Cute Little Appetizers for Baby Showers

It seems that many of my friends are having a baby these days, as is the Clarendon Cook, whose bun will be finished baking come mid-June. :)  That has given us ladies ample opportunity to host baby showers, which in many ways are much more fun than wedding showers given all the "oohs" and "aahs" from the guests as the moms-to-be open cute little baby clothes, cute little books and various cute little things that will ensure the baby becomes successful at an early age.  But even more fun is being a hostess for one of these events (for me at least) because it's a great opportunity to make cute little appetizers and desserts which I may not normally get to make.

A few of us from my church hosted an afternoon baby shower for our friend Carrie on Valentine's Day.  We opted for appetizers and desserts because it was Valentine's Day, after all, and we figured that most people would want to eat light because of dinner plans with their Valentines that evening.  I'm including some of those recipes below (be sure to scroll all the way down the page).  While I can't promise that these recipes will make the baby smart and successful (though that's certainly possible), it appears that they may have the power to coerce the baby to make his or her appearance sooner rather than later. It was only two days after Carrie's shower that her cute little baby daughter, Helena, came into the world (though only a few weeks early).  I suspect it was all the sugar that enticed her...

Rich Chocolate Cupcakes

(Courtesy of the Good Housekeeping Step-by-Step Cookbook)

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 1/3 cups milk
2 t. vanilla
2 cups sugar
1 cup margarine or butter, softened
4 large eggs
fluffy white frosting (I used store-bought.)
red and blue food coloring (or whatever color you want the icing to be)

Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line thirty-six 2 1/2-inch muffin pan cups with fluted paper liners.

In medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.  In measuring cup, mix milk and vanilla.

In large bowl, with mixer at low speed, beat sugar and margarine until blended.  Increase speed to high; beat about 2 minutes, until creamy.  Reduce speed to medium-low; add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Alternately add flour mixture and milk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; beat until batter is smooth, occasionally scraping bowl with rubber spatula.

Pour batter into prepared cups, filling each cup about three-fourths full.  (Bake only as many cupcakes as 1 rack in center of oven can hold.)  Bake 25 minutes, or until toothpick in centers comes out almost clean.  Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes.  Remove from pans; cool completely on racks.  Repeat with remaining batter.

Once cupcakes are cooled, you can ice them.  Since I used store-bought white icing, I added a few drops of red food coloring to the icing until I got the desired shade of pink, and the same with the blue food coloring until I got the blue shade of icing that I wanted.  Keep in mind that it doesn't take much food coloring, so add a few drops and then stir, adding more if you need them.

To ice them, I used two different decorating bags with tips and layered the icing on...feel free to be creative with the type of tip you use...that's part of the fun of decorating cupcakes!  I made half pink and the other half blue.  I also found some clear food glitter and sprinkled them on these cupcakes as well to give them an extra sparkle.

Cucumber Dill Tartlets

(Courtesy of Kelly Oliver, adapted from Oxmoor House's Little Book of Holiday Appetizers)

I doubled this recipe in order to have enough filling:

Ingredients:
1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened (if doubling, use the whole block)
3 T. frozen minced chives (fresh works well too)
3 T. sour cream
1/2 t. dried dillweed
1/4 t. garlic salt (may need more to suit your taste)
1/8 t. ground white pepper
2 packages of frozen small phyllo dough tartlet shells (or something similar that you can fill)
1 small cucumber, thinly sliced
Fresh dillweed

Method:
Beat cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy. Stir in remaining ingredients. Spread cream cheese mixture in phyllo dough tartlet shells. Top with 1 cucumber slice and and a sprig of fresh dillweed.  Freshness note: These are better eaten closer to the time they're filled.

Stuffed Tomatoes

(Courtesy of Paula Lively, Ariel Lively's MIL)

Ingredients:

1 lb. bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled (equates to about 3/4 jar of Hormel real bacon bits)

1/2 cup finely chopped green onions

2 T. chopped fresh parsley (Ariel used cilantro for the ones pictured above.)

2 T. grated Parmesan

1/2 cup mayonnaise

24 cherry tomatoes (equates to about two mesh bags of the vine-ripened cherry tomatoes)

Method:

Remove stems from tomatoes and rinse them.  Place tomatoes stem-side down to cutting board.  Cut thin slice off top of each tomato (opposite end of stem side).  With small melon scoop or sharp grapefruit spoon, carefully hollow out tomato, leaving shell.  Invert tomatoes on paper towels to drain for several hours.

