Eulie's Sour Milk Doughnuts

It's Sunday morning and that means a breakfast better than toast. And last night was a dancing and 2AM kind of night which doesn't happen very often these days. That means that breakfast should be not only better than toast but maybe deep-fried.

Homemade doughnuts are a little tricky but not as difficult as you'd think. My Grandma Eulie, a goddess of homemade delicious treats, routinely made these on a weekend morning and it's time for you to, too. Done right, a homemade doughnut will ensure you never eat Dunkin again.

Mix well in large bowl:
2 eggs, well beaten
1 cup sugar
3 T melted butter

Add:
1 cup sour milk (1 c milk + 1 T white vinegar + 5 minutes)
1/2 t nutmeg OR cinnamon (Eulie preferred nutmeg, I prefer cinnamon)
3/4 t salt
1 t baking soda
3 1/2-4 cups flour (the batter should be quite stiff)

Fry small spoonfuls in shortening, about a pound. Eulie preferred lard, I prefer Crisco. in a heavy pan. Eulie used an electric frypan, I use a Le Creuset.

I use two teaspoons (one to scoop, one to scrape) or a very small springy scoop like this to plop the batter in the grease. They really do need to be quite small - sort of doughnut-hole sized, duh - and fried until quite brown or you run the risk of them being doughy and raw in the center.

Shake the warm doughnuts and a cup of powdered sugar in a brown bag. Eat them all, they don't really keep well.

I didn't make these (my friend Lynne P-G did) but it proves that making doughnuts at home is nothing to be afraid of.

Fauxstess Cupcakes

Originally known as Six Minute Chocolate Cake from Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home.

Barbara served these yummy cupcakes at Book Group and we were blown away by how delicious and "Hostess-cupcake-like" they were! I took it a step further and have experimented with stuffing them with a bit of buttercream, cream cheese frosting, or (gulp) some Marshmallow Fluff for true Hostess-y goodness.

Please note that the cake is vegan and the ganache can be, too. This recipe only makes 12 cupcakes, which is kind of nice/appropriate, unlike lots of recipes that make 24.

 Next time I make these, I am for sure going to pipe on the little loop-de-loops.

Cake:

1 1/2 cups flour

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup cold water or coffee (I keep "high-quality" instant coffee granules in the house for recipes)

2 tsp vanilla

2 tbs vinegar

Preheat oven at 375.

• Sift together dry ingredients into a bowl.
• Combine liquid ingredients (except for vinegar) in 2 cup measuring cup and pour into dry ingredients mixing with a fork or small whisk. When batter is smooth, add the vinegar and stir quickly until evenly distributed.
• Distribute evenly into a 12-cupcake pan, lined with cupcake papers.
• Bake 20 minutes.  (If you're out of cupcake papers and desperate for chocolate and need to make this as a cake, bake for 25-30 minutes in an ungreased 9x9 or 9 in round pan.)
• Optional, but really very important, step: Cool cupcakes completely. Use a melon baller or small spoon to scoop out a little depression in the top of each cupcake. Fill with Fluff or frosting of your choice. Cover with icing.

Icing:
1/2 pound bittersweet chocolate

1/4 cup hot water, milk or 1/2 and 1/2

1/2 tsp vanilla

For the icing just put all the ingredients together into a measuring cup and heat in in the microwave until you can whisk them together to make a smooth glaze. Spoon it over the cooled cupcakes and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Magical Spinach-Broccoli Soup

This is an adaptation of some yummy soup made by Alison. I have made it a hundred times and I think it keeps away the flu bug.

Saute in olive oil:
1/2 onion, minced
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 potato, peeled and chopped

Cover with 3-3 1/2 c vegetable broth. Simmer 10-15 minutes.

Add 1 head broccoli, washed, trimmed, and chopped. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Add 1 bag/large bunch spinach, washed and sorted. I add some lemon juice, too, maybe a tablespoon. Stir.

Remove from heat. Puree with immersion blender.

Season with curry powder, salt, pepper, and pinch of cayenne. All to taste.

Stir in 1 cup of sour cream (you can use low fat or even plain yogurt.) Return to heat and warm but do not bring to a boil or the soup will curdle.

Yum. About 4 generous servings.

Banana Bread

My daughter has taken a peanut butter and banana sandwich for lunch pretty much every day for seven years running. Which means I always have a lot of bananas in the house and then sometimes she gets lucky and can take leftover pizza or pierogi for lunch and we end up with a backlog of too-ripe bananas. So I puree them with a stick blender and freeze them in one-cup or two-cup portions in freezer bags.  What to do with tons o' banana puree? The answer is always banana bread.  This version is Martha Stewart's lightened slightly due to the applesauce in lieu of some butter (thanks, Amy Spar) and the low fat Greek yogurt.

