Clouds of Cream Bakehouse is back!

Hello friends, family, and loyal customers,

It’s been a while since I’ve blogged here, and I apologize for the long hiatus. I wanted to take a moment to share a bit about my new business with you all. The new Clouds of Cream Bakehouse is a revamp of my business from several years back, but with a new twist. I am now operating a cottage micro-bakery out of my home, with a lot more freedom to do what I want. I am at your disposal to create custom cakes, cupcakes, baked goods, cookies, etc…

As many of you know, I am excited to have control back of my own recipes, ingredients, creativity, quality, and time. I can currently be found at EatLoco Farmers Markets at Ashbrook on selected Saturday mornings from 9am-1pm. The next 2 dates will be 7/20 and 8/10. I always endeavor to bring an assortment of delicious baked goods (and very popular homemade marshmallows in various flavors). The cinnamon rolls will be a staple and are my best seller, and I daresay that I have the recipe pretty darn perfect now. I can guarantee that I am putting a lot of care and thought into everything that I am making, and I hope you love my bakes as much as I love creating them.

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Thank you so much to the many, many friends that have been so supportive of this new venture. I love seeing you all at the market! I’d also like to take the opportunity to give a big shout out to Dan Hine, the CEO and owner of EatLoco Farmers Markets for being such a generous and helpful mentor in the process of starting my own business! Dan has been amazing. I’m still available for tours of the market and private cooking and baking lessons, and might be doing some demos as well.

For information about custom baking projects, private lessons, tours, or any other foodie needs, please email me at cloudsofcreambakehouse@gmail.com or follow @cloudsofcreambakehouse on Facebook and @laurenk_bakes on Instagram.

Come see our new home at Cloudsofcream.com

Clouds and Cream is moving to a new home on the web. This blog will be here for now, but all the cool new stuff will be happening at http://cloudsofcream.com. We hope to see you there!

Healthy New Year, Whole 30

Last year, I was on track. I had lost 20+ lbs, was going to the gym regularly, and was eating pretty well. Then, a trifecta of doom struck: My personal trainer quit to pursue a new career, I was cast on a television baking show, and subsequently traveled to England to film with no time for/access to a gym.  To add insult to injury, we ate at restaurants for 3 meals a day, while also intermittently shoveling in loads of decadent pastries. Sometimes when life gets crazy, you just eat whatever is available in large quantities, and then try not to think on it too hard.

Before: 2014

After

Fast forward 4 months later-2016, and I am up 10 lbs but ready to get back on track. I am one of those people that doesn’t instinctively know  how to eat healthy or in moderation. Strict Guidelines seem to help me, especially when I don’t have a lot of wiggle room. So, I am planning to start my second Whole 30. If you are unfamiliar with this plan, it is basically all whole foods-organic when possible and includes: Meat, fish, poultry, fruits, veggies, seeds, most nuts, and healthy oils that are not grain derived. No grains, no sugars, no artificial sweeteners, no soy, no, dairy, no fun….It gets a bit tricky for me, since my home is nut and coconut free, due to my son’s severe allergies. However, I do sneak around a bit with some pecans and coconut milk (stored like contraband in hidden compartments and labeled with skulls).

Still, being obsessed with preparing food and known for creativity in the kitchen, I still want to eat satisfying foods that I love. Here are some ideas for healthful and mostly Whole 30-friendly snacks, smoothies, and treats (some require a bit of tweaking for whole 30).

Banana Matcha Energy Smoothie:

My favorite Pre-workout energy smoothie, low calorie with a good proportion of protein and carbs for optimum performance. This one could be made without protein powder and with coconut milk for whole 30 compliance. I love to freeze chopped bananas for this smoothie in ziplock bags (when I have overripe ones sitting around).

Ingredients:

1/2 frozen or fresh banana, cut into chunks (about 1/2 cup)

1 teaspoon matcha green tea powder

3/4 cup flax milk, almond, soy, rice, or cashew milk                                             OR 1/2 cup water + 1/4 cup coconut milk

1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder (optional)

3 Medjool dates (optional, but makes smoothie sweeter)

1/2 cup ice cubes

Blend all ingredients in a high-powered blender until very smooth. Enjoy immediately, preferably 1 hour before a tough workout.  I recommend half a smoothie before a workout for energy and the remainder post-workout to replenish carbs and protein.

