Confections of a Foodie Bride

There are a few ways to guarantee I’ll make a recipe:
1. Give it a creative name that piques my interest.
2. Show me a pretty picture of the dish. (I’m a visual person. You can’t convince me a dish tastes good if it ain’t pretty.)
3. Nag me about it so much that I’ll make it just so you’ll stop.

I’ve always been intrigued with recipe names so #1 is exactly why I’m munching on a Cowboy Cookie as I sit here and write. (#1 is also the reason I’m going to have to grab the keyboard air can and clean my laptop in a few minutes.) But “cowboy cookies?”

Two different pictures come to mind when I hear “cowboy:”
- Dust, jeans, boots, horse, truck, and a hat.
- A mediocre football team from that city up north. America’s team? Please.

Given the fact that there isn’t a ground-up Stetson or a Silverado emblem in the dough and the recipe doesn’t call for a teaspoon of Tony Romo’s post-interception tears, I don’t really know what makes a cookie a “Cowboy cookie.”

I saw a reference to “souped-up oatmeal cookie” and you won’t see me take the cookie out of my mouth long enough to argue with that. Think Chocolate Chip Cookie marries Oatmeal Cookie… and then the oatmeal cookie tries to change the CCC by secretly getting rid of his chocolate chips in a garage sale and replacing them with cranberries. Or… something like that.

Point is, these aren’t quite “normal” cookies and aren’t quite your standard oatmeal cookie. But they are darn good. I’m hoping the recipients agree, though I wouldn’t have my feelings hurt if they said “No thanks,” and handed them straight back to me. Just in case that doesn’t happen, I’m gonna stash a dozen back for us. After all, oatmeal is the ultimate healthy breakfast food

Cowboy Oatmeal Cookies with Cranberries and White Chocolate
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 heaping tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I actually used extra-light extra-virgin olive oil)
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 rounded cup dried cranberries
8 oz white chocolate, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; set aside.

Cream butter, oil, and sugars until smooth on med-high speed. Beat in eggs one at a time and add vanilla. Gradually stir in the dry ingredients until well blended. Add in oats, dried cranberries, and white chocolate, mixing until evenly distributed.

Scoop dough onto lined baking sheets and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until edges are golden and centers are set. Cool cookies on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Yields ~3.5 dozen
Adapted from AllRecipes.com

Fried chicken and chicken fried steak always held the prime spot on mom’s weekly menu: Sunday dinner. And since I grew up a little country, I’m talking about “lunch” when I say “Sunday dinner.”

We grew up eating breakfast, lunch, and supper. After church on Sunday afternoon, we had Sunday dinner and watched football. Grandma always called her mid-day meal dinner. She also uses country-isms like “pert near” for almost. Are we there yet? “Pert near!” I think my absolute favorite is “d’rectly” instead of soon (directly without the “extra” i). “Well be over there d’rectly.”

Sometimes, I slip up and reveal my countrier side and get the crazy look when I say supper. “Ice box” is another one that will get me the “you’re definitely from Texas” look.

Chicken fried steak is most decidedly a “Sunday dinner” kind of meal. It’s a labor of breaded love drowned in creamy gravy. When your family of 2.5 is starving and the Colts game is paused until dinner is on the table, it can feel like it takes forty forevers to heat that oil. And not unlike even the simplest dishes that I make, it also seems to get a bunch of dishes dirty. But the bonus is that if I’m gonna make a mess like that, I’m gonna make enough for both Sunday dinner and supper.

They key to good fried anything is the breading. Seasoned, thick, and crunchy is preferred when we’re talking about chicken fried steak. There are as many breading techniques as there are edible items that you can bread - just check out your local county and state fairs!

I used to let things sit in buttermilk overnight for frying but then switched to an instant gratification not-quite-sour-cream marinade of heavy cream and vinegar. It’s thicker than buttermilk and it only takes a few minutes. It also clings really well to the meat and holds on to a lot of flour. Frying produces a tasty and crunchy breading.

Chicken Fried Steak with Cream Gravy
For the steak:
Vegetable oil
1 cup heavy cream
2 tsp vinegar
1/2 tsp Tobasco
4 cube steaks
1 1/2 cup flour
Fresh-ground black pepper
2 tsp Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning

For the gravy:
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp pan drippings
2 Tbsp flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk
Salt
Fresh-ground black pepper

Make the chicken fried steak: Heat ~1-inch vegetable oil in a cast iron pan/dutch oven to 350.

Place steaks in a shallow dish. Stir cream, vinegar, and Tobasco in a small bowl until just combined (it can thicken rather quickly - and it’s okay if it does). Pour over steaks. Move steaks around a bit with your tongs to ensure that you coat the bottom.

