Popovers!

The HSHW household recently bought a KitchenAid stand mixer. You know, the classic ones that every good homemaker should own. And now we do! Shoutout to Target for having it on sale for only $199.99.

I hadn't actually used it yet -- Mr. Homewrecker has been using it to make his from-scratch chipotle mayo -- so I browsed the little cookbook that comes with the mixer and came across a recipe for popovers. For those unfamiliar, popovers are similar to Yorkshire Pudding, which like many English "pudding" dishes isn't anything like the Jell-o we're familiar with. It's bread. And it's eggy and delicious.

I love when the food actually looks like the picture in the recipe

And, as it turns out, they're a total breeze to make, especially with the stand mixer. I'll share the recipe with you all since it's a cinch. The hardest part was greasing and flouring the ramekins. A large muffin tin would work as well.

POPOVER RECIPE from KitchenAid recipe book

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tbs butter or margarine, melted
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt

Place eggs, milk, butter, flour and salt in a mixer bowl. Attach bowl and wire whip to mixer. Turn to Speed 4 and beat 15 seconds. Stop and scrape bowl. Turn to Speed 4 and beat 15 seconds more. [Now, if you don't have a KitchenAid mixer, I'm fairly confident this entire step could be done with a hand mixer or a wire whisk and a little elbow grease]

Fill 8 heavily greased and floured custard cups half full with batter. Place cups on cookie sheet. Place cookie sheet in cold oven and set heat at 450 degrees F. Bake for 15 minutes; reduce heat to 350 degrees F and bake 20 to 25 minutes longer. Remove from oven and cut slit into side of each popover. [I guess that's to deflate them? I skipped this step since mine de-poofed on their own after only a moment out of the oven] Serve immediately. Yield: 8 popovers.

Serving suggestion: I think these would go great with apricot jam. Today I had them with Anarchy in a Jar's Hot Fireman's Pear Jam with Chipotle and Cinnamon -- also a great pairing (pear-ing?)

These Cookies are My Jam

This is just a quick post to brag that I have made THE BEST COOKIES EVER. I know I made this claim once before, but this tops it.

Following Thanksgiving I had a stash of leftover hazelnuts -- which, by the way, are really expensive -- and in an effort to put them to use, I checked out this new site Gojee.com. It's not the first site to offer recipe search based on available ingredients, but it is certainly the prettiest I've seen. All the photos are huge and beautiful and made me instantly very hungry.

My search led me swiftly to this recipe for Hazelnut Rosemary Jam Cookies. And, since I had leftover rosemary in the house too, I didn't even have to get out of my pajamas to go to the store for ingredients. For the jam I used two of my mom's homemade preserves, which I always have stockpiled -- raspberry rhubarb and pear. The cookies were super easy to make and turned out perfectly. Seriously, just look at my snapshot above and compare it to Gojee. Pretty good, right? The rosemary gave them a really unique and dare I say fancy flavor. I may even whip up another batch of these to impress my in-laws at Christmas this year.

While I'm bragging, I might as well show off my pumpkin pie that I made for Thanksgiving. Joy of Cooking pie + Bobby Flay's graham cracker crust and some homemade maple whipped cream. So good!

Summer Salad

It's officially too hot to spend much time in the kitchen, and I'm so sick of turkey sandwiches every day for lunch. This antipasto salad was the perfect bring-to-work solution.

Arugula, mozzarella balls, pepperoni, olives, roasted red pepper, red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt, oregano, and orecchiette pasta. I had half the ingredients in the house already, so I splurged on fancy cheese, meat and olives at Choice Greene.

Burnt Brittle

I decided to kick off my Christmas season cookie baking by trying something new this year, which actually wasn't cookies at all -- Bacon Peanut Brittle! I found the recipe on, of all places, the Mint.com blog, a blog which has nothing to do with lamb chops or mojitos, but rather personal budgeting. Bacon peanut brittle promised to be a low cost holiday treat, and while it didn't require any fancy ingredients, it did require some close attention.

This was my first time making brittle, or any kind of homemade candy, but everything was going smoothly -- I was fascinated to watch the corn syrup bubble and the heat on the candy thermometer rise... but apparently I was a little more fascinated by the scheme unfolding at the hands of Little J, Vanessa and Juliet on Gossip Girl to dethrone Serena as queen of the UES, because the candy got a little scorched in the saucepan.

That explains why it's so much darker than the photo on MyMansBelly.com. If you're the kind of person who likes their bacon extra crispy, or their drip coffee from Starbucks, you might still like my brittle. I know I'll still eat it. But maybe I'm best off sticking to safe standards like my Christmas Balls.

