Lemon Sheet Cake

Lemon Sheet Cake - made September 29, 2012 from Country Living

Last weekend, I was trying to use up lemons from my mom's lemon tree and the last of my buttermilk.  Normally that calls for lemon pound cake as the fastest way to use up both.  I was in the mood for lemon cake but not one as dense as a pound cake.  Instead I wanted a fluffy lemon cake with a cakey texture, not dense like a pound cake but not light like a chiffon.  I wanted a cake.  I scoured pinterest but most of the lemon cakes I found were either pound cakes or cakes that used a cake mix as the base.  I wasn't in the mood for a cake mix cake but I thought I might've found what I needed with this cake from Country Living.

I modified it to make it a sheet cake rather than a round 2-layer cake because I was also going for simplicity.  And I made up my own frosting recipe starting with a base vanilla icing and adding lemon juice.  This came out okay.  It wasn't as dense as pound cake but it didn't have the fluffy, cakey texture I was going for.  It's best just lukewarm with the icing over it.  Or, after it's cooled and frosted, warm it up in the microwave for 8-10 seconds.  The icing will just start to melt over it and the texture will be optimal.  At room temperature, I thought the texture was just okay.  The flavor was good though, especially if you like fresh lemons and a dessert that's not too sweet.

Oh and lest you wonder why I'm still stuck on summer-flavor desserts, it's possibly because we had record high temps last week and it was hard to get into an autumn mood when I had to run my air conditioner or risk melting a la Wicked Witch of the West.  Fall is my favorite season though so never fear, I will be paying proper homage to it soon enough.

3 cups cake flour  
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder  
1 teaspoon salt  
1/2 teaspoon baking soda  
1 cup butter, softened  
2 1/2 cups sugar  
5 eggs  
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract  
1/4 cup lemon juice
3/4 cup buttermilk

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9 x 13" baking pan with foil and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray.  Set aside.  
2. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda together. Set aside. 
3. Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy using a mixer set on medium speed. Add the eggs, one at a time. Beat in the vanilla extract. 
4. Reduce mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture by thirds, alternating with the lemon juice and buttermilk.  Pour batter into prepared pan.  Bake until golden and a toothpick tests clean about 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Unmold the cake and cool completely.

Lemon Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened

3 cups powdered sugar, sifted

1/4 cup to 1/3 cup lemon juice

1. Beat butter until smooth and creamy.  Alternately add the powdered sugar and lemon juice until desired consistency.  Spread frosting over cooled cake.

"Neiman Marcus" Cookies

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies aka Neiman Marcus Cookies - made September 29, 2012 from The Dessert Bible by Christopher Kimball

Remember the urban legend of the woman who had lunch at a Neiman Marcus cafe and asked for the recipe of their chocolate chip cookie only to find out they charged her $250 for it on her credit card?  There's also a version where this is supposedly the secret recipe for Mrs. Fields' cookies.  Having been an early (and frequent) connoisseur of Mrs. Fields' cookies, I'll debunk that one because I don't think her chocolate chip cookies had ground up oatmeal in it.  Don't ask how many cookies I tried to be sure of that - one has to be thorough in research.  So I still refer to this kind of cookie as the Neiman Marcus cookie: ground up oatmeal to thicken the dough and grated chocolate for added flavor and texture.  I think the appeal this cookie had for most bakers back when it first surfaced is it helped cookies stay thick and not spread so much.  At least that's why I was fascinated by it when I first discovered it many years ago as those were my flat-cookie baking days.

Now, I just thought I'd try this recipe because it's been in my "Still Need to Make" folder for eons and, much like my pin board of baking recipes to try, I go back to that folder regularly in an attempt to get the number of recipes I've put in it through the years tried and filed away in a different folder of stuff I've actually made.  Never mind that I would need to bake until I'm 180 years old to get through them all.  It's about the journey, not the destination.

This was a good cookie but one where you really need to make sure you don't overbake it.  The proportion of dry ingredients to wet ingredients is high so this could easily be dry if you bake it too long or even until "just done".  The taste will still be good but the texture is better if you underbake it.  By that I mean bake it until the edges are pale golden and the middles are just barely no longer raw and shiny.  I omitted the nuts, not just because I don't like nuts in my cookies, but also because I wanted the cookies to be about the grated chocolate and the chocolate chips.  Pecans or walnuts are just distracting and I don't like their texture in cookies.  These are best eaten the day they're made.  I wouldn't go longer than a day before consuming them as they do seem to dry out easily given the amount of dry ingredients in it.  Best case scenario is to only bake as much as you're going to eat/serve that same day and freeze the rest as cookie dough balls until you need to bake more.

