Living-Deliberately.com

My favorite kind of place? Comfortable and decorated with wi-fi and lots of friendly faces streaming in. We had our live kick-off for theworldsbiggestblogparty in just such a place. The coffee is strong and plentiful (you can opt for a washable mug and refill as much as you like) and every time the door opens, someone who loves the place walks in. There is art all over the walls because the owner is also an artist and it’s his gallery space. It’s great.

So’s my little cupcake! I made up my cake recipe: it’s COFFEE. And the frosting for this one is chocolate almond but it needs something more like the Mascapone filling in Tiramsu. I’ll be experimenting further with that.

This cupcake was created in thought of a great friend made in just that coffee shop. Cupcakes, friends, and Coffee. Can it get any better than that?

Coffee Cupcakes:

Mix the dry:

2 c. cane or turbinado sugar

2 1/2 c. flour

1 t. salt

1 1/2 t. baking powder

1 1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. cinnamon

Mix the wet and blend into the dry:

1 stick of butter, melted

1 c. buttermilk

1 T. vanilla

2 eggs

Mix until fully moistened and stir in 1 c. of very strong, very hot coffee.

Ladel into cupcake papers. Bake at 350 until knife comes out clean.

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve tried to find THE perfect chocolate cake recipe.

My old stand-by used to be the one on the back of the Hershey’s cocoa box. And indeed the thing is heavenly…as long as it sits overnight first to “ripen”. It’s even better refridgerated…it’s dense, moist, rich, dark…everything a chocolate cake should be. Unfortunately, fresh from the oven, it always tastes a little like fish.

Blech. Many a cake baker I’ve talked to has said they didn’t like the Hershey’s version. Every time they said that it turned out they’d eaten the thing within a couple of hours out of the oven. No-can-do.

So you all have seen the different recipes I’ve tried. A cupcake is something that SHOULD be eaten fresh…around here the birdies start circling as soon as the frosting is on, which happens as soon as the ditties are cool enough for it not to slide off. There was the “My Dad Loves Me” german chocolate attempt, the disasterously dry rasperry-devil’s food which was so nasty it didn’t even get named, the outstanding yet gentle cocoa version in “Bought New Shoes That Fit and Got Somewhere To Go” cupcakes. I was still on the hunt for a good DARK chocolate cake recipe and was beginning to consider resorting to a box mix, doctored up.

But something happens when you read every recipe that comes your way: the method starts to sink in. And like any other art form, once the method is mastered, true freedom to divert from it is found. It began to dawn on me how I could tweak one enough to get my desired result. I think there are many variations of my recipe out there and I know that this is the one that works for me. I’m sold!

Today’s result is “There’s no place like home” cupcakes. The cake is light, dark, moist, great fresh from the oven and chilled for later. The frosting is dark, almost bittersweet. I didn’t cook the frosting this time; I wanted something stiffer. Together with a glass of milk, the quintessential chocolate/chocolate-washed-down-with-cold-and-creamy Americana dessert is achieved.

With a week of travel, months of gypsie living that won’t end anytime soon, and a life that is ever-complicated it’s good to remember that there really is “no place like home”. It’s warm and comforting, nourishing in soul, spirit, and body.  The best is usually simple, unpretentious, and excellent in it’s own quiet way. We return to it time and time again and the real thing is never as good as an imitation.

So this cupcake is like home… it’s no hotel, grocery store lard cake with a pyramid of lardy frosting on top. It’s not a bakery beauty or a wedding specialty. Just a humble, deliberately simple, quietly rich hug.

Tia’s Dark Chocolate Cupcake Recipe:

mix the dry first:

1 3/4 c. Turbinado sugar

1 3/4 c. all purpose flour

3/4 c. cocoa

1 1/2 t. baking powder

1 1/2 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

Separately, mix wet:

1 stick butter, soft and partially melted

2 eggs

1 c. whole buttermilk

2 t. vanilla extract

Combine all until moist. Whisk in 1 c. very hot, strong black coffee.  Mix at medium speed 2 minutes (I mix this all by hand; it’s about 200 strokes).

