Homemade BBQ Sauce and Succotash

For dinner tonight, I decided to make succotash to clear out the vegetable drawer. JJ requested BBQ succotash, and I aim to please. Usually we have some BBQ sauce on hand, but since we moved, I'd been slow to restock our condiments. I decided to just whip up my own BBQ sauce. It was really easy to prepare, and came out great. I love making my own sauce because I can easily control the spice level, the sweetness, the vinegar, and other aspects. I took a tiny bit of help on getting the smokey flavor by using Chicago Grill seasoning from Penzeys, but it's just fine without it.

Homemade Sweet and Tangy BBQ Sauce

1/2 red onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

6 oz. can of tomato paste

1/4 cup brown sugar

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1 tbsp. Penzey's Chicago Steak Seasoning (or McCormack Grill seasoning)

Splash of water

Heat a small saucepot over medium heat.

Add onions and garlic, season with salt and pepper, saute' for 5 minutes.

Deglaze the pot with the vinegar, scrape up the bits.

Add tomato paste, brown sugar, cayenne and seasoning. Stir well.

Add to a blender and puree, add water 1 tbsp. at a time to reach desired consistency.

Taste and season, pour in a jar or bottle and keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

The succotash was a mixture of red, green and yellow peppers, zucchini, summer squash, and red onion. You can also add some corn, okra, and beans.

Monogrammed Sugar Cookies

For the party Saturday, I thought it would be nice to make a little favor for everyone in the form of a dessert. I though the standard Famous Sugar Cookie with the "W" iced on it would be pretty, so I went for it.
I put them in individual plastic bags and tied them with red ribbon, and they looked really nice. These would be great for a cheap and homemade wedding favor or for any other family party.


You can see my detailed instructions for making the sugar cookies and the royal icing and how to pipe and flood icing in my Twilight cake/cookies post.

Grandma's Orange Cake

On Saturday afternoon, JJ and I went to a family party. JJ's dad is one of 5 boys, I can't imagine what his mom went through! I was assigned to bring a dessert to the party, but wasn't sure what everyone would like. When we were at JJ's birthday dinner, his mom suggested I try making Big Grandma's Orange Cake. I never had the opportunity to try Grandma's cake, she passed away almost 4 years ago and I had only met her a few times. However, when Mom mentioned the cake, JJ and his brother both said I had to try it. There had been a few attempts by other family members, but it didn't turn out exactly right. Since they know I'm a decent baker, they figured I'd be up for the challenge!
Well, I did them proud! The cake is a simple sponge cake, baked with orange juice rather than milk or water. The filling is an orange curd, and the icing is a basic buttercream, again with orange juice rather than water or milk.
I didn't want to change the integrity of the cake as it's famous and I was trying to perfect it, but I did make a few adjustments to boost flavor and help with the scientific portion of the recipe. For example, Grandma used self-rising flour, but I'm not a fan, so I opted to use cake flour and add leaveners. I also added vanilla to give a little more flavor to contrast with the in-your-face orange notes. Finally, I made the curd a more traditional recipe and used a bit less to fill my layers as JJ told me at times, all you could taste was the sweet filling. Oh, and I was told mine was a bit fancier looking with the little white royal icing orange blossoms and a piped border!
Even if you're not a fan of orange cake, I'd still try the curd on toast or an english muffin. I love lemon and lime curd, but the orange was so different in a very good way!

Grandma's Orange Cake

Cake:

2 1/2 cups cake flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2/3 cup canola oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups orange juice

Sift together flour, baking powder, soda and salt.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, oil and vanilla on medium speed for 2 minutes.

Alternately add flour mixture and orange juice, starting and ending with flour.

Beat until just combined.

Pour into 3 8" cake pans lined with parchment, greased and floured.

Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick through the center comes out clean.

Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then cool on a baking rack for another 30, or until the cakes come to room temperature.

Orange Curd Filling:

2 cups orange juice

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup cornstarch

2 egg yolks

2 tbsp. butter

Bring orange juice and sugar to a simmer in a small pot, turn to medium heat.

