Peach Cobbler Snack Cake

It's possible I should start a second cooking blog that just showcases recipes involving peaches but, for now, I'll just keep finding peachy dishes, making them, eating them and then writing them up on this blog.

Cobblers are one of my favorite desserts, especially heaped with ice-cream on top. Come to think of it, anything with a giant scoop of ice-cream on top is my favorite. This dessert turns out to be more cake than cobbler, which is a bit lamentable. I would definitely add that you shouldn't skimp on the peaches. I was a little short on my supply and, while the cake came out fine and had a great taste, I'm thinking more of those juicy peaches would've made a good thing even better.

I've eaten pieces of the cake with the whipped cream, as suggested. I've also gone rogue and substituted ice-cream for the whipped cream. I won't say this cake lends itself as perfectly as cobbler to a big melting scoop of ice-cream on top but ice-cream and cake isn't exactly something new. Whatever you decide to put on top of this cake, it makes a fun easy little dessert to whip up. And it's a great way to use peaches, at least until the next peach recipe crops up.

Peach Cobbler Snack Cake
from tenrecipes.com

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar plus 3 teaspoons, divided
2 1/2 cups (at the very least) sliced peaches, fresh or frozen
1/2 teaspoon corn starch
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 cups milk
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Fresh whipping cream for serving...or ice-cream

Directions:
Spray and 8x8 inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, combine  3 Tablespoons sugar and corn starch. Toss peaches in the mixture and coat evenly. Set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together 1 cup sugar, flour, salt, and baking powder. In another bowl, whisk together milk and butter. Slowly pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until incorporated. Pour cake batter into prepared baking dish. Press sliced peaches into the cake batter and place some on top. Put in the oven and bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Top with whipped cream or ice-cream.

Asparagus and Egg Salad with Walnuts and Mint

Lighting was horrible on this dark day but maybe you get the idea of how good this salad is. 

Yesterday was a beautiful spring day - one that has felt like a very long time coming! (Snow in April, hello!???) With skies so blue and temperatures in the low 70's it seemed like the only wise course of action was to go walking in the Parkville Nature Sanctuary. Even though the trees are still bare (will our midwest trees get foliage in time to drop it for autumn???? One begins to wonder.) there are hints of the greenery to come.

Being out in nature and feeling the warmth of the sun made me look forward to one of Parkville's rites of spring - the opening of our local farmer's market, beginning this Saturday. I can't wait to buy really fresh produce and then eat all that midwest bounty. For now, however, I'm still relying on my local grocer for fruits and veggies that don't come from a can.  Price Chopper had beautiful stalks of asparagus which I took as a sign that I was meant to make this salad from the Smitten Kitchen blog. If the trees are still bare, I may as well eat foods that present a vibrant splash of green goodness, right?

Before reading the recipe more carefully, I assumed I'd be steaming/blanching or otherwise cooking the asparagus but turns out all I had to do was cut fairly thin diagonal slices. I wondered how the uncooked version would taste and found that I loved the crunch and the almost sweet feel of raw asparagus.

I followed Deb's instructions exactly for the not quite hard boiled eggs and, guess what, they turned out just as she said they would - not runny but not quite totally set either. It's no surprise that I would like the less hard cooked egg as it's merely a variation of one of my favorite "sandwiches", which involves frying an egg so that the yolk isn't runny but also isn't completely cooked (is this sounding familiar?) and then sticking that egg on a piece of toast. I kind of did the same thing today, except I added the asparagus, cheese, nuts, lemon zest, chili flakes, and seasonings.

Mounded onto a piece of toast, I didn't actually taste each component. The mint was barely discernible but, somehow just that subtle hint of taste made the finished product have a richer taste profile. Same with the nuts.  Deb shows her finished salad on a piece of artisan looking bread but since we don't keep fancy breads around, I just toasted two pieces of wheat bread. Her fancy bread is probably a better choice but, I'm proof that even lowly regular toast is a fine base for this very tasty, very spring-like salad.

Asparagus and Egg Salad with Walnuts and Mint
From Smittenkitchen.com

Ingredients:
4 large eggs, cold from fridge
1/2 cup (1 ounce or 30 grams) grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounces or 55 grams) finely chopped lightly well-toasted walnuts (I put mine in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes)
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Dried chile flakes
1 pound asparagus, any thickness, tough ends trimmed
About 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup lightly packed fresh mint leaves, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil, preferably extra-virgin

Directions:
Bring a small/medium pot of water to boil. Gently lower in eggs and reduce heat to a simmer. Boil for 8 1/2 minutes, then quickly transfer eggs to an ice-cold water bath. Leave them there while you prepare the other ingredients, but ideally at least 10 minutes.

Place parmesan, walnuts, and lemon zest in the bottom of a large bowl, along with 1 teaspoon salt, many grinds of black pepper, and about 1/2 teaspoon chile flakes (or more or less to taste; I used half because: kids). Stir to combine.

