things i wish i was eating

Wickedly good pistachio gelato. Eaten with my dear friend Kamaria.

I think I'm going through kitchen withdrawal. I really, really miss cooking. Actually, I mostly mostly miss the control of feeling in charge of my eating. It's not nearly as much fun to rely on the opinion of the cafeteria chefs. And chef is a strong word, those people in those industrial kitchens work so hard, and I'm not trying to be mean, but when you're churning out huge quantities of food it's difficult to pay attention to quality. And the food in the school cafeterias isn't BAD it's just tiresomely, decidedly mediocre.

Anyways, because I have so little daily control, I get a lot of satisfaction out of buying fruit and muffins at non university grocery stores. There is this precious co-op grocery store called Wheatsville near school, and they have very tasty muffins, and the fruit is arranged beautifully, and it makes me very happy. 

Things That I Am Craving:

-A really good grilled cheese (cheddar) sandwich on thick, buttery slices of sourdough, maybe with a paper thin slice of smoked ham. Served with a smoky, chunky tomato soup.

-Cake. Pref. chocolate. With frosting. 

-TOAST. Please god. With salty butter and lots of jam.

-Eggs. Cooked sunny side up in salty butter and served over TOAST with loads of creamed spinch and maybe some sweet potato fries. And jam.

-Good bread.

-Refried beans and some good rice. That does not taste like BLAND. And some zingy salsa.

-A most excellent cheese burger. 

                                                                            My feet.

-A croissant.

-Banana pudding. (Don't ask.)

Honestly, thinking about all these delicious things is too depressing. I want to eat. Next time I will hopefully have a recipe for you. But in the meantime, please make one of the things above and eat it. Just for me. 

xoxo

m

Tiramisu cake and strawberry rhubarb pie, also eaten with Kamaria. ON THE SAME DAY. It was a good day. 

Chocolate Gingerbread Cake

Let me tell you something that no one tells you:


College is actually School.


FOR REAL RIGHT?


Everyone talks about "games" and "parties" and "really awesome people" and maybe "study abroad" or "pedigreed professors."


But in talking about college no one actually EVER, I repeat, EVER talked about going to class and homework etc.


It's missing from the "You're a senior in highschool so you better go to college" dialogue.





Not that I'm unhappy or anything, because I think I'm pretty happy, despite the fact that my dorm room does not have a sink.
I am going to complain about this forever.
And it takes me, like, 15 minutes to pee, because I have to walk all the way down the hall to the bathroom, which is like, a half a mile away.
And I have to pee, like, all the time.
Small bladder.
That's me.
Also. The food here, is not stellar. Did you know that Bland is actually a flavor? Like Salty or Sweet or even Umami, if you want to get technical. No. Bland is the flavor that no one talks about. Those little bottles of Tabasco Sauce are my friend.


Anyways, I still live close to home, so I went home one day, and I baked a cake. Baking again was almost as fun as my first college party. But I don't think I want to talk about that here.


xoxo





Chocolate Ginger Cake
from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan


NB: Dorie suggests icing, which I was far too lazy to make, and it was wonderful without. If you so desire the instructions for icing are below. But it really was good without. 

• For the cake:
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 stick plus 3 tablespoons (5 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup molasses (not blackstrap)
• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate—2 ounces melted and cooled, 4 ounces finely chopped
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger in syrup (available in Asian markets), optional
• 
  
• For the icing:
• 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon strong coffee
• 3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

Getting Ready:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan and put it on a lined baking sheet. (Make sure your pan measures a true 9-x-9-inches; see above.)

