Mexican Night Forever!

We take Mexican Night very seriously in our house. It's a weekly occurance (at least).

We use the term "Mexican Night" loosely to mean any meal containing cumin, cilantro, chipotle and/or chili; meals that are accompanied with homemade salsa and guacamole; and, of course, those that are complimented with my husband's amazing sangria or margaritas—preferably frozen if it's a hot summer day.

Of all of the things I enjoy cooking (and eating!) Mexican food and pizza are among my favorite. I sometimes love combining the two:


This Tex-Mex pizza is topped with Mexican-spiced chicken, bell peppers, a combination of mozzarella and monterary jack cheeses, scallions, fresh cilantro and sliced avocado. 



Here, a pizza is topped with spicy chorizo, garden peppers, tomato sauce, a combination of mozzarella and monterary jack cheeses and fresh cilantro.


I also adore making salsa—from traditional to corn, mango, and pineapple. And I love making (and eating) and guacamole. One of my happiest moments is when avocados are on sale.



Sometimes dinner is simple veggie quesadillas & salad with cilantro-lime dressing.



I love that Mexican food doesn't have to be slathered in cheese or accompanied by a giant pile of refried beans. We also love incorporating Mexican flavors into soups and salads.

Chicken-tortilla with veggies and a dollop of "sour cream" (Greek yogurt mixed with lime juice and a dash of cumin and sea salt)

Mixed greens with grilled chipotle sausage and creamy cilantro dressing.

Of course, when you're going all out, our latest creation: Mexican fondue!



Caramelized onions, serrano and red peppers, melted Mexican cheeses, topped with scallions and cilantro - served with tortilla chips, of course.



Homemade ricotta — easier than you think

One of my 2012 goals is to have every ingredient in Nan's Homemade Pizza made in my kitchen.

Since I already make my own sauce and dough, it was time to focus on the cheese.

I decided to start simple with ricotta, and, after the trial version yesterday, I will never purchase store-made ricotta again.
Not only was it delicious and fresh-tasting, it was incredibly easy.

Homemade ricotta is basically a mixture of milk and heavy cream that is curdled with the addition of lemon juice and set to drain.

To make the ricotta (technically farmer's cheese) you need whole milk, heavy cream, lemon juice, and salt to taste:

Have your cheesecloth ready—set it over a large pot or bowl to drain:

Put the milk and cream mixture in a sauce pan with a thick bottom....

...and bring to a slow simmer (be patient, as this takes a while):

Slowly add lemon juice—the milk will curdle and look like this:

Gently scoop the mixture from the pot and place it into your cheesecloth-lined strainer:

Let in drain for about a hour:

Then season with salt to taste:

Breakfast Inspiration!

English muffin-French toast-waffles

Leave it to NPR's "The Food Schmooze" to have me smacking my forehead wondering, why didn't I think of that?

Yesterday morning we were inspired by a simple "waffle" recipe.

Start with whole-grain English muffins, dip them in French toast batter — I prepared mine with eggs, cinnamon, vanilla, soy milk, orange juice and orange zest (next time I will add orange marmalade to the mixture) — then pop them into your waffle iron. Ingenious!

We cooked up an entire sleeve of English muffins and enjoyed some for breakfast with English bangers and soy lattes. The rest we cooled, put back into their paper sleeve and bag, and placed in the freezer. They'll be great crisped up in the toaster oven weekday mornings.

A savory, healthy, fast dinner? It's possible

Summer has metamorphosized into Fall. School is back in session. And while the chill in the air has me craving cozy comfort food, on weeknights, I find I have little time for cooking.

During the last cold spell I threw together a simple, healthy, hearty, nourishing soup in less than 20 minutes. Here's how.

I started with chicken stock and added a touch of soy sauce, some fresh ginger, a little rice vine vinegar and some sesame oil. I simmered chopped veggies we had on hand—shallots, carrots, green beans from our garden, and some frozen broccoli. (I always have frozen organic veggies on hand for soups, quesadillas, etc.) Then I added some Trader Joe's chicken dumplings. A little corn starch thickened the stock and a whole beaten egg, added slowly in a thin stream, added depth, flavor and protein.

We served the steaming bowls with srichacha sauce, freshly ground Szechuan peppercorns and diced scallions.

Cupcakes Galore!

woof

There are few things as lovely as cupcakes. Each one is a personal little cake just for you.

Better yet: kids' cupcakes. And, since my son's birthday was a week ago, I had the opportunity to make not one, but two batches.

It started off simply enough, with a plan for a farm birthday with farm animal cupcakes. Alas, the evening before the party my son had a fever of 102 and the birthday party...bought the farm.

