Strawberries and Cream. And shortcake.

Um. I really have nothing more to say than whatever that picture says to your heart.

Just look at it... sitting there... so pretty...and dramatic.

I think it needs a friend. (Me)

To make this super simple shortcake:
- 2 C flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 2 Tbl sugar
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 C. heavy cream

Preheat oven to 400*. Mix the first five ingredients together. Add the cream and mix together with a fork.

At this point, you can either 1) drop in clumps on a baking sheet, 2) press into a 8x8 cake pan, or 3) find an awesome thrifted ceramic muffin pan and fill the holes with dollops about 3/4 full. As with any ceramic bakeware, place it in the oven so it can warm up while preheating.

Bake for about 15-20 minutes, till they bounce back when you tap the top.

Remove and place on cooling racks for 4-5 minutes. Slice in half and layer with fresh strawberries and freshly whipped cream.

Share, if you are feeling very generous. 

A Procumbent Whisk

Another amazing kitchen gadget discovery!

Today I am inspired by a whisk. Not very exciting, you say? Perhaps, if you are more interested in being excited and entertained than in eating good food. Which, I get excited and entertained BY cooking and eating good food sooo...not sure where that leaves me.

But regardless, just in case you don't know what "procumbent" means, this one is flat. (Btw, "procumbent whisk" is not it's actual name. I just like the way it sounds). Flat like a pancake. And it whisks everything, even those little corners between the bottom of my saucepan and the sides of my saucepan. No more alfredo sauce being wasted in those little nooks because a big fat round whisk can't reach it before it burns and clumps into a gooey mess. No more whipped eggs all over the kitchen counter and floor because the darn thing rolled off when I wasn't looking. It provides so much more surface area to agitate whatever you are agitating than a large round one does, unless you are whisking a 6-inch deep bowl of ketchup. Or something. It works wonderfully for smaller amounts of creams and liquids, or for large amounts of liquid that are dispersed out in a larger pan or tray, rather than contained in a bowl.

I tell you, it has changed my life. I am no longer afraid that when I add cheese or thickening agent to my sauces, it will seize up beyond hope and I will have to put it in the blender to smooth things out. It has made my life much lovelier, as I'm sure it would yours as well!

Chocolate Swirl Buns

I can't really take any credit for this one, besides the fact that it looked intimidating and I tried it anyway. SmittenKitchen.com is one of the few blogs that I follow pretty consistently, and I've always had great luck with her recipes so I didn't even try to change it!

                                               My husband said they were "eh, pretty good..." as he scampered like a schoolboy to get a glass of milk to go with his first one... (ie, he really liked them).

One thing I've learned since being married is that if there is food, my husband will eat it. Doesn't matter if he is hungry, or just ate a huge dinner, or just woke up, or is just going to bed... I think there is something in the man's mind that says it is just wrong to leave unattended food uneaten. I have to be careful now... cause it'll be my fault if he gets fat.

You can read smittenkitchen's delightful post here:

Chocolate Swirl Buns
Heavily downsized and streamlined from Martha Stewart’s fantastic chocolate babka
Yield: 12 muffin-sized buns
Dough
1/2 cup milk, preferably whole
1/4 cup plus a pinch of granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 large egg, brought to room temperature
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1/2 teaspoon table salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus additional for bowl and muffin tins
Filling
3 tablespoons (45 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
1/2 pound (225 grams) semisweet chocolate
Pinch of salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
Egg wash (optional)
1 egg
2 teaspoons (10 ml) heavy cream or milk

Prepare dough: Warm milk and a pinch of sugar to between 110 to 116°F. If you don’t have a thermometer, you’re looking for it to be warm but not hot to the touch; best to err on the cool side. Sprinkle yeast over milk and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk together egg and remaining 1/4 cup sugar, then slowly whisk in yeast mixture.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flour and salt. Run mixer on low and add egg mixture, mixing until combined. Add butter and mix until incorporated. Switch mixer to dough hook and let it knead the dough for 10 minutes on low speed. At 10 minutes, it should be sticky and stringy and probably worrisome, but will firm up a bit after it rises. Butter a large bowl and place dough in it. Cover loosely with a lint-free towel or plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour, or until doubled.

Meanwhile, prepare filling: If your chocolate is in large bars, roughly chop it. Then, you can let a food processor do the rest of the work, pulsing the chopped chocolate with the salt, sugar, and cinnamon (if using) until the chocolate is very finely chopped with some parts almost powdery. Add butter and pulse machine until it’s distributed throughout the chocolate. (If you don’t have a food processor, just chop the chocolate until it’s very finely chopped, then stir in the sugar, salt, cinnamon and butter until it makes a pasty/chunky/delicious mess.) Set mixture aside.
Generously butter a standard 12-muffin tin; set aside.