Snacks:

I know you are not supposed to snack much on Whole 30, but sometimes you need a little something to get over the starvation  hump.  Some of my easy to grab go-to snacks are:

1. An apple cut into thin slices (or even French fry shapes) and tossed with a bit of cinnamon in a ziplock bag.
2. a slice of deli turkey (organic and sugar free, of course) wrapped around a slice of avocado and/or a pickle.
3. Prosciutto wrapped around a wedge of melon.
4. Crunchy, freeze dried fruit.
5. Hard boiled eggs or deviled eggs made with homemade mayo, finely diced shallot, and paprika.
6. These babies pictured below, minus the cream cheese for Whole 30 compliance.  You could sub a pimento stuffed olive or even an almond stuffed olive…yum!  Those are thinly sliced, seedless cucumbers (use a vegetable peeler) rolled up with smoked salmon and an olive.  Tie it up with a chive if you are feeling fancy!  I actually won a Healthy Snack Contest from Cooking Contest Central (my favorite community of cooking contest friends) with these beauties last year:
7. I also love a slice of roast beef with my homemade mayo, some grated fresh horseradish, and a slice of tomato all rolled up.
8. Raw veggies with a dressing for dipping.  Some great brands to buy include Brianna’s and Tessimae.  To make your own, the sky is the limit.  I plan on making  a tahini and roasted eggplant dip soon.

Sweet treats:

1.  A sliced banana, some fresh pineapple chunks, nuts (walnuts or pecans, if you are not allergic), coconut chips, and a drizzle of coconut milk that has been blended with a little cinnamon.  This also makes a great breakfast when you can’t look at another egg.
2. Cherry-Chocolate Sorbet:  This will only work in a food processor or a vitamix blender.  Blend frozen dark, sweet cherries with a teaspoon or two of unsweetened dark cocoa powder.  Keep agitating mixture until the cherries are blended completely smooth, like sorbet.  You might need to add a touch of coconut milk to get the blender moving.
3. The following concoction:
   

   

Carrot Cake Smoothie:

1/2 frozen or fresh banana, cut into chunks

1/3 cup fresh or frozen pineapple chunks

3/4 cup organic carrot juice (I used Boathouse Farms)

1/4 cup coconut milk

3 Medjool dates

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (I LOVE the one from Trader Joe’s)

1/2 cup ice cubes

Blend all ingredients in a high powered blender until smooth and serve immediately.

Lastly, I do want to say that I learned a lot on Whole 30 last time I did it, even though the scale did not show that much movement for me.  I felt great, my skin was glowing, and I saw definition in my abs that I had never seen before.  Of course, it is all gone now, but I will let you know in a month if I am back in the game; )

Feel free to leave any tips or snacks that you love while doing Whole 30 (or any clean eating plan) in the comments section.  Thanks and have a Happy, Healthy New Year!

 

 

 

 

Copycat Levain Bakery Ginormous Chocolate Chip Cookies (Nut Free)

Once upon a time, when I only had two kids (and they weren’t babies any more), I took a weekend trip to NYC to visit my cousin, Aunt and Uncle, and BFF.  I decided to also take a tour of the most highly rated bakeries in Manhattan.  Levain Bakery was at the top of everyone’s list of “must visits”, and coincidentally was in walking distance of my cousin’s apartment in the Upper West Side.  Coincidence or fate, I ended up trying many of the cookies from Levain, with their doughy centers, crispy rugged exterior craters and plateaus, and ginormous soul satisfying size- It was love at first bite.

Fast forward 6 years to the present…I have not been able to get these cookies off my mind.  It turns out I am not the only one, and their are tons of copycat recipes out there.  I researched as many as I could, watched the footage of the owners baking them on Beat Bobby Flay, and put together my own recipe that combines tips and tricks from many of the recipes….

While researching, I noticed a few odd things about this cookie recipe:

1.  They almost all called for cold butter, cubed, instead of the usual creaming of room temp. butter.  Curious, I kept this oddity in my recipe.  I believe it contributes to the craggy exterior.

2.  The bakery apparently doesn’t use vanilla in their recipe.  It feels wrong to me, just as a vanilla lover, so I put a tad in my recipe, but feel free to leave it out for the sake of authenticity.

3.  Some of the recipes called for bread flour, some called for AP flour.  I decided to split the difference and use both.  I think it was perfect.

4.  Some of the recipes called for cornstarch, which I found interesting, so I kept it in.  Not sure if it is necessary, but I believe it contributes to the center being soft and doughy, but not raw or falling apart.

