Pumpkin Cupcakes for my Pumpkin

We celebrate Izzy’s 8^th birthday this year with cupcakes, a kibble cupcake for the bully, and pumpkin marshmallow cupcakes for us. She has settled into our lives like an heirloom, a treasure, a thing that we have been lucky to get, ancient and precious, decorating the living room with various stations of repose. She loves her birthday. We love her. And these blow-torched cupcakes are the fanciest thing I have done post-call in a long time.

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Burnt Marshmallow Frosting

Adapted from the Food Network Mag

Makes 24! (so spread among neighbors)

For the cupcakes:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

2 cups packed light brown sugar

4 large eggs

2 sticks unsalted butter, melted

1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin puree

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the frosting:

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

4 large egg whites

Pinch of salt

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Make the cupcakes: Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees F. Line two 12-cup muffin pans with liners. Whisk the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cloves in a medium bowl. Combine the brown sugar, eggs, melted butter, pumpkin puree and vanilla in a large bowl and whisk until smooth. Add the flour mixture and whisk until just combined.

Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds of the way. Bake, switching the pans halfway through, until the tops of the cupcakes spring back when gently pressed, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the frosting: Combine the granulated sugar, cream of tartar, egg whites and salt in a large heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (do not let the bowl touch the water). Whisk until the mixture is warm and the sugar dissolves, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the bowl from the pan, add the vanilla and beat with a mixer on medium-high speed until the frosting is cool and stiff glossy peaks form, 4 to 6 minutes.

Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip; pipe onto the cupcakes. Brown the frosting with a kitchen torch.

Mardi Gras with Bob Ross, Mondo Kayo and Pimiento Cheese Dip

Another Mardi Gras has gone off like a confetti cannon in New Orleans. There are beads in the trees. There are beads on the floor of every room of the house. Beads under my moped tires on the scoot into work each morning. What a wonderful season it was—we had a Bob Ross themed Endymion party at which I served this super addictive cheese dip with a side of roast pig to a bunch of happy trees. And like the live oak branches, we swayed and swayed.

Then for Mondo Kayo, we celebrated the bright and holy truth that there is No Place Like Home. New Orleans seems to be the one place that can simultaneously be a place that is nostalgic for while also a foreshadowing of home.

Baked Pimiento Cheese Dip

Adapted from a Dromedary ad

16 oz. cream cheese, softened

8 oz. Cheddar cheese, shredded

8 oz. Colby-jack cheese, shredded

(2) 4 oz. jars or (1) 7-oz jar diced or sliced Dromedary® pimientos, drained & rinsed

1/4 c. sour cream

3 T. canned jalapenos, chopped

1 T. hot sauce

Directions

Mix all ingredients into large bowl. Spoon into greased two quart baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Serve warm with tortilla chips.

Or just plain Pimiento Cheese Dip

Adapted from Food and Wine

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 jarred roasted red bell pepper, chopped

8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (2 cups)

8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (2 cups)

4 ounces cream cheese at room temperature

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon cayenne

1 teaspoon kosher salt

In a food processor, pulse the garlic until finely chopped. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse until well blended. Scrape the pimento cheese into a large bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving with crackers.

Hot or cold, this stuff is TASTY. We had so much fun, but now need to rest and rehydrate and get reinspired for new costumes next year.

Spicy Smoothies and Vegetable Pun Contest with Vegan Cookbook Giveaway

Just in time for Mardi Gras, I had the chance to review a nudie vegan cookbook Squeeze Life by Karliin Brooks, “Your guide to the best bare body at any age.” This book is full of colorful, gorgeous foodie photos, pun after pun after pun, and has a casual, often profane narrator. The prose reads like a snarky email from your best girlfriend. While I don’t whole-heartedly support all of her advice (like drinking your own urine), I do concur with two of Karliin’s guiding principles: 1) “Green juices are the ultimate babe fuel,” and 2) “What you put inside your body affects your overall well-being. So why eat shitty foods?”

All the recipes are based on raw, organic fruits, veggies and legumes. Because of this book I made milk out of cashews for the first time and enjoyed a delicious smoothie with curry spices.

Mardi gras this year is supposed to be 80 degrees, so KP and I have been working on getting a good primer coat on our tender, pale bodies.

Curry in a Flurry

I used MegaFood Turmeric powder as a substitute for the fresh turmeric in the smoothie recipe below… pretty spicy.

Some pages are rated R, fair warning. Not probably a book you want your kiddos to get their hands on. But the pun lover will have endless pleasures. I’m giving away one free copy of this book to my readers, just post a comment with your favorite vegetable pun… and then you too can “grab life by the sprouts and squeeze.” Ha!

