Pumpkin Cupcakes and Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting: Holiday Recipe #7

For the " A" twins

I've said this on more than one occasion, but I do find it an honor to be asked by someone to bake specifically for an occasion. Therefore, when friend YK asked me to bake for her twins' birthday party, I was very touched and flattered, mostly because she has such high standards, and asking me told me that she thought my cupcakes were pretty good.

But the flip side of that is extreme nervousness and panic because I am slightly a perfectionist (if one can be slightly) and I don't like having my food eaten by people I don't know. My friends can comment, can give critiques and I accept them freely, but strangers, people I don't know - I always cringe inwardly wondering what they are thinking about my food. I have panicky thoughts as they may be commenting silently in their head about how it doesn't taste good, and I'll never know it since they probably won't tell me.

But the day arrived for baking and my friend YK had asked for pumpkin cupcake with cream cheese frosting, since the party was on October 31. Her choice made me even a bit more nervous, because pumpkin cupcakes are not first on any child's list of favorite cupcakes to eat. (Daughters #1 and #2 prefer chocolate for example.) I think my nervousness got the better of me, because one batch of cakes I COMPLETELY left out all leavening (no baking soda or baking powder) and had the cupcakes in the oven for 10 minutes before realizing it. I grabbed them out of the oven and had to scrape and dump all the batter and add the leavening without knowing if the end result was even going to be edible. Fortunately for me, they were fine and I breathed a sigh of relief. I made another batch with no mishaps, and had before me 48 cupcakes.

The original recipe for the cupcakes come from Martha Stewart. I actually use the same ingredients, but don't follow the instructions she gives on making it. (She has you melting butter and then whisking all ingredients.) I'm a cream the butter with sugar for the best texture of cupcakes kind of girl, so I did that with these. These cupcakes are lightly spiced, very delicious and pair really well with the vanilla bean cream cheese frosting, which is my favorite frosting of all time. I made these the night before they were needed and they were delicious and moist the day of. These hold up well, and are just a great addition to your holiday table. (an unexpected one but a very welcome one)

As a final note, YK's twins are one girl and one boy, and I decorated with Hello Kitty rings on the girls' cakes, and Cars (the movie) on other cakes. When I pulled the cupcakes out of the box to display them on the cupcake stand, kids got very excited about the rings, but I don't know if they had any idea about the kind of cake it was.

Pumpkin Cupcakes and Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting (adapted from Martha Stewart)

Makes 24.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, on medium speed, cream softened butter with both brown and white sugars until light and fluffy, scraping down sides to make sure all is well incorporated. Add eggs one at a time and mix. Finally add pumpkin. Mix.

Add flour mixture and mix until just combined.

Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about halfway. Bake until tops spring back when touched, and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating pans once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely. Frost with Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting.

Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting
More than enough for 30 cupcakes
1 cup of unsalted butter, softened
2 8oz pack of cream cheese, softened
1 whole vanilla bean, split open with a knife and vanilla beans scraped out (Amazon.com has 16 beans for $15)
4-5 cups confectioner sugar (I try and use as little as I can, but making sure it's pipeable)

Cream butter and cream cheese together on medium speed until texture is uniform. Add 2 cups of confectioners sugar and beat on low speed until sugar is all incorporated. Add 2 more cups and again mix on low speed until sugar is all incorporated. Add scraped vanilla beans (get every last bit) and mix on medium speed for 8 minutes, occasionally scraping down sides. The key to really creamy frosting is to NOT beat too much air into the frosting but rather, on a medium speed, beat it until it is creamy.

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Boy version of cupcake

How to scoop relatively even cupcake portions.

This is where I buy my vanilla beans.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake: Holiday Recipe #6

For TR and BF for telling me I made them gain 10 lbs.

My two girlfriends, the ones with whom I check in everyday, have recently made the accusation that knowing me has made them gain 10 lbs. I asked them, "Why?" and one replied that I bake too many things and give them away, and the other replied that I had made her a better cook, so she enjoys her food more and eats too much. I thought both answers were lovely compliments and I filed it away. It's not often that one gets accused of causing people to gain weight!

But in reality, I don't WANT people gaining weight from the blog - so I hesitated posting the latest coffee cake recipe, only because it's not that healthy, nor is it low in fat, nor is it a form of exercise. It's just a delicious chunk of pumpkin chocolately goodness and it tastes great! So my hope is that people will bake it, share it, and only eat one piece. I confess, I was unable to follow my own advice.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake
Serves 12

Topping
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick) room temperature
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger (feel free to make your own spice mixture of the spices you like)
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips

Cake
2 cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, (1 stick) room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 can of pumpkin (15 oz)

For the topping, combine flour, butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and salt in a medium bowl. Mix until crumbly. Add chocolate chips and toss together. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 375. Butter and flour 13X9X2-inch baking pan. Sift 2 cups of flour, baking powder, and salt into a small bowl. Using electric mixer, beat 1/2 cup of butter in a large bowl until fluffy. Gradually add 3/4 cup sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar, beating until well blended. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating to blend after each addition. Add vanilla extract. Mix in entire can of pumpkin. With the mixer on low, add the dry mixture. Mix until just all blended.

