Cooking for Seven

Can you believe it? A new year is upon us. In fact, we’re almost two weeks into 2012.

I’m usually not one to reflect on the past year and make resolutions for the new one.  I hate making resolutions that I’m bound to break. But sometimes listing goals is a good way to give you some perspective and push you forward. Last year I started a Project 365, but only got to 146 photos. I’m not sorry at all that I started that project; even though I didn’t finish, I still have many moments preserved and I feel that I learned so much from the experience.

So I’ve decided to write down some food goals for myself for 2012; goals I know that I’ll break. But they’ll give me something to works toward.

My Five Food Goals for 2012:

1. Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables and whole foods.

2. Eat less processed, prepacked baked goods.

3. Make new recipes; don’t get stuck in a rut of making only the recipes you know.

4. Try to overcome your fear of sharing your food creations with others. You can’t always please everyone, and sometimes you’ll make something that just isn’t that great. Get over it.

5. Try something new, even if you think you won’t like it. You never know!

On to the cookies!

I believe that these cookies are a good representation of a few of my food goals. They’re made with natural ingredients (whole wheat flour, demerara sugar, rolled oats, etc.), they contain an ingredient that I was a bit afraid of (carob chips), and I had to overcome my fear of sharing them with others.

You see, Reuben loves carob, but, I must admit, I’m not the world’s biggest fan. Give me a choice between 70% cacao chocolate and carob and I’ll take the chocolate 9 times out of 10. But I wanted to make something that he loved. And I found that the carob chips added a lovely malty flavor that fit these cookies very well.

However, I was so scared that everyone would think they were gross and too “healthy” tasting that I always put a caveat before them: “They’re healthy,” or “They’re made with Carob chips.” To my surprise, no one hated them, and a gentleman even asked for the recipe. Just goes to show that you should get over your ego and share your work.

Notes:

• These cookies are none to sweet: just the way Reuben and I like them. If you prefer something a little sweeter, simply add some extra demerara.
• If you can’t find any carob or you can’t stand it, you can easily substitute it with chocolate chips.

Peanut Butter Carob Chip Cookies | Printable Page | Makes approximately 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup demerara sugar or sucanat or rapadura
• 3/4 cup natural peanut butter (I really like this kind)
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup (4 ounces) whole wheat pastry flour (aka soft white wheat)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup regular rolled oats
• 1 cup semisweet carob chips (we really like this kind), or chocolate chips

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 375 ° F.

2) In a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer), cream together the butter, sugar, and peanut butter until smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla.

3) In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir into the butter and sugar mixture. Add the oats and chocolate chips.

4) Form the dough into balls the size of golf balls and place on an ungreased or parchment lined baking sheet. Flatten the balls slightly.

5) Bake in the preheated oven for 8-12 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown. Remove from oven and let the cookies to cool on the pan for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before storing.

My Dad hates citrus in baked goods. Thus, I have always been leery of cooking with lemons, oranges, limes, etc.

Reuben loves lemon bars. When he informed me of this, I promised to make him some. I searched the internet over for the perfect recipe, and settled one entitled “Lemon Curd Squares.” When I saw that the ingredient list included cream, I knew I needed to make them.

And I wasn’t disappointed in my choice. Reuben loves them. He requested I send several bars in his lunch so he could share them with the other guys. That day he posted on my Facebook wall: “Best lemon bars ever. :)” <— Proudest. Moment. Ever.

These lemon bars are the perfect medium between overpoweringly sweet and mouth-puckering sour. The crust is wonderfully tasty, enhanced by a smidgen of cinnamon. Dust with a little powdered sugar, and you have an elegant, scrumptious dessert.

Lemon Curd Squares

Adapted from Willams-Sanoma | Printable Recipe | Makes 12 Bars

Ingredients:

For the crust:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour (I used half white, half whole wheat)
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar (I used demerara)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 8 Tbs. (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

For the lemon filling:

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar (I used ground demerara)
• 2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest (optional)
• 3 eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 3 Tbs. heavy cream
• Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting (optional)

Directions:

To make the crust:

Now for the Shabby Apple Giveaway Winner!

The winner is: Commenter #55: Michelle who said, “Admiral! Why? Because I serve in the Navy and I absolutely adore a beautiful sailor dress that is not too short or revealing. It is beautiful!!!”

Congratulations, Michelle!

Thank you to all who entered my giveaway. Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!




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I just love getting things in the mail, like baking mixes. Lovely baking mixes, like Dassant baking mixes.

I was lucky enough to receive four mixes for review. Now, I must admit that normally I’m pretty much averse to baking mixes - they’re usually filled with gross ingredients and taste very fake. Dassant baking mixes I found to be different.

Let me tell you what I think:

Packaging:

Each mix is enclosed in a beautifully designed box with an illustration of the finished product. It also indicates the country/state of origin. For example, the pumpkin spice bread is from Vermont (there’s a little American flag that indicates the country).

On the back, the ingredients are listed with cute little illustrations, and the directions are quickly summed up. There’s also detailed instructions for the perfectionist.

Many of the mixes include recipes to accompany the treat, such and the pumpkin icing pictured above. There are also handy suggestions for deciding when the mix is finished baking, how to make it into muffins, etc.

Taste

I was privileged enough to try out four different mixes (Cinnamon Bread, Chocolate Cake, Pumpkin Bread, and Truffle Brownies). I must admit that each one was delicious and baked up perfectly.

But the real question is: Would I buy it?

