One Pot Wonders: Cumin Lentil Soup

Don't we have super classy placemats?

A funny story about lentils: (pronounced len-tuhls. I know you know that, but it becomes important in the story...). Because, really, who doesn't need a funny story about lentils?

When I was working at Lehigh, a bunch of us awesome Greek life staffers went out for dinner before going to a program. The server came over and started listing off the specials of the evening. When he got to soup, he said "And we have a delicious len-tile soup...". My coworker, Meredith, leaned over to me after he left and said "Len-tiles? Are those non-Jewish beans?" We just about spit our drinks all over the table. Hilarious! So, now, everytime I eat lentils, I think to myself - AHH! Lentiles! The non-Jewish beans! Good one, Mer.

I would just like to state for the record that packing and moving sucks. I hate it with the fiery burn of a thousand suns. I tried to pack up most of the kitchen, but stopped because then we can't eat, and I refuse to eat out for the next 11+ meals. My bank account would reach through the computer and probably smack me upside the head.

So, who did I turn to in my time of cooking need? My Nesties, of course! I asked my Money Matters ladies for some one-pot wonders because well...that's about all I have left. A soup pot, a few pans, my dairy cooking utensils and my mixer. I packed the spices and then realized that was a bad idea when I was tearing through tape yesterday, looking frantically for my cumin. Of course, it comes in one of those mini spice containers that managed to sink to the bottom of the box and hide under the Cuisinart. Oh, if you could have seen me! "Where the **** is the ****** cumin? I know I packed it!! What the ****? Are we out? I know we have it! DAMMIT!"

Where was I? Oh, right...Nesties. A wonderful Nestie (who is being induced right now!) mentioned that she loved Cumin Lentil Soup. I had nearly everything she listed so after a quick and slushy trip to the Giant, I threw the soup together and let it simmer during the evening. Fortunately, I had a snow day, so I was able to pack and cook at the same time. The soup is really good! I love the flavor of the lentils and the spicy punch of cumin. I mistakenly added too much black pepper, but we both liked the heat. It's suprisingly filling, too. I added some crusty bread and it was a wonderful dinner on a cold and icy night.

Ingredients:

5 carrots, chopped

5 celery ribs, chopped

1 onion, chopped

2.5 cups green lentils (approx 1 lb)

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 TBS vegetable oil

2 bay leaves

2 tsp dried basil

2 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

10 cups water (I used 2 cups vegetable broth + 8 cups water. I think broth adds more flavor! I'll probably do all 10 cups of broth next time)

Instructions:
Sort and rinse lentils. Using a soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, and basil, and sweat for about 10 minutes. Add the cumin, bay leaves, lentils and water. Stir and turn up heat until it boils. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 35 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and season to taste, if you want more salt and pepper. Serve with some crusty bread and enjoy!

TWD: Fresh Ginger and Chocolate Gingerbread

Alex has been asking for gingerbread for weeks now and I kept putting him off. I didn't really want to make gingerbread cookies after going through a whole holiday season of gingerbread, but then...I saw the TWD assignment: Fresh Ginger and Chocolate Gingerbread. It was a sign! I was destined to bake this!
And bake it I did.

This bread/cake is delicious. It's moist and spicy, studded with chunks of candied ginger and chocolate chips, and all covered in a rich chocolate glaze with just a hint of coffee. I had so much fun baking it because it made the whole apartment smell amazing. I knew that people were walking by our door, sniffing jealously.

According to Dorie herself, the recipe is enough for a 9x9 baking pan, but honestly - who owns one? I had an 8x8 so she said to just fill it 2/3 of the way and use the rest for mini-cakes. I had enough batter left over to eat a little...um...I mean to fill 2 ramekins. I would totally make this again. Great recipe choice, Heather!

I apologize for the cruddy picture. My camera battery was about to die, and since we had packed all the batteries, I rushed to get any picture I could. The cake really is very pretty!

Mmmm, cupcakes!

Does anything beat a good cupcake? I mean, really...it's your own personal cake, covered in delicious frosting. And you are allowed to make a mess while you eat it because that's just how it's done!

My sister-in-law had a bunch of people over for a pizza party (homemade!) on Saturday night and I brought along a batch of devils food cupcakes with peanut butter buttercream. We spent all day packing boxes for our move and I baked both the latest Dorie recipe and these cupcakes in between wrapping dishes and glasses. I think it was a little overly ambitious to bake two separate desserts (and frostings for both) all while packing, but I survived. There was a little cupcake batter explosion, which I'll note in the instructions, so you don't make the same mistake. Chocolate batter + White Tile Floor = Mess.

