stout brownies plus 6 savory Superbowl ideas

So the Superbowl is tomorrow. I'm a Redskins gal, so yeeaaaaahhhh... the game itself has never held that much excitement :-D For me, the Superbowl is good for exactly one thing: an opportunity to try out a new recipe! I opted for something sweet this year, but wanted to incorporate something superbowl-y. Like beer. Yup, there's beer in these here sweets: Stout Brownies.

I used double chocolate stout in these brownies, yum, and they have a deep chocolately flavor with a hint of the stout. I'm having a hard time explaining the texture, though. They don't have the crackly top or crisp edges that I love in brownies, but they do have an airy fudgy texture. Almost like a substantial, dense mousse. Like the freaky child of a cakey and fudgey brownie... they look like cake but melt like fudge. They'd benefit from chocolate chips to add textural interest, so I'll do that for tomorrow. Hopefully they'll be a nice balance to all the savory food I'll be pigging out on!

Stout Brownies
adapted from We Are Not Martha

1 C chocolate stout
2/3 C flour
1/2 C cocoa powder (I used dutch processed)
1/4 tsp salt
5 oz chocolate (I used 60%)
1 stick butter
1 C white sugar
2  large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 365. Line a 9x9 metal baking dish with foil or parchment with a 1-2" overhang.

Pour 1 C stout into a liquid measuring cup (don't count the foam!) and allow to settle. Sift together the flour, cocoa, and salt and set aside.

In a double boiler (I used a metal bowl over a small pot of simmering water, make sure the bowl doesn't touch the water!), melt the chocolate and butter until smooth. Take off heat. Beat in sugar until thoroughly combined. Allow to cool to lukewarm. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Mix in vanilla. Mix in the stout. Whisk in the dry ingredients until combined. (It will be a more liquidy batter than thick.)

Pour into prepared baking pan and bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick poked in comes out mostly clean. Allow to cool. cut into 25 (or 16) pieces. Enjoy!

AAAAANNNND.... Not in the mood for a sweet something at Superbowl? Here are 6 ideas for savory goods you can make, too: 

BACON EXPLOSION 

Shrimp and Andouille Sausage Skewers

Carne Machaca Taquitos

My absolute most favorite Guacamole and some Pico de Gallo

Turkey Chili (with lots of cheese!)

my most loved kitchen equipment

In recent months I've been on a slow but steady trek to upgrade my kitchen tools. As I get older, I want more high quality stuff that I can keep with me for I hope the rest of my life... Also, I've learned a LOT about kitchen tools recently because I have been working at a part time job at a large kitchen place**... and I'm taking advantage of that discount :-)  To give you an idea of how much stuff I've bought in attempts to "upgrade" my kitchen, I feel like I've put my entire paycheck back into them! Granted I have bought gifts for people, and I've bought some decorating food (i.e. sprinkles) for my cookies/cupcakes, but the bulk of what I've bought is equipment/tools. 

Can I tell you a secret? Some of the things I've bought I still haven't taken out of the box, lol. Don't get me wrong, I'll use them... but not all the tools are as essential as I thought they'd be (I'm looking at you, gorgeous and reportedly awesome All Clad 4qt covered saute pan). What's essential, you ask? Well, what a great time for me to discuss the tools I use the most! These are things that I use regularly, and I suspect you would too. These are things you'll want to be high quality so they last long and stand up to the use. These are things that I'd suggest for a registry if you were making one, or the things I'd recommend to give as gifts to friends starting out (or looking to upgrade). 

The things I use almost daily: 

~ 8" or 10" nonstick pan* -- perfect for eggs (I love eggs) or bacon or one piece of fish or a single serving of shrimp

~ 7" santoku* (or a similar sized chefs knife would do) -- I can cut almost everything with this
~ 3" paring knife* -- because sometimes a santoku is too much knife for slicing strawberries or other small fruit/veggies
~ medium and large saucepans -- for making hard boiled eggs or a serving of pasta
~ locking tongs -- I use it to flip bacon, but also to grab things off high shelves!

