Carrot-Ginger Cupcakes with Orange-Ginger Frosting

These are delicious little treats; my favorite cupcake!
I've made them numerous times. You can also make a cake version of this,
which I have not tried. It would be a perfect cake for family at Easter.

Makes 12 cupcakes.

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup (2 ounces) pecan halves
• 6 carrots (about 7 1/2 ounces), peeled
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/4 cup buttermilk, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread pecans in a single layer on an ungreased baking pan. Transfer to oven, and roast until toasted and brown, about 8 minutes. Give the pan a shake midway through roasting to make sure they roast evenly. Remove pan from oven, and let stand until completely cool. Finely chop pecans, and set aside. Line muffin tin with cupcake liners. Set aside.
2. Using the smallest holes (less than 1/4-inch in diameter) of a box grater, grate carrots to yield 1 3/4 cups. Place grated carrots, eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, sugar, vegetable oil, and ginger in a large bowl; whisk until well combined.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Using a rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the carrot mixture until just combined. Fold in toasted pecans.
4. Using a large metal spoon, fill each cupcake to the top of the paper liner. Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, rotating the pan halfway through, 20 to 25 minutes.
5. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove to cooling rack to cool completely. Spread about 1/ 4 cup frosting on each cupcake and serve. Store in an airtight container up to two days.

Frosting Makes about 3 cups. 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature 1 cup confectioners' sugar 2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger Pinch of salt	Directions Place butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, and beat on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add cream cheese and confectioners' sugar, beat until well combined and fluffy, about 2 minutes more. Add orange zest, grated ginger, and salt. Beat an additional 5 minutes.

This recipe is courtesy of Martha Stewart

Silky Braised Chicken with Wild Mushrooms and Pearl Onions

This recipe is from "The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook" from 2000.
You can view the original recipe here.
I've made this a handful of times and it is worth the effort.
It takes a while to create (almost 2 hours) but in the end it's just so yummy!
As you can see, bacon is included. And we know that bacon makes everything better ;D.
This is the first time I made the recipe using dried rather than fresh herbs. In truth, I would definitely use dried again! I can only surmise that fresh herbs would offer more health benefits.
Martha's recipe calls for a whole chicken, cut up. Since there are just two of us, I used two skin-on, bone-in chicken breast halves. You could also use thigh meat if you prefer dark meat.
Use a small dutch oven or a covered casserole.
First, sprinkle in 1 1/2 (guessing) Tb of thyme. Sprinkle in another TB of rosemary. Pop in a couple bay leaves and a garlic clove, smashed.
Add 1/2 a small sliced onion.
Put the chicken on top. Salt & pepper the chicken, sprinkle with more thyme, place the remaining 1/2 onion slices on top.
Pour in 2 cups of chicken broth and a few good glugs of a "medium bodied" white wine. Try a reisling or perhaps a sauvignon blanc. Buy it cheap.
Cook in a preheated 300º oven for 1 hour. Remove the chicken to a platter so that it cools to a point where you can remove the skin. Keep the cooking liquid, straining out the solids in a fine mesh sieve. Reserve 1 cup for the finished recipe, freeze the rest for another use.
Take your "wild" mushrooms (maitake and oyster) and cut them down to 1" pieces.
I used 3/4 pound.
The recipe calls for 1 cup of red pearl onions, peeled. While I have used them in the past, it is unnecessary. Just use some from a bag of frozen pearl onions. Saute in 3Tb butter and season with salt & pepper (I just used pepper since the butter was salted). Cook over medium until they brown up a bit then add the mushrooms.
Cook the mushrooms for about 7 minutes, until the juices are gone and they begin to brown. Add 2 TB Madeira wine ($5.49 for a bottle) and cook one minute or until the liquid is gone. Pour the mushroom-onion mix into a bowl.
Use the same pan to fry up 2 slices of bacon. Meanwhile, smear 1 tsp of a grainy mustard on each piece of chicken. When the bacon is done, place it on or wrap around the chicken. Drain off the grease.
The final scene: ready for assembly!
Put the mushroom-onion mix back into the saute pan, add one cup of strained cooking broth, 2 Tb Madeira, and place the chicken on top. Simmer until the chicken is warmed to serve.
The tester, who already ate Mac 'n' Cheese for dinner (and sampled uncooked mushrooms), insisted on having some. He didn't really like it. I am guessing the cooking wine put him off.