Spread half of the batter into the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle half the 1/2 the topping mixture. Spread remaining batter on top. Sprinkle topping evenly over batter. Bake until tester inserted into center comes and clean and topping is golden brown, about 40 minutes. Cool cake. Serve room temperature. (It gets better with some rest.)

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my single piece

Steak, Arugula, Provolone, Pickled Onion Paninis: Transforming leftovers

I think one of the challenges of cooking is how to eliminate leftovers. More often than not, I CAN get away with serving what we had for dinner the night before as lunch the day after, but sometimes leftovers linger longer than that and then they just aren't special. I had quite a bit of the Korean Flank Steak leftover so I wanted to turn it into something yummy. Since my favorite thing to eat EVER is a sandwich, I thought a warm panini would be a nice treat. I rummaged through my leftover pool and discovered -

- a half eaten bag of arugula (some leaves were not so nice, but quite a few were usable.)
- some pugliese bread
- leftover pickled onions (by the way - one should ALWAYS have these on hand to make a grilled cheese sandwich something special)
-provolone cheese

This became my sandwich - and my was it good! I did use my non-panini grill panini making technique - which is simply smooshing my sandwich while in the fry pan under another fry pan and truly it does make for some special crusting of the bread.

Steak, Arugula, Provolone, Pickled Onion Panini
Makes 2 sandwiches

4 slices of bread of your choice (I had stale pugliese loaf and I simply sliced it)
1/2 lb steak, sliced thinly (I used the Korean flank steak recipe, but you can use what you have)
1 cup of arugula
2 slices of provolone cheese
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
Pickled onions (see recipe below)
1 tablespoon mustard (optional)
2 tablespoons olive oil

One one slice of bread, spread 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise. Layer 1/2 of the steak on top. Top with pickled onions. Top with arugula and provolone. Finish with a slice of bread (spread with mustard if desired). Repeat and make 2 sandwiches total.

In a nonstick fry pan, over medium low heat, heat 1 tablespoons olive oil. Swirl the pan so the oil spreads and carefully place the sandwich in the pan. Cover the sandwich with another fry pan, pushing down on the pan to provide the smoosh factor. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the bread is golden and crispy. Flip the sandwich, lay the pan down again and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Remove from pan, allow it to cool for a moment, and then slice it in half and enjoy!

Pickled Onions

1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup vinegar (I used rice vinegar, but white vinegar is fine too)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt

Place onions in a shallow bowl and pour vinegar, salt, and sugar on top. Mix and stir and submerge all the onions. (add a bit more vinegar if necessary.) Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

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Not too shabby for leftovers, eh?

Pears and Arugula Wrapped in Prosciutto: Holiday Recipe #5

For two years, Daughter #1 attended a Jewish preschool in our area. She learned a lot of Jewish traditions, experienced the Bible through a Judaic lens, and even learned some Hebrew.

During one of the class discussions about Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) her teacher spent some time explaining how sometimes saying sorry isn't easy, nor is it simple. She said, "Sorry is the hardest word to say." Daughter #1 pondered it for a bit, and then raised her hand and said, "Teacher Lori. Prosciutto is the hardest word to say." (I hope no one misses the irony of having my daughter talking about a pork product in a Jewish setting.)

That's my child. Daughter #1 discovered prosciutto when she was 3 and has never looked back. And this appetizer, due to the prosciutto is super simple and easy. I saw it on Rachel Ray's 30 minute meals and thought that it would be a perfect simple appetizer for the holidays.

I made minor adjustments - taking out the thyme and dressing the arugula, but it is pretty much the same recipe. I even did a run at making it with a very nice rosemary ham, but it wasn't as good.

Pears and Arugula Wrapped in Prosciutto (adapted from Rachel Ray)
Serves 8

2 cups arugula leaves
1 ripe bosc pear (or D'anjou or red pear)
1 lemon
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 slices prosciutto di Parma (I get mine from Costco)

Place arugula in bowl. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 good squeeze of lemon on top. Add a bit of freshly ground pepper and toss so that the leaves are lightly dressed. Cut the pear lengthwise and remove the core. Cut into quarters and then in half again. (now you have 8 pieces) Dress the pear with the juice of 1/2 lemon, olive oil, and salt. Place a few leaves of dressed greens on each slice of prosciutto with a slice of pear and roll up into a tight bundle. Cut each bundle in half, to make 16 pieces.

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Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies: Holiday Recipe #4

Fridays are crazy days for me. I just have more going on than I do on other days. I teach a couple of hours, I have my church small group in the evening, and I also like to cook for my small group something special. (or more often one of my random experiments.) This Friday was no different as I was teaching, had to help my friend make Kimchee Burgers so that she could bring it to HER church small group (huge hit by the way) and I still needed to make dessert for our small group meeting/dinner. I called my leader and said, "Would you rather have apple-pear crisp with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or some weird pumpkin brownie cheesecake thing that I have in my head?"