Tools that work for cooking and baking:
~ set of nested glass mixing bowls -- used to hold prepped food, tons of popcorn, and sometimes even as serving bowls for chips

~ silicone spatulas -- great for scrambling eggs or folding dry ingredients into wet

~ wooden spoons -- they won't scratch my stuff, they're sturdy, and don't retain heat so if you're stirring a simmering soup you're not going to burn your hand grabbing the handle
~ a microplane -- for shredding parmesan or zesting citrus (and I do both quite often!)
~ fine mesh strainer -- draining, rinsing, or sifting
~ bamboo cutting boards with a well to catch juice
~ loaf pan, an 8x8 glass baking dish, and a 9x13 glass baking dish 

Baking equipment I use the most:

~ my mom's hand me down Kitchenaid mixer -- no clue how old it is, but it's powerful, reliable, sturdy, and all around awesome

~ half sheet pans -- I have at LEAST 4, probably more, and whenever I bake cookies I use 3 sheets at any given time - 1 in the oven, 1 sitting out cooling with the cookies on them, and 1 cooling without cookies on them so that I have a cool pan for the next set of dough
~ parchment paper -- cookies come off the sheet WAY easier using this, and also essential for making fish en papillote
~ 1", 1.5", or 2" diameter dishers/cookie scoops -- if you haven't noticed, I make cookies a lot, and I like them to be the same size
~ thick oven mitts -- getting burned does not feel good at all
~  2 sets each of measuring cups and spoons -- I hate to wash stuff out and dry it while making one recipe, it's just faster to have 2 sets
~ 2 sets of regular and 1 set of jumbo muffin tins

Daily items that make life in the kitchen easier:
~ nylon scouring pads -- they're cheap, colorful, and are great for scrubbing without scratching
~ absorbent kitchen towels -- they can double as pot holders or trivets

Things that I'm glad I have when I need them, but don't use often:
~ meat thermometer
~ candy thermometer
~ 6qt enameled cast iron dutch oven (mine's a Staub, though Le Creuset is probably more common)
~ bundt pan, pie plate
~ kitchen scale (absolutely essential when I make macarons)
~ food processor, blender
~ straight rolling pin

So there you have it -- a relatively short list (compared to the # of items you CAN buy for a kitchen... really, who needs a banana slicer?) of my most used and loved kitchen tools. What are the things you can't live without?



* One other thing I've learned regarding your pots/pans and knives -- go to the store and hold them. They have different balances and weights. You want what feels comfortable in YOUR hands. What you feel comfortable with you'll use most. Plus it's fun to play in kitchen stores!

** It's not important where since I have no intention of getting into any sort of mess where they call me into the office one day to "discuss" something I said on the blog about them. Not that I'd ever say anything negative about them, but I just don't want to get into it, so I'm officially saying that what I write is in no way a representation of the company. Except this: I genuinely enjoy being there for the time I am there, and I'm amazed at the knowledge I've picked up since working there. It's a fantastic mental break from my normal gig behind a desk because I get to spend x amount of time talking to people about one thing I really am passionate about: food and food accessories. 

oh macarons, you finicky bastards

Remember the first time I made macarons? I totally had beginners luck! And then the second time I made them? I pretty much impressed myself with how easily I took to these bad boys. You were probably thinking, what was she blabbering on about that first time about being all nervous about making macarons? Surely they can't be THAT difficult if she got it right the first time around... Sadly, my third time was NOT a charm.

Today's post will include no recipe, just pictures - THIS is why I was fretting way back when:

Where are the feet!? Why are the tops wrinkly? What are those black specks? (Oh wait, I remember now - those are tea leaves, hehe...) And how come this happened on my THIRD batch in the oven? I had to bake in 3 rounds... the 1st batch of the night came out nicely. The 2nd batch half of them rose with feet, the other half did not. The third batch? I'm still trying to wipe it from my memory.

First batch. Ooh pretty! Uniform. Smooth tops. All have distinct feet. Not as pretty as the last times, but hey I think they're acceptable... The texture of the cookie was right on.

Second batch: Um, something is amiss. Notice the cracks up top. And how the ones on the right have feet but the ones on the left do not. Some of them even had, like, half risen to create half a... foot?

And you saw the pictures of the 3rd batch. I may have just shed another tear. Those were supposed to be macarons?

I have theories as to why:
1) I didn't measure with a scale, and instead used cups and tablespoons per Tartelette's recipe via bell'alimento.
2) I didn't age the egg whites.
3) I overbeat the whites.
4) The tea made the batter too heavy so it didn't rise properly.
5) I overmixed the batter.

