Sw Potato Muffins w/ Cream Cheese Swirl

yeah ummm i forgot to take a pic before i ate one...
don't judge me...

A friend of mine sent me this recipe: Pumpkin Muffins w/ Eggnog Cream Cheese Swirl. I don't do eggnog, but I'm ALL about cream cheese. And while I could do pumpkin, I don't so much. And I had some leftover sweet potatoes... And thus this variation was born.

For the Eggnog Cream Cheese Swirl I used vanilla instead of rum for a total of 1tbsp + 1tsp of vanilla. And I didn't actually measure the nutmeg and cinnamon cuz I didn't feel like digging out the 1/8 tsp. 3/8 is roughly a half so I used the 1/2 and didn't quite fill it all the way. And 1/8 is a 'dash' or a 'pinch' or something right? So two shakes of cinnamon.

Now here's the fun part. The recipe calls for 1 1/3 cup pumpkin puree. I'd made mashed sw potatoes last week and there were still some left, so that's what I used. And since I didn't really use a recipe for that, this will never be 100% replicable, but that's ok. Replication is for wimps. Ok not at ALL, lol. ;)

But this is roughly how the sw potato dish went down:
3 sw potatoes (two were ginormous) diced (it was enough to all but fill my 4qt (I think) crock pot)
1 stick of butter
1/3(ish) cup of brown sugar
1-2 tsp cinnamon (honestly it was more like 'a few shakes' but I'm trying, lol)

Add all to crock, put on low for some hours... maybe...4? 5? After a few hours I went in w/ the paddle thing from my rice cooker and stirred, they started to break down but not all the way. Some time later I did it again... Eventually I turned it off then a while later it was time for dinner... Yes, as much as I love America's Test Kitchen, Alton Brown and the whole notion behind the science of why food works. I'm still all about proving it doesn't have to be an exact science... Don't judge me.

Ok, so in spite of how yummy they were, there were other meals between then and now and they weren't all gone. So into the muffins they go.

Sw Pot Puree
~1 1/3 cup leftover sw potatoes
~1/4 cup oj
needed to add some liquid for the blender. not a lot of milk left. wasn't sure yogurt would be thin enough. certainly didn't want to use something as utterly flavorless and blah as water. so oj won the prize. and you know i didn't measure it at all... it was just enough to make sure the blender could get going. and my blender's on crack.

Other than those li'l tweaks, the rest of the recipe & process are the same. And they are uber yummerlicious!! I think I might make a few more than 12 nxt time, just so they don't spill over as much... the slight variation in amt of batter could be due to any of the variations above, which may or may not happen the exact same way again, but still... and I'd try to do a better job 'filling' them. It says use a spoon to make a deep hole and fill it w/ filling. easier said than done... But again - tasty!!

self sorting laundry chute

random thought... a laundry shoot would be great, sure. just open the door, toss in some clothes and they end up down in the laundry room. but wouldn't it be even better if they ended up in the laundry room sorted? at least by color, if not by fabric. yes, yes it would indeed be even better... now how...? an electronic device of some sort of course. one designed to detect color and whatever other element someone may want to sort by. if color only then i suppose it'd be a matter of light reflection detection... with perhaps a feature that can detect weight/material properties - denim, sweater, towel, etc. ahhh wouldn't that be lovely... maybe i should sell that to some electrical engineering seniors next year so they can use it for their senior design project... OR maybe to an Integrated Product Design master's student as a thesis idea... OR i should patent the concept now just to be on the safe side, then when someone else decides they want to do it, and find that there's a patent on it, I can make a fortune... OR i can go on that show Shark Tank and pitch it and get THEM to pay thru the nose for it... tho i suppose i'd have to do some research first to make sure i can convince them that it'd be worth it... hmmm... i should get on that... i could use a few extra bucks...

kitchen must haves

soo, 'lynne's lessons' right? who says it has to be just lessons i've learned from myself? no one! in the spirit of such, this was posted on facebook by someone I went to college with, but i wanted to remember it and hey, she said herself that it should be shared so here goes:

"I have become a decent cook over the years and wanted to share with you my thoughts on the essentials. With the following ingredients in your kitchen, you can guarantee a multitude of meals: shallots, garlic, onions, basil, cilantro, thyme, oregano, ginger, coconut milk, olive oil, chili peppers, marinara sauce, chicken breasts, pork loin, (green & red peppers), ground turkey, chili pepper, cheyenne, cumin, cream, pasta, rice, mushrooms. You can make Italian dishes, Mexican fare, American, Indian dishes & Thai with these ingredients. The more we endeavor to cook our own meals, the healthier we will be!!! Please share this with those who are not as adept in the kitchen : )"

slow and steady wins the race...right?

progress report on the blanket i started shamefully long ago for my daughter... it's been far too long since i worked on it consistently, but now i'm back. inspired the recent knitting exploits of a pal-o-mine. it's about 33 inches long so far. i forget how wide it is (doesn't matter much given that ain't gonna change, lol). i just did some research and i might as well fess up - i started this thing sometime in 2010... while im not super fast (or even kinda fast, lol) by any means, the delay has really been due to long stretches of not working on it at all. not cool. so i need to commit to working on it consistently. i did some math and in theory i could have it done in about 3 months if i average an hour a day. i could be a punk and just make the goal Christmas, but i don't think i will. what's today's date? 10  august 2012. the goal is 10 november 2012. i will finish this blanket on or before the 10th of november. this is possible. this can be done. it must be done. it wiiiiilll be done. 

