Taking it in stride (salmon wellington with raisins and capers)

Do you have an organizer or a calender? One that’s all decked out with different colored ink from pens and highlighters, always accented by a few sticky notes and chock full of near-indiscernible scribbles?  If you do…come find me, because we need to share planning tips.

I admit it- I have a planning problem. I make list after list after list- and I never forget what each list means, when I should take a peek at it and when I should forget about it.

It’s a quirk that keeps me on top of things, but sometimes it backfires and leaves me feeling more stressed than serene.   Sometimes- no, often- plans shatter into a million pieces, and I’m left to pretend that I can make plans on the fly and be as care-free as my spontaneous boyfriend.

I’ve been asking this boy of mine what we will do today for at least a week now. Since we don’t have much time to relax during the week, I look forward to the weekends and proceed to stuff them full of activities.  A morning run, then lunch with his mum? Sure! Ice skating? Awesome! A trip to buy some fruity liquor, stopping by a friend’s birthday party, and baking Salted Brown Butter Crispy Treats? No prob!

But then the snow came, and his mom didn’t. I can’t decide if it’s even worth running on the snow-and-slush-covered sidewalks, and ice skating doesn’t sound quite as fun when walking outside requires so much attention to one’s footing and balance already. Driving anywhere may be out of the question, let alone walking to a party….

But then the snow came…and the plans left. Though I still feel slightly pouty, I know there are a million things I could use all of this time for…scrapbooking, blogging, physics studying (nah).

Oh…the possibilities…the unplanned possibilities!

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This recipe definitely falls into the “spontaneous” category. I’ve had two dinner ideas saved for quite some time- Seared Salmon with Raisin and Caper Butter and Salmon Wellington. But having only one fillet left, I knew I’d have to choose.

But wait…what if I combined them??…Butter and phyllo dough go together like peas and carrots, after all (more or less…).

So that’s exactly what I did!

I didn’t love the raisins and capers together, but the phyllo was great. Next time I’ll just layer salmon and raisins and save the capers for a Mediterranean-style salmon.

I’m posting the actual recipe I used though, in case you want to try the interesting raisin-caper combo.

Salmon Wellington with Raisins and Capers (serves 2)

(inspired by a recipe here and here.)

Phyllo dough (about 4 full sheets)

2 salmon fillets (about 3 oz. each)

1/4 c raisins

1 stick/ 8 Tbsp light stick butter, softened*

1/3 c capers

Dash of dried chives

-Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. If salmon and phyllo dough are frozen, though according to each package. Line baking sheet with foil.

-Soak raisins in 1/2 cup hot water for at least one hour. Drain.

-Combine raisins, capers and softened butter in a food processor or blender. Blend until well combined, then transfer to a sheet of plastic wrap or wax paper. Roll into a log and refrigerate at least one hour (Be forewarned, this makes a lot of extra butter, but making a smaller batch is tricky because of the blending).

-Take phyllo dough out of fridge- cover with plastic wrap, then a damp washcloth, to keep dough from drying out. On an extra baking sheet or cutting board (that you have not used for cutting meat/ seafood!), lay out two phyllo sheets, one on top of the other. Place a dab of the chilled raisin-caper butter in the middle of the sheet. Put a thawed, uncooked salmon fillet on top of the butter and wrap with the sheet. Place on the foiled baking sheet, and cut slits in the top of the little “package”. Brush with melted butter.

-Repeat with second fillet.

-Bake in oven for about 20 minutes, or until phyllo is golden brown and crispy.

-Top with raisin-caper butter if desired, or just raisins and capers (like I did!).

*Besides being lower in fat, I chose light butter for this recipe because it tends to be softer than full-fat butter. This makes it much easier to spread in a little bit on the phyllo dough before you top in with salmon, so you don’t have one ultra-buttery bite.

 

The silver lining of frigid weather (Werther’s shortbread)

I was born in northern New York, where chilly temps are commonplace for most of the year. I grew up in the snow belt caused by Lake Erie, where a “white Easter” occurs with the same frequency as a “white Christmas”. And I even speedskated for four or so years- not a terribly long time, but it’s a sport based on ice and the cold, nonetheless.

