If you’ve ever heard of kitchen sink cookies, they have a little bit of everything baked into them. One might call these pantry cookies because it was the pantry that I went searching for something inspired. What I found was a leftover bag of chocolate chips, a jar of peanut butter and some oats. Any one of them would make good cookies but why limit my choices to only one when I could have them all? So I added a bit of each to my mix and the combination was a resounding YUM!
I love a good stir fry. It’s one of those meals that takes little preparation and cooks up in minutes. Plus I can get a few vegetables into my husband who is pretty much a meat and potatoes kind of guy. He did however enjoy this stir fry with snow peas and shitake mushrooms. Along with some grated ginger and garlic, I made a spicy and slightly sweet sauce which was oh so fragrant throughout the kitchen.
One of my favorite meals to make is Jambalaya. This one pot meal is easy to put together but doesn’t lack for flavor. Andouille may be the traditional sausage in Jambalaya but I find that the smoked sausage holds it own surrounded by spices, onions, garlic and wild rice. We usually break off a piece of crusty baguette to go alongside and call it a meal.
I’m ready to get back in the kitchen after a much needed Spring holiday in New Mexico. I’ve been wanting to bake some bread and after cleaning out my refrigerator, I had enough space for a bucket of Artisan dough that I could use over the course of two weeks. The master recipe for “Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day” can be found online, and I’ve had the best results using their method. The chilled dough is easy to work with and you can use as much or as little dough needed for most any bread, whether it be a loaf, baguette, or rolls. I took half the chilled dough and made two baguettes which have a crusty exterior that is perfect to go alongside a stew or pasta dish. A couple days later I tried out some dinner rolls. They were more delicate than the baguettes but had a nice top crust to each roll. These were a favorite warmed with a dollop of butter and a bit of jam for breakfast.
April is here and finally feeling like the beginnings of Spring. I just spent a week in NM which looks and feels much more like Spring than we do here in the Midwest. The trees were leafing and some areas were already in full bloom. The latter part of the week was filled with warm sunshine which always lifts my spirits. And time spent with my sister in Albuquerque was the icing on the cake. She took me thrifting and out to lunch where we sat outside of “Sarafins Chile Hut” on Central sharing a combination plate of Chile Rellenos, Beef Enchiladas and Tacos with Sopapillas and Honey. I’m here to tell you there’s nothing better than spending a day with your sister and eating real New Mexican food! It’s going to take me a few days to get back in in sync and try out some new recipes but in the meantime here’s the last of the trio of cupcakes. A carrot cupcake with a cream cheese center and and topped with a cream cheese frosting. It’s pretty to eat and perfect for Spring.
Here’s a classic Rum Cake that I fell in love with at first bite. My sister Kat made it years ago and I have never forgotten how much I loved it! She gave me the recipe and I’ve finally gotten around to making it. Boy is this cake good! It’s so moist because of the glaze that’s absorbed into the cake. Kat used Bicardi Silver which is milder in flavor but what I had on hand was Jamaican rum and it gave the cake a much stronger flavor so take that into consideration.
Leftover Cuban pork makes the best Cuban pork panini sandwich. Sometimes called a “Cubano” it’s traditionally a ham and cheese sandwich with pickles, mustard and Cuban pork on a crusty french bread. Joe and I agree that there’s something about the tart dill pickle that makes this sandwich. I didn’t want too much bread so I sliced the loaf diagonally to make smaller sandwiches. One panini was perfect for me but the guys each had two.
While watching one of the cooking channels the other day I saw a prepared Cuban Pork Roast. Every slice looked as if they were cutting through butter, so tender and juicy. I just caught the tail end of the program so I didn’t see how it was seasoned but I was intrigued to learn more. What I found is that most Cuban roasts are cooked with a Mojo citrus blend made from fresh orange and lime juice that is spooned over the roast while it is roasting. A pork shoulder roast with the skin attached is traditionally used but sometimes hard to find. However, I did find a roast with the skin still attached on one side and roasted it skin side up. Leaving it uncovered in the oven proved to char the outer skin but left the most tender and flavorful pork underneath. This is definitely a new favorite that I’ll be making again soon!
You would think it was tropical season from the ads that came out this week in our local grocery store. A sale on exotic fruit from Dragon Fruit to Rambutin, to Star Fruit to Mango and Papayas. I am not one to let a good sale go by so I picked up a little of everything. But what I had in mind was a Mango Sorbet that I’ve been dreaming about ever since I got my ice cream maker. It’s so handy and makes quick work especially with sorbets. It basically requires a simple syrup mix of water and sugar plus added fruit. How easy is that!
A few weeks ago I found an oversized muffin pan while thrifting. It caught my eye and I began to imagine what I could make in it. Cupcake wrappers would definitely be too small to fit inside so unless I wanted to make naked cupcakes I would need to find other uses for it. When I started looking online I found that there are multiple pinterest boards filled with muffin tin recipes. The ideas were endless but I found myself going back to the hash brown nests. They were so cute and I loved the idea of a cracked egg over top. My first attempt failed miserably, the hash browns stuck to the pan, even though I thoroughly buttered it. I decided I needed a better way to remove the nest from the pan without tearing it so I made my own wrappers out of aluminum foil. It worked great! I formed them to the pan and after they were cooked I found it easy to slide them out and unwrap them. The hash brown nests were cooked to perfection and filled with all the things we love, bacon, tomato, cheese and egg. So cute and delicious they would be perfect for brunch!
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An Inspired Cook 