Homemade Butter

Making your own butter is not complicated at all!
The key is the speed at which you can make it. This method takes around ten minutes. Certainly you can put heavy cream in a jar and shake it for a half hour or more, but who wants to bother with that? (Well, maybe it's a good lesson for the kids or workout for all those butter calories.)

I always shy away from buying heavy cream to use in recipes not only because it's caloric but usually only a couple spoonfuls are needed and the remainder often goes unused. No longer, now that I know how easy it is to make butter!

Try to buy good cream, in this case it's from the Jersey cows at High Lawn Farm, whose dairy products are available at Whole Foods and Russo's.
I chose to use a Kitchenaid stand mixer with the whisk attachment. You also can use a blender or a food processor (or a jar ;D).

Start on a mid-speed until it takes on the whipping cream form (otherwise it will splash out on higher speed), then turn it on max. Occasionally stop to scrape the sides down.
When the butterfat separates from the liquid it will become unnecessary to scrape the sides down.
It is obvious when the liquid separates out. Strain out the liquid into a storage vessel (save this buttermilk for, perhaps, pancakes) or else discard it. Process the butter some more if you are not sure all the liquid is out yet. It will turn yellow.
Rinse the butter under cold water until the rinse water is clear (fill the bowl then pour all into a sieve and continue to rinse).
Using a spoon or spatula, press out the butter to release any trapped liquid.
Put the butter back into the mixer bowl (wipe any water out with a paper towel) and season with medium grind sea salt (or anything else), if desired, then blend together. Put the butter love into a bowl from which to scoop out of or roll it up in paper or plastic wrap to serve in log format.
I love salty butter so this was indeed a happy moment!
The results are delicious and SO worth it.
Keep refrigerated or freeze, well wrapped.

Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce

This recipe is simple and benefits from use of an immersion blender. I think you can get away with not using it, as long as your tomatoes and garlic are chopped finely enough.
I've made this a couple times before and, according to a note written on the recipe from 1/27/09, "Delicious!!! Used all sauce with raviolis."
I cooked it with a chicken breast but feel free to omit.

1 chicken breast, cut into 4 pieces, salt & peppered (or more chicken if more than 2.5 people)
1 TB olive oil
large garlic clove, minced or ran through a press
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes packed in oil, patted dry and coarsely chopped (Trader Joe's!)
pinch of red pepper flakes (beware: this adds heat!)
1/4 cup dry white wine (we like Cavit Pinot Grigio)
3/4 cup chicken broth (try to use Swanson low sodium) or veggie broth for non-meat friends
1/4 cup heavy cream (used more like 2 TB: just add enough so you like the taste)
1/4 cup thin sliced fresh basil (or frozen pesto)

Rinse chicken and pat dry. Season with s & p.

Heat oil in small saute pan over high heat.

Once hot, add chicken and saute 3 minutes on each side. Transfer with tongs to a plate.

Add garlic, tomatoes and pepper flakes, cook for a minute, stirring often.
Add wine and boil, stirring to scrape up pan bits, until reduced by half, about 1 minute. Add broth and any pan juices, bring to a boil then simmer for 5 minutes. I also added a TB of frozen pesto since we don't have fresh basil.

Remove from heat, stir in cream and puree the sauce.

Serve sauce (over chicken) and pasta of your liking (ziti) and sprinkle with desired cheese (parmesan) and (optional) fresh basil chiffonade.

The taster is becoming more like the phantom gourmet as of late; he is refusing to be photographed while eating!
I was detected in this shot!

Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza

This is definitely a favorite pizza! I've made it a few times. The crust is tender and delicious.
A few years ago, I gave up making my own pizza dough since store-bought is just quick and easy. Here is a case where I craved this pizza and had to make the crust myself (takes a while so it's a good task for when you have a free afternoon).

The secret crust ingredient: a russet potato!

Rising dough.

The helper performing a taste test. Mmmm!

Allow the dough to rest in the pans one last time.

For sauce, I simply drained a can of diced tomatoes in a sieve.

Form the edges and prick with a fork several times.

While baking the crust, prep your toppings. We chose crumbled sausage, pepperoni, green pepper, sliced onion, kalamata olives, and shiitake mushrooms. We used our favorite pizza cheese, reduced fat Dragone, freshly grated (1/2 a block for 2 pizzas).

The prebaked crust is ready for toppings!