And yet…I loathe the cold.  Sure, I love seeing untouched lawns of sparkling white, glistening icicles on every roof, and slowly falling snowflakes. Christmas is even my favorite holiday! But I’ve never been very good at handling cold weather (and I was indeed known for this on my speedskating team).

This fact made the past two weeks rather difficult, given the unrelenting snow and freezing wind we received. Making myself do anything outside- running, walking to class, stopping at the store- became a chore. It was the kind of snow that pelted your face, while the wind blew right through all your layers, and there wasn’t even a hint of sun peeking out from the steel grey clouds.

But guess what? It’s raining today! And I couldn’t be happier, because that means it’s above freezing. After weeks of moaning and groaning about sub-10 degree-mornings (and I know some locations would think I’m spoiled for calling this “cold”), 35 degrees now feels like 50. Or maybe even 53. Who cares, all I know is that I only need to wear one layer of gloves when I go on my runs, and that is just fantastic.

A rainy January day with a high of 40 degrees would normally be a downer, but thanks to this past fortnight, it feels like a dream. In times like these I remind myself not to complain about the bad days, or inconvenient weather, or botched plans…they have their purpose. Even if it is only to make us appreciate even the most average and mundane moments in life. After all…they call it the “present” for a reason!

——————–

I can’t remember when exactly I found this recipe, but I knew that I needed to make it for my mom ASAP. She loves Werther’s original hard candies, which are the feature of this quirky shortbread. Hard candies in a shortbread recipe?…it seems like it wouldn’t work, but as the original blogger on applesticker says, it’s a winning combination.

I was still nervous to make it though, so I quartered the recipe (and used a smaller baking dish as well- as usual, I’m posting the actual amounts I used). I also opted for generic-brand butterscotch candies, and left off the ganache since I made it at Claytron’s place, and he keeps no chocolate handy. And I mixed the candy straight into the dough because I’m impatient. Since the result was so good, I’m definitely repeating this treat with actual Werther’s and dark ganache for mother’s day. This was just a test run

Mini Butterscotch Shortbread Wedges (adapted from here)

5 hard butterscotch candies
1/2 sticks softened salted butter (4 Tbsp)
3 Tbsp  confectioner’s sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine butter, vanilla, sugar, flour, and salt in a mixing bowl with a wooden spoon. Stir until combined but not too creamy. Put all the candies in a plastic bag and crush with something heavy (I used an empty whiskey bottle. Yes, I will strive to remain this classy for the rest of my undergraduate education).

Sprinkle crushed candies into dough and stir to combine completely. Press into a baking dish with about an 18-inch area (I used a small porcelain ramekin).

Bake until firm and golden, at least 30 minutes (my ramekin actually had about 12 inches of area, so mine took over 40 min; just keep an eye on it!). After baking, let the shortbread cool for about 20 minutes. Then run a knife around the edge of the dish and slice into wedges.

Wrap the pieces in foil or plastic wrap before refrigerating, otherwise the melted candies may fuse together again, and good luck getting them apart…(although microwaving on high for a full 60 seconds seems to do the trick!)

 

El verano en españa (catalan tomato bread app)

So, this one summer, I went to Spain.

My family isn’t Spanish, and I didn’t have any special interest in the language or culture before the preceeding winter…but something was pushing me to go. I knew I could use the resulting minor degree in the future as a health professional, so it wasn’t totally random.

Just mostly random.

While there are some parts of the journey that I would rather leave unremembered- or, parts that I happily cannot recall anyway- I sometimes like to dig up those old mems. The walled, medieval city I stayed in for 6 weeks. The unbelievably hilly, early-morning runs along the river. The crazy, half-baked weekend trips we took. The warm weather….ahhh….

