Zucchini and Mozzarella Patties

I made these for Boaz the other day, thinking they would be a really great lunch. Well, I wouldn’t call them a ‘lunch’ item, but they were really great. These would be best as an appetizer and pairs well with marinara sauce. Very quick and easy to make although we did burn our tongues because we kept eating them before they cooled.

Zucchini and Mozzarella Patties

• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 tsp dried parsley
• 1/4 tsp-1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1. In a medium bowl, combine the zucchini, eggs, onion, flour, Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, and spices. Stir well enough to distribute ingredients evenly.
2. Heat a small amount of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Drop zucchini mixture by heaping tablespoonfuls, and cook for a few minutes on each side until golden.

Vegetable Beef and Barley Soup

Cheap, easy, and de-fricken-licious. This was found on the box of Quaker Medium Barley but I punched it up a lot because the original recipe was much too bland. I had such a hard time not eating the whole pot the first night, I hope you all enjoy.

Vegetable Beef and Barley Soup

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 7 cups water
• 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup medium barley
• 1/2 cup (3-4 medium) carrots
• 1/2 cup (3-4 stalks) celery
• 2 beef bouillon cubes
• 1 can beef broth
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 2 bay leaves
• 9 oz package frozen mixed vegetables
• Generous dashes kosher salt and pepper (to taste)

1. In a 4-quart saucepan or dutch oven, brown meat. Add onion and garlic, cook until tender. Drain. Stir in remaining ingredients except frozen vegetables.
2. Cover; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 50-60 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add frozen vegetables until tender. Additional water may be added if soup becomes too thick upon standing.

Enchilada Soup

This wonderful recipe is adapted from the recipe found on allrecipes.com. My lovely and dear friend Whitney cooked it up and I couldn’t get it out of my head. I craved it all week then gave in because I am weak.

Enchilada Soup

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, diced 
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 quarts chicken broth, divided 
• 1 cup masa harina
• 3 cups water, divided
• 10 oz can red enchilada sauce
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (to taste)

1. In a large pot over medium heat, poach chicken breasts in 1 quart chicken broth for 20 minutes or until cooked through.
2. Cook onion and garlic in oil until onions are translucent. Pour in 1 quart chicken broth.
3. In a bowl, whisk together masa harina and 2 cups water until well blended. Pour into pot with remaining 1 cup water, enchilada sauce, Cheddar, salt, chili powder, cumin and cayenne. Bring to a boil.
4. Shred cooked chicken and add it to the pot. Reduce heat and simmer 30 to 40 minutes, until thickened.
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Tofu Nuggets

My boys are tofu-happy. I am very excited that Gideon displays the same tofu-love that his older brother does. Good thing too, otherwise I may have returned him for a tofu-loving model.

A little about this recipe: It’s a little too bland for my palette but that can be easily rectified by more seasonings. I would double the salt/pepper and paprika if I were to eat it otherwise some good ol’ organic ketchup will do the trick. Second, while this is good off the sheet, this is AMAZING frozen then re-baked. The texture is better, the flavor is better, everything is just better. My advice to you is to bake it ahead of time then freeze it for later.

This is from wholesometoddlerfood.com, a wonderful site that gives really healthy kid-friendly menu ideas.

Tofu Nuggets

• 1 package firm tofu
• 1/4 cup flour (more or less)
• 1 egg equivalent (2 whites or your favorite sub)
• 1 cup fine dry bread or cracker crumbs (mixtures are fun)
• 1 teaspoon garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 dash or a few grinds of pepper

1. Cut tofu into 1 in x 1 in squares (or rectangles, fingers, stars).
2. Spread flour on a small plate or flat dish.
3. Beat egg equivalent in a shallow dish.
4. Mix remaining ingredients in shallow dish.
5. Turn each piece of tofu in the flour to cover, then into the egg, then crumbs, and then to the rack.
6. Chilling will help to set the coating, but you can just bake right away. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes until crisp.
7. If freezing and reheating, bake frozen tofu nuggets at 375 for 20 minutes or until cooked through and firm.

