2nd Time Around

So as mentioned in my first post, so far I have only had one failure, Lemon Cupcakes. I don't know if it's because I let I guy help or I just wasn't on my baking game, but it just didn't work. So yesterday I had a pretty lousy day, except for the fact that my awesome boyfriend got us early screening tickets to The Dictator :-), any way baking something just needed to be done! I wanted to give the lemon cupcakes another go. Instead of redoing the recipe I had done before I wanted something new. I checked out Brown Eyed Baker , she is kinda awesome when it comes to baking and I'm sure I will be trying all of her recipes. She has and AMAZING Lemon Limonchello Cupcake and according to my co-workers AKA my food testers, they are perfect.

And I don't know if you know this but I love cooking with booze...here is the special ingredient

Here is what you will need:

For the cupcakes:
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 ounces (½ stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons limoncello
½ cup buttermilk
¼ cup lemon juice
Zest of one lemon

For the lemon curd:
Zest of 2 lemons
½ cup lemon juice
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 egg + 1 egg yolk

For the cream cheese limoncello frosting:
2 ounces (½ stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 tablespoon limoncello
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

So fo you beginner bakers I'm going to let you in on a little secret, Lemon Zest is grating the lemon rhine. The first time I was using this I thought it was a product...looked up and down the produce and baking isle for ten minutes, even asked a clerk for help. Glad I wasn't the only one. Finally I called my mother and she que'd me in. I felt extremely dumb. So here it is:

Next Juice your lemons I found that three lemons is just enough. And if you want to go the lame route, you can just buy it. But you don't want to be lame do you?

Yeah that's right. You're looking at my freshly juiced lemons flowing into my Princess Leia Star Wars glass...

And I continue...

Set your oven to 350 please. Then in a bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt whisk it a bit then  set it aside. In another bowl take an electric mixer (if you don't have one I don't know why you are hear 

:-) ) beat the butter, cream cheese and sugar until light and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one. I don't know what it is but not added them all together really makes a difference.

 Add the limoncello and beat an additional minute.  Add 1/4 of the flour mixture and 1/4 buttermilk alternatively until all is added. Add the lemon juice and zest and mix. Add to papered pans and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the middle comes out clean. Let cool completely.

ON TO THE LEMON CURD!

In a medium saucepan, stir together the lemon zest, juice and sugar and bring to a simmer over medium heat. 

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and egg yolk. Whisk the lemon mixture into the eggs. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and place over medium heat, whisking CONSTANTLY until it thickens, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, and let cool completely. It should look something like this:

AND ONTO THE ICING!!!!

 With your electric mixer beat the butter and cream cheese until light and creamy. Add the limoncello and beat for an additional minute. Reduce the speed gradually add the sifted powdered sugar and beat until smooth.

 Now use you're imagination as to how to get a tiny crater in your cupcake. The consistency of these cakes are a bit different than the Irish Car Bomb cupcakes. So I really couldn't just take my 1 tsp and shove it in there. This time I took a meat thermometer and just pressed it down about half way...hey it worked.

Here is a piping bag tip:

Shove the bag into a glass and fold the bag over the lip. That gives you two hand to get your frosting in the bag. It's super easy!

I took this pic after I had pulled up the sides. So just imagine the access folded down the side of the glass!

This is the tip I used, but you use anyone you want!

 Here is them Iced:

I decided to get a little fancy and add a quater of a lemon slice. If you want to do this, dry them out on a towel first. if you just cut 'em and stick 'em the juice from the lemon will make it soggy

and it will slouch.

And here is the final product!

I think they turned out wonderful. And I will defiantly make them again!

Keep Mixing,

Jessica 

Mom's Good Ol' Tomato Soup!

Let me start off this post with saying: I love my family very much. Not a day goes by when I don’t talk to my mother and father. I speak to my sisters probably weekly; they’re just as busy as I am, so we find the time when we can. With that being said, none of them agree with my decision to be vegan.

I was raised in a very Portuguese household where, every winter, my father would kill a pig and then bring the whole thing to our garage/freezer. My entire family, (aunts, uncles, cousins, etc) would then hang out in the garage, listening to Portuguese fob music and/or a radio station reciting the rosary, and gossip all the while shoving the insides of the pig into a funnel making linguica and chorizo.  Ah, yes. Memories.