"The pumpkin brownie cheesecake thing sounds good," she replied.

I clarified, "This is not a recipe that exists. This is just in my head and I think it would taste good."

"It sounds awesome. Bring it."

"But what if I am wrong? What if it tastes bad?" I worried.

"Don't worry. It sounds good already," she reassured me.

Which left me staring off into space trying to figure out exactly HOW I was going to make this dish that existed only in my head.

I decided I would just make my standard brownie, which is from the back of a Baker's Unsweetened Baking Chocolate Squares Box and make up my own cheesecake topping. The result? Something pretty darn good, I have to say myself. Friend CY loves cheesecake and pumpkin so much she wouldn't even wait for it to cool and settle - she insisted on eating it right from the oven. I think it tastes better cold as you get this creamy cheesecake on top of a chewy brownie base. All in all a great recipe - especially for those of you who love pumpkin.

And I have to say, the brownie was the perfect ending to a very very hectic day.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies
Serves 15-20 (depending on how big of pieces people have)

Pumpkin Cheesecake Layer
2 8 oz packages of cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 15 oz can pumpkin
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Brownie Base (from the inside of Baker's Unsweetened Chocolate box)
4 oz unsweetened chocolate
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour

Pumpkin Cheesecake Layer
In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese on low until smooth and creamy. Add cream until fully incorporated. Add sugar and beat until smooth. Add eggs one and a time, beating until smooth. Add vanilla extract and beat until smooth. Remove 1 cup of cheesecake mixture and set aside. (this will be used to swirl with the pumpkin later.)

To the remaining cheesecake mixture in the mixing bowl add 1 can pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg. Beat until smooth.

Brownie Layer
Microwave chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2 minutes, or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is melted. Stir in sugar, eggs and vanilla. Add flour and mix.

Assembly
Preheat oven to 350.

Line a 9X13 inch pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil. If using foil, grease foil well.

Pour brownie mixture on the bottom. On top add the pumpkin cheese cake mixture. Add blobs of the reserved plain cheesecake mixture. With a knife, swirl the pumpkin cheesecake and plain cheesecake mixture together. Bake for 50 minutes, or until cheesecake layer is puffy and lightly golden. Allow to cool and then refrigerate. (if you can wait that long.)

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This and a cup of decaf coffee is the perfect late night treat.

Korean Style Roasted Potatoes: Adventures in traveling

To MSL, CSP, my brothers and the crazy parents who decided that we could do this.

When I was 12 years old, my parents and another family's parents decided that five children, age range from 5 to just turned 13, could handle an international trip to Korea, alone. In fact, the four parents decided to take off to China for 2 weeks, the same day as us, but on an earlier flight, leaving the 5 of us alone in the LAX airport to go to Korea. My friend MSL, being unusually tall and being the oldest was in charge and I was her deputy chief of staff. The three younger kids were to obey us and we got on our plane to Korea. Everything went smoothly on flight and upon landing we managed to grab our huge bags from the baggage claim area. The only minor problem was trying to explain to customs why one of our bags had 25 lbs of frozen meat in it, but even that wasn't so horrible.

We walked out into the airport waiting area and there waiting for my brothers and me were aunts and uncles lined up two deep. It was a big deal for us to travel so far (and alone!), and my family came out in full force to grab us and take care of us. We were going to my aunt's house with my paternal grandmother but even so, my mother's side of the family had all come out just to catch a glimpse of us and see the relatives who were from so far away.

We spent a lot of that summer just having fun with our extended family. It was dinners at this restaurant with this family, a week in a beautiful house with another family, trips all over Korea and just lots of fun eating and playing. But even with all the food there is only one dish that sticks out in my memory even to this day, and it was a the simplest of potato dishes prepared for me by my paternal grandmother. It was a sweltering hot day and electricity was a precious commodity, but even then, the "spoiled" kids from America were sitting in front of an air conditioning unit. My grandmother came out with this plate of potatoes and a small bowl of salt. She proceeded to break off small pieces, blow on them, dip them in the salt and feed us by hand. The potatoes were crispy, delicious and the simple crunch of salt just made them incredibly addictive. My brothers and I began shoving each other out of the way to get the precious little bites our grandmother was feeding us.

This is not a spectacular dish - it is not fine dining but it is good. It requires three ingredients, four if you count boiling water, and is very simple technique. But let me say this - Son and Daughter #2 generally do not like potatoes, but when I make them like this, they often eat four or five.

Korean Roasted Potatoes

1 -2 lbs red rose potatoes, small ones - no bigger than a golf ball.
3 tablespoons (or more) vegetable oil (I use safflower)
sea salt for sprinkling or dipping

Wash and rinse your potatoes. Fill a large pot with water and add potatoes. Cook until tender about 20 minutes. (Poke a fork in and make sure your potato is cooked all the way through.) Drain.

