Well it feels really good to be back posting here! It’s been FOREVER (or so it seems) but we’re back in the game. And with a great book! As I mentioned before, A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg is our current pick, chosen by Jeanine. I got the book in mid-January and finished it by the beginning of February. It was very good, but bittersweet, so I thought it appropriate I start things off with a bittersweet chocolate cupcake recipe.

Molly is a great writer because she writes in such a way that through her descriptions you really feel as though you’re there with her, eating cheese & drinking wine in Paris during happy days, or eating “Italian grotto eggs” with her and her ailing father in sadder days, which also were his last. But yet she did it without overly flowery language, it was all very accessible, which was what I liked about our past three books. I hate overly wordy foodies. Describing something is one thing, making it sound as good as it tastes is one thing. But really… when you use language people can’t relate to or talk about things people can’t relate to, it doesn’t make for a good read. Molly also has a blog, Orangette, which is an excellent read.

At any rate, I think everyone can relate to Molly’s book, whether you’ve lost someone close to you or not; and especially the highlighted parallels of food and love. So, without further ado… chocolate cupcakes with bittersweet glaze!

As you can see, I made some of mine look like Hostess cupcakes, just because that’s what they reminded me of. They aren’t filled, though. I just thought that was a cute way of topping them, especially since I had a tube of this stuff just laying around!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Bittersweet Glaze

Ingredients:

1 ounce semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
½ cup hot brewed coffee
1 cup sugar
¾ plus 1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 large egg
¼ cup canola oil
½ cup well stirred WHOLE MILK yogurt (not non-fat or low-fat)
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300° F. Line the wells of a standard-size muffin tin with paper liners.
2. Put one ounce of the semisweet chocolate in a medium bowl with the hot coffee. Let stand, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is opaque and smooth.
3. Meanwhile in another medium bowl, mix together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg until pale yellow, about 1 minute. Add the oil, yogurt, and vanilla, beating well. Gradually pour in the melted chocolate/coffee mixture, and beat thoroughly to combine. Add the dry ingredients all at once, and beat on low speed until the batter is just combined. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl and briefly stir to make sure all the dry ingredients are absorbed.
5. Spoon the batter into the wells of the muffin tin, making sure that it is evenly distributed. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a cake tester/toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center of a cupcake. Transfer to a wire rack, and cool for 20 minutes, then -carefully: they’re tender! – removing the cupcakes. Allow them to cool completely before glazing.
6. To make the glaze, melt the bittersweet chocolate in a metal or glass bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water. Stir frequently to prevent scorching. When the chocolate is completely smooth, it’s ready. Working with one cupcake at a time, spoon a teaspoonful of melted chocolate on top. Tilt and rotate the cupcake to coax the chocolate out to the edge. Alternatively, use a knife or icing spatula to spread the chocolate. The top of the cupcake should be covered.
7. Set the cupcakes aside at room temperature until ready to serve. The chocolate glaze will firm up a bit and become matte.

Molly says she likes to eat them when cooled (and I do too), but you can totally eat them as soon as you glaze them. Although be warned- they’ll be messy!

I used Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder in the cupcakes, which makes them really dark, almost black. I should’ve bought a dark chocolate for the topping too, but I always underestimate the darkness of it and assume they’ll match. They never do.

Before we got started though, I still owe a post about Gesine Bullock Prado’s book, Confections of a Closet Master Baker..which is now known as “My Life from Scratch” (this is how long it has been since my last post…book names are changin for chimp’s sake). I never reviewed her book at the time of reading because at that time, to be honest, I didn’t care for the book. I don’t blame Gesine…I was so unhappy with where my life (or lack thereof) was when I read it, I think I just was irritated that anyone else was happy. Since then, I have read her book three or four times and I am semi addicted to her blog. Her recipes are NO Fail and completely fantastic. Not only that, but Gesine really lives life to its fullest. She has become a great inspirtation and her book has become one of those “that book changed my life”. What can I say, when my mom saw the Bucket List she HAD to go back to school. When I read this book I HAD to do, well anything but what I was doing. So, I sadly left some fantastic co workers, happily left a two hour commute, relocated my work to part time and I will officially be launching a new business endeavor (plenty of shameless plugs on the way) that combines social work, cooking and some Healthy Moms Happy Babies thanks to the good kick in the arse from Gesine (and with the support of friends, family and the CTB girls).