Sweet & Spicy Halloween

Tried something sweet & spicy for this year's pumpkin seeds.

Caramelized Spicy Pumpkin Seeds from AllRecipes.com

I'm not sure I actually caramelized anything, but they are sweet and they are spicy and they are delicious!

Warm Weather Recipes: Lemon & Rhubarb

With the onset of warm weather here in Brooklyn, and in celebration of a kitchen finally unpacked from the move, this past week I've whipped up two refreshingly fruity treats. Finding rhubarb was a challenge though. Not typically found at grocery stores, I had to trek down to the neighborhood farmer's market -- normally not a big deal, but challenging as I recently underwent foot surgery and am only days out of wearing a surgical boot. But dammit I limped down there, and just when I thought no one had my sought after stalks, the last vendor in the row (a meat vendor, oddly) had a pile at $4 a pound. Success! On to the cooking...



LEMON SQUARES

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 4 large egg yolks
• 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
• 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 3 lemons)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan. Line bottom with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides; butter paper.
2. Make crust: Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, and salt until light and fluffy. Add flour, and mix on low just until combined. Press dough into the bottom and 1/2 inch up sides of prepared pan; prick all over with a fork. Bake until lightly golden, 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Make filling: In a large bowl, whisk together yolks, condensed milk, and lemon juice until smooth. Pour over hot crust in pan; return to oven, and bake until filling is set, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely in pan.
4. Refrigerate until filling is firm, about 2 hours or up to 3 days. Using paper overhang, lift cake onto a work surface; cut into 16 squares, and dust with confectioners sugar.

Recipe from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food

HSHW Notes: This turned out awesome, and Mr. Homewrecker was super impressed saying they were the best lemon squares he'd ever had! The crust, however, took way longer than 20 minutes to bake. Maybe 40 minutes in all. Not sure if it's the recipe or if my new oven is wimpy. Ditto for the filling -- I left it in an extra 10-15 minutes. Never got around to removing them from the pan to cut into squares. We just keep cutting pieces out of the dish and eating them immediately.

I swear I'm going to save a few for the upstairs neighbors who are letting us share their internet. Right after I eat one more...



PORK WITH RHUBARB COMPOTE AND LEMONY ORZO

Pork ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 1/2 tablespoons ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 teaspoons dried rubbed sage
• 2 teaspoons fennel seeds, ground in spice mill or in mortar with pestle
• 2 1/2 pounds pork tenderloins (about 2 large or 3 medium), trimmed of fat and sinew
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Rhubarb ingredients:

• 3 cups 1-inch pieces fresh rhubarb (from about 1 pounds)
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup water

How To:

First the rhubarb: Combine all ingredients in heavy large saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until rhubarb is very soft and begins to fall apart, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Transfer compote to medium bowl. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, about 3 hours. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover and keep chilled.) Serve cold.



Then the meat: Mix 3 tablespoons olive oil, ground black pepper, salt, dried sage, and ground fennel in small bowl. Rub oil mixture all over pork tenderloins; place in large baking dish and let stand 20 minutes.

Heat remaining 3 tablespoons oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork and cook until browned on all sides, about 6 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook until instant-read thermometer inserted into center of pork registers 150°F, turning pork occasionally, about 8 minutes longer for medium tenderloins and 10 minutes for large.

Transfer pork to cutting board; let rest 5 minutes. Cut pork crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices; arrange on platter. Sprinkle with parsley; garnish with sage sprigs. Serve with Rhubarb Compote & orzo seasoned with lemon zest and chopped parsley.

Recipes from Epicurious.

HSHW Notes: I was making the pork dish for a food swap with several lady friends, so Mr. Homewrecker advised I make thinly cut, bone-in chops instead so they wouldn't dry out before people got to eat them. I'm not sure if it really made a difference or not, but I gave it a shot. The only real change to the recipe was frying the chops for 3-4 min on each side -- which was a time saver in the end.



There's a shot of my meals ready for swapping. After trading, I came home with a spicy shrimp dish, sesame noodles with poached chicken, a lemony rice and chicken dish and a couple other great summery meals I'll be enjoying all week. Sharing rules! Best of all, the swap hostess has a beautiful roof deck where we sipped Prosecco, munched on grilled garlic scapes, fought to keep one guest's dog from flopping off the roof, and enjoyed a late spring NYC sunset.

