Cheap and Easy Garlic Naan

I think we have established that I love garlic. And I also love Indian food. So when I found this recipe for naan from Budget Bytes, there was basically no way I would not make it. And there was definitely no way I was going to make it without garlic.

Budget Bytes is a cool site because it tells you how much all your ingredients cost. This particular recipe costs only $1.27 in total, and it's really simple!

Ingredients:
2 tsp. dry active yeast
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 c. water
roughly 3 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. plain Greek yogurt
1 egg

In a small bowl, combine the yeast, sugar and water. Stir to dissolve then let sit for a few minutes or until it is frothy on top (mine never got really frothy, just a couple bubbles). Then, stir in the oil, yogurt and egg until evenly combined.

In a medium sized bowl, combine 1 cup of the flour with the salt. Add the wet ingredients to the flour/salt mixture and stir until well combined. Continue adding flour a half cup at a time until you can no longer stir it with a spoon (about 1 to 1.5 cups later).

Next, turn the ball of dough out onto a well-floured counter top. Knead the ball of dough for about 3 minutes, adding flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking. I ended up using about 3 cups of flour total. The dough should be smooth and very soft but not sticky.

Loosely cover the dough and let it rise until double in size (about 45 minutes). After it rises, gently flatten the dough and cut it into 8 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a small ball by stretching the dough back under itself until the top is smooth and round.

Heat a large, heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat and spray lightly with non-stick spray (I used vegetable oil). Working with one ball at a time, roll it out until it is about 1/4 inch thick or approximately 6-8 inches in diameter. Place the rolled out dough onto the hot skillet and cook until the under side is golden brown and large bubbles have formed on the surface. Flip the dough and cook the other side until golden brown as well.

Some tips:

1. Wait to roll out each piece of dough until just before you are ready to cook it (the bubbles will be bigger).

2. The dough thickens a lot as it cooks, so you have to roll the dough pretty think if you want good, thin naan.

3. Brush naan with butter and sprinkle garlic and parsley over it to get garlic naan like mine, or choose your own toppings!

This naan is great as a snack, as a side dish, or as a vessel for other delicious foods.  Enjoy!

Chocolate Maple Bacon Cupcakes

Yes, you read that right.  Chocolate.  Maple.  BACON.  Cupcakes.  Lookie:

That thing on top?  That's chocolate covered bacon.  And that stuff in the icing?  That's chopped up bits of "bacon brittle."

Let me explain.  Last week my dad retired.  My mom threw him a big surprise party with all his friends from way back in the day.  I decided he needed some fantastic cupcakes, and since my dad is a man of class and taste, they needed to have bacon. And if you think bacon doesn't belong in a cupcake, then you are just wrong.  That's all.

For the chocolate cupcake, I once again used Chockylit's Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cupcake(which I used before for my Cookies 'n' Cream Cupcakes).  Since this post already has a lot of components, I'll advise you to either follow those links for a recipe, or use your own favorite chocolate cupcake.  Then, follow these simple steps:

Garnish: Chocolate-Covered Bacon

Chocolate-covered bacon is a magical treat I first discovered at Portland Chocolate Festival.  The contrast of sweetness and salt is absolutely mind-blowing.  Here's how you can make your own:

Ingredients:

2 packages of maple bacon

12 oz. dark chocolate (I used Hershey's Special Dark, but you could go fancier!)

2 tsp. canola (or similar) oil

Once your cupcakes are in the oven, start frying bacon!  I used maple bacon because it's already got a little bit of sweetness, which I thought would go nicely with the cupcake.  I used 1 1/2 packages of bacon (about 12 strips).  It should be relatively crispy.

My sister, who cooked the bacon for me, insisted I take this picture

Let the bacon cool to room temperature.  Meanwhile, line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and set aside.  In a medium-sized bowl, break the chocolate into smallish chunks, add the canola oil, and microwave for 30 seconds.  Stir it, then microwave for 20 seconds.  Repeat until chocolate is mostly melted.

