April Fool’s Day and Disaster Recovery 101

April Fools Day is a little over a day away, so over the weekend I was plotting what look-alike dessert to take to work. Last year it was my all-time-favorite Spaghetti and Meatballs Cupcakes. Here’s the link to that post:

Spaghetti and Meatballs Cupcakes

I just got the April Food Network Magazine and found my answer for this year: the Cereal-Bowl Cake.

Cereal-Bowl Cake

I thought, that can’t be that hard, can it? In fact, let’s make two and Kevin can take one to work as well. I started out following the directions. Easy enough. Prepare a box cake mix and bake it in a glass bowl. Check.

I let the cakes cool, then I began to hollow out the Strawberry cake (Kevin’s flavor request). Then I frosted the cake. Then it collapsed….DRAT!!!!!!
Turns out, the joke was on me. It’s not as easy as it looks and I was way too confident.

There I was, left with this disappointing heap of partially frosted cake, and a lot of crumbs. Not to despair, I found the perfect solution! Make cake pops. Sort of. Who needs the sticks?

I mixed the remaining frosting and crumbs together breaking up the big chunks, until it was uniform consistency throughout. Next I used a small cookie scoop and molded them into bite-sized bits. These went onto a wax-paper lined cookie sheet then into the freezer overnight.

What do you do with a couple of dozen frozen cake balls? Dip them in chocolate, of course. Tonight I melted 3 cups of semisweet chocolate chips with 1/2 bar of Gulf Wax edible paraffin in a double boiler and dipped the frozen treats one by one. They rested on another wax-paper-lined cookie sheet until they firmed up. I’m storing them in the refrigerator stacked in layers on wax paper sheets, until Kevin takes them to school on Wednesday.

So, you may ask, what happened to the other cake? Well, lesson learned from the first attempt. The second go around was fairly successful, though not nearly as pretty as the professional version in the magazine. I got it all the way to the step where the frosted cake firms up in the freezer. Upon removing it from the freezer, I was dismayed to discover that It had suffered a fissure, much like the Liberty Bell. Never one to give up, I spackled it back together with the aid of some more frosting mortar reinforced with reserved cake crumbs and secured this plaster job with bamboo skewers. I finished it off by filling the concave side with softened Bobby’s Frozen Custard and “floated” some Froot Loops on top. It’s back in the freezer, standing solid until I take it to work. I’ll remove the skewers and garnish with a large serving spoon, then we’ll dig in. I don’t think anyone will mind its scars. It will taste just a good as if it hadn’t cracked. All in good fun!

Happy April Fool’s Day!

A Little More Corned Beef…….

Believe it or not, there is still a little bit of corned beef left. It’s the end pieces, bits and shreds, which could become a Reuben sandwich, but instead let’s have breakfast for supper. I chopped about 1/3 lb. of cold cooked corned beef into half-inch cubes. Using the technique described in Guy Fieri’s More Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives cookbook, I cooked my version in two batches to make 9- to 10-inch cakes topped with over-easy eggs.

Corned Beef Hash and Eggs for Two

1/3 lb. leftover cooked corned beef, chopped into 1/2-inch cubes
6-8 small new potatoes
2 tsps. kosher salt
3 to 4 tablespoons butter
1/2 yellow onion, cut in small dice
kosher salt and pepper to taste
4 eggs
4 slices soft rye bread, toasted

In a medium saucepan, cover the potatoes with water and season the water with 2 teaspoons of kosher salt. Cook the potatoes for about 20 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool slightly. When cool enough to handle, use a coarse grater and grate the potatoes into a medium bowl. Add the corned beef and stir gently. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat then sauté the onion until soft but not browned. Remove half of the onion and add half of the potato and corned beef mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste, mix well, then pat down in the pan with a pancake turner. Reduce the heat to low and cook for about 5 minutes. I tried to flip it in one piece to cook the second side, but did not succeed. Maybe you’ll have better luck than I did.

Turn the potato cake over and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove to a plate and, if necessary, piece it back together to make it look like a pancake.
Add another tablespoon of butter to the same pan, return the reserved half of the cooked onion to the skillet and spoon in the remaining corned beef and potato mixture. Repeat the process, same as for the first pancake and put the second pancake on another serving plate. Hold in a warm oven on oven-proof plates or microwave on high for about 1 1/2 minutes per plate while cooking two eggs per person, over easy. Nestle two eggs on top of each corned beef and potato pancake. Serve immediately with rye toast.