When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel off the skin. This part is the most time consuming, but you'll get the hang of it.

In a fry pan over medium heat, add oil and the peeled potatoes. Cook until golden on one side and then shake the fry pan to get them golden on other sides. Total cooking time is around 6 minutes.

Place into a bowl and sprinkle with some sea salt.
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Waffled Ham and Cheese Sandwiches: Double duty

For JJ, on her birthday. I hope this convinces you.

It is my dear friend JJ's birthday today, and earlier in the week I called her saying, "I'm going to get you the waffle iron, okay?"

"NO PRESENTS JOANNE," she said.

"Come on! Let me get you the waffle iron! I want to get it for you so you can make your own Lemon Poppyseed Waffles."

"NO PRESENTS Joanne," she bellowed into the telephone.

"Really? Come on. Let me get this for you."

"NO PRESENTS!" she said firmly.

"Okay, okay. Fine."

She deflated my bubble. I was very excited to get it for her, but as my own birthday is coming in a few weeks, I didn't want her to feel like she had to get ME something on my birthday so I decided to listen (for once). Usually I would have just said, "WHATEVER" and gotten it for her, but in light of my own upcoming birthday, I held back.

But instead, I thought I'd try to convince her that this is an appliance that she would get great use out of. Yes, a waffle iron makes waffles, but did you know it also makes very yummy grilled cheese sandwiches? Husband INSISTS that this is his invention, but actually I did see it in a very very old issue of Gourmet, almost 5 years ago. It's somewhat easier making the grilled cheese in here and it's virtually error free and tastes really good. (Bonus - kids like the waffle texture and shapes!)

So JJ - NOW can I buy this for you?

Waffled Ham and Cheese Sandwiches (adapted from Gourmet Magazine)
Makes 8 sandwiches

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
16 slices firm white sandwich bread
8 thin slices boiled ham (1/4 lb)
8 thin slices Swiss cheese (1/4 lb)

Special equipment: a large square or rectangular electric waffle iron

Preheat waffle iron on high until just beginning to smoke. Reduce heat to moderate.

Spread butter on 1 side of 8 bread slices and turn slices over. (buttered side needs to be on the OUTSIDE of the sandwich so the waffle iron can toast it up.) Top 4 slices with 1 slice ham and 1 slice cheese, folding in any overhang, then top with remaining 4 buttered bread slices, buttered sides up. Cook sandwiches in batches (number of batches will depend on size of your waffle maker) until bread is golden and crisp, 4 to 6 minutes.

Assemble and cook 4 more sandwiches in same manner.

Just before serving, cut each sandwich into 4 triangles.

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The waffle iron that makes my waffles and makes me these.

Crostini with Artichoke Pesto and Fresh Mozzarella:Thanksgiving/Holiday Recipe #3

I really do love hosting Thanksgiving. It is one of my favorite cooking holidays as it really is so INVOLVED. I love thinking about all the layers and figuring out how everything is going to go together. I am super precise and planned and actually write out a schedule for my actual cooking days so as to know when things need to get into the oven to make a meal appear on time. Even with the schedule, my meal is invariably 30 minutes late as I have one tiny oven, and stuffing, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts and other things need to be reheated in the oven after the turkey comes out. This is why appetizers are so important in our house, because people show up wanting to eat, and they have to wait a bit longer because I only have ONE oven.

The key to great appetizers during the holidays are ones that can be done ahead of time. This can be prepared the day of, while the turkey is in the oven, and assembled as your guests arrive. It is yummy and delicious and easy to make.

I did see at Trader Joe's and Whole Food Markets an artichoke spread/pesto thing pre-made, so you could buy a jar of that, fresh mozzarella and some lovely bread and make it without making your own pesto if you really wanted to speed things up.

Crostini with Artichoke Pesto and Fresh Mozzarella
Serves 10-12

Artichoke Pesto
1/2 cup olive oil (1/4 cup used for cooking and another 1/4 cup will be used in the pesto later)
1 14 oz can artichoke hearts, drained (Trader Joes has the best deal at $1.99)
8 cloves of garlic
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
zest from one lemon
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup of fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste

In a fry pan, heat 1/4 cup of olive oil over medium heat. Add to it the drained artichokes and garlic and cook over medium heat until the garlic is fragrant, about 6 minutes. Put the garlic, olive oil and artichokes into a food processor (or one of those mini prep choppers) and process until roughly chop. Add Parmesan cheese, lemon zest, lemon juice and process again. Allow mixture to cool for about 10 minutes. Then add basil and additional 1/4 cup olive oil and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. This can be made 24 hours in advance.

Assembly
1 loaf of ciabatta, pugliese or a nice baguette (depending on the size of your bread the appetizer size will change)
2 balls of fresh mozzarella, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
olive oil
Chili pepper flakes

Slice bread into 1/4 inch thick slices. Brush with olive oil and place a baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 5-10 minutes until golden brown. Cool and then store in a ziploc bag.