But enough about me…onto those recipes. I have made almost everything in her book, but have taken minimal pictures. Gesine’s story was really one of her becoming comfortable in her own skin, accepting what she loved, and making a life (and a living) out of it. It was a hilarious account and I completely related to several parts in the book. My favorite recipe is most definately her golden eggs recipe. I have made them as reccomended in the book (always in muffins pans). I have also changed the flavoring to lemon and blueberry  (use lemon extract instead of vanilla, lemon peel instead of nutmeg, and add blueberries) and cinnamon apple. The batter can take it so do what you will to it. I would just advise to make sure you really whip the butter and sugar well. Mine also came out a lot better when I used superfine sugar So I would also say to give that a whirl.

For the cake:
Nonstick baking spray
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg
½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
5 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups nonfat buttermilk

For dipping the eggs:

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon mixed together in a small shallow bowl

Preheat the oven to 325. Spray your molds with nonstick spray (I, obviously, use egg-shaped molds. You can use a muffin pan or any other small baking molds.) Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Set aside.

In an electric mixer fitted with either the paddle or the whisk attachment, whip the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. This can take up to 10 minutes, depending on the temperature of your butter. As you’re whipping away, stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure all the butter is incorporated into the sugar. You can’t make magic without a lot of patience. So keep whipping and keep scraping.

Add the eggs one at a time, whipping after each one until the egg is fully incorporated into the batter. Scrape down the bowl every now and again as well. Add the vanilla.

Once all the eggs are incorporated, alternate adding the flour mixture and the buttermilk, mixing slowly. After they are well incorporated but not overbeaten, take a rubber spatula and fold the batter a few times to make sure everything is evenly distributed and the batter is smooth.

Distribute the batter into your molds, filling each cavity a little less than halfway. Bake for about 15 minutes. Baking time varies depending on the size of your mold, so check for a very light golden brown color and make sure the cake springs back when you touch it.

Unmold your little cakes and while they are still warm, dunk them quickly in the melted butter, then dredge them in the cinnamon and sugar.
Gesine notes that these make 12 eggs. I ALWAYS get more than that. ALWAYS. I have also made this as a cake by taking out the nutmeg and adding a little more vanilla.

Next up…A Homemade Life

Anyway I loved this book. I have to say, as much as I have a dislike for Sandra Bullock as an actress, her sister seems much more like someone I could hang out with. Anyone who quits a 9 to 5 bullshit executive job in L.A. to open up a bakery gets a A in my book. I can totally relate to that dream. I get so bored in an office setting, office politics are usually no better than high school crap. But it’s not a reality for everyone, unfortunately. So I do envy her. Plus, she’s got a much cooler name: Gesine. They lived in Germany for a while as children, which also intrigued me. I’m part German, a large part, and I’ve always been curious as to what living there would be like. The idea of 3′ o clock tea and cake is totally up my alley. Sign me up! I also agree with her view on people who are anti-sweets, etc. One cupcake a week doesn’t make you fat, neither does a slice of cake every day. It’s the 7,000 other things you cram in your mouth that do the trick.

So anyway I do not like pie. Or berries. But I ended up going to the fruit market the other day and bought tons of fresh berries- raspberries & blackberries. My mother loves them, and she loves them in pie even more. And Mother’s Day is coming… so I had Gesine’s pie filling recipe in my head and decided to make it.

Raspberry & blackberry pie filling

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 cups raspberries (I used half raspberries, half blackberries)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
butter (optional)

Directions:

1. Whisk sugar, cornstarch and salt in a medium bowl to blend.
2. Stir in the raspberries and lemon juice. Add filling to crust.

Quick puff pastry

Ingredients:

4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 pounds butter (5 sticks)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice stirred into 3/4 cup cold water

Directions:

1. Place the flour in a large bowl. Cut the butter into 1-inch pieces. Add to the flour and incorporate with your hands, pinching and massaging the butter into the flour, making sure to leave discernable chunks of butter intact. You don’t want to incorporate the butter so well that it starts to look like cornmeal.
2. Dissolve the salt gently into the water. Add the flour and butter mixture and gently mix with your hands until the dough starts to come together slightly.
3. Shape the dough into a rough square and let it rest for 10 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 1/2-inch-thick rectangle. Give the dough three single turns, followed by one double turn. If the dough feels rubbery after you have completed a few turns, let it rest a few minutes before you continue.
4. Cover and refrigerate. Your dough block should be approx. 12 x 6 inches.
5. Once your pastry is nice and cool, take a sharp knife and cut it in half, take a look at where you’ve sliced through. You should see chunks of butter, this is a wonderful thing. when you roll, you want to press down on these layers. You don’t want to lay the cut side down, you want to make sure the layers are parallel to each other and to the table, and that you are rolling the layers onto one another, maintaining the layer structure and ensuring maximum puff and flakiness.