It was an unexpected and unforgettable summer, in every aspect. This includes the culinary experience, of course! Spain was heavy on meaty dishes (bocadillos de jamón- sandwiches of ham on crusty baguettes- were literally everywhere). They also had big, embellished gelato displays around every corner. Lucky for me, seafood was very prevelant in many of the cities we visited. I ate an entire squid-and-shrimp paella by myself once…oops.

——————–

One of the simplest dishes I came across was also one of the most delicious. It’s called Pan con tomate- or, Tomato bread. It’s also known as Catalan tomato bread, which references the region where this tapas dish is so popular.

I made Catalan tomato bread as a Thanksgiving appetizer, dreaming of the Spanish temperatures despite the brisk weather in my hometown. The recipe following is the one I referenced, but this dish is so simple, you can easily get away with winging it. Just be careful with the garlic

Catalan Tomato Bread (from epicurious.com)

Makes about 10 large toasts

Ingredients:

• 1 (8-inch) sourdough round or a 20-inch-long sourdough baguette
• 2 large garlic cloves, halved crosswise
• 3 to 4 ripe small tomatoes, halved crosswise
• 3 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Coarse salt to taste

Preparation:

Prepare grill for cooking. If using a charcoal grill, open vents on bottom of grill, then light charcoal. Charcoal fire is medium-hot when you can hold your hand 5 inches above rack for 3 to 4 seconds. If using a gas grill, preheat burners on high, covered, 10 minutes, then reduce heat to moderate.

Cut bread into 3/4-inch-thick slices (cut baguette on a long diagonal for 6-inch-long slices).

Working in batches of 3 or 4 slices, grill bread on lightly oiled grill rack, covered only if using a gas grill, turning over once, until grill marks appear, 1 to 2 minutes total per batch. Remove bread from heat and immediately rub 1 side of each slice with cut side of a garlic half, then rub with cut side of a tomato half, using 1 tomato half for 1 to 2 slices of bread and allowing most of pulp to be absorbed by bread (discard remainder of garlic and tomato halves). Brush bread with oil, then sprinkle with salt and serve immediately.

Cook’s notes:

• Bread can be grilled in a hot lightly oiled well-seasoned ridged grill pan over moderately high heat. • If your salt is very coarse, crush it using the flat side of a large heavy knife.

 

Winter break (interesting cookie recipes)

Excitement, comfort, nostalgia…the month of December has all sorts of connotations.  Somehow, memories of snow forts and sugar cookies and brightly-wrapped presents next to a crackling fire always trump whatever activities the 12th month now holds.

This winter break has held more work for me than ever before at the pharmacy.  Many of my days have been spent counting pills, solving insurance problems and trying my best maintain a smile in the face of impatient, slightly-deaf customers.

But as soon as the few grumpy patients saunter off, my mood tends to jump up again.  How could it not?  Christmas music is playing…the next person at the counter is probably smiling and ready to wish us a happy holiday…a multitude of cookies is waiting on the back counter…and I’m typically wearing my snowflake earrings.

Call it Christmas magic, but something about December boosts my mood more than cherry turnovers on Christmas morning (or…maybe just as much!)

——————–

I won’t write too much tonight, because I’m tired, but I made two different kinds of cookies tonight.  I wanted to do three…but I didn’t have time to make the meringue cookies.  Oh well, another cookie for another day!

The first ones are these Italian Red Wine Cookies.  They were good, but no, they don’t taste just like red wine.  The chocolate-less cookies had a very deep and slightly sweet flavor- you would only notice the wine flavor if you knew it was there already.  When dipped in chocolate, they are, of course, sweeter.  And therefore more like the cookies we’re used to!  But the cookies are great with or without the chocolate.

I also made these Blueberry and White Chocolate Chunk Ginger Cookies, which were sent to me by a running friend.  They…are…amazing!  If you’ve never eaten dried blueberries before, I highly recommend them.  Crystallized ginger is also a favorite of mine, though not the most common treat here in the States.  White chocolate, on the other hand,  isn’t really my thing- much too sweet, and it isn’t even chocolate. But together, these flavors are delish.  Perfect for a winter cookie!

