Food - Springish Two
April brought Easter favorites, a second chance for leftovers and the discovery of a new series of cookbooks found at the library.
Easter Sugar Cookies
I’ve been making this recipe for decades and still love cutting out seasonal shapes for the current holiday. I’ve lost my bunny cookie cutter but did have these cutie egg and carrot ones.
recipe
1 cup butter (2 sticks) softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla or almond extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
Beat butter at medium speed with electric mixer 2 minutes or until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating well. Add egg and vanilla or almond, beating well. Gradually add flour and salt, beating until blended. Divide dough in half, cover and chill for one hour. Roll each portion of dough to about 1/4 inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut with cookie cutters and place on lightly greased baking sheets (I use parchment paper). Bake at 350 degrees for 8 -10 minutes or until edges of cookies are lightly browned. Cool cookies one minute on baking sheets, remove to wire racks to cool completely.
From Southern Living’s “Incredible Cookies” cookbook
buttercream frosting
It’s hard to beat this simple, delicious frosting for cookies. I love to mix food colorings in to create fun shades of frosting.
recipe
1 stick butter, softened
about three cups powdered sugar
about three tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla or almond extract
food coloring of your choice
Use a mixer to cream butter until smooth. Add the other ingredients and beat on high until smooth. I usually separate the frosting into individual bowls to add the food colorings. I find one drop is enough per bowl of frosting, depending on how dark you want the color to be.
I love to share these with people. This year, I sent some in with David to give to his co-workers. We kept a few, too. ;)
What to do with leftover ham?
This year, we hosted Easter lunch, which included a ham, of course. Here are a couple of ideas for how to use the leftover ham for other meals over the following days.
ham tetrazzini
The first time I had this dish was when we had our second daughter. The woman from whom we bought our house brought this yummy dinner to us to enjoy after coming home from the hospital. It’s such a “comfort food” meal that’s great to just pop in the microwave the next day for a quick lunch or dinner.
This recipe is from my tried and true “The Southern Living Cookbook” we received as a wedding present in 1990.
I used angel hair pasta for the pasta layer but you could probably use any kind of pasta you have in the pantry.
recipe
1 (7 oz) package of pasta
1/2 lb fresh sliced mushrooms (or as much or little as you like or you can omit them)
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
2 cups half-and-half
1/2 tsp salt & 1/4 tsp pepper & 1/8 tsp garlic powder
3/4 grated parmesan, divided
2 cups diced cooked ham
Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside. Saute mushrooms & onion in butter in large skillet until tender. Add flour, stirring until smooth. Cook one minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add milk and half-and-half, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Stir in seasonings and 1/2 cup parmesan. Spoon half of pasta into lightly greased 12x8 baking dish. Pour one-third of sauce over pasta and sprinkle with ham. Repeat layers, ending with sauce over last layer. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 parmesan over casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
ham & pasta soup
I came up with this recipe on my own. I based it on a potato soup recipe I’ve made over the years. I simply used ingredients I had and it turned out quite good!
recipe
Saute some onions and garlic in olive oil or butter until tender, add cooked and drained pasta (any kind), ham, salt & pepper. Add some chicken stock and milk. Top with chives, any kind of cheese, basil and croutons (I made these croutons from the ends of a loaf of challah bread)
For the croutons, simply cut bread into chunks, toss with olive oil, melted butter, any herb you like, garlic and salt & pepper in a bowl. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread croutons out on the pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about five minutes and check them. They’re done when they’re slightly browned. Watch them, they'll burn quickly.
I’m calling this section “things don’t always go to plan”.
So, it being Eastertide, I really wanted to make a carrot cake. I’ve made maybe one carrot cake in my lifetime but I figured I had a recipe and how hard could it be? I had to laugh when I took this castastrophe out of the oven. I do believe it’s the worst thing I’ve ever made (and that includes the fish tacos, gone wrong, and remains a family joke). I kind of had a feeling when I saw the batter it didn't look quite right and sure enough, it soooo didn’t. But, I REALLY wanted carrot cake, so I chose a different recipe and started over. Perseverance pays off. ( I won’t mention the cookbook where I found this recipe. It wasn’t by any particular person, just a compilation of recipes by different unnamed people.)
it’s ok…go ahead and gasp and laugh…I did!
carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting
Success! Much better and worth the time and ingredients it took to make something yummy (and edible!).
This recipe came from the above-mentioned “The Southern Living Cookbook”, as well.
recipe
3 cups grated carrots
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
4 eggs beaten
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
Combine first seven ingredients; stir in eggs, oil, and vanilla, mixing well. Pour batter into paper lined muffin pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from pans and let cool on wire racks.
This definitely satisfied my craving for carrot cake and I was able to share some of these little cakes with my mother-in-law during a visit to her house.
Lesson learned: recipes don’t always go to plan but it’s not a tragedy. If there’s time and enough ingredients, it’s worth trying again. And as a baker, you kind of know when something doesn’t look right, even before you bake it. Not every recipe is created equal.
cream cheese frosting recipe
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 (16 oz) package powdered sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla or almond extract
Combine cream cheese & butter, beating until smooth. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy.
what to do with leftover rotisserie chicken?
I spread a little marscapone cheese, fig jam, miracle whip, dijon mustard, arugula and dill on a small slice of store-bought challah bread. It was delish!
sometimes, you just want a sandwich
To honor Cinco de Mayo this year, I made these quick and simple toppings for tacos.
salsa
I truly just throw in tomatoes, onion, garlic, jalapeños, cilantro, lime juice, red pepper, salt & pepper and either honey or sugar into a food processor and blend it all together.
guac
I mash avocado with a potato masher and add lime juice, onion, cilantro, garlic, salt & pepper.
lime crema
Simply add lime juice and lime zest to sour cream.
steak taco
I bought one New York Strip steak and asked David to grill it for us. I sliced it into thin pieces for both of us. I crisped up the corn tortilla in a skillet and topped it with the steak, black beans, guac, Colby jack cheese, lettuce, arugula, salsa and the lime crema.
When it’s your favorite veg….
creamy cheese corn
Corn is my favorite veg and this is one way to enjoy its deliciousness. I cut fresh corn off the cob and sautéed it in a skillet with butter and onion until tender. I reduced the heat and added some cream cheese and heavy cream, salt & pepper. Let the cheese melt until creamy and serve. It’s also even more amazing topped with a little basil and parmesan. I know, it’s not the healthiest way to eat corn, but now and then, it’s worth the splurge! It’s great as a side or base for an entree.
potato corn chowder
This is typically what I make when I don’t know what to make. If I have potatoes and corn, this soup is a “go-to”. I had baby potatoes, which I simply cut into halves, and cooked them with some onion, corn, red pepper, and garlic in butter in a skillet. When they seemed tender, I added some chicken stock and brought it to a boil. I let it simmer for a few minutes, then whisked in a little flour and milk to thicken it. I added some herbs (rosemary and thyme work well) and topped with cheddar. It’s a fairly quick, comforting dinner, even in the warmer months, especially when corn is at its best.