A new home and peanut butter cookies

This blog is finally ready.  Since I started keeping a blog in 2005, I've moved my blog twice before to new address and I'm hoping this will be the last time that it moved.  I don't lose many posts when I moved this time, but still, it's a lot of tinkering to do with the layout.  I'm gonna let it be this simple for a while until I've time and energy to make it, maybe, better.  My blog is always meant for me to write recipes, post food photos, and have fun with the process of making food; it's never meant to be the most popular blog in the Internet.  I don't have the energy anymore, I'm getting old!  :D

With that, I'm going to start with this Peanut Butter Icebox Cookies.  I love this recipe because the cookies stay crisp and crunchy after many days, and it's a good medium to eat with other staple pantry foods, like Nutella and strawberry jam.  It's like a shortbread really.  The jam is homemade, made from my fresh picked Hood strawberries last month.  Easy to make, easy to eat.  And I think this goodies are just perfect things to have after the stress of moving.

I hope you'll enjoy your time as was before.  Thank you!

Peanut Butter Icebox Cookies

Makes about 40 to 48 cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter

⅓ cup smooth peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

⅛ teaspoon almond extract

⅓ cup granulated sugar

⅓ cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed

1 egg

Sift together the flour, baking soda, and cinnamon, and set aside.  In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and peanut butter until soft and smooth.  Add the vanilla and almond extracts and both sugars and beat until incorporated.  Beat in the egg.  Then, on low speed, add the dry ingredients and beat until thoroughly mixed.

Turn the mixture out onto a work surface, knead it a bit, and then "push off" the dough as follows:  Form the dough into a ball; start at the far end of the dough and, using the heel of your hand, push off small pieces (the size of about 2 tablespoons) against the work surface and away from you.  Continue until all the dough has been pushed off.  Re-from the dough and push it off (or "break" it) again; re-form the dough (it will feel like clay).

Form the dough into a long round shape or a long oblong.  Either way, the shape should be 10 to 12 inches log and 1 ¾ to 2 inches in diameter.

Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours until firm, or place the wrapped dough in the freezer for 45 to 60 minutes until firm.

When you are ready to bake, adjust two racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 350F.  Line cookie sheets with aluminum foil or parchment paper.  Slice the firm dough into ¼-inch slices.  Place them ½ to 1 inch apart on the lined sheets.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until lightly colored (darker on the rims), reversing the sheets top to bottom and front to back once during baking to ensure even browning.

With a wide metal spatula, transfer the cookies to racks to cool.

Source:  Maida Heatter's Cookies

Strawberry-Yogurt Panna Cotta

It's strawberry season here in Oregon and one thing that's has kept everyone waiting is the arrival of Hood strawberries. Hood is one of Oregon strawberry varieties that produces a deep red color and very sweet taste.  Its season is very short so time to pick or buy is right now.  Since it's highly perishable, the sooner you eat them the better.

I had a chance to go to Unger Farms in Cornelius last Saturday and picked quite a load of strawberries under the glorious summery sun.  Its size were ranging from quite small to large, but what's irresistible was the color and the taste.  It was deep red all the way through and smackingly sweet and juicy, and these batches from this farm are superb.  Right away I processed most of the berries for freezing because I want to have a steady supply until winter, and the rest were divided into jams and for eating.  My family loves having homemade strawberry jam at hand and I make sure those jams will last till next summer.  Some people like making freezer jam because it's much easier than doing regular jam, but sadly, I don't own an extra freestanding freezer.  My freezer in the fridge is always full of something else, possibly food.

It's been a while since I made panna cotta, and I thought this recipe fit what I wanted to make with the strawberries.  I wanted something cold but creamy and tasted like strawberries, yet I didn't want to make ice cream because there's not an inch spared in my freezer anymore.  I was captivated by the pinky hue of the panna cotta and you know panna cotta can feel luxurious in the mouth if made softer.  So here is the recipe, I'm hoping you'll be able to make it before the season is over.

Strawberry-Yogurt Panna Cotta

Makes 6 1/2-cup servings



4 cups roughly chopped fresh strawberries

2 1/4 teaspoons powdered gelatin

1 cup cream

1/4 cup sugar, or to taste

1/2 cup plain full-fat yogurt

1/4 teaspoon rosewater

Pinch salt

Strawberry slices, to serve



Puree the strawberries in a blender of food processor and pour them through a fine-mesh sieve.  You should be left with approximately 1 1/2 cups liquid.  Sprinkle the gelatin over this strawberry juice in a wide, shallow bowl.  Set aside for 5 minutes to allow the gelatin to soften.

