blueberry cornmeal butter cake (smitten kitchen)

My boyfriend's mom recently bought me the Smitten Kitchen cookbook by Deb Perelman that I've been eyeing at the bookstore. It was a graduation gift along with a Sur La Table gift card! So, almost immediately after getting the cookbook, I flipped through and decided to make something easily shareable that was meant to be cut into small-ish pieces.

The blueberry cornmeal butter cake was perfect, as it yielded 16 squares of cake and there's on average 10-15 people in my office on any given day. Plus, since it has blueberry and a crumble top (things I love to add in my baking,) I just couldn't resist.

Although the recipe called for a lot of ingredients, most I already had. The unusual ingredients were 1/3 cup of sour cream, 1/4 tsp lemon zest, and 2 cups of blueberries. I realize that some people probably don't have cornmeal lying around, but I like to make homemade pizza and put cornmeal down on the baking sheet, hence I have plenty of cornmeal!

Also, the great part of this recipe is that you don't have to chill the dough or set anything funky aside. I think it's great when you can turn on the oven, make the recipe, then start baking immediately.

This cake was pretty light, so I ate a piece for breakfast the morning after I made it. But it would also work great for a summertime dessert.

One day, I'd love to have my own cookbook or book of travel photos and stories or a memoir of the great love story that my boyfriend and I share. Therefore, I won't post the recipe, but instead encourage you to buy the Smitten Kitchen cookbook or rent it from the library and make photocopies. The recipe, so far as I could tell, wasn't on the Smitten Kitchen blog. This makes sense, because some people would never go get the book if the recipe was online. But I would because seriously, this book is beautiful!

It's really starting to feel like summer now that I'm baking so many more new recipes. Yay!

vegetable lasagna

It's almost summer weather, so before the heat sets in, I wanted to make lasagna. It ended up being perfect timing, as I made it on Wednesday and it was very chilly in Chicago!

I wanted to title this post "homemade vegetable lasagna" but I felt it wouldn't be right since I didn't make the noodles from scratch. I actually quite love making my own pasta noodles but unfortunetly, my kitchen does not have a pasta machine, nor the space to lay out all the noodles. Therefore, it's semi-homemade. It doesn't come in a Lean Cuisine box, so that's something!

I used a recipe from Baked Bree. I chose the recipe simply because I liked the ingredients it called for and the pictures were nice. However, I made many changes to the recipe as I went along.

Here are the changes I made:

1. Instead of using 3 peppers, I used 2.
2. Instead of using 1 lb of mushrooms, I used about 1/2 lb.
3. I emitted the red pepper flakes and basil
4. I used all shredded mozzarella instead of a mix of shredded and fresh.
5. Instead of getting 2 jars of marinara sauce, I got one jar of Trader Joe's garlic marinara sauce and added one can of crushed tomatoes.

Obviously, if you like your lasagna big, thick, and hearty, then use all the ingredients. I personally like my lasagna a little lighter so I just used less. Also, the recipe forgets to mention where to add the 1 egg; add it in with the ricotta mixings. Here's the recipe from Baked Bree:

"Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 12 ounces baby spinach
• 2 red peppers, sliced
• 2 yellow peppers, sliced
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 pound mushrooms, sliced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tablespoon dried basil
• 1 Tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 egg
• 1 box no boil lasagna noodles
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese (I use a mixture of fresh and shredded)
• 2 jars Rose Romano’s Red Bells (or a jarred marinara with roasted peppers)
• 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped

Instructions

1. In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and mushrooms and cook until they soften, about 5 minutes. Add red and yellow peppers. Cook until soft, about 10 minutes.
2. Add spinach and season with 1/2 teaspoon each salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook until wilted, about 2 more minutes. Set the vegetable mixture aside.
3. In another bowl, mix together ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, garlic, oregano, basil and remaining salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Set aside.
4. To assemble the lasagna, start by spreading a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of a 9×13 pan. Add a layer of lasagna noodles and ricotta mixture. Add a layer of vegetables. Add slices of fresh mozzarella and shredded mozzarella. Repeat until you have used all of the ingredients. Top with chopped parsley.
5. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 1 hour covered with foil. Remove the foil and bake an additional 20 minutes. Let rest for 20 minutes before slicing."

strawberry summer cake

Well, I've already baked more now in the last 3 days than I have in months. Thank you summer! When I started my search for a light, summer cake, I stumbled upon another amazing Smitten Kitchen recipe! It was actually very easy too, and the cake was absolutely perfect in moistness. 