In a separate shallow dish, combine flour, a generous amount of fresh-ground black pepper, and Tony Cachere’s and mix well.

When the oil is ready, transfer one steak at a time from the “wet pan” to the “dry pan.” Dredge in flour, ensuring complete coverage, shake off any excess flour, and place on a plate. Repeat for as many steaks as you can fit in your frying pan.

Transfer steaks to the hot oil. Fry until golden brown, approximately 5 minutes. Flip and fry until breading is golden brown. Remove from the pan and place on a rack sitting over a baking dish (I put paper towels under the rack for easier clean up). Serve topped with a generous ladle of cream gravy.

Make the gravy: Add butter and pan drippings to a 2qt sauce pan over medium heat. When melted and bubbly, add flour, salt, and a generous amount of fresh-ground pepper. Stir until the roux turns light brown. Stream in milk, whisking continuously. Cook to a boil and remove from heat.

Yields 4 servings

I had a slice of cake before dinner.
I had a slice of cake after dinner.
I also had a slice of cake for lunch.

Being a grown-up doesn’t always suck

One of my favorite baked goodies that we used to sell at my parents’ bakery was a Cream Cheese Cranberry Cake. I’ve also been thinking about the sour cream pound cake, but when it comes to baked goods, rule is that we have to eat what’s here before making something else. So maybe tomorrow?

What do I love about this cake? The cranberries. And the cake. The cake part is moist and a tad on the heavy side, as it should be with all that butter and cream cheese. Right after you turn it out of the pan to cool, it has this kind of chewy, sugary crust.

This goes away when you let it rest overnight covered like you’re supposed to. But I like to cut off any uneven parts from the bottom and eat them right away. Because quality assurance is the most important part of baking. I also like to serve it with a spoonful of sweetened whipped cream with just a hint of vanilla.

The cranberries offer a tart contrast to the cake. Raspberries also work nicely. If I could only get my hands on some superbly fresh blackberries like the ones that used to grow along our fence line as kids…

Cream Cheese Cranberry Cake
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese, room temp
2 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 lemon, juiced and zested
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 tsp salt
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries, tossed with 1 Tbsp flour
Whipped cream, optional

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a bundt pan with baking spray, coating well.

Beat butter and cream cheese until combined. Add sugar and turn mixer to med-high and cream for 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time until combined. Add lemon juice and zest, almond extract, and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Turn mixer to low and add salt. Add the cake flour in two batches. Fold in the cranberries.

Spread batter evenly in the prepared pan. Bake 60-70 minutes, until the cake has browned and a skewer inserted in the center comes out with only moist crumbs attached. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a rack and cool completely. Cover tightly overnight (I put it in on a cake plate and cover with a glass dome) and enjoy the next day. (You can certainly eat it the same day but it gets better with an overnight resting period.)

Yields: 1 bundt cake, 8-12 servings depending on slice size

Cranberries are my favorite fruit. Hands down, no contest. I think it’s because I can only find them fresh for a few months out of the year. I mean, sure, an apple is fine - especially if you’ve got a gooey bowl of caramel nearby for dipping - but I can get that any day. Cranberries, they’re special.

They can be simmered with some shallots, butter, and a handful of other ingredients for a fantastic sauce to adorn a pork tenderloin. They can be simmered with some orange juice and fresh ginger to make a not-from-a-can Thanksgiving Day side. Or my favorite, they can be baked into a ridiculously moist muffin, cake, or bread so that the juicy red berries burst in the oven and soak into the surrounding batter.

Whew, perhaps we should get a room!

I’ve been baking my friend Kelly’s recipe for Cranberry bread for a few weeks now. I included a loaf for each of my shower hostesses in their goodie baskets. My sister asked for the recipe. My mom heard the bread was good - she had to take my dad’s word for it, though. He found the goodie basket and made quick work of the cranberry bread.

It’s great straight out of the oven, an hour past bedtime. It’s great cold for breakfast. It’s also great - no, it’s awesome - warmed and topped with a scoop of Blue Bell’s Homemade Vanilla.

Cranberry Bread
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 Tbsp shortening
3/4 cup orange juice
1 Tbsp orange zest
1 egg
1 1/2 cup cranberries
3/4 cups pecans, chopped and toasted
1/4 cup demerera sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9 (or 10) x 5 loaf pan (or 4 mini loaf pans).

Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda in the bowl of your stand mixer. Turn on medium and add shortening until combined. Add orange juice, orange zest, and egg. Mix until well-blended. Stir in cranberries and nuts. Pour the batter into the pan and spread evenly. Spread demerera sugar evenly over the top.

Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove the bread from the pan and let cool completely. Wrap the cooled loaf tightly with plastic wrap or foil to keep it moist.