Warm the cream and sugar in a 2-quart or larger saucepan.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then turn down the heat and whisk in the strawberry juice and gelatin.  Whisk thoroughly over low heat until the gelatin has completely dissolved.  Taste to check sweetness; if necessary, add more sugar.  Turn off the heat and whisk in the yogurt, rosewater; if using, and salt.

Divide this mixture among six ramekins or dessert glasses.  Cover the glasses lightly with plastic wrap.  Refrigerate the panna cotta and let it set for at least 2 hours--but preferably overnight, especially if you plan to unmold it.  The panna cotta can be made up to 3 days ahead and stored, covered, in the refrigerator.  Serve garnished with strawberry slice.

Note:  To unmold panna cotta easily, grease the ramekins or dessert glasses very lightly with flavorless vegetable oil, then wipe most of the toil out with a clean paper towel.

Source:  Bakeless Sweet by Faith Durand

Fresh Lime Chiffon Cake

This is actually a fun post to write.  I've made this cake before and just recently, one of my far away friends asked if I still had the recipe.  I didn't think of making one before she asked but the opportunity came to make a cake, and I thought why not this cake.  About a week and half ago my parents had their 50th wedding anniversary. I'm so proud of them for still be together for these many years because as you all know, being married to one person hasn't always an easy feat to do in life.  They never want to make a big celebration for the golden anniversary so we went to a neighborhood restaurant and had a great dinner.  This was the cake that I made for them.

Limes are supposedly very expensive to buy in the market nowadays because of the weather, diseases, and cartels involvement in Mexico, where most limes in the US are imported from.  I've put off making this cake because of the outrageous prices, but the week closer to my parents anniversary's date I found better price in one of the Asian grocery stores in Portland.  They're bit smaller than usual but I took my chance and bought enough quantity needed.  In the end, I had enough and more for the cake.  The cake did look smaller in the photo because I used 6-inch cake pans but I will keep the instruction as using 8-inch pans.

If you love citrus fruits, you'll love this cake.  It's refreshing, not overly puckery but each bite will leave a bright note in your mouth.  The filling is quite easy and you won't believe it first but when you mix lime juice with sweetened condensed milk, the texture became tight, custardy-like.  The only thing I regretted was the frosting.  It was store-bought whipped topping which when slather on the cake didn't come out as smooth as I liked.  Never again, next time I'll make my own whipped cream frosting though to prevent weeping a bit gelatin needs to be added to it.

Fresh Lime Chiffon Cake

Yield 16 servings

Filling:

1 teaspoon finely grated lime rind

1/4-1/3 cup lime juice (about 2-3 limes)--if you like it more sour, use more lime juice

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

Cake:

Cooking spray

1 tablespoon cake flour

2 cups sifted cake flour (7 1/2 ounces)

1 1/4 cups sugar, divided

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

7 tablespoons canola oil

1/3 cup fresh lime juice (about 3 limes)

3 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon finely grated lime rind

1 teaspoon pure lemon extract

3 egg yolks

8 egg whites

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Frosting:

3 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons lime juice (about 1 lime)

2 1/2 cups whipped topping, thawed



Fresh mint sprigs

Fresh blueberries

Lime wedges



Make lime filling:  Combine 1 teaspoon lime rind, 1/4-1/3 cup lime juice, and sweetened condensed milk in a small bowl, stirring until blended.  cover and chill 3 hours.

Preheat oven to 325F.

Make the cake:  Coat bottoms of 3 (8-inch) round cake pans with cooking spray (do not coat sides of pans); line bottoms with wax paper.  Coat wax paper with cooking spray; dust with 1 tablespoon flour.

Lightly spoon 2 cups cake flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife.  Combine 2 cups cake flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk until well combined.

Combine oil, 1/3 cup juice, 3 tablespoons water, 1 teaspoon rind, lemon extract, and egg yolks in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk.  Add oil mixture to flour mixture; beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth.

Place egg whites in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until foamy.  Add cream of tartar; beat until soft peaks form.  Gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peak form.  Gently stir one-fourth of egg white mixture into flour mixture, gently fold in remaining egg white mixture.

Divide cake batter equally among prepared pans, spreading evenly.  Break air pockets by cutting through batter with a knife.  Bake at 325F for 20 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched.  Cool in pans for 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pans.  Remove wax paper from cake layers.  Cool completely on wire rack.

Prepare frosting:   Combine 3 tablespoons sugar and 2 tablespoons lime juice in a small glass bowl.  Microwave at HIGH for 30 seconds or until sugar dissolves.  Cool completely.  Fold into whipped topping.

Assemble the cake:  Place 1 cake layer on a plate; spread half of filling over cake layer.  Top with second layer, remaining half of filling, and third layer.  Spread frosting over top and sides of cake.  Garnish with mint, blueberries, and lime wedges.  Store cake loosely covered in refrigerator for up to 3 days.  Slice cake into wedges.



