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| Bone, I love you... |
Monday, November 28, 2011
Friday, November 25, 2011
Turkey Day!
Started with homemade cinnamon rolls (click for recipe)...
and ended with some deserts and Wii hunting.
In between there was a lot of eating, I was too busy stuffing my face to take any pictures. But, I assure you, it was good!
and ended with some deserts and Wii hunting.
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| blackberry tart |
In between there was a lot of eating, I was too busy stuffing my face to take any pictures. But, I assure you, it was good!
Weekend Project
Last weekend I decided to tackle a little project that we have been talking about - creating a chalkboard.
First things first, fill the grooves with wood putty, dry, sand, and repeat.
After that it was a couple coats of primer, a few coats of chalkboard paint and voila, a new chalkboard! I must say, I am pleased with the end result.
What better way to test the new chalkboard then to have a turkey drawing contest?
First things first, fill the grooves with wood putty, dry, sand, and repeat.
After that it was a couple coats of primer, a few coats of chalkboard paint and voila, a new chalkboard! I must say, I am pleased with the end result.
What better way to test the new chalkboard then to have a turkey drawing contest?
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Chocolate Beet Cake
What does one do with the seeming plethora of beets from a CSA?
Unfortunately ours usually go the way of the compost heap (I am not
proud of this) But...I don't really like them. They are on par with
pork chops. I want to like them, I keep preparing them different ways
hoping maybe, just maybe this recipe will do the trick. Only to pick at
my food and realize yet again, I really don't like them.
This time when the beets showed up I decided it was time to try something different. I may not be a fan of beets, but I am a fan of chocolate. Say hello to the chocolate beet cake.
You will notice that batter, once the beets are added is quite red.
Finished product (minus the powdered sugar). I must say, it was REALLY good. The beets make the cake really moist, but the beet flavor is masked by the chocolate. Try it (recipe below), you won't be disappointed!
Chocolate Beet Cake
from John Peterson’s Farmer John’s Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Vegetables
3-4 medium beets
butter and flour for preparing the pan
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 c. mild-flavored vegetable oil
3 eggs
1¾ c. sugar
1 T. vanilla extract
1½ c. all purpose flour
½ c. whole wheat pastry flour
2 t. baking soda
¼ t. salt
powdered sugar for dusting
1) Scrub the beets with a vegetable brush and trim roots. Trim stems and save greens for some other use. (I’m not sure what other use, but I’m working on it.) Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the beets. Boil for 20-30 minutes, or until the beets are tender and the skins slip off easily. Let the beets cool a little, the slip the skins off under cold water and then purée the beets in a blender or food processor. You should have about 2 cups of beet purée.
2) Preheat your oven to 375°F. Butter and flour a Bundt pan and set it aside. (This is where I went wrong — I followed the original instructions to coat the pan with oil (!) and did not abandon ship even when I noted that the oil was pooling in the bottom of the pan rather than coating the whole interior of the pan. Use butter; it sticks.)
3) Fill a medium saucepan about halfway with water and bring the water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and set a heat-proof bowl over the simmering water. Place the chocolate and ¼ c. of the oil in the bowl and heat, stirring frequently, just until the chocolate melts.
4) Combine the eggs and sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until fluffy. Slowly beat in the remaining oil, the chocolate mixture, beets, and vanilla.
5) In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, and salt. Gently stir the flour mixture into the egg and chocolate mixture until just combined.
6) Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Carefully remove the cake from the pan and allow to cool completely before sprinkling with powdered sugar to serve.
This time when the beets showed up I decided it was time to try something different. I may not be a fan of beets, but I am a fan of chocolate. Say hello to the chocolate beet cake.
 |
Finished product (minus the powdered sugar). I must say, it was REALLY good. The beets make the cake really moist, but the beet flavor is masked by the chocolate. Try it (recipe below), you won't be disappointed!
Chocolate Beet Cake
from John Peterson’s Farmer John’s Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Vegetables
3-4 medium beets
butter and flour for preparing the pan
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 c. mild-flavored vegetable oil
3 eggs
1¾ c. sugar
1 T. vanilla extract
1½ c. all purpose flour
½ c. whole wheat pastry flour
2 t. baking soda
¼ t. salt
powdered sugar for dusting
1) Scrub the beets with a vegetable brush and trim roots. Trim stems and save greens for some other use. (I’m not sure what other use, but I’m working on it.) Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the beets. Boil for 20-30 minutes, or until the beets are tender and the skins slip off easily. Let the beets cool a little, the slip the skins off under cold water and then purée the beets in a blender or food processor. You should have about 2 cups of beet purée.
2) Preheat your oven to 375°F. Butter and flour a Bundt pan and set it aside. (This is where I went wrong — I followed the original instructions to coat the pan with oil (!) and did not abandon ship even when I noted that the oil was pooling in the bottom of the pan rather than coating the whole interior of the pan. Use butter; it sticks.)
3) Fill a medium saucepan about halfway with water and bring the water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and set a heat-proof bowl over the simmering water. Place the chocolate and ¼ c. of the oil in the bowl and heat, stirring frequently, just until the chocolate melts.
4) Combine the eggs and sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until fluffy. Slowly beat in the remaining oil, the chocolate mixture, beets, and vanilla.
5) In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, and salt. Gently stir the flour mixture into the egg and chocolate mixture until just combined.
6) Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Carefully remove the cake from the pan and allow to cool completely before sprinkling with powdered sugar to serve.
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