Back to ski-zool, sort of

Jenny, these are for you!

It is so very strange to see all of the hubbub of back to school madness swirling around me and to not be a part of it at all this year! No back to school shopping for new clothes or classroom decorations, no organizing bookshelves or planning lessons. Nada. Zilch. Nothing.

It's nice, actually, not to feel stressed and nervous about setting up a classroom, settling in new students, or meeting new parents. It's also sad. I do miss a lot of what made me happy to be a teacher: amazing kids who actually loved English, hanging with my bad-ass staff buddies, and feeling challenged at my job. But I have to be really honest at this time of year. There is a LOT that I don't miss. People undervaluing my career. Working endless hours at home to prep and grade papers. Defending myself to helicopter parents. None of those things make me want to go back to work.

I have come to realize that many of the things I adored about teaching, I can still have. And without the negatives.

- I can still surround myself with like minded people and have discussions about a wide range of topics (yes maybe those topics may occasionally be Sandra Boynton instead of Shakespeare, but still).

- I can be inspired and creative every day. Often the artistic side of me felt pushed into the background by the language lover in me at school, so being at home has helped me foster that much more! Jude is the best guinea pig and student I've ever had. He'll try anything and never tells me I'm lame.

- I can still inspire and create with kids. I'm working on expanding this part, as my current focus is clearly on Jude, his small circle of friends, and the day care kiddos. I am thinking of starting a Mommy and Me art/story class, so that would be a nice push in that direction.

- I can still read. And write. I do miss my creative writing class, where I would sit with my students and actually write for 30 minutes daily. It was incredible. I don't know why I never thought to do it on my own! I bought a new journal, visited the adult stacks of the library (alone!), and am now thoroughly enjoying a small amount of book nerd me time every day. 

I have decided to embrace this September as a time to get out own little play-school at home refocused. We'll hopefully be welcoming some new friends to the day care, and getting that class I mentioned up and running. Jude is now a super active, curious, and intelligent toddler, and thanks to him, I am a far better teacher than I ever was before. I just never realized that being a mother would make that happen. Teaching your child how to, well, how to everything, puts classroom practice and training into real perspective.

We'll just see how long I can hold off on introducing him to iambic pentameter.

Breakfast with the Primes

It's been quite a long time since I shared one of my oddball early morning conversations with E. Years actually. Before Jude our breakfast chats were about fruits and zombies, now they are about toys. This week E passed his most beloved toy down to Jude: Optimus Prime. It's only the best Christmas gift my husband ever got, and our little dude broke it within minutes. The thing had clearly seen better days, but it still works. Jude loves playing with it and feeding it gas and oil (like it's a baby), but the best part is listening to our almost two year old try to say "Optimus Prime."

E: Jude, who is that you're playing with?

JUDE: Prime.

E: Yes, but which one? Optimus Prime. There are lots of Primes. 

ME: There are?

E: (eye roll ) YES. Optimus Prime, Rodimus Prime, Megatron was a Prime and then he was Galvatron and Unicron. 

ME: Did he turn into a unicorn?

E: (huge eye roll) NO. He turned into a PLANET. 

ME: That doesn't make sense. If his name was Unicron he should have turned into a unicorn.

E: THAT doesn't make sense. Unicorns aren't real things. Why would he turn into something that isn't real?

***
I'm only partly sure he was joking.

Phun in Philly: Days Three and Four

Our first full day in Philly was so jam packed, we thought we'd start Saturday off easy. Our friend Kristin highly recommended a place for breakfast; really, she gushed about it. So we headed off to South Philly to Carman's Country Kitchen. This tiny little corner joint (literally 3 tables inside, an 8 seat counter, and a pick up truck at the curb with a picnic table in back) was so awesome! It's full of kitschy tchotchkes and mismatched vintage dishware, and hidden among the Betty Boop cookie jars were penis pepper shakers, boobie mugs, and all sorts of fun things to laugh at while you ponder the menu. The menu, by the way, changes every day and offers four choices, all whipped up by Carman in a kitchen so tiny I don't know how she turns around. E went for the Jewish New Year special: brisket with fried eggs, toast, and country potatoes. I had challah French toast topped with baked peaches, apples, and blueberries and a mound of homemade whipped cream. I could have died. Trust me, when a woman's business card says, "She puts the Cunt back in Country" you know you're in good hands. Just call ahead to make a reservation; it's a local fave and we were lucky to get in!