Makes two large loaves or six small loaves. This recipe can easily be halved.

1/4 pound (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
2 c. sugar
4 eggs
3 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
2 t. baking soda
2 t. salt
2 c. mashed or pureed very ripe bananas
1 c. Greek yogurt or sour cream or a combo of the two (low-fat or no-fat is fine)
2 t. vanilla extract (I like Nielsen-Massey because boozy flavor)
1 c. mini chocolate chips

• Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter (or Pam for Baking) your pans of choice.
• With an electric mixer, cream the butter, applesauce and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, beating well.
• Sift/mix (Who am I to judge?) the dry ingredients together and add to the butter mixture. Blend well at a low speed.  Add the banana puree, yogurt or sour cream, and vanilla. Mix well. Don't over mix.
• Fold in the chocolate chips and pour into the prepared pans.
• Bake one hour for large loaves and maybe about 45 minutes for small. Either way, they should be nicely browned and a cake tester should come out clean. Turn out on a rack to cool.

Curried Veggie Stew

"I can vouch for the deliciousness of this dish, and the spicy drizzle is so good I want to try it on pancakes." ~ Nancy, book group

Serving hungry friends since 2004, thanks to Amy Sieben.  

I always imagine that this is Moroccan-ish but truth be told, have no idea of it's origins. Vegetarian, vegan without the yogurt.


Serves 6-8ish. All quantities are estimates. It can easily expand or contract based on what you have available. Make sure to adjust the cinnamon and coriander if you make a larger batch.


Heat oil and saute veggies and spices about 15 minutes:
2 T. olive or canola oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1-2 carrots, sliced
1 t. ground coriander
1/2 t. cinnamon

Add:
1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced in 1 inch cubes
2 large tomatoes or a 14-oz can of chopped tomatoes
1 T. lemon juice
1 1/2 c. cooked garbanzos or 1 14 oz-can garbanzos, drained
1/2 c. raisins
1/2 c. cashews

Add enough water or vegetable broth to cover. Simmer for a good couple of hours. (Can sit on the stove for hours or reheats well.)

Serve over cous cous (I prefer whole wheat) with fresh parsley, plain yogurt, and spicy drizzle (recipe below.)

Spicy drizzle - Combine in small sauce pan.:
1/2 c olive oil
1 T. soy sauce
2 1/2 t. cayenne
1 1/2 t. cumin
1/4 t. salt
1 clove garlic, crushed

Cook over very low heat. Drizzle over the stew at the table.

Tofu Fajitas

We had this at Alex and Sharon's house in September of 2001 and a star was born.  Alex was working for Vegetarian Times at that time and they had  adapted it from a VT recipe.  I've made it a hundred times and further adapted it.

Ingredients for marinade:
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 T. vegan Worcester sauce (what is this? I just add a splash of really good balsamic vinegar)
1 T. water
1 ½ T. soy sauce
juice of 1 lime
2 T. canola oil
2 T. brown sugar or honey
2 t. dried oregano

Stuff to marinate, cut in uniform strips:
Portabella mushrooms
Drained and pressed firm tofu
Red (and/or other colors) sweet bell peppers
Vidalia onion
Other yummy stuff of your choosing or whatever you have too much of from your CSA.

Marinate the veggies. Roast in pyrex with plenty of room so the stuff gets roasty and crispy, not soggy and steamy. 400F oven, about 25 minutes or so until done.

Serve with beans, avocado, salsa, tortillas, whatever your preferred fixin's may be.

Midge's Grown-Up Birthday Cake from food52

First things first.  If you're a serious home cook and you haven't checked out food52, do that now.  


One of the best parts of that site is my dear friend Jennifer's blog, Jenny's in the Kitchen. She's a great writer and will make you laugh no matter what recipe she's writing about, so go check that out now, too.


So now that you're in love with food52, you'll agree that it's a great source of inspiration and understand why I couldn't wait to make Grown-Up Birthday Cake.  In fact, Jennifer reviewed it here and despite some of the excitement in the comment section, I was determined to make it for a dinner party last night.

Details: I used a nice fruity Chardonnay and really fruity olive oil.  I was fearful of doming or sinking so I baked it at just under 350 for a bit longer than specified.  I was rewarded with perfect, even layers.  The texture was fantastic. Super moist and a perfect, not-too-fine crumb.  I used  a hand mixer for both the batter and the frosting, and the frosting came together well.  I used apricot jam in the center.


It wasn't my favorite cake ever but was a big hit with all the guests.  The olive oil flavor was very pronounced.  I think I would have preferred a more chocolaty icing.  Maybe a ganache would have helped matters?  Then again, one self-proclaimed cake-hater licked his plate.


