zucchini bread

 

I have long since made a promise to myself that I will never plant zucchini. I love squash, in all it's forms, but the stuff grows like a weed. During the summer, I never buy zucchini. There is no need! Between our neighbors, families and friends, we've always got someone begging us to take their overgrown vegetables off their hands, and I have a problem saying no, so we usually end up with more than we can eat. 

Which leads me to this: zucchini bread. Why it took me so long to try making some? Mostly because I'm afraid of baking breads. I've never done it before. Until this afternoon. I found this incredibly simple recipe, and now I might have at least one loaf of this stuff on hand at all times, because it's that good. I love this recipe because all of the ingredients are always in my pantry, so I don't need to make any special trips. This recipe is one step closer to homemaker than a "just add water" box mix, so anyone can do it!

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

3 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon (to taste)

2 cups fresh grated zucchini (I used one huge overgrown zucchini from my mom's garden and it was exactly enough. it was probably 16 inches long)

2 teaspoons vanilla 

other things you can add:

nuts

flax seed

granola

anything you can imagine

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat over to 350 degrees

2. In a large (very large) bowl, mix all ingredients together, in order (I started with the sugar, oil, eggs and flour and mixed, then added the soda, salt, cinnamon, zucchini and vanilla and mixed again, scraping the sides with a rubber spatula as I went)

3. Spray bread loaf pan (spray it really good, but evenly)

4. Pour bread mixture into the bread loaf pan, bake for 50 minutes (you can bake longer if you need to. I went 10 extra minutes because the middle raised really high on mine).

5. Eat while warm! Store in an air tight container.

Whoopie Pies

So Devin served in the New Hampshire Manchester Mission which basically covers most of New England (he served in 5 different states!), and apparently, these treats are an East Coast thing. I had never heard of them until I met Devin, and he has always raved about them. He's tried the "moon pies" that are sold out here and says they aren't the same. He even looked into the cost of getting a dozen whoopie pies shipped out to us, but it was crazy expensive.

So I have to give him all the credit for this one. He found a recipe and was determined to make them, so last night, we finally did! He said they were perfect! These were a lot of fun to make and really simple. I don't think anyone could mess them up! I do have a few tips that I think would help at the end, though!

Ingredients: (cakes)

2 cups flour

1/2 cup cocoa

1 1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla

1 stick butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

Directions: (cakes)

1. Whisk together four, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl, set aside. In a smaller, separate bowl, stir together buttermilk and vanilla, set aside.

2. Beat brown sugar and butter until light brown and fluffy (it's about 3 minutes. longer than you think, but don't over-do it either!). Add the egg and beat until well combined.

3. Reduce the speed on the mixer and begin adding the flour mixture and buttermilk in batches into the mixer until everything is well combined. Make sure to scrape the sides!

4. Spoon 1/4 cup mounds of batter onto a prepared baking sheet (we just used parchment paper). You should have about 8! Bake them in the over at 350 for 11-14 minutes, or until the cakes are cooked all the way through (we had to go all the way to 14 minutes to make sure the middles were cooked!) Let them cool on the cookie sheet completely, and then transfer to wire rack.

Ingredients: (filling)

1 stick butter, softened

1 1/4 cups powdered sugar

2 cups marshmallow creme

1 tsp vanilla

Directions: (filling)

1. Beat all ingredients until well combined (we just used a hand mixer.)

2. Spread about 1-2 tbsp of filling on one cake and sandwich with another cake to assemble the pie.

Tips:

- these are cakes, but they are also cookies, so the batter will be a weird consistency. Almost like brownie batter, but thicker, like a dough. That's how it's supposed to be!

- to get the batter onto the cookie sheets, I just used two spoons. They didn't come out perfect, but they weren't too bad!

- make sure the cookies are completely cooled before you frost them, or the filling will melt and get all over the place and make a huge mess (this happened to us on the first 3 we made!)

- devin says they are supposed to be better on day 2!

the one wear i actually make chocolate chip cookeis

Devin and I had been avoiding grocery shopping for a solid 2 weeks. The lack of food in our house was almost comical, but we did finally go a few nights ago. It wasn't really a pain to have no food in the house, because we had some staples like chicken and rice, but finding snacks to take to work got annoying, and it got really bad when we ran out of Rice Chex: the main ingredient for muddy buddies. We both have a pretty huge sweet tooth and have dessert after almost every meal we make at home, and that's usually muddy buddies. Okay, it's always muddy buddies. So when we finished off that box of cereal, we went 2 or 3 nights with no dessert. It was a travesty, I tell you.