On top of each toasted bread, add a layer of the artichoke pesto, a slice of the fresh mozzrella and then sprinkle with a few chili pepper flakes. Serve. (Do not make these too far ahead of time as they will get soggy.)

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a yummy yummy bite (or a couple of bites)

Banana Coconut Chocolate Muffins: As a special treat

As a general rule, I avoid giving Daughters chocolate - mainly because I find it makes them rather nutty. But they do love it, and ONCE in a while, as a special treat I like to give them a chocolate chip cookie or something special.

Last night I decided I wanted to do something with the three very ripe bananas on my counter, and thought that a chocolate chip coconut muffin recipe would be very tasty. I set about trying to create one and came up with this version.

This version is NOT a rich sweet version of cake you serve for breakfast - rather it is not too sweet, has a bit of chocolate and a strong banana flavor. I found the muffin to be really moist and delicious and Daughters squealed with delight at seeing bits of chocolate peeping out at them in the morning. Oh - and these smell AMAZING while baking. They aren't any harder to make than any other muffin recipe.

The funny thing happened with these muffins in the morning - Daughter #2 strolled by the muffin pans and saw the ones that were there. She asked, "Mom is there any food to give my teachers?"

I replied, "Would you like to give them some muffins?"

She thought for a minute, and said, "Yes, but you give them to the teachers. I don't want to carry them." Daughter #2 is extremely shy but wanted to make sure her favorite teachers got some treats.

Banana Coconut Chocolate Muffins
Makes 15

1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup of sugar
1 large egg
3 large ripe bananas
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup dried coconut (if you can find the unsweetened variety, feel free to use.) and a bit more to sprinkle on top of the muffins

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake/muffin pan with liners. In a medium bowl, measure out and mix together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk egg and sugar, and vanilla extract together until well combined. Add melted butter. Mix well. Squish into the bowl bananas and mix. Add chocolate chips and coconut. Mix well.

3. Add dry mixture. Use a VERY light hand to mix at this point. The more mixing you do the tougher the muffin so try not to over mix. You want everything well mixed together but not over mixed.

4. Divide batter equally in liners. Sprinkle tops with some coconut. Bake until golden brown, about 22-30 minutes.

5. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then enjoy.

Printable recipe

The trick to easy scooping of muffins in the morning - a disher - #16.

Sweet Potato Casserole with Caramelized Apples and Pears: Thanksgiving/Holiday Recipe #2

For UJY who loves this so much she asks for it at inappropriate times.

I just want my faithful blog readers to know how much I love them...because I am going out on a limb and risking my life for this post. The reason? I made this dish, which is the absolute favorite of my sis-in-law, when she is not around. Mind you, she keeps asking for this dish (at random times like in the spring when I can't get good sweet potatoes) and I've had to keep turning her down. She graciously accepts my reasons but deep down inside, she loves this dish so much she has to have it. And I've made it. Only she can't eat it because she's not around. I'm going to be in big trouble. But for you, my faithful readers, I do it. Because this is just that yummy and so good and I know that if you put this on your table this Thanksgiving, people are going to love it.

Ideally, good Thanksgiving/holiday side dishes can be prepared ahead of time, and do not require too much oven time - as oven time is precious for most families who only have one smaller oven (like me!). This dish is great because you can prepare it ahead of time, and it really only requires about 15 minutes in an oven to warm through and be ready for serving.

Tonight, when I made it, Daughters #1 and #2 absolutely adored it. Daughter #2 in particular liked the topping of apples and pears and kept on asking for just a bit of the potato and a lot of the topping. (I gave her most of my topping.) I got to enjoy the creamy rich sweet potato and the delicious zing of ginger and the richness of cream and butter.

This is a combination of two recipes I got on Martha Stewart and I added my own Asian twist (Asian pears and Japanese/Korean sweet potatoes-고구마) to the dish to get my version. You can use regular sweet potatoes, but I definitely prefer the texture of the Japanese sweet potato as it is less mushy, has more depth of flavor, and becomes absolutely special when it is whipped.

Before Thanksgiving, try this out as a meal with the following:

Rosemary Pork Chops
Green Bean Bits with Crispy Garlic

Sweet potatoes with pork chops and green beans...perfect practice for Thanksgiving

** Preparation notes
To make things easier the day of your meal, you can try and break up the work into smaller parts. I generally bake the sweet potatoes the day before I need them. I refrigerate them in their skins, and the day I want to make the casserole, I heat them up lightly in the microwave, and the proceed with the recipe.

I assemble the casserole while my turkey is in the oven. (the oven is cooking so I am free.) I put it together and have it ready to put in as soon as I pull the turkey out for resting. I usually get it put together about 1-2 hours before it will actually go into the oven.