It's worth making.  Let me know what you think.

Twice-baked Samosa Potatoes

My friend and vegan queen, Michelle Schwegmann, turned me on the the Veganomicon cook book and this recipe was the first thing I made from it.

4 large Russet potatoes or sweet potatoes, baked, cooled, cut in half and flesh scooped out (leave 1/4 in potato in the skin)

vegetable oil for sauteeing

1 tsp yellow mustard seeds

1 tsp coriander seeds, crushed

1 small yellow onion, finely sliced about a cup

1 med carrot, small dice, about 3/4 cup

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tsp grated fresh ginger

2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp salt 

1/2-1 cup frozen green peas, rinsed

juice of 1/2 lemon

red pepper flakes (optional)

paprika

This is an easy recipe to make and holds well if made up to 24 hours ahead.

A bit of oil to coat a medium sized pan, heated to med-high, then sizzle the mustard and coriander seeds briefly to toast them before adding the onions, let soften or caramelize a bit then add carrots, ginger, garlic, ground cumin and turmeric. Sautee a good 15-20 minutes more.

Mash the potato flesh (adding a bit of broth or soymilk if it seems too dry) then add the sauteed veggies, peas, lemon juice and mix well. Season with salt and red pepper flakes to taste/heat.

The recipe calls for brushing the inside of the potato skins with oil, but I don't see the point in that, so I just spooned the filling into the skins, skipping that step.

I drizzled on some olive oil and sprinkled the tops with sea salt and paprika before baking. Prettier and crispier!

Bake at 400F until the potatoes are nicely browned.

West Virginia Whoopie Pies

These cookies are created from my Grandma Eulie's Ginger Cream cookies and her cream cheese frosting.  The lemon zest is my addition.

Mix well:

1/2 c. sugar

1 egg

1/3 c. oleo (I use butter)

1/2 c. water

1/2 c. "Grandma's" brand molasses

Stir in:

2 c. all-purpose flour

1 t. ginger

1 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. nutmeg

1/2 t. cloves

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. baking soda

Cover and refrigerate for one hour.

Drop 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper. Consistency in size is important since these will form the halves of the pies that need to "match up." I use a small scoop with a release.

Bake 7-8 minutes in a 400 degree oven. Cool. Spread one half the cookies with frosting and top with the other half. Store between waxed paper in an airtight container. BETTER ON SECOND DAY!

Frosting (and I totally wing it so these are approximations):

1/8 c. butter

1/8 c. cream cheese

2 c. powdered sugar

1 t. vanilla

1 t. milk, adjust for consistency

lemon zest to taste

Indiana Steve's Snow Day Bread

A wonderful recipe given to me by friend/painter/potter/baker Steve Skinner who lives in New Carlisle, Indiana. I made this for the kids during the recent snowpocolypse so it was dubbed Snow Day Bread and it shall be called that forevermore.  It made amazing toast and the best grilled cheese of my life. Enough said.

8 c flour

3 ½  c water

2 T (+/-) salt

2 T dry yeast

1 T sugar

In a 4 cup measuring cup add hot water to yeast & sugar and let sit 5 minutes to activate yeast.

In a very large bowl combine and mix salt & flour.

Pour activated yeast water mix to center of flour and stir with large wooden spoon.

Knead until dough is moist and slightly sticky but doesn't stick to your hands. If it does stick add a more flour, but not too much at a time. Be sure to knead it in gradually.

Pre-heat your oven to its lowest temp and then turn it off.

Cover dough in the large mixing bowl with another large bowl or platter so the dough doesn't dry as it rises. Let the dough rise about 45 minutes in the warm oven.

Grease two 9 x 5 in. bread pans with butter.

Remove the dough from the oven and with a wooden spatula, roll the dough onto your counter top. The counter top will not need to be dusted with flour if the dough is the correct consistency. If it sticks to the counter top, dust it lightly with flour and roll it into a large loaf. Cut the loaf into halves and place each half into the greased pans.

If necessary, pre-heat the oven again to its lowest setting and again turn it off. Place the pans of bread dough into the warm oven and let rise 20 minutes or until the dome of the dough rises to slightly higher then the tops of the bread pans.

Turn the oven on to 400 degrees and bake the dough from 20 - 30 minutes until it is golden brown. I prefer a darker shade of golden brown, but it's your preference whether lighter or darker. Remove from oven. The bread should slide right out of the pans.

First official post

I'm starting a blog as a single place to put all the recipes I like and want to share.  I'm also going to attempt to document many family recipes and figured the web would be a good place for family to access them.  So here we go, people... let's eat!