Feeling Like Flan

For the next few weeks the theme of my food blog will be all about "soft foods". Think puddings, soups, tofu...you get the idea. Maybe you're wondering why. Well, just last week I endured two hours in the dental chair to have two new crowns placed. Right now, I've got a couple temporary crowns which are not the most comfortable things to have in one's mouth. Those of you with crowns can relate to this, I'm sure. Yet, I'm determined to make the "best" of this situation and more than that, determined to not have these temporaries fall out until my next dental visit during the first week of August. This of course means the less chewing and chomping I do, the better, and hence, the "soft food" diet is upon me. So, today I made flan. I have never been a big flan fan until a coworker brought some in for our last Cinco De Mayo potluck. It was light, creamy and not overly sweet. In fact, that was the recipe I was hoping to make today but I discovered I left the notes at work. I opted for this Vanilla Flan recipe from Epicurious instead. It's a little lighter than other flans in the fat department--you can actually use skim milk if you'd like but I chose low fat. It was deliciously smooth and yummy and the best part was, my teeth didn't have to do a lot of work to enjoy it.

Ina's Lamb Kebobs

We enjoy a good lamb dish every once in awhile and this particular recipe is so quick and easy, I just had to share it. It comes from one of Ina Garten's recipes so you know it must be good, right? All you need is a large mixing bowl, salt, pepper, and a few other ingredients that you probably have in your kitchen and you're good to go. You do need to marinate the lamb for at least an hour though so make sure you plan on that when you make this dish. After that, the cooking is a cinch--only 10 minutes under the broiler and you have juicy, tasty lamb that is perfect for a summer meal. Enjoy!

Lamb Kebabs (adapted from Ina Garten)
1.5 lbs boneless lamb sirloin
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red win vinegar
1 teaspoonful dried basil
1/2 teaspoonful thyme
2 garlic cloves (minced)
Coarse salt, pepper
Metal or wooden skewers

Cut the lamb meat into large chunks and place in a large bowl. Add salt and pepper, olive oil, vinegar, basil, thyme, and garlic. Mix using your hands. Cover with plastic wrap and set in the fridge from 1 to 3 hours to marinate.

Preheat oven broiler; place the lamb meat onto skewers.
Broil the lamb for a total of 10 minutes, flipping the meat half-way through.

BYOB

It feels so good to be baking and blogging again. These last several weeks, I have been a bit under the weather and had to take a little break from the kitchen. The good news is, I am on the mend and thought I'd "celebrate" my first post for July with a beautifully rich and moist Beer Cake from today's Los Angeles Times Food section. This cake made my whole house smell so good while it was baking and I really couldn't wait to take a bite of it as soon as it was done. Since I didn't want to burn my tongue though, I managed to wait for the cake to cool before giving it a taste this evening. Wow, this cake is delicious! It reminded me of a luscious spice cake but with a lot more rich flavor to it. The beer truly adds to this flavor but believe me, there's definitely no "beer-taste" anywhere to be found. Hope you will give it a try. Happy baking! (click here for the recipe)

Amy's Peanut Butter Cookies

Here's another recipe from the Politics and Pot Roasts cookbook that I shared with you on my previous post. This time the recipe for Peanut Butter Cookies is compliments of our former "first daughter", Amy Carter. Did you know that Amy was only 9 years old when her dad Jimmy, our 39th President was elected? A couple other tidbits taken from the book: "Amy occasionally roller skated in the White House and had a tree house built for her in the South Lawn." Pretty cool huh? Well, I'm not sure if Amy actually baked these cookies herself in that huge White House kitchen back then, but I'm pretty sure she must have shared them with her peanut-loving family. I personally loved the soft, delicate texture of the cookies which reminded me a lot of a butter cookie. Surprisingly though, they were a little weak on the peanutty flavor. Next time I think I'll use a full cup of peanut butter and maybe add some chopped up peanuts to the mixture as well. By the way, these taste wonderful with a cold glass of milk.

