This week I bought blueberries on sale.  The Picky Apple likes blueberry muffins (which surprises me a little), so I thought I’d make muffins for him to take to work.  Unless I bake him something tasty (like Banana Crunch Muffins) for breakfast, he typically skips it.  I’ve tried a few different blueberry muffin recipes from various cookbooks I own, but still haven’t settled upon a go-to recipe.  While searching for a new recipe to try, I ran across this recipe for Blueberry Crumb Cake.  I had all of the ingredients (or an easy substitution) on hand.  This crumb cake turned out perfectly, and The Picky Apple gave it two thumbs up.  Allspice gives the cake a slightly more complex flavor than basic cinnamon, and the cake is not overly sweet.  I think this could easily be converted to muffins, which I may try next time I make this.

 Blueberry Crumb Cake

from Everyday Food

Serves 9

Ingredients:

For the streusel topping:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
• 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter

For the cake:

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pan
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice  (See Picky Apple Note, below)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2/3 cup buttermilk  (See Picky Apple Note, below)
• 1 1/2 cups blueberries
• Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make streusel topping: Butter and flour a 9-inch square baking pan. Make the topping: In a medium bowl, stir together flour, brown sugar, and salt. Cut in the butter using your hands or a pastry blender until large, moist crumbs form. Chill.
2. Butter and flour a 9-inch square baking pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and allspice. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add egg; beat well. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately until just combined. (Batter will be very stiff.) In a large bowl, toss the blueberries with 1 teaspoon flour. Fold blueberries into the batter; spoon into prepared pan.
3. Sprinkle cake with streusel topping. Bake until golden brown and a tester comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool completely. Dust with confectioners’ sugar before cutting into squares.

Picky Apple Notes:

• Allspice is actually its very own berry, not a combination of others spices.  However, if you find yourself without allspice on hand as I did, simply use equal parts ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground clove, and black pepper.
• I also used a simple substitution for buttermilk: Add 1 tablespoon of vinegar to 1 cup of milk, and let sit for 10 minutes.  I used this substitution for my Red Velvet Cupcakes as well.

One thing The Picky Apple DOES like is scrambled eggs.  He also loves bacon.  So every once in a while we have breakfast for dinner, with scrambled eggs, bacon, and hash browns.  Many times this is in the form of breakfast tacos.  This week I decided to take that to the next level and make Migas, which is tortillas scrambled with bacon and eggs.   I was concerned that the tortillas would be soggy once scrambled with the eggs, but it turned out great.  This recipe will definitely be added to our favorite recipe file.

To go with the Migas, I threw together my Potato Hash, which I created on the fly one evening when I wanted a potato side dish.  A dash of this, a sprinkle of that…each time I make it, it turns out a little bit different.  This time I measured as I added the spices so I could pass this recipe along to you.  Sometime I throw in peppers, onions, and/or garlic, but I left those out this time since the Migas already had peppers, onions, and garlic.

Migas

Adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook

Serves 2 to 3

Ingredients:

• 2 thick bacon slices
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 6 (6-7 inch) slightly dried leftover corn tortillas, torn into 1 to 1 1/2 inch pieces (See note below)
•  1/2 cup finely chopped white onion
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 or 2 jalapeno chiles (depending on how much spice you want), seeded and finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack or White Cheddar

Directions:

Cook bacon in a large skillet over moderate heat, turning occasionally, until crisp, 5 to 7 minutes.  Transfer to paper towels to drain.  Reserve approximately a tablespoon of bacon grease for later.

Heat oil in a 12 inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat but not smoking.  Fry tortilla pieces a handful at a time, turning them frequently, until pale golden, 2 to 3 minutes.  Transfer to paper towels to drain.

Add onion, garlic, chiles to skillet containing bacon grease, and cook, stirring until onion is pale golden and chiles are tender, about 5 minutes.  Add cumin and tortilla pieces and stir until well combined.

Pour eggs over tortilla mixture and stir in cheese.  Crumble bacon and add to eggs and tortillas.  Cook over moderately high heat, stirring gently, until eggs have reached desired consistency.

Picky Apple Note: You can bake tortillas in a 300 degree F oven for 5 to 10 minutes if your tortillas aren’t stale.

Potato Hash

Serves 2 to 3

Ingredients:

• 1 potato, diced (approx. 1/2 inch chunks)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4  teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:  Heat oil large skillet over medium to high heat.  Add potato and spices.  Stir frequently.  Cook until golden brown and potato is cooked through, approximately 15 to 20 minutes.

