Baltimore Peach Cake

Too long!! It has been way to long since I posted. It's not that I haven't been cooking and baking my fool head off either, cause I have. What happened is this, on August 17, school started and now my life is on military schedule. Minus the bed that you can bounce a quarter off of because I really don't even have time to make my bed. Maybe I should start doing that, you know like to make my life feel more ordered and calm? Well, anyway. I have made lots of stuff and about 80% of it has had peaches in it. That is because, besides the fact that fresh peaches are made out of angel sweat or something and eating them just makes life better, I purchased a hugenormous basket of them at the farmers' market a couple of weeks ago. I wish I'd taken a picture of it because it was completely ridiculous. Probably about 8 pounds for $15, and delicious, mmm mmm. Perfectly ripe. The only problem with a single woman who lives alone buying 8 pounds of perfectly ripe peaches is that they start to edge past perfectly ripe into the realm of rotten fruit faster than she can eat them. Soooo, this resulted in many a dish, sweet and savory alike, being made with them. My peach concoctions included: peach cobbler, peach salsa (yummmm), peach pancakes (only so-so to be honest), and finally used the last of them in a black bean peach soup last night. Since I haven't gotten to taste it yet, I cannot tell you how it turned out.

Also, I made a Baltimore Peach Cake last week and it definitely stole the show in terms of how best to use up a whole big basket of peaches. If I could make that whole basket into a million of these cakes, I would. I'd never even heard of it before but found it when searching for a peach cake recipe to make into cupcakes. Some things I've read recently make me think this cake may fall into the category of baked goods that are referred to as "buckles." That's because the cake batter is covered in fruit and then rises up through it when it bakes, causing the fruit topping to buckle, get it? Anyway, I've been imagining what it would taste like to make this cake with other fruit, especially apples and pears in anticipation of fall. The cinnamon/sugar mixture that you sprinkle on the cake before putting on the fruit gets kind of crunchy and crystalized so you get that crusty outside, moist inside phenomenon that I love so much. I ate quite a bit of it myself and shared it with my co-workers who loved it (though I'm not sure they'd ever tell me if they didn't like it). Recipe is below. I plan to try and post at least once a week and want to focus more on savory dishes than sweets. The hope was that last night's turkey meatloaf would be good enough to post but, honestly, it was only ok. Tasty, but nothing to blog about.



Baltimore Peach Cake

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon Butter, softened
2 1/2 cups Flour
1 1/2 cup Milk
1 cup Sugar
3 teaspoons Baking Powder

2 tablespoons Butter, melted
3/4 cup Sugar, MIXED WITH
2 teaspoons Cinnamon
5 large Peaches, peeled/sliced
Directions:Preheat oven to 350º. With electric mixer, blend first five ingredients. Spread in greased and floured 15x10" jelly roll pan, or 13x9" plus one 8" cake pan (or 2 8'' cakes pans like I did, or whatever pan you want for whatever thickness of cake you want. My cake layer was only about 3/4 in thick).

Sprinkle half of cinnamon/sugar mixture lightly over dough base. Arrange peach slices by rows on top of base. Sprinkle with remainder of cinnamon/sugar mixture and drizzle melted butter over all.

Bake for 25-30 minutes (For thicker dough, omit 8" cake pan -- use 13x9" pan only).

Chocolate Farina and a new ice cream flavor at The Hop.

I don't have anything too exciting to post, but wanted to at least keep rolling on this thing. There are two notable food experiences from last weekend that I can share. One, I had the cockamamie idea to put cocoa powder in my cream of wheat. I guess it's because of all the leftover cocoa from the whoopie pie extravaganza. If you're from the south, you may not have the connection some of us do to cream of wheat - also known as farina. To me, that stuff is pure comfort. It tastes like childhood and being taken care of by my parents. When I was a kid, I liked it when the lumps formed and I got chewy chunks of cream of wheat stuck together. Yes, I was a weird kid, why do you ask? Anyway, in the south, they eat grits. Despite my hometown being below the Mason Dixon, we have a bunch of northern influence in our food. Grits stop being common at the Virginia line. Though I've come to love grits (and nearly everything else about the South, including cute boys with southern accents) they don't have the same effect as cream of wheat. If you've had it, and like it, you know what I mean. It can't be described. I started eating the stuff for my pre-long run meal because it has even less fiber than instant oatmeal, a good thing when you're about to go run for 3-4 hours. So, I had this idea to add cocoa powder and I was correct to do that. I have invented a way to eat desert for breakfast or any time of day that you need some love because it's like eating a hug! Seriously. Just add about a tablespoon to the regular recipe. I follow what's on the box and do the butter and sugar to taste (aka a whole damn bunch because butter and sugar are awesome). Just so you know, if you're celiac or otherwise wheat intolerant, they make a rice version. I haven't tried rice farina but I'm thinking about it just to see what it's like. If it measures up, I'll probably switch, just cause I seem to do better if I limit my gluten. By no means am I celiac or anything even close, I just notice I'm less sluggish with less wheat flour in my diet.