Form buns: Once dough is doubled, turn it out onto a well-floured surface and gently deflate it with floured hands. Let it rest for another 5 minutes. Once rested, roll dough into a large, large rectangle. The short sides should be a scant 11 to 12 inches. The other side can be as loooong as you can roll it. The longer you can make it — I got mine to 20 inches before I ran out of counter space — the more dramatic and swirled your buns will be.
Sprinkle the filling evenly over the dough’s surface. It’ll be clumpy and uneven and probably look like there’s too much chocolate for the volume of dough; just do your best. Tightly roll the dough back over the filling from one short end to the other, forming a 12 to 13-inch log. (Yes, it always magically grows because the dough is soft.) With a sharp serrated knife, gently saw 1-inch segments off the log and place each in a prepared muffin cup. Loosely cover buns with plastic wrap or a lint-free towel and let them rise for another 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C).

Bake: If you’d like, you can egg wash your buns before baking them (whisking together an egg and the cream until smooth, brush over each bun top). I found the buns I brushed with the wash shinier but otherwise virtually indistinguishable from the un-brushed buns in color. Bake buns for 15 to 20 minutes, until puffed and brown. If you have an instant read thermometer, you can take the buns out when it reads 185 to 190 degrees in the middle of each bun.

Set buns on cooling rack. Theoretically, you should cool them completely before unmolding them (with the aid of a knife or thin spatula to make sure nothing has stuck). This, of course, won’t happen, so have at them; just don’t burn your tongue. Serve with iced coffee and a bowl of berries. For nutritional balance.

Do ahead: These buns can be formed, placed in the muffin cups and refrigerated (loosely covered with plastic, which you might want to oil to keep it from sticking) the night before, to bake in the morning. You can bake them directly from the fridge. They can be baked and frozen until needed, up to 1 month.

Marriage and a Butter Pot

I am no longer single. Or dating. Or engaged.


I'm married.


(WAHOO!)


Not gonna lie, I definitely recommend marriage. It is so different than I expected, but so much better than I ever could have imagined. I think the advice that we have heard the most from other married couples is this: you'll have the best and worst days in your life, but the "best's" will far outweigh the "worst's" so don't give up. I have no doubt that they are right. And I know that pain is one of the sure-fire ways to bring two people closer together if it's handled correctly, so in a weird way, I'm really looking forward to the bad days as well as the good.

The thing that has saddened me the most are all of the somewhat patronizing and almost sympathetic looks, accompanied with a knowing sideways smile and a "well I hope things work out for you guys..." It's unfortunate to see how skeptical people have become, and how they know it's a good thing but have lost faith in it. I'm not sure what exactly my point is... maybe it's simply this: believe in marriage! Have faith! Encourage marriage and encourage perseverance and faithfulness! 


Oh! Another thing. I CANNOT believe how generous all of our family and friends have been. We have received gifts out of our ears, and now have so many wonderful things that will make our home functional.

I don't think it's possible to pick a "favorite" gift (how can you pick between a kitchen aid and crate and barrel dishes? seriously?) but I do have to say that I was pretty excited about this one....

I know it doesn't look very exciting, but it has changed my life. (Okay not as much as getting married, but you know what I mean). It's a butter pot. It holds butter and keeps it fresh. At room temperature. 

Basically, you take the top part out, flip it over, and it's a little bowl shaped thingamajiger (the left piece in the picture below). You fill it with softened butter (press it in real nice; it holds about two sticks), then fill the bottom part (right piece in the picture below) with about a centimeter of water. Flip it back so that the left piece is upside down and the opening is complete submerged (like if you let gravity actually work in the picture above). The water will create an air-tight seal; you can keep it out on the counter, and the butter stays fresh. 

1. No more butter splat from spices falling out of the hurricane of a spice cupboard into the nice pad of butter you left on the counter on a plate.

2. No more messy butter trays and/or lids that get greasy; the only part that might get messy is the very edge.

3. No more torn toast from butter that you keep in the fridge to prevent 1 and 2. 

4. No more settling for little chunks of butter instead of a nice smooth layer if you aren't patient enough to try number 3.

5. No more yucky translucent butter edges from sitting out on the counter all day in the open air.

That's my two cents for the day... I'll keep you updated on other things I find brilliant once we finally move in to our apartment and actually unwrap the rest of our gifts. (House-sitting is great, especially when you don't have a place to live yet, but we are definitely ready to have our own home)

Comment and let me know if you have any kitchen gadgets or household things that you can't live without. We have lots of gift cards and want to put them to good use!

What to Drink

So planning a wedding doesn't actually take up just as much time as everyone says they do; but before you stone me, I just have to say that it's all the other things included in the getting-ready-to-be-married process that have kept me on my toes lately. Figuring out housing, moving, making budgets, vehicles, packing, planning for law school, all while working full-time AND oh yeah, planning our wedding, has definitely kept me busy (onlysixweeksofthismadnessleft!!!!!!!!). That being said, thoughtful cooking has fallen by the wayside, and blogging hasn't had too much potential material unless you are interested in me eating cheese and crackers and a carrot for dinner last night. 