We rolled ourselves out the door and walked down to the Italian Market on 9th Street. More amazing food stalls, specialty shops, and cafes. The cheeses alone got me dizzy, but E was more thrilled staring at meat. He made me walk into every butcher shop to ogle chops even though we couldn't buy anything. He was equally impressed that you can buy a whole boneless roasted pig there. How the hell they do that I have no idea, but it sounds impressive! On our way out, we passed the Magic Gardens, an art installation made of found objects, broken glass, and concrete created by Isaiah Zagar. Next time, I'll take the time to go inside, but even the outside is stunning and I imagine kids would love it!

We moved on to my absolute favorite part of our whole trip: The Eastern State Penitentiary. I wasn't really joking about the going to jail thing! We spent hours wandering this old prison, home to some of the notorious criminals in American history. It's truly amazing how they've kept this place as a ruin with only a few restorations. I took an insane amount of photos, and now I know I really do need a good camera! These were the best I could do with my old point and shoot, and I have tons more on flickr if you care to look. I'm not really a history buff, but the stories about what took place in the prison are fascinating. It's also got some very cool artists' installations scattered throughout the ruin, all linked in some way to exploring the prison system in America today compared to how it was when the ESP was built. I just wish I could go back next month to do the haunted tour!

We were smart on that afternoon and actually went back to the hotel for naps, then out to dinner at Lolita. It's one of the several restaurants and shops on 13th Street owned by Marcie Turney, one of the hottest female chefs in town. We went early since they don't take reservations and it's really popular, and the food was so delicious! We had guacamole (duh), roasted poblano and chihuahua gorditas, and short ribs. The ribs were crazy good, but left us, sadly, with no room for dessert. Lolita is also another another BYO place, but they call it BYOT for Bring Your Own Tequila. They bring a big pitcher of Blood Orange or Strawberry Basil Margaritas and you spike your own. Fun! We did some more shop hopping (oh how I loved you, duross & langel!) and called it a night.

Sunday was time to head home, but not without a stop at one of Philly's most famous places: The Philadelphia Museum of Art. No, we did not run up the steps and jump around like Rocky. No, we didn't even take our pictures with the statue of Rocky. I don't even like Rocky. I just wanted to see the art. Honestly, I think it would take a full day or at least two trips to really see everything inside. The place is huge and they have some gorgeous exhibits. It was perfect for such a gray drizzly day and a nice way to end a very long weekend. I'd go back in a heartbeat, if only to eat at more restaurants, but for now I'm keeping my walking tours to a minimum. It took two days for my feet to stop throbbing.

Phun in Philly: Days One and Two

Ever feel like you need a vacation from your vacation? I'm feeling that way right now. E and I got home yesterday from a four day mini-vaca to Philly, and my legs are jello. I wish I'd worn a pedometer because I feel like I walked a hundred miles. Two hundred maybe. Anyway, it's a good thing, because I definitely needed to walk off everything I ate: milkshakes, cheese steaks, Thai, and Mexican, plus the best brunch in the history of brunches. Philadelphia is foodie heaven, people. Luckily for us, it's only a two hour drive, but if you get a chance to swing by, do so immediately! It's a really fun city, full of amazing American history, great shopping and food, and too much to do in only a few days. I took a ridiculous amount of photos, so I'm just going to highlight a few of them and add links so as not to lull you to sleep with my grandiose photo stylings :P Every place we went I would go back to, so hit them up if you can!

Day One: We checked in to our hotel right across from City Hall, and then hit up La Scala for Happy Hour. We ordered these insane little risotto and mozzarella arancine (basically risotto and cheese rolled into balls, then breaded and fried) and the calamari, which was also good. Then it was on to McGillin's Olde Ale House, the oldest bar in town. They opened in 1860 and still serve beer made from original recipes, plus they serve sauerbraten, which makes E happier than a pig in sheisse. It's charming and full of locals, so you won't feel surrounded by tourists.

Day Two: Our official sightseeing day and the day of a million footsteps. We started at the National Constitution Center, which is so interesting, even if you aren't a big history dork. It takes about an hour and is right downtown, so you can stop there after seeing the LOVE statue and head over to Reading Terminal Market aka Heaven. 

I could have spent all fricking day in this place! Holy crap, you guys, food for miles. Fresh and local produce, meats, specialty foods, tons of little places to sit and eat any kind of cuisine you want, plus adorable Amish girls hawking bread, old dudes with homemade sausage, and it smells some kind of amazing I can't even describe. Basically, I want to move in. If you dig food, this place is a must see. 