The thought crossed my mind that we had pantry staples, and I could probably very easily bake something, but... meh. My real craving was for a big, perfect chocolate chip cookie. And this makes me laugh. Because I could be the freaking covergirl for how NOT to make chocolate chip cookies. I can make every kind of cookie. Chocolate Peanut Butter Surprise? Easy. Snickerdoodle? No problem. French Macaron? I'm your girl. But Chocolate Chip and I have just never seen eye to eye. I fail so miserably. Every. Single. Time. Recipes? I've tried the lot of them. I can barely manage to make edible chocolate chip cookies from store bought dough! It's very ridiculous, and i'm sure, entertaining.

But then, there was a miracle. One afternoon last week, while I was waiting for my lunch break, feeling really hungry, still craving that chocolate chip cookie (almost subconsciously, though, really). I found it. I happened upon a recipe for them by accident and read through the entire post. They're the "Chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookies" from Sally's Baking Addiction (amazing, amazing blog) and she lists every step in detail, and explains why each step is important and how it works. I think that's what made the difference for me! She had so many awesome tips, so feel free to click on the link, otherwise, I will just list the recipe below with my own photos, proof that they worked!

My problem with chocolate chip cookies was the spreading. The dough was always a great consistency and tasted good, but once those babies came out of the oven, they were spread paper thin, really greasy-looking, and a horrible shade of brown. The always always always looked this way. Every recipe. Every time. No matter what.

What I love about this recipe are all of her tips to counter the spreading. Extra ingredients like the cornstarch and extra egg yolk make the dough a little thicker, and techniques like making the dough balls taller than they are wide help the cookies bake thick and tall, instead of thin and flat. All of those things made a world of difference! I think making sure to pull them out of the oven just slightly underbaked was key, too. Mine did end up a little doughy in the middle, but I think I made my dough balls too big, because some of mine came out like 2 inches thick! Delicious, though. The melted butter trick is still a mystery to me. I don't know why or how it works, but it does, and I'm sure it made a difference, too.

Anyway, the point is that I tried them (which was a pretty big leap of faith!), and it worked! I've broken the curse!

Ingredients:

2 and 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, spoon and leveled

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 and 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, melted

3/4 cup light brown sugar, loosely packed

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg + 1 egg yolk*

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup chocolate chips or chocolate chunks

Directions:

1. Combine flour, baking soda, cornstarch and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.

2. In a medium size bowl, whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, and white sugar together until smooth. Whisk in the egg, then the egg yolk. Whisk in the vanilla.

3. Combine wet and dry ingredients together and mix with a large spoon or rubber spatula (no mixer needed! boo-ya!). The dough will be really soft because of the butter. Add the chocolate chips. They may not stick to the dough and mix well, but just try to spread them out evenly.

4. Cover the dough and chill for 2 hours, or up to 3 days. Chilling the dough is a must!

5. Take the dough out of the refrigerator and let it sit for 10 minutes to thaw a little bit.

6. Preheat the over to 325F degrees. Line two large baking sheets.

7. Roll the dough into balls, about 2 Tablespoons of dough each. The dough will be crumbly, using your hands to roll the dough will warm it up and allow it to stick a little better.. Roll the cookie dough balls to be taller than they are wide (make them oblong shaped, almost like an egg), to make sure the cookies will be thick. Put 8 balls of dough onto each cookie sheet.

8. Bake the cookies for 11-12 minutes. The cookies will look very mushy and they won't look done. Don't bake longer than 12 minutes though. They will keep baking on the cookie sheet when you take them out of the oven.

9. Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.

10. Giant glass of milk is absolutely necessary.

Notes:

*Room temperature egg + egg yolk is best. To bring eggs to room temperature fast, put the whole eggs into a glass of warm water for 10 minutes.

baked sweet potato fries

i know i'm not the only one who's completely obsessed with these. it's gotten to a point where devin will be all, "hey kate, where do you want to eat for dinner tonight?" and i will go through a list of restaurants in my head that i know serve sweet potato fries, and pick one of them. i'm a little ridiculous. but can you blame me? these things are like candy! one of our newest favorite restaurants, Cafe Bella Rue on Soda Row in the Daybreak area, serves baked sweet potato fries and they are my favorite fries to date. And obviously, much more healthy than anything fried. I knew making them at home was possible, so when we happened to have a few sweet potatoes around, I took a try at making them on my own!