Overall, the cupcakes were good. The chocolate flavor wasn't as rich as I would have liked, but they were really light, fluffy and moist. I think I'll use this recipe again, but I'll put in either more cocoa powder or some melted chocolate. The PB buttercream was A.MAZ.ING. Seriously, delicious. It smelled so dang good and I kept licking the beaters until there was nothing left. Points? What? No, I don't have to count the points for little licks of frosting. They don't count because it was done standing up, over the sink and everyone knows those calories don't count. The cupcakes were a big hit with both Alex and the party-goers, as was my handy-dandy cupcake carrier. I love that thing!

Devil's Food Chocolate Cupcakes (from the former cupcakeblog.com)

makes 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:
2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (maybe add a little more)

1.5 tsp baking soda

1.5 cups milk

1/2 cup butter

2 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Measure out everything but the eggs directly into your mixer bowl.

Mix on low speed just until incorporated. (Do not do this. Mix everything by hand until just incorporated and then continue on as directed. If you do this, your cocoa powder, milk and flour will fly out of the bowl, attack you and your countertop and coat your pajama pants in batter. Just sayin'...)

Beat on high speed for 2 minutes.

Add eggs, beat on high speed again for 2 minutes.
Measure out into cupcake pan lined with cupcake papers.

Fill them about 1/2 way only, because these cupcakes rise a LOT. See picture below for proof!

Bake for about 15-20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool slightly in the pan then transfer to a rack to cool completely before frosting.

Peanut Butter Frosting (from How To Eat a Cupcake)

(this is the original recipe x1.5 and will generously frost 24 cupcakes)

Ingredients:

3/4 cup smooth or crunchy peanut butter

3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temp

1 TBS vanilla extract

3 cups confectioners sugar, sifted

3 TBS milk

Instructions:

Combine the peanut butter, butter, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer beat until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. Add the confectioners sugar along with the milk, and beat until well combined.

If you use chunky peanut butter, the nuts will clog a piping bag. Learned that one the hard way!

Packing + Moving + 2 Jobs = No Baking

Hi friends. I miss you. I'm sorry I haven't been posting baking/cooking posts recently. I hope you understand!

It is my goal to bake the Dorie recipe this weekend, as well as a kick-ass batch of cupcakes for my kick-ass sister-in-law. She requested a "lotta frosting" so I will pile it on. Although, I will have to do this while packing boxes and picking out paint colors.

I'm not ignoring you - I promise! I'm just a little overwhelmed:

Eye Witness to History

Yesterday, January 20, 2009, I stood with 2 million other people in the freezing cold to witness the Inauguration of Barack Obama, the first African-American President of the United States. Wow, even just typing that gives me chills. Up until yesterday, I had never been a willing witness to an historical event. I witnessed the horror of September 11th, not by choice, but still unable to tear myself away. I was too young to fully understand the historical events of the Challenger or the Berlin Wall, but yesterday...I will remember this day. I will remember this amazing historical day and I will tell my children "I was there." And I have the buttons and pictures to prove it!

My part-time job took a bus of 40 teenagers and 10 staff members to D.C. late Monday night and we crashed at a community center. I am way too old to be sleeping on a hardwood floor, and today my body is paying for it. I feel like someone beat me up with a baseball bat, but it was worth it. We woke up at 5AM and hit the streets by 6, walking towards the mall. We were only about 5 blocks away, but since there was so much pedestrian traffic and road closings, it took us 1.5 hours to get to the National Mall. Our group parked themselves in front of one of the HUGE jumbo-trons so that we could see everything. Some people wanted to get closer to see the capital, but it just wasn't possible. With a group of other people's kids, we needed to make sure that if anything happened, we could get out fast. In the end, though, it didn't matter - we had a great view for a great event.

I could tell you about the crowds, and how it took us 3 hours to move 5 blocks, but the telling doesn't quite describe the situation. If you watched the Inauguration on TV, you surely saw the millions of people on the Mall, waving flags. Now, imagine ALL of those people trying to leave at the same time, yet being confined to one street because of the parade route. Yeah, I got really close with lots of strangers. But the best part was no one was fussy, angry, pushing, shoving or complaining. Yeah, maybe some people muttered under their breath, but everyone was in an upbeat mood. We were starving, freezing, exhausted and exhilirated! I finally made it home by 8PM and just crashed. I'm still exhausted today, but it was 100% worth it.

Now, finally...I feel a sense of optimism and hope for our country. I don't know what the next 4 years will bring, but I can only hope that we will move onward and upward. President Obama, don't let me down. We need you.

me "with" Obama

Swearing In

All the layers! Plus hand and foot warmers

Part of the crowd. See the line of white in the background?

