Chili-Corn Muffins

When I made Midwestern Enchiladas, I knew I wanted to make cornbread alongside it.  As I was flipping through Baking: From My Home to Yours, I noticed two corn muffin recipes that sounded terrific, so I combined the main recipe from one with the spices from the other!  I'd actually add more spices if I made these again - both the chili powder and the black pepper could be quite a bit stronger in flavor (maybe as much as twice as much of each).  In any case, these muffins were moist and delicious, and I loved the addition of actual corn to them - definitely makes them extra tasty!  They were also excellent the next morning, split in half, toasted, and spread with butter.

Chili-Corn Muffins (adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours)
Makes one dozen muffins

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal
6 T sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp chili powder (or more if you want the muffins spicier)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 cup buttermilk
3 T butter, melted and slightly cooled
3 T vegetable oil
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 cup frozen corn

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a muffin tin with papers.
2. Whisk together the flour, cornmeal,  sugar, baking powder, chili powder, salt, baking soda, and pepper in a large bowl and set aside.
3. Combine the buttermilk, butter, oil, egg, and yolk in a liquid measuring cup and whisk well to combine.  Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together with a rubber spatula, being careful not to over mix.
4. Add the corn and gently stir in until just combined.
5. Divide batter among 12 muffin cups and bake for 15-18 minutes, until the muffins are nicely browned on top and a tester comes out clean.

Midwestern Enchiladas

I don't know how I've never managed to post this recipe before, because it is one of my absolute favorite recipes of my mom's.  It may not be (at all) authentic, but it definitely tastes like home to me -- and it's been approved by non-Midwesterners as well as being totally delicious!  This is sort of a not-so-spicy enchilada casserole, and you should feel free to change it up however you like - make it vegetarian by leaving out the chicken (as we usually do), use refried beans if you prefer, and substitute any veggie you like for the zucchini (we usually use spinach, sauteed or frozen and then squeezed dry).  If you do change up the veggie, just make sure to remove as much liquid as possible if it's a water-y veggie to avoid soggy enchiladas.  I could imagine using roasted sweet potatoes, bell peppers, or summer squash as well, though I haven't tried it.  All of the amounts listed here are guidelines - you can vary the amount of the various filling ingredients according to your taste and to the size of tortillas you use.  In any case, this is very satisfying comfort food that will put a smile on your face!  Creamed corn or cornbread makes an excellent side dish.

Midwestern Enchiladas
Makes 1 9x13 pan, serving 4ish (more if you're not so hungry)

1 (15 ounce) can black beans
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano
3/4 pound chicken (breasts or thighs)
Salt and pepper
Canola oil
1 (29 ounce) can tomato sauce (unseasoned)
10 corn tortillas, warmed in microwave until softened
1 jar medium-spicy salsa (your favorite flavor, but nothing too fancy)
1 small zucchini, grated (or, 4 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry)
4 ounces grated mozzarella cheese
4 ounces grated cheddar cheese
Sour cream, to serve
1 avocado, cut into chunks, to serve

1. Drain and rinse the beans.  Place in a small bowl and add the cumin and oregano.  Mash lightly with a fork to incorporate the spices into the beans.
2. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.  Heat some oil in a skillet over medium heat, and saute the chicken until cooked through.  Let cool slightly, and then chop into small pieces.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
4. Spoon a little tomato sauce into the bottom of a 9x13 pan to cover it in a thin coat of sauce.  Then, start building the enchiladas.  With a corn tortilla in one hand, use the other hand to put in the filling - a little bit each of tomato sauce, salsa, beans, chicken, zucchini, and mozzarella cheese.  Then, roll the tortilla up tightly and place into the pan.  You should be able to fit 8 tortillas side-by-side along one long side of the pan, with the remaining two facing the other way to fill in the gap along the other long side of the pan.
5. Smother the enchiladas with most of the remaining tomato sauce - you may have a bit extra.  Top with a generous amount of salsa, and spread everything around with a spoon so that no part of the enchiladas is uncovered.  Top with grated cheddar cheese.
6. Bake until the sauce is bubbling vigorously and the cheese is melted.  Let sit out of the oven for about 5 minutes before serving.  Serve with sour cream and chunks of avocado.