Cut the asparagus on a sharp angle into very thin slices and add to the parmesan mixture. Add 1/4 cup lemon juice and toss some more. Taste and adjust the flavors to your preference by adding more salt, black pepper, chile flakes, or lemon juice, and go a little bit heavy, so the flavors don’t disappear once you add the eggs. Add mint and olive oil toss, adjusting seasoning again.

Peel your cooled eggs. Cut in half, then each half into 6 to 8 chunks. Add to bowl with asparagus and give it one or two gentle stirs (I don’t want to get them too mashed up here).

Eat as is, or scoop onto 6 to 8 toasts or 3 large matzo sheets, halved into 6 more manageable “toasts” (obviously this would negate the gluten-free categorization).

Two Thick Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Mega Cookies

When there are only two people in the house and when both of them don't need to be pigging out on sweets (though they'd surely like to), you kind of need recipes like this one. It feels odd when you're putting the ingredients together but, in the end, you get just what Deb promises - two great big perfect cookies. A perfect amount to enjoy and then be done with sweets...at least until the next time you decide to whip up a mini batch of these cookies.

My batter was pretty dry but I'm thinking this might be attributable to trying to use up the last of some rather dried-up brown sugar. While it was a little more tricky to get the dough to stick together, the inside of my finished cookie was plenty moist and chewy.

Oh, one more thing. These cookies taste great. If you're wondering how so many different elements like oatmeal, chocolate chips, and raisins can come together without being too much of a good thing, you can set that worry aside. It's like getting the best of everything good a cookie has to offer. Emily made these recently and left out the raisins, out of personal preference. Either way, you're going to absolutely adore this sweet treat. Best of all, who doesn't have these ingredients in their pantry? Don't you just love knowing you can get a whim for something sweet and, within just a few minutes, be enjoying a homemade cookie??

Two Thick Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Mega Cookies
from Deb Perelman's Smitten Kitchen Every Day cookbook

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 Tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 large egg yolk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
3 Tablespoons all purpose flour
heaped 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of ground cinnamon
2 pinches sea salt
1/2 cup rolled oats
3 Tablespoons chocolate chips
2 Tablespoons raisins

Directions:
Heat oven to 350. Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a bowl, combine the butter, sugar, egg yolk, vanilla, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the oats, chocolate chips and raisins. Divide the dough into two big mounds and bake for 15-17 minutes, until quite golden brown on top but - don't worry - still soft and chewy inside. Let the cookies cool on a tray for 5 minutes before eating.

Fruit and Cream Cheese Breakfast Pastries

I made these for my Wednesday morning bible study because they seemed like that good mix between feeling guilty for buying store-bought, versus spending an inordinate amount of time making something that only a few women will quickly eat before getting down to the serious business of bible study. And yes, I recognize that I've already reneged on my semi-promise to take the torch Millie didn't pass and be the one who brings healthy foods, instead of pastries and sweets. Maybe next time...

Fruit and Cream Cheese Breakfast Pastries
from justataste.com

Ingredients:
6 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 package frozen puff pastry (2 sheets) thawed
1 1/2 cups fruit  (Any kind of fruit can work for these pastries. Depending on what is in season, you could use strawberries, raspberries, peaches, apples, pears, or blueberries)
1 large egg
Sanding sugar

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpats.

In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese with the sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla extract, until creamy

Unfold the puff pastry onto a lightly floured work surface. Lightly roll the pastry with a rolling pin to seal the perforations. Using a 4 inch round cookie cutter (or glass), cut out four circles from each sheet of puff pastry.

Transfer the pastry circles onto each baking sheet, spacing the circles about 2 inches apart. Lightly score a circular border 1/4 inch from the edges, then prick the centers of each pastry with a fork. Spread a portion of the cream cheese mixture inside the border of each pastry, then top the cream cheese with fruit.

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg with 1 tablespoon water. Brush the edges of the pastries with the egg wash, then sprinkle them with the sanding sugar. Bake the pastries for 15-18 minutes, or until they are golden and puffed.

Remove the pastries from the oven and allow them to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Dutch Baby Bites

That's kind of a weird name for a dish, isn't it? Because, really, who would think it was a good idea to eat innocent Dutch babies? I've also heard these (or their bigger version) called German pancakes or even Hootenanny Cakes. So, if you don't want to talk about eating babies, feel free to go for one of the less cannibalistic names.

I mostly made these because they used a pan I bought and don't use often. It's one of those pans that has eight individual and separated rectangles. I think my intention was to make one-portion meat loaves but I only did that once and wasn't much pleased with the result. Since I do love me some dutch baby pancakes, it seemed like a good idea to drag out my forgotten pan and see if it could redeem itself for kitchen use. If you don't have this kind of pan, instructions say that you can also use a cupcake pan and everyone has those, don't they????

In this smaller bite size version of dutch babies,  I figured people could have more freedom to put all kinds of added goodies inside the kind of misshapen pocket that is created when you bake these up in the individual receptacles. It would be easy to set up a whole fun dutch baby breakfast buffet with the bites and a bunch of toppings.

