How (Not) To Zest A Lime

Whenever I was in San Salvador a few weeks ago, I bought a postcard with a Bahamian rum cake recipe. I don't like drinking rum but I needed to buy an even number for the price. Whenever I was waiting at the airport in Nassau, I had samples of rum cake. The original version was alright; I could definitely taste the rum, but I did like it. Then I tried the key lime version. It was amazing! The rum was an undertone flavor because the lime really took over. This made me a little more excited to try my rum cake recipe.



Back in August, I bought a bottle of Puerto Rico golden rum for a Tuesdays With Dorie challenge. It sat in my room for about six months, so I gave it to my best friend. She ended up never drinking it, so we decided to use that rum. The recipe actually calls for dark rum, and after doing some research, dark rum really does matter in the flavor, but I went with the golden rum anyway.

I stopped at the store to buy a lime, and while I was driving to my friend's house, I thought, I hope she has a grater. Yea, she should. Most kitchens have one. Yea, MOST kitchens. Not all. We dug through her cabinets but no grater. Now how do I zest my lime? Her boyfriend suggested a fork. Didn't work, so I went for the vegetable peeler. Ahem.



Ok so we have big chunks of lime. Now what? Let's use the food processor! Oh wait, it won't turn on. How about the blender?


The motor is running, but the blades aren't turning!


Fine, we'll just use a knife (her pretty nails, not mine)


FAIL!

We really shouldn't be baking together. We can't zest a lime, assemble a cake, read directions, or bake giant snickerdoodles. Better yet, I blame her kitchen. It always goes wrong in her kitchen haha

As for the recipe, it was written for a regular-sized bundt pan. I bought two baby ones at Wal Mart, so I somehow scaled it down (successfully too!). There was way too much lime in ours, but that's because it was chunky and I forgot to scale down the lime when I scaled down the recipe. Whoops. Next time, I want to buy a small bottle of dark rum and see if there is a difference. I may throw in coconut at some point.

I will write both recipes in case you can't read the postcard above. We didn't make the glaze because the cakes were fine without it.

Bahama Rum Cake



Regular Bundt Cake:
1/2 cup chopped walnuts/pecans
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
Zest and juice from one lime
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup dark rum
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup raisins
--
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark rum
1/2 tsp vanilla

Mini Bundt Cakes:
2 Tbsp chopped walnuts/pecans
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
Zest and juice of 1/4 lime
1/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp milk
2 Tbsp dark rum
1/4 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp raisins
--
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp dark rum
1/8 tsp vanilla

1. Cake: Preheat oven to 325F. Grease bundt pan(s). Line the base with nuts.

2. Cream butter and sugar together. Beat in eggs and add lime. Mix in flour, baking powder, and milk. Add rum, vanilla, and raisins. Pour mixture into pan(s) and bake 1 hour for large cake and 20-30 minutes for mini cakes. Cake(s) are done with a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes then remove from pan(s).

3. Glaze: Melt butter in saucepan. Add water and sugar. Boil and stir 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat; add rum and vanilla. Pierce cake and brush glaze over top and sides. Repeat. Steep cake in pan.

Makes: 1 large cake or 2 mini cakes

Source: San Salvador postcard

Tuesdays With Dorie - French Chocolate Brownies

I followed the rules for once! For Tuesdays with Dorie, I made the chosen recipe - French Chocolate Brownies. What is so French about them? Nothing special except Dorie created the recipe in Paris. I was tempted to go buy rum (I still have yet to buy anything from the liquor store since I turned 21), but my mom hates rum and wouldn't eat the brownies. I decided since she is going in for (minor) surgery today, I would make them so she would like them.

You can definitely taste the cinnamon, even though it is only 1/8 tsp. It gave the brownies a different taste. Raisins were also a nice addition, but if you hate raisins, sub another dried fruit. I didn't have any bittersweet chocolate, so I used semi-sweet. The brownies took an extra ten minutes to bake than what Dorie suggested. The top is crumbly when you try to cut them, which I didn't like too much. They were good, and I would make these again.

I didn't put the 8x8 pan on a baking sheet and I melted the chocolate in the microwave. No problems there, so do whatever is easier for you.


French Chocolate Brownies




1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup raisins
1 1/2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 tablespoons dark rum (optional)
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
12 tablespoons butter, at room temperature and cut into 12 pieces
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sugar

1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 300°F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil, butter the foil, place the pan on a baking sheet, and set aside.