Mardi Gras always brings back memories for me.  My family spent many years living in Lafayette, Louisiana when I was younger, and my brother was born there.  Mardi Gras is a big deal in Louisiana, obviously in New Orleans, but many other Louisiana towns celebrate Mardi Gras with parades and parties.  In fact, I remember having Fat Tuesday off from school  and going to family friendly parades every year.  We also celebrated at school (in elementary school particularly) with a King Cake.  Typically, a small plastic baby is hidden in the cake, and whoever gets the baby in their slice of the cake has to provide the King Cake the next time around.  The King Cake is not so much a cake as it is a bread swirled with cinnamon (and sometimes filled with cream cheese, fruit, or a combination of the two).  It typically has a confectioner’s sugar frosting similar to a cinnamon roll, and is decorated with purple, green, and gold sugar.  Purple, green, and gold are the colors of Mardi Gras, representing justice, faith, and power.

Sadly, it has been many years since I’ve had King Cake.  Mardi Gras isn’t as big of a deal here, though they do sell King Cakes at the grocery store.  This year when I noticed the King Cakes popping up the grocery store, I decided I wanted to try to make my own for the first time.  I chose Paula Deen’s recipe from Paula Deen Celebrates!, her event-themed cookbook.  In addition to King Cake, her Mardi Gras menu includes lots of other things I love: Muffaletta Sandwiches, Jambalaya, Shrimp Etouffee, Red Beans and Rice, Sweet Potato Biscuits, Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding with Rum Sauce, French Quarter Beignets, and Cafe au Lait.  Certainly an excellent variety of food for any Mardi Gras party.

My first attempt at King Cake turned out nicely, but I definitely had my doubts as it was coming together.  Since this is really a yeast bread and not a cake, the dough had to rise twice.  My dough never rose quite as much as it probably should have, even though I made certain that the yeast I used was active.  Additionally, I had some difficulty with the assembly technique for this Cake.  You are supposed to split the dough in half, create two jelly-rolls, then twist them together.  THEN you shape that into a circle.  Let’s just say mine was a little sloppy and sad looking before going into the oven.  Luckily, the oven worked its magic, and my King Cake, once frosted and decorated looked pretty good.   I was happy with the results, and will definitely make this again next year for Mardi Gras.

Mardi Gras King Cake

from Paula Deen Celebrates!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 2/3 cup evaporated milk
• 3/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 envelopes active dry yeast, regular or rapid rise
• 3 eggs
• Grated zest of 1 lemon
• 6 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, melted
• 1 egg white, for glazing

Cinnamon-Sugar Filling:

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

White Icing:

• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 2 tablespoons whole milk

Colored Sugar

Instructions:

1. Melt the butter in the microwave in a medium mixing bowl  Add the evaporated milk, 3/4 cup of the sugar, and the salt.  Stir so that the sugar dissolves.  Allow to cool.
2. Dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup lukewarm water and stir in the remaining teaspoon sugar.  Allow to stand for 10 minutes, until foamy.  If the yeast does not foam up, it is no good, so you’ll have to start over with new yeast and sugar.
3. Add the yeast mixture to the butter and milk mixture.  Add the eggs and lemon zest and whisk together vigorously, until well blended.
4. Whisk in the flour, 1 cup at a time, until you have a thick paste–about 3 cups flour.  Then switch to a wooden spoon and continue adding flour and mixing well.  Do not add more than 6 cups flour, or your cake will be too dense.  When you have added all the flour, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured wooden board and knead it with your hands, which you have dusted with flour, until the dough is smooth and elastic, about a dozen turns.
5. Place the dough into a large clean bowl that you have sprayed with vegetable oil cooking spray.  Turn the dough to coat all sides with spray.  Cover the bowl with a tea towel and allow the dough to rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
6. Make the cinnamon-sugar filling: Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small dish and stir well.
7. Punch the dough down and divide the dough in two.  Roll out each half into a 10 by 15 inch rectangle. Brush each rectangle with half of the melted butter and then sprinkle each rectangle with half of the cinnamon-sugar filling mixture.  Roll up along the long end like a jelly roll.  Press the roll together at the seam, sealing with water if necessary.  Wind the two rolls together, forming one thick piece.  On a baking sheet sprayed with vegetable oil cooking spray, form the dough into a circle and seal the ends together.
8. Cover with a tea towel and allow the cake to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour (when it rises, the center will close up and it will look like a bumpy “cake”), until it almost doubles in size.
9. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Whisk the egg white with 1 tablespoon water.  Brush  the top of the cake with the egg white.  Bake the cake for 35 minutes, until it is browned and sounds hollow when tapped.
10. Make the white icing: Combine the sugar and milk in a small dish and whisk until smooth.  If the mixture seems too thin, add a little more sugar.  If it won’t drizzle, add a little more milk, 1/2 teaspoon at a time.
11. Allow the cake to cool for a few minutes on a wire rack.  Drizzle with icing and sprinkle the colored sugar in random patterns over the white icing.  Slice across the width of the cake into thin slices to serve.