This was how the batter looked before covering it with strawberries.

The sugar that was sprinkled on top was so beautiful and shiny.

In the Smitten Kitchen picture, the baker put her strawberries in randomly, but I decided to try to make a pretty pattern.

Smitten Kitchen recipe for "strawberry summer cake" is below:


"6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for pie plate

1 1/2 cups (188 grams) all-purpose flour (can swap 3/4 cup or 94 grams all-purpose flour with 3/4 cup or 75 grams of barley flour, see Note)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon table salt

1 cup (200 grams) plus 2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated sugar

1 large egg

1/2 cup (118 ml) milk

1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract

1 pound (450 grams) strawberries, hulled and halved

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Butter a 10-inch pie pan or 9-inch deep-dish pie pan (what I used). I did not test this with a standard 9-inch pie plate but looking at the margin of space leftover in my deep-dish pan after baking the cake, I suspect you’d be safe. Updated 6/13/11: This cake does not work in a standard 9-inch pie pan; it will overflow. Big apologies to anyone who learned the hard way! This cake wouldwork, however, in a 9- or 10-inch springform or cake pan. The 10-inch would make a thinner cake than pictured.

Whisk flour or flours, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl. In a larger bowl, beat butter and 1 cup sugar until pale and fluffy with an electric mixer, about 3 minutes. Mix in egg, milk and vanilla until just combined. Add dry mixture gradually, mixing until just smooth.

Pour into prepared pie plate. Arrange strawberries, cut side down, on top of batter, as closely as possible in a single layer (though I had to overlap a few to get them all in). Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons sugar over berries.

Bake cake for 10 minutes then reduce oven temperature to 325°F and bake cake until golden brown and a tester comes out free of wet batter, about 50 minutes to 60 minutes. (Gooey strawberries on the tester are a given.) Let cool in pan on a rack. Cut into wedges. Serve with lightly whipped cream.
Do ahead: Cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days, loosely covered, but good luck with that."

apple and honey challah

Finally, school's out! I just graduated college with a bachelor of arts degree. Now that I have some free time, I'm feeling more experimental in the kitchen. Since I work for a Jewish organization, I'm always trying to find ways to incorporate Jewish culture into my life. Therefore, this weekend I decided to try making Challah bread for the first time.

The recipe posted below, had me using the bread hook on my mixer for what seemed like forever... but more like 6 minutes.

The apples are incorporated into the dough. The recipe called for folding the apples into the dough and later rolling them into four strands. And it was difficult! The apples poke out so easily. But just poke them back in or leave them as they fall out.

For those who don't bake much, this Challah might look a little complicated to assemble but honestly, it wasn't too bad. I tried to follow the directions when weaving the dough, but I'm pretty sure I just made-up this design.

Voila! Challah bread! Below, the Smitten Kitchen recipe for "apple and honey challah" is posted but I totally encourage you to check out her website and book because she is awesome!

"One tip: If you measure your oil in your 1/3 cup measuring cup first, and then your honey, the honey will slide right out.

Makes 1 round woven challah

Bread
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 standard 1/4-ounce packet) active dry yeast
1/3 cup (79 ml) plus 1 teaspoon honey
1/3 cup (79 ml) neutral oil, plus more for the bowl
2 large eggs plus 1 large yolk
1 1/2 teaspoons (8 grams) table salt
4 1/4 cups all-purpose (530 grams) or bread flour (578 grams), plus more for your work surface

Apple filling
2 medium baking apples (I love baking with MacIntoshes), peeled, cored and in 1/2- to 3/4-inch chunks
Squeeze of lemon juice, to keep them from browning
Egg wash
1 large egg
Coarse or pearl sugar for sprinkling (optional)

Make your dough: Whisk yeast and 1 teaspoon honey into 2/3 cup warm water and let stand until foamy, a few minutes.

With a stand mixer: In the bowl of a stand mixture, whisk together yeast mixture, oil, remaining honey (1/3 cup), eggs and yolk. Switch to dough hook and add 4 1/4 cups flour and salt. Use dough hook on a moderate speed until it pulls all of the flour and wet ingredients together into a craggy mass. Lower the speed and let the dough hook knead the dough for 5 minutes, until smooth, elastic and a little sticky.