BUT. How come my first batch turned out fine but then they got progressively worse? I don't get it!

Ugh. That's TWO cookie FAILs this week. (I forgot I had no raisins when halfway through making oatmeal raisin cookies, and it was so late the stores weren't open, so there may or may not be a stand mixer hanging out on my counter with creamed butter/sugar and a bowl of dry ingredients hanging out next to it waiting for said raisins...) TWO! I haven't messed up a batch of cookies since those stupid choco chip cookies (and I really dont think that was ME who messed up.) This is ridiculous. OH, and to add insult to injury, I messed up my new manicure while piping that last batch of reject macarons. (And why was I piping while waiting for my nails to dry? Oh... let's not talk about that...)

Tomorrow I attempt this again. Notice I never said they tasted bad... in fact they are downright delicious! They're just not RIGHT. If they turn out well, I will post a recipe. I will probably do a happy dance too. And I really like to dance, so let's cross fingers that it works out!

Happy 2011: Hit List Time!

Warmest wishes for a healthy, prosperous, and delicious 2011! I spent New Years Eve quietly - at home watching Don't Mess With the Zohan, taking 10 minutes to watch the ball drop with Dick Clark, Ryan Seacrest, and <3 NKOTBSB <3. I was in recovery from a very spectacular, fun, and long Thursday night. Thursday was my golden birhtday = I turned 30 on the 30th! So you can see, the end of the year is a great time for me :-)

I have some recipes to post, but no pics yet. So instead, I'll do the same thing I did for last year, which is post a hit list of foods I want to conquer. No I didn't actually finish my Hit List 2010, but I got most, lol. They'll be an addendum to this new list, haha.

Hit List 2011:
1) caramel corn (completed 4-Jan-11)
2) pain au chocolat
3) zucchini bread (completed 3-July-11)
4) shrimp caprese a la Olive Garden
5) french dip sandwich au jus
6) tamales
7) baked char siu bao
8) cheese souffle thing a la Panera
9) some kind of from scratch cupcake or cake
10) shrimp and grits
11) garlic knots a la C&Os Tratorria (if you've been to Marina Del Ray, you know!)
12) thai rice pudding with mango

Bring it on!

Christmas Eve spread

Dinner for three on Christmas Eve:

> fried Halloumi cheese over sourdough crostini with orange apricot marmalade
> PASTITSIO!
> lemony haricort verts
> 2008 Kendall Jackson Reserve Chardonnay
> cookies for dessert (not pictured)

Recipes to come! Until then, Maligayang Pasko! Merry Christmas! Feliz Navidad!

homework pics

I bought my DSLR a month or two ago because I wanted to improve the quality of my food (and I guess all other) pictures. I was on full auto for a long time, but what's the point of a SLR if I'm not going to learn how to use it properly? So I signed up for an intro to photography workshop at the Washington School of Photography thanks to a groupon or living social deal. I'm glad I did because I finally get what ISO means *not* regarding to internal auditing for work, and I now know what the f-stop does. Am I a pro now? LMFAO hellz to the nizzo. But am I starting to understand basic stuff like composition better? Indeed.

So during our first class we went over that technical stuff and then 6 basic composition guidelines -- rule of thirds, filling the frame, leading lines, change of perspective/point of view, repetition, and frame within a frame. (All are easily googled for examples if you're curious.) We were supposed to bring in some examples for critique in class. I had all these grand ideas of food pics I wanted to take... closeups of pillowy cupcake frosting kissed with sprikles, filling the frame with some nifty kitchen gadgets, cookies that look so scrumptious you can't help but drool... Unfortunately, I didn't do a whole lot of baking/cooking, and also sometimes what's conceptually awesome in my head doesn't translate well in real life (or at least I haven't figured out quite how to make it translate yet). I did manage to get 2 food-related pics that I liked, and both were well-received from the instructor and the class with "This is an interesting picture" comments, lol. Actually for one of them, he asked the class what they thought, and I think they were scared. Something about being a serial killer...

Here are the 2 food pics I brought in for my homework assignment. Which composition techniques did I use for each? What do you think of them?

