A Spot of Sunshine

As my dear local readers are well aware, we were blessed with another 10'' of snow yesterday. School cancelled. Don't you think the DPW should just attach a snowplow blade onto the front of the school buses and get two jobs done for the price of one? I certainly think so.

I also think we needed a little spot of sunshine in the midst of such a wintery day. So I made a Grapefruit Yogurt Cake. It smelled so fresh, tasted so light that I was momentarily transported to a warmer clime. Momentarily. Then the dog came in for something like the twelfth time, and shook off all the snow.
 
I got the recipe from Smitten Kitchen, a great recipe and food photo blog. She adapted it from Ina Garten, aka the Barefoot Contessa. If she lived in Maine, would she be the Booted Contessa?

Grapefruit Yogurt Cake

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsps. baking powder

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1 cup plain whole milk yogurt

1 cup sugar, plus 1 Tbsp.

3 extra-large eggs

grated zest of one large grapefruit

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, plus 2 Tbsps.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.Grease an 8 1/2 x 2 1/2" loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl.
In another larger bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, eggs, zest and vanilla. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into batter, making sure it's well incorporated.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester (or toothpick) placed in the center comes out clean.

Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup grapefruit juice and the remaining 1 Tbsp. sugar in a small saucepan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.

When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Place a cooling rack over a baking sheet lined with wax paper.  Remove cake from pan, peel off parchment paper and carefully place on rack. Pour the juice/sugar mixture over the still warm cake and allow it to soak in. Cool completely.

Make a glaze with 2 Tbsps. grapefruit juice and 3/4 cup confectioner's sugar. Drizzle over cake, so some drips down the sides.

You could substitute any citrus fruit for the grapefruit. Lime would be delicious!

The Sweet Benefits of Blogging

Funny thing about blogging...you get into because you have something to say that you think people might want to read. Or you start because you feel so strongly about something - like food. And maybe you actually enjoy writing for yourself, not a client, and you're brave enough to share it with everyone out there willing to give you five minutes.

One thing I never anticipated when I began blogging was the new blogosphere friends I would make. I don't know, I guess it just never occured to me. Really, all you have to do is a make a nice comment on someone's blog and the next thing you know, you're pals, in a sense. It's whole community and I must say, I'm really enjoying it. It's a lagniappe of blogging!

One of my first blog friends was Jain at onceinabluemoon. I don't even remember how we connected. Well, last week I got an email from Jain, asking if I would like to join a private, group cooking blog she does just for fun. It's called WFD & more (What's For Dinner). Only members can read and comment. It's like being asked to join the cool kids at the lunch table. Of course I said yes and now I have a whole new group of blog pals.

The group does a bi-monthly event called Darling Bakers, where everyone bakes, or makes, something from the chosen category. This week it was cupcakes. I was expected to whip up a batch, photograph them and show them on WFD by Saturday. Of course I rose to the occasion.

I took my inspiration from that which surrounds me completely - snow. Everywhere you look, it's white. Chocolate is normally my flavor of choice (that'll have to wait til mud season), but I wanted to keep the whole thing light and airy, like meringue and marshmallow. I don't have much experience with sugar art or cake decorating, but I do have a box of Snow Village pieces that has yet to be put away after Christmas. Instant decorations! Sure, they're not edible, but they look pretty.

True confessions: I used a cake mix for the cupcake itself (oh like you wouldn't).  I just wanted to get them made quickly so I could get to the decorating part. I made the marshmallow icing from a recipe in the wonderful book by Judy Rosenberg, Rosie's All-Butter, Fresh Cream, Sugar-Packed No-Holds-Barred Baking Book. If you don't have it, you should. She's the Rosie of Rosie's Bakery in Boston. Everything in the book (and the bakery) is crazy delicious and not too hard to make.

Here it is:

Marshmallow Frosting

2 large egg whites, room temperature

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsps. sugar

3 Tbsps. light corn syrup

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Put the egg whites, sugar and corn syrup in the top of a double boiler placed over rapidly boiling water. Beat with a hand-held mixer until soft peaks form, about 4 minutes.

2. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl. Add the vanilla and beat with an electric mixer (whisk attachment if possible) on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, about 30 seconds. Use immediately.

Hey kids, remove decorations before consuming.

Banana Chocolate Chip Bars

Since you were kind enough to put up with that boring technical post from the other day, I think you deserve a treat. A buttery, crunchy, chewy, sweet treat. This one fills the bill. I have eaten most of the pan myself since I made them yesterday. Is that an endorsement or what? I blame credit Kelly at the delightful blog Sass & Veracity for the extra time I will have to spend on the treadmill this weekend. Find her delicious recipe for Banana Chocolate Chip Bars here. I added coconut to the banana mixture and used vanilla extract instead of the orange. I also used a bit more chocolate than called for. Because I honestly believe there's nothing that can't be improved with chocolate chips.

