Category — Cooking Lessons and Kitchen Helps

Lilly (a.k.a. Aspie Girl) will be turning 10 next week.  Tomorrow is her last day of school before spring break begins (and I start hiding in the closet), which means that if she is taking treats to school she must take them - that’s right - tomorrow.

Now, even though I cook and bake a lot, it’s not beyond me to run to the local bakery and pick up a couple dozen whatevers to send with the kids to school for birthdays and holidays.  The fact is, I have 3 kids and with 25 kids in each girl’s class, it can get a bit crazy to bake for everyone.  But, if you know anything about autistic kids, you might know that they are wee-tiny-tad-kinda-little-bit rigid.  Like, don’t change anything.  Ever.  And, Lilly doesn’t like bakery bought cookies, or cupcakes, or well anything - actually.  She likes homemade chocolate cupcakes.  Period.  And don’t go getting all lazy about it either.  They damn well better be h-o-m-e-m-a-d-e.  That’s right, no box mixes allowed.  And she does know the difference (just ask me sometime for the birthday of 2006 recap - good gracious was that a nightmare).

So, I’m going to teach you how to make a cake.  A chocolate cake, actually.  From scratch.  I just found out a couple weeks ago that not everyone feels real comfortable with making a cake from scratch.  It had honestly never occurred to me that someone might be anxious about making a cake.  But, then they started talking about cake flour, and sifters, and tiptoeing through the kitchen so that that the middle wouldn’t fall and I was all like “Holy cake.  That’s crap!”  Look, guys.  That is really not the way it is.  Slap the shit together, it turns out.  Really.  Trust me.

 And if you’re saying (or thinking) “Look Angie, I don’t have an autistic kid.  Why in the world would I make it from scratch?  Box mixes taste fine, especially when I do that little trick Aunt Cindy taught me with the pudding?“  Let me tell you a few reasons.

1. It tastes better. 
2. It tastes better. 
3. It tastes better. 
4. Oh, and also, it tastes better.

Of course, you could get into the whole discussion about what the hell they put into box mixes.  Like, for instance, I’m looking right now at the ingredients and they say “propylene glycol monoesters of fatty acids.”  Mmmmm.  Yummy, those propylene glycol monoesters get me going every time.  Ya know?  Seriously, though, I’m not a health food nut, and I’ve eaten my fair share of monoesters and enjoyed them (just ignore my butt as I walk by), but there’s no good reason not to make a cake from scratch.  It’s not hard, it’s tasty, and it’s better for you.  So try it.  Ho Kay.

Plus, I damn near ruined my brand new-ish camera taking pictures of pouring boiling chocolate so that you could all see how easy it really is.  You owe it to my camera to try. 

The Only Chocolate Cake (that Lilly eats)
From Recipezaar

3/4 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup boiling water
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup canola oil
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda

Mix cocoa and boiling water.  It might look lumpy, but get it as smooth as you can.  Using a whisk might help.  I didn’t do that.

Mix buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla together.  I was out of buttermilk, so I just mixed a tablespoon of lemon juice into regular milk.  That works fine, too.

Mix dry ingredients together.  This is where people start getting all upset.  But, what about cake flour??  Don’t I need to sift?  I use regular all purpose flour - it works 100% great for this recipe.  Also, sifting will help break down the big clumpy pieces of flour, but if you use a fork and make sure everything is broken up very well, you’ll be fine.  I use this old strainer to sift my dry ingredients together, but don’t feel like you have to do this! 

This picture shows how the flour, sugar, salt and, baking soda are well mixed and not clumpy.  Nothing too difficult here, see?

Mix dry ingredients into buttermilk/oil mixture.  Try not to pour it all over the counter like I did.

Mix in cocoa.  Again, try not to pour it on the counter, or your new-ish camera.  [Mental note to self:  Pouring hot liquids over a spinning mixer while taking pictures one handed - not a great idea.]

Pour into prepared cake pans (two 9-inch round pans, 9X13 pan, or cupcakes).  Now, I used liners here, only because I will be passing these out at school and it helps to have them in a handy paper container.  I really don’t like liners, because I don’t really want to peel paper off my food.  Plus, with cake release, you don’t need them.  And, if you’re wondering why I’m using disposable cupcake pans . . . let’s just say that the old cupcake pan would have made quite a hub-bub on the net when everyone saw how old and nasty it really is. 
Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Bake until tester comes out clean, approximately 30 minutes.  My cupcakes took exactly 24 minutes.  It will take longer with a larger pan, so watch closely.  When I make round cakes I pull them out of the oven at exactly 30 minutes.  You can use a knife, or a toothpick and stick is straight down into the center of the cake.  If it comes out without goo on it, it’s done.  Cool these in the pan for 15 minutes, then remove them to a rack to cool completely.

Use whatever icing or frosting you’d like.  I know, you’re thinking “Angie, you’re leaving me hanging here, I don’t know what type of icing or frosting I prefer.“  But, I gotta tell you, Lilly likes the canned stuff.  What can I say?  If you don’t want to use the canned stuff, I highly recommend Chocolate Buttercream or you could try Chocolate Fudge Frosting (looks awesome!).

Here are the directions again, without the pictures.

