The Charmed Kitchen

Veggie angel hair pasta – made by an 8 year old

I am really going to miss these kids next week. The group of 8-12 year olds have worked so well together. They also want to experiment and are willing to  just get in there and do it. Today we made pasta. There was a basic egg pasta and an assortment of veggie based pastas. We made rainbow linguine, angel hair pasta and even cheese ravioli. A couple of the girls wanted to know how to make tortellini. I showed them and the next thing I knew, there were cute little rainbow tortellini all over the place. We also baked little cakes we will decorate tomorrow.

Rolling out the dough

Pita dough rising

We made pita bread in cooking camp the other day. The kids really loved it. We had them for lunch with homemade hummus and some of the kids used them like a pizza crust. After tasting fresh homemade pita bread it’s nearly impossible for me to eat the stuff I find in stores. It is fun to make and pretty easy. Although the recipe calls for placing the rolled out dough directly on the oven rack I place mine on baking sheets in the oven. Just a little easier and neater. I also used about half whole wheat flour in this batch.

Pita Bread

 4 ½- 4 ¾ c. flour

1 pkt. Active dry yeast

1 ½ t. sugar

1 ½ t. salt

1 ¾ c. water

2 T. oil

In large bowl combine 2 cups of the flour with other dry ingredients. Heat water and oil to 120-130 degrees (warm) and add to flour mixture in bowl beating until smooth. Beat three minutes then begin stirring in enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead on floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Cover dough with plastic wrap and then a towel and let rest on board 20 minutes. Punch dough down and divide into 12 pieces. Shape each into a smooth ball and place on board, allowing space in between. Cover and let rise 30 minutes. Pre-heat oven to 500 degrees. Roll dough balls into circles. Place 3 circles at a time directly on oven rack. They will puff up and brown in about three minutes. Remove to rack to cool and repeat with remaining dough. Makes 12.

Croissant with White Chocolate Drizzle

One of the girls in cooking camp wanted to make croissants. I thought it would be a fun recipe for the kids to make, but time constraints made it pretty much impossible to make traditional croissants. Instead, we made a simpler version. They came out great, and the kids did a great job making them. Some were left plain, others filled with cinnamon sugar or strawberry jam. One of the girls even drizzled melted white chocolate over one. We also made ice cream. It is a recipe that does not need an ice cream maker- so once we made a couple of batches – the kids divided it up and each made their own version.

Rolling out the dough

Brushing with melted butter

Rolled up

Warm from the oven

Making cherry ice cream

Butter cookie with sprinkles

Finished off the day baking delicate butter cookies.

Strawberry Cupcake

I was making cupcakes for a program with kids and I decided to make some with strawberries. As you might expect, they were a big hit. The berries add sweetness and color in a delicate, natural way. I used frozen berries I had gotten last month. You could also make these with fresh berries.

Strawberry Cupcakes

2/3 cup whole fresh or frozen strawberries, thawed

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1/4 cup whole milk, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 large egg, room temperature

2 large egg whites, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners; set aside. Place strawberries in a small food processor; process until pureed. You should have about 1/3 cup of puree, add a few more strawberries if necessary or save any extra puree for frosting; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a small bowl, mix together milk, vanilla, and strawberry puree; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar and continue to beat until well combined and fluffy. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and slowly add egg and egg whites until just blended.

With the mixer on low, slowly add half the flour mixture; mix until just blended. Add the milk mixture; mix until just blended. Slowly add remaining flour mixture, scraping down sides of the bowl with a spatula, as necessary, until just blended.

Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Transfer muffin tin to oven and bake until tops are just dry to the touch, 22 to 25 minutes. Transfer muffin tin to a wire rack and let cupcakes cool completely in tin before icing. Makes 12.

Strawberry Frosting

1/2 cup whole frozen strawberries, thawed

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, firm and slightly cold

Pinch of coarse salt

3 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Place strawberries in the bowl of a small food processor; process until pureed. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and salt on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce mixer speed and slowly add confectioners’ sugar; beat until well combined. Add vanilla and 3 tablespoons strawberry puree (save any remaining strawberry puree for another use); mix until just blended. Do not over-mix or frosting will incorporate too much air. Frosting consistency should be dense and creamy, like ice cream. Makes enough for 1 dozen cupcakes.

Braided breads

Another fun day with a wonderful group of kids. We made braided bread, homemade pita bread and “pup”cakes – cupcakes decorated to look like pups. The kids really enjoyed making the pita bread.  This is a really creative group so they did a lot more than just make pup with their cupcakes.  Here is some of what they made.