But What Should I Do with It?

I can't even tell you how much I appreciate you, the people who take the time to read this blog. It's a total vanity project if there ever was one, so thank you for indulging me. Some of you are new to the blogging world, while some have been around MUCH longer than me. I am still trying to figure out many things, especially the technical parts.
My husband got tired of answering (or not) my many questions, plus he has no experience with blogging, photography or cooking. He's good at eating and he's smart enough to give me a gift of 6 hours of tech support from a local company. Thanks honey! So look out for a new, sharper, blog design, coming soon to a screen near you.

Meanwhile, to my new blog-reading friends,who have asked "what should I do with it", here are a few suggestions:

* Subscribe by email. See the little box to the left? It says "Subscribe Now". All you have to do is put in your email address. That's it. Then every time I write a new post, it will be delivered to your inbox. How easy is that? There is no charge for this, and I will never sell your name to any one, I promise.

* Comment. See the little word "Comments" at the bottom of each post? Sometimes it might say "1 comment" or if I'm lucky, it'll say "4 comments". Click on the word "comments" and a little box will pop-up. It will display all the nice things people have written about this post. Now it's your turn! Write something nice, something thoughtful or ask a question. It can even be one word, like "Delicious", "Insane" or "Love it !" (yes I know that's 2 words). I really like funny comments too. You can be "Anonymous" if you'd like, or you can use your first name, or you can make up a screen name. If you have a blog or a website, you know what to do. I'd love to know who's out there reading and what you think.

* Be a follower. This is like a fan club. Signing on as a follower is just another way of letting me know who's out there. It doesn't require a blood oath and there are no dues.You can follow publicly, where you give your name or a pseudonym. Or you can follow anonymously, just letting yourself be counted and make me look more popular. You can also upload a picture from your computer, so I can see you. Click on the words "Follow This Blog" and follow directions.

* Look me up on Facebook, and become part of the Mignardise network there. There's box near the bottom that says "NetworkedBlogs". Click where it says "Join the Network" and you're in. I think you have to have a Facebook account, but I'm not totally sure.

* Print out a recipe. It has been brought to my attention that some readers (Beth) don't know how to make a hard copy of a recipe. Here's what you do:
-Holding the shift key, highlight the recipe.
-When all the words that you want are highlighted, click "Ctrl" and "c" at the same time.
-Now, go to, or open, whatever program you use for word processing, like Microsoft Word.
-Open a new document there. Press "Ctrl' and "v" at the same time. The recipe will show up! Now you can print it, without having to print all the other copy or photos.

Of course these are merely suggestions. You don't have to do anything! Just enjoy...thanks for reading.

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things - Part 2

Coffee is the best reason to get up in the morning. Sometimes it's the only reason. It's the morning equivalent of the 6 pm glass of Pinot Grigio. Coffee gets you through - getting the kids up, packing a lunchbox, dealing with surly teens and library book crises. So you better have a damn good coffeemaker. I do.

This is my Keurig one-cup-at-a-time coffeemaker and my best friend in the morning. For years I used a Cuisinart Brewmaster and it made good coffee. It also made more coffee than I could drink in the morning, so I ended up throwing a lot away or drinking more than is really necessary (the heart palpitations are a good sign you've had too much caffeine). Then I'd have to make another whole pot if I wanted a cup of decaf.

So just like the toaster, Santa brought this to us, a year ago. At first I was skeptical. I'd seen this kind of coffeemaker in the car dealer's Customer Lounge. Tried it once and was disappointed. I suppose it could have been the hideous non-dairy creamer they had instead of the milk I usually use. Or the styrofoam cup. So when this showed up under the tree, I wasn't all that enthusiastic. But Santa insisted, presenting me with an assorted box of coffee, tea and hot cocoa K-cups.

A year later, I'm a believer. Yes, the Keurig is noisy while it's brewing my one perfect cup. But the dog's not scared of it. And I love that I can have exactly what I want, not what Bob, or any other coffee drinker wants. I like Newman's Own Special Blend Extra Bold or the Sumatran Reserve Dark Roast. He likes hazelnut. We both like Newman's Own Decaf. There are loads more choices, including Celestial Seasonings teas. You can find them all, and the coffeemaker, at www.greenmountaincoffee.com where you can also sign up to have them delivered directly to your home. How sweet is that?

Just like all my readers, coffee is my friend. If you're in the neighborhood, join me for a cup.