And now we get to the assembly. First I preheated my oven to 350 F. Then I rolled the dough into circles, and then pressed one into my pie pan. I froze it for a half hour, removed them and poked holes in the bottom of them with a fork. Then I lined it with parchment (foil and can be used as well) and fill that with dry beans or rice to weigh it down. I baked them for 15 minutes, until they were no longer raw. According to Gesine, this is a “blind bake”, ensuring that the bottom pastry won’t turn out soggy.

This is probably where I should say I’m not very good with crusts. Cheesecake crust and pie crusts are my waterloo. It probably also added to that that I decided to make this on the hottest day of our spring so far, about 80 degrees and rising. But it turned out okay for my first pie. I’m planning on trying this again, for sure. Was it perfect? No. But tasted amazing, well at least according to the people I served it to. Okay carrying on with the recipe…

Then I beat one egg with 1 tablespoon water to make an egg wash.  I removed the parchment and rice from the shells and brushed the crusts with the egg wash. Then I filled them with raspberry/blackberry filling, topping it with some little pats of butter. I baked them for an additional 45 minutes, until the crust was golden and the filling was bubbling. If you’d like, you could use the second circle of dough as a cover for your pie. I opted to not do this, I wanted to see those little berries squirming in sugary goodness.

The filling was obviously easy. The dough… eh. Not difficult, just time consuming, and since it was warm it was mushy and the butter was melty. And my filling was a bit runny. But hey, whatever. A pie is a pie. Stuff it in your face and move along.

Some comments I got on it:

“Out of this world.. the berries, the crust, everything!”

“Two thumbs up. Fantastic.”

“Can I have another slice?”

I finished Confections of a Closet Master Baker: One Woman’s Sweet Journey from Unhappy Hollywood Executive to Contented Country Baker by Gesine Bullock-Prado about a month ago.  There were so many recipes in this book that I wanted to make.  I have to admit I was a bit confused and overwhelmed on how to veganinze the recipes.  I am still pretty new at this baking thing.  Altering recipes is something that I still need a little bit more experience.

Overall I enjoyed the book.  It was a really quick and easy read.  It really hit home when she talked about watching such a strong and independent person like her mother wither away and die right before her eyes from cancer.  I also lost my mother to cancer in 2001.  Gesine totally made sense to me after that because I was able to relate to her.  I give Gesine a lot of credit for leaving a successful job with her sister, Sandra Bullock’s production company to start her own bakery business.  There are a ton of people who wish they had the guts to hang up a successful 9-5 to follow their hearts, dreams and passions.

I didn’t agree with Gesine’s attitude toward vegans but I can totally see where she is coming from.  No one wants to feel like someone’s beliefs or way of life are being preached or force-fed on them.  Vegans tend to be perceived as very pushy.  You will not find me telling people what they should and should not eat.  I think it is a very personal choice.  I do not want people telling me what I should eat so, I choose to respect other people’s free will to choose.  Gesine does mention in her book how difficult it would be to make vegan things that taste good.  I have had some awesome tasting vegan desserts and pastries from some pretty awesome bakeries in New York, so it is very possible.

I am not the perfect vegan.  I had a few moments of weakness and I made her carrot cake recipe without any vegan adjustments to the recipe.  Also I am sorry to say I did not make this cake gluten free.  Shaun was not interested in this cake so I saw no point in not using regular flour.  I am going to toot my own here and say that my cooking ability has come a long way.  I would have never thought that I would be able to make a three tier cake from scratch and it taste amazing!  The first time I made Gesine’s carrot cake was Easter weekend.  It tasted great but it looked like a snow storm.  I didn’t realize there was an art to frosting.  I definitely should have asked for help or tips.  I knew I needed to make this cake again because I wanted a great picture to post and well because the cake tasted amazing.  I decided to start this cake on Monday night.  You’re probably thinking who tries to make a three tier cake during a work week?!  Only me I know.  But I was feeling pretty sad and there is no better pick me up then C-A-K-E!!  Shaun was kind enough to grate the carrots for me.  Honestly I love making this cake but grating the carrots make this cake such a pain.  I know you must be kind to the star of the show, but the first time I made this cake my arm hurt for like two days from grating the carrots.  I know I am such a wimp!  Below you will find Gesine’s carrot cake recipe.