Leftover Corned Beef=Reuben Sandwiches

One of my favorite things about St. Patrick’s Day is having enough leftover corned beef to be able to make Reuben Sandwiches. I never really thought about why it’s called a Reuben……until today. It’s sort of like who wonders why Kleenex is called Kleenex and not facial tissue? You are just happy to have one when you want one. I did a little internet browsing and there are several possible origins, but this one seems to be the most likely to me.
The story goes that the owner of a chain of hotels in Nebraska sent his son, Bernard Schimmel, to Switzerland for a year to train to be a chef. When he returned he started working at the Blackstone Hotel, in Omaha, Nebraska, where his father played poker every Sunday night. The poker players would reserve money from the pot to order “a midnight lunch” from room service. One night one of the players, Reuben Kulakofsky, asked for a sandwich with corned beef and sauerkraut. Young Chef Bernard mixed the sauerkraut with Thousand Island dressing then stacked it on the sandwich with dark rye bread, Swiss cheese, and corned beef and grilled it. Needless to say, the sandwich became very popular and it took Reuben’s name for all posterity. To be authentic, you should serve it as Chef Bernard did with a sliced kosher dill pickle, a rose radish and potato chips. Here is my take:

Reuben Sandwiches for Two

4 slices St. Louis Style Robust Rye Bread (or your favorite rye bread)
soft margarine for buttering the bread
4 1/4-inch-thick slices leftover cooked corned beef
1 8-oz. can crispy sauerkraut (use as little or as much as you like)
Thousand Island Dressing
2 thick slices Swiss cheese

Butter one side of each slice of bread and place two slices on two dinner plates. Spread a thin layer of Thousand Island dressing on all four slices of bread.

Place two slices of corned beef on one slice of bread on each plate. Add a loose layer of sauerkraut on top of the corned beef, spreading it out to the edges of the sandwich. Place the Swiss cheese on the other slice of bread then carefully stack it on top of the bread-meat-and sauerkraut stack.

Preheat a non-stick skillet for a few minutes then carefully place the first sandwich in the pan, retaining all of the ingredients in the stack. Cook until golden brown then ever-so-gently turn the sandwich and cook the second side for same amount of time. Cook the second sandwich in the same manner and serve immediately. We had crisply Cabbage Slaw and pickled beets as our sides. Only 360 days until next St. Patrick’s Day.

Sweet and Savory Snacks

The coming of Spring also brings the start of Trivia Night season. We went to our first game tonight and placed in the top 4, which is a respectable showing. We also were the high bidders on some excellent Cardinal Baseball tickets on the Silent Auction while supporting the Youth Mission group at the church holding the game. With every Trivia Night, there must be food. Tonight I made the ever-popular King’s Hawaiian Roll sandwiches, which has been posted previously on this site, but here is the link:

King’s Hawaiian Roll Sandwiches

For a sweet snack I pulled out a recipe that I hadn’t made for quite a while that just sounded good. It’s from an old Midwest Living Magazine and was a $1000 contest-winning entry. If you make these delicious bars, you will probably agree that it’s a winner. It’s very rich so I cut the bars into about 1 1/2″ squares. The surprise ingredient is club crackers. I used Keebler Original Club Crackers, which give the bars a nice crunch. It takes a bit of time and patience to assemble, but the results in the end are worthwhile.

Salted Caramel, Chocolate and Peanut Cracker-Stack Bars

8 ounces rich rectangular crackers
1 1/2 sticks butter
3/4 cup honey
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup whipping cream
2 cups finely crushed graham crackers
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 cups chocolate-covered peanut butter cups, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces (use a 9-ounce package or 6 1 1/2-ounce packages)
2 cups dry roasted peanuts, unsalted
1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips (9 ounces)
1/3 cup butterscotch-flavored chips
1/3 cup smooth peanut butter

Line a 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan with nonstick foil, extending the foil over the edges of the pan. Arrange half of the crackers in a single layer over the bottom of the prepared pan. The pan I used was slightly wider at the top than on the bottom so I had to slightly overlap some crackers or break small bits off to get them to lie flat.