Anyway, to my family, being vegan is not healthy. Seriously, my mom thinks I’m dying. If she calls me at 11pm, after I’ve had a long day at work and serious homework dedication for 4 hours, and asked me how I was doing, I’d say tired. Her response would be “It’s because you’re not eating right, Jessica”.  I would go into what my parents eat to prove that I’m ridiculously healthier then them but I feel like that would make me petty. Instead, I’ll share one of the recipes I did get from my mother that I love. I called my mom the first time I made this to get the recipe and she never give me a set number for how much of each to put in. I’d ask “how much salt” and she would reply with (in her adorable Portuguese accent) “Put some salt, try, if not enough, put more. If too much, put more water” and it was like that for all the ingredients! So, I tried what my mom suggested and I think I got it right.

There really isn’t a name for this soup, so we’ll just call it “Tomato Soup”. I’m not exactly sure the serving amount, but when I make this I have enough to feed myself for the rest of the week. This is the part where I just called my mom hoping I’d be able to get close to exact measurements.

You’ll need:

·      4 Large russet potatoes peeled and sliced

·      3 Large tomatoes cut and deseeded.

·      1/3 Cup cut onions (Pre cut onions are fine!)

·      1 ½ Cup pasta stars

·      6 cups water

·      1 tbsp. Garlic powder or 1 tsp. salt

·       11ml olive oil

So lets begin!

1.     Boil the potatoes, tomatoes and onions in the water for about 15-20 minutes on medium to high heat.

2.     Bring to a simmer and take a mixer, I use a Cuisine Art Smart Stick Hand Blender, and mash it all together until there is no chunks left.

3.     Bring back to medium heat and throw in the pasta stars for the length of time the pasta needs to boil. It’s important that the pasta gets boiled in the soup and not separately. The starch that the pasta releases when boiling it will give the soup more of a creamy consistency rather then a watery consistency.

4.     Once the pasta is done cooking, bring it back to a simmer and throw in the garlic powder or salt. Now this is the part where my mother has no idea as far as exact measurements and she just spices to her taste. This is completely subjective and I’d suggest doing the same. Start off with the 1 tbsp. of garlic powder, but if you feel like you need more, by all means. Even add pepper if that’s what your heart desires!

5.     The same could be said for the olive oil. Pour in the initial 11ml but go crazy with this if you want or don’t even put it in at all! It does make it look pretty though.

6.     Take off heat and serve!

Now, every time I make this, it always ends up being a little bit different, but It’s always good. I promise 

Seriously, folks, Portuguese vegan cooking without meaning to be vegan!

I called my mom upwards of 5 times asking if she could just make it right now and give me the measurements while doing it, but she was at work or whatever.  I guess my mother and I are a bunch of ‘throw in ingredients until it tastes good’ kinda gals.

Thanks for reading and I hope yours comes out as tasty!

But seriously, try it. 

Rita!

A Bit of the Wee Ol' Irish

Well late Happy St. Patrick's Day to all my fellow Irish and non-Irish friends! The day was great. Started off with a lovely and tasty Shamrock Martini. A McDonalds shake, with an adult twist...BOOZE. Compliments of the wonderful, and best neighbor, Nic Thorson! What a treat!

Sadley I didn't go all out like last year. There was a suprise party the night before and with one two many Irish Car Bombs I just didn't feel like cooking all day! But I was able to make some pretty awesome cupcakes. What kind you say? Well Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes silly! This recipe was snagged from browneyedbaker.com and what recipe it is.

The cupcakes were a hit, and I even hand some left over to take up to my sisters bridal shower! I'll admit though I'm not a fan of the icing, next time I make them I'm going to try and using a cream cheese frosting. This one was just TOO sweet. But the trifecta of all the different tastes was simply amazing!

BOOM! Recipe time!

This recipe makes 24 cupcakes

Prep Time: 40 minutes  Bake Time: 17 minutes

For the Cupcakes you will need:
1 cup Guinness stout
1 cup butter
¾ cup cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons baking soda
¾ teaspoons salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

For the Whiskey (yeah that's right, WHISKEY) Ganache Filling:
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoons Irish whiskey

It's awesome when things like this are ingredients!  

I made the mistake of buying a whole bottle of Jameson think people would want to drink in on St. Paddy's Day. Now I have a whole bottle left over. NOTE: if you don't drink whisky, nor do your friends, just get the airplane sizes fro a liquor store.