Plus she has a box of kittens that need adopting -- come on, you know you want one:



Here's to summer time cooking, baking, grilling and to cute kittens!

Laziest Chocolate Cake EVER

I may need to try this.

Christmas Balls!

Happy Holidays everyone! I wanted to share with you my favorite Christmas cookie recipe -- Christmas Balls. Of course I can't talk about delicious Christmas balls without channeling the SNL sketch with Alec Baldwin showing off his Schweddy Balls on NPR. Trust me, bake these balls and you won't be able to wait to get them in your mouth too!

Christmas Balls

• 1 c. butter 2 t. vanilla
• 1/3 c. sugar
• 2 t. water or milk
• 2 c. sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 c. chopped pecans (chop 'em pretty small)
• thin confectioners frosting (about 3/4 c. powdered sugar + 1-2 T. milk)
• coconut or colored sugar

Cream butter and vanilla; add sugar, creaming the mixture until light and fluffy. Blend in water. Stir in flour, mixing well. Add pecans. Shape in 1" balls. Bake 1" apart on ungreased cookie sheet in 325 degree oven. Bake 20 min. or until firm to the touch. Cool before removing from pan. Frost with conf. frosting and coat with coconut or with red and green colored sugar.

I decided to bake Christmas Balls yesterday when the first blizzard of the season had me holed up indoors, relishing wearing my jammies all day. Turned out I had all the necessary ingredients for balls except for 1 cup of pecans. Rats! I tore apart the cabinet looking for some kind of nutty stand-in, and luckily I came across the remains of a stash of "Culinary Touch" nut mixes sent my way by the fine folks at Fisher Nuts. These blends, intended to "add delicious flavor to any dessert or meal" were about to do just that. Fisher's pecan, cranberry, orange blend seemed like it would work, and perhaps even improve my balls.

Whatta you know, the touch of cranberry and orange made my favorite Christmas cookies even more delicious. Didn't even think it was possible! It took me awhile to find a use for the Fishers Culinary Touch blend, and this was the perfect occasion.

Thanksgiving Dress Rehearsal

With two sets of parents coming to our tiny Brooklyn apartment for Thanksgiving, we set up the table tonight to make sure we could wedge it between the coffee table and the entertainment center. We're also stock piling the traditional provisions, as you can see above.

I'm going to try my hand at my first ever cheesecake with this Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe from Martha. Got the springform pan and everything. Wish me luck! If it fails I'm gonna feel like our rotting Halloween pumpkin here.

Pumpkin Quinoa Muffins

It's fall, and that means it's time for my favorite seasonal treats -- pumpkin treats! To kick off the baking season, I reasoned that muffins would be a healthy treat if I stuffed them full of protein-rich quinoa. Try this recipe for a healthy-ish, pumpkin-y breakfast. I found it on The Daily Green. I also made my own pumpkin pie spice and substituted vinegar+milk for buttermilk:

PUMPKIN QUINOA MUFFINS

SERVINGS
Makes 12 muffins

INGREDIENTS
1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cups quinoa, cooked and drained
2 eggs
3/4 cup unsweetened canned pumpkin
1/2 cup buttermilk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup shelled sunflower seeds or pepitas

PREPARATION
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Oil or butter a 12-cup muffin tin or line with muffin tin liners.

2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, pie 3. spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the quinoa, separating the grains with a fork to distribute evenly.

3. In another bowl, beat the eggs, then add the pumpkin, buttermilk, butter, and vanilla extract. Whisk until the mixture is smooth. Gradually stir into the dry ingredients until just incorporated.

4. Spoon the batter into muffin tins and sprinkle sunflower seeds on top of each muffin. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the muffins are browned around edges and a tester comes out clean. Let the muffins rest for 5 minutes, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool.

Popsicle Test Kitchen

With the last sweaty month of summer beating down on NYC, it was perfect weather for popsicles. Inspired by the People's Pops (pictured above) who have been selling their local ingredient-made pops at Brooklyn Flea and other neighborhood spots this summer, I set out to try my own hand at freezing up some treats.



First I went with an old standby that Mom and I used to make when I was a kid. Yogurt pops. I distributed a couple heaping spoonfuls of Stonyfield Farm's strawberry low-fat yogurt into six popsicle forms and with small chunks of fresh strawberry mixed in. Verdict? Delicious, and relatively guilt free!



My second popsicle project was a recipe I found via ReadyMade Magazine. I had some trouble making the two layers of semi sweet and super sweet coffee work with my particular popsicle forms, but it worked out in the end despite lots of sticky condensed milk and coffee squirted all over my kitchen. If I did these again, I would omit the less-sweet layer. Sure the two-toned pop looks cute, but I found myself racing through the icy and somewhat watery dark layer to get to the extra sweet bottom layer.