The batter will be very runny. Ladel into cupcake papers. Bake at 350 until the knife comes out clean.

Dark Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

(especially good for those who like their chocolate with a high cocoa percentage)

Melt a 4 oz. bar of unsweetened Ghiradelli chocolate

mix into it:

2T. hot coffee

1 1/2 t. vanilla

set aside and beat until fluffy:

2/3 c. butter

mix in 2 cups powdered sugar and 1/3 c. milk, alternating

add chocolate mixture until smooth.

I have noticed recently a little popularity trend regarding cupcakes….Katie Holmes has been quoted often about her love of cupcakes, even buying them for the whole crew on one of her movies. Katie Holmes being who she is of course, Mrs. Tom Cruise, she has egads of followers and so the little cupcake now reguarly makes appearances in the celebrity tabloid magazines (yes, I read them). Earlier this year I went to a friend’s beach house and in a white bakery box was a selection of truly gourmet cupcakes…these were not the yellow and white nasties offered in grocery stores, with their pyramids of shortening-and-sugar gloppy frosting and preservative-laden day old cake bases. Each one was a tribute to some larger version of itself…a whole cake…and someone had taken great care to make each one a miniature masterpiece. My friends there cut them in pieces so we could each savor the different flavors…these were not for inhaling and wiping one’s mouth on the back of our sleeves!

Even the word, “cupcake” is sweet. Sweet enough to become a woman’s nickname, a term of endearment. It’s got to be one of the smiliest desserts…”cheesecake” sounds rich, “pie” sounds homey, “creme brulee” sounds difficult. But say “cupcake” and I think of yellow and white gingham, aprons, freckles, picnics, kisses that make noses bump and faces giggle…

Maybe cupcakes in their tiny simplicity and bliss is sort of the antithesis of where I “am” right now. And maybe that’s exactly the reason I woke up today wanting one…specifically, a chocolate one with chocolate frosting…real, cocoa-y, buttery. Uh, I also wanted it served with a margarita for breakfast, which is also probably a symptom of where I am right now, but nevermindthat.

Cupcakes’ renewed popularity has worked to it’s favor. There are now blogs devoted to cupcakes, their history, recipes, photos, and frosting choices. Websites offering them for weddings (my friend recenly had beautiful cupcakes at his wedding), birthdays, graduations…major events that used to, without hesitation, use full-sized cakes. And no longer is your cupcake choice to take a box cake mix and just choose the muffin tin option…recipes are designed to make them from scratch with ease.

I found a yellow buttermilk cupcake recipe that we had all the ingredients for, and a cream cheese chocolate frosting recipe I thought I’d give a try. Unlike my usual “dump it all in the mixer and go” style for baking/cooking/loading my van, I decided to be more ritualistic about it today. I measured. And, I mixed my dry separately and my liquids in another bowl. Wait, wait…it gets better! I also skipped the elecric mixer and put in my “200 strokes by hand”.

Okay, forgive the enthusiasm. I watched Waitress this week, a FANTASTIC movie that sometimes hit a little too close to home, I didn’t want to see end, and included pie making scenes that would drive any woman to the kitchen to make food with deliberate joy. Watch it…you won’t be sorry.

So anyway, back to the cupcakes. I halved the recipe I found because we don’t need to overeat to enjoy baking, and they rose beautifully and quickly. They cooled quickly too. I think the whole mix-to-bake-to cool and frost took under 45 minutes for 1 dozen cupcakes.

To frost them, I swirled them upside down in the bowl. I’ve kind of always wanted to do that, having seen it on a cooking show about 15 years ago. It worked pretty well. I got even coverage, with only a few dabs with the spatula needed here and there. To that I added sprinkles and a little flower.

The result was yummy but could have been better. The cream cheese in the frosting competes with the buttermilk in the cake too much; a pure cocoa frosting would have been a better choice. The cake itself was soft and I had more than one creative idea strike me while I was working with them.