Well, time for me to switch computers and upload photos, then finally go to bed, then hopefully get up early and work off all these cookie-calories!

 

Volkssmarching (brown butter and curry eggs)

Okayyy, it’s been a long time again.

I’ll just briefly detail the craziness.  It began with my first interview for pharmacy school, then of course there was Thanksgiving, and now I’m prepping for final exams.  Alright, I guess that doesn’t sound like a whole lot, but trust me, it was!

Good news before I start my pre-written post- I just found out today that I was accepted into the aforementioned pharmacy school.  I’m celebrating with a cozy night of studying, with tea and candles =)

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A month after running 26.2 miles (at once!), I was ready to show my face at road races again.  I had hobbled around campus for a week, taken full advantage of elevators for a fortnight and slowly worked my way up to jogging my “short” routes from a month before.  I was ready.

But of course, when do things go as planned?  Despite my enthusiasm to get back on the racing scene, I encountered a Sunday morning opportunity too delightful to pass up- a birthday volkssmarch.

If you’re of German descent, perhaps you’ve heard of tihs 5 to 10 kilometer, vigorous walk.  I don’t know too much of the history, but you can read up about it here.

One of the oldest- okay, the oldest- faculty member of my college was celebrating his 70th birthday with a volkssmarch around campus.  This professor is one of those that grows on you- it obnly takes a class or two before those previously irksome qualities suddenly become rather endearing (ie, assigning enormous amounts of reading and audiolectures).

The walk alone- which could’ve been done at any time between 10am and 1pm- would’ve caught my attention anyway, but its celebratory purpose is what motivated both my boyfriend and I to join the party along with our professor at 10am sharp.  Few joined us, and it was admittedly chilly (not my thing), but I’m glad we went out so early.  It was fun to watch him shower us and other students with his plethora of historical knowledge about the university and pharmacy.

Halfway through the event, we stopped for some delicious spice cake, sparkling water, and some surprisingly healthy and gourmet snacks (Brie wedges? Dates? Walnuts?…even little servings of dark chocolate? It was too good to be true).  The boy can vouch for my excessive excitement concerning the quality of the edible goodies.  I’m a college student after all, I’m used to seeing way too much pizza, chips and store-bought cookies.

Although I was more than ready to continue on the 10k route, my little robot wasn’t too keen on the idea, so we ambled along the end of the 5k.  Our first volkssmarch– done!  I’m excited to start doing these once I’m too old (and smart) to put myself through marathons.

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It took but a glance for this recipe to entice me.  I love eggs.  I can top a salad with it.  I’ve wanted to try browning butter for a while.  And curry powder is just plain fabulous.

Since it’s so simple, I didn’t change anything, I just put it on top of spinach and enjoyed the heck out of it. Delicious, and full of that cancer-fighting compound, curcumin!

Brown Butter and Curry Eggs with Spinach

(original can be found here)

Ingredients:

• 6 eggs
• 1.5 tsp turmeric
• 3 Tbsp butter, browned
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Bring the eggs, covered in cold water, to a simmer for 5 minutes. Remove and cool under cold water. Reserve the hot water and stir in the turmeric.
2. Peel the eggs and steep in the turmeric-water for 5 minutes.
3. Remove and halve the eggs. Drizzle butter over eggs. Mix curry with salt. Sprinkle over eggs.

 

Making others happy (super-easy cherry pie)

Creating happiness, all around us– that’s what this season is for, right?  For forgetting ourselves and remembering, and being grateful for, our friends and family.

So how could I, in light of these facts, force my “meat-atarian” boyfriend to accompany me to an expensive sushi restaurant?  How could I pick out a variety of movies to watch with him when he would really just love nothing more to cuddle and play video games? And- last, but certainly not least- how could I bake him an intricate, sophisticated dessert when what he truly craves is a simple cherry pie?

The answers to these questions are the same…I can’t.  I can’t make him love sushi– why would I want to?  I love him how he is.  His taste for red meat affords me an occasional bite of burger or meatballs, which satisfies any craving I might (secretly, ashamedly) harbor.