This is one of the easiest things I've ever made, and now I know that I can satisfy my crazy obsession at home! Nothing better than that! I honestly think this recipe was a little overboard on flavors, so next time I'll use a little less salts and seasonings, but they are still to die for. I also thing I may nix the Italian Seasoning. It just wasn't the flavor I wanted. I wanted more BBQ style, so I'm sure just the garlic powder and sea salt would be enough! Would also be delicious with tons of other seasonings! The hardest part was cutting the potatoes into fry strips! Sweet potatoes are really hard!

Ingredients:

2 sweet potatoes (I used 1 large and 1 small, because that's what i had)

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp italian seasoning (or other flavor you want)

Directions:

1. cut sweet potatoes into fry strips. try and keep them all the same size so they will cook evenly. you can skin them if you want to. i didn't.

2. in a large ziploc bag, combine all ingredients and SHAKE IT. shake it reallll good. coat everything evenly.

3. spread out coated fries on a cookie sheet covered with tinfoil. make sure none of them overlap! seriously. use 2 cookie sheets if you need to.

4. bake for 35-40 minutes at 425, flipping them twice. I let them bake for 10 minutes, flipped them, let them back for 20 minutes, flipped them, and baked them for 10 more minutes.

5. serve immediately with fry sauce, ketchup, or whatever sauce you want.

french macarons

What I don't understand is how I can make a dang good french macaron (which is considered one of the hardest cookies to make) on the first try, but chocolate chip cookies defeat me on a regular basis?! What kind of rubbish is that?!

I've always been attracted to french macarons. They are small and colorful and very pretty, but I had never tried one until a few months ago. They are pretty hard to come by around here, but I never once thought about making them myself. It sounded like a death wish!

After enough curiosity and probably too much research, I found myself thinking that I could probably do it. So I set out yesterday afternoon to accomplish my goal. I made a trip to the grocery store (the first time i've ever bought almond meal - it's crazy expensive!) and set aside plenty of time to allow myself to try these cookies. I was pretty surprised when they came out of the oven - they actually turned out! They were absolutely hideous, but they had feet! And they were the perfect texture and taste! I could hardly believe it! The only mistake I had made was that I piped the batter wrong.

So today, I was determined to try again, and this time make a truly perfect macaron. I'm pretty proud to say that I think I accomplished it! Okay, so maybe they aren't perfect, but they're pretty dang close! Especially for a first try! I was so amazed! I can't believe I did it! I've been on such a high since I pulled them out of the oven and they were unmistakably the adorable little french macarons of my dreams. So the way I see it is that if I can do it? Psh, pretty much anybody could.

I followed this recipe from PopSugar, and have written it below for you! This recipe was perfect for me. It was very descriptive and very easy to follow. I only wish they had included pictures! So today, when I made my second batch of macarons, I convinced my husband to photograph the process. Here we go!

A few things before we get started:

The key to these cookies, as I have discovered is to be very careful and precise. Be really patient, don't over-mix anything, and read the recipe all the way through before you begin so you understand the process. If you have any questions about anything, let me know and I'll do my best to answer them. Also keep in mind that these are basic, vanilla french macarons. The possibilities for flavor and color combinations are virtually endless! I think next I'll try raspberry. To keep up with current trends, I dyed these macarons a perfect shade of mint green, of course! 

trace circles on your parchment paper so you pipe them all the same size (make sure to trace the circles on the bottom of the paper, though, so the ink doesn't get on your cookies)


powdered sugar and almond meal


sift them together. twice.


sifted


leave your eggs out for awhile. overnight up to three days will be fine. they just need to be room temperature.


we only need the whites, but save 2 yolks for the filling.


beat it. michael jackson style.


until they are frothy and bubbly


then gradually add the sugar, one tablespoon at a time


like this


beat it


add vanilla (and food coloring) here.


beat some more. until you get those stiff peaks when you lift the beaters


add half the almond meal / powdered sugar mixture, and fold it in very gently. VERY gently.


until well incorporated. and then add the second half.


it'll look something like this. and will be the consistency of molten lava, you know, since we all know exactly what consistency molten lava is and all.


use a simple tip like this one.