And then, since we’re on a smoothie kick right now and I’m still loving the Just Spices shipment that came last week, try this very tasty smoothie with a Smoothie Booster shot! Photo taken amid the chaos of the current state of affairs in my “kitchen” which admittedly becomes more like my office every day.

Just Spice Smoothie

One cup plain Greek Yogurt

½ cup nonfat milk

2 cups frozen fruit (mangos and peaches are my fave)

1 scoop of protein powder

1 tsp of Smoothie Booster from Just Spices

Spiced Ricotta Pancakes with Just Spices

All is right with the world (in my little New Orleanian Mardi Gras bubble; note also that in the la la land of residency I really don’t have much time to belabor the weight of daily news). We have been trotting out to some of the early season parades, last night was Cleopatra, and we caught some great stuffed animal throws for Izzy to chew up. Turns out she also loves beads. Very stylish bully.

And Goodness, what wonderful gifts have been coming at Bake This Day via the mail! Thank you to Just Spices for sending some Pancake Blend and Smoothie Booster spices to test out on Saturday morning. I LOVED the Pancake Blend, which has cinnamon, lemon peel, cardamom and vanilla bean. You can’t go wrong! I’m gonna put this stuff in snickerdoodle cookies too. Love that it’s organic—working on a smoothie next…

Spiced Ricotta Pancakes

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ cup whole-wheat pastry flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 TB sugar

1 tsp lemon zest

1 1/2 cups whole milk

4 large eggs, separated

1/2 cup fresh ricotta cheese

1-2 tsp Pancake Blend spice from Just Spices

Warm pure maple syrup, for serving

In a large bowl, whisk the flour and baking powder with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. In a medium bowl, whisk the milk with the egg yolks, ricotta and the remaining 3/4 teaspoon of lemon zest. Whisk the mix into the dry ingredients until just incorporated.

In a clean, large stainless steel bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form (this is key—makes the pancakes so fluffy!); fold them into the batter.

Preheat a griddle and grease it with butter. Scoop 1/4-cup mounds of batter onto the griddle. Cook the pancakes over moderately high heat until bubbles appear on the surface, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip and cook until the pancakes are risen and golden brown on the bottom, about 2 minutes longer.

And so it begins. The Season of Spice and Light. All is right. #sponsored, thanks Just Spices.

Red Snapper en Papillote

Succulent snapper. So much moisture retained by the parchment paper, steaming in white wine. Very spicy, perfect balance of flavor. This is a perfect dish to serve when hosting company—easy to control on a time-sensitive schedule, hard to mess up and SO SO delicious. Or you could always go out to eat for a good snapper– I recommend The Pelican Club, our Valentine’s Day treat to ourselves in the French Quarter last night.

Red Snapper en Papillote
Adapted from Louisiana Cooking

2 sheets parchment paper, cut crosswise
4 (6- to 8-ounce) snapper fillets (I have used grouper as well as substitute)
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
¾ teaspoon ground black pepper
12 fresh thyme sprigs
12 thin lemon slices (from my own lemon tree!!!)
1 jalapeño, thinly sliced
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
3 tablespoons dry white wine
1 (5-ounce) bag kale salad mix
1 tablespoon grapefruit zest
1 grapefruit, segmented and juices reserved
½ cup toasted pecan halves
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 400°. In the center of each piece of parchment, add fish fillets. Sprinkle evenly with ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Top each fillet with 3 sprigs thyme, 3 lemon slices, jalapeño, and crushed red pepper. Fold parchment over, sealing top and bottom ends.

Add 1 tablespoon white wine to each fillet. Seal third side by rolling. Place on a rimmed baking dish. Bake until fillets flake easily, 10 to 12 minutes. In a large bowl, gently combine salad mix, grapefruit segments, and pecans.

In a small bowl, whisk together grapefruit zest, oil, tarragon, Dijon, reserved grapefruit juice, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Drizzle over kale mixture. Serve fish with salad immediately.

Chocolate Caramel Swiss Roll

Well, I’ve had my obligatory one month-ish break from sugar after the holidays and now here we are on the verge of Valentine’s Day, and I’m snuffle-hunting for chocolate recipes to stir up rohmahnce. May it take you to sunny heart-filled scapes deep within your nostalgia. Today, that place for me is the purple house and purple heart-leaf tree in Minnesota. And a Prague garden and sunset to match.

Found one. Izzy is hoping her birthday gets here soon.