Sweet Potato Casserole With Caramelized Apples and Pears (adapted from Martha Stewart)
Serves 6

Sweet Potato
4 large sweet potatoes (I use the Japanese/Korean sweet potatoes - about 4 lbs), pierced with the tines of a fork
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 cup applesauce
2 teaspoons grated fresh peeled ginger
1 teaspoon coarse salt
Freshly ground pepper

Apple Pear Topping
2 tablespoons of butter
1 apple (fuji or granny smith) and 1 Asian pear (1-1.5 lbs total apple and pear), peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch pieces
3 tablespoons sugar

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Arrange potatoes on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake until tender, 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes. Remove from oven; let stand until cool enough to handle. (you can do this the day before you need the dish.)

Cut each potato lengthwise. Scoop flesh into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment; discard skins. Add 2 tablespoons butter and the cream; mix on medium speed until smooth. Mix in applesauce and ginger; season with salt and pepper. Transfer potato mixture to an ovenproof dish.

Toss apple and pear with sugar in a bowl. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add apple mixture; cook, stirring occasionally, until apples and pears are golden and caramelized, about 10 minutes. Spread evenly over the top of potato mixture.

Bake until heated through, about 15 minutes.

Printable recipe

To quote someone, "Love at first spoonful."

Pumpkin Coffee Cake: Thanksgiving/Holiday Recipe #1

To my taste testers at Cornerstone Church

In my dream world, I cook and host elegant, elaborate parties on fine china, serve tea and delicious sandwiches with designer plates, and have elegant breakfasts with my lady friends with delicious espressos and cappuccinos in my beautiful garden veranda. I am so far off from this reality with three small children, a part time job and a husband who works odd hours. And that is okay, because a dream is a wonderful thing to have.

One day I'll have my dream and I'll make this coffee cake which I created with my dream in mind. The cake is wonderful pumpkin-y, due to the decision I made to leave the cake batter itself without any spices, and instead to put the entirety of the spices in the streusal swirl and topping. It is also not overpoweringly sweet and rather the pumpkin and spices shine, not sugar. This is also a cake that benefits from being made ahead of time, so perhaps my dream of hosting a beautiful breakfast coffee and cake isn't so far off...

Meanwhile, I fully intend to make this the day after Thanksgiving for some out-of-town guests we'll have over for breakfast.

Pumpkin Coffee Cake
Serves 12

Topping
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick) room temperature
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger (feel free to make your own spice mixture of the spices you like)
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cake
2 cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, (1 stick) room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 can of pumpkin (15 oz)

For the topping, combine flour, butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and salt in a medium bowl. Mix until crumbly. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 375. Butter and flour 13X9X2-inch baking pan. Sift 2 cups of flour, baking powder, and salt into a small bowl. Using electric mixer, beat 1/2 cup of butter in a large bowl until fluffy. Gradually add 3/4 cup sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar, beating until well blended. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating to blend after each addition. Mix in entire can of pumpkin. With the mixer on low, add the dry mixture. Mix until just all blended.

Pour half of the batter into the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle half the 1/2 the topping mixture. Pour and spread remaining batter on top. Sprinkle topping evenly over batter. Bake until tester inserted into center comes and clean and topping is golden brown, about 40 minutes. Cool cake. Serve room temperature. (It gets better with some rest.)

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You know you want to sink your mouth into this.

Beef Porridge (소고기죽): A taste of home

In Seoul, in the neighborhood where we used to live, there were numerous jook (죽) restaurants nearby. These are tiny little shops that specialize in all the different varieties of jook, and it's relatively cheap to eat there - about $5 gets you a huge bowl of jook, a couple of side dishes and you're set for a nice lunch. They also offer a lovely take out service, so if you're a loving wife, and your husband falls ill, you can quickly make a run to one of the shops and come home with a piping hot bowl of jook. (And you can even pretend its yours by pouring it into one of your house bowls and serving it.) Husband LOVED going to one of the jook places on any given weekend, and I would be somewhat annoyed, because it is, after all, relatively simple food and they are charging $5 for it. I COULD make it for him at home, if he only asked. But he often refused saying that mine didn't "taste like the shops" and I would mutter, under my breath, comments such as, "Well, I don't put MSG in mine" or "They over salt their jook" and "What do you know." I gave up trying to cook jook for him, and periodically I would end up at one of the shops with husband as he savored a bowl of someone else's rice porridge, while I watched.

Back in the US, the "wonderful world of jook" has tragically disappeared. Sometimes Husband goes to the local Chinese dimsum place and gets an order of the plain jook and brings that home and eats it, but it isn't quite like the Korean version. This morning, I asked Husband, "Is there something you want to eat?" and he replied, "I want the jook in Korea." It is one of the more frustrating answers I get, because I do not MAKE the jook in Korea. After telling him, "I have pasta, pasta salad, fried rice in the fridge" he decided to eat something and ate with no apparent enjoyment.