Favorite tip: use a ladle to scoop batter into your papers. Zero mess.

Here’s the recipe I used:

Buttermilk Cupcakes:

makes 12

2c. flour

1 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

3/4 t. salt

1 c. sugar

1 c. butter, softened

1 t. vanilla

2 eggs

1c. buttermilk

Mix dry. Mix wet. Blend. pour. bake at 350.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting:

makes enough to modestly frost 12 cupcakes, plus have some left for dipping pretzles into later!

1/2 stick butter, softened

1/2 block cream cheese, softened

about a cup of powdered sugar

about 1/2 cup of cocoa (okay, I didn’t measure that part; add in intervals and taste till you’re happy)

I’ve had several requests for the English muffin recipe; I currently have it packed! But if you want it, the cookbook it’s in is in my sidebar, called A Real American Breakfast.

Lentils…..I’ve been experimenting with something my friend Sharon described (shout out girl! Are you reading? I’d love some feedback on how I’ve been making these). She sprouts hers and serves them on sprouted grain tortillas. I soak mine, almost to the point of sprouting but not quite. Then I saute them in olive oil with onion, douse generously with the juice of one lemon, s and p and garlic powder (or use garlic with the onion). Add chopped tomatoes and feta cheese and serve on a tortilla. Or, use it as a sort of salsa for flavored tortilla chips.

White Bean Crostini

I make this a little different each time but here’s the gist: take one can of Great Northern Beans and rinse and drain them well. Douse with olive oil, s and p, garlic, chopped tomatoes and torn fresh basil. Serve on toated baguette slices. Make sure to use kosher salt and freshly ground pepper for the best result and it’s good with a little lemon juice or red wine vinegar sprinkled on too. Taste as you go.

Like I said, this is Pimento Cheese in it’s heavenly body. Ya gotta try it…..

Green Chile Pimento Cheese (Southern Living, March 2001)

2 (8 ounce) blocks extra sharp Cheddar, shredded
1  (8 ounce) block pepper jack cheese, shredded
1 cup mayonnaise
1 (4.5 oz.) can chopped green chiles
1 (4 oz.) jar diced pimento, drained
1 medium poblano chile pepper, seeded and minced
1/4 small sweet onion, minced
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

Yield: about 6 cups

She did not include the poblano because of the heat, and she also did not include the onion because she wanted a creamy texture without the crunch. Enjoy!

Her hubby, Randy, recommends spreading this on a burger. We’re having it tomorrow on soft Oatmeal bread or the sweet prairie bread that Horn of Plenty sells around here. And it’s good as a dip for salty kettle chips too! I think it would be fabulous to stuff peppers, hot or mild, in, and ohmyheck..watch out if you then batter and fry ‘em! Put it with crackers or spread onto thick wedges of tomatoes…or wait! Serve it with Fried Green Tomatoes and sweet tea! Oh!!! Must try, must try!

Make a crust with:

2 c. flour

1t. baking soda

1t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

2 T. sugar

and enough buttermilk to make moist. Press into a pie plate or square dish and bake for 7 minutes.

Sprinkle with shavings or grated Pecorino Romano cheese.

Layer with:

a thinly sliced tomato (or two small ones)

about a half of a vidalia onion, chopped

dried or fresh basil, oregano, garlic powder, kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.

Top with a  bit more Pecorino Romano

Spread top with about 3 T. mayo mixed with Dijon.

Bake on 350 until golden.

well, not really. Not really even close. Here it was: why, when I could cook so many things well, even complicated, foreign things well, could I not master simple basics like Our Daily Bread, gravy, and southern iced tea?

My tea tastes like dishwater, as my well-meaning but too-honest lover told me. Even when people came to my house, took my tea bags and my water and my kettle and showed me every step, I could not make mine taste like theirs. It’s been a mystery.

My gravy was lumpy and tasteless. That is, when I actually got it to thicken. I tried every thing I could, every recipe, every tip on the cooking shows. I eventually gave up.