Makes about 24 thin slices.

I saw this recipe for Peanut Butter Ribbon Fudge Brownies recently on Anna’s blog Cookie Madness.  Her blog is full of delicious cookie recipes, and she’s always posting something I can’t wait to try.

Quick sidenote:  Here is Anna’s recipe for Baked Spinach and Chicken Stuffing that won her $1,000,000(!!) as the Grand Prize in the 2006 Pillsbury Bake-off.  In fact, she’s such a star that her name was a clue on Jeopardy last week.  How cool is that?!  She’s my new hero.

So back to the brownies….I decided to make these brownies to bring to a Superbowl party over the weekend.  The base recipe creates a very fudgy (as opposed to cake-like) brownie (which I love).  I imagine it could be used for all kinds of fabulous brownie variations and concoctions.  This brownie base is my new go-to recipe whenever I want to make brownies.  The peanut butter ribbons add a rich peanut butter flavor, and are simple to make.  If you love chocolate and peanut butter, then you will love these brownies!  Also, if you are used to making brownies from a prepackaged mix, then I urge you to try making these from scratch.  It’s really easy, and the results are totally worth it!  Sorry for the lack of photos….I forgot to take a picture before we headed out to watch the Superbowl.  Hope y’all had a great weekend!

Did you know that February 5 is World Nutella Day? No? Me either, until recently. Last year, several bloggers got together and gave Nutella its very own holiday, and they are continuing the tradition this year. I’ve previously mentioned my love for Nutella, so when I heard about this holiday, I knew I wanted to participate by submitting a recipe. I thought cheesecake would be a nice setting for the flavor of Nutella. I highlighted the deliciousness that is Nutella with a topping of chocolate ganache and toasted hazelnuts. Although this recipe was created solely for World Nutella Day, this turned out so wonderfully that I would definitely make it again. Maybe EVERY day should be World Nutella Day….the world would be a much better place, don’t you think?

Creamy Nutella Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache and Toasted Hazelnuts

Crust:

• 1 1/2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup melted butter

Filling:

• 24 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 whole egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 (13 ounce) jar Nutella

Topping:

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 cups toasted hazelnuts

Directions for Crust: Heat oven to 350 degrees F. In a small mixing bowl, combine crust ingredients. Pat into the bottom of springform pan and bake for 10 minutes.

Directions for Filling: In the bowl of a mixer, beat cream cheese, sugar, flour and vanilla extract until just combined. Add egg yolks and egg, beat on low until just combined. Add milk and Nutella and mix completely. Pour filling into springform pan. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees F. Place springform pan on a cookie sheet and then place in oven. Bake for 1 1/2 hours, or until center appears set when shaken lightly. Remove and cool on a wire rack.

Directions for Topping: Bring cream to a boil. Pour over chocolate chips. Stir until smooth. Spread evenly over top of cheesecake. Sprinkle toasted hazelnuts over chocolate. Refrigerate cheesecake for at least 4 hours to set.

One of my favorite restaurants here in Houston is a local chain, Carrabba’s Italian Grill.  They serve some amazing entrees, like the Pollo Rosa Maria–grilled chicken breast stuffed with fontina cheese and prosciutto, topped with mushrooms and a
basil lemon butter sauce.  But before you are served your entree, they bring out hot crusty bread served with dipping oil and spices.  The dipping spices are a combination of herbs, pepper, and garlic.  A few months ago, I was looking for something simple to bring to a family event, and thought about doing something like dipping oil and some fresh baked bread.  I settled on the following combination of spices, adapted from this recipe, and it was a hit.

Dipping Oil

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp. crushed red pepper
• 1 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. dried rosemary
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. garlic puree
• 1 tsp. kosher salt

Directions: Combine all ingredients.  Serve on a shallow plate with extra virgin olive oil.

The smell of banana bread baking is one of my favorite kitchen smells.  But my banana bread was always so….boring, especially since Nathan normally doesn’t like nuts or “chunk” type add ins.  Me, I’m all for them.  In the world of ice cream, for example, I gravitate towards Ben & Jerry’s chunkerrific ice creams, while Nathan would likely pick plain vanilla or chocolate.  One Sunday morning several years ago, we saw Ina Garten make this recipe on The Barefoot Contessa.  I thought “Wow, those muffins sure look tasty”, and my husband AGREED!  He agreed even though they’ve got lots going on.   If Ben & Jerry made muffins they would look like these.  So after some experimenting and changes to suit my husbands….er….Picky-ness, a favorite muffin recipe was born. These muffins get their “crunch” from granola, coconut, and banana chips.