Carrot Cake

Carrot Cake

For the cake

1 ½ cups vegetable oil, plus additional for the pans

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

¾ teaspoon nutmeg

3 cups finely grated peeled carrots (about 1 pound)

For the frosting

4 cups of confectioners’ sugar

Two 8-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the cake

Preheat the oven to 325 °F.  Lightly grease three 8-inch round cake pans with 1 ½-inch sides.  Line the bottoms of the pans with wax paper and lightly grease the paper.

Place the sugar and oil in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until combined.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg into the sugar and oil mixture and beat on low until all ingredients are incorporated.  Stir in the carrots.

Pour the batter into the prepared pans, dividing equally.  Bake about 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, if you must.  But you can also gently press the top; if it springs back and if the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan, it’s done.  Set the cakes on racks and let them cool in the pans 15 minutes.  Invert the cakes onto the racks and cool completely.  (Cakes can be made 1 day ahead.  Wrap tightly in plastic and store at room temperature.)

For the frosting

In an electric mixer, beat all the ingredients with the whisk attachment until smooth and creamy.

To assemble the cake

Place one completely cool cake layer on a lovely cake platter.  Spread with ¾ cup frosting.

Top with another layer cake layer.  Spread with ¾ cup frosting.  Top with the remaining cake layer.  Using and offset spatula spread the remaining frosting in decorative swirls over the sides and top of the cake.

When I made this cake I used organic ingredients.  I ran out of vegetable oil so I used grape seed oil the second time I made this cake.  I actually think it tasted better with the grape seed oil.  Also I did not use any wax paper since I bake with silicone.  I do not own an offset spatula so I frosted the cake without it.  I used this video on About.com on how to frost a layer cake.  I found it extremely helpful for a beginner like myself.  http://video.about.com/baking/How-to-Frost-a-Cake.htm This cake was even a hit at work.  My co-workers loved the cake.  If I can make this, anyone can!

As Gina mentioned, Ruth dresses up in various disguises to eat at the restaurants so she isn’t recognized. In each of her disguises, she finds out something about herself. I like that. I think that’s why I like changing my appearance so much (hair colors/cuts/styles, etc). Every time you change your looks drastically like that, you find something out you didn’t realize before. For example, if you think you’re a wallflower, and then dye your hair bright red… you might be surprised at how you really aren’t a wallflower. Or maybe it’s the hair that changes you? In Ruth’s case, it was wigs and makeup, in addition to a few smartly chosen wardrobe choices.

There are tons of wonderful food/meal recipes in this book, and I want to make many of them, but I haven’t had the opportunity to make them yet, I was planning on the risotto but Brianne did it. So I figured I’d go with a dessert. I had originally planned on making her New York cheesecake, but Jeanine beat me to it, and Gina took Nicky’s vanilla cake. *shakes fist* That’s what happens when you wait too long I guess. So what’s a baker to do?

I picked the Last-Minute chocolate cake. It sounded amazing, and I decided to make it for Valentine’s Day. I made some strawberry-vanilla cupcakes too, but I wanted to make something chocolate. This was the perfect recipe. I made it into cupcakes (of course) and frosted it with vanilla buttercream and topped it with chocolate hearts & Red Hot candies.

Last-Minute Chocolate Cake

• 4 ounces fine quality unsweetened chocolate
• ¾ stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter
• ¾ cup brewed strong black coffee
• 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 300° F.

Butter and flour a 9-inch-by-5-inch loaf pan (I used a muffin tin, duhhh).

Combine the chocolate, butter and coffee in the top of a double boiler or in a very heavy pot. Stir constantly over low heat until melted. Let the mixture cool for 15 minutes. Then add the Grand Marnier, sugar, egg and vanilla. Stir well.

Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt together, and add this to the chocolate mixture. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan (fill muffin tins anywhere from ½-¾ full) and bake for 30- 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (I ended up getting 18 cupcakes, and they baked at 350° F for about 25-30 minutes).

Serves 6.

I omitted the Grand Marnier, only because I didn’t have it. So I added an extra tablespoon of coffee and 1 teaspoon orange extract. It came out awesome, and surprisingly went very well with the Red Hots! I used Baker’s brand unsweetened 1 oz. chocolate squares for the chocolate in the recipe. This is a really great dark, rich, chocolate-y cake with a great “extra” flavor. Some people who tasted it couldn’t quite put their finger on what it was exactly… but they all agreed it is super yum. All in all it was a really good chocolate cake recipe. I’ll definitely make it again. Maybe next time I’ll make it as a cake, and top it with vanilla ice cream as Ruth suggests in the book. Mmm. But also this would make an awesome layer cake if you double it.