Pita bread fresh from the oven

Shrimp with Bacon and Spinach

I had intended to make a salad with some fresh spinach, but something told me to go in another direction. Since I already had bacon and shrimp, I decided to just put them all together. With just a few extra ingredients tossed in I ended up with a really good dinner. The shrimp and bacon would have been fine, but the spinach really made the dish better. I didn’t have a lot of time so the fact that it was ready in about 15 minutes was nice, too. I put the pasta on to cook when I started cooking the bacon to save even more time.

Shrimp with Bacon and Spinach

3-4 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 shallots- or 1 small onion- chopped fine
2 cloves minced garlic
8 oz. fresh spinach
8 oz. raw shrimp, shelled and deveined
¼ c. sherry
¼ c. chopped parsley
½ t. grated ginger
½ t. red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
8 oz. cooked pasta

Cook bacon in skillet until almost cooked. Add the shallots and cook until shallots are just turning brown. Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Add spinach and cook, stirring often, until spinach is wilted down. Add shrimp and continue cooking until shrimp are just barely cooked. Add sherry and seasonings and cook 2 minutes more. Toss with hot pasta and serve. Serves 2.
Note: You can add some fresh Parmesan cheese when serving, if you like.

Pizzas made by kids in camp

We started off the week making pizza. The kids made the dough from scratch and rolled out their own pizzas. We made extra dough, so they made calzones, too. Later, we also made sugar cookies in pizza pans and decorated them with melted semi sweet chocolate and M&M’s. To finish  off the day we made 96 cupcakes that will be decorated tomorrow. Great start to the week. The youngest kids in class this week are 8 years old. I was so impressed at how well they all did. One of them asked if we could make croissants- so we are making them later in the week. Here are some more pictures, and the recipe for the pizza.

Homemade Pizza

1 packet active dry yeast
1 t. sugar
1 2/3 c. warm water
4-4½ c. flour
2 t. salt
3 c. pizza sauce
16 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
Cornmeal

In bowl combine 2 cups of the flour with the yeast, sugar and salt. Add the water and stir to blend. Add flour gradually and keep stirring. Stir until soft dough forms. Place dough on floured surface and knead until stretchy and smooth, about 10 minutes. Allow dough to rest 3 minutes and knead a few more times. Place in bowl and cover. Let rise until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.
Punch dough down. Divide dough in half and roll each half into a 12-inch circle. Dust back of baking sheet with cornmeal and place dough on cornmeal, pressing down a little. Slide dough off sheet and onto a clean baking sheet. Place half of the remaining ingredients on the dough and repeat with remaining half of dough. Add more toppings, if you like and bake in a preheated 450-degree oven for 13-15 minutes. Cool a few minutes before cutting. Makes 2 pizzas.

Mini Pizzas: You can also divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and roll them out into 6-inch rounds. Then let each person make his or her own pizza. Bake a few minutes less than the big pizzas.

Kneading dough

Smiley Face Pizza

Calzones

Cookie “Pizza”

Blueberry Cheesecake Pie

I had been canning blueberry pie filling and I had some left over. It wasn’t enough for another jar or a whole pie. A carton of ricotta cheese inspired me to combine two of my favorite desserts into one, fruit pie and cheesecake!!! I decided to use the ricotta to make a cheesecake- like layer and then use the pie filling as a topper. It worked out great. I will definitely be making this one again soon. Maybe I’ll use cherry pie filling the next time.

Blueberry Cheesecake Pie

Pastry for 2 crust pie- recipe- The crust recipe I used is at the bottom of the page

Cheesecake filling:
1 (15 oz.) carton ricotta cheese, full fat preferred
½ c. sugar
2 eggs
Zest of half an orange
Combine cheese and sugar and mix until smooth. Stir in eggs and zest and set aside.

Blueberry filling:
1½c. blueberry pie filling- I used homemade
Roll out half of the crust and place in 8 or 9-inch pie pan. You can roll out the top crust ahead of time, or even cut into strips for a lattice top. Cover remaining crust to keep it from drying out. Spoon cheese mixture into prepared crust. Spoon the blueberry pie filling over the cheese mixture. Top with the second crust or place strips on in a lattice design. If using a whole crust cut in decorative slits for ventilation. Moisten then crimp edges and shape decoratively or use a fork to seal. Place pie in lower half of hot oven. Bake in a preheated 425-degree oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 and bake an additional 40-50 minutes or until crust is brown and juices begin to bubble through the slits. It edges start to brown too quickly, cover them with foil. Cool, then chill,  before serving.

Flaky Pie Crust

2 c. flour
1 t. salt
3/4 c. shortening, chilled – I used chilled coconut oil-  you can also use butter or lard
1 T. cider vinegar
4-5 T. cold water

Combine flour and salt and cut in shortening. Toss in vinegar and water 1 tablespoon at a time until dough holds together. Use a fork to toss the ingredients together and as soon as the mixture holds together stop adding water. Makes 2. Chill well before using.