From there we walked through Chinatown to Liberty Bell Center, then stopped for beer at City Tavern. This is another place that has been around forever is is full of history, and they make the poor staff dress up. It's a little like traveling back in time, and the food is supposed to be great. 

Next we wandered over to Penn's Landing, where we had cheese steaks at Campo's and milkshakes at Franklin Fountain. Honestly, cheese steaks don't do much for me, but that little ice cream shop was the cutest thing ever. 

By then I needed a nap. Instead we went to Ben Franklin's house, shop hopped, and went out for Thai food. See what I'm saying about needing the walking? We had lemongrass soup, lettuce wraps and green curry at Aqua, which was all so good. It was a little loud thanks to a couple of big loudmouth parties, but the pricing was really reasonable for the area and the food we had. It's BYO, which it seems like may of the smaller restaurants are in town, so stop for booze on your way! After that, we went back to the hotel and I passed the f out. Philly made me tired! 

Stay tuned for Days 3 and 4, when E and I go to jail!

The Other Wife and the LaLa

Nothing like finishing off your Labor Day weekend with a festival right? Food, fun, rides, games, sunshine, it all sounds awesomesauce! That is unless you are at the West Warwick Portuguese Festival, lovingly called "The LaLa" by those in the know. The LaLa is an event that one of E's cousins has been going to for years, being from the Portuguese side of the family, and he clearly has fond memories of the place. When we got an invite to tag (Ha! I just typed gag instead of tag, Freudian, no?) along this year, we jumped on board. I should have given it a second thought when I realized it is held in West Warwick (I realize for non-Rhode Islanders this is meaningless info, but trust me). By the way, that girl up there? That's me with my hair straightened, which happens all of 3 times a year and freaks everyone out. That girl is lovingly called the "Other Wife" by E. As in, "Hey Other Wife! Make me a sandwich!" He can dream.

So back to the LaLa. It started with a bang. The parade, if you can call it that, was full of local politicians, little girls in gowns, and five minutes gaps between groups. There was a band that played no music, and a crew of young dudes in suits and sashes, all wearing gold sunglasses, all talking on cell phones. Turns out they are the board of the Portuguese Club, elected officials you might say. Elected officials who later cut all the lines with their girlfriends and yelled at the teenage food vendors for not speaking Portuguese, cause  "Yo! If you gonna work the LaLa, you gotta speak the language, ammiright?" Classy.

The rest of the event featured highlights like the oddly inappropriate Wacky House ride:

Why are there legs in the house's mouth? And why does it have a mouth anyway?

Someone explain to me how a drunk cop without pants is kid friendly. Please.

Oh and then, then guys, were the tee shirts:

Too bad he's never actually seen any. Oh, and he was helping run one of the kids fishing games.

Wait, I though Hulkamania ended in the early 90's? I'm so behind on the times. It still freaks me out that a guy in his fifties would actually attend an event where he could purchase a brand new Hulk tee shirt and then wear it proudly in public. 

Sigh. I did find the time in the middle of all of my stunned people watching to stuff my face with a big caramel apple and the only thing that actually made the place worth visiting, a cacoila (which everyone around pronounces like caserla, just FYI). It's a very typical Portuguese American sandwich served on those awesome soft rolls, dripping sweet juice all over you and the ground. It's pork, so how can it not be good? I'm going to make some in the crock pot this week, cause I just can't get enough. 

Portuguese Cacoila Sandwiches

Ingredients:
2 lbs. pork (butt, shoulder, whatevs)
2 onions, sliced into rings
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. red pepper flakes (unless you have a Portuguese market nearby and then you can use Pemento Muida)
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 cup OJ
1/2 cup red wine                                                      
1 cup water

Preparation:
Slow Cooker: Add all ingredients to a slow cooker and toss to coat. Cook on high for 4 hours or until pork falls apart easily. Shred and serve on soft Portuguese rolls.
Stove Top: Add all ingredients to a large pot and cook over medium heat for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. If liquid begins to reduce too much, add a bit more water so that the meat will not dry out. Shred and serve on soft Portuguese rolls.


*Note, the above sandwich photo is borrowed from Jim and Mary, cause I ate mine too fast to take a picture if it. Apparently the New Bedford Portuguese Festival is where it's at. Next year I'm headed north.

