Blueberry Hill Cupcakes

Blueberry Hill Cupcakes

Sur La Table Cooking Class by Chef Scot Rice

makes 24 (or appr. 75 mini)

Cupcakes

3 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/4 cup canola oil

2 large eggs

1 cup buttermilk or low fat yogurt

1 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

1 1/4 cups fresh blueberries, frozen for 4 hours

Frosting

2 1/4 cups powdered sugar

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons maple sugar (or I like to use 1/4 c. maple syrup)

1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 teaspoons (or more) whole milk

1 cup chilled fresh blueberries

Fresh mint sprigs for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line two 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners. Sift flour and next 4 ingredients into large bowl. Whisk melted butter and oil in medium bowl. Add eggs; whisk to blend. Whisk in buttermilk, milk, vanilla extract, and peel. Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients; whisk just to blend. Stir in frozen blueberries. Divide batter among liners.

Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 23 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to racks; cool.

For Frosting:

Combine first 5 ingredients in medium bowl. Add 4 teaspoons milk. Using electric mixer, beat until well blended and fluffy, adding more milk by teaspoonfuls if dry (small granules of maple sugar will still remain), about 4 minutes. Spread frosting over top of cupcakes.

Garnish cupcakes with chilled berries, and mint sprigs, if desired. Can be made 4 hours ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.

Turkey and Farfalle Green Salad

My dear friend Kimi over at If I Could gave me this recipe a few years ago and I have made it several times since, especially for large gatherings. When serving, it's fun to have your guests choose which dressing to put on, that is why there are three dressing recipes to choose from. My favorite is the "Sunshine Dressing".

These recipes are also part of the "Cookers Challenge...Rediscovering Cooking" aka. cooking from scratch. My favorite thing to always make from scratch are salad dressings...they can really make a salad. It's worth the little bit of extra time it takes to make them. Actually, if it's not from scratch the only dressings I buy are Robintinos Ranch, I'd love to have the secret recipe for that (hmmmm....Lisa), or Litehouse Bleu Cheese.

Turkey and Farfalle Green Salad

Makes 10 large portions

12 oz. bag farfalle (bowtie) pasta, about 5 cups dry

1 1/4 lb. or about 4 cups cooked turkey cut into cubes

About 2 heads of romaine lettuce

3/4 c. chopped celery

3/4 c. Crasins

4-5 green onions cut in thin slices (cut white part and 1" into the green part)

1/2 chopped fresh parsley

2/3 c. sliced or slivered almonds

Cook the pasta. Mix up the orange dressing mix. Put the pasta in a plastic bag and pour in about 1/2 c. of orange dressing and toss the pasta to coat it with the dressing. If you are not making the orange dressing to server over the salad, you can marinate the pasta in 1/3 c. bottled Italian dressing mixed with 3 Tbs. of orange juice. Chill the pasta for about 2 hours.

Tear the lettuce into pieces, add all the other ingredients and toss. Top with almonds. Serve with orange, teriyaki, or Sunshine Dressing. Also delicious with raspberry vinaigrette.

Cooking for a smaller group:

Cook a scant 1/2 c. of farfalle pasta per person. For each person, plan on 2 cups of lettuce, buy 2 oz. of turkey (deli meat or turkey tenders). Use about 1 Tbs. each of craisins, almonds, and chopped celery; 1/2 tsp. green onion, and 1/2 tsp. of chopped parsley with 2 Tbs. of dressing.

Orange Dressing

(This makes enough to marinate the pasta plus enough for the salad dressing)

2/3 c. orange juice

1/4 c. red wine vinegar

1 c. vegetable oil

1/4 c. sugar

1 packet, or 2 Tbs. of Good Seasons Italian dry dressing mix

Optional: 1 tsp. grated orange peel

Mix dressing in a shaker jar or blender and chill before serving. Dressing will keep several weeks refrigerated.