5.  Lastly, this is sold as a chocolate walnut cookie (which is my all time favorite), but since we are nut-free, I left the nuts out.  You could add them back in, if you are not allergic.  Please use good quality semi-sweet, dark or bittersweet chocolate in these.  I have heard rumors that the use Guittard chips at Levain.

First, take two sticks of cold unsalted butter and cut them into tiny cubes.  Place in a stand mixer with the white and brown sugars, and vanilla.  Cream them together, adding eggs one at a time until just incorporated.  It will be lumpy at first, but after a minute or two, it should look like this.  Stop here, and resist the urge to beat until smooth.  Those lumps of butter will contribute to the rough exterior later!

Add in your flours, baking powder, cornstarch, and salt.  Mix until just combined.  Or until your paddle attachment breaks in half, like mine did, signaling the end of mixing….forever.  Adieu, after market paddle attachment.Yes, it actually did break at the thickest point.  I have a knack for these things. Then, if your paddle isn’t broken, mix in the whole bag of chocolate chips.  If you were me, you would be folding it in by hand at this point. To look like this.  If you are adding nuts, now would be the time.  There are still a few small chunks of visible butter.  This is awesome.

Okay, this might actually be the key to this recipe:  loosely grab gigantic balls of dough, like baseball size.  Resist the urge to make smooth balls, and actually try to keep the batter loose and rough.  See those valleys and craters on the outside?  Now stash these in the fridge (or even the freezer) for at least 30 minutes.  Mine were in there about 1 1/2 hours.

Bake at 375 degrees (Or 350 convection)for 18-24 minutes, rotating pans half way through baking.  They are done when they are still soft in the center, but golden brown at edges and gooey, but not too gooey, if that makes sense?  Sometimes, when I pull a particularly gorgeous baked good from the oven, I start singing bow-chicka-bow-bow…This was one of those times.

You definitely need a glass of milk for this baby!  And the beauty of this recipe is that they are HUGE, so 1 is enough even for the most dedicated sweet tooth.  I almost feel less guilty having one of these, even though I would not want to know the calorie count (don’t tell me), than when I make my usual chocolate chippers and devour 6 of them.  It is so much more fulfilling to eat one of these while it is warm, breaking off little chunks, and actually savor it a bit. The soft center….My last little bit…For scale purposes, this was only about 1/8 a cookie.  Like my green mani?

Levain Copycat Chocolate Chip Cookies (Nuts Optional!)

1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar (I used light, but I suspect dark would be even better)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

2 large eggs, cold

1 1/4 cup bread flour (could sub AP, if you don’t have bread flour)

2 cups AP Flour

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

2 cups good quality chocolate chips (Guittard or Ghirardeli would be great)

*Optional- 1 cup walnuts, lightly toasted and roughly chopped

In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream cold butter cubes with sugars and vanilla until mostly smooth, but with small lumps evenly distributed throughout.  Add in eggs, beating just until incorporated.  There will still be small chunks of butter.

Add all dry ingredients to mixer on low until just combined.  Fold in chocolate chips (and nuts, if using).  Do not overmix.  Form dough into 11 or 12 gigantic balls, being careful not to pack them together.  Place cookies onto parchment lined cookie sheets with lots of space in between.  Keep the exterior rough and bumpy.  Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or freeze for 20-30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees (mine was 350 convection).  Bake for 18-22 minutes or until the center is set but soft (should seem just underdone), and outside becomes golden brown at edges and peaks.  Let cool on parchment for 5-10 minutes and serve warm with milk.

**One more interesting thing about this recipe.  It was developed by the bakery owners, who are triathletes.  They were trying to find the perfect cookies to fuel their grueling workouts.  These definitely fit the bill.

Let me know what you think!  I thought these were pretty darn close to the originals, if not exactly the same.

Gingersnap White Chocolate Granola with Chia and Dates (Nut-Free)

So, I am not really known for my self control around baked goods.  I can usually hold it together and only eat 1 or 2 servings of whatever I have made, occasionally sneaking a third in my closet, if it is really good.

However, I do have a weak spot for granola, and this one totally owned me.  Like, to the point that I had to promise myself that I would never make it again.  It was that good.