The only cooking note I have is in regard to the melted butter you put in the bottom of the pan - since my pan was non-stick and since I also did a light spray of Pam, I went very light on the butter. My finished bites came out of the pan easily and tasted fine, without swimming in butter.

Dutch Baby Bites
36thavenue.com

This recipe makes 16 of the bites. I halved it and only made 8 - or one pan's worth.

Ingredients:
6 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup melted butter
Toppings:
honey, nutella, sliced strawberries, sliced bananas, lemon curd, blueberries, peanut butter....

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a medium size bowl, using an electric hand mixer (I used my stand mixer), blend eggs, milk, flour, and salt together until it is well mixed.

Pour a small amount of melted butter in a mini bread pan or cupcake pan. Pour 1/3 cup of the mixture into each of the individual spaces.

Bake for 15 minutes.

Place them on top of a cooling rack and top with whatever you like. The two pictured had a blueberry compote on the first and peanut butter, banana slices and drizzled honey on the second.

This is the pan I used. 

Charred Corn and Avocado Pizza

I've wanted to try this pizza for some time and since I had a ball of pizza crust dough that needed to be used, it seemed like the time had come. 

Really, how could this be anything but good with charred corn, cilantro, cotija cheese, and avocado? I love every one of those components, so it stands to reason I'd love a big round of pizza dough heaped high with all this goodness. If I have one "complaint" it might be that there wasn't quite enough of the charred corn. Next time, I'd do another ear and completely flood that pizza with those sweet kernels and the lovely taste they offer up. 

I love that this pizza is heavy on the ingredients I crave and light on sauce. And by light, I mean there really is no sauce.  That sounds like it would produce a dry pizza but, truth is, with the cheeses and other ingredients, I didn't miss a wet saucy base on bit. 

Charred Corn and Avocado Pizza

from teapeasandtheirpod.com

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 - 16 oz. pizza dough (homemade or store-bought) As mentioned, I used a homemade ball of dough I'd been storing in the freezer. If home-made isn't available or desired, I do like Trader Joe pizza dough, though I think it's a bit harder to stretch and shape. 
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese
• 1 small ear grilled sweet corn, kernels removed from the cob
• 1 roasted poblano pepper, diced. (I don't like spicy things. When I did a taste test on the pepper, after charring it, it seemed too hot so I only used half the amount suggested and diced it up very fine.)
• 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
• 2 avocados, sliced, pit and skin removed 
• 1/3 cup cotija cheese
• squeeze of fresh lime juice
• tabasco sauce, for serving 

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Place the pizza dough on a lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a circle. Carefully move the pizza dough to a pizza pan or pizza stone. Spread the pizza evenly with olive oil. Top cheese, corn kernels, peppers, and cilantro.

Place the pizza in the hot oven and bake for 18-20 minutes or until pizza crust is golden and cheese is melted. Remove the pizza from the oven and top with avocado slices and cotija cheese. Squeeze fresh lime juice over the pizza. Cut into slices and serve with Tabasco sauce, if desired.

Melting Potatoes

I haven't been writing up recipes over the last few weeks but I have a good excuse. In fact, I have two of them. Martin and I were traveling in Europe for a few weeks and then, the minute I got home, I came down with Influenza A. Whew! I'll never think of flu as just a silly little inconvenience ever again. Not after spending days doing little more than moaning (a lot) while staying in bed because I hurt too much to move. Definitely no cooking going on during those days.

I'm now getting back into regular routines and that includes cooking. These potatoes are an easy side dish with minimum labor for maximum taste. I like the Yukon potatoes for this dish as they have a nice firm texture, even after being bathed in butter and stock. I thought about using the mini Yukons but it seemed like I'd have to peel a ton of them to get 2 pounds worth for marinating and baking.

Melting Potatoes
from Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients:
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme or rosemary leaves. (I used thyme)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled, cut  into 1 inch slices
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock (I used vegetable)
3-4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

Directions:
Heat oven to 500 degrees. (I admit this part of the directions worried me. That last time my oven was up that high, the glass on the door blew out, necessitating a brand new oven!)

Place melted butter in the bottom of a large bowl. Stir in herbs. salt and pepper.

Add potato slices and mix evenly to coat them. Spread potato slices and all the good stuff at the bottom of the bowl in a 9x13 metal baking pan. A glass baking dish should NOT be used when the oven is at such a high temperature.

Roast potatoes for 15 minutes. Use a thin spatula  to loosen potatoes and turn them over. (Deb uses and loves using her flexible fish spatula for this so I used mine. Frankly, I don't know what difference "fat" versus thin makes, or fish versus regular spatula. Also, if we're going to get picky, my potatoes, didn't stick one bit so any kind of spatula would've worked out great. I think.)  Roast for a second 15 minutes, then carefully pour stock into the pan and add the garlic cloves. Roast for 15 minutes more, until potatoes are fully tender. Mine were also pretty browned.

Remove from oven. Transfer to a serving platter with any remaining liquid in pan and serve warm "to very lucky people" (That last part comes from Deb. I served mine warm to Martin and myself and we both liked the dish very much. So I guess that makes us lucky?)