To make the cake: 

Put the fresh ginger and sugar in a small bowl, stir and set aside. Whisk the flour, baking soda and spices together.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar together at medium speed until they are light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each egg goes in. Don't worry if the mixture looks curdled at this stage. Pour in the molasses and beat until smooth. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the melted chocolate along with the sugared ginger. Still on low speed, add the dry ingredients in three additions and the buttermilk in two (begin and end with the dry ingredients), mixing the batter only as much as needed to blend the ingredients. Fold in the chopped chocolate and the ginger in syrup, if you're using it. Pour the batter into the pan (remember, if your pan is small, do not fill it to the top). Bake about 40 minutes, or until the cake starts to pull away from the sides of the pan and a knife inserted deep into the center comes out clean. Don't be concerned if the cake has domed and cracked—it will settle down as it cools. Transfer the cake to a rack, cool for 10 minutes, then unmold the cake. Turn right side up and cool to room temperature before icing. (The edges of the cake might be quite brown, but don't fret—you can trim them after you ice the cake.)

To make the icing: 

Fit a bowl over a pan of simmering water, put the chocolate and coffee in the bowl and stir occasionally until the chocolate is melted. Remove the bowl and, using a small whisk, stir in the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Sift the confectioners' sugar over the chocolate and stir it in. Transfer the bowl to a counter and let the icing sit for about 10 minutes.Put the gingerbread, still on the rack, on a piece of wax paper or foil (the drip-catcher). Pour the icing onto the center of the cake and use a long metal spatula to spread the icing evenly over the top. Allow the icing to set for 30 minutes (you can hurry it along by chilling the cake briefly). If the edges of the cake are overbaked, now's the time to trim them. Then cut the cake into 9 even pieces.

NB: Gingerbread is a good keeper. You can wrap it and store it at room temperature for about 3 days or freeze it, iced and all, for up to 2 months. 

thank you and an apple tart

So I haven't known what to say

because nothing sounds quite right.

Who knows why.

Maybe it's because I've started school

and there's no where to cook.

Except for in the microwave

and somehow that seems

distinctly '80's housewifeish to me.

So, no.

And

I've been meeting people like crazy

only I can't remember most of their names

which is deeply unfortunate, because I like them all.

And

I'm not even at school right now.

I'm in D.C. for my cousin's wedding.

Which is pretty great. And the love that she looks at her

fiance with-- and watching other couples

last night at the rehearsal dinner...

I have been thinking:

Here is what I want to say--

Thank God

or karma or destiny or fate or kismet or the constellations or the universe or

happy accidents

for the beauty of love.

And I thank all of the above

for the luck

that allows me to

continue to talk to you.

And breathe this air.

And take up this tiny space in your world.

With food and without it.

This apple tart was made ages for a cast party for a show I was in. It's simply pie crust, and thinly sliced apples, sprinkled with sugar and baked at 350 F for about 30 minutes.

It was very nice and light. I figure that's about all the recipe I can give you, because honestly, there is not much else to say.

Just--

thank you.

Sweet and Sour Carrots

So there is this wonderful test you can do if you want to know if the music you listen to is hip or not.

You go to a Pilates studio and see if they're "playin' you jam" there. If they are the unfortunate truth is: "your jam" just isn't that hip.

For example, I'm totally loving this guy named James Morrison, who I had no idea existed till the other day, and he's some kind of British pop star, but I'D never heard of him. And I was so excited, because HEY I'M FINDING HIP NEW MUSIC. And then I passed by the Pilates studio at my dance school, and they were playing his songs and seriously, the little part of me that is truly indie/hipster/alternative wilted and died in embarrassment.

Granted, the millions of views on YouTube should probably have tipped me off.

And yes, I'm aware of the cliche idea that it's "cool" to be confident in what ever it is that lights your fire. But you have to be confident in a slightly "ironic" way to be considered "hip" so I guess I'm doomed as far as being a hipster goes, because I'm just not that ironic. BUT I STILL LOVE THIS GUY:

He is VERY earnest.

On a similar note, not too long ago someone asked me what my favorite thing to cook was. I think he expected me to say seven layer cakes or cassoulet or something, because my answer obviously dissapointed him.

I said, "I like to make eggs."

And he sneered a little and said, "My favorite thing to make is Creme Brulee."

And I thought to myself: what a pretentious little twit. Because, in case you didn't know, custards always use a lot of dishes and unless you have a serious THING for dishwashing, you're just not going to have a wild time in the kitchen.

