Carrot Tea Cake

Since Louisa asked about it, here is the recipe for Carrot Tea Cake that was in the March 2009 issue of Everyday Food Magazine.

-0.5 c. unsalted butter, room temp, plus more for pan
-1.25 c. all purpose flour, plus more for pan
-1 tsp. baking powder
-0.5 tsp. baking soda
-0.5 tsp. salt
-0.5 tsp. cinnamon
-0.5 tsp. nutmeg
-0.5 c. packed dark brown sugar
-2 large eggs
-1 tsp pure vanilla extract
-1 c. packed grated carrots

1. Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour a 5 x 9 (6 cup) loaf pan. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

2. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy; beat in eggs and vanilla. Beat in carrots. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture; beat until combined. Transfer batter to prepared pan; bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 40 to 45 mins. Let cool in pan 5 mins. Turn cake out onto a wire rack and let cool completely.

They recommend making and frosting it with a cream cheese frosting. I didn't bother with that.

Everyday Food Magazine - March 2009

By now you should have long since figured out that almost everything I post about comes from Everyday Food Magazine. I heard about EDF from my friend Monica, who's a new reader of Gastrofabulous as of today! (Hi Monica!)

One of the things I look forward to at the end of each month is my new issue. As soon as it arrives, I devour it, reading every recipe and flagging all of the ones I want to try. I rarely manage to make them all in a month (almost never!), so I'm going to try posting a recap each month so you get to see other recipes

So far, I've tried to following recipes out of the March 2009 issue: -Rustic Marinara Sauce (we added sausage, peppers, onions, and mushrooms to their recipe)

-Carrot Cake (I never bothered with the cream cheese frosting they recommend)
-Cornmeal-Crusted Fish Sticks
-Whole Wheat Pasta with Chicken Sausage and Roasted Veggies


-Balsamic Rosemary Vinaigrette & Balsamic Glazed Pork Chops

Recipes I flagged but haven't gotten around to trying yet (maybe you guys will post about them!):
-Emeril's Turkey Bolognese
-Smokey Beef Tacos
-Avocado-Red Onion Relish
-Corn and Tomato Salsa
-Fudgy Skillet Brownies
-Pear Tart Tartin
-Spinach Salad with Salmon
-John's Pecan Lace Cookies (didn't one of you post something similar recently? Louisa?)
-Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chunk Cookies

PS- I couldn't find the recipes that aren't hyperlinked. If you want to try one, I'll send you the recipe, just let me know!

Carrot Habanero Soup

Hello Gastrofabulous! Thanks Louisa for inviting me, I've been meaning to post for a long time and I've finally found inspiration! I absolutely love this bright orange soup because it is spicy and brings a lot of flair to any dinner as a side, or as a centerpiece for lunch. If two whole habeneros is too intimidating, you can pierce them with a fork and let them simmer with the rest of the ingredients, then fish them out before putting everything into your food processor/blender. This recipe comes from my favorite cookbook, Cowgirl Cuisine by Paula Disbrowe.

Carrot Habanero Soup
serves 8

Ingredients:
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 leek, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, diced
1 pound carrots, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp. grated fresh ginger
1-2 habanero chiles
1/4 cup white wine
6 cups chicken stock
1 medium sweet potato
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. coriander
1 tbsp. honey
1/2 tsp. salt

Garnish with sour cream/plain yogurt and cilantro leaves

1. Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add leek, onion, and carrots and saute for 7 minutes until tender. Add garlic, ginger, and habaneros and saute for an additional 2 minutes. Stir in wine, scraping up browned bits.
2. Add stock and sweet potato and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, partially cover, and simmer 30 minutes until veggies are tender. Stir in OJ, cumin, and coriander.
3. Let soup cool slightly. Place half of carrot mixture in blender and process until smooth. Pour the pureed mixture into a medium bowl or pitcher and repeat the procedure with the remaining carrot mixture. Press the puree through a large fine sieve into the pot and discard any solids that remain. Stir in the honey and salt and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Ladle into bowls and top with yogurt and cilantro.

Roasted Chicken & Asparagus

One of the tips in the March 2009 issue of EDF is to tuck some butter and herbs under the skin of chicken before roasting it for a fast dinner. I decided to try it tonight with rosemary and thyme. It was OK. Given that it's probably not that healthy and didn't result in something insanely yummy, I probably won't bother with it again. We'll see. One combo they suggest is butter with chili powder and lime zest. I might still try that one. Let me know if you do.

As a side, I made Asparagus with Creamy Mustard Sauce. Initially when I tasted the sauce on its own, I thought it was too bland, but there's something about the asparagus that blends perfectly with it.

Balsamic Pork Chops and Green Beans

Let the lesson for today's post be: Read the entire recipe before you decide to make it!

This evening, after plans for dinner with friends fell apart, I came home and contemplated what to make for dinner. For me, an opportunity like that usually involves paging through my collection of Everyday Food magazines for items I've flagged and skimming them to see if they seem like the appropriate amount of effort for the evening. I settled on Balsamic Glazed Pork Chops (from the March 2009 issue) and Green Beans with Cider Vinaigrette (from the June 2008 issue). Only after returning from the store (with the only 3 ingredients I needed to buy: pork chops, green beans, and garlic -- not bad considering I hate recipes that require me to misc, items that will sit in my pantry / fridge forever with nothing more than a pinch used), did I realize that the pork chops required an hour to marinate (I wanted to eat asap!) and the beans are actually served cold (not what I was looking for on this cold rainy night!).

I managed to improvise and still have a pretty good meal. A couple notes:

• The pork chops need to be marinated in a Balsamic Rosemary Vinaigrette (also from March 2009). I didn't bother with the blender - too many dishes to clean. I just pressed the garlic into the mixture which I combined in a cup with a spoon. Way easier.
• Since I didn't want cold beans, here's what I did: I steamed my beans with some pressed garlic on top. Meanwhile I mixed together more pressed garlic and the other ingredients. (I substituted Red Wine Vinegar for the Cider Vinegar b/c I don't need another type of vinegar in my kitchen - I have 3 already!). Once the beans were done I dumped them in a bowl and mixed them with the vinegar / mustard mixture. It worked out pretty well. I'd make them again.
  

Catching Up

In late November / early December I was cooking and taking pictures for Gastrofabulous a ton - I just never got around to downloading the pics and posting about them. So - to catch up - here's a few of the things I made:

Penne with Bacon and Green Beans
adapted from Everyday Food - June'08
(they called for Spaghetti & Pancetta - I used what I had in the apt)

Seafood Risotto

from Everyday Food - April 2008

(I couldn't find the recipe online, but if anyone wants it I'll be happy to type it up - it was really easy and yummy!)

Balsamic Skirt Steak & Polenta
from Everyday Food - March 2008

(ditto about not finding the recipe online / willing to type up for anyone)

I toot my own horn here - this was one of the "fanciest" meals I have ever made and it was EXCELLENT.

Japanese Breakfast

There's something beautiful and simple about a Japanese breakfast. Fried eggs with soft centers over rice, sprinkled with black sesame and white salt. Some vinegar cucumbers add a little bit of freshness to the morning meal.

The little boat of soy sauce allows for each person to have just the right amount on their bowl.

Eat. Enjoy!