Thursday, April 7, 2011
These delightful little cupcakes were made for the baby shower of my future cousin-in-law. The Fiance’s cousin & her husband were expecting their first bundle of joy together. (Baby Aliyah made her arrival a bit early this week, and is spending some time in the NICU. Please keep the family in your thoughts!) I offered to make the cupcakes for her baby shower, and when I threw out some flavor options/ideas, she told me Strawberry & White Chocolate sounded good. And seeing as they’re having a little girl, it fit the color theme as well! Baby Aliyah is already loved, as she sure did rack up on gifts! I commented that I think I saw every color combination that included pink known to man. Pink + purple, pink + green, pink + gray, pink + brown, pink + black, pink + blue, pink + orange!
At first I was disappointed that these cupcakes weren’t bright pink in color themselves. But after tasting one of the minis I baked (for taste-testing purposes!), I decided their flavor more than made up for that. And besides, there was plenty of pink decoration at the shower to make up for their lack of bright color! One thing is for sure with these cupcakes, they won’t be mistaken for a muffin any time soon. Even without the frosting, you can taste the sweetness. I’m really glad she chose white chocolate, as I got to pair a frosting I already love, with a cake flavor totally unlike the dark chocolate cake I’d paired it with in the past! These cupcakes were sweet and moist, and the frosting was a delicious topping for them. I got a lot of compliments on them at the shower. Topped with some festive sprinkles, they are definitely party-appropriate!
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Strawberry Cupcakes with White Chocolate Frosting
Yield: 34 cupcakes
Ingredients:
CAKE:
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cake flour (not self-rising)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 1/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs plus 1 large egg white
1 cup whole milk
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups finely chopped strawberries, plus small strawberries for garnish
FROSTING:
10 oz white chocolate
1 1/2 sticks butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
approx 4 cups powdered sugar
approx 1/4 cup milk (based on desired consistency)
Directions:
CAKE:
Preheat the oven to 350F. Line standard muffin tins with paper lines.
Sift together the flours, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Put butter, sugar and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer. Cream on medium-high until pale and fluffy. Add the whole eggs and egg white, one at a time, beating until each is fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Change the speed to low, add the flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with the milk. Beat until well combined. Fold in the chopped strawberries by hand.
Fill each paper liner with batter 3/4 full. Bake, rotating the pans half way through, until golden and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, 20 - 30 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool for 15 minutes, then turn cupcakes out onto rack to let cool completely.
FROSTING:
Melt white chocolate over double boiler (or in microwave), stirring often. Do not overcook! Once melted removed from heat and let cool slightly. Meanwhile cream butter. Add chocolate to butter. Continue to mix at low to medium speed while adding vanilla. Gradually add in milk and sugar until frosting reaches desired consistency.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
I knew I wanted to do something special & delicious with my cheese I purchased on my field trip to Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese, and I’d been craving a special brunch-type breakfast for a while. Spring vegetables began popping up in the grocery and I couldn’t resist some seasonal asparagus. Though I had one of my favorite pie crusts in the freezer, I chose not to make a quiche. I thought, “Why not challenge yourself and try something new?” So frittata it was. I used to wonder what the difference between a quiche and a frittata was. Growing up in a rural area, all I ever really knew were breakfast casseroles that usually involved hashbrowns, sausage, and/or cornflakes. Quiche & frittata sounded so fancy. Since I’ve been cooking on my own for quite a while now, I’ve come to discover that quiche & frittata aren’t really that fancy. They’re filling, delicious, and pretty simple to make. And the difference? Well, there’s not a whole lot. A quiche is baked in a crust, and a frittata usually has less liquid to egg ratio. You cook in on the stove top, then finish it in the oven. Similar to an omelet, but honestly easier & less messy in my opinion!
The Saturday morning following my field trip, I invited a couple friends over, and set to chopping, shredding, sautéing, cracking, & whisking. I shredded up my AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS White Cheddar with Cracked Pepper cheese, and chopped up some onion, asparagus, & ham. I cracked a few locally produced eggs, whisked them together with a touch of milk and half & half, then stirred in cheese. I sauteed the veggies & ham and added the egg/cheese mixture. After letting it cook a little on the stove I transferred it to the oven. What came out was a delicious, savory, and satisfying breakfast. A perfect way to highlight the local cheese! I must admit, though I only have one recipe in my blog for quiche, I’ve made it many many many times. It’s safe to say our favorite quiche has some new competition! This frittata was so easy to make, and is probably a bit healthier because there’s no crust involved. I can’t wait to make it again!
