The Charmed Kitchen

Lemon Sour Cream Cupcake

I think these cupcakes are almost as easy to make as a box mix, but so much better. They are fragrant with the addition of both lemon zest and lemon juice and moist from the addition of the sour cream. In the winter when citrus prices are better I often cook more often with them. I also save some for later by zesting lemons and oranges and freezing the zest. I also juice extra lemons and limes and freeze the juice, too.

 Lemon and Sour Cream Cupcakes

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon each baking powder and salt

2 cups sour cream

Frosting:

9 tablespoons butter, softened

6 ¾ cups confectioners’ sugar

6 tablespoons lemon juice

1T. vanilla extract

¾ teaspoon grated lemon peel

3 tablespoon milk

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add lemon peel and vanilla; mix well. Combine dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream (batter will be thick). Fill 30 greased or paper-lined muffin cups with 1/4 cup of batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. For frosting, cream butter and sugar in a small mixing bowl. Add lemon juice, vanilla, lemon peel and milk; beat until smooth. Frost cupcakes. Makes 30.

Baked Potato Soup

I loved going out to dinner when I was a kid. We ate at home mostly, so it was only for a special occasion. If we went to a steak house I looked forward to getting a baked potato with my dinner. My Mom made baked potatoes but it was different when we ate out. It would come to the table wrapped in foil and all puffed up in the middle. They also had so many toppings you could get. Choices included sour cream, butter, chives, bacon, cheese.  At home, normally Mom would only have butter and sour cream. This soup starts off as a cream of potato soup and then combines many of the toppings you might have on a baked potato. It feels just like those baked potatoes at the steakhouse.

Baked Potato Soup

4 slices bacon, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

4- 5 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

4-5 cups chicken stock

1/2 c. chopped fresh parsley

2 c. half and half

3 T. flour

salt and pepper to taste

Toppings:

Sour cream

chopped green onions or chives

 shredded cheese

extra bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled

In soup pot combine bacon and onion and cook over medium heat until bacon is cooked and onion is tender. Add potatoes and stock and simmer, covered , until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Add parsley and most of the half and half. Reserve a couple of tablespoons of the half and half and combine with the flour and stir until smooth. Ladle a little of the warm soup into the flour mixture and whisk until smooth.  Add the flour mixture to the rest of the soup and stir until smooth. Cook until soup is thickened and bubbly. Adjust seasonings and serve. Add toppings of your choice at the table. Makes 4 servings.

Pasta with Carrot Sauce

Recently I had some homemade cheese ravioli with friends and made a couple of sauces to have with them. One of those sauces was a carrot sauce. I promised my friend Amy, that I would get the recipe posted for her.  It’s a simple sauce that packs a lot of flavor. The process is simple, just cook carrots and few other ingredients in stock until the carrots are really tender and most of the liquid is cooked off. Puree, then toss the sauce with pasta, over rice or even with veggies or meats. Simple and very yummy. Here is the recipe.

Carrot Sauce

1 T. oil
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 lb. carrots, peeled and sliced
2 c. chicken or vegetable stock
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c. cream, half and half or evaporated milk
1-T. fresh dill or 1 t. dried

Hot cooked pasta

Sauté onion in oil until tender. Add garlic, carrots and stack and cook until carrots are very tender. Much of the liquid should have evaporated by then. Place mixture in blender and add cream or milk, mixing until smooth. Add dill and adjust seasonings, tossing over hot pasta to serve. I sometimes top with some shredded Parmesan cheese, too.
Variations: Use sweet potatoes, pumpkin, winter squash or even peas for different tastes.

Quinoa Pilaf

One of the dishes I made recently in grains class was quinoa pilaf. Quinoa is a grain, native to South America, that is full of flavor, fiber and protein. I first learned about quinoa at least 20 years ago. Back then it was nearly impossible to find. Today, it is found in many grocery stores. While quinoa is traditionally grown in mountainous regions, there is a variety that can be grown at lower elevations. We once grew it at a school garden in Cleveland Heights. It is a pretty plant and has sprays of tiny flowers in pink and light purple. Like any grain, the seeds are harvested after the flowers die. The remnants of the flower petals have a slightly soapy taste so you have to rinse the quinoa seeds off before cooking. Check the label when you buy it. Many brands are now pre-rinsed, saving you that step. I like it because besides being tasty, it also cooks quickly.

