Butter Roasted Cauliflower

On December 31, 2010, in Yummy Goodness, by Wendy

1 1/2 pound cauliflower florets
2 tablespoons capers, coarsely chopped
3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. In a roasting dish, toss together cauliflower with capers, garlic, oil and about 1/8 teaspoon salt. Top with butter cubes and red pepper flakes. Roast, stirring occasionally, until browned and delicious, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and toss hot cauliflower with lemon and fresh parsley.

 

Kidnkitties Word Cloud

On December 31, 2010, in Miscellany, by Wendy

I made this on Wordle. Considering my blog is supposed to be all about my kid and my kitties, I don’t think I talk about them nearly enough on here. Just about every single word on here is food related. Maybe I should rename this blog: What I feed my kid n kitties.

 

Other Crappy Books

On December 31, 2010, in Book Reviews, by Wendy

Finklehopper Frog:

A story about a flamboyant frog who buys a flashy jogging suit and tries to run. He gets teased by everyone, and someone even called his jogging suit stupid. WTF? Finally, on the last page, Frog makes friends with a bunny who also has difficulty running. They embrace their hoppiness and live happily ever after, I suppose. I initially read this during the height of the bullying scandals of 2010, and it pissed me off to no end.

Mice Make Trouble:

A kid draws on the walls with magical pencils. DRAWS ON THE WALLS! My impressionable 2 1/2 year old does not need to see that especially because we don’t have a single magical pencil in the house. Anyway, the kid DRAWS ON THE WALLS! and the drawings come to life. What does he draw? A bunch of mischievous mice doing more bad things. I really, really don’t need that kind of influence in my house. Thanks, but no thanks.

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Jelly Roll

On December 31, 2010, in Yummy Goodness, by Wendy

Thanks to Suzanne, I am now the proud owner of two jelly roll pans. I wanted them initially to make granola–I kept losing so much to the bottom of the oven when I tried to stir it on my regular cookie sheets.

Now that I have jelly roll pans, I’ve had jelly rolls on my mind.

I’m thinking about making an adaption of the recipe I saw on Baked Bree. This recipe is sooooo much easier than the one that came on the label with my pans. No cake flour, no separated eggs. Oh, and this one is CHOCOLATE!!! Yum. There’s a bit more cream than I care to deal with, so I’m thinking that instead of filling it with cream and frosting it, I’m going to fill it with jam and just dust it with confectioners sugar (as listed in the WS recipe).

For the cake:
4 eggs
3/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/4 t. baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 Tablespoons coffee

For the whipped cream:

2 cups whipped cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Chocolate Buttercream*

In the bowl of a mixer, beat the eggs for about 5 minutes. Gradually, add the sugar and beat until the eggs are pale and lemon colored. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa over the bowl. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture. Pour in the coffee and vanilla. Fold together. Pour the cake batter into a 10×15 jelly roll pan that has been lined with parchment and sprayed with cooking spray. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 15 minutes. The cake will be ready when the cake pulls away from the sides and the cake springs back when you touch it.

While the cake is still hot, turn it out onto a hand towel that has been coated with confectioners sugar. Roll the cake up and let it cool completely in the towel. When the cake is cool, whip the cream and add the sugar and vanilla.

Unroll the cake, and spread the whipped cream evenly over the top. Roll the cake back up and put in the fridge to set up. Maybe a half hour or so? Frost the chocolate roll with the Chocolate Buttercream.

Regarding filling and rolling, Williams Sonoma’s recipe says: Spread the jam over the cake, leaving a 1 inch border on the short side farthest from you. Starting at the side nearest you, roll the cake away from you in a tight roll, ending with the seam side down.

*Chocolate Buttercream

2 sticks of room temperature butter
2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-3 tablespoons heavy cream

Cream together the butter and sugar. Gradually add the cocoa powder. Really, add it slowly or you and your kitchen will be wearing it. Add just enough cream to get the consistency for spreading. Add the vanilla.

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Getting the factory lines ready

On December 5, 2010, in Yummy Goodness, by Wendy

Getting my recipes together for food in a jar gifts this Christmas. I still need a few more ingredients, then I can get started.

Christmas Morning Granola

4 cups oats
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1/3 cup honey
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup pepitas
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup dried cherries (I have some dried strawberries in here as well, I was trying to use up some of the other dried fruit in my pantry)

In a large bowl, (it needs to be pretty big, as you are going to be tossing this) combine the oats, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, nuts, and coconut.

In another bowl, combine the oil, honey, and vanilla.

Pour the liquids into the oats and toss well.

Spread the granola out on a parchment lined baking sheet. You clump it up at this point if you like. I like chunks of granola so I leave big globs on the parchment.

Bake the granola in a preheated 300 degree oven for about 40 minutes. Every 10 minutes or so, give it a stir. You want the granola to dry out and the nuts to toast.

Add the dried fruit to the pan and stir it in. Let the granola cool and keep in an airtight container for a week up to 10 days.

Source: Baked Bree

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Quick Bread gift in a jar

Layer the dry ingredients from step 1 (below) for this easy quick bread into a milk bottle or 1-quart mason jar. To fit, tamp each layer well (with chips and nuts on top). Then all that’s left is to add the wet ingredients and bake.

Print a label with the following instructions.

1. In a large bowl, mix the contents of this bottle: 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup rolled oats, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, and 1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips.

2. In a small bowl, beat 1 1/2 cups buttermilk, 2 large eggs, and 1/4 cup melted butter.

3. Stir wet mixture into dry ingredients just until evenly moistened (batter will be lumpy).

4. Scrape into a buttered and floured 9- by 5-inch loaf pan (with a 9-cup capacity), and bake in a 350° oven until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes.

Source: < a href="http://www.sunset.com/food-wine/holidays-occasions/quick-bread-in-a-bottle-00400000015937/" target=_blank">Sunset

Creamy Hot Cocoa Mix

Ingredients:
2 cups Instant nonfat dried milk
3/4 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon Salt
1 cup Miniature marshmallows

Directions:

Stir all ingredients together and store in a tightly covered jar.

TO USE: Put 2 to 3 heaping tablespoons of the mix into a mug and fill with boiling water or, for an extra rich drink, hot milk. Top with whipped cream if desired.

Source: CD Kitchen

Pumpkin Apple Pup Cakes (Dog Cup Cake Recipe)

Prep Time: 10 mins Cooking Time: 25 to 30 mins

Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie – just plain pumpkin!)
1 medium apple (peeled + diced small)
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
3 eggs lightly beaten
1 package cream cheese
2 to 3 tablespoons apple sauces
small treats for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place oats in a mini prep food processor and pulse up until finely ground. (You can use whole oats if you don’t have a food processor.) Mix ground oats, cinnamon and flour together. In another bowl mixed together pumpkin, apple sauce, eggs and apple together. Combine wet and dry ingredients and scoop into a greased muffin tin. Pile them up high (all the way to the top of tin) because they will not rise. They are dense! Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer to a cooling rack to dry out over night. (They may be a little wet on the bottom. That’s ok, they’ll be dry by morning.) To prepare frosting, beat together cream cheese and 2 to 3 tablespoons apple sauce until smooth. Spread frosting on each pup cake and garnish with treat. Makes about 6 doggie cup cakes.

Source: Cooking with my Kid

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