i was making chocolate cupcakes and had a huge amount of batter leftover, so i grabbed my springform pan to make a cake with the extra. we're currently drying chili peppers in the kitchen, and as i was mixing the batter into the pan i thought about my favorite cold weather drink, mexican hot chocolate, and decided to try making it in cake form.

it was a good decision.


you will need:

2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. chili powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt

1 cup boiling water

boiled sugar frosting instructions at bottom of this page
1 tsp. dried chili pepper, separated from any seeds

heat oven to 350º F. stir together dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix in milk, vegetable oil, vanilla, and eggs. once thoroughly mixed, stir in 1 cup boiling water. the batter will be very thin and runny. pour into a cake pan and bake for 30-40 minutes. frost with boiled sugar frosting and garnish with cinnamon and dried chili peppers.

chocolate strawberry shortcake cupcakes

whenever i have a weekday off i bake all day. today i made chocolate strawberry shortcake cupcakes, among a few other things (including mexican chocolate cake, but i'll save that for another post!)

for the cupcakes:

1 cup sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup hershey's cocoa
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
 1/2 cup boiling water, reserved

1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tbsp. powdered sugar

preheat oven to 350º F. combine the sugar, flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a large mixing bowl. stir in the egg, milk, and oil and mix well. once mixed, add the boiling water and mix again. the batter will be very runny. pour into a cupcake tin lined with paper cups 3/4 full and bake 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean from the center.

once cooled, cut the top from the cupcake and set aside.

mix the whipping cream and powdered sugar in a cold bowl (you can set in the freezer beforehand) until stiff peaks form. spoon a dollop on the top of each cupcake, add a few sliced strawberries, add the cupcake top, and then another spoonful of whipped cream and a small strawberry to top it off.

how to make apple butter

the air is finally getting crisp and all i can think about is making everything that i can with apples, pumpkins, and squash. homemade apple butter was first on the list. to make apple butter, all you really need to do is slow cook (homemade or store bought) applesauce and add a little something to sweeten it up.

to make applesauce you will need:
10-12 sweet apples, like red delicious, pink lady, mcintosh, gala, or fuji
1/4 cup water
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. nutmeg

peel and dice the apples into 1" squares and add apples and water into a large pot with a lid. cook until the apples are soft and easily mashed with a fork. add spices.

you can jar everything just like this for applesauce or you can pull out a slow cooker/crock pot and an immersion blender or sieve to make apple butter.

pour the applesauce into the crock pot set on medium and blend until it is smooth and add the following:
1/3 cup maple syrup (NOT pancake syrup - which is basically a jug of high fructose corn syrup and flavoring)
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. nutmeg
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. cloves
2 tsp. vanilla

the apple butter needs to cook down to about 2/3-1/2 of its original volume, this took about 5-8 hours. you can either keep the temperature high and keep an eye on it, or keep it low and walk away.

after a few hours, the apple butter will be ready to can!

homemade refrigerator pickles

last week i had a huge haul of cucumbers from our garden, so i made pickles, chilled cucumber dill soup, and cucumber lemonade

there are several different ways to make pickles - through canning, fermenting, or through refrigeration. i wanted to use the biggest mason jars i have, but my largest pot isn't big enough to use in a canning process (you want about an inch of water above the jar lid when canning) so i tried out a new process - refrigerator pickling.

when using this method the pickles must be stored in the fridge at all times, so if you want to make several jars and store them at room temperature, you need to can the pickles the old-fashioned way (i.e. using a traditional canning process).

it's also really important to note that you can pickle most vegetables - don't feel limited to cucumbers. i've had the most amazing cherry tomato pickles from patrick's dad, and seen wonderful recipes for pickled zucchini and summer squash, peppers, beets, and cauliflower.

to make refrigerator pickles you will need:
several cucumbers - you want small green cucumbers, with a warty, bumpy surface. once they turn white and yellow and have a smooth surface, they have over-ripened and have too much water and too many adult seeds to make good pickles. make sure you remove the blossom end if using fresh cucumbers.

to make brine use the proportions 8:1 water to salt. so for one gallon (8 pints) water you add 1 pint salt. put whole cucumbers into a large container and fill with brine. make sure the cucumbers are completely covered and don't disturb them for at least 24 hours.

for pickle seasoning:
2 cups white 5% vinegar
2 cups sugar
1 cup sliced onions
4 whole garlic cloves
1/2 cup fresh dill
1/4 cup whole dried chili peppers
1 tsp. salt (kosher, if available)
1 tsp. mustard seeds
1 tsp. celery seeds
1 tsp. black pepper (whole or ground)

either place whole cucumbers in jar or slice into quarters and place into jar. add whole stalks of dill into the jar.