But there is an upside. 

My fiance just bought this book for me and I am SO EXCITED AND INSPIRED. Because he can't drink till he's out of school, it still may be a while till I blog again; but in the meantime, I have all sorts of ideas oozing out of my brain now. 

It basically is an alphabetical encyclopedia of all foods that normal people eat (grilled chicken breast, broccoli, mashed potatoes, steak etc) and then it lists out drink that pair best with the food. It has wine, coffee, tea, beer, sometimes even just water. The second half is the same thing, reversed; it lists out wine's, and then says what food is best to eat with what you are drinking. 

The first couple chapters talk about the more scientific and gastronomic part of it. I didn't really think about this before, but it makes total sense that what you eat and drink together can totally affect digestion and therefore tummy comfort after your meal. 

Anyways, I just thought I'd share; it would be a great addition to any library, and an awesome gift idea as well. 

Have a lovely week!

Chicken Mac and Cheese

The root recipe for this came from the family recipe box of one of the boys in my fiance's wing. Family recipes are always the best; I always feel blessed and privileged when they are shared with me. But I can't help but adjust a bit and add some things to make it my own; I hope that you do the same too!




Serving size: one 9x13 pan + a little pan for the overflow. (ie, 8 girls.....or 4 men...) This recipe can be easily halved if you want to make a smaller portion.



- 4 cups elbow macaroni, uncooked
- 2 large chicken breasts, cubed
- 6 Tbls butter
- 6 Tbls flour
- 2 tsp salt
- 6 cups milk
- 4 cups cheese (any mixture of various cheeses will do. Don't use pre-shredded if possible; the starch used to prevent caking will make your mac and cheese sauce weird-ish. It's best if you grate blocks of cheese yourself. I like sharp cheddar, Gouda, Monterrey jack etc.)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Boil the macaroni according to instructions on box; strain and rinse. Boil chicken breast until cooked; strain and rinse. Toss together, and pour into pans. Set aside.

2. Melt butter in a medium sized pot on medium-high heat. Stir in flour and salt.
    Add milk, one cup at a time. Bring to a slight boil after adding each cup of milk.

3. Reduce heat, add in cheeses, and stir till all is melted. Pour cheese sauce over macaroni, and gently stir in the pan (while trying not to spill over the sides) to combine. Top with a bit more shredded cheese.

4. Bake for 20 minutes.

Serve with sauteed spinach and a cold ginger beer. Enjoy!!

Bacon-Wrapped Sirloin with Whiskey Peppercorn Cream Sauce

This beautiful grass-fed, organic beef from Wegman's was totally worth the money. I don't normally splurge on food, but my advice is if you do, spend it on beef. And for fresh scallops as a garnish too.

Sprinkle beef with cracked pepper and course sea salt on both sides, and let sit. Don't over-season; let the beef speak for itself. Wrap around the sides with a piece of bacon and secure with two or three toothpicks in the sides. Set out on the counter at room temperature about half an hour before grilling to let it come to room temp to provide for even cooking. 

Meanwhile, preheat your grill on high. Then start the whiskey peppercorn cream sauce; it will take about an hour from start to finish, but it just needs to be watched and stirred occasionally. 

• - 1 1/4 cups beef broth
• - 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• - 2 fluid ounces (4 Tbls.) whiskey
• - 1 cup heavy cream
• - 1 Tbls very finely chopped onions
• - 1 teaspoon dijon mustard

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine beef broth and cracked black pepper. Simmer until reduced to 1 cup, stirring frequently. Add 1 ounce (2 Tbls) whiskey and 1 cup cream. Continue simmering until reduced to 1 cup. Remove from heat and set aside.

Saute onions in a frying pan with olive oil. Add second 1 ounce (2Tbls) whiskey. Reduce heat, stir in peppercorn sauce and Dijon mustard, and reduce sauce until thickened. 

About 15 minutes before meal time, place the steaks on the grill. DO NOT TOUCH for 2 minutes; then with tongs, pick up the steaks and rotate 90 degrees to get the nice criss-cross grill marks. Grill for another 3 minutes. Flip steaks ONCE, and repeat for grill-marks. Cook on that side until desired doneness, using a meat thermometer to measure internal heat. 

When done, remove from grill and let rest on a plate or cutting board for 5-7 minutes to let the juices redistribute inside.

Sprinkle scallops with chili powder; sear in a frying pan on all sides, about 1-2  minutes on each side. Slice most of the way through, and fan out.

Spoon sauce onto plate and place steak on top.

 Serve with mashed potatoes and a parsley garnish, and a scallop layered on top. 

Voila!