Teriyaki Salad Dressing

(makes about 2 1/2 cups)

1 c. vegetable oil

2/3 c. teriyaki sauce (I like Veri Veri Teriyaki)

2/3 c. white wine vinegar (may substitute regular white vinegar)

6 Tbs. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

Mix in blender and chill before serving.

Sunshine Salad Dressing

(adapted from page 130 of Julie Badger Jensen's book, Essential Mormon Cooking)

3 Tbs. chopped onion

1 tsp. regular yellow mustard

2 tsp. salt

2/3 c. white vinegar

1 1/2 c. sugar

1 1/2 c. vegetable oil

Mix together everything but the oil in a blender. Gradually add the oil. Keeps three weeks in the refrigerator.

Carrot Calzone [Cook Challenge: Rediscovering the Lost Art of Cooking]

While living in Uruguay, I learned to make a lot of different tucos, or sauces. Regardless of the pasta the tuco was to be served on top of, it always contained shredded carrots. I was told they used the carrots to absorb the oils and greases from the meats. Regardless of the reason, they are yummy sauces.

While in DC, another dish my cousin taught me was her favorite dish that her mother-in-law prepares. It isn't actually a calzone, but it is a bit like one. And, the main ingredient is carrots. So of course I had to learn. Yum!

Ingredients: (this is enough for one calzone, I made two tonight, thus the pictures with two)
4 large carrots, sliced
Garlic, about 1 head - more if you prefer, cut not mashed
Peppers, optional (I use a couple sweet peppers)
Tomatoes, optional (I've done it both ways)
Fresh Mozzarella cheese (I get those yummy Belgioioso "logs" from Costco)
Pecorino Romano cheese (a fresh block, not powdered in the green can)
2 Hard boiled eggs
Olive Oil
Dough, bread or pizza - I use homemade, the frozen Rhodes bread loaves work too
Cornmeal

Instructions:
1. Slice the carrots.

I'm a KitchenAid girl. And I like my attachments. Yes, I LOVE my food processor, but sometimes this is an easier clean up. I used my slicer attachment, much easier then slicing that many carrots.



2. Add a couple tablespoons of olive oil to a pan. Saute/cook the carrots, garlic, peppers, and tomatoes. I supplement with water if the vegetables get too dry or stick. Cook until the carrots are soft, not mushy - about half an hour. Hard boil the eggs while everything else is cooking.

3. I prepare the dough prior to cooking. I start to prepare the carrot mix after I do the last punch down of the dough prior to rising for the last time. With the carrots done, I roll out the dough. I put cornmeal on a cookie sheet (I also use silpat) - lay the dough on the cookie sheet. (You want to prepare the calzone on the cookie sheet, it's hard to transfer after prepared.)

4. Spread the carrot mix in the center of the dough. Be sure to spread all the way to the end (no one like the end cinnamon rolls if they don't have the sugar and cinnamon, same with this - the end bite should have something to bite.) Pat the mix down. Top with mozzarella cheese slices (I like mine really cheesy so use about 1/2 lb or half a "log" per calzone)and grate some Parmesan atop. Slice the eggs (2 eggs per calzone) atop the cheese. I know - carrots, cheese and eggs? It really is good.


5. Fold the dough over the concoction. Seal tightly. Spread some olive oil on top and sprinkle some more cornmeal. Then cut some slits in the top of the dough. It doesn't need to rise, just place it right in the oven.


6. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. (20 minutes for 1, 25 for 2)

As you can see, I didn't seal the left one well enough, it opened in the oven.

One calzone will serve 3-4 adults - they aren't very dense.

Enjoy.

Re: Cook Challenge: Rediscovering the Lost Art of Cooking.

My second "cook from scratch" recipe (my first was here) was Megan's delicious homemade Macaroni and Cheese dish. See picture and recipe here. Loved it.