Bread should have been basic. I was convinced of the health benefits of making our bread, even grinding our own fresh wheat, heck, even growing our own wheat a very long time ago. And yet, even with fresh milled flour, with additives and whole books on the subject, and much advice, all I got were bricks. I gave up.

What changed? Well, my tea still tastes like dishwater, as my lover so honestly pointed out tonight. But one day when I was pregnant with Rowan I was playing around with pan sauces. I was making a sauce with chicken drippings and I drizzled some olive oil and rehydrated morels and some butter and then I took a shot at thickening it and….

well, it was so good that my honest man was in speechless bliss. And pan sauces became gravies and now I”m an old pro, as my baby has turned 18 months.

But what about bread? I don’t have high aspirations; I just want edible. As in, “not a brick”. And something must’ve happened with that wierd pregnancy that had me craving fruit and country music because suddenly I could make a bistro-worthy pizza dough. That turned to a full-bodied foccacia. I was finding my feet.

Tonight I made a loaf of half white/wheat golden egg bread. I didn’t use a recipe and I think that was the breaking point. Somewhere while making pan sauces and pizza dough and growing my fifth wonder I realized I understood the process and no longer needed to measure. No more books to tell me how it’s done. I could do it by feeling it. That shouldn’t surprise me too much, as that’s how I do all of my cooking…and other stuff. And success, the kind where my man says, “Man…it sure is good to come home” while his happy eyeballs roll back in his head and he munches on fresh from the oven bread with a thick smear of butter, is all mine.

He left his glass of sweet tea untouched. Some things need more time to…. steep?

This was one of my first internet recipes, back when it was me and that big computer in the corner of the playroom and my oldest two were toddlers near my chair. It was before yahoogroups ate up egroups and I was on a little homeschooling list. I still make these every year, several times, because my littles-now-bigger still love ‘em. They are most enjoyed with a glass of lemonade on a porch swing on a day like today. And I have a hunch my peanut butter lovin’ brother in law would adore them rolled in melted chocolate…..

Peanut Butter Balls

(and hey, be forgiving: all measurements are approximate)

about 1 1/2c. creamy peanut butter (I use natural)

about 1/2 c. honey

about 3/4 c. raw oats (add more if it’s still too creamy)

mix together until like cookie dough. Roll into balls and freeze.

Stir in ideas: chopped pecans, chocolate chips, or raisins.

My uber-web-dude (and bil Joel who I thank very, very much for all his effort and time) has got my forum up for my beansandrice web service! The actual subscription part with the menus and grocery lists is still under contruction but the forum is free and anyone interested in welcome to come check it out! Just head on over to http://forums.beansandricemealplan.com/

I still find it hard to believe that I like beans all at, in any form. For most of my childhood I detested them. Well, along with about 560 other foods I now love! Here’s encouragement for mothers of picky eaters everywhere: reformation is possible!

I still think kidney beans look like ripe stuffed ticks. How’s that for picturesque? A’s Creative Writing homework this week included the assignment to think of 3 words that describe a food in a gross way (or something like that). A did a great job all on his own as you can imagine but I can not think of any  other way to describe red kidney beans than curled, stuffed ticks just about to pop. Ewwwwwww…..

Blame it on my parents (doesn’t every kid do that once in awhile :-)?) My job at 9 was to pick deer ticks off Lil’John, our Golden Retriever who was always in the fields, gathering porcupine quills and scent of skunk and whatever dead thing he could find (deer carcass anyone?). But I digress…..

A few years ago I went from beanless chili to dainty little red beans. One of the fastest ways to stretch a grocery budget is to shift from making a chunk of meat the main dish and use it as an ingredient instead. So, I found that by using a can of those cute little red beans, almost a dusky pink in color, I could reduce the hamburger to 1/2 a lb. The beans took on the flavor of the chili and thus a gentle introduction was begun.