I can’t pick out a movie when he just bought a new video game.  Wouldn’t we be sitting next to each other, barely talking, in either scenario?  May as well let him slay dragons while I study up on his libertarian principles.

And the pie.  I wanted to enter this cake decorating contest I read about through Cream Puffs in Venice.  I had a gorgeous idea in mind, and a divine palate of flavors planned, all “for him.”  But then he asked me for a pie. “Next week,” I said.

Wait– next week?  If I was truly baking for him, and not for me, this would be the week I’d bake pie.

So I did.  I forgot my silly, time-consuming and pricey cake-decorating idea and we rushed off to get some groceries.  He picked up a box of Jiffy Pie Crust Mix, and a can of pre-made cherry pie filling.  This is so unlike me, I thought.  But in retrospect, it was the perfect idea.

We were able to spend so much more time together, all while our super-easy cherry pie filled the apartment with that delicious, comforting fragrance so reminiscent of this time of year.

It was done within an hour, and we enjoyed our slices with the gusto of sugar-high kids.  I realized that for once, it didn’t matter that I hadn’t made every component by hand, that I hadn’t tried to healthify this dessert, and that I hadn’t even attempted to find somewhat-natural ingredients.  What he wanted wasn’t a gourmet dessert; he wanted a yummy pie and time with someone he cared about.

As did I.  So….I guess you can get what you want when you make others happy, huh?

 

A good time for prayer (salmon pinwheel salad)

So I’m sure you’ve all heard the news about Fort Hood.  From what I’ve read, they have very little information on the shooter- a psychiatrist in the U.S. Army, Maj. Nidal Halik Hasan- save that he spent that morning giving away his material possessions to a neighbor.

I don’t agree with Obama, about too many things, but in this time of uncertainty and lack of details about this horrific event, I am with him on his suggestion to remember the diversity in our armed forces.  I just hope that Maj. Hasan wasn’t involved with a terrorist group, or it will be much more difficult to curb the resulting racism.

Meanwhile, it’s a great time to pray.  There were 13 fatalities and at least 30 others were wounded.  Instead of having the news on 24/7 (which is all about entertainment these days, anyway), let’s pray for the loved ones of those killed.  Let’s pray for healing and strength for those wounded.  And let’s not forget to pray for a remedy to all this- because it probably happened for a reason, and if so, it is an event that should not be forgotten.  Instead, we should learn from it.

“Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5)

“When calamity comes, the wicked are brought down, but even in death the righteous have a refuge.” (Proverbs 14:3)

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4)

(I couldn’t decide which verse to include =)

——————–

As far as cooking goes, I’ve been doing it on-and-off.  I have some recipes saved up to post andwith the holiday season, I’ll probably be making many more.  I love this time of year!

I can’t find the original recipe for this at the moment, but I’ll post the relative ingredient quantities that I used.  It’s a Salmon Pinwheel Salad, and my favorite thing about it is that it can be done in countless different ways.

So I’ll post what I used….but think of the possiblities! I’ve used red wine instead of beet juice, and you could probably use another vegetable juice, fruit juice, broth or spiced up water instead.  The chopped beets and carrots could totally give way to a myriad of different add-ins, comprising a Mediterranean taste (artichoke hearts, goat cheese and olives?), a tropical spin (mangoes, shredded coconut and macadamia nuts?), or even something spicy (bell peppers, sliced jalapenos and crushed red pepper?).

The choice is yours.

Salmon Pinwheel Salad- Beet Style

(serves one)

Ingredients

1 frozen, uncooked salmon fillet

1/2 can of beets, with juice

Basil

1 large carrot

2 cups fresh spinach

Directions

Thaw fillet in a bowl of lukewarm water.  Once thawed, cut fillet into 2-3 strips (depending on size and shape of fillet).  Roll strips and secure with toothpicks.

