elvenjaneite | Entries tagged with baking

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I decided to start doing a monthly cookbook focus because we have a lot of cookbooks and sometimes I get overwhelmed by the options and need some help narrowing down ideas. This month was the Budget Bytes cookbook! I made:

breakfast parfaits
avocado egg toast
chai spiced almonds
the real deal chip dip
chocolate mug cake
no knead focaccia
one skillet lasagna

Of these, the one skillet lasagna, chocolate mug cake, and chai spiced almonds were clear favorites. I didn't love the no knead focaccia, but the rest were fine.

Others

rosemary parm nuggets +
stiffkey cakes

cinnamon loaf with espresso butter

lavender scones +

leafy salad with poppy seeds & yogurt dressing

finnish sunday rolls +

chicken with feta, dill & lemon

soy braised chicken

provencal vegetable soup

soy sauce fried noodles +
peanut butter frozen yogurt pops
thick pork chops

spring feta flatbreads
vegan lemon cake +
potato meatloaf
no cook strawberry sauce
fluffy waffles
three bean salad

These were all good! The ones I marked with a + were especial favorites.

Garden news

YES! GARDEN NEWS!

Garlic and daffodil bulbs are sprouting & survived the cold snap of late January
I planted onion seeds last week and the most wee, tiny, pale green shoots you can imagine are just appearing
I planted thyme, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage (red and green), and peppers (bell and paprika) on Saturday

I went out today and worked on putting down cardboard and leaves where all of the garden beds will be. I'm going to try to do a no-till garden as much as possible, although in the places where the beds are new, I may end up doing a bit of digging to get the grass and sod up. We'll see!

I also went through and drew my little diagrams to figure out layout and companion planting and basically I'm one giant excited puppy waiting for spring to arrive and things to really get going. PLANTS! I love them!

Other stuff

I made a just-because chocolate yogurt cake tonight & it smells delicious. I'm being a good spouse & waiting for R to get home before cutting into it
working on a sweater for R, although it's somewhat slow going because the colors he picked are pretty dark and hard to distinguish. I think it'll look nice when it's done, though!

book blog post: My Top 2023 Releases

We have internet again! Hooray!

Recent Recipes

I attempted an Indonesian meal for the first time last week! I had to make some substitutions based on what we had available, but everything was delicious.

Also made:

pineapple-ginger glazed chicken & carrots, orzo, and salad
breakfast burritos
upside down shepherds/cottage pie (baked potatoes with cottage pie filling on top)
pasta bake (to freeze)

I don't really have recipes for any of these as I mostly winged it.

Holiday baking

Since our St Louis trip was delayed until this coming weekend and R & I celebrate Christmas on the "Old"/Julian Calendar (January 7), I have not yet truly embarked on Christmas baking. Tonight is also Old Calendar Santa Lucia Day, but since I work I don't think I'll manage to bake anything. Maybe next year!

My plans are a mix of family traditions and new recipes:

Birthday cards

I need to get a wiggle on for 2023 birthday cards! This year I'm going to try to make all of my cards at once so I don't lose steam in, say, March.

Ornaments

I made some felt ornaments for my family's Christmas presents this year and was happy with how they turned out. I have the pieces to make some more and might try to work on them over the year so it's not a rush in November and December, aka my worst months. I have a lot of leftover felt so I'll have to think about what I want to make with it.

Knitting

My recent knitting has also been very focused on family presents--I made potholders and coasters for my mom & siblings. The coasters were linen stitch and I'm really pleased with how they came out! I do want to pick up the sweater that I've been working on for R soon. Although I'm still not happy with the way it's turning out and the needles I got in Oregon are a pain to knit with (the yarn snags on the join between the plastic curve and the wooden needles).

2023 plans

I'm trying to find the balance between my desire to do everything and try everything and my need to not overwhelm myself and burn out. I do want to try to make some different decorations for the house, new recipes, and gifts for people. So we'll see how it all goes!