That was one tiny section of the thousands of porta-potties.

Winner!!

Thanks to everyone who entered our contest. It's great to hear what foods people refuse to eat. Val used a random number generator, and picked our winner!!

So our winner is Melissa!!

Melissa said...
Very nice stuff! One food I will not eat is chicken livers! Yuck!
January 15, 2009 2:59 PM

I don't think I'd be able to eat a whole liver, but chopped liver smeared on a cracker? Yum-o!

Another Giveaway!!

Many moons ago when I was in graduate school at Indiana University (shout-out to Oliver Winery!) I met a truly kick-ass girl named Val. It was a natural friendship - us East Coast Jewish gals seem to flock to one another, sharing stories about Red Sox and Yankees, Rosh Hashana dinners, and playing alarmingly incestuous games of Jewish geography (Wait, you know David? I totally hooked up with him in high school!). Val and her adorable man, Matt, live in the south now (boo Duke!) and she is starting a really cool design business.

In order to help her grow her client base, I am happy to announce a FREE DESIGN/MONOGRAM giveaway! Val will gladly design a custom food label for you (so cool!) - she is incredibly creative and very talented. Her Etsy gallery can be found here. How fun would that be to get a customized food label of your very own? For all you bakers who give away cookies and candy, now you can have a personalized label!

If you aren't into a custom food label, Val offers our winner the option of any two monograms from the online Etsy store in custom colors, or one custom monogram designed by the winner. This is so cool!

She also does Save the Dates, Personalized Candy Bar Wrappers, Invitations, and Monograms. Here are a few examples of her beautiful designs:

This is my personal favorite!

So, how do you win a FREE monogram or customized food label? EASY! All you have to do is leave a comment listing a food that you absolutely will NOT eat...no way, no how. For me, it's roasted red peppers. UGH, they are slimy and gross and always in vegetable sandwiches.

This giveaway will end Sunday the 18th at 5PM, EST, and then we'll randomly select a winner.

Since Val is so incredibly awesome, she also said that all orders placed through February 15 with the name "Brina" or "Beth" mentioned will get 20% off already amazingly low prices! So if you're looking for a wedding monogram, a Save the Date, baby announcement, bar-mitzvah notice, or just a pretty freaking cool custom label...enter our giveaway!

Corny McMuffinsons (TWD, a day late)

TWD'ers, I apologize for posting on Wednesday. I was in beautiful and sunny San Diego for business until late last night (really, early this morning) and wasn't able to post my Savory Corn and Pepper Muffins.

I went on a baking spree this Saturday and knocked out Dorie's Best Chocolate Chip Cookies, Savory Corn and Pepper Muffins, and Weight Watchers Shepherd's Pie. I was a little sad with how the muffins turned out. I baked them for the recommended 20 minutes, but they were too dry. I think that might be because I had to use yogurt instead of buttermilk, but I'm not sure. Overall, the flavor was really good, even though it was dry! I added in chipotle adobo sauce to give them a nice smokey flavor and the fresh cilantro was a great touch. These would be great with vegetarian chili spooned over the top.

I will make these again, but next time, I'll only bake for 17 minutes or so. Great selection, Rebecca!

Dorie's Best Chocolate Chip Cookies - a study in cookieness

So after my post about how I love the back-of-the-bag recipe for chocolate chip cookies, I decided I needed to venture out and try other's ideas of what makes the best cookie. Naturally, I turned to our beloved Dorie.

The Ravens are in the playoffs so the entire city of Baltimore is purple-crazed. I braved the supermarket to get my ingredients and felt very out of place in my non-purple clothes. I think I even got the side-eye from a few people. Our friend, Jeff, came over to watch the game, which was great - I got 2 baking taste testers!

Dorie's cookies are thin, buttery, and crispy, which makes the chips really stand out. The cookies spread a LOT during the baking, no matter what I did. I chilled the dough, chilled the pans, made smaller cookie drops...nothing worked. So, I guess they are supposed to spread. They weren't so good straight out of the oven. They are too buttery and just kinda fall apart. Some of you might like that, but not me. I like to be able to eat a warm melty cookie!

I had another one, purely for research, when they were cooled and it was a better cookie experience. After trying these, I do admit that they are good, but I still prefer my old favorite. I like a good ratio of cookie to chip and these just didn't have that. Alex and Jeff gobbled them up, which is always a good sign. Will I make these again? Probably not, unless someone specifically asks for crispy chocolate chip cookies. They were very tasty, just not my taste.