I am not going to pretend that granola is health food, like so many bloggers before me.  Yes, it has oats, dried fruit, seeds, etc…  It is very energy dense, which is great if you are a marathoner, or hiking or weightlifting a lot.  For the rest of us, let’s just say that it is delicious and leave it at that…

This actually was intended to be a teacher’s gift for Appreciation Week at our school.  Let’s just say that some of it actually made it to the teachers, and that it was difficult for me to part ways with it.  It would make a fantastic holiday teacher gift or brunch treat with some good yogurt.  You could even give it as a housewarming or hostess gift.  Pretty much anyone would be happy with it, I think.  Here’s how I threw it together with random stuff I had in my pantry:

First I mixed together the oats, sunflower seeds, chia, crushed gingersnaps, salt, spices, and chopped medjool dates (you could add the dates after the baking, if you want them to remain super moist).

Next, in a measuring cup, combine 1/3 cup oil, 1/3 cup maple syrup and/ or honey (I used about 1/2 and 1/2 of both), vanilla extract, and a heaping 1/4 cup of brown sugar.  I microwaved the whole shebang in a few 30 second increments, stirring in between until the sugar was dissolved.

Pour the the wet mixture over the dry and mix well, until everything is coated.

Pour this all out onto a parchment or non-stick foil lined baking sheet.  

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, stir, and return to oven for 10 minutes.  Stir again, and bake in 5 minute increments, repeating if necessary, until the mixture is golden brown but still a bit moist.  Be careful not to burn it, and do not wait until mixture is completely dry.  This will crisp up after cooling.

After baking.

See, it will crisp and clump when it is cool, and only then…

When it is completely cool, add white chocolate chips, and if you chose to wait to add the dates, add those as well.  If you want, dried cherries are delicious in here, as would be toasted nuts (if you are not allergic).  I wanted to keep this free of nuts for my family, but feel free to customize it with whatever you like.  I ended up adding some minced crystallized ginger, as well.  Place in a ziplock bag or in pretty treat bags, tied with ribbons and enjoy!

P.s. I highly recommend this Granola served atop tart cherry or pumpkin Noosa yogurt or Stonyfield “Oh My Yog” in gingered pear or apple-cinnamon.

p.p.s.  Feel free to leave out the chia, the dates, or the crystallized ginger.   I would highly recommend that you leave at least some white chocolate in there, because as we discussed before, this is not a health food anyway….live a little!

p.p.p.s.  If you leave out the gingersnaps (or use gluten free ones), this would be gluten free.  This is assuming you used gluten free oats and all of your other ingredients were gluten free, of course.

Gingersnap White Chocolate Granola

3 cups old fashioned rolled oats

1/2 cup sunflower seeds (or could sub pepitas)

1/4 cups chia seeds

3/4 cup Gingersnap cookies, crushed (optional, but highly recommended)

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice blend

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup medjool dates, roughly chopped

1/3 cup oil (I used canola, but vegetable or melted coconut oil would work)

1/3 cup honey or maple syrup (or a combo of both works well)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup brown sugar (light or dark, your choice)

3/4 cup white chocolate chips (give or take, depending on what you like)

2 tablespoons crystallized ginger, minced (optional)

1/2 cup dried cherries (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (I used 325 convection).  In a large bowl, mix oats, all seeds, Gingersnaps, spices, salt, and dates.

In a large measuring cup, combine oil, honey and/or maple syrup, vanilla, and brown sugar.  Whisk together.  Microwave by 30 second intervals, watching carefully.  When mixture bubbles at edges and sugar is melted, pour over dry ingredients.  Mix thoroughly to coat.

On a large, parchment-lined baking sheet, spread granola out into a thin, even layer.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Stir mixture and return to oven for 10 minutes.  Stir again.  Return to oven for 5 minute intervals, stirring in between, until mixture is golden brown, but still a bit moist in the center.  Cool completely.

Break up any large clumps into a zip top bag.  Add white chocolate, minced ginger, and cherries, if desired.  Serve or store in a air-tight container or bag.  Great as a cereal, ice cream or yogurt topping, gifting, or for snacking.

*Mine only lasted 2 days, but I would imagine it would keep for a week or more.  Good luck with it not disappearing sooner, though.

4 ingredient Quickie- Smoked Maple Butter Microwave Popcorn

There has been a lot of press lately about the dangers of store-bought microwave popcorn.  It contains about 20 different chemicals, including ink, glue and Diacetyl.  Diacetyl becomes toxic when inhaled, but is added to popcorn to enhance the buttery flavor.  Yum….Not!

Popcorn has become a favorite snack for my kids after school.  They love being able to make it themselves, but we needed to find an easy alternative, sans chemicals.  My friend, Kim, told me that she had been microwaving it herself in a paper bag, so I thought I would give it a go….and voila!  You can change the toppings up or just eat it plain, of course.  I highly suggest this version, though….