I know, chocolate cake around Valentine’s Day is a kind of cliched thing to do, and boring, but have some pity on me. I promise I’ll be back soon with another recipe, less boring too. I won’t let you down, Cooking the Books… I won’t let you down!

Psst.. the cupcakes in the background? They’re made of cloth, handmade and hand-painted, and were a gift from my mother. If you’d like to know where to buy similar creations, shoot me an e·mail or ask me on Twitter!

Saturday we enjoyed some time with my dad back in PA- which brings me to some happy news He had gotten me a pair of faboosh boots for my birthday that were waiting on my doorstep when I came home on Friday… but when he showed up, Christmas gifts in tow, we decided we’d all tear into them and not wait. I am so glad I didn’t! I got my mixer!!! wooooooo! My poor husband looked at me like I was a freak – I was flipping out. I don’t think he’d seen me jump up and down like that since I found out I was pregnant LOL!

She’s fantastic, she’s beautiful, I have a crush on an inanimate object. Meet her! Since every mixer has a name, I knew I had to think of something perfect. So, without further adieu, please meet the newest addition to my kitchen – Betty!

Isn’t she gorge? Love her!

Anyway, back to the blogging! Brett’s dad came up today to visit and I had said he could choose what I made for dinner. His choice? Haddock. Now, honestly, I’m not really a super fishy person – I love love shellfish, but I just don’t eat other fish all that much. So, what do I do? I turn to Giulia, whose book has fast become my failsafe when I’m in the mood to make something and don’t know what. She has quite a few seafood recipes in Spaghetti, but this one I found to be simple enough for who I was cooking for. The recipe uses sole, but I found it to be yummy with the haddock. The guys loved it! And I used my baby for the first time – to make angel food cake for dessert!

Incendiery Sole*

*I used halibut. Any firm, white fish should taste good in this recipe, but beware that the cooking times will vary slightly.

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
1/3 cup olive oil
1 heaping cup bread crumbs
3/4 tsp salt
1 tbs chopped parsley
Freshly ground pepper
2 pounds sole or flounder

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Combine butter and oil in a wide shallow bowl; season the bread crumbs with salt, parsley and pepper and spread on a plate. Dip the fish in butter and oil, covering thoroughly, then dredge through the breadcrumbs. Place on a baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, until the crumb topping is slightly brown.
Serves 4-6.

This was delicious. I served it with my homemade mashed potatoes (yes, I used Betty this time for those!). You can find that recipe here.

Now, this isn’t from Giulia’s book. BUT I feel like I should post this because this isn’t a recipe you come across very often and it’s beyond amazing. I’d been looking for an exceptional angel food cake recipe for Brett’s birthday this past September. Of course, I turned to Marilla to enlist her help. She found this recipe from one of her baker friends, and my husband refuses to eat any other angel food cake. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 cup cake flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons sugar
12 large egg whites
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

NOTE: Note: For those not use to making angel food cakes Don’t get any yoke in the whites, if you do throw out and start over. I always separate the egg in a glass first. Then if no yoke pour into measuring container.

DO NOT GREASE PAN!

Heat oven to 375°.
Sift the cake flour and 3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp sugar; set aside.
Combine the extracts in a small bowl; set aside.
Beat egg whites, cream of tartar and salt until it forms peaks.
Add the other 3/4 cup of sugar slowly, then beat on high until stiff peaks form.
If you have a mixing guard for your mixer bowl now would be a good time to attach it.
Beating on LOW, add flour mixture and extracts slowly.
Make sure you fold in the sides and bottom of your mixing bowl. You can fold in flour mixture by hand but this way is faster. Spoon into an angel food cake pan.
Move a knife through batter to remove air pockets.
Bake 30-35 minutes or until top springs back when touched lightly with finger.
Invert pan onto a tin funnel to cool completely.
To remove the cake from your pan run a knife around the rim of the cake pan just to get the ‘crust’ away from the pan. Then firmly spank the sides of your pan. You could use a knife but this sometime tears the sides of the cake. Invert onto your serve plate then take the knife to the now top which was the bottom of your pan and gently cut cake away from the pan insert.

Enjoy!!