Khao Neeo Mamuang (Thai Sweet Sticky Rice with Mango)

This is such a wonderful desert and so easy to make. Mike said that it was exactly like what he had in Thailand for breakfast and while I don’t think my taste buds (or stomach!) could handle this much sweet first thing in the morning, it was an amazing compliment.

• 1 1/2 cups uncooked jasmine rice
• 2 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups coconut milk
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 3 mangoes, peeled and sliced
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

1. Combine the rice and water in a saucepan; bring to a boil; cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer until water is absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes.
2. While the rice cooks, mix together 1 1/2 cups coconut milk, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil; remove from heat and set aside. Stir the cooked rice into the coconut milk mixture; cover. Allow to cool for 1 hour.
3. Make a sauce by mixing together 1/2 cup coconut milk, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and the cornstarch in a saucepan; bring to a boil.
4. Place the sticky rice on a serving dish. Arrange the mangos on top of the rice. Pour the sauce over the mangoes and rice. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Garlic Cheese Scones

You will begin to notice, most of my recipes use very little ingredients.

I have a Ramsay food philosophy. Good food is simple. Good food is fresh.

Garlic Cheese Scones

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp. Baking Powder
• 9 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2/3 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet.
2. In a large bowl, sift together flour and salt. Rub in butter lightly with finger tips until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Stir in cheese and garlic. Make a well in the center of the mixture and pour in the milk, reserving 1 teaspoon for a glazing the scones. Gently mix, just until combined.
3. Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead briefly and lightly. Be careful not to overwork the dough. Press out dough to form a 1 inch thick round. Cut into 8 wedges. Place on prepared tray and brush with reserved milk.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 20 minutes, or until light brown. Serve hot or let cool on a wire rack.

Enchilada Verdes

Simple ingredients, simple recipe.

I love authentic recipes because the flavors are clean, the ingredients are minimal and usually, they take very little time to cook.

Enchilada Verdes

• 2 chicken breast halves
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 white onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 pound fresh tomatillos, husks removed
• 5 serrano peppers
• 1/4 white onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 pinch salt
• 12 corn tortillas
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup crumbled queso fresco
• 1/2 white onion, chopped
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

1. In a saucepan, combine chicken breast with chicken broth, one quarter onion, a clove of garlic, and 2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil, and then boil for 20 minutes. Reserve broth, set chicken aside to cool, and discard onion and garlic. When cool enough to handle, shred chicken with your hands.
2. Place tomatillos and serrano chiles in a pot with water, enough to cover them. Bring to boil, and continue boiling until tomatillos turn a different shade of green (from bright green to a dull, army green). Strain tomatillos and chiles, and place in a blender with another quarter piece of onion, 1 clove garlic, and a pinch of salt. Pour in reserved chicken broth, so that liquid just covers the veggies in the blender by about an inch. Blend all ingredients until they are completely pureed. Pour salsa in a medium saucepan, and bring to a low boil.
3. Pour oil in a frying pan, and allow to get very hot. Fry tortillas one by one in hot oil until bubbles start to appear (less than 30 seconds) setting each on a paper towel afterwards to soak some of the oil. Finally, dip slightly fried tortillas in low-boiling green salsa, until tortillas become soft again. Place on plates, 3 per person.
4. Fill or top tortillas with shredded chicken, then extra green sauce. Top with crumbled cheese, chopped onion, and chopped cilantro.

I used a Mexican Mix shredded cheese blend instead of queso one of the times I made it and it still tasted amazing.

Wilton Course 2 Graduate

I have now completed Wilton’s Course 2 and am a royal icing extraordinaire.

Eight Lavish Cupcakes

For my Church’s swap meet I decided to sell some cupcakes and test the waters of some new flavors.