2. Whisk together the flour, salt and cinnamon, if you're using it.

3. Put the raisins in a small saucepan with the water, bring to a boil over medium heat and cook until the water almost evaporates. Add the rum, let it warm for about 30 seconds, turn off the heat, stand back and ignite the rum. Allow the flames to die down, and set the raisins aside until needed.

4. Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Slowly and gently melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally. Remove the bowl from the saucepan and add the butter, stirring so that it melts. It's important that the chocolate and butter not get very hot. However, if the butter is not melting, you can put the bowl back over the still-hot water for a minute. If you've got a couple of little bits of unmelted butter, leave them—it's better to have a few bits than to overheat the whole. Set the chocolate aside for the moment.

5. Working with a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until they are thick and pale, about 2 minutes. Lower the mixer speed and pour in the chocolate-butter, mixing only until it is incorporated—you'll have a thick, creamy batter. Add the dry ingredients and mix at low speed for about 30 seconds—the dry ingredients won't be completely incorporated and that's fine. Finish folding in the dry ingredients by hand with a rubber spatula, then fold in the raisins along with any liquid remaining in the pan.

6. Scrape the batter into the pan and bake 50 to 60 minutes, or until the top is dry and crackled and a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and allow the brownies to cool to warm or room temperature.

7. Carefully lift the brownies out of the pan, using the foil edges as handles, and transfer to a cutting board. With a long-bladed knife, cut the brownies into 16 squares, each roughly 2 inches on a side, taking care not to cut through the foil.

Source: Baking: From My Home To Yours, 2006 p.92

Bread Machine - More Than Just Bread

I made white bread again on Monday. I was gone all morning and early afternoon, so by the time I got home, it was close to dinnertime. My mom wanted bread, but there was no way it would be done in time for dinner. She said that was fine. We could eat it after dinner. Well, that was a bad idea because my dad made his Italian potato salad (made with oil and vinegar rather than mayonnaise - amazing!),so we all filled up on that. The loaf of bread was only half-eaten. Since fresh bread goes stale the next day, I decided to try something on my list: #53 bread pudding.

The first time I had bread pudding was in Ireland. About once a month, I stayed over my friend's house in Dublin. Her and her family were amazing to me. When her mom found out I never had bread pudding, she made some for me. It was the only the best bread pudding I've had. Now, this bread pudding probably doesn't compare to hers since this is my first time, but it was still delicious. I was a little skeptical to pair it with the lemon sauce the recipe called for, but surprisingly, they went well together. The lemon sauce made a lot, so below is the adjusted version (which still makes a lot). You can serve the leftover sauce on ice cream or cake. Maybe even pancakes or waffles.

Classic Raisin Bread Pudding



4 cups firm white bread, cubed
1 cup raisins
2 cups milk
2 Tbsp butter
2 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Lemon Sauce
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp cornstarch or 2 Tbsp flour
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp butter

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a one-quart baking dish. Combine bread and raisins; place in baking dish.

2. Heat milk and butter in a saucepan until butter has melted (do not boil). In a bowl, combine eggs, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add milk mixture to egg mixture, stirring constantly. Pour over bread mixture; let stand 5 minutes. Bake uncovered for 50-60 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

3. For sauce: combine sugar and cornstarch/flour in saucepan. Stir in water, zest, and juice. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in butter until combined. Serve immediately on top of bread pudding.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Source: Gooseberry Patch Family Favorite Recipes with Sun-Maid Raisins and Dried Fruit, 2005 p.24

You can get a free copy of the Gooseberry Patch book from the Sun Maid website.

When Mother Nature Gives You Snow, Bake Bread

All this cold weather makes me crave warm, comforting foods. Lately I've been craving a quick bread of some sort. I didn't have enough bananas, so banana bread was out. I really didn't want applesauce bread nor did I want to shred carrots for carrot bread. I was looking through Quick Bread Winners from Betty Crocker that Anj had given me when I found Glazed Cinnamon Breakfast Loaf. I didn't want any glaze, but the loaf alone sounded good. Plus it uses basic ingredients. Well, almost basic. It calls for buttermilk baking mix (aka Bisquick), but you can make your own. I honestly think you don't need the extra sugar and calories from the glaze, but I'll attach the recipe for those who have a really sweet tooth. It calls for raisins, but feel free to use nuts. I was going to use walnuts, but I forgot.