Food Club Pork Roast

6 garlic cloves

¼ cup fresh rosemary

2 teaspoons salt

Freshly ground pepper

1 (4 ½ – to 5- pound) rib section center-cut pork loin (have the butcher bone the meat and then reassemble the roast with string)

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ cup white wine

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mince the garlic and rosemary by hand (or better yet, in a food processor).  Mix them in a small bowl with the salt and freshly ground pepper.  Rub the meat with olive oil and then the garlic-rosemary mixture.  Let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Place pork flat side up on a rack in roasting pan, then pour white wine over it.  Roast in center of oven until a thermometer registers 140 degrees, about 90 minutes.  Remove from oven and let the meat rest on a cutting board, tented with foil, for about 20 minutes before slicing.

Discard string, separate bones from the loin, and slice meat to desired thickness.  You may cut the ribs and serve them, too, or save them to add them to a tomato sauce.  (Pork ribs add richness to sauce.)Yield: 6 servings

Overall I was really happy with how dinner turned out and most importantly Shaun loved it! Don’t get me wrong there were a few hiccups along the way. I managed to spill a good amount my macaroni and cheese when I was putting it in the oven and created a huge mess. Oh and let us not forget how I almost chopped off a finger cutting the garlic! I guess I got a little arrogant with my recently acquired knife skills while using Shaun’s precious Wusthof knives.

I also decided to take a stab at “Nana’s Blueberry Muffins”. As you guys know we have a gluten allergy in the family so I decided to make these muffins gluten free. Please keep in mind that I have never baked a thing in my life. I am lucky I know the difference between a whisk and a spatula! I told Shaun earlier in the week that I wanted to bake so he was nice enough to get me a set silicone bake ware in a pretty red. Instead of regular flour I used “Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour “. I also added a little bit of vanilla extract, nutmeg and cinnamon. I wasn’t sure how gluten free flour was going to make the muffins taste so I wanted to spice them up so to speak. Don’t ask me how much of each spice I added because honestly I just eyeballed it. I know it sounds stupid for someone who has never baked before. I just added as much spice as I’ve seen my Dad add to his muffins. Growing up my Dad always made us a special breakfast on Sunday to give my Mom a break in the kitchen. No joke my Dad makes the best blueberry muffins!!

I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree cause the muffins turned out great!

Nana’s Blueberry Muffins

Butter, softened, for greasing muffins tins

1 3/4 Cup self-rising flour

1/4 Cup Sugar

1/4 Cup milk

6 Tablespoons melted butter

1 Egg

1 Cup Blueberries

1 Tablespoon Butter (Optional)

1/4 Cup Sugar (Optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter the muffin tins. Mix flour and sugar, stir in the wet ingredients, then add the blueberries. Spoon batter into muffin tins, filling each cup 3/4 of the way full. Bake 15-20 minutes, cool for ten minutes, and put on a cooling rack. While the muffins are still warm, melt 1 Tbs. of the butter and place in a saucer. Put the 1/4 C. sugar in a separate saucer. Dip the muffins into the butter than roll in the sugar.  This step is optional but I highly recommend it.

Yield: 9 Muffins; recipe can be doubled.

I am pretty excited to hang out with the women of CTB on Wednesday and celebrate the blog and completion of the first book! I am however not looking forward to making the gnocchi we all agreed to make. Although I think the only reason I am not looking forward to it is Gnocchi seems complicated to make. And let’s not forget the fact that I have never ever had this dish before. It is going to be hard to make something without a reference point but I am up for the challenge. Worst come to worst if I burn it, there is always frozen pizza to save the day! Wish me luck…

Now, it sounds a little funny to think I baked these bourbon-iced, funnily-named cupcakes with my almost-2 year old, but we had a blast. All she knew was we were making cupcakes. I keep a jar of vanilla frosting in the house just in case, and I iced her one with that. She had a great time helping me mix the ingredients and stir the batter in my not-so-great yard-sale-bought stand mixer… (my birthday is December 15…cough cough KitchenAid cough cough..) and I put the icing together after she went to bed.

My icing didn’t turn out quite as it should though – maybe it’s my crappy mixer, maybe because I used whiskey because it’s all I had in the house, or I added a touch too much milk. The icing was a little too thin, but they were yummy. I love a good cupcake and a good drink… and this combined both. After a whirlwind weekend, I found myself at home with a sleeping child (Brett is headed to Delaware to buy a 1973 Nova..his latest “toy”) and a delicious cupcake and a glass of wine.

