to the barest simmer and cook the mixture, whisking frequently, for 3 minutes. If you want it a thicker consistency, cook it an another 1 to 2 minutes. Serve with a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Daring Kitchen

Remember a post or two ago how I was telling you that I joined a couple of blogging groups? Remember how I said I'd be posting another one of those blogging challenges soon? Well here it is! Apologies to everyone reading. I  honestly had no intention of having two posts with challenge recipes in a row. Today was tax day which means this past week has been nothing short of crazy. All back to normal thought his weekend.

The 2010 April Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Wolf of Wolf’s Den. She chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make Brunswick Stew. Wolf chose recipes for her challenge from The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook by Matt Lee and Ted Lee, and from the Callaway, Virginia Ruritan Club. I went with the latter of the two recipes because it was a much quicker and simpler method. If I make it again, I'll certainly try the first one since it involves making your own stock.

 
I'm going to be completely frank with you. I was extremely hesitant to make this. I kept putting it off and waited to make it until the night before I was supposed to post it. It wasn't because I was afraid of my very first Daring Cooks challenge, oh no. It's because I have this serious obsession with corn being mixed into things. I used to never be this way, but now, just the thought of corn being mixed with stuff makes me shudder. Corn and I used to be the best of friends. Now it's all I can do to even eat it (sorry, mom, I'm not sure where it came from or when, I just don't like corn anymore). Anyway, I'm glad I did make the stew though. Even though I wasn't crazy about it, hubby went back for not one but two more bowls of the stuff. Said something like, "This is my ratatouille, takes me back to my childhood." He started to get up for a fourth bowl, but then I mentioned wanting ice cream and he backed away from the stock pot and grabbed the keys. Needless to say, he's pretty excited about having all of the leftovers to himself, and I'm pretty excited that something I wasn't too happy to make was such a big hit. Enjoy!

Brunswick Stew
Recipe by Virginia Ruritan Club

2 ½ lb TOTAL diced stewed chicken, turkey, and ham, with broth - yes, all three meats (we were told that we could make any changes such as vegetables we didn't like or switching out meats if we couldn't eat them; all I did was halved the recipe)

3 medium diced potatoes
2 medium ripe crushed tomatoes
2 medium diced onions
3 cups/ 689.76 grams / 24.228oz frozen corn
1 ½ cups / 344.88 grams / 12.114oz frozen lima beans (I also did not use the lima beans because neither of us would touch them)
4-5 strips crumbled bacon
½ stick / 4 tablespoons / ¼ cup / 56.94 grams / 2oz of butter
1 Tablespoon / 14.235 grams / .5 oz sugar
1 Tablespoon / 14.235 grams / .5 oz ‘Poultry Seasoning’
Dash of red pepper
2 diced carrots (optional)
Tomato juice

1. In large stock pot or Dutch Oven, mix all ingredients, heat until bubbly and hot. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add tomato juice as desired. Cook until all vegetables are tender. Serve hot.

Cuba Libre!

The summer before I turned 16, I got to live with my aunt and uncle in Florida. I was there to learn about videography and see if it's what I wanted to do when I grow up. Obviously I didn't go that route, but it was still a really awesome experience. One of the best parts of that long ago summer was the food. It was the first time I tried sushi (blech), the first time I tried plantains (no thanks), and the first time I tried Cuban food (yes please!).

I like to think I'm not a picky eater. Sure, there are things I know I don't like, but in general I'm willing to try anything once. I also know that there are a lot of things I never would have tried before that summer, things like sushi. That was one of the best summers ever, and I'm still very greatful to my aunt and uncle for what they had to deal with in order to let me stay with them for three whole months (I was 15 after all, and they are a couple who probably never imagined that they would have a teenage girl to care for since they don't have kids).

This recipe is for them. Cuban Ropa Vieja cooks all day in the slow cooker and comes out so flavorful and tender that it just falls apart (at least it does if you cook it on low for 10 hours instead of on high for 4). I can't say that it's authentic Cuban food, but it was damn tasty. We served ours with rice and black beans with a sprinkle of lime juice, but we also threw on some shredded monterey jack cheese even though I know that's not authentic. Still, damn tasty. Love you Uncle Robert and Aunt Laura!

Cuban Ropa Vieja
Recipe from All Recipes

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 pounds beef flank steak
1 cup beef broth
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 small onion, sliced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced into strips
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon white vinegar

1. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the flank steak on each side, about 4 minutes per side.
2. Transfer beef to a slow cooker. Pour in the beef broth and tomato sauce, then add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, tomato paste, cumin, cilantro, olive oil and vinegar. Stir until well blended. Cover, and cook on High for 4 hours, or on Low for up to 10 hours. When ready to serve, shred meat and serve with tortillas or rice.

You Want Pies with That?

Recently I joined a really cool little baking group called You Want Pie with That. Hosted by the dynamic duo of Jessica, of My Baking Heart, and Amy, of Sing for Your Supper, the group bakes one pie a month that has been decided on in the previous month. After several months of being on hiatus, these two lovely bloggers got together and revamped the old site (which can be found here) and picked a pie theme for April. Can you guess what it is?