Now that we have an additional freezer, I'm attempting to do some more batch cooking / baking, starting with breakfast standards. First up: muffins!

* Gingerbread Muffins from Home Baked by Yvette Van Boven: these are not super gingerbready and mostly have a nice taste/aroma of spices that goes really well with the season. They were the batch I left out for us to eat last week and they are all gone!

* Whole Wheat Apple Muffins from The Kitchen Sink (defunct recipe blog): these are not my platonic ideal apple muffin, but since those involve significantly more time investment, I made these. I added some lemon zest to the original recipe & served them last night at R's board game night / birthday party. Everyone seemed to enjoy them!

* Marmalade Muffins from Crabtree & Evelyn: I've made this recipe a number of times, usually not with actual marmalade. This time, I used the last of a jar of homemade apple blackberry jam.

* Cranberry Sauce Muffins made up / adapted from several recipes: notes below, but the corner I nibbled was very good.

( Cranberry Muffin Notes, for posterity )

Cucumber relish adapted to what I had available (added an apple, left out celery salt, swapped sweet peppers for a jalapeno)
Black Pepper Tofu and Eggplant with cucumber salad
Baked Salmon and lemon sauce with sauteed turnip greens and rice
Milk braised pork chops adapted from Food52 (added sage and parmesan to the sauce) with pan-fried grapes and salad
Steak sandwiches with cabbage and apple salad
Stuffed vegetables adapted from a Greek version (added ground beef, baked with tomato sauce) and served with flatbreads and curried lentil soup
Buttermilk biscuits
earl grey blackberry iced tea
plum upside down cake

Want to make soon
Turnip green and carrot rice
Napa Cabbage Soup
mushroom rice pilaf

I haven't been feeling super inspired in the kitchen lately, but here are some recipes I made & liked:

roasted pork loin with roasted potatoes & onions

Peruvian chicken with green sauce

quick ramen noodle stir fry (I added some bell pepper and carrots to stretch it a bit further)

crunchy baked pork chops with roasted broccoli & carrots

BLTs & grilled cheese sandwiches (on different nights)

"breakfast biscuits" that turned out to be chocolate chip cookies with some extra nuts & cranberries

hashbrown breakfast casserole (no real recipe for this one, but I used hashbrowns, breakfast sausage, onions & peppers, colby jack cheese & green onions)

Knitting

I'm very into knitting baskets at the moment! I used some homespun (drop spindle) yarn to make a somewhat lumpy but overall useful fruit basket and I'm almost done knitting a set of nesting baskets. It's a great way to use up some stash yarn.

Spinning

I finished a skein! I wanted it to be all one color of roving and I didn't quite get there, but it's still exciting. Not sure what I'll use it for yet. I think I'm definitely getting better as far as spinning action and tension go.

Cooking & Baking

Orange beer-glazed chicken and onions; roasted potatoes; green salad with herbs & flowers
- Glaze: 1 can beer, ¼ c frozen oj, dollop of chili garlic sauce, squeeze of tomato paste; reduce to syrupy and baste
- Boil pan juices until reduced and pour over chicken
- Potatoes: sage, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, olive oil
Perfect blueberry muffins (Smitten Kitchen Every Day)
Fruit compote (blueberry, strawberry, mango)
Buckwheat baby with salted caramel syrup (SK)
- mine did not puff up this beautifully but it was still delicious!
R: soft shell tacos
Peach & blueberry cornmeal cobbler (SK)
Noodles with minced beef (Terry Tan)
Paprika chicken pasta salad with mozzarella, tomatoes, red & green onions
mediterranean quinoa salad with chickpeas and spinach
- neither of us loved this one, tbh
Pizza with zucchini and mozzarella
Build your own salad: greens, pecans, parmesan; hardboiled eggs, chicken (sage, oregano), onion, tomato, fruit; honey dijon dressing; chicken soup; toast (cream cheese, strawberry, nectarine, blueberry)

a small bouquet of spirea in front of a painting of a cat

The spirea is blooming!