Quinoa Pilaf

3 cups water, chicken or vegetable broth
2 c. quinoa
1 T. oil
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ c. sliced green onions
2 T. fresh chopped parsley

Bring water or broth to a boil. Rinse quinoa thoroughly in a fine sieve. Heat skillet over medium heat and add quinoa, heating until quinoa starts to crackle, 5-10 minutes. Add oil and stir to coat grains. Add hot water or broth and turn down to simmer. Cook, covered, until liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Stir in green onions and season to taste. Serves 4-6.

Cincinnati Style Chili

When the weather is cold I find myself making more chili. Cincinnati Style chili is  made  with a little cinnamon and allspice in addition to the regular ingredients you find in chili. These seasonings add a nice extra touch. It is also traditionally served over spaghetti. Then the hot chili is spooned over the pasta and it is topped with kidney beans, shredded cheese, onions and oyster crackers. This is known as having the chili 5-way. Fun to make, fun to serve and fun to eat.

Cincinnati Style Chili

3 onions, chopped
5-6 cloves garlic, minced
3 T. oil
3-4 lbs. ground beef                                                                                                                           1/3c. chili powder, or a little more, to taste
2 T. paprika
2 t. cumin
½ t. each allspice, oregano, cayenne pepper and cinnamon
2 bay leaves
3 c. water
1 (16 oz.) can tomato sauce
2 T. balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar
2 T. molasses
Salt to taste
Accompaniments: cooked spaghetti, kidney beans, chopped onions, shredded cheddar cheese, oyster crackers

In large Dutch oven cook the onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add the meat and cook, stirring to brown evenly. Cook until no pink is visible on the meat. Drain off excess fat. Add remaining chili ingredients and simmer, uncovered until mixture is thickened, but still soupy enough to be ladled. Add more water during cooking if needed. Remove bay leaves and serve. To serve chili “5 way” place some spaghetti in a bowl, ladle in chili, sprinkle with kidney beans, onions, cheese and crackers, Makes 6-8 servings.

Red Beans and Rice

Red beans and rice does not get the respect I think it deserves. I know the ingredients are pretty humble, but the  flavor is so good. It can be a main dish, a side dish or even a decent breakfast when reheated the next day. I speak from personal experience on the breakfast thing. You can change it up by using different beans- I used dark red kidney beans this time. You can use different rice – I used brown jasmine rice. You can also add any number of different seasonings to change it up. It is one of those dishes loved by carnivore and vegetarian alike. To add more interest to the batch I made this time, I cooked the jasmine rice in a vegetable broth with turmeric in it. That added a pretty yellow color to the rice. We had it in a class I taught the other night on cooking with grains and everyone commented on how pretty it looked. So if you are looking for a quick and really easy dish maybe make some red beans and rice.

Red Beans and Rice

1 c. brown or white rice
2 c. water or broth
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed – or use whatever beans you like
1 T. oil
½ c. chopped onion
¼ c. chopped parsley or cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste*

Simmer rice, covered until tender (40 minutes for brown, 15 minutes for white rice). Meanwhile heat oil in skillet and cook onions until tender. Add beans, cooked rice, and seasonings. Stir until heated through. Serves 4.

* In addition to salt and pepper, I like to play around with adding other seasonings. I sometimes add cumin, oregano, garlic, basil, cinnamon, mace and coriander to name a few.

Blackberry Scones

I got a call from a friend and we decided to get together for coffee. I wanted something to serve with the coffee and looked at what I had around. I had a nice supply of frozen blackberries so I decided to make scones with them. I also had a jar of blackberry jelly so I thought it would be fun to serve them together. While scones are normally served with coffee or tea for breakfast or brunch I also like to use them as a dessert. Scones make a great base for shortcake. Since we didn’t eat them all and I have another friend coming over for dinner tomorrow, I think that is what I will do with them. The dessert plan is to split them, fill with some slightly sweetened canned cherries and top with a drizzle of melted chocolate and a dollop of whipped cream.