Source:  Cooking Light

Cocomama Quinoa Cereal

Quinoa is still in one of the food trends for 2014, and I'm glad that it won't go away so soon.  Why?  Because I just had an opportunity to sample ready-to-eat quinoa cereal from Cocomama.  I've cooked with quinoa before and I almost always incorporate it into my homemade bread.  It's quite versatile, easy to digest protein-packed grain with slightly crunchy texture.  My bread comes out with fluffy and soft texture which everyone likes and it stays like that for days.

There are several flavors to choose from, Banana Cinnamon, Honey Almond, Orange Cranberry, and Wild Blueberry, and all are equally good. My favorite is Honey Almond flavor, while my son's favorite is the Banana Cinnamon.  What I like about this cereal is that it's precooked, you can eat it either cold or warm--very convenient, and the quantity is just right for breakfast meal.  The crunchy texture is what makes quinoa cereal fun to eat for my son, his only complain is that the banana needs to shine more in the Banana Cinnamon flavor.  I don't have any quips with Honey Almond flavor though; there's coconut cream in the product which I detect but it's not bothersome, in fact I like it.  I think this cereal is much better than those instant flavored oatmeals, this is barely sweet not too mention healthier because of all the natural flavors it uses.

Cocomama also has another product which is called Crunched Out.  This comes in clusters--like pieces of breakfast bars--intended to eat as snacks, in yogurt, milk, or for ice cream topping (delicious!).  I haven't tried this before but I think I will!

Here's the video about their Kickstarter campaign--with link for you to click--and help spread out the revolution of quinoa cereal!



Disclaimer:  I was sent samples of Cocomama Quinoa Cereal.  All opinions are solely my own.

Rhubarb Orange Tart

Rhubarb has come into season.  Despite its bad rap as being stringy and fibrous, when cooked, rhubarb will become a perfect consistency for pie/tart filling.  I've cooked with rhubarb before and I adore it for its brightness in flavor.  Of course, it needs to be combined with lots of sugar to achieve the desired sweetness but it's forgiven because the end result is most often delicious.

Here, it's boosted with the presence of orange peels in a tart filling.  Rhubarb, sugar, and orange peels were cooked together in a saucepan to a thick-syrupy melange, its aroma permeates my kitchen like being in orange groves.  My son commented as to what I was cooking for he's eager to know what made the house smelled so good.

Since there're eggs in the filling, it tastes custardy, quite soft, but actually provides contrast to the flaky crust.  The rhubarb and orange go together happily by giving out tang and citrusy note.  Top the tart with Chantilly cream or vanilla ice cream and it will perhaps be a dessert to enjoy for Mother's Day.  I, myself, will go to a neighborhood restaurant with my family and parents to enjoy a night out.  Happy Mother's Day to you!

Rhubarb Orange Tart

Makes 8 servings



14 ounces rhubarb

Grated peel of 2 oranges

3/4 cup sugar

Pinch of salt

1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened

2 1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 prebaked 9-inch tart crust

Vanilla ice cream or Chantilly cream



Preheat oven to 325F.

Cut the rhubarb into 1-inch pieces, discarding the leafy end.  Cook the rhubarb, orange peel, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently, until soft, about 10 minutes.  Transfer the mixture to a bowl and let cool for 10 minutes.

Stir in the butter and the flour.  Stir in the beaten eggs.  Spread the rhubarb filling into the prebaked tart shell.  Bake the tart until set, about 25 minutes.

Let cool completely before slicing and serving.  Serve with ice cream or Chantilly cream.  Tart is best made and served the same day.

Tart Dough

Makes 1 9-inch tart

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

Pinch of salt

5 ounces (10 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter

2 tablespoons heavy (whipping) cream

1 large egg

Put the flour, sugar, salt, and butter in a food processor.  In a small bowl, whisk together the cream and the egg.  Pulse the flour mixture until the butter is pea sized.  This will happen very quickly--be careful not to overprocess.  With the machine running, pour the cream mixture into the food processor.  Process just until the dough comes together.

Preheat the oven to 400F.  Have ready a sheet of aluminum foil large enough that it comes up several inches above the shell.

Line the tart shell with aluminum foil, press lightly along the sides and let it stand up on the edges of the tart (don't bend the extra foil to the sides).  Fill with dried rice or dried beans.  Bake until the edges of the crust are golden brown, about 15 minutes.  Remove the aluminum foil and rice, lower the oven temperature to 375F, and continue to bake for about 10 minutes or until the bottom of the crust is golden brown.



Source:  adapted from A Passion for Desserts by Emily Luchetti