~~ 1 ~~

~~ 2 ~~

I've also learned a few things about my photographing skillz: 1) I need a tripod. My hands are so not steady! And 2) I take a bazillion pictures to get one good one. I'm hoping that with this class and more practice, I'll start getting better than 1 in a bazillion. I'll definitely save a lot of time if I can get it right sooner rather than later. I just gotta keep practicing. So with any luck, over time, you'll see this blog get prettier!

What's your favorite way to compose your food pictures?

A Poll

Oh hey let's be interactive today :-) I haven't baked anything in a little while, and that's just weird. So, since summer is such a great fruit time of year, I'll be heading to the farmers market on Saturday morning. Last time I went they were chock full of cherries, berries, and peaches, so I'll probably pick up one of those. The question is, what do I make with it? So... click on the link below and answer!

POLL ME

Results can be found here.

I'm not dead :-)

Nope, I was in Mexico on vacation! Cabo, specifically, and it was sunny, clear, and tasty. That's right... guacamole every day, tacos, the best ceviche of my life. Wanna see pictures? Here they are :-)

Seriously best ceviche ever! I think it was probably the chunks of avocado and definitely the little bits of mango. And right under here... Loaded steak nachos. Had this at least twice, lol.Last but not least are the fish tacos. These are particularly special because Mike and my brother actually caught the fish that morning. Tiger fish, a blondie, and I think a yellow snapper maybe. Sooo good.

vanilla: a primer

Who's got 2 thumbs and is super giddy that she received her order of vanilla today? This girl! I've mentioned before that vanilla is by far my favorite ingredient. Chocolate? Bah. In fact, most chocolate goodies taste better with vanilla in it, so there! Vanilla is king... and I may or may not have done a happy dance when I opened my box of extracts. Three vanilla extracts, to be exact. I'm guessing the average bear doesn't even know there are 3 types. Well there are: Bourbon-Madagascar, Mexican, and Tahitian.Where does vanilla come from? The short answer is: a flower. It starts with the vanilla orchid vanilla planifolia. Of the thousands of varieties of orchids out there, it is the only one that produces something edible. It's native to Mexico, but thanks to some world traveling Frenchmen, sometime in the 19th century, it made its way to the Isle of Bourbon in Madagascar. Those French folks found a way to hand pollinate the orchids, and now Madagascar is one of the biggest producers of vanilla in the world, which is why the vast majority of the vanilla you'll find in your standard grocery is Bourbon Madagscar vanilla.

Bourbon-Madagascar vanilla comes from the original Mexican vanilla v. planifolia, but since it's pollinated differently, it doesn't taste quite the same as the Mexican type. Bourbon Madagascar vanilla is Old Reliable. It has a sweet, creamy and strong flavor. It's the generic vanilla that never lets you down.

Mexican vanilla is the original V. planafolia. It grows naturally there, and is naturally pollinated by the native bees. It's produced in smaller amounts and goes by the name Mexican vanilla. This is a more mellow sweetness, smooth and strong, and then has this slight woody note to it. It's complex, more interesting than the Bourbon-Madagascar type, and thus, in my opinion, is the best (thus the extra big bottle I ordered!)

One side note about Mexican vanilla - if you do see it in Mexico, make sure it says "Pure Mexican Vanilla" and try to get it from a reputable source. I've read that some of the vanillas they sell in Mexico are mixed with the extract of the tonka bean, which can cause liver or kidney damage. The specific offender is coumarin, and it's banned by the FDA.

So that third kind... Tahitian vanilla. To be honest, I've never smelled it until today. I've read about it, which is how I know it's not the same plant as the Mexican or Bourbon vanillas. Tahitian vanilla comes from v. tahitiensis, a different strain of vanilla. It may have been a mutation, or a hybrid. Either way, it's different. Tahitian vanilla is a favorite of pastry chefs and perfume makers because, while it's not as strong in flavor as the others, it's more aromatic and floral.

So now that I've got my new extracts, guess who's going to be doing more baking! I'm so excited to experiment with the flavors and to develop my nose for them. Next time I'm going to have to get all 3 types of beans to compare!