By hand: In a large bowl, whisk together yeast mixture, oil, remaining honey (1/3 cup), eggs and yolk. Add flour all at once and stir with a wooden spoon until you get a craggy mass of uneven dough. Turn dough out onto a floured counter and knead it into a smooth, elastic dough, about 5 to 8 minutes. Try to use as little flour as necessary when kneading the dough; you don’t want to toughen the bread. A bench scraper can make it really easy to remove it from the counter if it gets stuck in a spot. [More bread tips here.]

Both methods: Transfer dough to large oil-coated bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 1 hour, or until almost doubled in size.

Add apples to dough: [See photos in post.] Turn dough out onto a floured counter and gently press it down into a flat, oblong shape. The shape does not matter so however it goes, it goes. Spread 2/3 of apple chunks over 1/2 of the flattened dough. Fold the other half over the apple chunks and press the dough down around them, flattening the now lumpy dough. Spread the remaining 1/3 apple chunks over half the folded dough. Fold the other half over the apples, pressing the dough down again. Your dough packet will likely be square-ish. Fold the corners under with the sides of your hands and form the dough into a round. Upend your empty bowl over and set it aside for another 30 minutes.

Weave your bread: [See photos in post.] Divide dough into 4 pieces. Roll and stretch each one as carefully as you can into a rope — don’t worry about getting it too long or thin, just 12 inches or so should do. If any apple chunks fall out as you form the ropes or at any other time in the forming of the loaf or risings, just poke them back in with your finger.

Arrange two strands in each direction, perpendicular to each other, like a plus sign. Weave them so that one side is over, and the other is under, where they meet. So, now you’ve got an 8-legged woven-headed octopus. Take the four legs that come fromunderneath the center and move them over the leg to their right, i.e. jumping it. Take those legs that were on the right and again, jump each over the leg before, this time to the left. If you had extra length to your ropes, you can repeat these left-right jumps until you run out of rope. For me, this was enough. Just as you had with the folded packet of apple dough above, tuck the corners/odd bumps under the dough with the sides of your hands to form a round.

Transfer the dough to a parchment-covered heavy baking sheet or baker’s peel (if you’ll be using a bread stone). Beat egg until smooth and brush over challah. Let challah rise for another hour but 45 minutes into this rise, preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Bake your loaf: Before baking, brush loaf one more time with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar if you’re using it. Bake in middle of oven for 40 to 45 minutes. It should be beautifully bronzed; if yours (like mine, except I didn’t catch it in time) starts getting too dark too quickly, cover it with foil for the remainder of the baking time. The very best way to check for doneness in any bread but especially on like this where the wetness of the apples can slow down the baking time a bit, is with an instant read thermometer — the center of the loaf should be 195 degrees."

apple slice banana bread

I currently have Tuesday mornings off of school and work, so this morning I made banana bread with my mushy, brown bananas. I always buy bananas thinking that I'll eat them and I almost never do. Hence, I make a lot of banana bread.

Shout out to my friend, Elite, for getting me that red mixing bowl for my birthday last month. It is the perfect size for sloshing around banana bread, especially during the mixing of the wet and dry ingredients.

I used the "brown sugar banana nut bread 1" from allrecipes.com as a guide, although I don't like nutty bread that much, so I didn't add the nuts. Then, after I poured the banana bread recipe into the bread pan, I looked at it and thought, let's try adding more fruit. So I sliced up a small apple and put the pieces just on the top.

Here's the recipe:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla

4 very ripe bananas, mashed

2 cups flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1 apple, sliced (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition. Stir in vanilla and banana. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. Blend the banana mixture into the flour mixture; stir just to combine. Fold in walnuts. Pour batter into prepared pan.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted into center of loaf comes out clean.

paw print chocolate chip cookies

I don't have a lot to say in this post, I mostly just wanted to share a picture. I used the regular chocolate chip cookie recipe from the back of the chocolate chip bag, then instead of dropping spoonfuls of dough onto a baking sheet, I dropped them into paw-print muffin tins. My aunt Pam gave them to me. She gives a lot of presents made by ASPCA, in which profits go towards saving animals' lives. So here's what they look like!