In a medium saucepan, combine butter, honey, brown sugar and cream. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add graham cracker crumbs, reduce heat to a simmer and continue to cook the mixture for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and 1/4 teaspoon of the sea salt. Pour half of the caramel mixture over the crackers in the prepared pan, spreading to cover (a long offset spatula is a great tool to use). Sprinkle with chopped peanut butter cups and peanuts.

Pour remaining caramel over. Arrange the remaining crackers in a single layer over the caramel (going in the same direction as the bottom layer for easier cutting later). Push slightly on the crackers as you place them to secure them in place.

In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine chocolate and butterscotch chips. Microwave at 30-second intervals, stirring after each heating time, for a total of 2 to 3 minutes until melted. Stir in peanut butter until smooth. Gently spread chocolate mixture over cracker layer; immediately sprinkle with remaining 1/4 teaspoon sea salt. Chill bars for 2 hours or until very firm. Using the edges of the oil as handles, lift the uncut bars out of the pan. Place on a large cutting board and cut into 32 or 40 squares, or smaller, if desired. I store these in the refrigerator to keep them firm and I think they also taste best chilled.

Make Ahead Corned Beef and Cabbage for Two

St. Patrick’s Day requires a Corned Beef and Cabbage meal. I make this almost every year, but this year I tried to downsize. I made it when our kids lived at home, but I don’t think either of them had a great fondness for it. I invited our daughter over tonight, but she politely declined. Over the weekend I found the smallest cut I could find, about 2 1/2 lbs. Knowing we would both be busy and home a bit later from work, I cooked the beef last night. Most celebrity chefs tell us to toss the pickling spices that comes in the package with the corned beef. I don’t think they’re that bad. In fact, it’s kind of a tradition for me to use it as it comes. Here’s my recipe for two:

Corned Beef and Cabbage for Two

1 2.5 lb. corned beef (cut of your choice) including seasoning packet
8 to 10 small red new potatoes, scrubbed clean, but unpeeled
1/2 small head of green cabbage

Place the corned beef in a 6-quart Dutch oven. Cover with water about an inch above the meat. Add the seasoning packet. I don’t add any salt or pepper at this point, as corned beef tends to be naturally salty. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer. I cooked it for 2 1/2 hours and during the last 40 minutes I added the potatoes. I transferred the meat, potatoes and juices to a lidded storage container and let it cool (uncovered) to room temperature. I put the lid on and refrigerated it until I got home tonight. I returned the meat and potatoes to the same (clean) Dutch oven I cooked it in last night then poured the juices through a small strainer to filter out the floating fat chunks. I removed the outer leaves then cut the cabbage in half and then into about 6 -8 wedges. These went into the Dutch oven. I cooked it with the lid on for about 20 minutes, until the cabbage was tender. I added a few twists of freshly ground pepper and turned it down to low.

Slice across the grain into 1/4-inch slices, or thinner if you prefer. The leftovers make great Reuben sandwiches. Strain the cabbage and potatoes from the broth and serve with home-baked bread and horseradish sauce. I use the same sauce that I serve with prime rib which is very simply 1/3 cup mayonnaise, 1/3 cup sour cream, and 1/3 cup horseradish. You can reduce the recipe to make a smaller batch, just keep the ratio 1:1:1 for all of the ingredients.

Dinner for Guests We’ve Never Met

A few weeks ago Kevin was contacted by a out-of-state distant relative who found his name in an old newspaper obituary of his aunt. She has researched the genealogy on his paternal Grandma’s side of the family and wanted to share what she’s found and learn what we know of the family that settled in this area. She and her husband were going to be in St. Louis this week so we invited them over to dinner. I started out baking dessert and bread. ironically, I found a recipe in an Italian cookbook for French bread that looked quick and easy (for homemade bread). I made the dough in the bread machine then shaped the loaf and put it in the oven to rise.

Bread Machine Best Classic Bread
Credited to John Bianchi – in his words it’s “outstanding”.

In this order, for a two-pound loaf, add to the bucket of your bread machine:

1 1/4 cups water
3 1/2 cups bread flour -use King Arthur if you can get it in your area
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. canola oil
2 tsp. active dry yeast

Pour water into the bread machine pan. Add ingredients in the order listed with the yeast being last. Select the setting on your bread machine and set for 2-lb. loaf. Start machine or set delayed timer. This recipe works well on delayed timer. As another option, use the dough cycle. When complete, oil a baking sheet with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle with 1 or 2 tablespoons of coarse cornmeal. On a lightly floured surface, shape into a long loaf and transfer to the baking sheet. Slash several times at an angle with a baker’s lame knife or a very sharp knife. Cover with a clean cotton towel and let rise for about an hour or until doubled in size. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until loaf sounds hollow when thumped. Serve warm with butter or olive oil and dipping spices.