Whisk together sifted cornstarch and egg yolks.

Add 1/4 cup of the hot juice to the eggs and cornstarch, whisk to create a slurry and temper.

Add the slurry to the pot of juice, whisk over medium heat.

Continue to whisk until mixture becomes thick.

Remove from heat, whisk in salt, then whisk in butter 1/2 tbsp at a time.

Place in a glass dish, cover with plastic and refrigerate until chilled.

Orange Icing:

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup butter flavored shortening (use if cake will be in heat, if not, use all butter)

2 lbs. confectioners sugar

1/4 - 1/2 cup orange juice (I squeezed in the juice from the orange I zested)

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. orange zest

Cream together butter and shortening, add salt, vanilla and zest.

Keep mixer running on low, add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time.

Squeeze in orange juice when icing gets too thick.

Continue to mix until all of the sugar is mixed in, adding orange juice as necessary.

Icing should be whipped and spreadable but not too wet.

Use immediately or refrigerate until using.

(I used about 2/3 of the icing to create a 1/4" thick layer of buttercream on the cake)

To assemble, place a cake on a plate, pipe an icing border around the edge. Fill with 1/2 cup orange curd. Add another cake layer and another curd layer. Top with final cake and ice with buttercream.

Spinach and Artichoke Penne with Faux Alfredo

A few months ago, I tried to make a healthier version of Fettuccini Alfredo at my sister's request. I used pureed cottage cheese, a technique that I found in the Moosewood Lowfat Favorites cookbook. I thought the pasta was nice, and the cottage cheese was a great substitute. However, after my success with whipped cauliflower, I thought I might try using that as the base for a newer, lighter alfredo. It doesn't pack the same protein punch, but I liked the flavor a bit more.
Now I do realize that this dish is a bit out there, and pureed cauliflower might turn some people off, but luckily flavor of the parmesan really overpowers the cauliflower, so it's hard to tell the cauliflower is even in there.
To round out the dish, I found a can of artichokes in the pantry, so thought I'd add them. Then I was going to prepare a spinach salad, but thought I might just wilt the spinach and add it to the dish to make the ever popular spinach and artichoke combo!

Spinach and Artichoke Penne with Faux Alfredo

1/2 lb. whole wheat penne

1/2 head of cauliflower florets

2 c. vegetable stock

1 lb. fresh, baby spinach

1/4 -1/2 c. milk

1/2 c. parmesan cheese

1 15 oz. can of quartered artichoke hearts

Salt and pepper

Crushed red pepper flake

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt and add pasta.

Cook for 10 minutes, or until al dente, drain.

Bring vegetable stock to a boil in a small pot, add cauliflower, cover, turn heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, until soft.

In a large saute' pan, wilt spinach leaves over medium heat. Drain and set aside.

Add cauliflower to a blender or food processor with most of the parmesan cheese, add 1/4 c. of milk and any remaining vegetable stock. Puree. Add more milk if necessary, season with salt and pepper.

Add pasta, artichokes, cauliflower puree, and spinach to the pasta pot.

Turn over low heat and bring to temperature.

Plate and top with remaining parmesan and a sprinkle of crushed red pepper.

Vegetable Wonton Soup with the Works

I've been trying to hold off on preparing this dinner until the winter months, but I couldn't wait any longer! This soup is similar to a traditional wonton soup, but it's got a few additions that make it into a very flavorful, very filling meal rather than a first course.
Back in June, JJ and I went to Siam House in Bloomington. Dinner was delicious, but what made it most memorable was the wonton soup. Usually wonton soup is a few floating wontons in a really salty broth with a few scallions and sliced button mushrooms floating in it. When the server brought out a large cauldron of soup and removed the lid, I was in a cilantro scented heaven! The pot was full of baby bok choy, bean sprouts, cilantro sprigs, and plump, translucent wontons. I later read that the wontons were a mixture of ground pork and shrimp, though I think the shrimp flavor was overshadowed because I couldn't tell it was in there.
JJ isn't a big cilantro fan, he can take a sprinkle here and there, but the big sprigs turned him off. I figured it would be a great recipe to recreate while he is not home at dinner this week! I made the wontons out of a tofu and vegetable mix, and they were just as good and flavorful as the pork variety. I also used egg roll wrappers and trimmed them down a bit because my wonton wrappers always unseal because they're too small (or I fill them too much).
This dish was easiest to prepare in a deep, wide skillet rather than a pot because I didn't want to disturb the wontons too much as I always fear they'll burst on me!

