The Charmed Kitchen

I have had a lot of breadsticks over the years, but honestly, I didn’t like most of them. They were always too dry or flavorless. I love these. They are full of flavor. You can bake them until they are really crisp, or until they are still a little tender and chewy. Either way, they are great. For the tomato puree, I used a fresh tomato, cooked it down a little, and tossed in the blender. I also used fresh basil.

Tomato Basil Breadsticks

2 T. olive oil
1/3 c. chopped onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 c. tomato puree
1/3 c. water
3-3 1/2 c. flour
2 t. salt
1 t. sugar
2 t. dried basil, or 2 T. fresh, chopped fine
1 packet fast-acting yeast
1 egg combined with 1T. water
coarse salt for sprinkling

Sauté onion and garlic in oil until onion is tender. Stir in tomato puree and water and combine well. In bowl, with electric mixer combine 3 cups of the flour with salt, sugar, basil and yeast and stir in tomato mixture. Beat until smooth, adding the rest of the flour, Mixture should be sticky. Place dough in a well-oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight. Pinch off walnut-sized pieces of the dough and roll into 8-inch long strips. Place on baking sheets covered with parchment paper. Brush lightly with the egg wash and sprinkle with the salt. Bake in upper third of 325-degree oven (it will take 2 batches) for 45 minutes (soft breadsticks) or 1 1/2 hours (crisp breadsticks). Makes about 25.

Ready to bake

Lavender and Vanilla Shortbread

I really enjoy cooking with lavender. It goes well in savory dishes, but also in desserts and sweets. Seemed only natural to add some lavender to shortbread. It is one of my go-to recipes. This time I added some vanilla sugar, too. The combination of lavender and vanilla is one of my favorites. The slightly spicy flavor of the lavender blossoms pairs well with the sweeter, sort of floral flavor of the vanilla. If you don’t have vanilla sugar (directions follow), you can add 2 teaspoons of vanilla to the dough.

Lavender and Vanilla Shortbread

 1 c. vanilla sugar, plus extra for sprinkling*

2 c. butter

4 c. flour

2-3 T. lavender blossoms

Cream together the one-cup of sugar and butter. Stir in the flour and lavender blossoms. Press mixture in to a greased 9×13 inch-baking dish. Cut or score into small squares, or on the diagonal for diamond shapes. Sprinkle with extra sugar and bake in a preheated 300-degree oven for 50-55 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. Re-cut the squares as soon as you remove the shortbread from the oven. Cool before removing from pan. Make about 100 small squares.

* If you don’t have vanilla sugar just use granulated sugar and add 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract to the dough.

Making Vanilla Sugar

Some specialty stores sell vanilla sugar and it is expensive. I find it easy to just make my own. Vanilla sugar can be used in baking or to top desserts, in tea, and other drinks. I love to sprinkle vanilla sugar on sugar cookies and on muffins, too.

I buy vanilla beans by the pound online and use them in cooking and to make my own vanilla extract.

To make vanilla sugar just cut vanilla beans in half lengthwise and then into 1 inch pieces. Place granulated sugar in a jar and add the vanilla beans. Cover jar and shake once in awhile. The sugar is fragrant in about a week but will get stronger the longer it sits. I use one vanilla bean per cup of sugar. You can add more sugar to the jar as you use it. The beans will continue to flavor new sugar added to the jar for some time.

Easy Spiced Chicken

I was having a friend over and needed a quick dinner idea. I had chicken breasts marinading in sherry. I went through the fridge and found some cauliflower. I also grabbed a bunch of lambsquarters* from the yard for something green. I had some spinach angel hair pasta, so decided to use that, too. My dinner companion really likes spicy food- so I added hot pepper sauce to the chicken both before and after I cooked it. It came out great.

Easy Spiced Chicken

8 oz. pasta- I used spinach angel hair

2 T. oil

1 lb. chicken, cut into cubes- I marinaded mine overnight in sherry and hot sauce

1 onion, sliced

1 T. chopped fresh garlic

2 c. cauliflower, cut into flowerets

4 c. lambsquarters leaves, washed and drained

2 T. chopped fresh parsley

2 T. chopped fresh chives

1 T. hot sauce

1 t. cumin

1 t. smoked paprika

salt and pepper to taste

cashews and sesame seeds, optional

extra hot sauce for drizzling

Start  by boiling water for your pasta. Heat oil in skillet. Drain marinade off chicken and discard. Fry chicken over high heat, stirring until chicken is just cooked. Remove from skillet and set aside. While pasta cooks- heat a little more oil in skillet and add the onion, cooking over high heat until onion is tender and just turning a light golden color. Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Start cooking your pasta. Add cauliflower and lambsquarters and cook until cauliflower is tender/crisp and greens are wilted. Return chicken to the pan with the veggies and add herbs, hot sauce and seasonings.  Cook a couple more minutes, over medium low heat. Adjust seasonings. Drain pasta and place in serving bowl, add the chicken mixture. Top with cashews and sesame seeds right as you serve. Drizzle with more hot sauce.