These are the flavors I offered:

• Triple Chocolate (Chocolate Fudge cake with Fudge Frosting)
• Lavender (Vanilla Cake with Lavender Frosting)
• Carrot (Low-Fat/Sugar Carrot with Cream Cheese Frosting)
• Mocha (Chocolate Cake with Mocha Frosting)
• Vanilla Latte (Vanilla Cake with Mocha Frosting)
• Peanut Butter and Chocolate (Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter and Fudge Frosting with Reese’s Cup bits),
• Peanut Butter and Jelly (Vanilla Cake with Peanut Butter and Strawberry Frosting)
• Classic (Vanilla Cake with Fudge Frosting)

Here are the new recipes:

Lavender Frosting

• 1/2 vegetable flavored shortening
• 3-5 cups powdered sugar (to taste)
• 1/8-1/4 tsp. Lavender extract (1/8 tsp. is a very faint taste, 1/4 tsp. is the absolute maximum I would use)
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• dash kosher salt

1. Cream Butter
2. Add rest of ingredients. Flavor with extracts to taste.

Mocha Frosting (This is not a perfect recipe and needs more work but oh my, the flavor was incredible and currently my favorite frosting.)

• 1/2 cup butter
• 5 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4-1/2 tsp. kosher salt (to taste, this takes out the bite of the sugar)
• 1-2 tsp. cocoa powder
• 2 Tbsp – 1/2 c. cold coffee to taste

So this is the deal with this recipe, I probably used about 1/2 c. coffee which left the frosting very thin. Unpipeable. I refrigerated it to return it to a desirable consistency but it melted over the span of a couple of hours. I would still make it again in a heart beat but would probably use 1/2 c. more butter or use coffee liquor. I wouldn’t add more sugar or less coffee. It was pretty darn good regardless of how it looked.

Strawberry Jelly Frosting

• 1/2 cup vegetable flavored shortening
• 3-5 cups powdered sugar (to taste)
• 1/4 cup-1/2 cup strawberry jam (to taste)

For Peanut Butter and Jelly cupcakes, pipe round of peanut butter frosting onto cake. Pipe a small round of strawberry jelly frosting on top of that.

All in all, I was very happy with the end result and had tons of fun.

Yellow Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese filling and Buttercream Frosting

I recently checked out Sylvia Weinstock’s Sweet Celebrations: The Art of Decorating Beautiful Cakes from the library and was inspired by her perfect gumpaste flowers. They are truly sensational. I have been a fan of Sylvia’s after having watched an episode of Platinum Weddings where they featured a cake that she had been working on for one year.

The idea of baking one of her cake recipes truly humbled me.

I did not decorate my cake, I wanted to simply highlight her cake and experience the flavor sans bells and ribbons.

The flavor of the cake was incredible.

I have made many yellow cakes in the recent weeks trying to find the “perfect” yellow cake to accompany my fudge cake that I am in love with. Many are too dense, too flavorful, too everything. A yellow cake should be subtle. It should have just enough flavor for you to know it’s vanilla and butter and should not over power your palette. It should be light and fluffy, never dense.

Her cake is amazing. It’s this very soft flavor that seemed to marry well to any filling I tried. I decided on a lemon cream cheese and it was so wonderful. I worried that the filling would be too citrusy for the cake but it maintained it’s very light texture and taste. It didn’t weigh you down like a chocolate cake would.

I attempted to alter the recipe for cupcakes and failed. Miserably. While you are more then welcome to try (and let me know if you figure it out!), I can only warn you that what you will end up with is a very ugly fallen cupcake. This of course can be covered with some nice piping and pretty frostings but still, there is something very unsatisfying about making an ugly cake.

Classic Yellow Cake

• 2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large egg yolks
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 cup sour cream
• 4 large egg whites

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Butter and line the baking pans with parchment.
2. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. Cream the butter until fluffy and light in color, about 2 mins on medium speed. Add the sugar and continue to mix until fluffy and light.
4. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, being sure each is well incorporated before adding the next one. Add the vanilla.
5. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients alternately with the sour cream , beginning and ending with the flour. Be sure the mixture is completely blended after each addition. Scrape the sides of the bowl, and beat for 1 minute.
6. In a separate bowl, with clean beaters, beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the batter with a rubber spatula.
7. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and smooth with spatula. Bake for 30 minutes, then check every 5 minutes until doneness. (The top of the cake should be nicely browned and a toothpick should come out dry and clean). The recipe calls for 45 minutes, but I felt my cake was way over-done.