I finally sent out my latest postcard--I've had it done for ages, but didn't have the bandwidth to actually get it out.

First attempt at yarn on the spinning wheel! I'm over-spinning a bit, so the tension is off, but I feel like I'm starting to get the hang of it.

Cooking and baking:

Pink lemonade (Smitten Kitchen)
layered yogurt flatbreads (Smitten Kitchen)
shallot mujadara with herby yogurt & almonds (Molly Yeh)
rose's vinaigrette (Mad Hungry)
Cuban pork roast (Mad Hungry) + yellow rice [for work lunches this week]
Apple & almond butter green smoothie (Molly Yeh)
Blueberry & banana smoothies
Ginger beer (Home Made)
lemon ginger shortbread
Whole wheat buttermilk pancakes
One pot tomato pasta with kale & feta, roasted broccoli & carrots, salad
Strawberry, mango, kiwi fruit syrup

No active knitting projects at the moment, although theoretically I'm knitting R a cardigan. I should...figure out where the yarn is...Clove & cinnamon chocolate chip cookies

I set up my spinning wheel on Saturday! It's exciting to have that actually ready to go now. It's an unfinished Ashford Traditional, if there's anyone who's into spinning details!

Cooking hits (sources linked or noted where available):

spicy labneh--we had a snacky dinner with this + pita + chickpea salad + veggies
slow cooker salsa chicken thighs--literally just a good green salsa dumped into the slow cooker and cooked on low 6-8 hours. Delicious as taco filling!
grilled sausages with peppers & garlic aioli
clove & cinnamon chocolate chip cookies (The Cardamom Trail)
strawberry buttermilk shortcakes
blackberry coconut macaroon tart (Super Natural Every Day)
turkey black bean chili
Infused water and fruit syrup with seltzer water have been in a regular rotation this month—very refreshing and not too much trouble to make!

April was mostly about house stuff, but I'm excited to get back to making postcards and birthday cards for friends this month!

Current Music: Crying wolf - alela & alina

I've been really into cooking and baking recently as a creative outlet, and I'm trying to work through a lot of the recipes I've saved over the years. Other people collect books that they haven't read and may never read; I do that with cookbooks and recipes! Here's what we made in January. Bolded items are favorites & I'm happy to share any of them that aren't available online

Breakfast

Vanilla Roasted Pears (Smitten Kitchen) w/plain yogurt & granola: I added some cardamom to this and it was amazing!
orange cranberry granola (Super Natural Everyday): I left out coconut flakes and added flax seed, sesame seeds, and cranberries at the end
Strawberry poppyseed muffins (fresh 365)

Bread

Oatmeal Sandwich Bread (Good to the Grain)

Dinners

Honey Glazed Pork Loin (Kitchn), roasted carrots with buttermilk horseradish dressing, roasted green beans with garlic walnut pesto, buttermilk mashed potatoes

Spinach Skillet Ravioli (Smitten Kitchen)

Monterey chicken skillet (BB site), cilantro lime dressing (Budget Bytes cookbook) with cabbage salad, braised black beans

Quick & cheap chicken pasta: precooked frozen chicken, the rest of an open thing of chicken stock, the rest of an open thing of linguine; ½ onion, 1 carrot, 1 celery stalk; cumin, coriander, cayenne; ½ a bag of fresh spinach, chopped; the rest of a carton of half & half

celery root veloute (French Country Cooking), pear & avocado spinach salad, braised pork chops with mustard sauce (combo), w/Pickled Green Beans, Oatmeal bread, horseradish butter

Oven tomato beef sauce: 1 can crushed tomatoes, ½ onion, 4 garlic cloves, sprig of sage, 1 can tomato paste, 1 lb ground beef, balsamic vinegar; brown/saute; oven 350 for 30-40 min

Pasta and sausage lunches (cottage cheese, 1 egg, italian sausage, mozzarella, leftover mushroom pate; cook pasta, brown sausage with some onion; combine & bake at 350 35-45 minutes)

coconut curry ramen (budget bytes site)

honey bbq chicken, buttered frozen corn, pickled green beans (R made this one & I don't have any links but it was delicious!)