1 ½ cups rolled oats (ground)

½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened but still firm

¾ cup granulated sugar

¾ cup packed brown sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

¾ teaspoon salt

12 ounces chocolate chips

4 ounces grated semisweet chocolate

1 ½ cups chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

1.     Adjust oven rack to the middle position and heat oven to 350˚F.  Place oats in a blender or food processor and blend until very fine.  Set aside,

2.     With an electric mixer, beat the butter and both sugars in a large bowl until light, about 3 minutes.  Add the eggs one at a time and beat 20 seconds after each addition.  Add the vanilla and beat for 15 seconds to blend.

3.     Whisk together the flour, processed oats, baking powder and salt.  With a large rubber spatula or wooden spoon, blend the dry ingredients into the butter mixture.  (This will be difficult since the batter is very stiff.)  Add the chocolate chips, grated chocolate and nuts.

4.     Form dough into balls about 2 inches in diameter and place on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.  Bake 14 to 15 minutes, or until the bottoms are lightly browned.  The cookies should still feel a bit soft at this point.  (They will not spread very much and will look undercooked.  Do not overcook or they will become hard and dry when they cool.)  They will harden as they cool.  Remove from oven and let cookies cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet before removing to cooling racks.  Cool cookies at least 30 minutes before serving.

   

Fontina Mac and Cheese

Fontina Mac and Cheese - made September 28, 2012, recipe modified from Annie's Eats

This is another one of those recipes I found on pinterest that isn't very low calorie or particularly healthy but is easy enough for me to cook and portion control.  I chose it primarily because it uses up the rest of the fontina cheese I had bought for the Gnocchi Mac and Cheese I made earlier (boy, that cheese was good for three recipes).  I also threw in some of the remaining Grueyere from the same recipe since, to me, cheese is cheese and my taste buds aren't that discerning when it comes to rich, creamy pasta.  Lastly, I added some diced chicken breast for protein and some thyme for flavor. 

I liked this recipe in that it's quick enough to make on a weeknight after work and it's easy to pack for lunches for the rest of the week or freeze in individual containers for later.  When I don't want to eat takeout or processed frozen Lean Cuisines, this is the type of dish I'll cook.  For more creative cooks with a wider array of tastebuds, this easily lends itself to more add-ins like broccoli, peas, carrots, meatballs, sausage, ham, etc.  I made a couple of modifications to this recipe.  The original recipe called for a pound of pasta shells but I thought that might be too much given the amount of sauce so I only made about 12 ounces.  I'm glad I cut back on the pasta as this didn't make as much sauce as I expected.  I also skipped the panko and parmesan cheese combination on top and simply grated Parmesan Reggiano over it.  It turned out okay.  I'm not the best cook and my taste buds for real food are somewhat bland so this suited me.  It does make a lot though so I portioned all of it out and put half of the containers in the freezer for later.

12 ounces small or medium pasta shells
5 tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
1 cup heavy cream (I used 1/2 cup heavy cream, 1/2 cup whole milk)
8 oz. Fontina cheese, shredded (I used a combination of Fontina and Grueyere)
Salt
1 cup cubed cooked chicken breast
Pinch of grated nutmeg
fresh thyme to taste, optional
1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 400˚ F.  In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta according to the package directions just until 1-2 minutes shy of al dente.
2. Meanwhile, dice 4 tablespoons of the butter and place in a large mixing bowl.  Warm the cream in a small saucepan or the microwave.  Cover to keep warm.
3. Once the pasta is cooked, add to the bowl with the butter and toss to coat well.  Stir in the warm cream and the Fontina until the cheese starts to melt.  Mix in salt to taste, and add the chicken the nutmeg.
4. Pour the mixture into a buttered 2-quart casserole dish.  In a small bowl, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter.  Mix in the panko breadcrumbs and shredded Parmesan.  Toss with a fork to coat evenly with the butter.  Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture evenly over the pasta in the baking dish.
5. Bake until the sauce is bubbling and the topping turns golden brown, about 20 minutes.  Serve immediately.

Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies

Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies - made September 29, 2012 from Land O Lakes Treasury of Country Recipes

My friend Rick's favorite cookie is oatmeal chocolate chip.  I kept meaning to bake him some and mail them to him and his family but either I had time to bake the cookies or I had time to go to the post office on the right day (has to be either on a Saturday, Monday or Tuesday to make sure they didn't hang in the mail longer than necessary) but never both.  The last 2 oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipes I tried out were technically meant for Rick but they ended up going to local friends instead since I could never get to the post office in time (that's my story, Rick, and I'm sticking to it).  In any case, the stars finally aligned and I knew I could get to the post office last weekend so I flipped through my cookbooks to find a traditional oatmeal cookie recipe.  My requirements for a good oatmeal cookie recipe is 1) it should contain more oatmeal than flour;  otherwise it's just a chocolate chip cookie with a little oatmeal in it, 2) it should contain brown sugar for that molasses/toffee undertone and 3) I can substitute chocolate chips for raisins.  Raisins aren't my thing and just like my brain doesn't process seeing "margarine" in a recipe and automatically substitutes butter, I don't process "raisins" in my head either and I always use chocolate chips instead.

This was from a cookbook that I've had for literally more than 20 years but I've never tried the oatmeal cookie recipe in it.  It has all the hallmarks of a classic oatmeal cookie in that the edges were crisp and the cookie was satisfyingly chewy.  I erred on the side of underbaking because I was shipping these and they would dry out a little just in the time it took them to get to their destination. Enjoy, Rick, Mrs. Rick and little twin Ricks.

3 cups quick-cooking oats

2 cups firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup butter, softened

2 eggs

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ cups chocolate chips

1.     Preheat oven to 375°F.  In large mixer bowl combine all ingredients except flour and chocolate chips.  Beat at low speed, scraping bowl often, until well-mixed (1 to 2 minutes).  Add flour, beating until well mixed (do not overmix).  Stir in chocolate chips by hand.

2.     Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper.  Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.

   

Cheesy Buttermilk Biscuits

Buttermilk Biscuits - made September 24, 2012, recipe adapted from How to Bake by Nick Malgieri

I had a buttermilk expiration deadline (again) and I was trying to use up some of the cheese I had bought for the Gnocchi Mac and Cheese so I thought I would experiment with cheesy biscuits, ala Red Lobster.  It didn't quite pan out.  This was more like a traditional biscuit in terms of texture but not as flaky and it was definitely heavier than a Red Lobster cheddar biscuit and didn't have the cheesy flavor I was going for.  Cheddar would've probably been better than fontina or grueyere.  The outside was crunchy though so that was nice but one of these will sit in your stomach like lead.  I'd advise a bit more buttermilk if your dough is too dry.  On the plus side, it was pretty good warm slathered with butter (what isn't?) and I got to use up some buttermilk.

2 ½ cups bleached all-purpose flour
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
¾ to 1 cup buttermilk
¼ cup grueyere cheese, grated
¼ cup fontina cheese, grated

1.     Set a rack at the middle level of the oven and preheat to 450˚F.

2.     Combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.

3.     Rub in the butter until completely blended using your fingertips or a pastry blender.  Add the cheeses.

4.     Add the buttermilk and stir in with a fork.

5.     Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and fold the dough over on itself several times to distribute the moisture evenly and to make the dough slightly less sticky.

6.     Pat or gently roll the dough ½ thick.  Cut out rounds with a biscuit cutter and place biscuits in a round cake pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray and lined with a parchment round.  Brush tops lightly with buttermilk and place in preheated oven.  After 5 minutes, lower temperature to 425 degrees.  Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until risen and golden brown.

Samoa Brownies

Samoa Brownies - made September 22, 2012, recipes adapted from Alchemy Baking and  Six Sisters' Stuff

I got the inspiration for these brownies from Six Sisters' Stuff blog and their picture looked scrumptious.  But they lost me at "brownie mix" so I decided to keep the concept but bake brownies from scratch.  The brownie recipe is from a different blog and one I had pinned earlier.  One of my pin boards is labeled "Baking Recipes I Want to Try" and I'm making a concerted effort to actually try those recipes instead of just pinning them.  Once I make a recipe from that board, I move it to a different board titled "Pinned Recipes I've Already Made".  That way I can keep track.  (Why, yes, I am just that fussy.)