This is all you need! Popcorn kernels, a paper bag, maple syrup, butter, and smoked maldon sea salt.

First, measure out 2 tablespoons popcorn kernels.  Feel free to use any kind you like.

Pour the kernels into a paper lunch bag.

Fold about 1/2 inch at the top of the bag and crease well.  Fold two more times, reinforcing the crease when you are done.

Microwave on high until you hear the popping slow a bit.  Mine took between 1 minute,15 seconds and 1 minute, 20 seconds.  Just like other microwave popcorns, it will burn if cooked too long.

Now, you have perfect, chemical-free air popped popcorn.  You can eat it just as is, but what is the fun in that?

I suggest the following topping:  Combine 2 teaspoons butter and 2 teaspoons maple syrup in a small bowl.  Microwave for 20-30 seconds.  

Pour popcorn into a bowl, toss with melted maple butter, sprinkle with a bit of the smoked Maldon sea salt (regular kosher salt will also do) and serve!  Hope you enjoy this as much as I did.  Let me know what variations you try.  I am pretty sure it would be fabulous with cinnamon, cayenne, chili powder, or even double the maple butter; )

What a Foodie Does On Whole 30

For some reason, I eat better when I have rules.  I am just that type of person.  When there are no rules, I have been known to eat, say, 4 cinnamon rolls in a row.  This is purely hypothetical, of course. (and also something that happened last week)  This followed a day of baking and eating those chocolate Hamantaschen I blogged last….

So, the rules don’t really matter.  It could be low-carb, calorie tracking, or no sugar, but I need some guidelines.  In my next life, I plan on coming back as someone who can eat everything in sight and remain a size 2.  For those of you that don’t know me in real life, I have actually lost 22 pounds over the past 8 months.  I have been working with a trainer, going to the gym religiously in between training sessions, and generally rotating between eating whole foods and low carb bursts here and there.

Then the holidays hit, followed by never ending snow days.  I don’t know about you, but there is nothing I want to do on a snow day other than bake and eat the pastries of my labor.  Anyhow, I was suddenly up 3 pounds, which might not sound like a lot, but it is a slippery slope…and I know this slope like the back of my chubby hand.

So, after some research, I decided to try a Whole 30 challenge.  I dove right in the next day.  If you are not familiar with this way of eating, your diet consists of whole foods, unprocessed as much as possible, and foods that do NOT contain dairy, gluten or grains of any kind, soy products, legumes (including peanuts), preservatives, nitrates, or sugar (even natural sugars like honey, agave, maple syrup, etc…).  You may eat meats, fish, vegetables, healthy fats (avocado, olive oil, coconut oil/milk, ghee), fruits, and nuts/seeds.  *You are not supposed to get creative and make baked goods out of all of these ingredients mashed together (like those paleo banana pancakes circulating on Pinterest).  You are also supposed to stick to meals and not be super snacky, which I am having trouble with a bit.  One thing that initially had me concerned was the nut/coconut allergy in my house really limiting my options.  What to put in the morning coffee that is non-negotiable?

I decided to include coconut milk, but keep it very carefully stored in a jar with a cap in the basement fridge and treat it like a Hazmat.  I blended in some dates for sweetness, just for my coffee…Though it has found it’s way on some tropical fruit salad over the past day or two.  A slippery slope….

This is a photo of the prep work I did the night before I started- Coconut milk with dates-blended well.  Homemade sunbutter with sunflower seeds, dates, and olive oil in the food processor until a paste forms (It is delicious!), and a blend of sunflowers and dates that I set aside to use as a “breading” on some chicken (amazing, by the way), a fresh pineapple, and some sliced banana to stash in the freezer.

*Disclaimer- I did make homemade nut-free larabars with dried date, raisins, sunflower seeds, a few sesame seeds, and a scant dab of applesauce.  I placed them in muffin liners and am storing them in the fridge for pre/post workout fuel when needed.  I don’t consider this cheating, because they do say that larabars are okay…

Here is what I have eaten so far, in case you are curious:

Day 1: B- 2 olive oil fried eggs, coffee with coconut cream and dates,
S- pineapple, L- salad with tuna, olives, artichokes, sunflower seeds, lemon juice, olive oil. S- blended frozen banana with cloves and nutmeg, bare apple chips, raw veggies with guacamole, D: sautéed bok choy and shiitake mushrooms with seared salmon, spinach salad with mandarin oranges and orange vinaigrette, pineapple. Dessert:
Apple cooked with a tiny bit of ghee and cinnamon, tea with coconut milk.

p.s. Even if you are not on a whole 30, olive oil fried eggs are the BEST.  Just get a healthy amount of olive oil very hot in a pan.  Drop in your eggs, and stand back- They will spit and splatter a bit.  Fry them on that side until very brown and crisp at the edges (just the opposite of what we were always taught about frying eggs).  The edges are so lacey and crispy, it is amazing!