Vegetable Wonton Soup with the Works

Wontons:

12 egg roll wrappers

1 carrot, peeled

1 c. shredded cabbage

6 oz. shiitake mushrooms

4 scallions, chopped

4 garlic cloves

1 tsp. grated ginger

4 oz. firm tofu, crumbled

2 tbsp. soy sauce

2 tbsp. oyster sauce

pinch of crushed red pepper

salt and pepper

2 tsp. cornstarch

Soup:

8 c. vegetable stock

2 baby bok choy, trimmed and halved

4 oz. bean sprouts

10 sprigs of cilantro

2 scallions, sliced

Place carrot, cabbage, mushrooms, scallions, garlic and ginger in a food processor.

Pulse until ground into small bits, but not pureed.

Add to a skillet with 1 tbsp. EVOO over medium heat.

Saute' for 5 minutes, season with salt and pepper, remove from head and cool to room temperature.

Add tofu to a mixing bowl, crumble with fingers.

Add soy and oyster sauce, crushed red pepper flakes and cornstarch, mix well.

Add vegetables, mix again.

Lay wonton wrappers on a cutting board, fill with 2 tbsp. tofu mixture, wipe sides with water, seal and press, fold over and seal the points, see wonton photo below.

When finished, place wontons on a baking sheet and place in the freezer.

Heat a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat.

Add stock and bok choy, bring to a simmer, add bean sprouts, cilantro, scallions and wontons.

Simmer for 5-6 minutes, until wontons are translucent and float, be careful and don't move them too much, do not boil soup.

Serve as soon as possible, if wontons sit they may start to disintegrate into the soup!

my preferred way to wrap up a wonton or dumpling, they always seem to keep from falling apart this way!

the adoarble and delicious baby bok choy

my preferred cooking vessel for preparing the soup

Island Salad with Coconut Curry Dressing

One of my favorite salad dressings is Ginger-Carrot, the kind you get on a salad at a Japenese Steakhouse. When I saw this dressing on Cheeseburger in Paradise's menu, it sounded similar, and I was intrigued. I decided to go for it on a house salad, and it was so delicious.
Though I had this dressing months ago, I haven't gotten it out of my head. Since I had a large lunch, I decided to make a lighter dinner. I had some coconut milk left over, and always keep a few types of curry on hand. One thing I added to this salad that I normally don't is asparagus. They served it on the house salad at CIP, and it was great, so I blanced a few spears and threw them on the salad along with some masala spiced tofu.

Island Salad with Coconut Curry Dressing

Salad:

1 head of romaine, chopped

1 c. mixed cabbage slaw

10 asparagus spears, chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, sliced

1/2 c. mandarin orange segments

1/2 c. snow peas, chopped

4 oz. Firm tofu, any variety, sliced

Dressing:

1/2 c. light coconut milk

2 tsp. curry powder

1/4 tsp. cayenne powder

salt and pepper

1/2 tsp. vinegar

1 tsp. brown sugar

Arrange salad ingredients in a bowl.

Whirl together dressing ingredients in a blender, pour over salad and serve.