In a small saucepan, combine beet juice, basil and salmon pinwheels.  Cook on medium-high, covered, for 4-5 minutes.  Then flip pinwheels and cook another 4 minutes (these time can very depending on your stove.  Basically, by the time the first 4 minutes is up, you don’t want the salmon to be entirely cooked and you don’t want the juice to be bubbling so much that it has evaporated already.  It’s a learning process =).

While fish is cooking, peel carrot, then dice carrot and beets.  Top spinach with diced vegetbles.  When salmon is done, place pinwheels on top of salad.

Ta-da!

 

Ghosts, ghouls and- Christmas presents? (vampire cookies)

Three years ago, drinking was a big deal.  As a college freshman, especially in early autumn, each weekend was a delightful, technically-illegal bundle of fun.  My roommate and I were especially excitable and quirky- we would come up with themes for our tiny dorm parties, and be way past coherent after just a cup or two.  With the tendency to spend normal weekends dressed as Brits and school girls, you can imagine how psyched we were for Halloween…

…and you can imagine our disappointment when the late-October visit to Target was completely devoid of any wearable costumes.  But we were resourceful, refusing to let our set-in-stone party plans be thwarted for this joyous holiday.  That’s when we spotted the wrapping paper.

Yes!  Christmas presents- no one would copy that clever costume idea.  With metallic bows and rolls of red-and-green paper in hand, we walked confidently home.

If only we’d known!  If only we’d known that no matter how many layers of tape you use to apply wrapping paper to yourself, the paper will still rip.  If only we’d known that if you make a dress that’s short when you’re standing, it will leave nothing to imagination when you sit down/ bend over.  And, most important of all, if only we’d known that it was supposed to rain…

I’m sure you can tell that this was an unforgettable Halloween.  My sophomore year, that same roommate, her boyfriend and I all went as pirates.  Last year, I found the cheapest sexy costume I could in the form of a Greek goddess.  This year I meant to be Leela from Futurama (the boy was the perfect image of Philip J. Fry), but ended up as a flapper (I bought the headdress and some pearls, and boom!  I was done!).

——————–

Of course, I had to bake something spooky to go along with the holiday. I decided on an easy cookie recipe from Baking Bites.  The dough is simple and tasty, and the filling was easy since I had some packets of strawberry jam on hand (probably from the last time I ate at Bob Evans.  Yum).

I’ve sort of become the queen of shrinking recipes, since I rarely need more than a dozen cookies.  This one was no exception- I made a quarter of the original recipe (easy to do with powdered or liquid egg substitute).

Besides the size of the recipe, I also made the cookies a little smaller than originally called for.  Mine should have made 6 cookies, but it made 10.  I also had some decorating problems with the blood drops- the jam itself isn’t red enough, and is a bit too runny.  I fixed this problem by adding powdered sugar and red dye to the jam and applying on the baked cookies.

I’ll just post the original recipe since I followed it so closely.  Happy belated Halloween!

Vampire Cookies

(see the original recipe here)

3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp almond extract
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
approx 1/2 cup red jam (raspberry/strawberry)

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and extracts.
Add flour and salt to the bowl and mix them into the butter-sugar mixture at low speed until dough is just combined. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 325F.
Divide dough in half and keep the portion you are not using in the refrigerator.
Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface until it is about 1/8-inch thick. Use a cookie cutter to cut out 2-inch rounds.
Place rounds on a baking sheet, put a teaspoon of jam on each of them and cover with another round of dough. Press edges down lightly, pinching the edges onto the cookie sheet. Use a toothpick and poke two small holes (like a vampire bite) in the top of each cookie.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, until cookies are set.
Cool for about 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Dip a toothpick in some extra red jam and re-insert in the “bite” holes you made before baking to emphasize them, if not already red. Draw a blood trick down from one of the bites with the jam, if desired.
Cookies are best the day they are made.

Makes 2 dozen.

 

Post-marathon rambling (cashew butter cookies with cherries)

I can’t believe I’ve waited this long to post, but guess what?  I ran 26.2 miles last Sunday! It was probably the most difficult yet most rewarding thing I’ve ever done.  The night before was pretty intense, with a Team in Training pasta party that focused on the fate of the money we all raised- to be used for blood cancer research.  The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society received $132,000 from our little group, which is just amazing, especially in this economic climate!