Spring! With the grass finally turning back to its verdant shade of green, the flowers blooming, and the fruits and veggies peeking the little heads out of the grounds and trees, spring has finally sprung in Oklahoma (and hopefully most of the northern hemisphere). To be completely honest I prepared two pies, each of which did not become what I had originally planned. I had every intention of making a pie version of a Pavlova, but then it got a little too humid around here, and I just knew my meringue was going to end up sticky (nothing worse than a sticky meringue, amirite?).

What I ended up with were two very similar pies with different lemon bases. One was a lemon posset and the other was a lemon curd/cream. My very stressed out coworkers got treat to the lemon posset pie while my family got the lemon cream for Easter. I topped it with fresh fruits and just served it cold, perfect for the warm weather we've been having. Below is the recipe for the one my family had and a link to the lemon posset in case you want to try that too. On a separate note, I've joined three other blogging groups so expect some more posts in the coming weeks that are based on challeneg recipes. I'm so excited!

Lemon Cream

Recipe from Baking: From My Home to Yours

1 cup sugar
Grated zest of 3 lemons (I used 5 small ones)
4 large eggs
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice, from 4-5 lemons
2 sticks plus 5 Tbl unsalted butter, cut into Tbl-sized pieces, at room temp

1. Have an instan-read thermometer (I just used my candy therm), a strainer, and a blander or food processor (I used the food processor, but Dori recommends the blender) at hand. Bring a few inches of water to a simmer in a saucepan.
2. Put the sugar and zest in a large heat-proof bowl that can be set over the pot of water. Off the heat, rub the sugar and zest together between your fingers until the sugar is moist, grainy, and very aromatic (I did this step with a ziplock bag, and it worked great). Whisk in the eggs, followed by the lemon juice.
3. Set the bowl over the pan and start stirring with a whisk as soon as the mixture feels tepid to the touch. Cook the cream until it reaches 180F on an instant-read thermometer, whisking constantly to keep the eggs from scrambling (this takes quite awhile, but son't get discouraged, it's well worth the time). It'll start out light and foamy, then the bubble will get bigger, and as it gets closer to 180F, it will start to thicken.
4. As soon as it reaches 180F, remove from heat and strain it into your blender or processor; discard the zest. Let the cream stand at room temperature, stirring occassionally, until it cools to 140F (the book says about 10 minutes but it was much quicker for me since I had to work with a small strainer).
5. Turn the blender or processor to high and, with the machinerunning, add the butter about 5 pieces at a time. Scrape down the sides as needed as you incorporate the butter (do I need to tell you to turn the machine off before scraping?). Once all the butter has been added, allow the machine to run for 3 minutes.
6. Pour the cream into a container, press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface to create and air-tight seal, and chill for at least 4 hours, or overnight. Before using, stir a few times with a whisk to loosen it.

As promised, the link for lemon posset, which was really light and a little sweeter then the cream, can be found here. This one was really easy and only used three ingredients.

Why I Blog

I often ask myself why I blog. There are days that just the thought of even cooking makes me want to go to closest McDonald's and eat a cheeseburger. The thought of taking pictures of more food results in me wanting a large order of fries (or chips to you, Anne).Just thinking about trying to type up something worth reading gets me sucking down a chocolate shake. Those are the days I let my hubby make Hamburger Helper instead of me trying to figure out something new and tasty to share with you.

 

I know lots of bloggers have time set aside for blogging. Some even plan it out from start to finish and sit at a desk to type what aboiut what they've so lovingly created. I often wonder how I can possibly measure up to those people. I don't plan in advance what I'm going to do. I'm lucky if I've figured out what to cook for dinner before I get to the grocery store. I sit on the couch watching tv while I type up each post. That's also where we've usually eaten our meals.

 

It's when I'm sitting there next to my hubby that I remember why I started blogging and why I keep on doing so. It's for him. I started this while he was overseas so that he could feel like he had a piece of home with him every time he got on a computer. I also wanted to learn some new recipes so that when he came home I could make him more than just spaghetti or chicken and rice. He does so much for me without ever being asked and wants nothing in return then for me to just love him. I give him a hard time about a lot of things, but at the end of the day I love him very much. That's why when I knew I'd be gone over the weekend I got dinner prepared for him to just pop into the oven. I didn't want him to be without or have to buy nasty food for lunch the next day at work. This meal was for him courtesy of Jamie Oliver. Although he didn't really like it as much as I had hoped, maybe you will. I love you, hubby!

Salmon Baked in a Parcel
Recipe by Jamie Oliver

2 handfuls of green beans
2 lemons
2 x 7-oz. chunky salmon fillets, skin on, scaled, and bones removed
2 heaped Tbl green pesto
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Trim the beans by cutting off the stalk ends but leave the wispy tips on. Halve one of the lemons. Get about a yard of tin foil and fold in half. Place a handful of green beans in the middle of the foil. Lay a salmon fillet, skin side down, across the beans and spoon over a good Tbl of pesto. Drizzle with olive oil, squeeze over the juice from one of the lemon halves, and season with salt and pepper. Pull the foil edges together and scrunch them up to seal the parcel.
2. Repeat these steps for the second parcel and place both on a baking sheet.
3. Cook in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it stand for a minute before carefulkly unwrapping and checking that the salmon is cooked through.