Blackberry Scones

 2 c. flour

1/3 c. sugar

1 T. baking powder

¾ t.  salt

6 T. chilled butter

2 c. blackberries -do not defrost if using frozen

1 t. orange zest

2 large eggs

1/3 c. heavy cream or half and half

Mix dry ingredients together in bowl and cut in butter to resemble coarse crumbs. Toss in berries and zest. Beat together eggs and cream and stir into flour mixture. Mix very gently to avoid bruising berries. Use 1/2 cup ice cream scoop to scoop batter onto a baking sheet.  Sprinkle with a little extra sugar, if you like. Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for 22-24 minutes. Makes 10-12.  

Mom’s Chili

I love chili and make all sorts of variations, but I crave this simple version my Mother used to make. It was one of my favorite dishes when I was a kid. She’d often make cornbread to have with it.  I admit to spicing it up more now, often adding a good shot of hot sauce, but it is still the same dish I remember so fondly. I always think about the book Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier when I think about Mom’s chili. It was a really cold rainy day and I was stuck inside. I’d lost myself in the book and was totally engrossed when she called me to dinner. I think chili was about the only thing that would have pulled me away from that book.

Mom’s Chili

1 large onion, chopped
Oil
1 ½ lbs. coarsely ground beef
1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
2 cans (about 15 oz.) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 T. minced garlic
¼- ½ c. chili powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Hot pepper sauce to taste

In Dutch oven or soup pot sauté onion in oil until tender. Add meat and cook until no pink is visible. Drain off excess fat and add tomatoes, beans, garlic and chili powder to taste. Cover and simmer over low heat until flavors blend, about 30 minutes. Adjust seasonings and serve. Serves 4-6.

Can be eaten as is- or top with shredded cheese or a dollop of sour cream.

White Chili

There are so many variations of chili I am thinking you could make a different version every day for months. Some are pretty traditional and some, like this White Chili, are not the norm. It is very good, though. The base for this dish is white beans with veggies, chicken and seasonings to evoke that comfort food feeling that chili brings to the table. I like to add enough cayenne pepper to also bring a little heat to this dish. I serve it topped with a little salsa, some shredded cheese and green onions.

White Chili

1 lb. dry navy or great northern beans
1 large onion, chopped
1 (4 oz.) can mild green chilies, drained and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. oil
5-6 c. chicken broth
1 t. cumin
1 t. oregano
Cayenne pepper to taste
Salt to taste
½ lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced fine

Toppings
Fresh salsa
Sour cream
Shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Shredded Colby cheese
Chopped green onions or fresh chives

Soak beans in 8 cups water overnight. Drain and rinse. In large kettle cook onions, chilies and garlic in hot oil until onions are tender. Add beans, broth, cumin, oregano and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, simmer, covered, for 1 ½ – 2 hours or until beans are tender. Mash beans slightly to thicken soup. Add chicken and salt and cook 10-15 minutes more. Serve with toppings of your choice. Serves 6-8.

Barley and Corn Salad

This barley and corn salad is a great side dish but it’s hearty enough to be a main dish, too. If you only think of using barley as an ingredient in soups and other hot dishes, think again. Barley is  a great grain to use in salads. This salad combines barley with corn, peas and radishes in a very simple mustard dressing. I taught a class on cooking with grains last night. This is one of the dishes we had. It was a big hit.

Barley and Corn Salad

½ c. pearl barley
salt
3 T. cider or white wine vinegar
1 t. Dijon mustard
fresh ground pepper
3 T. olive oil
½ t. dried oregano
3 c. cooked corn, from six ears
1 c. cooked fresh or frozen peas
1 c. sliced radishes
¼ c. sliced green onions

Combine barley, 2 cups water and ½ t. salt in saucepan and simmer, covered until barley is tender, about 50 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Combine remaining ingredients and toss with barley in large bowl. Makes 6 servings.