Yield: 1 loaf (or 4 mini loaves)

One things I’ve been trying to do is become more organized. It was the underlying reason that my early retirement to-do list was topped with items like, Organize and backup wedding photos, Inventory pantry and deep freezer, and Clean out guest room closet. Actually, my lack of organization pretty much was the reason there was a to-do list in the first place.

I’m a little bit of chaos and a lot of funny, rolled into one. The ability to fire a witty comeback or find innuendo in the most innocent of comments doesn’t make up for the fact that I misplaced my running shoes for a week. Or the fact that I spend 5 minutes every single day hunting down my “lost” car keys. So maybe it’s a lot of chaos and a little bit of funny… after all, we’re probably never as funny as we think we are

If you’ve ever seen me move around the kitchen, you know that it doesn’t just stop with keys and shoes. When I’m done cooking, it looks like my kitchen cabinets exploded. Pots, pans, mixing bowls, several cutting boards, every wooden spoon and spatula in the house strewn about. Pure chaos. And two dishwasher loads later, it’s time for bed.

Perhaps I can claim illness? Maybe I suffer from CCS, Culinary Chaos Syndrome. Maybe I should seek out a support group for my symptoms:

Emptying out the utensil drawer for a simple meal

Dropping 3 sauce-covered wooden spoons onto the just-mopped floor

Leaving cabinet doors and drawers open after pulling things out

Constantly misplacing pot holders, oven mitts, and dish towels

Never putting certain in the same place twice (where’s the salt?!)

Underestimating the size of a dish or volume of a sauce and needing a larger bowl or sauce pan midway through.

I usually cannot blame my messiness on a recipe or methodology. True, some are more involved than others, but mostly it’s all me. Looking back, I can usually pinpoint each misstep along the way - and there’s plenty of opportunity for reflection, waiting on the dishwasher to finish so I can run a second load.

But when a dish is as tasty as tonight’s dinner was, there’s no debating over whether it was worth the extra load of dishes or not. Because it was. And the best part? There are enough leftovers for 2 more nights. The Pioneer Woman knows her messy pasta dishes.

Linguine with Chicken, Artichokes, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
1lb linguine
2 chicken breasts, pounded to even thickness
Sea salt & cracked black pepper
3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 medium onion, finely diced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 14.5 oz can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, diced*
2 cups crushed tomatoes**
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup chicken broth, more as needed
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus additional for garnish
2 Tbsp chopped basil, plus additional for garnish
1 Tbsp chopped parsley, plus additional for garnish

* I buy these heavenly “sun-ripened tomatoes” from HEB. They’re dry enough that I can grab one out of the package and eat it straight; a happy medium between the dehydrated tomatoes and the ones packed in liquid.
** I had a big Costco can opened for another project; if not, I would have just used a 14.5 oz can.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain (reserving 1/2 cup pasta water) and place in a large bowl.

Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large sauce pan until hot. Liberally salt and pepper the sides of the chicken and place in the pan to sear. Flip when the chicken gets nice and browned, 3-4 minutes each side. Remove chicken from the pan and set aside.

Add remaining olive oil and butter to pan. Add onions and red pepper flakes to pan and cook until the onions are translucent, stirring to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Add garlic and cook for another minute.

Slice the chicken breasts into strips. Add chicken, artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, and crushed tomatoes to the pan. Stir and cook for 8-10 minutes. Reduce heat to low and stir in cream and chicken broth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook until heated through, and then remove from heat.

Pour sauce over the top of the pasta. Toss with the Parmesan, basil, and parsley until coated. Add a couple of splashes of pasta water - or if you forget to reserve it, some chicken broth - if you need to thin the sauce a bit.

Yields: 6 main servings (for us)
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks

We’ve always gotten along really well. We like a lot of the same things and have been able to take interest in the other’s hobbies. He won’t bake but he’ll whip up a mean meat sauce for pasta. He’ll also sit at the island and taste a goodie from dough/batter to finished product.

I’ll hang out while he kills zombies and watch him direct his minions to run around and hunt for treasure. And I’ll pick up a controller to help him get passed a really tough level.

That doesn’t meant that we always agree on everything, though. Peyton or Tom? Locatelli’s or Candelari’s? Barolo or shiraz? Astros or Braves? Windows or Linux? White or wheat? That’s one thing we definitely don’t agree on: sandwich bread.

He’s a white bread kind of guy. But not just any white bread will do (sorry, Sunbeam). It has to be chewy and firm, not soft. And salty, not sweet. His favorite sandwich bread is the ciabatta recipe from Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook.

It’s a good ciabatta, definitely my favorite recipe for ciabatta. But when it comes to sandwich bread…

I’m a wheat bread kind of girl. But not any wheat bread will do (sorry, Nature’s Own). It has to be soft, not chewy or firm. And preferably sweeter than nutty or salty. My favorite sandwich bread is the Buttermilk Oatmeal bread recipe from The Macrina Bakery and Cafe Cookbook.