Day 2:
Breakfast: hash with sweet potatoes and butternut squash, 2 eggs, small amount of mandarin oranges leftover from yesterday, Workout- Lunch: banana and apple pie larabar, 4 breakfast sausages (oops!), 4 dried apricots D: salad with chicken fingers breaded in sunflower/date mixture, blood orange vinaigrette, 1/2 avocado, pineapple. Sashimi with jalapeno and cilantro.

Day 3: 2 olive oil fried eggs, banana sliced with sunbutter, homemade larabar, workout, Applegate turkey wrapped with 1/2 avocado, tomato, arugula, homemade mayo, black olives. Fruit salad with coconut milk. Mama chia blackberry bliss. Moroccan beef stew with dates, raisins, and carrots, sweet potatoes. Tea with coconut milk. 4 dates with sunbutter inside. Unsweetened applesauce cup with cinnamon.

Moroccan Beef Stew (vague recipe without measurements follows, because I just threw stuff in the pot without measuring!)

Day 4: B: 2 eggs in olive oil, fruit salad with coconut milk, coffee with coconut milk, snack- banana-date-coconut smoothie and homemade larabar, Lunch- tuna salad with homemade mayo, artichokes, and olives, arugula. More fruit salad with coconut milk, Dinner: loaded plantain nachos with seasoned beef, olives, jalapeno, avocado, tomato, cilantro, scallions.

My loaded plantain nachos:

I have also had to prep homemade mayo, ghee, and an all purpose salad dressing just to have on hand.

I am clearly overeating -still- with too much snacking, but I feel pretty good.  The under eye dark circles I always have are almost gone.  I have loads of energy, and my workouts feel nicely fueled.  My stomach is rebelling a bit, but I am imagining that is due to all of the artificial sweetener withdrawal I am likely experiencing.  Hopefully, this is temporary.  I have been finding it quite easy to stick to the plan, though I do think that is due to good prep work and my love of making things from scratch.  Let me know if you have recently started Whole 30 or if you have any great food finds that are compliant with the plan!

Moroccan-Style Beef Stew

2 tablespoons olive oil

approximately 2 lbs beef stew meat or short ribs or chuck roast (would also work with chicken thighs)

1 onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups baby carrots

1 zucchini, diced

8 dates, finely chopped

1/2 cup organic raisins

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cardamom

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon onion powder

2 bay leaves

Chicken stock (organic and whole 30 compliant)

salt and pepper to taste

Basically, sear meat on both sides in oil.  Add onions, cook for a minute or two.  Add other veggies, tomato paste, spices, salt and pepper (sparingly- taste later and adjust).  Pour in stock until meat is 3/4 covered but sticks out a bit on top.  Cover pot and stash in a 300 degree oven for a LONG time 3-4 hours is great!  I did this a day ahead, removed bones from my meat, stashed in fridge overnight, then reheated the next day with the lid off (on stove), and it actually reduced further and thickened to a perfect consistency.

I served this over some sweet potato slices for me, and noodles for my kids and hubby (who are not doing whole 30).  Enjoy!

Chocolate Covered Cherry Hamantaschen…and Bonus Hot Cocoa Variation

I am pretty much a purist when it comes to Hamantaschen, which are definitely near the top of my list of favorite Jewish holiday treats.  The flavor I crave is very specific- Poppyseed filling (mohn) with a buttery-lemony flavored dough that is both crisp and tender.  However, I am seeing a whole bunch of fancy, non-traditional flavors popping up all over lately.  I started dreaming up ideas, only to discover that they had been done already.  Apple pie…done.  Cheese Danish….done.  The following Chocolate-covered Cherry Hamantaschen was my brain child, and after a pretty thorough search, I don’t think they exist yet: )  Here’s to trying something new!