My third and final dish for the Cook Challenge was another Jamie Oliver recipe, but I'm so sad to say it didn't turn out. Not at all. It was super bland. I thought I followed the recipe pretty straight forward, but somewhere between England and America - this recipe got lost in translation. Boo. This was it here.

Gina's cooking from scratch conclusion: I loved the experience of cooking from scratch. But a few things I didn't like. 1) Not having most of the ingredients on hand = more expensive grocery bill, 2) Non-popular items, or things I hadn't heard of before = expense, again, and a frustrating grocery shopping day . . .with two kids, and lastly 3) spending an hour making my own stinkin' marinara sauce by hand, just to be let down when the entire dish didn't turn out. :(

What were your conclusions?

Caribbean Pork Loin with Pineapple Raisin Relish [Cook Challenge: Rediscovering the Lost Art of Cooking]

I had planned to make something I learned to make on my recent trip to Toronto, but it's a bit like this recipe, as in takes more than a day to prepare. With the busyness of the last few weeks, I forgot all I needed to do to prepare the pork loin. So last night I found this recipe in my friend's magazine. Turned out pretty good.

Pork Loin Ingredients:
1 c oregano leaves
1 c cilantro
1/2 c pineapple juice
1 T lime peel
3 T lime juice
2 t salt
4 cloves garlic
1-1/2 t cumin
*1/2 c olive oil
*4lb pork loin (recipe calls for bone in, I prefer boneless)

Pork Loin Instructions:
Trim your pork loin of any visible fat (at least, that's what I did). Cut slits across the top of the pork loin (so that the sauce can soak into the meat) and place in a roasting pan.

Combine all the ingredients without stars listed above in your food processor or blender. Once everything is well pureed, add the olive oil as you continue mixing. Pour about 1/3 of the sauce on top of the pork loin.

Bake at 325 degrees for 60-90 minutes (until meat thermometer reads 160 degrees). I poured some more sauce onto the pork loin 30 minutes in and the last of the sauce onto the pork loin 60 minutes into the baking time.

Once cooked, remove from oven and wrap the pork loin in tin foil for 10 minutes.

Pineapple Raisin Relish Ingredients:
1 1/2 c pineapple
1/4 c pineapple juice
1 c golden raisins
4 green onions
3 T lime juice
2 T cilantro
1/4 t salt

Pineapple Raisin Relish Instructions:
I put it all into the food processor and just hit the pulse a couple times to chop and mix it all up.

Optional Tortilla Chips:
8 corn tortillas, quartered
Canola oil

* Fry the tortillas in the oil (I'm sure you figured that out)

Remove the pork loin from the tin foil, slice into medallions, garnish with relish and chips. I also quartered some limes so that you could add more lime flavor if wanted.

Two of my friends, some of the satisfied dinner guests who joined me for dinner tonight.

Homemade Macaroni and Cheese [Cook Challenge: Rediscovering the Lost Art of Cooking]

I know some might say mac and cheese...really? But this is so delicious you have to try it. Our sweet neighbor brought us in dinner one night, and this in now a family favorite at our house. Originally from OPRAH.com recipe created by Patti LaBelle.

ingredients:
1 TBSP vegetable oil
1 pound elbow macaroni
8 TBSP butter + 1 TBSP butter
1/2 cup shredded Muenster cheese
1/2 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup (8 ounces) velveeta, cut into small cubes
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

directions:
preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a deep 2 1/2 quart casserole dish.

Bring a large pot of salted water just to a boil over high heat. Add oil, then elbow macaroni. Cook until the macaroni is just tender, about 7 min. Do not overcook. Drain well. Return to the pot.

Melt butter in a saucepan (or microwave) Stir into the macaroni. Then add half-and-half. In a large bowl mix muenster, cheddar, and monterey jack cheeses, and add 1 1/2 cups of the cheeses to the macaroni. As well as the cubed velveeta and the eggs. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to the casserole dish. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheese and dot with 1 TBSP of butter. The sauce will be runny.