Cut or tear the bacon into 24 pieces roughly 2 inches long.  Balance a piece of bacon on the end of a fork and submerge it in the chocolate.  Allow the chocolate to drain off the bacon, lightly tapping the fork against the side of the bowl.  Transfer to the cookie sheet.

When all the bacon has been dipped, put the cookie sheet in the refrigerator for at east an hour.  I recommend leaving it there until just before you are ready to serve the cupcakes.

Maple Icing

I thought the maple icing would be a nice way to tie the bacon and chocolate flavors together.  Here’s a simple recipe from Your Homebased Mom.

Ingredients:

1 c. butter, softened

2 3/4 c. powdered sugar

2 tbsp. brown sugar

2 tbsp. maple syrup

Put the butter in a bowl and mix until whipped.

Mix in the powdered sugar and beat for about a minute.  Scrape down the sides and add the brown sugar and maple syrup.  Mix for another 2-3 minutes or until frosting is fluffy.

Bacon Brittle (Optional)

My inspiration for this was actually a Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavor that contains chocolate-covered potato chips.  The chocolate prevents the chips from getting soggy.  I hoped that it would have the same effect on the bacon.

Line another cookie sheet with aluminum foil.  Crumble up the remaining bacon and put it in a small bowl.  Pour enough of the melted chocolate into the bowl that the bacon is covered in a light layer of chocolate.  Use a spatula to spoon the mixture onto the cookie sheet and flatten it.

Put the cookie sheet in the freezer for about half an hour.  Take it out and cut the brittle into tiny pieces.  Stir the pieces it into your frosting! (Note: if vegetarians will be enjoying these cupcakes, it might be advisable to only put the brittle in half the batch, as I did).

And there you have it.  A gorgeous, savory-and-sweet dessert that’s pretty much a guaranteed crowd pleaser.

(Oh, and I hope you like the revamped Roxannosaurus!)

How to Elevate a Brownie (with help from Anna Bondoc)

This summer, I'm working as an intern for Anna Bondoc, a really swell artist (and my 6th grade English teacher) based in Los Angeles.  Yesterday I made some brownies, and Anna decorated the using a hand-cut paper stencil.  For a tutorial on how to make your own, check out her blog.

Normally you wouldn't serve brownies at a fancy event, but when they're this darling, who could object?

This will work with any favorite brownie recipe, but I used the opportunity as an excuse to try out a recipe I've been reading about: The Baked Brownie.  I already have a go-to brownie recipe, but when I read about this brownie on Brown Eyed Baker, it sounded irresistable.  Having made them, I can say that they ARE pretty special--thick and soft and fudge-y--but I dunno if they'll replace my old stand-by.

I'll let you be the judge: here's the recipe.

1¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons dark unsweetened cocoa powder
11 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1½ cups granulated sugar
½ cup packed light brown sugar
5 eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the sides and bottom of a 9×13-inch glass or light-colored baking pan. Line the pan with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and cocoa powder together.

Put the chocolate, butter and instant espresso powder in a large bowl and set it over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth. Turn off the heat, but keep the bowl over the water and add the sugars. Whisk until completely combined, then remove the bowl from the pan. The mixture should be room temperature.

Add 3 eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Add the remaining eggs and whisk until combined. Add the vanilla and stir until combined. Do not overbeat the batter at this stage or your brownies will be cakey.

Sprinkle the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture. Using a rubber spatula (not a whisk), fold the flour mixture into the chocolate until just a bit of the flour mixture is visible.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs sticking to it. Let the brownies cool completely, then lift them out of the pan using the parchment paper. Cut into squares and serve.

Store at room temperature in an airtight container or wrap with plastic wrap for up to 3 days.

Chocolate Chip Cookies That Make a Great Second Impression

So here’s a secret:

When I want to make chocolate chip cookies, do you know what recipe I use? I use the one on the back of Tollhouse chocolate chips. It is a solid recipe that has never steered me wrong in all my life.

But for some reason, when I saw this recipe from the New York Times, labeled “Thick-and-Gooey Chocolate-Chip Cookies,” I was overcome by the urge to try it.