Chocolate Chunk-Orange Muffins

I woke up this morning absolutely in the mood for muffins, and I found this super easy and relatively healthy recipe online.  It was a particularly good choice since I have tons of oranges around the house!  Although the original recipe claimed that one orange would be enough, I ended up using 2 medium oranges and one really big tangerine to get enough juice.  


These muffins have a delicate texture despite using half whole wheat flour - as is often the case, my secret weapon is white whole wheat flour, which works perfectly in this recipe since you don't want to develop the gluten much anyway (and whole wheat flour is lower in gluten).  The orange zest and juice add a terrific flavor and aroma, and the bursts of chocolate throughout the muffins make them feel a little bit decadent.  Although I think chocolate and orange make the perfect flavor pairing, you could definitely change up the mix-ins here - the original recipe called for cranberries and walnuts, and I could also see filling each cupcake with a bit of stewed rhubarb or strawberry jam. 

Chocolate Chunk-Orange Muffins (adapted from Cooking Light, via Serious Eats)
Makes one dozen muffins

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 cup sugar
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 T orange zest (from about 3 oranges)
3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (from about 3 oranges)
1/4 cup canola oil
1 egg
3/4 cup coarsely chopped bittersweet chocolate

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a muffin tin with paper wrappers.
2. Whisk together the flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl.
3. Combine the orange zest, orange juice, oil, and egg in a liquid measuring cup and whisk to combine.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and fold together with a rubber spatula until just combined.  Add the chocolate and gently fold into the batter.
5. Divide the batter among the muffin cups and bake until a tester comes out clean, about 15 minutes.  Serve warm.

Zucchini-Sweet Potato Quick Bread

I had a surplus of both zucchini and sweet potatoes, and so I decided this quick bread was just the thing to bake!  It's definitely one of the best quick breads I've ever made - moist, just sweet enough, and a bit caramelized around the edges with bursts of yummy golden raisins throughout.  It's also perfectly spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and a little kick of cardamom - one of my favorite spices.  Don't be afraid to let this get dark around the edges - it won't taste burned at all, but rather sweet and caramel-y!  This is definitely not the healthiest treat - despite the whole wheat flour and two types of veggies, it has quite a lot of oil and sugar.  You could substitute applesauce for some of the oil and cut the sugar if you like, but I think this bread is pretty perfect just as it is!

Zucchini-Sweet Potato Quick Bread (adapted from Joy the Baker, original recipe here)
Makes 2 loaves

1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1-1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 T cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cardamom
1-1/2 tsp baking soda
1/ tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1-1/2 cups white sugar
1-1/2 cups packed brown sugar
4 eggs
1 egg white
1 cup canola oil
2 T butter, melted and cooled slightly
1-1/2 tsp vanilla
2-1/4 cups shredded zucchini
2-1/4 cups peeled and shredded sweet potatoes
1 cup golden raisins

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and oil two loaf pans.
2. Whisk together the flours, spices, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. Beat together the sugars, eggs, egg white, oil, butter, and vanilla. Add the zucchini and sweet potatoes and stir together with a rubber spatula. Add the raisins and stir to combine.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold together with a rubber spatula until just combined.
4. Divide the batter among the two loaf pans. Place the pans on a cookie sheet large enough to hold them, and then bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.

Scalloped Potatoes with Fontina, Gruyere, and Cheddar

I made these scalloped potatoes for Easter dinner this year, and they were a huge hit.  The 2030 group from my church (so-named because the members of the group are in their 20s and 30s) had a potluck for all the folks without family in the area.  It was a great gathering with some seriously delicious food - roasted asparagus, ham, Ceasar salad, falafels, fruit salad, biscuits, cheese and crackers, mimosas, green bean casserole, scalloped potatoes, chocolate cake, mini cupcakes, and probably more things that I'm forgetting!  Definitely a feast fit for Easter! 