For those of you who are new bakers, this recipe is quite easy to make. They’re delicious, and you don’t need a breakup to have a reason to make them. Try it out, and if you’re too afraid, grab Giulia’s book and remember, (from one chocolate lover to another) frozen Yodels are always a great failsafe if the cupcakes don’t quite turn out right!

Fuck You Cakes

Cupcakes:
Cupcake liners
2 cups cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 whole milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Insert liners into muffin tins. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside. Cream butter and sugar with a hand mixer (or a standing mixer fitted with a paddle) at medium speed until fluffy; add eggs one at a time, then the vanilla, and beat until smooth. Reduce mixer speed to low and add the sifted ingredients to the butter mixture a little at a time, alternating with the milk until fully incorporated. Do not overmix, as this will make for tough cupcakes, and you’ve suffered enough.
Spoon batter into muffin tins, filing each one a third of the way. Bake until tops are golden and springy, 20-25 minutes. Yield: about 12 cupcakes.

Chocolate Bourbon Frosting
(because you need a drink)

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
2-3 tablespoons bourbon (depending on how bad it was)
4 tablespoons milk
1 stick butter, unsalted, very soft
1 box confectioner’s sugar
1-2 tablespoons milk

In a small bowl, whisk the cocoa, bourbon, and 2 tablespoons milk. Cream the butter with a hand mixer or standup mixer on medium speed until smooth, then add the sugar 1 cup at a time until fully incorporated. Add the bourbon mixture and continue beating a little at a time until the frosting is fluffy and spreadable.

Giulia’s note:Don’t be so upset with yourself that you eat more than one or two cupcakes.  Be angry with him! Bring whatever is left to work.  Your colleagues will eat these and you’ll feel lighter for having shed him and not OD’ing on cupcakes.

Of all people, I love a good chocolate cake. I am all about healthy, fulfilling, delicious food – but I have my vice, and it’s chocolate. Chocolate bars, cupcakes, cake, ice cream, brownies, you name it – I’ll eat it. Like her, I too am quite opposed to eating a Valentine’s Day dinner in a restaurant. I’d much rather cook a nice quiet meal for the both of us, that we can enjoy with our own wine that isn’t costing an arm and a leg (and not paying for a babysitter) and we can throw on pj’s and relax on the couch with the rest of the bottle afterwards.

This cake was so delicious. It was definitely a hit. After a long day and heavy foods, this cake was just what everyone needed. I’d never used parchment paper before, and I now understand why it called for it. The batter ends up so thin that I needed that support of the paper to get it out to cool it on the racks. It was very full-flavored, but it had a light, airy texture to it that melted in my mouth. It didn’t make its way onto the table until after 9, but we all ate it. I did avoid the food coloring, and Giulia was right – it never looked like a “pretty” cake, I don’t know if the icing was a little too thin and didn’t quite look how I wanted, but hell, it was so good no one cared!

~Hot Pink Cake~
Cake:
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cups cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 eggs, left out of fridge for about 30 minutes
1 stick butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 cup whole milk
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter and flour two 8″ baking pans and line with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the dry ingredients. Add eggs, butter, milk, and vanilla and beat at a medium speed for 2-3 minutes, until all ingredients are combined and the cocoa bits are smoothed out. Stir in the boiling water. Pour batter into pans and bake at 350 degrees until a cake tester comes out with moist crumbs, about 30-35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes in pans, then transfer to cooling racks. Wait until they have cooled completely before frosting.

For the frosting:
1 stick very soft butter
1 pound confectioner’s sugar
3-4 tablespoons milk
1 tsp vanilla
a little too much red food dye (optional!)

Mix all ingredients with an electric mixer at low speed until creamy. Add more milk if necessary. The trick is for the icing to be not too thin and not too goopy.

Yield: enough for 1 8-inch cake or 24 cupcakes

Matthew and I have only been married for two years, which means we haven’t quite worked out all of our holiday kinks just yet. This Thanksgiving we decided to host a brunch with his parents (my in-laws) and to join my family for the dinner. I always get extremely anxious when preparing a meal for my in-laws. Okay, actually very anxious. I know that this anxiety is highly irriational, however I seem to think that the very food I decide to put on the table will establish my enduring love for their son. It is therefor obvious that everything must be perfect. This usually winds up with me obsessing over a menu for waaaayyyy more time than is necessary as well as a few tears and eventually me swearing I will never cook again (obviously an overdramatic lie, or else why would I be cooking the books). Using tried and true recipes has somewhat helped me abate this anxiety, kind of like a “no fail” technique. However, this year I decided on a brunch made of all recipes from Giulia’s book. It was a huge risk on my part, I was putting it out there that even if my recipe’s failed, I still adored my husband and was an awesome daughter-in-law (again irrational, I know).