One For My Girls

My two best girl friends are a vegan and a vegetarian. They weren't always, as I specifically remember Jessica eating the occasional cheeseburger in high school. That was back when eating vegetarian meant ordering the bean burrito at our school's Taco Bell  and substituting two Snickers bars  for a ham sandwich. Jenny was the first person I ever knew to eat hummus, way before it was "normal," but then again, she's always been the hippie in our group. When Jenny and I did a stint as roommates, I remember her cooking up indiscriminate one-bowl concoctions of veggie fare all the time. I never quite knew what she was eating, but that was way before I  had delved into the idea that not eating meat at every meal might be a decent idea. Now that I'm eating vegetarian meals at least half of the time, I'm the one making big bowls of only-I-know-what.

Although we are now all spread out between LA, RI, and Jersey, I figured this is a dish I could definitely make if we all three could get together for dinner. Leaving out the onions would allow Jessica's fiancé to join us, but it's Girl's Night at this imaginary party, so he's not invited. Jenny, you'll be so proud to know I actually bought soy yogurt to make this! And I liked it! Don't tell E though, cause he liked it, too, and I'm too cheap to buy it all the time.

I've actually made this recipe in its original form twice now, and we love it. This time I wanted to use up all the local veggies I found at the market, so I made a bunch of changes: adding squash, zucchini, and chick peas. I also cooked them on the grill, which worked just as well as broiling. It's super easy and versatile, and I think it will be one of the Bittman recipes that I continue to cook way after this challenge is over.

Roasted Eggplant with Peppers, Onions, and Yogurt
Adapted from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian: Simple Meatless Recipes for Great Food, page 298

Ingredients:
3 or 4 small or 1 or 2 large eggplant, trimmed and cut into slices lengthwise
3 red or yellow bell peppers, sliced into strips (I left these out this time!)
1 large zucchini, cut into slices lengthwise
1 large yellow squash, cut into slices lengthwise
2 tomatoes, halved
1 onion, peeled and halved
1 avocado, halved
1 cup chickpeas, cooked
1 tsp. fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp. dried
2 cups yogurt
juice of half a lemon
1 tsp. red pepper flakes

Preparation:
Preheat grill or broiler. If grilling, brush all veggies with olive oil. If broiling, pour 1/4 cup olive oil into a roasting pan and turn eggplant, peppers, and squashes in it. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook until tender, turning once, about 5 minutes per side.
Transfer the veggies to a bowl and put onion, avocado and tomato in the pan or on grill, cut sides down. Cook until just blackened (the avocado will take only a minute or two, but the onion needs more time). Allow these veggies to cool enough to handle, then scoop out the avocado and slice into chunks. Separate onion into slices and chop tomato. Add to the bowl of veggies. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Add chickpeas, yogurt, and lemon juice and  toss to coat.
*Optional step! Return to roasting pan. Broil about 5 minutes or until bubbly and lightly charred on top.
Serve over brown rice and top with thyme and red pepper flakes.


*Jessica and Jenny, I hope you guys make this because you'll love it! And it totally fits into the pre-wedding "don't eat crap that will prevent us from fitting into our dresses" diet. One month to go! Woot woot!

This is my submission for IHCC's Girls' Night In Week!

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Seriously Overdue

But that's what happens when you decide to run off to a cottage on the beach and ignore technology, the modern world, and even the Real Housewives for over a week. E and I got back from our fabulous vacation full of sand and sun, birthday parties, Red Sox games, food, family, friends, and biking Block Island to a huge stack of mail and an even more huge amount of emails. My Google Reader had over 1000 items in it, but I'm not even going to try and catch up. The only catching up I'm doing is posting this corn chowder, which I ended up making twice in two weeks using my second sample of heirloom beans from Marx Foods. It was that good.

I love chowders, and I certainly ate my fair share of it back in RI, but I am not a fan of the amount of cream and butter often used to make them so thick and rich and, let's face it, worth eating. This recipe cuts all of that out by using pureed corn as the thickener, and it is so simple to make, literally done in ten minutes.

Chipotle Corn Chowder

Ingredients:

8 ears of corn, cooked (I prefer them done on the grill, since it adds that smoky flavor!)