For those of you new to the world of Hamantaschen, they are triangular shaped cookies traditionally eaten on Purim.  Purim is a fun holiday where Jews dress up in costume and retell the story of Mordechai, Haman, Queen Esther, and King Ahashueros (Ahashveros).  There are good guys, bad guys, a bit of drinking, near death for all, and a happy ending.  It is a great time.  Please look up the holiday for better details, as I didn’t mean to get into that here…  However, the cookies are meant to represent Haman’s (the bad guy’s) hat or more literally and disturbingly…his ears.  Hmmm, yum?  But they are good, really!

First cream the butter, sugar, vanilla, salt, and baking powder together in your mixer.  A hand mixer will work fine, as well.  Add in your egg, and beat until well combined. Then add your flour and cocoa powder.  Mix until a thick dough forms.  Do not over mix.

Forn dough into a disk and cover in plastic.  Stash in the fridge for 15 minutes.

In the meantime, line your pans with parchment.  I love these new “cookie sheets” by Reynold’s.  So easy!

Get your fillings en place.  Although I am making chocolate covered cherry flavor, I can’t just leave it at one, so I have other accoutrements at the ready.

I dust the counters lightly with powdered sugar when making any type of roll out sugar cookie.  I find that it makes re-rolls work out better, and doesn’t add a heavy over-floured feel. Roll out dough to 1/8 inch.   Cut out circles or fluted circles, approximately 2 1/2″, but can be made smaller or larger as desired.

Line up circles on parchment.

Fill each circle with 3 cherries, no more, no less.  A couple of years ago, I learned that there is an actual proper way to fold Hamantaschen, which involves folding each edge over the edge next to it, instead of pinching together.  Check it out at the bottom of Tori Avey’s genius post here- http://toriavey.com/how-to/2012/03/how-to-make-perfect-hamantaschen/

 Here is a triple chocolate version I am making for my daughter who is not a fan of cherries…or cooked fruit in general.  But that is a story for another day.

After filling and folding all the cuties, bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes.  You can see how well most of my cookies stayed together, but I did have one renegade.  There is always one….

This is what you are going for!

Let cool completely.  Melt chocolate chips in microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between.  Drizzle, dunk, or dollop cookies with chocolate.  I tried all three methods, and I settled on dollops.

Here is a finished cookie.  I feel that it would be lovely with chopped walnuts sprinkled on top, but we are nut-free, so that is a no-go.

My hot chocolate version was adorable, if I do say so, though!  They are filled with mini-mallow bits (the kind in a canister that don’t puff when heated), then topped with more chocolate and marshmallows.  You could totally fill these with anything you want- Peanut Butter, caramel, jams, white chocolate, etc….Have fun!

Simple Valentine’s Day Treat- Dark Chocolate Brigadeiros

My oldest child, my only daughter is turning 11 in a few days.  At the cusp of her tween years, she already acts like a full-fledged tween.  We are having our first sleepover for more than just one or two kids- 6 girls…  I am bracing myself for impact already.

Darby (my card carrying tween and resident chocoholic) has requested one thing in her birthday “retainer”, and that is a giant plate of Brazilian Brigadeiros.  I had made them as part of a giant dessert table at her 9th birthday, and apparently she has been dreaming about them ever since.

Darby’s 9th birthday dessert table. Ooh-la-la!

Brigadeiros are truly the stuff of dreams.  Rich, chocolates, buttery, and chewy- They kind of remind me of a cross between a gooey caramel and a chocolate tootsie roll, only softer and coated in sprinkles.

Luckily for me (and you), Brigadeiros are super simple and inexpensive to make, and are the PERFECT Valentine’s Day treat for your sweetheart(s).  Forget the box of $50 chocolate truffles.  A homemade gift that looks impressive and tastes like you slaved over it, will be much more appreciated.  Plus, they are Brazilian, which makes you seems worldly and sophisticated.  Nuff said.

Start with 1 can sweetened condensed milk, 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, 4 tablespoons “good quality” dark cocoa powder (in Brazil, they use milk chocolate powder, but this is my version!), and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

I used Cacao Barry Extra Brute, but any dark cocoa powder will do.  This delicious and useful stuff is available on Amazon, if you are interested.

Then you just whisk this mixture continuously, and I do mean don’t step away, for 12-15 minutes on Medium-low heat until mixture thickens dramatically and starts to pull away from the sides when whisked.  It will get slightly hard to wisk (great arm workout!) toward the end.  Mixture will firm up more once cooled.

Add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract off the heat, and whisk again.  Remove the mixture to separate bowl and stash in the fridge for 30 minutes or so.