Never one to miss a chance to 1) make my son happy and 2) bake cupcakes. I decided to surprise him with a family party.

a favourite stuffed puppy = inspiration

We had postponed the farm party 'til the following weekend, so I decided to hold off on my original farm animal cupcake idea. I wanted to make something else fun. So, I decorated and made a batch of cupcakes inspired by his favourite stuffed puppy, Douglas.

I think they came out rather nice, wouldn't you say?

The cupcakes were a simple vanilla recipe—from scratch, of course. The puppies "fur" is homemade buttercream frosting I tinted with unsweetened cocoa powder and piped on with a star tip. Their faces, ears and paws are made of all-natural marshmallows. They have chocolate chip eyes and naturally dyed jollybean noses.




pupcakes!

 
Next up, the real deal: farm animal cupcakes!



farmcakes! can you spy the sheep in shades?


These were so simple and great fun to make. Again, I started with homemade vanilla cupcakes (my son's only request) and a batch of homemade buttercream frosting. For the chicks, I simply frosted the cupcakes and rolled them in toasted coconut for the "feathers." Then I added four naturally dyed chocolate candies—two brown for the eyes, and two orange for the beak. The cutest thing is the upright candies, which make the beak look as though it's open.

Next up, the pigs. I had roasted beets the night prior and saved a little of the beet juice to tint the frosting. I added the beet juice gradually until I'd achieved the right shade of pig. (I didn't want purple pigs!) I used two all-natural marshmallows for the pig's face, one for the snout and one cut in half for the ears. I made an easy ganache with a couple of tablespoons of melted chocolate chips and heavy whipping cream. I used a toothpick to paint on the pigs' nostrils. The "mud" is made from frosting I tinted with unsweetened cocoa powder.

And lastly, the sheep. (Yes, they are sheep and not bunnies!) Their "fur" is frosting piped with a star tip. Again, their faces and ears are two marshmallows and their faces are painted on with chocolate ganache.

Our lucky little 6-year-old got to make more than one wish!

pupcakes with each puppy holding a fetched (candle)stick

Out of the kitchen & out of the country



bier

 Recently we visited Germany and—along with copious amounts of German beer—enjoyed lots of local foods.

A foodie who marries another foodie (who happens to be a beer snob) is bound to have culinary adventures, particularly when on holiday.

Unfortunately, the camera was not handy when we devoured what had to be The Best liverwurst I have ever had, freshly made at the Pinkus Mueller Brewery in Muenster. We also missed the opportunity to take pictures of pfifferling (commonly known as chanterelle), which was in season. We were also fortunate enough to enjoy the very end of white asparagus season.



schnitzel with mushroom sauce
&  spaetzle

Needless to say, we had our share of wienerschnitzel and spaetzle (served my favorite way, with mushroom sauce), soft pretzels (the waiter was appalled when I asked for mustard!) and my husband's favourite: schweinshaxe.

A lovely dinner: schweinshaxe for my husband, and pike with pfifferling and lemon sauce—spectacular flavor

schnitzel mit"tots"

Several dishes we ordered came with a version of fried potato we fondly referred to as "tots" (a nod to Napolean Dynamite).

These crunchy bits of deliciousness were tasty, but not really my thing, as I tend to prefer my pototoes roasted, not fried, and preferably with the skin intact.

  

We also set out to taste many versions of apfelstrudel. Of all the strudel we had the most interesting was served with the typical vanilla sauce and fresh whipped cream, but also some sort of ice cream and honeydew melon:



apfelstrudel with mystery ice cream
& honeydew melon



In addition to the food, some of the best times were spent walking, hiking, exploring and recollecting. It was always nice to come back to a cold beer and a snack.

cold bier + apfelstrudel = happy

What's more, all that fresh air and walking made us all the more ready to sit down and enjoy a good meal—to the very last bite.

no caption necessary

Dreaming of coconut cake

It’s almost March, which means it’s almost time to make my annual version of Food & Wine’s Six-Layer Coconut Cake with Passion Fruit Filling.

I start looking forward to this cake sometime in February, after all of the holiday gluttony has passed and I have had my fill of the dark chocolate my husband and I typically exchange for Valentine’s day.

My coconut cake typically features a mere four layers. I also use a different recipe for the cake than Food and Wine. Mine uses cake flour (resulting in a lighter-texture cake) and light coconut milk.

Since I haven’t been able to find passion fruit puree, I have tried several types of fruit filling—from peach puree to Valencia orange—all of which have been fantastic. The cake is slathered with a cream frosting and forgivingly coated with toasted coconut.

I can hardly wait for the first bite.