Cinnamon Breakfast Loaf



3 cups buttermilk baking mix
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins or nuts

Glaze (optional)
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp butter
3/4 tsp vanilla
2-3 tsp hot water

1. Heat oven to 350F. Grease a 9x5x3 loaf pan.

2. Beat baking mix, sugar, flour, egg, and milk on low speed of mixer 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes. Stir in raisins/nuts. In a separate bowl, mix brown sugar and cinnamon. Pour 1/3 of the batter (2/3 cup) into pan. Sprinkle layer with 3 Tbsp cinnamon mixture. Repeat 2 more times.

3. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan. Cool completely before drizzling with glaze.

4. Glaze: Beat sugar, butter, vanilla, and water until smooth consistency. Drizzle on bread when cool.

Source: Quick Bread Winners from Betty Crocker, 1985 p.61

Is it Friday yet??

One week from today, I'll be in my nice, warm bed cuddled with a nice, warm furball. Actually, he sleeps in odd places, so he'll probably be on the floor while I'm on my bed. That's right - the end of fall semester is near. Every year it's the same - I have a crapload of work due BEFORE finals week, and finals week is relaxation (except for my chem final). Why comm. majors do it backwards? Beats me. All I know is my ten-page research paper on minority representation in prime time programming is done. I'll get my grade back Thursday *cough* I'm hoping for a B+. And that's pretty damn good, considering what we are doing in one class is what grad students do throughout grad school. Thank goodness I have no plans for grad school.

Anyway, I've been too busy writing my paper to do anything in the kitchen. However, I do have another recipe to post from Thanksgiving break. Enjoy!!


Pumpkin Raisin Bread




1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp nutmeg, and 1/8 tsp ginger)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup pumpkin
2 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.

Combine flour, spices, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Combine sugar, pumpkin, eggs, oil and water in large mixer bowl; beat until just blended. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture; stir just until moistened. Fold in raisins. Spoon batter into pan.

Bake 60-65 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Source: Very Best Baking

Thanksgiving Season is Upon Us

Only 19 hours and 45 minutes until my dad picks me for Thanksgiving break. Weeeee!! I'm excited to see my baby, although he isn't going to talk to me when he gets his annual booster shot at the vet on Wednesday.


Shh!! Murray's sleeping


I'm in such a good mood right now. I'm done with class for today, I don't have to work until next Monday, and I got a package from wonderful Anj, who generously gave me 16 cookbooks for my collection.


Thank you so much Anj!! I will let you know what I make with them!



I was bored this past Saturday afternoon, so I baked muffins. The muffins originally called for blueberries, but I hate blueberries and I didn't have any, so I subbed dried cranberries and raisins. I didn't taste the oats, so next time I would increase it to 1 cup. Enjoy!!

Oatmeal Cranberry-Raisin Muffins




1/2 cup rolled oats (may need to use 1 cup)
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup oil
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 cup blueberries, cranberries, and/or raisins
1 Tbsp sugar
1/8 tsp cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 425F. Line muffin paper with paper liners.

2. In large bowl, combine oats and water. Add flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, oil, and egg. Mix well. Stir in fruit.

3. Fill paper liners 2/3 full. Blend 1 Tbsp sugar and cinnamon together; sprinkle over batter. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Then remove from pan.

Makes 12 muffins

Source: "Muffins and Cupcakes" by Larry Rosenberg, 1986 p.16

A Giant Can of Pumpkin Goes a Long Way

When I was home for fall break, I found a 29 oz. can of pumpkin on sale for $1.50. That's a pretty good bargain for so much pumpkin. For the past two weeks I have been trying all those wonderful pumpkin recipes out there.

Before I get to the recipes, I want to thank Megan for doing the cookbook exchange with me.


Pumpkin Nut Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting




As a good friend of made said when eating this cupcake, "I'm going to marry this!" She requested a dozen of these as her Christmas present. Glad to know she's easy to shop for. I got lots of compliments on how I decorated, but the idea wasn't mine. But I guess if they don't see the original post and picture, then they'll never know. All I did was cut the recipe in half and added walnuts. I suggest if you cut the cupcake recipe in half, also cut the frosting recipe in half. I didn't and there is leftover frosting in the freezer.

