In the kitchen lately

I've been getting back into the habit of really cooking lately - seems I decided to take a break from the joys of being in the kitchen getting my hands dirty for the past year or so and I missed it! Plus our health has missed it too and it was high time to get back to a routine of home cooking.

I don't have photos for many of these recipes (since I stopped blogging I've been taking less food photos). But click on the links and you can see what I'm talking about. 

What I've been up to in the kitchen lately:  

Pioneer Woman's Waffles

Waffles! Yes. I caved in and bought a cheap waffle maker. And ... Worth it. So fun to make waffles and surprisingly tastier than pancakes for someone like me who likes the crunchy bits. We've tried a few recipes but this one takes the cake.

I was a little concerned that the egg separation business would be too titchy and I was being lazy avoiding recipes like this for awhile but really it's not bad at all. A hand mixer does the job in a minute and the batter is therefore so light and fluffy - it's actually so delicious I was licking the spatula. So give these waffles a try!

101 Cookbook's Stuffed Shells

I'm obsessed with this recipe. Again, I've also avoided stuffed shells because it was too many steps in my brain (par boil the shells, make the sauce, stuff, bake, ugh!) but again (surprise!) I was wrong. It didn't take very long at all to make because you can make the sauce and cook the shells at the same time and the filling takes about 2 min. Stuffing's not bad either and the final product is delicious. This sauce is so good- it has a healthy amount of red pepper flakes (of course if you don't like a kick you could cut them down) and olive oil- that I will be using it again for all sorts of things (eggs in purgatory is on the menu this week). 

THIS chocolate chip cookie recipe from Slate

I have tried dozens of ccc recipes (see! too Lazy to write out chocolate chip cookies!) and I'm about ready to say this one is the best (unless you want to talk whole wheat chocolate chip cookies which are a different beast in which case THIS one is the best). Two things- all brown sugar and extra vanilla- are key, and if you aren't eating the dough straight, a long rest in the fridge is an excellent idea (though I recently made a giant skillet cookie with this dough and did not rest it at all. Still awesome). 

One last recommendation: do use dark chocolate and shave it thin. I used Trader Joe's pound plus block in dark (70%) and shaved thin (no chunks!) is perfect. But again- lazy! So do use what you have on hand. Here's the dough from the other day:

And that's that for now~ Happy cooking!

Chocolate Everyday Cake

I've been enamored with the everyday cake or busy-day cake for quite some time now, coming into fruition when I recently stayed with my sister Julia and had the chance to bake quite a few of them. I love the idea of a simple cake, just something to go alongside your Tuesday night dinner. No big deal. Just whipped it up. You know.

an everyday cake for Greg's birthday

Sometimes an everyday cake becomes a birthday cake: Not an over-the-top layer cake (mine never turn out as grand as I hope they will, anyhow), but a tasty, let's-eat-the-last-bits-of-crumbs-standing-outside-the-neighborhood-bar-where-we-celebrated-cake. And pretty much any time, that's a great end to a birthday party.

my tiny urban kitchen~ a little space planning and anything is possible!

Now about this cake, Amy Pennington's Chocolate Buttermilk Cake, let me tell you, it is delicious. It has an earthy-nuttiness from the whole wheat flour, a slight tang from the cultured buttermilk and a humble crumb. It was perfect with a dusting of cocoa powder, only to be improved (I imagine, because I forgot to make some!) with a dollop of vanilla bean whipped cream or good quality not too sweet ice cream. Definitely no frosting necessary.

Now, I'm a firm believer in making a recipe work for you, with what you have, and this cake was no exception. I did not have buttermilk on hand. I did, however have coconut milk yogurt which failed to set up and that did the trick perfectly. Any cultured product with approximately the same thickness and fat content would work, so buttermilk, thin yogurt or alt milk yogurt, kefir, milk with lemon juice or vinegar, etc. And while we're on substitutions, the recipe called for a bit of cognac which I did not have, but I replaced it with dark rum (thought it would go nicely with the coconut milk yogurt) which I did have. In the end? I did not detect a difference at all and next time I won't even both and just double the vanilla. Oh yeah, and I also added a generous teaspoon of espresso powder. Brings out the chocolate flavor. I learned it from Ina. Trust us.

Chocolate Buttermilk Cake
minimally adapted from Amy Pennington, Urban Pantry 2010

1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp. espresso powder
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup buttermilk (or other cultured product)
1/2 tsp. cognac
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup butter, room temp.
1 cup sugar
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9" round cake pan. Combine (a whisk is great here) all dry ingredients and set aside. Combine buttermilk, cognac, and vanilla, set aside.

Cream butter and sugar using a mixer (KitchenAid or hand mixer) until light and fluffy- about 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, scraping down sides of bowl several times.

Add half of the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Add wet ingredients and mix until incorporated. Lastly add second half of the dry ingredients and mix until barely combined. Pour into cake pan and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

The book says to let the cake cool on a cake rack and serve with a dusting of cocoa powder. I tried to take it out of the pan before it cooled all the way- mistake! Luckily friends don't too much mind a few little chunks of cake missing, and you could barely tell when I flipped it the other way. Either way, enjoy this gem of an everyday cake!

I wish I could say that the missing chunk at the top was because of taking it out of the pan before it cooled. Not so....