Apricot Walnut Muffins

I was bit by the baking bug this past Saturday morning. I woke up, and HAD to bake, regardless of the fact I didn't have much to work with other than some dried apricots in the pantry and some walnuts tucked away in the freezer. Having just made scones the weekend before, and cupcakes (for work, not for pleasure) earlier in the week, my heart cried out for a combination of the two and found a happy medium in these delicious pint-sized muffins.

I have to confess that I forgot to add baking powder to the first batch, but that's ok as I didn't need a full dozen muffins to pacify my cravings, and was able to save the second half. If you don't have (or don't want to use) Brandy, not to worry - substitute hot water instead. Brandy however seems to draw out the tart qualities of the apricot, which is a nice complement to the sweetness of the dough.

This recipe will yield 12 "normal size" muffins or 6 "Texas Size" muffins.

Devil's Food Cupcakes with Spiced Frosting

So let's face it, with most cupcakes, the "cake" portion is merely a delivery method for the frosting. Often dry or overly cake-y, they usually don't inspire you to chew the frilly paper cup after the cupcake has been consumed, yearning for more. This cupcake might change all that. Here I used a devil's food cake, which is so moist, dense, and chocolatey delicious it is a deserving throne for the heavenly frosting that crowns this dessert.

In addition to the standard recipe, I added 2 wedges of Ibarra Mexican Chocolate. Typically used to make Atole, Champurrado, or Mexican Hot Chocolate, this chocolate comes in disks and is not for the lazy or the feint of heart. It required the use of a hammer to break off 2 wedges and a heavy duty chocolate grater to scrape the wedges into a fine powder. It is made from sugar, cacao nibs, and cinnamon "flavor", but what it adds is a complexity and fullness to the cocoa powder that would be otherwise lacking.

In this recipe however, the frosting is still the main event. I experimented with several recipes...including the buttercream frosting recipe from the February issue of Martha Stewart Living that makes a ridiculous 4 cups of frosting (great if you are making cupcakes for a 3rd grade class, excessive when making 14 cupcakes for a small birthday gathering). What I settled upon was the recipe on the back of the box of C&H powdered sugar, with a few very important tweaks. Using the recipe as written on the box produced a cloyingly sweet frosting that instantly made my teeth ache upon tasting it. The addition however of sea salt and cloves balances the sweetness and adds an unexpected spiciness that is niceiness.

This recipe yields 14 "texas sized" cupcakes (as stated on the package of muffin cups) and would likely yield 16-18 normal cupcakes, or better yet, 30 mini cupcakes.

Chili

 
Don't be daunted by the cook time, it only takes 30 minutes of prep, and the rest is done by your slow-cooker

Although I was born and raised in Southern California where Spanish, Mexican, and Southwestern cuisine influences abound, I was still the subject of a purely Irish/Italian/Midwestern diet. As such, this version of chili is more of a hybrid of beef stew and a good bean soup. Succulent, spicy, and saucy...just the way I like it.

People put lots of crazy things into chili - chocolate, peanut butter, garlic, bread, just to name a few - but for my money all you need is lots of beans, some good beef, and BEER! I cheated by using a can of salsa to spice up the base of my Chili. There are no shortage of great varieties in the "ethnic foods" section of my supermarket that have more exotic chili's than the ubiquitous Pace piquante sauce. I used Herdez Salsa Ranchera for this batch which has Jalapeno, Ancho, and Cascabel peppers. As if that wasn't spicy enough, I added a liberal dash of Spike seasoning... but that is a whole other story. There is also some debate over ground vs. chunks of beef, and after many failed attempts using ground, I used cubed chuck steak this go 'round which gave me the flavor and texture I was after. While I like my chili heavy on the beans, much of these measurements can be adjusted to taste.

Cheesy Pasta Bake

Not terribly photogenic, but oh so good.

I cannot call this dish macaroni and cheese. For one, I do not like to use macaroni when creating this dish as it reminds me too much of kindergarten craft projects and I have a hard enough time controlling my impulse to run for the glitter and elmer's glue as it is. For two, the dish I know as macaroni and cheese from my childhood comes from a bright blue box and is often a suspicious orange color. That having been said, this dish is divine. I do not know how I spent the formative years of my life having never had "real" macaroni and cheese - from an oven, not a pot - but I have recently seen the light.

The first time I experienced "real" macaroni and cheese was with my partner Noah at his mother Toni's house. His mother and stepfather have been veggie-converts for many years and as such have had time to perfect what has become a staple in their home. This version is a hodgepodge of what I gleaned from watching Toni work her magic and a recent recipe from Gourmet magazine. It couldn't be simpler and there are SO many ways to vary this recipe to go from weeknight sassy to dinner party classy.

Oh snap, I blog!

After enjoying many food blogs such as simply recipes, smitten kitchen, and cook and eat, I have decided to throw my hat into the food blog ring. I subscribe to the theory that there can never be too much food, so by virtue of this fact there can never be too many food blogs. I will do my best to keep what's coming out of my kitchen onto this site. Bon appètit!