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White Cheddar, Asparagus, & Ham Frittata
Ingredients:
1/2 Tbsp butter
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 bunch of asparagus, ends trimmed, chopped
approx 4oz ham, chopped
salt & pepper to taste
4 eggs
2 egg whites
2 Tablespoons milk*
1 Tablespoon half & half*
4 oz aged white cheddar cheese, shredded (Kenny's Farmhouse Aged White Cheddar with Peppercorn is an AWESOME choice for this frittata!)
1 oz parmesan cheese, shredded
Necessary tool: oven safe non-stick 12 inch saute pan
*I chose to use milk and half & half, because the only milk I have on hand is nonfat, and I wanted to make it a bit richer. Feel free to use 2% milk or whole milk, and skip the half & half.
Directions:
Heat 12-inch non-stick, oven safe saute pan over medium high heat. Add butter to pan and melt. Saute onions in melted butter 2-3 minutes until beginning to soften. Add asparagus & ham, saute another 3-4 minutes. Season with a little salt & pepper.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl beat together eggs, egg whites, milk, and half & half with a fork or whisk. Add salt & pepper if desired. Stir in cheddar & parmesan cheese.
Pour egg mixture into pan, and stir to combine with rubber spatula. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until the egg mixture has set on the bottom and begins to set up on top.
Place pan into oven and broil for 3 to 4 minutes, until lightly browned and fluffy. Remove from pan and cut into servings.
Monday, March 28, 2011
On an extremely beautiful mid-March Saturday, I had the privilege and the pleasure to load up in a van with a bunch of other local bloggers & foodies. We were headed up the road to Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese farm in Austin, KY. As I’ve mentioned before, while I’ve been living in Nashville for over 5 years, I was born & raised in Kentucky. A lot of people (Nashvillians included!) don’t realize how close Nashville is to Kentucky. It’s not uncommon at all to see Kentucky products sold at our local farmer’s markets. Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese is one in particular that especially caught my eye. From my very first encounter with them, right away I was drawn to the fact they were from Barren County, KY. You see, Barren County just happens to be the county The Fiance is from! Sometimes when we’re headed back that way we like to take the country roads instead of the interstate. While I have seen some beautiful landscape, including gorgeous northern California, I will always have a special love for the soft rolling hills of KY.
Once we arrived at the farm, we were treated to breakfast provided by Foxy Baking Co. Quiches made with Kenny’s Cheese!
We then donned hairnets and joined Kenny himself, as he explained the cheese making process, and how he got into making cheese.
While I may not remember every step of the process he explained to us, what I did impart, was Kenny’s passion & love for making cheese. It’s really meaningful to see someone who believes in & loves what they do for a living. That enthusiasm for cheese can be seen (and tasted) just by looking at the sheer amount of variety he creates! I can assure you every ounce of that cheese is made with love. And what does good love do over time? Well it gets better with age of course! Just check out all this delicious cheese aging.
It’s also apparent that Kenny cares about the environment. He doesn’t even waste an ounce of whey! Using the earth’s gravitational pull, the whey is drained off and repurposed.
This is called the cheddaring process. Doesn’t it look fun?
And what “city-folk-visit-the-country” field trip would be complete without a visit to the baby cows? Seeing as I grew up on a cattle farm, it’s not quite a novelty for me, but even I have to admit the calves were quite adorable.
Ahhh… the lovely smell of silage.
After all the touring, watching, and listening, all of us food bloggers worked up an appetite. Luckily, the kind folks at Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese were preparing a delicious spread of their cheeses for us to sample. Honestly, is there really anything as fun & exciting as having a spread of quality food laid out in front of you, and being told “Dig in! Tell us what you think.”
Holy.cow.wow.
Anyone who knows me in person knows that “favorite” is a word that is hard for me to use. To choose a favorite anything is always a hard decision for me, but especially when it comes to food. On this table alone, there were 3 varieties of bleu cheese. Not only could I not choose a favorite cheese on the table, I couldn’t even choose a favorite bleu cheese! And that’s coming from someone who thought they didn’t like bleu cheese. On this day, I found out not only do I like bleu cheese, I like all Kenny’s varieties! Each cheese had something about it that set it apart from the others. After nibbling on the brie, and loving the soft smooth texture, I was sure it was my favorite. But then I would sample the Kentucky Bleu again, and think it was my favorite. I would find myself making my way back over to the Kentucky Rose again and again. A lot of the other bloggers seemed to love the Norwood variety, so I’d try that one again to see if I agreed. I think you get the point. We loved the cheese! We loved it so much, we completely forgot there was lunch being prepared for us as well!
