Horchata

 

It is pretty rare for me to splurge on a drink when at a restaurant, but when I see horchata on a menu, it's hard for me to resist.  The sweet drink pairs so well with Mexican flavors.  I've experimented with making horchata at home a few times, and after tweaking the recipe am pretty happy with the results.  While this recipe benefits from planning ahead, the hands-on prep time is very minimal.  I prefer to let the rice water steep with the cinnamon sticks overnight, but I suspect if I started it early enough in the morning, we could still enjoy some tasty horchata with dinner. 

Horchata
Note: I find it more cost-effective to buy cinnamon sticks at Costco as they keep for quite a while.  I suspect there are also other good places to buy them in bulk.  Also, after soaking the rice and water, the rice can either be discarded or used to make rice pudding.
Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked white long-grain rice
5 cups water
4 large cinnamon sticks
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/4-1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk (I ended up using about half of a 14 oz. can)

Directions:
1. Pour the rice and water into a blender; blend for about 1 minute, until the rice begins to break up.  Add the cinnamon sticks and let stand in refrigerator for a minimum of 3 hours, or overnight.  (I prefer to transfer the mixture to a pitcher rather than letting it sit in my blender overnight, as my blender leaks a bit.)

2. Remove the cinnamon sticks and strain the rice water into a pitcher.  Add the milk, vanilla, almond extract and sweetened condensed milk to taste.  (While the amounts of all of these final ingredients can be added to taste, I particularly like to start with only about 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk, then taste and add additional condensed milk until it's sweet enough.)  Chill and stir before serving over ice.

Source: adapted from http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Lolas-Horchata/Detail.aspx?soid=recs_recipe_seed

Blueberry (or Raspberry) Oatmeal Muffins

There are many things I enjoy about the changing of the seasons, and enjoying seasonal fruits and vegetables would definitely make the top of the list.  Every summer I look forward to watermelon, corn on the cob, peaches, fresh tomatoes, etc.  Fall gets me all excited about pumpkin and butternut squash.  And when I spotted berries on sale this past week, I couldn't be more excited to make the most of berry season.  I bought blueberries and raspberries and in a last-minute stroke of inspiration decided to add them to some of the muffins I was making for dinner.

I have long enjoyed these Buttermilk Oatmeal Muffins that I posted previously.  This week I baked up some plain to please the non-adventurous eaters in my household, (and I indulged in a plain muffin slathered with peanut butter) but I loved the berry versions as well.  Now I'm wondering what other add-ins would work well with this wonderful base recipe.  I'm thinking a raspberry/dark chocolate chip version would be a very good idea.

Blueberry (or Raspberry) Oatmeal Muffins
Yield: about 20 muffins
Ingredients:
2 cups quick oats
2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted and slightly cooled
2 cups flour (this time I used 100% white whole wheat flour with great results)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2-2 cups blueberries or raspberries

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, soak oats in the buttermilk for 15 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line muffin tins with paper liners or grease with cooking spray.

3. Stir the eggs, sugar and melted butter into the oatmeal/buttermilk mixture.  Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Stir slightly, then add berries and gently stir until just combined.  

4. Fill the muffin cups three-fourths full.  Bake for 13-16 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.  Cool for 5 minutes in the pan before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Source: adapted from a recipe I found years ago on allrecipes.com--I can no longer find the link to the original recipe, but this one is very similar

English Toffee

A Christmas season without some homemade toffee wouldn't seem quite complete to me.  I've been making it for a few years, and I keep learning each time.  I've compared and tried recipes from different sources.  Most are very similar, the toffee layer consisting of lots of butter and sugar along with some water, salt and maybe nuts and vanilla extract.  Then comes the decision of whether or not to include a chocolate layer with more nuts on top. 

I used to just spread chocolate chips over the hot toffee, give them a few minutes to soften, then spread them over the top of the toffee, followed by a sprinkling of nuts.  I now prefer to (try) to temper the chocolate first, then spread it over the cooled toffee.  The tempered chocolate hardens up better and helps to keep the other pieces of toffee and packaging neater, which is especially nice for gift-giving. 