The marathon itself was great, too, though it started in the dark and only a few degrees above freezing!  I began with the 3:40 pace group (3 hours 40 minutes, that is), which was my ultimate goal, so I could qualify for the Boston Marathon.  I fell off the pace in the last 6 miles or so, but still finished with a time of 3:46.  I can’t be unhappy with that!

Now my job is to take a few weeks off and learn how to use my legs again!  I expected to be sore, but wow….not that sore!

——————–

So, onto these cookies.  I’ve been wanting to play around with different nut butters for a long time, but they tend to be more expensive, so I hadn’t.  Yesterday I splurged on a jar on natural cashew butter, roasted cashews and a bag of dried cherries (none of which are too cheap, I might say).

Unfortunately, I ended up trying 3 different peanut butter cookie recipes before the last one worked.  Although I’m not positive where exactly the blame should lie, I’m suspicious of the “natural” nut butter and the turbinado sugar.  The first two recipes were healthier, of course, but in the end I used a very unhealthy, but tried-and-true, recipe (one of my favorites from Cookie Madness…I’ll have to find a way to make it healthier….somehow).

I don’t have pictures of these yet, so bear with me.  I halved the recipe, made them in mini-muffin-pan cups, sprinkled them with turbinado sugar, and obviously changed the add-ins from the original recipe to my cashews and cherries.  But no substitutions beyond that- after tossing a good portion of my pricey ingredients, I wasn’t up for much experimenting!

As usual, I’ll post the recipe I ended up using along with a link to the original recipe that I went off of.

Cashew Butter Cookies with Cherries

(altered from here)

2 oz unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup natural cashew butter (stirred and homogenized)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 + 1/8 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 large egg (easier to use liquid or powdered egg substitute)
1/2 tablespoon molasses
1/2 tablespoon half & half (I use the mini containers from coffee shops, but milk would probably work)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup + 6 Tbsp all purpose flour
1 cup chopped dried cherries
1/3 cup chopped, roasted cashews

Cream butter, cashew butter and both sugars with an electric mixer. Beat in vanilla, egg, molasses and cream. Beat in salt, baking soda and baking powder, scraping sides of bowl to make sure ingredients are evenly distributed.

Add flour and stir until mixed. Stir in cherries and cashews.

Chill the dough for 2 hours. Press dough into mini-muffin pan to fill about 1/3 of the cup.  Press a little bit of turbinado sugar into the tops of each cookie.

Bake Temp: 350 F Time: 8-10 minutes (mine were done at

Important: Allow them to sit at least 5 minutes before removing from the pan.  If you try to take them out right away, they’ll crumble- give them a bit, and they’ll hardened into cookie-consistency!

 

Foodie: apple-cinnamon turnovers with honey

Yes, it’s been a while.  Oops!  Life happens at college- and provides a wealth of blog material- yet no time in which to utilize all of it.

So, I’ve been busy running (did a 20-miler a couple of weeks ago) since my first marathon is only a week away!   I’m definitely getting pumped up about it- I have all my energy gels and running attire and the schedule of events (helloooo Expo!).  But I’m feeling nervous too, of course.  26.2 miles is a long way (or so I’ve heard).  I’ll try to blog pretty soon after the big event, hopefully with some great photos and a great time to brag about!

Naturally, coursework has started taking up more and more of my time.  Some of my pharmacy classes are introducing some pretty interesting information, like the intricacies of viscosity and what is most desirable for medications in a pharmacy (deflocculated non-Newtonian systems which exhibit pseudoplastic flow!).

But then there’s physics.  Oh, physics, how I loathe you.  Your explanations are intriguing, your theories grab my attention….and yet the homework and labs and exams are so not my style.  No matter how interesting I think it is, I’m simply not a math person.  I wish I was, that would make 3 quarters of physics a hell of a lot easier….but, alas!  This is life.