1 cup cooked white beans (I used the Marrow beans from Justin)

4 cups vegetable stock

1 chipotle pepper, diced (from a can of chipotles in adobo, found in the Mexican food aisle) 

Salt and pepper to taste

Red onion, cilantro, or parsley to garnish

Preparation:

Slice all of the corn off the ear, getting as close to the core as possible. Pour 2 cups of stock and half of the corn into a blender and pulse to puree. Pour into a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in remaining corn, stock, beans, and chipotle pepper. Season with salt and pepper and heat through. Serve with chopped onion or herbs to garnish.

Print the recipe

Medium Raw

Remember back in November when E and I went to see Anthony Bourdain? Where I sat high up in the balcony laughing like a hyena with a bunch of really confused Germans?  Where I then tried to hunt him down in all the foodie spots of Ann Arbor with zero success except drunkeness? Well, his new book has just been released, so lucky me, I got to go meet him fo' realz' this time at a book signing. Our little bookstore is known for getting everyone who's good to show up and read, so I've got the schedule devoted to memory. This month they also have Pat Benatar and Bernadette Peters, so it's like a whole month of badass celebs I want to be. 

It was nice to see Tony (cause you know, we're totally BFF's and I can call him that) in a smaller setting where I could actually tell how ginormously tall this dude is. I mean, freakishly tall. He read a few sections from his new book  Medium Raw, which is honest and hilarious, even better than Kitchen Confidential. He then took tons of questions, of which I asked the first, trying desperately not to choke on my saliva or turn 8 shades of red. I think I succeeded in not sounding like too much of a tool. There were a lot of tools in the room. Including the guy who overheard a cute young girl, planning what she was going to say to Tony. He then stole her line, got a big laugh, and smirked at her like a big fat dbag. I was tempted to punch him in the face, but I'm not violent and I didn't want to get kicked out before my books got signed. 

I watched a ton of people get scary close to take pictures, which made me shiver. I'm all about personal space. When it was finally my turn, I called bullshit on T.B. for an anti-Red Sox comment he had made earlier. See, there's this video of Tony and Alice Cooper, waxing poetic about how they loved watching the Sox win the World Series and stating that Sox fans are amazing. He smiled and told me how much he respects the team and Boston fans, how he's shooting a Boston episode of No Reservations, and he started suggesting books to me. But then. Then some crazy half drunk chick fell down the stairs, ass over tea kettle! Kinda ruined our moment. But at least I had the wherewithal to look over when the camera guy took a photo. I present you with the most awkward picture I have taken since 7th grade, complete with bad florescent lighting, not enough makeup, and what appears to be some business woman's blazer. Hawt.

Happy St. Joseph's Day!

March 17th is the day when everyone and their mother is Irish, even if they aren't. March 19th is the day to fake it again, but this time everyone gets to be Italian. Sweet! If you aren't Italian, or you aren't a Rhode Islander, you may have no idea what I'm talking about. La Festa di San Giuseppe, aka St. Joseph's Day, isn't exactly a commercial holiday. In all honesty, it's not much of a holiday at all, and most people, including Italian Rhode Islanders, don't even know it as anything more than the day you get to stuff yourself with the world's most delicious pastry: the zeppole. (If you want to know what today is really about, feel free to read this little history. Or not.)


I'm one of those people. I'm only a quarter Italian, even though I feel more so after my mom married a full blooded Italian with a family that kicks it old school. They clean their kitchens with mopines, make bragiole like nobody's business, and celebrate the Feast of the Seven Fishes. It's kind of worn off on me. I walk around sounding like Giada half the time. My amazing family also imparted me with some fabulous new recipes over the years, thanks to my constant nagging. One of them is for zeppoli (which is the plural of the singular zeppole or zeppola, by the way, no "s" needed!). 


Now I know that I can probably find zeppoli in many Italiaan bakeries here in Jersey, but I'm really a snob. If just happen to find yourself in RI today, stop by Antonio's on West Shore Road in Warwick or Solitro's on Cranston Street in Cranston. They make the best! If you are feeling really ambitious, you can go ahead and make them yourself. But don't be fooled! There are many zeppoli recipes out there that call for whipped cream or vanilla pudding fillings. That's just wrong. A real zeppole is filled with a yellow custard similar to an eclair or a ricotta filling, which is also the bomb.


Bigné di San Giuseppe (St. Joseph's Day Cakes)
Ingredients:
1 c. water
2 sticks unsalted butter
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbls. sugar
1 c. all purpose flour
4 eggs
Zest of one lemon and one orange


Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large saucepan, combine the water and butter, and bring to a boil. Add the salt and flour, whisking constantly until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan to form a ball in the center. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating them in completely. Add the sugar, lemon zest, and orange zest. Mix well.