Yes, I would buy these mixes as a gift. However, there’s still a place in my heart that’s against baking mixes, so I probably wouldn’t be buying them for myself. But it would be a wonderful Christmas present for someone special. I highly recommend the cinnamon bread mix. It was scrumptious.

Now for the Giveaway!

The folks over at Dassant have generously decided to give away four (4) mixes of choice to two (2) lucky Cooking for Seven readers!

Here’s how it works:

• [Mandatory] Leave a comment on this post, answering the following question: What was the last thing you baked?

Rules:

You MUST include a valid email address in the comment form.

Only one comment per person.

US residents only, please!

If you are the winner, you must respond withing 48 hours with your mailing address or a new winner will be selected.

Giveaway ends Sunday, November 13, at 12:00 noon Central Time.

I will select two (2) winners using random.org.

Good luck!

P.S. Can’t wait until the giveaway ends to try out these awesome mixes? Here’s a coupon code just for you: Receive 25% off your order at Dassant by entering coupon code SEVEN

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED

A while back, the folks over at RiceSelect sent me a jar of “Jasmati” rice, and in exchange, I agreed to publish my opinion of it!

RiceSelect, which has been around since the 70s, was the first company to successfully produce basmati rice grown in the USA. Their rice is USA grown and milled/cleaned. I think that’s super-awesome.  They also offer whole grain and organic rice, as well as couscous and orzo.

What I found:

This is a very nice white rice. It cooks up beautifully and quickly (about 15-20 minutes from boil) and has a very good texture. I used it for Thai Coconut Rice - heaven!

Would I Buy It?

Yes. Superior quality rice is sometimes a must. And I’d be interested in trying their whole grain rices and pearl couscous. However, the shipping charges seem quite high, so it would be for special occasions.

On to the rice pudding!

When I was little girl, my mom would make us boiled rice for breakfast. White rice. Brown sugar. Cinnamon. Cream. Scrumptious. There’s still a place in my heart for creamy, dreamy white rice. I know it’s not the most nutritious meal, but oh does it taste good.

Here’s a version that’s a bit more sophisticated.

My favorite part is that this rice pudding only uses five ingredients. Five awesome ingredients: Cream, whole milk, rice, sugar, and vanilla beans.

Together, they meld into something magical and comforting. Vanilla Rice Pudding.

Vanilla Rice Pudding

Adapted from Tartelette

Printable Page

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup rice (I used Jasmati)
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 of a vanilla bean, cut in half lengthwise and seeds scraped out
• 1/2 cup demerara sugar

Directions:

1)Place all ingredients (including the empty vanilla pod) in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice is tender, about 20-25 minutes.

2) Remove from heat and discard the vanilla pod. Spoon into serving dishes and serve warm or at room temperature with a bit of heavy cream. Enjoy!

On to the Giveaway!

RiceSelect is offering a tote bag and two full-sized rice products (Texmati and Jasmati) to one lucky Cooking for Seven reader.

Here’s how it works:

• [Mandatory] Leave a comment on this post, answering the following question: What did you have for breakfast yesterday?
• For extra entries, tweet, blog, or post on Facebook about this giveaway. Make sure to leave a separate comment for each extra entry with a link to the post.
• For more entries, subscribe to my RSS feed, follow me on Twitter, or become a fan on Facebook. Make sure to leave a separate comment for each extra entry.

Rules:

Giveaway ends Wednesday, October 19, at 12:00 p.m. Central Time. No comments will be considered after that time.

I will select one (1) winner using random.org.

Good luck!

Some days, you just need a recipe that doesn’t call for fancy ingredients. You don’t have any specialty items on hand, but you still want to bake something utterly scrumptious.

This cake definitely fits the bill. A soft, cinnamon-scented batter is filled with buttery, sugary swirls. Top it off with a drizzle of maple and cream cheese frosting, and you have one delicious treat.

Notes:

The original recipe called for a powdered sugar glaze. I much prefer a less-sweet cream cheese based frosting. So I made up a recipe for drizzly maple-cream cheese frosting.

As per my usual substitutions, I used whole wheat flour in place of most of the AP flour, and maple sugar instead of brown sugar. I also added a bit of cinnamon to the cake batter to enhance the flavor. You can add pecans to the topping, but I didn’t have any on hand, so I left them out. Besides, my husband doesn’t like nuts in baked goods.

Cinnamon Roll Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Adapted from Divine Baking | Printable Page | Makes approximately 8 servings

Ingredients:

For the cake:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup AP flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup maple sugar, demerara, sucanat, rapadura, or brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 cups whole milk
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted

For the topping:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 1/2 cup maple sugar or sweetener of choice
• 1 tablespoons AP flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 6 tablespoons chopped pecans, optional

For the maple cream cheese frosting:

• 4 oz. (1/4 lb.) cream cheese, softened
• 3-4 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1-2 tablespoons whole milk

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a round cake pan.
2) In a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the whole wheat flour, AP flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder. In a small bowl, combine the milk, egg, and vanilla. Beat into the dry ingredients until well combined. Slowly stir in the melted butter. Pour batter into prepared pan.
3) In a large bowl, mix the softened butter, maple sugar, flour, cinnamon and pecans (if using) until well combined. Drop evenly over cake batter by the tablespoonsful and use a knife to marble/swirl through the cake.
4) Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out nearly clean from center. You want to make sure it’s done.
5) Beat the cream cheese with a hand mixer until smooth. Slowly add the maple syrup and vanilla. Add a few tablespoons of milk, if necessary, so the frosting can be drizzled. While the cake is still warm, drizzle the frosting on top. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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