Operation Baby Food: Take 1

I finally got started on the DIY baby food. First attempts went relatively well. Minor snaffoo in the steamer, but it was easily cleaned up and can be avoided by using more water. And because all text is just a drag to read, especially online...especially this day and age w/ our shrinking attention spans... here's the photo journey...

Tools & Ingredients: rice cooker/steamer, blender, carrots (organic tho only b/c they were cheaper) a sweet potato. 

 Sweet Potatoes diced and ready to go. I looked at the steaming instructions, but while it listed several veggies and H2O amts and times, nada for sweet potatoes so i had to wing it. They were cooked fine... 

not cooked

cooked

... but there was a bit of a problem. Not enough water so it boiled out and left me a sticky sweet potatoey mess, but thankfully it cleaned up easily.            

ummm 'carmelized sw potato liquid' lol

Into the blender we go with ultimately not enough liquid. At first the blades wouldn't even spin very long. But some more water and some stirring and finally we got pureed sweet potatoes. kinda thick. But I was assured that if I'm freezing them, once they thaw they'll be a li'l thinner. That night tho I did give some to the boy and he didn't seem to mind. So all in all, me thinks me did ok. 

all mushed up and ready to freeze

Next, carrots. Pretty much more of the same from a steaming standpoint, errors and all. Because it was a different veg and diff quantity (roughly), I did try to use a different amount of water... But still not enough. More charred pan (again easily cleaned up). The carrots, however, were fine. I did add more water to the blender this time and voila, uber smooth yummy carrots for baby boy.

I do need more lil'l freezable containers tho. I didn't get to the apple, peach & pear I had on the agenda. I did try some ground turkey - the kid was NOT a fan. Not mad at him, lol. Only used that b/c it was available at the time - big sis had requested tacos for her bday dinner... Anyway - primary lesson here? More water. More water. More water!

Bound to Be Bad Brownies - NOT! :)

America's Test Kitchen rocks. Basically before they present a recipe on the show they've done all this research and experimentation to find THE perfect recipe for whatever it is. They explain why melted better works better than softened for a certain recipe; why bone in is better than boneless; why flour plus baking soda/powder is better than cake flour; and on and on and on. They also do taste and product testing and share the results. Again - it rocks. That being said, you gotta figure that if you have an America's Test Kitchen cook book - which I do - you need do nothing other than follow the directions to a tee and you've got a perfect whatever... and if you deviate...well do so at your own risk. As much as I LOVE ATK (and I do LOVE ATK), I also believe that a recipe is really just a suggestion. And with THAT being said, here we are at what happened when I decided to make their Chewy, Fudgy Brownies (the true recipe is at the end of the post.) Long story short? - They were DELICIOUS in spite of the deviations!!!

So when I decided to make brownies, I took inventory and had just about everything I needed...I did have three different chocolates, but not the right three. I had choc syrup, semisweet chips, and cocoa powder.

<<<<< Then there's my wannabe double boiler... Sometimes the tools matter... This time? Worked fiiiine. Pot, water, bowl - voila!

Once it was all meltilicious, I added the cocoa. Since I actually did this back in October and didn't note it, I don't quiiiite recall when I added the chocolate syrup. But hey it doesn't likely matter - clearly.        >>>>>


And there you have it. Don't get me wrong, I still love ATK and trust them. Maybe I lucked out b/c all I changed was chocolates, who knows. I do intend to try it again "right"... But hey, if it's a choice between making something with slightly off ingredients and seeing what happens, and going w/out brownies... I'll try the variation every time.This time, it worked. Yum!

---

From The Complete America's Test Kitchen TV Show Cook Book 2001 - 2010. It's ok to share as long as I give credit right...? Hope so...

Chewy, Fudgy Brownies
Why This Recipe Works: Classic Brownies boast a balance of cakey and chewy. We wanted a brownie that was distinctly chewy - a moist, dark, luscious brownie with a firm, smooth, velvety texture. It must pack an intense chocolate punch and have deep, resonant chocolate flavor, but it must fall just short of overwhelming the palate.

To develop a rich, deep chocolate flavor, we ultimately found it necessary to use three types of chocolate. Unsweetened chocolate laid a solid, intense foundation; semisweet chocolate provided a mellow, even somewhat sweet, flavor; cocoa powder smoothed out any rough edges introduced by the unsweetened chocolate (which can contribute a sour, acrid flavor) and added complexity to what can be the bland flavor of semisweet chocolate. We focused on flour, butter and eggs to arrive at the chewy texture we wanted. Too little flour and the batter was goopy; too much made the brownies dry and muted the chocolate flavor. We melted the butter instead of creaming softened butter with the sugar and eggs; as with our Classic Brownies, the melted butter produced a more dense and fudgy texture.