The dough (yes, I eat raw cookie dough, salmonella be damned) was delicious, so I had high hopes when I pulled the first tray from the oven. But when I tasted one, I found it bland. Not bad, exactly; just average.

I was all prepared to go back to the good old Tollhouse recipe, but then the next morning…something happened. I ate another cookie, and it was incredible. It was the best second-day cookie I’d ever eaten. It was wonderfully soft, and the flavor was significantly better than it had been the night before. I can’t explain it, I can only say that those cookies were damn good.

Here’s my final verdict on the subject of chocolate chip cookies: if I were making cookies for a lot of people, and knew they were al going to get eaten the very first day, I would use the classic Tollhouse recipe. But if I knew these cookies were going to be sitting around for a couple days, this is the recipe I would use.

The recipe:
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. kosher salt
8 oz (two sticks) butter, softened
1 1/2 c. packed light brown sugar
1/4 c. sugar
3 eggs
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
3 c. chopped bittersweet chocolate (chunks and shavings)
2 c. chopped walnuts (optional; I of course chose to forgo the nuts)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat (we were out of parchment, so I did without. It didn’t seem to create any problems). Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a mixer fitted with a paddle, cream the butter and sugars until fluffy, 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla. Add the flour mixture all at once and blend until a dough forms. Fold in the chocolate and walnuts. Chill the dough.

Roll 1/4 -cup lumps of dough into balls (I prefer smaller cookies. Mine were a generous tablespoon, and I cooked them for about 11 minutes), then place on the baking sheet and flatten to 1/2 -inch-thick disks spaced 2 inches apart. Chill the dough between batches. Bake until the edges turn golden, 14 to 17 minutes. Let cool slightly on the baking sheet, then transfer to a baking rack.

 Oh, and here's a friendly tip: if you take two of these and put some ice cream in the middle, you've got yourself a killer ice cream sandwich.

Enjoy!

Minimalist Bread with a Crispy Crust

 This week, I made bread. I made no-knead bread, and it was great. It wasn’t just great “for no-knead bread,” or great “for homemade bread.” It was just great.

My mom makes delicious bread from the La Brea Bakery cookbook (our favorite is rosemary olive oil), so I am a bit of a bread snob. I refuse to eat pre-sliced bread of any kind. However, despite my high bread standards, I had never made bread before. But when I found this recipe, which is originally from Mark Bittman’s column The Minimalist for the New York Times, I just had to try it.

I frickin' love bread

If you aren’t familiar with Mark Bittman, familiarize yourself.  We have two of his books at our house: How To Cook Everything (which I recently recommended to a friend who, in the fall, is going to be cooking her own meals for the first time in her life) and The Best Recipes in the World.  If I need a good, simple recipe on the fly, Mark is always the guy I turn to.  As much as I love avant-garde chefs, I always trust Mark Bittman to give me straightforward, delicious recipes.

So when he says that this bread “is incredible, a fine-bakery quality, European-style boule that is produced more easily than by any other technique I’ve used, and will blow your mind,” I pretty much have to trust him.

I really recommend reading the original New York Times article, because it explains very articulately why the bread is so special. I will simply tell you that the dough is so wet that it would be impossible to knead, so you have to have patience and let time do all the work for you. It takes some planning, but trust me: it's worth the wait.

Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran (optional)
 
1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.
Yield: One 1½-pound loaf.

And, 24 hours later, there you have it!  I was very pleased with the results, and best of all, it goes with everything: butter, olive oil, jam, honey, or meatballs and marinara sauce.

I also love meatballs.  Anyhow, enjoy the bread!

In Summer You Eat LEMON SQUARES

You heard me.  It's summer.  And while chocolate is good year round, summer is specifically the season of fruit desserts.  To kick this off, I made you some lemon squares.

This recipe comes from Smitten Kitchen, and it is pretty delicious, although I found the directions a little unclear at times.  So I'm re-writing them a little, all for you, after this triptych of lemons.

Ooh, art.