In a bowl, combine bacon, onions, parsley, Parmesan and mayonnaise.  Stir until well-blended. Refrigerate for several hours to let flavors blend, then fill the tomatoes with the bacon mixture.

Tip:  Ariel saved the tomato tops and guts into a plastic bag and froze them to use for soups, etc., that call for tomatoes.

Quick Weeknight Meal: Shrimp and Pancetta on Polenta

Always on the search for an easy, yet tasty, dinner recipe, I came across this shrimp dish that looked like it was a quick, weeknight meal.  It was.  Tried it last night, and it took me roughly 30 minutes from the beginning to when we sat down to eat.  It was refreshing too because I have been making heavier, comfort-food type meals over the last few months.  The weather has finally started to warm up (60 degrees yesterday), and it was nice to have a filling, yet lighter, meal.

Shrimp and Pancetta on Polenta
(Courtesy of Ruth Cousineau, Gourmet, November 2009)
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Shrimp-and-Pancetta-on-Polenta-356050?mbid=ipapp

Ingredients:
1/2 cup instant polenta (you could also use cous-cous instead)
1/4 pound pancetta, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 t. hot red pepper flakes
3 T. olive oil, divided
1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes in their juice
1 lb. large raw shrimp, cleaned
1 T. chopped flat-leaf parsley

Method:
Make polenta according to package instructions.

Cook pancetta, garlic, and red pepper flakes in 2 T. olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring, until garlic is pale golden, 2-3 minutes.  (I used my trusty red Le Creuset Dutch oven...the pancetta creates a lot of splatter.)

Add tomatoes (with their juice) and simmer until the liquid is reduced to about 1/4 cup, 6-8 minutes.  Add shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, until shrimp are just cooked through, about 3 minutes.  Season with salt and freshly-ground pepper.

Spoon polenta into shallow bowls and top with shrimp mixture.  Drizzle with remaining 1 T. olive oil and sprinkle with parsley.

Note on the tomatoes: Upon the recommendation of my Aunt Nancy, I picked up some Muir Glen fire-roasted diced tomatoes with basil and garlic at Whole Foods for this recipe.  She raves about their tomato sauces so I thought I'd give these a try.  Since they are fire-roasted, they definitely added a really nice element to this dish, though any diced tomatoes will work here.  If you're curious about Muir Glen, here's the website: http://www.muirglen.com.

Fabulous Food Friday: Bakeshop

Let there be cake!  Cupcakes, to be specific.  I'm giving a special shout-out to my new neighbor, Bakeshop.  The cupcakes are truly amazing, though they have other sweet temptations on hand like a variety of cookies and oatmeal cream pies.  My husband Chris surprised me on Valentine's Day with two different kinds - red velvet and apple cupcakes.  The icing was so light and fluffy and the cakes were moist.  We've also tried the variety in the picture above - chocolate peanut butter, vanilla and chocolate - all were so fantastic that I will probably never need to bake again.  The cupcake craze is still in full swing and if you haven't tried this place yet, you must add it to your list.  For a leisurely afternoon in Clarendon, go to American Flatbread (see my previous review), walk a few doors down to Bakeshop for dessert, and buy a box of chocolates at Artisan Chocolates next door for the way home.  (I'll review Artisan soon but don't let that stop you from going there in the meantime.  Best chocolates around!)

It's hard to live right across the street from this place but I suppose someone has to do it.

Bakeshop
1025 N. Fillmore St., Suite G (Clarendon)
Arlington, VA  22201
(571) 970-6460
http://www.bakeshopva.com

"Too Good to Be True" Cocoa Brownies

Stuck inside?  I have been the last few days due to the crazy snow we've been getting here in DC.  It's hard to run to the grocery store, especially when they are practically out of supplies as well!  So when I had a hankering for brownies the other night, I checked my pantry and realized that I didn't have a box o' brownies on hand to bake.  So I quickly flipped through my beautiful Good Housekeeping cookbook and came across a recipe for Cocoa Brownies, and amazingly, I had just enough ingredients!  Turns out these were really good too.  Hope you'll try them too, whether you're snowed in or sitting in sunshine.

Oh, and if you're wondering why there isn't a picture, they just didn't last that long!

Cocoa Brownies
(Courtesy of The Good Housekeeping Step-by-Step Cookbook)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup margarine or butter
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 t. vanilla
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/4 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (4 ounces), optional

Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease 9"x9" pan (metal or glass).  In a 3-quart saucepan, melt margarine over medium heat.  Remove from heat; stir in sugar.  With a wooden spoon, stir in eggs, one at a time, and vanilla until well blended.