I started with Nana’s Blueberry Muffins, largely because I liked the image of a Nana rolling yummy muffins through butter and sugar, but also because Kit to me was the safest boyfriend, and therefor these muffins felt safe.

Nana’s Blueberry Muffins:

Butter, softened, for greasing muffins tins

1 3/4 Cup self-rising flour

1/4 Cup Sugar

1/4 Cup milk

6 Tablespoons melted butter

1 Egg

1 Cup Blueberries

1 Tbs Butter (Optional)

1/4 Cup Sugar (Optional)

Preheat over to 400 degrees. Butter the muffin tins. Mix flour and sugar, stir in the wet ingredients, then add the blueberries. Spoon batter into muffin tins, filling each cup 3/4 of the way full. Bake 15-20 minutes, cool for ten minutes, and put on a cooling rack. While the muffins are still warm, melt 1 Tbs. of the butter and place in a saucer. Put the 1/4 C. sugar in a separate saucer. Dip the muffins into the butter than roll in the sugar. (This step is optional, but highly recommended by Giulia…and me)

I used frozen blueberries and I sifted the flour. The muffins resembled a scone and dipped in the sugar were absolutely delectable. I was not sure how these would come out because the dough seemed a bit tough to me, but I thoroughly enjoyed them. Matt ate them the day after Thanksgiving and RAVED about them. He also commented that they were a bit more scone-ish. This may have been due to my sifting of the flour.

After the Blueberry Muffins, I decided to try my luck with “Morning After Pumpkin Bread”. This one was during Ethan, who was my personal favorite…after all who doesn’t love a little committment phobe every now and then? As Ethan was attractive to Giulia in his uncommitting ways, so is pumpkin to me. Pumpkin and me usually do not get along. My pies usually spill over, my scones have been undercooked, and pumpking bread…is usually a big ol fail that ends in Matt advising me to stick with cooking pasta. But with Ethan and Giulia I decided to give it a go….and it was a HUGE success. My Mother-In-Law could not stop raving about how good it was at breakfast, and she is a pretty finicky eater. Here is the recipe:

Morning After Pumkin Bread:

1/2 Cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1 1/2 Cups Sugar

2 Large Eggs

1 Cup Canned Pumpkin

1 1/2 Cup Self-rising flour

1/2 Teaspoon each: cloves, cinnamon, ginger

1/2 Cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch loaf pan. Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until blended, then add eggs and pumpkin. Sift flour with spices in another bowl, add pumpkin mixture, mix in walnuts, and pour into buttered pan. Bake until tester comes out clean, about 1 hour t10 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for 10 minutes, then use knife to release edges and flip onto cooling rack to cool completely.

My Variations: okay, so I did not have ginger…which I replaced with 1/4 Teaspoon each, nutmeg and pumpkin pie spice. I also doubled the recipe and made a second loaf with dried cranberries and walnuts…which was awesomeness defined.

Finally, I decided to throw in a semi-healthy baked good. This one is the only one I did not like, nor did anyone else I think (it was the only item left). I think it may have been my fault however. Perhaps it was my unconscious aggression towards healthy muffins (which should obviously not be healthy). I also DESPISED Lachlan, which is where these bad boys popped up, so it could be that too.

Welcome Back to the Big Apple Muffins

Butter, softened, for greasing muffin tins

2 Cups whole wheat flour (If I do these again I would use whole wheat pastry flour)

1/2 Cup Sugar

2 Tsp. Baking Powder

1/2 Tsp. cinnamon

1/2 Cup butter (1 stick), melted

1 egg, beaten

1 cup milk

2 medium apples, peeled, cored, and chopped (this is where I think I went wrong, I used a food processor (bc im lazy), and they got more, shredded, than chopped. I also only had granny smiths, and I think a gala or rome apple would have been better!)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, grease a 12 cup muffin pan. In one large bowl, mix all dry ingredients, in another, mix all the wet ingredients. Add the wet to the dry and mix with a spoon by hand until just combined, then fold in the chopped apples. Spoon batter into muffin tins and bake for twenty minutes, cool for ten minutes.

All in All it was a great Brunch and a Fabulous Start of the day…which continued with more cooking and more food, and of course, more Giulia!

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