My other food adventure happened on Saturday night. I went out to dinner with some friends (can I just tell you how grateful I am to have friends who like to go out to eat - like for every meal plus snack and desert and coffee? it's rad) and then we went to this ice cream place called The Hop, which makes amazing ice cream and smells like I hope heaven will, which is like sugar pretty much. When we walked in the girl was like "Hey we have a new flavor. It's called Elvis." So I asked her if it was peanut butter and banana, since that was Elvis' favorite sandwich. And she said it was but that there was a secret ingredient and got my friend to try and guess. Turns out it was bacon! So I had to try some and oh my, now I understand why everyone on the planet is putting bacon in their cupcakes and frosting and toffee and covering it in chocolate because Sweet Debbie, it was f-ing amazing! It was a completely smooth ice cream, no banana, peanut butter or bacon chunks. Incredibly creamy with a perfect balance of all three flavors. The bacon is subtle and serves to bring out the best in the banana and peanut butter. Holy crap. If I can't have sex, I'll take Elvis. Thank you The Hop, I will be back for a pint later this week.

Oh squash, bounty of summer, how I will miss thee.

Isn't it just like me to be enjoying something and immediately jump ahead, into the future, and start missing it before it's even gone. This morning I was eating my particularly yummy breakfast in the quiet semi-darkness of my living room, enjoying it immensely. It featured shredded squash. Yes, that's right, shredded squash again! It's my new favorite food trick, as I mentioned in the last post, and I discovered two new ways to use it. I will describe both of them in a minute. But first, what struck me this morning is that it really is coming to a close, this magical summer that I have loved so much. I noticed that Tastespotting is starting to feature more recipes with apples and heartier ingredients. The air is cooler and I can just feel that turning, sliding down into autumn. My last remaining squash plant is starting to do this thing where the squash get rotten before they're big enough to harvest and my tomatoes are FINALLY turning red. It dawned on me how much I will miss summer squash. Yeah, I know you can get it year-round but it's not the same when it wasn't grown in my backyard. It's not the same when it's not summer. So, even though there is still squash around and will be for a while, I started thinking of what I will replace it with in the fall and winter months. Pretty much any root - carrots, beets, parsnips - could be used similarly but nothing is going to melt in the pan quite like squash. What I had to admit to myself is that it's all part of the deal, here on earth. Letting go of what has been, however beautiful it may be, in order to receive the bounty of what's to come. Nothing can really replace what's been loved and lost but I'll stand at my stove and come up with something new and love it just as well. Yes, I did just get all touchy-feely about some squash. And you probably know I'm talking about more than just vegetables here. Like my friend Kelly says, "metaphor is my first language." There's usually another meaning under there somewhere. Not sure how well that's gonna work as man bait, but that's me. Take or leave it, right?! Anyway, on with the instructional portion of our program.

This morning I made eggs (1 whole, 1 white) scrambled with sauteed onion, fresh basil, and shredded squash. It was super easy. Just saute the onion and basil a bit, then add the squash. Let it all soften as much as you want. Add salt and pepper. Then add the eggs, lightly beaten, and mix it all thoroughly. Cook until the eggs are set to your liking.