Drop by large tablespoon (or use a large pastry bag to pipe large mounds) onto a baking sheet, placing the puffs three inches apart. Bake for ten minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake for thirty minutes or until golden. Remove the puffs from the oven. Open the puffs immediately at the top to allow steam to escape. Cool completely before filling.

Italian Custard:

Ingredients:

1 c. sugar

1/2 c. flour

1/4 tsp. salt

3 c. whole milk

4 egg yolks

3 Tbls. unsalted butter

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 Tbls. rum (optional)

Preparation:

In saucepan over moderate heat, combine sugar, flour and salt. Add milk gradually, cooking and stirring until mixture is thick and bubbly. Lower heat, stirring for 2 minutes and remove from heat.In small bowl, add cream mixture to eggs slowly. Return mixture back to pan. Bring to gently boil for 2 more minutes, adding butter, rum, and vanilla. Tranfer to a shallow bowl to cool, placing plastic wrap on the top of the custard to prevent a skin forming. Refrigerate. Once custard has cooled completely, pipe into opened pastry shells until they are so full they might pop, top with a cherry, and dust with powdered sugar. Mangia!

 Be prepared to fight over the last one...

If You're In Recovery

If you're anything like most of my friends, the day after St. Patrick's Day is all about laying low, nursing a hangover, and trying to remember how many pints of Guinness you drank before passing out. If you are anything like me this year, you'll be doing none of these things. While I have been known to do my fair share of St. Patty's Day partying, this year I was having none of it. Driving almost five hours home had already undone all of the good from my massage, so I was a bit grumpy. I got home just in time to throw the Corned Beef in the crock pot before heading out to work, then home to see E for the first time in almost a week. We decided to stay in, eating our American Irish dinner and watching In Bruges (which stars Colin Farrel, so at least it's a wee bit Irish).

I was left with a tremendous amount of leftover boiled meat, cabbage and potatoes, not to mention the Guinness. Not a pretty sight if you ask me. What to do with all of this before it goes to waste? Just ask Martha.

The corned beef is easy to turn into hash or sandwiches, but the rest had me puzzled. I found the recipe for Colcannon, and knew it would be perfect. If you want to make Colcannon from scratch (that is, in case you don't happen to have a bunch of boiled cabbage and potatoes lying around) you can find the instructions here.

Even Quicker Colcannon
Ingredients:
3 cups boiled potatoes, mashed
2 cups boiled cabbage, roughly chopped
1 leek, chopped
1 cup lowfat milk
1 Tbls. salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
4 Tbls, butter

In a large saucepan, bring milk, 2 Tbls. butter, and leeks to a low simmer over medium heat. Season with salt and nutmeg and cook uncovered for 10-15 minutes, or until leeks are tender.

Stir in potatoes and cabbage and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly over medium heat until warmed through. Pour into a casserole dish. If you want the extra butter (I didn't bother) make a well in the center and place remaining 2 Tbls. of butter into it. Put casserole under the broiler for 5-8 minutes, until top is browned and butter melted.

Hopefully I don't need to tell you what to do with leftover Guinness. In case you won't actually drink it all, you can always make dessert. I made Irish Car Bomb Brownies last year (they were slammin', by the way), but I thought I'd do cupcakes this year instead and try to lose the horribly offensive title. Apparently I'm very unoriginal :)   It seems like everyone and their mother has made Chocolate Guinness Cakes this year. Search any popular baker from Smitten Kitchen to my girl Nigella and you'll find recipe. I'm partial to a recipe given to me by a friend, but it is a secret, sorry! It is, however, very similar to this recipe of Dave Lieberman's, which I have also tried. Under bake them a bit and they are fantastic. They are actually (unlike many cakes) even better the next day if you seal them in an airtight container at room temperature once they've cooled completely. They take on an almost fudgy vibe. I like mine with the obligatory Irish Cream frosting, but buttercream is a little too heavy for it. Instead I used a cream cheese base.

Irish Cream Cheese Icing
Ingredients:
8 oz. softened cream cheese
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup Irish Cream (you don't need to use Bailey's, since it's going to be mixed with so much sugar!)
About 1 lb. powdered sugar

Beat cream cheese until fluffy. Continue beating as you slowly pour Irish Cream into the mixture. Don't worry if it looks curdled, it will smooth out! Once incorporated and smooth, add cream, beating constantly. Slowly add sugar (1/2 cup at a time), beating constantly. I like my icing to be a bit runny, so it slips off the sides of the cupcake and looks like a glossy head on a Guinness, so I actually use less than 1 lb. If you want a thicker, fluffier icing, add more sugar!