These potatoes were a great addition to the meal.  They're definitely on the rich side, and so they're perfect for a holiday meal.  I loved the combination of the three cheeses - the Gruyere especially added a really interesting dimension to the dish.  The layer of extra flavors - fennel, smoked paprika, and parsley - in the middle of the potatoes also really added something special,  They made this recipe different from your usual scalloped potatoes, without adding much extra work (the fennel can be prepared while the potatoes are simmering).  This is definitely a recipe to pull out your food processor for.  Grate the potatoes and fennel first, followed by all the cheeses - your fingers will thank you, especially if you're making a double recipe as I did (yep, that was 5 pounds of potatoes)!

Scalloped Potatoes with Fontina, Gruyere, and Cheddar (adapted from Fine Cooking)
Serves 8

2-1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/8-inch thick rounds
1-1/4 cups lower-salt chicken broth
1-1/4 cups half-and-half
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 T butter
1 large fennel bulb, halved, cored, and thinly sliced
3 ounces grated Fontina
2 ounces grated aged Gruyere (not smoked)
3 ounces grated sharp Cheddar, divided
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
2 T chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup panko

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Butter or oil a 3-quart gratin dish or 9x13 baking dish.
2. Combine the potatoes, broth, half-and-half, 1/2 tsp salt, and several grinds of pepper in a large skillet.  Simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally and gently with a rubber spatula, until the potatoes are barely tender when pierced with a skewer, 8-12 minutes. 
3. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium skillet and saute the fennel until tender and browned.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Transfer half the potatoes into the gratin dish with a slotted spoon.  Layer on the fennel, Fontina, Gruyere, and 1 ounce of the Cheddar.  Sprinkle on the smoked paprika and parsley.  Top with the remaining potato mixture, and pour over any remaining liquid from the skillet.
5. Sprinkle the potatoes with the remaining 2 ounces Cheddar cheese, followed by the panko.  Bake until bubbly and browned, and until the potatoes are completely tender, about 30 minutes.  Let the gratin sit for at least 10 minutes (and up to 30 minutes) before serving.

Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by OXO.

Puppy Crackers

A couple of weekends ago, my boyfriend's housemate had a birthday and decided to hold a Clue party!  It was really fun - we all dressed up as different characters and solved the murder of Mr. Body.  Tim and I were the Greens, who were being blackmailed by Mr. Body for making "organic" doggy biscuits that actually had puppies in them! (The puppies had been poisoned by our new "non-toxic" solar panels.)  Tim had the brilliant idea to make dog-shaped crackers to serve with Cowgirl Creamery's St. Pat cheese (to go along with our "green" theme).  They were a huge hit - really cute and yummy.  The crackers came together very easily in the food processor, and rolled out easily as well.  They were flaky and perfect with cheese.  And the murderer...?  It was Colonel Mustard!

Puppy Crackers (adapted from Cupcake Project, original recipe here)
We made two half-recipes in a mini-food processor, or you can make the full recipe as printed below in a full-sized food processor.  Yield depends on the size of cutter you use and how many times you re-roll the dough.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 T baking powder
1 T sugar
1/2 tsp salt
6 T cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 T canola or vegetable oil
2/3 cup cold water

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in the food processor and pulse to combine.
2. Add the butter a few small pieces at a time, and pulse to combine.
3. Add the oil and pulse to combine.
4. Add the water just a bit at a time, pulsing to combine after each addition.  Once the dough starts to form a ball, stop adding water - you will probably not use all of it.  (If your food processor has a feeder tube that allows you to drip in water a bit at a time, this works well.)
5. Roll out the dough as thinly as possible - working in batches as necessary.  Use cookie cutters to cut into crackers.  Transfer to foil-lined baking sheets with a spatula, and prick with a fork or skewer.
6. Bake until the crackers just begin to brown - approximately ten minutes, but will vary depending on the size of the crackers you make and how thin you're able to get them.