Last night I needed to make a quick dinner between my 6-mile run and meeting up with a friend. After a run, I need at least little bit of simple carbs to recharge my glycogen but I don't like to load up on that stuff. I do, however, like to feel sufficiently full. I realized that adding shredded squash to my spaghetti would bulk it up with fiber and vitamins instead of just flour. I try to keep a bag of spaghetti noodles and a jar of sauce around. They usually last me at least two weeks if not more. All I did was sautee onion, garlic, and chopped fresh basil (from my garden!) then added the shredded squash (also from my garden!) and let it soften a bit. Then, I just dumped some sauce in, salt and peppered to taste and added it to my little pile of noodles. I shook just a little bit of parm on top and holy crap, flavor city. And it barely took any time to make. I suppose its one pitfall is the lack of protein. I'm not too concerned about that but it would be very easy to add a can of white beans or some chicken if you had left-over laying around, or Italian sausage and it would be even more filling and well-rounded.

That's it! I'm thinking I need to come up with a departing line, like when Paula Deen says she's sending you "love and best dishes from our kitchen to yours." Much as I've come to love the South, I am no Paula Deen so I don't think I could really get away with something as sweet as that. Ideas are welcome, including sarcastic ones!

Simple, Delicious, and Vegan!

After two posts about sugary treats (which are awesome, don't get me wrong) I'm going to do a quick post about some healthy, yummy fare I cooked up last night. Like I said in my very first post, I want to include some of the simple stuff I make most nights of the week as well as represent some tasty vegan options. Between the ages of 16 and 19, I was vegetarian and this also happened to be when I learned to cook. So, a lot of what I cook is veg by default. I have honed my meat cooking skills a bit over the last couple of years but it's still sort of my automatic to make stuff with veggies and beans and the like. Last night, I needed to cook for a friend who is vegan and I was so grateful to have the ability to make flavorful meals without animal products because, like I've mentioned ad nauseum since starting this blog, cooking for the people I love is A-number one important to me.

I did a quick mental inventory of what I had in my fridge and my pantry and came up with squash from my garden, homemade canned salsa I'd dug out of the pantry, and burrito shells. The only beans I had were dried black beans, not an option since you really gotta plan ahead to use those babies, so I decided to stop by the grocery and grab some pintos in a can and onion, since I'd used the last of that at some point last week. I've become quite fond of shredding vegetables to cook them. It's a great way to make them meltingly tender and if you slice an onion really thin and saute them together with olive oil, salt, pepper and whatever spices seem appropriate, it becomes this perfect amalgamation of flavor. In my mind, there are two distinct ways to do burritos (and other westernized forms of latin food). There's the version where all the ingredients have these nice crisp boundaries that keep the integrity of their own flavor while also pairing well with other ingredients. My fave of this variety is black beans, lightly spiced, with pineapple, pico de gallo, roasted sweet potatoes, and either blanched kale or lettuce. (I highly recommend this if you need fiber in your diet. Just don't eat it the night before a long run ;) Last night, though, we needed the other version where everything's a bit mushy and all the ingredients meld together so you have a little pocket of belly-warming goodness. Below is the recipe for what I came up with. It really came together nicely and I'm stoked that there are a tiny bit of leftovers that I'll be eating with tortilla chips for lunch today.

Shredded Squash and Pinto Bean Burritos

Ingredients:
2 medium size yellow squash
1 small or half of a large red onion
1 80z (I think, whatever the normal size is) Pinto Beans
2 cloves garlic
2 T Olive Oil
1 t. ground cumin
1 t. chili powder
lettuce (whatever variety floats your boat)
salsa
whatever other fixins you're into for burritos

Method:

1. Heat 1 T of olive oil in a skillet. Slice your onion very thin and shred the squash with a grater. Once the oilve oil is warm, throw in the onion and sautee it until it starts to turn transluscent. Then, add the squash and stir to coat with the oil. You may need to add a little more oil.

2. Once the squash has been cooking for a minute or so, stir in 1/2 t. of cumin and a heaping 1/2 t. of chili powder. Also, salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine the spices well. Remember to stir it occasionally for even cooking and to prevent sticking.

3. Drain the pinto beans and put them in a sauce pan with about a tablespoon, maybe a little less, of olive oil. Throw in two small or one large clove of minced or crushed garlic, 1/2 t. cumin and another heaping 1/2 t. of chili powder as well as salt and pepper to taste and stir to combine. The trick is to spice the beans and squash equally and not too strongly since they'll all end up together in the end. We also want to avoid one of them being bland, since that leads to this stratification of flavor and flavorlessness in the end product. Let the beans cook until heated through. Mush them just a little with a spoon or fork, not totally to a paste but just break about a quarter of them open.