Holy Crap

Today is E's thirtieth birthday. That means we have now officially known each other for exactly half of our lives. In other words, we are now twice as old as we were when we first met, and damn, if that doesn't make me feel kinda old. Or old-er. Or something. Hmph! I'm snowed in yet again, so today is all about baking for birthday dinner, wrapping up a few weekend loose ends, and trying to keep my surprises up my sleeve. The perfect sustenance for snowbound secrecy? Suspiciously sweet muffins that are moist, chocolately, and good for you, too.

Dark Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins
adapted from an old recipe I printed years ago from who knows where...


Ingredients:
1 1/4 c. whole wheat flour
3/4 c. brown sugar
2 Tbls. Vital wheat gluten
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1 c. rolled oats
1 1/4 c. pureed pumpkin
1/3 c. applesauce
4 egg whites
1/2 c. skim milk
1/2 c. dark chocolate chips

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a 12 cup muffin pan with paper liners. Sift dry ingredients and set aside. Mix wet ingredients until thoroughly blended. Fold into dry ingredients. Fold in chocolate chips. Scoop evenly into muffin cups. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes before removing to a rack to cool completely.

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Tastes Like Jamaica

Another round of breakfast chat with my lovable and logical husband...

ME:

(Eating slices of mango while making our breakfast)

I love fresh mango. It tastes sort of woodsy to me, you know? 

E:

(Eating mango over the sink)

I doesn't taste like wood, it tastes like Jamaica.

ME:

(pausing over the stove)

What?

E:

You know, it tastes like Jamaica would taste. If you ate a piece of it.

ME: 

(waiting silently for this little conversation to play out)

E: 

So like, if you ate a piece of Italy, it would taste like tomatoes, if you ate a piece of Jersey, well, that would just taste like dirt. But if you ate a piece of Jamaica it would taste like mangoes... and weed.

Clearly we have some issues with Jersey :)

Snow Day Valentines

Today we finally get a snow day! I know, those of you who have been stuck inside for 6 days and lost power are probably sick to death of it all, but this is the first real snow we've seen since moving to Jersey. I'm usually a big fan of snow until Christmas, and then I'm done, but living in Michigan will do that to a girl! Right now I'm just excited that I don't have to do my usual hour commute today, 'cause you know there is no way in hizz-ell I was gettin' stuck overnight in Yonkers!

In addition to making a pot roast for dinner and baking a loaf of bread, I spent some time today finishing up a little craft project I started with the J's yesterday. The J's are 2 of the coolest kids I have ever met and I'll be nannying for them 5 days a week by the end of this month. They are 6 and 8 year old brothers with gorgeous red hair. They ski, play drums, take tae kwon do lessons, act, and the oldest was a Cambell's kid last year. So yeah, they rock! They also love crafting and baking, so basically hanging out with them is almost too much fun to get paid for :) Yesterday I introduced them to Happy Hearts, a project the lovely Sarah Zamora introduced me to 2 years ago.  I made a ton of them and traded them with a bunch of artists, and now I hang them up every February. I thought it would be fun to do something different with them this year, so I adapted the original garland idea to make flowers. Instead of the mess of collage, stamping, and trimming, we doodled. The J's decorated a bunch of them and they had the idea of adding messages to the backs to give each one as Valentines to family members. Brilliant! You can put yours in a vase like I did, or tie a bunch together to give as a bouquet to your mom :)


Doodle Hearts Flower Bouquets:
You'll need:
2 pieces of heavy cardstock
Ink pens, gel pens, or markers
9 pieces of Floral Wire
Craft glue (I'm a ModPodge junkie!)
Ribbon


1. Download the Happy Hearts Template and print 2 copies onto cardstock.

2. Decorate all 9 hearts on 1 page with doodles using a black ink pen. 

3. Color in doodles with shades of pink and red. 

4. Go to town embellishing doodles with glitter if you want to (Me? I'm BIG on glitter, the J's? Not so much.).

5. Cut out all 18 hearts. You'll be sandwiching the floral wire between a doodle heart and a blank heart. If you choose to add messages to the backs, now is the time to do so on the blank hearts.