Invited along with us, were the guys from a soon-to-be-opened food truck called RiffsTruck. When asked what their food truck was going to be serving, they kept saying “street food”. And to be honest, I had no idea what it meant. But from my first glance at what they were preparing for us, I instantly knew it would be delicious. Clockwise from top left: Panzanella Salad with Cornbread Croutons, Kenny’s Farmhouse Bleu Gouda, and Bacon Vinaigrette; torching the Awe Brie to achieve the perfect melt; Pork Croustade w/Pear Chutney and Kenny’s Farmhouse Awe Brie alongside White Cheddar Grits; Salted Cod Cake to go atop the grits; the finished product being dolloped with Habanero Aioli; and Savory Bread Pudding with Kenny’s Farmhouse Cranberry Havarti & Tomato Basil Cheddar Cheeses topped w/Tomato Jam. (Special thanks to Beth’s post on Eat.Drink.Smile, because I was too busy snapping photos & eating to write down what each dish was.) I seriously cannot wait for you guys to open up shop truck! Follow them on Twitter to know when they’re up & operating!
All in all it was a PHENOMENAL day! If you’re lucky enough to live within a close radius to Austin, KY, I highly recommend you taking the drive out there. Especially all my Glasgow, Hart County, Bowling Green friends, you have no excuse to not experience the deliciousness that is Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheeses. And you just might be surprised to find Kenny’s Cheese is available in more than just Kentucky & Tennessee! Check out their list of locations to find some near you, or you can even order online!
To read the perspectives of the other bloggers that went, click these links:
Lindsay of Love & Olive Oil
Beth of Eat.Drink.Smile.
Amy at Fearless Homemaker
Vivek’s Epicurean Adventures
Leah of So How’s It Taste
Anna-Kate of La Aguacate
Heather of Gluten-Free Cat
To see more of my photos from the trip, check out my Facebook page.
And next up on my blog… a recipe featuring one of my purchases from the day: Aged White Cheddar with Cracked Peppercorn.
(PS. I feel the need to mention, I did NOT vignette this photo. I promise! But it sure looks like I did.)
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Recently I was invited to participate in a health awareness campaign as a guest blogger. March is Colon Cancer Awareness month, which I had no idea until I was asked to contribute a colon-friendly recipe! Colon cancer is something I know very little about, so to prepare I checked out out the StopColonCancerNow website.
I discovered colon cancer is the second deadliest form of cancer in the US. What’s even more shocking, unlike breast cancer, which often has a hereditary link, 80 percent of those who are diagnosed with colon cancer have no family history or symptoms. So just because no one in your family has ever been affected, doesn’t mean you’re not at risk.
I’m hoping regular readers of my blog will notice most of the recipes I post (desserts aside!) focus on vegetables and healthy grains. Part of the reason I eat these types of foods are because I enjoy them, but another major reason is I enjoy knowing that I am filling my body with plenty of nutrient packed foods that will not only make me feel good when I eat them, but continue to nourish my body. So to discover that some of my favorite dishes, such as this Mediterranean Roasted Veggie Barley Salad already fulfill the “colon-friendly” checklist, that definitely makes me feel good!
Colon-Friendly Foods include:
• little or no animal foods
• whole grains
• fruits
• vegetables (like broccoli)
• mushrooms
• garlic, onions, leeks and chives
• black raspberries
• dry green tea leaves
The recipe I chose to contribute is this Kale, Squash, & White Bean Stew. This recipe was originally called “Winter Vegetable Soup”, but I didn’t want to lead people to believe you can only eat this in the winter! I actually used squash I still had from my last CSA box, and kale is still being sold at the local Farmer’s Market. Even if you’re not a CSA/Farmer’s market kind of person, then this soup will still be easy to make, as you can get these veggies at a conventional supermarket. This soup was delicious, & filling, and definitely not too heavy. Kale is a super food I’ve grown to really love the past year or two. It’s high in fiber & potassium, and low in sodium, which works great with your digestive system. As I’ve mentioned many times before, I’m not a vegetarian, but I really enjoy eating meat-free meals. This soup is another one I’m definitely adding to my repitoire.
To find out more about how you can prevent colon cancer pop on over to my post at Stop Colon Cancer Now!
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Kale, Squash, & White Bean Stew
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 small acorn squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 bunch kale ( 3/4 pound), ribs cut away and discarded, leaves torn
5 1/2 cups (43.5 ounces) low-sodium chicken broth
1 can (14 ounces) cannellini beans, rinsed
3 sprigs thyme
Grated Parmesan, for serving (optional)
Directions:
In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, melt butter over medium. Cook onion and garlic until fragrant, 3 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Add squash and kale and cook until kale is wilted, about 3 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Add broth, beans, and thyme. Bring to a simmer and cook until squash and kale are tender, about 12 minutes. Season soup with salt and pepper and serve with Parmesan, if desired.
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