4. Heat your tortillas in whatever way you fancy. I like the oven on 200. Assemble burritos with beans, squash mixture, salsa, lettuce, and whatever else you want. I added a little greek yogurt to mine (a fat free, low call, de-freakin'-lish substitute for sour cream) and it went really well with the flavor and texture.

Yummmmm!

Whoopie Pies!

I am begining to suspect that the demons of technology are trying to hold a sister back when it comes to this food blog thing. First, my camera broke a few weeks ago making it impossible to take pics of my lovely creations. And then on Friday (irony of ironies, right after I got home with my new external hard drive for backing things up) my sweet little Mac-y-poo went to sleep and would not wake up. So, she's in the shop. But you know what, I'm food blogging come hell or high water! It's most important that I blog about this weekend's events because I had a Whoopie Party! Are you like "What the heck's a whoopie party?" That's cool, I'll tell you. It's a party with good people, good conversation, the grill going, and this yummy confection called the Whoopie Pie. See image (which I took with the camera on my Blackberry) below:

Imagine chocolate cake, baked in little blobs so they're kind of like cookies, with vanilla cream frosting sandwiched between them. It's like an Oreo cookie cake, or something. I also made a version of the filling with a couple tablespoons of Nutella (hazelnut chocolate spread, nectar of the Gods) replacing some of the butter and they were A-mazing.

So the reason that this party was important really has nothing to do with Whoopie Pies. I could have made anything and the effect probably would've been the same. What is important is that it was the first large gathering I've had since I became single and got a house all to myself. It's something I knew I wanted to do almost immediately, something that's been in my heart for a long time, really, that I just couldn't do under my previous circumstances. Truly, it's got everything in the world to do with the purpose of this blog and the importance of food and cooking in my life. I wanted to open my home to my friends - some old, some I've only just met - give them a place to have a nice time and some good food to gather around. And it worked! We were successful. With the help of my awesome friend Lori, I was actually ready when people started showing up. Everyone loved the Whoopie Pies and I had enough to share with friends who couldn't come to the party and with my co-workers. I used a recipe from Epicurious.com (which I seem to have left off of the links list, I'll add it shortly). Also, it had been my intention to make a gluten-free vegan version for two friends with dietary restrictions but poor time management made that impossible. I will be sure to update this post with that recipe after I make them (it just feels wrong not to make them, you know?). So here's the recipe I used, with added commentary:

Classic Whoopie Pie Recipe (from Epicurious.com)

Ingredients:
For cakes:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup well-shaken buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 large egg

For filling:

• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups confectioners sugar
• 2 cups marshmallow cream such as Marshmallow Fluff
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation:

Make cakes:
Preheat oven to 350°F.

Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a bowl until combined. Stir together buttermilk and vanilla in a small bowl.

Beat together butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes in a standing mixer or 5 minutes with a handheld, then add egg, beating until combined well. Reduce speed to low and alternately mix in flour mixture and buttermilk in batches, beginning and ending with flour, scraping down side of bowl occasionally, and mixing until smooth.

Spoon 1/4-cup mounds of batter about 2 inches apart onto 2 buttered large baking sheets. Bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until tops are puffed and cakes spring back when touched, 11 to 13 minutes. Transfer with a metal spatula to a rack to cool completely*.

*Seriously, let them cool completely. If they're too warm, the filling gets all melty and the sandwiches don't stick together. In fact, stick 'em in the fridge after they're filled to keep this from happening.

Make filling:
Beat together butter, confectioners sugar, marshmallow, and vanilla in a bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. To make Kelly's Nutella version, replace about 2 tablespoons of the butter with 2 tablespoons of Nutella. Holy freakin' hazelnuts, it's so so good.

Assemble pies:
Spread a rounded tablespoon filling on flat sides of half of cakes and top with remaining cakes.

Cooks' notes:

• Cakes can be made 3 days ahead and kept, layered between sheets of wax paper, in an airtight container at room temperature.
  

• Filling can be made 4 hours ahead and kept, covered, at room temperature.

Whoopie!!!!