*Lambsquarters are a common plant that grows most anywhere ground has been cultivated. It tastes like spinach when cooked- you could substitute spinach instead.

Bob the Bagel

I have been posting pictures on Facebook all week of some of the foods the kids made in camp this week. I decided to talk a little about what a cooking camp is like. I also want to talk about what the kids have taught me.

The ages ranged from 9-13 this week. There was a mix of boys and girls. In the morning we made what the kids ate for lunch. We tried to do as much from scratch stuff as possible. We made pizza, cooked with tortillas, baked bread and had a day devoted mostly to salads.  There was a wide range of cooking skills in the kids.

The lesson I have learned, having done this for a number of years now, is to let them fail sometimes. I used to want the kids to have all perfect dishes to take home to share with their families. For younger kids, I’d fuss over their cakes and do more of the work for them than I probably should. I know better now.

I show them how to do something, then step back and let them do it themselves.  I let them be creative, try, and sometimes end up with a lopsided cake or a pizza that’s shape looks like an amoeba. In the end, it all tastes good and the kids did it. I watched, I guided, but I also let them create there own culinary work.

I often tell kids, when they get flustered, that brownies were a mistake. Story is that a woman was trying to make a chocolate cake, but couldn’t find her recipe. She threw the ingredients together, baked it, and her cake fell. Turned out she liked what she made. Anyone who enjoys brownies today should thank her.

There is also a fearlessness in kids, I think adults forget. When we work with yeast, for example. Kids are told how yeast works. I put some yeast in a container with warm water and a sprinkle of sugar and we watch it get all bubbly. I explain the science behind bread baking. They go in with no expectation that it won’t work. No fear. I love that.

So in the end, we all learn something from working in the kitchen and cooking together. We learn the pride in making a meal all by yourself. We also feel the happiness in sharing that meal with family and friends.  But maybe the best part, we learn that mistakes happen. They are not the end of the world. We learn that mistakes in kitchen still taste pretty good, even if they might not look perfect. And sometimes, if you are lucky, your mistakes just might be brownies.

Here are some pics from this past week. Enjoy.

Kneading dough

Pizza from scratch

Bagels

Pupcakes

Three bean taco salad

Making ravioli

Waffles for breakfast

Making veggie fried rice

Under the Sea cake

Mushroom and Spinach Quesadillas

I had some spinach and wanted a quick meal. Its been hot, but I wasn’t in the mood for a salad. I had some tortillas and a few Portobello mushrooms.  Throw in a little cheese- and I had a pretty nice meal. These quesadillas are really good. They are rich and packed with flavor. I just cooked them in a skillet,  but you could also bake them in the oven or brush with oil and cook them on the grill. You can serve them alone- or maybe serve with some salsa or sour cream. I had mine with some fresh, sliced tomatoes.

 Mushroom and Spinach Quesadillas

1 (10 ounce) package fresh spinach
2 cups shredded cheese, I used Swiss
2-3 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2 portobello mushroom caps, sliced                                                         salt and pepper to taste
4 (10 inch) flour tortillas
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Saute spinach in a little  butter until wilted. Cool and chop. Set aside.
Melt the remaining butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in garlic and mushrooms, and cook about 5 minutes. Mix in spinach, and continue cooking 5 minutes. Place an equal amount of the mixture on one side of each tortilla. Top with equal amounts of cheese. Fold tortillas in half over the filling. Heat oil in a separate skillet over medium heat. Place quesadillas in the skillet, and cook 3 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Cut each quesadilla into 4 wedges to serve.

Zucchini and Corn Saute

For those of you looking for another way to use some of those zucchini this dish is really fun and easy. The flavors of the zucchini, corn and peppers work really well together and makes a tasty side dish in just a few minutes.

Quick Zucchini and Corn Sauté

2 sweet peppers, seeded and cut into strips
2 medium zucchini, sliced
Oil
2 c. corn kernels cut from cobs, about 4 ears
1 t. garlic salt*
½ t. Italian seasoning

In oil, cook peppers and zucchini until crisp tender, about 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and cook 4 more minutes, or until heated through. Serves 6-8.

*Feel free to use 1 teaspoon of salt and some fresh garlic, I often do.

Zucchini and Potato Pancakes

I really liked putting potatoes and zucchini together in these pancakes. They work so well together to produce a  pancake that was crispy on the outside and tender inside. I’ve made this dish with just potatoes and with just zucchini- and I like them both. For some reason the pairing, works well, too. I made this dish for a friend and he really liked it a lot. I served them with sour cream.