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things - Part 1

 For many years we had the same DeLonghi toaster oven in our kitchen, which was perfectly satisfactory. You could reheat pizza or broil your tuna melt, or just make...toast. And the toast was just fine. Then one day, about a year ago, the DeLonghi started to spew smoke. Not too much smoke, but enough to make me consider a risk assessment before my next bagel. Bob, the more safety conscious partner in this marriage, said to throw it out and get a new one.

So out it went and I proceeded to research and analyze various toaster ovens. Having a research project like this makes me happy (researching travel makes me downright giddy!). I went to all the websites and to Target until I settled on another DeLonghi. It was a very sleek little oven with digital controls, that made an electronic beeping sound. The first time I made toast, Cricket, (aka The World's Best Dog) turned tail and ran out of the kitchen. I found her hiding in my closet, refusing to come out. After three  days of toast making and tuna melting, Cricket became a quivering, panicky mess who wouldn't leave the house at all and started peeing in the study. Finally, a very wise neighbor deduced that the electronic beep was the same frequency as her Invisible Fence collar. And she fears that thing even more than a thunderstorm, an event which will reduce her to a tail-between-the-legs crybaby.

So the snazzy DeLonghi digital toaster oven had to go back to Williams-Sonoma. They were very understanding about the problem, although they hadn't had anyone else ever return an appliance because their DOG didn't like it. Now how would we make toast?

As an interim solution, I bought an inexpensive Black & Decker oven. Truly, you get what you pay for. The door never closed right and the bread only toasted on one side. I was happy to get rid of it a few months later when I found yet another DeLonghi, at Cooking.com that seemed to fulfill all our requirements - no scary beeps and it didn't take up too much room on the counter. I thought it was perfect.

I wish the story ended here (at this point, you might too). But no. We were fine and happy with that toaster oven for a few months, but then the on/off dial failed. I heard murmurings from the crowd about buying something completely different, perhaps an actual...toaster. Someone suggested that perhaps Santa would bring one for Christmas this year. So Santa did some research yet again and bought a shiny new Breville toaster, aka Possibly The World's Most Expensive Toaster. Take a look -  it's beautiful!

The toast doesn't pop up like a regular toaster - it rises slowly and majestically presenting the most perfectly toasted piece of bread ever. It's brilliant, we love it!
But when the toast has risen and is ready to be buttered and jammed, there comes one small but distinctive electronic beep.
Poor Cricket.

Coconut Curry Chicken Soup

I love Asian food. Chinese, Thai, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese. There are some I haven't tried yet, like Malaysian or Laotian. I did see Anthony Bourdain visit Laos once on No Reservations and they were eating tiny swallows (the bird) whole, so I'm not sure if Laotian will be my thing. But I love the rest of Asia, as far as I know. It's the brightness of the flavors that appeals to me - ginger, cilantro, chilies, a squeeze of lime or a sprinkling of mint. And the whole one bowl concept, with many components like chewy noodles, sweet and spicy broth or sauce, lots of vegetables and just enough meat. Yum.

So tonight I tried one of the many Thai soup recipes I saved from a magazine ( Cooking Light). It's not authentic, but when it tastes this good, I don't really care. It had all the right stuff and it was warming and delicious. Here's my adaptation - it may look like a lot of ingredients, but you probably have most of them in your pantry. If not, stock up because you'll want to make this a lot!

Coconut Curry Chicken Soup

4 cups water

3 cups fresh spinach leaves

1 cup snowpeas, cut in half crosswise

1 package rice noodles (5 3/4 oz.), wide or thin*

1 Tbsp. canola oil

1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots

2 tsps. red curry paste*

1 1/ 2 tsps. curry powder

1/2 tsp. turmeric

1/2 tsp. ground coriander

2 cloves garlic, minced

6 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 can light coconut milk

2 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast (I used the meat from a supermarket rotisserie chicken)

1/2 cup chopped scallions

2 Tbsps. sugar

2 Tbsps. fish sauce*

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

2 limes, cut into wedges

1. In a large saucepan, bring 4 cups water to boil. Add spinach and snow peas; cook for 30 seconds. Remove vegetables from pan with a slotted spoon and set aside in a bowl. Add noodles to saucepan; cook 3 minutes, until softened. Drain and add noodles to vegetable mixture.
2. Heat canola oil in pan. Add shallots, curry paste, curry powder, turmeric, coriander and garlic. Saute one minute, stirring constantly.
3. Add chicken broth to pan and bring to a boil. Add coconut milk and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Add chicken, scallions, sugar and fish sauce. Cook for 2 minutes. Add vegetable/noodle mix to broth. Stir in cilantro.
5. Serve, squeezing a lime wedge into each bowl. (Don't skip this - it really makes a difference!)

* You can find these items in the Asian section of most supermarkets.