Makes 64 small brownies
To melt the chocolate in a microwave, heat them with the butter at 50 percent power for 2 minutes; stir the chocolate and continue heating until melted, stirring once every additional minute. Either Dutch-processed or natural cocoa powder works well in this recipe. These brownies are very rich, so we prefer to cut them into very small squares for serving.

5 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into quarters
3 tablespoons cocoa powder (see note)
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups (8 3/4 ounces) sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 cup (5 ounces) unbleached all purpose flour

1. Adjust anoven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with [two pieces of] foil (see page 481 [book provides a method of lining the pan so that you can just lift the foil out of the pan to get the brownies out]) and spray with vegetable oil spray.

2. Melt the chocolates and butter in a medium heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally, unto smooth. Whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.

3. Whisk the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt together in a medium bowl until combined, about 15 seconds. Whisk the wamr chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. Using a wooden spoon. stir in the flour until just combined. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan; using a spatula, spread the batter into the corners and smooth the surface. Bake until slightly puffed and a toothpick or wooden skewer inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 35 o 40 minutes. Cool the brownies on a wire rack to room temperature, about 2 hours;p loosen the edges with a paring knife and lift the brownies from the pain using the foil extensions. Cut the brownies into 1-inch squares and serve. (Do not cut the brownies until ready to serve; the brownies can e wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated up to 5 days.)

stuffed chicken a la me

a while back the daughter and i made chicken fingers. she's been asking to make them again, and last week... the week before? i forget, i decided we could. unfortunately for her (bad mommy) i got it in my head that it'd actually be stuffed chicken fingers and the day i REALLY decided to do it, it was too late in the evening for her to help... so we'll have to do the regular ones another time... perhaps tomorrow, being her bday and all...but i digress. So, here it is...

Bread Crumbs. What do you do when you've got various near (or already) stale bread and some croutons lying around? Make breadcrumbs of course! This is 1 and a half italian rolls, a slice and a heel of rye bread, some croutons (cheese & garlic I think) and a couple tablespoons (or so) of grated parmesan cheese. Throw it all in the processor. I pulsed for a bit, got impatient and just hit...grate perhaps.

Cheese Filling. Can't really recall exactly how or why I decided to go with a mixture, but it really didn't have to be anything more than knowing that I had all these different cheeses available. I wish I knew enough about the science to say something about how the different forms would work together, but I don't. Ah well - it just does. Knowing that it works for lasagna probably played a part in me bothering to give it a try. Grated parm, ricotta, shredded 6 cheese italian blend. I also added minced garlic here. if I hadn't had any I probably would have added garlic powder to the breadcrumbs or used it to season the meat. The consistency was less moist than with lasagna, but spreadable.

Veggies. I was discussing my endeavor with coworkers earlier that day and contemplating adding something else to the filling. A coworker suggested spinach or broccoli. I was thinking bacon but I kept that to myself, lol. I did, however, have plum tomatoes and an onion and figured they'd work nicely. And it did. Though I think it could use more. But in this case I used all that would fit. More in a minute..





Chicken. A lb or so of... ok I know it was boneless, skinless chicken breast, but it was already relatively thin when I started. So, whatever that was. I did pound it out to make it even flatter and ideally better for rolling, coulda been flatter. I must confess, at first I forgot the top layer of wax paper. Amazing how much better it went once I remembered. And no, I didn't ROLL it... I repurposed my rolling pin as a meat tenderizer. Oh yeah, the meat somehow. Pepper and more salt than necessary. Wah. It wasn't inedible, make no mistake. But I did use more salt than I'd intended given all that cheese.

Fill. I managed to have exactly enough of the cheese mixture for the 4 pieces of chicken. Or so I thought. In the end what I had was way more cheese mixture than necessary, lol. Aint it purdy. I was tempted to just bake it like that, but I resisted. I rolled as intended....

Roll. Given the amount of filling, 'rolling' ended up little more than an almost tri-fold. Flatter meat and less cheese should help with that going forward. You can see the tomatoes and onions that had to be sacrificed. String of some kind would have helped, but all I had was toothpicks. They did ok.

Bread. I have previously scoffed at  the notion of buying a 3 piece breading set... However, I've since added it to my wish list. I planned to bake them vs fry them. Can I say it's because it's healthier (marginally, given all. that. cheese)? Sure, but that would kinda be a lie. That is just a pleasant bi product. I just didn't feel like it.

Bake. 20min at 375. Probably could have done a few minutes less.

  

Voila. Chickenny cheesy goodness! So, aside from using less cheese to allow for more veggies, I considered adding a layer of tomato paste on top of the cheese. While it could be partly for flavor purposes, the idea was really inspired for a need for more color. As yummy as it was, it does look rather bland. The red of the tomato barely comes through. Could also do something with herbs for some greenness...Starting to sound like Christmas... Point being, it could use more color. We'll see what happens when I try it again. All anything aside (too much salt, too much cheese, not enough color...blah blah blah). IT WAS DELICIOUS!!!!! Can't wait to do it again.