Spicy and Sweet Tofu Curry Bowl

You may have noticed I haven't been blogging much. Since moving to Jacksonville, it's been a mix of family dinners, events, new restaurants at my disposal, and mosly wanting to get out of the house while I'm searching for jobs all day! This week is going to be the last of JJ's 2-a-day practices with the soccer team, so he'll be gone during dinner and I'll be cooking for myself.
Although dinnertime with JJ is probably my favorite part of the day, sometimes I like when he's not here so I can create some new dishes that he might not like, specifically tofu and cauliflower dishes. I also like to be creative, which is usually a great victory or bitter defeat. I don't mind eating the remains of a defeated meal, but I feel bad feeding JJ a failed dish.
I knew tonight's dinner would be a winner though, because it's something I often make for myself when he's not around. Somehow it never made it to the blog! Maybe because it's so simple, or maybe because I devour it before any photos can be taken... I can't say for sure!
The dish is essentially a beginner's guide to cooking a curry. It's not the most traditional, but it introduces you to the flavors you'll experience at your generic American Thai restaurant. It's totally up to the cook to decide which vegetables to use, how much spice to add, and what starch you want. I enjoy using rice noodles because they cook so quickly and they're much easier to cook than basmati rice (if you don't have a rice cooker).
Again, this dish is a building block. The protein can be switched out, the vegetables, the type of curry (green curry paste, golden curry powder), and the starch. And best of all, it's very healthy and vegan!
I want to note that I usually use Thai Kitchen brand products (noodles, coconut milk, etc.) but tonight I used Hokan brand, which was on sale at Publix. The light coconut milk was much thicker than Thai Kitchen, I definitely liked it much more and highly recommend it!

Spicy and Sweet Tofu Curry Bowl

(This recipe feeds 2 big eaters, with some leftovers)

3 oz. rice vermicelli noodles

1 12 oz. can Hokan brand light coconut milk

3 tbsp. Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste

1/4 tsp. cayenne powder

Salt and pepper

1 tsp. light brown sugar

1 lime, halved

1 head of cauliflower in florets

1 orange bell pepper, in 1" chunks

1 12 oz. can baby corn

1 6 oz. can diced water chestnuts

6 oz. snap peas

1 block of tofu, diced (I used Indian Masala spiced tofu from Whole Foods, any firm/extra firm tofu will work just fine)

Bring a pot of water to a boil, add rice noodles.

Cook according to package directions, drain and set aside.

Bring an inch of water to a boil, place a steamer basket over the water, add cauliflower, peppers, snap peas, corn and chestnuts.

Steam for 4-6 minutes, or until tender.

In a small saucepot over medium, whisk together coconut milk, curry paste, salt, pepper, cayenne and brown sugar.

Bring to a simmer, add tofu turn heat off.

Plate noodles, top with vegetables.

Add the juice of 1/2 the lime to the sauce, plate over vegetables.

Serve with an extra wedge of lime to squeeze over top, if desired.

And now I must take a minute to wish my wonderful husband a very happy 24th birthday (a day late!) I love you!

And also, Happy 700th post, A Year in the Kitchen!

Vegan Pasta Primavera

I didn't intentionally make last night's dinner vegan, but while typing up the recipe, I realized it was Though I'm not vegan, I certainly recognize and appreciate the health benefits and environmental benefits of veganism, and do enjoy vegan dishes from time to time. Dishes like this really showcase the healthy benefits of veganism, a rainbow of colorful vegetables, yet still incredible flavorful and filling.
Now if you're not vegan or vegetarian, there are a few additions you can make if you find it necessary. Vegetarians can simply add some parmesan cheese in the pesto, or mozzarella on top.
If you prefer meat, add some sliced organic chicken or turkey sausage which takes no effort at all!

Vegan Pasta Primavera

1/2 lb. rotini

1 tbsp. EVOO

8 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced

1 yellow onion, halved and sliced

1 yellow bell pepper, sliced

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 lb. asparagus spears, trimmed

1/2 c. frozen peas

Crushed red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper

1/2 c. diced tomatoes with Italian herbs

5 sun dried tomatoes, sliced

Pesto:

1/4 c. Vegetable Stock

2 tbsp. EVOO

20 basil leaves

2 tbsp. tomato paste

1/4 c. pine nuts

5 sun dried tomatoes

2 garlic cloves

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add pasta and salt. Cook until al dente.

In the last minute of cooking, add the asparagus.

Drain and set aside while vegetables cook.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat.

Add EVOO and mushrooms. Sweat mushrooms until they stop giving off water, add onions and peppers.