I felt a bit sorry for Husband. He loves his food, he loves his simple good food, and here in the US, he can't get the Korean food he loves most as often as he'd like. I decided to pack him his lunch, and decided I'd make a quick jook for him. This one is modeled after one that we used to eat at one of our favorite restaurants in Seoul, Hanwoori.

Beef Porridge (소고기죽)
Serves 3-4

1/4 lb beef, chopped (I used some unmarinated bulgogi cut, thinly sliced ribeye)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cloves of garlic, finely minced (or pushed through a press)
2 cups cooked rice (I just used what I had in my rice cooker)
4 cups of water
2 carrots finely chopped
1 teaspoons of salt
4 leaves of Korean perilla leaves (kaetnip 깻잎), julienne
2 scallions finely chopped
1 tablespoon sesame oil

Place a heavy pot over medium heat, and add the oil, garlic and beef. Saute until the meat is browned and then add 4 cups of water. Add the rice, breaking it up into the water so it is all incorporated. Add the carrots and salt and bring the water to a simmer. Stir occasionally so the rice doesn't stick, and allow to simmer for 15- 20 minutes. Add perilla leaves (깻잎), scallions and sesame oil. Stir and serve.

Enjoy with kimchee!

Printable recipe

Comfort in a spoonful

Preparing for the Holidays: Please take the survey

It's early yet I know, but for me, cooking for Thanksgiving ranks very high on my list of favorite activities. (Natural labor is another one, but that's entirely a different story.) I know that not everyone looks upon this activity with excitement and often people look upon it with a sense of dread. But underneath all of the worry and dread, I know that most people truly enjoy the moment and opportunity to be host or hostess during a wonderful time of the year; serving delicious food is the final icing on the cake.

But it's also not easy and it requires a bit of strategy. I'd like to say that over the past 15 years I've gained a bit of experience and I have some sure fire recipes that I always like to use. To help my readers, I am planning on posting recipes in advance, so that people can try it and decide if they'd like to include it for their Thanksgiving menu. It would help me narrow down WHAT things to cook if my readers would answer the poll on the top right hand of their screen. Once I get some answers, I will prioritize cooking those things that my readers have said that they want to see. I cannot guarantee that I will get to all of them, but I certainly will try to get to as many of them as I can.

If there is something you REALLY want to see a recipe for, but is not listed on the survey, please respond in the comments box and I'll try and see if I can't squeeze it in.

Happy Cooking and Happy Fall!

Kimchee Burgers: Just because I wanted to try

For Luke House Church, who humbly agreed to be my guinea pigs and KRN who wouldn't leave me alone about kimchee

I know, it sounds a bit strange. Why put kimchee in a burger? And would it taste good? I spent a good part of a week fiddling with ingredients and burger components in my head, because I just wanted to see if adding kimchee to a burger would taste good. It was a week fraught with a lot of crazy thoughts, only because I really wasn't sure how it would turn out, and in the end, I knew that I just had to TRY it out, to see the results.

Fortunately for me, I always have an ample supply of guinea pigs, because a broad range of responses is very informative for me when I am working on a new recipe. I want to hear numerous opinions and ideas about what people are tasting and get feedback so that I can finely hone my dish. My guinea pigs? I do use Daughters and Husband quite a bit, but for the trickier more unusual offerings, I like to use my church small group. When I sent out an email explaining that they would have kimchee burgers, I did not hear any response. I was concerned because I thought that perhaps the combination of KIMCHEE and BURGER was too unusual and rather off putting, and it caused me a bit of stress.

However, when Friday night meeting rolled around, I found my church small group ready and willing. One member came in saying,"I'm hungry. I didn't eat before I came" all in anticipation of the kimchee burger. His wife was also excited to try and as they were the first ones, I decided to throw some burgers down on the grill and have them go for it.

I made them try it in a variety of ways - one with cheese, one without cheese, one with ketchup, with pickled onions, and made them taste different permutations of the dish. The final analysis was this - once you put in all the fixings, you had a great burger, but you weren't sure exactly why. The kimchee flavor blended so harmoniously into the background, all you knew was that you were eating a delicious burger, but you didn't attribute it to the kimchee. One member commented, "If this were an Iron Chef episode, and the secret ingredient was kimchee, I would have to disqualify the dish, because kimchee is not the star. But it's a great burger."

And I agree...so if you want to put a little kick in your burger (incidentally, it's not spicy), try adding some kimchee, and get your taste buds revved up for some action.

Kimchee Burgers

Burger Mix
3 cups of kimchee, chopped into small pieces
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons garlic minced
3 tablespoons ginger minced
3 lbs of ground meat (I used an 88% meat, 12% fat blend)
1 cup chopped white or brown onion
1 cup chopped scallions
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs (or another unseasoned bread crumb)
2 eggs
2 tablespoons crushed toasted sesame seeds
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce

In a large fry pan, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat and add kimchee, garlic, and ginger, and fry until the kimchee is translucent. The time for reaching this stage will vary, depending on how RIPE the kimchee is - the riper the quicker...anywhere between 8-15 minutes. After cooking, set aside to cool to room temperature. (cools faster if you put it on a plate instead of leaving it in the pan, if you are in a hurry.)