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I’m sure there have been other happenings which I could’ve written about (like selling my nosebleed-section football tickets so I have a little $$ to save for grad school applications and, you know, eating), but it’s high time for me to explain these turnovers.

I actually used a recipe for Apple, Honey and Thyme turnovers by Gemma at Pro Bono Baker.  I really really (really) wanted to use thyme, but I baked these not only for me, but for my boyfriend as well.  Although he does try new things (sometimes), he isn’t quite as adventurous as I tend to be with food.  So, reluctantly, I replaced the thyme with cinnamon, and lots of it, since it’s supposed to be an anti-inflammatory and all that.  Not that this  aspect of cinnamon could counteract the high butter content of these little pastries…but I can pretend =)

Making my own puff pastry for the first time was quite an experience- I’ll include the recipe I used.  Initially I was convinced that I had the wrong proportions– could there really be this much butter in it??  But I was not mistaken, and continued with my task.  It was kind of fun making all the layers over an hour or so, and it was easy to do homework in between rolling and folding sessions.

So, here is my list of substitutions.  For the dough, I used 1/4 whole wheat flour and 3/4 all-purpose flour.  I used cinnamon instead of thyme in the turnover recipe, and completely omitted the ginger and salt.  Finally, I made a glaze of honey, cinnamon, powdered sugar and very finely diced apples (very sweet, so I just drizzled it).

Oh yeah, and by the way, I love the Buckeyes!

Apple-Cinnamon Turnovers with Honey

(altered from here)

Ingredients

2 Granny Smith apples
1/4 C honey
~1 tsp ground cinnamon (to taste)
2 Tbl butter
1 sheet butter puff pastry, thawed (recipe follows)
Flour for dusting
1 egg
1 Tsp milk

Method

Preheat oven to 400F

[Dice] each apple.  In a large skillet, heat the honey over medium-high heat until simmering.  Add the apple slices, [cinnamon] and butter and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, turning until well caramelized on all sides and just getting soft.  Turn off the heat, and stir til thoroughly combined.

Divide the puff pastry into sixths and gently roll out each piece on a lightly floured surface into five inch squares.  Divide the filling evenly between the six squares, leaving a one-inch border. Beat the egg and milk together and brush the edges of each pastry.  Fold each pastry in half to form a triangle and press the edges with fork tines to seal.  Brush each pastry with the remainder of the egg wash and gently pierce the tops with a sharp knife.  Bake for [20-28] minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

Quick Puff Pastry

(altered from here)

Active Time: 30 Minutes Total Time: 1 Hour 10 Minutes Yield: Makes two 1 1/3-pound portions

In the oven, moisture-rich Quick Puff Pastry inflates into crisp shells with tender interiors. Whether formed into large or small rounds or into elongated eclairs, they become perfect edible containers for confectioner’s custard, whipped cream, mousse, or savory fillings.

RECIPE INGREDIENTS 4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 2 cups cold butter (1 pound) 1 1/4 cups ice water DIRECTIONS In a large mixing bowl stir together flour and salt. Cut the cold butter into 1/2-inch-thick slices (not cubes). Add the butter slices to the flour mixture; toss till butter slices are coated with the flour mixture and are separated. Pour ice water over the flour mixture. Using a spoon, quickly mix (butter will remain in large pieces and flour will not be completely moistened). Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead dough 10 times by pressing and pushing dough together to form a rough-looking ball. Shape dough into a rectangle (dough still will have some dry-looking areas). Make the corners as square as possible. Slightly flatten dough. Working on a well-floured surface, roll the dough into an 18×15-inch rectangle. Fold crosswise into thirds to form a 15×6-inch rectangle. Give dough a quarter turn, then fold crosswise into thirds to form a 5×6-inch rectangle and to create 9 layers. Repeat the rolling, folding, turning, and folding process once more, forming a 5×4-inch rectangle. Wrap dough with plastic wrap. Chill for 20 minutes. Repeat the rolling and folding process 2 more times. Before using, chill dough for 20 minutes more. To use dough in a recipe, cut in half crosswise with a sharp knife.