Makes one 14-inch pizza or two pizzas, 6" and 8"

1 medium baking potato (about 9 ounces), peeled and quartered
1 1/2 teaspoons rapid-rise yeast
3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup water (warm, 105 to 115 degrees)
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus more for oiling bowl
1 3/4 teaspoons table salt

1. Bring 1 quart water and potato to boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; cook until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and cool potato until it can be handled comfortably. Grate through large holes on box grater. Measure 1 1/3 cups lightly packed potato; discard remaining potato.

2. Adjust one oven rack to lowest position; heat oven to 200 degrees. Once temperature reaches 200º, maintain heat 10 minutes, then turn off heat. Keep in mind that yeast multiplies the best between 105 to 115º and is killed at temperatures above 140º.

3. In bowl of standing mixer fit with paddle attachment, mix yeast, 1/2 cup flour, and 1 cup warm water until combined. Cover with plastic wrap and set in warmed oven for 20 minutes.

Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, 3 cups flour, salt, and potato. Mix on low speed until dough comes together. I found it necessary to drizzle in more olive oil to make the dough come together. Or you could use more water.

Switch to dough hook attachment and increase speed to medium; continue kneading 10 minutes. Transfer dough to lightly oiled medium bowl, turn to coat with oil and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Place in warm oven until dough is soft and spongy and doubled in size, 45 minutes.

4. Oil bottom of deep-dish pizza pan (we used 8" and 6" cast iron skillets) with remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil. Remove dough from oven; turn onto clean, dry work surface and pat into rounds. Transfer rounds to pan, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest until dough no longer resists shaping, about 10 minutes.

5. Heat oven to 425º. Uncover dough and pull up into edges and up sides of pan to form 1-inch-high lip. Cover with plastic wrap; let rise in warm draft-free spot until double in size, about 30 minutes. Uncover dough and prick generously with fork.

Bake in preheated oven until dry and lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Add desired toppings; bake until cheese melts, 10 to 15 minutes. Move pizza to top rack and bake until cheese is spotty golden brown, about 5 minutes longer.

Let cool 5 minutes, then, holding pizza pan at angle with one hand, use wide spatula to slide pizza from pan to cutting board. Cut into wedges and serve.

Hearty Chicken Noodle Soup

This is the best recipe I've found for chicken soup. Instead of trying to create flavorful stock from scraps and bones of chicken, you create a better one using ground chicken. Small pieces of chicken give up flavor much more than large pieces of chicken.
First, make the stock.
Heat 1 TB veg oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering.
Add 1 lb ground chicken, 1 small chopped onion, 1 medium peeled, chopped carrot, and 1 stalk chopped celery. Cook, stirring frequently until chicken is no longer pink.
Reduce heat to medium-low.
Add 32 oz. water, 64 oz. (2 cartons) low-sodium chicken broth, 3 bay leaves, a dash of table salt, and 2 split bone-in, skin-on chicken breast halves, cut in half.
Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
Remove lid and bring to a boil on high (if boiling already, immediately remove chicken breasts to a plate to cool).
Maintain a gentle boil for 20 minutes.
Pour stock through a sieve set upon another large pot or bowl. Press down on solids to get any liquid gold out, then discard the solids. Let the stock sit to cool while you prep veggies for the final soup.
Once stock has cooled, skim off fat with a spoon. You will leave some behind, the point is to remove any excess.
Return the stock to the Dutch oven set over medium-high heat.
Measure 1/4 cup water. Add 3 TB cornstarch and stir up until dissolved. Stir into the stock and bring to a gentle boil.
Add a small onion, halved and sliced thin, 2 medium carrots, peeled and halved lengthwise, sliced crosswise in 3/4" pieces, 1 celery rib, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/2" pieces, 1 medium russet potato, peeled and cut into 3/4" cubes. Cook until potato pieces are almost tender, 10-15 minutes.
Add 1 cup egg noodles and continue to cook until tender, about 5 minutes longer.

Meanwhile, remove skin and bones from chicken breasts and finely shred with your fingers. It's helpful to cut some of the larger strands with a knife once they're pulled apart.
Add shredded chicken to soup, along with 2 TB chopped parsley (from our garden!) and cook until heated through, 2 minutes longer. Season with fresh ground pepper; serve.

Stuffed Beef Tenderloin with Blue Cheese Sauce

A favorite market, Russo's, often has nice vacuumed-packed cuts of beef. This time I bought a pack of beef tenderloin ends for around $5.50. It contained two pieces, which I was able to butterfly with a sharp knife.
In a pat of butter and splash of olive oil set over medium high heat, sautee 1/2 a chopped large onion, for 5 minutes.