pour vinegar to a non-metal pan and bring to a boil. slowly add sugar and stir until dissolved. add onions, garlic, chili peppers, salt, pepper, mustard seed, and celery seed and bring to a boil. pour the vinegar mixture over the pickles in the jar and fill within 1/2" of top. cover with lid and seal by hand. allow jar to cool to room temperature and place in the fridge.

this recipe does not require canning and so must be kept in the fridge. wait 1-2 weeks for best flavor. pickles should keep for about 2 months in the fridge.

fresh vegetable frittata

this week we had an overabundance of veggies in the house - some friends of friends were on vacation and we took their csa harvest for the week, not to mention every time we visit patrick's parents his dad sends us home with tons of goodies from his garden.

you will need:
a cast iron or oven safe (no rubber handles) skillet or baking dish
4-5 eggs (for a medium sized frittata)
1/2 cup cheese
diced vegetables (i used potatoes, onions, tomatoes, green bell peppers, chili peppers, and garlic)
salt, pepper, spices

if using potatoes, you need to cook them first before adding the eggs and other veggies. if omitting potatoes, you can simply add all of the ingredients together at the same time.

preheat oven to 350º. put a little oil in the bottom of your skillet and cook the potatoes until they're soft enough to easily stick a fork in. transfer potatoes to a large mixing bowl and add diced vegetables, spices, eggs, and cheese. pour back into the skillet and place into the oven for 20-30 minutes. slice and serve.

homemade blueberry jam with mint and quick no-rise bread

i had leftover mint from making mint cucumber lemonade and a small basket of blueberries so i decided to make jam to use up both ingredients. it was a great decision - the mint really adds a little zing to the blueberries, which aren't really tart on their own.

you will need:
blueberries
pectin
sugar
lemon juice (optional)
mint

several small spoons for testing (set in the freezer to chill)

the amount of sugar and pectin you use depends on both the amount of blueberries and the brand of the pectin. most pectin will have instructions detailing the correct amounts for both ingredients. in my case, i used about 2 cups of blueberries, 1 tbsp. ball© brand pectin, 1 or 2 cups of sugar, and about a cup of fresh mint, still on the stalks. follow these basic instructions here on how to make jam.

after i'd made the jam, i was pretty upset to find out that i didn't really have anything to eat it on! i thought about making bread, but i was too impatient to wait a few hours for it to rise so i surfed the internet and found a few recipes for no-rise bread. with a few tweaks, it turned out pretty great - the crust wasn't as hard as i'd like from a fresh loaf and there weren't as many air pockets but all in all it's a pretty great recipe if you're in a pinch and need a quick base for bread, pizza dough, or cinnamon buns. it takes about 30 minutes to bake and has no rise time.


you will need:
2 cups white flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cup warm water
3 tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tbsp. yeast
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder


preheat oven to 350º. add the yeast, sugar and water into a mixing bowl and stir well. let sit for five minutes when mixture should be foamy. add remaining ingredients and mix. bake for 20-30 minutes or until the crust has started to brown.

nut and grain whole wheat pancakes with walnuts and mulberries

it's taken a few weeks of trips to amass the glass jars that i've moved all of my dry storage into. i really love glass jars for storage - they look really beautiful and they keep everything fresh and away from pests. it's also a good way for me to keep a rotating assortment of nuts and grains in the house. all of the different ingredients looked so great together in my kitchen, i thought they might be even better in one recipe. so i whipped up nut and grain whole wheat pancakes for breakfast, and topped them off with walnuts and some of my homemade mulberry jam and syrup.

for about 12 medium sized pancakes you will need:
1 1/2 cup oatmeal
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup white flour
1/2 cup + 1/4 cup walnuts, shelled
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cup buttermilk*
1/4 cup vegetable oil

*i never have buttermilk lying around the house, but it's very simple to make your own substitute for a recipe. just put the correct amount of milk into a measuring cup or bowl and add one tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar for each cup of milk. let the milk sit for five minutes, and then use as instructed by your recipe.

put the oatmeal into a food processor or blender and grind until it has the consistency of whole wheat flour (see image below). similarly grind down the 1/2 cup of walnuts to a similar fine grain. mix the oatmeal, ground walnuts, and remaining dry ingredients in a large bowl. add buttermilk, oil, and egg and mix until smooth.

cook pancakes on an oiled skillet until browned. sprinkle with walnuts and serve with fruit or maple syrup (or both)!

grind oatmeal until it has the consistency of whole wheat flour

spicy southwestern quiche with (vegetarian) sausage and spinach

i made this quiche to bring over to patrick's parent's house for dinner. i've noticed both making this recipe and another recipe of mini-quiches with vegetarian sausage that even picky meat-lovers will come back for seconds!