In a large bowl, add the ground meat, onion, scallion, breadcrumbs, 2 eggs, sesame seeds, sesame oil, soy sauce and cooked, cooled kimchee. Using your hand (I like to use a disposable glove on my hand), mix with a light hand all the ingredients. Mix until all the ingredients are well incorporated and you see a uniform mixture. Cover and chill until you are ready to form into burger patties.

When you are ready to grill, make the patties the size that you wish. (I did about 3/4 a cup of mixture per patty)

Grilling instructions
You want to AVOID flames cooking the burger, and instead you want heat. Flames make things burned and heat actually cooks it...so cook it over lower heat instead of cranking up your grill as sometimes dripping fat causes flame flareups. Cook until fully cooked, about 12 minutes total.

Oven Broiling instructions
In a roasting pan, place burgers and roast for 6 minutes per side. Make sure it is fully cooked.

Pickled onions
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup vinegar (I used rice vinegar, but white vinegar is fine too)
1 tablespoon sugar

Place onions in a shallow bowl and pour vinegar and sugar on top. Mix and stir and submerge all the onions. (add a bit more vinegar if necessary.) Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Soy Sesame Mayonnaise
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce

In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients. Cover and chill until needed.

Assembly
buns
iceberg Lettuce
cheddar cheese
ketchup

Toast buns if desired. On each side of the bun, spread a thin layer of the soy sesame mayonnaise. Place a cooked burger, a slice of cheese, pickled onions, lettuce and top with the bun. Enjoy!

Printable recipe

Chicken, Provolone, Arugula Panini: How to make it with less

For TR who assured me that people want to learn about sandwiches.

I admit it; I'm an kitchen appliance and gadget junkie. I love new kitchen gadgets, appliances, and cool gizmos which make my life easier when I cook. I want more all the time. But, due to the RECESSION (Husband's favorite word) and my desire for a new, very expensive camera lens, I've really held back for the past year. But one thing I've REALLY REALLY wanted is the panini press/grill you see to the left, because I LOVE paninis. I love the crisp flattened bread that gets caramelized, the beautiful crust it forms from the pressure, the oozing melted cheese, and just the process of converting an ordinary sandwich into a PANINI! Brother even offered to get it for me, but I declined because I do not want to accumulate yet another appliance for my kitchen, just for the mere fact that I want a sandwich once in a while.

But I learned that you can NOT have a panini press AND have your panini too! How you say? You just need an extra fry pan, and BAM! PANINI! Just as a note, this is not my patented technique, but one that I've seen now a few times in magazines and on cooking shows, which got me thinking, "Why not?" So today I tried it using the ingredients I had in my fridge: two slices of stale-ish bread, a leftover rotisserie chicken which had been shredded, a few sprigs of basil, a bag of arugula, package of sliced provolone cheese and a lemon. What I created far exceeded the leftovers from whence they came. The panini was crispy, warm, cheese was oozing, the arugula slightly wilted and the flavors delicious. It took me no longer than it would if I had had a panini press, and instead I just used two fry pans and smooshed the thing manually. Perhaps it is less elegant of a solution, but it tastes amazing and sure beats losing more counter space to a piece of equipment I would potentially use a few times a week.

Feel free to mess around with the ingredients, keeping one thing in mind; the key to a really delicious panini or sandwich is the balance of flavors. I like to have protein, cheese, something green, and a hint of acid (in the form of a pickle, pickled shallots, or a squeeze of lemon juice like I did.)

Daughter #1 and I ate one each and she gobbled down every single bite. (So did I.)

Chicken, Provolone, Arugula Panini
Serves 2

4 slices of bread of your choice (I just used ordinary wheat bread I had in the house)
1 cup of chicken, broken into smaller pieces (My favorite Costco rotisserie was in this one)
1 cup of arugula
6-8 basil leaves
2 slices of provolone cheese
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon mustard (optional)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil

One one slice of bread, spread 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise. Layer 1/2 cup of chicken on top. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of lemon juice on top of the chicken.
Add another layer, 1/2 cup arugula. On top of arugula lay down 3 basil leaves. Finish with a slice of provolone, a dash of mustard (optional) and then add the final slice of bread.

In a nonstick fry pan, over medium low heat, heat 1 tablespoons olive oil. Swirl the pan so the oil spreads and carefully place the sandwich in the pan. Cover the sandwich with another fry pan, pushing down on the pan to provide the smoosh factor. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the bread is golden and crispy. Flip the sandwich, lay the pan down again and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Remove from pan, allow it to cool for a moment, and then slice it in half and enjoy!

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admire that golden crust, oozing cheese and obscene deliciousness

For those lucky enough to be flush with cash and have lots of counter space, this is the one I would buy