Oh, and to be fair, there are actually more than 3 types of vanilla. These are just the 3 most popular. :-)

and a 10 in '10 challenge update

Wow where did this past week go! I think I say this more frequently as I get older, but I'll say it one more time: time FLIES. It's damn near impossible to sit back and relax lately, much less update this. But here I am anyways :)

Week 2 wrap up for 10 in '10? Well... It wasn't exactly a good week food wise. I only ate maybe 5 home made meals. Apparently I'm incapable of saying no when people buy/bring in food at work and that happend a few times this past week (now I know why people hate me when I bring in cookies all the time... speaking of which I have a hankering to bake something). And I've substituted popcorn for dinner twice this week when I went to go watch movies. Horrible week for food. BUT I did get fruit and veggies in each day, so small victories. And while I did not make fish, I did eat it. And it was good.

What I did do well during week 2, though, is hit the gym. A lot. I feel fantastic because of it, too.

So, with stout resolve I will do these things this week:
> eat 5 fruits/veggies each day
> make fish tacos

Yup, that's it.

10 in 10 challenge update

So how did week #1 of the Ten in Ten challenge go? Pretty darn well. As a refresher, I wanted to cook balanced meals that have veggies more often with my meals and cook/eat fish 3 times a month. And this week was pretty great! I went out to eat 3 times, which was planned, and every other meal I actually cooked, yay me! For that matter, 6 of the 7 days I had fruits or veggies with every single meal, go me! Oh, haven't cooked fish yet, but I've got 3 weeks left this month... it will happen!

Now it's time for week 2. Same goals: eat well balanced meals with veggies (or fruit). I will make fish sometime this week, too.

Here is one of my healthy and quick meals from this week:


Chicken Parm with Roasted Cauliflower for 1

1 C cauliflower florets
1 4oz chicken cutlet
1/2 C panko
italian seasoning (I used oregano and basil)
parmesan
little bit of spaghetti sauce or marinara (you could use fresh sliced tomatoes too)
1-2 oz shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 450. Line a baking tray with foil for easy clean up. Toss cauliflower onto 1 side of the pan and drizzle with olive oil, then salt and pepper. Put into oven for 10 min.

While cauliflower is cooking, prep chicken: Season chicken with salt and pepper. Mix some panko with several dashes italian seasoning and about 1/4 C parmesan. Coat chicken w/ panko mix. Take cauliflower out of oven (and toss) and put chicken breast on other half of pan and return to oven. Bake for 7 min, then flip sides (and toss cauliflower), then bake for another 5 min. Take cauliflower out and toss with 2 tbsp parmesan. Put 2-3 tbsp spaghetti sauce of choice on chicken and a 2 oz mozzarella and put back in oven until melted.

Eat chicken parm and cauliflower :)

Happy New Decade!

Cheers to 2010. I rang in the new year with little hoopla, just a quiet midnight with family and a full night's sleep. It was awesome.

So of course, it's resolution time. So let's skip over the general life resolutions and go right to the kitchen resolutions. Fortunately I stumbled upon RecipeGirl, who's got this nifty Ten in Ten challenge going on. My first 2 resolutions are in line with this foray into making this my healthiest year yet. 10 weeks is a solid, realistic time frame to build good habits, so here we go!
In 2010 I resolve to:

1. Cook! Specifically: cook at home more and should have a veggie!
Baking's a breeze, but cooking is a whole different thing. I usually eat cereal or a sandwich for dinner. It's rare I have a hot meal, much less a well balanced one. A big reason it's so rare is because it's hard to cook for one! But it's time to try. And if I make too much, hey I can bring it in for lunch the next day, yay. Here's the kicker: it has to include a veggie! You know we're supposed to eat, like, 5 servings of veggies a day. I need to increase my minimal consumption so my meals will include veggies :)

2. Eat fish (not seafood, fish) at least 3 times a month.
It's supposed to be good for you to eat fish 3 times a week, but baby steps here. Probably 90% of the time I ate fish last year was at a restaurant, and mostly in sushi form (mmm sushi). I always overcook it, so I left it to the professionals (or my dad, who made it the other 10% of the time). But in an effort to fulfill goal #1 and to make my wallet happier, I will make fish for dinner all by myself!
And finally, my non healthy but definitely still a foodie resolution:
3. Make a mean, knock-your-socks-off pie.
I usually opt to make the pie's easy cousin: crisps. And while failsafe pie crust dough recipes are all over the internet, I just haven't gotten around to making one. So sometime in the fall, since that seems to be pie time, I will master that crust and make some kind of yummy, have-dreams-about-it delicious, pie.

Here's to a great start to a new year :)