Crust

1 c. (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1/2 c. granulated sugar
2 c. flour
1/8 tsp. kosher salt

Custard:

6 extra-large eggs at room temperature
2 1/2 c. granulated sugar
2 tbsp. grated lemon zest (4 to 6 lemons)
1 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 c. flour

Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Grease a 9"x13"x2" casserole dish (you know like the ones you make brownies in?) and set aside.

For the crust, cream the butter and sugar until light in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Combine the flour and salt in a bowl and, with the mixer on low, add to the butter until just mixed (my dough at this point was a little flaky; that’s okay, just smoosh it later). Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and gather into a ball. Flatten the dough with floured hands and press it into the greased casserole dish, building up a 1/2-inch edge on all sides.

Chill for about half an hour.  While the crust is chillin’, heat the oven to 350°F.

Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Let cool to room temperature on a wire rack (leave the oven on).

For the lemon layer, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour.  Pour over the crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or about five minutes beyond the point where the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature.

Cut into squares and dust with confectioners’ sugar.

Look, a reamer!

My final word of caution: my oven doesn't cook evenly.  The back gets much hotter than the front.  This means that some of the bars are more solid than others.  If you have a similar problem with your oven, I recommend rotating the baking dish halfway through.

Enjoy your lemon-ing, friends!

Guacamummus (Hummus + Avocado)

Before we get to today's killer recipe, let me tell you something.

I grew up in Los Angeles, but now spend most of my time at school in Portland.  I prefer Portland to Los Angeles in every way.  Every way, that is, except one.

You can't get good avocados in Portland.

You can get avocados, sometimes, but they are neither as delicious nor as abundant as they are in Los Angeles.  So when I get back home in the summers, I practically gorge myself on avocados non-stop.

Yesterday I decided I would finally make this recipe from Gimme Some Oven, which I discovered months ago but haven't had the means for until now.  It's simple, delicious, and requires only a food processor to make it!  So here goes, with my personal tweaks added:

1 avocado, peeled and pitted
1 (15 oz.) can of chickpeas, drained
1/2 c. fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 c. chopped red onion (n.b.: you may need more or less depending on the strength of the onion)
3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
2 tbsp. tahini (optional)
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 lime, juiced
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder
Salt, to taste

Thoroughly combine ingredients in a food processor.

Easy-peasy!  And it really does taste like guacamole, with the texture (and protein) of hummus!  I wish I could tell you how long the guacamummus keeps in the fridge, but we ate this batch in the first day.  I guess someone will have to report back.

Happy hummus!

Dangerously Delicious Garlic Knots

Holy crap, y'all, I do love garlic.

I love garlic so much it is almost unbelievable that I have any friends at all.  I guess it's because I feed them things like this.

These garlic knots are pretty easy to make, and VERY tasty.  I recommend doubling the recipe, because the knots are tiny and you will not be able to stop yourself from eating them.

See?  Real little.

The recipe comes from Food Mayhem.
3/4 c. +1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. instant yeast
1/2 tsp. table salt
1/3 c. water at room temperature (70 to 90 degrees)
5 1/2 tsp. olive oil, divided
4 large cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 packed tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Whisk together flour, sugar, and yeast in a small bowl. Whisk in salt last (preventing direct contact with yeast). Make a well in the center and pour in water. Stir together to moisten the flour, just until dough begins to form, about 20 seconds. The dough will look shaggy and bumpy, not smooth.

Pour 4 teaspoons oil in a 2-cup sized bowl or cup (bigger if you are increasing recipe size). Place dough in and turn to coat. Cover tightly and rest on the counter until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Place a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F at least 30 minutes before baking. Meanwhile, stir together 1/2 teaspoon olive oil, garlic, and kosher salt in a large bowl (you’ll see why later). Set aside.

When the dough is ready, place it on a board and gently press into a 10″ x 6″ rectangle. There will be left-over oil in the cup/bowl that the dough was rising in. Spread that oil over a baking sheet.

Spread half of the garlic mixture across the rectangle dough. Cut into 3/4″ strips (6″ long).

Tie any type of knot and lay on baking sheet with about 2″ space in between. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden. Meanwhile, add the remaining teaspoon of olive oil and parsley to the garlic mixture. Stir.