Try this one for yourself here: Vietnamese iced coffee pops on Cookbook Catchall



Finally I decided to see if I could replicate the delicious watermelon mint pops that People's Pop were selling at the Flea. I harvested mint from my sprawling window mint plant -- the only thriving plan in my apartment -- and set to work blending it with watermelon chunks in my food processor.



The results were pretty good, though if I did it again I would strain the blended watermelon first and then add the mint so as to omit any extra seeds or stringy bits that snuck by me.

People's Pops are still supreme, perhaps due to the sheer pleasure of enjoying them in the hot sun instead of my own kitchen. Some things are best enjoyed outside of the home.

Blueberries, Blueberries, Blueberries!

After a bountiful harvest of blueberries last weekend in the Berkshires -- FIVE pounds of hand-picked berries in fact -- I had to figure out what to do with it all.

Maybe eating pie and cake all week isn't the best way to keep my girlish figure in shape, but since blueberries are a miraculous wonderfruit antioxidant, that makes it ok, right?

Right!

BLUEBERRY STREUSEL PIE

I turned to EatingWell.com for a less-guilty pie recipe that uses extra lemon zest for sweetness and instant tapioca vs cornstarch. The results were citrusy and delicious, albeit a little soupy.



What I am most proud of, however, is my first ever homemade pie crust!


BOYFRIEND'S MOM'S BLUEBERRY CAKE

How do I win over my boyfriend's heart just a little more? By baking a kick-ass version of his mom's own cake recipe. Of course this could go badly should I not quite stack up to Mom...



Phew! Thankfully I passed with flying colors. Here's this family recipe so you too can impress your boyfriends. I also amazed my intern Pete, who after two months in NYC away from home was probably really thrilled to have something home baked.

• 1/2 Cup (1 stick) butter at room temperature
• 2 Cups sifted sugar
• 2 eggs beaten w 1tsp real vanilla extract
• 3 Cups flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 Cup milk
• 1 quart (4 Cups) blueberries (preferably fresh) dredged in 1/4 Cup flour
• cinnamon sugar to taste (I go heavy with it)

In a large mixing bowl cream butter well, add sifted sugar & cream again. Add eggs & vanilla, blend well and set aside. In a separate bowl sift together flour, baking soda and baking powder and add alternately with the milk to the batter mixing well after each addition. Fold in the dredged berries. Pour into a 9"X13" greased & floured baking pan ( I use Crisco shortening) and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. If using a glass or very dark coated pan bake at 325 degrees. Cool on rack before cutting. Yum.

Boone's Farm Cake

Don't ask me what I was doing on the Boone's Farm Fan Club site, but I came across this enticing recipe. Cake mix, instant pudding AND crappy strawberry wine? I just might have to try this out:

Boone's Farm Wine Cake
Special thanks to Boone's Farmer Kendra from Roseville, California for submitting her soon-to-be world famous Boone's Farm Wine Cake recipe:

Mix together:
1 box Yellow Cake Mix
1 box Butterscotch Instant Pudding Mix
4 Eggs
1 Cup oil
Once all mixed together add
1 Cup Boone's Farm Strawberry Hill Wine
dash of Nutmeg

Pour into Bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 - 55 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Let set for 10 minutes to cool before inverting onto plate.

Thanks to Sarah N for the photo of Dan B

Paula Deen Pantsed

Lovable granny chef Paula Deen lost her pants at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival. Oh my!



Speaking of Paula Deen, last night I was treated to a delicious dinner of baked french toast and eggs in spicy tomato sauce. Nothing quite like breakfast for dinner! The baked french toast was a Paul Deen recipe, minus an entire stick of buttah. The eggs recipe was from Everyday Food, with these edits by the chef:

I used mexican cotija cheese (instead of feta) and sprinkled chopped cilantro on the whole thing at the end. Another tip: I recommend carefully squeezing up the whole tomatoes in your hand then adding them into the sauce -- messy, but easier than breaking them up with a spatula. Also I used one can of crushed tomatoes and one can of whole peeled tomatoes.

This fantastic meal, which also included a bread salad, a basil and tomato salad AND sausage and grits, was only a precursor to a tasty and recession-friendly Soup Swap... which I will tell you all about soon. Still slurping soups...

Boyfriend Jeans: Making Extra Desserts OK!