You can go with your own brownie recipe but if you do, I recommend choosing one where most of the chocolate flavor comes from unsweetened chocolate and/or cocoa powder because the topping is best suited for a dark chocolate brownie as opposed to a sweet chocolate one.  The topping is sweet enough because of the caramel and complements a dark, fudgy brownie nicely.  The crisp of the toasted coconut is somewhat muted when it gets mixed into the liquid caramel so I also sprinkled some toasted coconut on top for added texture and chewiness.  I ended up having more melted semisweet chocolate for the topping (because, really, who measures chocolate and thinks there's such a thing as "too much"?) so it became more of an even layer of chocolate on top rather than dollops.  Semisweet or dark chocolate also works well for the topping instead of milk chocolate to prevent the brownie from being too sweet because of the caramel.  I really liked this flavor combination.  If you want it to be more samoa-like, you can bake a shortbread crust first but it also works just fine with the brownie alone as the base.

1 1/2 sticks (170 g.) unsalted butter

2 ounces (57 g) unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped

1 cup (200 g)  white sugar

1 cup (180 g) brown sugar, packed

3 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup (150 g) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons  (38 g) unsweetened cocoa (I used Droste)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.   Line a 9 inch pan with heavy duty foil to hang over the edges, if it isn't long enough on each side, line it on the opposite side as well to create a sling. Spray with nonstick spray or butter the foil, set aside.
2. In a large pan over medium heat, melt the butter and the unsweetened chocolate together until melted. Whisk in both sugars, and mix until blended, then add the vanilla, salt and eggs, and whisk again well. Add the flour and cocoa and stir until incorporated, the batter will be thick. Pour the batter in the prepared pan.
3. Bake in the center of the oven for 35-40 minutes, until the edges are set, but the center is still a bit soft, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out coated with a little bit of batter. Don't over bake.
4. Let them cool to room temperature for an hour, then refrigerate them until they are just firm about another hour. Lift the brownies from the foil and peel off the foil. Serve them at room temperature.
5. They will keep (and remain fudgy) (wrapped well in plastic or in an air tight container) for at least 4 days.

Topping
2 cups shredded or sweetened, flaked coconut toasted
1 14-ounce package of caramels, unwrapped
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tablespoons milk
3 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (or more if desired)

1. Prepare brownies and cool.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and place coconut on baking pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir coconut and cook for another 2-3 minutes until toasted. Watch closely so it doesn't burn.
3. In a large, microwaveable bowl, add unwrapped caramels, salt, and milk and cook on high for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally (about every 45-60 seconds). Cook until all caramels are melted and smooth. Or melt in a small, heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring until melted and smooth.
4. Add coconut and mix together. Spread over cooled brownies. Let cool and set for an hour.  Melt semisweet chocolate chips and stir until smooth.  Drizzle or spread over the coconut layer.  Let set for at least 20-30 minutes.  You may cut while chocolate is still soft for gooey texture or wait until it sets.

 

Crock Pot Beef with Brown Rice

Crock Pot Beef - made September 22, 2012 from BS Recipes

This is another recipe I found on pinterest and it was originally Beef and Broccoli.  Um, yeah, sounds good but hold the broccoli.  Which I did.  In addition, I also modified the original recipe by doubling the amount of beef and adding a ton of cornstarch to thicken the sauce.  I like using my crockpot since it requires very little cooking effort on my part but I don't like how everything comes out so soupy.  So I took matters into my own hands and just kept adding cornstarch and letting it simmer for the last hour, uncovered, to help thicken it up some more.  If you are going to add broccoli (my mom was horrified that I didn't), add it in the last 30 minutes of cooking.

My laugh-at-myself moment with this recipe was when I went to Costco to buy the "boneless beef chuck roast".  Now, I know very little about different cuts of meat so I always try to get exactly what the recipe calls for.  I was stymied when all the meat packs at Costco read "beef top roast", "chuck pot roast" and a couple of other variations but nothing that exactly said "beef chuck roast".  So I went with whichever one had the smallest amount of beef since I wasn't cooking for an army.  I think it was the chuck pot roast.  Which worked out fine.  I only cooked this for about 4-5 hours and by then the beef was very tender and, thanks to a slew of cornstarch, the sauce had thickened up nicely.  I served it with some brown rice and it was delicious.

2 pounds boneless beef chuck roast, sliced into thin strips
1 cup beef consomme (I used one beef boullion cube dissolved in 1 cup of hot water)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup to 1/3 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons sauce from the crock pot after being cooked
Hot cooked rice

1. Place beef in a crock pot.
2. In a small bowl, combine consomme, soy sauce, brown sugar, oil, and garlic. Pour over beef. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
3. In a cup, stir cornstarch and sauce form the crock pot until smooth. Add to crock pot. Stir well to combine.
4. Cover and cook an additional 30 minutes on high (the sauce has to boil for it to thicken).5. Serve over hot cooked rice.