Ingredients:

2 cups AP flour

1 tsp salt

3/4 tsp baking soda

2 sticks butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 large eggs

12 oz. chocolate chips (or 12 oz. chopped chocolate)

1 cup finely chopped walnuts (I omitted)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375. Cover baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk together flour, salt and baking soda.

Using the stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium until it's creamy, about 1 minute. Add in the sugars and beat again until smooth. Beat in the vanilla. Add in eggs, one at a time, beating for about 1 minute between each egg. Reduce mixer speed to low, and slowly add dry ingredients, in 3 parts, mixing until just barely incorporated.

On low speed, or by hand with a spatula, mix in chips and nuts. Spoon dough by slightly rounded TBS onto baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between. Remember, they spread!

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 10-12 minutes, until they are brown at the edges and golden in the center. Pull them from the oven and let cool for 1 minute before transfering to a cooling rack.

Enjoy with a big glass of milk!

Tick Tock

A Last Hurrah

Folks, tonight we celebrate the life of my beloved Tumbleweed Chicken Cooker and mourn its passing. TCC came into my life during my bridal shower in March 2007, a gift from my mom, and it has faithfully given us delicious chicken. TCC was always shiny and eager to work, all it asked in return was a liquid poured into the steaming well and a lovely roaster chicken to make it's own.

Today, in anticipation of a delicious Shabbat dinner, I eagerly filled the well with a mixture of white wine and lemon juice, and rubbed the chicken with olive oil and spices. 73 minutes later, my TCC had given its all. As we removed the chicken from the cooker, olive oil and drippings spilled all over the counter from a crack in the bottom. I had never noticed this crack and feel that I somehow failed my TCC. I hadn't used it since we moved to the new apartment, and I guess the jostling and packing was too much for TCC. Could I have saved it? We'll never know. So, ladies and gentlemen, I give you the last delicious hurrah from my friend, Tumbleweed Chicken Cooker.

Ingredients:
3 - 5 lb roaster chicken
Olive oil
Spices (rosemary, garlic, thyme)
Steaming liquid of choice (wine, juice, beer, cola...)

Instructions:
Fill the cooker well with your steaming liquid. Gently place the uncooked chicken over the well, securing it so it will "stand" up. Coat the chicken with the oil/spice mixture. Place in a cold oven, and bake at 350 for 70-80 minutes (until juices run clear and chicken measure 163 degrees).

We also served it with roasted grape tomatoes, which are so good! Roasting them concentrates the flavor and the burst all over themselves. Messy, but delish.

Ingredients:
Grape tomatoes (cherry would work well, too)
2 TBS Olive oil
Spices (salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme, oregano...whatever you want!)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375. Pour olive oil into a baking dish and sprinkle with spices. Put the tomatoes in the dish and roll/shake it around until the tomatoes are all coated evenly. Roast for about 10-12 minutes, until tomatoes burst and sizzle.

Creamy Mexican Dip (WW)

Happy 2009 Everyone! I hope you had a wonderful New Years, whether you were out partying in Times Square, snuggled in at home in your jammies, or in the hospital (welcome to the world, Perseus!).

Alex and I spent the night with our wonderful group of friends, the same crowd we've been with since our days at Maryland, plus their significant others. We're so fortunate to have such a close and hilarious group, and we always have a great time together.

The hosts asked everyone to bring food/drink, so I scoured the Weight Watchers recipes for something I could eat without feeling guilty. I am a total sucker for crunchy things + dip combinations, so I decided to try this yummy-sounding recipe for Creamy Mexican Dip. It was really easy, although really messy, to make. Maybe that's just because I'm a messy cook. I served it with baked tortilla chips and placed it next to the veggie platter, so people could scoop it with celery, as well.

I really liked the way the tang of the Greek yogurt blended with the red onion and salsa, and the chunks of avocado and cilantro really made it flavorful. I think next time I'll blend in some chipotle peppers in adobo sauce to make it smokey and spicier.

Sorry for the cruddy picture. I totally forgot to take one and by the time I remembered, the bowl was pretty much scraped clean and not so pretty!

Ingredients:
1 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt (could use plain regular)
1/2 cup salsa
3/4 cup avocado, diced (set aside some for garnish)
2/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (set some aside for garnish)
1 medium red onion, chopped (set some aside for garnish)
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt

Instructions:
In a medium bowl, blend together yogurt and salsa. Stir in remaining ingredients except garnishes. Cover and refrigerate up to 1 day.

When ready to serve, garnish with some chopped avocado, cilantro and red onion. 1 point per 1/4 cup serving.

Happy New Year!