This bread is awesome! It was so easy, too. The texture is light and the crust is not too rustic. It was good with a little butter with our meal and I think it will also make great sandwiches.

I made a small antipasto platter, Caesar Salad, and a Sicilian Meat Roll (recipes all available in the archives). For dessert I made a Cannoli Cake from the Cake Mix Doctor Cookbook. Here’s a link to the recipe:

Cake Mix Doctor Cannoli Cake

I found a pretty cake plate and started layering. It seemed like there was way to much filling, but in the end I used it all. I put wide strips of wax paper just under the bottom layer of the cake to keep the plate clean and pulled them out before I refrigerated the cake.

The ganache sounds very French, elegant and difficult, but in fact it’s really simple and tastes great. I used semi-sweet chocolate chips (1 1/4 cups) instead of chocolate chunks. These also melt very easily. I poured the hot cream over the chips and went from this:

To this, in just a couple of minutes of whisking:

I poured it on the top layer of the cake and used a gravy ladle to swirl, beginning at the center and moving in a clockwise circle, gently moving the warm ganache to the edges where it slowly oozed like molten lava and proceeded to slide down the sides. I used an offset spatula to fill in the cracks and smooth the surface. The finished product looked nearly professional:

Everyone enjoyed the meal, accompanied by a good glass of wine. We talked late into the evening and will be keeping in touch.

Cold Weather Cooking

Cold. Snow. Colder. More snow. A little warmer. Rain. Cold again.
We’re having a carry in at work tomorrow and the theme, befitting the weather, is soups. I decided on making a hearty beef and vegetable soup. Last night I slow simmered the beef with sliced and chopped onions and seasonings for two hours to make the broth. I let it rest overnight in the refrigerator to blend the flavors. Most soups improve with a day or two of aging. Tonight I’ve added the remaining ingredients and the soup is simmering away on the stove. I took a favorite recipe and made some modifications using ingredients I had on hand. The original recipe called for a chuck roast, but I substituted stew meat. Here’s my version of a soup that will stick to your ribs when the wind is howling outside.

Hearty Beef Vegetable and Barley Soup

2 lbs. beef stew meat, cut into 3/4 to 1-inch cubes
2 tbps. olive oil
8 cups of water
1 medium onion, cut in half and sliced lengthwise
celery leaves from about 6 stalks of celery
1 tbsp. salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. Lawry’s seasoned salt
2 large potatoes, cut in 3/4-inch dice
3 stalks celery, sliced thinly
1 small onion, chopped in small dice
2 10-oz. packages frozen mixed vegetables
48 ozs. tomato juice
1 16-oz. can diced tomatoes, with juice
1 cup pearled barley

In a large stockpot, on high heat, heat the oil until shimmering then add the beef. Stir frequently to brown all sides. Add the water, sliced onion, celery leaves, salt, black pepper and Lawry’s seasoned salt. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer covered for about 2 hours until the meat is cooked through and tender. Transfer the stock and meat to a covered container, cool to room temperature and refrigerate overnight. You can omit this step if you want, but the overnight resting period will enhance the flavor. The next day return the beef and stock to a large stockpot. Add all of the ingredients except the barley. Start on hight heat and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. After the first hour add the barley and cook for another hour, stirring occasionally. Serve immediately with thick slices of home baked bread or cool and refrigerate until ready to reheat and serve.

I put the ingredients in my Zojirushi bread machine right after I got home from work because the cycle runs for 3 hours 40 minutes. I want to slice and package it to take along with the soup tomorrow. I picked the Italian Wheat Bread for a dense bread to go with the soup. The recipe is from the manufacturer’s manual.