Zucchini Potato Pancakes

4 medium potatoes, I used red skinned
2 medium zucchini
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 T. flour
¼ t. baking powder
1 t. salt or to taste
Pepper to taste
2 T. grated onion, I used dried chopped onion
½ c. oil

Peel *and grate potatoes. Place them in cold water and set aside. Trim zucchini and grate coarsely. Place in large bowl. Drain potatoes and squeeze dry. Place between towels to get out excess moisture and place in bowl with the zucchini. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the oil and stir to combine. Heat oil in a skillet. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of the potato batter into the skillet. Cook several minutes per side or until golden and crispy. Drain on paper towels and serve. Serves 6-8.

* Peeling is really optional. I chose not to and I think they worked out fine. Personal choice.

Zucchini Quesadilla

If you are looking for a fast and easy new way to prepare zucchini this dish really works well. Somewhere between a quesadilla and a frittata it can be a main dish, side dish, brunch dish or even a great breakfast. The hardest part is getting it turned over once it starts to set. Don’t worry if it isn’t perfect. Once you sandwich it between two tortillas any mistakes are covered up. All cheesy and gooey in the middle with crisp tortillas on the top and bottom it might even get your kids to eat their veggies. You just cut it in wedges to serve.

Zucchini Quesadilla

2-3 c. shredded zucchini
2 eggs
1 medium onion, minced or grated
1 carrot, shredded
1/2 c. flour
2 t. dried basil or 2 T. fresh
2 t. dried parsley
1/2 t. salt, or to taste
1/2 t. chili powder
Oil
2 (10- inch) tortillas – I used whole wheat
1 c. shredded cheese, cheddar or Monterey Jack work well, but use what you like or have on hand.
Pepper confetti (finely minced sweet peppers, mixed colors if you can)
Salsa, optional

Combine first nine ingredients in bowl and set aside. Heat 10-inch skillet and add a small amount of oil. Pour in zucchini mixture and spread out evenly. Turn down heat to medium-low and cook until edges start to firm up and brown. With spatula turn over zucchini pancake and cook 3 minutes longer. It should be set. Place 1 tortilla on top of “pancake” and turn over again so tortilla is in bottom of pan. Place cheese on top of pancake and place second tortilla on top of the cheese. Press down lightly. Cook a couple of minutes before turning again. Tortilla should be lightly browned. Cook long enough for the second tortilla to also brown. You can flip them back if to want to make them crispier. Remove to serving dish and sprinkle with the peppers. Cut into wedges and serve. Serve with salsa, if desired. You can also add a dollop or sour cream or some sliced ripe olives if you like.
Makes 2 luncheon servings or 4 appetizers. You can also make them ahead of time and keep them warm or reheat them in a 350-degree oven for about 15 minutes.

Variations: You can use 1-2 cups cooked mashed beans (kidney, black, chickpeas etc. in place of the zucchini, or even use cooked lentils.

Zucchini and Carrot Cupcakes

These are really good cupcakes. They are moist and not too sweet with a slightly dense texture. Sort of a cross between carrot cake and zucchini bread, they have more texture than a traditional cupcake and plenty of flavor. I made these for a group of kids yesterday and they loved them.  I got 24 cupcakes out of the recipe but they were a little small. Perhaps 18 would be a better way to go. I used a simple vanilla buttercream to finish them off. I whipped the frosting a long time so it was extra fluffy. Here are the recipes for both the cupcakes and the frosting.

Zucchini Carrot Cupcakes

2 eggs
1 c. sugar
2/3 c. oil
1¼ c. flour
1 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1 t. cinnamon- I think I would use a little more next time
½ t. salt
1 c. grated carrot
1 c. grated zucchini, squeezed dry and packed tightly
½ c. chopped nuts, optional
Beat eggs with sugar until frothy. Beat in oil then add dry ingredients. Beat on high for 4 minutes. Stir in veggies and nuts. Pour batter into 18- 24 paper lined muffin tins, filling them 2/3 full. Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 15 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. Cool and frost. Makes 24.

Note: These cupcakes deflate a little while cooling.

Classic Vanilla Frosting

3/4 cup butter
6 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons milk
Beat butter in a large bowl until fluffy. Gradually add 3 cups of the sifted confectioners’ sugar, beating well. Slowly beat in the vanilla, salt, and 1/3 cup of the milk. Gradually beat in the 3 remaining cups of confectioner’s sugar. Beat in additional milk (1 to 2 tablespoons) if needed, to make frosting of spreading consistency. You can also tint the frosting with juice (like pomegranate or raspberry)  or food coloring.