Next, once the mixture is cool enough to touch (might still be slightly warm), scoop tablespoon balls of the chocolatey goodness.  Roll each ball in any type of sprinkle you like…Coconut, nuts, or cocoa powder would also work (but we are nut-free around here).  I usually roll them again in my hands after the sprinkles go on, just to make them perfectly round.

These were the sprinkles I used.  That is it!  Easy as can be.  Serve them in little mini-cupcake liners.  Adorable.  You can store them covered at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

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Snow Day Soup!

Here in Northern Virginia, today is a snow day.  The kids are home from school, it is super chilly (even inside), and all I want is my favorite soup and some crusty bread for dinner.  There is some backstory to this soup.

It is not chef-inspired, it has some fresh and some frozen and pre-packaged ingredients, and I am not going to apologize for that.  This is basically a streamlined version of the soup my mom made throughout my childhood.  It is especially memorable, because it was one of the few dishes that she made that was truly delightful.  That alone made it stand out, but it also always followed a trip to the kosher meat market, which was my favorite thing to do…ever.  While I would stand at the meat counter, gazing at the giant beef tongues wagging at me from inside the chilled case, my mom would ask the butcher for the “flanken.”  I am not really sure what the literal translation of this is, but I am pretty sure the Yiddish means the scraps from the better cuts of meat or more probably the meat from the flank of the animal…. The tough cuts that you have to cook for a very long time, so that they will magically transform into fall-apart tender chunks of savory goodness.  Anyway, we always called this soup “Flanken soup,” and it was an event that everyone looked forward to after our monthly pilgrimage to Maryland to buy our kosher meat.  The gigantic poppyseed Hamentaschen from the bakery was my other favorite, but I digress.

The other reason I wanted to share this recipe, is that I wanted to create kind of a tribute to Manischewitz.  You see, I was just lucky enough to win a contest that they offered for one of their products…a do-it-yourself Channukah House Kit.  Thank you so much to Manischewitz!  I am so honored.  Here is my Chanukah House:

Anyway, while I was writing back and forth to the company, I realized that many of my early food memories involved their products.  Which brought me to my favorite memory of all…”Flanken” Soup.  It features Manischewitz’s Split Pea soup mix, and sometimes the vegetable soup mix, or both!  You see, this recipe is fluid and flexible, and you can play with it to make it your own.

First, you cube your meat into large but kind-of bite sized pieces.  I used a chuck roast here, but shortribs or stew meat works well.  Note that the fattier the meat, the better.  You don’t want to use lean stew meat…. Do trim any large pieces of fat, however.
Here are the soup mixes:  This is for a HUGE pot of soup. If you want to make a smaller amount, just use one split pea soup mix.  These are easily found in the kosher section of almost every grocery store.Another gratuitous meat shot!  Approximately 2 lbs, but you could use more or less, depending on how many people you are feeding.
Brown the meat in your soup pot in a little oil on high heat.  If you are in a rush, you can skip this step, but I highly recommend it.Cut up your potato (1 large), mushroom (about 10 ounces), and carrot (about 1-2 cups).  I like the mushrooms diced, but sliced works as well.  Baby carrots are fine- sometimes I leave them whole, sometimes not.  Waxy potatoes work well, but I only had a russet today.
Put them all in the pot, with a couple of bay leaves, a small bag of frozen cut green beans (use fresh if you want, but it will all come out the same in the end…), the split pea soup mix (with the seasoning packet, and the veggie soup mix (I did not add the small pouch of noodles, but everything else).  I added a bit of leftover Lima beans that I had kicking around, but that is optional. Now, fill her up with water.  You want it to cover all the meat and veggies plus an extra 2 inches or so.  It will seem watery, but when the peas cook, it will thicken quite a bit.  This is almost more of a stew or porridge consistency when done.Once it come up to a simmer, cover for about an hour.  Stir, and reduce heat to medium-low.  Keep pot uncovered and at a low simmer for about 3-4 hours, or as long as possible!  Stir it occasionally.  Season with a ton of black pepper and salt, to taste.  The soup mix has salt in it, so you usually don’t need much (if any at all).

Okay, so this is kind of a homey/homely rustic looking stew, but take my word for it.  It is delicious!  Better the second day, if there are leftovers.  It is a full dinner and very hearty, so enjoy with some crusty bread or biscuits and you are done.  Enjoy!

P.s.  You could make this in a large crockpot on high, if you put it in early in the morning, and cook it uncovered for the second half of the day.