Mix cocoa and boiling water.
Mix buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla together.
Mix dry ingredients together.
Mix dry ingredients into buttermilk/oil mixture.
Mix in cocoa.
Pour into prepared cake pans (two 9-inch round pans, 9X13 pan, or cupcakes).
Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Bake until tester comes out clean, approximately 30 minutes (more for 9X13, less for cupcakes.)

In case you are still doubting me, I want you to look at the inside of this cupcake. 

Here it is!!!

Like I mentioned yesterday, I am offering free downloads of my cookbook; Angie Pangie Celebrates:  Chinese New Year. 

This cookbook is a compilation of 15 “Americanized” Chinese/Asian recipes that I have tirelessly tested, eaten, and tweaked over the years.  Also included are articles on the traditions surrounding Chinese New Year, nutrition information, and a detailed grocery list.  While I realize that Chinese New Year is over for 2008, I promise that the recipes are tasty year round.

This book was a true labor of love for me and the first cookbook I ever put together.  I’m purdy darn prooud of that, since I’d been talking about doing it for an awfully long time.

The download is free, all you need to do is subscribe to my email updates here.  You’ll receive an email notification each time I update my blog - which means you’ll never miss another recipe from me.  Once you sign up you’ll receive detailed information on how to download the cookbook.

Thank you.  Drive thru.

I stopped this morning, while running errands, at a fruit and meat market my girlfriend keeps telling me about.  I don’t typically give a second thought to the markets around here.  I mean, it’s all the same . . . no organics, a bunch of ground beef, pork, and maybe some frozen imported fish.  The produce tends to be a bit more on the exciting side, but it’s the same from store to store.  Anyhow, I made a stop to see these gi-nourmous chicken breasts my friend’s been talking about.  And, after I walked in, I did notice right off, this place looked a little different than the other places around here; mainly the produce looked vibrant and fresh.  I decided to forgo my normal - “Get-what-you-want-and-get-the-heck-out-before-someone-asks-you-what-in-the-WORLD-you-would-use-that-for-you-weirdo-oh-and-by-the-way-do-you-cater-cuz-we’re-having-a-wedding-at-the-hall-and-love-those-little-saucy-meatballs”.  Then I spied these gorgeous organic red bell peppers on special at 2 for $1.00 (They had yellow ones, too!).  O.K., I’m paying attention now.  Mangoes for fifty cents?  Whole pineapples for $1.39.  Holy moley. 

Better go check out the meat counter.

I took a little paper number (number 023) and started browsing.  I noticed right away that they had local fresh fish.  Nothing from China in this case.  They were all filets, nothing whole, but they looked good.  The clerk called out “Number 23″ and I asked if I could see the catfish filet.  Now, let me tell you something about Mid-Michigan, if you ask to “see” a cut - the $5.00 per hour pimply teen clerk will typically look at you, point in the case and say “See?”  But not this time, the guy looked at me, pulled out the catfish filet in question and said “Firm, smells good, too.  Here, check it yourself.”  And I did.  And he was right.

Hmm.  My mind wandered to this week’s menu, where I clearly have “Gyros” written on tomorrow, knowing full well that I will have to make my Gyros with turkey or beef.  Sad, huh?  I handed back the fish and asked “Do you have any lamb?”  He smiled.  Not only did he call my number, he had my number, and he thought he had me pegged!  I immediately started working on my uninterested face.  He said “Mhm, sure do, I have a leg, and some shoulder steaks, what did you have in mind?”  and I told him about my Gyros.  He went in the back and came out with ground lamb.  Holy moley.  Again.  Except this time I kept on my poker face.

I decided to go out on a limb.  “Do you have whole fish?”  I stretched out the “o” in whole.  I wanted to make myself very clear.  This was no time for misunderstandings.  “Yup.  What kind you want?  I can have it here tomorrow.”  “Do you have natural turkeys?”  “Yup.”  “Duck, do you have duck?”  “Yup”  I knew the color was rising in my face, and I wasn’t going to be able to keep my poker face much longer.  I could see number 024 shifting from one foot to the other impatiently behind me, ”What about skirt steaks?”  “Ah, that’s easy, they’re in the case.”

And that’s when it happened.  I broke out into a little happy dance, right there in the store.  And the clerk smiled.  He beamed, actually.  I said “I could kiss you!!” and then I composed myself because I heard number 024 let out a terrible sigh, a really loud and rude like sigh, I might add.

Fine.  Fine.  Fine.  I let number 24 take his turn and I let on that I was actually pleased with a local market.  I came home with 2 red bell peppers, 16 pounds of ground lamb, a skirt steak, and a locally farmed fresh stripped bass on order.  You guessed it.  Holy Moley.

So, on to today’s cooking lesson . . .

Roasted Red Peppers

No reason to buy these at the store, you can easily make these at home in less than an hour.  Start with fresh, ripe, and firm peppers without blemishes.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Wash peppers well, cut in half, and remove the seeds and stems.
Lightly oil a cookie sheet with olive oil and place peppers on cookie sheet with the skin facing up.

Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until skin of pepper is black.  If the peppers are large, or super juicy, it can take a little longer.  Just keep checking them until the majority of the skin is black.

Remove from oven and place peppers inside a bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Leave covered in the bowl for 12-15 minutes.  This allows the steam to loosen the skin.

Cool the peppers and peel off the skin.
Tada!  Roasted red peppers, one of life’s simplest pleasures. 

That was easy, wasn’t it?!