As I squeezed myself into my skinny jeans this morning, regretting downing the extra helpings of Dulce de Leche Bread Pudding leftover from my Valentine's Day dinner, and the extra red velvet cupcakes my Valentine brought me from Baked, I thanked the fashion gods that ripped-up boyfriend jeans are in for Spring.



Perfect timing too since two of my favorite jeans have recently worn holes in the thighs and crotch, my black denim Levi's even ripping straight across the ass when I tried to hoist myself into an SUV (another reason to loathe those vehicles). It was all just fate making my wardrobe up to date for the new season!

Valentine's Day at Home Sweet Home

With the economy in the toilet, who has the money to eat out anymore? Waiting around at busy restaurants on Valentine's Day only to be surrounded by people on awkward, high-pressure dates just isn't my idea of fun anyway. Better to cook at home for your sweetheart this year, so here's a few suggestions for different types of Valentine's:


First Date / Guy You Lured Home Earlier from the Bar
A first date calls for some social lubricant! Epicurious offers recipes for the "Top 5 Sexiest Cocktails" and food pairings. Home Sweet Homewrecker suggests skipping the food pairing to just focus on the fancy booze.


The Old Ball and Chain
Split up the cooking duties. One of you tackles the main dish and the other the sides or dessert. This way you both have a project you can work on in the kitchen, together! No waiting around for your food wondering what to talk about. And do the dishes tomorrow.


Daddy Daughter Date
This is what I'll be enjoying this V-Day. Dad likes Triscuits and Miller High Life, so I think I got it covered!


Flying Solo
Don't have a Valentine? Who needs 'em! Curl up with a box of Annie's Bunny Pasta with Yummy Cheese (for maximum cuddle and comfort levels), your NetFlix and hit the hay with your man arm pillow. Is that weird?

Rock and Roll Recipe Radio - Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

A brisk, fall day called for warm, seasonal baked goods and a little music. If that loaf of Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread looks a little overgrown to you, listen to find out why. You can make your own pumpkin bread by (carefully) following this recipe:

• 3 c. all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 4 eggs
• 2 c. sugar
• 2 c cooked or canned pumpkin
• 1-1/4 c. vegetable oil
• 1-1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. In another bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, pumpkin and oil. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in chocolate chips.

Pour into two greased 8-in. x 4-in loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 60-70 min. or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 min. before removing from pans to wire racks. Yield: 2 loaves.

Rock and Roll Recipe Radio - Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

The playlist:
AA Bondy - World Without End
Chad VanGaalen - Willow Tree
The Pretenders - Brass in Pocket
The M's - Pigs Fly
Smashing Pumpkins - Obscured
The Muslims - On My Time

Pining for Pumpkins

Just minutes into the first day of October and I'm already pining for pumpkins. When it comes to food, I think fall is truly the most romantic time of year. Sure summer has ripe veggies and berries, grilled things and cool drinks. But it's too damn hot to cook. Autumn invites butternut squash soups, a cup of hot apple cider in your mitts, baked apple crisps, and all the bounty of the harvest.

I hope to get out to a U-Pick farm this fall, because there's something satisfying about "harvesting" your own food, but at the very least I will waltz down to the local green market for some pumpkins and cider over the coming weeks. And when I do, I am armed with four delicious pumpkin recipes from Readymade.



Of course I can probably find versions of these pumpkin-y consumables ready-made for me at the market, leaving me more time for sipping cider and catching up on another fine thing that's returned for the fall season -- Gossip Girl.

Cooking with Sparks

Someone told me about this home cooking tribute to the orange-colored, caffeinated malt liquor known as Sparks the other night. I can't remember who because I'd been drinking way too many Sparks and I was both drunk and walking on the ceiling. Nevertheless, I always like to support my fellow home wreckers, so I thought I'd share this truly creative and disgusting cooking show with you. Bon appétit!

Rock and Roll Recipe Radio - Episode 3

It's a special Christmas episode of Rock and Roll Recipe Radio, and I am joined in the kitchen by my friend Anna. She makes the hot toddys while I mix the cookie dough, we both lick the mixers, and I handle the balls. I mean shaping the cookies into balls. Here's the holiday playlist:

The Wedding Present - Step Into Christmas
Smoking Popes - O Holy Night
The Raveonettes - The Christmas Song
The Flaming Lips - Christmas at the Zoo
The Waitresses - Christmas Wrapping
Coldplay - Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Rock and Roll Recipe Radio - Episode 3 - Dark Chocolate/White Chocolate Peppermint Cookies