Chocolate Caramel Swiss Roll

Adapted from Martha Stewart magazine

WHIPPED CREAM

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Pinch of coarse salt

2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

CAKE

Vegetable-oil cooking spray

1/4 cup sifted Dutch-process cocoa powder, plus more for pan and dusting

1/2 cup sifted cake flour (not self-rising)

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

3 large eggs, plus 2 large egg yolks, room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

SYRUP

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons bourbon, such as Maker’s Mark

1 1/2 teaspoons Dutch-process cocoa powder

Whipped cream: Fill a large bowl with ice water. In a small, heavy pot, stir together granulated sugar and 2 tablespoons water; heat over medium-high, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved. Continue to cook, swirling occasionally, until deep golden brown, about 6 minutes. Meanwhile, stir cornstarch into 1/4 cup cream, then stir mixture into remaining 1 1/4 cups cream. Add cream mixture and salt to caramel, whisking constantly (it will bubble up), and bring to a boil. Set pot in bowl of ice water and let cool, whisking occasionally, 30 minutes; then refrigerate until very cold, at least 1 hour and up to overnight.

Cake: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a 12 1/2-by-17 1/2-inch rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Line with parchment; spray parchment, then dust with cocoa, tapping out excess. Whisk together cocoa, flour, and salt.

Combine eggs, yolks, and granulated sugar in a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a pot of simmering water. Whisk until sugar is dissolved and mixture is warm to the touch, about 2 minutes. In a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat on medium-high speed 2 minutes. Increase speed to high and beat until mixture is pale and thick, about 4 minutes more.

Sift cocoa mixture over top of egg mixture, then fold in. When almost incorporated, pour butter down side of bowl; gently fold to combine, scraping bottom of bowl. Transfer to prepared sheet, using an offset spatula to spread evenly. Bake until center springs back when lightly touched, 6 to 7 minutes. Run a small sharp knife around edges of cake.

Invert onto a clean kitchen towel; remove parchment.

Immediately, starting at one short side, roll into a log, incorporating towel. Let cool 30 minutes.

Syrup: In a small, heavy pot, stir together granulated sugar and 2 tablespoons water; heat over medium-high, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved, 1 minute. Continue to cook, without stirring but swirling occasionally, until syrup turns dark amber, 3 to 4 minutes. Whisk in 1/4 cup water (it will bubble up), bourbon, and cocoa. Whisk until smooth. Let cool about 30 minutes.

Whisk confectioners’ sugar into chilled cream mixture, then whip to stiff peaks. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours. Whisk again just before filling cake.

Unroll cooled cake. Brush surface generously with syrup. Use offset spatula to spread whipped cream over cake, leaving a 1/2-inch border all around.

Starting at a short end, roll cake to enclose filling (without towel). Wrap towel around cake (for a tight roll, hold closed with binder clips). Refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to overnight. Dust with cocoa and serve. (For cleanest slices, use a serrated knife.)

Pledge to Mind the Gap – MegaFood Smoothie Time

It is well known that doctors, in particular, residents-in-training, have some of the worst health habits of all the land. We walk around with acute kidney injuries from daily dehydration, and when we finally get a chance to catch up on eating/hydrating, we dump cans of caffeinated diet sodas down the hatch chased by fistfuls of whatever is salty and nearby in a bag. Sometimes I wonder how my cells are scraping by with what I give them to build with. My brain in particular. I went to a lecture on vitamin supplementation by Dr. Tieraona Low Dog at the 2016 ShiftCon, and felt personally convicted to do better this year with regard to nutrition—to mind the gap, as it were. She has partnered with MegaFood to formulate a multivitamin that meets a host of stringent standards: vegetarian, dairy free, non-GMO, and farm fresh. These vitamins taste and smell like they could go bad if you don’t use them in a month. That’s a good thing. Real things rot. Avoid what’s not.

To do that, I’m grateful MegaFood makes it easy for busy people like me! I made a pledge to close my nutritional gap by taking a vitamin daily, and what is so awesome about this pledge drive is that my purchase of vitamins pays it forward to help cure nutritional poverty. In a nutshell, for every pledge Megafood receives, they are donating a bottle of MegaFood Multivitamins to those in need. All pledgees will receive a $5 off coupon toward a purchase of any MegaFood Multivitamin and will be entered to win a year’s supply of MegaFood Multivitamins and a trip to a wellness retreat.

In addition to taking a vitamin daily, I’ve been experimenting with some of their nutrient booster powder supplements, using a scoop daily in my protein shakes.