Banana Crunch Muffins

adapted from this recipe in The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, by Ina Garten

Ingredients:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 pound unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2 extra-large eggs
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (3 bananas)
• 1 cup granola
• 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Dried banana chips, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.Line 18 large muffin cups with paper liners. Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the melted butter and blend. Combine the eggs, milk, vanilla, and mashed bananas, and add them to the flour-and-butter mixture. Scrape the bowl and blend well. Don’t overmix.

Fold the granola and coconut into the batter. Spoon the batter into the paper liners, filling each 1 to the top. Top each muffin with dried banana chips, if desired. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool slightly, remove from the pan, and serve.

Picky Apple Note:

• The “crunch” of the granola and banana chips fades pretty quickly, so these are best eaten in the first day or two.
• The original recipe calls for a cup of walnuts, which I omitted.  I’m sure either walnuts or pecans would be delicious and add to the “crunch.”

 It won’t win a chili cook-off, but this is yet another quick and easy recipe for nights when I don’t really feel like cooking.  I’ve been using this recipe for about 4 years now, and I make it about once a month.

Slow-Cooker Taco Chili

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb. extra lean ground beef, cooked and drained
• 1/2 package taco seasoning mix (I use Old El Paso Original)
• 1 10 oz. can of Rotel (the Chili flavor is best, but sometimes hard to find)
• 1/2 of a 15 oz. can of black beans, drained
• 1/2 of a 15 oz. can of corn, drained

Directions:  Throw everything into a slow-cooker, and cook for 6-8 hours on low or 2-4 hours on high.  Serve with tortilla chips or tortillas, cheese, sour cream, cornbread.

Being from the South, I decided it was about time I tasted Red Velvet Cake, the classic, beautiful Southern dessert that I’m always seeing in cookbooks and on TV.  I attempted to make Red Velvet Cupcakes, after seeing Chockylit’s recipe on Cupcake Bakeshop.  I made a few adjustments to the recipe, including a decrease in the batch size to 12 cupcakes and a substitution for buttermilk.  Additionally, I used red food coloring instead of paste.  I clearly did not add enough, since my cupcakes only had a faint red hue.  But really, the redness is just a novelty and adds nothing to the flavor, so I suppose you could omit it completely.  The cupcakes turned out with an excellent texture and a light cocoa flavor.  They were good, but I’m not sure that I’ve become a Red Velvet devotee.  Not the recipe’s fault though.  I just think they look a lot prettier than they taste, and there are plenty of more chocolate-y cupcake and cake flavors I prefer.

Red Velvet Cake is typically served with Cream Cheese Frosting, but Nathan doesn’t like Cream Cheese Frosting.  I made half with Cream Cheese Frosting and half with Portsmouth Frosting from The Fannie Farmer Baking Book.  The Portsmouth Frosting is a relatively simple vanilla buttercream, which can also be used as a filling for a layer cake (even better if combined with chopped nuts).

Portsmouth Frosting

from The Fannie Farmer Baking Book

Makes 1 1/4 cups.

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or rum
• 3 cups confectioners’ sugar

Directions:

Combine the butter, cream, and vanilla or rum in a mixing bowl.  Slowly beat in the sugar until the frosting is thick, smooth, and spreadable.  If too thick to spread, add droplets more cream; if too thin, beat in a little more sugar.  You will have enough to fill and frost an 8-inch two-layer cake.

This recipe for chicken patties is yet another recipe that I got from one of the Yahoo Groups I belong to. It reminds me of crab cakes, but it is made with chicken instead. Nathan doesn’t care for crab, so I thought I’d try out this recipe. I used seasoned bread crumbs containing red pepper flakes, so there was a little extra spice.

One of my goals is to prepare more vegetables with dinner. I haven’t had brussels sprouts in at least ten years, but when I read about Ina Garten’s method for cooking them on Slashfood, I decided to give it a try. Overall, I liked them, and they were super easy to prepare. Nathan, who had never had brussels sprouts, said he didn’t hate them. That is definitely saying something, coming from THE Picky Apple. (As an aside, I think The Littlest Apple may be in the running for The Pickiest Apple.)

Chicken Patties

Makes 12 patties.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups finely minced cooked chicken
• 4 lightly beaten eggs
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons olive or canola oil

Directions:

Combine chicken, eggs, cheese, and bread crumbs thoroughly. Use your hands to make 12 round or oval patties, 1/2″ thick. Heat the oil in a skillet. Saute the patties on each side until browned.

Picky Apple Note: I used my Food Chopper to finely chop the chicken.