Are you hungry?: 8/1/10

Monday, August 30, 2010

Summer Blueberry Lemon Cookies, What?

Do you all remember how I vowed to bake more this year after overcoming my long term baking phobia? I hope someday to serve up baked goods as beautiful and delicious as Claudia, Elra, and Reeni . Get this, my sweet and lovely neighbor. Laurie asked if I would assist her in perfecting a Blueberry Lemon Cookie recipe. WHAT?? Oh My Gosh I was so flattered.

This is how it went; she stopped by to ask if I would gather her mail while she was on vacation. Both being internet geeks, we chatted about her You Tube videos and web designing then on blogging, which for me includes cooking, of course. That is what prompted the thought of asking me for help. Disclosing first my newbie baking status, and sharing lessons learned, I happily agreed to assist.

We planned a Saturday baking date. First thing on the agenda was to review and discuss the outcome of her first attempt at baking these cookies. The texture and density were the problem, not the flavor. With the original version, Laurie described the cookies as similar in texture to a cake or muffin.

Original Blueberry Cookies
Adapted from All Recipes, our changes in italics

Ingredients
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 pinch salt
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten, 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ~~1/2 cup~~ milk, 3/8 cup milk
• 1 cup fresh blueberries, 1 pint
• Zest of 1 lemon

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheet.
2. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. In a large bowl, cream butter with sugar. Beat in eggs, lemon flavoring and lemon zest. Mix in milk and flour mixture alternately in three parts, starting with the milk. Gently mix in blueberries. (The final product is thick, more like a cookie dough rather than a batter as in the first attempt)

4. Drop batter by tablespoons onto prepared sheets 1 1/2 inches apart. (Press cookies gently with fork to fatten slightly.)
5. Bake 12 to 15 minutes.

Laurie described these as the perfect summertime cookie, I concur. The combination of lemon and blueberry was fabulous. Each bite began with a splash of fresh lemon flavor followed by an ooze of fresh blueberry. Laurie noted the blueberries retained their shape and juice, not popping nearly as much while baking as the previous batch did. We decided to sprinkle some of them with powdered sugar. In my opinion this added just the right amount of sweetness to the light yet crusty tops, whereas Laurie preferred them without it. Merely dropping by spoonfuls presented a muffin like cookie, which was significantly better than the original however not what we were looking for. We agreed the flattening made these true cookies and hands down the best cookies of all. Needless to say I had a great time, and hope we'll do this again soon.

If you have fresh blueberries and need an idea try these cookies. I am certain you will not be disappointed!

I linked these cookies to

Are you Hungry?

♥

Comments Recipe Tags: baking, dessert, fruit, snack

Friday, August 13, 2010

Poor Girl Chimichurri Steaks

Chimichurri sauce is an Argentinean sauce or condiment, similar to pesto, which is popular throughout South America. I read that a bowl of chimichurri sauce can be found on every dinner table in Argentina. Have you ever made a chimichurri sauce?

My first encounter came through a food buzz friend. This chimichurri sauce by Foodo del Mundo really sparked my interest. Consequently, I picked up a jar and used it on a grilled rib eye steaks; the guys said it was pretty darn good. The left over sauce went into the fridge.

Now I do not know about you all but we are on a real tight budget these days. Whatever is on sale is what we eat. I stumbled upon a great deal on ground sirloin and bought a bunch. How many ways can one prepare a meal using ground beef that contains little or no carbs as well? Yes, hubby is still doing the meat and veggie diet *sigh* Burgers, Salisbury steak, Meatballs, Meatloaf.... all I can say is the ~~chef~~ cook needs a broad culinary imagination to accomplish this.

I have to admit, I was a bit nervous after ~~concocting~~ mixing the beef and spices. At the onset of dinner, I was silently observing facial expressions. After a few bites, Dad asked, "what is in this, it is deeeelicious," and hubby gave me double kudos. *big grin* Don’t you just love it when a scary meal gets great reviews?

Chimichurri Steak Patties in Mushroom Gravy

1 lb ground sirloin
1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
2 Tbsp. Chimichurri sauce
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Olive oil
2 Tbsp. red cooking wine
1 packet mushroom gravy mix
1.5 cups water
8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced

Mix together sirloin, bread crumbs, egg chimichurri sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. When thoroughly combined, divide into four equal parts. Form four oblong steak patties. Heat a small amount of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the patties and brown well on both sides. Remove to a platter. Reduce heat to low, remove the skillet from the heat; de-glaze the pan with the wine. Add the mushrooms, return the skillet to the heat, and cook for two minutes. Meanwhile combine the water and gravy mix. Whisk, making sure all lumps are dissolved. Pour into skillet and stir. Return the steak patties and any liquid that has collected on the platter to the skillet. Stir gently, spooning gravy over the steaks. Cover and cook for about twenty minutes. Serve with mashed potatoes, rice, or noodles - on the side in my house.

Yes, they are similar to a Salisbury steak; the chimichurri sauce gave a unique, full-bodied flavor, the word Salisbury just doesn’t work. Scored big dinner points on this one, hope you think so too. Oh and the guys were too darn hungry, and I was too scared, to wait for a photo...

♥

Comments Recipe Tags: beef, dinner

Friday, August 06, 2010

Banana Cinnamon Snack Cake

The 2010 half way mark passed. Can you believe there are just four months until the New Year? I was determined to bake more since you all helped me to overcome my baking phobia in 2009, thanks. Even though it has been “killer hot” down here, hot as in 101 yesterday, I am still baking…crazy woman! Anyhow, I had to do something with those two ripe bananas and the cake craving that was lingering for days. Adapted from About.com’s Stay at Home Parents section by Barbara Whiting, this quick Banana Snack Cake recipe tastes better when chilled and is a great way to use those ripe bananas.
(My alterations are like this)

Cinnamon Banana Snack Cake

1 package yellow cake mix – white cake mix
1/2 cup brown sugar – reduced to 1/4 cup
2 or 3 teaspoons cinnamon – 2 teaspoons
1 cup water – half water, half apple juice
1/2 cup oil
2 mashed, ripe bananas
3 eggs

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Alternatively, spray with non-stick spray. Add all ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Mix with a hand mixer on low speed until well mixed; scrape bowl. Mix on medium speed for 2 minutes.
Bake for 40 minutes.

Cool and frost with cream cheese frosting. Chill at least one hour, cut into squares, and serve.

Cream cheese frosting is so easy to whip up isn't it? While it takes a minute or so to prepare, this Very Good banana cake is elevated to Oh My Gosh banana snack cake with the frosting! This is one of those must have final additions.

My Low Fat Cream Cheese Frosting

8oz (half of a 16 oz. tub) low fat Philadelphia Brand Cream Cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Combine ingredients and mix with a hand mixer on medium speed until light and creamy.

This was just enough to frosting to cover the top of the cake. Using my covered 9 x 13 cake pan, frosting only the top of the cake worked out perfectly. This is a super moist, dense cake with a robust banana flavor yet not overpowering. The cinnamon definitely added contrast and balance to the banana flavor. It stored well in the fridge for five days. Can you imagine a cake lasted five full days in my house? That’s an almost unbelievable statement coming from me right. What can I say; Red, my dessert partner, is MIA for a while.

♥