I found later that white beans, or “Great Northern Beans” as I find them more romantically called, are excellent in white chicken chili recipes. And refied beans really do a marvelous thing to a crammed-full fajita. A girl I went to church with last year brought me a big bag of “soldier beans”…speckled little beauties that had been locally grown where her mother lived. That was all I had to hear: it was right at the beginning of my “eat locally/seasonally” project and I cooked them up as she recommened, sort of a baked bean recipe. They were delicous with a green salad and thick wedges of bread spread with creamy pale butter.

Lentils are fantastic the way my sister taught me to make them. My blessing of a friend here in Knoxville taught me how to fast cook dried beans so that it’s not too late if I didn’t start them the day before. My online buddy Carol wooed me with her awesome homemade refries recipe, made even better with pale pink cranberry beans instead of pintos. My favorite store, Horn of Plenty, has a wall full of baskets with every variety of beans, all locally grown, and they are so visually pleasing that I think anyone would have a hard time not admiring them as they walk past.

Or sinking thier hands deep down, like Amelie did in the movie named the same. ( I hear french accordian music now).

Now we eat beans at least 4 times a week. They’ve become an inexpensive and high fiber addition to our menu-on-a-budget. My clothes have been loose lately; a friend asked me yesterday if I’d lost weight. With no scale in the house, I really have no idea, but it would make sense. We’ve been eating lower fat (even with real butter, sausage gravy, and the occassional Ben and Jerry’s Dublin Mudslide) and we are hungry less after a plate that includes beans.

I still have alot to learn. There are TONS of variations and possiblities with this staple of the world. I found a new recipe this week that is really easy to keep on hand for quick meals (think: those times when you are dashing in and out and have time to sit and eat but not to cook). With the cilantro, it’s a quick taste of warmer days to come but if you truly don’t like cilantro I guess you could leave it out.

Winter Taco Salad

The beans:

A can of black eye peas, rinsed and drained

A can of redbeans, rinsed and drained

half of a red onion, chopped as small as you like the bites

about a 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro

a dash of olive oil

a half cup of salsa or picante

kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Make it ahead of time and refridgerate.

The salad:

torn romaine leaves

tortilla chips

diced tomato (if you want to eat it out of season)

diced cheddar cheese

Top salad with beans and drizzle with ranch dressing.

Which leads me to….want to make your own Ranch, helping to eliminate the demon MSG and save money besides? I’ve made up my own “recipe” but it also has a few variations, depending what you have on hand.

Ranch Dressing:

1/2 c. sour cream

1/2 c. mayo

a few T. of buttermilk (the real stuff, not soured milk made with lemon juice, and this ingredient depends on if you want it more like a thick dip or a more fluid dressing)

garlic powder or granulated garlic (maybe a t)

a t. of sugar

salt and pepper taste

1/2 t. each of dried basil and chives

1/4 t. of dried oregano

Stir and taste. Adjust as you like.

or best as I can translate

For the dough:

1 packet fast-rise yeast

about a cup or so of warm water

a T. of sugar

let that get foamy. Then add:

1 T. or so of olive oil

1.5 c flour

some garlic powder, salt (a t. of each?)

Stir to make a runny dough. Add in enough flour until it’s workable, then work it until it’s smooth and elastic (but still fairly soft; getting it too far makes it tough).

Sprinkle a little cornmeal on a baking sheet (used to love my stone but it broke last week). Use olive oil on your fingers and press it out to make a pie.

Sprinkle fairly liberally with olive oil (make dimples in the dough for it to sink into like puddles).

salt and pepper. add herbs (rosemary is good or basil!)

Top it. Sliced tomato, artichoke hearts, mushrooms, veggies, whatever. It’s not pizza though. Keep it sparse. Sprinkle a cheese like feta or parmesean or little dots of fresh mozerella.

Bake it until golden and puffed. I prefer this on the grill but ours isn’t up and running yet and the oven worked fine yesterday.

And this is EXCELLENT with a leafy green salad with a vinegrette dressing!