Season with salt and pepper, cook until peppers are tender, about 6-8 minutes.

While vegetables cook, add all pesto ingredients to a blender or food processor, pluse until smooth.

Add peas, diced tomatoes, pesto, pasta and asparagus to the skillet with peppers. Toss.

Cover and heat through about 3-5 minutes.

If pasta is dry, add more vegetable stock.

Serve with sun dried tomatoes chopped basil for garnish.

Mushroom and Okra Curry

When I was 12 years old, I decided to become a vegetarian. While my parents were supportive and understanding, I don't know that they thought it would last. My mom told me that she wanted me to do some of the cooking so she didn't have to cook 2 separate meals each night, which was great for me! One morning when we were shopping at Sam's Club, I found "The Greatest Ever Vegetarain Cookbook." It is a huge cookbook with over 300 recipes of all types. When she bought it for me, I went through and put post its in my favorite recipes to make and try. I did that a few times as my tastes and cooking abilities changed, so it's interesting to see what I tagged when I was 12, 15, and now.

When I was 12, I skipped over all of the curries, but now I'm excited about them! I found one for okra and mushrooms in a tomato based curry, which is something I've not cooked before. The flavor of this curry was great, but I think I'm more of a coconut milk based curry fan.

Mushroom and Okra Curry

from The Greatest Vegetarian Cookbook Ever

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 in. ginger root

2 chiles, seeded and chopped

3/4 c. water

1 tbsp. EVOO

1 tsp. coriander seeds

1 tsp. cumin seeds

1 tsp. ground cumin

2 cardamom pods, seeds removed and ground (I used 1/2 tsp. ground)

Pinch of ground turmeric
1 4 oz. can tomatoes, chopped

1 lb. mushrooms, quartered

8 oz. okra

2 tbsp. cilantro, for garnish

Brown rice, for serving

Mango chutney, for serving

Place the garlic, ginger, chiles and 3 tbsp. of water in a blender, process until smooth.

Heat oil in a large saucepan, add the corriander, cumin seeds and ground cumin, cardamom, turmeric and cook for a minute.

Add the garlic paste, tomatoes and water. Stir to mix.

Add the mushrooms and okra, stir again and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.

Remove the cover and turn heat up, cook for another 5-10 minutes until okra is tender.

Stir in cilantro.

Serve with rice and mango chutney.

Brown Butter Snickerdoodles

Now that I've got some time on my hands (please, someone give me a job!!!), I've been baking to pass the time. I've been trying to think of some easy recipes that have minor twists to make them a little more interesting. I've never made snickerdoodles on the blog before, so I decided to tackle them. From what I understand they're a basic sugar cookie rolled in cinnamon sugar.
In order to spice them up a bit, I decided to brown the butter first to give it a nuttier, more caramel flavor. I also used part brown sugar to bring home the caramel flavor. For a finishing touch, rather than use cinnamon sugar, I added a pinch of nutmeg and used raw sugar for a bit more crunch and flavor.
These cookies were fantastic, using the melted brown butter made them very chewy on the inside, and the outside was crunchy and flavorful! They're a definite winner.

Brown Butter Snickerdoodles

1 c. brown butter

1 c. granulated sugar

1/2 c. brown sugar

2 eggs at room temperature

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

3 c. all purpose flour

1/4 c. raw sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Heat a stainless steel pot or pan over medium heat.

Add the butter, cook for about 5-8 minutes, until just browned (if you wait until it's too brown, it will burn). See example here.

Add butter to the bowl of a stand mixer. Cool to room temperature.

Add sugars and beat until well incorporated (butter will separate a bit)

Add eggs one at a time, mix well.

Add baking powder, baking soda and salt, mix for 10 seconds.

Add flour and mix until well incorporated.

Dough might seem a bit lose.

Place bowl of dough in the refrigerator covered for one hour.

Mix sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a dish.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spoon out 1" balls of dough, roll in sugar and place on a baking sheet.

Bake for 13-15 minutes, cool on a wire rack.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.