Oatmeal Buttermilk Bread
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup boiling water
1/4 cup water
2 tsp + 2 Tbsp agave (divided)
2 tsp yeast
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (extra light)
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp salt

Set aside 1/4 cup rolled oats. Place the remaining oats into a medium bowl. Cover with boiling water. Mix with spoon and let sit uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Whisk 1 tsp agave with 1/4 cup of warm water in the bowl of your stand mixer and sprinkle yeast on top. Let rest for 5 minutes. Add soaked oats, buttermilk, oil, 2 Tbsp agave, both flours, and salt. With hook attachment, mix on low speed to combine, then increase speed to medium and mix for about 10 minutes. Dough will be wet and cling to hook, but have a satiny finish.

Place dough in an oiled bowl and over with plastic wrap. Proof in a warm area for 1 hour, the dough will almost double in size.

Place dough onto a floured surface and flatten it with your hands, releasing excess air bubbles. Form dough into a 12 x 6-inch rectangle and position it so that a long side is facing you. Fold the 2 short ends onto the top so they meet in the middle. Starting with the closest end, roll dough away from you into a log. Let loaf rest on its seam for a few minutes.

Transfer loaf to an oiled 10-inch loaf pan, pressing dough into the corners. Mix remaining agave with 1/2 tsp very hot water. Brush over the top of the loaf and sprinkle with the remaining oats. Let sit for 35-45 minutes, until loaf rises just over the top of the pan.

While loaf is proofing, preheat oven to 385. Bake for 1 hour and allow to cool completely before cutting.

Adapted from the Macrina Bakery and Cafe Cookbook, as seen onCulinary Concoctions by Peabody.

Originally uploaded by Confections of a Foodie Bride.

It’s fall! [Insert girly squeal here]

I know, I know. Your calendar says differently. But allow me to present to you my evidence:

It’s slightly less hot than it was last month.

It’s football season!

I’ve had wicked cravings for butternut squash and sweet potato [fill in the blank] for the last two weeks.

I’ve been over summer since the first heart-stopping electric bill came in.

See?

You might have noticed that things have been rather quiet around here. And if you haven’t noticed, let me tell you: things have been rather quiet around here. Most of the things we own have just had their two-month protective cover of drywall dust removed and the top of my kitchen island is no longer being used as temporary tool storage.

I’ve recently shaken the whole first trimester “food is gross” feeling. After living off of Campbell’s soup, Townhouse crackers, and Chick-fil-A, I’ve actually started cooking again. And just in time for fall! (I haven’t even looked at comments/email yet… sorry.)

I’m certain that I’m not the only one with fall-food cravings. The canned pumpkin shelf at Kroger looked liked it was hit by a tornado - or at least pre-hurricane shoppers. I scavenged for a couple of cans and left positively giddy. Have I mentioned how excited I am about it being fall?

A lil’ ol update: Y’all. Let’s talk about those leftovers. Whip up your favorite french toast batter and put the rest of that loaf to bed! I used AB’s recipe, subbing maple syrup for the honey and adding 1/2 tsp vanilla and 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon. [Swoon] The pecans lost some of their crunch so they didn’t add anything special to the french toast - I might leave those out next time.

Pecan-Pumpkin Bread with Cinnamon-Honey Butter
3/4 cups chopped pecans
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 stick + 1 Tbsp butter, melted and slightly cooled
2 large eggs, at room temp
7.5 oz canned pumpkin (1/2 of a 15oz can)
1 5/8 cup (210 g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 heaping tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 heaping tsp all-spice
1/2 heaping tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 cup milk
Cinnamon-Honey Butter (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350. Spread pecans out on a baking sheet and toast 5-7 minutes. Let cool. Prepare a 9- or 10-inch loaf pan (baking spray, butter + flour, etc).

Add remaining ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix at low speed until just combined. Fold in pecans and pour batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes (check with skewer after one hour) or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the bread comes out clean.

Cool in pan for 10 minutes, remove from the pan, and cool completely on a baking rack. Serve warmed with whipped honey-cinnamon butter. Wrap leftovers (riiiiight) tightly.

Yields: 1 9- or 10-inch loaf
Source: Southern Living, October 2002

Cinnamon-Honey Butter
2 sticks butter, at room temp
2 Tbsp honey
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Place softened butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Mix on medium speed and add honey, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Mix for 1-2 minutes more. Turn softened butter out onto parchment paper or plastic wrap, roll into a log, and refrigerate until firm.

Source: Food Network

Originally uploaded by Confections of a Foodie Bride.