Bake until bubbling around the edges, about 35 minutes.

Chicken Curry [Cook Challenge: Rediscovering the Lost Art of Cooking]

If you like curry, you'll love this recipe! You can use more or less curry, depending on how spicy-hot you like it.

2 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts, cut in strips
1 medium onion, chopped
1 TBSP chopped garlic
1-2 TBSP curry (the more you use, the spicier it will be)
1 1/2 cups diced apple
1/4 tsp salt (optional)
1 1/2 cups chicken broth, divided
2 TBSP flour
2 cups cooked rice (you can use white or brown)

Spray skillet with non-stick cooking spray. Stir-fry chicken with onion and garlic until chicken is browned. Add curry, apple, salt (optional) and 1 cup of broth. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until chicken is done. In a covered container, shake flour and 1/2 cup broth to prevent lumps. Stir into chicken mixture and bring to a boil, stirring constantly until thickened. Serve over cooked rice.

Beef Pot Roast [Cook challenge: Rediscovering the Lost Art of Cooking]

This is the BEST pot roast I have ever had, and there was no dry onion soup packet involved. It's suprisingly simple, of course it comes from the Pioneer Woman, so it has to be good right? I must admit that there is beef stock, but there are brands that have no preservatives in them, just read the labels. Of course, you could always make your own.


Beef Pot Roast

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 whole (4 To 5 Pounds) Chuck Roast
2 whole Onions
6 whole Carrots (Up To 8 Carrots)
Salt To Taste
Pepper To Taste
1 cup red wine (I use beef stock)
2 cups To 3 Cups Beef Stock
3 sprigs Fresh Thyme, or more to taste
3 sprigs Fresh Rosemary, or more to taste

Choose a nicely marbled piece of meat. This will enhance the flavor of your pot roast like nothing else. Generously salt and pepper your chuck roast.

Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Then add 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil (or you can do a butter/olive oil split).

Cut two onions in half and cut 6 to 8 carrots into 2-inch slices (you can peel them, but you don’t have to). When the oil in the pot is very hot (but not smoking), add in the halved onions, browning them on one side and then the other. Remove the onions to a plate. Throw the carrots into the same very hot pan and toss them around a bit until slightly browned, about a minute or so.

If needed, add a bit more olive oil to the very hot pan. Place the meat in the pan and sear it for about a minute on all sides until it is nice and brown all over. Remove the roast to a plate. With the burner still on high, use either red wine or beef broth (about 1 cup) to deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom with a whisk to get all of that wonderful flavor up. When the bottom of the pan is sufficiently deglazed, place the roast back into the pan and add enough beef stock to cover the meat halfway (about 2 to 3 cups). Add in the onion and the carrots, as well as 3 or 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary and about 3 sprigs of fresh thyme.

Put the lid on, then roast in a 275F oven for 3 hours (for a 3-pound roast). For a 4 to 5-pound roast, plan on 4 hours.

Mashed potatoes, made from scratch of course, pair perfectly with this yummy meal.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta [Cook Challenge: Redescovering the Lost Art of Cooking]

I love this recipe because it is totally forgiving.  If you want more, ham, add it! More chicken, bacon, done!  It's one of those give and take kind of recipes. 

Plus, I count this as my cooking from scratch because I make my own "afredo" sauce, and really, am I going to go kill the animals for meat? or make my own pasta....yeah..... :)

You Need: 

2-3 cooked, shredded chicken breasts

1 -2 cups chopped cooked ham (not lunch meat).  You can buy ham like this in a package or I usually have one of the boneless hams in my freezer I just cut up

1 jar bacon bits (or you can cook and crumble your own if you want!)

2 cups shredded mozzerella cheese ( I also throw in some grated parmesean)

approx 3 cups alfredo sauce (You can use WHATEVER kind you want, bottled, packaged, or make your own, I make my own so I'll include the recipe I use)

1 box cooked pasta, whatever kind you like, just not spaghetti noodles

To Do:

Cook the pasta and throw in into a big mixing bowl with the rest of the ingredients, salt and pepper, toss all together.