Miss Scarlett, Professor Plum, Colonel and First Lieutenant Mustard, Mrs. White, Mr. Body, Yvette the Maid, the Greens, and the Peacocks

Photos from France!

Sorry I've been MIA this past week - I'm finishing up a big draft with my co-author (another grad student in my department) and have been crazy busy, which means my cooking has been more on the order of pb&j and mac&cheese than anything more interesting!  In the meantime, I wanted to share some photos from my trip to Taize a few weeks ago, as promised.

Our trip started out with a long plane flight and then about 24 hours in Paris! I've been to Paris before, but only when I was in high school and so this was definitely really exciting for me!  We visited Sacre Coeur and Notre Dame, and also just did some sightseeing and window shopping...and I managed to eat two different kinds of crepes!

 Sacre Coeur

Beautiful Rose Window in Notre Dame

We then took a boat tour of the Seine to see all the sights from the water, and then ended the evening at a beautiful (but freezing cold) Vivaldi concert at San Chapelle.  The music was amazing!  I was definitely wiped out enough to sleep very well, and then next day we took the train up to Taize.

These are the bell towers that greet you when you arrive.  They ring before each of the services (morning, noon, and evening) to call everyone to prayer.  The prayer itself is in a gorgeous church...I didn't get great photos of it, but my friend Wendy got some great shots one day when it was empty, between services:

Our days started early (for me!) with common prayer (which mostly consisted of singing, with a short Bible reading and 10 minutes of silence) at 8:20 am.  Then we had breakfast, which was often bread, butter, and chocolate!  All of the drinks were "powdered" - powdered coffee, strange sweetened powdered tea, and dry milk.  By the end of the week, though, I'd figure out how to make a pretty awesome mocha with powdered coffee and powdered cocoa!

After breakfast, we met with our Bible discussion groups to discuss assigned passages, put together skits for the other groups, and just generally talk about our spiritual experiences and aspirations.  Here's my group on our last day:

After discussion groups, we had noon-time prayer and then ate lunch together.  There was some free time in the afternoon, followed by group work.  Everyone had different tasks to help the community, like taping ripped songbooks, cleaning the bathrooms, etc. I was really happy to be with a group that worked outside every day, doing physical tasks around Taize to get everything ready for the Easter season.  (While there were around 200-400 people while I was there, that number gets into the thousands during Easter.) 

This is "Cadole", where the outside workers met every day to get their assignments.

 I spent most of my time helping to wire tents like this one for electricity.  I also helped build floors, power washed a giant canvas tent cover, and moved fences.

After work, we had more free time before dinner and evening prayer. At that point, I was usually way too wiped out to do anything but read a little and go to sleep, but one night my friends and I went on a star hike to look up at the sky.  It was absolutely incredible how many stars you could see, being so far away from cities and light pollution.

At various points in the week, we also had the chance to visit some nearby towns.  One of my favorite side trips was to Cluny, where the largest church in Europe once stood.  It was mostly destroyed during the French Revolution, but it's amazing to see what still stands and the ruins and imagine how amazing it must once have been!

We also had some fantastic pastries in Cluny!  The food at Taize was a bit bland, so we were really excited to try some fancy French sweets.  There was one patisserie in particular that we all fell in love with, and we ended up going back three times!

We had to leave in the middle of the night to get a mini-bus back to Paris, where we flew to Philadelphia and then (finally) San Francisco - a really long trip back, but totally worth it!  It was an amazing experience and I'm so grateful for the other wonderful folks on the trip and supporters in the church who made this happen.  I'll leave you with the lyrics of one of my very favorite Taize hymns (which you can listen to here), the words of which have really been a touchstone for me since returning:

God is forgiveness

Dare to forgive and God is with you

God is forgiveness

Love and do not fear