My Pledge: MegaFood Smoothie Time

One cup plain Greek Yogurt

½-3/4 cup nonfat milk

2 cups frozen fruit (mangos and peaches are my fave)

1 scoop of Healthy Skoop Viva-nilla plant-based protein powder

1 scoop of Healthy Skoop plant-based Greens blend

1 scoop MegaFood Daily Purify OR Daily C-Protect

My husband is a teacher, I’m a doctor, and together, we make the perfect viral farm where bugs can wreak havoc on our immune systems should we allow them to grow weak. I am hopeful that adding some of these much needed nutrients to my routine will translate to fewer days with fevers and sniffles. What I like about MegaFood products is how the nutrients are gathered that constitute the supplements. I used to think that fortification with vitamins and powders was cheating—shouldn’t I be getting my vitamin A from carrots themselves? Well, the problem with this, I think, is that the mineral content of our foods just isn’t what it once was. And because of that, we would have to eat a mountain of carrots to get enough Vitamin A. And don’t get me started on B-Z. Realistically, I don’t eat enough and good foods aren’t always an option (see call room posts of yon). So just take a vitamin. And make the pledge so some who really needs them but can’t afford them can have one too. Make vitamins a part of your kitchen.

Check out their upcoming Facebook Live on February 7th. The Facebook Live will be our official pledge launch and will be filled with broadcasts from some very special guests!

Please note that this post was sponsored by MegaFoods with product donation to Bake This Day. #sponsored #ad

Romano Bean Fritters with Chosen Foods

This is definitely an ideal Superbowl snack. What a great way to eat beans and peas. This recipe I found in a Canadian magazine this summer while hiking around Cape Breton. The original features a creamy slaw made of mayo, avocados and red cabbage. It seemed a natural substitute (and much easier) to simply use the mayonnaise that was gifted to me by Chosen Foods this winter. What an incredible sauce. My mother always said that hunger is the best sauce–well, she might need to try this.

Romano Bean Fritters

Adapted from Chatelaine Magazine

1/4 cup mayonnaise—I used Chosen Foods Harissa flavored Mayo

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup water

3 tbsp Chosen Foods avocado oil

1 egg

1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed

1 cup French beans, drained and rinsed and chopped into one-inch pieces

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1/2 tsp hot-red-chili-flakes

Instructions

Put mayonnaise into a little cup. Done—whoo that was easy!

Stir all-purpose flour with baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Whisk in water, 1 tbsp oil and egg. Stir in green peas, romano beans, green onions, 1 tbsp fresh thyme and hot-red-chili flakes.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium. Scoop 4 2-tbsp fritters into pan. Cook until fritters are golden brown and cooked through, about 2 min per side. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Repeat with another tbsp of oil and remaining batter. Serve warm, dip in mayo. YummMM!

Thanks so much for the gift, Chosen Foods!

Torta Caprese for My Birthday Cake

What a fabulous birthday. Surprise after surprise after surprise! Bright flowers from KP.

A dozen eggs (thank you magnificent seven!)

Presents and cards and several evenings out this week with friends and loved ones.

And the Italian Baker, by Melissa Forti. Literally the most beautiful baking book I’ve yet seen. Full of mouth-watering photography featuring cakes and pastries on fine china in Melissa’s Tea Room (in Italy where Forti has been learning to make Italian desserts.)

Per tradition, I had to make a chocolate cake for my birthday and the Flourless Chocolate Torte was a heavenly way to invest half of the latest dozen.

I highly recommend the Italian Baker to Bake This Day readers; please purchase her book, I think she is my new baking hero– you can get it here: http://amzn.to/2fCWmJe.

Thanks again to all for the birthday love. Time to boot up Rachel 3.2 — A bright year ahead.

C is for Cookie, and Courage, and Crescent City

C is for cookie, crescent city, carnival, and courage—respect and laud to all the women and men who joined in the important march this weekend. Saturday was a beautiful day for a protest in New Orleans, and I was heartened by the company of some 15,000 re(sisters) who together, in a procession two miles long, held fists high in peaceful dissent.

Carnivale Almond Crescents

Adapted from Food and Wine

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract (thank you Penzeys, for this, and for supporting women)

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/3 cups almond flour

1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, plus more for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350° and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, beat the butter with the granulated sugar and salt at medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 minutes. Beat in both extracts. Reduce the speed to low and add both flours, mixing until just combined. Refrigerate the dough until firm, about 30 minutes.

Scoop 12 rounded tablespoonfuls of the dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Using your hands, roll each ball into a 4-inch rope, then shape into a crescent; return to the baking sheet. If the dough gets too soft, refrigerate until firm. Bake the cookies, rotating the sheet halfway through baking, until lightly browned around the edges, 13 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes.

Sift the 1 1/2 cups of confectioners’ sugar into a shallow bowl. Dredge the warm cookies in the confectioners’ sugar; return to the rack and let cool completely. Repeat the baking and dredging with the remaining dough. Dust the cookies with additional confectioners’ sugar before serving.