Put it in a 9x13 dish

Top with some extra cheese (of course!)

Bake, covered with foil, in a 350 oven for approx 20 min. Remove foil and set oven to broil for maybe 5 min.  Watch it, just until the cheese on top begins to brown a little.

"Alfredo Sauce"
I put it in quotes because it's not really alfredo sauce, it's kind of a cheat.  Alfredo sauce can be really heavy so I try to save a little bit and I do it this way.

3 tbsp butter
6 tbsp flour
salt and pepper to taste
3 cups milk
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp garlic salt
1/2 c parm cheese
1/2 c mozzerella cheese

Make a roux by melting the butter in a saucepan first.  Once the butter is melted, throw in the flour, salt and pepper and using a whisk, whisk it together till it is combined.  It will probably be in clumps.  Whisk in the milk, slowly.  You have to whisk a lot so that those clumps dissolve into the milk.  Throw in the garlic powder and garlic salt.  Bring the mixture to a boil, continuing to whisk, or else you will end up with clumps.  Once the mixture begins to boil, it will start to thicken.  Once that happens,turn down the heat, and throw in the cheeses.  Adjust spices as  necessary.  If it is too thick, add a little more milk.  If it is too thin, let it simmer a little longer and throw in some more cheese.  Done!

Crunchy Garlic Chicken [Cook Challenge: Rediscovering the Lost Art of Cooking]

My first recipe for this cook challenge turned out lovely. The chicken had a great taste and texture. My husband said it looked too pretty to eat. But he ate it anyway. :) I even made my own dressing for the spinach leaves under the chicken. Jamie Oliver said all you ever need for a good dressing is oil, acid, and salt n' pepper. So I doused a bit of olive oil on it, freshly squeezed lemon, and dashed a bit of salt and pepper.

ingredients
1 clove garlic
1 lemon
6 cream or plain crackers
2 Tbsp butter
4 sprigs fresh italian parsley
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 heaping Tbsp. all purpose flour
1 large egg, preferably free-range or organic
2 skinless chicken breasts fillets, preferably free-range or organic
olive oil

instructions
To prepare your chicken: Peel the garlic and zest the lemon. Put your crackers into a food processor with the butter, garlic, parsley sprigs, lemon zest and a pinch of salt and pepper. Whiz until the mixture is very fine, then pour these crumbs on to a plate. Sprinkle the flour on to a second plate. Crack the egg into a small bowl and beat with a fork. Lightly score the underside of the chicken breasts. Put a square of plastic wrap over each one and bash a few times with the bottom of a pan until the breasts flatten out a bit. Dip the chicken into the flour until both sides are completely coated, then dip into the egg and finally into the flavored crumbs. Push the crumbs on to the chicken breasts so they stick—you want the meat to be totally coated.


To cook your chicken: You can either bake or fry the chicken. If baking, preheat your oven to its highest temperature (475°), place your chicken on a sheet pan and cook for 15 minutes. If frying, put a frying pan on a medium heat, add a few good lugs of olive oil and cook the chicken breasts for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until cooked through, golden and crisp.

To serve your chicken: Either serve the chicken breasts whole, or cut them into strips and pile them on a plate. Beautiful and simple served with a lemon wedge for squeezing over, and a tiny sprinkling of salt. Great with a lovely fresh salad or simply dressed veggies.


This recipe is taken from Jamie's Food Revolution by Jamie Oliver

Yummy Sweet Peppers, Garlic, Onion and Olive Oil [Cook Challenge: Rediscovering the Lost Art of Cooking]

Sorry, I don't actually know the actual name for this dish. So I called it what it is. Four ingredients, that's it. I recently visited my cousin's family in the DC area. Her husband is a born and bred Italian. So she's picked up the yummiest recipes over the years when she visits his family in Italy. Our challenge was to cook from scratch. I'll admit, it's an easy one for me because that's really all I do. But here's what I've been making for my lunches since I returned from vacation. (Leftovers store well.)