Anyways, I really like eggs.

They are absolutely my favorite thing to cook.

So the other night, we had a very simple dinner of sunny-side-up-eggs sprinkled with sharp cheddar cheese over sweet and sour carrots with bread and a very simple salad of avocados and lettuce, tossed in vinaigrette. And it was wonderful and easy and unpretentious. And very, very good. But maybe not hip.

And I'm okay with that.

Sweet and Sour Carrots

from Italian Home Cooking by Julia Della Croce

This is the only recipe I'm including today. You can figure the rest out on your own. These carrots are excellent, they're cooked so long they become almost meaty- like sausage or something. They are very rich. And that is a very good thing. But you have to eat them with an egg on top. Because I said so. Also, I used baby carrots, because that was all I had.

About 10 carrots, or a few handfuls of baby carrots

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 onions, thinly sliced (I just used one and it was more than enough)

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Peel the carrots and cut off their tops. (Or not.) Slice them in 1/4 inch rounds. (Or not.)

In a skillet, warm the olive oil and butter together. Add the onions and carrots and 1/2 cup water. Cover and allow the carrots to cook over medium heat until tender and the water is evaporated, stirring frequently, about 30 minutes. Sprinkle with the sugar, salt and vinegar. Continue to cook, uncovered, until the carrots and onions become caramelized, crisp at the edges, and cast with a mahogany sheen.

Serve at once.

live for today

I've been thinking a great deal about what it means to live well.

Because shit happens frequently.

It's important to remember that

you have to live for today.

So don't save your champagne

for a "special day"

drink it on a monday night

with lots of olives and rich cheese and good bread and sausage and tomatoes sprinkled with salt and pepper.

And maybe some root beer

if you're feeling really special.

Because

all you have

is

right now.

Live for today.

Live for today.

Live for today.

Lighter-Than-Air-Chocolate Cake

Okay, so I know, it's been too long, and I've missed you too and all that. Yep.

The point is though, the cooking I've been doing has been minimal if not non-existant. Yes. That's right, see I'm in a show and we rehearse all day, and then I come home and sleep. So other than carrots and tacos and yogurt and coffee which are my obsessions of the moment, I haven't been doing much in the kitchen that's particularly interesting.

Regardless, I love you very much and hope things are swell on your end of the screen.

Anyways, I forgot to tell you, but about a month ago I made this spectacular cake for a dinner party. I love baking for people I love, but many of the people I love who were at the party are gluten free, and I wanted to bake something, SO.

I overachieved, and baked this gluten-free beauty.

And let me tell you something. This cake is spectacular and unusual and light and chocolate. It doesn't matter if you do or don't eat gluten. It is rockin'. It disappeared. It has a clean, deep, intensely chocolate flavor.

And it made everyone happy.

(The beautiful and effervescent Laura Jane with slices of cake)

(Slices of cake with dollops of whipped cream and strawberries.)

Are you proud of me yet?

Lighter-Than-Air-Chocolate Cake

from SmittenKitchen.com

To make four cake layers:
12 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped
6 tablespoons water
12 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
1 1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons Dutch-process unsweetened cocoa powder

For filling:
2 cups heavy cream
6 tablespoons confectioners sugar, sifted
4 tablespoons Grand Marnier*

Make cake layers: Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease four 9-inch circular cake pans and line bottoms of circles with a piece of parchment paper.

Melt chocolate with water in a small heavy saucepan over very low heat, stirring. Cool to lukewarm.

Beat yolks, 2/3 cup sugar, and salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer until thick and pale, about 5 minutes in a standing mixer or about 8 minutes with a hand-held mixer. Fold in melted chocolate until blended. Beat whites with cleaned beaters until they just hold soft peaks (you will need an enormous bowl for 12 egg whites).

Gradually add remaining 2/3 cup sugar and beat until whites just hold stiff peaks. Fold one third of whites into melted-chocolate mixture to lighten, then fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly.