For the Baileys Frosting:
2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 cups powdered sugar
6 tablespoons Baileys Irish Cream

1. To Make the Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. Bring the Guinness and butter to a simmer in a heavy, medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Cool slightly. NOTE: it never got smooth. So if yours looks clumpy then you are ok!

2. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl to combine. Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sour cream on medium speed until combined. Add the Guinness-chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and beat just to combine. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour mixture and beat briefly. Using a rubber spatula, fold the batter until completely combined. Divide the batter among the cupcake liners. Bake until a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 17 minutes. Cool the cupcakes on a rack.

3. To Make the Whiskey Ganache Filling: Finely chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then, using a rubber spatula, stir it from the center outward until smooth. Add the butter and whiskey and stir until combined. Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped.

4. To Fill the Cupcakes: I used my Teaspoon measuring spoon. Just push it down into the center of the cake, spin it a few times and BAM you have a crater in your cupcake!

5. To Make the Baileys Frosting: Using the whisk attachment of a stand mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Reduce the speed to medium-low and gradually add the powdered sugar until all of it is incorporated. Add the Baileys, increase the speed to medium-high and whip for another 2 to 3 minutes, until it is light and fluffy.

6. Put the icing on however you like!

So that's the Irish Car Bomb Cupcake. I loved it, they loved it. I will defiantly make these any time of the year!

Keep MIxing,

       -Jessica 

The man's favorites

By request I'm writing you about Michael's favorite.

Not a week goes by without a request for Meatball Subs. Sometimes days after the last batch another order is put in. Yeah, they're that good.

I'll admit I took this recipe off the internet. But if I didn’t I'd be throwing in the most random crap and I don't even think you would consider them meatballs. I've also tweeked the recipe a bit so it's not totally jacked. I have, however, experimented different ways to go about making the sandwich as a whole. The first time I ever made them I made homemade sauce as well. If you have the time, make it. It's really good. But there is no shame in buying a jar of pasta sauce; it’s quick and not as messy. (Trust me the homemade way is MESSY) I would recommend Classico Fire-Roasted Tomato and Garlic Pasta Sauce or their Four Cheese. And you can use any cheese you want: Swiss, Provolone, Monterey Jack, ANYTHING! Explore the world of cheese! And when it comes to the bread, Frak It! I just buy French rolls that come in a six pack. Maybe one day when I have HOURS of time to make bread, which by the way I find thee most difficult thing to bake, I'll make my own French rolls. But for now I am sticking to store bought.

So there are three ways you can cook your meat balls.

1. Cook them in the oven. It's fast and you can prep or cook something else while they are in there. The only down side is I HATE cleaning the pans afterwards. They need to be soaked, and no sink it the size of a pan, so I can either soak half of it for a bit them flip it, but that is time consuming. OR I can fill the pan with soap and water and leave it on the counter. But that just leaves the opportunity for the cats to jump on the counter and drink out of it...gross. I'm rambling.

2. Fry then in a pan. I think this is the EH option. You have to watch it and move them around and blah blah blah. Also you get hot grease sprayed at you. Horrible. But to each their own, maybe you like that. Weird.

3. This is my favorite: CROCKPOT!!! I will ALWAYS advocate using a crock pot. It's the most amazing cooking invention to date. So with the crockpot you can choose to simmer over night or just hours before. I would suggest at least 5 hours of crockpot time. But when I do use my crockpot I do it over night. This gives the sauce enough time to really soak into the meatball, leaving it an all-around juicer meatball. The sauce tend to thin out a little when you crockpot it so save a third of you sauce in the fridge and when it comes time to serve add it in to thicken it up.

So yeah, that's my thoughts on meatballs.

RECIPE TIME!!!!!!

What you will need for the meatballs, it makes about 25 meatballs:

1 pound ground beef

· 1 cup bread crumbs (I get Italian bread crumbs, come it’s a meatball!)

· 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning

· 2 cloves garlic, minced

· 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

· 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

· 1 egg, beaten

· 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

· 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

· 1 pinch salt, or to taste

· And slices of whatever cheese you want.

In a bowl, mix by hand (it's going to feel gross and weird, but suck it up!) the ground beef, bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, garlic, parsley, Parmesan cheese, and egg. Shape into meatballs, and place in a baking dish, pan, or CROCKPOT!