In a medium bowl, combine flour and next three ingredients; stir flour mixture into saucepan until blended.  If using, stir in walnuts.

Spread the batter evenly in pan.  Bake for 25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool in pan on wire rack.

Fabulous Food Friday: American Flatbread

The snow is falling and everyone in the DC area is hunkered down, bracing for the anticipated 20-30 inches.  Everyone has gone to the store, leaving shelves empty.  Except me.  Stores were too crowded last night!

I could bake a lot of sweets but I don't have too much "real" food at my fingertips.  If you're like me, or if you find yourself needing to get outside, here's one of my favorite neighborhood places - American Flatbread - that you should try.  Besides that it's directly across the street from where I live (how convenient!), it has amazing flatbread (a.k.a. pizza).  They use organic ingredients, and bake their flatbread in a "primitive wood-fired earthen oven."  It's a cozy place.  My favorite flatbread so far is their pepperoni and peppers, but the others are good too.  Stop in this weekend (since they will be open) or when the snow melts - you won't be disappointed!

American Flatbread (Clarendon)
1025 N. Fillmore St.
Arlington, VA  22201
(703) 243-9465
www.americanflatbread.com

A Sweet Treat...Peppermint Caramels

Happy February 1st!  Now we're even closer to the Super Bowl, Valentine's Day, and President's Day (a day off!).  If you're looking for a sweet treat this month for parties or for your Valentine, you should try this recipe.

I've never ventured into making candy before, although I have been thinking about it for a few months.  In preparation, I bought my first candy thermometer.  This recipe, versions of which are common in Sweden, was really easy.  The caramel turned out to be fairly soft and chewy, and the peppermint added a wonderful surprising flavor.  I made these recently for my husband Chris' birthday party, and they were enjoyed.

Polkagriskola (Peppermint Caramels)
(Courtesy of Saveur, December 2009)

Ingredients:
4 oz. hard peppermint candies
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1 cup superfine sugar
6 T. golden syrup or dark corn syrup
3 T. honey
7 T. unsalted butter

Method:
Put peppermint candies into a plastic bag and crush them coarsely with the flat side of a meat mallet.  Using a large sieve, sift candy pieces, discarding powder; set candy pieces aside.

Line the bottom of an 8"x8" baking pan with parchment paper; grease parchment paper with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

Heat cream, sugar, syrup, and honey in a 6"-diameter 2 qt. saucepan over medium heat; stir until sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes.  Bring to a boil and attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pan; cook, without stirring, until the mixture reaches 250 degrees F, about 45 minutes.  Remove pan from the heat and add butter.  Using a wooden spoon, stir until smooth, about 3 minutes.

Pour sugar mixture onto prepared baking pan and sprinkle evenly with peppermint candy pieces, pressing them lightly into toffee with the back of the spatula.  Let cool completely; cut into (roughly) 64 squares to serve.

Lovely Lentil Soup

It's been a busy few weeks filled with lots of traveling, and I'm happy to be able to return home to do some of my own cooking.  January's wintry weather has really gotten me craving soup, and I found a great recipe for Lentil Soup.  I've been trying to figure out ways to use lentils, and this is a pretty good place to start.  This recipe uses real bacon to flavor the soup, and I laughed at myself as I bought a package because I realized that I had never bought real bacon before!  I've always bought turkey bacon.  Let's just say that I'm definitely a fan of real bacon.  On to the recipe...

Lentil Soup
(Courtesy of Everyday Food/Martha Stewart Living)

Ingredients:
3 strips bacon (3 ounces), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large onion, chopped
3 medium carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch half moons
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 T. tomato paste
1 1/2 cups lentils, picked over and rinsed
1/2 t. dried thyme
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken broth (3 1/2 cups)
1 T. red-wine vinegar
Course salt and fresh ground pepper

Method:

In a Dutch oven (or other 5-quart pot with a tight-fitting lid), cook the bacon over medium-low heat until browned and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Pour off all but 1 T. of the fat.

Add the onion and carrots; cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato paste, and cook for 1 minute.

Add the lentils, thyme, broth and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer. Cover; cook until the lentils are tender, 30 to 45 minutes. If the soup becomes too thick during cooking, add up to 1 cup more water.

Stir in the vinegar, 1 1/2 t. salt and 1//4 t. pepper.  Serve soup immediately.