6. If you want curly stems, now is the time to wind your floral wire around a fat marker. Stretch the coil out to your desired length. 
7. Spread a thin layer of craft glue on the back of a doodle heart. Lay the top end of floral wire in the center and press a blank heart (message side out if you wrote on them!) on the back. Make sure edges line up and press firmly.

8. Continue for all hearts until you have a bunch of 9 doodle heart stems.

9. If you want to add leaves you can do the same thing with green shades. You can use a leaf template if you don't want to draw your own. 

10. Allow the glue to dry for at least 10 minutes, then tie your bunch together, varying heights of the flowers, with ribbon. Voila!

Now make a little love shelf and be happy you had a day off :)

Mission Accomplished

The end of the month means the end of the latest assignment from my HBin5 baking group. Thank goodness, I finally got one right :)

Our mission if we chose to accept it:
Prepare 1 Full recipe Soft Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread, from Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day, Pages 92-93.

Use this dough to create 1 Loaf of Sandwich Bread, 1 batch of Hamburger or Hotdog Buns, pages 94-95, and 1 Loaf of Apple Strudel Bread, pages 277-278.

The sandwich loaf was my favorite bread so far, a little sweet, super soft, and perfect for any type of sandwich we thought up in a few days. My favorite? Fried Elvis Presleys, aka peanut butter and banana sandwiches pan fried in a little butter until the peanut butter gets all gooey and warm and the bread is nicely toasted. Thanks Nigella for that inspiration! This sandwich, full of cheap ingredients and with even-cheaper-than-store-bought bread,  is definitely a budget buster.

I brought about half of the loaf over to my cousin Libby's house last weekend and her kiddos (ages 1 and 4) went to town on it. It made wonderful toast with homemade wild blueberry jam from her family in Maine.

One down, two to go! I was excited about the apple strudel bread (even though we all know, this really is not a strudel!) because I planned to bring it to Sunday's party to celebrate my Aunt Cynthia's 10 year anniversary of being cancer free! Woop woop! I'll admit, I was a little nervous, too. I didn't feel like transporting my huge tub of dough to Libby's house and I figured I'd be too busy playing with the kids (and drumming for Rock Band) to prep it! I decided to do it ahead of time. I know, big risk :) Friday afternoon I rolled the dough, filled it with raisins, walnuts, a chopped Granny Smith Apple and cinnamon sugar, rolled it up tight, and set it into the loaf pan lined with parchment paper. I drove from Jersey to Connecticut, stuck it in my cousin's fridge, and baked it Sunday morning. When we arrived at the party on Sunday afternoon, half of the bread disappeared with coffee before lunch was even served. Not surprising the way we are in my family. With all of the women together, it gets pretty loud, pretty hyper and pretty messy. We all talk at once and we all love food, so what can you expect? We had an amzing time and I've converted at least 2 people to the HBin5 cult :)

Last task, hot dog buns. I have had this package of NY System Hot Weiner Sauce Spice Mix in my spice cabinet for a long while, so I decided this was the perfect time to use it. I'm not the only one who thought of hot dogs, but I think I'm the only Rhode Islander in the group, so I am definitely the only one who made gaggiz (aka gaggers, or hot weiners, the real way to eat a hot dog :)). These are not your sloppy, wet Coney dogs like they make in Michigan (which honestly, I think are gross) nor are they overflowing with stuff like Chicago dogs (pickles on a hot dog? Really?).  These dogs feature a slathering of yellow mustard, a spoonful of meat sauce made of ground beef, onions, and spice mix (yes, I'm being vague, but I don't know what's in it!), a handful of chopped white onion, and a sprinkle of celery salt. Usually they are served on a steamed white hot dog bun, but obviously I used the whole wheat buns. I also used turkey instead of beef and used 2 Tbls. of  butter instead of lard, but don't tell anyone. I think that's probably considered a major sin in terms of hot weiners.

We ate ours too fast for me to take photos, but you can visit the Olneyville NY System website to see how they look and to order your own spice mix! You'll get the recipe on the back, although we used more than the required amount of spice mix to get the right taste. I think I even doubled it. The turkey was a good substitute, but if you want to mimic the real deal, go beef.

If you're looking for more inspiration, don't forget to visit the Bread Braid on Michelle's blog to see the rest of the groups' offerings and visit the I Heart Cooking Clubs blog to see what everyone else there brought to the table for the Budgets and Bargains theme!