Using the oven it's 15 to 20 minutes. At the fifteen minute mark cut one in half, if it looks cooked you are done.

Stovetop: it's up to you however long it's going to take it's usually 25-30 minutes. Boo.

CROCKPOT! It cooks itself. Done.

Sauce:

3/4 cup chopped onion

· 5 cloves garlic, minced (SO MUCH GARLIC :-))

· 1/4 cup olive oil

· 2 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes

· 2 teaspoons salt

· 1 teaspoon white sugar

· 1 bay leaf

· 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

· 3/4 teaspoon dried basil

· 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

In a saucepan over medium heat, sauté onion and garlic in olive oil until the onions are translucent. Stir in tomatoes, salt, sugar and bay leaf. Bring heat to low, and simmer 20 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, basil, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and simmer 30 minutes more. Then it is ready to serve!

I like to spread a little garlic butter (I like to and garlic to anything I can) on the bread lay the cheese on and stick them in the broiler on low for 5 minutes. Toast it up a bit!

You'll love them trust me.

Keep on Mixin'

J-Bolt

Disaster Potluck: The Happy Ending

So in the past year I have taken up the art of cooking/baking. I realized I was getting older and it was time to step away from the Cup-O-Noodles and boxed Mac and Cheese. And I think I have done pretty well for myself, the only thing I can think of that I messed up was some Lemon Cupcakes, I had a boy helping me so let’s just say it was his fault. Although backing is one of my favorite’s things, (it's therapeutic, and you get a treat in the end. How is that not awesome) I love having a group of people come over and cooking for them. I deemed it "Wednesday Night Dinner". Clever right? Well after months of doing this I figured it was time to see what my friends could do in the kitchen. I invited them all over for a potluck. I think I put the invitation out three weeks before the actual gathering. It took a while to get responses, but slowing and surely I was getting RSVPs. Only about 20% of the guest said they were actually bringing something. So I planned on making a few more things than I had planned, but no big I live for this shit.

Well come party time the ones bringing food couldn't make it anymore and the other half just though it was a party to get drunk at. So drunk for one person that we had to kick him out at 9:45. That’s a first at Casa de Jessica’s. But once that was taken care of and I box up lot and LOTS of leftovers the rest of the evening was great and I was glad I did it. Especially because I taught myself a new dish that was an absolute success: Chipotle Macaroni and Cheese.

I had tried several different attempts at different mac and cheeses but it was to runny or bland tasting. I finally found a recipe that was AMAZING. I will give it to you know so that you can go out and spread the good news!

Here is what you will need:

· 1 pound elbow macaroni (or whatever noodles you want to use, I'm not your boss)

   Sauce:

· 1 quart half and half, divided

· 1 to 2 tablespoons of Chipotle Sauce (depending on how spicy you'd like it, hell, put the whole

   can in. BE DANGEROUS) <---I do not recommend.

· 5 chicken bouillon cubes

· 3 cloves fresh garlic, roughly chopped

· 1 tablespoon Onion Powder

· 1/2 teaspoon Fine Grind Black Pepper

· 1/4 cup Corn Starch

· 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

· 2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese

· Topping: (this is optional, but why wouldn't you want to add more cheese?)

· 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese OR sprinkle with Paprika

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Blend 2 cups half and half, chipotle sauce, bouillon cubes and garlic in a blender or food processor until well blended. If you don't have either of these, why and you cooking!?!?! Just kidding, you can just whisk it. If you don't have a whisk refer back to my last sentence minus the just kidding part. Pour into a large saucepan; add onion powder, black pepper, remaining 2 cups of half and half and corn starch. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil; boil and stir for 1 minute or until very thick. Remove from heat.
3. Gradually stir in cheeses until melted. I shouldn't have to tell you but just in case, if you buy the cheese as a block, shred it first :-) Add cooked pasta and stir until blended. Pour mixture into a greased 3-quart casserole dish or 13 x 9-inch pan and sprinkle with desired topping.
4. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until browned and bubbly around edges. NOTE: if you don't have the time you don't have to bake it. It will be ready to go once you pour in the cheese sauce. But just saying, if you have the time, bake it, you'll tank me later.

So that's my Chipotle Mac and Cheese. Hope you like it, wait, you WILL like it. If you don't you have no soul. Sorry, that the honest truth. If you end up making it please tell me how you like, it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside.

Keep Mixing,

           J-Bolt