Cupcakes
2 1/4 cups sifted flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup softened butter
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Frosting
4 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
2 1/4 cups confectioners sugar, sifted

1. Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt into a bowl.

2. In a second bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy; beat in eggs. Mix in the pumpkin. Stir in the dry ingredients alternately with the milk until the batter is smooth. Add in nuts.

3. Spoon batter into greased or paper-lined muffin pan cups. Bake at 375° for 25-30 minutes. Makes 24 cupcakes.

4. In a bowl, beat on medium speed the cream cheese and butter until creamy. With mixer on low speed, make 1/2 cup additions of sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Increase the speed of your mixer between each addition.

Source: Cupcakes: Bake Bake Bake; Frosting: Bake and Destroy


Pumpkin Oatmeal




Another oatmeal recipe, yay! This one is a healthier alternative when you crave pumpkin pie. The first time I made it, I had too much milk. The second time I made, I didn't have enough milk LOL Try to find a happy medium between 3/4 cup and 1/2 cup (for one bowl's worth).

1/2 cup quick oats
1/2 cup milk
1/8 cup canned pumpkin
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/16 teaspoon nutmeg
1/16 teaspoon ginger
1/8 cup brown sugar

Microwave oats and milk for 2 minutes. Stir in pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and sugar until blended.

Source: Recipe Zaar


Pasta with Pumpkin Sauce



Another "what the hell are you making?!" recipe. That's what my one roommate said with disgust when I was in the kitchen. I was being daring and decided to eat pumpkin for dinner. Don't let the pumpkin fool you because this sauce was great! I used cream cheese instead of heavy cream and left out the red bell pepper because I didn't have any.

1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup water
2 oz. cream cheese
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup uncooked pasta

1. In a skillet, saute onion and garlic in butter until softened. Stir in pumpkin, broth, water, cream cheese, and nutmeg. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.

2. While the sauce is simmering, bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta until done.

3. Add pasta to sauce and cook over moderate heat, stirring and thinning with reserved water if needed, until pasta is well coated.

Source: Recipe Zaar


Pumpkin Pudding



It tastes better than it looks, I swear!! It tastes just like pumpkin pie without the pie crust. I really wished I had Cool Whip when I was eating it. I didn't make as much as the recipe called for because I had a small box of pudding and 5 oz. evaporated milk, so I used 1 cup pumpkin. If my picture doesn't make you crave it, check out the picture on Nestle's website.

1 pkg (5 1/10 oz) vanilla instant pudding and pie filling mix
1 can (12 fl. oz) evaporated milk
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
Whipped topping (optional)

Beat pudding mix and milk according to package directions in large bowl. Refrigerate for 5 minutes. Add pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger; mix well. Spoon into dessert dishes. Refrigerate for 10 minutes or until ready to serve. Top with whipped topping, if desired.

Source: Nestle's Very Best Baking.


Pumpkin Raisin Muffins




Since I didn't have much pumpkin left, my choices were pumpkin muffins or pumpkin bread. Muffins are easier to share, plus I had Halloween paper liners I needed to use. I was debating on using white chocolate chips and raisins, and since I don't eat as healthy as I should, I went with raisins. I cut the recipe in half and used all-purpose flour entirely.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease muffin cups or line with paper cups.

2. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger in medium bowl. Combine eggs and sugar in large bowl. Add pumpkin and oil; mix well. Stir in flour mixture until moistened. Stir in morsels. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

3. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched.

Source: Nestle's Very Best Baking

Cookies That Spread

Ever have too much chocolate in the house that you wanted a healthy cookie? We have so much chocolate in the house because I came home from Ireland this past Saturday. I even had a cake. My best friend and I decided to bake oatmeal raisin cookies because they had oats, raisins, and nuts, which is healthy enough for us.


Oatmeal Raisin Cookies




3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3 cup uncooked quick oats
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup raisins

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease 3 cookie sheets.

2. Combine butter, both sugars, milk, egg, and vanilla; beat until light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Add to butter mixture; stir well. Add oats, raisins, and walnuts.

3. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheets (cookies will spread when baked). Bake 12-15 minutes (we baked 15-20). Let cool; remove from sheets.

Source: Gooseberry Patch Family Favorite Recipes with Sun-Maid Raisins 2005, p.22