Spread batter evenly over four baking pans and bake until puffed and top is dry to the touch, 15 to 18 minutes, rotating cakes between racks to ensure they bake evenly. Transfer pans to cooling racks and if necessary, loosen edges with a knife.

Sift cocoa powder over top of cake layers and place a piece of waxed paper over the top of the pans. Place a baking sheet over paper and invert cake onto it, gently peeling off wax paper lining. Place layers in the freezer for about an hour, until they are firm enough to be carefully lifted without breaking.

Make filling: Beat cream with powdered sugar and Grand Marnier with cleaned beaters until it just holds stiff peaks.

Fill and stck cake: Bring first cake layer out of the freezer and arrange on platter, cocoa side down. Spread one-quarter of filling evenly over the cake. Bring the next cake layer out of the freezer, placing it gently over the filling, again cocoa side down. Repeat this process until all layers and whipped cream are used.

Keep cake in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve it. Two hours should be more than enough to assure that the layers are no longer frozen.

Dark chocolate grated into curls with a vegetable peeler makes for an excellent garnish.

* You can substitute the following for Grand Marnier: 4 tablespoons Cognac and 1 teaspoon vanilla; 4 tablespoons cocoa and 1 teaspoon vanilla; or 4 teaspoons instant-espresso powder or instant-coffee granules dissolved in 4 teaspoons water plus 1 teaspoon vanilla.

Banana Cake with Chocolate Frosting

DUDE.

Where have you been?

Wellllll...

And I worked at my first real job.

And I learned that people in positions of power are frequently very incompetent.

And I got oriented at the University of Texas, where I'll be going in the fall.

unfrosted cake

And I discovered The Noisettes' Wild Young Hearts Album. And I'm TOTALLY in love with it.

And what else?

I've started running.

frosted cake

And I reread Anne of Green Gables for the 18th time or something.

I discovered frozen yogurt. WIN.

Basically, I've been trying to squeeze all the luscious deliciousness out of summer. Which is a very good thing.

And I baked you a cake.

It was a Banana Cake with Chocolate Frosting. And strawberries on top.

Do you love me yet?

I love you.

messy slice

Duh.

Banana Cake with Chocolate Frosting

from Southern Cakes by Nancie McDermott

I love chocolate and bananas with all of my soul. Not kidding. This is so good and so rich and exactly what you didn't know you needed. It screams for a glass of milk or, if you're feeling exceedingly decadent, a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Also, it frosted beautifully. Seriously, the most perfect looking cake ever. I was so proud I decorated with strawberries.

For the Cake

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup buttermilk (see note)

1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 3 or 4 bananas)

Heat the oven to 350 F. Grease and flour two 9 inch round baking pans. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl, and stir with a fork to combine well.

In a large bowl, combine the butter and sugar, and beat well, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one by one, and then the vanilla. Beat well for 2 to 3 minutes more, scraping down the bowl occasionally, until you have a smooth batter.

Using a large spoon or spatula, stir in half the flour just until it disappears into the batter. Stir in the buttermilk, and then the remaining flour, the same way. Quickly and gently fold in the mashed bananas, and then divide the batter between the 2 cake pans.

Bake at 350 F for 25 to 30 minutes, until the cakes are golden brown, spring back when touched lightly in the center, and begin to pull away from the sides of the pans.

Cool for 10 minutes in the pans on wire racks or folded kitchen towels. Then turn out onto wire racks or plates to cool completely, top side up. Frost cake.

Note: If you don't have buttermilk, stir 1 1/2 teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice into 1/2 cup milk, and let stand 1o minutes.

Chocolate Frosting

from Allrecipes.com

1 cup butter, softened

4 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

1 1/4 cups baking cocoa

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup milk

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter. Gradually beat in confectioners sugar, cocoa and vanilla. Add enough milk until frosting reaches spreading consistency.

Note: This makes ALOT of frosting. It is also rich and very intensely chocolatey, and almost overwhelms the delicate banana flavor of the cake. Regardless, it's a really, really good frosting. I promise.