fill your piping bag like so


pipe 'em


they'll look like this. (i probably should have used my finger to smooth out those little dollops)


rap the baking sheet on the counter a few times. this will pop the bubbles and flatten out the cookies a little bit, and also help with the feet.

put them in the oven. make sure your racks are as low as they can go.


pull them out before they start to brown! (look! they have feet! like real macarons!)


omg omg omg i did it omg omg omg

// so for the filling...\\


remember those 2 egg yolks you saved? you'll need them now.


but first, cut up almost an entire stick of butter and smoosh it for awhile.


back to the eggs: add the sugar and whisk it.


whip it. whip it real good.


add the milk once it's turned almost white and you can't see the sugar anymore.


mix it all together.


now put it on the stove


by the way - the butter should eventually look something like this.


okay once that's off the stove and nice and custard-y, whisk it until it's back to room temperature


then start adding the butter, in 3 batches.


add vanilla and food coloring

// once the macarons have cooled and you're ready to fill...\\


pipe a blob of filling into the center of one macaron


and gently sandwich it with another cookie. be careful! they're fragile.


see? they're perf. do yourself a favor and take a bite. it's like, sugary, sweet, melt in your mouth goodness. they are amazing and your life will never be the same. and you can impress pretty much anybody.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup almond meal

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

3 large eggs white at room temperature

5 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 280 degrees and position 2 racks in the lower section of the oven. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. If you have time, draw 1-inch circles on the back of each sheet, spacing the circles at least 1/2 inch apart.

2. If your almond meal is very coarse, grind it with the powdered sugar in a food processor until fine. Sift the almond meal and powdered sugar together twice.

3. Place egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a hand mixer) and begin to beat on medium-high. When the eggs are frothy (doesn't take long), gradually add granulated sugar one tablespoon at a time until fully incorporated. Continue to beat the egg white mixture until glossy and stiff peaks form when you lift the beaters. Gently stir in the vanilla extract, and any food coloring. Be careful to not over-beat the meringue (it will get clumpy).

4. Add half of the sifted almond mixture and gently fold it into the meringue using a flexible silicone spatula. Lift from the bottom, up around the sides, and toward the middle, being careful to not over-agitate the meringue and lose too much air. Once the almond mixture is predominantly incorporated, add the second half and repeat the folding motion.

5. Pour batter into a pastry bag fitted with a 0.4-inch tip. On your prepared baking sheets, pipe out 1-inch rounds in the circles you drew (remember to draw the circles on the back side of your parchment to avoid ink or pencil stains on your macarons!). Don't pipe the batter like a cupcake in a swirling motion (this is what I did on my first try yesterday, and they turned out just fine, but they were ugly!) Make sure to just hold the tip in one place and let the batter spread into a circle.

6. Holding the baking sheet in both hands, ramp each baking sheet firmly on the counter two or three times. This smooths out the tops and helps form the "pied" or frilly foot on the bottoms of the macarons. Allow the piped macarons to dry, uncovered, for at least 15 minutes. The macarons should form a very thin, smooth crust where, if you tap it lightly with your finger, the batter will not stick to your finger. This may take longer depending on humidity.

7. Place both baking sheets in the oven and bake for 14-16 minutes. After the first 2 minutes, open the over to allow any excess humidity to escape. Halfway through, swap over racks and rotate the sheets for even baking. The macarons are done when the are baked all the way through and the shells are just hard. Take care to not underbake (insides will be mushy) or overbake (tops will be brown). Remove them from the oven and let them cool completely.

8. When they are completely cooled, assemble macarons with your choice of filling. The assembled macarons can be stored in an airtight contained in the fridge for up to one week.

Basic Macaron Buttercream Filling

Ingredients:

7 tablespoons unsalted buttered, softened

2 egg yolks

1/4 cup granulated sugar

3 1/2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Cut butter into pieces and mash with a spatula until the consistency resembles mayonnaise.

2. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks, then add the granulated sugar and whisk until the mixture lightens to an off-white and you can no longer see the granules of sugar. Add the milk, and whisk to combine.

3. Pour the egg mixture into a small saucepan and heat over low heat, whisking frequently to ensure that the mixture does not curdle or scorch. Cook until the mixture becomes thick and custardy, like pudding.

4. Pour the egg mixture back into a bowl and whisk constantly until it returns to room temperature. Whisk in the butter in three batches, add the vanilla and any food coloring, and stir until smooth and all ingredients are fully combined. Pipe or spread onto one macaron half and sandwich between the other.