Pizza with tomato sauce, onions, bacon, mozzarella (Smitten Kitchen Cookbook crust)

Beef kofte (meatwave), lemon potatoes (Smitten Kitchen), Greek cabbage salad (the hungry bites)

Quick chicken soup: chicken broth, 1 c pasta, ½ onion thinly sliced, 1 carrot thinly sliced, chili garlic sauce, fish sauce, salt

Spinach feta grilled cheese (Budget Bytes)

Snacky dinner: beef summer sausage, white cheddar cheese, rosemary crackers, mushroom pate, pistachios, pickled pear, pickled celery, popcorn rocks (Home Made Winter cookbook)

Quick pesto & chicken veggie skillet (Budget Bytes)

Chicken & veggie mac & cheese: leftover pesto, mozzarella, frozen veggies

Pollo a la brassa style chicken thighs (A Cozy Kitchen) aji Verde, rice, Napa cabbage salad with corn

Desserts

Mexican Hot chocolate cake (combined recipes)
thin pear tart (Martha Stewart)
Orange pudding (Mary Poppins cookbook)
marshmallow pavlova with pineapple curd (How Sweet Eats)

Miscellaneous

Sweet Pickled Pears (Pickling, Fermenting & Salad Making)

Quick Pickled Green Beans (Savory)

Quick Pickled Celery
baked tortilla chips
Mexican hot chocolate (Molly Yeh)

caramelized pineapple lassi (How Sweet Eats)

As requested by several people.

( Because they're super long otherwise. )

So I just made shortbread. It's ridiculously simple and the only expensive part is the butter. Which is better for you anyway, but I understand if you're like, I'm not going to blow a pound of butter on one thing!

But it's so gooooooood.

Anyway, the recipe:

1 lb butter (REAL BUTTER NOT MARGARINE)
4 c flour
1 c sugar

Cream the butter and sugar together by hand. I recommend doing this literally by hand as it's much simpler. Especially if you forgot to soften your butter.

Mix in flour 1/2 c at a time. At a certain point, you won't be able to use your spoon/fork anymore and you'll want to go back to the hand mixing. If you're me, you might never have left. Anyway, when the dough leaves the sides of the bowl, you're good.

Press in a pan. Score the top lightly and prick the squares with a fork. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Turn off oven and leave sitting in for 10 more minutes. Cut while still warm and soft. That's it. Seriously.

If you feel like splurging on the butter, you can't go wrong with shortbread.

In other news, I have ordered Twilight from the library. I want to see what all the fuss is about. Although I suspect it'll be one of those things where I go, "WHY am I doing this to myself? Why am I still reading this?" And then keep reading.

In still other news, we have had some seriously gorgeous weather the past few days. Which is good because, make no mistake my friends, the rain, it is coming. I enjoy the rain for the first month. Although I left my umbrella at home, so we'll see how much I actually enjoy it this year.

Current Mood: happy

This is a recipe for eggless, dairyless zucchini bread. I made it a few days ago because we're currently in the Dormition Fast (I love Wikipedia). It would also be suitable for any vegan types out there.

Fasting Zucchini Bread

6 T water
1 c oil
2 c sugar
2c grated zucchini
3 c flour
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
1/2 t nutmeg
1 t cinnamon
1 T vanilla (yes, a tablespoon)
1/2 c chopped nuts

Mix water, oil, and sugar. Add grated zucchini and beat. Add flour, soda, and salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla, and nuts. Mix. Pour into two 9x5 inch greased loaf pans. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees. Cool and remove from pans.

You don't need to use a mixer for this--it goes together nicely by hand. Of course if you're short like me, that means holding the bowl in the crook of your arm because the counter's too high and THAT means hoping the batter doesn't go all over what you're wearing. Or wearing an apron which I always forget to take off.