We had a quick sandwich out while running errands this evening and as we left Penn Station Subs I could see the yearning on Kevin’s face as we passed the huge poster advertising cookies, “home baked if you lived here”. I thought about throwing a batch of brownies together and grabbed a random cookbook off the shelf to search for a recipe. The book was published by Eden United Church of Christ in Edwardsville in 1988. I ran across Swedish Brownies submitted by Sally McLauchlan. The ingredients did not include any chocolate. You may ask, what makes them Swedish? Why, because they’re blonde. Of course.
It’s a very simple recipe that took no more than 5 minutes to put together and throw in the oven. The instructions say to sprinkle with sugar and top with chopped nuts if desired. I used some Cajun Power Sweet Treat Cinnamon Vanilla sugar that we picked up on a trip to New Orleans to top it off. If you don’t happen to have any of this wonderful stuff, use cinnamon sugar, coarse Demerara sugar, or even just plain granulated sugar. I chose slivered almonds instead of the pecans or walnuts

Swedish Brownies

2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 cup melted butter
1 tsp. almond flavoring
1 cup flour
walnuts or pecans (optional)
sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Beat eggs, add sugar. Fold in flour, salt, melted butter, and almond flavoring. Pour into a greased 8 x 8-inch pan. Sprinkle with sugar and chopped nuts on top of brownies. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Cool and then cut into 16 small or 9 large brownies. Some might consider this to be just one LARGE brownie.

Spartan Storm Breakfast

March roared in like a lion with winter storm Sparta. A thick blanket of snow fell from mid-afternoon yesterday into the early morning hours. This table is not at all inviting today.

Hibernation sounds like a good option at this point. We slept in and had a late breakfast/brunch. Last night, I anticipated we might have that plan in mind and I made a coffeecake. I had a can of apple pie filling that was at its best-by date and needed to do something with it. I found a base recipe and proceeded to alter it to incorporate the canned pie filling.

Apple Coffeecake

Topping:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Cake:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup sour cream
1 1lb.5 oz.-can Apple Pie Filling

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Mix the 1/2 cup sugar, nuts and ground cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix until well blended. Add the vanilla and mix until incorporated. In another bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Alternate adding the dry mixture and the sour cream and mix until well combined. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. spread half of the batter in the bottom of the pan – an offset spatula works well. Evenly top with the apple pie filling. Sprinkle half of the topping mix over the apples. Spread the remaining batter over the top of the filling then sprinkle the top evenly with the topping mixture. Bake for 40 minutes. Serve warm immediately or cover until ready to serve. I reheated a slice in the microwave for about 45 seconds on high and it was close to as if it had just come out of the oven. This was an exceptionally good coffeecake, if I say so myself. The texture is very light and moist and there’s a good balance of filling to cake. The nut topping gives it a little crunch and added sweetness that melts in your mouth. It’s also pretty with the ribbon of filling creating an appealing visual presentation.

To go along with the coffeecake I made some oven-baked bacon and scrambled eggs with sautéed mushrooms, wilted spinach and Swiss cheese.
I had some end cuts of Burger’s Smokehouse bacon that were pretty irregular in size and shape so I used Martha Stewart’s trick. Place the desired amount of bacon on a baking sheet then cover with another baking sheet, bottom side on top of the bacon. Weigh down with a cast iron skillet and bake in a 375 degree F. for 20 minutes or until done. Using tongs, remove the bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain excess grease.

Scrambled Eggs with Sautéed Mushrooms, Wilted Spinach and Swiss Cheese
Serves 2

4 medium baby Portobello mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 tbsp. butter
1 5-oz. bag fresh baby spinach
4 large eggs
1/8 cup half and half
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp. butter
1/4 cup grated Swiss cheese

Melt the butter in a medium non-stick skillet and sauté mushrooms until lightly browned. Remove to a plate. In the same skillet, add the spinach and sauté until wilted. Remove to the plate with the mushrooms. Remove skillet from the heat. Whisk the eggs together with the half and half, salt and pepper. Return the skillet to the stove over medium heat. Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter then add the beaten eggs to the pan. Using a spatula move the eggs to the center of the pan as they cook. While the eggs are still liquid, add the reserved mushrooms and spinach. Continue to move the mixture around the pan to avoid scorching the eggs. When the eggs are just still moist, remove from the heat. Divide the eggs between two microwaveable plates and sprinkle half of the Swiss cheese over the top of the eggs on each plate. Place a slice of coffeecake on each plate and microwave each for about 45 seconds. Add bacon slices to each plate and serve immediately. Enjoy your breakfast, take a deep sigh, and wait for Spring to come!