English Toffee
Note: This makes a fairly large batch of toffee--about enough to fill up a gallon size freezer bag.  I prefer to make a big batch as it makes great gifts and stores well.  I find buying the butter, sugar, almonds and chocolate chips at Costco is quite cost-effective, especially when making toffee.  I buy raw whole almonds, spread them on a baking sheet, and roast them at 350 until fragrant, about 8-12 minutes.  Once cool, I chop the almonds in a food processor.  The almonds can be prepared ahead of time and stored in an airtight container.
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups (5 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups chopped, unsalted, dry roasted almonds, divided
3-4 cups chocolate chips or baking chocolate, chopped

Directions:
1. Line 2 baking sheets with silicone liners or parchment paper.  In a large heavy saucepan melt the butter over low heat, stirring frequently with a large wooden spoon.  Add the sugar, water, and salt, and increase heat to medium.  Cook until the mixture reaches 260 degrees F, stirring constantly.  This will take about 15 minutes or more. 

2. Add 1 cup of the chopped almonds.  Stir constantly until the mixture reaches 304-305 degrees F.  This should take about another 10 minutes or more of stirring. 

3.  Immediately pour the hot toffee onto the prepared baking sheets.  Don't take time to scrape out every little bit; you will need to work quickly to spread the toffee while it is still hot.  Lift and tilt the baking pan at different angles to spread out the toffee to your desired thickness.  I like my toffee fairly thick, but it will naturally be thinner toward the edges. 

4. Once the toffee has cooled completely, spread chocolate over the top.  (Temper chocolate first if desired.)  Sprinkle the remaining chopped almonds on top before the chocolate hardens.  Once the chocolate has set, break into pieces of desired size.  (Some of the almonds will fall off when breaking up the toffee.)  If the chocolate was tempered I store it at room temperature; if the chocolate was not tempered, store in the refrigerator to prevent it from starting to melt if the room gets warm.

Source: www.chocolategourmand.com, see also www.cookingforengineers.com

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

I love baking any day, but I especially like to get in the kitchen and bake on rainy days.  My 4-year old helped me mix up the dry ingredients and get his hands messy rolling dough into balls on a very wet spring day we recently had.

These cookies are soft and chewy, but sturdy enough to be filled.  These can easily stand alone and are very tasty without the filling.  But they are also delicious filled with your favorite frosting or ice cream.  I had some leftover peanut butter frosting from some cupcakes I recently made, so that's what these are filled with.  The original recipe calls for filling these with a simple mixture of 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar and 1 cup creamy peanut butter (not natural).  (I always use natural even if a recipe specifies not to though.  I've never had a problem with it.)

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups quick oats
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup peanut butter (I used natural)
1 egg

Your favorite frosting or ice cream, for filling

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. 

2. In a large bowl, add oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Whisk to combine.  Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars with an electric mixture for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.  Add the vanilla, peanut butter, and egg, and beat for 2 more minutes.

4. Slowly add in the flour mixture and mix until well combined.

5. Roll into 1-inch balls and place on prepared baking sheets about 1 inch apart.  Gently pat down tops of the cookie dough to flatten. 

6. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are slightly brown and starting to crisp up.  Remove from oven and let cool completely on baking sheet.

7. Once cookies are cooled, match up cookies that are approximately the same size, and fill with your favorite frosting or ice cream, if desired.


Source: slightly adapted from bromabakery.com via tablefortwoblog.com

Bean and Vegetable Wraps

I really love tasty vegetarian meals.  They often tend to come together quickly and be fairly healthy.  I typically spend very little time preparing lunch.  You can usually find me eating leftovers, vegetables and crackers dipped in hummus, or something else very quick to prepare at lunch time.  These wraps are tasty and filling enough to enjoy for dinner, but also quick enough to prepare on a busy weekday for lunch.  The cream cheese, cheddar cheese and spices add some great flavor to all the crunchy goodness of the vegetables. 

Bean and Vegetable Wraps
Yield: 1 wrap
Note: It probably goes without saying that this can be adapted to whatever kind of beans, vegetables and cheese you prefer or need to use up.  The measurements given are approximate and can easily be changed to suit individual tastes.
Ingredients:
1 large burrito-size tortilla (I like whole wheat)
1 tablespoon cream cheese
Cumin, to taste
Chili powder, to taste
1/4 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1/3 cup cucumber, chopped
1/3 cup black or pinto beans
1/4 cup corn, canned or frozen (thawed)
5-6 cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
1/2 carrot, grated or thinly sliced
1/2 avocado, chopped
Salt and pepper, as desired

Directions:
Spread cream cheese evenly on tortilla.  Sprinkle with cumin and chili powder.  Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.  Top with beans and vegetables.  Season with salt and pepper if desired.  (I particularly like to sprinkle on some salt if I have tomatoes and avocado.)  Roll up burrito-style.

Source: adapted from Mel of Mel's Kitchen Café as posted on placetobloom.blogspot.com