Amy Carter's Peanut Butter Cookies:
Ingredients---
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter softened
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup warm water
3 cups sifted flour

Directions--
1. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, shortening and peanut butter
2. Beat in the sugars and salt.
3. Beat in the eggs, one at a time.
4. In a small bowl, dissolve the baking soda in the warm water; add this to the large bowl and mix well.
5. Stir in the flour. Mix until dough is smooth.
6. Wrap plastic wrap over bowl and place in the fridge for 1 hour.
7. After 1 hour, preheat oven to 400 degrees F
8. Using a small ice cream scooper or a spoon, scoop dough into 1-inch balls and place on a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. Gently flatten the ball using the tines of a fork; (create a criss cross pattern with the fork, if desired).
9. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown
10. Allow to stand for 10 minutes on the baking pan before transferring to cooling racks
(Makes about 4 dozen cookies)

Fit For A President

My boyfriend recently surprised me with a new cookbook titled, Politics and Pot Roasts, An Unofficial, Unauthorized and Completely Unclassified Cookbook by Sarah Hood Salomon. It's an interesting, fun, and educational read, filled with some of the "favorite" recipes of over 40 U.S presidents and their wives. Starting with George Washington and rounding up with George W. Bush, I got a kick out of learning about our former president's food preferences as well as tidbits on entertaining styles of the presidential families. I decided to try this simple and quick recipe for Corn Muffins from the collection of Ida McKinley who was the wife of our 25th president, William.
According to the author, the recipe was first published in 1896 in The Canton Favorite Cookbook by the Ladies of the First Baptist Church in Canton, Ohio. The simplicity of this recipe makes it very appealing--it can all be made using just one bowl and one wooden spoon for mixing, and the muffins turned out moist and light with just a hint of sweetness. My boyfriend took one bite and declared them "presidential-tasting!" Okay, you be the judge. Enjoy!

Mrs. McKinley's Corn Muffins :
Preheat oven to 425 degrees farenheit
1 cup flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 egg
1 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons butter, melted

1. Mix the dry ingredients together. Beat egg lightly and add to the dry ingredients.
2. Pour in milk and melted butter.
3. Mix until everything is just moistened.
4. Spoon into muffin tins, about two-thirds full.
5. Bake at 425 degrees F for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Yields 6-8 muffins

Friday's Sweet Treat

I just wanted to share a quick post with you today. It's for a Fresh Apple Cake with Caramel Glaze, a recipe that can be found on the Leite's Culinaria website. The cake is loaded with a combination of both Granny Smith and Fuji apples as well as lots of pecans, then topped off with caramel. It is lusciously moist and is perfect for breakfast or dessert. I would recommend a big mug of coffee or a cold glass of milk to go with it. Click here if you would like to give this delicious recipe a try yourself.

How About Some Tofu?

Despite all the baking I love to do, I also make an effort to eat as healthfully as I can most of the time. Treats and sweets are usually reserved for weekends and so my meal planning centers mostly around things like vegetables and whole grains, leaner cuts of meat like chicken breast or extra lean beef, and fresh fruit. On occasion, I also like to experiment with non-meat main dishes such as tofu. Lately, this Tofu Oat Loaf has been appearing on my menu more often. A lot of people shy away from tofu because of its reputation as being “boring" and "bland”. Well, I can assure you that there is nothing boring or bland about this loaf. The recipe comes from one of my favorite cookbooks called Oat Cuisine which as the title suggests, incorporates heart-healthy oats into most of its recipes. Here, the tofu is mixed together with uncooked oatmeal, tomato sauce, and fresh herbs. I also included some peppers for an extra kick. Eat it with some marinara sauce on top or maybe as a sandwich with some melted low fat cheese and toasted rye bread? Now I’m not promising that you’ll enjoy this more than a “true” meatloaf mind you, but it does make a nice, healthy alternative and who knows, you just might find yourself getting excited about tofu.

Tofu Oat Loaf (adapted from Oat Cuisine by Bobbie Hinman):
ingredients--
1 pound firm tofu
1/3 cup tomato or marinara sauce
1/3 cup fresh basil chopped
1/3 cup fresh chives chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 chopped, seeded jalapeno pepper
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup wheat germ

directions--
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Coat a loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray
3. Rinse the tofu and pat dry; place it in a large bowl with 1/3 cup of marinara sauce. Add the herbs, spices, jalapeno pepper and ground pepper. Mash everything well together with a fork.
4. Add the oats and wheat germ and mix well until blended.
5. Press mixture firmly into prepared pan.
6. Bake for 45 minutes; after baking, allow the loaf to cool slightly for about 5 minutes, then invert onto a plate.