Saute 8 shiitake mushrooms, chopped up, for an additional 5 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring often, until veggies are deeply browned, about 10 minutes longer.
Stir in 1 clove of minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant.

Pour in 1/4 cup Madeira wine and scrape up any browned bits. Cook 2-3 minutes until it evaporates. Put mixture in a separate container and set aside to cool.
Pat mixture onto tenderloins. Top with baby spinach leaves. Roll up and tie with butcher's twine.

Drizzle with olive oil to coat, both sides. Salt & pepper.
Preheat oven to 450º.
Brown in a skillet preheated over medium high heat.
Cast iron works well.
Turn to brown all sides. Transfer to an oven dish and roast for 10 minutes.
Allow to cool a couple minutes then snip ties away.
Make a sauce with melted (microwaved) blue cheese (3/4) and butter (1/4). Pour any pan juices into it and mix up. We had it easy in that we just did that to a gifted cheese ball (also with chopped walnuts, which is a nice texture). Top with some sliced scallions (green onions). They make it sooo good!
Though not done here, Alex suggests cooking 3 strips of bacon until crispy, then crumble and also use as topping.
This meal took so much effort, that the taster was already asleep and we didn't bother with sides!

Panko Chicken Nuggets

I couldn't believe how many nuggets could be cut from one chicken breast (as in, what's cooking above)!
They were nice 1" or so, bite-size morsels.

Have a plate of flour, a bowl with a beaten egg + tsp water, a bowl with panko bread crumbs.

First, sprinkle the chicken liberally with your favorite dried seasoning. I went for an Italian blend of herbs.
Then dust on some flour to coat.
Dip into egg.
Put in panko bowl and coat.
Put on plate.

Coat the bottom of a heavy skillet with olive oil (1/4" so you cook the sides, too).
Heat oil over medium/medium high, until a drop of water spits.
Cook chicken in batches, using tongs to turn. Remember to use clean tongs once they are cooked. Try not to turn them until the first side is very golden brown.
Place cooked nuggets onto paper towels to drain.

Serve as is, with Sweet Baby Ray's bbq sauce and/or honey.

I like to have them over a garden salad with Italian dressing.

They can be made ahead and refrigerated. Reheat in the toaster oven at 375º for 10 minutes.

Bacon Cheeseburgers

We love to make our own burgers. The process is easy and you can buy a large quantity of meat, form the patties and freeze them if you'd prefer. 3 patties per pound of meat is about right.

Use 85% lean beef, sea salt, fresh ground pepper and smoked paprika. Use ample amounts (more pepper than salt). Carefully use your hands to combine. Form patties to desired size and freeze or cook. If it was grilling weather I would cook these outside.
First, fry up some bacon for topping.
Drain the fat and rinse the (cast iron) skillet out and wipe it dry.
Preheat the pan over high heat.
Generally, cook 3 minutes on each side. Do not press down on them with a spatula (you'll press out the juices!) Soon before they are done, put a slice of cheese on top.
Did I mention this recipe will also stink up the kitchen?
Top with lettuce, onion, tomato, bacon and pickle slices (they are out of order in photo).
Toast a sesame-seed hamburger bun briefly. I like to use mayo, mustard and ketchup on my bun halves. Alex sticks to just mayo. Andrew doesn't usually care for mustard (but he ate it here and said he liked it!)

Taster approved! He preferred to eat the bun and patty, separately, but with none of the toppings.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Ingredients:
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1/2 cup Flour
1/2 teaspoon Garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked Paprika
1 pound stew beef
1 cup frozen pearl onions
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
3 carrots, cut on a diagonal into bite size pieces
3 ribs celery, chopped in 1/2" segments
10 fingerling (small) potatoes, cut in half if larger than 1"
1 cup frozen peas

Combine flour, paprika and garlic powder in a bowl. Cut excess fat from beef if necessary.
Use tongs to assist seasoning with salt & pepper and toss to coat in the flour bowl, shaking off excess and put pieces on a plate.
Heat oil in a dutch oven pot over medium high and brown beef on all sides. Beware, this will stink up the kitchen so ventilate as much as you can.
Transfer to the slow cooker.
Deglaze pot with the chicken broth and once browned bits are scraped up, pour into the slow cooker.
Add the remaining ingredients except for peas.
Cook on high for 4 hours, until vegetables are tender. About 30 minutes before serving, add peas to the pot.
Serves 3 to 4.