i use field roast brand vegetarian sausage - it's made with wheat gluten so it has a fantastic consistency and it crumbles well to use as a substitute for chorizo or sausage. i've found that other brands aren't flavored as well and end up tasting fairly rubbery and bland, even when they're doused in spices. for this recipe i used the mexican chipotle, but i've tried and liked all of their veggie sausage.

for this recipe you need:
a 9" pie crust, either frozen or made from scratch
2 field roast mexican chipotle vegetarian sausages, crumbled
1/2 cup minced onion
1/2 cup diced bell pepper
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups fresh spinach
4 eggs
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 tbsp. + 1 tsp. dried or fresh sliced chili pepper

preheat oven to 350º. fill the bottom of the pie crust with the crumbled sausage. in a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs with the cream and cheese. mix in the salt and pepper. heat a skillet with oil and sauté the onion, bell pepper, garlic, and the 1 tbsp. chili peppers, then add to mixing bowl. rinse the spinach and sauté in a pan with a very small amount of oil, and add them to the mixing bowl as well.

once all of the ingredients are well mixed together, pour the egg mixture over the sausage crumbles and sprinkle the remaining chili pepper over the center. bake the quiche for 30-45 minutes until the center is firm.

mint cucumber lemonade

i had already filled a 1/2 gallon jar with pickles and made chilled cucumber dill soup when i started running out of ideas to use up my haul of cucumbers. luckily, patrick and i picked up a large glass jug when we were down in chincoteague and it was the perfect container for making cucumber lemonade.

to make awesome lemonade the most important part is to boil the sugar and water into simple syrup so the sugar doesn't sink to the bottom. i generally use the proportions 2:2:1 for water, lemon juice, and sugar, respectively, but you could add more sugar if you have a sweet tooth. we cut up one big cucumber and threw some mint leaves in before letting it chill in the fridge. perfect summer pick me up.

summer lasagna

we've been having a heat wave in philly and it's getting hard to eat anything but freeze pops and smoothies. so the other night i made summer lasagna - it's a refreshing dish that a friend showed me how to make that involves cooking only the pasta and layering everything on the plate. it isn't baked, and the tomato sauce is spooned on at room temperature. i used spinach on mine - when i first made it we layered the pasta with grilled zucchini and summer squash.

(for 2) you will need:
2-3 sheets of lasagna per person, broken in half
veggies for grilling (zucchini, squash, peppers) or sautéing (spinach, swiss chard)
2 cups tomato sauce, chilled or at room temperature
2 cups fresh ricotta cheese
1 cup mozzarella, shredded

break the lasagna in half and boil until cooked. drain and set aside. on each plate, alternate layers of pasta with tomato sauce and mozzarella, and ricotta and vegetables.

breakfast nachos

i love any way of trying to rationalize eating cheese, sour cream, and guacamole in one meal. i'm a master of the burrito, quesadillas, and mexican lasagna. my latest endeavor is breakfast nachos, because they combine my two favorite things - nachos and dippy eggs. i've also been using my mortar and pestle to make fresh stone ground guacamole to top it off.

what you need:
2-3 cups of tortilla chips
1 cup shredded cheese
1 cup black beans (and/or any other beans or rice)
1 onion, chopped (reserve 1/4 for salsa)
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped (and/or habaneros)
1 tomato, chopped
2 eggs for each plate

sour cream
guacamole
salt and pepper

top the tortillas with cheese and toast in the oven while you're frying the onion, peppers, and beans. layer plates first with tortillas, then the onions, peppers, and beans, then salsa. cook two eggs over easy and place on top of nachos. top with sour cream and guacamole.

broiled portabella burgers with garlic aioli and fresh cut fries

patrick and i went shopping at the farmer's market at greensgrow farm a few days ago and picked up some big portabellas, a candyhead onion, and butterhead lettuce. the portabellas looked so good that i knew i had to make burgers with them. portabella burgers are a fantastic veggie substitute - they're so juicy and meaty and have a really refreshing texture from veggie burgers. i also have an old french fry cutter i found when cleaning out my parent's kitchen before i moved back - it worked great and i went through four potatoes in a matter of minutes. i baked my fries at 450ºF for 30-45 minutes.

for two burgers you will need:
2 portabella mushrooms
4 leaves of lettuce, rinsed
1 onion, sliced
1 tomato, sliced
2 slices of cheese (daiya if you're vegan)
2 good rolls or buns

for the garlic aioli:
1 garlic clove, pressed or finely minced
1 tbsp mayonnaise or veganaise

first you need to wash the mushrooms. don't run mushrooms under water - they absorb it and become too mushy. instead, gently wipe off the top of the cap with a damp towel to get rid of any excess dirt. flip the mushroom onto its cap and gently scrape off the gills with a knife - the gills will absorb too much of any oil or vinegar you use, and will blacken the mushrooms as they cook. slice off the stem and rub both sides of the mushroom with oil.