A while back Gina posted the Catenzaro Italian Spaghetti & Sausage recipe. In her words, "don't be surprised by how easy the recipe is, and how few ingredients there are." The same goes here folks. Really, everything I've learned from my cousin's mother-in-law, via my cousin, has only a couple ingredients and it is SO good and flavorful. So here's how you make this one.

Ingredients:
One bag of mini sweet peppers from Costco (of course you can get them anywhere)
One onion (I've used regular yellow or white or sweet Walla Walla - they all work)
3 bulbs Garlic (that's the full bulb, not a little clove - but put in what you are comfortable with)
Olive Oil

Instructions:
I slice the onion first, do the painful thing and get any possible tears out of the way first. Slice, don't chop. Place in the pan.

(I figure you don't need an image of a sliced onion...)

I clean off the garlic skins, cut off the ends and then cut each bulb in half (the really big ones in three maybe.) But you want big pieces of garlic. This isn't really the seasoning, it's part of the dish. You'll cook it so long, the garlic chunks will be soft and sweet - SO good. This one you do chop so to say. Add to the pan.

Big chunks of garlic

Cut of the tops and bottoms of the peppers, slice 'em in half and clean out the guts (you know, the seeds and the white stuff) and slice the long way (top to bottom). They are mini peppers so you won't have terribly long slices, but again, slice, don't chop. Add to pan.

Lots of peppers
Get a good mix of yellow, orange and red

Now I eyeball the olive oil. This isn't Rachel Ray adding a couple swigs of EVOO to the pan. You need to coat the veggies. I add enough to make the veggies shine. (To quote Cristian, my cousin's hubbie, "the best part is the sauce.") I'd say the more sauce the better but this is oil, so you don't want pools on the bottom of the pan. Remember as the veggies cook down, they do add some of their own juices to the sauce.

Hopefully you can kind of see the glistening of the olive oil coated veggies

I simmer in the covered pan (don't want to lose any liquids... sauce...) at medium heat for about 20 minutes, and then I allow it to cook, still covered, at low heat for at least 40 minutes. At first, you'll really smell the garlic and the onion, but about 40 minutes in, the sweet smell starts to really come out. Cook for about an hour in all or longer if you want, stirring or tossing the veggies every ten minutes or so.

I added extra sauce to this plate, just so you could see it.

You should get enough extra sauce if served with a spoon.
Hopefully you get the idea.
Serve with bread (you need something to dip in the sauce.)

Enjoy.

ps: if you can think of a better name, I'm open for suggestions.

Cook Challange: Rediscover the Lost Art of Cooking.

Yes, I'll admit (without shame, mind you) I am an Oprah fan. I love her efforts to do good. One good effort she put forth this week was on childhood obesity and it featured cook Jamie Oliver and his new food revolution to help children eat healthier. I was inspired to say the least.

On that note . . .

Here's the new Cook Challenge.

Start your own food revolution in your own home, all you need to do is cook something from scratch. With fresh and raw ingredients - no packets, no cheating!

- If you know how to cook, pass on your skills and keep them alive for future generations. If your kids and families don't learn, their only option will be a diet of processed and fast food.

- If you don't know how to cook from scratch, start now, it could change your life and improve your health prospects. Find recipes that are quick, easy and economical. But you must find a recipe that is from scratch. (Start Googling!)

I challenge you to do it once a week for the next 3 weeks. Post about your adventure, what you made, what you learned. Let's rediscover the lost art of cooking, if not for us, for our children.

Starting now. Good luck!

P.S. Cooks - don't forget to label your challenge post like so: Cook Challenge: Rediscovering Cooking.

{for more on Jamie Oliver's food revolution, click here.}