When garlic knots are done baking, toss in the garlic and parsley mixture and serve immediately.

This recipe makes 12 little garlic knots.  That's two for my mom, two for my dad, and eight for me!

And all too soon, they were gone :(

Enjoy!

I've Missed You. Have a Cupcake.

Hello.

It's been a long time.

I've missed you.

I haven't had much time for cooking lately, and when I have, they just haven't turned out the way I wanted.  But today I had a free day, and I was inspired to create these Cookies 'n' Cream Cupcakes.

I was looking for a great chocolate cupcake recipe.  I've been looking for a while, but every cupcake I've tried is just not quite there.  This morning, I was looking around, and I found that a number of different blogs cited this recipe from Chockylit as the very best chocolate cupcake recipe.  I had to try it.

But, since I don't like coconut, I decided to use an Oreo-cream-cheese frosting instead.  OH MAN it is good.  Let's try it, shall we?


For cupcakes:
3/4 c. (1-1/2 sticks) butter
2 c. sugar
3 eggs
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 c. cocoa powdered
2 tbsp. instant espresso powder
1-1/2 c. milk
2 tsp. vanilla

1. Beat butter until softened. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
2. Add eggs, one at a time, beating 30 seconds after each addition.
3. Measure the flour, baking soda, salt, cocoa powder, and espresso powder into a medium sized bowl and whisk to combine.
4. Measure the milk and vanilla into a measuring thing.
5. Add about a third of the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar and beat to combine. Add about a half of the milk/vanilla and beat to combine. Continue adding, alternating between dry and wet and finishing with the dry.
6. Scoop batter into cupcake cups about 3/4′s full. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25-30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

For frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese
4 oz. butter
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 and 1/2 c. powdered sugar
4 Oreo (or similar) cookies, crushed

Beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together.  Gradually add the powdered sugar and beat until fluffy.  Just toss the crushed Oreos in right at the end.

Let's see those cucapes again, huh?

 

 Yum.  Yum yum.  Are you thinking, I wish she'd show another picture of those cupcakes but with more dramatic lighting?  Well, here you go.

Are you thinking, Now, how about one with a kitten in it?

Sweet.

Happy caking!

Triumphant Return: Pink Lemonade Cupcakes!

Hi there.  It's been a while, and I'm sorry.

Like, really sorry.

SO SORRY.

But I think I have something that will make you forgive me.  Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the very first recipe I ever invented all by myself: Pink Lemonade Cupcakes.

Well, maybe I shouldn't say I did it all by my myself.  I had some help from these lovely books:

But, using the delicious knowledge I learned from these volumes, I invented a recipe.  Yup.  Here's how that looked:

But I can't complain.  For my first try, I think these came out GREAT.  Here's my very own recipe:

1 3/4 c. flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 stick butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 can (6 oz.) frozen lemonade concentrate (I used pink lemonade)
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. lemon extract
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine flour, baking soda and baking powder in a bowl (if you're using unsalted butter, you should add a little salt here as well).  Set aside.

Beat butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time.  Add lemonade concentrate, lemon juice lemon extract, and vanilla extract.

Add flour mixture and buttermilk in intervals (like this: flour, buttermilk, flour, buttermilk, flour).  I also added about 3 drops of yellow food coloring... just for effect.

Pour into cupcake holders and bake 18 minutes.

Oh look, cakes.  The recipe made about 20 cupcakes.  They were good, I think, although I might use cake flour next time to see if I can get a lighter texture.  I meant to use cake flour this time, actually, but I straight-up forgot.  Whoops.

They have a pretty intense lemony flavor, so I coupled them with a plain vanilla buttercream.  I think buttercream is something people should be able to improvise, but here are some approximate ingredients (make enough for about 24 cupcakes).

1 stick of butter
3 c. powdered sugar
3 tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Then I dyed it delightful pink, to complete the Pink Lemonade effect.

Also, I know it's winter.  But maybe these cupcakes will help you forget about winter.  Not that winter is a real thing, here in Los Angeles.

Enjoy!