broil the mushrooms at 450ºF for 20 minutes or grill them for 5-7 on each side. toast the buns and spread each side with the garlic aioli before assembling your burgers with the lettuce, tomato, onion, and cheese.

also, instead of ketchup for the fries we used banana sauce - it's an asian condiment that resembles tomato ketchup, but is slightly sweeter. you can get it at most asian grocery stores, and i actually like it better than the regular heinz 57.

strawberry apple crumble

i decided to make a crumble the other day. i'm trying to get better at using the ingredients i have on hand instead of having to buy them for a specific recipe, and crisps and crumbles are perfect for just about any fruit combination. i had strawberries and apples lying around so that's what i used. my favorite combination is mangoes and blueberries, but i'd also really like to try mulberries and rhubarb or blackberries, raspberries, and tart green apples.

what you need:
4-6 cups of whatever fruit you'll be using (in my case, 2 cup strawberries and 3 apples)
1/2 cup sugar
3 tbsp. lemon/lime juice

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup rolled oats (and/or granola, wheat germ, nuts)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup melted butter (or earth balance for vegans)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

preheat oven to 350°F. slice the fruit,mix in the sugar and lemon/lime juice, and spread into a glass baking dish. mix up the remaining dry ingredients and butter, and then sprinkle evenly over the top of the fruit. bake for 30-40 minutes.

i didn't take any finished product pictures - we ate the whole thing as soon as it was out of the oven!

a hobbity birthday cake

i'm a big LOTR nerd, and i've been planning on making a cake like this for a while. i've always imagined it as what the cake at bilbo's eleventy-first birthday probably looked like. i finally had the LASIK procedure so i was trying to take it easy without straining my eyes on books or tv and computer screens, and my birthday is coming up in a few days, so baking a three layer cake seemed like a pretty good way to occupy myself.

the mushrooms are made of meringue and chocolate, and are traditionally used for a buche de noel, but they're so cute and realistic that i'm probably going to start putting them on EVERYTHING. the cake is so perfectly chocolate - it's not too filling or too rich, it's just perfect. and i used a boiled sugar recipe for the frosting. for this recipe (mushrooms, cake, and frosting) you're going to need a lot of eggs, between 6-8. so it's a good recipe for a day when everyone brings home eggs from the grocery store and you have like three cartons in the fridge.

for the meringue mushrooms (20-30):
1/2 cup egg whites
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup sugar

1 tbsp. cocoa powder
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

toothpicks
a pastry bag with a large round tip
baking sheets, either greased or covered in parchment paper

heat oven to 225º F. pour egg whites into a wide bowl and whisk (with a mixer or by hand) until foamy. add cream of tartar, salt, and vanilla, and whip until the mixture forms soft peaks. slowly add the sugar until stiff peaks begin to form. put the meringue in the bag and squeeze rounded shapes for the "caps" and taller, thinner peaks for the "stems" onto the baking sheets. don't worry about perfection - they'll look more realistic if they're all a little different. bake in the oven for 1-1/2 hours, until the meringue is dry and lifts easily from the pans.

melt chocolate chips in a double boiler. using a toothpick, hollow out small holes in the center of each cap. "paint" on the melted chocolate in the hole, and around the bottom of the caps to form the "gills". press the tips of the stems into the hollows and set aside (far from the stove and oven) for the chocolate to solidify. if you have an empty egg carton, you can use it to hold the mushrooms upside down while they dry. once dried, sprinkle the tops of the mushrooms with cocoa powder "dirt".

you can keep these in an airtight container for several days. don't add them to your cake/frosting until right before serving, or the meringue will get spongy.

for the chocolate cake:
1 3/4 cup flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup cocoa
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt

1 cup boiling water

preheat the oven to 350º F. Combine all of the dry ingredients, the mix in the eggs, milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla. Once smooth, mix in the boiling water - the batter will be thin. Pour into two 9" pans and bake for 30-35, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside cakes to cool and cut before frosting.

for the frosting:
4 egg whites
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1/8 tsp. salt


it's important to note that boiled frosting is very temperamental. if it's a wet or humid day, it doesn't tend to set up right, and it's better to make a simple buttercream frosting instead.

combine the water, sugar, salt, and cream of tartar in a saucepan and bring to a boil until it is clear. remove from heat and allow the mixture to set. beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks, and then slowly add the sugar mixture down the side of the bowl, taking care not to mix the sugar directly with the beaters (better to mix the egg white around the sugar to incorporate it). add the vanilla and beat the frosting until it forms stiff peaks.